Good News from the Siantar Congregation - Serli

December 9, 2018, was a very special day for Serli. On that day, this woman, an English literature graduate from one of the universities in Pematang Siantar, made the decision to become a Disciple of Jesus.

As a child, Serli was quiet and shy, so she was often bothered and bullied by other children. This continued until she was in junior high school. Serli had no friends and was often treated unfairly by her schoolmates and teachers.

Since elementary school, Serli had liked spiritual things, and she even learned how to preach. In junior high and vocational school, she was involved in various organizations such as Scouts and PKS (School Security Patrol). This helped her grow into a brave, confident, and hardworking girl. Besides achieving excellent academic results at school, Serli also did not hesitate to work washing clothes at a neighbor's house to earn spending money.

When she entered college, Serli became active as one of the leaders of a student fellowship on her campus and even served as its chairperson. She poured her time and energy into her studies and ministry. Every day, Serli came home late at night to make sure her dozens of younger spiritual siblings were doing well. She did all of this because of her love for God.

After graduating, Serli pioneered a ministry at one of the colleges in Siantar. Starting something, especially in a new place, was not easy, but she succeeded in doing it. It was then, during one of the ministry activities, that Serli got to know a sister.

The two stayed in touch for five months through chatting. While taking part in a hangout group for singles, Serli felt there was something different about that community. After trying to attend worship services and spend time with several sisters, at the end of February 2018, Serli began studying the Bible.

At first, Serli had no difficulty following each topic. She regularly attended Bible discussions and Sunday worship services. Every challenge she was given seemed easy enough for her to do, such as praying, having a daily quiet time, and even evangelizing. Serli was always able to accept God's truth without denial, because basically she had a gentle heart and longed to be close to God.

Indeed, questions would sometimes arise in her heart. “Is only this church the most true one?” However, this way of thinking was understandable because Serli already had knowledge of the Bible beforehand.

The Bible study she went through then opened her mind, especially about ministry. She began to understand what ministry according to God's word means. That ministry is not merely an activity, but also a means to make sure that we continue to live rightly.

This was one of Serli's hardest struggles. She realized that all this time she had often done things that were not in accordance with God's word. As someone active in ministry, Serli felt she needed to purify her heart in serving. Moreover, she admitted that she had begun to feel uncomfortable attending every meeting in the campus fellowship.

On the other hand, even though she knew she had to let go of the ministry she had pioneered, Serli was afraid of other people's opinions and wanted to maintain her image as a servant. More than that, she could not bear to let go of the younger spiritual siblings she loved so much. “Many people joined that fellowship because of my invitation,” she said. “How could it be that I am the one stepping down now?”

For eleven months, Serli wrestled with the decision to become a Disciple of Jesus. During that time, she brought her struggle to God in prayer and kept being willing to receive help. She continued to come to worship and did not then distance herself from the community. And, through the prayers of the other disciples, she finally succeeded in fully setting her heart to follow Christ.

“God does not see how much ministry I do, but what my heart is like,” Serli said. “How terrible what I used to do was. Living in ministry, but not having the right motivation  in God.”

Serli felt there were many changes in her after studying the Bible. She came to know God more deeply, became more open when facing problems, thought positively, and did not boast about her ministry achievements.

This change was also felt by some of her close friends. Some of the children Serli used to mentor were even inspired by her and became Disciples first. One of them was Marta, a sister who made the decision to become a Disciple of Jesus on November 10, 2018.

“It was not easy for me to become a Disciple, but God came to test me through every problem. I am very joyful and grateful to God for every problem He allowed to happen in my life—which has made me more mature and more in love with Him.”

Today, because of Serli's zeal for evangelism, many people are studying the word. May Serli continue to grow and be used by God in extraordinary ways, so that through her life, many will be won to become Disciples of Jesus. Glory belongs only to God. Amen.