What do I know differently now?
I have now interned with Hillside for five months. During that time my life as a Christian has changed dramatically. Before coming to Hillside, I was ready to make a change in my life. I had been a Christian for fourteen years with parents who are both believers. I thought that I knew a lot of information and beliefs on being a believer of Christ. Once I began my internship, I began to think that maybe I was living in a closet all these years. I see many views in a different light now such as predestination, God’s glory, salvation, etc. All of these topics are great to understand and form your own opinion on after extensive study on the bible and discussions with others. However, the most important view that I see and know differently now, is the importance in knowing how to defend your faith. I remember having to memorize bible verses in Sunday School and going to Dare to Share conferences. I have attended Christian concerts and gone on short term mission trips. Do you know what the theme in each of those activities; sharing your faith. That’s why I wanted to come to Hillside so that I could share my faith to people around the world. But could I defend my faith before I came to Hillside? I thought I knew all the things it meant to be a believer but I could not defend my beliefs. I couldn’t answer questions on the textual authenticity of the Bible, the Christian doctrine of God, the deity of Jesus Christ in the bible, and historical and spiritual issues. Knowing all of this information is very important in defending you faith. In addition, it is also important to know not only your own religion but your audience as well. We did very intense study of the Muslim faith for almost four months. We read the Qur’an, studied to history of Christianity before Muhammad, the life of Muhammad, history of Islam since the death of Muhammad, and the differences between Muslims and Christians. I learned to defend my faith with Muslims. I am so excited to go to Turkey and have discussions with Muslims and build relationships with them. Even if they never accept Christ, I can demonstrate a Christ like love to the Turks. Knowing the Muslim faith will allow to tear down some of the boundaries that separate Islam from believers. Coming to Hillside has changed my life and I pray that my next four months are just as amazing! What I am learning here will impact the rest of my life.
