In this column two weeks ago I talked about conversion—the beginning of the Christian life. I said that I would soon share the story of my conversion. Everyone who has been saved has their own story. Here is mine.
In 1969 I was working at a small church camp in Utah. Different church groups would rent the facilities for a week at a time. I was one of two college-age staff who had summer jobs at the camp. My co-worker did outdoors tasks, I was the dishwasher. Though he and I were not expected to attend chapel meetings, sometimes we did in order to meet the girl counselors. As the church groups came and went, we each tried to find a “girl-friend” for the week. Overall, he was more successful than I was.
However, one week in mid-August this normal routine ended very differently for me. I attended the evening chapel services in order to sit beside a girl counselor. We sat in the back row and paid more attention to each other than to the speaker. But one evening I was not able to sit by her so I listened to the message.
In order for you to understand what happened next, I should tell you about my background. I had been raised in a church-going family. I considered myself to be a Christian, but in reality I was non-religious. I went to church youth group to hang out with my friends. I had heard many Bible stories but I didn’t view them as relevant to my life. Overall, I was a nice person, and I feel sure that adults considered me to be a “good” boy, but I was a Christian only on the outside. To be honest, my god at this time was getting good grades in school. Good grades were my idol—a case of badly mixed priorities!
During my freshman year of college, I began attending meetings held by Campus Crusade for Christ (they are now called Cru). I went to their meetings because I considered myself a Christian, and because I wanted to make friends. But Campus Crusade is an evangelistic group, training students to witness to others using a booklet called the Four Spiritual Laws. I was trained but I would never join the others to go “witnessing.” I didn’t want to appear to be a religious fanatic. So I soon stopped attending their meetings. That is the backstory to what happened at church camp the night I paid attention to the message. The speaker that night talked about Jesus’ words in Mark 8:38, “If any of you are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man [Jesus] will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” The Holy Spirit used those words to grab my attention. Jesus was clearly talking about me! He said that if I was ashamed of him— which I clearly was—he was going to be ashamed of me. I was stunned to learn that Jesus was going to be ashamed of me!
The Spirit used those words to convict me that I was a sinner needing forgiveness. During the invitation at the end of the message, I sat in my chair silently going through the Ten Commandments, confessing that I had broken them all (I knew enough of the teachings of Jesus to know that even though I had never killed anybody or committed adultery that I had done such things in my heart). After I finished my private confession, I went forward and prayed with the speaker. What happened next was overwhelming! There was no blinding light from heaven but for several hours I felt a joy such as I had never known. This new happiness was because I knew my sins were forgiven! That evening I spent hours walking alone through the woods, talking—really for the first time— with Jesus, my Savior, my Lord, my friend.
Changes began happening in my life. I began reading the Bible. I began telling people about what had happened to me. I told my girl-friend, my co-worker, my parents, and when I went back to the University, I became active with Campus Crusade for Christ, going out witnessing. And eventually, after I married Jean, we joined a mission and went to Africa as missionaries.
One other change happened in my life: after I started following Jesus, my college grades fell. I had my priorities straightened out.
If you believe in Jesus, you have a story just as real to you as mine is to me. Perhaps your story started at church camp, in church, or in your family devotions. My wife prayed to accept Christ as her savior with her mother after a backyard kids’ Bible club. Perhaps your story started when a Christian friend helped you in time of need, showing you the love of Jesus. However your story started, it is amazing!
But if you have never turned to God from your idols—whatever they may be—the invitation to believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins is always open. Christ loves you and died for you. Your personal salvation story begins the moment you believe in him.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.