MY BROTHER’S SALVATION

Gorlden Liew
Testimony shared at church prayer meeting on 27 September 2019

My elder brother Destry Liew fought cancer for 5 years. The Lord saved his soul on Saturday 21 September 2019 at 3.30am and took him home the same day at 3.47pm. Like the rest of my immediate family members, Destry was an unbeliever.

God Laid the Foundation

Reading: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God and there is none else.”

On the morning of Friday, 13 September 2019, Elder Douglas, his wife (Elizabeth), my wife (Siaw Chiun) and I drove to KL with the intention of sharing the gospel with my aged parents, elder brother (Destry), who was terminally ill with end stage cancer; and other family members.

The next morning, Elder Douglas shared the gospel with Destry and other family members present at his Damansara home. Benji (my nephew) typed almost every word Elder Douglas said on a laptop computer for Destry to read as he had lost his hearing during his chemo treatment some time ago.

Elder Douglas returned to Destry’s house on Sunday morning for a one-on-one gospel sharing session with my brother. My wife and I took this opportunity to bring my dad and mum to Calvary Jaya BPC for the morning Lord’s Day worship service. As Destry was not ready to say the Sinner’s Prayer after the sharing session, Elder Douglas recited the Sinner’s Prayer for my nephew (Benji) to type on a laptop.

We returned safely to Singapore the same day with the blessed assurance and that our work for the Lord would not be in vain, not sure when we would be back to KL.

Events Leading to Salvation

On Friday 20 September at about 7pm, my wife and I was about to leave for church prayer meeting at Godhill. I received a call at 7.05pm from younger sibling Kington. He said my elder brother Destry was unconscious and in hospital, his breathing is labored and he may die in a few hours, come now!

We decided to pack and drive to KL as we could not get a flight the same night. I messaged Elder Douglas Ho at 7.10pm to send me the Sinner’s Prayer as my brother is in hospital and dying. I prayed that God will sustain my brother for salvation. He messaged me, “I come with you, I am on the way for prayer meeting. I can turn back and should be home at about 8.20pm.” My wife and I had a quick dinner and we then proceeded to pick up Elder Douglas and headed to KL.

We arrived safely at Subang Jaya Medical Center slightly after 3am the next day (Sat 21 Sep). Elder Douglas led us in prayer before we alighted and headed for the hospital ward. My niece (Geri) was there alone with her father in the hospital ward. He had been in a semi-conscious state and weak since she arrived there 2 hours or so earlier. Glad that we came, she shook her father’s shoulder and to our surprise he opened his eyes slowly and nodded his head to acknowledge our presence.

Douglas then quickly proceeded to write the Sinner’s Prayer on paper. “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I Destry Liew come to you, the Saviour of sinners. Please save my soul and forgive my sins. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” Elder Douglas went through the Sinner’s Prayer with him once by placing the written Sinner’s Prayer in my brother’s hands, a slight distance from his face (Destry held the paper tightly as though to read). Elder Douglas moved his first finger word for word as he read the Sinner’s Prayer to Destry. My brother seemed to nod his head in acknowledgment after the Sinner’s Prayer was read but we were not sure. Elder Douglas then went back to the table and wrote the Sinner’s Prayer again in larger print as I reminded Douglas that my brother was short-sighted.

I then recited the Sinner’s Prayer again with my brother, this time by placing the paper closer to his face and moving my finger word for word as before. We could see his eyes were wide open and it was obvious his eyeballs were moving as we read the Sinner’s Prayer together. He nodded his head again (more obvious this time round) after we had finished reading. He brought his hands together as though praying to God. Elder Douglas then wrote on a clean paper, “Destry, you are now a child of God” and read this with him in the same manner as before. Again, Destry nodded his head as though to say “Yes” and closed his eyes. It was very obvious to Elder Douglas, Siaw Chiun and myself that by the grace and mercies of God, Destry had been saved.

The nurse came in several minutes later to measure and record his blood pressure and to her surprise it read 104 (drastic improvement) compared to 64 (weak) recorded earlier. We believed God preserved him so that he can say the Sinner’s Prayer in his heart with us and be saved. We also noticed that his breathing was less labored than when we first arrived. We felt comforted that his soul has been saved and left for the hotel to rest.

My niece (Geri) messaged me at about 10.40am to come immediately to the hospital as “he (Destry) is not going to be here long.” When we arrived his breathing was weak and his eyes appeared lifeless and blank. At about 3.30pm that day, Elder Douglas, Siaw Chiun and I went for late lunch and proceeded to the hotel to wash up. I received a message from my eldest niece Pamela around 4.40pm that Destry had passed on peacefully at about 3.30pm. His wake was held from Sunday evening 22 September to Monday night 23 September. Funeral service was held 2 days later on Tuesday 24 September. Elder Douglas returned to Singapore safely on Sunday 22 September. My wife and I drove back to Singapore on Wednesday 25 September.

In Closing

The family, my wife and I are saddened by the sudden passing of my brother and yet rejoice that he is in the arms of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The gospel seed had been sown and the foundation laid for the salvation of other family members. There was no doubt God wanted to save Destry. God had used and led Elder Douglas, Elizabeth, Siaw Chiun and I to KL for my brother’s salvation. He brought us through an amazing, wonderful and spiritually uplifting journey of the salvation of my brother.

Surely and truly our all sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent God was with us all the way. He had directed us, encouraged us, strengthened us, and was there to comfort us in this inspiring and rewarding spiritual journey. He had used each one of us in His own peculiar way, in His perfect timing, for His perfect work to save a lost soul. We are much encouraged by this spiritual experience and hope many too will be inspired and encouraged by this testimony. Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I trust and believe that the ground work for God’s work of salvation in the family laid will not be in vain. May all glory and blessings be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Please continue to pray for that blessed hope that by the grace and mercies of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, many other lost unbelieving souls too will be saved. Thank you.

[Ed: The sinner’s prayer in Luke 23:42, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”, saved the repentant thief. “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (v43).]

STUDY HISTORICAL THEOLOGY

It has been 2000 years already since the Lord Jesus Christ came and gave us the Biblical Canon of the Christian Faith. How has the Church developed and matured in the Christian Faith in terms of understanding its Truths and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt 28:19–20), especially the part on indoctrination, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt 28:20)?In order to know this, one has to study Historical Theology.

In Bible colleges and seminaries, Christian Theology (eg Buswell’s Systematic Theology) is usually taught in these four main parts: (1) Theism, (2) Anthropology, (3) Soteriology, and (4) Eschatology. At the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC), this is offered perennially in the night classes open to the public. Every Christian should know theology.

Doctrines defined and defended in history and passed down in creeds and confessions have an important role in protecting and preserving the Christian Faith. That was why the Apostle Paul warned against departing from biblical tradition: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” (2 Thess 3:6).

FEBC’s course on “Heresies and Orthodoxy” next semester will study into how God revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures and how His people, the Church learned, taught and defended the Truth throughout the ages. It is a synthesis of Systematic Theology and Church History. It is vital that as Christians we should know our faith and our roots.

Historical theologian Roger Olson rightly observed: “Our [Christian] situation is like a people who do not know their ancestry—where their family came from or who they were. Only the situation is more serious than that. It is more like the situation of people who wish to be a good citizen of a nation but know little or nothing of its history, including its founding, its wars, its heroes, its principles and its leaders. Living as fulfilled and functioning followers of Jesus Christ is similar to being good citizens of a nation. It requires knowing the stories of people who have sought to follow Christ and be his disciples through many different cultures and epochs of history.”

Make it a point to study historical theology. Make an appointment with God to do so next semester at FEBC. More information in the Basic Theology for Everyone (BTFE) brochure available at the book table, or from FEBC’s website (www.febc.edu.sg). JK