How I Became A Christian

For my first blog, I have decided to describe how I came to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

I was raised in a religious family.  I attended the same church my father and his parents had attended for many years.  I more or less believed in God, but never really gave it much thought.  I considered myself to be a Christian; I figured was a basically good person, and had done a lot more good deeds than bad.  Surely, I was acceptable to God.

When I began my freshman year of college, I started hanging around with the Christians on campus.  At one of the Bible studies, another freshman named Chuck stated that he was not a Christian, because he was unsure who Jesus Christ was.  Was he a prophet, a myth, or was he God?  He didn’t know, and because he didn’t know, he could not be a Christian.  I came to the realization that I didn’t know who Jesus Christ was, either.  I realized for the first time that I was not a Christian.  If Jesus Christ was not in fact God, then his crucifixion could not pay for my sins.  One man dying cannot remove the sins of another; only if Jesus was God could the crucifixion and resurrection mean anything.

For the next few weeks, I searched for the answer to the question of Jesus’ identity.  I read a book called More Than A Carpenter, which explained logically why Jesus Christ was not a mere man, but is in fact God in the flesh.  For the first time, I also actually opened my Bible, and read it.  I was struck by the introduction to the Gospel of John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4; 14; emphasis added).

On October 22, 1979, while lying in the bed in my dorm room at a little after 1:00 AM, I finally understood that God came to earth as Jesus, in order to die to take away my sin.  I didn’t answer any alter calls, pray any special prayers, or do anything else.  I simply believed.  At that point, Jesus Christ became my savior, and I have never been the same since.

The most noticeable immediate change was a sense of peace.  I sensed that a transformation had occurred within me, and for the first time, I sensed God’s presence in my life.  It was as if a light had been switched on; I became aware of God in a way I had never experienced before.  In the years since I first believed, I have never had any real doubts about my decision.  In a very real way, Jesus Christ has become my best friend.  He has been slowly transforming my attitudes, beliefs, and actions.  I’m certainly not perfect; there is a life-long process that God is accomplishing in me.  He has loved me and been with me through good times and bad; when I have followed Him, and when I haven’t; and I have continued to grow closer in my relationship with Him over the years.  I know without any doubt or hesitation that when I eventually die, I will spend eternity in a close, personal relationship with Him forever.  God loves me as no person ever could, and I have learned to love Him more and more all the time.

How can you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ?  In order to do this, just talk to God.  You can do this aloud, or silently; alone, or with a friend.  You must admit to Him that you are a sinner, and ask Him to forgive you.  You must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away your sins, and that He rose again.  You must tell God from your heart that you want Him to change you and direct your life, and ask Him to be your Savior.  That’s all you have to do.  Begin your new life by finding a Bible-believing church to attend, reading the Bible, and talking to God on a regular basis.   As you do this, God will begin the process of transforming your life, and you also will never be the same again.

Matters of the Heart

For the majority of my life, I have enjoyed excellent health and an active lifestyle.  I have enjoyed running, hiking, cycling, and other sports, and rarely have missed work due to illness.  A few years ago, I injured my foot, stopped running, and gained a bit of weight, but I was still in excellent health – or so I thought.

On December 31, 2007, while visiting my parents in Indiana, I suffered a heart attack.  Other than elevated cholesterol, which was well controlled by medication, there were absolutely no warning signs.  At about 4:00 AM, I had severe nausea.  At about 6:00 AM, I started having chest pains, with the pain moving from my chest into my shoulders and arm.  Mom called 9-1-1, the paramedics came, they loaded me onto a stretcher, and into the ambulance.

As I lay in the stretcher, with sirens blaring, I came to the realization that I might be dead in a few minutes.  I hadn’t really thought much about death for a long time.   Death is a fearful thing that most people don’t want to think about.  It always seemed so far away, and as a Christian, even though I knew where I would end up when death finally arrived, I still feared the unknown.

However, death was now imminently staring me in the face.  The amazing thing was, I wasn’t afraid.  An incredible peace came upon me as God calmed my fears.  I thought about my wife and kids, and knew that if I died, God would provide for them, and since they also know Jesus, I would see them again in a few years.  As I wondered if the tunnel with the white light at the end would appear soon, it suddenly struck me that I there was a very good chance that I would be meeting Jesus Christ face-to-face in a few minutes.  I began to wonder what I would say.  As I considered the possibilities, I realized there would only be one thing I could say: Thank you.  Thank you Jesus for dying in my place, so that I can spend eternity with you.  Thank you that I don’t have to face Hell, the place I rightly deserve to spend eternity.  Thank you for also saving my wife and children.

To make a long story short, I never did see the tunnel and light.  God chose to allow my heart attack to happen only a few minutes from one of the best cardiac units in Indiana, when one of the best cardiologists in the state happened to be on duty.  Coincidence?  I think not.  From the time Mom called 9-1-1 until the time the stent was implanted in my heart was an amazingly quick 90 minutes.  As a result, there was no permanent damage to my heart from the attack.  By the grace of God, I was out of the hospital in 2 days; back to work in a week; and back to unrestricted activities in five weeks.

God allowed the heart attack in order to draw me closer in my relationship with Him, and to teach me several things.  First, I no longer fear death.  When God decides it’s my time to go home to be with Him, I’m ready to go.  I now fully understand that, as a follower of Jesus Christ, death is not the end; death is only the beginning.  Second, I have learned that life is but a brief moment; and every moment God gives me in this life, I need to live for Him.  And third, I have learned that God is in control of everything that happens in my life.  He loves me, and has a plan and purpose for my existence.  My task is to seek His will for my life, and live my life in obedience to His will.  I now have much more meaning, direction, and peace in my life than I had ever experienced before the heart attack, because my focus is now on God, not myself.

How can you have this kind of close relationship with God through Jesus Christ?  In order to begin the process, just talk to God.  You can do this aloud, or silently; alone, or with a friend.  You must admit to Him that you are a sinner, and ask Him to forgive you.  You must believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away your sins, and that He rose again.  You must tell God from your heart that you want Him to change you and direct your life, and ask Him to be your Savior.  That’s all you have to do.  Begin your new life by finding a Bible-believing church to attend, reading the Bible, and talking to God on a regular basis.   As you do this, God will begin the process of transforming your life.  As you begin to learn to trust, follow, and obey Him, He will give you a similar kind of peace, meaning, and direction He has given me.  You can also know, without a doubt, that when you eventually die, you will spend eternity in the very loving presence of God Almighty.  The choice is yours to make:  either receive Jesus Christ’s offer of eternal life with Him, or reject it, and accept eternity without Him.