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
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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
Saturday, May 19, 2007
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
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