Our Preacher’s Calling

When I was fifteen years old, during a Christian camp that I attended, I had an impression with regards to serving the Lord full-time. The verse in Matthew 28:19-20 came to me:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “

However, having no proper guidance then, it was just an impression. However, the Lord was working out His purpose of preparation in my life. Having no mentor at that stage of life, with my mother overseas and my brother in the army, the Lord led me.

After my GCE ‘O’ Levels, I did not do well enough to go to a Junior College but by His grace was able to attend a Pre-University. The year after that (1985), 1 was able to re-do my ‘O’Levels. I managed to do well enough to get to a junior college. My priority for choosing a Junior College was that I wanted to do Divinity (Bible Knowledge) at ‘A’ Levels. There were only two colleges that offered that: Victoria Junior College and St. Andrew’s Junior College. I ended up in the latter.

All along the Lord was graciously leading me as I always had the impression that each phase of my life was a stepping stone to what GOD would ultimately want me to do.

During the army years, I prayed to the Lord to show me His whole counsel from the Word of GOD. As I had time on my hands, especially during the nights, I had the privilege of studying into detail God’s plan of salvation. It was the result of this study that fuelled my desire more for serving the Lord, for, I reasoned, “what could bea more logical response to the love of Christ than to serve the Saviour who saved me. ‘

2 Corinthians 5:14 “For the love of Christ constrained me”

His love for me was so great that the grateful thing I could do was to serve Him with all my life.

After my time in National Service, by God’s gracious providence, I was granted a scholarship to do Occupational Therapy in Perth, Western Australia. I realised now having gone to Perth that GOD wanted me to do more than Occupational Therapy. It was here that GOD got me in touch with strong Bible­-believing Pastors and evangelists who moulded, influenced, and affected my Christian life. It was here that the Lord taught me many things and many life lessons that were useful for my future ministry.

In one of my devotions whilst in Australia, I read the following which stood out in my mind:

Jonah 3:1 “And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,”

The underlined phrase I committed to the Lord as I continued my studies there because I realised that GOD was sending me here to reconfirm His will for me.

In 1992, during a Revival meeting in Rockingham Western Australia, I surrendered to go to the mission field. I told my Pastor then and he advised me to have a submissive heart rather than a focussed direction so as to allow GOD to direct more specifically.

During another service in the same year, my friend Chris, a Singaporean studying in Perth, was talking about how much Occupational Therapists were needed to help the less fortunate in Singapore. We had that conversation before the service. The Lord spoke clearly that day: it was during this service that He reaffirmed His direction for me that He wanted me to do His work full-time. The Holy Spirit used this verse to speak to me:

Luke 9:60 “Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

It was once again a direct reference to what the Lord would have me do with my life.

Coming back to Singapore, as I had my bond to fulfill, I submitted to working five years at a government hospital here, taking this time as preparation for the final phase of God’s leading. The Lord laid it upon my heart to plan to complete these five years of bond and subsequently to resign and wait for His call. During this phase, the Lord allowed me to serve continuously in Maranatha Baptist Church in various ministries. I was involved in the Music Ministry as choir director and worship leader. I was then asked to lead the single adults group. I taught weekly at the single adults’ Sunday school, and occasionally on Wednesday nights and Sunday Service as the opportunity presented itself.

In the mission conference of 1997 in Maranatha Baptist Church, my wife and I reaffirmed our commitment to full-time Christian service.

I resigned from my full-time job at the government hospital in March 1999 to wait. After my resignation, I worked as a freelance Occupational Therapist to meet the needs of my family and serving the Lord as I waited.

In April 2001, missions conference, Fijian Pastor Roni came and challenged regarding serving the Lord and the need of the hour. At the last day of the conference 15th April 2001, GOD called me to preach. I knew that the time was near. During this time, I asked, “where Lord?”

Initially, my first impressions were that since my spiritual gift was suited for the role of an evangelist, I would pray towards that direction. However, I was not sure, as never in Singapore has anyone felt the call of GOD to be an evangelist. Finding no real support here, I shelved the idea and I took it as not being God’s will for me to be an evangelist. Consequently, I begin preparing myself for the mission field.

In June 2001, with my family, we visited two missions in Malaysia (Malacca and KL). However, even after the trips, there was no real confirmation except that I learnt that the needs were everywhere.

On 2nd September 2001, after the message, the Lord impressed upon me that He wanted me to be evangelist through a brother in my church and it was concurrently affirmed by the comments of two other brothers in Christ and Pastor Mak. Going home to pray, the Lord began to give the peace that He is calling me to be an evangelist for Him.

My wife and I have been serving the Lord as His evangelist family. The following verses stood out as we answered God’s call

Luke 9:60 “Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”

Jeremiah 1:5 “I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,…”

As I look back, I can only humbly admit that what I am and the calling that I have received is all of God’s grace, as my life in the past was not all that it ought to be. I thank the Lord for His forgiveness and restoration and like the Apostle Paul, I am forgetting what lies behind and I am pressing forward. My family and I are grateful to the Lord for His gracious leading into the will that He has for us. My only desire is that my family remain faithful to Him and His word as we are called upon to give the gospel of Christ and the truth of the Word of GOD to the nations of this world, till He comes.

Jude 24:25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”