TESTIMONY by Tham Huilin, Cheryl
Life before knowing Christ
I had been living in my paternal grandmother’s house since birth until up-per primary school. My paternal grandmother and aunties brought my younger brother and me around when our parents went to work. These places included the temple. When we were there, we were told to pray and worship. I remembered that at one time, the ash fell on my hair. I did not like it because the place was dark, quite warm, smoky, and eerie. The stat-ues looked scary to me and after praying, the temple people stamped a red chop on our shirts. When we were sick, my paternal grandmother would prepare a cup of plain water and then burnt a yellowish paper (which she had obtained from temple). She would then put into the water and told us that we would get well after drinking.
During festivals, she would make us hold joss sticks to pray. I did not like the incense smell and the paper burning and offerings. I became reluctant to do so and after that my paternal grandmother, aunties and my father got offended. I do not like this experience. I also indulged in worldly activities. David Beckham was my idol since young but I had thrown everything away about him including posters, calendar, newspaper cuttings, magazines etc. I used to stay up late or wake up very early morning to watch him play in soccer matches. I also used to like pop boy bands and their songs, and spent my pocket money on buying their albums, limited edition CDs and DVDs by forgoing my recess and lunch. All these resulted in draining up my health, pocket money and concentration in class since I was a primary school kid
How did I come to believe in Christ
My other 2 siblings, my father and I came to believe in Jesus Christ through my mother. She would always share with us the Gospel and brought us to Church on Saturday and Sunday at Lighthouse Evangelism. I felt peaceful in church. There were no statues and the place was bright. My siblings and I attended the children Sunday school (until we grew up and joined our parents) while our parents were at the adults service. My mother would read us Bible stories before bedtime. Thank God that all these wonderful things happened after our parents collected their HDB flat keys. My mother led me in trusting and believing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.
Life after knowing Christ
Currently I attend the worship service at Tabernacle BP Church. I feel that i can have a closer walk with God in this Church. I feel very privileged as I am the only student for this round of Basic Bible Class course as I can ask Elder John any questions all by myself as I am a timid person. My heart is at peace with God and I am delightful and comforted to know where my soul will be after this life on earth ends. I yearn for God’s Word. I read the bible and pray everyday. There are no more worldly idols in my life. I am able to control my anger by God’s grace, and I learn to cast all my cares and burdens on Him.
God’s words and promises comforted my family when my maternal grand-mother and aunty were called home in June 2015 simultaneously. I still remember that time when my mother woke us up around 4am and we rushed down to the hospice to see my maternal grandmother grasping for her last breath. We kept crying and also telling her to call out the name of Jesus as we could see fear in her eyes. It was long time and we hadn’t any breakfast. My siblings and I went to the cafeteria around 8am. As we were finishing our breakfast, I just stared blankly and prayed to the Lord Jesus to bring my maternal grandmother to Him as it was heartbreaking to see her suffering so much. God heard my prayer. It happened as we were about to return to her bed after breakfast. We got a call from my mother that was around 8.56am on a Friday (19 June 2015) and my maternal grandmother had gone home to be with the Lord (she had brain tumour). We held her funeral for 5 days. On 24 June 2015, my maternal aunty passed away, and so we had an-other 5 days of funeral (she had lung cancer). It had been a tough and heart-breaking month in June 2015. Thank God for His grace and strength. My maternal grandfather was also called home just 1 week before I turned 21 years old. Christian songs and hymns move my heart very much that I would cry when singing or listening in church, home, trains and workplace. I love Psalm 23.Thank God for helping me to grow in Him.
Testimony by James Tan Tat Yong
Testimony of Salvation and Calling
I was born into a Taoist family, and my first impression of the Gospel, was during kindergarten, when I attended Glory Kindergarten at Glory Presbyterian Church. There I first understood the significance of events like Good Friday and Christmas. Out of all the lessons and stories being taught, I can only remember the Gospel message, and Bible lessons. My mother began attending the church while I was in primary school, and I attended the Mandarin Sunday School from time to time. At the end of primary six, I first attended the Vacation Bible School held by Calvary Tengah at our neighbours’ invitation. After that, I came to Calvary Tengah BP Church regularly with my mother and brother, and accepted Christ when I was attending the Basic Bible Knowledge class. I found it surprising that I accepted the Gospel so readily and simply.
On reflection, I could see God’s wondrous arrangement in how the Gospel seed had been sown in my life since I was young, from kindergarten till then. I often remember reading John 3:16 posted onto our neighbours’ door, and even some songs and lessons from mandarin Sunday School. I realized that the Gospel message was given to me at every stage of my childhood, and as it was reiterated, God’s Word met any questions or fears that I might have about life at that young age. There was hardly any hesitation, when I was asked if I would confess and accept Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. I was baptised along with my mother and brother that year in August, 1997. The Lord was merciful and gracious according to His promises (Acts 16:31), and saved my father in due time also, bringing our whole house to Christ.
I first felt the desire to serve the Lord in the full time ministry during my first missions trip to North Thailand when I was 17. I saw how the missionaries there laboured daily, from dawn to dusk in the service of the Lord. Also, a brother from FCM in church encouraged me to attend the FEBC night classes. Until then, I never had any inclination to serve the Lord in such a way, and as I prayed and read the Scriptures, I was convict-ed by John 6:27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” As Christ spoke to thosewho followed Him only for the physical bread, and ignored the spiritual bread of life, I knew that I was no longer content in labouring for my own ambitions, and desired then to labour for the Gospel’s sake instead.
However, doubts and fear crept in, and as I started to understand more about the rigours of the ministry, I tried to run away as Jonah did. The Lord was merciful to chastise, and at the end of my national service, the Lord showed His hand by allowing a disruption for FEBC, which I thought was impossible. My parents gave their approval too, and I submit-ted to the Lord’s moving. I thank the Lord for His years of moulding and refining in FEBC. Those were years of blessed learning, and yet also much unlearning. The Lord has been gracious.
I served in Calvary Tengah after graduating in 2009, and was sent to BCEA in Kenya for over a year. I returned back to Singapore due to the political circumstances there which complicated my permit application, and as well as a split which occurred back in Tengah, all on the same weekend. While initially saddened, I saw the Lord’s goodness in allowing me to continue my further study in FEBC, and His gracious guidance in these couple of years back in Singapore. I left Calvary Tengah at the end of 2015 when I could no longer agree with the interpretation and practice of doctrine concerning several issues in the church.
After leaving Calvary Tengah, I went through a period of struggle, seeking the Lord’s will on where to settle down in. It was during this time that I first attended the Tabernacle BP Church service. Being from an afternoon service, I never had a chance to visit the church. My only interaction with the church was from the ministry of both Elder John and Preacher Clement over the past years to the youths in Tengah, who had benefited much from the Word of God preached. The youths had also enjoyed the annual combined meetings for many years running. Both Preacher Clement and Elder John are also channels of encouragement and advice to me personally.
By the Lord’s providence, the series of messages at Tabernacle BP Church on the Lord’s Day worship, the Shomerim fellowship, and the Adult Sunday School ministered much to me. The prayer meeting too has been a source of encouragement to me. Amidst the struggle, I felt that as I further attended the fellowships and worship at Tabernacle BP Church, and as I prayed and sought the Lord’s will, I felt very much at peace. I hope and pray, that as the Lord wills, He would be gracious to allow me to be part of the Lord’s people and work here at Tabernacle BP Church.