Hello, my name is Angel Gonzalez and I want to thank you for visiting the New Life in Christ website. I'd like to share with you how the Lord Jesus Christ dramatically changed my life.  I believed there was a God and that He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross to save me from my sins, but I did not truly know what it meant to follow Him.  I was like most church going people; trying to live a moral life and do good deeds, but I knew something was wrong.  In 2004, I was the Director of Product Market/Management at one of the top communication companies on the East Coast.  It seemed like a typical workday with all the stress, hustle and bustle that goes along with the highly competitive communications business.  However, this day would become the greatest turning point in my life.  I had no idea that God was about to show me how truly depraved I was in my sinful ways.  To this day, when I recall the event that took place, it still moves me and brings me to a place of great thankfulness and reverence of God's awesome mercy.

 I was attending a local church with my wife Tina because, when we got married, I had made a promise that I would go to church with her.  She wanted to make sure that our children would be raised in the church as she was, so I made a promise to her that I would do this.  I did not keep up to my end of the bargain at first.  However, my wife didn't let that stop her.  She went to church and bible studies with our first born son while I spent my time working and traveling.  

At some point however, I decided to start going with her.  Maybe it was out of guilt or curiosity at first, but either way, I was trying to keep my promise.  We attended regularly and eventually we became more involved in church life.  My wife and I decided to get baptized and became official members of the church.  However, my life was still basically the same, the only difference was I was really trying to be a better person.  At that point, I had never really been confronted about my sinful condition.  Then one Sunday morning during the service, the pastor gave everyone a form that had on it a row of empty lines.  He asked everyone to write down what they wanted to change about their lives.  I thought about it with sincerity and I wrote down this simple word - EVERYTHING.... and I meant it.  I wanted everything to change.  I started listening to pastors on TV, reading the word of God every day and asking questions to the pastoral staff.  I wanted to understand what happened to the people in the Bible during their conversion.  I wanted to understand salvation.

I was now on a search.  So, I started buying books to help me understand a little better what the bible was saying about salvation and how to be converted.  Then I bought a book written by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort called "The Way of the Master".  It was a book about how to share your faith effectively with others.  When I got to chapter five, it was titled,  "The Purpose of the Law."  When I read those simple yet powerful eight pages I knew, without a shadow of doubt, that I had sinned against God, that my sin had separated me from Him, and that His wrath for my actions was coming upon me one day.  I was so broken, the Holy Spirit had convicted me so heavily of my sins;  I was overwhelmed to tears, realized that I had broken His ten commandments and that I would one day stand before Him and pay the price for my sins.  I had always known that I sinned but this day was different.  

There was a tangible presence of God showing me my ways and letting me see for the first time the seriousness of my condition  With my eyes wide open and my heart wide open to my true ways, sobbing uncontrollably, I crawled on the floor to close my office door in fear that everyone in the office could hear me.  I told God I didn't want to live like this anymore.  I asked him to please forgive me and to save me through His Son Jesus who died to pay for my sins on the cross.  At that very moment, it was like the hand of God came into my mouth, down into my belly and pulled out of me every wicked thing you can imagine.  Something had happened that I never experienced before.  At that moment, I could sense something within me was different.

On that day in 2004, what would seem like just another hard day at work, what would seem like just another book to read - God had other plans.  At that moment, I did not understand repentance, being born again or anything about discipleship.  Up to this point, I had no idea about repentance and how crucial it was for salvation.  It was months later that I learned that Jesus said, "Repent and believe the gospel."  Everyone was putting the cart before the horse by saying just believe and you'll be saved, but no one was talking about repentance.  What I did know, at that very moment, was that God, through His Son Jesus Christ, forgave me of all my sins and cleansed me.  I wanted God and I wanted to be converted, but He had to show me my sinful ways and how I broke His commandments.  I had no other choice but to surrender under the powerful conviction of the Holy Spirit.  While I was searching for the way of the Master, the Master was searching out my ways and revealing them to me.  Once it was shown to me, it brought me to a place of sorrow, and Godly sorrow produced in me repentance leading me ultimately to salvation in Christ Jesus.  The Lord mercifully and graciously poured out His Spirit and poured it into my life just a few days later while I was in a time of prayer.

Then God in His great love for me sent dear brothers in Christ into my life who strengthened me both in the word, faith and love. I thank God for my dear brothers and co-elders Richard Fuller, Larry Haney and Oscar Barden for their patience, humility, love and faith. Their faith and their love for God continues to inspire me and I am forever grateful.       

I'm compelled and committed to share this great gospel about Jesus to all who will listen. I know with all certainty that if you are searching for truth about God and His Son; if you diligently seek Him and believe that He is who He says He is, then get ready to be changed.

Remember, repent and believe the gospel.  

I invite you to take the time to review this website which is dedicated to helping others come to know the truth about their sinful condition and their need for redemption.  No one person can deny the facts about sin and how it affects the very fabric of human existence.  This knowledge of our condition can only be greatly understood through God's word and how it proves that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.  

May the Lord of all creation pour out His Spirit upon you and convict you of your sins so that you may surrender your life to Him and become a new creation in His Son Jesus Christ.

Lord Bless