Back to 2018 Church Weekly List

TRUE LIFE BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
RELC Auditorium, 10.30 am

30 Orange Grove Road, down Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 258352
Mailing Address: 1 Goldhill Plaza, #03-35, Singapore 308899
Email: admin@truelifebpc.org.sg; Website: http://www.truelifebpc.org.sg
(Ring Pastor Jeffrey Khoo 62561189 Anytime)

 
30 March 2018
“The LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep SILENCE before him.”
IntroitInstrumental Ensemble
Call WorshipPastor Jeffrey Khoo
Opening HymnWhen I Saw the Clensing Fountain
Invocation/Gloria Patri
Responsive ReadingPsalm 23
HymnThe King of Love My Shepherd Is
Announcements
Music MinistryChinese Choir
Church & Youth Choirs
Offerings/HymnPass Me Not
Doxology/Pastoral PrayerPastor Jeffrey Khoo
Scripture TextJohn 10:11–18
SermonThe Good Shepherd
(Pastor Jeffrey Khoo)
Lord’s Supper/HymnI cannot tell why He whom angels worship
BenedictionPastor Jeffrey Khoo
GOOD FRIDAY TESTIMONIES

“Don’t thank me, thank Jesus.”

I was brought up in a Catholic/Buddhist family in Perth, Western Australia. My father was Catholic, and my mother was a Buddhist (who also attended church with him, strangely).

When I was young my parents enrolled me in a private catholic primary school whereupon I was baptized as a Roman Catholic. After graduating primary school, I was then subsequently enrolled in a private catholic high school.

I attended church most Sundays and did things most kids of my age would do back then. I was by and large a good boy. I studied hard and got awards in Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Religious Education. Although I excelled in my religious studies, I was never a particularly religious person.

My first exposure to Christianity was, ironically for some, at university. There, I was able to meet people from different schools, and different countries. There, I met two guys—V and A (names protected). Both were devout Christians.

One day, I was invited to friend A’s church camp. To be honest, he had been inviting me to his church several times gently before that, but I always made an excuse. It was only the lure of a free church camp that made me commit.

The church camp was fun, the people were normal and friendly and I got along with everyone. I felt very comfortable. Having made new friends, I decided to continue staying in touch by henceforth beginning to attend their church—the Perth Chinese Christian Church in Doubleview, Western Australia.

I attended that church fairly regularly for several years. However, being young and distracted by worldliness, I backslided. With this experience, and in hindsight, I can say that I now see the importance and value of young people being members of their youth group.

Fast Forward, I was midway through my studies and finding it difficult to find work experience, either a vacation work, or internships. This was about the time of the GFC. I had applied to many places and was either ignored or unsuccessful. My friend V was working for a Government agency and advised me of an opening. I saw the role but didn’t think I had the experience for it. He encouraged me to still apply and was the first person to ever say to me “Don’t worry, I’ll pray for you.” I applied, and surprisingly got the job. I thanked my friend V profusely who calmly replied “Don’t thank me, thank Jesus.”

I worked for that agency for about 2.5 years then decided it was time to shift jobs towards one in the legal field given I had just obtained my law degree. I applied to many law firms, but again, I was either ignored or rejected. Since my friend V helped me obtain my job at the time, and given he was currently working as a lawyer at another boutique law firm, I decided to reach out to him to get some tips. We met for lunch to have a catchup and he advised me of a paralegal opening at the Commonwealth prosecutors’ office. It wasn’t the dream job I was looking for. But it was a foot in the door. I wasn’t really confident I’d get the job as I know jobs at the Prosecutors office are, anecdotally, in high demand. None the less, I applied and got the job. I called him on the mobile phone to tell him the good news, and again he told me “Don’t thank me, thank Jesus. I’m just a pawn.” (or words to that effect).

I stayed in that job for about 2 years where I completed my articled clerkship to become a fully admitted lawyer. The agency paid for some of my expenses and books and I had entitlements for study leave. I started looking for a job as a lawyer. Again I applied, but didn’t have much success as
by then the Western Australian economy, underpinned by the Mining export sector, was in decline. Then one day, a colleague of mine who I knew to be a Christian, referred me to an advertisement for an entry-level lawyer role advertised at a related government agency. I had earlier applied for this same agency’s graduate program but was unsuccessful. So I was thinking to myself “If I wasn’t successful getting a graduate role, what makes me think I will get the more advanced lawyer role?” I told this to my colleague who replied with words to the effect “Don’t worry man, just apply. I’ll pray for you.” I applied and got the job. I thanked him, treated him to lunch and he replied to the effect: “Thank the Lord”.

Fast forward another 3 years and I met my current fiancée in Perth. She was a Singaporean and a Christian. From the moment we met we knew we were the ones for each other. We kept a long distance relationship with each other for a few months then decided that I would try to find a job in Singapore. From about June 2016, I began applying for jobs in Singapore. I applied for many roles and contacted numerous recruiters but my weakness was a lack of relevant private sector experience in finance. My fiancée and her mother told me (quite persistently) to “Pray every day” or “Pray and God will find you a good job.” Then by November 2016, a miracle happened, I was contacted by a firm and through a string of coincidences and commonalities I shared with the CEO and other management staff—I got the job. Given how the ducks lined up in this role I was convinced it was an act of God. My CEO even said at one point that I was a God send, given no other suitable applicants with my legal and regulatory experience applied. No prizes for guessing what my fiancée and her mother told me to do once I got the job.

It was at this point that I realised God had chosen me to be in Singapore and live with my fianceé as a Christian. I look back at how after I backslided Jesus continued to knock on my door by showing me his influence, but I didn’t answer until now. Now, with a Christian fiancée and friends and relatives, it has become a part of my life. I now attend church devoutly every Sunday and encourage others to do so. I regularly spend time reading RPG at night to learn more about Jesus to understand His will better. Byron U.

“Are you sure you will go to heaven?”

I was born in a Roman Catholic family. From young I followed the Roman Catholic teachings and when I was in Primary 4 I was baptized. I was baptized because I need to partake the Eucharist. A few months after that, my mother passed away, followed by my father not long after. I was only 11 years old that time. Since then I stayed with my uncle in a village called Soe (in East Nusa Tenggara). Because my uncle is a Protestant, I followed them to the Protestant Church.

After a few years in the Protestant Church, they asked me to go through the catechism classes. I went through all the classes, but I did not really understand about Baptism and Holy Communion. Having attended the catechism classes, I was not baptized again because they said that the Roman Catholic baptism is enough.

I was diligent in prayer and also in reading of the Scriptures, but I did not understand to whom I prayed to, and who is Jesus Christ. I professed to be a Christian, but I did not know how to live as a Christian. Then, before I was baptized, I ran to Malaysia, and in 2008 I started working there. My life was in a mess. I did not care what is right and what is wrong; if I am happy, I will do it. I never thought that I was sinning against God, and I had gone so far from Him. For years my life was in a mess, even without acknowledging it.

After that, I went back to Indonesia. Those who asked me about my religion, I just said that I am a Christian. But I knew from all aspects, I was so far from being a Christian. In fact, every Sunday morning I was just sleeping on my bed. I did not fear to commit sin, and I know that my sin is great.

Finally, in the year 2016 I planned to go and work in Singapore. On October 2016 I started working in Singapore, for a Christian employer. In that month, for the first time, my employer brought me to True Life B-P Church. For me, going to Church was merely my duty as a worker in my employer’s family. I was thinking to follow them to Church because they are my masters. At the first meeting in the Indonesian Bible Study, I felt normal.

One day, after a few months, the teacher in the Indonesian Bible Study asked me personally this question, “Are you sure that after this life you will go to heaven?” I was confused on what to answer him. I only can say, “Maybe”. I got the answer that day—every true believer should be able say that they will surely go to heaven. Since then I asked myself, “Whom do I believe? Who is the Lord that I should believe?”

Since then I continued attending the Bible Study diligently and I learned much concerning the doctrine of salvation and who Jesus is. Finally in the Gospel of John 11:25-26, the Lord says, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” The Lord also says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

There are many lessons that I have learned from the Indonesian Bible Study, which caused me to realize what is true salvation. I know there are many sins that I have done in my life, but I also believe that the Lord Jesus has forgiven me of all my sins, because every sinner who believes in Jesus have all his sins forgiven. I thank God that I found work here so that I might find the true salvation, which is from the Lord Jesus.

I thank God for my teacher who has taught me. I also thank God for my employers (Andrew and Kate) who have always brought me to Church and have always given me time to learn the Word of God. Oktaviana M.

Golgotha or Calvary, “the place of a skull” (Luke 23:33)

1 Goldhill Plaza, #03-35, S(308899)
admin@truelifebpc.org.sg
6254 1287

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