The Local Church

God's Plan for Man

I am fifty-two years old, married, with five children and three grandchildren. I grew up in North Carolina and attended the UNC at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1969. I served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1971, then returned to Chapel Hill where I received an MBA in 1973. Upon graduation I went to work for a multi-national medical device manufacturer. In 1980 I started my own medical device company where I worked until I sold the business in 1997.

I was raised in a Christian home, but it was not until the summer of 1967, my junior year in college, that I received the Lord as my personal Savior. Being born again was a wonderful and life-changing experience, but after a time I began to become dissatisfied and disillusioned with what I considered to be philosophical sermons on improving man's moral behavior. There seemed to be no purpose for man except to live, die, and then go to heaven one day. That wasn't very attractive or appealing to me and was not worth giving my life to. Therefore, over the next five years I gradually drifted away from Christian meetings and into a worldly existence little different from an unsaved person's living. During this time, through a family member's recommendation, I began to read the Normal Christian Life, The Normal Christian Faith, and Sit, Walk, Stand by Watchman Nee. This stirred up my inner seeking to realize that there could and should be a kind of living to match my new birth.

In time, my aunt and uncle took me to a conference in Atlanta on “Life and Building” where I came in contact with the local churches. This was my second life-changing experience. There was an inner joy among the congregation that was so attractive I could not resist. I was drawn to the Lord like never before and had the deep inner sense that if God was doing anything on the earth, it was through these people. I was in graduate school at the time, and beyond my understanding I felt that I was being called to move to Atlanta to meet with this group of Christians. Nevertheless, I ignored this inner speaking and went ahead and finished school and took a job. Over the next three and a half years this inner stirring and attraction never left me and I began to read more books by Watchman Nee books and by his co-worker, Witness Lee. Through these writings I began to realize that God has a plan for man and that this plan is not to send man to a heavenly mansion, but to build a dwelling place and establish His kingdom on the earth with his redeemed and regenerated believers, His sons, ruling as His co-kings with Him forever (Revelation 22:5).

To me this was a marvelous vision, something to attract and hold me forever, so in 1976 I moved to Atlanta to meet with the believers in the local church in Atlanta. The Lord has been faithful and merciful to keep me here ever since. In 1997 I sold my business and am now serving the Lord full-time. The Christian life is marvelous, and the Lord is faithful in all His mercies to supply all our needs and to accomplish His eternal economy, His plan, through man. What a privilege to be able to co-labor with Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ.

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