Only He Can Satisfy!
My name is Ken. I was born and raised in China until I was 13 years old. When I was in eighth grade, my parents decided to move to the United States. Leaving their homeland, family, and friends to come to a foreign country full of uncertainty was not easy for them. But in order to provide me an opportunity for a good education and a bright future, they accepted this price. For many years, I thought my parents were the only people in this world who loved me so much that they were willing to give up their own lives for me, their son. Then one day, the brothers from the local church told me about the Lord Jesus.
In 2000, I started attending UCLA as an Electrical Engineering student. I loved science and technology since I was a kid, and I had always been thirsty for knowledge. When I came to UCLA, I was eager to start learning. The first two years of my college life flew by. Everything was a blur. Science and engineering, although interesting, did not quench my thirst. I felt like a traveler on the desert. Knowledge was nothing more than a mirage. I still felt empty inside…until one day, in the summer of 2002, the Lord touched my heart and my spirit.
Two brothers from Christian Students preached the gospel to me. I did not immediately believe into the Lord Jesus, and I was not quite convinced that God existed. However, when they shared their personal experiences of the Lord with me, I was very impressed. I wanted to find out why they gave up their lives and their future for something that could not even be proven to be physically real. In order to answer that question I agreed to join them for dinner and fellowship at one of the brother’s house.
During the dinner and fellowship, I had many questions. Some of them the brothers were able to answer, some of them they were not, but none of it really mattered. I saw and felt something completely different at the fellowship. Every person there was enjoying the Lord Jesus. I was enjoying Him even as a nonbeliever. Even though my mind was still questioning, deep inside of my being I was truly at rest. I didn’t understand why I felt such joy and peace. Now I know that Christ was flowing in that meeting. He flowed out of the brothers and sisters’ spirits into my spirit. My mind, although strong and stubborn, was no match to my spirit. Thus, the spirit subdued the mind. Shortly after, I accepted Lord Jesus as my Savior and I was baptized.
Since that day, my life has not been the same. Slowly, the brothers taught me how to exercise my spirit by calling the name of the Lord Jesus; how to grow in the spirit through fellowship with the Lord Jesus; and how to be nourished in the spirit by the Word. In the past year, I realized that the church life is not only about going to every meeting and reading Bible everyday outwardly. Instead, it is about staying in the spirit and be guided by the spirit every moment of my life. When I was in my spirit, I naturally wanted to gain more Christ, so I spontaneously went to the meetings, read the Bible and fellowshipped with the Lord. Furthermore, the Lord, through the brothers at Christian Students, shattered many of my original concepts of Christianity. Church is no longer a physical place where people go every Sunday to worship God. Instead, it is the body and bride of Christ. The Bible is no longer a book of history and philosophy. Instead, it is a book of life. God is no longer an objective being that sits high up in the heavens. Instead, He is a person living inside of me. My parents are no longer the only people who are willing to give up their lives for me, but also Christ, who delivered Himself to the cross to give me eternal salvation. By the Lord’s mercy and grace, He revealed all of these things to me and gave me a chance to experience life through the local church. For that, I am forever thankful to the Lord and the brothers.
I want to write more, but even with all the paper and ink in the world, I still would not be able to tell you how rich Christ is. He is so high and so deep and so broad and so infinite. That is why only He can satisfy man’s desire for eternity. And only He can quench man’s unlimited thirst for life, love, and joy. After years of searching and seeking, I finally understood my purpose in life. It is simply to gain Christ, to be one with Christ, and to express Christ! Praise the Lord! I love the Lord Jesus!
– Ken Wang
