Changing a sinner's heart

This is Gavin Wong's story.

Since I was very young, dinosaurs and astronomy had fascinated me. I grew up liking science because it made sense to me and thought that the big bang theory, science and evolution could explain everything. I grew up in a non-Christian family but spent a few years attending Christian high schools. There, I became familiar with some common Bible stories, but to me, they were just that, stories. I had also never thought about what would happen to me after death. I had always assumed that if I was 'good', I would go into a heaven-like place.

The creation versus evolution topic was always my main hurdle to believing in a supreme being. Early in 2007, I was invited to a DVD screening of 'Unlocking the Mystery of Life' which also included a panel of academics to answer our questions afterwards. Many questions were raised including ones I had always wanted answers too. Their answers seemed plausible. This got me thinking……then, a friend began a Bible study group every Monday night which addressed this same topic. As the weeks passed, I became more receptive to new ideas and concepts. During one of these Bible study nights ，I asked my friend how to pray. I began to pray or rather, began to talk to God, not in a proper prayer format, but more of a conversation. I began asking Him questions about why certain things happened in my life and what their ultimate purpose was.

During the same time, I had been offered a job that I had been working really hard to get. Many people applied for the same position, but I was one of the few who got it. After carefully thinking about all the circumstances in which this happened, I realized that all the seemingly 'lucky' breaks I had gotten weren't just luck or coincidence because it was too perfect. It was God's plan.

A month or so later, I was invited to the 2007 BPCWA Youth 180 winter retreat camp and by this time, had already been asked a few times by my friend "what is stopping you from accepting Christ?" I didn't know. I just knew that I wasn't ready. However, I was free during the holidays so I decided to go to the camp. The camp was the first time I had been in close contact with so many true Christians. It was like living in a different world. Everyone was kind, helpful and genuinely cared about each other. At the camp, I was moved, changed, and I knew I was ready. I asked my friend at the end of the first night of the camp what things to say in the sinner's prayer. I walked to the car park, looked up at the moon and the stars on the cloudy night, confessed my sins and truly believed Jesus died for us. It was June 24 th, 2007, the day my new life began.

It has been more than 5 months since that day and I have noticed some considerable changes in my life. Before accepting Christ, I found that there was a void in my life. I would always try to fill this void by succeeding in jobs, finding a partner or scoring well in exams. And this would work temporarily because I would be filled with pride from receiving other people's praises and felt superior due to my achievements. I also had an uneasy feeling about my life ahead of me. I could try my best in all that I do, but that still didn't guarantee success or happiness in the future because it partly depended on 'luck'.

Now, it is completely different. The void is filled. I feel like a whole person without the need for other people's approval. I feel a sense of security in my future because I know God has planned it out for me and will guide me. The world and its design also makes a lot more sense now because it has been all created by God rather than us being evolved from bacteria. I am more calm, patient, caring, understanding and forgiving. When people ask me how I am, I answer "Great!" because that's how I feel everyday. They ask me "What happened?" expecting me to say that I got a new job, won the lotto or something along those lines. But I simply answer "God".

Faithful Love

This is Tim Wu's story.

I grew up in a Christian family, and every week I attended church. I also went to a Christian secondary school. I was baptized as a child in Trueway Presbyterian Church. Through the years, I’ve delayed reaffirming my faith, coming up with various excuses.

Even though I fell away from God, the Lord has still blessed me in all manners. Whenever I feel down, or burdened by problems, the Lord is always by my side, carrying me through. In His wonderful and mysterious ways, He always manages to pull me back to him every single time. It was grace that I managed to enroll into my Law Degree.

It was also God’s planning that I should be given the chance to reaffirm my faith, as I had no chance back at Trueway, as I was travelling between Singapore and Australia. Therefore, I am grateful for this chance given unto me to reaffirm my faith in BPCWA.

I continue to have questions in my life, and the Lord is slowly teaching me, guiding me through the Bible, and prayer. During tough periods, my faith is strengthened through prayer, and all my troubles are resolved by the Lord. I hope to improve my personal relationship with Lord and lead a better life as a Christian.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Grace is Sufficient

This is Angeline Yong's story.

I have Christian parents, so naturally I was brought up in a Christian family. From very young, I remember attending Sunday school as a weekly activity. When I was about 7 years old, we heard many Sunday school stories and through those stories I learnt that about Jesus and that He loved me. In my heart I started to believe there was a God in this world and my belief came through simple FAITH. However throughout my growing years, I knew I was a Christian but I didn’t really understand purpose of life. In my teenage years I had the opportunity to serve in the church Junior Youth Group and through that service, God revealed to me why I needed to believe in Jesus Christ. In secondary school (when I was 13) my piano teacher asked me about Eternity and whether or not I was saved. Even though I was Christian, I honestly didn’t know whether or not I was going to heaven when I die. At that point I confessed my sins, said the sinner’s prayer and received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Now I know for certain that I will go to heaven.

Although I have been a Christian for many years, I sometimes continue to live for myself. For example, I strive to achieve good grades in my study and perform well at work in order to prove that I am valuable. Even though I achieve good results in my study and career, my heart felt empty and dissatisfied. I realize now that this is because I have not fully submitted myself to the Lord.

Today, when I reflect over the years of my growing process, I know that I cannot determine my own future. It is God that has a plan for my life and it is an ongoing process. Life without purpose was meaningless and lost, especially when I did not know where I was heading when I die or the purpose of living in this world. Thank God that through the Bible, I now know what eternity is, and that it is only through Jesus Christ, that I can have eternal life in Heaven. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

I think back to when I first arrived in Perth to continue my studies. Living in an unfamiliar environment, which actually was not very easy to adapt to, let alone find the right church to attend. However, when it comes to living for God’s purpose, we can experience for ourselves how amazing God is. On one Sunday afternoon, I said a prayer to God about my needs in finding a church. Soon after, two girls walked towards me and began sharing the gospel with me. I told them I was actually looking for a church to attend. One of the girls said that “it was God who brought you here… no coincidence.” I really thank God that through BPCWA’s City Evangelism; He has led me to this Church and given me an opportunity to serve Him in Perth.

God has been gracious to me by showing me the way when finding a church. Furthermore, He continues to prove that he is gracious to me through the difficulties in my studies. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. In times where I almost cannot handle my studies, God has always been there to help me up by providing brothers, sisters, friends and lecturers to assist me. This has made me experience and understand even more that God is a faithful and gracious God to his children. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20. From the experiences in my life, I will never regret that I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. This is because He is an unchanging God, always with me when I need Him most and it is only He that is able to fill the emptiness in my heart.

Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen!

Angeline Yong

simple faith

This is Rowena's story.

Compared to a lot of other Christians, the story of how I chose life lacks any shock factor or awesome turnaround story – it is simply a story of how a young girl with simple faith believed what she learnt in Sunday School to be the truth, and subsequently grew up, consolidated her faith and continued to learn more about the God who saved her.

Growing up in a Christian family, I have never known a time where I have not believed in Jesus. I grew up going to Sunday School every week and what I learnt in church was reinforced at home by my Christian parents. My memory is not that clear as to exactly how and when I got saved (i.e. when I changed from believing in Jesus, to trusting in Him to save me from my sins), but I know that my journey to this point in time was a slow one inhibited mainly by my stubbornness!

High School was a time of finding my self and defining my identity. My friends all knew that I was a Christian and that I was ‘religious’ because I went to church every week, but they also saw me as other things not necessarily in line with the ‘typical Christian’. Looking back, I regret having sent any mixed messages for my high school friends, but I also know that the person I was at High School has allowed me to have a greater perspective in life too. All things happen for a reason and that is to become who God wants us to be (Romans 8: 28-29).

In these years, I also attended a Youth Camp where I watched a video entitled A Thief in the Night (crazy movie made in the 70s - check out the pic!) which was a real wake up call to a then-slumbering Christian. I was terrified that my relationship with God was non-existent and I immediately wanted to make sure that I was a true Christian who had a genuine relationship with God. That night, when the speaker invited us to pray with him, I remember rededicating my life to Christ. When I did that, I remember feeling a heavy weight being lifted from my heart - I was now sure that I was OK with God and that nothing could take me away from Him (Romans 8:37-39).

The next few years were a bit of a blur for me. I remember I started to go to church out of choice rather than obligation and I started to attend ‘optional’ meetings at church such as Youth Group and later Prayer Meeting. I also started helping out around church and participating in activities. I talked to God more and I started to read the Bible more too. Since this time, I have really seen that how real God is in my life and I have grown to love Him more and more.

Knowing God and having a relationship with Him has been awesome for me. It hasn’t always been easy, but I have come to realise that often what requires your effort is far more valuable than what costs you nothing. God has been real in my life. He has comforted me through His Word (the Bible) at times where I needed it most, and the guidance that God has given me in the past (and continues to give me now) has helped me really see purpose and direction in my life. God has taught me lessons that I never would have learnt without Him. Best of all, unlike a lot of non-Christians I know, I don’t fear dying because for a Christian, I know that death on earth means life in Heaven – and that brings me great comfort.

If you don't really feel as if you want a relationship with God, I would strongly encourage you to think about it. Seek Him until you find Him. It is the biggest decision you could EVER make in your life. It may sound too easy - but God made it easy so it is accessible to everyone. You may think that you aren't worthy, and you aren't really, but that's called love. It only takes the faith of a child to unlock the greater blessings in life that the God who has made everything has planned for you to enjoy. Take it, trust it, live it, learn it, and spread it. It's worth it.

with love in Christ,
Rowena Cheng

I raised my hand.

This is Jason Tey's story.

My journey as a Christian begins in 2000, a lot of things happened that year. It was the new millennia! I turned 18, moved out of home, juggled study, work and all the benefits of being an adult without any of the responsibilities. I was in my 2nd year of study to become an Engineer but to be honest, all I really cared about was myself, my friends and whatever entertainment this life could offer. My university results reflected my attitude toward study, I don’t remember any real direction or purpose other than to get a degree just like everyone else.

Toward the end of the year, a relationship started with a Christian girl. At the time I thought nothing of it, that Christianity was simply a religion, something people believed on Sundays to help them feel good about themselves. I remember my friends arguing with her over “stupid religious differences” and I just let it be. My friend Yves then mockingly said “haha you’ve gotta become a Christian now” and I said “Hey, don’t worry bout’ me, I promise you I’ll never be a Christian”. To tell you the truth, at the time I didn’t even know what it meant to be a Christian, I just couldn’t see myself going to church or needing anything religious in my life. However despite my thoughts and words, I did always believe in a god because I remember praying during sad or desperate periods.

Early 2001, I started going to church, seeing it as an opportunity to spend time together with my girlfriend. Perhaps it would make her happy? Over the next 5 months, my consistent visits built up an understanding of the beliefs and practices of the church, but nothing in the way of personal conviction or faith. In June, a 5-day winter camp had been organised during the university holidays. A perfect opportunity to get away for some fun so I rounded up a couple of friends and off we went. At the beginning there was nothing radically different or new compared to what I’d learnt on Sundays, except after each “sermon” we’d break into groups for discussion. I remember clearly being a right nuisance to my group leaders, asking curly questions about dinosaurs, evolution and vampires (as you do). My questions were never answered scientifically or even logically (to my satisfaction) so I thought “Christians can’t even explain their own faith” leaving me with a smirk and that warm sense of smug, self-righteous pride.

On Wednesday, things changed… The preacher (Rev Koshy) spoke on something a little different that night. The topic was on Sin, which wasn’t anything new, but instead of talking about general sin, he started naming different sins, and the whole time I thought “why is he talking to me? How does he know I do these things?” Then it dawned on me that if I were to die that night, and meet face to face with God, there was nothing I could say to explain or justify my sins… I trusted my fate to a hope that God (whom I didn’t even care about) would overlook my disobedience. At that moment, I knew my soul was bound for Hell and I didn’t like that idea at all. That’s when I realised Jesus Christ was my only hope. At the close of the message, the speaker asked who would receive Christ as their saviour. I had so many questions that were not answered, but never before had this invitation been such a heavy weight on my heart. Then at that moment, I felt a peace in my soul that I could not explain and despite my questions, it felt like the right decision… so with some nervousness, I raised my hand.

When I look back at my story, I think “why was it so hard? why was I so reluctant to believe?" Since that day in June 2001, I look at my life and realise that even before I became a Christian, God always provided for me, no matter what happened or how hard things were. Who am I to deserve that? So as I grow and learn about my God through the years, my faith in Him only grows. You realise that there is no question that cannot be answered with God’s word and you can absolutely trust Him. Not only that, but His faithfulness is demonstrated through my family as well. In 2005 He saved my brother Victor and now in 2007, my sister Mim Min. I can only watch His work in awe and see His promises fulfilled. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31.

Jason Tey

Predestined to become a Christian

This is Lee Lian Yong's story.

Before I accepted Christ into my life, I was brought up as a Roman Catholic for almost 19 years. . I always thought to myself that I was a strong believer in Roman Catholicism just because I recited the rosary daily. I was thinking that if I was earnest enough, God would surely hear my prayer through the intercession of Mary. Not only that, I was also worshipping idols made of wood and thinking to myself that they are god. I never thought that one day, I would be coming to Perth for further studies and become a Christian!

It is true how the Bible says, "A man heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps." - Proverbs 16:9. When I first came to Perth, it was not just by coincidence that my cousin brought me to church. Initially, I was quite reluctant to come to a Christian church and the people over here kept sharing the gospel to me. I was really stubborn and rejected the gospel a few times. I was thinking, how could I possibly be able to reject my faith as a Roman Catholic after so many years of praying to Mary. I told myself that I won't be brainwashed by these Christians.

The time finally came when God has opened my spiritual eye on 3rd Nov 2003, with his words – "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." – Jeremiah 29:13. Indeed, if you search for God and you shall find him. I am happy that I found my God. People did not force me into accepting Christ. It was completely the guidance of the Holy Spirit and because of God's grace after so many months that HE softened my heart to come to believe in Christ alone as my personal saviour. Since JESUS has come into my life, I realise my life has been completely changed and I am freed from the darkness which I have lived for 19 yrs believing in the false doctrine without knowing where I would end up eternally.

My sins are forgiven and I know where I am going when I leave this earth. I was never sure of my own salvation until I received HIM into my life. Real joy and peace has come into my heart. It was only the spirit of GOD who could give it to me. I could never sleep so soundly before and always got the fear in me of sleeping alone. But Christ has taken it away from me and HE has given me peace.

Of course, by accepting Christ into my life does not mean that everything will go well in my life. There are trials and tribulations which I have faced each year and each trial is getting harder for me to face. However, I know that I am not facing it alone and God is always there by my side. There is always a lesson for me to learn and GOD has strengthened my faith in HIM. What comforts me during times of difficulty I face is that the days are coming nearer for me to be with Christ – even so, come, LORD JESUS.

Lastly, I never regretted having Christ in my life because there is really no other gifts greater than this free gift of Eternal life. All we have to have to do is to repent of our sins and through the grace of God by faith we accept Christ into our life as our personal saviour and we shall be saved! To God be the glory!

His unworthy servant

Lian Yong

Second Chance

This is Hui Ling Wee's story.

Noah’s Ark, Moses and the Red Sea, Samson…these were just stories or cartoon characters to me as a kid, just like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty… but less interesting. Little did I know these were the first few Bible characters I came to know of.

The first time I attended a church service was about 10 years ago when I came to Perth to further my study. I was invited and went along because I had never been to a church before. I enjoyed the hymn singing and listening to the choir, but I was never really interested in the preaching. When I did pay attention to the preaching, I remember sitting there with my mind busily working, disagreeing with most of the things the pastor preached. I could not accept that their God is the only one and true God…How can they be sure? If He is a loving God, why is there so much suffering in the world?

Despite all the ‘disagreements’ I had, which I kept to myself, I continued to attend the Sunday service and was later invited to a gospel rally. To me personally, the gospel rally only further convinced me that what I thought was unacceptable was really unacceptable. During the gospel rally, there was a skit where a hardworking family man ended up in hell because he was not a Christian. But a thief, who later repented and accepted Christ, ended up in heaven. After watching the skit, I was even more skeptical because I felt that it was just so wrong and unfair. My understanding from the skit was that a person, no matter how good a person he/she is, would end up in hell if he/she is not a Christian; but a person, no matter how many bad things he/she has done in his/her life could go to heaven, as long as he/she accepted Christ. That was the ‘message’ I got out of the skit, based on my own understanding. Beside the skit, there was also a testimony sharing session. A girl shared how she left Buddhism and became a Christian. I remember thinking that certainly there must be someone (probably even more) out there who left Christianity to become a Buddhist. I was not convinced at all. Although I had all these thoughts, I never spoke to anyone from the church about them for clarification because I strongly believed that I was right and that they would never be able to convince me otherwise.

Sometime later, I went back to Malaysia and my friend arranged for me to meet with a sister from his church to share the gospel with me. I was uncomfortable with the whole arrangement and really hoped that the meeting would end as quickly as possible. I sat there listening to her, but could not concentrate. I did not really grasp what she was sharing, but nodded when asked if I understood. I cannot recall asking her any questions or voicing out the thoughts I had about Christianity. I ended up “accepting Christ” and saying the sinner’s prayer because I knew this was what my friend and this sister would like to hear. I did not understand the true meaning of salvation. I did it for the wrong reasons…I just wanted it over and done with, and did it just to please them. Since then, I had always felt guilty because I knew I had done something terribly wrong and failed to admit it. Although I did not believe in God, I had this uneasy feeling that I had “wronged” God. And again, I kept this guilt to myself. I think I might have secretly hoped that this God does not exist so that I would not be punished for taking Him lightly. I never thought of myself as a Christian because I never was. I continued to go to church for awhile since I was expected to, but stopped not too long after because going to church became a burden and not something I enjoyed doing.

I was “church-free” for a few years and was definitely keen to continue to be so. After finishing my bachelor study, I had the opportunity to study for my PhD. It was during this time that I met more Christian colleagues/friends and slowly the topic on Christianity began dominating our conversations. I was back to my “old self”, disagreeing with what they said about Christianity. But this time, I was more open to discussion and was encouraged by them to voice out my thoughts. I found myself enjoying the debates that we were having as they were not holding anything back, which made our debates invigorating. Through these discussions, I had a better understanding of Christianity. A lot of my misunderstandings were clarified and I began to feel that Christianity was not as unacceptable as I first thought. However, I still believed that it didn’t matter what religion you believed in, as long as it teaches us to be good. I still could not accept that the one and only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

At the same time, my friends would also share the gospel with our supervisor. Quite often, with my supervisor on my side, we would have debates on Christianity in our supervisor’s room or over lunch. Then, one day, after our regular research meeting, the topic changed once again to Christianity. And out of nowhere, our supervisor turned to me and asked, “Have you believed in Jesus?”
“No, I haven’t”, I answered. I was surprised when he asked me that because all this time, we were on the same side. I wondered what prompted him to ask me that question but did not inquire further. But “something changed” from that moment. For some reason, I was really, really, really eager to learn more about Christianity. Once we left our supervisor’s room, I asked if my friends would like to come over to my house to share more of the gospel with me. They enthusiastically accepted the open invitation.

I began reading the Bible and slowly found myself believing that God exists. I knew that I’m a sinner and could not save myself. However, I was still hesitant to take the next step of accepting Christ as my personal Saviour. One of the main reasons was because my family members are non-believers. My thinking back then was that if I were to accept Christ, I would be “separated" from them come judgment day and that’s a feeling I could not bear. I voiced my concern to my friend, who then said, “You shouldn’t think that if you don’t accept Christ, you’d be together with your family in hell…it doesn’t work that way. If you have believed, you should accept Christ, share the gospel with your family and God willing, you can be in heaven as a family and not in hell”.

What was I thinking? Heaven or Hell? It’s not such a difficult choice to make, is it? And all this time, I thought I was wise. Praise God that I was made to realize that if I kept rejecting Christ, hell was definitely where I’d end up in and I could’ve “dragged” my family there with me. That’s that “problem” solved. The other hurdle I had to overcome was my guilt, ie “accepting Christ” when I did not mean it. I had “wronged” God once and I really did not want to repeat that, especially now that I believe He exists.

I thank God for showing me His Love, Mercy, Faithfulness and Forgiveness. I thank Him for not giving up on me and giving me a “second chance” to accept Jesus Christ into my life as my Saviour. As I reflect on how God has led me to Him, I can see that He had been revealing Himself to me but I was just too stubborn and arrogant to listen. God works in mysterious ways in His time. It took a non-Christian to ask me if I have accepted Christ to prompt me to want to learn more about God. And now, here I am, sharing my testimony on how I became a Christian…something I never ever thought I’d do. As you read our testimonies, you’ll see that God speaks to each of us personally, in His time, in His way. He is always there for us, guiding us lovingly, knowing what’s best for us and what we need.

Do you have tonnes of unanswered questions about God? Are you seeking God? Is God revealing Himself to you? Is He speaking to you?

God promises in Matthew 7:7-8:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Hui Ling

How God Saved My Life

This is Barry Palm's story.

Before I became a Christian, my life was meaningless and I lived for nothing. My parents divorced when I was only 10 years old, and as a child I often felt sad, lonely, depressed and worthless. My teenage years were no different, and to make matters worse my life was often dark and bleak because of the many unpleasant events and experiences I went through in those years. There were times when I felt like ending my own life because I just felt I had nothing to live for, so why live at all?

Things continued pretty much the same way for me all the way into my late teens, and by then I was into heavy metal music, I had long hair and wore black clothing. I was into these things because of the bad influence I was surrounded by back then and also because I just didn't care. Even though I never got into drugs or heavy drinking, I was really a defiant rebel of the adolescent culture. But when I got to year 11, and for no reason in particular, I stopped listening to heavy metal music, cut my hair short and started to dress a bit more 'approachable'. I had no idea that God was preparing me for an event that would change me into the person I am today.

It was during the winter school holiday break in 1998 that my Mum found out that one of her friend's kids were going to a Bible camp organised by BPCWA. She signed me up herself without asking me, and to this day I still believe that my Mum was used by God to save my life. She told me it would be good for me to go and mix with other kids around my age, but I was like yeah ok, whatever. At the camp, I knew nobody except my Mum's friend's kids so I just kept to myself pretty much at first. On the first night of the camp, I heard my first Christian message and when the preacher asked if anybody wanted to ask Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Saviour, I was the only person to raise my hand. After the message, the preacher took me aside because I had some questions about Christianity. After he answered my questions, I decided to ask Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but that night God changed my life forever.

I started praying to God and reading my Bible daily and found that I could remember many different verses from memory. I also started attending church on Sundays, and when I didn't make it to church on a Sunday I would weep. I started to tell my friends at high school about God and my new faith, even though none of them were interested and didn't like what I said. I gradually got rid of the computer games, music, books and movies I owned which were violent, sexually immoral, occultic and sacrilegious because I felt uncomfortable with them. Over time, God showed me how I should think, behave, treat other people and what I should do with the life that He has given me. As I learnt more about my faith, I found that I was able to encourage other Christian brothers and support them through counsel and companionship. Along the way, I discovered more about myself and found that I wasn't worthless, useless or a failure. God had given me so many talents like poetry, singing, writing and public speaking, that I may use all of them to bring glory to God and encourage my fellow Christians. But this is perhaps just the tip of the iceberg. For me, knowing this God in whom my faith lies and living a life that is centered on Him and submitted to Him is the most challenging thing for me to do, but I know that this is what He wants me to do and I know He will enable me to do that bit by bit over time.

Today, I am a very different person (what the Bible calls "a new creature" and "born again") to how I used to be before I became a Christian, all because I have Jesus Christ in my life. More importantly, God is helping me everyday to live a life that is holy, clean and right according to what the Bible teaches, and also to live for Him instead of myself. The damaging and destructive life I lived in the past and every wrong thing that I've done against God in the past have been forgiven, because He loved me so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for me on the cross and take the punishment I deserved upon Himself so that I won't have to be punished and go to hell for all eternity when I face God on judgement day.

Barry Palm

I'll Never, Ever, Be A Christian!

This is Victor Tey's story.

Ever since I can remember I was a believer in the theory of evolution (ie. big bang, molecules to man), and it was due to this belief which was indoctrinated into me mainly by my father and the many science teachers I respected at school, that I never gave eternity and the things of God a chance. Afterall, when you die it's all over right?

My story would have to start with my older brother Jason Tey accepting the Lord Jesus in 2001. I was at a stage in my life when I was really looking forward to the university party life, no cares, no worries. I distinctly remember a conversation with my brother's old friends which included the phrase "I will never ever be a Christian!". Well since Jason's appointment with Christ, heated debates, discussions and arguments were had in the small unit of 53 at 6 Hampton Street in Burswood where gracefully God was slowly peeling away the false teachings of this world and replacing it with layers of Biblical truth.

You see, like most ignorant athiests and self-professing "bible-experts", I was under the impression that the stories in the bible were nothing more than moral tales and myths, including the life and person of Jesus. I never realised how blind I was until after months of pride-guided research, God graciously opened my eyes. Not only was He making me question my whole belief system and perspective on life, I was starting to realise what God was really like. His Holiness, Perfection, Goodness, Love and His perfect Law. It was about this point in my life that I didn't know what to believe, but I knew that if I was to face a God who knew everything about me, and was the judge of whether I would go to heaven or hell, I would definitely be going to hell.

In 2003, BPCWA held a national camp at Nanga Bush Camp. To tell you the truth, the only reason I agreed to attend was because it was being solely financed by my persistent and "brain-washed" brother, who "just wouldn't see it from my point of view". So I went with the assurance I was getting a free 5 nights of food and shelter. The only thing I can thank that camp for, was the people I made friends with when I was there, because I left the camp satisfied that Christians did not have the answers I was looking for. I remember being told by some of the camp attendee's "You will never know everything, only God does". Fair enough, but I wanted to be sure of enough to know I wasn't being suckered into something. So after the camp, life returned pretty much to normal. The topic was stressful to think about so it was easy to put it on the to-do list for a time when it mattered, like retirement.

Two years passed and God wasn't letting me get away that easy. I was reaquainted with a friend, called Sue-I, who attended a nearby church who wasn't hesitant to bring up the topic of God. Knowing I was somewhat open to the topic she would never fail to call me up every Sunday morning and pick me up to take me to church. Being polite, and having the feeling I was doing the right thing, I would drag myself out of bed and get ready for church. I hadn't accepted Christ yet, but it did reignite the desire to find out more. So my research and never-ending line of questions to believers continued, to the point I was making evolutionists questions their beliefs with what I had learned. Jason delicately described me as "someone who was helping build the ark but refused to get on board".

Then on one fateful night in 2005, it was a Friday and I knew Jason would come home and then head to church. I told myself "If Jason invites me to church tonight, I'm going to go." Well praise God who answers prayer, because the first words out of his mouth as he walks through the door were "We're having a gospel rally tonight would you like to come? There's dinner as well." God or no God, who would decline that invitation?

That night Pastor Ed preached a message about heaven and hell and what it was going to be like. The passage was:

[Matthew 8:11] And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
[Matthew 8:12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But it was the story of the restaurant owner who put a sign outside his shop which said "Pay today, eat FREE tomorrow" which woke me up to reality. That I could die at any second and salvation was not something to be put off and become the tragedy of too-late. It was then I learned about the other attributes of God, His Grace and Mercy. I was ready to accept Christ although when I sat and talked with Pastor Ed, and he asked me if I wanted to pray and accept Him there and then, I politely declined and said "Maybe another time".

On the Saturday night as I sat quietly in front of my computer reading a "This Was Your Life" tract all the way through, I eventually reached the last page containing the sinners prayer. I admitted I didn't know everything but I knew enough. That the bible was true, that Jesus was real, died and was resurrected, that in God's eyes I was a sinner and that if I was to die right there and then I would end up in hell. So I asked Jesus that night to come into my heart and be the Lord and Saviour of my life.

At that moment, I thought their would be a loud noise, perhaps a gush of wind through the apartment... but nope, nothing. Although everything was the same there was something different that I couldn't quite explain. I felt the weight of a thousand bricks being lifted off my shoulders as God gave me the peace of knowing His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and Him knowing me. I knew from this moment on if I were to die I would be spending eternity with God in heaven because Christ had paid the price for my sins.

Although I thought I knew quite a lot about God and the Bible, as I began to grow in Christ I realised how little I actually knew and how much God was teaching me everyday. Revealing to me more and more each day not only my own sinfulness but the sinfulness of the world around me. God started to change my heart to hate the sins I once loved.

A few weeks into accepting Christ I attended a Street Evangelism with the church and it wasn't until explaining the gospel to a muslim, using the the judge, criminal and courtroom analogy that the sacrificial death of Christ clicked with me. It made absolute sense! I know I had already "accepted Christ" but I don't think I felt saved until that day, when God gave me His wisdom to understand His love for us in sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins.

My worst fear when accepting Christ was the thought that I could have been wrong and made the wrong decision. To be showed up and ridiculed by my friends and family. But what I've found is that every time I've ever had a doubt, a question or a problem, God has always been faithful and provided me with answers and explanations. Each time this happened I could trust God's Word more and more. Now I know 100% that the bible is THE Word of God written down for us through the pens of His servants. As I continue to live for Him, His Word becomes more and more real, making sense of the world around me and showing me what really matters in this life.

So I hope for those of you who are sitting in the audience reading my story, that you will learn from my experience and come to the same conclusion. Sure you may not know everything, but you know enough, and that is; that you are a guilty sinner before a Perfect and Holy God, that he sent His only Son to die on a cross for sins you have willingly committed against Him, was raised from the dead and YOU need to put your faith in God's promise of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. If you get up out of your seat now, walk out the door and something unfortunate were to befall you, you know that your only destination is hell. It's not somewhere I'd want you to end up and I may not even know you! Don't trivialise this issue, there is nothing more important to you than your eternal salvation.

NOTHING.

In Christ,
Victor.

I Laughed at the Church, and now I'm a Christian!

This is Minh Ly's story.

In this short testimony I want to share how I became a Christian, and how Jesus Christ has changed my life, forever! In the time before I knew Christ I was a very destructive young man. My sin was spiralling out of control and I was hurting everyone around me, including my parents, my friends, and myself. My sin was spiralling to the point of addictions and certain dangerous habits, and also, physical harm towards other people.

Some of these addictions included alcohol abuse and gambling. One day I even remember my friend asking me to attend church with him to ease the pain of losing a really large sum of money at the casino. He told me he wanted to pray and maybe God would ease his pain. I laughed at him for suggesting something so ludicrous and told him that God was a powerless figure.

I few months later, I gradually came to a very low point in the life. Probably the lowest and darkest period of my entire life. Nothing I planned or wanted was working out. I lost all confidence in my own abilities and felt like a helpless and lost person. I was utterly collapsing in despair. One night, lying in my bed, feeling a hot rage running through my body, I poured out my anger towards God. I thought to myself that whoever He was, why He would ever let me suffer like this? I challenged him, yelling and asking if He existed, and brought Him down to a level with my blasphemy and profanity that I would not even lay on the person I hated most. I had no one else to blame, so I blamed God.

A few weeks had past, and while still living in despair, my anger towards God had somehow escaped. Late one night or early morning, lying in my bed again, I wept in desperation and with a strong tone and determination in my voice, demanding that God help me and cause my suffering to stop. I pleaded and begged Him to deliver me. I had never been a religious person in my life and had no previous religious exposure or knowledge. In desperation, I just felt I needed to turn to someone ‘higher’. Something compelled me to turn to God because I realised that no one could ever help me except Him.

What happened after that? Not much initially, because I still feeling hopeless and in despair. Then late one evening, while drinking and being noisy with a group of friends in a quiet park, a group of Christians approached us and offered us some cake they had leftover from a BBQ. They had used this as an opening to talk to us about Christianity. One guy from their group invited me to attend their church on Friday the following week. I then made up my mind in the next few days to attend, feeling I had nothing to lose.

Ever since that time, my life changed drastically. I couldn’t believe that my former bad habits no longer had control over me. I had tried to give them up in times before I knew God, but it had always ended in failure. God slowly started to give me new desires in other areas of my life too. I cannot explain what happened in a natural sense, because it was supernatural.

Looking back on the last few years as a Christian I am really thankful now for the assurance He has given me that I am His child. The biggest evidence of this for me is whenever I have steered off-course, from His righteousness and purpose to live my life in my own selfish way; He has always come for me and put me back on the path he wants me to be. Numerous times when I lost my interest for spiritual things, I thought I would never be able to regain my love for doing the things which pleased God. Every time, He has led me back to Himself.
God will always finish the work He has started in a converted soul. A true believer will always bear evidence that He has been changed by God. If God had the power to save your soul from eternal hell, he surely has the power to change you too.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that God is REAL now. When I first believed, I used to only believe that there may be a God. I would never have imagined it was possible for God to bring me to this point where I know that He truly exists. God is amazing, He can do all things, even things we think are impossible from our limited human imagination.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us – Ephesians 3:20.

Testimony of Minh Ly

Believing to knowing God

This is Adrian Cheng's story.

Ever since I was young I have been going to Church. It was more something that I did out of routine and saw it almost like an extension from school. I struggled with the lack of guidance, always feeling as if I made the wrong decision at every turn. Also, I feared death, the death of my parents and those around me. As a child, I wouldn’t be able to sleep - sometimes in despair, I would run out crying to my parents, but not wanting to explain to them why I was crying.

It was at a teens camp that I remember something significant happened. Though I have never doubted God existed, it was when I watched a movie, “A Thief in the Night” about the rapture that I realized I wasn’t sure if I was really saved. This incident was probably one of many times where I prayed the sinner’s prayer (just in case I wasn’t serious about it the other times).

My faith in God has gone from believing him, to knowing him. This was through many incidents where I wanted to find out whether God was really real. For example, I would give offering to God based on something I learnt, that you can never out-give God. Somehow more than what I gave God would come back to me during that week! Not convinced, I continued to pray to God about small things and as he answered, the evidence of His existence mounted. After proving himself many times, there were just too many “coincidences” to deny that God was at work. Now I have the assurance that when I live for God, he is in control. I know where I am going when I die and I have joy in sharing the truth with those that I encounter, hoping that they will also experience the life that I now live as a Christian.

Adrian