- Hello everyone, my name is Jared Kwong. I am a fourth year biology major at UCI and I will be sharing my testimony with you today. My testimony is a little different in that I did not have a specific date where I came to know Christ, but more of a gradual coming to know him.

I was raised in a Christian family for most of my life. I went to church. Before coming to know Christ, I selfishly desired Christ as a means to get to heaven. I was introduced to the gospel at a very young age where I was told that I was a sinner and if I believed in Jesus, I could go to heaven.

Out of fear of being punished, I put my faith in Christ, but not actually understanding the weight of my sin and who Christ really was. With this very shallow understanding of the gospel, I grew up thinking I was a Christian. I would remember all the rules and commandments I learned in Sunday school and follow them as best as possible.

Anyone who didn't follow them, I looked down upon and saw as inferior. Throughout high school, I began to indulge in an assortment of sins such as lust, pride, and selfishness. At the time though, I did not think I was indulging in these sins, but just struggling. I saw these sins as bad, but nothing more than that.

I knew I needed to stop sinning, but because I did not know the true implications of my sin, I did not. I would be challenged in my faith that I had in God through my home church's youth group. I began to doubt my salvation and began to seek counsel from an elder from my home church.

After many meetups, it became evident to me that I wasn't saved. I again placed my faith in Christ and would be baptized, but again with a shallow understanding of the gospel and only seeing Christ as a means to get to heaven. In a span of a year and a half, God would work in my heart to break down the gospel I created in my head and would work in my heart to see his true gospel.

He would do this through books, meetups, and sermons. In the book, The Holiness of God, was the first time I understood God's holiness in that he is set apart from me. Then through the gospel according to Jesus, God revealed to me that Christ was not just Savior, but also Lord over my life.

Then in a sermon from Pastor Peter that broke down my view of the gospel was when he mentioned that the gospel is not just a safety net or some free ticket out of hell. Finally, through a meetup with Pastor Nate, God made me see that I saw my sin as bad, but not sorrowful over my sin.

This was the final piece that made me realize how far I was from God and that I truly did not know him. After realizing this, I began to pray to God to reveal to me my sin and to understand the magnitude of my sin. After some time, God revealed to me how great my sin is toward him through Isaiah 6, three to five, which states, "And one called out to one another "and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.

"'The whole earth is full of his glory.' "And the foundations of the thresholds trembled "at the voice of him who called out "while the temple was filling with smoke. "Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined, "'because I am a man of unclean lips "'and live among a people of unclean lips, "'for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.'" From this verse, God revealed to me my need for Christ in order to be forgiven because of my sins.

After recognizing this, I asked for forgiveness for Christ, I asked for forgiveness for Christ to be Lord and Savior over my life and to no longer live for myself but for Christ. Although I may not be perfect, I see God sanctifying me after coming to know him. One of the big differences in my desires is that I want others to know him and to be saved.

I see how broken I am but also see the grace of God that has saved me and I want others to know Christ and have a personal relationship with him. As I reflect on the past, I see God's sovereign work being done in my life and how he has been so gracious and merciful to me no matter how much I sinned.

This is something I'm always going to be grateful for. Thank you. (audience applauding) the water you're driving prices that we brought for the United. (audience applauding) (man speaking faintly) (audience applauding)