His Church is my Home, J.H.

I have been a Christian in the local church for most of my life. Being born in a Christian family, I attended children's meetings and hung out with other kids in the church. Right before I got saved at the age of 11, my father died. The loss gave me an opportunity to experience love for the Lord for the first time, a crucial time in my life. I touched the Lord in my spirit in such a sweet way that it caused me to consecrate myself to Him. When I was baptized, I knew I not only belonged to Him, but also to His church, the Body of Christ. This is not because I was used to hanging out with the people in the church, but because I had been baptized into one Body (1 Corinthians 12:13).

My high school years were precious. I had a wonderful life in the local church! I studied together with other Christian brothers, went to church meetings with them, preached the gospel, and played baseball together with them. I especially enjoyed our morning time with the Lord and night prayer together--that gave me a great impression about being a Christian; it's not merely a doctrine, but a life, a life that is not merely based on a good-or-bad standard, but to live out Christ. I really praise the Lord for giving me such a healthy teenage life so that I could “flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 3:22)

During those years, Witness Lee started to give the Life-study of Genesis messages. They were really eye opening, even for teenagers like us! I began to see God has a purpose for man, a purpose that begins in Genesis. His purpose is to obtain a group of people who have His life and can express and represent Him on the earth (Genesis 1:26). Although I understood this revelation doctrinally, it was not that easy for me to enter into. A doctrine could never satisfy an ambitious young man. I started to wonder what the world had to offer.

I stopped meeting for all my college years, busy learning the knowledge of the world. Under God's sovereignty and His mercy, I had an opportunity to pursue my graduate work in the USA. I did not know that these circumstances were ordered by the Lord for me to experience what God's purpose really is. In the last thirteen years, the circumstances not only caused me to hunger for the Lord's Word and the ministry of the Word by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, but also brought me deeper into the practice of such revelation. I have had the opportunity to meet with the local churches in different cities, which impressed me about the Body of Christ being His expression and representation. The more I experience the Body life, the more I have faith in Him, appreciate Him, and praise Him for His plan.