Candidate for Baptism: Loh Tiong Gay (Gladys)
In my teens, my first encounter with Christ unfolded through Bible Studies. Delving into the basics, I learned about how Jesus entered the world, sacrificed on the cross to cleanse our sins, and compassionately healed the sick while providing for the underprivileged.
Post-graduation, though God lingered in my thoughts, I neglected considerations of where or how to worship Him. Unaware that I would one day seek Him, I regretted not attending church services earlier, feeling the weight of having reduced God to an educational subject.
It wasn’t until 2020 that I reconnected with the Holy God. Living in darkness, plagued by fear and anxiety, I questioned when my suffering would end. My sister, Ann, attending Grace Bible Presbyterian Church for 15 years, encouraged me to join their services and pray for solace.
Grateful for the chance to worship the Lord, I found salvation, peace, and a new life with faith. I trust the graceful Lord will continue blessing me as long as I’m committed, pray fervently, obey the rules, and trust His word.
Filled with elation, I eagerly anticipate my baptism, embracing Christ as my sole saviour. Lastly, I extend thanks to the Church for the catechism class and appreciate Pastor Tan Eng Boo and Elder Victor Goh for generously imparting knowledge and dedicating their precious time to teach us God’s word.
Candidate for Reaffirmation of Faith: Chew Weh
Since birth, I was blessed to be born into a Christian household. I attended church service religiously and volunteered to play the violin on occasional Sundays. In school, I enjoyed the company of close friends. Life was uneventful in a good way. I never questioned my faith because there was no real reason to.
It was during a mandatory internship where my perspective shifted slightly. Despite giving my best, my supervisor’s expectations seemed impossible to reach. Nothing I did seemed to please her. Truth to be told, I was frustrated and questioned why Jesus had placed me in this challenging situation. Nevertheless, with support from my friends and family, and by the grace of God, I managed to push through the tough times.
Looking back, it was a wake-up call I badly needed. I was taking my smooth-sailing life and my faith for granted. How dare I question my faith when things went astray and conveniently ignore how God has blessed me throughout my life?
Attending sermons and Catechism classes have reinforced my resolve to be confirmed and deepened my understanding of my faith. While I may not always understand God’s intentions, I trust in Him completely.
As a sinner, I acknowledge my unworthiness to enter God’s kingdom, but I find comfort in the knowledge that Jesus’s sacrifice has washed away my sins and I will meet God one day.
Candidate for Transfer: Chew Keng Chuen, Michael
Growing up in an Anglican Church school and being in Boys’ Brigade as part of my extracurricular activities had channeled me to Christianity at a young age.
I received Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour when I was in upper secondary, baptized as an Anglican. As a teenager and a born again young Christian, attending Church faithfully on every Sunday in my Sunday’s best OFTTD and polished leather shoes with my buddies was the highlight of the week and great bonding time. It naively made us feel “religiously Christian-like” after attending Church services. Of course, we soon realized how silly we were and by the grace of God, our Christian school seniors steered us towards the reality of discipleship, introduced us to reading the scriptures, Christian literatures, memory verses from the Bible and attending Bible studies as well as Church camps which never failed to recharge our faith and love for God.
Upholding Christian values has greatly impacted the nature of my business in international sales and shaping to the person I am now, striving to develop more patience and to be a genuine listener as Jesus listened to the Samaritan woman patiently and attentively.
The philosophy of my life is a work in progress. It evolves and changes over time as I gain new experiences and insights and I continue to learn to adapt and be opened to new perspectives as long as it does not compromise the teachings & doctrines of Christianity.
I thank God for ever so faithful to help me navigate the ups and downs in my life. I like to share one of my favourite verses from Proverbs 11:9 (ESV):
“With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbour, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered “
Our tongue has the power to hurt or heal. It is more destructive than a gun when used inappropriately and extremely powerful enough to blow in life into dead bones.
There is “A TIME TO BE SILENT AND A TIME TO SPEAK.” Silence is not a weakness. Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Candidate for Transfer: Loh Tiong Ann (Ann)
During catechism class, Pastor and Elder Victor mentioned that we had to write a personal testimony of our Christian faith. This got me very worried as my life is as nondescript as it can get; I am more average than an “average Joe”! I would have nothing much to write in a testimony. As I am writing this, it dawns on me, this is God’s blessings to me. How could I overlook His tremendous graciousness and generosity bestowed upon me as an average Joe? He knows I am a “one-day-at-a-time” person. I dislike planning ahead; in other words, I am a procrastinator! Procrastination is sinful, and yet God still loves me. Romans 5:8 –
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This verse comforts me and brings peace to my sinning heart. Who am I to be worthy of His great love and sacrifice on the cross? I should reciprocate to be worthy of His love.
My first involvement with a Church was limited to attending a healing crusade, and it was not the best experience for me. I felt uncomfortable amongst the sea of worshippers and got quite anxious when the multitude broke into tongue speaking. It was unnerving to me as this was my first encounter and on such a massive scale. I told myself that would be my first and last attempt to reach out to Christ.
One morning in 1974, I told Michael, my husband, that I wished to go to a Church on that coming Sunday. I did not understand then that the Lord did not abandon me; it was the second opening that He had given to me by sending the Holy Spirit to move me. I accepted Christ and got baptized in 1975. I clearly remember my takeaway from the Anglican’s Baptism class was memorizing the Lord’s Prayer. Compared to the recent catechism classes, the lessons were robust in the word of God.
Candidate for Transfer: Ong Beng Sen, Stefan
When I was young, I was immersed in the traditions of Buddhism and Taoism, a blend that proved confusing at times. Although I did not learn much Buddhist teachings I was involved in the rituals and ceremonies conducted at home or temples, particularly on the 1st and 15th of each month, and on special festivals. Driven by the belief that more deities equal heightened protection, I embraced another religion under the guidance of a guru known as Sai Ba Ba. Ironically, I was dissuaded from exploring Christianity by passages such as Matthew 5:39 – “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also….” I thought then that this teaching was foolish, this actually revealed my ignorance at the time.
A crucial lesson unfolded: my lack of knowledge and understanding about the true meaning of God's teachings turned me away from God.
As time progressed, a sense of emptiness and fear crept in. Questions arose about how much offerings, donations, and chanting would take for me to have a better life. Concerns lingered about potential mishaps if rituals were missed, and the complex dynamics of believing in multiple deities fueled more uncertainties and doubt.
Marriage and fatherhood ushered in a more challenging phase. Despite having a better job, problems at work, home, with friends, and business partners persisted. Rituals, offerings, and donations failed to bring the sought-after peace, leading me to seek release through smoking, drinking, and gambling – a futile attempt to release mounting anxiety. This path intensified my impatience, temper flare-ups, and a regrettable penchant for cursing, actions I recognized as wrong but struggled to abandon.
The turning point arrived when God spoke to me through my principal consultant from work, Francis Tan, of St. Andrew Cathedral. He shared insights about God and Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, revealing that God had a plan for me. This encounter led me to Christ and then to St. Hilda’s Church, where I engaged in various activities, from cell groups to organizing events for the elderly and assuming responsibilities as a Marshall every Sunday.
The more I delved into the Bible, the stronger my belief in the One True God, overcoming vices like drinking, smoking, and gambling marked a significant achievement, though I remained cognizant of my inherent imperfections. However, during the challenges of the Covid19 period, my faith declined as I spend less and less time on the Bible and online worship sessions.
In May 2022, I was faced with a harrowing 6 weeks of hospitalization and illness. During that time, I suddenly realized that no worldly support could help me. It was then that God sent my secondary school classmate David Leong to visit me in the hospital. He prayed for me and gave assurance to me that God would not abandon me, that reignited my commitment to reading the Bible. I also made a promise to God, to start attending church once I was discharged, and it became a joyous commitment.
After I recovered, I came to Grace Bible Presbyterian Church, and the mentorship from David intensified my desire to learn more about the Word of God. As I study the Word of God I began to grow spiritually, the yearning to attend church intensified and my past fears went away. I would feel guilty if I missed Sunday services or have sudden temper flare-ups, but this guilt would fuel my desire to come to church to learn more, foster a closer relationship with God, and distance myself from past vices.
Each Sunday service left me inspired to align my head, heart, and hand towards Godly thoughts, feelings, and actions. A newfound clarity emerged, and through prayer, I hope to continue this journey, drawing my family closer to Him until we meet Him in Heaven.
In this profound journey, I've found the True God, surrendering myself to Him. Gratitude resounds, directed towards God, my church, Grace Bible Presbyterian Church, and Deacon David.
Hallelujah Amen, a heartfelt exclamation for the culmination of a transformative spiritual journey.
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