Testimony by Timothy Chan
Well, the main event in the past week and an important moment in my life was my baptism on Sunday, yesterday. It was really amazing and everything went well and i was happy that at least two of my classmates came to witness my baptism...so THANK YOU VERY MUCH. But, anw since not everyone could make it, I've decided to at least share my testimony with everyone, however, right now i don't have the pictures but i'll post them soon in another post...
On March 31, pastor and two council members came to my house to interview me - before they decided to go ahead with baptizing me this coming Easter Sunday, the 12th of April, 2009. Baptism is really just the next step for me in obedience to God. And, it is a testimony of God’s reality in my life and a commitment to the Church and to Christ, to officially be a member of the Church. I must say I’m glad that I’m going through with this, but on the other hand, I can’t believe that I’m going to be baptized already. I mean, I must say there was a time when I was really not sure what testimony I could share. However, somehow, I reached this point and it’s really amazing. And, I guess, if I were to summarize how God has been real to me, it would be firstly, through growing up in a Christian environment, going through Church and Sunday school and stuff, how the Lord has helped to get through school all the way to now, how the Lord has been there for me going through three surgeries. But most importantly, I must say my two years in ACJC has been the most crucial in my spiritually growth so far. That is because that is where I really experienced God through worship, where I learned what it means to live life for God’s glory, where I learned to trust the Lord and have joy despite my circumstances and where God really spoke to me through the many devotions, messages and situations and in the process changed me and transformed me into who I am today.
And, that was due to my condition, which made things not always easy...I struggled with finding friends, coping with school work, and being active in school activities. At that point, I was still lost about the purpose of life and living life to the fullest. But God was ever so present, making everything work out. Whenever there was a situation, God would make a way. Almost like coincidences, but somehow you just knew it was the work of God's hands. And, I learned to really trust God and be joyful in all circumstances. In my JC life, I was so lonely and due to some limitations, I was unable to experience everything fully. But in all my brokenness and sadness, at how everything in my life seemed to all go wrong, I just realized that I should rejoice in all circumstances. So I began to let go and not let myself be affected by my situation. And God really gave me joy no matter how bad things were sometimes, and I really felt His presence with me even in the darkest moments. Somehow in all my troubles, I was able to worship God at a deep level and have joy. Every message seemed like it was from God, as it was always so relevant to my situation. That was how I grew through these circumstances. It was as if everything happened to fall apart, to make me turn to God alone. So that I realized that I cannot do things on my own but to just live a surrendered life for God - for that is the best way.
Finally, I also slowly began to grasp the purpose of life and what it means to live life to the fullest as I realized that only in Christ is there truly meaning in life. When it seemed like I had nothing and I was struggling with discontentment, God reminded me that life is about doing all that we do for God's glory and not how much that we have done. When I placed all my hopes upon God, my life began to be filled with fulfillment and joy that was so amazing. And, at the peak, I was trusting God so much that even with the face of my A level exams, I was able to say with full confidence, that I can trust the Lord. Good or bad things will eventually be for the good and God's plan will be fulfilled - so I didn't have to worry about anything. Thus, I guess all the difficult circumstances in my life made me turn to God and trust Him. He revealed Himself to me by being my source of joy and strength in the midst of the storms of life. But, anyway, I’m glad that God has been so real to me and I just really praise God that I’m going to get baptized now.
I know I believe in God, but the baptism has really made me think about my faith. I know there are things that happen in our lives that do reveal God. And there are God’s promises which will never fail, even when we face the lows in our walk of faith.
More recently, I am glad my family sang a song on April 5 as a special item as part of pastor’s sermon on the family designed by God. I’m sure we glorified God with our voices, and touched some of the members’ hearts. The message was short but good, and it did speak to me and I really hope that God will continue to help my family grow and to help us to love each other - and be the family God created us to be. Just pray that the Lord will continue to help me to be a better person. I also want to share that in the past two weeks, I have started a Bible reading plan and I have kept to the schedule all week - so thank God for that.
So to end, I'm glad I've taken this step of faith and obedience in baptism...so I'm now of member of the church...yeah.
Testimony by Timothy Chan
I believe the purpose of life is about God and not about us. Meaning in life comes from living for the purpose of our existence. There is more to life than the here and now. Life’s purposes prepare us for eternity.
On March 31, pastor and two council members came to my house to interview me - before they decided to go ahead with baptizing me this coming Easter Sunday, the 12th of April, 2009. Baptism is really just the next step for me in obedience to God. And, it is a testimony of God’s reality in my life and a commitment to the Church and to Christ, to officially be a member of the Church. I must say I’m glad that I’m going through with this, but on the other hand, I can’t believe that I’m going to be baptized already. I mean, I must say there was a time when I was really not sure what testimony I could share. However, somehow, I reached this point and it’s really amazing. And, I guess, if I were to summarize how God has been real to me, it would be firstly, through growing up in a Christian environment, going through Church and Sunday school and stuff, how the Lord has helped to get through school all the way to now, how the Lord has been there for me going through three surgeries. But most importantly, I must say my two years in ACJC has been the most crucial in my spiritually growth so far. That is because that is where I really experienced God through worship, where I learned what it means to live life for God’s glory, where I learned to trust the Lord and have joy despite my circumstances and where God really spoke to me through the many devotions, messages and situations and in the process changed me and transformed me into who I am today.
And, that was due to my condition, which made things not always easy...I struggled with finding friends, coping with school work, and being active in school activities. At that point, I was still lost about the purpose of life and living life to the fullest. But God was ever so present, making everything work out. Whenever there was a situation, God would make a way. Almost like coincidences, but somehow you just knew it was the work of God's hands. And, I learned to really trust God and be joyful in all circumstances. In my JC life, I was so lonely and due to some limitations, I was unable to experience everything fully. But in all my brokenness and sadness, at how everything in my life seemed to all go wrong, I just realized that I should rejoice in all circumstances. So I began to let go and not let myself be affected by my situation. And God really gave me joy no matter how bad things were sometimes, and I really felt His presence with me even in the darkest moments. Somehow in all my troubles, I was able to worship God at a deep level and have joy. Every message seemed like it was from God, as it was always so relevant to my situation. That was how I grew through these circumstances. It was as if everything happened to fall apart, to make me turn to God alone. So that I realized that I cannot do things on my own but to just live a surrendered life for God - for that is the best way.
Finally, I also slowly began to grasp the purpose of life and what it means to live life to the fullest as I realized that only in Christ is there truly meaning in life. When it seemed like I had nothing and I was struggling with discontentment, God reminded me that life is about doing all that we do for God's glory and not how much that we have done. When I placed all my hopes upon God, my life began to be filled with fulfillment and joy that was so amazing. And, at the peak, I was trusting God so much that even with the face of my A level exams, I was able to say with full confidence, that I can trust the Lord. Good or bad things will eventually be for the good and God's plan will be fulfilled - so I didn't have to worry about anything. Thus, I guess all the difficult circumstances in my life made me turn to God and trust Him. He revealed Himself to me by being my source of joy and strength in the midst of the storms of life. But, anyway, I’m glad that God has been so real to me and I just really praise God that I’m going to get baptized now.
I know I believe in God, but the baptism has really made me think about my faith. I know there are things that happen in our lives that do reveal God. And there are God’s promises which will never fail, even when we face the lows in our walk of faith.
More recently, I am glad my family sang a song on April 5 as a special item as part of pastor’s sermon on the family designed by God. I’m sure we glorified God with our voices, and touched some of the members’ hearts. The message was short but good, and it did speak to me and I really hope that God will continue to help my family grow and to help us to love each other - and be the family God created us to be. Just pray that the Lord will continue to help me to be a better person. I also want to share that in the past two weeks, I have started a Bible reading plan and I have kept to the schedule all week - so thank God for that.
So to end, I'm glad I've taken this step of faith and obedience in baptism...so I'm now of member of the church...yeah.
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