Born in the Congo and raised in France, Oscar Ewolo dreamed of playing in the World Cup. Today, as captain of Congo’s football team, he has a chance of realizing that dream. But when Oscar was 14, his father died, and his life had begun to disintegrate. “It was as if my whole family was dying on the inside,” Oscar said.

Then someone told his mother about Jesus, and she opened her heart to the Savior. Oscar recalls the transformation. “I saw it and was astonished. I saw a woman who had lost her joy start to find a different joy.” Eventually Oscar started reading the Bible for himself. He prayed this simple prayer: “Yes, Jesus, I want to follow you. I want to walk with You. Give me the strength to live a Christian life.” And Oscar too began to change.

The young soccer star’s transformation is a living example of what Jesus told Nicodemus, the religious leader who came to see God’s Son: “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus didn’t understand. So Jesus explained, “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life” (v.6).

Jesus further explained that He was the One who had come down from heaven to win back His creation—a creation that had rejected Him. “God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (v.19). It doesn’t have to be that way. “Everyone who believes in Him [Jesus] will have eternal life” (v.15). And “those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants” (v.21).

The label Christian is understood by many in solely a cultural context. But to be a follower of Christ means a total transformation.