Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Hmmm feel like putting my testimony on the blog (: It's kinda long so..
just read it! ahha
I was born in a Christian family and went to a Christian school (ACS Br) and thus I accepted Christ rather early during one of my school's Religious Emphasis Week (REW) when I was primary 3. On that particular day, after the speaker had finished speaking and when he started to pray he asked anyone who wanted to accept Christ to pray this prayer along with him. I felt something in my heart prompting me to pray but I kept telling myself, "I'm already a Christian wad..." (At that time I did not really know what being a Christian was yet) But in the end I decided to just pray...
After the prayer, the speaker asked all those who prayed the prayer with him to raise up my hand and I did but with great fear that someone might see me. So I quickly put it up then down again. After the whole thing, it was announced that those who rose up their hands were to stay back for a while so they could take down our names or something like that. Me, being too embarrass to stay back, left. That was basically how I accepted Christ.
After that however, I did not feel like anything changed in my life and went back to living my same old normal life, studying for tests and exams, praying while I lying down on my bed just before I went to sleep, going to church every Sunday (have been praying and going to church since young with my parents but took it as a chore), playing the computer etc.
Life went on as usual and when I was still primary 3 I began to steal from the school's bookshop. It started off with something small like the sharpener then I began to be bolder and to steal more and more. Primary 4 came and the school moved to a new campus for renovation and there I continued to steal. Another significant even that happened that year was that my parents stopped going to church so I too stopped with a big smile on my face (In my heart I was like YAY! I don't have to wake up early on Sunday mornings again and waste my time in church!)
However, even at this low point in my life, God started to work in my life and mould me to what I am today. The first thing he did was to stop me from stealing. He did this by causing me to loose my watch when I was around primary 4 or 5. Before I actually lost the watch, God had forewarned me that if I would not stop stealing, I would loose something I had equal to the amount I stole (At that point I was just telling myself I was thinking too much), so when I lost my watch I was like ok... maybe it really IS God telling me that.. I think I should stop stealing before I loose something else. So after that incident I began to steal less and less and before I knew it I stopped stealing! (This did not just happen in a few weeks or months but took almost a whole year before I finally stopped.)
Another event that God used to change me was when I was sec 1. During sec 1, my godfather passed away while he was on a business trip to the United States. That really impacted my life, as he was really close to me, closer to me then even my father. Just like that someone whom I love was just taken away and the worst thing is that while he was still around I did not appreciate the things he did, always taking things for granted, even though he treated me like his son...
From that day on, I began to draw closer to Christ and began to read my bible daily and while doing so remembered what He did that day at Calvary dying on the cross for the sins of not just the Jews, but the whole world! I'd also taken this gift of eternal life for granted but now since that incident I started to thank God for the many things He has given me. It was at this point where I felt that I should go back to church, but still, my pride and the temptations of the world stopped me from going back...
One thing that caused me to be afraid since young was to be alone especially during the night or after I watch a horror film as I was afraid of ghosts, spirits, demons and the like... (Part of it was also because I lived so close to a cemetery) I dreaded going upstairs alone and would only do so when I bring my dog along with me or when I had someone to accompany me. So than one day, my grandmother after seeing how scared I was even though I was so old (sec 1 already for crying out loud!) brought me to see pastor Peter Lin (The Chinese ministry pastor) and he explained to me how to overcome this fear, that is by praying. I, after listening to what he said felt somewhat consoled and from that day onwards I began to get less and less afraid about such things. Another thing that was significant after that day was that he invited me to church (This church!) I decided to go that Sunday and the week after that I joined the Youth Fellowship on the 20th of Oct 2002!
Although I did not really enjoy youth fellowship the first few times, I soon began to make friends and after about a year I began to serve in the worship ministry in the youth as a back-up singer. The joy of going to church was great, having fellowship with other believers and of course God! The most important thing I learned while at church was my assurance of eternal life! All through my Christian life, I'd always thought that good works was involved in order to gain eternal life and I've always lived a life worrying where I'll go after I die, Heaven or Hell? But after learning the verse in 1 John 5:12, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." I'm assured that I have eternal life!!!!! =)
Things improved further when some of my friends and I started, on 5th December, something like a cell group where we worship, fellowship and even listen to a sermon all on the phone! It was a great idea to encourage and pray for each other and also to bring people to Christ, although none of us really knew how. Than one day during one of the Youth Retreats (The first one I attended) I learned how to share Chris with others! I learned how to use this booklet called the four spiritual laws and from that day on, was empowered to do evangelism and bring the good news to not just my friends but even teachers in school! God has really blessed me and has given me lots of opportunities to share Christ with free thinkers, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslims and even Mormons (a cult)! The experience of going out there and sharing was great and God has graciously given me the chance to reap some of the harvest while sometimes to sow seeds... Seeds that will last!
Brothers and sisters, I tell you that once you have gone out and sown seeds and reaped the harvest, you would never want to stop but continue to bring people to God's Kingdom! Even I myself started off at first uncertain of what the outcome would be if I shared Christ with my friends (Imagine what they would say about me!!) but I decided just to try and when I shared Christ for the first few times in a tent during OBS to my friend, my friend accepted! I was amazed at what God did in me that night and since then I've never stopped telling others about God's love.
Soon after the youth retreat, I went for a discipleship course which really got me connected to God and there I learned many things that brought me to a much closer relationship with God! I learnt things like how worship is not just the singing of songs but offering our lives to God, how I should live according to God's will and most importantly staying connected to the vine (which is Christ).
After the discipleship course, I somehow just decided to memorize the Sermon on the Mount after being encouraged by this person who did it during his seminary training, which I read about during the discipleship course. I did so and only finished in 2005! This is my encouragement to all you people out there who complain about memorizing scripture, don't worry if God can let a person like me memorize 3 chapters of the bible, I'm sure He will empower you to do so as well! Don't loose heart!
Then in August of 2004, I was asked to head the Evangelism ministry (The youth one), which after praying about it I took it on. Although we started off small with about 6 people, I thank God for providing me with a wonderful planning committee that is ever so eager for the expansion of His Kingdom. In 2005, God continue to pour His blessings on us and we grew to 11 members with a proper structure and inspiring us to hold certain evangelistic/outreach programs like the Youth Alpha, which in my opinion was quite a success!
I really thank God for everything that he has done in and through my life for being there with me always, inspiring me, comforting me, consoling me, encouraging me, going on ahead to prepare the way for me and leading me. God You are my everything. I love You...
2:27 PM
_______________________________________________________
