 Know Them That Labour Among YouTestimony of Elder William WongClick here to email [Elder William Wong] |
Know Them That Labour Among YouTestimony of Elder William WongClick here to email [Elder William Wong] |
Click below for our elders and deacons testimony and to email them [Elder Simon Goh] [Elder Tan Beng Chuan] [Elder Eric Tan] [Elder Adrian Teo] [Elder William Wong] [Elder Winston Chong] [Deacon KC Cheang] [Deacon Lim Li Chhoan] [Deacon Paul Lim] [Deacon Lim Swee Aun] [Deacon Terry Wan] |
|  |
I was born into an family of idol worshippers, steeped in Chinese traditions. Being the first grandson, my grandmother expected me to partake in the pagan religious rites, especially on feast days. I recall the busy periods of Chinese religious festivals like the hungry ghost festival, and the visits to many Chinese temples on the eve of every Chinese New Year. These visits lasted till the early hours of morning. My devotion to these customs and rites pleased my grandmother and I became her constant companion. It did not occur to me to question the reason and the logic to these practices. It was so much part of family life that I assumed it was only natural to pay homage to these idols. I was put in charge of the daily evening ritual of placing just the right number of joss sticks at the altar for the idols. I always carried out my duty diligently, fearful of incurring the wrath of these idols. Christianity was first introduced to me during my adolescent years, when a cousin of mine invited me to a Sunday worship service at a denominational church. I observed that their worship service was simple and was quite impressed by the singing, accompanied by piano playing. I was also struck by the friendliness of their members. After this brief encounter, I went back to the familiarity of pagan worship. The seed that was planted took no root. As I was growing up, I stumbled across some books on Christianity. These were my aunts’ Christian school textbooks. I recall reading some of the Gospel of John but didn’t get any further than the first chapter as I could not grasp the content. Not long after, with the encouragement of an uncle, I left for further studies in Australia. I was homesick during the first few months. But soon the thrill of a new environment and new-found freedom overcame me and I enjoyed being a free thinker. I had no time for religion when I busied myself with my course. My wandering days came to an end when some concerned denomination Christian lecturers shared their faith with me. They invited me to a Christian rally where for the first time, I expressed an interest in studying the Bible. That rally was successful and many came forward in response to the message. I was one of those and my name and contact was handed to a denomination called the church of Christ for follow up. This was not the church of Christ, the body of Christ, as we now worship with. This church of Christ was a denomination affiliated to the ecumenical council of churches.A minister visited me and we studied Phil.1:21. My interest in Christ was kindled and I wanted to know more. At the end of the session, he asked if he could pray for me. I was taken aback when he spontaneously knelt and prayed for God to work in my life. He invited me to worship in his congregation and to ensure my attendance, actually picked me up. After a period of worshipping and Bible studies with them I was converted to the denominational faith of the church of Christ. The minister involved me in the church’s activities. As I matured in my faith I was roped in to serve at the communion table, lead prayers and teach the younger ones during school holidays. I was eventually appointed as their treasurer as I was pursuing a course in accountancy. I would have continued my stay in Australia and continued to work there if not for my national service obligation. When I arrived home, I began to look for a congregation to worship with. I looked through the Yellow Pages and was perplexed to find both the church of Christ of Malaya and the Church of Christ. I felt that the church should not be country-specific, but just the Church of Christ that meets at a particular place. So I chose the Church of Christ located at Moulmein Road. I worshipped regularly at Moulmein. One Sunday morning after service, the minister Brother Hogan asked if I was converted. He went through the plan of salvation with me. I was quite offended as I sincerely believed I had already been taught correctly by the minister in Australia and I had responded scripturally, according to the Word. Eventually he was convinced of my faith in Jesus. I became active in the work of the church in Moulmein and began assisting Lau Kin Fatt in teaching the adult Bible classes during mid-week and Sunday morning. When Kin Fatt left Singapore for a full-time ministry in Malaysia, Brother Hogan assigned me to take charge of the adult Bible class. The book I had to teach was the “Acts of the Apostles.” While teaching the chapters on conversions, I came to realise something was amiss in my conversion. Recalling my own conversion, I knew my baptism had been for a reason other than for the forgiveness of sins. However, my pride made me resist the truth. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I was teaching the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). I then had to face the stark reality that I was in error. The next evening as I was returning from work, there was a stirring in my spirit that urged me to do what is right to be added to the Lord’s kingdom. Without delay, I called Brother Hogan the same evening and told him that I would be at the church building shortly to render complete obedience to Christ in baptism. As I rose from the waters of baptism I felt a deep sense of peace and joy. It was at Moulmein that the Lord blessed me with my helpmeet, Hedy. She has been a constant source of encouragement and is very supportive of my service to the Lord. She has stood by me for 30 years. We are also blessed with a daughter Michelle who became a child of God on 21 March 2004 .As parents, that was the happiest moment for us. Our Christian life is a race. How do we run it? Let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles;Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. (Heb.12:1-2)Forgetting what is behind and straining toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. (1 Cor.15:58) There is much good to be done for God with the time that God allows us to live on this earth. In the vineyard of the Lord, we can discover areas of service if we have a heart of benevolence and a heart willing to serve. It is a feeble excuse when we say that we do not serve because no one has called upon us. God has given each of us the ability to serve (Matt.25:14-15). The rewards from God are of equal measure, regardless of our areas of service. (Matt.20: 1-16). Whatever our make-up, the ability or abilities that God has blessed us with can be put to good use. The possibilities of service are immense. We need not only look to areas of prominence to serve. Humble acts of service to our brethren and our fellow men are just as pleasing in the eyes of God (Matt.25:34-40). My current area of service with the Hearing Impaired brethren arose from a request for helpers by our minister, Brother Henry. I responded and expressed my interest to be part of this work not knowing exactly how I could be of use. Since putting my hands on the plough that day I have not looked back (Luke 9:62). God has blessed me with this ability of signing by seeing me through the one-and-a-half year course of sign language. I thank God for giving me the perseverance during some trying periods of the course. I am deeply humbled by the brethren in PP who placed their confidence in me when they appointed me as elder. Yet this acceptance carries with it a sober responsibility. This role widens my horizon as to the nature of the work involved in shepherding. I have always been involved in serving and supporting in the background. However if the need arises for me to be in the forefront, I pray that the Lord will grant me the strength. My commitment in shepherding must never diminish as long as this role is entrusted to me. The flock at PP must be lovingly attended to, as their spiritual growth in Christ is of utmost importance. We must nurture the flock and equip them to work in the Lord’s vineyard. It is from this flock that future shepherds will come forth. The Lord has blessed me abundantly and as I work towards retirement from secular work, it is my prayer that He will use me in His vineyard as I cry to Him, “Here am I, send me.” May my mindset be like that of Apostle Paul who said “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means, I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings” (1 Cor. 9:22-23). |