BORN INTO A CHRISTIAN HOME

The Lord Did Not Give Up on Me

I was born into a Christian family, but my spiritual eyes were not open until this year. Early this year, my uncle got into a severe road accident. It was then that I realised the fragility of life. I started to question the meaning of life and what was to happen to me after death. While this was the start of the time when my spiritual eyes were opened, I had not fully come to accept Christ Jesus. Ashamed to say, I did not see my sin, my sinful nature. To me, it seemed like a gamble to put my complete trust in one Saviour. I even considered the possibility that other religions might be true instead of Christianity. It was a struggle trying to know why Christianity is the one true religion. I cried over this matter and was really confused trying to know why I seemed to be losing trust in God.

However, I thank God for parents and friends who continuously encouraged me in the Lord. I believe that they were sent by God at that very moment in my life to encourage me and ensure that I did not slide any further from Him. I was losing trust in the Lord but the Lord never gave up on me. I thank the Lord for the small fellowship groups such as the JC prayer meeting, the Young People’s Fellowship and godly friends who were there to encourage me in the Lord. God was using them in my life to keep me close to Him and to draw me back to His side.

During one of the birthday celebrations in my family, I felt very blessed that we were able to have a lavish birthday celebration. Amidst the celebration and the joy, I suddenly felt this extremely strange hollowness and emptiness in my heart. It was a scary and life-changing moment because I realised that amidst all the joy and fun that one could enjoy in this life, what is life still all about? After that temporary joy, what is next? What was my purpose in life? I could not really answer. It was then that I realised I needed Jesus Christ to fill that void in my heart. It was at that very moment that I called out to God for Jesus to enter my heart, for I needed Him.

As I heard more sermons, I gradually felt that the Holy Spirit was greatly working in me. God was moulding me and changing me. Through the tough and difficult times in Junior College, the Lord proved His faithfulness to me, keeping me near Him. I realised that all my friends would fail me, but God remains kind, merciful and faithful to me, ever by my side, keeping me, watching over me and protecting me. After accepting the Lord God as my only Saviour, my priorities changed. I am no longer enslaved to studies but God is my priority in life. In all my actions, thoughts and ways, I now strive to glorify God and continue to practise, “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30). I thank the Lord God for never letting me go. I praise the Lord for His amazing love for me that Christ had to forsake His glorious throne above and to die on the brutal cross, just to wash me an awfully dirty and sinful creature clean.

I thank the Lord Jesus Christ who died, rose on the third day and will surely come back for me. I am eternally grateful to the Lord for His love, which I would never comprehend. I know that the Lord has plans in this life to use me and I pray that He might start to use me for the furtherance of His work here on earth. It is my goal to keep a close walk with the Lord, always remembering Him and doing all things unto His glory, ensuring that I become a good testimony for God. Grace Teo

I Truly Want to Be a Child of God

I was born into a Christian family, and since young the gospel was ingrained in me. However, it meant nothing to me. Attending Sunday school and Sunday service seemed like a routine every Sunday. Colouring pictures given out by Sunday school teachers and writing neatly seemed more important to me so that I could receive stickers which were always given out after every Sunday school.

As I grew older, I began to be more receptive of the gospel. I thank the Lord for opening up my eyes to be able to see the true light. When I was in primary school, I would try to listen to the pastor as he preaches as well as my Sunday school teachers. The more I listened, the more I believed. Singing hymns before the sermon helped me to learn more about the gospel. There was once, as the congregation sang hymn, “Before the Throne of God Above”, I stood pondering over the lyrics. It spoke about the great love of Jesus Christ, that He shed His precious blood for us sinners. It also reminded us not to fall into the trap of Satan, who would often tell us how sinful we are and the guilt of our sins. That hymn struck me because at that time, I felt really sinful and ‘dirty’; that I was not worth to even speak to Christ. That hymn encouraged me to continue in my walk with God and that no matter what sins I have, so long as I asked God for forgiveness, He would be most willing to forgive me. I felt a burden lifted off my chest because, at that time, I would avoid praying as I felt that I was too sinful to be near to the most holy Christ. That was one of the turning points for me. I saw how loving and forgiving the Lord is and I truly wanted to be His child.

In my heart, I knew that I was a child of God. There was a strong desire for baptism, however, I was afraid to tell anyone for the fear that people would laugh at me because in my previous church, there were no children who were baptised at such a young age. As the years passed I was surrounded by friends who were more interested in the things of the world and had the least concern for the Lord. The more I hanged out with them, the more I became like them. Christ was no longer the first priority in my life. I was also overwhelmed by my studies. Years passed as I struggled with my faith. My friends who call themselves “Christians” were not a very good example for me. I often waver and sometimes seeing their ungodly actions and hearing the words they speak made me have that “if they can do it, so can I” idea. I felt very stifled. I knew I was not growing in the Lord. By the age of 16, my parents decided to change church. The first time I went to the Young People’s Fellowship, I felt the seriousness and the desire of the people there who wanted to learn more of God’s Word. I was affected and that made me want to know more about Christ too. I wanted to be a good living testimony to the people around me. That was also when I began to put Christ first in my life. Joy Teo

I Was Taught to Fear the Lord

I was born into a loving Christian home and was baptised as an infant. Both my parents brought me up in a Christian environment. At a young age, I was taught to fear the Lord. My parents shared with me that they went through hard times when they came to know the Lord as their personal Saviour. They did not have the freedom to fellowship with other Christian brethren. So I count all this as joy from the Lord.

I also remember that my parents told me many times that salvation belongs to the Lord. I have to make a personal confession myself. They said that if we are no longer in this world, we will be able to meet in heaven. So this made me think. At the YPF camp at Calvary Pandan two years ago, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. It was during the Quiet Time that I got to know the Lord. I confessed my sins to Jesus Christ and told the Lord I am a hopeless sinner and that He alone died for my sins and on the third day rose from the dead.

I want to publicly confess my faith in obedience to Jesus by joining the catechism class, and to reaffirm my faith. I believe and acknowledge that Jesus Christ came into this world and humbled Himself to die on the cross for all my sins and that He rose on the third day. I am thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ for such a wonderful gift of salvation. Jeremy Teo  

God Spoke to Me through His Word 

I thank God for my father, mother and sister and for their good testimonies. Their words and actions reflected lives led by Christ. In the past I was uncertain of the afterlife and wondered since there were so many religions, why Christianity? But as I looked around to observe the world, I knew that the story was true. The world is in need of a Saviour. I prayed to God for faith and for forgiveness of my sins, and received Jesus Christ in Secondary 2. He spoke to me through His Word and gave me peace in my heart.

I thank God for True Life B-P Church where we can worship God and hear His Word preached faithfully and for the members here; our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks be to God for His wonderful grace and precious gift of salvation. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor 5:17). Let us live our lives for Christ. Emma Chow

I Pray My Life Will Bring Glory to His Name

By God’s grace, I accepted Christ when I was a primary 4 student. Over these 8 years of Christian life, I thank the Lord for guiding me through many trials, bringing me much joy and peace which passes all understanding. Each new day’s design is carefully charted by His hand and He will never lead me where His grace would not keep me. Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

I thank God for saving me from my wretchedness and sin and giving me the precious hope of eternal life. 1 John 5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” I pray that He will always be my Guide and that my life will always bring glory to His name. Ethel Chow