The Real Thing, Ripsime Karaguezian

As a college student, embarking on a new stage in life, I had no idea what lay ahead of me. I just knew that I was expecting a lot from college and from what the future had in store for me. Amidst all my other pursuits, the last thing I was pursuing was God. I can't even say that He was on the “back burner” for me. He was not even in my mind. But going to campus day after day and seeing so many Christian clubs, I began to consider maybe exploring a little. I knew I didn't want anything to do with Christians too much because I had grown up in a so-called Christian home and the experience to me was unreal and unfulfilling.

As I began to explore, a lot of my qualms about Christians were affirmed. Mainly, the clubs were social gatherings. But the problem wasn't that I needed friends, I was trying to possibly give God another chance. The people were nice but no different than other clubs with a cause!

But one day I got a small pamphlet and went to a small Bible study on campus. It was funny, they were just students and there weren't even that many of them, but the way they enjoyed the Bible was unparalleled to anything I had ever see in my whole life. They soon after invited me to lunch and we just talked. But for some reason something was different. They weren't “angelic” or “perfect.” Yet for the first time in my life I saw a group of people practicing faithfully and joyfully what they spoke. In other words, their speaking matched their living. That I had not seen among many Christians and for that matter in any other groups, religious or non-religious. Yet, looking for the catch somewhere in disbelief, I couldn't find anything amiss. This was how they really were, genuine, joyful and in love with God. So I continued to go to the Bible study. Amazingly, the joy never faded. The “realness” of these people never faded. I never felt out of place or pressured. They were more than friends. I also began to know God like I never had before and, even better, experience Him. Eventually, I found out that they met with the local church. And when I went there, I just met more people like those I met with on campus. I felt extremely comfortable and I knew that I had come “home.” No doubt God was among these people and I never wanted to leave. And I haven't since.

Touching the Real Need

As one who majored in English Literature, I am quite fond of books and reading. But when I first came in contact with the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, I couldn't deny that they were unlike anything I had ever read before. Amazement would overtake me everytime I would read and would see my Christian experiences, feelings, and situations clarified with such intricacy. The best thing about their writings was that they took me further than any other piece of writing I had read, Christian or non-Christian. Their writings would without exception go a step further and touch the core of my heart, the source of my problems and situations! It would enlighten the depths of my heart and mind and lead me gently to God, the solution to all my problems. I was brought to see God according to the Bible in an unprecedented way. The truth was expounded in a way that exposed and met my most human needs. Along with the Bible, the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee are the most treasured books in my life.