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The Highest Blessing of My Life
I first believed in the Lord Jesus as my personal Savior as a young six year old child in my hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas. My mother prayed with me and I truly experienced genuine salvation and repentance. I was baptized in a denomination, often called the “buckle of the Bible belt”. Even as a child I realized that the meetings I attended lacked a vibrant spiritual reality and this coldness caused me to doubt the basic Calvinist theology of “once saved, always saved”. I saw many nominal Christians who were just socializing and I felt out of place in that “country club” atmosphere. Again, as a 14 year old teenager, I dedicated myself to Christ once more on a Rocky Mountain retreat. However, once again, my fervor for the Lord began to fade, returning only during summer revivals. In high school, my hunger and thirst for the Lord also went unsatisfied as I went to church after church, seeking for some reality of the Lord's purpose (Ephesians 3:11). I was distraught at the traditional teaching of basic “fire insurance” and I was frustrated year after year “waiting to go to heaven”.
Then, my first year on campus at the University of North Texas, eureka! I met a group called Christians on Campus who had a weekly Bible study in Bruce Hall and after attending, my spirit became enlivened! Several of these Christians became quite dear because they displayed a genuine concern for my spiritual maturity and growth in life. One brother drove a van up from Dallas each week filled with believers going to preach the gospel who called on the Lord with a loud voice (Romans 10:12-13).
These dear ones instilled in me a deep faith, rich spiritual assurance, and strong encouragement so that I could experience Christ as the reality of the Lord's purpose. I read the Recovery Version Bible, writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and attended over twenty conferences on various books of the Bible. The ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee has provided me with spiritual and theological guidance consistently since 1974, increasing my faith in the Lord.
Since then, I have met with the local church wherever I have lived: Dallas, Denton, Houston, Chula Vista, and San Diego. The dear believers I have met with have provided me with unlimited opportunities to enjoy and experience our dear precious Lord Jesus. I love to fellowship with believers. I now have a strong feeling within for the gospel and for Europe, and have visited local churches in London and Paris (I distributed The Stream (Le Courant) in France). I believe that truly the highest blessing of my entire life is to meet with genuine Christians “who call on the Lord out of a pure heart”.
Sharon Heaton | Back to List
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