Home in the Church
I was raised an unbeliever, but at the age of 21 I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. From the beginning of my salvation I had some personal experience of Christ. I was hungry and ever seeking Him. I began to meet with a denomination but the Pastor there told me, “Don't be spiritual.” Nevertheless, I considered loving the Lord and wanting to experience Him something which every believer seeks. Inwardly I was bothered and began a journey from meeting place to meeting place.
My interest in the Bible increased and I began to purchase books from a Christian bookstore to help me understand the Word. I was drawn to authors such as Jesse Penn-Lewis and Watchman Nee. I was impressed by one booklet by Watchman Nee on the silence of Christ during His earthly ministry as He suffered at the hands of men. I thought, “How could I be like this? Impossible!” Another book I enjoyed was Christ the Sum Total of All Spiritual Things, also by Watchman Nee. My eyes were becoming opened little by little. After ten years of wandering and even forming our own church, my husband and I stopped meeting with any group and stayed home on the Lord's Day. We could no longer tolerate what we were experiencing in organized religion.
In the fall of 1982 I turned on the radio and heard a brother in the local church speaking the high truth of God's economy. We called some of the brothers and invited them to come and visit us at our home. We were refreshed and our spirits were nourished. I finally felt a satisfaction in my spirit. I felt as if I had come home.
I can only praise the Lord for Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, for their diligence in giving us the interpreted Word. Witness Lee always brought me experientially to Christ and the church, and showed me my human spirit where Christ can be my all in all. My days of wandering and wondering were over when I came to the local church in 1982, and I am still here enjoying the riches of Christ.
Shirley Reymer | Back to List
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