back to index2022-01-30 Holly Gao Baptism Testimony
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My name is Yigao, generally referred as Holly. 00:00:10.020 |
By God's grace, I'm grateful to stand here today to reflect on my walk with Christ and 00:00:17.520 |
I grew up in a secular family with a secular education, secular friends in China. 00:00:22.280 |
In 2014 in Beijing, when I was 17, I was invited to a family church by my best friend from 00:00:31.600 |
Seeing the genuine love and care people of my age had for one another, as well as from 00:00:38.400 |
the Sunday school teachers, I felt at peace and felt truly at home than anywhere else. 00:00:44.280 |
The next year, I publicly shared my testimony in front of the church family. 00:00:50.240 |
I received sprinkling over my head as a professing believer. 00:00:55.160 |
Before my sprinkling ceremony, when I heard the choir singing, "Because he lives, I can 00:00:59.760 |
face tomorrow," I cried because for the first time of my life, I had hope. 00:01:06.320 |
At that time, I wasn't aware of the different modes of baptism and its biblical significance. 00:01:12.640 |
My understanding of God began there, but with very little understanding of who he was and 00:01:20.160 |
I struggled with sins and with securing my hope in Christ. 00:01:24.400 |
From 2015, I went on a lengthy detour in my spiritual life. 00:01:28.960 |
I went to Sweden to pursue my undergraduate studies. 00:01:33.320 |
However, without much understanding from the Bible, my faith was not deeply rooted in the 00:01:40.640 |
Therefore, I couldn't distinguish how a healthy Bible believing, Christ-following church should 00:01:47.500 |
After two years at a secular church, God used different people and his own word to reveal 00:01:57.840 |
In 2017, I encountered a Chinese sister with a rather solid church background. 00:02:04.380 |
In January 2018, we left the secular church and started fasting and praying together with 00:02:16.740 |
To repent and flee from sins to the Lord, I was craving for and savoring the sweetness 00:02:21.360 |
of his word, of all his grace and love, forgiveness and holiness. 00:02:27.480 |
As a child, clinging with all her strength to a string of life, I started understanding 00:02:33.000 |
the depth of my sins and my need for salvation through Christ. 00:02:37.520 |
In particular, the sermon series on the holiness of God from Paul Washer revealed God's holiness 00:02:42.640 |
and justice in the Bible drastically different from my totally deprived nature. 00:02:47.600 |
Therefore, I understood my desperate need for salvation and holiness because he is holy. 00:02:54.040 |
The Spirit opened my eyes and heart to grasp and believe in good news presented in the 00:02:57.920 |
Bible and revealed my self-centered sins that he hated. 00:03:02.080 |
I repented from my rebellion against God and believed that my sins are forgiven through 00:03:07.160 |
my professing faith in Jesus Christ, confessing him as the Lord and Savior of my life with 00:03:15.000 |
By God's grace, he saved me from dominion of sin, leading to the condemnation of hell 00:03:22.320 |
Christ's precious blood shed on the cross as a ransom justified me so that I am saved 00:03:29.080 |
from God's wrath and could stand blameless before God in the last time. 00:03:33.760 |
My relationship with God has now been restored and I have received the promised Holy Spirit 00:03:41.080 |
According to his great mercy, he has caused me to be born again to a living hope through 00:03:45.040 |
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, crucifying my old self. 00:03:50.800 |
I no longer seek to live in my own ways but to obey his will and be an imitator of Christ. 00:03:56.720 |
Therefore, I believe that I am saved and will not be put to shame because he is faithful. 00:04:02.600 |
I now have the confidence in my salvation because my eternal relationship with God has 00:04:07.240 |
been restored and secured through my faith alone in Christ alone by God's grace alone. 00:04:12.760 |
Because Sweden has very few Bible-believing churches, I moved to a different city to join 00:04:18.720 |
Along the way, God used Berean through the China mission team since our meeting in 2014 00:04:25.000 |
Through fellowships, Bible studies, and online resources, God grew and led me until today. 00:04:31.120 |
I am very grateful to be able to pursue my graduate studies here at USC and all the more 00:04:39.680 |
to be here at Berean to serve and be served for the building of his church, the body of 00:04:47.360 |
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession 00:04:53.800 |
so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness 00:05:00.720 |
For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God. 00:05:08.800 |
You have not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 00:05:15.640 |
Since immersion expresses our death in the flesh and our new life in Christ's resurrection, 00:05:20.600 |
I would like to be baptized today through immersion.