Throughout
history, the influence Jesus had on the lives
of people has never been surpassed. No other great leader has inspired so many
positive changes in the lives of his followers. People who encounter the risen
Christ are totally transformed. Their outlook on life is altered forever. To
uphold their faith, they do not hesitate to face hardship, persecution and even
death. Many consecrate their lives to serving others, disregarding their own
needs and desires.
First
Century Christians
Following
Jesus' crucifixion, his disciples were devastated. They had forsaken him in the
Garden of Gethsemane to save their own skins. But after they met the resurrected
Christ, they were radically changed. Suddenly, they were willing to give their
lives to tell Jesus' story to the world. Many were tortured and killed because
they proclaimed Jesus was alive.
Skeptics
and enemies were also transformed. Jesus' younger brother, James, didn't think
Jesus was anybody special. But after his resurrected brother appeared to him,
James not only believed Jesus was Lord but became the leader of the Jerusalem
church and died a martyr in 62 AD.
Saul
of Tarsus was the chief persecutor of early Christians. He dragged people to
prison. When they did not recant their faith, he was a party to their execution.
But he had a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on his way to Damascus and
he was transformed from Saul, the enemy of Christianity, to Paul, the main
propagator of its message. He left his position of prestige in Jewish society,
to become a travelling missionary who experienced incredible suffering in order
to share the love of Christ throughout the Roman empire.
Roman
governor Plinius Secundus wrote in his Epistles X96 that Christians were
people who loved the truth at any cost. Although he was ordered to torture and
execute them for refusing to curse Jesus, he was continually amazed and
impressed with their firm commitments "not to do any wicked deeds, never to
commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a
trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up." For centuries,
true Christians around the world have stood as shining examples of the standards
of truth and love established by Jesus of Nazareth.
Historian
Philip Schaff described the overwhelming influence which Jesus had on subsequent
history and culture of the world. "This Jesus of Nazareth, without money
and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and
Napoleon; without science...he shed more light on things human and divine than
all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he
spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced
effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single
line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons,
orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than
the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times."
Modern
Day Christianity
The
power of Christ knows no boundary of time or space. In our own age, many
skeptics have been convinced just as thoroughly their first-century
counterparts. For example, Lew Wallace, a famous general and literary genius,
was a known atheist. For two years, Wallace studied in the leading libraries of
Europe and America, seeking information that would forever destroy Christianity.
While writing the second chapter of a book outlining his arguments, he suddenly
found himself on his knees crying out to Jesus, "My Lord and my God."
When
confronted by solid indisputable evidence, he could no longer deny that Jesus
Christ was the Son of God. Later, Lew Wallace wrote the book Ben Hur, one
of the greatest English novels ever written concerning the time of Christ.
Similarly,
the late C.S. Lewis, professor at Oxford University in England, was an agnostic
who denied the deity of Christ for years. But he, too, in intellectual honesty,
submitted to Jesus as his God and Savior after studying the overwhelming
evidence for his deity. Over the years, he wrote many books to uphold the ideals
of Christianity, including Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.
Many
other men and women in our century have dedicated their lives to spreading the
Christian message, often braving torture and death. For example, one of
Romania's most widely known Christian leader, Richard Wurmbrand, spent 14 years
in prison and was repeatedly tortured for running the underground church under
Communist rule. Even after international pressure secured his release from
Romania, he continued to receive death threats from the Communist regime. But
these attempts at intimidation did not silence him. He kept publicly spreading
the good news of Christ.
Similarly,
in Korea, Joon Gon Kim, a well-known Christian leader, witnessed his wife and
father slaughtered before his eyes by Communist sympathizers from his own
village. He himself was beaten senseless and left for dead. He survived the
beating and asked God to give him love for the souls of his enemies. He
eventually led 30 Communists to believe in Christ, including the person
responsible for the death of his family members.
Not
only does the love of Christ impel Christians to face persecution and death but
also to work to make the world a better place. Mother Theresa was an outstanding
example of a life poured in the service of Christ. Of her well-known ministry
among the poor, she said: "Our work is only the expression of the love we
have for God."
Like
her, many others have given their lives to serve the destitute and the outcast,
either in their homeland or abroad. William and Katherine Booth, founders of the
Salvation Army, believed that ministering to the poor was like ministering to
Christ himself. The movement they launched enlisted the tireless efforts of
enthusiastic people who wanted to make a difference in the world around them.
All of these Christian men and women have found fulfilment and joy in
following the teachings of Jesus. They were transformed when they met Christ and
yielded their lives to him. Each of them has made a positive impact on the
world.
OTHER QUOTES
A
man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of
others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a
perfect act.
~ Mahatma Gandhi, Indian lawyer and politician ~
Jesus
was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind.
~
Mikhail
Gorbachev, former Russian President ~
No
one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus
holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshipped; no other man has been so
devoutly loved.
~John
Knox, Chaplain to King Edward the V1 of England~
All
that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.
~ Dr David Livingstone, Scottish Medical missionary and explorer in Africa~
Christ’s system of morals and religion as he left them to us is the best the world has seen or is likely to see.
~Benjamin Franklin, U.S. Printer & Inventor, and signatory to the constitution of the United States~
It would have been a greater miracle to invent such a life a life as Christ’s than to be it.
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French Philosopher~
A historian like myself, with no theological bias whatever, cannot portray the progress of humanity honestly without giving Jesus of Nazareth foremost place.
~H.G.Wells English Novelist and Historian~