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It was all of the Lord
Growing up in the local church in Bellevue and being brought into fellowship with other Christians from local churches around the world has been the greatest blessing of my entire life. I count it a privilege to be here and am eternally grateful for the Lord’s mercy in not letting me go live a “worldly life” but leading me to the local church.
For many years however, although I was a born-again Christian, I never had much desire for the Lord or the Bible. I had my own dreams and ambitions and always wanted to be better than everybody in everything I did. Yet, despite these ambitions, I always knew there was a lack in my Christian life and was always bothered in my conscience concerning one thing, baptism. I had heard about baptism for many years growing up, but I was scared to get baptized because I knew it meant giving up my entire life to Christ, which I wasn’t prepared yet to do. But I never felt pressured to get baptized; the decision was always mine. I was always loved and taken care of by the believers in the local churches whenever I came to a meeting.
Finally, one day during my senior year of high school, I had a special experience of the Lord that gave me the peace and confidence to get baptized. I received my first real speaking from Him. Shortly after this experience, I got baptized and my Christian life began to radically change for the better.
Six months later, at the time of my high school graduation, I had my second life-changing experience. My graduation was the most disappointing experience of my life; but amidst all the discouragement and depression, the Lord appeared to me gloriously and became the greatest attraction in the universe to me. At this point in my life I wanted nothing but Jesus Christ.
However, I soon became aware of my need for the church. I knew that as a seeking Christian I had to have a church life and could not merely be on my own. For years I grew up hearing how great the meetings of the local church were, but until now I had never really experienced it. Once I started college I started attending as many meetings as I could. I pleasantly discovered what the other brothers and sisters in the local church had always testified, that the enjoyment of Christ in the local church enhances our own personal enjoyment of Him. I was a good student and even had a good job, but it was Christ and meeting in the local church in Bellevue that made me happier than ever before in my life and continues to give me joy and satisfy me. Nobody ever forced me to come and nobody forces me to keep coming – it is all of the Lord. The Lord changed my life for the better, and I am eternally grateful to the Lord for leading me to the local church because I know that it’s the best place for me to be. Looking back at my salvation experience, my baptism and my coming to the local church, I realize that none of it was of me; it was all of the Lord.
I was Led into the Light
I grew up in the local church in Bellevue and was familiar with Witness Lee, but it wasn’t until my high school graduation that I really had my first contact with his ministry. When I graduated from high school, the Lord dynamically changed my life around and this gave me a renewed, burning heart of love for my Lord Jesus Christ. It was at this time that I received the book The Economy of God by Witness Lee. Prior to reading this book I had very little spiritual understanding due to my own cold heart. However, I found this book to be invigorating and enlightening. As I continued reading, more and more light and understanding came to me and I began to realize how great and important God’s eternal purpose truly is (Eph. 3:11).
In my spare time between work and school I tried to read as many books by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee as I could. The more I read, the more appreciation and desire I had for God’s purpose. I’m very thankful to the Lord for all the dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus who spoke, taught, and ministered the Word of God prior to Watchman Nee and Witness Lee and laid a foundation for them. Yet I am also grateful to the Lord for the faithful and uncompromising ministries of these two brothers. Many times I have heard Witness Lee testify of how he had to be faithful to the Lord to speak certain points of the truth and risk being misunderstood rather than compromise in order to be well received. One of the reasons why I follow and enjoy Witness Lee’s ministry is that he only cares about Christ. From the many books I’ve read and conferences I’ve attended, I can say that the Lord Jesus Christ has led me into many wonderful and precious experiences of Himself and of being filled in spirit with joy and satisfaction (Eph. 5:18; Rom. 15:13). I’m so thankful that I’m no longer in darkness but have been led into the light of God’s Word to understand His eternal purpose.
Tim Washington
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