From Buddhism to Faith in Jesus

"I completely believe..."

That was the response from my friend, who was formerly a practicing Buddhist. We met two and a half years ago through a spiritual survey we conducted on UNOs campus. After meeting for the first time and sharing our spiritual beliefs with each other, we kept in regular contact. We would meet for coffee to talk life, relationships, and whatever else came up.

Within those conversations were ongoing discussions about our faith. He would ask questions about what the church permits and what it doesn't permit. Which led to opportunities to continue teaching the incredible freedom of the gospel and what the truth of the gospel means.

Early this semester he began asking more intentional questions, brought on through some hardships he was dealing with. We began reading through scripture together and the cross started to make sense to him for the first time. He told me, "I never knew why Jesus died on the cross, but that makes sense now."

And right before Thanksgiving break, while dialoguing through some questions and asking him about where he is at with all of this, through tears he said, "I completely believe."

It has been fun, exciting, and scary all at the same time discipling him from a place of unbelief to belief in Jesus. And I'm thankful to have the opportunity to continue discipling him in his understanding of what it means to walk with Jesus for a lifetime.

In a post-Christian culture with largely apathetic or skeptical views, I have been learning to intersect God's story with their story. And I have also been learning to walk in the freedom of the gospel in the midst of it all, trusting God to work in however he chooses.