Apostle Joseph Seidu says he once mocked Christianity and questioned the identity of Jesus before what he described as a life-changing encounter that convinced him to become a Christian and dedicate his life to preaching the gospel.
Apostle Joseph Seidu has recounted how his journey from a Muslim background to Christianity began with what he described as a profound spiritual encounter after years of mocking Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.
According to Seidu, he was raised to believe that Jesus was simply the figure portrayed by actors in Christian films, a belief that contributed to his doubts about Christianity.
He said his understanding of Islam at the time also taught him that Jesus was a Muslim and that Christians were mistaken in their beliefs.
Seidu said these teachings reinforced his conviction that he was following the true religion.
I used to mock Christians. I mocked Jesus. I did everything I could to discredit Christianity and convince people that Christianity was not the right religion to follow, he recalled.
According to Seidu, he and a colleague identified as Hafiz would regularly mock Christianity before Friday prayers.
He said that on Fridays, when they were preparing to leave for Jumu’ah prayers, he would make jokes about Jesus and Christianity while Hafiz interpreted his comments from Chinese into his local dialect or English.
We would make fun of the Christian faith. Then we would go to Jumu’ah, he said.
However, Seidu said one particular Friday would change the direction of his life.
After returning home from Jumu’ah prayers, he said he became extremely sleepy and decided to take a nap.
According to his account, he subsequently entered what he now considers having been a vision.
Seidu said he initially thought he had died because of the unusual experience.
He described seeing a figure made of intense light, saying the brightness was so strong that he could barely look directly at it.
He said the figure appeared unlike an ordinary human being and that he somehow understood the figure to be Jesus.
I saw a figure made of light. When I saw Him, I could barely look directly at Him because He was shining intensely, more like the sun, he recalled.
Seidu said he then experienced what appeared to him as his body being divided into two.
One part of him, he said, remained helplessly on the ground while another appeared to be standing and observing what was happening.
He claimed that light from the figure entered his helpless body.
According to Seidu, he then heard a voice instructing him repeatedly:
“Go to church. Go to church.”
He said what made the experience particularly frightening was that the figure’s mouth did not appear to move while the voice was heard.
Seidu said another scene subsequently appeared within the experience.
He described seeing himself standing on what appeared to be a bridge or platform above a large body of water.
Below him, he said, were people struggling in the water and crying for help.
According to his testimony, the same figure of light was present.
He said he then heard a voice telling him that he had previously been among those in the water but had been brought out so he could help others escape.
You were part of the people inside this water. I brought you on top of this bridge so that you can help remove them, he recalled hearing.
Seidu said he then saw himself reaching into the water and pulling people out one after another.
He interpreted the experience as a message from Jesus that he had been on the wrong path and was being called to Christianity.
He said the instruction to “go to church” became particularly significant to him because the voice, according to his account, spoke in his local dialect rather than English.
Seidu said the experience did not immediately make him comfortable with the idea of becoming a Christian.
He recalled that when he came out of the trance-like experience, he could still hear the voice audibly.
I was frightened. I thought I was possessed because I had never experienced anything like this before, he said.
He said he went outside and encountered colleagues sitting near his home, which he noted was only about a minute away from the mosque.
Seidu said he asked them whether they could hear what he was hearing, but they assumed he was joking.
He then ran into the bush, claiming that the more he tried to silence the voice, the stronger it became.
Eventually, he said he decided to obey the instruction to attend church.
Seidu said his decision was particularly difficult because he had been deeply committed to Islam and had not been searching for Christianity.
I was not looking for Jesus. I was not trying to become a Christian. I was actually doing everything I could to defend Islam and mock Christianity, he said.
He described the experience as a turning point that completely changed his outlook.
According to Seidu, his subsequent Christian journey was accompanied by opposition and persecution, but he said those experiences strengthened his determination to preach.
Today, despite the persecution, despite the things I have gone through, I am grateful that I have become a mouthpiece for Jesus Christ,” he said.
He added that he was prepared to continue sharing his testimony regardless of the personal cost.
And I will continue to witness about Jesus from now until the day I die,” he said.
Seidu also addressed people who might question his motives for leaving Islam and becoming a Christian.
He rejected suggestions that his testimony was motivated by money, fame or a desire for popularity.
According to him, his commitment to Christianity had already placed him in difficult and potentially dangerous situations.
Jesus is worth far more to me than fame, money, popularity, or anything else a human being can chase in this life, he said.
He argued that financial gain could not explain his decision, noting that he could have pursued other avenues if money had been his primary motivation.
If money was my motivation, I would have remained in Islam. I could have joined the bandits, collected ransom, and made money much faster than through preaching the Gospel, he said.
Seidu said his decision to continue preaching despite criticism and risks was evidence of the importance of his faith to him.
The apostle also dismissed claims that his conversion story was designed to attract people to a church or ministry.
He disclosed that he already had a church and ministry but deliberately avoided publicly displaying his congregation or revealing the location because of security concerns.
“Jesus is my reason. The Gospel is my assignment. And my testimony is not for sale,” Seidu said.
He said several people who knew him before his conversion could testify to the changes in his life.
Seidu also revealed that Hafiz, the person he previously mentioned as a companion in mocking Christianity, had also become a Christian.
He identified Pastor Nathaniel Abdulai as one of the people who, according to him, could testify to his journey.
Seidu’s account has been presented as his personal testimony of conversion and a spiritual experience.
The vision, voice and supernatural elements described in his story are matters of personal religious belief and have not been independently verified.
He said he had shared portions of his testimony on social media and encouraged people interested in hearing the complete account to watch the video he said was pinned to his profile.
For Seidu, however, the experience remains the defining moment of his religious journey.
From a man who once publicly mocked Jesus and Christianity, he now describes himself as a committed Christian preacher willing to risk everything to spread the gospel.
Jesus is still saving people, he said.
