Hokkien Testimony #96 Part 2

Hokkien Testimony #96

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 96th 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 husband and wife, Brother Tho Bi Koan and Sim Sio Pheng to share part 2 of their stories.In our world today there are so many challenges when people often feel that they have no hope and no where to go.Let’s listen to their story as they share with us. An English summary is also provided below.

Brother Tho Bi Koan and Sim Sio Pheng’s Testimony:

Tho Bi Koan:

I grew up in the tradition of worshiping idols. In fact I actually became a medium and served in the temple. This meant that I would translate messages from the gods and deliver them to people. The truth be told, doing this did not bring me peace or change me as a person. I worshiped so many gods and was also involved in fortune telling as well. The more I did it, the more power I seemed to gather but I had no peace. People worship all kinds of things. Some even worship banana trees and talk of banana ghosts. There also definitely seems to be a connection between idol worship and gambling as people are begging for good fortune and money. However, in all of this there was no peace or joy for me.

Since I worshiped so many idols, you would think that maybe I would win a lot, but that was not true at all. Things actually were so bad that I contemplated suicide. This was directly related to losing when I gambled.  I had no money with nowhere to go to solve my problem and this made me consider suicide. I talked about it for sure because I owed so much money, but I wouldn’t dare carry it out. I didn’t want to die.

Sio Pheng:

Pastor Lim asked how I was introduced to Christ. Well, our daughter told me that she was going to church. Actually I didn’t know anything about Christianity so I was afraid. So I asked a friend to go with me. The first time I went to church, I along with two of my children all made a decision to accept Christ. My first impression was that church made me feel very relaxed and I felt no pressure or stress at all. However, Bi Koan was still dealing with debts that needed to be repaid. Thankfully, several friends continued to encourage him to accept Christ, and they told him that God would definitely help him.

After accepting Christ I can share that the greatest change for me is the happiness that I have experienced. I wanted Bi Koan to become a Christian, but I push him to go to church. Someone else encouraged and invited him. I felt very relaxed about this and just prayed about it. Bi Koan still had his mind on paying off debts, and I continued to pray that God would change my family. To my surprise, the second time that my husband attended church he accepted Jesus. The Lord really changed him. As Pastor Lim said, we can’t go just half way, we must commit all to God. If we are serious and ask God to change us, he will without a doubt transform our life.

Bi Koan:

When I first went to church, it was an English service. I had attended English school, but I wouldn’t dare let anyone know because I felt I couldn’t really function in English. They sang English songs, and I really didn’t understand them. Believe it or not, even though I didn’t understand I began to cry, and then I felt very relaxed. After that I continued to go and I said that I accepted the Lord the second time that I attended church. However, at that point I thought I would try it out and see what happened. So I was not quite all in with my commitment. But as I continued to spend time with the Pastor and others, I came to understand and put my faith in Christ. The Pastor prayed for me. I was very moved and without a doubt I knew that Jesus is the true God.

Following my decision to accept Jesus, people in the church introduced me to people who could help me work out a plan to pay off my gambling debt. Working with them and a bank, I worked to gradually pay off the money that I owed. It’s a tough road and it really hurts to see all the hard earned money leave your hand to pay off gambling debts, but it was something that I had to do to make things right. On one hand it hurts to see this money leave your hands, but it sure feels good to pay off the debt and be free. I have paid off all that I owed.

It is so amazing how God has worked in my life. He has transformed me. Before I accepted Jesus I would get upset and use bad language, but Jesus immediately began to work in my life and change me. My brother noticed and he asked me about the changes he observed. I told him that it really was amazing, and I had the opportunity to share Christ with him. Consequently, he also accepted Jesus.

Sio Pheng:

Christ has really changed our family. Now we have peace and joy. Regarding my husband and the children, things are all different. Bi Koan’s time now is spent at the church and with our family. That was a big change. This is God’s grace.

Bi Koan:

Before we close the program today I would like to say a few words to exhort and encourage those who are really trapped in a lifestyle of gambling. My advice to you is not to gamble, but instead spend your time with your family. Gambling is a waste of money. The end result gets people into debt causing people to have to borrow money to get out of trouble. This kind of lifestyle not only hurts you, it also hurts your family as well as those around you. The most important decision is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Sio Pheng:

I agree. As a wife I must say that a lifestyle of gambling also really brings hurt into the family. Don’t focus on the problems and things like that, but really try it out . . . pray to Christ and ask for his help. Jesus has the strength to help us.

Bi Koan:

I want to add that God’s Word, the Bible, is also a tremendous help for us. So reading the Bible is life transforming. The more we read the Bible, the more peace and hope we will experience

Pastor Lim:

Today we have come to the end of our program. After hearing these two testimonies today maybe you think that you too would like to accept Jesus. You can do this. Just follow me as I lead us in prayer and you can ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. With a genuine heart you can ask Jesus to come into your heart. Follow me sentence by sentence as I lead us in prayer.

Lord Jesus, I thank you. You are my Lord and Savior. I have some bad habits in my life. At this time, I ask you to remove these bad habits and forgive all of my sin. Lord Jesus, I seriously ask you to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. I believe that you love me and are able to change these bad habits in my life and give me peace and hope. I thank you. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

May the Lord bless you