Yielding to Win

Yielding to Win

Following the Lord can be likened to someone being asked to yield in an important match he has long prepared for, giving up his chance to win the grand prize, and trusting that he will receive something more valuable.

The concept of following the Lord is something difficult for us to understand if we rely only on our own minds to grasp it. It is even harder to understand for someone whose educational background, work, or environment requires him to depend on the power of his own thinking in order to succeed. Yet the power of the Cross is enough to transform even the hardest person’s outlook and way of thinking.

The story of a man named Fabian Lumentut inspired us in the Ilahi men’s ministry. He was baptized and became a disciple of Jesus on July 16. Fabian, who was already 78 years old, was baptized by his own son, brother Christian Lumentut, in Jakarta.

If we type the name Fabian Lumentut on the internet, we will find that Fabian is an Indonesian chess master who has won many local and international matches. Because of his achievements, during the time of Governor Ali Sadikin he was often asked to give lectures to students at universities in Indonesia. He once worked in public relations at the DKI office, and after building up considerable capital he became a businessman.

Fabian left his family when he was 45 years old and only returned when he was 65. He left behind much bitterness in the family. Christian, his son, realized that his father needed to repent of sin. He faithfully prayed for his father since the time when the Jakarta congregation was still worshiping in the Bapindo building. This year God answered Christian’s prayer. Because of failing health and old age, Fabian wanted to seek the Lord. Christian immediately introduced his father to the Ilahi men’s ministry.

Until before Lebaran this year Fabian studied the Bible with Ilahi men every Sunday. During Bible study Fabian seemed always to want to dominate the conversation. This was because of the chess way of thinking that had become a habit. He always tried to find faults and sought to correct us, his teachers, even turning around to teach us with many principles from his life philosophy. This at one point made us feel down who were teaching, but we decided to be patient and keep loving him.

While studying with him we once asked whether he had ever deliberately yielded in a chess game. He answered "Yielding is normal. It’s a strategy that makes the opponent careless. I yield in order to win!".

When asked what his greatest sin was, Fabian answered the sin of pride. From that time on we agreed to rebuke him whenever he began to dominate the conversation. It was not easy to change his mind-set , a chess master who always thinks several moves ahead and aims to defeat his opponent. Yet Fabian realized that he needed to change. He began to realize that his pride was one of the walls separating him from God. He decided to defeat his ego.

The turning point of change...

Acts 26:20 ...That they should repent and turn to God, doing works consistent with that repentance.

The verse above pierced Fabian’s heart. He realized that he had to turn away from his proud thoughts and behavior. That verse also made him aware that he needed to repair his relationship with his family and ask forgiveness for the sins he had committed against them. He understood that repentance means yielding from personal and worldly desires.

The lesson on repentance led Fabian to immediately take action on his repentance challenges. Reconciliation with his children (his wife had already passed away) and his sibling-in-law was completed by him in just 2 weeks. When he asked Franky (one of his children) for forgiveness, Fabian wept. There was relief in his heart, a feeling he had not felt for a very long time.

The same thing happened when Fabian counted the cost, he expressed his apology to Christian, his son. Brother Christian also shared his feelings. He stood up, walked over to his father, and embraced him; both of them wept with deep emotion... Compared with all his victories in chess competitions, this was the greatest moment he would never forget.

Brother Fabian moments after being baptizedA man full of pride, always relying on the power of his own mind, was lost and has been found. On the 16th we baptized Fabian after the second service. After baptizing him we sat down and listened to the sharing from him. He gave thanks because he had come to know the Lord, repent, and receive relief. Even at his advanced age, brother Fabian said that he longs to bring his friends to become disciples of Jesus.

Like sacrificing a chess piece to save the King, brother Fabian was willing to cast aside his knowledge and ego to save something more precious, namely the salvation of his life.

A person who is proud, always logical, and proud of his achievements was willing to know the Lord and carry out his repentance. When he asked forgiveness, he humbled himself. Like sacrificing (throwing away) a chess piece to save the king, brother Fabian was willing to cast aside his knowledge and ego to save something more precious, namely the salvation of his life.

Fabian’s story inspired us, especially the Ilahi men’s ministry, about the power of the Lord. We hope his story can inspire you if you are trying to win over your parents or are struggling with pride.