A Testimony of Obedience: Choosing God’s Will Over Family Ties

A Testimony of Obedience: Choosing God’s Will Over Family Ties

In November of last year, I received a letter from a leader detailing how my mother, a believer for many years, hadn’t been attending gatherings properly. She was always busy making money, and when she did attend gatherings here and there, she would often doze off. She rarely read God’s words, didn’t listen to sermons, held the same views as unbelievers, and her actions were fairly clearly those of a nonbeliever.

The church was reviewing her situation to decide whether she should be removed, so they asked me to provide an assessment. I was quite shocked, thinking: “Has the church leader made a mistake? At least on the surface, it seems my mom has shown some passion and enthusiasm for her faith over the years. Sometimes she even helps out other brothers and sisters when they run into problems in their lives. Surely she hasn’t gotten to the point where she deserves to be removed?”

Soon after, I returned home to take care of some affairs and checked on my mom while I was in town. That night, we chatted about her recent situation, and she knew that she was about to be removed by the church. When I tried to fellowship with her, she just changed the subject without commenting. After seeing that she had no regrets about her actions, I was even more convinced that the church’s decision to remove her was entirely in line with its principles.

Through God’s words, I realised that I must be mindful of God’s will when fulfilling my duties, preserve the normal order of church life, and expose those in the church who have revealed themselves as antichrists, evildoers, and nonbelievers. Only in so doing would I be fulfilling my duties and responsibilities.

Realising this, I wrote down all the behaviours I had observed in my mother during my last visit home. Soon after, I received a letter stating that my mother had been removed from the church.

Several of her behaviours that I had detailed were mentioned. I was gratified that I hadn’t caved into my emotions and lost my testimony. I felt peaceful and grounded.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!