The Power in Progress. Trusting in Jesus' Work
Victor, 1st Congregation
Victor
I was born into a Christian family and have been going to church ever since. Like many other Sunday School Kids, I took what was presented to me at face value and simply believed. I was not aware of any deep convictions within me. It was a routine: my parents sent me there, I listened (most of the time), then I packed up my bags and went home. That was pretty much how it was like until I was around 14, when the youth ministry at my previous church decided they had seen me milling around long enough and invited me to join a youth group.
This youth group mostly consisted of others who were regular church-goers as well, but we didn’t delve that deeply into scriptural truths. I remember going back after each session feeling good about going for cell, but would never really remember or apply what I had learnt.
Then I was introduced to Lewis after service one day. I can’t exactly remember what we talked about, but I really felt that he was genuine. After a while, he invited me to study the Bible with him. It was laborious at first. We would pore over Bible passages in a cafe, and I would try to understand for myself what the text meant. In the end, Lewis would still have to patiently explain its true meaning to me.
But as the months passed, God began to show me the truths in His Word. Slowly, God fanned the embers in my heart, and I began to want to read the Bible seriously. I looked forward to Bible study!
The Bible revealed God to me. I learned that He is the holy and righteous Creator of the entire universe. God had made me in His image, but I was a sinner who had turned away from Him. I also learned from the Bible that God sent his only Son to save me from my sins. Jesus died on the cross to bear my sin, and He rose from the dead in victory over sin and death. I learned from the Bible that by repenting of my sins and believing in Jesus, I can be saved and brought back to God.
Lewis was also the one who brought me to RHC. I was surprised that sermons could be so theological and yet applicable. Ever since I started attending regularly, God has blessed me greatly through the sermons at RHC.
And I have let those blessings flow to those around me. I began to share at our morning prayer meetings at my Junior College – at first shamelessly plagiarising from RHC sermons, then later adapting them to be even more relevant, and finally adding in what God spoke to my heart about the messages.
As a Christian being nourished by God’s Word, the battle is in no way over. There are deserts to be crossed and strongholds to be overcome. One struggle I constantly face is translating this head knowledge into heart knowledge. It is one thing to understand the meaning of a verse; it is something much more to live it out. And that becomes even more apparent in the face of trials, when it is ever-so-tempting to conform to the ways of this world. But Jesus has overcome the world; thus we can take heart and go forth boldly in the power of His Word.