My Spiritual Journey:
From a Defiant Persecutor of the Word to a Preacher and Defender of the Word
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! My name is Sergio Umali III. Most people call me Serge. Some called me SU3 in the Christian Broadcasting Network Asia – Operation Blessing Philippines. That is where I volunteered as Database Management Staff before becoming a regular employee later. Currently, I am studying to grow in skills and knowledge for ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute with free online ministry and Bible courses (Learn more about free ministry and Bible courses online, Click Here).
I grew up in the City of Makati. Recently, I searched to see if there is an online school where I can enroll for free or with a scholarship to learn and develop as a church leader. I needed it now that I am leading a church planting team for our Central Church. Therefore, it is indeed a great blessing that I was able to encounter the Christian Leaders Institute. It will help me to grow in the skills of ministry and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Early Years
My journey as a Christian started when my father brought us to a Christian church. It was the Word for the World Christian Fellowship. Being 7 or 8 years old, every time we went to church, I clearly remembered the Sunday School. There was a classroom, crayons, and a teacher that taught us to sing and put colors to printed drawings. However, we did not continue attending that church because my father was not a committed Christian at that time.
It was when I was in college that my father invited us again. The whole family went to a church called Take the Nation for Jesus. He had a colleague that invited him to go to that church in August 1999. It was a bit awkward at that time for me. I was not comfortable with people singing worship songs with a band, dancing, tambourines, and flags.
An Open Door: Call to Ministry
At that time, my father also opened our house for a Bible study group. But I wasn’t ready at that time since I had just come from the Catholic convent with my aunts who are both chief nuns. Though I did not vocally disagree in my mind, I was persecuting my father for inviting a born-again Christian to conduct a Bible study in our house. Although I did listen to their discussion, I also made soft or indistinct words at the same time telling myself that what they were studying was not true. I was indeed a hardheaded, defiant son who didn’t want to see the whole family converted to the born-again Christian faith.
Little did I know that shortly after that God would call me to the ministry. God called me to the Ministry of Youth, Dance, and Sunday School as a volunteer. Also, our pastor would invite me to attend their meeting with the elders of the church even though I was still in the youth ministry. I did not know why I had to attend such a meeting at first. But now I know that the Lord prepared me at that young age. He did that because I would later be leading my own small group. Then, I would lead youth ministry and then midweek prayer gathering. Not long after that, I became an elder and became a preacher in our local church for like six or seven years.
The Dream
One time, the Lord showed me in a dream our pastor going down from the pulpit. She sat in the chair in front of me. Then, I saw someone that wasn’t shown to me. He turned His head and spoke to me inaudibly. Though not seeing who He was, my spirit knew Him, and I responded with the words, “Not now Lord, I can’t lead. I can only be an assistant for now.” That dream was in the year 2009.
So, I consulted one of the pastors about it during our LRT or MRT training. That pastor asked, “What else? What else do you need to hear to believe and be convinced that you have a calling to leadership? That God is calling you to become His servant?” However, since I was young, I did not listen. I continued to tell myself that there were a lot of people more qualified than me.
Answering God’s Call and Studying at CLI
After all the avoidance I did to not answer the call of God in my life, I am now leading a new church plant in the City of Makati. Now, the Word that I tried to persecute before is the same Word that I am now preaching and defending. I pray by our Lord’s grace, I do not just grow in ministry skills and knowledge but also grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be an effective and more mature church leader and pastor. Praise God! I found the Christian Leaders Institute! Thank you, CLI, CLI staff, and professors! God bless us all!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Amber McLain, from the United States. I am taking free ministry and Bible courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about free ministry and Bible courses online, Click Here).
My Story
At the wonderful age of 12, I decided that I did not believe in God. I did not feel it in my heart and to say that I did would mean that I was lying. I carried on this belief for 13 years. During this time, I made rash decisions and lived in the flesh. I chased my own desires and end up in a rash and quick marriage. While in this marriage, I experienced loneliness, depression, lovelessness, and severe heartache. After four years of marriage, I found myself divorced.
During my deepest and darkest hour, I knew that I could no longer live in the way I was living. So, on a whim, decided to go to church. I went to church that day by myself. There was a moment the Lord showed me a spectacle of light. I left the church knowing there was a light at the end of my tunnel. Going forward from that day, it was not instantaneous, overpowering, or all-consuming. However, I slowly felt the desire to know the Lord grew a little more every day.
Ministry Calling
The first time I felt the call to ministry was very random. I was driving home from work and thinking about my day and my future. In a moment, the thought came into my head, “You should get into the ministry.” When this thought came, I immediately thought, “That is absolutely insane! I am not someone that is to minister to anyone.” Then after the last three years, there has been a small nudge, and I thought about the future in ministry. As time went on, I started feeling that pull get stronger and stronger.
Finally, I conceded to God’s plan to pursue ministry and do His plan on His path. I am unsure of my destination in ministry. However, I hope with Christian Leaders Institute to discover a better understanding of the path that God has laid out for me. The free ministry and Bible courses at CLI are a blessing!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
God’s Miraculous Change in My Life
My name is Imelda Huliganga. Currently, I live in Canada. I am thankful for the opportunity for learning about the Bible and ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online free Bible courses, Click Here).
My Life Story
I grew up in the Philippines. At the age of 18, I started my life when I left the country to work in Singapore. I worked there for five years as a domestic helper because I wanted a better future. So, I was independent at a young age and wanted the best for my life. Then, I applied for a job in Canada. In 1989, I moved to Canada and met my husband, Edgar, in Edmonton. We moved in together and lived a crazy life. We went to parties together where there was drinking and gambling. Edgar was even into drugs at that time. Then I became pregnant with our first child.
After giving birth, Edgar and I married so that our daughter would grow up in a family. Shortly after, our relationship as husband and wife became harder. We fought a lot because he spent most of his time and money with his friends rather than his family. I even thought of divorcing him at that time. I was stressed and did not know what to do. Thankfully, my employer helped me and was nice enough to let me bring my baby along with me to work. Back then, my friends also wanted to help me. They invited me to go to church at that time, but I refused because I didn’t feel like going. After a few years, my husband had a job opportunity in another city. So, we had to move.
How We Became Christians
When we moved to Calgary, my husband was separated from his group of friends. However, he was still drinking heavily and we even had friends over every night to gamble and drink together. Then we had our second daughter in 1999. Also, my brother moved to Canada and lived with my family at that time. He invited his friends from church to our house. They tried to evangelize to us while we had our friends over and were drinking and gambling. We made fun of them and had no interest in what they were trying to teach us. I always declined their phone calls and told them we were busy if they wanted to come over.
One day, my brother said he would just bring my daughter to church because they have a great children’s program. My daughter always came home saying she had a great time at church. Soon, she tried to convince my husband and me to go to church to see her perform a special number. So, I started going to church to watch my daughter perform. That was the time when we wanted to know God more and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. By God’s grace, God accepted us. All of our sins from our past were forgiven.
How God Changed Our Lives
God moved in our lives after we were saved. I finally fully understood what the Gospel meant in my life and how much God really loves this world. My husband started to ease off drinking slowly until he gave it up completely. He dumped out his expensive liquor collection and even gave up smoking. I saw how God changed his life drastically. Instead of having parties in our home, God changed our regular activities to Bible studies at our home.
We joined the other activities the church had, like men’s and women’s fellowship. My husband and I didn’t want to miss out on any Sunday service or Bible study. We wanted to attend everything regularly because of the opportunity for learning from the preaching at church. We even volunteered for the church’s ministries. God used our daughter in the music ministry. God showed me that my gift was service since I loved people and was hospitable to others.
Truly, God changed my family’s life. I wanted to share the Good News with people who didn’t know about God. That is when I started to evangelize. I even went to malls with a group of people to share my life testimony. Then I told them how God changed my life and how good God was in my life. So, God’s blessing really flowed in our lives as a family.
Joy in the Lord and Opportunity for Learning at CLI
Every day, we are grateful for the things God does for us. Truly, there is much joy when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. God changed my life and my husband’s life drastically. We started out with many vices and sins, but God is so much bigger than our past and our sin.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” – Galatians 2:20. This is a verse that I always dwell upon. Without God, it would have been impossible to have our lives completely changed. God is miraculous and changes our lives when we surrender everything to Him and put our trust and faith in Him.
Since I want to know more about the Bible and ministry, I was looking for an opportunity for learning online. God led me to the Christian Leaders Institute. What a wonderful opportunity for learning and growing in the Lord! Thank you, CLI!
Steps to Sign Up At Christian Leaders Institute
Step 1 – Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2.
After you register, you will automatically be enrolled in the “getting started” course. You will locate the course at your “home” button when logged in. Scroll down to find the Christian Leaders Getting Started Course Part 1 &2 Link. Click the link and open the course.
Step 2 – Complete Part 1 of this course. Then you can enroll in mini-courses or regular courses.
The Christian Leaders Getting Started Class Part 1 shows you how to enroll in courses and mini-courses. Part 2 of the course connects your calling into ministry with programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute. Part 2 will offer some ministry training and introduce you to the other programs offered through Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.