Jesus told Pilate “I came into the world to testify the truth” (John 18:37). Why is the truth so important that God himself has to come to testify?

Since the beginning, we are separated from God by a LIE. The serpent tried to distort God’s word “Did God really say that? Surely, you’re not going to die”.  Below are the lies of my life.

Since the beginning, I was separated from God by many lies. I grew up in Saigon, Viet Nam. With my Dad being an Atheist and my Mom being a Buddhist, I grew up as a “confuse-nist”. On one side, My Dad told me that there is NO GOD and he told me that religion is for weak women. On the other side, my Mom tried to teach me that life is a cycle of suffering. When you live a moral life, you will reincarnate as something better and suffer less. The only way to get out of that cycle is to BE “REALLY GOOD” and become “Buddha”.  I later learned the opposite from the truth of God’s words “you’re never good enough” (Romans 3:20-24).

In school, I was taught that Evolution is a fact. That a tiny cell became a monkey and a smart monkey became me. Once in a while I would go to the temple with my Mom and pray to Buddha. Some Buddhas are made out of wood; some are even made out of Gold. Apparently, the Gold ones are supposed to be better at answering prayer.

Once again, I later learned that this contradicts God’s word: “Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.” (Lev 26:1).   I prayed to them, the wooden ones, and the golden one. I never felt right. I never feel satisfied. I always walked away without knowing for sure that my prayers had been heard. St. Augustine said something that really described my feeling then “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you”. Yes, my heart was restless.

My parents sent me to the US over 10 years ago for an education.  They picked a Christian private school because they wanted me to stay away from the guns and the drugs that they saw on American TV shows. Little did they know that God had a plan.

The school taught me theology and apologetics (how to defend your faith).  They told me about Jesus. It’s funny that I learned how to defend Christianity before I became a Christian. I learned the logic and the faith of Christianity.  God knew exactly what I needed. He knew that since I’m logical, he wanted to soften my heart and remove all the lies that my parents or my past schools had taught me. Of the two years I stayed there, I learn more and more about Christianity and what it was.

I didn’t speak much English when I first came to the United States. I didn’t have many friends. When I spoke English to the American student, it still sounded like a foreign language to them. I couldn’t go anywhere without a car. I got really depressed.  One night I lost my translator. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find it. I broke down and ask Jesus for the first time to help me find it. I told Him that if he is real, please reveal Himself to me. The next morning, I found it on my table in plain sight. My first prayer was answered. Shortly after that,   I accepted Him as the one true God.  I began to grow in a deeper relationship with God and started attending Rose Heights church in Tyler, Texas.

Now I’m a child of God, a child with purpose. And the purpose is simple: to grow in Christ, make disciples,  and to testify the truth of Christ to the rest of my family.  I’m blessed with a beautiful wife who has a passionate heart for God. We are both working as Engineers for the Oil and Gas industries.