Transformation! From Jew To Jesus In One Not So Simple Step
In the movie The Matrix, the traitor named Cypher says that if people had been told the truth, they would have made a different choice with their lives. And I have to say that I agree. But whereas Cypher says he would have chosen to stay in ignorant bliss, I made a completely different choice when I heard the truth.
I was born a Jew, raised a Jew, and only knew how to be a Jew. Not that my family was particularly religious. But my parents were clear that our religious identity was Jewish because that’s how we were born.
And that’s how it was for the first 31 years of my life. I always believed in God, and was very familiar with the Bible’s Old Testament as history, but never read the New Testament because I was told that Jews did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Thus, I personally knew nothing about Jesus and Christianity beyond what the media fed me.
Now, some of the media gruel was pretty good. I fell in love with the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell when I first saw them at the age of eight. But because they were so entertaining, and I was a Jew, the watered down message of who Jesus is never penetrated my spirit, despite my listening to their soundtracks religiously over the next two decades.
And besides, the nightly news was filled with images of disgraced Pastors and pederast Priests. From Falwell to Tammy Fay to various altar boy scandals, I was bombarded with a stream of Christians and Catholics that made a mockery of Christ. Why would I or anyone else be attracted to such a foul aroma?
Plus, all the cool TV shows and movies told me that God was just a cosmic downer who never wanted me to have any fun. Heck, even my parents made it sound like the straight path was the boring one and that to get the most out of life I needed to do some real living. Just as long as I wore a condom and didn’t end up in jail.
So, I lived those 31 years with what I thought was a hate-hate relationship with God. Life had its ups and downs. And all along, the media and society-at-large kept feeding me confirming images that God was either powerless or cruel, and that Christians were fools and hypocrites.
Then one day – 17 years ago now – I heard the truth. The real truth. And I was completely transformed by it. I went from Jew to Jesus in an instant. Suddenly the circumstances of my birth were overcome by my making a choice. The attempts by the media to point out the worst failures of supposedly religious men were drowned out by the success of the risen Lord. Society’s temptations fell on deaf ears (for the most part – I was and still am far from perfect, a sinner who falls woefully short). My one choice led to other choices. I literally was set free from the grasp of people who told me lies for their own purposes and profit.
But all of that took the bravery of somebody who was willing to cut through the clutter and fight to get my attention. Somebody who was willing to tell me the truth that the world had worked so hard to keep me from hearing.
So I’m going to ask you – the reader – to clear your mind for a moment. To tune out the media. To read what I’m going to write next with an open heart. Because I would be remiss if I did not give you now the simple truth:
God loves you. And He wants the absolute best for your life. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to show you the way to have a relationship with Him. All you have to do is believe that Jesus died for you, and was raised from the dead to open the doors of Heaven to you. Make Him the Lord of your life. In this world, you will have trouble – but Jesus has overcome the world. And He wants you to share in His victory.
It’s a hard truth I’m telling you. A truth that will separate you from your past, reshape your present, and assure you of a future far different than you have ever imagined. But don’t you think it’s time to turn off the noise that the world bombards you with? To compose a better song for your life, one that goes beyond the circumstances of your birth?
The choice is yours.
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Jerry Novick lives in a Liberal-Progressive, high-tax Blue State where he dreams of the day when his hard work and judicious savings program allows him and his family to head off to more Conservative climes. Jerry’s resume as a professional writer spans nearly 30 years and pretty much every genre and form you can think of. When not contributing to ClashDaily, he writes political commentary at TheWriteAmerica.com.
