Here, I talk with my friend Jake McElfresh of Front Porch Step for his first interview in 8 years following a scandal that ruined his career in 2014.
I was a pop-punk kid back then and made an idol of music before Jesus, living by the mantra “music saved my life” and was into FPS, using it as a way to cope during a breakup as well as the death of my grandmother — so this is a full circle moment, now that we are both born again disciples of Jesus Christ.
In this discussion, he shares how he grew up, what his journey with God looked like throughout his life — how he was a “Christian," thinking that saying a sinner’s prayer meant he would go to heaven — he describes how his parents divorce affected his perspective of women, and how he got into the music scene.
From there, he speaks on his Front Porch Step career, the depraved man he was, and the gritty details of the scandal. He so vulnerably and honestly shares how it all spiraled and ultimately sent him right to rock bottom, both personally and professionally.
But that is where Jesus met Him: at the end of himself. Much later, Jake felt the unconditional love of Christ for the first time, realizing that no matter what he did, God would love and forgive him.
Jake eventually surrendered in repentance, and laid it all at the foot of the cross, turning his life around by the grace of God. His walk with Jesus led him to his wife Shanelle. He tells us the intimate story of how they met, how he courted her, and how they eventually married.
Sharing Jake's story is about demonstrating what the gospel actually is, because his testimony shows the Heart of the Father. No one is beyond redemption.
What God has done in his life is the epitome of the old man being crucified, and the new man being resurrected in Christ.
When the carnal world offers no mercy, God offers mercy as we receive His Truth in faith. That is why Jesus' free gift of salvation is so precious.
Each of us needs a Savior that we are ALL EQUALLY undeserving to have.
And yet, when we have Him, there is no condemnation.
He makes us a new creation, not because of who we are but because of who He is.
We pray the Lord will use this to plant seeds of faith.
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