MEMBERSHIP TESTIMONIES

God Answered My Prayers in His Own Time

Yap Choo Lian

My growing up years was in the mid-fifties when living conditions in Singapore were third-world. Public housing was at its infancy. I lived in an attap house in a kampong. In fact we were squatters, but we paid land rent. We were pretty poor and life was a struggle. There were like 25 of us living in the house and my paternal grandmother who was from Fujian was the head of the household. She instilled Chinese beliefs and customs into the family and was a Taoist.

It was in 1960 when I was in Primary Six in an all girls’ school when I first heard about Jesus Christ. A couple of my classmates were “leaders” in a daily prayer meeting before class. I was invited to attend these prayer sessions held at the end of the corridor near the staircase landing. After attending several sessions I began to ask the fundamental question of whether Jesus Christ could change lives. As the eldest child in a family of six children my life then was so hard. I was burdened with domestic chores and had no time for studies, let alone the joys of childhood. I never had a toy. I recalled my classmates sharing with me Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instructions.” It was at one of these prayer sessions where I unburdened my sorrows to God and truly believed that He heard me. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour at the tender age of 11.

I knew that to grow in my faith I needed to study the Bible and attend church. These were strictly prohibited and I was not allowed to read the Bible nor attend church. I was threatened by my uncle who was then the “patriarch” that I will be punished and would have to stop school if I disobeyed him. My father was the youngest and had no say over the “rules” in the house. Being so young and helpless, I had no choice and knew that I just had to continue to pray and trust the Lord would change things. I patiently waited till I started work. It was then that I began to fulfil this desire to own a Bible and to attend church. Sadly, my parents did not allow me to be baptised as they made me promised that I would have to be responsible for their end-of-days arrangements according to Taoist rites. I trusted the Lord and knew deep in my heart that one day I would be baptised and proudly announce that I am a Christian. The wait was long. It happened when my parents gave up Taoism and ancestral worship in 2004. The day they informed me of this, I cried with joy and thanked God. I was baptised the same year.

My journey to be a Christian was difficult and fraught with emotional blackmail. However, the Lord did change my life. He answered my prayers in His own time. I got married into a Christian family and found peace and joy. It was the Bible and prayers which helped to overcome my grief when my husband passed on suddenly with a heart attack in 2005. I cried to the Lord and prayed for comfort and He showed me Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy.

God Is Faithful

Eileen Chee

By God’s grace I became a Christian when I was 15 years old. It was also by God’s gracious leading that I began worshipping and learning so much about Him in a B-P church, as opposed to what I might receive if I were in a Charismatic or neo-evangelical church. What left a lasting impression in my youthful days and persisted till now was the truth that God’s Word must take center-place in all my thoughts, beliefs and practices. I yearned and looked forward to every Lord’s Day for this was the day when I can listen to good, solid biblical preaching from morning till evening.

I thank God for True Life BPC where I can go assuredly (since April 2015) for sermons which highly promote Christ and His Word. With these, I know I can continue to learn and grow spiritually. I am also thankful to God for granting me various opportunities, not only to help in little and small ways, but also to know and fellowship with some of her people. This June, it will be my first time ever to bring my mother to a church camp. I thank God that True Life BPC has a Chinese Service, and that during camp, the Chinese-speaking brethren are not neglected. It is my prayer that one day, my mother will believe in Jesus Christ as her Saviour, and then grow in the Word in a good church, in the same way the Lord had helped me when I first believed in Him. God is faithful. “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).

The Need to Understand History

Benson Tan

I was born into a Buddhist family. My mother and grandmother prayed to idols like Tua Pek Kong and Kuanyin. Since young, I was exposed to pagan rites and religious practices. When I was a boy, my mother will go to a medium to seek the idol for blessing. It can be for blessing in health, success in studies or resolving life issues.

As I grew up in my youth, I had similar thinking from these traditions that these gods could bring blessing in my life. However, through my personal trials and life issues, I began to ask myself if there is a real God. During my courtship days with my wife, we visited Agape Baptist Church. It was there I gave my life to Jesus.

Over time, as I matured in the Lord, I realised the need to understand the Reformers’ history and Bible history. This was partly due to the many Bible versions with missing verses, the substitution, addition and subtraction of verses. It took me a long time to finally understand the inspiration and preservation and inspiration of the Scriptures and the faithfulness of the Authorised Version of the Bible.

However, I had another problem on which church to go to. The search led me to FEBC, which explained that Westcott and Hort had adulterated the Word of God. The Lord finally led me to True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church. I thank the Lord for helping me and my family to find this church.

Jesus Is My Shepherd

Michelle Tan

This is my testimony of how I received Christ into my life and I am pleased to share that my life has never been the same ever since the great transformation works He had begun in my life.

Before I knew Jesus, l did not know who God really is. I grew up in a Buddhist family. My parents used to bring my brothers and me to the temple to pray for good health and protection. I recalled my parents made several visits to seek the Chinese priests to bless my brother with good study results, but those prayers did not come true. Whenever I reflected on my past religious life, those memories of visiting temples and seeking the medium for favors seemed to be meaningless and without purpose. Although I did not have a real understanding of who God is, God has planted a seed of in my life since I was a child. He sent Christians to share the Gospel to me in 2 different periods of my life – during my secondary school and university days. I knew deep in my heart that Christian faith was considered taboo in my family. Due to my ignorance and lack of courage, I dared not pursue this path of light and I rejected Christianity. After I entered the workforce, I realized my life had fallen into a daily routine with work and sleep. Life was mundane and very often, I challenged myself with this question: “What is my purpose in life?”

Over the years, God did not forget about me. On one occasion, I remember vividly that my colleagues invited me to watch a musical called “Heaven’s Gates & Hell” at Trinity Christian Center. After the end of the musical, the pastor prayed for the congregation. I heard Jesus knocking at the door of my heart. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20). Out of curiosity, I raised my hand to declare that I was willing to open the door of my heart to allow Jesus to enter my life. It was during this moment that I surrendered my life to Jesus. I wept uncontrollably when I said the salvation prayer. It took me a longer time to complete the salvation prayers as I had to struggle between reading the lines and the efforts to hold back the tears which kept rolling down unknowingly. Later, I learnt from another sister in Christ that I was behaving that way because I was touched by the Holy Spirit.

Through reading the Word of God, I began to know more about who God is and I remained grateful to Him. He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. The Lord opened up my eyes to see the beauty of the world, to fear Him always and to seek Him and the knowledge of God. In the name of Jesus, I want to give thanks for the transformation in my life and I am glad to tell others Jesus is my Shepherd. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16).