The Church in Spokane

Testimonies

Our Experience of Jesus Christ as Grace in the church life

My wife and I were born 3,000 miles apart, (she was born in Mexico and I in Washington state) but the Lord sovereignly brought us together in the middle, in Tucson, Arizona. Esther, my wife, was raised in a Christian home with her Grandmother next door, who was very fervent for the Lord. Esther and I met and then she brought me to the Lord, we got married, and then I brought her to the local church. We came to the local church through two of my old high school friends. We quickly came to realize that this was something very different. These people dearly loved the Lord and were so genuine. We saw that they clearly understood what the Bible was saying and all could speak out the truths they had seen from it, just like in 1 Cor 14:26,31. However, it was very clear that the ones meeting as the local church were not remarkable in any other way. They were just normal, ordinary, people living God-filled and Spirit-filled lives. What was their secret? We found that the secret was in reading the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. These brothers spent most of their lives discovering, developing, and expounding the truths of the Bible. Their ministry is completely based on the Bible. They were shown truths and they also built upon truths discovered by dear Christians throughout the centuries. Reading their works causes us to love the Bible and the Lord Jesus even more. The practical result of this is the local church life. The church life is glorious! There is a care and a love that we've never seen anywhere else. It is a wonderful family that has supplied us both materially and spiritually. It is just like the church life as portrayed in the New Testament. One of the amazing things is that this church life extends throughout the world. We have seen saints from Europe, Russia, Latin America, Central America, Mexico, Taiwan, and Canada. They all speak the same thing. We've been to meetings throughout the western United States and even into Mexico. We're always invited into people's homes as family members. We're so encouraged to run the race, and accept Jesus as grace, in every moment and in every place, calling on the name of our dear Lord and Savior (2 Tim. 2:22). We searched long and hard for this kind of church life, but Praise the Lord! it found us. We can say we're home for good. As David writes in Psalm 84:10--"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." We're so happy to spend the rest of our days as simple brothers and sisters living in God's house, which is the practical church life.

Roger & Esther Stepper

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