My daughter recently visited London on a mission trip with her senior youth group. London has become a melting pot of different religions, and part of their trip involved learning how to interact with and witness to people of other faiths, primarily Islam and Sikhism. As part of their mission trip, the group participated in street evangelism. They would strike up conversations with people on the streets of London, ask thought-provoking questions, and ultimately share the gospel.

In several of those conversations, my daughter attempted to explain the key differences between these religions and the gospel. Witnessing to followers of another religion is challenging, especially when they do not seem to understand the significance of the competing truth claims. There is a general sense that, at the end of the day, we all believe in God, most of us are generally good people, and, as Grammy Award-winning artist Jelly Roll says in one of his hit songs, "I’m not ok, but It's all gonna be alright."

So what makes Christianity different from these other religions? Much could be said about the theological differences, but I want to focus on the origin of the Christian faith, which is unlike that of any other religion.

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 15 that the foundation of the Christian faith is an event and a person. He states plainly that if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, then our faith is futile. Virtually every other major religion is rooted in revelation. In these religions, a god or supreme being comes to a particular individual, often in an isolated setting, and reveals the core tenets of the faith. For instance, Islam traces its origin to a series of revelations given to Muhammad, the first of which came in AD 610 while he was meditating in the Cave of Hira. Sikhism began in AD 1499 when Guru Nanak, at the age of 30, had a profound spiritual encounter. Sikh tradition states that Guru Nanak went to bathe in a river and disappeared for three days before returning with this revelation. Other religions tell different but similar stories. These claims are ultimately unfalsifiable. The Sikh or Muslim could simply ask the skeptic, "How do you know this individual didn't receive this revelation?"

The origin of Christianity, however, is radically different.

As stated earlier, the truth of the Christian faith hinges on a specific event: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was an event witnessed by many of Jesus' followers who had also seen Him die. This highlights one of the defining differences between Christianity and other religions. Other religions begin with belief, "I believe God gave this person a revelation." Christianity, however, is rooted in what was seen and heard.

Even before His death, Jesus understood how important this distinction would be. In Luke 7:18–23, John the Baptist's disciples approached Jesus and asked if He was the promised Messiah. John was in prison, and understandably, he was struggling. Jesus did not respond by telling John's disciples to go back and tell John to stop doubting and simply believe. Instead, He said, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard." What they had seen were Jesus' miracles. What they had heard was Jesus declaring through His words and works that He was the promised Messiah and the Son of God.

Fast forward to after Jesus' resurrection. His followers had watched Him die. They fled in fear (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50). Then they saw Him alive again. He appeared not only to the apostles but also to more than 500 people at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). When they were later threatened by the Sanhedrin, the very leaders responsible for Jesus' crucifixion, and commanded to stop preaching in His name, they responded, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

Notice that these early followers did not defend their faith by talking primarily about what they believed. They testified about what they had seen and heard. That is different. It is falsifiable. If Jesus' body had still been in the tomb, Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. Produce His body, and the Christian movement ends before it begins. Jesus told John's disciples to trust what they had seen and heard, and after His resurrection, that is exactly what His own disciples proclaimed to the world.

Why does this matter for us as followers of Jesus?

First, it demonstrates the uniqueness of the gospel. Christianity is not merely a philosophy or a set of moral teachings; it is the announcement of a historical event that changed the world.

Second, it gives us a pattern for both sharing our faith and living it out. We cannot physically see and hear Jesus today as the first disciples did, but we can see and hear the gospel at work. Before His death, Jesus repeatedly called His disciples to follow His example. In John 13:15 He said, "For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."

Jesus wanted His disciples to watch how He lived and to listen carefully to what He taught. He was forming them into people who would reflect His life to others. That purpose remains the same today.

We are called to live in such a way that others see and hear Jesus through us.

So we should all ask ourselves this question: What do others see and hear when they encounter me? Would they connect what they see and hear in my life with Jesus Christ?

With the help of our Heavenly Father, may our lives tell the story of the gospel, the same story that hymn writer Arabella Hankey wrote in her 1866 hymn I love To Tell The Story:

I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story,
Because I know 'tis true;
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else can do.