Change Your World: Sharing Your Jesus Story With Heart | Chapter 1 | "Alive"

My earliest memory is being alive on planet Earth at about 3 years old. It’s interesting that the few recollections I have are all traumatic. I remember being forced to take a nap on a cot at the preschool my parents had me enrolled in. Later, I learned the preschool was a part of a large Assemblies of God Church in Concord, North Carolina, where we lived. I’m sure you have similar memories from childhood. We all do.

We soon discover — who our family is, what city and country we live in, and the fact we live on a circular planet called Earth. “How did we all get here?” is the next question that begs to be answered. And I remember asking my mother that question on multiple occasions. “So, mom, who created the first person?” “Well, Ted, God did,” she said. I didn’t understand, so I asked, “Who created God?” I took my mother into an endless circle of questions about the origins and purpose of life and soon learned I had to just believe that no one created Creator God, He just has always been.

As I grew older, I discovered that not everyone believed God exists, like my family did. My father, Pete, grew up in a Greek Orthodox household with his father, Theodore Pete Thevaos, whose parents immigrated from Greece through Ellis Island, New York. And, growing up, my father attended a Methodist Church with his mother, Sarah Harkey’s, side of the family. So my father believed in God, although it was much more impersonal.

My mother Rosalind's Lutheran upbringing shifted to Pentecostal because of her Hispanic father and Austrian mother. Her parents met during World War II in Wels, Austria when her father, Abel Vela, helped to liberate his wife, Angie Haager’s, family from the brutal Nazi Regime. So my mother, like my father, experienced teaching on the existence of God throughout her formative years. However, her understanding was on a deeper, more personal level.

Being that faith and religion play such a pivotal role in family traditions, it was no different for me. From the very beginning, my parents enrolled me in Christian faith-based schools, as well as sent me to vacation Bible schools and youth camps in the summer. Kids’ summer camp unveiled to me a realm of the spirit, beyond physical life on Earth.

By this time, my family had moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, where my dad’s family lived, to San Antonio, Texas, where my mother’s family lived. I was around 4 years old during this transition. My parents began attending Revival Temple, the Pentecostal Church that my mom attended when she was a teenager. They enrolled me in Kings Academy, the church school.

When I turned 9, I attended a kids’ summer camp at the H-E-B Campgrounds in Leakey, Texas, on the Frio River. Like any kid, staying in cabins, swimming in the river, jumping off cliffs into the water, and playing with my friends thrilled me. What I didn’t expect was what happened to me during the ministry portion of the weekend. A preacher, by the name of David Cook, shared a typical gospel message with a big booming preacher’s voice. He had my attention throughout the message, but his closing captured my heart. He said, “If you’re not 100% sure that you’re going to meet Jesus in heaven when you die, then you need to pray the salvation prayer with me today. Today is the day of salvation!”

Pastor David invited us all to the front of the cafetorium to pray, ensuring our complete assurance of salvation. My body froze in terror for a few seconds, consumed by thoughts of judgment and the fear of standing out. I experienced a significant internal shift. I wasn’t afraid anymore. Instead, a gnawing concern filled my thoughts, centered on God's perception of me and my long-term destiny. I thought, “If this preacher is correct, I want to be on the right side of eternity.”

Taking steps of faith to the front, I realized I wasn’t alone in this. My older sister, Natalie, got there first. That was a reassuring feeling, so I closed my eyes and repeated the salvation prayer. What happened next was unusual. I felt a powerful presence come over me, and I couldn’t stop crying. In that moment, I believed everything Pastor David had told me from God’s Word. I believed it was true and I could feel the truth surge within me. Prior to this moment, I had only cried when my feelings got hurt or I did not get my way. I cried this time, and it felt justified. When I opened my eyes, boys and girls who had responded as well, surrounded me. To my amazement, they later recognized Natalie and me with the Camp Queen and Camp King awards for our excellent Christian character. I like to joke and tell people we received the Christian character awards, and we were barely Christians. I like to think it was because our parents raised us to respect authority figures and to be polite; and we were also kind of shy. The rowdy kids didn’t even have a chance!

Before you can change your world, you must first experience a change in your own heart by Jesus himself. The Word of God says in Colossians 1:15-23,

“15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.”

It was this section of scripture that gave me a clearer understanding of what happened inside of me that summer day at kids’ camp. Then, at age 25, about 15 years later, this scripture also inspired the song “Alive”. The song is the first track on the “Change Your World” album, which accompanies this book.

Late one evening, I returned to our apartment with my wife Anna. It was in the middle of our annual missions conference at Destiny Church in San Antonio, Texas, where I served as a youth pastor and one of the worship leaders. Marcos Witt, an ambassador and worship leader to the Spanish-speaking world, had just preached an inspiring message from this very passage. So, I felt compelled to sit down at my keyboard, with my Bible open to these verses, and a strong feeling that a song was being born. It’s hard to explain why a songwriter writes a song, except to say there’s a passion burning inside that begs to be expressed. I guess I want others to know and feel what I’m feeling at that moment. I feel the revelation is so strong that it has the power to move everyone as God moves me. Many times it’s so strong that I feel the weighty presence of God and I can’t stop crying. It’s an emotional experience where I feel God’s best attributes - love, joy, and peace - bursting in a way that I never want it to end. I feel complete, whole, accepted, and like I can do anything in life for the glory of God. It makes me feel like Superman, in the way all men do when they build something new.

I experienced this feeling at 9 years old, when I first felt God. In this first chapter called “Alive”, I want to give you a biblical understanding of what it means to become alive in Christ. Having the God of the universe living within you is incredible. Becoming Born Again will transform you for now and eternity, captivating those around you.

I’ve provided space below for you to write about your born again experience, or what I refer to as your Jesus Story. I will explain it further in a few pages. If my Jesus Story resonates with you, you should be prepared to write a concise version of your own Jesus Story that the world needs to hear. It’s super important that you think through and write that first transformational moment of following Christ in faith. This story can and will be like second nature to you by the time you finish reading this little guide book to “Sharing your Jesus story with heart.” People you care about will feel the love of God and the love he’s put in your heart for them.

The late 1970s saw notable figures identifying themselves as “Born Again.” Everyone appreciates and respects what Coca-Cola coined as their slogan in 1971: “The real thing.” Truth is written in creation and in human hearts, causing a longing for genuineness, fidelity, and authenticity. People believe actions speak louder than words and they’re looking for “the real thing” with knowing God. Let’s explore the Bible’s perspective on being born again as new believers in Jesus. First, let’s revisit the passage in Colossians in more detail. Next, we’ll discuss a Gospel of John story where Jesus talks to Nicodemus about rebirth.

In Colossians 1:15-17, the Apostle Paul introduces us to the eternal truth that the God of the universe, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has revealed Himself throughout human history. The Bible depicts God as a loving Heavenly Father and as the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to live holy lives and share the gospel boldly. These explanations are helpful for understanding God. However, I think it’s fascinating that God gives us revelation, through the Apostle Paul, about one of the biggest hinderances to people trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The hinderance is this: Many, across all religions and millions of individuals, struggle to accept Jesus Christ’s divinity. What does that mean? Simply put — they don’t believe Jesus is the Son of God, and God himself, who created the universe and created them in his glorious image. You see, this is an important truth for you to establish in your heart and to convey to those who you share your Jesus Story with. This is the crux of the entire Gospel Story. In fact, the word “gospel” means “good news” because it’s the best news in the world's history. If God didn’t grace this planet in the flesh, as Jesus, as God himself “seeking and saving the lost”, then there is no punch line. Your Jesus Story will fall flatter than an iHop pancake.

Here’s the story: Jesus, present at creation and co-creating with the Father and Spirit, came to show the true nature of a loving Heavenly Father through words and actions. This is incredibly impactful because it exemplifies the immense strength and wisdom that Jesus possessed despite being born of a virgin, Mary, and growing up like any other individual. Jesus exceeded expectations as a man and a prophet. Jesus was and is the Creator of you and I and the entire universe. He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal. And because of his divine nature, he has the power to set you and all those you will share your Jesus Story with, free. And most importantly, he has the power to reveal his love and acceptance to you that ushers you into the eternal family of God. That’s why the Colossians passage says, “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.” The church of Jesus Christ is synonymous with the family of God. God always wanted kids and now you’re one of them!

The second half of Colossians 1:18 provides definitive proof Jesus is God. He is the supreme beginning and ruler of all who rise from death. He is the sole path to a relationship with the Heavenly Father. So he is first in everything. Do you realize Jesus is the only founder of a world religion that rose from the dead? Mohammed, the founder of Islam, died and people buried him. Ramakrishna, the founder of Hinduism, died and people buried him. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, experienced death and was buried. You get the point. Every other founder of a world religion went the way of dust as the Bible says, “For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) However, Jesus was in the beginning as the eternal God of creation. He lived flawlessly and was the first among many Christians to experience resurrection. The first to transcend a mortal body, freed from sin and sickness, and enter a tearless, painless immortality in heaven.

Resurrection from the dead and eternal life, my friends, is the first benefit of following Christ. As a believer in Christ, you’re receiving the coveted fountain of youth that Ponce DeLeon searched for in the New World of America. Some temporary plastic surgery is what people resigned to the aging process often settle for, but what you're receiving is what they truly long for. People gripped with anxiety long for what you’re receiving, as they fear dying. You’re receiving what the Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Because you stepped out in faith to embrace the historically accurate record of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, you have nothing to be afraid of. You will live eternally with Jesus in heaven, regardless of circumstances. How do you like those benefits? The Word of God assures the followers of Jesus with strong conviction. In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” and then continues in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our future as believers in Jesus is reassuring, as is the message of hope we share. The greatest news for your Jesus Story is eternal life, include it. No other religion can match it!

Let’s conclude this chapter with Jesus highlighting a secret follower’s born again experience in the cover of darkness. Nicodemus was a wealthy, well connected, religious leader during the time of Jesus. While most of his peers ruthlessly opposed Jesus' ministry and the possibility of him being the long-awaited Savior of Israel, Nicodemus started to believe and experience something completely different. Curiosity fueled his secret meeting with Jesus. Let their conversation change your life forever:

2 “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:2-15)

I want you to hone in on two verses in particular. “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” and, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” When you prayed that salvation prayer in faith, like I did as a 10-year-old boy, two things happened inside your being. You began to see and entered the kingdom of God and second, you were born again in your Spirit. Something supernatural happened to you that’s beyond your natural birth, of which Jesus refers to as “being born of water.” When you were born in your mother’s womb, the water of her womb, called amniotic fluid, formed and protected your body; Jesus is not referring to this. Jesus was teaching Nicodemus then, and is still teaching us today, that we are not a temporal body aimlessly wandering the world. Not at all, like I expressed at the outset of this book, we are humans that are triune beings similar to our Triune God. You are a Spirit, with a soul, in a body, created by God. You are Spirit, Soul, and Body. And when you’re born of water into this world by your mother, you’re very much alive in body. However, because of inherited sin from Adam and the law of sin and death, you were spiritually dead. Your soul, encompassing your mind, will, and emotions, was unregenerate without God’s power and presence. You entered this world as a body, void of spirit and soul. You had the freedom to choose between life, death, good, evil, God, or Satan.

And God, in his infinite love for you, did everything He could to help you make the right choice, so that He could reward you. In John 3:16-17, Jesus explained to Nicodemus what God did for humanity. He said that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Imagine that, my friend! God's goodness is beyond measure, overflowing with love for you and the world. He loved you so much that He sent his only Son, Jesus, to convince you of His love and to save you. He never wanted to condemn you, but rescue you from the sin and destruction of the devil, his disloyal arch enemy.

What a wonderful, loving choice God has given you! You have the freedom to ask him to make your dead spirit come “Alive.” Then, as you understand more of God’s truth in His Word, He will renew your soul with his glorious presence. Soon, you’ll resemble Jesus in speech and appearance, sharing his spirit. In fact, Scripture says, “The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead will quicken your mortal body.” This is such exciting stuff. I’m already getting into God’s desire to see you whole and healed in your body, but we’ll leave that for a later chapter. I can’t wait!

As we close out this chapter, I want you to pray this salvation prayer to God if you haven’t already.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for making me your new friend and bringing me into your family. I desire to be your child. I now realize that my sin has separated me from you and the Tree of Life. I want to live with you forever in heaven, one day. I ask you to forgive my sins and wash me with the blood of Jesus, your saving Son. I leave my old life for a new life in you. I choose to make you my Savior and Lord. Thank you for putting the seed of your Spirit into my heart. I will follow you all the days of my life!”

Welcome to the family of God, my friend. Guess what, now you have a Jesus Story? So go back up to the space I provided above and write down your Jesus Story. Express what you felt while reading this chapter or experiencing God’s presence for the first time. Listen, this choice is crucial and will have a lasting impact on your life. Now you’re ready to change Your world, by sharing your Jesus story with heart, with the rest of us!