Several times recently different people in different places have asked me, ‘why am I a Christian?’
The answer is simply this, I find the person of Jesus as I read of him in the bible to be real and the teaching of Jesus and all that we read of him throughout the whole bible to be true.
It has not always been that way, I was brought up to go to church and every week you would have found me there until I became a teenager. Then I started to ask the questions that my teachers in the church kept evading giving answers to, until in the end I understood they had not asked themselves the questions I was asking and they had no answers to those questions.
Answering the questions others have has ever since been of prime importance to me, and the answering of other peoples questions, no matter how simple or seemingly unimportant the questions might seem. There is no such thing as a silly question.
Having given up on church as a teenager I started to read the bible. There in the bible among a number of significant passages I found one about a group of men asking questions themselves, they were confused, distressed. The religion they had grown up with and to which they adhered was being brought into question by a bunch of seemingly ordinary folks.
The religious people felt threatened, they had questions, and they had a very high profile and highly esteemed teacher of the law to whom they could bring their questions.
We read the story in the bible, the Acts of the apostles chapter 5 When challenged about their public speaking, the ruling Council forbade his followers to speak of Jesus 29 Peter and the other apostles replied ‘We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.’
33 When the religious people heard this, they were furious and wanted to put Peter and the apostles to death.
Their questions were answered from an unexpected quarter.
34 ….. a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up inthe ruling Council and ordered that Peter and the others be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Council: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
Here was a great Jewish teacher and no Jesus sympathiser, saying that if Jesus truly is who he claimed to be there was no way to stop these men and they would only find themselves fighting against God. I found for myself the real Jesus and here 2,000 or more years after he lived there are more followers of Jesus, now known as Christians, throughout the world than ever before.
Many people today live with the assumption that Jesus is no longer relevant and we can fill our lives with meaning without him.
If today the idea that Jesus can make a radical difference in your life seems far fetched and something you do not need to consider, take time to ask those really important questions about the meaning of life and what happens when it comes to an end.
Listen to the words of Gamaliel, if Jesus is not who he says he is, his followers will melt away with his death, on the other hand if Jesus truly is the Son of God, those who follow him will stand and against all the opposition that they face and will continue to grow.
A Vision Thing 