I shared with you in Part I that there was a powerful revival within the Orthodox Church and in 1993 that led me to know about God, Jesus, and the Bible. I also briefed the revival that was led by young new converts who influenced their parents to burn idols, know more about Jesus, and the Word of God. I also mentioned how radical we- the new converts were and the struggles I was passing through to leave the revival and pursue my education at AAU. Since 1993 till 1999, I had been attending various churches in Addis, and was in and out of Church. Finally and in 1999, I determined to pursue more spiritual experience from the Evangelical denomination by making conversion. This conversion, however, brought both great joys and frustrations.

Please note that I have frustrations don’t mean that I am looking for another switch. Moreover, am not here acting ashamed and/or shy about being an Evangelical. I am still grateful for having many great spiritual experiences since my conversion. Most importantly, I am not ignorant of the fact that Evangelicalism brought great insights to the Body of Christ and harvest of souls to the Kingdom of God. Hence, my personal dissatisfactions based on my encounters with some Evangelical churches shouldn’t be considered as a campaign to discredit the outstanding performances and services of this denomination since its formation.

Besides, I remain appreciative whenever I remember the great scarifications of those great Evangelicals who preached the Gospel in the remote part of the world putting their life at risk. Today, we don’t have the challenges those great heroes and heroines of our faith faced. They willingly gave their life; despised normal and comfortable living to execute the command of our King and Lord Jesus Christ! In my own country, if we forget the unspeakable pain the early Christians faced, the Evangelicals who were born as recent as in the 50’s and 60’s suffered lots of persecutions, a portion of which I doubt would be bearable to my generation Evangelicals who were born in the 70’s, or those who were born during the last 30 years. I am also personally appreciative of many powerful teachers from this denomination, who helped me grow faster and get equipped as a Kingdom Citizen.

Note also that I am not here to pretend as if I am the only one who has disappointments from religion. You too might have some frustrations and disappointments from your religion. As far as I am concerned, there is no perfect religion. If we open our eyes and take time to think and observe, we will be surprised to notice many man-made and unbiblical doctrines and dogmas, most of which undermine centuries-old wisdoms and principles God had introduced through His servants.

For that matter, Jesus didn’t like religion and didn’t join any form of religion or sect. He was clear from the very beginning that He didn’t come to form another religion; He acted not like a religious personality but like the King. He didn’t talk like a religious fanatic but like the Ambassador of the everlasting Kingdom, which is real than this temporal and decaying physical ‘kingdom’. He demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities that set Him apart from His peers. Up until today, we haven’t yet finished learning from His wisdom and leadership principles.

Unfortunately, we Evangelicals who claim we know Jesus better than other Christian denominations ended up totally strangers to how Jesus carried Himself while He was on earth. This reminded me a saddening statement of Mahatma Gandhi who noted, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I am persuaded that many people left Christianity or don’t want to join it because they are sick and tired of the religiosity of those who misrepresent Him (those called Ambassadors of Christ), not because of Jesus or His teachings. What a depressing truth we Christians should have been humble enough to admit long ago!