The Bible is a Book of Life

A Christian from my youth, I was raised under fundamental Christianity and learned to revere the Bible as God’s holy word.

In Bible school, the Bible became one of my textbooks which I analyzed and studied while investigating doctrines, teachings, and various other topics.

By the Lord’s mercy and grace He brought me to the local church where the Bible has become a book of life to me. Under the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee the Bible is my nourishing food supply. I also discovered my human spirit, the proper organ to receive the Word into my being. It is no longer merely a history book, or book of teachings and commandments. As John 6:63b says: “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” From beginning to end the Bible reveals the Triune God to us as life.

I love the Bible!

B. J. Yowell

 

Drinking at the Fountain That Never Runs Dry!

“Would you like to open up your heart and ask Jesus to come in?” was the simple question my mother asked me when I was six one night at bedtime. I’ll remember that question as long as I live—verbatim. It was simple and real. I opened my young heart, and responded “yes” from as deep within as a six-year-old can. I prayed with my mother, and Jesus really came in!

My parents were happily married, and our family was quite stable. We all were believers. We read the Bible and prayed together. We attended various fundamental and evangelistic churches—Baptist, Presbyterian, interdenominational, and independent. Despite all this, I was not satisfied with my relationship with the Lord. Several times I feared I wasn’t really saved and answered a number of altar calls to receive Him again.

I attended a Christian college, and after graduating, I also attended a seminary for one year. During that year, one of my classmates invited me to a meeting of the church in Los Angeles. At first, I did not like the meetings; I felt they were too noisy. However, the Lord gave me an experience that made me very clear that He wanted me with this group of people.

After struggling with the Lord, in January 1971 I gave in to the Lord and chose to meet with the local church. Since then, I haven’t looked back. Here I found the ministries of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Their ministry has forever changed my life. Other than my initial salvation, I have received everything else that is precious to me in the local church: the enjoyment of the Lord Himself, the joy of my salvation, an opened and understandable Bible, the revelation of God’s eternal purpose and economy, a desire and capacity to serve the Lord in a way that can meet His need, plus a wonderful wife and three lovely children.

I never dreamed human life could be so full of joy and meaning. I’m no longer waiting to go to heaven. I’m drinking at the fountain that never runs dry. “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life.”

David Yowell

 

The Meaning of my Existance

I am married and have three grown children of college age. My wife and I are very active physically, intellectually, and spiritually. Physically we enjoy exercising by walking, jogging, swimming, weight training, hiking and biking. Intellectually we are pursuing masters degrees. Spiritually we are active in the local church. We love our Lord Jesus Christ. We enjoy reading the Bible together, praying together, meeting with other believers for fellowship and sharing the gospel with coworkers, friends and college students.

My enjoyment of God has not always been this fervent. It was not until I discovered the meaning of my human existence that I began to learn how to enjoy Christ. I was raised in Catholicism. I remember being so fascinated with the concept of a God who had no beginning or end, who was omnipresent and omniscient. I wanted to know more about Him. During the summer months in the town that I grew up in, a group of Christians in a local denominational church would direct a Summer Vacation Bible School. To keep us out of trouble, my parents allowed us to attend the school. It was here that I learned many Bible stories. I also learned about who Jesus Christ is. Here, at this summer school, I received the Lord at the age of nine.

After that initial experience of salvation I began to ask myself why I was living in this world and what the purpose of human life was. I searched everywhere…in nature, philosophy, and different religions. No one could give me an adequate answer. Witnessing the miracle of the birth of my firstborn intensified this seeking within me. One day, after finally graduating from college and becoming gainfully employed, a co-worker, who was a member of a local church, invited me to dinner. Out of curiosity, I inquired about the meeting. “Just a group of young people coming together to enjoy God”, was the reply. ENJOY GOD? I had never heard of anything as profound as that! ENJOY GOD??? I had learned to worship God. I was taught to obey God. I knew how to fear God. But . . . ENJOY GOD? This I had to see for myself.

That night at the dinner table I was introduced to things that I had never seen nor heard before. I learned about God’s eternal purpose and His intention for man…that within every man is a “God-shaped vacuum” that corresponds to God, and that this part, called our human spirit (I Thessalonians 5:23) is the means by which man contacts and receives God. I learned that my spirit is like a vessel to contain God, and that God, as the Holy Spirit, wants to live in my spirit. Eventually, I was introduced to the ministries of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. By the revelation of the Bible, with the help of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, the mystery (of the purpose of man’s existence) was made known to me, and I was greatly helped in my understanding of the Bible. Now, I know why I was born… and where my destiny lies.

Alessandro Tesoro