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Bringing Us Into His Heart's DesireI will never forget that November day in 1969 when a Christian friend invited me to a meeting of the local church in Los Angeles. That brought me in touch with the ministry of Witness Lee which resulted in a wonderful change in my life.
I was raised in a fundamental denominational church and had received the Lord as my Savior when I was 16 years old. I began to grow as a Christian and had a strong desire to lead others to Christ. I went to Youth For Christ rallies, youth conferences, and was happy to be with other young Christians.
After high school I joined the Air Force and during that time I had the opportunity to speak with a lot of other Christians and began to realize that most Christians did not understand the Bible. I joined the Navigators with a desire to know the Word more. Although they were strong on memorizing verses, I soon realized that they too did not have that much understanding of the word of God.
After leaving the Air Force I moved to Southern California and began attending a denomination. I was an active member, singing in the choir and helping with the youth program. Sunday after Sunday the gospel of salvation was preached. I began asking myself, “Why, when all of the ones here are born again, are we hearing about initial salvation every week? Isn't there more to the Bible? What is there for me now?” So I searched, going to Bible studies, crusades, listening to Christian radio, etc. I only became more discouraged.
It was at this juncture that I went to a meeting of the local church. I was immediately taken by the joyful enthusiasm of their singing and their genuine expression of happiness. It was such a contrast to the solemn routine of the services I was attending before. There before me were older people, younger people, and different nationalities all enjoying themselves. I was more impressed when they began to share from the Bible. There was a depth of understanding and a clarity that surpassed anything I had heard before.
I attended several of their meetings during the week and was amazed at the way the Bible was open to them. The Bible became a new book to me, living and full of light. I soon came to know that this was the result of the ministry of Witness Lee. Through this ministry I was shown the matter of the human spirit (Zechariah 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 8:16) in contacting and enjoying the Lord's presence. It brought my Christian experience to a higher level. I also realized that they were meeting as the church in that city which is the only scriptural basis for establishing a church (Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23; Revelation 1:11). They did not denominate themselves by taking another name. Lastly, I was impressed that the gospel was not just something spoken from the pulpit but it was their actual daily living.
My wife and I (her experience was very similar to mine as she had a real desire for the Lord to be real in her life) have been in the local church for over 30 years now. We have three children who have grown up to love the Lord and are serving the Lord. After 30 years the river of water of life is still flowing and the truth continues to shine forth from the Lord's word. We have enjoyed having our home open in caring for students and having fellowship with the brothers and sisters. This has been a constant supply and blessing to us. We will be eternally grateful to the Lord for bringing us into His heart's desire.
Ron and Karen Lawson | Back to List |
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