How I Became A Christian
My mom saves stuff. Recently she sent me a copy of a one-page paper I wrote in 3rd or 4th grade (we’re not sure which) about my conversion to Christ. Evidently I got an “A” on this assignment (yes, I went to a Christian school).
Four truths stick out to me from reading this early account of my testimony:
1. God saves young children. I had always thought it was at the age of 5 that I placed my faith in Jesus, but from this earlier manuscript (I’m just doing good textual criticism) it appears that my conversion occurred at the age of 4. I’ve often heard Christians express skepticism over the supposed conversion of children. I understand where that comes from, many times it’s warranted, but I don’t know of any exegetical grounds to support such skepticism and certainly my experience, and the experience of many others, challenges such skepticism.
2. God reveals more of the gospel as converted children grow older. Writing this paper at age 8 or 9, it’s clear that I don’t understand the gospel in its entirety, or better put, in all its depth. But, as a child I understood the heart of the gospel: “I’m a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
3. God gave me a mom who viewed evangelism as an essential, central component of motherhood. I still remember driving home from watching Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back with my mom, asking her what happens to people when they die (I saw people die in the movie), her pulling over on the side of the road to share the gospel with me, and my mom then leading me in prayer as I responded to the gospel and expressed my desire to confess my sin and know Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
The memory of a mom who was passionate about knowing Jesus and having her two boys know Jesus is vivid and sweet to me. Even though in my later years I’ve received some significant male mentors, it’s my mom who’s most significantly impacted my walk with Christ. In his providence, God knew a stubborn-hearted guy like me needed a mom like Joan Buzzard.
So, mothers, share the gospel with your young children. Love them. Pray for them. Keep at it.
4. God gave me a passion to share the gospel with others from a young age, a testimony/challenge to what child-like faith might look like in our lives and perhaps an early sign of God’s call on my life to be a pastor. This paper confirms what my mom always tells me: as a young boy I constantly talked to people about Jesus. Yes, much of this is personality (I’m an extrovert, I love meeting new people, and I love to talk), but I think this also points to the child-like faith our Heavenly Father wants from us, a child-like faith that has, in some ways, eroded in me as I’ve aged.
When I was a little boy I operated as though God were really big, Jesus was the most sure and exciting topic in the world, that friends and family and strangers desperately needed to know this Jesus, and that I had the delightful duty of telling them about him. Back then I didn’t care what people thought about me as as I blabbed about Jesus. I guess that was the faith of a child. I guess that was a pastor being formed.
Well, reading this over twenty years later, this full-grown pastor is reminded of his big God, his great Savior, his lost neighbors, and feeling convicted over his lack of child-like faith.
Lord, increase my faith so that I might, to quote the old paper: “pray for them and tell them about Jesus and how he died for our sins.”
I’d love to hear comments from you on this topic. When did God get a hold of your life? Were any of you converted, like me, at a young age?
Justin, that is inspiring! What a treasure you have there. Definitely frame-worthy. My testimony is similar. Praise God for our faithful mothers who led us to Christ at a tender age. My older son is now 4, and I am encouraged by his innocent faith and eagerness to learn more about Jesus. “Let the little children come to me…”
That is awesome! Many people claim Star Wars had a profound impact on their life, but few can make the claim that Darth Vader had a role in their salvation.
By the way, I was wondering if my boys (5 and 4) were old enough to watch Star Wars. This makes that decision more interesting. They must watch it for the glory of God in Christ to be awakened in their lives! Am I right?
Josh ~ my first son (Josh also) watched Star Wars when he was 3 and fell in love with Darth Vader. Unfortunately it led to more problems than glory for him! ;-) We’re trying to convince him now that he should strive to be the good guy not the bad guy. At least it’s a very effective lesson for us in sin nature (Romans 1?) Anyway, I’d say wait till your boys are at least 5. I wish we had!
Justin…thanks for sharing this story. I have been reflecting on these issues and struggling with them for some time. Several experiences of grace happened to me at a young age [discussions about heaven, hell, grace and sin], but I do not have a “conversion experience.” In fact, I have never known a point at which I didn’t know Jesus in my conscious life. I have actually come to believe that if one takes the approach of nurture in the life of faith, then there might not be a conversion moment. Instead, there will be a continual growth in grace and maturity. That’s just my thoughts.
James Grant
Your Mom helped me become a Christian as well. She was in High School I believe and I was in elementry school. She was going to Young Life and we would read the bible in the bedroom in the evening together. Thank you for asking, and with doing that having me remember. A very good memory!
Dana – I think we’ll be waiting until later than 5 (even with Justin’s experience). My oldest son easily has nightmares so we try to stick to movies that still exemplify bravery, courage, and valor, but won’t wake him screaming. He is, however, playing a little “Lego Star Wars” on the PS2.
Hey Jus, thanks for posting this. Brings tears to my eyes. Tears of gratitude for God’s grace and faithfulness over the years. Your kind words are precious to me.Paula what a treat to read your post. I so clearly remember those times when you were 8yrs old and I was 16. You loved the stories about Samson too, so much so that you named our cat Samson! Thank you for teaching me about a child’s open heart to Jesus so that I would remember and talk to my own kids nice and early.
My cousin, who is three years my senior, drug the age 4 me onto the porch swing at my grandparent’s house one summer evening as dark was falling and told me, “You need to accept Jesus, or you will go to hell.” It sounds very blunt, and I guess it was; but that was when I prayed to receive Christ. There have been several times over the 44 years since when I have been brought to tears in realizing a fuller, deeper sense of my need of a Savior; but I think that evening when I was 4 years old was when God placed His seal upon me.
I loved this story. My conversion point came last year when I started college. I hear a lot of stories of kids losing their faith in college, but it was the opposite for me, Jesus found me in college.
My faith journey has been a bit complex… I remember loving Jesus as a child, but then I walked away as a teenager. When I was 24 I had a Damascus road experience. It’s difficult for me to pinpoint when I “came to faith”. As I said I remember walking with God as a child, but serious fruit has come out of my Damascus road experience. What came out of that for me was (1) a real conviction about my sinfulness (not just the theoretical idea of it, which I got from growing up in a Christian household), (2) a real appreciation for grace (grace didn’t make sense while I held onto the notion that I wasn’t “that bad” and could live a good life in my own strength).
One memory from when I was growing up is from when I was about 4. My parents told me that Santa wasn’t real, and that the real story of Christmas was about Jesus. They asked me to not tell any of the other kids, because it was up to their parents to do that. However, I felt that was awful! Why would parents lie to their kids, especially when the truth was SO much better than the lie??? So I took it upon myself to preach the gospel at kindergarten, telling anyone who would listen the truth about Jesus and dethroning that anti-Christ Santa. Apparently this was not just a once off… In the supermarket one day when asked by a lovely old lady, “What’s Santa bringing you for Christmas?”, I similarly sought to enlighten her! “Santa doesn’t exist! Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas! The best gift ever!”
And now? I’m in bible college, and I’m passionate about the word, and still tell anyone who will listen about Jesus. I take a bit of calvinist view of the whole thing, the way I was living my life before my Damascus road experience was awful, and I didn’t have the sense to seek God. I was pretty much running as hard and fast away from Him as I could. So I see that experience as His direction intervention, and not AT ALL about my ability to respond to Him. So I think my childhood experience was valid, and even when I was off being a prodigal I knew He was there, and remember hearing Him speak at times of particular pain, and now I love Him SO much. But all of this is because of Him, not me…
So I think childhood conversion is possible. Definitely, if you hold to a calvinist perspective. It’s a bit harder to accept if you are more arianist in your views on salvation, because how could a child make that choice? But how can ANY of us make it in all honesty? I really believe we are only able to respond to God by His enabling us to do it, so adult / child makes no difference really. The determining factor is the method/timing that God has predestined for our conversion.
God bless,
Bec
Or did you have a very immature faith from a very young age, and then grow in your ability to articulate it at 4? When you were 2, and your parents told you that Jesus loved you, and that the Bible told us about him, did you disbelieve them?
Maybe your mom, well-intentioned, just brought you through a ritualized version of something that had happened far prior.
How cognizant does faith have to be? At what age did Hebrews stop considering their children Philistines and start thinking of them as YHWH-fearing Jews?
Just thinking out loud…
You guys do a wonderful job! Keep up the good work!!!
Great site. I will bookmark for my sons to view as well!!!
trust this will encourage me for many days to come – twenties pastor justin buzzard's testimony. http://bit.ly/1zuibJ
[...] a consistent witness that young children are often the most open to the gospel message. Read “How I Became A Christian” for a brief account of my conversion at age five and an encouragement to pray for and pursue [...]
