Part Two: Go & Make Disciples - The God of All Nations

The Light of the World

Beah’s testimony is beautiful. She talks about how, growing up, she had a painful relationship with her father who was very distant. Now she feels like she can not only forgive him but love him again, as she received the love of the most perfect Father who combines majesty, gentleness, faithfulness, and all other goodness. She was hurt by friends but realized she was desiring a perfect friend who wasn’t human but a God named Jesus. Through Him, she can forgive others and herself. She searched for the perfect boyfriend until she met the one who calls her His royal bride in Psalm 45. She thought a Buddhist professor was the smartest teacher until she was taught by the Good Shepherd, who is the most knowledgeable and wisest teacher of the universe. She told me she once clung to Buddhism as her faith before she realized that it left her empty, never being able to attain the state of nothingness that she sought, but Jesus set her free and gave her eternal life and total forgiveness. 

How did this all happen?

God. 

One Year Earlier

“Karisa, this is Beah. She just arrived from China and has been wanting to visit a church here. Maybe she can come to church with you?” 

I looked up from my dinner as Cheri, the director of Bridges, an international student ministry, introduced me to the sweet looking Chinese girl with short black hair and glasses. We were at UCLA's weekly Bridges meeting, and I gave Beah a warm smile as I set down my plate of orange chicken and broccoli.

“Sure, Beah!” I shook her hand. “I have one extra spot in my car this Sunday.”

Beah came with us that first Sunday to church and the one following that next week as well. After her second Sunday, my friend Claire and I introduced her to our pastor who offered her a Bible, which she eagerly accepted, as she had been wanting one. Since she had never read it before, Claire and I invited her over to my apartment after church to read through a bit of it with her. 

Instead, we ended up giving her a two-hour overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I happened to have a Gospel drawing-map of the Bible I’d prepared for our Bridges Bible Study that week, which was helpful for our demonstration. 

As we finished, Beah looked at Claire and me in amazement. “How do I have this relationship with God?” she asked earnestly.

Sitting at my kitchen table that afternoon, she prayed, “God I have lived in China for many years, and I always wanted to know you but felt you were distant. I knew you were bringing me to the U.S. to learn about you, and now I feel you are close. And I am so appreciative. Thank you for Claire and Karisa who showed me how to know you. I want to live the rest of my life for you. I want to live with you.”

It was the 4th of March. Beah said that was a perfect date to be her “new birthday”, as she loved the number four. Within the next year, Beah nearly finished the New Testament and shared the Gospel with her family and her professors in America. Claire, Beah, Sarah, and I began studying the Bible together in regular weekly discipleship. 

One evening over dinner as we were reading how Jesus is the light of the world, Beah looked up and told me, “I used to think the whole world was dark before I came here. Now I know there is a Light.”

That night, I had her write out all her sins on a piece of paper. Afterwards, we wrote “TETELESTAI” across them in big, block letters and ripped up the paper into a thousand tiny shreds. This is one of my favorite activities, as back in Roman days, criminals would have parchment nailed to their jail cell doors with all their sins written on them. This way, people could walk by and point at them and their crimes, proclaiming, “See? This person deserves jail!” But if someone was willing to bail them out, they would write “TETELESTAI” or “paid in full” across the parchment and rip it up, before releasing them. There was no longer any legal record standing against this person to condemn them. 

On the cross, Jesus yelled “TETELESTAI—It is finished!” as some of his last words before dying. A little background: the Bible says that God created us to be fully loved and taken care of by Him, partnering with Him to do good in the world. The problem is that we have each, throughout our lives, pushed Him away and wanted to do things on our terms. This problem is called sin in the Bible, and it's like a disease that infects the human heart, causing us to sometimes to do things that we know are wrong and not do the things that we know are good. This hurts ourselves as well as the people around us and pushes us farther from God. Since God is absolutely just - He doesn't let sin slide or accept a bribe - He must give us just consequences for our sins, and the Bible says that sin leads to death (since it cuts us off from the life source, God). But since God loves us so immensely, He sacrificed His one and only son, Jesus - who shares the nature of God and is thus perfect - to die in our place, absorbing our punishment from God. He died to pay our sins in full (hence, "Tetelestai"), as He loves us, and He said that anyone who wants to return to God can trust in Jesus, turn to Him, and ask Him to save them. When we do, God forgives and saves us, as He has the power to save all who ask for it. Like a merciful, loving father who longs for his runaway and lost sons and daughters to simply return home, God doesn't give us a laundry list of good deeds to do to earn Heaven, salvation, or His love - we must simply come home by turning to Him. We can tell Him we love and need Him, and ask Jesus to save us and forgive our sins through prayer at any moment. Then we can start living the rest of our lives deepening this friendship with God. And we're not alone - when we trust in Jesus, He promises He sends God's spirit to fill our lives and teach us how to love and live like God does. It may sound crazy - but it's been true in my life. And countless other lives I've seen transformed through knowing God personally and living with His spirit in their lives. Only God can give us a fresh start like that - and it makes sense that He would, as He's filled with compassion and knows how to transform us, since He made us.

Beah shared with me how watching us rip up that TETELESTAI paper and tell her that her sins were forever forgiven - that she was a new person now - felt like magic. How could it be that all her sins were washed away and forgiven by God forever?

She remarked to me: “How could my miserable soul receive such a freedom all of a sudden?”

Only the one who created us and holds all the justice in the world could do that. And He does gladly - because He loves us. The Gospel is amazing.

Months later, Beah texted me saying, “I want to grow as fast as I can in the Kingdom of God.” And God heard that prayer—I’ve never seen a new believer grow so quickly. I moved away after graduation but continued to hear of the amazing things God was doing through Beah. Living in a Co Op full of international students, it wasn’t long before she started an informal Bible Study in the building so that other Chinese students could also learn about God’s love. She even invited me to return to the building to share about the Bible (the same overview Claire and I had given her that same first day in my kitchen) with all the international students in her building. They showed up and packed the room full to hear the Bible, ask thoughtful questions, and listen to Beah’s beautiful testimony.

She prayed for a sister in the building, and God brought her another Christian who she could partner with in sharing the Gospel and bringing people to church with. She fasts and prays always to grow closer to God and is already teaching Claire and me so much more about loving Jesus and trusting Him with our whole lives. She started attending church three times a week and eventually enrolled in a post-graduate legal program, hoping to eventually become a missionary to her own, as she would often express to me her pain in recognizing the brokenness and darkness many still live without knowledge of Truth.

It sounds so uniquely beautiful, but I believe God is doing things like this on American college campuses every day. People are deeply curious hear His word and truth, and if we are willing to open our mouths and eyes, God will gladly point us to them. We don’t always get to see the work that He’s doing but we trust that there’s always more going on under the surface. We don’t have to necessarily cross the oceans to see lives changed by the power of the Gospel—just our neighborhood streets or apartment hallways and college campuses.

I love reading Beah’s heartfelt, honest, and simple testimony. After being a Christian for many years, I can get so caught up in menial details and religiosity and perfectionism. I so easily forget that it isn’t about any of those things—it’s not about removing my sins or reading my Bible more or becoming a better Christian, church events or evangelism or self-growth. 

It’s about this amazing, beautiful, kindhearted, all-giving God who loves us and paid for our sins personally because He wanted us that much. It’s us plus Jesus forever. It’s about knowing Him as deeply as we can and spending time with Him in organic relationships where He's not intimidated by our mess and wants to hear it all. It’s about loving and being loved by the source of ultimate love. And hey, His love is pretty amazing—relentless, unconditional, no strings attached, available, accessible, and complete. He is the only one who doesn’t give His heart in pieces, and He’s not only the solution to our emptiness in theory but actually available to satisfy it right now. 

Seeing these international students become captivated by the simple, pure, beautiful love of God reminds me what it’s all about. It was always about Him.

Bread Pudding and Charlie Puth

God allowed me to meet Jenna (Taiwan) and Candace (China) at Bridges, as well. Both girls were intrigued by the Gospel and quickly accepted weekly invites to church services. During our last week of the school year, we went to dessert together. Sitting outside the little dessert shop in Sawtelle, we were eating our bread pudding when a Charlie Puth romantic pop song from the radio came on. 

Our conversation turned to romance, and one of the girls excitedly asked me if I was dating anyone. 

As I told them about the greatest love of my life, they were amazed to hear that God loves them so much more than any boy ever could. Jenna’s eyes glistened with tears as I assured her that Jesus would always “answer the phone” if she called at 3 a.m. and knows every detail about her. I was able to share my testimony and pray over them. When I asked if they would like a personal relationship with their God, Jenna remarked, “I thought we just prayed for that!” 

Both women expressed their interest to continue seeking out church before committing their lives to Him. Then, on the ride home, Jenna opened up to me: “I always thought work would make me happy, but it didn’t. I thought a boyfriend would give me happiness, but he hasn’t. But when I went to church and we sang, I felt peace in my heart for the first time in a long time. I think that is God.” 

Candace told me she knows God brought them to America for a reason. 

God gave me the honor of witnessing Him transform lives with His power, kindness, and mercy. After seeing hungry reactions to the gospel, I realized that the truths I take for granted (God loves me despite being a sinner, has a plan for me, and is with me always) are what people are aching to hear. The Gospel is the simple, beautiful truth that God enters our world to rescue us and desires to draw us to Him—everything else is detail. He is the only one who can heal the hurts and satisfy the thirsts. Not sharing His love with them would be selfish of me when I have experienced Him meet every need. 

The Love of Christ

Grace was from Korea, and on the last day of our international student trip to Yosemite Trip, I sketched out the Gospel for her on a piece of paper. She treasured this, passing it around in her car and telling her international friends, “Apparently, God is a good shepherd!” 

One night at a Bridges meeting about a month after the Yosemite Trip, we were talking about the Gospel in discussion groups, and Grace exclaimed, “Ever since you and Sofia talked to me about God, I think of Him all the time and my beliefs are changing.” 

Amazed, I asked her if she desired a relationship with Him, to which she wholeheartedly proclaimed, “Yes!” 

I grabbed Sofia, and the three of us found a more private spot in the crowded room by the corner, leading Grace to pray and ask Jesus to enter and fill her life with His presence. Together, we rejoiced in our sisterhood through the Lord. 

She was delighted to receive a Korean Bible, and we were delighted to meet with her every week to begin reading it together. 

There was one other student who came on the Yosemite Trip who had yet to receive Christ, and that was Bo, Grace's friend from Korea. Bo was sweet, bubbly, sassy, and full of vivacity and life, always poking jokes at us with her bouncy smile and adorable little outfits. 

Bo was totally uninterested in God, but she liked making friends, and Bridges was a great way to do that. She came to everything, and it wasn’t odd to come home to my apartment and find Bo there, hanging out with our friends. She was a natural addition in our UCLA world, and though she found it strange when Grace became a Christian, she never stopped coming to Bridges or spending time with us. So we never gave up praying for her. 

About half a year after the Yosemite Trip in the Spring, we were just wrapping up our Bridges Bible Study, when I asked Bo what she was doing that weekend. 

“Hey,” I offered, “this is a random thought and super last minute, but if you’re free tomorrow, Cru is going on a retreat in the mountains if you want to come for the weekend!”

Spontaneous Bo didn’t consider it a problem that she didn’t own a sleeping bag or that there were no current spots in any cars available, and that next night, I found myself worshipping in the mountains with her by my side. As we walked down to our cabins one night, I asked her what she thought of Jesus, as she’d been with us for some time by then. 

“I feel closer to God, and I’ve been thinking about Him more. I almost talked to Him even. But I don’t know if I’m ready to commit yet to the idea of there only being one way,” she expressed.

The next night, however, something seemed to change: after our small group discussions following Saturday’s night service, I asked Bo what she thought of Jesus again. 

“I don’t really know who Jesus is still,” she confessed, “but I know who you guys are. You guys are so, so loving that even though I can’t see Him, you are living proof of Jesus’s love. Christians like you guys started my school, an all-girls college in Korea. They helped women receive a better education. I think about it,” she said, “and I don’t know why anyone would do something that good for free with nothing in return. Who would do that? It’s insane.”

I asked her if she wanted a relationship with God. She told me she had already decided that in her heart, she just needed more time. 

“What do you mean?” I asked. “You’ve already decided what in your heart?”

“That I believe all this!” she exclaimed. “Deep down, I know it. I don’t really know who Jesus is, still, but I know what you guys believe is true, and so I believe what you guys believe, too.”

“Do you want to tell God that?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

So we prayed right then. I told her we were sisters in Christ forever now. 

“I must have known all along somehow that someday I would come to Jesus.” Su laughed with a bright smile. “I always felt like your sister!” 

I read her some passages before we called over all our other friends. I’m sure there was a party going on in Heaven that day because there was much rejoicing and praying and tears on Earth, too. 

Some international students jump at their first chance to come to church, as they’ve been searching for God all their lives and have just been waiting for someone to share with them the “good news.” Then there are others, like Bo, who may have been burned by past negative church experiences or are simply uninterested in God. But God loves those people, and as they encounter God's love through His people, they sense this love is special and want to know Him, too. 

It reminds me of that verse that Jesus says in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Though God Himself is invisible, He calls us to be His image-bearers, so that when people look at us, they see the love and kindness of Christ. A love that doesn’t judge people for the way they dress or speak. A love that knows no limits and goes the extra mile to offer a free car ride or jacket in the cold or warm meal for the sick. 

Jesus is still loving people today. And if we're willing, He intends to show people His love through us, too.

Photo credit: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/photos/flower-field">Flower field photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com</a>