This is the story of a Chinese student who came to faith, and is being baptised this week:
“Before I believed in God, I often wondered whether He was real or just a story. I wasn’t sure if God truly existed in my life. At that time, like many who don’t yet know Jesus, I thought I was the king of my own life and that I could make anything happen by myself. It was as I struggled with this that I began to encounter God in my life.
The first time I realised I wasn’t in control of my life was when I noticed how God kept sending Christians into my path. As I began to explore Christianity, I joined a Mandarin Bible study group, and it was there that I met Benji, the student worker. We began a language exchange, which I later realized was actually his “excuse” to share the gospel with me. And it worked!
After that, I began joining in with the international student ministry and regular services at the Church. Even when some of my Christian friends moved on, God kept bringing new ones into my life. I can now see that He was constantly seeking me.
When I began to realise that I couldn’t control my life, I felt frustrated and depressed. Something I had believed for so long had suddenly collapsed. I couldn’t believe that something or someone who is so seemingly surreal could actually be in control of my life. So I started asking a lot of questions at Church and other Bible studies. Around the same time, my family came to visit the UK, and as we spent time together after so long apart, I was reminded of how tense my parents’ relationship can be, and the impact that this has had on myself and my sister growing up. My parents never showed affection toward each other, often saying it was because “Chinese people are reserved.” It left me feeling frustrated, helpless, and weak; unable to fix their relationship or help those around them from being hurt.
I went back to Church and confided in a friend. She told me that my weakness is exactly how God created me, and that it’s through this weakness that I can rebuild my relationship with Him- her words gave me such a sense of relief; it was deeply comforting and touching.
That same evening, I heard Benji preach about the meaning of life; a question that I had been struggling with for months. Discussing it with a friend from home, she told me that her meaning of life was simply to experience and enjoy the moment without thinking too much about the outcome. I couldn’t make sense of it- if we all end up as ashes in the end, why not just become ashes now and avoid suffering? Yet knowing that I will one day be with God and free from pain gives my present life real meaning and hope.
After the service, a friend said to me “You should do something in these few months in the UK that you won’t have a chance to do when you go back home.”
Through three different friends, I truly felt that God was speaking to me that day, and I knew I couldn’t ignore His voice any longer. That night, I made the decision to follow Jesus. I want to learn from Him how to love my family and the people around me. The more I learn about Him now, the more I realise how sinful I am, and how grateful I should be that Jesus died for me.”
This student's story of coming to faith is such a beautiful reminder that God is on the move- He is not content with the half-truths we’ve been told, but is actively bringing a generation back to himself! Are you available to His plans and purposes in your day today?
