I was born a Roman Catholic as my parents were and still are staunch Catholics. As I grew up I realized, by the grace of God, that there was something very wrong with Roman Catholicism. Though they seemed to be Christians they held to many other beliefs and superstitions which seemed incompatible with Christ’s teachings. I was never encouraged to read the Bible as a Catholic.

Everything changed when I met my future husband. When he discovered I was a disillusioned Catholic he was able to gently share the true Gospel with me as he too had once been a Catholic and fully understood the dilemma and confusion I was in. As he had worked on gaining my trust and being first and foremost my friend, there was no fear or doubt in my heart that he intended to help and not harm me in anyway. He brought me to church and slowly helped me see the great importance of reading His Word as the only way of finding out what God wanted us to do and how He had sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die for us and to save us from eternal damnation.

I began to read the Bible and discover for myself who God really is and His Commandments for me and His people. The Holy Spirit taught me to apply what I had read and not just be a listener as described in James 1:22-25 (one of our favourite passages). I cannot recall the exact instance I believed, but I was fully convinced of my utter sinfulness and need for Christ’s healing by the time I was married in 1990. I was so thankful to God for blessing me with a life-partner who was also the one chosen by God to share the Gospel with me. Together, we have studied and applied His word in our lives. Like iron, we have sharpened one another.

Since becoming a Christian, I have lived through many trails. However, I sincerely believe that God never moves without purpose or plan. Though my trails sometimes seem long and arduous, He has seen me through all of them. Though I often cannot see ahead, He has taught me to trust and obey Him. I am constantly reminded that His grace is sufficient for me. —Maria Linda Tan

I was born into a Roman Catholic family and baptized at birth as a Roman Catholic. I was a good Catholic and I studied in Catholic schools right up to Junior College. It was while studying at Catholic Junior College from 1980 to 1981 that I first heard the true Gospel Message.

As expected I resisted at first but with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and prompting I began the process of searching. It was a very tiring time. Roman Catholicism had been so thoroughly ingrained in me. I had also to grapple with my PRIDE-denying that I had believed in the ‘wrong gospel.’

My A Level Exam was a watershed period where I found myself totally at God’s mercy. I had been so troubled and distracted by my quest for the truth that I had been unable to concentrate at my studies as I normally did. I was ill-prepared for the exam. My parents were expecting big things from me as I had performed well at my ‘O’ levels. The pressure was tremendous.

Two things made a big difference at this point. The first was a talk given by Dr Aw Swee Eng on the topic ‘Creationism vs Evolutionism’. It was strange to see a protestant giving such a talk to a mainly Catholic audience which included priest, nuns and our own principal, Brother Kiely. The talk itself was very well received. It showed that God was a logical and scientific God. It convinced me that the Bible was not a book of fables and stories but that it is a book of facts and true accounts. I went away with a newfound confidence in His Word.

The second was an old Gideon’s pocket Bible that I found lying around in my Dad’s study room. Till this day, I am uncertain as to whom it belonged to. But when I was in the very depths of despair during my exams, I would take out this little Bible and refer to the various recommended passages. It had this quick reference guide which began: "when in trouble……" "when in pain…" "when faith fails…." etc followed by some Bible references.

By the time the exams were over I had committed my life to God and had accepted Christ as my personal Saviour. I did this even before the results were out as I had prayed to God that I would believe no matter the outcome. When I received my results, I realized He had blessed me far more than I could have hoped for - my cup had truly ‘overruneth’.

My initial walk with God was misguided at best. Like a newborn babe I fell many times and He disciplined me every time. God disciplines those He loves. He picked me up each time and strengthened me. He carried me many times and healed my wounds. God never gave up on me or deserted me though sometimes I felt He had. He had never failed me though I had failed Him repeatedly.

As I grew in strength, He taught me that His Word had to be my Sword and my Shield. Not by my own might was I to accomplish anything for Him. I was engaged in an ongoing spiritual battle with family (parents and siblings), friends, even strangers. As each battle was fought He taught me many valuable lessons; hard-earned lessons which helped me mature as a Christian. Every experience I had - good and bad - I learned to relate it to what I was reading in the Bible.

The first church I attended immediately after I believed was a house church in Soo Chow Gardens called Bible Church. I was later baptized in 1985/86 after they had shifted to their present location at Clementi Bible Centre. In 1992 when I got married, I was compelled to leave Bible Church as it had become more and more ecumenical over the years with an uncomfortable slant towards Charismatism. I was in a spiritual wilderness thereafter visiting churches but unable to find one that suited my family’s needs. We spent the last 9 years worshipping at Calvary-Tengah BP Church under the leadership of Elder William Seah. After 6 months the Lord had finally lead us to a church we could find rest and be fed the Word. Amen.
—Clarence Teo

Born into a first generation Chinese immigrant family of Hakka-Cantonese descent steeped in traditions and Confucius teachings, family activities often centred on the altar. Being the first-born son, I was entrusted with the duty of tending the family altar in my formative years as a teenager. While abroad for postgraduate work, I received the devastating news that the altar was dismantled and burnt because my father became a Catholic. In a state of despair and loss, and in dire need of spiritual support, I felt the presence of a supernatural being while on a 4-week tour of sea duty on board a research vessel. This supernatural being I thought was the Omnipotent God has since been my anchor and trusted friend whom I regularly depend on and communicate with through prayers. This incident occurred almost 46 years ago.

Ignorant of the Scripture and other religious teachings, the thought of relating my spiritual experience in 1960-61 to a religion did not cross my mind. I was self-contained, insulated and self-content, full of self-righteousness and self-indulgence with the usual urges of the flesh. During the past 20 odd years, despite concerted effort by close relatives and loved ones with strong Christian faith to guide me in the path of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, my desire and motivation after each occasion (and there were several) were short-lived until my son took me and his mother to the B-P Church Camp at Port Dickson, Malaysia in June 2006. While listening to the preaching of Dr. David Allen who expounded on the theme "Fitly Joined Together", I was overcome by a strong desire to know more about the Word and our Lord Jesus Christ. With hindsight, I now recognize this as the working of the Holy Spirit at God’s chosen time. The overwhelming desire was subsequently facilitated by a series of consecutive and unbelievable coincidences (now recognized as God’s providence), enabling me to be enrolled almost immediately in the on-going BSF classes on Genesis, from which I learned about God’s faithfulness and grace, and the prophecy of the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ. The brothers-in-Christ in my BSF group have been most supportive despite my initial naivety, and contributed to the strengthening of my newfound faith and belief, and the development of my daily quiet time in reading the Bible and in prayers. Praise God for His blessings and timely arrangement for me to be placed in the BSF group through His shepherd, Mr. Seow Cheong Kiong. My participation in the weekly meetings of a Christ-centred cell group of the Bethesda Frankel Estate Church represents another of God’s timely provision. It has contributed much to my spiritual growth through organized studies and discussions for a better understanding of His Word and purposes. I thank God for His love and mercy.

Meeting up with Rev. Philip Heng on 5 November 2006 was yet another of God’s grace and timely provision. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour the next day (6 November 2006) in his office at Galilee BP Church in the presence of my son, Chuan. It was an overwhelming moment of indescribable emotion filled with joy and tremendous relief from the self-imposed burden of guilt related to the incomplete or partial fulfillment of clannish duties and obligations, the inherited practices resulting from my traditional Chinese socio-cultural upbringing. Pastor Heng painstakingly explained and took me through the procedure of confession and repentance based on the Ten Commandments. He, along with Rev Charles Seet, Elder Khoo Peng Kiat and many others from Life B-P Church and other churches, continue to provide guidance and support in my closer walk with the Lord through sermons, prayers, telecommunications, home visits and provision of biblical materials. Praise God for His grace and faithfulness!

I can cite several milestone examples to thank and glorify God for His grace and faithfulness in the timely response to my prayers through the Holy Spirit and many of His messengers and shepherds. His ‘timely’ response could be almost immediate, but at times could be delayed for His purpose in testing my faith and developing my perseverance (James 1:2,3,4,12).

On reflection, I could conclude that the spiritual experience 46 years ago was my first transformation from one with an atheistic/pagan attitude to one of God-fearing. Breaking from the past provided me with a new sense of independence, enabling me to pursue what was important to me, guided only by my conscience and fear of God. Although I regained my self-confidence, I did not realize that, with increasing achievements and success in my professional career, I was gradually developing into an arrogant, self-centred and self-righteous person over the years. Despite several attempts to learn more about the Christian faith during the past 20 odd years, my effort was short-lived. I now realize that the time for my salvation then was not of God choosing. Being blessed with an overwhelming desire in wanting to know more of God and His grace and mercy is in itself another of my transformation by the Holy Spirit. However, recognizing and being made aware of my sins through His Word, especially those of idolatrous nature is the major first step in my journey of salvation through our Saviour Jesus Christ. While I still struggle with them at times, I pray to God for forgiveness, and for strength and wisdom to overcome them. I also pray for strengthening spiritual growth and further development of my faith through Christian deeds in my closer walk with the Lord (James 2: 14-17, 26), and for the continuing support and encouragement of my spiritually stronger brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ (Romans14: 1, 13, 19; 15: 1-13). —Chen Foo Yan

I started coming to church since young, attending the church’s nursery as well as kindergarten. My parents both did not go to church then, but they had agreed to let my aunt bring me to start my education here. In primary four, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I recall that I gave my life to Him at home, where I felt some sort of eagerness in my heart to truly want to know Him more, having heard so much about Him in Sunday School. There were no huge or immediate changes in my life, and my attitude and behaviour remained, never altering much. I often had many doubts, wondering if I was truly saved. Spiritually, I was not doing well. Many times, there were the ’spiritual highs’ that I got from listening to messages, and told myself time and time again that I was going to change and become a new creature in the Lord. It would work for a few weeks and months, but eventually, my zeal waned and my life went back to the slumps. I would sometimes struggle very hard to even just come to church, and I felt as though I was pretending to be holy but my heart was not right with God. Filled with pride, I thought I could succeed by my own might and was not willing to give Him my entire life, wanting to remain in control always.

In Secondary Four, after having gone for Youth Fellowship (YF) camp, I finally decided to consecrate my life proper to God, letting Him help me change and be renewed. I knew I might be experiencing a ‘spiritual high’ from camp, yet the Lord sustained me and helped me to stay close to Him. I felt the Spirit prompt me when I wanted to do something that was displeasing in His sight and it gave a sense of security, knowing that it meant I was now truly a born again person. During the first half of the year in junior college I was close to the Lord, going to Him to cast my cares, worries and fears. Before long, however, I became overconfident and thought I could continue staying close to the Lord even if I did not talk to Him daily and have quiet time alone with Him. I started to drift further and further away from the Lord as well as from the other friends in church and YF. Soon the workload piled up and many distractions came along that made me start to give excuses in order that I did not have to go for YF on Saturdays.

In my second year of junior college, I began sinning more and more, but often numbed my conscience and ignored the Spirit’s prompt to repent and soon my spiritual life spiraled downwards. During this period, people in school whom I thought were my trusted friends turned against me, and I felt all alone, helpless and defenseless. The feelings of betrayal and hurt affected me much and I found it hard to concentrate on my studies. Day after day, coming home from school, I would cry, praying and pleading with the Lord to help deliver me from the pain. Yet at the same time I was ashamed to go to the Lord. I felt like the prodigal son, not fit to become His child again but only asking to be a servant. Nonetheless the Lord was extremely gracious and forgiving. Looking back, I’m thankful the Lord allowed those things to happen. It was like a wake up call, asking me to return to His side. I have truly experienced His mercy and grace and know that being a Christian is truly a great privilege. The words of a favourite song of mine aptly reflect my feelings:

"The life I spent, the days I lost

I have lived them all in vain

Now I hold nothing to show

But a heart that is full of pain

Lord, I know that You will hear me

Although I turned away from You

Lord, I see that You were near me

And You never went away

And You call me back today"

My time in junior college was the hardest ever for me, yet I also know that the Lord was the closest to me in that time. During my darkest period, I knew the Lord provided for me every step of the way. He gave me much better friends in school, and many Christian brethren were also there for me. He always knew what I needed even before I asked! My God truly makes no mistakes. If I never went through the many trials the past two years, I would never know that He is my one true Friend and Saviour. Today, I can stand and acknowledge that I am truly a sinner saved by grace and grace alone.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 —Lysa Yang Yuting

When I was 5 years old, I was still in kindergarten, everyday teacher would tell stories from the Bible about God, but I was not totally sure whether the stories were real or not. But I still enjoyed hearing the stories they told.

When I was in primary one, I heard stories of God everyday during devotions or chapels, and I would pay attention to them. Then I learnt about the place you would go to after you die, either heaven or hell. Heaven was for good people while hell was for bad people. I wanted to go to heaven. When I was in primary three, my father brought me to Sunday school, where I could learn more things about God. I was excited the first day I went there. I knew I was born again the first day I was there. I was a Christian! God had worked in my heart.

I paid attention to what the teacher taught me as it is vital to get to heaven or hell. We can go to heaven by believing in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. He sacrificed himself on the cross, with His blood washing away all the sins that have been committed.

My whole family are Christians and I am happy that I am from a Christian family. God has done many wonderful things for me such as helping me do well for examinations and also helping me to do well in sports, and also many other things in life.

Our Heavenly Father is the one and only true God. —Darien Indran Joshua

I was brought up in a Christian family and have been attending church since young. Last December, during the LTF camp, my group leader asked how many of us were sure we were going to heaven. I didn’t raise my hand. That night, he was in the dorm and asked me why I wasn’t sure I was going to heaven. He then shared with me the gospel. I felt something telling me that I should reaffirm my faith as soon as possible. The Lord has provided for my every need and has always helped me through my problems. When I was younger, my family had some problem. After that my parents lived separately for a period of time. During that time, I was only 3 or 4, but God helped my parents get back together and pulled through that period of time. He has blessed me with good health through my life and protected my family from serious illnesses. My faith in God has grown and I have decided to affirm to tell the world that I will be faithful to God.

—Benedict Lee De Ming