A conversion story [with happy ending]

last SG · 2005-10-05T22:47:19+00:00

love the sinner but not his/her sin.

crazy monkey SG

Originally posted by Icemoon:

The tension began at age 14 when the Victoria Secondary schoolboy began attending the Shekinah Assembly of God, a charismatic Christian church.

His family considered themselves Buddhists and his parents opposed his growing attachment to Christianity.

'Their first worry was I was being cheated and led into something I didn't understand,' he says. 'The second was that I would no longer partake in family traditions.'

They were right about the second. He refused to eat food placed at the ancestral altar and his mother accused him of becoming 'a religious extremist'. But eventually, his parents came round.

He believes they did so because 'Christianity taught me to love my parents, to control my temper and be patient and responsible with them'. And when he was finally baptised last month, it was with their approval.

His first encounter with Christianity was when friends invited him to a 'fun-filled' gathering of youths at a church.

Six months later, he was praying at home when he experienced what he believes was a 'religious experience'. If fun was the bait and spiritual experience the connection, then 'logic' sealed his conversion.

'The more I learnt about religion, the more it seemed to me that Christianity is the most logical religion,' he says.

In the meantime, he aced his O-levels and did well enough in his A-levels to gain a place in the National University of Singapore's medical faculty, where he begins his studies next month.

LI XUEYING

LOAD-DATE: July 15, 2005 [/b]

why cannot eat ? issit mention in bible say certain food cannot eat ?

breytonhartge SG

again, the issue stems from persons, not the denomination, namely, yourself and the pastor.

but go back and see what you posted... you hope that the person will move away from the Chraismatic church... now how is that dui shi bu dui ren? You are implying form your viewpoint that there is something wrong with the charismatic church, you have just set yourself up against a whole movement... btw, what do you know about the charismatic movement? Like I have said so many times before, we are all diffent and if you cannot accept that, then I think you need to go and have a rethink.

Its like me saying the methodists or the anglicans have got issues...comprende? FYI, i go to wesley and the rock... so there. Like I have stressed so many times, we as brothers and sisters in Christ should support one another... not tear each other down.

What is your issue anyway? You only quote one incident, that could have been a typo if it was put up on screen, it could have been an honest mistake. You never mentioned whether you clarified the situation or not, if you have not, then maybe you were jumping to conclusions?

Icemoon SG

in the bible .. God sort of "forced" Peter to eat those so "unclean food" .. wahahah .. I let others elaborate.

crazy monkey SG

so why the food cannot eat ?

shadow_yong SG

?? odd

SingaporeMacross SG

I don’t know. Some people think that the food is satanic? Lol.

crazy monkey SG

does it mention in the bible that the food is satanic ?

laurence82 SG

eh maciam like pray to Tian Gong and afterthat bring the food down for makan...

SingaporeMacross SG

No it's not. So I don't understand why the big hoo ha.

A dot dot B dot dot SG

AN EX-FORTUNE TELLER & FENG SHUI EXPERT'S TESTIMONY

My name is Tjong Khim Long/ Tjuk Lin Tse alias Yusuf.
Tjuk Lin Tse is the name I use in my profession. I was born in North Kalimantan but have settled down in Jakarta for 21 years as a Chinese physician. I am also a member of the Indonesian Chinese Physicians' Association. As a fortune teller, I started my practice at a fee of Rp.
500 for each patient. The latest fee before my repentance in 1988 was Rp. 150,000 per patient for half an hour's consultation. I had so many patients that they have to wait for their turn for 2 to 3 months, and sometimes even up to 4 months to have their fortune told.

1. Method of Fortune Telling I would like to explain how I told fortunes. After a patient has registered and the turn came for his fortune to be told, at the moment he came, I knew the problem he faced that caused him to look for me; whether it was about work, family or others. I also knew what sickness he was suffering from and if he needed medical surgery and how many times he had undergone surgery. What's more, I knew every single marks on his children, whether they are widows or widowers, all of these I would know. That was not my power. I learned the method of fortune telling from the knowledge descended from my ancestors. I did not learn it from books.

Since young I was trained by praying, fasting and reciting charms.
When a patient approaches me to have his fortune told, it was the spirit that is in him that told the spirit that was with me. Even my student who has
not passed could be accompanied by a spirit that would tell him everything.
Because it was the spirit in the patient that told the spirit that was with me, which enabled me to read my patient's mind, that was why I was confident that I could tell fortunes accurately.

So then how did a person from such a background as me believe in Jesus when I totally could not believe in Jesus? At that time, Jesus, to me, was not of the same race as me, so how could He bring me to heaven? It was even impossible for me to dream about it.
To me,the Bible was written by men, it is not something that dropped down from the sky. But now I believe in Jesus, maybe more than some Christians do.

I did not become a Christian through a Christian. Even if there was someone who handed me 100 million Rupiah to become a Christian, I would not want to
be a Christian, I would reject that offer. I became a believer through a long process from God Himself.

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2. How did I believe in Jesus? 1st February 1988 was when I started to believe in Jesus. Every human being possesses love and it was through love that I got to know Jesus. The love that I am relating to is the love between husband and wife. On 23 March 1987 my wife passed away due to an illness that caused her to lose her appetite for food. Although I was a physician, I had never given her any prescriptions. Instead I brought her to other famous physicians for prescriptions. There was a room in my house which was like a temple. For 21 years the idols that I worshipped could move, and during the course of my wife's illness, I worshipped those idols. But there were no results. All my other efforts to cure my wife did not have any results too. At last my wife was sent to the hospital, but the doctor could not figure out what my wife was suffering from.

The general check-up showed that my wife was healthy, there was no illness. At that time my wife could only eat 2 spoonfuls of food. She would throw up if given another spoonful. After facing a dead end, my wife told me that she decided to receive Jesus Christ and believe in Him. Although I did not believe in Jesus at all, I permitted my wife to go ahead because of my love for her. When my wife believed in Jesus, she was prayed upon by my son and daughter who at that time already were believers of Jesus.

After being prayed upon, my wife slept soundly that night. When she woke up the next day, she looked so radiant and since then she could sleep peacefully every night. What happened made me unable to sleep. How did that happen?

Imagine, my wife had believed in Jesus, but my house was still full of idols. According to my prediction, my wife would return home in 8 to 10 days and the situation at home would undoubtedly be a problem for her. As Christ's believer my wife would say "Halleluya and Praise God", while I still had to say words of my idol worship. This difference would undoubtedly result in an uncomfortable atmosphere.

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3. Idols in my house were destroyed. Immediately I gathered my students for a meeting, but they could not come up with a suggestion for a way out. Due to the love for my wife, I destroyed every kind of idols in my house, including the one from Ming Dynasty that could move.

The doctor found out that my wife was suffering from cancer of the intestines 6 hours before the passing away of my wife. We thought that it was only hemorrhoids. When my wife passed away, I was still an unbeliever. Since my wife already received Christ, her funeral service was carried out in a Christian manner. There was a service in my house every night and I had to pray after them in the name of Jesus. I also heard about Jesus and how He gives life and heaven to those who believes in Him. I wanted to know where my wife was; in heaven or in hell. According to the Christians and pastors, my wife is in Heaven, but how could they proof that to me? No one has ever been to heaven and returned to tell me that my wife is in heaven.

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4. Attending the church seminar in South Korea In August 1987, there was a church seminar for Asians. My family of 7 registered for the seminar. I attended the events but not the services. Many churches in Asia sent their representatives there. I went there just to learn about Jesus. I have 4 children, 1 son and 3 daughters. My eldest daughter was totally deaf. She could not hear at all, not even the sound of burning firecrackers.

I brought her along to Korea anyway. We went to the Mount of Prayer, where people go there in throngs. At that time, a total of 163 Indonesians went there, including my family. There were caves in which we could pray. I was interested to know about those caves. I queued up but my turn never came. I met a church elder from Taiwan. I saw him pray in the name of Jesus for healing without any charms or medicines. There was a person whose arms were not of the same length, after being prayed for in the name of Jesus, his shorter arm grew outward and became the same length with the other!

I was also an ex-acrobat and magician, but what I saw was not magic. Then I asked that church elder to heal my eldest daughter. He told me that he has no power to heal, but he only relies on the power of Jesus. I was given the opportunity to witness God's power. The church elder placed his two fingers in my eldest daughter's ears and prayed. He said that in the name of Jesus this child must be able to hear and say 'Amen'. After he finished praying, he snapped his fingers behind my eldest daughter, she could now hear. That incident really touched my heart because for 31 years my eldest daughter could not hear a single sound. Now she could hear just through a prayer. That church elder taught my daughter to say "Halleluyah" and she was able to follow after him although not fully accurate. At that moment I felt like a country fellow who for the first time came to the city. I felt the magnificence of God.

5. I began to feel the awesome power of God. On the way back to Indonesia
we stopped by Taiwan and Hong Kong. Usually each time I was in Singapore or Taiwan, I did not have the chance to go anywhere since many people would come to me to have their fortune told. But no one knew about my stop over in Taiwan then, so I had the chance to go to a place of recreation called Wu Lay. When I came back from Wu Lay, my foot began to swell to a size bigger than my shoes could fit. But due to my scheduled flight, I had to fly to Hong Kong with my foot which condition was getting even worse. I thought that if it worsened even more, I would have to carry my shoes to Indonesia. So I asked my daughters to pray for me. After they prayed in the name of Jesus, I did not see any results. They prayed a second time, still there was no change. So I left it at that and went to sleep. But the next day when I woke up, my foot was healed. Filled with joy, I went back to Indonesia with my shoes on. At that time, I still did not want to believe in God, and I continued my profession as a fortune teller. At that time, I was also suffering from diabetes and chronic high blood pressure. In that situation, I wanted to know how great God's power is. I did not take any medicines, instead I asked my children to pray for me. After being prayed for, I went to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor asked me where I went to seek medical attention for the past month. He was amazed at the result of my check-up. I told him I did not seek any medical attention at all. He did not believe that without any medication my illness could be healed. My diabetes and chronic high blood pressure were back to normal. Back then it was difficult for my blood pressure to reach 150, but now it reaches between 135 - 85.

What happened assured me that there is great power behind prayers. I had to confess the splendor of God, but I was still unable to bring myself to fully accept Him. The problem laid with my profession as a fortune teller which enabled me to earn a lot of money easily. At that time I could earn about 500 to 600 thousand Rupiahs per day without any capital. If I were to accept Christ, I would have to leave my profession and I would not have any earnings. I was at a pinch, such that I chose to remain a fortune teller.

One thing that was very unusual, there were also many Christians who wanted their fortunes told. I got to know that because I bought 100 Bibles from Korea and I gave one to each of my patients. Some of them said that they already have a Bible, which could mean they are Christians and they believe in Jesus. When I asked them if Jesus still helped them, they said that Jesus used to help, but not anymore. I advised them that there must be something wrong and I suggested that they seek God earnestly. I told them that God is willing to help even someone who did not believe in Him, He helped me. At that time my fortune-telling became more popular, and many Christians was curious because there was a fortune teller who gave out Bibles. They said that in this world, the only fortune teller who would give out bibles is me.

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6. Now I have repented with all my heart To end my testimony, on 1st February 1988 at 1 o'clock past midnight, I repented with all my heart. That day I went to look at 2 Feng Shui. The last one was at Pondok Indah, a very broad land with many buildings. It was raining cats and dogs when I reached there, such that it was hard for me to get our from my car. I brought with me my compass but the compass needle would not point accurately from inside the car. So I had to go out from my car with an umbrella to look at the place. When I reached home, it was already close to 8 o'clock at night. I went to bed right after dinner because I wasn't feeling well. At midnight I was awaken with breathing difficulties. As a physician I knew that was a heart problem. The air that I exhaled seemed more than the air that I inhaled. I couldn't stand it anymore, and I knew that in 5 to 10 minutes, I would die. At that moment, I remembered the power of prayer, and I knelt down on my knees, praying to God that He would bring me through that critical moment so that I could see tomorrow. After "Amen", there was no result, and my breathing grew more difficult. Again I knelt down and prayed to God. After a second "Amen", there was still no result. I felt so uneasy and according to my prediction, I still had 2 minutes left.

That short time would determine whether I would still live or die. In that situation, it was already impossible for me to return to worshipping idols because I have destroyed all of them, such that the only way then was to pray for healing. I promised God that if I was healed, I wanted to believe in Jesus, obey Him, be His witness, serve Him and leave my old profession. At that very moment, I believed that Jesus was right there in front of me.

As usual I ended my prayer with "Amen", but amazingly, just as I was saying "A", before I could even say "Men", I was already breathing normally and fully healed. My body felt so fresh. It was as though I was young again, and I felt deep joy that I have never felt before for the whole of my 61 years I have lived in this world. It was at that moment that I put my trust in Jesus. I am a man who holds on to my promises, and that was also why I fulfilled my promise that I made to Jesus. On the 1st of April 1988,

I announced that I no longer practice fortune-telling and Feng Shui although there were still many people who wanted to have their fortune told, including people form Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia. God loves man, but it's a pity not many men wants to love Him. I felt very indebted to God who loves me so much my desire is to repay His love.

I call out to you to get to know Jesus, believe in Him and receive him whole-heartedly. Trust in Him 100%, not 99%, and you will be saved, healed and restored in this world and also in heaven. May this testimony
increase the faith of all believers. AMEN.
>>> >
>>> > John 3:16 : For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten
>>> > Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
>>> > everlasting life".
>>> >
>>> > John 14:6 : Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
>>> > life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me
>>> >
>>> > Hebrews 2: 3-4 : How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
>>> > salvation;
>>> > which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed
>>> > unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness,
>>> > both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles, and gifts of
>>> > the
>>> > Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
>>> >
>>> > Hebrews 4:7b : "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your
>>>hearts."
>>> >
>>> > Acts 4:12 : Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
>>> > other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
>>> >
>>> > John 1:12 : But as many as received him, to them gave the power to
>>> > become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
>>> >
>>> > *Why consult a fortune teller ( "small spirits")??
>>> > Is there any problem too difficult for our Creator of the
>>> > Universe?....

crazy monkey SG

precisely so why some christian dun want to eat.

An Eternal Now SG

Haha, to those who have not read my other post refuting that Straits Times newspaper article (sorry I dont mean that conversion is not successful, just making a point) – the family was not Budddhist.

crazy monkey SG

a lot of christian convert to other religion also wat.

An Eternal Now SG

that i do not know

but thats not what i meant, just pointing out the practises and customs of that family clearly shows that they are not buddhist

OrneryBoy SG

Paul's teaching, which he explains in Romans 14:14-23 and 1 Corinthians 8:4-13, is that eating food sacrificed to idols is not wrong in and of itself, but is better avoided for the sake of Christians who think it is wrong and would consequently be led into sin (Rom 14:23).
While eating food that has been sacrificed to idols is not wrong, participating in idol worship is. Part of the idol worship of the time may have involved sacrificing meat to an idol and then feasting on the meat in celebration of the idol. In this case, participating in the feast would be participating in the worship of the idol, just as partaking of Communion is an act of worshipping Christ - a parallel Paul draws in 1 Corinthians 10:15-18. Therefore vv. 20-21 refer to eating sacrificed meat at an idol feast and thus practicing idolatry (as opposed to buying sacrificed meat in the market, or eating sacrificed meat at an ordinary meal in someone's home).

The condemnation of eating sacrificed meat in Acts 15:29 and Revelation 2:20 probably refers to participation in an idol feast, but could also refer to the sin of leading others into sin by eating it (1 Cor 8:10-12).

http://www.rationalchristianity.net/food_idols.html

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