The Local Church

My Search for the Purpose of the Universe

I was raised in a science-loving environment, reading and learning about the universe--the moon, planets, stars, and the space program. I remember looking at the stars through my telescope at age 7 and wondering, ``why is all this here?'' and ``where did I come from?'' and eventually I concluded that I must devote my life to understanding as much of the universe as possible. One particular event that profoundly influenced me was the flight of Apollo 8 in December of 1968. While circling the moon and transmitting live pictures of the surface for the first time, the three astronauts read the first 10 verses of Genesis. From that point on I realized that even the most technologically-oriented people are drawn to the Bible. My search for the meaning of the universe, therefore, led me to want to understand the Bible.

Throughout junior high and high school, there were little stirrings within me to want to know the Bible--I took a class in high school on reading the Bible as literature. By the time I went to college, I was more serious about God, even reading literature on eastern religions. It wasn't until I met some Christians in my physics class at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts that I realized I had never touched God Himself. One of these classmates asked me if I was a Christian and I answered, ``Yes, I am a church-goer.'' He showed me 2 Cor. 13:5 and when I saw the words ``Do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you...'' I knew that something in my experience was seriously lacking. I had never heard that Jesus Christ could live in a person, and I certainly had never experienced Him myself. He went on to explain to me that whenever you want a person, you simply call on that person's name and the person comes to you, and that I should try this with the Lord Jesus. Such a simple explanation intrigued me, so on my way home that night under the stars in October of 1977, I opened myself to Jesus and received Him. I immediately felt inwardly joyful, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from me.

Shortly after, I was invited to a Christian brother's house and for the first time I felt the love of Christ from other believers and began to immensely enjoy being with them. They genuinely cared for me and sincerely wanted me to experience Christ and to grow in Him. Their absolute consecration to the Lord inspired me to give myself to Christ. Their rich, experiential knowledge of the Word, their ability and boldness in preaching the gospel and shepherding other believers became patterns to me. I spent many hours with different brothers learning about the Bible and I also began to preach the gospel and shepherd newer believers. Interestingly, no one regulated my behavior and I still did many of the same things I had done before I was saved, but there was a difference. I began to notice a gradual emptiness and dissatisfaction when I practiced things from my ``former manner of life'' (Eph. 4:22).

As I became increasingly burdened for my friends and relatives to get saved, my habits and associations began to be more ``conformed to Christ''. I remember telling my Jewish roommate what had happened to me. When I told him that when I had called on the name of the Lord, Jesus had come into me, he called ``Lord Jesus, I receive You'' from his bed and immediately began to rejoice. He even stood up and danced, shouting that I had been right, Jesus WAS real. That really shocked me, but at the same time I was so happy that something so simple could affect people so profoundly. My father also received the Lord as I read Romans 10 with him, a week before he passed away in 1978. The brothers had urged me to be bold in my sharing the gospel with him, and knowing that he went to be with the Lord comforted my family and me very much.

I was also introduced to the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. As I read their books and ministry I was impressed with the depth of their understanding of the Bible. Both of them were absolutely balanced between the ministry of Christ as life and the building up of believers as local churches. Furthermore, I noticed how their teachings were rooted in many other fundamental Christian writings throughout church history. Throughout the 22 years I have studied their ministries, I have always been encouraged to know the Lord experientially myself and not just to conform to an outward standard of behavior. I also have been helped to learn the truths in the Old and New Testaments and to see the importance of the oneness of the universal Body of Christ in the carrying out of God's eternal purpose as shown in John 17. Today, I still endeavor to build up other Christians by telling them of my experience of Christ and my enjoyment of the Word. I also strive to share the ``unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel'' (Eph. 3:8) with my friends and colleagues.

Vic Vartanian | Back to List

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