SALVATION TESTIMONIES (II)

Now Christ Lives in Me

My journey to the cross of Calvary was a path of self-denial, humility and great pain. Yet reflecting back, the converse of pursuing carnal delights and having it easy with the lights and sounds of the world seem so distant and pale. Though often fumbling about with temptation and consistently wrestling against secular desires, the experience of being a soldier for Christ is one of victory and liberty. My story of how Christ lifted me from iniquity is one I hope displays the power of Christ to save even the most wayward and confused of sinners.

I was raised in a Christian home, being the youngest son in a family of four. I attended a Methodist kindergarten and received schooling on religion. We learnt Christian nursery rhymes alongside the usual poems for young children. While still rather ignorant and distracted with enjoying myself, it was there that I appreciated the concept of a Holy God, the sin-cursed human, and the inescapable consequence of death. A memory I had was crying to my mother how I feared the sting of mortality, to leave this world to enter a realm that seemed dark and ominous. She did not reply me, rather she let my tears soil her shoulder. It was here that God taught me my first lesson about life, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.” (Heb 9:27)

As a new millennium approached, my parents decided to seek a better life on distant shores. Little did we know this action would trigger a crisis so great that we collapsed before God, begging Him for mercy. We moved to Perth, Western Australia, and found residency in the southern regions. After decades of wondering aimlessly in sin, the good Lord willed to place us in His purifying crucible, to remind us of His calling in a way that we will never forget Him again. We as a family suffered the punishing hand of the Lord for several years. My parents and elder brother submitted to Christ as their Lord and Saviour. I, however, did not. The Lord permitted tribulation to beset us for many years after the conversion of my parents and brother. I believe this was to refine their faith to make them more grounded and secure. We attended several churches, eventually settling into BPCWA. I did a fantastic job of adopting the practices of Christianity. I even fooled myself, making the teachings of Sunday School a habit, lacking conviction. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim 3:5). I continued obliviously to sit on the fence, regarding Christianity as a lifestyle and way of life.

God was patient and merciful, giving me ample time to enjoy the blessings of fellowship and to eventually accept truth. I knew all the necessary doctrines, yet I did not embrace them from the heart. I was making a bee line toward the path of a reprobate, on the verge of committing the unpardonable sin, but thank God that He never gives up on His chosen. Just like my parents, I needed a turning point, something to alert me of the cancerous unbelief that plagued my soul. In varsity, God struck me down. He took everything I held dear away from me. My altar of idols, consisting of academia, social achievements, awards, and a lovesick heart were thrown down. Being the silly, unregenerate youth, I grew angry with the concept of God and sought other means to fill the gaps. I researched into other religions, exploring ideas of cosmic energies and karma. Students from atheistic and agnostic circles beset me, rationalising God into a figment of the human construct for order and balance. Substance abuse was rampant among my social circles, and I joined the bandwagon. Life was meaningless and pointless.

During class, a friend of mine invited me to join the Christian Fellowship of the college I was attending. At this stage I had essentially given up on faith and sought to stay sedentary and depressed. I tagged along anyway, again the hand of God in action. The preacher spoke a message that still echoes in my mind when I begin to doubt. It was taken from Mark 4:37-41, telling of Christ calming the tempests that threatened the survival of the crew. As he spoke, I stared at verse 39. Even as it was being read out, it was like Christ reached out and embraced me, whispering into my ear, “Peace, be still.” For the first time, the storm within me settled as the Words of God finally found their resting place in my heart. I cried that night, and every other night for a week. I prayed to God for forgiveness, uttering the sinner’s prayer, though said a million times before, made no difference until that night. The road to recovery was going to be a long, arduous trip, but I knew the Lord was faithful to guide me along. What happened after this point is another story.

The disillusion I had was that by my efforts, I could find God. However, a lost sheep when looking for its shepherd is most likely going to get even more forlorn. Christ found me, a miserable wreck at his wit’s end, and carried me back into His fold. The life I live now is by no means easier, but now I have the grace and faith to persevere, not of my own strength. Though I still struggle with sin, I can still emerge victorious and free because now Christ lives in me. I still travel along the road to Heaven, with no regrets. Praise and thank God. Benjamin Lim

Found Good Christian Fellowship

I came from an unbelieving family. My parents were both Buddhists but I was a free thinker. My eldest sister used to work for an English family and that was how she came to know Jesus Christ. It was one day that she decided to bring all her siblings to Newton Life Church which I gladly followed. At that time we did not have the money to afford a Bible but that did not stop us from going to learn of God’s Word. Every Sunday we would go to church to listen to Rev Timothy Tow tell us about Christ. It was not long later than I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour and was baptised together with my brother.

As I grew older, I did not heed the advice of my sister and the teaching of the church and went ahead to marry an unbeliever. My life has been miserable since then. My walk with Christ suffered during that period of time and I did not go to church to study God’s Word as often as I should. As there were many things that my husband and I did not see eye to eye, we eventually went our separate ways.

I thank God for being so merciful towards my children and me for bringing us back to Him. The worldly friends that I used to have were nothing but trouble. Problems at work kept arising and I did not know who to turn to. By God’s grace I have found good Christian fellowship in church, with whom I can always share and who will always encourage me and point me towards Christ. I now understand the importance of having good Christian fellowship with like-minded brethren. Time spent studying God’s Word through night classes and the various fellowship groups are much more meaningful than the enjoyment that the world has to offer. I thank God for True Life B-P Church for its faithful preaching of God’s infallible and inerrant Word. All praise and glory be unto God. Jane Koh

God Can Help Me

I first got to know the Gospel in Secondary School, as I attended Presbyterian High School. There were morning devotions every day when the pastors shared something from the Bible. I always felt that the sharing sessions were very meaningful. At some point, nearer to the exams, I started to believe in my heart in God. This continued until I was 18. My family is Buddhist and thus, I couldn’t outwardly show the faith.

Anyway, when I was in University, my faith changed. I started to doubt the Gospel. I started to question religion as a whole. I couldn’t reconcile my thoughts and understanding. I began to wonder about the meaning of life. I wondered about happiness and how I could achieve it. Then I realised it is not possible to be happy at all. People will always be troubled and suffer. But then, God can help me. He can show me through the Bible how to lead a life of happiness, if only I follow His words. So, here I am to learn more about God’s Word and to be a better person.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of possessions is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17).

The world is an illusion, and only God knows what is real…. Tan Jie Xin

Hungry to Grow Spiritually

There was no obvious abnormality nor significant events of note. No opposition from home nor environment. I went to a Methodist Secondary School with many Christian fellowship brothers. I attended several churches so far the past 20 years. Was involved in cell groups, did outreach, was enthusiastic but never a member anywhere, nor baptised. Why? There was always a doubt. Cannot place a finger to the factor but there was a nagging feeling that something was wrong. Not a doubt about God. Pilgrimages only empower my belief. The doubt was of the religion, the ministry by men and not doctrine nor God.

When I first came to True Life, Pastor’s sermons pointed out why. My doubt was of false prophets and mega-entrepreneurship-worship places. At True Life, I fully agree and am enlightened by the doctrine and stand that we take. Finally, there is spiritual growth after 20 years of drought. Very excited and look forward to baptism and Easter, which is a harvest day for myself. I’m thirsty and hungry to grow spiritually in True Life from hence forward. Sun Cheng Hung

No Success Without God

I come from a family who are free thinkers. During school days, in 1990, in secondary school my English teacher invited the class to attend his church service in Sembawang. I attended for a day. The teacher told us to believe in Jesus using the Holy Bible.

After I failed my ‘O’ Level exams, I met people who had no serious regard about God but only wanted success in life and be more successful than other people. Their influence made me to follow in their ways not realising that without God’s help nobody can succeed in any attempt to be successful. My belief is that no one can achieve anything without the help of God. A man can have many enemies waiting to plot his downfall. It is God who is able to help him tide over the most difficult of times. God the most merciful is always there to help us overcome our difficulties against people who are non-believers.

So I decided to join a Christian church near my house. The Christian fellowship programme in that church under a British pastor did not make a deep impact in my life. So after I changed job and moved from one job to another I found an ex-colleague who is a Christian. I decided to go and see how her church service was like. She brought me to True Life and Sunset Gospel Hour at Calvary Pandan and Gethsemane Church at Paya Lebar which made me understand the depth of Christianity. Listening to the preaching of God’s Word in True Life, I found my faith strengthened in Jesus Christ.

Despite several setbacks in my career and personal life, I still prefer to come to True Life and be part of God’s Kingdom. Therefore I decided to get baptised. Kevin Teo