This is a testimony shared by Alexandra M. on the night of 9/7/18.
"During the Exodus, Jesus was given by the Father in order to grant and to sustain life. However, unlike the manna which only temporarily satisfied the hunger of the Israelites, those who partake of Christ will never be hungry again because the life He grants and sustains is eternal life (v. 35, 40, 47, 54). Christ's sustenance is not to be doubted. All who come to Christ in faith will never be cast out (v. 37). The Father has given a definite number to Christ who cannot be lost (v. 39), because the Father compels them to come to Jesus for salvation (v. 44), and because Jesus will raise them up on the last day (v. 39, 54). In John 10: 25-29, Jesus answered them, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."
The purpose of Christ in His descent as the bread from heaven is to grant and sustain eternal life. This purpose will be accomplished through His redemptive death whereby Jesus will give His life for the sake of the world (v. 51).
Many of us can remember when we first trusted Christ for salvation. Too often, however, we forget that Christ also keeps us in our faith and will not allow His people to fall away. In prayer, we should confess your absolute dependence on Christ's sustaining power and thank Him for His grace that keeps you. I realized that I really get down on myself when I do my testimony at the last minute, when I do not dig out the word of God all the way, but, when I think of Jesus as the bread of life, I can have confidence that I am still in right standing with God. I am no longer trying to please God in this way. Writing testimony's in itself do not save me nor reading them aloud, but it is the bread of life who saves me, my obedience to God springs from being saved, not because I am trying to please God through writing testimony. However, when there are days when I am not able to spend a lot of devotional time with God, I know that I can have confidence that He is still with me. I also realized that it is not only the devotional time that I spend with God, but it is also living that out, not doing my testimony's does not make me a less committed Christian, because I am no longer trying to please God, He is already pleased with me because of the righteousness of His Son. Colossians 1:22 "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—" Ishould no longer be worried about how many testimony's I write or share, because it is about living out what I learned. Even if I never write a testimony again, it does not matter, because that is a commandment in the Bible. What is more important is to listen and obey the direct commandments in God's word. Joshua 1:8, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." There are many ways to live this verse out, as long as you are digging out the word of God, then it is good. Like an example is you can take one verse and mediate on it day and night, and see how you can apply it to your life that day. If anyone tells you that there is a specific way you should mediate on the word of God day and night, then it is a MAN-MADE rule.
This also goes the same way for fishing, though it says in Matthew 4:19, I will make you fishers of men, Jesus used different words to bring people to Himself, and most times, He knew them personally. Now as disciples of Christ, we are to go out, Matthew 28:19-20, "go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Before you do this, what do you have to do? Before you make a disciple, what do they first have to be? You have to be saved, because in order to understand spiritual things, you have to be born again. Most people do not go fishing, they go evangelizing because this is what God has called us to do. So, when a person is not saved, the Lord says, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." The first thing we need to do is to find out if people are actually saved, yes, this is challenging, telling someone they are in need of a Savior, and without Christ, they will perish. This is a hard conversation to have, but it is the truth, and we say the truth in love. We start off with the law that shows them they're a sinner before God and deserve judgement for the sins they have committed.Even revealing the 10 commandments if you have time or maybe just two to show them they are not a good person as they think they're. The law of God, God standard is higher than men. After revealing to them that they are a sinner that's where the Good news comes in. John 3:16, ForGod so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, He obeyed the father perfectly, and died on the behalf of our sins. He is the way the truth and the life. There is only one name under heaven and earth to be saved by – and that Jesus Christ. Not your good work, which are fifthly rags to God. Only the blood of Jesus can wipe away your sins and present you to the father clean. Romans 1:16, "So God says that the gospel must be proclaimed and that she be the churches mission. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Now, that is the first part, once someone is saved God has taken them out of the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of heaven. However, sanctification is a process and it looks different for everyone. God is working on each us differently and molding us after the image of his son. Sanctification is the Holy Spirits work.
When God calls you, he calls you to share your faith. He calls you into a life of ministry, but that looks differently for everyone too. In this church, it is said that everyone must become a bible teacher, but that is not biblical. If you look in the word you will see there is no church where everyone teaches the bible. Now you should know how to teach the bible, that is very good we should give an account to everyone who asks about the hope that is in us. But Not everyone is supposed to be a bible teacher. Let's see what the word has to say about this: James 3:1, "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." Let's see what else the word has to say, Ephesians 4:11-15, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."
There should never be a church, where people are only pursuing to be Bible teachers, and also there should never be a church telling you it is God's will for your life is the Bible teacher, how do they know what God's will is for your life? Don't we all have the Spirit of God in us, if Christ is in us, He is indeed leading us,this idea may sound very rebellious to people in this church, they may even call me "demon-possessed" and they use it in that term wrong, but, God has given us all different gifts and is calling us to something different, Romans 12:6, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." Forcing someone to become a Bible teacher is not something to be done, and all these hours we spend doing these things are not a true way to find God, in true Christian spirituality, we don't just find God in the rigorous spiritualistic things we do but in all of our mundane activities. We eat and drink to the glory of God too. We work, not just to get money to support our "mission", but for the glory of God. In fact, I think the best litmus test for whether an activity is something a Christian should do is if we can earnestly say, "I do this to the glory of God." This fundamentally goes back to Genesis, where our calling is to "fill the earth and subdue it" – This church has also felt the need to change their name a few times, from Harvest South Bay Church, El Camino UBF, and Shepherd's Church, lying about a church name is not right or biblical at all, telling students it is a club when it is not, is wrong. Even this marriage by faith rule here is not Biblical, new sheep, they watch us constantly and pair us with someone complete opposite so we have more time to fish, marriage is already an act of faith! Arranged marriage is not the only way to get married, and to say whoever does is more committed is wrong too, there are many ways to find your suitable helper, as long as you are equally yoked,I do not condone recreationally dating, but dating for the purpose of marriage is okay. With all due and respect this church is a cult, I have love for the people here, but we are being led the wrong way, new sheep leave while you can, UBF is known for so many terrible things, brainwashing young college students to think this is the only way to salvation, leaving means losing your salvation (false),not being able to question "authority", hierarchies, new sheep have time to leave before it is too late, if God is tugging on your heart then go! If you all do not believe me, check out UBF Friend's, look up why people left not just this church, but many other UBF there is more than enough information on there, they have even threatened ex-members, this is not a thing for God, God says love thy neighbor, love your enemy, we are only exposing the truth and I pray that this church sees this and realizes a way they need to change. If anyone has questions on to why I did this, is all this true? And anything else, please contact me, read the Bible and do not be led astray by the people in UBF, God bless you all."
What was the response of John Baik and the church as a whole? Silence, angry expression, and one very anxious person.
Her dad's prayer that the church be silent and listen has come to pass. This is the power of sincere non-formulaic prayer to Christ.
The question remains who will change their hearts and minds after this?