“There’s a man in the glory Whose Life is for me.” (Hymns, #505) Every time I sing this hymn, tears well up in my eyes. Yes, He is the man in glory, His life is holy and pure but he laid it down for a sinner like me. He redeemed me and regenerated my spirit (1 Peter 1:18,3). He is doing everything to transform me from my sinful self into His divine image, to build me up with other saints to be His corporate expression (2 Cor. 3:18, Eph. 2:21-22). This is from my heart because it is the true story of my salvation.
For the past 24 years I’ve lived in Southern California. I was born and raised in Vietnam in a Buddhist family. I remember in my childhood, my father who was a very devoted Buddhist, would make us, four little brothers and sisters, with hands clasped together on our chests, kneel down in front of our family altar and chant after him every night to a picture of Gautama Buddha which was glittering in the light of candles and incense sticks. So I grew up respecting Buddha and Buddhism. I came to the U.S. in 1975 with my own family and was still a Buddhist. To start a new life I had to go back to college and attain a new career for myself. I’m now a registered nurse with a bachelor degree from California State University at Los Angeles. During all those years in college besides my professional training, I had to take a lot of courses on humanity and science. As you can guess, most of the classes I chose and research papers I wrote were something related to Buddha and his teaching. But there was always something missing in me. Despite the good job, nice house, well-behaved kids, deep in my heart I felt empty. That emptiness just grew bigger and bigger up to a point that I felt my whole inner being was nothing but an endless hollow. On top of that, one circumstance after another happened to me, making me even more depressed to the point that I wanted to end my life. In that desperate situation I turned to Buddha for comfort. The more I studied about Buddhism such as the Four Sources of Sufferings, Eight ways of Righteousness, the more I felt I was walking in darkness. The wooden statue of Buddha gave me no feelings but a sense of meaninglessness. Deep down in desperation one time as I knelt down on my face I cried out “Oh God, I know that you are up there. Please help me, please show me how to get out of this situation. I can’t go on like this.” The Lord God has responded to my cry. To make a long story short, I was saved!!
I was saved by the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even after I believed in the Lord, I was puzzled because there were so many churches, so many denominations. Then I prayed to the Lord Jesus again, “Lord, please tell me where I should go from here. What church should I go to?” By the Lord’s mercy, I’m here in the local church. I still remember the first time I came to the meeting hall in Anaheim and listened to Witness Lee give a message to the full-time Trainees during the Spring term of 1993. The title of the message was “The Move of God in Man.” I kept coming back to listen to him because something was attracting me. I didn’t understand it then but now I know that was Christ flowing out of him as the words to attract me to my beloved Lord.
Thanks to Witness Lee’s teaching, I understand I’m just an earthen vessel created by God to contain Him (2 Cor. 4:7). Nothing in this world can satisfy me, neither knowledge nor achievements. Only God as the fountain of living water can fill me up with enjoyment (John 4:14). I also learned and experienced that the Lord Jesus Christ is the expression and definition of the Triune God (Col. 2:9).
Witness Lee’s ministry has opened up a new way for me–a way to overcome the power of darkness in my being as the shining of Divine light is imparted into me (John 1:4-5). I love the Lord Jesus with my first and my best love (Rev. 2:4). He is so dear, so near, and so available to all who believe into Him from their heart. I can testify this with all my heart. Thank you Lord Jesus for Your salvation and the faith that you give me is the great blessing I have ever had.
N.H.L.