It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."

I joined the church when I was young but didn't know what being a Christian meant. I was attracted to church activities: singing songs, having overnight prayer meetings, and eating goat meat at church gatherings.

Our parents were the first to join a new church in our area, and we followed them. Many people laughed at us because most members of the church were older; it was like the church of old people. Our faith decreased because of how our friends looked at us. When they asked me to what church I belonged or if I still went to that church, I told them lies: "Oh, I stopped going to that church some time ago."

One day as I was reading the Bible, I came across the story of Paul. This apostle told people the truth about the life he lived before he knew Christ. Paul spoke with confidence, telling the truth in the presence of a commander and a mob of people, even though people had threatened to kill him. Shame on me for failing to tell the truth to my relatives, who would not harm me!

Speaking about Christ is part of what it means to be Christian.

Kondwani Beza (Mzimba, Malawi)