5. Christianity Dramatically Changes People
Without a personal relationship with God, life is simply meaningless. For example, a person can become rich, famous, and powerful, but do those things provide true meaning and purpose? In the Bible, Solomon argues that life without God is truly meaningless. Afterlife he becomes a Christian towards the end of his life, he strongly encourages everyone to become Christians also. Throughout history, Christians have described how their lives completely changed after they became a Christian. While this does not prove that Christianity is true, it provides very strong evidence that Christians is true.
Solomon Describes Life without God
The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the best books in the Bible because the author accurately describes life without God. King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes near the end of his life. In this book, Solomon describes his personal life with God and without God.
Solomon begins the book by describing the vanity of life without God. Solomon states that everything is meaningless, and people gain nothing from their labor (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4). Solomon describes life as meaningless “under the sun.” The phrase “under the sun” refers to a life that is lived without God.
Philosophically, life without God is meaningless because a person can become rich and famous, but what is the true objective? Without God, a person would simply cease to exist when they die. So, Solomon has accurately describing his life without God in this book.
Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon describes several narcissistic things that are meaningless without God. For example, wisdom is pointless (2:14-16), wealth is pointless (2:26), human life is pointless (3:18-22), and religions without genuine devotion are pointless (8:10-14). So, essentially, Solomon’s believes that life itself is pointless without God.
Finally, in the last verses, Solomon writes: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). So, Solomon very accurately described human life and the true purpose of life because life without God is meaningless.
Paul’s Testimony
The most dramatic conversion story in the Bible is Apostle Paul’s conversion. So, Paul was a very devout Pharisee and lawyer. Before his conversion, Paul believed that Christianity was a dangerous heresy, and he was very committed to eradicating Christianity. After Paul became a Christian, he completely changes, and Paul is one of the strongest Christians in history.
Paul’s conversion is documented in Acts 9:1-22. While traveling to Damascus, a light from heaven caused Paul to fall to the ground. A voice from heaven asked Saul why he was persecuted Him, and the voice identified Himself as Jesus. The light blinded Saul, and he had to depend on help from his companions (versus 3-8).
Paul continued to Damascus and met Ananias who was a Christian. Paul prayed and obtained the Holy Spirit, recovered his sight, and was baptized (Acts 9:17-18). Right away, Paul started going into the synagogues and declared that Jesus was the Son of God. Of course, people were simply amazed because Paul’s character was widely known throughout Israel. The Jews in Damascus were astonish by Paul’s very strong reasoning that proved that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 9:20-22).
As a Christian, Paul was very committed to sharing his faith with non-believers. Paul was whipped five times, beaten with rods, shipwrecked three times, and exposed to death several times (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Paul shared his faith in the Roman world at great risk. Also, it is widely assumed that Paul experienced martyrdom in Rome.
Throughout his life, Paul took three missionary trips throughout Greece, Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus. Paul also wrote many of the books in the New Testament, including: Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. Paul’s life is simply amazing because it shows that Jesus can completely change a person when they accept Jesus as their Savior and follow Him.
Brother Andrew’s Testimony
God is still performing amazing dreams, visions, and miracles today. Brother Andrew (Andrew van der Bijl) experienced many amazing dreams and miracles throughout his life. Andrew served in the army in Indonesia, but the war caused him to experience spiritual emptiness. Andrew vainly tried to use alcohol and cigarettes to help with the guilt. Andrew finally became a Christian in 1950, and Andrew felt that God wanted him to become a missionary.¹
Andrew became a missionary, and Andrew strongly felt that God wanted him to smuggle Bibles into the USSR. So, the challenge of smuggling Bibles into the USSR is that soldiers thoroughly inspect each vehicle at border crossings. Andrew had put hundreds of Bibles in his car, and he was completely relying on God to protect him. So, when the soldiers approached Andrew’s car, Andrew gave a simple prayer: “Lord, when you were on earth, you made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind.” When the soldiers inspected Andrew’s car, they did not seeing any of the Bibles! God had performed an amazing miracle! By praying to God, Andrew was able to smuggle thousands of Bibles into the USSR and other countries.²
Andrew started the Christian charity Open Doors in 1955. Andrew also wrote his autobiography, God’s Smuggler, in 1967. His autobiography was translated into 35 languages, and more than 10 million copies were sold. Open Doors has also grown dramatically, and it now helps people in more than 70 countries. Andrew’s testimony shows that Andrew was able to help thousands of people all over the world because he completely trusted in God.³
The Army Mother’s Testimony
Catherine Booth (The Army Mother) is also one of the strongest Christians in history. Catherine was raised in a Christian home, and she read the Bible several times by age 12. Catherine firmly believed that every person should have a conversion experience, and Catherine had her conversion at age 16. Although Catherine was a strong Christian, she was born in England in 1829, and women were not allowed to speak openly in church or to preach the Gospel.⁴
Despite Catherine’s challenges of serious illness, financial problems, raising children, and overt criticism, she had a relentless spiritual desire to share the Gospel with as many people as possible. Despite the challenges and danger of helping the communally rejected people, Catherine and her husband shared the Gospel with alcoholics, prostitutes, the homeless, and criminals. Catherine and her husband also started “The Christian Mission” in 1865, and “The Christian Mission” eventually became The Salvation Army.⁵
Catherine was extremely committed to sharing the Gospel with the poorest and most desperate people in London. People also started calling her the “Army Mother” in 1878 due to her involvement with The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has also grown dramatically since it was started in 1865, and The Salvation Army was helped millions of people. Catherine is truly one of the strong Christians in history.⁶
Brother Yun’s Testimony
Brother Yun (Liu Zhenying) has a very dramatic testimony also. Brother Yun experienced poverty, healings, and terrible persecution. Brother Yun also led the house churches in China, and he experienced incredible escapes from prison. Yun was also very involved in the Back to Jerusalem Movement.⁷
Yun experienced many amazing miracles during his life. The first miracle occurred when Yun’s father became very sick with lung cancer when Yun was 16 years old. His father experienced a very miraculous healing, and Yun became a Christian shortly afterwards. Yun wanted a Bible, put Bibles were illegal in China. Yun prayed and fasted for 100 days that God would provide a Bible for him. After 100 days, two servants brought a Bible to Yun because they had a vision. When Yun was 17 years old, he was arrested and put in prison. In prison, Yun was beaten and tortured. Miraculously, Jun escaped from his cell, and Jesus helped Jun to climb an eight-foot prison wall. These horrible experiences caused Yun to become a very strong Christian because he had first-hand experience of the miracles that Jesus performs.⁸
Yun was a house church leader in China, and endured arrest by the police, severe torture, and prison for many years. Even while in prison, Yun shared his faith with the guards and other prisoners. Yun’s bold faith shows that God works in very harsh conditions. Yun has escaped from China and gone to Germany, and he currently preaches around the world. Yun’s life shows that God is still performing amazing miracles, and God’s awesome power overcomes the strongest physical barriers. Yun firmly believes that Christians must pray for the power to carry their loads, not for God to give them smaller loads.⁹
Corrie Ten Boom’s Testimony
Corrie Ten Boom also has a dramatic testimony. So, Corrie was raised in a Christian family, and Corrie became a Christian when she was a child. During World War I, the Ten Booms helped orphans and missionary children. During World War II, the Ten Booms began to hide Jews in their home for several years. Finally, the Nazis captured the Ten Boom’s home and sent them to Nazi concentration camps. While in the concentration camp, Corrie and her sister miraculously held weekly Bible readings and prayers in their barracks. After World War II ended, Corrie preached the gospel around the world.¹⁰
The most amazing stories from Corrie’s life occurred while Corrie was in the Nazi concentration camp. The Nazi concentration camps were horrific, and having Bibles and sharing the Gospel was not allowed. The guards also severely abused the inmates, but Corrie and Betsie were very dedicated to sharing the Gospel with other inmates. Inside their barrack, Corrie and Betsie held worship services with the other inmates. The Nazis were severely strict about not allow any type of worship services, but God performed amazing miracles because the Nazi guards overlooked the weekly worship service that Corrie and Betsie held. Every week, massive crowds of inmates would attend the worshipped services, and the building would noticeably sway. Corrie and Bestie would read the Bible and inmates would translate into other languages. Miraculously, the Nazi guards simply did not observe the weekly worship services.¹¹
One of the most miraculous stories happened when Corrie met a former Nazi guard from her concentration camp. The guard asked Corrie to forgive him for the abuse that she experienced at the concentration camp. Corrie had great difficultly forgiving the man, but she finally did, and she experiencing a wonderful healing love from Jesus, which she describes in her book The Hiding Place. Corrie’s life story shows that real conversion to Christianity involves engaging in God’s amazing love and offering forgiveness to everyone. After Corrie was released from the Nazi concentration camp, she continued to share her faith around the world, and she encouraged millions of people.¹²
Harriet Tubman’s Testimony
Harriet Tubman’s testimony is also incredible. Harriet became a strong Christian during her childhood, but Harriet’s faith intensified after a severe head injury occurred when she was a teenager. Harriet miraculously escaped from slavery, and she experienced visions which directed her to help others escape from slavery using God’s direction and guidance. Harriet answered God’s call and worked with the Underground Railroad to help many people miraculously escape slavery.¹³
Harriet’s most amazing story happened in 1840 when her owner died, which freed her and her family. However, her new owner would not accept her freedom, and he wanted her and her family to be sold in the Deep South. Harriet strongly felt that God was urging her to escape. With help from the Underground Railroad, Harriet miraculously traveled 90 miles to freedom using the North Star for guidance. After she escaped, Harriet strongly felt that God wanted to help other slaves obtain freedom also. Throughout her life, Harriet made at least 13 trips to the South to free other slaves.¹⁴
During her life, Harriet led many rescues missions that help free at least 60 people. Harriet was the only leader on these rescue missions, but she depended on some houses that were affiliated with the Underground Railroad. Harriet did not lose any people during her rescue mission, and many people called her “Moses” because she helped many people obtain freedom. Harriet had very strong faith in Jesus, and her strong faith helped her to rescue many people because Harriet did not fear death.¹⁵
Al Fadi’s Testimony
God also does astonishing things in the Muslim world. For example, Al Fadi was a devout, radical Muslim from Saudi Arabia. Al Fadi came to America for graduate school, and he intended to convert Americans to Islam. However, Al Fadi was baffled by Christianity because God is loving, and God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. After several years, Al Fadi became a Christian. Al Fadi started The Center for Islamic Research and Awareness (CIRA), and he teaches at Arizona Christian University.¹⁶
Al Fadi’s conversion was a long journey. When he came to America, he was overwhelmed by how dramatically different Christians were. For example, a Christian family showed love and kindness to Al Fadi which greatly exceeded his expectations. After several years, he met a Christian at work, and the Christian shared his testimony with Al Fadi. This caused Al Fadi to be even more interested in learning about Jesus. Finally, he started going to a Christian church in May 2001, and he because a Christian six months later. After he became a Christian, Al Fadi became a new person. He started CIRA International in 2010, which is a global ministry to share the gospel with Muslims.¹⁷
Al Fadi’s testimony is unbelievable because Al Fadi risked everything to follow Jesus. Many Muslims have been martyred for becoming Christians, but Al Fadi brazenly professes Christianity. He started CIRA International, and he teaches at Arizona Christian University. Al Fadi’s testimony provides very strong evidence that Christian is true because Al Fadi simply does not fear becoming a martyr for Jesus.18
Mathangi Arulpragasam’s Testimony
God also does amazing things in the entertainment industry. For example, musician Mathangi Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) became a completely different person after she became a Christian. What is so significant and amazing about musicians that become strong Christians is that their lives completely changed, and their incomes are dramatically less after they become Christians. Many people have asked musicians why they choose to be so open about their lives, and they frequently say that they want to share their faith with as many people as possible, even if they lose their career.¹⁹
Mathangi Arulpragasam grew up in London, and she believed in Hinduism. She released her iconic song “Paper Planes” in 2008, and she also performed at the Super Bowl in 2012. However, her life completely changed in 2017 when she had a vision of Jesus Christ. This vision was a crucial moment for her, and she became a Christian. She completely embraced Christianity and it affected all areas of her life.²⁰
After the vision, her life completely changed because of Jesus, and she became a strong Christian. She boldly proclaimed her new faith even though she understood that her career would face backlash. Indeed, she has faced severe criticism for being so bold with her faith, but she has publicly stated that she will not back down even if her career is ruined. Her testimony shows that people dramatically change after they become Christians.²¹
Casey Diaz’s Testimony
God has also dramatically changed people all over the world, and this offers the very strong evidence that Christianity is true. These stories are very incredible and powerful because they show that God can truly help anyone who chooses to follow Him. For example, Casey Diaz’s testimony is amazing because Casey was a leader of a violent gang in Los Angeles, and he spent several years inside a maximum security prison. Eventually, Casey became a Christian and shared the Gospel with other inmates for several years. After his release, Casey became a Pastor.²²
The most amazing stories from Casey’s life happened when he was in prison. While in solitary confinement, God miraculously displayed a video of Casey’s life and Jesus’s crucifixion on the prison’s wall. Although Casey had never prayed before, he felt God calling him to confess his sins and pray for forgiveness. After praying to God, God audibly spoke to him and told him to ask for the chaplain. Casey met with the chaplain, and the chaplain provided him with a Bible. Casey spent hours reading the Bible every day. After a few months, Casey was moved back to the normal prison community, and he led more than 200 prisoners to Christ.²³
Casey was released after several more years, and his faith also grew. After his release, he became a Pastor at a church, and he has also been interviewed several times. Casey’s life story shows that God miraculously changes people when they become strong Christians. He has also written a book about his life entitled: “The Shot Caller.” His story is simply amazing because he became a completely different person after he became a Christian and committed himself to following Jesus.²⁴
Conclusions
In this chapter, very dramatic testimonies were presented. Solomon accurately described life without God, and Paul described how dramatically his life changed after he became a Christianity. Many other Christians also describe miraculous dreams and vision which convinced them that Christianity is completely true, and their new faith in Jesus caused them to have no fear of death. They have shared the Gospel with millions of people because they completely believe in Jesus, and this is the strongest evidence that Christianity is true.
References
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16. Fadi, A. (2023, January). I Wanted to Die for Allah. Now I Live for Jesus. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/01/al-fadi-muslim-holy-warrior-saudi-arabia-allah-jesus/
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