Beihua (pseudonym) was born in South China, where his hometown is located. A revival is underway in local churches. However, his faith journey began in the North, where he was baptized.
During his childhood, he went to church after his grandmother without really knowing Jesus. As he matured, he lived his life just as people in the world do, pursuing fame, wealth, and status.
Twenty years ago, Beihua came to this northern city for work. After a few years, church staff reached out to him. They invited him to church, and feeling reluctant to decline repeatedly, he started attending the church. Despite sporadic attendance over several years, God was at work in his heart. In the following years, he began to listen to more sermons and witness the love and harmony among believers. Slowly, he began to serve and joined a small group. A few years later, he was baptized and became a Christian.
Before being baptized, although Beihua would go to church, his focus was on the world. However, the Holy Spirit particularly inspired him after he was baptized, leading him to confront his sins. Originally, as a businessman, it was inevitable that Beihua would sometimes lie, exaggerate, and cover up some things. After he came to faith, he knew it was false, the opposite of truth.
Additionally, Beihua mentioned that when KTVs and game arcades were popular, people of his time were susceptible to secular culture. Many regarded gambling and drinking alcohol as normal, and he inevitably picked up such sinful acts. However, after embracing faith, he realized that these were sins and were against God's teachings.
Beihua said that after being a believer, he discovered that he had so many sins from the inside out, and he would often fight against the sins within himself. When not believing in the Lord, he could still enjoy the pleasures of sin, but now, as a believer, he was usually in the pain of failing to overcome sin. Man was powerless, but with the strength God added to him, he slowly triumphed over sin and began to experience tremendous joy.
He said that before his faith in the Lord, he had experienced several car accidents, and the cars in his shop often collided with other vehicles. Yet God protected him, turning danger into safety many times. Once, Beihua had a traffic collision on the highway. The van he was riding in was turned into a pile of scrap metal, and his father, who was also in the car, fell into a coma. After he regained consciousness, he said that in his unconsciousness, there was an angel in white coming and hugging him. After the hospital examination, all the bones in his body were in good condition, with no one broken and only a little scratch on his head. He used to think it was just luck, but now he realizes that that was God's mercy and protection.
Recalling the beginning of his faith, Beihua said that his main service at that time was cooking. His cooking skills were really limited, but it brought him a lot of joy that he had never experienced before. He said that he was drawn to the atmosphere of love for one another.
He addressed the need to participate in service if one wants to grow. Serving is not only about giving but also about being served and receiving a lot of love. People’s hearts will be attracted and changed in such a loving atmosphere.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
