Cary Trafton

Teaching Pastor for Biblical Christianity Ministries

Like many Christians, I was raised in organized religion. As a math/engineer, analytical minded person, I strive to understand what I cannot comprehend. I do research, read, and study materials to analyze, and then come to objective conclusion(s).

At going on 15, I was determined to comprehend and understand God. In a sense, I wanted to “figure out God.” For a 3-month period, I spent every free moment analyzing how I could comprehend God. I attempted to find answers to understand God through objective conclusions. After these 3 months, I sensed I was burning up my brain.

All my analyzing led me to conclude: a finite being cannot fully comprehend an infinite God. I remember standing outside on a cool spring-like morning, gazing at beautiful blue skies, clouds, birds flying, birds chirping, observing evergreen trees, grass starting to green, shrubbery sprouting signs of revitalized life; and, while I'm looking around, taking all of this within, I speak aloud what I am viewing. Adding to this experience, I start moving around, and I am genuinely astounded at all which was taking place at the same time. I just stated aloud, “There has to be a God; there is no other explanation for all I am experiencing!”

From that moment forward, I put all my faith, trust, hope, love, and future in God, my Savior!

When I expressed aloud my conclusion, my life was forever transformed. Not realizing until many years later, this was the beginning of my personal relationship with God. I just didn't understand the depths of what I would later come to comprehend 27 years later.

Through a series of circumstances, we concluded we needed to exit the religious denomination where we participated. I studied the majority of mainline Christian religious denominations, and came to the conclusion they all have errors. The vast majority of Christians will admit there is not a Christian denomination which does not have errors. We found and moved to a more Biblically-based, conservative-focused religious denomination.

I was now staring with a clean slate, spiritually and mentally. Where to start? The Bible! My research led me to purchase a Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible. The Bible allowed me to discover original meanings of Hebrew and Greek words. Translating from Hebrew and Greek into English is not an easy task. What we read is not necessarily what was intended by the original Hebrew or Greek text.

For the first time in my life, I opened the Bible to read and learn from God’s word. Before I began, I simply prayed, “Lord God, please open my spirit, my mind, and my heart to the teaching and truth of Your Holy Spirit, so I can know you, my God, Amen!”

Wow, does God show you truth when you ask! God will teach you! I learned and understood I had a personal relationship with my God since I was just shy of 15. The more God taught me, I could look back on my life and comprehended all the times God had been present with me.

God’s word reveals He will teach us (Luke 12:11-12, John 14:26, 1 Cor 2:13). These verses state the Holy Spirit will teach you TRUTH, the role of the Holy Spirit. For the next two years, I studied, mediated on, and was taught by the Holy Spirit. God taught me, as we live in the New Covenant, we have a personal relationship with Him, and can comprehend the inheritance of His will for us.

I desired to be a minister. I applied for ministerial courses, and completed the program over the next 2 years. The first year of study was on the Old Testament, and I really enjoyed reading the books I purchased and studied to pass a series of tests. These courses helped me better comprehend Old Testament teachings and history.

I was looking forward to the courses on the New Testament. I purchased the required books, written by various authors, and their teachings on individual books of the NT. The course started with the book on Romans, so I began reading what this gentleman was stating about Romans. I was appalled! I literally sat there and stated aloud, “This is not what God taught me!” This author was teaching the religious doctrines I had experienced for years. He was interpreting Romans from his religious background and understandings, and not based on God’s truth in the Bible.

So, I laid his book aside and grabbed another author’s book on Ephesians. Here was more of the same. Hebrews, the same, etcetera. I contemplated quitting the lessons; however, I sensed from God to complete the studies. To hasten the process, I para-read the books. The tests were easy to pass, as I knew the answers they were looking for from the religious background I had lived. I completed 2 years of ministerial education from March 1993 - March 1995.

Granted Certified Minister Credentials in May 1995, I totally rejected everything I had been taught in religious denominations … henceforth, I was going to be a non-denomination, Biblical Minister.

A few years later I was requested to officiate a wedding. They queried if I was a “real” minister, or one of those internet ministers? I explained I had completed 2 years of study courses and was granted Certified Minister Credentials. They asked to see my certificate, and that is when I understood God’s leading to complete the courses. I thanked God, as He knew what people would need to see to be comfortable.

My ordination to teach and preach, September 1994 The backstory: in mid-1993, I was at home in St Louis on military leave. My Grandmother was 93 and living in a nursing home. I went to visit Granny, as we affectionately called her, though I had been told she was not very coherent, could not remember much, and could not carry on a conversation. While there, I did find it difficult to communicate with her. I sensed God leading me to talk to her about whether she understood His salvation, if she knew Him, and would spend eternity with Him. I did so, and was absolutely amazed!

Granny perked to life, became totally coherent, and lit up with a child-like anticipation. We discussed her understanding of God and salvation, and her answers were from her religious denominational teachings and doctrines, and their view of Christianity. So, I talked with her about God and how He manifested Himself as Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, to mature and become the Savior of the world. How Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross to forgive all our sins, died on the cross to reconcile us to Himself, and was raised from the dead, as witnessed by many living in His day. Granny confessed she believed in God as Jesus Christ, her Savior. I told her she was now Born-again by the indwelling Spirit of God, she was Saved, and of God’s promise of eternal life to all who believe, trust, and put their faith in Him. She cried, then pulled me to her to hug me, and held on to me for several minutes. I had no doubt she understood all we discussed and is in heaven today.

My Mother was flabbergasted when I relayed what happened. When I left St Louis, my Mom and youngest brother continued to talk to her about God. They spent time with Granny each week, doing the same, and relayed to me how Granny would be almost comatose, but when they started talking about God, her salvation, being in heaven after she passed, Granny would come to life. Granny did come to LIFE, literally, and eternally!

Granny passed in September 1994. At her funeral, several of the family spoke of her when invited. I asked to go last, and though I had often spoken to groups in a military setting, this was my first ministry setting, and I was nervous. As I stood in the back of the line awaiting my turn, praying for God’s peace, I recalled God’s word in Luke 12:11-12, “…do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” A sense of peace come over me, and all nervousness dissipated.

At my turn, I stepped to the lectern, opened the Bible, and relayed to all what I iterated above about my visits with Granny. As I did with Granny, I quoted multiple Bibles verses, teaching the Gospel to all present. After, I knew God had ordained me to teach and preach. At the cemetery, after the religious proceedings, my Mother and four sisters declared to me, “God ordained you to preach today!” When God leads us, He always confirms His leading. (Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1).

The Future As a non-denominational, Biblical minister, denominational churches don’t want you. The same holds true of so-called non-denominational fellowships. I spent several months pastoring a small fellowship, teaching Biblical doctrines, using multiple Bible verses, and they denied me. They sought and found a pastor who would teach the religious doctrines they clung to. They wanted someone to tickle their ears, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, NASB, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

God instructed me to go minister in the working world; to take Him with me in whatever position I was hired, and be a witness of Him to those around me.

After my active-duty military career, I worked primarily as a Program Manager in the defense industry. After 60 years of working, I retired to pursue active ministry.