BAPTISM TESTIMONIES III

God in His Mysterious Ways Dealt with Me

I did not know what it took to be a Christian. I read apologetics. I read a little in the commentaries. I have tried to read the Bible. I went to my favourite churches to listen to sermons. I attended Bible Study cell groups. I read materials on religion. I talked to people from various religious faiths. I observed folk religious practices in my childhood. I tried to make sense of the many so-called religions and practices that I chanced upon in my life. I started doing this more than 50 years ago. At first sight it might appear to you that I did all this out of curiosity. But I did sense a certain emptiness within me, and that led me to a long search for a better explanation for my existence.

On January 27, 2015, I was wheeled into the CGH’s operating theatre for an emergency removal of my gall bladder. The surgeon told me that a small lesion was also found in my liver. I knew my gall bladder had to be removed immediately. I had learnt of the perils of not operating on it. So I signed the mandatory patient consent forms for the intrusive and major operation immediately and without hesitation. For good measure I told the operating surgeon to excise the affected liver as well.

I was very ill and in great pain. But my mind remained very active. The surgeon told me that there were gall stones in my gall bladder which had perforated. He assured me that the damage was contained within the capsule (of the gall bladder). But the small lesion in my liver adjacent to it and my unbearable pain made me think that if the gall bladder contents were to spill into my abdominal cavity, I would be in grave danger. I knew that I might die whilst being operated on.

This was my darkest moment. I felt a strong need to say my last words to my spouse. I had no hand-phone with me. I had lost contact with my family. The pain I could not endure any longer. I was not afraid of dying. I supposed I could not care anymore. The surgery had to go on. In this very dark moment, I began to pray. It was too late to regret that I had not learned to pray. So I simply prayed. I prayed simply. Nothing complicated or sophisticated. I prayed the sinner’s prayer. I called for divine intervention to accept my simple prayer. I prayed that GOD, in His omniscience, would hear my intended prayer even as I was stuttering. I prayed for GOD to decide what would happen to me in the surgery. I prayed to GOD and submitted to His will.

At this moment, I became fond of the Lord’s Prayer. I suddenly felt the immensity and profound meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. So I recited the sinner’s prayer and the Lord’s Prayer many times, over and over, again and again. Then I prayed to GOD to show me His presence, His omnipotence and His omniscience.

Mysteriously, I felt GOD’s presence. I felt GOD revealing Himself to me. I felt GOD revealing to me that He knows about my suffering. I felt GOD’s power over the event. I felt nothing mattered anymore. I repeated my prayer that I submit myself to His will. I cared not about my previous worries. My last speech to my spouse did not matter anymore. Whether the choice I had made for my surgery was correct or not became irrelevant. It was of little importance whether or not medical science had a newer and better option for my surgery which I did not elect as I had submitted to GOD’s will. I became at peace with myself. I struggled no more. Worry and desperation left me.

Up to this very moment in time, I was still able to think and to make assessment of my surroundings. In other words, I was alert in my darkest moment. I am sure of this. I had nothing more to think or worry about since I prayed. I had confessed to GOD without any reservations that I am a sinner seeking GOD’s grace and salvation. I had submitted to GOD’s will for me. I truly experienced His presence. That event took place after my earnest prayers. I felt GOD was aware of my pain and suffering. And I felt GOD had answered my prayers. It was an awesome moment.

Many Bible verses and hymns suddenly became clear and meaningful to me. Before this, I had understood the text in its ordinary meaning in the English language. But now, the profoundness of the meaning struck me. I became enamoured by the hymn “Amazing Grace”. I tried to recall the name of the author and his circumstances when it was written. I sensed happiness thinking about all this and realising that I had found meaning and enjoyment in this hymn. I thank GOD for His saving grace, for the opportunity of knowing Him, for granting me new found wisdom, for seeing me through the most difficult time in my life, for answering all my prayers, and for changing me and my life so drastically.

I am past testing and arguing over everything presented to me about Christianity. I have spent some effort seeking. I now believe that there is no other explanation for this existence of ours in the world. GOD in His mysterious way dealt with me. For He is GOD.

I believe in the grace of GOD. He knows that I am seeking after Him. By His grace and His will, He revealed Himself to me. That is His right for He is GOD. I was granted incremental wisdom during this episode. I now know that there is no other way, I know it is GOD’s power, design and will that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth in His redeeming grace to die on the cross for me. I have learnt to accept this fact. GOD is Supreme. He is the One I worship. I accept and, believe in the Trinity of GOD.

I have arrived at this point where I have learned that no one, not the most intelligent and the highest performance person on earth comes close to the highest and incomparable power of my GOD. I know how little I am. I describe myself to my closest friends that I am just a little red ant scouring amongst the dirt on earth. I know that my GOD is SUPREME. I, the little fella, had not known HIM because of my arrogance. I am a fallen self because I have sinned against HIM.

I look forward to be baptised at Labrador Park. I am thankful for GOD’s blessing upon me. I am not deserving of all He gave and all that He can give to me. I surrender to His will. I declare that I am a sinner. GOD help me I pray. By the Blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross at Calvary I am washed, cleansed and redeemed.

I shall commence my new life as a Christian. I thank GOD for bringing me into His fold. I am ready to openly declare that I am a Christian. I have no inhibition. On my own accord, I seek baptism. This is commanded in the Bible. And I thank GOD for it. There is no other way. Lam Fui Leong

Jesus Christ Has Forgiven Me of All My Sins

I was born in China in 1941. My father was working in Malaysia but he sent for my mother, brother and me to go to Singapore. We were Buddhists and I have not heard about Jesus Christ until I met a lady who came to my house and talked about Jehovah. I asked her many questions concerning God, but she could not answer me. After that she stopped coming.

I was divorced from my wife and lived alone. Later I came to St John’s Home because I was ill. When I was at St John’s Home, I heard about Jesus Christ and His saving grace. I kept thinking and felt that it is good to believe in Jesus. I believe that I am a sinner and cannot go to heaven by anything I do. I believe that Jesus can save me and when I die I can go to heaven. If I do not believe Jesus Christ, I cannot go to heaven. I listened to the gospel, I believed in Jesus and so on 17 March 2015, I told Deborah and Jenny that I wanted to believe in Jesus. I prayed to Jesus and asked Him to wash away my sins and save me. Jesus Christ has forgiven me of all my sins and He is my Saviour and my Lord. I wish very much to be baptized. I wish to study the Bible. Ng Huan Pong

My Goals and Aims in Life Have Changed

Ever since I was young, I have known about Jesus Christ. As I come from a Christian family, I would follow my parents to church to listen to God’s word every week. Naturally, as a young girl, I would think that I was already born a Christian as I go to church every Sunday without fail. The thought never occurred to me that I had to truly believe the gospel in my heart in order to be saved to go to heaven. It wasn’t until I was seven years old when I fully understood the gospel and the need for me to believe in Jesus as my personal Saviour before saying the sinners’ prayer. I was at home looking for something in the shelf when I found an old tract. I then picked it up and read it, and at that very moment I realised that I needed a Saviour to save me from my sins. I looked back on my life—aimlessly singing hymns and thoughtlessly raising up my hand when my Sunday School teachers asked the class who had been saved. I thank God for that day when He opened my heart, to allow me to comprehend the simple gospel message before I said the sinners’ prayer, confessing my sins and believing that Jesus Christ came to this wicked world to die for my sins before He rose again on the third day. After that, I felt immense peace in my heart and knew for sure that I would go to heaven one day to be with Him.

Since that day, my goals and aims in life have changed. All that I do, I do it with all my might, trusting in God to give me the strength and wisdom to complete my tasks, and I do it for His glory. Also, during service, instead of aimlessly singing hymns, I do it meditatively; always thanking God for all that He has done and given to me. I truly thank God for His grace and mercy for giving me salvation so rich and free, for choosing me to be His child. I pray that I will continue to walk closely with God each and every step of the way. Anne Chan

I Asked God to Revive My Spiritual Life

I was born into a Christian family. As I grew, my parents taught me about God’s Word, but I did not receive Jesus into my heart yet. It then happened one day which I can scarcely remember on June 26, 2009, when I was 7 years old that I received Him into my heart.

As years went by, my assuredness of my salvation grew dim. I did not read my Bible as often and as eagerly as I did before. Those years were dark years for me. Every night when I pray before I sleep, I was afraid that Jesus would suddenly come, with me still in my sins because of my unsure faith.

It all ended one night when I asked God to revive my spiritual life again. After that night, I read my Bible in the morning on the passage of Psalm 51. It really suited my condition that time. I knew that God would be merciful to me a sinner as in the scripture passage, Luke 18:13. Now I am seeking baptism to make a public confession of my faith in God. Lagapa Jose Trinipil II Ba-a