how did you find jesus?

Hi

Can I ask the christians how/why they found christianity?

I am from an athiest family and have never been to church. I have never thought that i need to "follow" a religion to live a full and worthwhile life (and always found religion a bit odd) and if i hadn't come across the odd christian here and there, I probably wouldn't have any awareness of christianity. The few christians that i've come across have had either a christian upbringing or a difficult experience which has required explanation.

.....is this the typical path?....how did you christians "find" christ (as it were).
thanks

Chris

Long story, so will try and condense it;

- 8 year old, Mum CHristian, Dad not. One night mum heard a voice that scared her say that if she didnt stop what she was doing with her church-work, her son (me) would suffer. Woke my dad up, he suggested praying with her Christian friends. Did so, and felt she should continue. I contracted measles, had complications and fell into a coma. Whilst in there, it was said I could be brain damaged or die. My dad went and prayed that if God was real I would be healed and he would believe. I came out of the coma the next day with no ill effects whatsoever.

- My aunt is mentally and physically disabled. Whilst growing up I have seen her healed of lung cancer, detatched retinas, internal bleeding and many other incurable problems. These were healed purely through my parents and myself (even though I wasnt really a believer) praying for Christ to heal her. I've also seen God provide a box of carrots when my family ran out of food (!), a car a few minutes after we prayed for one so my dad could get to a new job after being made redundant and many, many other prayers.

- Despite all of this, I still fell away from God. I lived my own life, got drunk, had women, partied hard and generally tried to ignore a nagging feeling in my heart that there was more to life than this. Eventually I got engaged to a non-Christian woman and was set to marry her.

One night I had a dream that she cheated on me with a guy named Rob from her business studies class and we broke up. The next day I told her on the phone about this dream, and she lost it. I went round and it turned out she had cheated on me with a guy named Rob, from her business studies class! I was gutted, but at the same time - I knew something had saved me from that. I wasnt supposed to marry her.

I decided to look into all the major religions, read Hindu books of the law, tried the Koran, went to buddhist meditation classes and read my bible. It was Christianity that had the most evidence and in my life had had the most proof of being real. I went to a church and sat at the back for ages until I finally realised what the empty feeling in my life was. It wasnt a lack of women, partying, fun, adventure or enjoyment - I had all of those to the utmost - it was a lack of God. I gave my life to God in 2001 and got baptised in Leeds.

Since then Ive never looked back! God has constantly surprised, wondered, amazed, confused (sometimes), I've got angry at Him, been passionate, had hard times, great times, easy times, fun times and incredible times - and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that God is real. Jesus is the way, it's all true. It took me a while to realise it, and believe me I fought against it for ages - but in the end I made the right decision.

And that's it!

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"For me, to live is Christ - to die is gain" Philippians 1 v 21

I became a Christian at a very young age, so young that I didn't at the time even know I was one! My parents were not Christian and were quite poor and not too good on the parenting thing. Mum didn't cope too well with a lively toddler so I spent a lot of time locked away with my toys in the basement or in our small back garden to play by myself. Dad had some pretty Victorian ideas about manners so wasn't allowed to shout or make too much noise. One day some elderly Christian neighbours asked my parents if they could take me to church and they took me to a Sally Army service. They told me they were taking me to a place where I was going to meet God and Jesus and when we arrived I was allowed to stand on a chair, given some cymbals to crash and told to make a "joyful noise" as loud as I could. It was great. Afterwards there was tea and I was given a banana which I'd never seen before and thought really exotic. Came home thinking that God and Jesus were great party people (still do!). The elderly couple both died a few weeks later so I'm kind of excited about meeting up with them in heaven in the future to tell them just how much my outing with them meant to me. Anyway didn't go to church until much older but when I was about 8 or 9 my grandmother bought me a comic-strip bible which I read and read and learnt all my scripture from (still think it's the best version of the bible printed although the Street Bible is pretty good too!!!) Then when I was about 11 my dad suddenly got it into his head that he wanted to go to church and since my mum wouldn't go he took me. After a few months he got fed up with it but I stayed and the rest as they say is history. Had a lot of opposition from my parents who weren't Christian. Can't say I've been a great Christian and there have been times when I've definitely badslidden. Had my moments and the odd drunken binge (but since my son is on this site not going to go into that!). For me it's been a gradual process since a very early age, often two steps forward and one back, but everytime I think I will walk away and give up being a Christian God calls me back. For me being a Christian has not been easy mainly because of my background I'm fiercely independent and have really wrestled with giving God control of my life (there are still bits of it I would rather handle myself) and partly because I struggle with forgiving people who have hurt me in the past. But as I've got older so my faith has become deeper, paradoxically as I've questioned it more. My faith also gives my life purpose and meaning and as I've come closer to God so the decisions I've made and the direction my life has taken has changed for the better.

Recently went to Russia and was amazed at the different ways people there came to faith, especially during the long years when Russia was an atheist state. There isn't any set way or age at which people come to faith. I think God calls people all the time but quietly and sensitively. He never forces us and it's more like a gentle rain the way He calls people to Himself. Sometimes it starts with just looking around at creation and realising there is a design and a purpose to it all. Sometimes it's being unsatisfied with life and thinking there must be more than this. And sometimes it's knowing someone who is Christian or getting invited to something like an Alpha course or One. There are also definitely times when we don't want to hear or listen but if you're on this site then perhaps there is something calling you!

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Sujay

Found Chimp's question again.

My answer is under her topic, "The God delusion", page 2 - in the Green forum.

I found Christ cuz of my Sunday school teacher!

But that was pretty much me following with faith like a child. I can't say I ever really doubted Him, but I can say that I've been used by Him quite a bit and have seen many works by Him. He sure is a great artist.

I'd say the most memorable experiences that I've had with Christ were youth night gatherings in which the Holy Spirit's presence was so obvious I thought I was gonna pass out.

But the most impacting on my life was the one event when God caused a certain series of events to occur to place me in a position to indirectly save the life of a suicidal friend. Let's just say that God is unbeatable in life's chess-like game. His piece positions are perfect.

Despite never really doubting Him, I've seen lots of works by Him in my short 19 years on this earth. And just like probably every Christian, I've had my ups and downs, my times of anger against a God that doesn't deserve such anger, and frustrations. But the cool thing about God is that when you are frustrated about something, God tends to show you the answer that ends that frustration and you get the aha! feeling. And yes, I get that often.

I'm not perfect and I've drifted away from Him quite a bit in just under twenty years of being alive, but despite how far and how fast I drift away, He NEVER fails to drag my butt back to His realm. Whether he uses my pastors, my best friends, my family, the police, or the most well-known antiChrists of the world, He ALWAYS gets me back to where I should be: knelt before Him, ready to serve.

Gosh that was long. It just goes to show that it's impossible to write in words or even tell in words the glories of the God of the universe.

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Lord, forgive us who commit crimes against You not knowing what we do, but please forgive us who do such things knowingly. And more importantly, please forgive Your followers who mar Your beautiful name.

Love,

Your son.

Well, im gonna make this short, I was raised christian all my life, I drifted away from him during High School and would call myself Atheist. I really didnt care what I did or said at that time, I would even go around the school, screaming outloud "Satan Loves You". Well a short time after that god called me back, I asked for forgiveness and re-accepted him into my heart, and now he uses me to deliver messages of hope and faith, which I think is great, I really never let the holy spirit fill me, but lately thats all I ever feel, and I thank god for that. Through the holy spirit ive been able to communicate, that the Day of The Lord is nearer than we think and that we should prepare ourselves for it, and for that I give thanks to the Lord.I thank god in heaven for all of our brothers and sisters in god, and pray that he will keep all of us safe and out of harms way.