Living Life (2) Testimony - Terry Pyun

Living Life Bible Study Testimony

Hello everyone!! 😀

As you may all know, my name is Terry Pyun and I have successfully completed Living Life Bible Study~~!! Yeah~~

(So as I share my testimony, my main message will center around the theme: “Self-Effort vs. Relying on God” and I would want all of you to meditate on what the major difference between the two is. Now, here I go~) Throughout these thirteen weeks of study, I was able to experience the greatness of our God and go deeper into finding out who He really is. God showed me the way towards success in His kingdom and changed me from the inside out.

Before I even thought of taking Living Life Bible Study, I had no doubts to why I should not take it and just signed up hoping to gain more background knowledge of Christianity and experience what it feels like to be studying Life Series. I didn’t expect much influence from this study, yet it changed my perspective of God and my spiritual life. After I’ve finished the study, I realized how much I have grown through the wisdom from God.

Before Living Life

So before I took Living Life Bible Study, I was in a spiritual confusion as to why every single situation turned out wrong for me. There were so many trials and hardships throughout this whole summer which destroyed me one after another.

Despite serving to the best of my ability, (not to be acknowledged by others, but to be acknowledged by God,) I could not withstand the pain in my heart. I was being consumed by this world and getting weaker and weaker unable to see the light of Hope.

I was falling down in suffering alone in the midst of darkness and came even to the point of death, but I couldn’t end this life, as I have already offered my life to God. This life did not belong to me anymore, but became a life of Christ who lives in me.

After receiving the message “When I am weak, God is strong,” I focused and meditated on it trying to make my own hope and feel better of my situation. Soon, I realized I was not relying on God, but was constantly trying to do everything with my abilities.

During Living Life

This strange “curse” I could not get out of (no matter how hard I try à again self-effort) was broken through the words of God I received in Living Life Bible Study.

Although I thought I knew God completely after becoming a Christian, I didn’t fully know God.

Did you all know that God is Spirit, Light, AND Love?

Even if I felt Him in the Spirit during praises and prayers, even if I was in the Light being cleansed from all my sins, I never knew God in Love.

1 John 4:7-8 says “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Perhaps that’s why I was never able to demonstrate or pour out my love for my brothers and sisters. After realizing the truth of God, I fixed my mindset of how I used to think God and be more open to feel him in a different loving way. Being open, not seeking, so that God may show and guide me His way and I can truly rely on Him.

From my observation and experience in Living Life, I can describe the vision and the purpose I felt which is “Learning the Truth and Becoming the Living Sacrifice”

Study = Learning

Bible = Truth

Life = Becoming

Living = Living Sacrifice

After Living Life

When you offer yourself as a living sacrifice, you can discern God’s will (which then you can act on and obey his commands) [Discern. God’s. Will. How cool is that~??]

Now that I look back into my summer, I see myself doing everything with Self-Effort. (Trying my best to teach everyone Spanish, ensuring all praises are prepared, trying to make my first mission perfect (It sure seemed unsuccessful in my sight back then, but I am sure it was perfect in God’s sight))

I realized through Pastor Caleb’s sermons, friends, retreats, and most importantly Living Life Bible study that I was just trying to do so many things with my own power.

I focused too much on results throughout the whole summer, yet Living Life taught me that God looks for faithfulness more than the results.

What I thought to be the worst summer turned out to be the time of spiritual growth as God strengthened me with His mighty hands.

God has everything planned out for me (He KNOWS me, he knows that I am stubborn person and that’s why He had to put me through all these challenges for me to grow, to grow spiritually) Now I am so thankful for these difficulties because it definitely changed me from the inside out and made me stronger and better. Just as He allows us to test the Spirit, He tested my faith. These events put my basis of faith deeper into the root and helped me stand firmer than ever.

I’ve gotten closer to God and now He bears fruits in my life. And with this, the Time of Harvest has come for me.