[How I Came To Know Jesus] - Paul Sungro Lee

I was born into a family with strong Confucian beliefs and minor Buddhist practices. Neither of these religions quenched my spiritual fervor in childhood. It was in my teenage years that I was led by a friend to attend church. He didn’t exactly lead me to Christ, but somehow enticed me to some girls in the church youth group, whom I initially found more appealing. One day I found out that one of the girls I was pursuing in the youth group was going to a gospel rally. I was naturally inclined to follow her to the meeting.

While my sole interest at that time was to win the heart of this girl, I cringed at the size of the crowd. I could barely see the preacher from a distance where I was seated. Still baffled by this new experience, the preacher’s voice unexpectedly lit a beacon into my soul. He asserted that out of God’s love Jesus came to die for my sins and to give me a new life. It suddenly dawned on me. I had never heard in Buddhism that Buddha loved me so much that he died in my place. Not a single time I could recall that Confucius loved me to the point of dying for me, let alone anyone. My heart was greatly stirred to wonder why then this Jesus would do such a strange thing for me when I did not even ask for it. It was a revolutionary message to me. Moreover, I had always wanted to live a meaningful life and thus thought Jesus could help me live it. The message of the cross captivated my soul.

Why could a stranger take the place of my punishment and love me through such a horrible execution?

The Son of God extended his invitation for me to accept his love and will in my life and a chance to live most meaningfully by following him. It was on that day the God I’d been searching for met me in person and showed me what my life and I were worthy of. I realized that I was worthy of the cost of the life of God’s Son. With tears rolling on my cheek, I found myself responding to the preacher’s call to pray to invite Jesus into my life. It was one unforgettable day that only what would come afterward would show me the true meaning of.

* This article is excerpted from [Disciples of the Nations: Multiplying Disciples and Churches in Global Contexts]. To purchase and read the rest of the book, please visit Amazon or Wipf & Stock Publishers. Also, if you wish to listen to the audio version of this article, watch below.