The Lord Called Me, Tony Alarcón

I have been a Christian for most of my life. I began to know the Lord in a real way at about eleven years old. Before that time I knew of Him, but not in a very deep way. By His mercy I grew up in a God-loving and God-0fearing Christian home. I can remember from the around the age of five my family speaking to me about God and how He loved me. I always felt that the Lord was calling me. This was a very good beginning for me because this allowed me to maintain a soft heart towards the Lord. Until I was eleven years old I lived with my grandparents in West Texas. Then at about eleven years old, my parents moved to Austin, Texas and at this time I moved in with them. I can see now that all of this was the Lord's will for me.

When I moved to Austin, I began to meet with believers in the local church meetings with my cousin and his family. I thoroughly enjoyed those meetings. So, throughout my teenage years, I began to know and experience the Lord in a daily way. The brothers and sisters that I was meeting with, in those meetings, helped me to realize that I could have a strong personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They encouraged me time and time again to pray to the Lord and to read the Bible. During this time I really fell in love with Jesus and with the Bible. I was blessed to know the Lord in a real way while I was in junior high and high school. The influence of wordly distractions is strong when your are in grade school and only by the Lord's mercy and with the fellowship that I was receiving by meeting with the local church, was I able to maintain a strong stand for the Lord.

My relationship with the Lord grew stronger when I went to college. I attended the University of Texas at Austin and majored in mechanical engineering. While at UT, I continued to meet with the brothers and sisters in the local church in Austin. This was a real encouragement to me. During my college years, I began to read the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Their books are awesome. I began to receive more revelation concerning Christ, the Bible, my Christian life, and the church after reading some of their books. These books helped me to maintain my hunger for the Lord. I didn't want to just know Him in a simple way, but I desired to know Him in an intimate way. I wanted to know Him better than I knew anyone else. By continuing to read the Bible, praying to the Lord, having fellowship with other believers, and reading the ministry books my Christian life soared. More than ever the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and King, was closer to me than ever before.

The writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee have helped me in my pursuit of the Lord. At times when wordly distractions seemed so appealing and my desire for the Lord would wane, I would pray to the Lord for encouragement. I would also read something of the ministry from Watchman Nee and Witness Lee and my desire for the Lord would be rekindled. Their books would always bring me back to the Lord and to the Bible. For this reason I appreciate their ministry, because they always bring me back to Christ Himself. The unique focus of their writings is Christ Himself. Through the help of their books, I have maintained my relationship with the Lord.

Throughout my Christian life I have continually realized, that the Lord Jesus Christ called me to believe into Him and to have His life. From a young age, by His mercy and by His undying love for me, God has continuously called me. I praise Him for this call. For it is by His call that I know Him and am in love with Him.