About five years ago, I met a theology lecturer who is deeply concerned for young people and is passionately advocating theological education. While meeting him, he organized a summer camp that provided accommodation, teaching, and fellowship for a group of young believers.
It was at this camp that I met a brother from Jiangsu province. He was 40 years old at the time. The first impression he gave me was one of surprise and confusion. His arms bear numerous scars and are strikingly tattooed with a "green dragon." I couldn't help but question in my mind: Is this man really a Christian? I even wondered whether he was genuinely interested in learning God's word or if he had come with some other motives.
However, after spending time with him, I was deeply moved by the transformation in his life.
This brother came from a small town in rural Jiangsu Province. He had dropped out of school at a young age and entered society early. In his late teens, he was introduced to a local gang leader who promised him he would be rich quickly, but that promise led him straight into the world of gambling. Over time, he became heavily addicted, borrowing money from loan sharks and even managing an underground casino. He carried a knife and led a group of gangsters to maintain "order" in the gambling den.
He was the only son in his family, and his mother lived in constant anxiety over his reckless lifestyle. One day, during a casual visit from a Christian sister, his mother encountered the gospel. Deeply concerned for her son, she believed in Christ and became the first Christian in their household.
As years passed, this man's life spiraled further out of control. He not only amassed serious gambling debts but also eventually landed in prison. During his incarceration, his mother was diagnosed with cancer. Upon his release, she summoned him home with a final plea: "My greatest wish is for you to know God and Jesus. What weighs on me the most is the state of your soul."
To ease his mother's anxiety, he agreed, saying, "Yes, I believe! I believe!" She then invited him to pray with her. Like a child learning to speak, he followed her, word by word. He later recalled that as they prayed, a beam of sunlight shone through the window onto his face. "I had never felt such warmth before," he said.
In that moment, he felt like the prodigal son finally returning home. He imagined God waiting for him like a loving father. Overcome with emotion, he told his mother, "Mom, prayer is wonderful. I really want to know this God."
As local church members came to visit and pray for his mother, he, too, was attracted to the gospel. Miraculously, a month later, his mother, whose condition had warranted a critical notice, recovered enough to be discharged and continue treatment at home. In response, he quit working at the casino and stayed at home to care for her.
His mother often asked him to accompany her to church. Though initially reluctant, feeling unworthy of being among believers, he eventually gave in out of filial piety. At church, he heard a sermon quoting Jesus: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." In that moment, he felt God was seizing him. "Yes," he admitted, "I am that lost one. I am that sick man. I need salvation."
From then on, his attendance at church was no longer only for pleasing his mother but out of a genuine desire to know God. Over the next year, he became a regular part of the church community. After one service, an elder approached him and said, "Brother, I see your hunger for truth. Would you consider studying theology?"
"What is theology?" he asked.
"It's learning how to know God," the elder replied.
Still unsure, he asked, "Can someone like me really study theology?"
"If you truly believe in God and want to know Him, then yes, you can," the elder affirmed.
With that encouragement, he joined the class of the very theology lecturer I had first met. His diligence and passion for serving others soon earned him the admiration of both his teacher and classmates.
I remember there was a particular incident when the lecturer had ten bunk beds delivered to the seminary's entrance. Everyone was busy with assignments and couldn't help moving them upstairs. Quietly, this brother carried the heavy bed parts up to the dorms on the third floor, one trip after another. I happened to see his back while taking water and was unexpectedly moved. If not by the hand of God, I thought, what else could make such a dramatic change in a man once so lost?
His care very often extended beyond physical labor into loving care. I remember that every weekend, while most of us slept in, he would rise early, spending his devotional time to God. After that, he prepared breakfast and gently knocked on each dorm to call us to eat. He was like a brother caring for the whole class. Every time we thanked him, he would simply smile and say, "Compared to what the Lord has done for us, this is nothing."
Eventually, he enrolled in a full-time theological program and studied diligently for four years. During that time, we often encouraged and prayed for one another. I once asked him during a video call whether his wife had come to faith.
"She didn't believe at first," he said. "But after seeing how much I'd changed, she told me, 'If your God isn't real, then there's no way you could have completely changed like this.'" Because of his transformation, his wife, children, and even his in-laws all came to faith.
This past Thanksgiving, I messaged him to get his updates. I was overjoyed to learn that he had completed his studies and is now a pastor in his church. As I listened to one of his sermons, tears streamed down my face. I was overwhelmed by my gratitude for God's grace. I quietly praised the Lord: "Lord, what is man that you are mindful of him? What is the son of man that you care for him? You rescued us from the depths of sin and made us Your beloved children. How can I repay You for all Your goodness to me? I will raise up my cup of salvation and praise Your name forever."
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Translated by Charlie Li
