My Testimony

I began to meet with the local church in 1972 and I can testify that the Bible has been opened to me since that time. Shortly after beginning to meet with the church, I began to attend semi-annual conferences, known as life-studies of the books of the Bible. These conferences were conducted in a way to encourage the attendants to get into the material that was presented on each of the books in the Bible and study it. For the next twenty-one years from 1974 to 1995, each of the books of the Old and New Testaments was opened up to me, in a thorough way by brother Witness Lee. Shortly after the beginning of these semi-annual conferences, the spoken messages from the meetings were edited into written messages, that were initially sold for 25 cents each. What a treasure-trove all of these Life-studies have been, and still are, to me. In their presentation, the Life-studies not only present the doctrinal truths of the Bible but they also present the practical experiences so necessary for my Christian life in a way that is easy to understand. Moreover, I have received a real supply of life from reading these books.

Recently, within the past four years, I, along with a small group of believers, have begun to study these messages in a deeper way, reading them over, taking notes on them in a prayerful way, and then coming together on Saturday morning for approximately 50 minutes to fellowship together what we have all read and studied during the week. This has opened many more of the treasures of the Word contained in these messages to me than ever before. Taking notes and fellowshipping really helps to set the scriptural truths contained in these writings in my mind in a more thorough way than the simple reading I had done in the past. I am very much indebted for the help I have received from the ministry of Witness Lee.

In addition to studying the Bible with others Christians, I have been endeavoring in the past five years or so to open my home for weekly small meetings with other believers. Although we are still in the pioneering stage, I believe that these meetings are the way to intimately care for the practical and spiritual needs of each believer, especially the new believers. Also in the larger meetings of the church, I have enjoyed the opportunity to speak about my experience of Christ in the Word or in my daily life during the prior week. These healthy practices have helped me to grow in the Lord in a way that I was not afforded in the time prior to coming to meet with the local church. I owe a debt to the Lord for His mercy and kindness and love in leading me to come this way. Praise Him!

D.R.