Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Recently I met my national service officer in one of my army mates wedding dinner. It has been at least 10 years that we did not meet each other since we left the army. I was an armour infantry while my officer was responsible to lead our platoon. He was a Christian then while I was not.
One of the most respectable traits that I observed of him then was I never heard him breathe even once a single word of profanity, even in the most stressful and physically demanding condition. We are in the combat service and things naturally get physically demanding due to the nature of our roles and responsibilities. While some people got away with doing administrative work in an air conditioned environment, we often have to do our bits of carrying heavy equipments and tottering for hours over unforgiving terrains. As a result, expressing unhappiness or frustrations through cursing and swearing were common among army personnel, even the quietest comrade. Sometimes vulgarities even got weaved unconsciously into our daily use of communication language. That is the reason why this officer shines among us. He spoke none of such words.
Personally I see that as a form of strength. At the same time, I thought to myself how he could control himself.
From the day we left army more than 10 years ago till we met again at the wedding recently, I received God into my life during this period. I could also now understand how he was able to keep away from speaking profanity during times of difficulty. It was the working of the Holy Spirit in him. Since then, I have always wanted to compliment him for exhibiting such exemplary the traits of godly living. And finally I got the chance to do so.
Steve
Sunday, January 31, 2010
God is more concerned about our heart of worship
In my younger days in my ex church, I remembered there was once when I was witnessing a group of my church members performing a dance on the stage. As I was sitting comfortably on my seat, I began to realise that there were some middle aged ladies dancing among the group of younger dancers. Soon I began to make judgement on the older dancers in my mind, “Why are they still dancing around with the tambourines at their age? In terms of form and grace, younger dancers would be more suitable for such dances.” Then just as I was thinking to myself, suddenly God impressed upon my heart, “They are worshipping Me.” Immediately, I realized my mistake of passing judgement on them without realizing they are worshipping God with their heart with their dances.
Similarly, in my ex church, there is a flower ministry whereby they will put together a very elaborate flower arrangement at the front of the altar every Sunday before the service. Request for people to contribute money to make these arrangements were made and people gave. Again, these people are worshipping God with their participation in making God’s sanctuary a more beautiful place with these decorations. God does not need the money; God sees their heart in honouring Him in this manner; those who contribute money and those who put up the flowers.
Hence I have learnt never to judge on activities or things that I perceived as meaningless or unnecessary when it comes to the things of God. Just like in the case of the flower arrangements. They might not be necessary but the hearts of the people who made it happen are significant to God.
Anonymous
Similarly, in my ex church, there is a flower ministry whereby they will put together a very elaborate flower arrangement at the front of the altar every Sunday before the service. Request for people to contribute money to make these arrangements were made and people gave. Again, these people are worshipping God with their participation in making God’s sanctuary a more beautiful place with these decorations. God does not need the money; God sees their heart in honouring Him in this manner; those who contribute money and those who put up the flowers.
Hence I have learnt never to judge on activities or things that I perceived as meaningless or unnecessary when it comes to the things of God. Just like in the case of the flower arrangements. They might not be necessary but the hearts of the people who made it happen are significant to God.
Anonymous
Share what Jesus did for you with compassion and sincerity as a friend
1 Timothy 1:5, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith …”
Recently I shared the gospel with a colleague of mine over lunch. She was amazed by some of the life transforming testimonies that I shared with her. It was the first time she has heard of such stories and she knew I was speaking truthfully out of my heart. I could see that she was trying to comprehend how these miracles could happen but yet afraid of going to the extent of accepting God. I could relate perfectly to what she was feeling because that was exactly the kind of dilemma I felt when an ex colleague of mine shared his life transformation through Jesus Christ with me.
Acts 24:24-25, “And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.””
Although my colleague was not ready to accept Christ there and then, a seed has been sown into her heart and she said something which I caught in my heart too. She said, “If you are not my friend, I would not have listened to you.”
While the gospel is the simple truth of God sending Jesus for our salvation, I would always try to know the person better and find out if there are any areas whereby God can use me to bless them or share relevant life testimonies with them. Making the effort to know the person and doing it out of a pure heart with genuine sincerity would no doubt gain you a friend and perhaps further opportunities to share with them what Jesus did for you.
1 Timothy 1:5, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith …”
Like what Paul shared in Acts 26:2-3, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.” God sent him to meet and share the gospel with King Agrippa. Both of them shared the same training in the way of laws and customs. Both of them “speak the same language”; and with the same mutual level of respect they hold for each other, Paul could minister to King Agrippa. And King Agrippa later said in Acts 26:28, “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.””
S
Recently I shared the gospel with a colleague of mine over lunch. She was amazed by some of the life transforming testimonies that I shared with her. It was the first time she has heard of such stories and she knew I was speaking truthfully out of my heart. I could see that she was trying to comprehend how these miracles could happen but yet afraid of going to the extent of accepting God. I could relate perfectly to what she was feeling because that was exactly the kind of dilemma I felt when an ex colleague of mine shared his life transformation through Jesus Christ with me.
Acts 24:24-25, “And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.””
Although my colleague was not ready to accept Christ there and then, a seed has been sown into her heart and she said something which I caught in my heart too. She said, “If you are not my friend, I would not have listened to you.”
While the gospel is the simple truth of God sending Jesus for our salvation, I would always try to know the person better and find out if there are any areas whereby God can use me to bless them or share relevant life testimonies with them. Making the effort to know the person and doing it out of a pure heart with genuine sincerity would no doubt gain you a friend and perhaps further opportunities to share with them what Jesus did for you.
1 Timothy 1:5, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith …”
Like what Paul shared in Acts 26:2-3, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.” God sent him to meet and share the gospel with King Agrippa. Both of them shared the same training in the way of laws and customs. Both of them “speak the same language”; and with the same mutual level of respect they hold for each other, Paul could minister to King Agrippa. And King Agrippa later said in Acts 26:28, “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.””
S
My backache disappears and I was able to sleep well after asking God for help
It had always been difficult for me to believe in the healing power of God. Somehow I always thought healing is meant for the faithful and the devoted while a less faithful Christian may not deserve it. However, God is so full of grace and mercy that He takes care of all - even those who may not deserve that much.
I developed a terrible backache during my pregnancy. It was so bad that I developed insomnia due to the excruciating pains. For a few days, I was only able to sleep at around 4.00am in the morning! It was extremely difficult as I’m a person who sleeps well. Thinking it was a common aliment of pregnancy I thought I could only grit my teeth and endure the pain.
However, my husband reminded me that God is compassionate and would not want me to suffer like this. He prayed with me, thanking God for His promises to help heal my sore back and to give me undisturbed sleep. I was sceptical at first but the pain was too much to bear and I mustered all the faith I have to believe God’s healing power will take place.
True enough, that night I slept like a baby. Subsequently, though sometimes I do experience some soreness when I neglect my posture, those pains were mild and could be quickly rectified by some stretching. With God’s grace, that excruciating pain I suffered those few nights just left me.
Later part of the week, my husband shared with me that he thought having backaches were part and parcel of pregnancy. He also assumed that this was normal for a pregnant lady. However when he saw the frustration and the helpless feeling of me struggling to get into a comfortable lying position nights after nights, there was a sense of compassion welling up within him and prompting him to think that God would not want His children to suffer unnecessary in this manner. Hence he decided for us to pray to God about this condition.
Anonymous
I developed a terrible backache during my pregnancy. It was so bad that I developed insomnia due to the excruciating pains. For a few days, I was only able to sleep at around 4.00am in the morning! It was extremely difficult as I’m a person who sleeps well. Thinking it was a common aliment of pregnancy I thought I could only grit my teeth and endure the pain.
However, my husband reminded me that God is compassionate and would not want me to suffer like this. He prayed with me, thanking God for His promises to help heal my sore back and to give me undisturbed sleep. I was sceptical at first but the pain was too much to bear and I mustered all the faith I have to believe God’s healing power will take place.
True enough, that night I slept like a baby. Subsequently, though sometimes I do experience some soreness when I neglect my posture, those pains were mild and could be quickly rectified by some stretching. With God’s grace, that excruciating pain I suffered those few nights just left me.
Later part of the week, my husband shared with me that he thought having backaches were part and parcel of pregnancy. He also assumed that this was normal for a pregnant lady. However when he saw the frustration and the helpless feeling of me struggling to get into a comfortable lying position nights after nights, there was a sense of compassion welling up within him and prompting him to think that God would not want His children to suffer unnecessary in this manner. Hence he decided for us to pray to God about this condition.
Anonymous
An evangelism encounter became an encouragement to me
During my business trip to Philippines, I was hosted by my local colleague throughout my stint there. During this trip, I learnt that he is a Roman Catholic and could tell that he is very faithful to God. Due to the long hours driving around, we chatted about everything under the sun and from our conversation, I could also see that his life was truly very blessed. A happy marriage, very smart children (3 of them) and they all lived in a nice big house. Moreover, he was sharing with me how God has fulfilled many of his dreams he desired during his days of youth. He did not specifically prayed to God and asked God for the things that he desired. Nevertheless God knew and made them come to pass gradually over the years. One great example was living in a double storied house on the side of a mountain overlooking the city of Manila. When he first came to Manila from another province, he started off with nothing. But today, I could see he was very proud to be able be the owner of such a big house. I was truly encouraged by his testimonies.
I then took the opportunity to ask if he has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. He said, “No” and when I asked if he was interested in receiving this gift from God, he immediately said, “Ya ya ya. Sure, why not!!?” Personally I was pretty taken aback by his response. When I asked people this question, most of them were a little apprehensive but this colleague of mine was really eager to receive it. Praise God. I took some time to briefly explain the meaning behind speaking in tongues and demonstrated to him how it might sound like. I was surprised by his reply. He told me that for all his years of life as a Catholic since young, this is the first time he heard someone praying in tongues although he has read about it in the bible. So before I left for Singapore, I laid my hands on him and prayed together to ask God to give him the gift of tongues.
From this evangelising encounter, God gave me a real life case study that shows speaking in tongues does not make you a more spiritual person or a better Christian. God still loves you as who you are. Although my colleague had not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, God looks at my colleague’s heart of faithfulness and He has blessed him tremendously in all areas of his life. Nevertheless, it is God’s will for all of His children to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit; to give them greater power to do greater things for God.
JY
I then took the opportunity to ask if he has received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. He said, “No” and when I asked if he was interested in receiving this gift from God, he immediately said, “Ya ya ya. Sure, why not!!?” Personally I was pretty taken aback by his response. When I asked people this question, most of them were a little apprehensive but this colleague of mine was really eager to receive it. Praise God. I took some time to briefly explain the meaning behind speaking in tongues and demonstrated to him how it might sound like. I was surprised by his reply. He told me that for all his years of life as a Catholic since young, this is the first time he heard someone praying in tongues although he has read about it in the bible. So before I left for Singapore, I laid my hands on him and prayed together to ask God to give him the gift of tongues.
From this evangelising encounter, God gave me a real life case study that shows speaking in tongues does not make you a more spiritual person or a better Christian. God still loves you as who you are. Although my colleague had not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, God looks at my colleague’s heart of faithfulness and He has blessed him tremendously in all areas of his life. Nevertheless, it is God’s will for all of His children to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit; to give them greater power to do greater things for God.
JY
Thursday, January 28, 2010
In remembrance of God’s Grace In My Life - A 76 year old grandma testimony
I was born in Johor, Malaysia, grew up in Ipoh. During my childhood day, my dad was captured by the Japanese army; we did not know whether he was alive or dead. My mum was very sickly and had a lot of sickness. Life was very hard on us, my siblings had no choice but to separate and begged along the streets for our meals.
When I was 8 years old, I met a young man by the name of Mr Liew Chong Ming, Who pitied me and brought me home to help in domestic chores. From then on, I lost contact with my family. When I was 15 years old, Mr Liew came to Singapore to venture into a partnership business. He brought me along and I studied in Nanyang Primary School for 1 ½ years.
In 1950, Mr Liew’s business failed and he switched to teach in Chinese High Secondary School. Meanwhile I returned to Ipoh to help in the domestic chores and came back to Singapore for 3 yrs to study in Chinese High Girls' School.
In 1955, Mr Liew ‘s mother suggested both Mr Liew and me to get married and we stayed in the school’s hostel to raise up our children and I became a full time housewife.
In 1958, I came to know this lady by the name of Sister Teo Giak Kuan and we started to serve in the ministry together.
I thank God for His help though I had difficulty both in speaking and writing English and with my low education, I began to venture into real estate business. Eventually, I managed to own a house and a car. Whenever Sister Teo led me to areas of needs to give my offerings, I would give without much consideration of the amount. I was willing and obedient to give and I was blessed greatly with God’s grace and mercy.
In 1974 to 1998, due to changes of rules & regulations governing foreigners’ ownership of property in Singapore, I went into piano trading business. Although I had no musical background and knowledge about piano, I thank God for His wisdom to manage the piano business. By God’s grace, business was very good.
My children had good education and they loved God and had married to build their own family, they led a good life and served in their own respective ministry in church. I thank God that my eldest son is a pastor.
In 1990, I followed Sister Teoto Glory Church and join their fellowship. Both my husband and I continued with the piano business to support ourselves. However later we ran into debts due to poor business. Whenever creditors came after us for the debts, I was filled with anxiety and fear. My whole brain was like fire burning. I would always kneel under the feet of Jesus and prayed for Him to open doors and ways for us to clear our debts.
In 1996, my husband went home with the Lord.
In 1998, the debts piled up and I had no choice but to close down my business and sold my car and house. Even after selling all these, I was still full of debts. I did not want to burden my children and not to rely on others for help. I sought and relied only on God’s help, firmly believing in Him and submitting to His will.
I humbled myself from being a lady boss wearing nice “cheong sam” to a toilet cleaner, domestic cleaner and other cleaning jobs. I even worked as domestic cleaner for a few families per week.
When my creditors or people whom I knew saw me in that plight, they did not dare to approach me to repay the debts. Some even stopped me from giving offerings. As I relied on God’s grace, His financial blessings never stop flowing to me. I led a thrifty life but never stop giving tithes and offerings.
As time passes by, some of my creditors moved their homes to other places and became uncontactable. Nevertheless I would try all ways and means to locate them and go to their homes to pay my debts. Some people mocked at me and said I was foolish, but eventually I still repaid all my debts. I did not want to tarnish the name of God. No matter how difficult the situation was, I would find all ways to repay my debts and not rely on anyone but only relied on God’s grace which was sufficient for me. Although I was old, I felt obliged to return the hard earned money of those kind hearted people who loaned me. I did not want people to look down on me as a Christian. I wanted to glorify God.
Thank God for His presence with me. I worked daily with joy and no complain.
Time had passed so fast that 10 years was like 1 day. Our God had given me a healthy body. I had never been sick, worked daily to pay off my debts for the last 10 years.
In January 2009, I had cleared all my debts.
I am 76 years old now, I am still healthy other than leg pain that stopped me from working as a cleaner. I am healed now.
I know that in all things God has His will and His timing. I really thank God for His mercy and grace though I was very busy working in the past, I continued to attend weekly fellowship and Sunday services.
Although I am old now, I want to maximize the rest of my life on earth to worship and serve God. Thanking God for His Grace and Mercy.
Madam Liew Lay Keng
When I was 8 years old, I met a young man by the name of Mr Liew Chong Ming, Who pitied me and brought me home to help in domestic chores. From then on, I lost contact with my family. When I was 15 years old, Mr Liew came to Singapore to venture into a partnership business. He brought me along and I studied in Nanyang Primary School for 1 ½ years.
In 1950, Mr Liew’s business failed and he switched to teach in Chinese High Secondary School. Meanwhile I returned to Ipoh to help in the domestic chores and came back to Singapore for 3 yrs to study in Chinese High Girls' School.
In 1955, Mr Liew ‘s mother suggested both Mr Liew and me to get married and we stayed in the school’s hostel to raise up our children and I became a full time housewife.
In 1958, I came to know this lady by the name of Sister Teo Giak Kuan and we started to serve in the ministry together.
I thank God for His help though I had difficulty both in speaking and writing English and with my low education, I began to venture into real estate business. Eventually, I managed to own a house and a car. Whenever Sister Teo led me to areas of needs to give my offerings, I would give without much consideration of the amount. I was willing and obedient to give and I was blessed greatly with God’s grace and mercy.
In 1974 to 1998, due to changes of rules & regulations governing foreigners’ ownership of property in Singapore, I went into piano trading business. Although I had no musical background and knowledge about piano, I thank God for His wisdom to manage the piano business. By God’s grace, business was very good.
My children had good education and they loved God and had married to build their own family, they led a good life and served in their own respective ministry in church. I thank God that my eldest son is a pastor.
In 1990, I followed Sister Teoto Glory Church and join their fellowship. Both my husband and I continued with the piano business to support ourselves. However later we ran into debts due to poor business. Whenever creditors came after us for the debts, I was filled with anxiety and fear. My whole brain was like fire burning. I would always kneel under the feet of Jesus and prayed for Him to open doors and ways for us to clear our debts.
In 1996, my husband went home with the Lord.
In 1998, the debts piled up and I had no choice but to close down my business and sold my car and house. Even after selling all these, I was still full of debts. I did not want to burden my children and not to rely on others for help. I sought and relied only on God’s help, firmly believing in Him and submitting to His will.
I humbled myself from being a lady boss wearing nice “cheong sam” to a toilet cleaner, domestic cleaner and other cleaning jobs. I even worked as domestic cleaner for a few families per week.
When my creditors or people whom I knew saw me in that plight, they did not dare to approach me to repay the debts. Some even stopped me from giving offerings. As I relied on God’s grace, His financial blessings never stop flowing to me. I led a thrifty life but never stop giving tithes and offerings.
As time passes by, some of my creditors moved their homes to other places and became uncontactable. Nevertheless I would try all ways and means to locate them and go to their homes to pay my debts. Some people mocked at me and said I was foolish, but eventually I still repaid all my debts. I did not want to tarnish the name of God. No matter how difficult the situation was, I would find all ways to repay my debts and not rely on anyone but only relied on God’s grace which was sufficient for me. Although I was old, I felt obliged to return the hard earned money of those kind hearted people who loaned me. I did not want people to look down on me as a Christian. I wanted to glorify God.
Thank God for His presence with me. I worked daily with joy and no complain.
Time had passed so fast that 10 years was like 1 day. Our God had given me a healthy body. I had never been sick, worked daily to pay off my debts for the last 10 years.
In January 2009, I had cleared all my debts.
I am 76 years old now, I am still healthy other than leg pain that stopped me from working as a cleaner. I am healed now.
I know that in all things God has His will and His timing. I really thank God for His mercy and grace though I was very busy working in the past, I continued to attend weekly fellowship and Sunday services.
Although I am old now, I want to maximize the rest of my life on earth to worship and serve God. Thanking God for His Grace and Mercy.
Madam Liew Lay Keng
God taught me the importance of obeying what He impressed in our hearts vs what our mind reasons
During one of the Sunday service this month, Pastor Amos gave a contrasting example of being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading vs what our mind thinks logically, based on his own experiences.
Pseudo names have been given to facilitate the narration.
The first testimony involves a lady called Susan. During his early years of his career, Susan has first introduced Pastor Amos into the trading industry. Under her mentorship, she managed to help propel him to become a very successful trader in his later years as a trader. After he left his career to enter into the ministry, neither of them has contacted each other for several years.
Then one day Susan suddenly called him when he was in Thailand doing missionary work. She wanted to borrow some money from him. She needed S$2000. Due to his past working relationship with the lady, Pastor Amos felt indebted to her and thought that he should help her since the amount was manageable. After all Susan was a high flyer with a very impressive career background. Hence it should not be a problem for her to return the money at a later period.
However when he was about to say “Ok” to Susan, he immediately felt an uncomfortable tug in his heart which prevented him from agreeing to her request verbally at that point in time. He told her, “Give me some time; I will call you back with an answer.” Upon putting down his phone, he started praying and asking God if he should not lend her the money. His mind was telling him: Yes, he should give. There is no reason why he should not but his heart was telling him: No, do not give. After much struggling, Pastor Amos decided to call Susan to tell her he was not able to concede to her request. Then Susan started to scold and criticize him for not being grateful to her for the contributions she had made in his life. It was hard and he did not know why God did not give him the peace to borrow the money.
Several months later, he received news from his friends that Susan has actually lost a lot of money through stocks and that she had been going around borrowing money from her friends and not returning them.
Thank God, he did not lend his money to Susan previously. God knew about the situation and had protected him from losing his finances unnecessary.
The second testimony involves his childhood friend, Daniel. Daniel worked as a taxi driver. From what Pastor Amos knew about his friend, Daniel gambled a lot and had a history of borrowing money from loan sharks. For many years, they have not contacted each other.
Then one day, Daniel called Pastor Amos out of the blue. He wanted to borrow S$7000 from him. Pastor Amos wanted to say no but it seems as if there is peace in his heart to do so. This time, his mind was telling him: No, do not borrow. S$7000 is a huge sum and it is very likely you will not get back the money. However it seems as if there is peace in his heart to borrow him the money. He told Daniel to give him some time to consider before getting back to him. He started to pray in tongues and it seems like God is allowing him to agree with his request. Again his mind wrestled with the impression in his heart. In the end, He agreed to lend Daniel the money but he requested him to come to his house to get the money. Daniel said, “Ok. Thank you.” It was a tough decision to make. His reasoning was strongly against the idea. But finally he as prepared to lose the money forever. While Daniel was on his way, Pastor Amos decided to make sure he could share the gospel with Daniel. After all, the sum of money was huge and Daniel was an unbeliever. So this is one of the rare opportunities.
When they met, Pastor Amos said to Daniel, “Before I pass the money to you, I wanted to tell you ...” Daniel cut his sentence and answered, “I knew what you want to tell me. I am already a Christian. I gave my life to Jesus on the way to your house.” Pastor Amos was shocked. Later Daniel shared with him that he has approached every single one of his friends whom he knew but everyone was avoiding him. He was in heavy debt and was at his wits end. Daniel knew he had no one else to turn too now. Finally while he was alone and deep in his thoughts, he turned to God and said to Him, “If You are really God and You helped me this time, I will dedicate my life to You and become a Christian.” At that moment, his childhood friend, Pastor Amos, came into his mind and so he decided to call him. When Pastor Amos agreed, he knew in his heart that God answered his prayer; and hence he gave his life to Jesus. After knowing this, Pastor Amos was elated! Subsequently later part of that day, Pastor Amos went to Daniel’s home and managed to get his wife and child saved as well. Eventually, Daniel managed to get himself a job and returned the money in full to him. It was a win-win situation. 3 souls saved through Pastor Amos obedience. Amazingly, he also managed to get his money back. God is great!
From the above 2 testimonies, God knew what was going on in both situations. He protected Pastor Amos in the 1st testimony while He used him to bless others in the second one. The most prominent observation I made here is the antagonizing instructions he hear from his heart and from his mind. Nevertheless, due to his sensitiveness to the Holy Spirit and his obedience, He chose to obey God’s instruction (through his heart) despite the reasoning he had in his mind and flesh.
Hebrews 5:8, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
In the first testimony, Pastor Amos “suffers” from being labeled as an ungrateful person. In the second testimony, he “suffers” from the possibility of losing S$7000. John Bevere said in his book: “The bait of satan”: “Physical growth is a function of time. Intellectual growth is a function of learning. Spiritual growth is neither a function of time or learning, but is a function of obedience.” We grow from faith to faith through these experiences. Praise God.
Steve
Pseudo names have been given to facilitate the narration.
The first testimony involves a lady called Susan. During his early years of his career, Susan has first introduced Pastor Amos into the trading industry. Under her mentorship, she managed to help propel him to become a very successful trader in his later years as a trader. After he left his career to enter into the ministry, neither of them has contacted each other for several years.
Then one day Susan suddenly called him when he was in Thailand doing missionary work. She wanted to borrow some money from him. She needed S$2000. Due to his past working relationship with the lady, Pastor Amos felt indebted to her and thought that he should help her since the amount was manageable. After all Susan was a high flyer with a very impressive career background. Hence it should not be a problem for her to return the money at a later period.
However when he was about to say “Ok” to Susan, he immediately felt an uncomfortable tug in his heart which prevented him from agreeing to her request verbally at that point in time. He told her, “Give me some time; I will call you back with an answer.” Upon putting down his phone, he started praying and asking God if he should not lend her the money. His mind was telling him: Yes, he should give. There is no reason why he should not but his heart was telling him: No, do not give. After much struggling, Pastor Amos decided to call Susan to tell her he was not able to concede to her request. Then Susan started to scold and criticize him for not being grateful to her for the contributions she had made in his life. It was hard and he did not know why God did not give him the peace to borrow the money.
Several months later, he received news from his friends that Susan has actually lost a lot of money through stocks and that she had been going around borrowing money from her friends and not returning them.
Thank God, he did not lend his money to Susan previously. God knew about the situation and had protected him from losing his finances unnecessary.
The second testimony involves his childhood friend, Daniel. Daniel worked as a taxi driver. From what Pastor Amos knew about his friend, Daniel gambled a lot and had a history of borrowing money from loan sharks. For many years, they have not contacted each other.
Then one day, Daniel called Pastor Amos out of the blue. He wanted to borrow S$7000 from him. Pastor Amos wanted to say no but it seems as if there is peace in his heart to do so. This time, his mind was telling him: No, do not borrow. S$7000 is a huge sum and it is very likely you will not get back the money. However it seems as if there is peace in his heart to borrow him the money. He told Daniel to give him some time to consider before getting back to him. He started to pray in tongues and it seems like God is allowing him to agree with his request. Again his mind wrestled with the impression in his heart. In the end, He agreed to lend Daniel the money but he requested him to come to his house to get the money. Daniel said, “Ok. Thank you.” It was a tough decision to make. His reasoning was strongly against the idea. But finally he as prepared to lose the money forever. While Daniel was on his way, Pastor Amos decided to make sure he could share the gospel with Daniel. After all, the sum of money was huge and Daniel was an unbeliever. So this is one of the rare opportunities.
When they met, Pastor Amos said to Daniel, “Before I pass the money to you, I wanted to tell you ...” Daniel cut his sentence and answered, “I knew what you want to tell me. I am already a Christian. I gave my life to Jesus on the way to your house.” Pastor Amos was shocked. Later Daniel shared with him that he has approached every single one of his friends whom he knew but everyone was avoiding him. He was in heavy debt and was at his wits end. Daniel knew he had no one else to turn too now. Finally while he was alone and deep in his thoughts, he turned to God and said to Him, “If You are really God and You helped me this time, I will dedicate my life to You and become a Christian.” At that moment, his childhood friend, Pastor Amos, came into his mind and so he decided to call him. When Pastor Amos agreed, he knew in his heart that God answered his prayer; and hence he gave his life to Jesus. After knowing this, Pastor Amos was elated! Subsequently later part of that day, Pastor Amos went to Daniel’s home and managed to get his wife and child saved as well. Eventually, Daniel managed to get himself a job and returned the money in full to him. It was a win-win situation. 3 souls saved through Pastor Amos obedience. Amazingly, he also managed to get his money back. God is great!
From the above 2 testimonies, God knew what was going on in both situations. He protected Pastor Amos in the 1st testimony while He used him to bless others in the second one. The most prominent observation I made here is the antagonizing instructions he hear from his heart and from his mind. Nevertheless, due to his sensitiveness to the Holy Spirit and his obedience, He chose to obey God’s instruction (through his heart) despite the reasoning he had in his mind and flesh.
Hebrews 5:8, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”
In the first testimony, Pastor Amos “suffers” from being labeled as an ungrateful person. In the second testimony, he “suffers” from the possibility of losing S$7000. John Bevere said in his book: “The bait of satan”: “Physical growth is a function of time. Intellectual growth is a function of learning. Spiritual growth is neither a function of time or learning, but is a function of obedience.” We grow from faith to faith through these experiences. Praise God.
Steve
Knowing God’s love for me allows me to receive from Him and releases me to love others more from my heart
For the past few Sundays, Pastor’s "love message" reminded me of exactly what God had shown me 2 years ago, which is before we can walk in the love of God, we have to open up our heart to love (noun). I went through something similar that God has shown me - it is POSSIBLE to open our heart to love and that comes with much more benefits than just having the love to give to others. It even enriched our own personal walk and sensitivity to the Lord.
During my first 2 years of being a Christian, I’m just a church going Christian who knows that Jesus is my Saviour but do not have a personal relationship with Him. The funny thing is I do see His goodness in my life, like how He had faithfully protected my family and provided for our needs in a miraculous ways, but I seem to be like a bystander. I see His acts, which is always through others around me, I heard about Him, in church sermons but I do not really KNOW Him personally. Most of the time even if I do pray, it seems fruitless to me because I don’t even know if He hears me. So gradually, I give up on praying and stop spending time in the bible.
Finally, I came to a point of frustration where it seems like everyone around me can experience God personally, is so close to Him yet He seems so far away from me. I know I’m missing out on something because there is emptiness inside of me. In desperation, I began to cry out to Him and that day was the 1st personal encounter I had with God. He led me by giving me an urge to read Joshua about the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:1) and further to (Joshua 6:17). With these 2 scriptures, He answered my prayer about why I felt distant from Him and what was the solution I needed. It was so direct to the point that it was easy for me to understand.
Joshua 6:1, “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.” This was to say that my heart is like the walls of Jericho, tightly shut up that I can’t receive, not even from Him and I’m not willing to give to others.
Joshua 6:17, “The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.” At the word “devoted”, I saw a footnote that explains the meaning of the word in Hebrew: it refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them”.
By that, I know that the Lord is asking me to give up everything that is in my heart which had caused the wall to be built up to Him. Bitterness, fear, shame, insecurity and hurts had helped to build up that wall.
Joyce Meyer once said, “We can't give away something that we don't have” She went on to explain: - Firstly I have to receive the love of God, which is to really know that God loves me unconditionally & not base on my do's and don'ts. Then when I receive the love of God, knowing that God loves me as I am & have forgiven me, maybe I can love myself & forgive myself & there starts the healing process of a relationship with myself. That has to happen before I can love other people. I believe that a lot of people are trying to love others but they really do not have it to give because there's something inside them tat still needs to be fixed. It's a freeing experience knowing that it is His love to me & through me, no longer my doings and my failure in loving others because He will help me, it releases so much pressure.
In the past, not only do I choose who to love but also how much I am willing to love. Even to those that I’m supposed to love, I love "sparingly" and not wholeheartedly. I still do help people around me, care for them, socialize around but the main thing is my heart is not open to them. It not only affects how I love others but also how I receive love from others. I don’t allow others to love me too much. Some say I am an independent person but I would say that my walls and guard were so high up that made me strong on the outside to protect my insecurity on the inside. As a result, I was hindered in receiving from God and as a result, I do not have anything to give.
The Lord is so GOOD; only He gave the solution, He helped me with it too. He strengthened me to do what He says by these 2 sentences which I hear so clearly in my heart. He said “All forgiveness can be found in the blood of Jesus” and “Trust in me and I will protect you from all hurts”.
What God did released me to dare open up my heart to the people around me. I am able to love others more and am able to receive love from others too. I began to be more sensitive to the compassion that sometimes rises up from within my spirit and I am able to give more of myself out of love than the past.
His love had torn down my walls and from that encounter on, things started to change gradually. I began to desire to know more about Him through His words, I spent more time in prayer and confessions, I became more sensitive to His presence and it seems like the more I experience Him, the more I hunger for Him and the more I hunger, the more He will fill. Hallelujah! All Glory to Jesus.
Anonymous
During my first 2 years of being a Christian, I’m just a church going Christian who knows that Jesus is my Saviour but do not have a personal relationship with Him. The funny thing is I do see His goodness in my life, like how He had faithfully protected my family and provided for our needs in a miraculous ways, but I seem to be like a bystander. I see His acts, which is always through others around me, I heard about Him, in church sermons but I do not really KNOW Him personally. Most of the time even if I do pray, it seems fruitless to me because I don’t even know if He hears me. So gradually, I give up on praying and stop spending time in the bible.
Finally, I came to a point of frustration where it seems like everyone around me can experience God personally, is so close to Him yet He seems so far away from me. I know I’m missing out on something because there is emptiness inside of me. In desperation, I began to cry out to Him and that day was the 1st personal encounter I had with God. He led me by giving me an urge to read Joshua about the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:1) and further to (Joshua 6:17). With these 2 scriptures, He answered my prayer about why I felt distant from Him and what was the solution I needed. It was so direct to the point that it was easy for me to understand.
Joshua 6:1, “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.” This was to say that my heart is like the walls of Jericho, tightly shut up that I can’t receive, not even from Him and I’m not willing to give to others.
Joshua 6:17, “The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord.” At the word “devoted”, I saw a footnote that explains the meaning of the word in Hebrew: it refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them”.
By that, I know that the Lord is asking me to give up everything that is in my heart which had caused the wall to be built up to Him. Bitterness, fear, shame, insecurity and hurts had helped to build up that wall.
Joyce Meyer once said, “We can't give away something that we don't have” She went on to explain: - Firstly I have to receive the love of God, which is to really know that God loves me unconditionally & not base on my do's and don'ts. Then when I receive the love of God, knowing that God loves me as I am & have forgiven me, maybe I can love myself & forgive myself & there starts the healing process of a relationship with myself. That has to happen before I can love other people. I believe that a lot of people are trying to love others but they really do not have it to give because there's something inside them tat still needs to be fixed. It's a freeing experience knowing that it is His love to me & through me, no longer my doings and my failure in loving others because He will help me, it releases so much pressure.
In the past, not only do I choose who to love but also how much I am willing to love. Even to those that I’m supposed to love, I love "sparingly" and not wholeheartedly. I still do help people around me, care for them, socialize around but the main thing is my heart is not open to them. It not only affects how I love others but also how I receive love from others. I don’t allow others to love me too much. Some say I am an independent person but I would say that my walls and guard were so high up that made me strong on the outside to protect my insecurity on the inside. As a result, I was hindered in receiving from God and as a result, I do not have anything to give.
The Lord is so GOOD; only He gave the solution, He helped me with it too. He strengthened me to do what He says by these 2 sentences which I hear so clearly in my heart. He said “All forgiveness can be found in the blood of Jesus” and “Trust in me and I will protect you from all hurts”.
What God did released me to dare open up my heart to the people around me. I am able to love others more and am able to receive love from others too. I began to be more sensitive to the compassion that sometimes rises up from within my spirit and I am able to give more of myself out of love than the past.
His love had torn down my walls and from that encounter on, things started to change gradually. I began to desire to know more about Him through His words, I spent more time in prayer and confessions, I became more sensitive to His presence and it seems like the more I experience Him, the more I hunger for Him and the more I hunger, the more He will fill. Hallelujah! All Glory to Jesus.
Anonymous
At last I managed to share the gospel with 2 of my friends after years of missed opportunities
I have the opportunity to meet different people from different countries due to the regional nature of my role. Among my overseas colleagues, two of my Malaysian colleagues were my closest. They were great friends to begin with and were wonderful colleagues to work with. For the past few years we meet on various occasions and I had the desire to reach out and share the gospel with them for quite some time. However the opportunity to do so was limited. This month, I was on a business trip to Malaysia and I determined in my heart to do so as I pray to God to open up windows of opportunity for me. During my trip, I deliberately arrange for chances to have one to one time with them over meals.
Matthew 10:16, “… be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
God helped me with it and I finally managed to share my life testimony and the gospel with both of them on separate occasions. Praise God.
Through our conversations, one of them told me it’s the first time he heard someone share the gospel through life experiences. However he knew of a relative who was a Christian but was not behaving in a manner he felt good. I told him he cannot judge God with men’s actions. Men sometimes fail but God never fails. The other colleague told me it was also the first time he heard about the reality of God in one’s life in such a manner. However he knew of a friend who used to embrace several undesirable habits but suddenly became a totally new person when he turned his life to God. He stopped all his past bad habits and started to be a very devoted Christian. My friend was puzzled in how this could happen until I explained how this was possible as God changes us inside out, starting with our spirits, and how it applied to me as well.
I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to sow the seeds of God’s word into their life. I could tell they were receiving God’s words. Even though they were not ready to receive Christ when I asked them, I believe someone will continue to water into their lives subsequently.
Acts 26:1 to 3, “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”
So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.”
Paul used to be a Pharisee, extremely well versed in the laws and customs of the Jews. God brought Paul to meet King Agrippa, someone who was also “expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews”. In this way Paul could relate to him at his level. Similarly I was able to relate to my 2 colleagues better because my personal experiences and testimonies are relevant to them. Praise God!
JY
Matthew 10:16, “… be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
God helped me with it and I finally managed to share my life testimony and the gospel with both of them on separate occasions. Praise God.
Through our conversations, one of them told me it’s the first time he heard someone share the gospel through life experiences. However he knew of a relative who was a Christian but was not behaving in a manner he felt good. I told him he cannot judge God with men’s actions. Men sometimes fail but God never fails. The other colleague told me it was also the first time he heard about the reality of God in one’s life in such a manner. However he knew of a friend who used to embrace several undesirable habits but suddenly became a totally new person when he turned his life to God. He stopped all his past bad habits and started to be a very devoted Christian. My friend was puzzled in how this could happen until I explained how this was possible as God changes us inside out, starting with our spirits, and how it applied to me as well.
I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to sow the seeds of God’s word into their life. I could tell they were receiving God’s words. Even though they were not ready to receive Christ when I asked them, I believe someone will continue to water into their lives subsequently.
Acts 26:1 to 3, “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”
So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.”
Paul used to be a Pharisee, extremely well versed in the laws and customs of the Jews. God brought Paul to meet King Agrippa, someone who was also “expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews”. In this way Paul could relate to him at his level. Similarly I was able to relate to my 2 colleagues better because my personal experiences and testimonies are relevant to them. Praise God!
JY
I thank God for restoring my intimacy with my wife after a heated argument
It started off with a small argument between my wife and I over some issues which we did not see eye to eye with each other. Unexpectedly it exploded into a very unpleasant stage as both of us got more and more historical. Words were loud and sharp and attitude towards each other were unbecoming. I was particularly stubborn and the argument ended with me in the room and she in the living room.
While I was in the room, I tried to read a book but just could not find the peace to do so. I knew that if I do not do anything to restore our intimacy, both of us would suffer from the uncomfortable and tense atmosphere throughout the night. Moreover I was the main culprit in creating it. It was hard because my flesh simply did not want to give in to mend the gap. In my mind, I was still thinking if I could play this silent game with her throughout the whole night. However in my heart, even though I want restoration, I do not foresee how it could be possible. Nevertheless, I eventually humbled myself and said to God under my breath, “God, help me here.”
The next thing I knew, I went out to join my wife to watch TV programs. I knew she was still fuming. I was myself. We were still not speaking with each other and were sitting apart from each other. At that time, the TV was showing a Japanese tourism variety program with a middle aged couple enjoying themselves on some excursions in Japan. As we continued to watch the program, it started to coincidently show places that we have previously been to during one of our holidays.
Somehow I knew God was doing something here. He was opening up opportunities for restoration to take place.
I could feel my bitterness dissipating away as memories of our fun times in Japan started to flood back as the TV flashes familiar sceneries before our eyes. I tried to make some small comments on the TV program. Before I know it, I was already jumping on my wife and teasing her. Thank God she responded in kind. I believe her heart was softened while she watched the TV program too. Our intimacy was restored that moment and we could spend the rest of the night in peace. Thank you Jesus.
Anonymous
While I was in the room, I tried to read a book but just could not find the peace to do so. I knew that if I do not do anything to restore our intimacy, both of us would suffer from the uncomfortable and tense atmosphere throughout the night. Moreover I was the main culprit in creating it. It was hard because my flesh simply did not want to give in to mend the gap. In my mind, I was still thinking if I could play this silent game with her throughout the whole night. However in my heart, even though I want restoration, I do not foresee how it could be possible. Nevertheless, I eventually humbled myself and said to God under my breath, “God, help me here.”
The next thing I knew, I went out to join my wife to watch TV programs. I knew she was still fuming. I was myself. We were still not speaking with each other and were sitting apart from each other. At that time, the TV was showing a Japanese tourism variety program with a middle aged couple enjoying themselves on some excursions in Japan. As we continued to watch the program, it started to coincidently show places that we have previously been to during one of our holidays.
Somehow I knew God was doing something here. He was opening up opportunities for restoration to take place.
I could feel my bitterness dissipating away as memories of our fun times in Japan started to flood back as the TV flashes familiar sceneries before our eyes. I tried to make some small comments on the TV program. Before I know it, I was already jumping on my wife and teasing her. Thank God she responded in kind. I believe her heart was softened while she watched the TV program too. Our intimacy was restored that moment and we could spend the rest of the night in peace. Thank you Jesus.
Anonymous
I managed to win a soul to God through MSN
I was pretty free one night and began to look for someone to chat with on the internet via MSN. It was not long when I started to chat casually with this girl. As we conversed, she mentioned that life is pretty boring. I replied her saying life would not be boring if you have Jesus. She was a little taken aback by my response. Then I took this opportunity to share some of my experiences with her. Eventually we ended the conversation and told each other we will contact again in the near future.
A few nights later, I was preparing to wind down after a long day at work. All I wanted to do was to read the bible and listen to some gospel songs. Just at that moment, I felt impressed in my heart that God wanted me to switch on the computer and go onto the net. I was lazy to do so but this prompting kept hounding me. Eventually I decided to obey this prompting. To my surprise, the girl whom I chatted with previously was on the net as well. I could not imagine the chances of meeting her again on the net. The probability was almost one in a million. Immediately I felt there was a purpose in this. Perhaps God had arranged for a divine appointment for us to meet again.
We chatted a little and eventually I took the boldness to ask if she wanted to accept Jesus as her savior. She agreed! While I led her into salvation over the net, I could sense the genuineness in her acceptance of her salvation. I had joy in my heart. Praise God!
X
A few nights later, I was preparing to wind down after a long day at work. All I wanted to do was to read the bible and listen to some gospel songs. Just at that moment, I felt impressed in my heart that God wanted me to switch on the computer and go onto the net. I was lazy to do so but this prompting kept hounding me. Eventually I decided to obey this prompting. To my surprise, the girl whom I chatted with previously was on the net as well. I could not imagine the chances of meeting her again on the net. The probability was almost one in a million. Immediately I felt there was a purpose in this. Perhaps God had arranged for a divine appointment for us to meet again.
We chatted a little and eventually I took the boldness to ask if she wanted to accept Jesus as her savior. She agreed! While I led her into salvation over the net, I could sense the genuineness in her acceptance of her salvation. I had joy in my heart. Praise God!
X
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