Satisfying an Inner Hunger, Philip Franz

I was born into a Christian family and was raised in the Mennonite Brethren denomination. I received the Lord as my Savior when I was a young teenager. I so wanted to follow Him that I eventually left the secular college I was attending and transferred to a very fundamental Bible school, Grace Bible Institute (in Omaha, Nebraska). While at Bible school one of my classmates introduced me to a book by Watchman Nee. The book I read was so rich in the experiences of Christ. Reading this book satisfied an inner hunger.

Upon leaving Bible school I began seeking for more reality in my Christian life. Through a number of different circumstances I came in contact with the local church. I soon came to realize that there were a good number of Christians meeting and experiencing, day by day, what I had first read about in that book by Watchman Nee.

There were two main revelations I received after attending several meetings in the local church: 1) I realized that I had a human spirit and that I could experience God at any time, rather than it being a hit-or-miss thing, and 2) I realized that God is really food to man, and not doctrine or theory (John 6:35, 57).

At that point, I made the decision to leave the denominations and begin meeting with the local church. The more I attended the church meetings and spent time with the Lord, the more His Word was opened to me. I was daily experiencing the joy of my spiritual hunger being satisfied.

My wife and I have now been in the local church, in several different cities, for about 28 years. We have raised our family, seeking to follow the Lord in all our living. Both our children (college age) love the Lord dearly and desire to follow Him. I am so thankful to have spent so many years (from college until now) enjoying Christ in the local churches.