Parshall Partners

Finding Jesus

         How exactly does one ‘find Jesus’?  That was the question an evangelical group in the U.K asked hundreds of Christians and they heard some pretty interesting responses. 

         The Evangelical Alliance (EA) in the UK is a Christian organization that unites individuals, churches, and organizations around the evangelical Christian faith. It serves as a voice for evangelicals in the UK, advocating for their beliefs and working to strengthen the church. The EA is the oldest and largest evangelical unity movement in the UK, founded in 1846.

         They conducted a survey entitled Finding Jesus, asking hundreds of people how they came to faith later life.  Most respondents said a spiritual encounter was pivotal in turning to God, followed by reading the Bible, which many found formative in shaping their beliefs.  Witnessing the faith of family and friends, outside of church leadership, was the third most influential factor, with a significant number of participants highlighting its impact. The purpose of the survey was to explore why there has been a resurgence of the Christian faith in the U.K.  Here were some of their key findings:

• God is at work: drawing all kinds of people to Himself, changing people’s hearts, and often making Himself known in quite spectacular ways.
• Very often, people’s journeys towards Jesus start with a deep sense of dissatisfaction with how life is. They are looking for something true and deeply satisfying.
• Those exploring faith have so many questions. There’s lots they don’t know, or things they are confused about – even those who have some kind of Christian background.
• The welcome, kindness, and patience of church communities and individual Christians play a huge part in people’s journeys to faith. We all have a part to play in helping others find Jesus.
• The Bible is very important in people coming to faith and then growing in faith. Though they often have challenges and questions, seekers are amazed by the truth, beauty and wisdom they discover when reading the Bible.
• Becoming a Christian is a huge thing! New Christians have great opportunities to show and share their faith with friends, family and colleagues. At the same time, they face challenges like people not responding well to this change, and changing old habits and patterns is a messy process. 

Rachael Heffer who led the project for EA said, (“For a number of our participants, life kind of felt and looked okay. They had the family, the job and so on – and yet, what comes out is that actually they had this spiritual stirring, or a sense that something was missing…) Sometimes people reported thinking: ‘What’s it all about? Is it really worth carrying on?’ and yet, ‘Isn’t God good?’ Story after story told us that God had encountered people at that point of need, and that started a faith journey.”

What a wonderful reminder that God always meets us where we are at so He can take us where we need to go.

Those are my thoughts.  I’m Janet Parshall.