Hokkien Testimony #82

Hokkien Testimony #82

A little grass, a little dew. God will take care of you. Rely on him, avoid troubles. There is always a way out.

Today we welcome you to the 82nd testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Everyone has their own special story of how God has changed their life. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Brother So Se Bin who will be sharing about God’s work in his life. Let’s listen to Se Bin share his personal story. You will see that God has definitely shown his great love to him and his family. An English summary is also provided below.

So Se Bin’s Testimony:

We can start out with a bit of humor. My last name in Mandarin is Su, which the one in Hokkien could mean to lose. But in Christ we know that is not true. Actually I have to agree with Pastor Lim in that God has given me a gift of singing. So today I can use songs and my music to share about the Great love of God. However, to begin today,  I would like to start by sharing about my past. Some people don’t want to do that because they feel ashamed and in that kind of situation is almost like a sad song.

When I was small I lived in a very complex and complicated family. This entailed connections with the mob or underworld which included many bad habits and actions. This included things like smoking, drinking, stealing and tricking people. I went to school but didn’t really have any interest in studying. So as far as the upper grades, I didn’t continue with my education. Probably one of the worse things that I did was to use drugs. One day I went home and saw my father with his friends doing drugs including Heroin. I was only in 4^th grade. So the result of doing drugs leads into all kinds of bad behavior which led to prison time. So behind bars makes you really think of life outside and the freedom it brings. There were many times at night within the prison walls that I would cry. The truth is that with people around I could appear as a strong person; however, but when I was alone I knew that I was very weak.

So how did I come to know Christ as my personal Savior. I began to realize that if I continued to depend on myself, there was no way that I could change. I was released several times and all together spent 20 years behind bars, and I continued to think that I could change myself. I used every method you could think of but none of them worked for me. Every time after I was released from prison I would return to my former lifestyle. I always thought that I would change my ways and leave that kind of life, but it never happened. I was so sad because I felt there was no way for me to change. So my attitude and behavior toward my family and friends got me into a lot of trouble. I even took a knife on one occasion and threated my grandmother, telling her to give me twenty dollars or I would stab her. My family had basically given up on me. My family was really hurting over all of this, but so was I.  I genuinely wanted to change and leave this nightmare of a life. On the outside when people found out that I had been in prison, they weren’t willing to give me a chance. They didn’t trust me. I never wanted to return to prison, but several times I found myself going back to the same bad habits, ending up behind bars and even considering suicide. But in the end, I didn’t have the courage to jump and end my life.

So in today’s Hokkien testimony audio I am sharing songs that I wrote. This expresses my feelings through song of what I have experienced and what God has done for me. Pastor Lim asked how I came to know Jesus. Well, the last time that I was in prison and given a sentence of five years, I got into a fight and was sent to my cell. I was bored and asked for something to read and the Malaysian policeman gave me a Bible. This was indeed very special. I remembered earlier having heard about Jesus but no one told me that Jesus could change your life. Early on I didn’t have the desire to believe, but this time I opened the Bible and began to read. Immediately I saw a card with a cross on it that had a scripture verse to the side. Hebrews 12:5-6:

“And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

When I read this I thought of my father. I began to think of all the years that I had wasted in prison. I was so sad, but I saw the love that God has for me. So I fell to my knees and began to pray. I told God that all these past years I had tried to depend on myself, but nothing worked. And as I saw friends who had accepted Jesus, changed, married and now lived a healthy life, I was very touched and happy for them. So I told him that I hoped that I too could have a new life. At that time I gave all of my life to Jesus for him to use as he desires. So after accepting Christ my life had a new song, a happy song. After I was released from prison, my grandmother saw that I was a changed person, and she was so happy. At the age of 86, my grandmother accepted Jesus to be her personal Lord and Savior. She had worshiped idols for years, but when she saw my life change, she put her faith in Jesus. My father also saw me change and has come to church. I’m praying that he too will accept Christ.

It’s God’s grace that I also can forgive my father for introducing me into this drug culture and lifestyle. My father is much like me. He is strong, but he cannot depend on himself to change his life. He doesn’t have enough of that kind of strength. Another blessing that God has given me is a beautiful wife. I had no hope of getting married. My body reflected my lifestyle and was not attractive, and I had no money or house. Who would marry me? But God’s grace made it all possible.

Pastor Lim:

Praise the Lord that he has given you a new life, allowed you to be free from addiction to drugs and blessed you with a new beginning. To close out this time together, once again Se-Bin will bless us with a song, “A Miracle of Grace.” (You can find this on the Hokkien audio.) Today as we listened to Mr. So’s testimony we have been deeply moved. God did not abandon him, but showed his love to him. In life we often have our ups and downs, but he never abandons us. Today God is greatly using Brother So as he travels from place to place giving his testimony and sharing in song. His life is like a song and is being used to touch many lives. Through the two songs that he sang for us, we can see that God drastically changed his life from one that was so bad to one that is joyful. Before we close our program today, I would like to invite Se-Bin to share a few words of encouragement to those out there who are struggling with Heroin or other drug addictions.

Se Bin:

I want to exhort those who are struggling in the darkness or the battering waves of life. I want to encourage you to quickly come forward and accept Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus are genuinely blessed. I would like to close with one more song, “Those who believe in Jesus are blessed.”

Pastor Lim:

If you would like to accept Jesus like So Se-Bin has done, then follow and repeat after me as I lead us in prayer.

Dear Jesus, I thank you. You are my Lord and Savior. You want to save me from my sin. Lord Jesus, at this time I invite you to cleanse me of my sin. I ask you to come into my heart and be my Lord, King and direct my life forever and change me. Give me a life of gratitude and joy. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

May God bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #81

Hokkien Testimony #81

A little grass, a little dew. God will take care of you. Rely on him, avoid troubles. There is always a way out.

Today we welcome you to the 81st testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Everyone has their own special story of how God has changed their life. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Chin Hiong who will be sharing about God’s work in her life. Let’s listen to Chin Hiong share her personal story. You will see that God has definitely shown his great love to her and her family. An English summary is also provided below.

Chin Hiong’s Testimony:

When I was asked to share my testimony, I felt that as a Christian I should use this opportunity to praise the Lord and share about his grace in my life. As the Bible says, we should be prepared to sing his praises. About a year ago I had something happen to me, and whenever we encounter things like this God does open a way for us. If we have the patience to wait on the Lord, he will come to us and help us. The more we trust in the Lord, the greater our faith will grow. The further we move from the Lord, the more we stumble and lose our way. There is a Mandarin song that has really touched my heart. The truth is that we fall short and stumble every day; however, the Lord is there to pick us up. So my hope is that I will forever follow after the Lord.

I accepted Christ a long time ago. I feel that God had already chosen me to follow him. I actually followed my younger sister to church. I wasn’t involved in worship at that, but I would go to activities with her and really enjoyed the candy and fun. So I gradually began to understand what it means to follow Christ, and as I continued to go to church I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Actually, my mother opposed this. However, we know that if we genuinely believe in Jesus, he will arrange things for us and provide for our needs. At this time in my life I was not a very strong person and kept things to myself. I didn’t share anything with my mother or grandmother. I am an introvert and would pretty much stay to myself. My Aunt is in church ministry, and when I was baptized she encouraged me to share with my family. My grandmother is a very serious, opinionated and stubborn woman. But you know it really is interesting that when I went to share with her she told me that I didn’t need to say anything because she already knew that I was baptized AND she didn’t scold me at all. My younger brother said he could see a difference in my life. I was the oldest daughter and felt that I needed to take care of family and things around the house. I have 4 younger brothers and sisters and definitely felt that I needed to care for them. I was very close to my mother. Formerly I thought I was unlucky and had no good fortune. My father worked on ships, and so life was not easy for us. My mother had so many children to care for, and I understood that life was not easy. My father had already passed away, and through the encouragement of church friends and prayers, my mother accepted Christ and was baptized. During this time I learned that God works through our lives on a daily basis to reach out to others through our testimony. Two of my brothers already accepted Christ, and we have prayed for the other two. I have prayed for their salvation for about twenty years. Two years ago one of my brothers began coming to church. Seeing our family members come to Christ is a result of God’s mercy and love. In Isaiah 54:9-10 God tell us that his love will not depart from us. Some people hold on to their anger, but not our Lord. The Lord is always willing to forgive us.

When I was young life was not easy. Sometimes I would go to the market to buy food and see people begging for money or food. Our Lord does not look at our outward appearance, but looks at our heart. I discovered that the Lord really loves us and is looking out for us. One time we checked into a hotel, but the hot water wouldn’t work. We only had cold water. Well I tried to fix it, and it spurted out everywhere. We called someone to repair it, and he told us that we were very fortunate that we were not badly injured. That was God’s protection. There was also a period of time when I was out of work. How would my family pay bills and survive? I prayed but it seemed that there was no answer. But I had a vision that God was going to provide a way. I made the decision to go to Taiwan and share with family there. In perfect timing, I was offered a part time job. This enabled for me to take care of family such as my mother’s doctor’s appointments regarding her high blood pressure. Later I was told that I would have to make a decision. I could either be full time or quit my job. I waited two months to make the decision. However, then my boss told me that I could work a half day on Sunday. I’m still working at that job and my mother’s blood pressure is now normal.

Pastor Lim:

As we see through Chin Hiong’s testimony, God is with us and knows our future and leads us as we journey through life. With such a wonderful God, surely you also want to put your faith in him. So we encourage you to put your trust in Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. To do this, follow me as I pray.

Dear Jesus, thank you. You are our Lord and Savior. At this time we ask you to forgive us of our sins and use your precious blood to cleanse us. Please come into my heart and be my Lord, Savior and King. We know that you will be with us forever. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. May God bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #80

Hokkien Testimony #80

A little grass, a little dew. God will take care of you. Rely on him, avoid troubles. There is always a way out.

Today we welcome you to the 80th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Everyone has their own special story of how God has changed their life even in difficult times. God is always there with us and gives us hope. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Brother Wilfred Lim who will be sharing about God’s work in his life. Let’s listen to Wilfred share his personal story. You will see that God has definitely shown his great love to him. An English summary is also provided below.

Brother Wilfred Lim’s Testimony:

Formerly I worshiped local gods, especially Guanyin. I was very fervent and practiced my devotion by burning incense three times a day. I never asked myself if this god was real or not. I never thought about it. I had seen my mother worship and I followed in her footsteps. Worshiping like this was a habit for me. I didn’t think that I needed to worship more if I had problems or anything like that. It was just a part of my life.

When I was in the military I was not doing well with my studies. I was lagging behind and had to repeat some of it. In my head I knew that I had to study and keep at it, but was not very successful. It was at this time that all of a sudden I had a voice in my ear telling me that I need to go to church. I tried to ignore it and keep doing what I was doing, but once again the voice came to me telling me to go to church. I had never been to a church. However, I knew that God was speaking to me. While I was in the military a friend had told me about Jesus but I had never been to a church. The second time that I heard the voice, I was really touched. I told this voice that I was going to first take the test again, and then I would go to a church.

I did attend church and don’t remember much of what was said. But my impression was that people were happy and I enjoyed the music. It was a positive experience for me. I continued to attend about 4 or 5 times and at this point I was deeply moved by God’s Spirit. I really was trying to figure out what was happening. At this point I knew that this was the true God speaking to me. During this time I lost my wallet, and I talked to God about it. I told him that if he is the true God then please help recover my wallet, and He did. I was continually testing God to try and determine if he is truly real. I was seeking for a while and on a Good Friday I totally gave my life to Christ. God was speaking to me in my heart and I was ready to make this decision to really ask him into my life. At this time, this wasn’t a decision that I made lightly. I knew what I was doing and was ready to ask Jesus into my heart.

I never thought that what my mother and I had done before in worship was wrong. I was moved by the Spirit and made this decision. After I asked Jesus into my life, I just started crying. When I worshiped I was so moved that I would also cry. Even at home I experienced this. As I watched people being baptized or was moved by what the pastor shared , I was often touched and would also cry. Formerly in my home I was not a very happy person. I drove a taxi, and felt nothing ever went my way. I felt like I just had bad luck. I also argued a lot with my sister. Our home was not a happy place.

One of the first changes I noticed in my life, that this sadness, this troubled spirit, left me. I also knew that Jesus loves me. So every time I thought about how much Jesus loves me, I would cry. I was so moved, because previously my home was not a very loving place. So this is the reason I was so deeply moved by God’s love for me. I gradually began to share the gospel with my parents and my sister and her husband. My mother formerly was so sad. However, now my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law are all Christians. I was the first in my family to accept Christ. My older brother also became a believer as well. I continually prayed for my family, and God’s Spirit worked in their hearts.

As Pastor Lim shared, the Bible tells us that if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we and our family can be saved. As for me, after I accepted Christ I began to change. Originally I was more introverted and withdrawn; however, the Lord took that away and gave me a different spirit. It formerly was easy for me to lose my temper, but God began to change me for the better.

One of my richest blessings is my wife and children. God has really blessed me. Jehovah’s blessings abound. First of all I must say that I am blessed and I realize that “Immanuel” God is with me. It doesn’t matter if I encounter good or difficult circumstances, God is always with me. I don’t have to be afraid, because I know God is by my side no matter what. I can depend on him and his timing for my life. Secondly, I so often think of Heaven. God has prepared this place for me. I know this is a beautiful place that he has prepared for me. We will no longer have illness or problems. All of that will be gone. This earth is our temporary home, but God has prepared an eternal home for us in Heaven. God is faithful and even when I have lost things he has miraculously helped me locate them.  

Pastor Lim:

Brothers and Sisters, today after listening to Wilfred’s testimony we can once again see that God really loves us. He gave his life for us on the cross to show how much he loves us. This is saving grace, and if we put our trust in him, the gives us eternal life. Because we establish this relationship with God, he then showers us with his blessings. Just as a father loves his son and wants to give him the very best, God also loves us even more and blesses us. So today if we ask Christ into our lives, we will also experience huge blessings. We and our family can receive God’s blessings. Would you like to know this Jesus? If you do, then follow me in prayer.

Dear Jesus, I thank you because you are the true God. Today I come before you and acknowledge that I am a sinner. Forgive me and use your precious blood to cleanse me from my sin. At this time, please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. I believe because you are my Lord and Savior, I will receive your blessings. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

May the Lord bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #79

Hokkien Testimony #79

A little grass, a little dew. God will take care of you. Rely on him, avoid troubles. There is always a way out.

Today we welcome you to the 79th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Everyone has their own special story of how God has changed their life even in difficult times. God is there with us and gives us hope. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Vincent Tan and his wife Tina who will be sharing about God’s work in their lives. Let’s listen to this couple share their personal story. You will see that God has definitely shown his great love to them. An English summary is also provided below.

Vincent Tan and Tina’s Testimony:

Vincent:

Earlier in my life I learned to be a special leader, “Sai-Kong”, in my local temple. I know that some people think that this is a position that the “god” chooses, but actually it was passed on to me. A person can actually bring in a lot of money doing this. It certainly is not like the ministry of a pastor. Seriously, a Sai-Kong can make a lot of money. So people are always looking for you, asking for you and depending on you. I served in this way for many years, and the longer that I did this, the more afraid I became. I had no peace. And actually, there was a lot of trickery involved in all of this.

Tina:

After I finished school I started work, and a friend introduced me to Vincent. At that time I didn’t know that Vincent was a Sai-Kong in the temple. Vincent then went into the military and even after he served there, we still continued our relationship. However, when he was in the military he also continued serving as a Sai-Kong at night or when he returned home and had time. From time to time Vincent would call me. When I found out that he was a Sai-Kong I wasn’t alarmed, because my grandfather was a medium and served in that way until he was too elderly to do it anymore. So I felt being a Sai-Kong was just one kind of career. So I felt that someone needed to fill these positions, and I didn’t think anything unusual about this.

Vincent:

However, I feel that God knows and had already chosen me, so as I passed through these experiences I would indeed be able to differentiate between what is truth and what is not. In 1988 Tina was invited by a friend to attend her small group, and it was there that she accepted Jesus.

Tina:

My friend invited me to her small group worship, and I heard the pastor share the gospel. I felt that the brothers and sisters in that group were not the same as what I had seen in my life. They had something I didn’t have. So through this small group and their activities I gradually came to know and understand about Jesus. After I accepted Christ I phoned my husband to see if he would be angry. If he was angry, then I wasn’t going to go home. However, his response was not bad.

Vincent:

Actually, our relationship as a couple wasn’t that great before I accepted Jesus. Serving as a Sai-Kong I often came home very late and drank a lot. I also would eat out with people and spend a lot of time away from home. We didn’t have a money problem, but I did not show much care or concern for my wife or family. So my wife was the first to accept Jesus. When she came home she shared with me about Jesus, so I went to church to check it out. It was so strange. When I listened to the songs, I cried. I noticed that the people there were so happy. That was not true of the temple where I served. The people there in the temple were not happy. However, I did not immediately respond to the gospel. It took several weeks for me to think this over. My first response was that I couldn’t do this. Finally, I actually had a dream and the god in my dream just fell over. The next day I performed a ritual in the temple to confront this. Originally, I did not know that Jesus was the only God and more powerful than all of these gods. However, through these experiences I came to understand that Jesus is the true and only God.

My wife talked with me about all of this, and I decided that I had to leave the temple. So I decided to no longer served as a Sai-Kong. I had to find new work, and began working with computers. I know some people have demonic encounters after accepting Christ, but it was all very simple for me. In fact, I accepted Jesus on the fifteenth day of Ghost month. I had no demonic encounters and slept very peacefully.

We have two children and they work very hard at their studies. But we know that there is a difference in studying the Bible and trusting God. He has helped our children even in their studies. They are in college and also serve in church as leaders in their small group. We are blessed.

Pastor Lim:

Brothers and Sisters, as we have listened to these testimonies we clearly know that Jesus Christ is the true God and we should put our trust in Him. Of course, we are Chinese and we Chinese have worshiped local gods. However, just like Vincent, he served as a Sai-Kong, but this did not bring him peace. The more he worshiped in that environment, the more deeply he was involved in sin. Thank the Lord that today he has put his trust in Jesus and his life has completely changed. Dear Friends, maybe today you also serve as a Sai-Kong. I encourage you try it out and go to a church and listen to the gospel. I believe that if you open your heart you can experience this real and living God. If you want to put your trust in the Lord, then follow me in prayer.

Dear Lord and Savior, I thank you. You are indeed our Lord and Savior. You are the living Lord. You will save us with a salvation that is eternal. You want to give us a real and living life. At this time I acknowledge my sin and ask you to use your precious blood to forgive and cleanse me of my wrong. Please come into my heart. From today forward I will see that because you come into my heart, my life and my family will be transformed. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

The Lord bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #78

Hokkien Testimony #78

A little grass, a little dew. God will take care of you. Rely on him, avoid troubles. There is always a way out.

Today we welcome you to the 78th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Everyone has their own special story of how God has changed their life even in difficult times. God is there with us and gives us hope. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Jason Ong who will be sharing about God’s work in his life. Let’s listen to Jason share his personal story. You will see that God has definitely shown his great love to him and his family. An English summary is also provided below.

Jason Ong’s Testimony:

As a child, I was a problem and got into a lot of trouble.  As Pastor Lim said, God loves naughty children, and can change their lives for God to use them. I have now been a Christian for seven years. I have to say, that believing in Jesus has changed me and enabled me to walk in the way that I am now. No matter how difficult my circumstances are, God is with me.  I have to admit that even after accepting Christ, that doesn’t mean that I am perfect. I still have problems that I face, and I don’t always do what is right. But God still loves me. As Pastor Lim shared, if we don’t have problems in our life, then we may never know that we need God. My huge life struggle came when I went to see the doctor and was told that I had cancer. The doctor told me that it was a rare cancer and I was the first in Singapore to have this. Worldwide, there were only about 30 cases. So it is a very rare cancer. The doctor said that chemo would not work, so the only option I had was surgery. However, it was a great risk. So when we face death like this, we come before the Lord asking for his help. My wife and I were afraid. In Romans 8 it tells us that if we trust in the Lord he will take care of us. So we have to have faith in him as we ask for healing.

When the surgeon operated, it took 20 hours, which is a very long time. Then he called my wife and told her that they were not able to remove all of it because some of it could not be disturbed and would be life threatening. My wife told him to do the best that he could. He said that I basically had about 6 months. He also said that I would need to have another MRI to check on my situation, and then they could make a decision about future medical procedures. After 6 months when I went for another examination, he was surprised that I was still living. God really was watching over me. As a Christian we look at a situation like this and realize that God is at work. If we don’t trust God, then we worry, can’t eat or sleep and don’t know what to do. So prayer is a learning opportunity for us. We must learn to turn our problems over to God and leave them with him and allow him to lead us.

After 6 months when the doctor looked at the new MRI, the cancer that was left in my body was no longer there. It was gone. He said, this is what you Christians would call a miracle. With man things may not be possible, but with God all things are possible.

Today, I continue to serve in my church. However, later when I went for another check up with my doctor, they discovered that there was a tumor on the left side of my brain. It was actually very strange. Usually when a person hears this kind of thing, they would cry. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a man or woman. However, hearing that my cancer had returned, I didn’t feel that way. I told him that I had peace and I was trusting God. It was complicated and talked about the effects that this could have. He even said that I shouldn’t swallow. So how could I eat? They said that I would have to be fed through a nasal tube. So they didn’t want me to eat anything, or use my jaws to bite down. And they didn’t want me talk either. I told the doctor that would not be possible, because I needed to talk in order to share the gospel. So I made the decision that I would not go through this process, and just put my trust in the Lord. I felt that if God wanted to continue to use me, that he would heal me. It was not an easy decision, but I felt that no matter how long I lived, I would allow the Lord to use me, because his will for me is the best and most beautiful. So I just trusted in the Lord’s grace for my life, and count his blessings. When we are weak, he shows his strength.  

As our program comes to an end, I want to encourage listeners. No matter what difficulties you face in life, I encourage you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. So the first step is to put your trust in him. Christ is able to do what we cannot do ourselves. Jesus healed me the first time and the second time. When our time to leave this world arrives, Jesus will take us home to be with him in a beautiful place already prepared for us. So matter what our circumstance, we can trust the Lord.

Pastor Lim:

One thing we must remember is that those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are not afraid of death and we are not afraid of ghosts or demons. In Jason’s life God allowed him to experience this in order to glorify God and know his abundant grace. As we look at Jason’s life, he doesn’t know what the future holds for him, but he is trusting God. You too can experience this abundant grace, just as Jason has done. You too can experience living and eternal hope. Would you like to believe in Jesus? If you do, then follow me sentence by sentence as I pray.

Lord Jesus, I know that there are troubles in this world. However, in you I can have peace. At this time I turn to you and pray. Please forgive me and use your precious blood to cleanse me of my sin. Then I invite you to come into my heart and be my Lord. I know that with you in my heart, I will have peace. You will give me joy, the faith to believe and hope as well.  Lord Jesus, I put my trust in you, lean on you and allow you to direct my future. You also know my greater challenges and can bear them. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

God bless you.