What God Can Do with One Invitation

11:32 So I grew up in Vietnam for about 13 years. So like a lot of Southeast Asian countries, very polytheist, I would say. religions is really deeply rooted in traditions and culture and it was also to a lot of people just a social construct to cope with things to deal with things go about certain ways and so let me pause you when you say polytheistic what do you mean by that for the people that may not understand what that means like belief in a bunch of other like higher powers like multiple higher powers. So what that looks like in Vietnam was my family did this, my birth family. We sacrificed to idols. We like made burnt offerings on like Lunar New Year multiple times throughout the year to worship our ancestors.

12:28 We'll pray to them. Buddhism was huge. We went to the temples and we like listened to these monks prophesying, making a bunch of um commitments at the temple so that's what we did and then i moved here at 13 and so now away from that culture from that environment i embrace my the identity of an atheist because the first 13 years i just did everything because that's what my family was doing yeah and coming here you know being away from my from that family um i was like yeah no Like I've always been super logical, very like science-backed, evidence-based kind of guy. So I was like, no evolutions.

13:13 Everything has to be explainable by logic. And I embraced the identity for the next probably six, seven years. And then, man, to keep it short, I was just, I got 20, fall 2022, I got really sick. in every single way, mentally, physically, relationally, professionally, and I need a healer. I start questioning. And when I moved to the U.S. at 15, I was taken in by a Christian family, by an early couple. They're my parents now, pretty much. They are. That's how I see them. And they started taking me to youth group on Wednesdays, church on Sunday mornings. I hated it. what did you hate about it because i was like this this is stupid like how can you believe that someone walked on water how could you how can you believe that someone touched someone and they could see how can you believe someone told someone who was lame to stand up and they could walk like no i couldn't believe in that yeah and so you know i would like go to church and youth group hood on not talking to anybody on my phone sneak out was very rebellious like super closed off yeah and anytime that I spoke to any of them any of the people of the church was just to tell them like how wrong they were that's what I did yeah but then yeah got to fall 2022 got really sick and I was like you know, like any children that's ever in trouble, they run to their parents.

15:05 And so I was like, man, if anyone helped me right now, it'd be Jesus himself. But only if he was real. Because at this point, you know, I overcame a lot. And I was really young compared to my peers. There are a lot of things on my own that not a lot of people around me did. And I took a lot of pride in that. I was very disciplined. But then this time in my life, I couldn't do anything to help myself. Not only that I couldn't help myself, I've made it worse. So I start seeking. And so in January, 2023, I read this book that my mom got me for Christmas.

15:47 It was A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. And a few pages in, I was fully convinced there was a God. He made an argument for why there would be a creator. And I was like, yep, can I argue with that? There, it's true. So then started becoming agnostic. How old are you at this point? I was 20, I had just turned 20. Okay. I had just turned 20, yeah. And so January, 2022, no, 2023, I am now an agnostic. agnostic. So now, but like, who's a true God? There can only be one, there's a God of the Bible, then the God of Islam. There were the two that stuck out the most to me because like a bunch of all the religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, there's no such thing as creator. And at this point I was fully convinced there's creator. So I start reading the Bible, praying, sometimes in Jesus name, sometimes not.

16:46 and I would also start reading the Quran, learning more about Islam. I did Ramadan twice, two years in a row. I attended Friday prayers. I had some Muslim people around me, so they would show me their washing rituals and their praying rituals. I did all of that. So this is, I mean, just like Yana, at this point, faith, God is still a question mark for you. Yeah. You're convinced that a God exists, some type of creator, higher power exists but you're still searching to figure out who it is who who is this guy so what was it that kind of clicked for you or pushed you over the edge to believe in jesus so yeah yeah so that search kept going on for almost the next two years and i remember there were a bunch of moments when I was reading the Bible and I was like, wow, that's really loving.

17:44 I watched The Passion of Christ. I could see that love very evidently because if this man Jesus is really God, then it could just have come down, but he didn't. So I could really see it, but I didn't feel it and I wanted to feel it. and I was reading like Luke 15, the particle of sun, the lost coin, the lost sheep, and I was like, that's very loving. So slowly over time, I was just like falling in love with this character named Jesus. Fast forward to October, 2023. I was really, at this point, I start being very consistent with Bible study with the Navigators, which is a college ministry at my uni. in October I got invited to a camp, a retreat and me and one of my buddies that actually, he was the one that helped me doing Bible studies in my first few days he was always being in my corner and we were driving together to Maine from our uni and he said so V if you were standing in front of the gate of heaven right now and God asked why should I let you in, what would you say?

18:59 and I said I should be let in because I am trying. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to seek out who he is. I am trying to do better. I am trying to be good. I know I'm not perfect, but I am trying. And I think that that might be enough. And then he said, Novi, that's wrong. And I said, that's wrong? And he said, yeah, the only way for you to get in is by what Jesus has done. you know, pay for your sins, redeemed you, forgave you. And I said, that's it? I don't have to do a thing? He said, no, you don't have to do a thing. And I said, I just have to receive it? And he said, yeah, you just receive it. And I remember very vividly, we're driving on the interstate, northbound, driving his F-150 white truck.

19:54 And I just, he was driving, and I looked out to the passenger window. and I was just looking to this and I said, wow, that's very loving but I still couldn't believe, man and this last two years I was praying for just like revelations, supernatural encounters like visions, dreams, signs so that I know for sure that he is real and that's why I did that whole weekend away at camp just praying for that moment and by the end of the weekend we're driving back and I didn't get it I didn't get it. So now I'm back in my college on campus apartment and I'm just reflecting. Like, man, I think I was reflecting internally. I was like thinking, I think I've been incredibly intellectually dishonest and way too skeptical because I have faith in so many things in this life with like blind faith with no evidence.

20:55 but then with this Jesus you know I am clearly like looking back now I was clearly falling in love with him I still didn't believe and I remember I'm checking my heart posture I'm like I am checkboxing God like I'm like if you do this for me I'll do this checkboxing him and I said that's not faith this is not faith this is confirmation and so I thought I don't have anything to lose I'll just take that leap because if I'm wrong I have nothing to lose so I just said to myself in my heart I said Jesus I believe you are my Lord and Savior I believe that you died and resurrected for my sin and that's it I went through my night routine I went to bed I didn't see I still didn't get those revelations I didn't see the angel choir and see the heavens get opened up, ran to sleep.

21:58 And then the next day I woke up and I got everything I've ever dreamed of. I like prayed for the last two years because I opened up my Bible just another day, another morning. And before reading, it was a part of the routine, part of the search. And it was distracting, was confusing, was time consuming. but now immediately it was reviving and eye-opening. I remember I was just reading, going through the plan and every few verses, I'm like, whoa, wow.

22:38 I just get it. I just get what it truly meant. And by the end, it felt like there was electricity current jumped out of the Bible and like kickstart my heart again. I couldn't put a finger on it, you know, but I could feel the difference. I was like, what is this? And I went out to campus and I saw everyone differently.