Hallelujah, in the name of the Lord Jesus I testify. My name is Max Tauran, and I was born in 1958. I am from Ambon City, the capital of Molucca Island in East Indonesia, where the majority of the indigenous people are Christians. I would like to share with you how my family and I became members of the True Jesus Church. As with most Ambonese families, my parents brought us up with Christian values. In Ambon City, I attended the Molucca Protestant Church until 1979, when five friends and I left for Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia) in search of a better life. Our limited education, however, prevented us from finding proper jobs in Jakarta. We ended up joining a local gang that used force to make a living. Thus, in order to survive in Jakarta, we began this kind of life. The Truth in the Bible Thank God for preventing me from falling any deeper into the devil's snare. One day I met an old friend named Chris, who discussed the truth and salvation with me. Although I told him that I had already joined a church in Jakarta, he kept coming to my house, just to talk about God’s laws as written in the Bible. As we agreed that the truth was crucial in leading us to eternal life (Jn 8:51), we decided to have regular Bible studies at my house. Several months later, we summarized the conclusions of our Bible studies into several important points: 1) The church must be founded according to the Bible; not a single word in the Bible shall be added or taken away (Rev 22:18-19). 2) The church has to keep the seventh day holy; this day is Saturday, the Sabbath day (Ex 20:8-11; Mk 2:27; Mt 28:1). 3) The church has to perform baptism in living water (1 Cor 10:2) and in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5-6). 4)The church has to conduct the sacraments of Holy Communion (Jn 6:53-56) and Footwashing (Jn 13:8). 5)The church has to have the Holy Spirit’s abidance (Jn 20:21-23; Rom 8:9). Searching for the Right Church Based on this knowledge, we decided not to attend services at any church that kept Sunday as the Sabbath day. We began our search for a church that kept the truth wholeheartedly. We visited numerous churches, and each time, we would ask about the church's beliefs and the background of its leaders. But our search was futile. We could not find a single church that followed the truth based on the conclusions we had reached from our months of Bible studies. We did not give up, however, because we continued to believe in what the Lord Jesus had said to Peter: "and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18). Three years passed. We still could not find this church. Later, we had an idea and decided to contact the Jews in Israel. One of our friends suggested that we approach the U.S. Embassy. To my delight, at the U.S. Embassy library I found details of one fellowship that called itself "Jews for Jesus," based in San Francisco, California, USA. We were very happy and immediately wrote to this group, asking whether they would come to Indonesia to teach and baptize us. But their answer was disappointing. They told us that although they preached the gospel throughout the world, their target was only the dispersed Jews. After that, we began to feel desperate, since it looked as if there was no more hope for us to find the truth. Finding the Lord's Flock—at Last Thanks to the Lord Jesus for His faithfulness. He never ignores His people who are really looking for Him. And at last, He reached out His hands to us. One day, as we were holding Sabbath fellowship at the house of one of Chris's friends, Chris told us something that would change our lives. He said that he went to the Department of Religious Affairs, asking for a permit to open a new church that would keep Saturday as the Sabbath day. But the person in charge of Christian Affairs at the Department told him: "Why do you want to open a new church? Why don't you join services held at the True Jesus Church, which is located near Pasar Baru Street? They also keep Sabbath Day on Saturday." This was the first time we had heard about the True Jesus Church. The very next day, we went to the True Jesus Church. We asked the resident minister about the truth and the church's background. To our surprise, what we had concluded from our own Bible studies, all the important topics, were present in this church! We had found it! No words could express how glad we felt at that time! Thanks to the Lord Jesus for leading us to His grace! We continued to join the Sabbath services and attended numerous Bible studies at the True Jesus Church in Jakarta. Finally, on August 9, 1992, four of us Christians from another flock received baptism and became members of the True Jesus Church. Beloved brethren, we believe that what we had experienced was arranged by God! He is the Good Shepherd, leading His lambs to green pasture (Mt 5:6; Jn 7:37). Praise the Lord that since then, my wife and our five children have also received baptism in the True Jesus Church. I hope that this testimony can encourage the hearts of those who are looking for the truth and eternal life. May all glory be given to our Lord Jesus! Hallelujah. Amen.
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