4 Minutes Listen or Read
Why Am I a Christian and Not a Buddhist, Muslim, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Hindu, or Follower of Another Religion - especially since Christianity has a troubled history of mistreating people and its followers are often accused of being hypocrites? Why not become a Buddhist, a Muslim, an Agnostic, an Atheist, or follow some other spiritual or indigenous religious path? Here are my reasons why:
In my early teens, I searched for answers to what I believed were the two most important questions in life:
1. Does God exist?
2. And if so, does He know and care about me?
Because if there is no God, then all we really have is this life. And while it might seem noble to live a decent and moral life for the good of others, the question still lingers: Is this life all there is?
Without going into all the details of every event (I’ll cover those in future articles), here’s what happened—and what led me to Christ:
- Christ (not the religion of Christianity) entered my life in a dramatic and unforgettable way.
- Christ changed my heart from the inside out—without sermons, Bible studies, or guilt trips!
- Christ allowed me to experience six (6) miracles during my first two years of trying to live as a Christian.
- Christ answered personal prayers—prayers that no one else knew about—during those early, formative years.
Because I had received answers to my deepest questions—and because of what He had done in my life—I chose to begin a daily relationship with my Creator, completely independent of church attendance or religious performance.
What Did He Do for Me?
Here are just a few of the things I experienced in those early years:
1. He physically opened a locked door for me—a door I had checked two times and found locked. Then I prayed... and it opened! (SEE Miracle #4 Below)
2. He answered a prayer for food while I was still praying. As I prayed in my living room, two bags of groceries appeared on my porch—within seconds! (SEE Miracle #5 Below)
3. He humbled me—in a way I had never imagined. (SEE Miracle #2 Below)
There's a lot more that I could write about the miracles He allowed me to witness/experience, but I'll share those in another article!
To make a long story short, THESE are the reasons why I chose—and continue to choose—to follow Christ.
See, for me, Christianity is primarily about a daily relationship with Jesus Christ—and only secondarily about the religion of Christianity.
NOTE: While the relationship should always come before religion, the religious aspects are still important. Why? Because if you don’t know the kind of life that pleases or displeases God—how will you know how to walk with Him? For example:
- Did you know that God is more concerned with you becoming holy than with you being happy? (You can read more about that here.)
- Did you know that God does care about the type of religion practiced by His followers? (You can read about that here, too.)
In short, Christianity has two essential parts:
1. Humbling yourself, meeting God on His terms (not yours or anyone else’s), inviting Him into your daily life, and establishing a relationship with Him.
2. Maintaining a pleasing relationship with Him by obeying His Word and listening to His Spirit.
For those who’ve never met Christ, all they can point to is the religion of Christianity—what they’ve seen and heard about its rules, rituals, doctrines, and the behavior of its imperfect followers.
But for those who’ve met Him personally, it’s about the relationship—the peace, the confidence, the rest He gives to those who seek Him wholeheartedly, and the hope He places in their hearts for the place He’s prepared for them!
In other parts of the website, I’ll share more details about the miracles I experienced. Take a look below if you'd like to see them now:
Thank you for your time! I hope this article has been helpful/enlightening.
If you have questions or comments, you can email me here.
Roy