MY STORY

            I came to know Christ in Sec 1 when I joined the Boys’ Brigade (BB), which was my elder brother’s ECA then. My brother is a Christian and he encouraged me to join BB. I still remember the time when I received Christ into my life.

The BB Company organized a 3 days, 2 nights canoeing trip to Seletar Island, North-East off Singapore shores. I was sitting by the beach and I was pondering if God really existed, while looking at the scenery around me. My officer shared about the reality of Christ from the time I joined BB and I listened to every word he said. The camp eventually became the end of my questioning and the start of searching for answers. I prayed a simple prayer by myself, asking Him to reveal Himself to me. That was the very first time where I made contact with the God. Although there wasn’t any spectacular scene to convince me of His existence, I knew He did, deep down inside of me.

While I was in Sec 1, I went to a church (Pasir Panjang Hill Brethren Chapel) for a course to attain the Christian Education Badge, which was an important badge for any promotion. I went for it and I stayed on there till JC 2. The remarkable thing during the first 3 years was that I stayed on despite not knowing any of the youths there. I was like a phantom, in and out of church every Sunday. The only contact I had was my officer who was conducting Bible Study with me. Looking back, I was surprised that I continued to be a part of the Body of Christ despite not being in the family of God. I believed that it was God who held on to me while I was a stranger in the house of God. Things got better when I was in Sec 4. Someone called Barnabas came along to help me in my walk with God (indeed, he lived up to his name). He encouraged me when I was down and was always ready to hear from me.

My parents were silent about my decision on becoming a Christian. The fact that my brother was a Christian somewhat helped me avoid conflicts with my family. God really blessed me with a family that does not disagree with my decision, unlike friends whom I know who suffered persecution by becoming Christians.

During my 4 years in secondary school, I was actively serving in Youth For Christ (YFC). I was a pioneer then and it wasn’t easy serving God where I was. I was perpetually asking people to go down for events organized by YFC. My friends soon know that I’m a Christian and a very determined one. Throughout the entire time of service, I learnt that I can’t be shy about my faith and my convictions. I was called by God to be different from the rest. However, till now I still have my fears of rejections but I pressed on, knowing that I can only go forward in my pursuit of holiness and righteousness.

            The major turning point in my walk with God was in Sec 4 when God asked me about my true faith in Him. He pointed out that I only had a working relationship with Him and not a personal relationship. I was so busy doing the things of God that I neglected God in the process of serving Him. I repented of my sin and asked God to show me how to go into a relationship with Him. I was joyful but also fearful about my decision to go deeper with Him because of my relationship with my earthly father. He is irresponsible towards the family in many aspects, financially and emotionally. Hence, I did not receive any fatherly earth at all throughout my life. I had no role model to look up to and I was afraid that God would disappoint me. 

Till now, God has been a father to me, replacing the role of an earthly father because my earthly father is not able to show me how to be a man and give me the love I need. I guess it was tough then for a 13 year old kid to carry on life without love and the assurance from an adult that everything would be fine. As I reflected, God has been faithful in my life by carrying through with Hid hand. Without God, I will not be here today. Nobody really knows who I am except God Himself. I know that He understands me perfectly and is able to assure me of my identity and self-worth. In my life, He dealt with my short temper and my anger towards my father for being irresponsible. I must confess that I still have sores now and then but God deals with me swiftly.

I grew up spiritually and emotionally, with the encouragement from God and people who came into my life. I got several spiritual fathers and friends who taught me how to serve God and how to feed myself with the Word of God. They were my role models. Through the lives of these people, I came to realize that it’s important for me to walk close to God and observe these living testimonies of His goodness and faithfulness. I too want to be like them – men who loved God and were ready to influence the people around them with their lives.

The next turning point is my decision to come into COR because God called me here to learn to pray and to serve Him wholeheartedly. I joined the prayer ministry, and now cell ministry. As I serve Him in these ministries, I begin to understand the past experiences I’ve been through. I can testify to the power of prayer and the power behind discipleship that I was privileged to experience in my life. This made me realize that all along, God was preparing me for the ministries that I’m serving in. Moreover, now as I serve Him, it’s different from the past because I have a personal relationship with Him and not just a working relationship.