Danny Su
I have seen firsthand how God transforms hearts in ways I could never predict.
Ben and I met in Year 1 at primary school. We spent our lunchtimes playing together, and our parents often arranged playdates. However, after just one year our school closed and we were sent to different schools. For a while we stayed in touch. I started playing chess at my local chess club and invited Ben to join me. As time went on, I lost interest in chess, moved far away, and we drifted apart.
Over the next seven years we had no contact. Then, in April last year, we reconnected through social media and decided to catch up. A lot had changed during the intervening years. Ben studied psychology at university and had become a full-time chess coach. I told him about the biggest change in mine; when we last spoke, I hadn’t known God, but now, I was a follower of Jesus who had transformed my life.
That statement was the starting point for our conversation about faith. Ben comes from a non-religious background and is interested in philosophy and psychology. As we discussed God and Christianity, he shared his firm belief that religion is a human construct, and something people created to cope with the unknown. He denied God’s existence but acknowledged the positive influence of Christian morals on society. At the time, my church was going through a series called Why Jesus? and Why the Bible? Both studies presented a good introduction to the Christian faith. I invited Ben to come along, and he accepted.
Each week, Ben engaged with me in discussions about the sermons, often raising philosophical arguments. Something else was happening too. As he kept coming along, he experienced the love of God through the warmth of the church community. In the past, he had struggled to find meaningful friendships and often remarked that the people at church were some of the kindest and most welcoming he had ever met. Yet, despite this, his heart remained closed to the very source of that love.
Ben wrestled with his intellectual and philosophical views, which stood in direct opposition to faith. I often felt inadequate in our discussions, struggling to grasp the complex ideas he introduced. Hoping to bridge the gap, I gave him Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, believing the author’s logical approach would resonate with him. However, after reading a few chapters, he dismissed the book, saying it was outdated and unconvincing. This situation discouraged me until I realised I was approaching our conversations as a debate to be won rather than trusting that God is already at work in his heart. My role isn’t to prove God’s existence; it is to be a faithful vessel, loving Ben and trusting God to do what only He could.
As Ben continued attending church, he was inspired to start reading the Bible. He began with Matthew, then quickly moved through the rest of the Gospels. He admitted to actually enjoying reading them and came with many questions. Seeing his interest, we set up a weekly Bible study to read together. Since Ben was part Jewish, we decided to go through the book of Hebrews, chapter by chapter.
One evening after a study session, I asked him, “After everything you’ve read and learned, what do you think about God now?”
His answer was the same. “I still think God is just a concept created by humans.”
I reminded myself to keep trusting God and that He is at work in Ben’s heart. The very next day, Ben and I went to church and then joined some friends for lunch at Mission Bay. As we ate by the water, he mentioned that he used to go there as a child but hadn’t been back in over ten years.
Then, without a word, Ben walked off by himself and knelt at the water’s edge. Fifteen minutes later, he returned. To my amazement, he said, “Danny, I’ve found God.” He continued, “I felt Him say to me to stop running from Him.”
Right then and there, Ben decided to follow Jesus. Our friends gathered around, rejoicing and praying with him. We continued meeting weekly, reading the Bible and learning to pray. We even kept up our philosophical discussions, but now, Ben was defending faith rather than arguing against it. A few months later, he decided to be baptised. As I watched him go under the water, I couldn’t hold back my tears. It was a moment of overwhelming joy, seeing firsthand the grace and power of God to transform a life.
As I step into my first year of full-time ministry with the Navigators, Ben’s story remains a powerful reminder. It isn’t a clever argument or a well-reasoned debate that led him to Christ. It is God’s Spirit—His love, His power—that drew Ben to Himself. And I am reminded once again that in every conversation, every friendship, and every act of love, God is at work.