Baptismal Testimony

I stand before you to publicly declare my love to Jesus Christ. It is by his grace that I am his child and it is by faith alone that I am saved. For those that do not know me well, my name is Dao Nguyen. I'm 29 years old and I want to share my journey with you. It is my hope that when you hear my story, that some of you will be able to relate with my struggles. It is also my hope that when I share my joy, that many of you will be able to share that same feeling. My journey is slightly different than most. It isn't a story about a desperate moment. It isn't a story of a child growing up in a Christian home. Instead, it's a story of God giving me everything I wanted. And when I received everything I wanted, I felt empty. I was a sinner separated from God. God gave me everything and I felt nothing. God gave me an excellent education. He gave me a prestigious job and he gave me a loving family. Let me set the stage. Let's rewind back four years to 2010. two years post the financial crisis. I had a job with Goldman Sachs. I was attending Darden here in Charlottesville. Chekhov career, Chekhov education. God gave me a loving family. They were my foundation, my rock. I wish I had the time so I can honor them by sharing their journey from Vietnam to Rome, to Paris, to Ellis Island. Nevertheless, Chekhov family. I thought I had everything. I was in control. I was independent. What I didn't realize was that I was sitting on God's throne. I was acting as if I were God. Now, during the same time that I was getting my MBA and having this, quote, prestigious job, I also found that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the worst type that you can have. I wasn't sure if she would be alive today. I struggled mightily to hold this weight on my shoulders, to act like an independent adult would. Wasn't this my responsibility? Wasn't this what an adult had to carry? And this is where I'll pause in the story. It was a fulcrum, a turning point for me. I didn't know who to turn to, but I turned to a friend from Dallas, Texas, a gentleman named Matthew. who has been so instrumental in my walk. He's a dear friend and a brother. We have now walked together for three years. He shared the gospel with me. And I wrestled with the idea of Jesus, where most people start in an intellectual manner. For some, they may recall when I first came to Jefferson Park Baptist with Alicia, where I attended Pastor Russell's talk on life after death. He asked the audience if anyone had questions, and of course, I raised my hand. My first question for him was a simple one. What is predestination? I look back on that moment when Alicia asked me to come to her church, this church, and it amazes me and shows me how much God is in control. He was leading me. I read The Reason for God. I read Near Christianity. I even became a podcast sermon geek. I listened to Redeemer and the Village Church. I engaged God in an intellectual manner, and it took some time before I began to slowly engage God in a dutiful manner. That is, I began to attend church more regularly and even joined Home Group in Washington, D.C. Now I was thinking to myself that I was on the right path. Found myself writing notes diligently at church, talking openly about searching for God. I thought all I needed was just more book knowledge of the Bible and voila, I would be a Christian. Yet again, I just felt empty inside. I asked myself, what else do I need to do to become a Christian? And this is where my story concludes. I asked the question to Pastor Russell in October 2012, which was two years into my quest. What I was looking for was validation that I was on the right path. What surprised me was Pastor Russell's response. He didn't assure me as I had hoped. Instead, he challenged me by saying, all you need to do is just ask. Simply just ask. Ask God to show you the way. the way towards Jesus Christ. Because it is by faith alone we are saved. And for each person here today who is saved, that way, that path is different and unique. But in order to be saved, you must believe that the Bible is the word of God. It is through the gospel that you must believe that you're a sinner, and it's through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ that he bore the wrath of God that we all deserved. Jesus died for your sins, not for the sins of humanity, but for your sins. It is by the Holy Spirit that God has transplanted your old heart with his heart. And it is by the change in your roots that will bear the fruit, showing that you were born with a new life, a life committed to Jesus Christ. At the beginning of my story, I mentioned being empty. What I meant was that my heart was empty. I was trying mightily to slowly change my heart with my good deeds. I thought I could be my own savior and sit on God's throne. Instead, I was a sinner separated from God. And today I'm still a sinner. And for those who want to actually know what the specifics, you can come see me after service. That's actually a very long list. But by God's grace, he took my old heart and transplanted that heart with a new New one, a full one. Come ye sinners, poor and needy. What a magnificent song when you pause to think about it. Listen to this verse. Come ye sinners, poor and wretched, weak and wounded, sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you. Just simply ask for God to save you.