From Breaking Point to Faith

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Sam Acosta: When I started to seek, when I started to dig deeper and want to know things about God, about the Bible, the Trinity was actually a big sticking point for me.  It was just answered by saying, “You just got to accept it by faith.” I also questioned the veneration of the saints.  They’re people who determine if they should be canozied, or whatever.  Those were questions to me that really weren’t answered.

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STORIES OF FAITH

My name is Sam Acosta. I was born in the Philippines, in San Antonio, Zambales. I was 15 when I moved to the U.S., here in Hawaii.  My mom and dad were educators and leaders in our church back home, so a lot of my childhood was spent in church, the Catholic Church, that is.  I was an altar boy and choir. I spent some time basically exploring the seminary because I really wanted to be a priest.

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The Trinity

When I started to seek, when I started to really dig deeper and want to know things about God, about the Bible, the Trinity was actually a big sticking point for me.  It was just basically answered by saying, “You just got to accept it by faith.” I also questioned the veneration of the saints.  There are people who determine if they should be a saint, canozied, or whatever. So those were questions that really weren’t answered, or I didn’t have a satisfactory explanation. And just have to take everything by faith.

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I Forgot My Faith

Besides work and really concentrating in school, between those things, I forgot about faith, the spiritual part of my life.  After my college, I had a restaurant–opened up a restaurant. And we were catering to outside people, having events at a restaurant. A group of Born Again Christians came. I made friends with them, and they invited me to one of their church services. So it was great. It was for me. For a while, I attended that episode didn’t last too as well, because life was just tough. I just had to put in a lot of time between my work and my schooling.

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Who Is Jesus?

One day, my niece, who was battling cancer. We went to her funeral, and I had my son with me.  My son just asked me, “Dad, where is Vicky going?” I wasn’t ready for that question. And so I said, “She’s going to meet Jesus.” And then my son just turned around and asked me, “Dad, who is Jesus?” And then, I just…that did it. I just felt like I had a responsibility. I forgot my faith, but I’m responsible for someone else, too, now.  I said, “I have to go to church. I have to belong to a church. I have to start serving again.”

One of my clients, actually,  was starting a church in Waikiki. And then he asked me if I’d be willing to help out. So I said, “Yeah.” I agreed. So we did, and that’s how I ended up with a Born Again church in Waikiki. During that time, I was called to do consulting work over at the Filipino community center.  Sister Arceli Rebollido. I met her over there. She was the program director over there at that time.  We became friends. I noticed that her faith, her religion, is very important to her because during mid-weeks and also during the weekends—when we’re really busy over there—she has to go to her worship services.

One time when I  went to go visit her at home, her dad he asked me to go to an EVM, Evangelical Mission. I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to go.  Back in my younger days—INC [Iglesia Ni Cristo] is just a religion that you just don’t go to, you don’t associate with. I don’t know why I felt that. I don’t know why I thought that. But you don’t go there, basically.

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I Know Where I Stand

He asked me. So I said, “Okay.”  When I accepted that invitation, I said, “I know where I stand. I know my Bible. I know my scriptures. I’m going to see what’s wrong with the preaching. And I’m going to point it out.”  The whole Evangelical Mission event happened, and there wasn’t anything said that I thought, “It was different.” I knew everything that was said that was, Brother Jergy—everything that he said was right on. And then another thing, too, was he actually read the scriptures from the Bible when he shared those things; it wasn’t just a story, like I’ve always been presented. But it was actually answering questions relating to us using scriptures from the Bible. So I thought that was pretty interesting. It’s a little bit different.

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This Is Different

That place of worship in Waipahu was just different. Another thing that struck me was that everything was so orderly. And I had to question, I said, “Why do the women have to stay on one side and the men have to stay on the other side?” That, along with the choir,  it just gave me that feeling that this is different. It was peaceful, it was solemn. Everybody was there for that event and not for anything else.  After that evangelical mission, they asked me at that time if I wanted to enlist as a Bible student.

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I Couldn’t Get Enough

I said, “Actually, I do, because I do have some questions.” And that’s when the questions I’ve had from way back, I wanted to see if they can, they can answer it. And questions I had, like Christmas, why are they not celebrating that? Questions about the Trinity.  When I asked the minister that, it was so clear.  There was no mention in the Bible whatsoever of the Trinity. So, that question was settled.

I enlisted as a Bible student at that time, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t get enough. In fact, I told them at that time I want to be part of this Church. And they told me, “No, you gotta go through the doctrinal lessons before you even, you know, before you can be considered to be a part of the Church.” So I had to go through those lessons.  And I’m discovering I’m beginning to love the Church. All the while, while this was happening, though, I was still heavily involved with the other church.

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Where You Belong

One Sunday worship service, I got to the worship service in Waipahu, [Church Of Christ] crying. I was just bawling, and I was praying to God. I said, “God, I have to serve you. I promise that I know I have to do it, but you have to tell me. You have to direct me. I cannot be doing this—I cannot be serving and then being a part of both religions— or just show me a clear sign that I belong here.”

That’s my prayer to Him. And I was crying like I said while praying that, because deep in my heart I knew that I wanted to be here. I left after the worship service, dashed out to Waikiki, and set up the place. The worship service started. In the middle of the preacher reading the scriptures, he actually stopped. And he told us, beginning next week, you guys have to look for your own place of worship. We’re not going to have church services anymore.

At the same time, it just dawned on me that’s exactly what I was praying for. God didn’t just give me a sign. He took away all options. I left that place that day feeling very, like a weight was just taken off my back. When [that] church was dissolved—it wasn’t even the sign I was asking for. It was a clear no-choice. God said this is where you belong. So I believe that I was called to be part of the Church Of Christ.

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I Couldn’t Wait

From then on, I started to get even more involved with the activities at the Church Of Christ. I finished up my doctrinal lessons. I had to wait six months. I couldn’t wait to get through the probation, and I got baptized in January of 2017. Kalihi, which is where my Local Congregation is right now, and where I’m serving as a Buklod president. And also sister Arceli is a secretary, and we’re both deacon and deaconess too as well. And pretty much involved in everything that the Church does, from CFO [Christian Family Organizations] activities to the propagation.  It’s a joyful feeling to feel like you found a home to be where you’re supposed to be, to serve the way you’re supposed to.

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Knowing You’re Not Alone

The way I cope with problems, I would say it’s a lot easier than somebody who only depends on their own abilities, their own resources.  While a lot of times I really cast my worries, I just cast my words to Him and pray. I may not receive the answer at that time, but I find peace just by doing that. And eventually, I do get the answer, maybe not the answer that I want, but I do find the answer. I do get pointed in the right direction. Everything turns out to be good, so I really believe that that’s a very big advantage of having God in your life, just knowing that you’re not alone.

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STORIES OF FAITH

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