In 1964 as a young man of 22 years old, I was searching for a deeper meaning in my life. As a result of coming in contact with a group of teenage Christians who impressed me very much because they were very happy and full of the joy of the Lord, I was motivated to give my whole life to the Lord.
Within the next four years I attended various Christian groups and denominations in search of a oneness with other Christians and a deeper understanding of the Bible. In 1967 I joined the United States Navy for four years, and during that time in 1968 through contact with some Christians in Norfolk, Virginia, I was able to obtain some Christian books by Watchman Nee. Through the writings of Watchman Nee many truths of the Bible became very clear to me, such as; the Body of Christ, eternal life, oneness, the three parts of man, the transformation of the soul, the cross, the kingdom, and my purpose as a member of the Body of Christ.
Prior to my departure from the United States Navy, I realized through the writings of Watchman Nee that there were local churches in different cities throughout the USA. During that time I had visited The church in New York, and my first two impressions of the two meetings that I attended are; 1) God’s life was flowing in all of the members, and 2) God’s light was shining within them. In the past five years I had never experienced this before. During that time the Lord gave me a verse, which was 1 John 1:5, “And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” This verse and my experience had assured me that my search had ended.
After my leaving the United States Navy in 1971, I immediately began meeting with the church in New York form 1971 to 1977. From 1977 to 1985 my wife and I met with the church in Atlanta, and from 1985 to present, we have been meeting with the church in Nashville.
In summary, over the past 29 years concerning my experience of meeting with the local churches, and reading the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, my life has change to the extent that the Bible is very clear to me and I love the Lord and all believers who are members of the Body of Christ, very much.
John Sparks