 MY 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 / 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 qo 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 wait.
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 fromfalling, 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."
My Testimony
Before Salvation
I was born into an ancestral-worshipping home. My dad
was a businessman and worked very hard for the family. He was also
involved in Taoist-type medium ceremonies. My only memories of such
occurrences were from photographs of what he has done. My mother was a
full-time housewife.
My dad passed away when I was five. My mother had to
work to support the family, leaving my brother and myself to care for
ourselves. I got involved in groups around my housing estate. We would
play marbles and occasionally I would gamble with my friends. I got
involved in smoking and remembered drinking alcohol on one
occasion.
My
first exposure to Christianity was through a Seven-Day Adventist group
that was having Sabbath-School at one of the flats in my block. I got
interested and attended it often although I never knew a personal
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation Experience
When I was primary six, I was visited by one of the
tracting groups from Emmanuel Baptist Church on a Sunday afternoon. I
remembered listening to the message of salvation but could not remember
if I made a decision at that time to accept Christ as my Saviour.
However, that was the beginning of God's awakening me out of my
spiritual death.
I
realised that I was a sinner and I was afraid of going to hell. I begin
to pray nightly for GOD to save me. GOD heard my prayer.
When I
was in Secondary One, I was invited by a friend who lived in the same
block to Emmanuel Baptist Church coincidentally (now in hindsight
Providentially). It was during this visit to Emmanuel Baptist Church,
as Pastor Goh Seng Fong was preaching and gave the invitation, I raised
up my hand for a decision to accept Christ. Deacon Gan Kah Ann dealt me
with and he assured me of my salvation through the word of GOD. I did
not remember the verses then but the verses of assurance come from John
1:12, 1 John 1:9, 5:11-12.
After Salvation
After receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal
Saviour, I purposed to read the Bible regularly and shortly after I had
the desire to be baptised. It was in the month of June 1981 that I
obeyed the Lord in believer's baptism. I was immersed by Pastor Gan Kah
Hock into Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship where I stayed. I was involved in
tracting groups and was faithful in attending their services every
Sunday.
There
was a challenge to my faith in Christ after I became a Christian and
after my baptism. Through this situation and others, I was further
assured of my salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. The instance was when
it was time to hold joss sticks to commemorate my father's death. I
determined not to hold joss sticks and prayed to the Lord Jesus to help
me: I was in Secondary two then. I was soundly reprimanded by my mother
and my brother joined in the thrashing. But the Lord provided the grace
to overcome this situation and gave the eventual victory when my
brother and my mother came to profess Christ as Saviour.
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