From Darkness to Light
Since I was a child, my family would often visit temples and perform rituals together. Occasionally, I would also be brought to a medium whom many deemed as god. There was always fear because of the possessed state that the medium was in. My parents taught me to respect the different gods and offer incense to them. Being young and naive, I believed in the concept of having different gods and followed through the rituals with my parents. There was no relationship with the gods but mere fear and respect for the gods.
When I was invited to Bethany six years ago, I was introduced to a brand new concept of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Initially, my heart was rebellion and hardened towards the messages that were taught and preached. I could not understand nor comprehend the Word of God. Being brought up with the idea of accumulating good works to gain access to Heaven, I had a deep sense of self-righteousness and did not understand the idea of the grace of God. For the first few months in Bethany, I came to church with a closed and rebellion spirit.
By the grace of God, as I kept coming to church, the Word of God came alive to me bit by bit. It brought life and I begin to comprehend the truths in God’s word. Indeed, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Slowly but surely, my spirit, heart and mind begin to change. I turned away from the gods that I used to believe and turn to the Lord whom I have found to be true. God became real to me and has planted upon my heart a purpose and hope in Christ. My perspectives and life began to change through the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. A relationship with God and Christ was formed and I desire to love and follow Him. From desiring riches on earth, I seek for the spiritual things of God. From darkness, I begin to see light.
However, this journey of faith was not an easy one. Within my social circle of family, relatives and friends, most are non-believers. There was much unhappiness and tears shed as I went against the norms of the family traditions. Known to be an obedient child, it was challenging to disobey my parents and stand up for my faith. Despite finding faith to be real, I did not consider baptism as I was afraid of upsetting my family whom I love dearly.
Frequently, I would also be bombarded with questions of my faith that I could not answer due to the lack of knowledge. These questions when left unanswered gave rise to doubts of my own faith. I did not seek counsel and struggled on my own. I was indeed like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:6). Though I still continued to go to church, I was weak in my faith. The questions kept coming, causing me to be drowned in my own self-doubt time and time again.
Things started to change when I humbly sought for answers from the pastors and teachers. I am amazed by how all my answers can be found in the Word of God. Through the patient guidance of the pastors and teachers who constantly turn me to God’s Word, uncertainties and doubts were turned to assurance and confidence in God.
Over the years, seeing the hand and blessings of God in my life, I cannot help but to be identified with Christ and to follow Him all the days of my life.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
– Matthew 10:37-39
I no longer struggle with the fear to stand up for my faith, but instead, I want to proclaim of my faith. It is only by His abundant grace and mercy that I am able to have this hope of eternal life and be redeemed from sin and death. God has become precious to me and there is nothing on earth that I would trade for than to know Him. By the grace of God, I hope to share this faith with my loved ones that they may one day come to faith in this wonderful God.
Today, it is my greatest joy to be baptised in Bethany, where I grew in faith and a place where I can call home. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those who ran alongside and guided me in love. Thank God for the pastors and teachers who care for our souls and faithfully serve God all these years.
Looking forward, I am challenged to follow Christ and serve Him in the ways He calls me to. It is my desire to be part of Bethany and in the kingdom of God. I am a work in progress and it is my prayer that by His grace, He would continue to mould me to be more like Jesus Christ and that I would run this race of faith and complete it well.