Short Survey — I need your help!
Doug
I am doing a short survey (in preparation for a message) to find out how people become persuaded to follow Jesus Christ. Specifically, if you could point to the one main thing that impacted your decision to follow Jesus, what would it be? For example, a T.V. program, attending a crusade or conference, reading a gospel tract, hearing a sermon preached, etc. Knowing that God alone draws us to Himself through the gospel of Jesus Christ, what was the “human means” if you will, that brought you to the place where you were ready to receive Him? I’m curious to find out if what you say confirms my thoughts.
DON’T BE SHY … POST YOUR COMMENT
Note: If you’re still searching what it means to follow Jesus, what specifically has kept you back and what specifically would encourage you to make that step?
Written by Doug Wolter - Visit Website
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
My best friend bieng on fire for Jesus made me jealous!!
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:44 pm
My parents were (and still are) the biggest influence God used to point me to Him.
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:47 pm
I would have to say the influence of Christian community, the power of God’s word, my parents.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:28 pm
constant exposure to the Word of God
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 pm
I believe it was the Christian community of believers in my home, church, relatives and Bible Camp and reading the Bible with devotions and study privately and with the people mentioned in the various environments.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:54 pm
growing up in the church. My parents mainly. if I didn’t have their influence — they really set the standard and exemplified what was right.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:14 am
A school friend shared the gospel with me when I “made a decision” for Christ. But also much led up to that and even after when I was persuaded to persevere and grow in my relationship with Christ. I remember a Sunday School teacher as a young child. Later in college I remember a girl inviting me to a Bible Study, then a pastor at Bible Camp talking with me about God’s grace through Christ.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:48 am
Wow. A lot. My parents, church, Sunday school, hearing the Word of God, Bible Camp, seeing the radical change in your life when you became a Christian (Doug). God then opening up the Word to me when I called out to Him. Definitely it was a process. Actually, it still is a process – God is using many things to keep me believing and staying a Christian. I am thankful for all of these means.
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:40 am
Doug,
My dad openly denied that God exists–and then he died. Everyone assumed he went to heaven, but even as an unbeliever it did not make sense that someone who does not believe in God would go to heaven! This situation forced me to find out how a person gets to heaven. I met our pastor and talked to him. He shared the gospel with me several times. I read the Bible. It took many years of searching until I realized I needed forgiveness for my sins, not an intellectual answer to satisfy my curiosity!
blessings,
chad nuss
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
As a child, my family went to church everytime the doors were open. I had many opportunities to hear God’s Word. There wasn’t one thing in particular that stands out, but the whole church experience in itself. The pastor’s sermons challenged and convicted me, while lessons I learned in Sunday School helped me to understand God’s Word. When missionaries came, I saw their commitment and devotion to Christ, and I wanted that same devotion. Seeing Christianity lived out in our church family and at home drew me to Christ.
November 3rd, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I’ve thought about this recently and I’ve been kind of surprised by the ‘pieces of the puzzle’ that I think God used to bring me to the place where the final piece was put in place, in ‘the hour I first believed’:
– singing “Holy, Holy, Holy” as a little kid in a (liberal) Presbyterian Church
– being cast as Linus in the Christmas play which meant I had to memorize the Christmas story from Luke 2 so I could explain it to Charlie Brown (that was the first time I memorized Scripture, and I wouldn’t do so again until many years later)
– being invited by a buddy to junior high prayer breakfast, where I heard brief Bible messages week after week
– watching Billy Graham specials on TV, and picking up the book, “Peace with God”
– hearing a message on justification by faith from an unlikely source (a Seventh-day Adventist campmeeting)
– finally, picking up my Mom’s KJV Bible and coming across Eph. 2:8-9. That’s when the Lord graciously turned the light on (2 Cor. 4:6), but it seems to me now that that climactic moment of understanding and believing the Gospel would never have happened if it weren’t for all the other pieces that had been put in place before.
So that’s an encouragement to me now to not think that I’m only doing evangelism when I’m able to deliver the entire message to someone (although the Bible’s clear that we’re saved as we respond to that gospel message – 1 Cor. 15:2) – instead I tried to be open for ways that God can use me to add even what seems like a very small piece of the puzzle to another person’s understanding and experience…on the way to when the Spirit puts it all together, leading them to real repentance and faith.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
I came to know Christ after my close friend accepted Christ at the age of 16. It was a combination of wanting what he had and also a fear of dying and going to Hell. I had always believed there was a superior power because of the creation of earth, nature, etc., but never thought about Him being my Father and Savior, too.
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I’d have to say that my parents and Church growing up laid the foundation but when it really took off it was all about being surrounded by a community of people my own age who were following Jesus.
November 4th, 2007 at 2:08 am
It was a man who personally studied the Bible with me and invested time in my understanding of Scriptures and the life that God wanted me to live, free because of his grace. Equally important was his example – he was the most Christ-like person I had ever met – and his life made the Scriptures come alive. He had tremendous influence on my rebirth – he got my attention, introduced me to Christ and then stepped aside so I would be loyal first to Christ.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
It was my parents who brought me to church almost every Sunday and the fact that their faith meant a lot to them. Also, the influence of a good pastor who preached God’s Word and taught me a lot and strengthened my faith by the confirmation program.
November 5th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
My crisis of faith, was when my father died and I had to look at death. This made me look at the question of “What is this life really about?”. Because of exposure to God’s Word, I prayed for God to show me the true reason for this life. Watch what you pray for because HE showed me and that made my decision very easy.
November 5th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
No doubt the strongest influence for me was my father’s commitment to worship on Sunday and my mother’s regular devotion to the Scriptures and her frequent verbal testimony of the necessity and desirability of Christ. Another very strong influence that shaped my adult walk with Christ was learning about the doctrines of God’s sovereign power and grace through the testimony of a brother-in-law. Actually, my mother had a part in that also as it was her teaching about the reliability of the Word of God that caused me to dig there to see if these things are so.
November 5th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Thank you to all who participated in the survey. It was very encouraging for me to read your “faith stories.” Your stories confirmed in my mind how the good news of the gospel is always supported by the good deeds of God’s people in bringing others to faith in Christ. It’s also amazing how difficult it is to point to “one thing” that made all the difference in coming to Christ. That’s evidence that every seed we plant is important in the process of promoting the gospel to others. You never know how your life is being used by God to sovereignly call people to himself.
November 6th, 2007 at 1:59 am
My parents definitely have been hugely influential, my Dad in particular. He is probably the most Godly man I have ever know, and really strives to live a Christian life daily. Also, a really close friend of mine was able to discuss my faith and struggles with it, without being preachy or pushy. My boss gave me a book for graduation that really struck a note with me, called Velvet Elvis.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
It was becoming aware of my sin and accountability to God as I heard the gospel preached. The process was facilitated by a work acquaintance simply inviting me to her church.
November 14th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Doug,
Inspiring sermon on Sunday! God used a friend sharing His Holy Word to prepare my heart. It was a love that I had never experienced, observed in believers the first time attending church in a long while, that had a strong influence on my decision for Christ a few days later.