I was raised in a Christian home by very loving and Godly parents. They were both raised by devoted believers and it showed in their living. My great-grandfather was a pastor who loved the Lord very much and was blessed to live to be one hundred and five. I believe his love for the Lord was a blessing to his descendants. As a child I loved the Bible and things related to the Lord very much. As I matured a desire to serve the Lord grew in me and after much consideration I chose to teach children. While studying to be a teacher I went to a meeting of the local church that I really did not enjoy at all. Later I had to admit to myself that the people I met through that church meeting were very absolute towards the Lord in their daily living but I still was not attracted to their way of meeting.
After I graduated and received my BA I felt to begin teaching. I decided that I would further my education later so I signed a contract to teach the seventh grade. The job was very demanding and I lost the joy of the Lord. I thought of quitting several times but instead the Lord used the environment to cause me to seek Him in a deeper way. As the Lord worked in my environment I began to grow in Him more and the joy flowed back into my life. I felt to get baptized and was once again happy to serve the Lord. That experience and the joy the Lord had returned to me enabled me to grow in Him more. I began to read the Bible and spiritual books more. Every morning I spent much time in prayer. I began to attend the meetings of the local church regularly. I told all my friends about my experience. Some accepted it and some did not. That did not slow me down though. I read books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee as fast as I could get my hands on them. I had an insatiable hunger for the Lord and these two authors really met my need. To this day I still appreciate these writings. They have opened the Word even more to me and have increased my love for the Bible.
In addition, I love the vision the ministry books have given me of the Body of Christ. This vision has become very practical in my daily life and for this I will be eternally grateful to the Lord. My hope is that the Lord will keep me as a member of His Body (Rom. 12:45), composed of all His believers everywhere until He returns or until I go to be with Him. Without the local church I would find it very difficult to have this hope. Words cannot utter how grateful I am to the Lord for the local church.
J.C.
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