Preacher Tian, 48 years old, serves in a church in Hunan, China. He tells CCD that before knowing God, he was a decorator or a house painter who painted walls for others; now he is a full-time clergy who builds soul houses for unbelievers.
Tian says, "My faith journey is not tortuous/twisting but long. During so many years, I would have been thrown to the wilderness without God's tolerance and patience."
Before knowing God, Tian worked as a house painter for living.
In 1997 following the migration trend, Mr. Tian left the village for a job in the city. He worked as a seasonal worker like others.
He painted walls every day. As the days repeated, he felt bored with his life, wondering that if his whole life would be just as a painter and what he would do without it.
Occasionally, he went to a residential apartment to renovate the living room. Chatting with the owner, Tian happened to know he was a distant relative of a Christian. During the facelift period, the owner preached the Gospel to him while nothing came into his heart. He said impatiently, "If Jesus could help me get rid of this paint, I would believe in him." The relative replied, "Okay! I will pray for this for you. If you indeed get rid of this paint, remember your word."
Tian said yes casually and thought otherwise for he could do nothing but paint walls, a villager who only received primary school education and was slow in speech with poor skill.
After a few days he left the owner as the renovation project ended.
Several months later, he fell down from a balcony from a height of three floors accidentally. That second a thought came directly into his mind, "I'm dying". However, he was luckily hung on a thin ironic clothes airing bar on the second floor.
Later he realized this was not fortune but the prayer of that distant relative that upheld him in danger.
He prayed to God and God gave him a son, but forgot his promise.
After the issue, Mr. Tian went to church and began to know Christian faith. However, he couldn't understand sermons or figure out how to believe in God. God was not essential in his life. In the church, he followed the church choir to sing songs while he was a man without faith outside it.
The situation lasted until he got married. He had a daughter though he expected a son who meant a strong labor force in the village. Some years later, he told his son dream to that distant relative and the relative said, "Pray to God. If you ask Him, He can definitely give you a son."
Tian agreed, saying, "I will believe in Him seriously as long as God gives a son to me." Since then, he spent some time praying to God every evening.
A year later, his wife bore a son. He was so happy that he forgot this was God's grace along with his promise that he will start to believe in Him.
In 2013, his son had a tumor in the right cheek. He and his wife sought for the treatment but only the answer was to do a tough surgery.
This time that relative reminded him again, "Did you promise that you would have faith seriously as long as God gave you a son? Do you forget your word? Moreover, God hears prayers. Pray for your son because the things are impossible with man but possible with God."
God healed his son and the tumor was gone in half a year!
It struck him awake. He began to recognize that son is a heritage from God, whom he needed to pray for. To carry out his promise, he needed to have faith seriously.
This began his real faith journey. His wife, daughter and he often prayed for the sick son besides the hospital bed and listened to sermons, read the Bible, had fellowship with other members who encouraged them a lot in the church.
As his spiritual life grew, he found he owned God many debts. God guarded him, waiting for him although he didn't match his commitment. He and his wife often repent their sins with tears before God.
Later God told them through the mouth of a doctor: the hospital introduced a pill that might shrink the size of the tumor. Under treatment, the tumor died away. The doctor witnessed that only his son matched with the pill among many cases charged by him. It was gone in half a year!
Now his family are Christians and he serves God
Tian tells CCD that now all his family members are godly Christians and he serves as a full-time preacher in the church since a long time ago. He hopes that he can preach the Gospel of God to more people and help the lost find the spiritual resting place.
He believes that there is no falseness in God. "I will believe in him as long as I get rid of this paint." It was just his mocking word, which God did hear. God helped him enhance his knowledge level by receiving education through the church.
Looking back to what he experienced in the past, he thinks it's all God's grace. He can do nothing to repay God but believe in Him, and preach His Gospel to more people to know this true God.
