Find Spiritual Growth with Us (9)

This testimony is about my journey of faith that led me to the truth. I hope it is encouraging and you can feel God’s grace as I experienced it. A key verse for my testimony to reflect on is Ephesians 1:4-6.” Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Growing up, I was raised in a Christian household, but it was not TJC. I learned all the basic things you’d see from the mainstream evangelical church. Even though I didn’t grow up in TJC, I think many who did grow up in church can resonate with finding their own faith. Since I was born into a Christian household, my faith never felt like my own. Why did I go to church? Because my family went. Why did I believe in Jesus? Because my family did. I never felt the love of God through all of this. Each week of church was more of a chore in my life than an actual sabbath rest. Due to this, I never grew a real relationship with God and I had many doubts with Christianity as a whole, but still kept my title as a “Christian.” Though I claimed myself to be Christian, my relationship with God was non-existent. I struggled with anxiety growing up and never had peace due to not having God in my life. To cope with my anxiety, I sought temporary “peace” in the things of the flesh. I thought if I just asked for forgiveness God would forgive me. But through this, I never found true peace.

While attending a Christian university and still not finding peace, truth, or God’s love I decided to leave Christianity as a whole and I embraced Islam for almost 2 years. I had a lot of Muslim friends at that time and only through them did I see the love of God and they seemed to have peace. Despite this, I still struggled with understanding how Allah forgives sins in Islam. My issue with Islam came to be that Allah has no justice for sins. For example, if I’m before a judge and jury because I committed murder, but do so many good deeds like give all my money to the poor, love my family, and so on… the judge and jury will not care. I will still go to prison because I committed murder. This is the issue I had with Islam. Our sins are not justified in Islam. Where do our sins go according to the Bible? They are placed into Jesus as 1 Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”

Due to this, I left Islam as I saw God’s love exists through Jesus and understood what Jesus truly did for us. Despite this understanding I still felt lost within Christianity as no denomination seemed to have the pure truth or love of God and peace I longed for. So, I prayed for God to lead me and guide me there as I felt lost with nowhere to go. After a few months of praying this prayer, God led me to a sister and her family who’d introduce me to TJC in the fall and winter of 2022. On my first sabbath day God blessed me with the Holy Spirit and from there everything made sense. I no longer had this anxiety I encountered daily for my whole life, I saw God’s love, I felt His peace, and I was baptized. I was under His grace and finally could have a good conscience towards God as 1 Peter 3:21 explains.

To summarize, God’s love brought me here. Never forget your first love. I seek to grow closer to Christ, I want to grow in showing love for my brothers and sisters in Christ and above all I want to glorify God in all I do. I now have hope, peace, and joy. And I give thanks, glory and praise to God for He gave the increase. Brothers and sisters, whatever suffering you may endure, cling to Christ. Cling to His Word. Cling to Him in prayer. God isn’t looking for a fancy prayer or the right words, but He’s looking at your heart. God wants a relationship with you; so, pour out your heart to Him. Our hope is Christ. If I gain the world and lose my faith, I’ve lost everything. If I lose the world and become homeless, bed ridden, stuck in the furnace of suffering and despair, and yet still keep my faith, I have all I need. No matter where God sends us, if we seek with a pure heart, God will guide us exactly where we are meant to be. It may not be easy, but God is always with us. God will give you strength. He is our hope.

“For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.” Job 14:7-9

We warmly invite you to come to the True Jesus Church’s bi-annual Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation.  See details below.

18-21 April, 2024 Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation

Thursday, 18 April, 2024 6:50PM to 8:10PM
Friday and Saturday, 19-20 April, 2024 9:00AM to 8:10PM
Sunday, 21 April, 2024 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.

Please find our church location below:

4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
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For online streaming, please click here.

For regular service hours, please click here.

Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org