Let The Light of Jesus Shine Through You…And Watch What Could Happen!!!
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)
A good friend of mine shared his testimony. I (Steve) am inserted by God as a part of his story. I hope this testimony is as powerful to you as it was to me!
A good friend of mine shared his testimony. I (Steve) am inserted by God as a part of his story. I hope this testimony is as powerful to you as it was to me!
My Conversion
About twenty years ago when I first started working at my place of employment, I met Steve (a co-worker). It didn’t take long before Steve and I started having lunch and hanging out together. He would go on to become one of my dearest and best friends. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but Steve would turn out to be one of the greatest influences in my life. Along with Steve, I met Robert. He was a re-born Christian, extremely devout, ultra conservative. He knew the Bible inside and out. Robert set his sights on converting me the Roman Catholic, and also on Steve the Jew. Initially, I disliked and resented Robert for this. I was closed minded to his message. Here I was a Roman Catholic my entire life. I needed no conversion. If anything, I should be converting him. How dare he, I thought to myself. Pretty soon, the three of us were having heated discussions and debates about religion.
I found myself in the position of trying to defend my faith. It wasn’t long before I realized I could not defend it…because I had no faith. Yea, I was a Roman Catholic – a Roman Catholic my entire life. I went to Catholic grammar schools; I went to a Jesuit College. Everything I knew about my religion I was taught. Yes, I was educated in my religion, but I was not a true believer. I didn’t even really practice my faith. Once in a while I would go to mass.
I found myself in the position of trying to defend my faith. It wasn’t long before I realized I could not defend it…because I had no faith. Yea, I was a Roman Catholic – a Roman Catholic my entire life. I went to Catholic grammar schools; I went to a Jesuit College. Everything I knew about my religion I was taught. Yes, I was educated in my religion, but I was not a true believer. I didn’t even really practice my faith. Once in a while I would go to mass.
To my amazement Steve Meyer came to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior. In a matter of years, I watched Steve come to faith, get baptized, and become one of the most devout Christians I know. I watched this man who was Jewish, who never entertained a thought of Jesus Christ his entire life, be converted from a Jew to a Christian – just like those early Christians. In my mind this was truly a modern miracle.
The effect on me was enormous. I had to know what made a man who was never previously introduced to Christ, now become a true believer in Jesus. Soon, I embarked on my own journey. Steve was now going to play a pivotal role in my conversion and my coming to a true faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The questions I needed to answer for myself were: 1) Did Jesus really exist and live? 2) Was He crucified? 3) And did He rise from the dead? Or was this all merely a figment of imagination, a fantasy, the greatest mythical story ever told.
As I progressed through my journey, I learned that Jesus really did live. Both Jewish and Roman historical writings from Christ’s time mention a man named Jesus living and causing great upheaval and change. I also learned that the Muslims believed Jesus had lived and thought He was a great prophet. Now I knew that Jesus really existed, just like Socrates, Alexander the Great, and Cleopatra,
I now needed to know whether Jesus was really crucified. In my mind this is the beauty of God’s plan. Jesus was tortured, crucified, and died in such a public manner and spectacle. It is impossible to deny that it happened. Jewish and Roman historical writings, even outside the context of the Bible, chronicle the story of the crucifixion of a man named Jesus.
Next came the third and hardest question for me; did Jesus really rise from the dead? In my mind, this is the question of faith. One could argue the Bible is not totally historically accurate. However, we know that Jesus had friends who followed and traveled with Him. These friends went on to grow the church, write the Bible, and also eventually died gruesome and violent deaths for their beliefs just like Jesus. Why would men who witnessed Jesus die in the most violent, vile, and inhumane manner now risk their own lives and go out and preach His message? They knew full well that others had seen the same crucifixion. And without a shadow of a doubt everyone knew that Jesus was dead. What happened?
It could only be one thing. They saw something. Something beautiful, something special, something life changing, something awe-inspiring. They witnessed something that no man had ever seen before. They saw death conquered. They looked into the face of the risen Lord. What else possibly would spur these men on to do the great things they accomplished and dedicate their lives to Jesus’ message and die doing it? They were not going to die for a dead man. Jesus’ message is not a message of a dead man, but the message of a true and living God. Believe in Him and you will have eternal life in heaven with Him.