So, voyeurism of the day: I am filling in the forms for VLI and there are 2 essay questions to answer. Thought readers might be interested in seeing the first of the answers:
Q: Give an account of your conversion to Christ or the nature of your Christian experience.
My spiritual search was kicked off by an experience of the presence of God in an Intervarsity Christian meeting during my first year of University, November of 1988. I knew internally that “they” were in touch with this presence and I wasn’t. I joined a small-group bible study and was a very outspoken thorn in their side as I grappled with biblical truth, wanting to learn and experience more.
I made a conscious commitment to Christ on May 28th 1989. Members of the bible study group made an issue of going to church - they told me that going to Intervarsity meetings and the bible study “isn’t enough” and after a period of fighting them I finally agreed to go. First was an Anglican church, who it turned out were celebrating communion that night. Though it wasn’t explicitly mentioned, there was an internal check in me saying not to partake. I visited my parents the following week and tried out a nearby evangelical free church (small and very conservative), which too was celebrating communion. I returned to university and the following week (May 28th) visited the local charismatic church only to find the Sunday sermon was on communion: 3 churches in 3 weeks, from 3 different traditions … I finally got the message! God was clearly present I felt a clear (internal) communication that “if I start taking communion today, I can never stop, this is a lifelong commitment”. I prayed a very non-traditional (but heartfelt) prayer of commitment and externalized that prayer, recognizing Christ’s death in my place, by taking communion for the first time that Sunday.