Hokkien Testimony #21

Hokkien Testimony #21

Today is the 21st testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Brother Xi Si Mei and Sister Yang Li Juan, who share their journey to become Christians with us. Today we have the privilege of hearing their story in Hokkien.  Let’s listen together to their testimony. We have also provided an English summary below.

Brother Xi Si Mei and Sister Yang Li Juan’s testimony:

Pastor Lim shares that when we talk about family we are often timid or actually ashamed to talk about the bad things that have occurred in our lives. Even though we may talk about those bad times in our lives, our Lord does not condemn us for those past wrongs. Instead the Lord comes to our aid and helps us in our weakness. Praise the Lord.

Their testimony:  At this point in our lives, we have been Christians for about eight years. Our lives are not the same, and becoming Christians has been good for us. Now what do we mean? Well, before Christ we were more concerned about “saving face” and doing things for ourselves. However after becoming Christians that has all changed.

We actually accepted Christ because of a very big event in our lives. When I, Xi Se Mei, was in my thirties I felt that my heart was weak and so I went to see doctors to determine what was wrong. I went through 4 or 5 medical facilities to get help. However, they found nothing. So I thought that if western medicine didn’t help then I should try Chinese medicine. I was told that I should eat special foods that were more nutritious in order to build up my health.

Sister Yang shares: During this time I was very frightened and didn’t know what was wrong. I followed instructions that were given to us to use special medicines, and our house was filled with the heavy odorous scent of those things. Well, that didn’t work either so I encouraged him to go back to western medicine doctors to get help. Nothing worked, so as many Chinese people do, we went to the local idols to beg local gods for help. We went to 4 or 5 gods to find help.

Brother Xi:  The first temple gave me a number of things to put on my body or to put in the house to rid myself of this health issue. However, with all of this no matter what we did I did not have peace and nothing changed. I then went to a Taoist god and spent a good bit of money, but nothing changed. The third time I sought a different god, spent more money and also followed their instructions. However, after several attempts they just told me to not come back. No help. I was really down and discouraged.

Sister Yang:  At this time my sister said that we needed to come to Jesus for help.

Brother Xi:  I had used Western medicine, Chinese medicine, the local religions, prayed to our ancestors but nothing helped. So as my wife said, her sister told us that we need to come to Jesus for help. Her sister earlier had become a Christian. The amazing thing is that no one opposed us becoming Christians. Li Juan’s sister every day saw me and knew what a difficult time I was experiencing. My response to her was if I see some kind of evidence to prove it to me, then I will believe. I really didn’t want to become a Christian. I would get angry just to hear the name of Jesus. However, I had no other place to go and had no strength. Finally when my sister-in-law begged me to let her pray for me, I said yes because I had no other choice. So as I stood there and for about five minutes she read scripture and sang. Amazingly enough I felt so relaxed like a rock had been removed from me. I had used all that time and money searching for a solution, and after five minutes Jesus seemed to be the answer.  I told God that I would give him 24 hours and he used five minutes. This was a huge blessing in my life. But I still did not completely put my faith in Jesus. I wanted healing, but didn’t fully believe. However, while sleeping, I had a dream. I dreamed of climbing a mountain to the top. Jesus appeared to me and was wearing glowing clothes and he prayed for me. After that I really put my trust in Jesus. I began attending church and participating in a small group. Little by little my illness vanished and God healed me without any medicine. My health was restored and my life was changed.

Li Juan: When I saw what my husband had done, I also trusted Jesus as my Savior. Before I became a Christian I had a bad temper. If my husband said one sentence, I would answer him with three or four and we would get into a bad argument. I was determined to win and never lose an argument. But after accepting Christ I changed. I didn’t argue like that and I cleaned up my speech. God changed me.

A word from Pastor Lim:

Today through this testimony we see God’s healing and salvation. God has blessed them with a beautiful family. We know that when we are in Christ we can receive salvation and physical healing as well. Just look at Si Mei’s story and see how God brought healing into his life to overcome this strange illness. I don’t know today if you are ill or have problems, but the same God who healed Si Mei can heal you. No matter what you are dealing with, Jesus can save you if you are willing to accept his salvation. If you desire to accept Jesus, then repeat after me sentence by sentence and accept Jesus into your heart.

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you and know that you love me. Lord Jesus at this time I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Forgive my sin and save me. Heal me and come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the holy name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

Dear friends if you have prayed this prayer with me, then I encourage you to find a church nearby and attend. The longer you know Jesus the more you will love him. In your life you will know that Jesus is indeed real. May God bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #20

Hokkien Testimony #20 Shen Yuzhu

Today is the 20th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Sister Shen Yuzhu, who shares her journey to become a Christian with us. Today we have the privilege of hearing her story in Hokkien.  Let’s listen together to Sister Shen Yuzhu’s testimony. We have also provided an English summary below.

Sister Shen Yuzhu’s testimony:

When I was younger I studied voice, so I would like to share a song with you that has mean a lot to me: Jesus’ name really is beautiful. As Pastor Lim said, if you don’t know Jesus then you don’t know how beautiful this name really is. The Bible tells us that God has given Jesus a name that is above every name.

When I was young, my maternal grandmother served as a shaman or religious medium for local gods.  So I grew up in that kind of environment. I lived with my grandmother so I knew that she had this kind of relationship with the local gods. So from childhood I naturally thought that I would also worship like my grandmother because it was important to have a religious faith. I especially wanted to worship the goddess of mercy, Guanyin (觀音). I also followed in traditional Chinese practices like fortune telling as well as others.

When I was young I knew nothing about the Bible’s teachings, and was very superstitious. I was concerned about my future such as marriage and was very curious, so I followed in these local religious traditions. However, to have someone tell your fortune or get involved in other such religious activities was very expensive. After my grandmother died, I believed that she would change somehow and appear to me. I kept waiting, but 30 years later, it never happened.

I later married and when my children were small I was worried because my child was not doing well in school. One of my friends was a Christian and she encouraged me and invited me to go to church with her and check it out. She told me that the songs and messages shared would really help me and bring me joy. I told her that I worshiped another god, but she said it didn’t matter at all. There was no conflict with her local religion. So I promised her that my husband and I with our two children would join her on Sunday.

The first time I went to church I felt so much peace. I also really enjoyed the teaching of the pastor, and felt that it was very helpful to me. So every week we followed our friend to church. Even though we were going to church, I still had a heavy heart. I heard the pastor say that no matter what problem you have or whatever you are dealing with, Jesus can help you and you can pray about it. Well, we had not been going to church very long, and there was so much that we didn’t understand, so I didn’t know how to pray. I was very nervous and anxious, so I just kept called out the name of Jesus. As I did this, something very amazing happened to me. I started to feel warm until my whole body had this feeling. From this I knew that the name of Jesus is very astounding. At this point everything was new to me. I had not been baptized and had only called out the name of Jesus. Through all of this Jesus set me free and I no longer had a heavy heart that I had carried around with me for so long. Instead he gave me peace, and I am so grateful to him.

From that point forward I no longer had these bad feelings; instead I was depending more and more on Jesus. It has been about 20 years since I accepted Christ and was baptized, and I have continued to grow in my ability to be thankful. Jesus is alive and lives inside of us, and when we do something wrong we feel it. He communicates with us. If we are critical of others, we feel that we shouldn’t do that. When I worshiped local gods I never had this experience.

When my husband and I decided that we wanted to be baptized, my mother did not approve. However, my mother and mother-in-law both gave us the freedom to make that choice. Eventually I also invited my mother to attend our small group. She was not in a good mood and emotionally upset. When we arrived, one of the ladies called out my mother’s name and she started to cry.  I asked her what was wrong and she said that no person had ever called her name like that and she was very touched. She felt that people were kind and friendly. I believe that at that time God was already at work. She and my father both received Christ and one day we will see each other again in heaven.

However, in the beginning my father opposed Christianity and refused to accept it. If there was a physical need and we wanted to pray for healing, my father would express opposition and tell us to just go see the doctor. However, on one occasion there was a funeral and my father noticed how many people from the church came to attend. He was touched and felt that Christians were very passionate about their faith. He was moved and eventually he too accepted Jesus. My older brother was also opposed to us becoming Christians. On one occasion we were eating together and had a blessing before the meal. He asked why we did that. That was an opportunity to tell him that we thanked God for giving us the strength to work, an appetite and providing for our daily needs. Later he also accepted Christ. So today in my family many of my relatives have already accepted Jesus. God has blessed our family and as Pastor Lim said today as a result I have the opportunity to give this beautiful testimony.

A word from Pastor Lim:

Today as we listen to Sister Shen Yuzhu’s testimony, we see that her life now compared to her life before Jesus is not the same, what a difference. Her feelings during the time that she worshiped idols and her experiences after believing in Jesus are extremely different. The song that she sang in the beginning of this presentation is a testimony to that: Jesus’ name really is beautiful. The name of Jesus is our salvation and strength. So today after listening to this testimony if you would also like to accept Jesus to be your personal Savior, I happily invite you to pray this prayer with me. You can follow me as I lead us sentence by sentence.

Dear Jesus, I thank you so much because you love me. Even though I don’t know you, you know me and love me. You also desire to give me salvation. Because of this, I come before you and admit the wrongs that I have done. Forgive my sin and come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. From today forward you will take all of my problems and worries. You will direct my future. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

May God bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #19

Hokkien Testimony #19

Today is the 19th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Mr. Lim Beng Heng’s, who shares his journey to become a Christian with us. Today we have the privilege of hearing his story in Hokkien.  Let’s listen together to Lim Beng Heng’s testimony. We have also provided an English summary below.

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Mr. Lim Beng Heng’s testimony:

When I was a child I often heard people calling my father names, because he was an alcoholic and very irresponsible. He did not take care of our family. He not only drank a lot, but also gambled and did just about everything there was to do out there. My father had a good business, but he spent most of his time drinking. He was also abusive to my mother. He hit her as well as us children. However, most of the anger and abuse was toward my mother. When I saw this I was extremely angry. I think everyone desires a good family. Since I was born into this kind of family, I did not receive love. I didn’t know what love was, and no one loved me. I hated this situation. I wished I could grow up quickly so I could protect my mother and prevent my father from hitting her.

Since I grew up in this kind of dysfunctional family I didn’t do very well in school. The teachers and students would look down on and make fun of the kids in my family because we didn’t have very nice clothes to wear.  The teacher knew that my father had a good successful business and couldn’t understand why we dressed so poorly. So as I child I didn’t really have any friends or relatives.

One day I got into a fight with my father and I hit him back. That day I left the house to live on my own. I didn’t really have anything, but my heart was full of hate. I found work and connected with some people whom I felt could take care of me. I also began to fight and the more I fought the stronger I became. I remembered what my mother taught me and wasn’t going to let someone take advantage of me.

I was always looking for love and peace, but these were never found in my family. So I went out in the world to look for this. I was introduced to drugs, and after using cocaine, I felt that this was the answer to my problems. So I began to daily use this drug, and when I needed money I was willing to steal or do whatever it would take to get money so I could buy more drugs. However, I quickly realized that this was not peace, and I hated this kind of life. It was a vicious cycle — use drugs, find money to buy more drugs, etc. I was really conflicted. Using drugs or drinking . . . both were problems. I then went to a drug rehabilitation center to get help. I actually went through rehab several times. However, the third time that I went through rehab, I experienced a real life change.

By the third time when I tried to kick the habit, I hated the life I had and wanted to change, but I didn’t know how to do that. However, this time I decided to attend the church service there. One day a pastor came and spoke very directly to us. He told us that if we really wanted to change that Jesus could help us. I had my doubts but I was willing to try, so I prayed to believe in Jesus and was baptized. This was real for me, and I knew that one thing I needed to do was to respect my other and be a filial son. However, one day when I was with my mother and brother, she made the comment that I would always be her cocaine son. That really tore my heart out. That hurt thrust me back into using cocaine, and I was miserable. I couldn’t work, eat or do anything else. I was much like a beggar. I saw that my mother was really hurt, and it made me very happy to see her hurt.

I was truly a believer and the Lord rebuked me. At that time my mother had heart disease.  While she was in the hospital the Lord really spoke to me and told me how wrong I was, and I truly regretted what I had done. I prayed to the Lord and asked him for another opportunity to be a filial son to my mother. After my prayer on that very day, my mother was released from ICU. The family had already thought this was the end and was making plans for her funeral. However, God changed things and healed my mother. I also made the decision to stop what I was doing, and God changed my life.

I continually prayed for my mother. The Lord impressed upon me to especially pray for my mother’s salvation, and she indeed came to Christ. In the beginning I didn’t think it was possible because she was a devout Buddhist. However, she came to Christ. One day she told me that I was so handsome and smart and she wanted me to come near so she could hold me. I cried as I held and kissed my mother. She told my brothers and sisters and our relatives that I had accepted Christ.

I would like to leave you with some words of exhortation. I have lived a very difficult and miserable life. However, when I asked Jesus into my life, he solved my issues and changed my life. He gave me the precious gift of being able to hug and kiss my mother. This had never happened to me. This was God’s greatest gift to me. As Pastor Lim said, I definitely want to encourage the younger generation to be filial and live good lives. Never take drugs or get into trouble. Simply put, when you have problems quickly take them to Jesus. Our parents are not with us forever, so we need to do our part to love and respect them.

A word from Pastor Lim:

We appreciate Mr. Lim’s testimony. To those of you who are listening or reading this testimony, we can see from this story that life does have a lot of hurt in it. However, in Jesus there is love. In Christ’s love, Mr. Lim found genuine peace and purpose in life. From hearing his testimony you can tell that he is not the same person, and we thank the Lord for him. He was able to change and you can change too. You just need to accept Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior. So at this time I want to give you an opportunity. I will share sentence by sentence, and you can follow after me.

Dear Jesus, I thank you because you are the true God. You are our Lord and Savior. At this time I ask you to forgive my sins and I invite you into my heart to be my Lord and Savior and give me a new beginning. I ask you to change me and do away with my bad habits. Please give me a new life, a new purpose and a new hope. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

If you prayed with me, then your life will not be the same. Jesus will help you. We encourage you to find a church nearby and hear God’s good news and come to know Jesus personally.  

We hope to see you again. God bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #18

Hokkien Testimony #18

Today is the 18th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Sister Ang Bi Kiau’s, who also shares her story of how much God loves her and has cared for her since childhood.  Let’s listen together to Sister Ang Bi Kiau’s story of how God worked in her life. Today we have the privilege of hearing her story in Hokkien. We have also provided an English summary of Sister Ang Bi Kiau’s testimony below.

Sister Ang Bi Kiau’s testimony:

Thank you for this opportunity for me to give my testimony. From childhood I received schooling that was related to a church. However, even though I heard and knew about Jesus, I did not have a personal relationship with him. When I married, my husband was not a Christian and his family worshiped idols. In fact, he actually served in a position in one of the local temples. In my daily life not only my husband but my friends and co-workers also worshiped idols. They were not Christians and were also encouraging me to worship the local gods as well. They told me that by doing this, then I could ask for whatever I desired, family, finances, etc. and the gods would bless our family and life would go more smoothly. I looked around at people and saw a lot of good things, so I decided I would try this because I wanted all those things just as they did. So I followed their lead. I even began gambling and the very first time I put down a very small amount and got a big return. I quickly got addicted to this and before I knew it I was in deeper and deeper.  I also had no heart to go to work and gave up my job.

I remember one time after I gambled and made a bit of money, I thought to myself that this is fantastic. I was able to buy things for our children and I was so happy.  I jumped even deeper into this gambling world. Whatever kind of gambling that you might mention, I did it.  I had a huge gambling problem. On top of this I also owed a lot of money. When I began gambling I would just bet a small amount of money; however, the longer I gambled the more money I would bet. I had already given up my work so I had no way to pay back this money. So I started borrowing money from friends. When my friends saw what was happening they were scared and began to avoid me.

Things got so bad that I had no money to pay back this money, but I had to keep gambling in the hopes of winning more money. I just kept going. My family did their best to help me until they too couldn’t do it anymore. My family too wouldn’t have anything to do with me. People began to react to me as though they had seen a ghost, they kept away from me. A friend saw my situation and suggested that I get money from another source that was actually illegal. So that’s what I did; however, my gambling got worse. It was terrible. My husband and children also didn’t even want to talk to me. I had borrowed about $40,000. Also the people around me who gambled also drank and smoked, so I joined them. Things grew worse and I felt that I really must die. That was my only option.

So on a Saturday I really felt like death was my only way out. At this time I received a phone call from my older sister and she said that tomorrow she wanted to come see me. So Sunday morning she came over and told me that she knew my family was in a mess and told me that I had to stop gambling. She also told me that she wanted to take me to church to learn about Jesus. I told her that I owed people a huge amount of money and I couldn’t believe that she wanted to come over her and talk to me about this Jesus. I asked her if she really thought that this Jesus could help me pay back this money. And you know what; she said Jesus could help me. Well, I told her that when I had time I would contact her, but right now I didn’t have time to go to church. I had to find a way to pay off this money that I owed. Once again I went to place my bets, and I lost big time. I just knew that I would win, but I didn’t. I needed to pay back this money, and I couldn’t. I felt that life had no meaning, my family didn’t even want to be around me, and I would be better off dead.

I went outside and began to walk on the side of the road with the intention of allowing a car to hit and kill me, but I didn’t have the courage to do that. In my head I also heard a voice asking me what my children would do if I killed myself. So I turned around and went home. The entire night I wasn’t able to sleep, and I just paced the floor and smoked one pack of cigarettes after another. The next morning my older sister called me again.  She told me that she was downstairs and would like to talk with me. I told her to come on up. She once again confronted me with my gambling addiction. I told her that of course I lost money, and anyone could tell that just by looking at my face. Then I let her know that I didn’t want to hear her talk to me about Jesus. I was so nervous because it was almost time for the person to contact me to collect the money that I owed.

My sister continued to talk to me. She told me that I had to stop gambling. I must repent of what I had done and that Jesus would help me. I told her that I owed so much money and there was no way Jesus could help me. She said he could and she wanted to pray with me. She also told me that this was the only option that I had. And as she took my hand I was very moved. I repented before the Lord. She told me that when the person called me to collect the money that I should ask them for one more week and that I now believe in Jesus and that “My Father” would assist me. I didn’t understand and thought she was talking about my own father. But she was talking about God himself. She told me to use faith and look to God for a solution to my problem.

A couple of days later my sister called and told me that she had a dream and Jesus told her that her I had accepted Christ and that my life was going to change. Jesus told her to give me money to pay off this debt. And that’s what she did. I paid off the debt, accepted Christ as my Savior and joined the church to follow Christ.

Jesus is so good. After I accepted Jesus Christ, he changed me and all of my family. My husband and children saw how I changed and they too accepted Christ. Christ changed our family and we settled down with his peace. Our family is now in church, and God indeed changed my bad habits, my gambling addiction, my drinking as well as my smoking. Jesus also changed my husband and he too no longer drinks or smokes.  After my husband saw the change in my life, he went to church with me and the first time he attended he accepted Christ. It was really amazing because after he accepted Christ he no longer wanted to drink or smoke.

Dear friends, as a word of encouragement, I hope that my testimony will be of help to you. It is my desire that you will make a decision to believe in Jesus as quickly as possible. He is the only true God and can change all in our lives. For those of you who are involved in gambling or drinking, I want to let you know that Jesus can change all of that for you. It doesn’t matter what kind of problem you have, Jesus can help you. So I hope that my testimony will help you to make a decision to follow Jesus.

A word from Pastor Lim:

As we have listened to Sister Ang’s testimony I am sure that we all have been moved.  It is so wonderful to see how a family that is down and discouraged can totally change and have a new beginning. Jesus reached down through her sister to help her at such a desperate time. So this solved her problems, and she experienced such a great change in her life by overcoming gambling, drinking and smoking. As I stand before this family today, it is easy to see how God step by step has abundantly blessed them. Friends, you today can also experience this kind of change in your life if you believe and trust in Jesus. In order to do this you must invite Jesus to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord, and he will help you to avoid evil and wickedness. He died on the cross and overcame the power of Satan. His precious blood can cleanse you of your sin. When you believe in Jesus, you experience a big change in your life. If you truly desire to believe, then you can follow me as I pray. As I pray sentence by sentence, please follow after me.

Lord Jesus, I thank you because you love me and desire to save me. I am a sinner. Please forgive me of my sin. Use your precious blood to cleanse me of my sin. Lord Jesus, from today forward I want to leave my past and ask you to come into my heart to be my Savior, Lord and Master. I know that because I believe in you, my life will change. My family will be blessed, my life will have hope. Thank you Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.

If you genuinely prayed this prayer, then you are a Christian. I hope that you can find a church nearby to attend. Your life will change and God will greatly bless you.

Good-bye.

God bless you.

Hokkien testimony #17

Hokkien Testimony #17

Today is the seventeenth testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Brother Fu Yarui, who also shares his background and life story in Hokkien.  Let’s listen together to Brother Fu Yarui’s story of how God worked in his life. Today we have the privilege of hearing his story. We have also provided an English summary of Brother Fu Yarui’s testimony below.

Brother Fu Yarui ‘s testimony:

First of all I want to thank the Lord for all that he has done for me and my wife. If it had not been for him, then I don’t think that we would be alive today. He took us out of darkness and saved our lives. Some may not understand what I mean by “darkness.” I mean that when we live our lives outside of Christ then we live in a way that we don’t understand and we live in darkness. For instance, if we talk about business then that is one area that reflects darkness. In my business dealings, my business agent owed me a lot of money. I confronted him about it, but he was unwilling to settle with me. I was about to lose my company, but he still wouldn’t respond. I didn’t know how to deal with this, and had no person to help me so I sought out some “shady” people to help out. That is what I call living in darkness. Dealing with this was very messy and complicated. However, things got even more complicated.

My wife was not in really good health. One of my customers knew about the money problems and he came after me to make trouble. It was at this time that my wife was challenged with a demon. I remember very clearly that my wife started feeling somewhat dizzy. So I took her to see the doctor, and he gave her a complete examination. He said that she was fine and we didn’t need to see him again. Later her arms and legs became weak and didn’t have any strength. The doctor said she had no problem and was fine. We needed help. After this, my friend took me to all the temples in Singapore to get help. This situation went on for about 7 or 8 years. If anyone had any suggestions, I would do whatever they said to try and fine help. However, she was not cured. She might feel better for a day or two, but then she reverted back to the same problems. Friends suggested that Singapore’s temples were not powerful enough, so I also went to Thailand for help. That didn’t work either so I found something even bigger. However, nothing worked. We spent so much money, but never received any help.

With all of this going on I couldn’t work so this definitely affected our family. But it was at this time that God began to work in our lives. At this time when things looked so hopeless, God reached out to save our family. There was a lady in an English church in Singapore who gave us a VCD to watch. On the VCD a Taiwan pastor prayed for people’s healing. My wife saw this and was very interested and wanted to go to church.  We come from a large family and one of our relatives serves in a high position in a temple and made her a little nervous. However, I said we didn’t need to worry about any of that. We could just go to the church and see for ourselves. Not long after seeing the VCD, a Hokkien pastor along with a lady came to visit us. The pastor told us the story of Jesus, and shared the gospel with us.  

I told my wife that I knew we had worshipped so many gods, but I was touched and felt that we needed to believe in Jesus. So four of us in our family all prayed to receive Jesus as our personal Savior. Pastor LIm reminded us that if we call on the name of the Lord, he will save us and our family. Three days later we went to church and attended their evening Hokkien service.  Then when Ghost Month came (the 7^th month of the lunar calendar) we removed all of the things in our house that we earlier used to worship idols. I had the courage to do this, because Jesus is not like anything we had ever experienced. He gave us the strength to do this.

So after our family accepted Christ, my wife’s health began to change. Before accepting Christ, my wife couldn’t do anything for herself. She couldn’t bathe, dress or even feed herself.  I had to assist her. However, after accepting Christ she made continual progress. Little by little she could do things for herself and then she could even go outside. She even went to Indonesia to share the gospel, and to Johor Bahr in Malaysia to attend Bible study. I could see God’s glory in her physical body. Seeing how God worked in her life confirmed to me that Jesus is real, and I definitely want to serve him. So I was baptized and joined the church to serve the Lord. With grateful hearts my wife and I want to serve our Lord together.

After I personally accepted Christ, I was able to study the Bible and sit under the teaching of our pastor. I am no longer the same person. I have changed 100% from the person I was before. Before Christ I would easily lose my temper with the children and with others. However, after believing in Christ my disposition totally changed. Before I was stern and felt the children must listen to me. But after accepting Christ I want to love my family with Christ’s love. Even talking with my adult children it is important for me to use Christ’s love in communicating with them.

In life it doesn’t matter what we encounter, when we reach out to God he is always there to help us. On one occasion in my business there was glass that was broken, and I am so grateful to the Lord that I was not injured at all. Whenever I am miserable or have any issue, I pray to God and he helps and leads me. The longer that I am a Christian I know even more that Jesus is the true Savior and Lord. He is here to watch over me, my heart and my family. I am so grateful to the Lord.  I want to close with a word of encouragement to you. I would exhort you to share God’s love with your relatives and friends.  If we allow the Lord to direct our lives, it makes all the difference in the world. I hope if any of you listening have not yet accepted Christ, that you will make that decision. As a family we all have different opinions, but God blesses and brings peace to a family. Jesus is the difference. I encourage you to quickly make a decision to follow Jesus.       

A word from Pastor Lim: After hearing Brother Fu’s testimony you know that God drastically changed his life. God also healed his wife and saved her life. They are new creatures in Christ and they serve the Lord together. God has greatly blessed every area of their lives. You can also receive this same blessing by asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Trusting in Christ is very simple. Just follow me and invite Christ to come into your heart and you can be saved and receive a new life. Just follow me sentence by sentence as we pray. Dear Jesus thank you. You love me and want to save me. Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, and at this time I ask you to forgive my sin and with your precious blood cleanse me. Lord Jesus from today forward I pray that you would free me from the enslavement of sin. I welcome you to come into my heart to be my Savior and Lord as you lead and give me a new life, and new hope. Thank you. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Thank you.

God bless you.

30 Days of Prayer Day 30 2021

30 Days of Fasting & Prayer Day 30 2021

Jesus is our Savior

Day 30 – September 6: Welcome to the Hokkien Harvest 30 days of fasting and prayer during this 7^th Lunar month, Ghost month.  To access the Hokkien audio post which also includes Chinese script, just click below. At the bottom of this post we also provide a brief English summary. May God bless greatly during this 30 day period of fasting and prayer.

Ladies and gentlemen, pastors, and brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings of peace. During these 30 days of fasting and prayer every day we can pray to the Lord for relatives and friends that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask the Lord to use you and for the Holy Spirit to also move these relatives and friends to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. We pray that all glory will go to our Lord, Amen.

Hebrews 7:25

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

This prayer of the Lord Jesus relates to our salvation. Why is it possible for us to be saved forever, eternally?  It’s possible because he is an eternal God who prays for us. We know that there are many believers we know who are no longer following the Lord, and the truth is that no one is interceding for them. They once believed in the Lord and loved him. It isn’t that they weren’t sincere. They probably had no one advocating for them, so they grew cold and no longer had a desire to follow Jesus. How can Christ intercede for us? He can intercede because he is eternal . . . no beginning and no end. People who are not alive cannot intercede for themselves. The dead cannot raise their hands. So if we want to pray to God on behalf of others, we must first see that everything that is “dead” in our life is taken away and removed. In the Old Testament, all sins were said to be taken away and removed. Our sins are wiped away and we are resurrected with the Lord Jesus. Only then can we have abundant life and intercede for others!

The Bible says that everyone who comes to God by trusting in Jesus can be saved forever. This means that the Lord’s salvation is complete and eternal. Because God is eternal, his prayers are directed to God on our behalf so that we can be saved in all circumstances. We cannot enter the presence of God on our own, but the Lord Jesus answered in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. He is the only way through which we can reach God, so we can lean on him to come into the presence of God. The Lord is our high priest, and he has the ability to give eternal life and to work in our lives. He lives forever and therefore is able to give us eternal salvation that lasts forever.

Many years ago in Britain, Queen Victoria was very popular among the people. There was a little boy who would often hear his mother speak of the queen, and the child really wanted to see her. One day the little boy walked right into Buckingham Palace by himself, looking for the queen. When he entered he was stopped by two tall guards and asked what he was doing there? The child said he wanted to see the girl King, The guard said loudly: “No, no,” so the child sad outside the palace and cried. About that time, a man came up and asked him why he was crying. He said he wanted to see the Queen, but the guards would not allow him in. The man said, “Hold on to the corner of my clothes, and follow me closely.” The man led him into the palace gate, but the guards didn’t stop him. They continued walking in until they stood before the queen’s throne. “Mother”, he said, “This kid wants to see you.” It was easy for this child to come before the queen, pay homage to the queen in all her splendor, and accept the queen’s blessing. It turned out that the man who took him into the palace was the queen’s son, Edward VII. We by ourselves are not qualified to come to God, but just as the child relied on the queen’s son to enter, we now we can come to God by relying on the Son of God, Jesus.

At this moment, please bring the names before the Lord of those people whom you are acquainted with and do not yet know Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, please open my heart and allow me to be an intercessor who can be advocate for the souls of relatives and friends who do not yet believe in the Lord. Please grant me the power and grace so that I can live faithfully for you and lead people to come before God. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

30 Days of Prayer Day 29 2021

30 Days of Fasting & Prayer Day 29 2021

Don’t Refuse

Day 29 – September 5: Welcome to the Hokkien Harvest 30 days of fasting and prayer during this 7^th Lunar month, Ghost month.  To access the Hokkien audio post which also includes Chinese script, just click below. At the bottom of this post we also provide a brief English summary. May God bless greatly during this 30 day period of fasting and prayer.

Ladies and gentlemen, pastors, and brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings of peace. During these 30 days of fasting and prayer every day we can pray to the Lord for relatives and friends that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask the Lord to use you and for the Holy Spirit to also move these relatives and friends to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. We pray that all glory will go to our Lord, Amen.

Isaiah 55:6

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

2 Corinthians 6:2

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

When will the end of our life come? No one knows. We can wait for the opportunity, but the opportunity will not wait for us. Once the opportunity is gone, it won’t come again. Believe in Jesus as early as possible, while you are still alive, while he has called you, call to him. When you are alive you can find the Lord God; however, when you leave this world, you can no longer have that opportunity. God is calling us at this moment. He approaches us first, not that we approach him first. He first loved us; we did not first love him. Now is the time when the Lord offers salvation. He will answer our cry and rescue us, freeing us from sin. He is the Lord who runs to save us after hearing our cry. We have to grasp what we still have today, because we don’t know if tomorrow will come. Yesterday has passed, and tomorrow is not in our hands. So we must be prepared.

Have you accepted Jesus to be your Savior? To accept Jesus means “to be reconciled with God”. Sin separates us from God, but Jesus’ salvation closes that gap between us and God and reconciles us to him enabling us to become his children.

I have a friend who was very sincere and always took the trouble to introduce Jesus to his very good friend. He tried to persuade and encourage him to accept Jesus. Over and over again his friend refused and would say things like: “wait until I am older, or wait until I have more free time”. The Lord Jesus gave him countless opportunities and grace, but one day he had a fatal accident. There was no longer any opportunity or grace available to him. God took it all back. My friend feels such deep sorrow because of his friend’s procrastination. Have you had this kind of experience as well?

At this moment, please bring the names before the Lord of those people whom you are acquainted with and do not yet know Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we beseech you not let our relatives and friends miss today’s opportunity to accept Jesus. During these two days that remain in the seventh lunar month, please move our relatives and friends to see that they must not follow after and love worldly desires. Instead, soften their hearts and encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity today. Make them aware that the Lord is knocking at their hearts’ door. In the name of the Lord Jesus, encourage them to repent and turn to you today. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

30 Days of Prayer Day 28 2021

30 Days of Fasting & Prayer Day 28 2021

Call on the name of the Lord – Part 2

Day 28 – September 4: Welcome to the Hokkien Harvest 30 days of fasting and prayer during this 7^th Lunar month, Ghost month.  To access the Hokkien audio post which also includes Chinese script, just click below. At the bottom of this post we also provide a brief English summary. May God bless greatly during this 30 day period of fasting and prayer.

Ladies and gentlemen, pastors, and brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings of peace. During these 30 days of fasting and prayer every day we can pray to the Lord for relatives and friends that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask the Lord to use you and for the Holy Spirit to also move these relatives and friends to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. We pray that all glory will go to our Lord, Amen.

Matthew 10:32-33

³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³ But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Jesus’ disciples at that time faced a lot of resistance including threats on their lives and persecution. Because of this Jesus told his disciples that they must be firm and strong, and when they had the opportunity with courage to tell people who Jesus is and invite them to follow him. They did not need to fear what others might do to them, but be willing to share what Jesus can do for others. The person who is willing to acknowledge Jesus and give testimony, Jesus will also give testimony about him before the Father. If a person worries about what might happen to them and dares not open their mouth to acknowledge Jesus, then Jesus will not give testimony about them before the Father either.

There are possibly even more frightening circumstances that result in a person refusing to testify about Jesus. Jesus’ disciples faced many difficult circumstances and were persecuted. Jesus told them to be firm and strong in their faith, and if they had the opportunity to courageously share about Jesus, they should not only tell who Jesus is but also share all the Jesus has done for them. Don’t worry about how they will respond.

First of all, we must remember all that Jesus has done for us. What has Jesus done? He shed his blood and died for us on the cross. He suffered for us so that our sin can be forgiven and pardoned. Secondly, we should fear the loss of eternal death more than the loss of worldly things.  The loss of things in this world is temporary but the loss of eternal things is for eternity, forever. Third, while we are still alive we should take advantage of this opportunity to live out our testimony. After we leave this world, we can no longer do anything. Four, we will tell people that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that apart from Jesus there is no other way to be saved.

In 1983, there was a Taiwanese movie. It tells of an uncle who was unable to speak. He collected trash and recyclable items. One day in the rubbish he discovered an abandoned baby girl. He took her home and raised her. She grew up to become a successful singer.

One day, when her adopted father appeared in public, she did not acknowledge him as her father, because she was worried about what people would think of him, and that this might affect her career. It was a heartbreaking thing. However, we too in public may not dare acknowledge who Jesus is and what he has done. Maybe we worry that people will ridicule us, refuse to be our friend or challenge our beliefs. Today’s scripture clearly teaches us what believers should do. We should courageously tell others about Jesus and what he has done for us. Then Jesus will also acknowledge us before our Father in Heaven.

At this moment, please bring the names before the Lord of those people whom you are acquainted with and do not yet know Christ.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for us. You are the savior who gives eternal life. Help us to not only believe in our heart, but also to acknowledge you publicly. Give us the courage to share with our relatives, neighbors, friends, those with whom we exercise together, and people whom we meet in coffee shops, so that they can get to know you and accept Jesus as their personal savior. Give us the courage to share the gospel with them, regardless of whether they laugh at us or refuse our friendship. Help us to disregard the anger of people or persecution that we might experience. We want to be firm in our faith and bear witness of you. We also know that you will acknowledge us before our Heavenly Father and bless us. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!

30 Days of Prayer Day 27 2021

30 Days of Fasting & Prayer Day 27 2021

Call on the name of the Lord – Part 1

Day 27 – September 3: Welcome to the Hokkien Harvest 30 days of fasting and prayer during this 7^th Lunar month, Ghost month.  To access the Hokkien audio post which also includes Chinese script, just click below. At the bottom of this post we also provide a brief English summary. May God bless greatly during this 30 day period of fasting and prayer.

Ladies and gentlemen, pastors, and brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings of peace. During these 30 days of fasting and prayer every day we can pray to the Lord for relatives and friends that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask the Lord to use you and for the Holy Spirit to also move these relatives and friends to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. We pray that all glory will go to our Lord, Amen.

Romans 10:13-14

¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.¹⁴ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

When the new coronavirus pandemic spread across the world and claimed millions of lives, we desperately looked for a vaccine to ensure our safety. However, there is another “disease” that is more terrifying than the new coronavirus. This disease not only causes death in the world, but even more terrifying it causes eternal death of our soul. This disease is called “sin”. From the very first person who disobeyed God, death has come to every generation in this world. Is there some method or medicine that can keep us free from sin? What then can a person do to save themselves from sin and evil? The truth is that here is nothing we can do. People can fly to the moon, and can perform complex operations, but we can do nothing to eliminate evil. However, we thank the Lord that God has provided a way for us, the only way to save us!

Today, there are 3 important words in our scripture that explain how to be saved and receive eternal life, “Whosoever”, “Believe” and “Call on the name of the Lord”.

1) Who can save us? Our scripture says: “Whosoever” means “all people”- not just the wealthy or people of high-status. It also includes the poor and the wicked. It’s not just those who are presidents of companies. It also includes hawkers, drivers, cleaners etc. It’s not just people from the West. It also includes all kinds of races, and not only the young and the energetic, but also the elderly and the sick. Salvation is the same for everyone, that is, for you and me.

2) Well what does Hebrews 11:6 say I need to do? Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Our scripture today says that we must “believe.” Without faith, we cannot please God. We need faith to be saved, we also need faith to live out the Christian life. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says we must believe that Christ is the Son of God, and that He came, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and resurrected on the third day. This word, “believe” is not based on knowledge, but based on believing in a person, Jesus Christ.

3) Finally, what does it mean that “he who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”? This is a very important sentence. As soon as a person calls on the name of the Lord, he has an immediate personal relationship with him. This kind of teaching and faith can allow us to obtain salvation. Romans 10:10 says For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Most people in the world believe in God, but many of them have nothing to do with God and are unwilling to seek after him make an effort to know God. James 2:19 tells us, “… the devil believes, but he is frightened.” Jesus had a disciple, Judas, who followed him day and night for more than three years. He knew who Jesus was, but it’s sad to say that he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, because he didn’t regard him as the lord of his life. Therefore, the Bible advises that not everyone who calls me Lord can enter the kingdom of heaven.

At this moment, please bring the names before the Lord of those people whom you are acquainted with and do not yet know Christ.

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank you for giving us the Lord Jesus Christ to heal our sin and redeem people who are unworthy like us. Oh God! In today’s world, there are countless souls facing death and judgment due to transgressions and sin. We beg you to use us to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. We also pray that more disciples will be sent into every area of the world to preach the good news so that more souls will be saved.  We beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

30 Days of Prayer Day 26 2021

30 Days of Fasting & Prayer Day 26 2021

To be born again and be saved – Part 2

Day 26 – September 2: Welcome to the Hokkien Harvest 30 days of fasting and prayer during this 7^th Lunar month, Ghost month.  To access the Hokkien audio post which also includes Chinese script, just click below. At the bottom of this post we also provide a brief English summary. May God bless greatly during this 30 day period of fasting and prayer.

Ladies and gentlemen, pastors, and brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings of peace. During these 30 days of fasting and prayer every day we can pray to the Lord for relatives and friends that have not yet come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. We ask the Lord to use you and for the Holy Spirit to also move these relatives and friends to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. We pray that all glory will go to our Lord, Amen.

I Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Everything in this world is temporary, like the grass and flowers that are so beautiful today, but tomorrow they dry up and are quickly gone. Similarly, clothing fashions and hairstyles also change over time. Many philosophies and religions also come and go. Many of our hobbies and interests will also change with age. Will our new life in Christ also be changed over time? Today’s Bible passage will clarify this problem for us.

Today this passage tells us that there are temporary things and eternal things. Material things as well as thoughts and ideas are all temporary, but the word of God is eternal. Many religious teachers and philosophers come and go. Their teachings also disappear with them. At first these teachings really look attractive, but like grass, they soon dry up, and like flowers, they soon disappear. On the other hand, when believers are born again, they do not base their thoughts and wisdom on this world, but are rooted in God’s gospel. The gospel of salvation is not based on the invention of wise men. If it were, the gospel would quickly be changed at any time by smart people. However, the word of God is eternal because of the incorruptible seed, so our new birth and life in Christ is guaranteed. If we are saved, we can rest assured that our salvation is eternal. Moreover, our new life in Christ will not only continue, but as we love the word of God, we will mature even more.

Some time ago, a young man made the decision to become a Christian. After making this decision he told his non-Christian mother. His mother told him that this was just a temporary thing, because young people like new things but in the end they will abandon it and pick up a new interest. This happened to him 42 years ago! Not only did he not give up on himself in following Christ, his love for Jesus is increasing every day. He also led his brothers and sisters to faith in Jesus, and even his parents later believed and were baptized!

At this moment, please bring the names before the Lord of those people whom you are acquainted with and do not yet know Christ.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving new life to all who believe in you. Eternal life is based on your words in the Bible and this eternal seed gives us a firm foundation and guarantees eternal life. Help us as a family and a church to read and study your words carefully. Help us to boldly spread your word to those around us who have not yet believed in Jesus such as our family, neighbors, colleagues, classmates, drivers, and hawkers. May your words bear fruit, because you said that the words you uttered will never return void, but will accomplish what you desire. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen!