David Jung
Many people remember exactly when they were saved and for some people, they even remember the time. For me, it was the gradual process in which God has set forth events in my life in order for me to realize that I must come to Him and that I can't live without Him.
I was born into a Christian family, with my dad becoming a pastor not long after I was born. Since my parents were and still are solid Christians, they did everything that they can to teach me Christian values and virtues. Ever since I could remember, I lived a life directed by Christian ethics, and therefore, I cannot claim a specific date in which I come to accept Christ as my God, the God whom I know as a holy being that created the world, and my Savior, the one whom saved me from my sins by dying on the cross. What I do remember are 3 key events in my life where Christ has revealed to me my sinful state, His grace and mercy towards me in allowing me to repent and believe, and my continuous persevering in Him as I live my life for Him.
When I moved from Korea to America, there was a drastic change in my life, other than geographical relocation. Back in Korea, I was known as a good Christian kid by my friends and families. Moving to America where everything was foreign to me, I tried to do my best to immerse myself in the culture, and as a result, I learned words and behaviors that, to my utmost shame, I wished I never learned or immersed in. Because of this, I remember getting in trouble with teachers and getting into fights with my friends. I remember being constantly angry because these things were happening, and I had little idea of why things had turned out the way they did. I was in a state of conflict because I felt like all the stuff that I learned to be a Christian and the way I had acted was directly contradictory at the time. Even though I was very young at the time, I remember dwelling on the aspect of death and wondered if I would go to heaven should I die, and I could not confidently say, even in my own mind, that I would go to heaven. Looking back, though, I'm thankful towards God for putting me through those times, for I realized during those days that I was not living as a disciple of Christ, and that something needed to be done.
Jumping to my 9th grade years, I was in northern California in a place called Fremont. I had a pretty comfortable life. I was doing relatively well in school, had my group of friends in church and in friends, and thought I was ready to take on tasks that would come my way as a high school student, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When our family was having dinner one night, my parents announced to me and my brother that we were going to move back down southern California, where my father was going to plant a church. Not expecting such a shock, I resorted to crying silently in my room while agonizing at the idea of telling my friends that I was not going to be able to see them as much. However, God in His unlimited grace has let me realize that what I should be seeking out is Him and Him alone. As I started living my life back in southern California, sometime during my high school year, God has saved me from my state of total depravity, where I was freed from the bondage of sin and became a follower of Jesus Christ. I do not know exactly when, but I do remember praying a prayer asking God to take control of my life, for I was never sufficient to take control of my own life. However, I was still very weak in my Christian faith; since my father's church was still very small, I lacked the accountability that I needed and I felt like I needed to grow more.
When I first entered college, there was a desire in my heart to grow, but I was unsure of where to start. By God's wonderful love, I happen to walk down library walk on week zero, where more than 8 campus ministries approached me to invite me to an assortment of events. Interestingly enough, the only ministry that sent me an e-mail as opposed to every other ministry was CCM, and knowing that they had a free bowling night, which was one of my favorite pastimes, I decided to go check them out. After a week or two of checking out the ministry, I realized that this was a place where it would help me grow more in Christ. I continued to go to CCM, where I met many great brothers and sisters in Christ. I was still checking out churches at this time, and after looking around, I had believed to have found one, but after the insistence of two awesome brothers in Christ, I decided to check out Lighthouse Bible Church, just to see what the "hype" was about. For me, making that decision to go there was probably the greatest decision that God has allowed me to make. I found amazing teaching there and solid doctrine, great fellowship with brothers and sisters, and I found myself drawn to stay there more and more as I went each week. After being convicted by one of the same brother who brought me here to join membership, I decided to become a member of Lighthouse Bible Church.
Truly only by God's grace, I've been able to be at this great body of Christ, where I may not only fulfill my desire to serve Him and His people but also to have great fellowship and show my love to my brothers and sisters in Christ. But the best thing is, by the atoning death of Jesus Christ, I look forward to that day when I will have perfect fellowship with God, for that is the greatest gift that the gospel has shown me. Thank you.
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