(Following a talk I gave a few weeks ago called "Why there probably is a God" that you can download from our 'Sermon Resources' page - here is a summary of my reasons for believing in God)

No one in my family believed in God. My parents were atheists, my grandparents were atheists, my brothers & sisters were atheists, my aunts and uncles were atheists, I was an atheist - but I changed my mind, began believing in God and became a Christian. It didn't happen overnight, yet over a period of 1½ years I decided to believe. But why?
Why did a fairly sensible man make this crazy decision? Because the evidence was so powerful that I had no choice but to believe.
There were so many reasons for this decision - but here are 6 of the most important:

1) I discovered that the evidence for life, death & resurrection of Jesus was overwhelming.
Like many of us, I thought that Jesus was simply a nice guy who said helpful things such as "Love your neighbour". But, as I looked at the historical evidence for his life, I was drawn to a far more dramatic conclusion. The evidence from history is powerful. As the famous historian FF Bruce (Ryland Professor at Manchester University) put it: "The historical evidence for Christ is as [certain]. . . as the historical evidence for Julius Caesar".
I could not find an alternative explanation for his life, except that he was, and is, the son of God.

2) I realised that science and the bible do not conflict
I studied biology at University College London - and I was sure my studies would give me many good reasons to disprove the bible. In fact, the opposite has proved to be true. The scientific knowledge I have gained has served to confirm the presence of an intelligent designer behind our universe.

3) I experienced lots of miracles
"Why doesn't God just turn up and do a miracle? Then I might believe."
I have experienced hundreds of miracles in answer to very simple prayers. Blind people have recovered their eyesight, the deaf are hearing again and people have walked out of wheelchairs. God has provided for my needs and the needs of others in remarkable ways.
If I tried to list every miracle it would take an encyclopaedia. But I am now sure that God does turn up and do miracles.

4) I found that the bible is intelligent, consistent and wonderful to read
The only time I had ever read the bible was when I was 13 years old. I went through it looking for all of the places where people have sex (there are quite a few).
But as I began to read it more seriously I discovered some amazing things:
It doesn't contradict itself, it hasn't been changed since it was first written and its words are powerful. It provided me with intelligent answers for the most difficult questions we have such as "Why is there so much suffering in the world?"

5) The church is a remarkable community
I never went to church when I was younger - and many who did simply found their experience boring or irrelevant.
When I did finally go, I found a group of people who were far from perfect - but were the most honest, humble and caring men & women I could have imagined.

6) I experienced the power and love of God
Having thought about God for a long time, I finally began to talk to him and to my surprise, I began to experience him. I knew that I was loved in a way no human being could love. I experienced a spiritual power that was unparalleled to me.

These are, in brief, the major reasons that convinced me that God was not a fantasy, but rather a remarkable reality.
All of this may have raised more questions than it has answered. Please feel free to contact me at our office.