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WELL, THAT REALLY DOES DEPEND ON YOUR FAMILY
AND FRIENDS, DOESN'T IT?
SOME FAMILIES SAY ANYTHING YOU BELIEVE IS OKAY AS LONG AS YOU
DON'T PUSH YOUR BELIEFS ON THEM.
I'M FROM A JEWISH FAMILY AND REACTION THERE
IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
USUALLY IT'S CONSIDERED YOU'RE BECOMING A TRAITOR IF YOU
DECIDE TO FOLLOW CHRIST, AND IT TAKES A GOOD DEAL OF WORK
OFTEN TO KEEP THAT RELATIONSHIP GOING.
IN SOME ASIAN FAMILIES IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED DISHONORING TO
YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF JESUS.
AND, YET, OTHER TIMES PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THERE'S
ACTUALLY A SPIRITUAL OPENNESS IN THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, JESUS DID SAY THAT FOLLOWING HIM WOULD BE
DIVISIVE, BECAUSE FOLLOWING HIM CALLS FOR A WHOLE HEARTED
COMMITMENT, AND SOMETIMES FAMILY AND FRIENDS FEEL THAT IF
WE GIVE OUR ALL TO JESUS, MAYBE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR THEM.
BUT I TELL YOU SOMETHING, WHEN WE CHOOSE OUR CAREERS,
WHEN WE CHOOSE OUR LIFESTYLE CHOICES,
SOMETIMES WE PURSUE THOSE NO MATTER WHAT FAMILY
OR FRIENDS THINK.
HOW MUCH MORE THE CHOICE TO FOLLOW GOD?
AND THAT'S WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.
TRUST IN HIM.
FOLLOW HIM.
AND THEN COMMIT INTO HIS HANDS THE RESPONSE
OF YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS.
GROWING UP AS A MUSLIM, I BELIEVED THAT CHRIST DIDN'T DIE
ON THE CROSS FOR MAN'S SINS BUT GOD SENT SOMEONE TO LOOK LIKE
HIM TO BE CRUCIFIED.
I ALSO BELIEVED THAT THE BIBLE HAD BEEN CHANGED AND
IT'S NO LONGER ACCURATE.
I'VE ALSO BELIEVED THAT JESUS IS ONLY A PROPHET AND HE'S NOT
GOD OR THE SON OF GOD.
MY BELIEFS WERE CHALLENGED WHEN A FRIEND OF MINE INVITED ME TO
GO TO CHURCH FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
AFTER THAT I STARTED A LONG SEARCH STUDYING
ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY.
AND IT WASN'T UNTIL ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN AN IRANIAN
CHRISTIAN PASTOR INVITED ME TO GO TO HIS CHURCH AND HE ASKED
ME WHERE I WAS IN MY SEARCH.
I TOLD HIM AFTER I STUDIED THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS I CAME TO THE
CONCLUSION THAT AND HADN'T BEEN CHANGED.
I ALSO TOLD HIM THAT I STUDIED THE PROPHECIES IN THE
OLD TESTAMENT AND HOW THEY WERE FULFILLED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS
FOR MAN'S TRANSGRESSIONS.
I ALSO TOLD HIM I STUDIED THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD AND THE LIFE
OF JESUS AND I WOULD WANT SOMEONE LIKE JESUS TO BE
MY BROTHER, MY FATHER, MY JUDGE IN A COURT OF LAW AND MY KING
IN A COUNTRY BECAUSE NO ONE IN HISTORY COMPARES TO HIM.
HE SAID, IF YOU THINK HE IS THAT WONDERFUL AND THAT HE DIED
ON THE CROSS FOR YOUR SINS, WILL YOU CONFESS
THAT BEFORE GOD?
AND I PRAYED AND AFTER THAT I RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT AND
HIS DEITY STARTED MAKING MORE SENSE TO ME.
SINCE THEN I'VE TOLD MY FAMILY THAT I'VE BECOME A CHRISTIAN
AND MY DAD HAS DISOWNED ME AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MOM HAS
BEEN STRAINED AND ONE OF MY BROTHERS TOLD ME,
DIDN'T SPEAK TO ME FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS,
AND MY OLDEST SISTER TOLD ME I WAS GOING TO GO TO HELL.
AND EVEN THOUGH MY RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN STRAINED WITH MY
FAMILY, I STILL FEEL THAT PEACE THAT I HAVE WITH GOD BECAUSE I
AM RECONCILED WITH GOD.
AND I NOW HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, WHEREAS,
BEFORE I'VE NEVER HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
THROUGHOUT MY TEENS, I WAS, YES,
SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING TO FULFILL MY HEART
AND THE VOID IN MY HEART.
I LOOKED IN DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND IN RELATIONSHIPS.
WELL, THOSE THINGS JUST LEFT ME EMPTY AND EMPTIER.
EVEN MORE THAN THAT, I WANTED SOMETHING GREATER FOR MY LIFE.
I KNEW I WAS HERE FOR A PURPOSE,
I KNEW THERE WAS A REASON FOR MY LIFE,
BUT YET I WAS STILL SEARCHING, STILL LOOKING.
SO I WENT TO COLLEGE, AFTER COLLEGE,
WHEN I GOT TO MY UNIVERSITY, TWO WEEKS AFTER I GOT DOWN,
MY COUSIN HAD INVITED ME TO CHURCH.
AND AS I SAW YOUNG STUDENTS AND I HEARD THE PREACHING,
AS I HEARD THE WORSHIP, I KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PURPOSE
FOR MY LIFE.
I KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WOULD FULFILL
THAT VOID IN MY HEART.
BECAUSE I AS I EAGERLY SEARCHED.
AS I EAGERLY WANTED TO FULFILL THAT VOID AND FIND SOMETHING
GREATER FOR MY LIFE, JESUS CHRIST MET ME RIGHT THERE.
GOD MET ME ON THAT FRONT ROW.
I REMEMBER WEEPING, WEEPING WITH TEARS OF JOY KNOWING THAT
I HAD FOUND SOMETHING GREATER FOR MY LIFE.
WELL, I WANTED TO LET MY FAMILY KNOW.
AND THREE MONTHS LATER, I WAS ABLE TO GO BACK UP TO VISIT
THEM ON CHRISTMAS BREAK, AND I WAS ABLE TO SHARE
WHAT GOD DID IN MY LIFE.
WELL, THEY WERE SO EXCITED.
THEY WERE SO HAPPY, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT GOD HAD DONE
SOMETHING IN MY LIFE.
THEY SAW THE CHANGES.
THEY SAW THE CHANGE IN MY HEART.
THEY SAW IT ON MY FACE AND MY COUNTENANCE
AND EVERYTHING THAT GOD HAD DONE.
THEY HAD TEARS OF JOY JUST AS I HAD TEARS OF JOY AND IT WAS A
GREAT PHENOMENAL MOMENT IN MY LIFE.
WELL, FOUR YEARS LATER TO THIS DAY,
I STAND HERE AND MY FAMILY IS STILL EXCITED,
STILL HAPPY FOR WHAT GOD HAS DONE AND IS DOING AND
CONTINUING TO DO IN MY LIFE.