Young adults in China struggle with many of the same issues their counterparts in other parts of the world face. In this article from the Christian Times a young man, who was born in the 90s, tells of his desire to live his own life and find a well-paid, respected career. Seven years of wandering and job changes prepared his heart for responding to the gospel and giving him the desire to live out his faith in full-time ministry.
Testimony | A Post-90s Preacher
After 7 Years of Ups and Downs in the Workplace, a Former God-rejecting Prodigal Son Chose Full-time Ministry
An old saying goes, “Never underestimate the quiet people, since every person might have an extraordinary story.” This is true in the church as well. As we busily come and go during weekly gatherings, we often overlook more quiet brothers and sisters. However, if we spend time talking to them, we will find God’s grace and guidance flowing in their lives.
Brother Fu, born in the 90s, has fairly average height and looks. He wouldn’t be noticeable at a church gathering. Though he was born in a family that had nothing to do with Christianity, two months ago he chose to resign from the workplace and become a church worker. Now he can more often be seen bustling about during church activities, but he is such a quiet man that people still hardly notice him. But after hearing his testimony, I deeply feel that Brother Fu, like all of us, struggles in the secular torrent, yet God’s hand has held tight and led him on.
The following story is Brother Fu’s testimony.
The Former Prodigal Son
Neither of my parents are believers. I was invited by my sister to go to Beijing and live with her for a time after I graduated from vocational school at the age of 18. My sister is a Christian and she really hoped that I could believe in Jesus. At the beginning, I strongly rejected it, not wanting to understand it, and ignored everything she told me. I would go to church with her on Sundays sometimes, but I felt that I couldn’t understand anything even after I had been to church three times.
Later, my sister brought me to a fellowship where I was discipled. Once, I had a real shock after watching a video about the universe, and some of my thoughts started to change a bit.
However, after a while, I really needed to start working. My sister recommended a restaurant in Tianjin, where one of the staff was a Christian. I could work and learn more about the religion there. However, I started to struggle a lot because when I was in school there was a strong focus on success. They taught that a young person ought to work hard, take bold risks, and forge a future for oneself. . . I thought so as well and wanted to go out and make a life for myself and a career. I felt like working as a cook earned too little money and was nothing to brag about. Therefore, I left Tianjin after three months without listening to anyone’s advice. I felt that I could finally free myself from my sister’s control and live my own life.
I would look for a job, and then switch jobs, and look for another job, and switch jobs again. . . This lasted for seven years, where on average I switched jobs twice a year. I tried many different kinds of jobs, like working in a billiard hall just because I like playing billiards, a car repair, a construction worker, a deliveryman, and so on.
The Prodigal Son Returns
My last job during those years was as an express deliveryman in Taiyuan. Again, my sister recommended that I contact a sister who led a fellowship in Taiyuan, so that I could be discipled there. After so many years, I still didn’t want to go. At first, I kept looking for reasons to turn down the invitations to church. Eventually there was really no reason to refuse, and I went.
After attending fellowship this time, suddenly I felt that this was so different from the world outside. My heart was completely changed. I couldn’t help myself and cried for a long time.
Following that experience, I attended Sunday service every weekend, and my faith began to take root and grow slowly. During this process, a few of my friends saw the changes in me, and told me that they thought I had changed a lot but didn’t know why.
Though they didn’t know the reason for my change, I know clearly that all this was because of my faith. My friends’ testimony gave me a great determination to continue believing. I had lived so many years in the world yet had experienced very little change. But only two months in the faith brought such great change. Since then I have participated in more trainings, spiritual meetings and other gatherings, and my faith continues to grow stronger.
The more I believe, the more I discover that what the Bible says is right and true.
The Path of Ministry
I am a single-minded person. Since I now believe, then I ought to understand my faith well so that I can move forward better and further. After I became a believer, I met many Christian friends who are more mature in the faith. Many of them also work very hard to live out Jesus Christ in their lives and workplaces, which I think is really beautiful.
As beautiful as it is, I only admire them but lack the motivation to imitate Jesus Christ while giving my all in a career. Since then, I have wanted to come back to the church to study more. I chose full-time ministry because I want to still my heart and study the Bible deeply. I want to learn the Bible and learn my faith, and I hope that whatever I do in the future, whether in a secular career or not, I will have the strength to live out Jesus Christ in life. And that’s why I came to the church.
Original article: 见证丨一90后传道人：昔日浪子拒绝上帝 职场沉浮七年后选择全职事奉 in Christian Times.
Translated, edited, and reposted with permission.
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