Why I am a Christian?
Why is Andrew Michell a Christian? There are many reasons why I chose to be a follower of Jesus. However, rather than list all of them and explain them in detail I will aim for brevity and list only the top two reasons.
Reason #1 - The Resurrection
Reason #1 - The Resurrection
Andrew sharing hope with
prisoners in Africa.
Nothing separates Jesus more from any other person, religion, or ideology than his resurrection from the dead. Think about that. There is nothing that makes Jesus more unique, separate, and distinct than the resurrection. There is simply no claim more amazing, shocking, or incredible than that someone came back from the dead after being crucified by the Romans and buried in a tomb for three days. Yet this is exactly what happened to Jesus.
Simon Greenleaf, professor of Law at Harvard University concluded that according to the jurisdiction of legal evidence the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the best supported event in all of history! “It was therefore impossible that they [the disciples of Jesus] could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually rose from the dead…” See Greenleaf’s examination here.
We live in a world of death. You will die. I will die. We will all die. Eventually death will reduce everyone to zero and even scientists tell us that one day the earth will die also.
If death is certain for all then it does not matter what we do with our lives. It does not matter. People like to believe that life has meaning and purpose but if the end of all life is in the meaningless, dark, and cold nothingness of death then there really is nothing in this life. We are all sliding down towards that gaping abyss that shall swallow us up forever in darkness.
I chose to follow Jesus because he provided the best answer to the greatest problem facing humanity: death. We are weak and frail humans trapped in world of sickness, suffering, pain, sin, and eventually death but Jesus has obtained the victory. This is a historical fact and Jesus offers that same victory to us as well. This wonderful hope is offered to us today. Will you choose it? Some may accept and some may reject but I, Andrew Michell, accept the gift of life. I accept Jesus as my real Savior from the very real problem of death.
We live in a world of death. You will die. I will die. We will all die. Eventually death will reduce everyone to zero and even scientists tell us that one day the earth will die also.
If death is certain for all then it does not matter what we do with our lives. It does not matter. People like to believe that life has meaning and purpose but if the end of all life is in the meaningless, dark, and cold nothingness of death then there really is nothing in this life. We are all sliding down towards that gaping abyss that shall swallow us up forever in darkness.
I chose to follow Jesus because he provided the best answer to the greatest problem facing humanity: death. We are weak and frail humans trapped in world of sickness, suffering, pain, sin, and eventually death but Jesus has obtained the victory. This is a historical fact and Jesus offers that same victory to us as well. This wonderful hope is offered to us today. Will you choose it? Some may accept and some may reject but I, Andrew Michell, accept the gift of life. I accept Jesus as my real Savior from the very real problem of death.
Reason #2 – Heart Transplant in Prison
In 1995 at the age of 16 I was arrested by the police for seven kidnappings and armed robberies. I was tried as an adult and sentenced to almost 13 years in prison.
This was not my first time getting in trouble. Between the ages of 12 and 16 I was always in trouble and was suspended from every school I attended. In the last school I attended I caused so much trouble the teachers called the police who came into the classroom and removed me from school.
While I was in prison serving my sentence another prisoner gave me a Bible and I began to read it for the first time (later my mom would send me a version that was easier to read). As I began to read the Bible it was the Bible that began to change me. In that prison cell I read promises from God like:
Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
John 3:16 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Alone in the prison in solitary confinement I knelt on the floor and prayed that God would give me a new heart and change my life. I knew that I was too weak and completely incapable of changing myself. As Paul wrote in Romans 7:18 “I know that within me dwells no good thing.” I felt as if I had no power and was lost forever.
As I continued to read the Bible I experienced a new power in my life. All of my desires and ambitions changed immediately. I now loved what I used to hate and I hated what I used to love. Every day I would read the Bible and ask God for power to live the right way and every day God gave me that power.
The Bible says in Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good.” It was a long process of learning to do good for me. For so many years I was accustom to lying, stealing, cheating, swearing, and committing crime. To learn to do well, especially in prison among other criminals, was no easy task. But as I remained faithful and persistent in reading the Bible and praying everyday God was faithful to continue the work of giving me a new heart and renewing my life and mind.
In 2005, after almost 10 years in prison, the governor of Washington State, Governor Gary Locke, commuted my sentence and set me free early. Since my release I have remained committed to live a life of service. In many areas of the world I have been working as a volunteer with refugees, orphans, troubled youth and drug addicts. Throughout the USA, Venezuela, Thailand, Philippines, and many other countries I have returned to prison many times to tell young and adult prisoners that “all things are possible with God.”
I, Andrew Michell, am a follower of Jesus because I know for fact that Jesus has given me a new heart. He changed me. I did not change myself. My life is different today not because of my intelligence, willpower, or natural talent but by the very real grace of God.
The court system did not change me. The prison did not change me. A college education did not change me. I did not change me. It was Jesus that changed me. He lives and I know it to be true.
Summary: There are many reasons why I am a follower of Jesus but only the top two reasons are sufficient here. First, he is alive from the dead. To believe in the resurrection is an act of intelligence to fairly evaluate the evidence of his resurrection. Second, Jesus answered my prayer and gave me a new heart, new mind, and new life. I am a follower by intellectually evaluating the evidence and I am a follower by experiencing the power of God in my life. A combination of faith and reason.
Reader, What will you do with the evidence for the resurrection? What will you do with Jesus who rose from the dead? He changed my life and gave me a new heart. Jesus can do that in your life also.
In 1995 at the age of 16 I was arrested by the police for seven kidnappings and armed robberies. I was tried as an adult and sentenced to almost 13 years in prison.
This was not my first time getting in trouble. Between the ages of 12 and 16 I was always in trouble and was suspended from every school I attended. In the last school I attended I caused so much trouble the teachers called the police who came into the classroom and removed me from school.
While I was in prison serving my sentence another prisoner gave me a Bible and I began to read it for the first time (later my mom would send me a version that was easier to read). As I began to read the Bible it was the Bible that began to change me. In that prison cell I read promises from God like:
Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
John 3:16 "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Alone in the prison in solitary confinement I knelt on the floor and prayed that God would give me a new heart and change my life. I knew that I was too weak and completely incapable of changing myself. As Paul wrote in Romans 7:18 “I know that within me dwells no good thing.” I felt as if I had no power and was lost forever.
As I continued to read the Bible I experienced a new power in my life. All of my desires and ambitions changed immediately. I now loved what I used to hate and I hated what I used to love. Every day I would read the Bible and ask God for power to live the right way and every day God gave me that power.
The Bible says in Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good.” It was a long process of learning to do good for me. For so many years I was accustom to lying, stealing, cheating, swearing, and committing crime. To learn to do well, especially in prison among other criminals, was no easy task. But as I remained faithful and persistent in reading the Bible and praying everyday God was faithful to continue the work of giving me a new heart and renewing my life and mind.
In 2005, after almost 10 years in prison, the governor of Washington State, Governor Gary Locke, commuted my sentence and set me free early. Since my release I have remained committed to live a life of service. In many areas of the world I have been working as a volunteer with refugees, orphans, troubled youth and drug addicts. Throughout the USA, Venezuela, Thailand, Philippines, and many other countries I have returned to prison many times to tell young and adult prisoners that “all things are possible with God.”
I, Andrew Michell, am a follower of Jesus because I know for fact that Jesus has given me a new heart. He changed me. I did not change myself. My life is different today not because of my intelligence, willpower, or natural talent but by the very real grace of God.
The court system did not change me. The prison did not change me. A college education did not change me. I did not change me. It was Jesus that changed me. He lives and I know it to be true.
Summary: There are many reasons why I am a follower of Jesus but only the top two reasons are sufficient here. First, he is alive from the dead. To believe in the resurrection is an act of intelligence to fairly evaluate the evidence of his resurrection. Second, Jesus answered my prayer and gave me a new heart, new mind, and new life. I am a follower by intellectually evaluating the evidence and I am a follower by experiencing the power of God in my life. A combination of faith and reason.
Reader, What will you do with the evidence for the resurrection? What will you do with Jesus who rose from the dead? He changed my life and gave me a new heart. Jesus can do that in your life also.
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