Good News Yogyakarta - Marcel Agung

Marcel Agung is a 26-year-old man who decided to be baptized on July 16, 2017. Marcel began his ministry in the Kingdom with the Yogyakarta single ministry. In his family, Marcel is the eldest of 3 siblings. Marcel has a complete family and is well provided for financially, and he is also well situated in his social environment. At the time of his Bible study up to his baptism, Marcel’s status was as a junior doctor a.k.a. Koas serving at one of the hospitals in the city of Yogyakarta.

The LORD used sister Christine to reach Marcel’s life for Bible study in a cell group at another place. Marcel’s decision to be willing to study the Bible was motivated by the thought, “it’s okay, this is a biblical activity.”  Marcel began Bible study about 1 year ago and was accompanied by Brother Rendy, Rio, and Kelvin. A long process colored his Bible study, hindered by Marcel’s busyness in his Koas activities and the restoration of Marcel’s relationship with his father; this was a great challenge for Marcel to allow the Word of the LORD that he was learning to heal his heart and restore his relationship with his father.  The biggest obstacles in winning Marcel were his relationship with his father and Marcel’s hard mindset toward the Bible.

Marcel’s father, who worked outside the city, made communication between the two of them rare, and Marcel’s negative thoughts toward his father made their relationship even more broken. Losing the father figure positioned Marcel as the decision maker in his family.  Besides that, Marcel’s intelligence and educational background had accustomed him to prioritizing visible life realities and logic.  This obstacle also made Marcel need time to convince himself to believe 100% in the Word of the LORD and to establish the Word of the LORD as the decision maker in his daily life.

However, the LORD JESUS did not remain silent and let Marcel struggle alone. The LORD enabled Marcel to be touched by the sacrifice of CHRIST’S CROSS and to experience real love through fellowship in the single ministry.  In the end, Marcel was inspired by CHRIST’S CROSS, how CHRIST continued to look with love on the people who had hurt HIM. Through that love, Marcel was also enabled to look at his father and forgive him. Marcel was willing to fight and begin reconciling his relationship with his father, even asking forgiveness first.

Marcel experienced a change of life while living as a disciple, and he felt that the sacrifice of Jesus dying on the Cross to redeem his old life and his sins was truly real and able to move him deeply. The Cross became Marcel’s greatest motivation to give his best to the LORD. The LORD also worked extraordinarily in Marcel’s life. The LORD restored the relationship between Marcel and his father, the LORD changed Marcel’s mindset, Marcel’s mind began to open to the Word of the LORD, and he gave place to the Word of the LORD to lead him to see and connect with what is the LORD’s plan rather than his own logic or his own decisions. The LORD even worked through the life of discipleship that Marcel lived out: 1 of his younger siblings has also made the decision to become a disciple, and his youngest sibling is now also studying the Bible and fighting to be won in the LORD JESUS.

Marcel’s success in being salt and light in the midst of his family is also in line with his responsibility to complete his medical education. Now he has succeeded in adding joy to his family with the physician’s oath that he took on October 28, and he is grateful that it all happened because the LORD strengthened him. Amen