I Was Guided by the Truth in the Bible

When searching for a church what do you look for? Where lies the weight of your decision? Find out how this Bible-based Church became the answer for Marda.

Show/Hide Transcript

Marda Debnam: Being a member of the Baptist church, I never believed in trinity [doctrine]. A part of me felt that I had been cheated out of a lot of good years in my life because I did not know the truth.

[Show open]

[On-screen text graphics]

Stories of Faith

[On-screen text graphics]

Marda Debnam

Former Baptist

My name is Marda Debnam. I’m 58 years old and I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m the sixth of seven [children]. My parents were very hard-working. We lived near my grandfather, who was a big farmer. So growing up, it was nice to play outside. My father’s father, we call him Daddy Fred, was actually a deacon in the Baptist church.

“I Never Believed In The Trinity”

Jesus spoke these words, life up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

[John 17:1&3 New King James Version]

Being a member of the Baptist church, I never believed in the trinity [doctrine]. The minister in the Baptist churches that I attended, did not preach from the Bible that much. They would take one or two verses and base their sermon on that. So they were talking more about what was going on in the world versus what the Bible says. So that was always a concern for me. I didn’t really consider looking for another place of worship, until I actually moved to Norfolk, Virginia to get ready for college. Whether it was Jehovah’s Witness, Methodist, other Baptist churches, it just didn’t feel right. I felt that a lot of it was very much like I had [experienced] before. The minister was just telling me what he thought, what was going on in the world, but not really preaching from the Bible, and that was a concern.

“Cheated Out Of Good Years”

I was a college student at Norfolk State University and had gone through my placement office, and had accepted a part time position at the Norfolk Naval Base. I was assigned to work with Kathlyn Gonzalez, who was a member of the Church Of Christ. As we were working together, without any pressure, she invited me to a Bible Exposition, as it was called at that time. And I was just really blown away [impressed me that the minister was just reading from the Bible. And the choir really blew me away. To see the choir members singing, to see brothers in the choir, crying. So to see a man willing to weep, because he’s so moved by the hymns, and not being concerned about what other people in the congregation are thinking, that was very impressive. After the tenth lesson, I knew that this was the true Church. And I definitely wanted to be a member.

[On-screen text graphics]

Marda Debnam

Former Baptist

You know, I’m one of these people that if you show me something, and you can prove it to me, I don’t resist. Everything that I was listening [to] was from the Bible, it was truth. The minister could explain it. And I was trying to apply what I was learning every time I had a Bible study lesson. A part of me felt that I had been cheated out of a lot of good years in my life because I did not know the truth. But I was just very thankful that at least I was still young enough to learn the truth and just change my life.

“Learning To Pray”

Marda Debnam: When I became a member of the Church, I was taught [that] there are certain things that we should pray for, and in [a] certain order, and I didn’t realize that. And so that’s why the Bible study lessons are so helpful. But when we know what we’re supposed to ask for, and in what order, and we do that, God is always there to answer our prayers.

“God Is Always With Me”

I’m single, I don’t have any children. And for the most part, I rarely feel lonely because I know that God is always with me. Every time you put God first, especially before man, before anything, any job, God will always, always, always take care of you. God has provided me with everything and more than an abundance of what I need.

I Found Confidence in My Faith

Taryn went to many different Christian-professing churches with her parents. But in her adulthood, she found herself still wondering what to believe.

Show/Hide Transcript

I Found Confidence in My Faith

Taryn Griffin: We did have to find different churches every time we moved. That was kind of my parents’ job since I was still young. I went with my family because that’s what seemed right at the moment.

[Show open]

My name is Taryn Griffin. I am 23 years old. I was born in Colorado and lived most of my life in San Diego, California until I moved here to Hawaii.

“We Believed We Were Christians”

While I was in Colorado, I did live with both my parents, my grandparents, and my cousins. So, I do have fond memories of bonding with family. We all went to churches. We believed we were Christians and we would go to churches that claimed to be Christian.

When I was about four or five, my dad joined the military. And after he finished his boot camp, we moved to California. First, in Monterey, California, then San Diego, California for a good long time and now here in Hawaii.

One of the biggest things that military kids face is constantly trying to make new friends because you’re moving around so much.

“We Did Have To Find Churches Every Time We Moved”

Right in the middle of high school, right in the middle of your young adult life, my family, we moved to Hawaii. And at first, I had just gotten comfortable being in California for a good eight years. Moving to Hawaii from California was definitely a big challenge for me, at first. I was super nervous. It was definitely harder to jump in and find friends because everyone’s already found their groups in high school. So, that definitely made it a little bit challenging.

We did have to find different churches every time we moved. That was kind of my parents’ job since I was still young. They would already talk about trying to find a place that was based on the Bible. Especially since my mom had an off-putting experience with a church that she went to when she was younger. So they really put time and effort into finding a church that they liked and they felt comfortable with.

“I Never Really Felt A Connection With The People In That Church”

Well, when my family would get together and we would say our prayers, if I was going through a rough moment, I probably said some prayers to ask God for help and guidance. I think we tried a couple different churches. We went and my family felt, at least, a little bit more at ease and more comfortable or more confident.

Though I never really felt a connection with the people in that church, necessarily, I went with my family because that’s what seemed right at the moment.

“In The Church Of Christ They Answer All Questions”

One of my friends that I had met talked to me briefly about the church that they went to and asked me if I was going to church and probably invited me a handful of times. Being that I was already going to church with my family, I guess I felt content. They encouraged me to…to try it, come to an activity, see if I liked it.

The first activity or event that I do remember going to with the Church Of Christ was a CFO or Christian Family Organization activity. Everyone was really friendly and it seemed like a casual and really comfortable way to be introduced to the Church, I guess.

When we sat down, the minister brought out the Bible and had a certain topic that we were going to talk about that day. Every question that was brought up was answered straight from the Bible. It was very clear and easy to understand.

“I Was Trying To Figure Out What To Believe”

In the Church Of Christ, they give you a question, they answer it. They give you another question and they answer it. Every question that was brought up was answered straight from the Bible. Even the questions that I had going on in my head, before I even asked them, it was already answered.

So it was very, very easy to understand, very clear and it was refreshing. As I was going to Bible studies in the Church Of Christ and going to church on the weekends with my family and still trying to figure out what I believe and what’s real, what’s true. It’s amazing how timely the Bible studies were because I remember there was one lesson pertaining to the topic of Valentine’s Day that I had just learned. And then, when I went to church with my family that weekend, it was also about Valentine’s Day. And I was like, “I already have the answer to this and this is not it.”

I guess at that point my angle kind of turned. Maybe the Church Of Christ really is where I am supposed to be because I’m getting all of these timely answers.

“I Became More Consistent With Bible Studies”

After listening to a handful of lessons, I became more and more interested and more and more curious. Especially, you know, growing up as [a] Christian or believing that I was Christian. There were definitely a few lessons that took me by surprise. And that’s when I really started getting curious and I wanted to learn more. I became more consistent with my Bible studies and wanted to know…what was really in the Bible.

“It Was A Game Changer”

Some of the lessons that really stood out that caught me off guard that I thought were different or surprising or shocking were the one about the trinity and probably about Christmas too. Growing up, always having and celebrating Christmas , and then finding that it’s not actually in the Bible was…was definitely a game changer, especially when it came to the trinity. The churches that I do remember going to, they always taught the same thing about the trinity. And then, here in the Church Of Christ, there is no trinity. So that took me off guard. I was like, “What do you mean there’s no trinity?” I learned that there’s only one God. God is only one. And they read the verses to me. They showed me the verses, I could read it for myself.

Growing up, always celebrating Christmas, my family always tried to implement, you know, the true meaning of Christmas, part of the holiday. Going to Bible studies in the Church Of Christ and learning more, that was one of the lessons that really stood out to me because Christmas isn’t actually in the Bible. And that was shocking.

I was nervous to share what I was learning with my family because it was shocking for me to find these truths and to learn about these truths. And I just wasn’t sure how they would react and there was still more for me to learn.

My family was curious as to where I was going. I told them that I was going to Bible lessons and [worship] services with my friends in the Church Of Christ.

Being 18 at that point, they were understanding of me making this decision on my own.

“Whatever I Was MIssing Before…Now, I Have It In The Church Of Christ”

I just remember being in a worship service and it was during hymn singing. I really felt the presence of God and the singing was so beautiful and I just really felt it. From that day, I kind of was like, “Okay, this is where I want to be.” I felt like God was telling me, “This is where you’re supposed to be.”

Having this newfound confidence and peace of mind, I felt like whatever I was missing before, now I [have] is in the Church Of Christ. I feel more whole in the Church.

[On-screen text graphics]

Taryn was baptized in the Church Of Christ on November 25, 2016.

Being a young adult and trying to figure things out and learning how to live life on my own can be challenging and sometimes lonely. In the Church Of Christ, there’s…there’s so much love and it just feels like…like family. Anyone and everyone should give the Church Of Christ a chance. Because for me, I found truth and I found confidence in my faith and I found a home. I’ve never felt stronger in my faith than I do now.

My life has changed so much after joining the Church Of Christ. Despite whatever trials or hardships life throws at me, I just feel more confident that God will guide me through it because I’m in the true Church Of Christ in these last days.

I have a relationship with God.

[Show close]

Stories of Faith

INC MEDIA SERVICES

Trusting in God’s Timing

Life is a series of choices, and for some, God isn’t always their choice. Tawanda chose to make time for God not only for herself but for her son, as well.

Show/Hide Transcript

Trusting in God’s Timing

Tawanda Cochrane: I went to probably, like, four lessons and then I stopped. Sister Rose, she’s like, “Don’t let life get in your way. God gave you twenty-four hours in a day and you can give Him back at least an hour or two hours for Him, to serve Him.”

[Show open]

My name is Tawanda Cochrane. I was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia on February 27, 1979 at 3:22 p.m. My mom’s biggest blessing that day. I have one sister who is older than me, so it’s three girls. Growing up, most of my childhood as I got older, about ten or eleven my mom and dad separated due to some domestic violence issues.

“Standing Up For My Mom”

It was hard for me to live [with] the domestic violence. I felt deep down inside, I had to stand up for [my mom] because she wasn’t going to stand up for herself. All she wanted to do was to protect us. Us kids. After a while my dad got help and eventually came back until I [was] old enough to stand up to him. Like I told him, I was like, “I shouldn’t have to stand up to you like this, you should know better.”

“Honor The Father and Mother”

It was hard. But [my mom] always taught me one of God’s commandments: honor thy mother, honor thy father. And she was like, “Even though he’s doing this, you still need to honor him and respect him.” And that’s something she taught until the day she passed away. “You’re going to honor him.”

Now our relationship is way better. We talk, I want to say at least once a week.

“I Didn’t Blame God”

My mom always taught us the Ten Commandments and to make sure we knew [them]. She would get us dressed every Sunday, send us to church even though she didn’t go.

What I knew about God when I was a kid, [is] that you pray to Him. He’s the Almighty Father. Let Him know what’s bothering you. As a child, I didn’t blame God about what was going on at home, I had just—I found that the church [or chapel] was my safe place. There was something always going on at the church [or chapel].

“Standing On My Own Two Feet”

My senior year in high school, I had a lot of recruiters asking me, “Would you like to join the Army?” “Would you like to join the Navy?” I was like, “I know, I’m already eighteen, I can sign my own documents.” I was like, “Yeah, I’ll be ready Wednesday morning to go do my physical.”

When I joined the military, in boot camp they had church service [and[ I went every Sunday. That was in boot camp. But once I left boot camp, church kind of [fell] to the side.

“Bouncing From Church To Church”

But when I transferred from Norfolk, to Lemoore, California, out here, I would go to church every once in a while. I met my husband here on the base. He seemed very [religious] at the time. Then he got shipped out and something about that deployment was different, because when he came back he wasn’t the same person that left. It seemed like I was just being sadder and sadder and sadder instead of [being] happy.

And I just started bouncing from church to church to church to find—I guess, a family [feeling] that I fit in because my family was so far away. And I was living a reckless life, drinking and partying like it was the thing to do but deep down inside I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.

“God Give 24 Hours In A Day”

God introduced Sister Sally into my life—I was working at the Fresno VA Hospital and I met her ] [there] and she seemed [like] such a nice lady. She’s like “Hi, I’m Rose.” And I’m like, “Hi, I’m Tawanda.” And she’s like, “Oh okay, yeah this and this…” And she was going so fast and I was like, “How do people understand what she’s saying?” And she’s like, “We’re having a Bible study tonight, would you like to come?” And I was like, “No, thank you but I’ll keep that thought in mind.” And I met her a couple more times [when I came] down and she’s like, “Hey, we’re having a Bible study tonight, would you like to come?” And I was like, “I have no babysitter.” And she’s like, “If you’re worried about a babysitter, don’t worry about that. There [are] a lot of mothers that are going to be at the Bible study where you can—they’ll take care of him.” And she’s like, “My two daughters are going to be there so you can have them watch your son.” And I was like, “Okay, I’ll come.” And I started going to the Bible studies. I went to probably—I signed up for Bible study to be a Bible student that night. I went to probably, like, four lessons and then I stopped. And [Sister Rose] was like, “Don’t let life get in your way. God gave you twenty-four hours in a day and you can give Him back at least an hour or two hours for Him, to serve Him.” And that kind of stuck with me.

“God’s Timing”

When I first met Sister Rose, my mom had passed away and I was still—I wanted that mother figure. I wanted a mother and my mom was gone and Sister Rose being that mother figure, she took care of everybody in the clinic. Then when I started going to the Church Of Christ and going to the Bible study and everybody’s like, “Hi Sally!” and I’m like looking at her, and she’s like, “Oh, that’s my name.” And I was like, “Oh…” So I’m thinking her name is Rose, but she’s like, “No, they [called] me Sally [ever] since I was little.” I was like, “Oh okay.” Her name at work is Rose, Rosalina. But everybody that knows her in the Church Of Christ calls her Ka Sally and she made me feel comfortable. I talk to her about anything and everything like I would with my mom. And with the life battles that I was having [and] not understanding why my son’s father didn’t want to be a part of his life. And Sister Rose told me, she’s like, “He got a way better father—the Almighty Father. God, God is going to be his Father. He’s going to provide everything that little mad needs.” She said, “You just got to have faith.” And that’s what really got me going to every Bible study, every evangelical mission.

Interviewer: What can you say about the timing, God’s timing of putting Sister Rose in your life at a time when you had just lost your mom?

Tawanda: I needed Him to answer me with that because He knew how close me and mom [were] and because after she passed, I was back on that downward spiral. And I knew if I’m—and I just kept praying, “God help me, help me.”

That’s my answer to my prayer, that I get to have a second chance with another mother. From every Bible study, I felt like in the Church Of Christ, I’m always with family and [there was] always a hug waiting for you, you know? And I was like, “I need to be part of the true Church, not just any church but the true Church. And in the Church Of Christ, I’m there. I’m happy to be here.

From that Bible lesson, it says it right there in the Bible. The Church Of Christ, the one true Church.

“The Difference”

And that’s what I’ll always believe. What was said in the Bible is what’s true. This is God’s Holy Scripture. And that’s—I always will believe that.

The difference between the Baptist [church] and the Church Of Christ: In the Baptist worship service, there’s a lot of loud singing and a lot of jumping around, screaming—the minister would put the Bible verse in their [own] version. How—their interpretation. But in the Church Of Christ, from the time I walked in the door, I felt the calmness, the peace and the serenity of the chapel.

“My Biggest Fear”

I’m so amazed by it, you know. I’m a part of this, I’m a part of the Church Of Christ. I’ll be telling my friend, “Hey, let’s—come join us [in] Bible study.” And they’ll be like, “No, not tonight.” And I was like, “Oh, okay.” Now I know how Sister Rose felt about inviting people. But I still go, “Hey, okay!” And then I wait a week and go like, “Hey! We’re having Bible study again.”

Interviewer: So are you Sister Rose now?

Tawanda: Yes, I’m Sister Rose now and I keep going and right now my best friend, she’s like, “You weren’t going to give up until I went to Bible study.” And I was like, “No, I wasn’t.” I said, “I’m going to keep going until I can get your older kids in to coming to Bible study with you, you know?”

Interviewer: Why do you not give up even though people have said “No” to you?

Tawanda: [Because] it’s one of God’s commandments. I don’t want anyone to have that second death in the lake of fire. My biggest fear is that I won’t save enough souls, I won’t get enough people to hear God’s message, you know? Because I feel every soul should be saved but they need to hear the message to be saved.

“My Favorite Answered Prayer”

I feel [that] having the Church, the Church Of Christ, helped [in] raising my son. I know he’s on a good path for his salvation and with all the brothers in the Church I know he won’t lack any male leadership roles that he might need. With this pandemic, it’s hard for him to understand why we’re not at the chapel and why we’re not—

[On-screen text graphics]

Tawanda Cochrane

Joined the Church Of Christ in 2018

—why he can’t see Brother Isaiah, or Brother Ron or Brother Ray or Brother Rolly as often as he used to. Coming out of his shell more than he used to. Because when he first—when we first started he wouldn’t talk. Now once he sees them he’s—”Bye Mom! Going with Brother such and such!” “Okay! See you in a little bit.”

“He’s Driving My Life”

My story of faith is encouraging. No matter how hard life is, God is going to be there to get you through. And I want my story of faith to encourage someone else and believe God will take them through whatever they’re going through. No matter how bad the world is getting, I see my future is a bright one because I’m not going to let go of my membership in the Church Of Christ and keep God first and my Lord Jesus Christ in the driver’s seat. And as long as He’s driving my life, it’s going to be a really bright future.

[Show close]

Stories of Faith

INC MEDIA SERVICES

Learning There’s A Right Way to Worship God

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

Ron’s mother was a devout Catholic. But Ron couldn’t understand why she would pray to the Virgin Mary when the Bible prohibited the worship of idols.

Show/Hide Transcript

[Show open] [On-screen text graphic]

“You shall have no other gods before ‘Me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image-
any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
Under the earth…”
[Exodus 20:3-4 New King James Version]

Ron Espanto: I remember watching the The Ten Commandments. They talked about the Laws of God, the Ten Commandments. And one of them, you shall not worship any other God or not make any idols. That always stood out-the worship of idols. That’s what made me feel that something’s not right with what we’re doing. I was already asking that in my head, “What is the truth? There must be something true out there.”

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

I’m Ron Espanto, I’m 49 years old. And I’m currently living in Waipahu, Hawaii. I grew up in a neighborhood in Kalihi [Hawai’i]. It’s basically for low-income people. Growing up there, back in the 1970s, and 1980s, it was pretty rough. There was a lot of drug use in that place, a lot of illegal activities that people were doing back in those days. Both of my parents are Filipino. My dad came here, maybe late 1950s, early 1960s. My parents, they always taught us to do the right things. We came from a dominant Catholic family.

[On-screen text graphic]

Ron Espanto
Former Catholic

I was born Catholic. They also made it important that we always recognize God, you know, to serve God. Although my parents were devout Catholics, you know, we didn’t go to church on a regular basis. Probably just on important dates, like for instance, Christmas or Good Friday. Actually in our home, we had a statue of the so-called Virgin Mary. It was about 15 inches tall. My mom would light candles at night or on a certain occasion.

[On-screen text graphic]
“Something’s Not Right”

While we were growing up, the thing that always got to me was the worship of idols. That’s what made me feel that, you know, something’s not right with what we’re doing. I remember watching The Ten Commandments. They talked about the Laws of God, the Ten Commandments. And one of them, you shall not worship any other God or not make any idols. That always stood out, growing up as Catholic. Because, when we did go to church, we would literally see the statues. When I would ask my mom why is she praying to this so-called Virgin Mary or the so-called image of the Lord Jesus Christ, she would always tell me that that’s what she was taught. She would always just say, “Oh, you know, this is our belief.” We would go to the Catholic [chapel]. There’s so many things that they would do. Rituals, if I may say, that I just felt that it was not necessary.

[On-screen text graphic]
“I Know Deep Down…It Was Wrong”

I have relatives that are members of the Church Of Christ. They would always invite us to attend their worship services, to the Church gatherings. Again, I wasn’t looking for that. After high school, I decided to just go to work. So I started off as a dishwasher. Worked my way up, prep cook, all the way to lead cook. I was 19, I think, when I was already running the kitchen, and it was busy. I felt pretty good. Every two weeks. you get your paycheck. Then you go out, you hang out with your friends, have fun. We would go out drinking. I was introduced to, like, all different types of vices.

[On-screen text graphic]

Ron Espanto
Former Catholic

Everybody was doing some type of drug, whether it’s they were snorting coke, they’re smoking crystal meth, smoking weed. And I got caught into that. I know, deep down in my heart, that was just wrong. You’d feel good for a little while. But then, it got to a point where it just started to…get out of hand.

[On-screen text graphic]
Tragedy Hits Home

In 1991, my mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer. It spread throughout her body. When she was diagnosed with the cancer, she told me to take her to this house of this so-called “healer.” I noticed all [these] little statues, like Virgin Mary, so-called Lord Jesus Christ statue. So, I asked my mom, you know, “What are we doing here?” And she said, “He’s gonna pray for me.” “This is where I can get healed.” Out of respect for my mom and because I love her, I told her, “Okay, well, just do what you need to do.” Still, her condition never improved, you know, she’s getting worse by the day. There was that one time she was praying, she was praying to the Virgin Mary statue that we had in our house. That’s when I told her, “Why are you doing that? Why are you praying to one statue?” “The one that you’re supposed to be praying to is to God. Not to these idols, not to these statues.” And that’s when she got really upset, she was really mad. My mom was 56 when she passed. I was devastated.

[On-screen text graphic]
“What Is The Truth?”

I was mad at God, and I asked God why He did this. I also asked, from God, “What is the truth, then?” Just before October of 1992, that’s when my cousin invited me to attend one of the Bible Expositions of the Church Of Christ. And that’s what I told him, I said, “You know, I believe in God, you know. I don’t, I don’t have to…go to any church to serve God. I could just serve God, you know, how I want.” I already was denouncing the Catholic faith, even before my mom passed away. I was already asking that in my head, “What is the truth? There must be something true out there.” And when I decided to undergo the Bible studies inside the Church Of Christ, the minister told me, “If you don’t believe what I’m saying, bring your Bible. I will use the Bible that you bring to teach you then.” So I did, I had, I think a King James Version. And throughout my Bible study, aside from the other versions that [were] there, he used my Bible. He even highlighted the verses. They would first tell you what the Bible is about, because that’s our basis right there-why we believe in God. And then from there, everything just clicks into place: Why do we believe in the Messenger of God? Why do we believe that Jesus Christ is not God, but He is a man? Why [should we not] worship idols? All my beliefs that I had in the past [were] being torn down already, [were] being ripped apart. And what was being built up…were the true words of God, in my heart.

[On-screen text graphic]
Things I Had To Let Go Of

While I was still undergoing Bible studies, attending the worship services inside the Church Of Christ, I’m not yet baptized, there are things that…I had to let go of, and it was kind of difficult, at first. Even the vices that I did [weren’t] easy to let go…because the transition is not automatic. There were times when I wouldn’t attend the worship services. Or I missed a worship service on purpose, I felt bad about it. I remember one of the head deacons telling me, [he] said, “Oh, you know, Brother, you’re about to get baptized, but you’re missing worship services.” That’s when I said to myself, “I’m not going to miss worship service again. I want to complete what I started. I want to become a member of the Church Of Christ.”

[On-screen text graphic]
“God’s Mercy”

Now that I’m in the Church Of Christ for so many years now, with God’s mercy, I don’t have [any] regret. Not even one ounce of regret.

[On-screen text graphic]

Ron Espanto
Joined the Church Of Christ in 1993

To me, the church is my life. I’ve been married for almost 23 years now, with God’s mercy. I have a loving wife, loving family, loving children-God fearing. The way I look at it now, I could’ve gone a different route, but knowing that…God called us, God called me to be inside the Church, really, this is a true blessing coming from God.

[On-screen text graphic]
“I Want To Serve God”

I would always say to myself, “I want to be a member because I want to be saved,” I never said before, “I want to be a member because I want to serve God.” But now that I’m in the Church for these many years, that is my mentality-that I’m a member of the Church Of Christ to serve God. When I look back at my life, and look at all the things that I’ve experienced, I always thank God because He allowed me to have that knowledge, that wisdom, that enlightenment. The enlightening moment is when you get to know the true God. I’m just glad that I was able to come to that knowledge of truth that I received inside the Church Of Christ.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

[Show close] [On-screen graphic]

INC MEDIA SERVICES
© All Rights Reserved 2020

What Really Matters

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

Life is hard. And a hard life made Isaiah long for a successful future. He wanted more, materially. A chance encounter leads to chasing what really matters.

Watch more Stories of Faith

I Wanted to Find the One True God

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

Mala grew up in a religion that believed in many gods but didn’t entertain her questions. As an adult, she had more questions—and wanted answers.

Show/Hide Transcript

As a little girl, I always asked my mom, “There [are] so many different gods, who is really the true God? Why [are] there so many? What [do] the different gods represent? When it came to the Hinduism and with the different gods, we were told sometimes, “Don’t ask any questions, just do what we tell you.”

[On-screen text graphic]

Stories of Faith

My name is sister Mala Hatman. I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. I’m 42 years old. We were raised with a Hinduism religion. My mom taught me about praying. You pray to God and you ask God for His help, and God will help you. He will see you through.

We would go to our regular Sunday worship in the temple. I always asked my mom, “Well, there [arer] so many different gods. You know, who is really the true God? What [do] the different gods represent?” Every time I asked my mom, they would just redirect us.

[On-screen text graphic]
Mala Hatman
Former Hindu

They wouldn’t really, fully give us an answer of what the different gods [are] for, why we’re worshipping them and why we’re doing the things we do. When it came to the Hinduism and with the different gods, we were always told “Hey, you’re a child, don’t ask any questions. Just do what we tell you.”

[On-screen text graphic]

“Who is Really The True God?”

On March 12, 1991, I moved here when I was 14 about to turn 15, in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a really big challenge because you’re coming from a different world, entering another different world where English was not my first language.

[On-screen text graphics]

“Make Your Own Choices”

I started to get older in age, I started to ask even more questions.

“Do we still have to continue with the religion?” And then my parents said, “As we [get] older, we can make our own choices.” As I got older, I started to question learning in a different world for me. There’s so many different religions out there. Just by learning from everyone, I would ask their opinion. “Well, what do you do at your church?” And there [were] so many different answers, so I got a little puzzled [and] a little confused. It seemed like they didn’t know what was the right thing for themselves as well. So, I just continued to just learn more and just proceed.

[On-screen text graphics]

“I’d Like to Go to A Church Where I Can Learn”

I was invited by my husband’s sister. We were invited by Southpoint here in Jacksonville. We attended several Sundays. I asked myself, “There’s something that I’m looking for, I’m looking for something that serves purpose.” We would go [on] Sundays, even though they read from the Bible, I felt like, I’m going to church but I’m serving no purpose. I’d like to go to a church where I can learn Bible lessons myself.

I never knew who God was just coming from Hinduism. I knew that there were so many different gods, I didn’t know: How do we pray to God? What does God want us to know? What should we know?

[On-screen text graphics]

“So Many Questions”

It was April 16th that I met my husband. Our first date was at the movies. We started to get to know each other more and we decided that, you know, we would like to get married one day and have a family. So, after a year we got engaged. The church that we got married [in], Lakewood Presbyterian Church. When we got married there, we got involved with the church there. I actually got baptized at [the] Lakewood Presbyterian Church. After it was complete, I asked my husband, I said, “Are we supposed to feel anything?” I was looking for something but it was not there.

I had so many questions in my head and one of my questions was [about] offering. They would start at one end and then you would have to pass the bucket to the next person beside you. And I was a little curious. ‘What really happens to your offering?’. I was really confused. I got frustrated. And so I kind of gave up for a little while. I asked myself, “Well, these questions are not being answered so what am I supposed to do? What is the next thing that I should do?”

[On-screen text graphics]

“What Happens After You Die?”

After my dad had passed away, my brothers and my sister, we all sat in their home. And I asked my brother, Anthony, He is, at the time, a member of the Church Of Christ. We had a three-hour conversation. We also talked about what happens to you after you die. And so by the conversation, just listening, it intrigued my mind.

At the time, with my dad’s passing. I felt so empty. You know, there [were] so many questions and “Where do I go from here? What is it going to take to help me find my way and to have comfort?” So, I asked my brother and his wife. I said, “Well, can I go back to church with you?” And he said, ”Sure.” and I said “Okay, well the next time you have a Bible lesson, I will go with you.” Anthony is the one that introduced me to the Church Of Christ.

[On-screen text graphic]

“Where I Belong”

I remember when I asked my brother to go to church with him to a Bible lesson. I remember the exact minister that preached the Bible lesson. He also was here to pray for my dad as well when he was in the hospital. And I remembered when I sat down and I heard Lesson Two. “Who Is The True God?” When I heard the lesson, after I heard the complete lesson, my heart felt at ease. When [the minister] mentioned who is the true God [who] is the Father in Heaven, I told myself, “Wow, this is just beyond everything.” I told myself, “Well, why did I not hear this before?” I felt as if I was robbed. I said, “Why did I not know these things before?” There was only one true God in heaven. There is no other God than Him.

After I heard Lesson Two, I already knew that I wanted to sign up and listen to the twenty-eight lessons. I felt at the moment [that] I wanted to be part of the Church. This is where I belong.

[On-screen text graphic]
Mala Hatman
A member of the Church Of Christ

When I heard offering, the lesson for offering, what really happens to your offering—it just brought tears to my eyes because I found out that your offering is used in different ways. And hearing that the offering is used for [houses] of worship, I told myself, “Well, there’s nothing more beautiful than just hearing that”, I felt secured. I felt satisfied. I felt like all the questions that I [had] in my head, they were being answered. The questions that I [had], there were answered every time. Not just [through the] Bible lessons but attending the worship service.

I even went home and I told my husband, “I found a new Church and I’m really happy with it.” I said, “Would you like to [come]?”, he was hesitant about it. “You know if you want to come, you’re welcome to. But if not, that’s your choice but I’m going to join the Church whether you like it or not.”

[On-screen text graphic]

“The Best Thing That’s Ever Happened To Me”

As I was going through the Bible lessons, I remember coming home and my mom and my sister said, “Well, we noticed a change in you.” And I said, “Well, you should come to Church with me, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m really happy.” I introduced the [Church Of Christ] to him, my husband. He thought, “It’s just a Filipino church.” I said, “I’m not Fillipino but I’m joining the Church.” The Church is for all, God wants everyone to join the Church. And he went and did his own research while I shared the website. And at the time, he wasn’t sure, but I said “We’ll, just still try it. We will share something that is so great. It will help our relationship.” And we did. We had lessons online. We would talk to the minister and I said, “You see, When there’s a will, there’s a way.” God will find a way for us to hear everything that we need to know.

After he finished his lessons, I just thought that was the happiest thing ever. We went to Orlando for his baptism and I asked him and said “Don’t do it because of me or anyone. Do it for yourself and do it for God.” And he said, “Yes, this is what [I] wanted.”

[On-screen text-graphics]
Mala And Her Husband Weyman Were Baptized in The True Church Of Christ

Mala Hatman
A member of the Church Of Christ

Every time I hear a Bible lesson or a worship service, you know, it’s like God truly is standing in front of you and He’s telling you what you’re supposed to do. You know, God has truly blessed me with the understanding and now that I’ve heard the truth, it’s what gets me through every day. Maybe if there’s a tough day in life—which there [are], and there [are] going to be. This is something that you have to hold on to. Something to inspire you. Something to move you.

[On-screen text graphic]

This Precious Gift

God has given me this precious gift that I can never find anywhere else. This is once in a lifetime. It’s something that I will take and treasure until the day I’m with God.

[On-screen text graphic]
Stories Of Faith

INCMedia Services
© All Rights Reserved 2020

I Was Searching for Salvation for My Soul

Helen thought she knew God and Jesus, until one day she found the Church Of Christ where she learned who Jesus truly is and His role in her salvation.

Show/Hide Transcript

[Show open]

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

Helen Gray

Former Baptist

Helen Gray: My name is Helen Gray, I’m 52 years old. I was born in Washington D.C. Well, my childhood, I enjoyed my childhood. I was a cheerleader, I was a dancer and I was a model. This kept me busy, kept me out of trouble because we [were] in such an environment, you know, that we needed to stay away from the drug activities where we [were living]. Around that area, it’s like a lot of drinking and stuff. In the neighborhood where we [were] growing up—so my mom tried to keep us away from those things and that’s why we [had] to stay active, stay busy and stay positive in what we [were] doing in that time of growing up.

I also was a female boxer. There was boxing on the streets. So therefore, that was like my [escape] from the drugs and alcohol. See, like once you finish school, what [else is there] to do? After you finish your homework, you want to go out into the streets. So we [were] raised in and around so much was going on so I boxed all my life. Very many knockouts but some—you know, you take some and you get some. But I was just really good with what I used to do.

[On-screen graphic]

“Lesson Learned”

In my childhood, we went to church on Sundays. Every Sunday, if we didn’t participate in going to church, we couldn’t go outside on Sunday. So I loved the outdoors and I loved the earth. So I had to go attend church. It was fun to live in because this is all [that] we knew.

[On-screen graphic]

Helen Gray

Former Baptist

But it was also dangerous as I had gotten older and I just thank God that we lived through a small storm. One incident, like [we’re] all young and our parents had us out and there was this time that we needed to go to school. So, your mom put you in the house at a certain time, like nine o’clock. All my childhood friends and we just had one that got killed this particular time because he was disobedient to his parents. His momma put him in the house and told him, “Stay in the house because we have to get ready for school.” So he snuck outside and he got hit by a car. When we all grew up, we’re like brothers and sisters in the same neighborhood. So it made me feel like I had lost a brother but it also was a lesson learned experience in how to listen and pay attention and to obey your parents. And your days will be long [in] the land of the living. But had he obeyed and paid attention to what his mom said, he would have been still living today.

[On-screen graphic]

Helen Gray

Former Baptist

That’s one of the stories that I share with the children in the world to be obedient to their parents. To honor your mother and your father. Because as I watch the news I see that, “Oh, that could have been me.” But through the grace of God, He’s seen us through.

[On-screen graphic]

“Who Christ Is”

When I was a Baptist, like I said, it’s a learning experience. You still don’t understand who Christ is because when you’re young, you hear things but what we hear, you have to ask ourselves, “Do we fully understand who Jesus is?”

Then you have to find out for yourself. And just, are you comfortable with the minister that is teaching you? I’ve been with the Church Of Christ for two years and about three months now. So, once I do sit down, I listen to the teachings and that they’re reading directly from the Bible. It’s not coming from their personal [or] own understanding. Because everything—like when I was in the Baptist [church] it’s totally different from the Church Of Christ. And one thing I respect about the Church Of Christ, everything is done in order.

[On-screen graphic]

“Renewing My Life”

I gave the Church Of Christ a chance because I already knew what was out there in the world. That was the old Helen but now this is the new Helen. That old Helen, was like—I participated in drinking. I used to love to drink but fortunately when I met the Church Of Christ, I had to give that up. And as you’re drinking, your mind is not clear and you’re not sober, I was feisty. So you’re fighting every day and that’s not the way that I really wanted to live because I know that it was something that was altering my mind. But when I came with the Church Of Christ, it’s no more of that.

[On-screen graphic]

“Opened My Eyes”

I have a brother (in the faith) named, Brother PB. He was unstoppable. He came by my building at a beautiful time. I love to eat and I love the food. He had invited some of my people inside my building to the Church Of Christ two years ago, matter of fact, to a thanksgiving outing, it was like an outreach [program]. And then once I came inside the Church Of Christ, they had nice grocery bags for us.

Then once I came that one time and I just kept coming, just kept coming, just kept coming to see what it’s really going to be like but it was totally different from the Baptist church that I was in. There’s a lot of love here. I listened to one of their Bible lessons, I said, “Hm, this reminds me [like] I am going back to school.” But this particular time, I’m going back for my soul’s salvation. If I had not found the Church Of Christ, I would have still been out there in the world, doing the worldly things.

But through the grace of God, He’s seen me through so I’m done with that chapter of my life, so I’m moving forward now. And you feel comfortable and you feel good, you get to meet good souls inside of the Church Of Christ.

[On-screen graphic]

“Waking Up”

The first doctrine that really stood out of the Church Of Christ was like, if you think that you’re going to be drugging or alcholing while you’re in the Church Of Christ, what wakes you up is that you’re just wasting your time and as you participate in coming to the [Church Of Christ] every Sunday and Wednesday, God knows all things, and I just didn’t want my time being with the Church Of Christ to be gone in vain or wasted. That was my reality check.

My first impression was like, “Wow, this was something totally different than I have experienced when I was with the church of the Baptist church.” I had liked it and when you sit down and you listen you keep your ears open and you’re listening to it and you’ll feel a lot better and you’ll find your spirit has been fed. And whatever that bothered you at first, it should have been erased.

You gave it to the Father and let Him deal with that. And that made me feel so great once I finished my worship service. And you keep your strength, you stand your ground. You stand firm. That’s what keeps me motivated. And when you’re with the Church Of Christ and what really excites my brain up, when they tell me that I am unstoppable and I’d let nothing hinder my worship services.

[On-screen graphic]

“Stand Your Ground”

My faith [is] tested every day. Some of the ones I’ve communicated with them, I told them, “I don’t drink anymore.” But at the end of day you can tell them that but they don’t believe it but you have to believe in yourself, and when the Church Of Christ teaches you to stand your ground and be firm and be diligent. You have to stand and— it teaches me a lot to—how to conquer when my faith has been tested.

[On-screen graphic]

“Feel The Love”

Well, what I really know now we have different nationalities and cultures of the Church. Under the majority of a lot of Filipinos. But they don’t discriminate the color of the skin, they’re just interested in feeding you and the spirit of God.

But when you [enter] the Church Of Christ you’ll find and you’ll feel the love and you’ll feel [that] Jesus is walking with you and you feel comfortable and you feel good you get to meet the good souls inside the Church Of Christ. [The Bible] teaches you how to pray and then we have devotional prayers. They pray for your household, you can give them a call, and they’ll have [a] prayer with you and your family.

[On-screen graphic]

“What Makes Me Happy”

What makes me happy is when I come inside the house of the Lord and I see my brothers and my sisters and I sit down and I talk to my Father which art in Heaven and one thing—I might come inside of the church with some issues. But once I talk to my Father, after I’ve finished my worship service, I am good to go because I know I gave it to the Father, I approached Him, I talked to Him and I pray that He listens.

That’s what makes me happy. On Saturdays I used to go out on a missionary (share my faith). I have a big building, I go to house to house—I sit down and I talk to them but one thing, they have to want this and I don’t give up on them, I’ll just keep on trying, and they’ll come on into the fold with me.

I bring my visitors when we have Evangelical Missions. And I have already [bore] about two fruits already. So through the grace of God, I’m still working.

God is the light of life. Just believe in Him and walk with Him and follow all the commands and obey.

[On-screen graphic]

“No Fear”

I see my future as being more fruitful. I see my future as very successful. I will one day—I will enter the gates of Heaven. With my Father which art in Heaven, I’m just passing through right now. It feels beautiful to know that you’re not alone. It feels good, I have no fear. I walk by faith and not by sight. And I know that He is with me. Always.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

[Show close]

[On-screen graphic]

INC MEDIA SERVICES

How I Found God Again

Nicholas was taught to believe in God at a very young age. But through middle school, he would endure traumatic experiences at the hands of his schoolmates. So he stopped believing in God. He decided that since God hadn’t done anything to help him, then He didn’t exist. Discover how he went from being an atheist to finding the true faith and his love for God.

Show/Hide Transcript

How I Found God Again

[Show open]

Nicholas Ruff: The bullying happened everyday. They were talking down to me about my family, about my upbringing, about the fact that I was adopted. They did everything they could to make me feel terrible about myself. There were some days I would run away from home just so I wouldn’t have to go to school. Everything that I felt in my heart at the time was that believing in God was a lie.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

My name is Nicholas Ruff. I’m 29 years old and I’m from Ewa Beach, Hawai’i. I lived in a nice happy home, my mom and my dad, and later on, my brother. I was adopted at a year old. I’ve always felt that “adopted” was just a term.

[On-screen graphic]

Nicholas Ruff

Seeker

There might have been times in my life where I would question who were my parents, really. I never seriously tried to look into it because my parents always made me feel loved. My parents, they were part of the foster care system so, they took care of a lot of babies, premature, mainly—maybe one or two years old. So I saw a lot of babies come in from different walks of life. Sometimes they would be very malnourished and just not in a very good state. And we would essentially nurse them back to health.

[On-screen graphic]

“It Did a Lot of Damage”

My middle school years were probably the worst that I’ve had in my life, so far. I was heavily bullied, especially, in sixth and seventh grade. For some reason, a bunch of kids did not like me. Whether they were hurt inside and they had to inflict it on others or they just didn’t like the way I was, they did everything they could to make me feel terrible about myself. It did a lot of damage to my self-worth. They made me hate going to school.

In middle school, I went to a Catholic school. I just never felt God in that place. All the kids were very mean. I think it came to a head late in seventh grade when I, finally, just was fed up. They were talking down to me about my family, about my upbringing, about the fact that I was adopted. The bullying happened every day. There were some days I would run away from home just so I wouldn’t have to go to school.

Everything that I felt in my heart at the time was that believing in God was a lie. And I would express that to my parents, often, to the point where we got into arguments. I would mock my parents about their faith. I would be very, very mean. I would hurt them because of the hurt that I was feeling inside.

In high school, with a new environment, came new people. They were all atheists. They didn’t believe in God.

[On-screen graphic]

Nicholas Ruff

Seeker

They didn’t believe that God existed.And that was the crowd I fell in with. As a young teenage boy, I became an atheist. God wasn’t a major player in my life. He didn’t factor in a lot into my life.

[On-screen graphic]

“I Still Wanted To Believe”

So even though I was an atheist, part of me still wanted to believe…because of my upbringing and because of my parents, they wanted me to believe. Deep down inside of me, I wanted to believe. During the emptiness of my faith, I felt like I couldn’t. I was too afraid to.

I was introduced to the Church Of Christ by a friend. I met her on Facebook. We were both fans of this one particular thing. And we had both joined the same group.

[On-screen graphic]

“I Made Peace With The Trauma”

One day, she invited me to come to the Church Of Christ. And I was like, “Okay.” I [felt] like I’m at the point where I could use God in my life again. I [felt] like I need something to center myself around, just a moral guideline. At that point in my life, I had sort of made peace with the trauma that I had, the anger that I had felt in my teenage years. I had let go of all the baggage that I had against God, against religion, against faith.

At the Church Of Christ, the minister was very humble, direct, and to the point. You could feel the conviction in his voice. And that struck a chord with me. I was taking baby steps, essentially. Just trying to feel God in my life again.

[On-screen graphic]

“That Was My ‘A-HA!’ Moment”

The main factor that edified my faith was going to Bible study. Hearing about the beliefs in the Church Of Christ and reaffirming the things that I always felt to be true at the time, but I didn’t know it until I heard it from the minister. One of those things was about the truth of Jesus Christ, the truth of God, who They really were. Well, that was essentially my “Aha!” moment. As an atheist looking for some kind of answer, this is what makes sense but this is not what Catholics believe in. But in the Church Of Christ, this is exactly what I was looking for. This is exactly, this…it made sense.

By the time the Bible studies ended, I just knew in my heart, my faith had been growing a lot. And I just knew in my heart, this is the right place to be. There’s a lot of great people here. And I feel God here. This is the home for me that I want to be a part of.

[On-screen graphic]

Nicholas was baptized in the Church Of Christ on October 26, 2019.

[On-screen graphic]

“God Is My Everything”

I would tell people to give the Church Of Christ a chance, especially atheists. I believe it addresses all the issues that a lot of atheists have with a lot of different [religions]. There is no hypocrisy in what the Church Of Christ believes. It’s all entirely biblical. What’s keeping my hope alive is God, essentially. I have my faith and my family. The ability to look at the world and say that, “This isn’t all there is. There is something better on the horizon.”

God is my everything. I couldn’t imagine a life without God anymore. Especially having lived without God for so long. To not be alone is everything, especially having felt what it was like to be alone, to intentionally isolate myself from God, from a lot of people. Just knowing now that I’m not alone is everything. Just having the people in the Church, and having God on my side, and having people that I love, is everything. My story of faith is…one of perseverance.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

[Show close]

[On-screen graphic]

INC MEDIA SERVICES

Focusing My Life On God Helped Me Heal

Chris knew all too well the pain of heartbreak and loss. So he turned to prayer, and concentrated on doing things for God, to help him truly heal.

Show/Hide Transcript

[Show open]

Christopher Beaty: I was really put into a very dark place. My entire life had changed. The anger, the rage that was developing within me at that time…I didn’t know how to react to it. With everything that was going on, it really did make me feel almost worthless.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

My name is Christopher Beaty, I’m [was] born and raised here in Kailua, of O`ahu, Hawai`i, and I’m 29 years old. Growing up in Hawai`i was very simple for me with my family always being able to take care of me and always making sure that I was pretty much provided a good happy life. I never had too much worries on, you know, thinking that anything bad was going to happen to me.

My family always had their beliefs for being Catholic. It was never really about religion in my family, especially growing up. The only thing that they would do would be celebrate Easter or do, like, the Good Friday, Ash Wednesday, kind of stuff.

[On-screen text graphic]

Christopher Beaty

Seeker

I did believe in God, but I didn’t really believe in a religion at the time. There was nothing that really drove me to wanting to become more religious or more faithful.

As soon as I was getting out of high school, I still had my high school sweetheart, who I was pretty much committed to wanting to be with at the time. I was putting myself into the position where I wanted to work for everything, wanted to work for us. And she was the one that felt like I was putting too much time into the work. She would go out to, like, raves, parties. She wanted to be able to enjoy herself for that time period which eventually, was the decision of hers to end up leaving me for someone else. I was really put into a very dark place because the only thing that I had at that time was her. Everything that I had worked on for the amount of years that I was with her was just, all of a sudden, thrown away. There was a point where I had the anger, the rage that was developing within me at that time, just simply because I’ve never had my heart broken the way that I’ve had it. This was so traumatic to my life that I just didn’t know how to react to it. It really did make me feel almost worthless.

[On-screen text graphic]

“I’ve Never Heard This Before”

At the time, I didn’t know exactly what I was trying to strive for. I was just working a part-time job. I didn’t really have anything that I was really focused on. I really do feel like it was starting to become more of a problem for me when I realized that I was never able to show that I was going to accomplish anything. I would definitely say the thing that had changed was when I got invited to my first [worship] service. It caught my attention from the very first two lessons that was just talking about how everything was described from the Bible. And everything was only said by what the minister said from the Bible. It was never anything other than that. Every question that he asked for us was answered right then and there, which kind of made me say, “I’ve never heard lessons like this before.” I felt so invited to come to a [worship] service and why it actually felt great to be able to come back to those services.

[On-screen text graphic]

Acts 20:28

I was about a month away from being baptized, that I realized that everything that I was putting effort into, I realized I had to put it for a specific thing, which was to show that I do believe in God. But now, give me that reason to also say I do have a religion to respect, as well, and how my love for God started to really develop from that point. The one lesson that broke out to me the most was a service that had the full wraparound on the one big verse, Acts 20:28—talking about the flock how [Christ is] the head of His Church, which is the body.

[On-screen text graphic]

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.”

[Acts 20:28 George Lamsa Translation]

Never did I ever hear a lesson that would have made so much more sense. Everything in the Bible actually does come together and give you a bigger picture that made me realize—everything is prophesied. I couldn’t feel more comfortable saying that this Church made me feel like there was no other reason why I needed to listen to another lesson anywhere else. Only in the Church [Of Christ].

[On-screen text graphic]

“Most Painful Loss of My Life”

From the point of being baptized in 2013 there was not that much that I would say, really hindered me. It wasn’t until, I would say, 2016, where my entire life had changed. I have to endure with the most painful loss of my life, which was the suicide of my sister. She was always there for me in a way that I was never able to have with other friends. Realizing that I had all these negative things happening to me in my life, I tried to look back to God. Everything that I had learned from prayer was definitely the one thing that helped me get by. Being able to learn how to pray was, in the simplest way, the easiest thing for me to overcome a lot of hardships. I can actually pray and have these words be said to God and understand that He would be listening, as long as I put that time and effort into all the things that I needed to do for Him as well.

When we first received the news about my sister’s passing, it had really took a big toll on my dad, who was as religious as a Protestant could be. He actually had kind of turned away from wanting to pray to God and actually even ask for anything because it almost seemed like he didn’t want to believe in God by that point after losing my sister. My prayers at that time was more for my family. Through those prayers, everything was about healing. Everything was about trying to do something that made myself feel better, even though it was only me talking to God. I never shared much of my prayers with my family. But I never wanted to make sure that they were not a part of my prayers as well.

[On-screen text graphic]

Being Prayerful

Being prayerful helped me really get by a lot of the hard times that I had.

[On-screen text graphic]

Christopher Beaty

Joined the Church Of Christ in 2013

The one thing that I do believe that was missing out of my life that I never had before. was definitely that feeling of welcoming and care. I was always happy in being able to come to these services knowing that I never had these feelings given to me from friends or anybody that I would hang out with. The sense of knowing that I felt complete and felt more faithful.

[On-screen text graphic]

Overflowing Joy

For those people who say that they don’t need to be in a church, or don’t need to do anything more than just believe in God, you can learn these lessons provided in the Bible that will show you exactly why joining this Church is absolutely 100% necessary for you to gain your salvation. It can only be expressed in overflowing joy. And that’s the way that I’ve felt ever since I joined. So I can only hope that the people who may have their own side opinions about it, really put to consideration just listen to some of the lessons. It can be the reason why your whole life changed, just like mine did.

[On-screen graphic]

STORIES of FAITH

[Show close]

[On-screen graphic]

INC MEDIA SERVICES

I Found Truth in the Church Of Christ

Get up. Eat breakfast. Go to school. Come home. Do homework. Do chores. Eat dinner. Clean up. Go to bed. Bruce Tan grew up in a very strict and structured household. But he wasn’t always a rule follower.

“I’m the youngest out of four, I have one older sister, two older brothers. They were very disciplined. Whatever my parents would say they would follow, but as for me, I would do it the other way, which is not what I was told. And I always like to prove them wrong.”

Bruce was the kind of guy who needed reasons and answers for everything. He could never accept anything at face value, which opened up a few problems for him..

“I learned to study and read the Bible. I was confused because no one really sat down and explained to me the Trinity, for the most part, so I was lost, and I knew back then there was only one God, but they were taught that it was three gods. And I always asked them why would I have to worship Virgin Mary when she’s the mother of Jesus Christ. And that she’s, you know, [a] commoner, like, [a] human being, like us. But, again, my mom would just tell me to just stop asking questions. To just continue what I was told.”

All these unanswered questions pushed Bruce to walk away from religion, and it wasn’t an uncommon thing. A study reveals that young adults start leaving their church at a young age because of weak attachment to their church and of disbelief in religion.

Couple smiling standing in front of an Iglesia Ni Cristo Buklod banner — *Alwin and Marivic, brethren who invited Bruce to the INC*

Until he met Alwin and Marivic Acupan at work.

“They were curious about my religion and asked me what are my thoughts about God. And I said that I have confusion about the trinity. And because of the confusion of the trinity, I did not go to church as much. They didn’t put me down, they didn’t say that I was wrong. They were saying like, “Oh yeah you’re right because there is no such thing as Trinity.”

After a short conversation, Bruce learned that Alwin and Marivic were from the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ), and he was curious to know more. So he accepted an invitation to attend a worship service.

“They always read the scriptures from the Bible. And they didn’t have to use any [of] their opinions. Everything was derived from the Bible. Everything was given, or the answers [were] taken from the Bible.”

Bruce’s question about the Trinity was finally answered.

“The ‘aha’ moment when I realized that I [need to belong] to the Church Of Christ, or the true Church, is when the minister was talking about [there not being] three gods, which is the trinity. There’s no such thing as [the] trinity, or the Holy Trinity. There’s only one God, who is God Almighty.”

Bruce enrolled as a doctrinal instructee. And every answer to the questions he had brought him closer to having a relationship with God. And in 2015 Bruce was baptized into the Church Of Christ.

*Bruce with a group of Church officers after his baptism*

“The Church Of Christ has offered me [a] sense of consistency that I don’t see anywhere else in other religions. Wherever I go, I always find a house of worship for me to attend [worship service]. And no matter how far the place of worship is, I always have the time to go. It made me realize that I’m [a] chosen one. That [God] picked me to help share my faith [with] my fellow friends and family. And whoever it may be that [I] come across in my life, all I need to do is continue sharing my faith, [the] true faith, [with] those people.”

Bruce with a group of people handing out God's Message magazines — *Bruce with a group of people handing out God’s Message magazines*

12 3 4