Continuing Steadfastly, Christopher Morrical

I was born in California on January 24, 1972. I am the first of seven children. Some of my interests are fishing, linguistics, and nature.

My parents' pursuit of God placed me in a Christian environment from my youth. This environment helped to foster my own love for God. When my mom and dad went to church, I attended Sunday morning children's services. At home I observed my mother praying. At night I listened to Christian hymns and songs. As I grew older I maintained the faith that had become so important to my childhood.

When I was about nine years old my mother began playing Christian hymn tapes for my brother and I when we went to bed. These songs planted within us faith and spiritual truths. One day, while I walked home from elementary school I began singing a hymn: “Jesus is the Lord and He lives in me/ Now I'm as happy as I can be./ All the world is filled with vanity/ Jesus is the one reality.” I thought about the phrase, “All the world is filled with vanity.” I weighed it, considered it for the truth. Then I decided that the world was vanity. This realization profoundly influenced my view of the world. From that day forward I did not seek for satisfaction from the world. Rather, I grew to know God as real satisfaction.

As I grew in Christ (Colossians 1:28b) I became aware of my need for baptism. I began considering baptism when I was twelve years old. Some years later, while in college, I felt Christ speaking within me to be baptized. For several months I argued inwardly with Him. However, my arguing did not turn the gentle nudging of the Spirit. After about six months of the Lord's reminding, I humbled myself to be baptized. My stubborn spiritual pride hindered me from following the Lord immediately. But by His mercy He did not allow me to push Him away. As I left the water of baptism I rejoiced as did the children of Israel who, after 400 years of forced servitude, personally witnessed the destruction and burial of their oppressors: God buried Pharaoh and his army in that mighty terminating Red Sea of baptism. Christ, by his death on the cross demolished Satan, the Pharaoh of this age. Through my baptism I entered into Christ in resurrection and left Satan and his army terminated in the death waters of baptism. Through this one-way door I escaped the tyrannical ruling of Pharaoh and entered into the freedom that is in Christ. This revelation became clear to me through reading the books of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Following baptism, I stood firmly on the fact that Satan had been destroyed. So from that time, whenever Satan comes to disturb or to frustrate me I just say, “Satan you are buried in the water of baptism! You are dead and you have no right to bother me. You are terminated! Don't bother me! Don't you remember where you are? Go to the lake of fire!” Some very good portions that helped me with the truth concerning baptism can be found in the book, Messages for Building up New Believers, by Watchman Nee and in Truth Lessons Level One, Volume 3 by Witness Lee.

Another factor that helped me in my Christian life is that in high-school I began to attend Christian conferences. These conferences for the young people strengthened, refreshed, enlightened, and freed me. To be a strong Christian I needed companions with whom to pursue Christ. But in high-school I had no companions with whom to pursue Christ. Yet, the fellowship I received in these brief mountain top visits saved me from being fully overtaken by the sinful things of the world and ruined for God's purpose. In one conference I heard that we believers need to have a deep root system like trees. Root systems of trees extend deep into the earth to reach hidden wells of water (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Then, when drought comes, or when stormy winds blow, they stand solidly in the earth. When we are rooted in Christ (Colossians 2:6-7), we find deep sources of water and have hidden experiences of Christ during our personal times with Him. This helped me not to seek after outward recognition but rather to seek Christ in a personal way first and then out of these experiences to serve the Lord and function in Christian meetings. This teaching helped me to maintain a balance between outward function in Christian meetings and inward personal supply, and without these hidden experiences of Christ I would have been like the tree with merely a superficial root system-easily uprooted by stormy wind or dried out by blazing heat (Mark 4:17). So without the young people's conferences I think I would have been defeated in my Christian growth by the sinful tide of this age.

My life has been a life of enjoying the Lord. I have benefited immeasurably from the rich fellowship of the Spirit available among the believers who are seeking Christ in the local churches. With such a rich portion shared daily with my fellow pursuers of Christ I am helped and encouraged to continue steadfastly in pursuing after Him (Acts 1:14).