TESTIMONY OF MR. YAP CHIN CHOON

In the year 1935, God sent His faithful servant Dr. John Sung from China to Singapore to hold revival meetings at the Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church from 30th August to 12th September.

By the Grace of God, my cousin Peter Yap Huat Tuan and I, Mr. Tow Siang Hui and his brother Mr. Tow Siang Hwa and Mr. Quek Kiok Chiang and many, many others attended the meetings. I was then aged fifteen, a school boy, and a Christian by birth and in name.

During the revival meetings, Dr. John Sung pin-pointed each and everyone of us, and told us of the many sins that we had committed. We were greatly moved, and we shed tears and confessed our sins. I felt that my body and soul was totally unburdened as Jesus Christ had borne my sins when He died on the Cross for me. We all were saved and we happily dedicated ourselves to serve the Lord fully. We joined the Evangelistic Bands, and went out to the market place and streets in teams of five, carrying flags with the sign of the Cross. We sang "In the Cross ! In the Cross ! Be my glory ever; All my sins are washed away, in the blood of Jesus." (I Cor. 2:2) At that time I was young and zealous in serving God at home and in school. I testified to my relatives and school mates of the salvation through our Saviour Jesus Christ.    _r

In 1947, I was sent by the Methodist Mission to Kuala Kelawang, also called Jelebu, in Seremban, as a preacher. I was then twenty seven years old, with my wife, two sons, one daughter and an adopted daughter. We stayed in the house of Mr. and Mrs Chin Teck Poh, the founders of the Gospel station. We worshipped every Lord's Day in an Octagon Pavilion (Pat Kua Teng) near the market place by the roadside. I preached the gospel in Hokkien and Brother Cheong Ying interpreted into Hakka. The congregation was around twenty every Lord's Day. I was also employed as an English teacher at the Yoke Hwa Public School to subsidise my preaching stipend. During my outstation service Eddie Yap Eng Gee my youngest son was born.

By the end of 1948 1 had contracted malaria fever. The Doctor gave me a big packet of quinine. He told me to take the quinine every day. I continued taking the quinine even when my fever was gone. As a result I had an overdose of quinine. I became nervous and restless. I became unfit to carry on with my work. We came back home to Singapore at the beginning of 1949.

At that time my father was very sick, and he passed away on 9th May 1949. 1 took over my father's business as a Commission Agent. From then on, I became a self employed business man. From the day I stepped into the business world, 1 was surrounded by temptations. I joined with the world to sin. I lusted for position, name and wealth, and played into the hands of Satan. Only now do I realise the teachings of the Bible, "No servant can serve two Masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other, ye cannot serve God and Mammon." (Luke 16:13).

For nearly forty years I had been wandering in the Wilderness. Though I went to Church, I was a Christian while in Church, but when I came out of the Church, I was the same as the non-believers. I was on severe trial for many years. God chastises all those that He loves. As a result my business tailed completely. I was left with nothing. Our Heavenly Father is so loving and merciful. He said, "Come home," and He waited for me with open arms. It was then that I met a very good old friend, whom I had not seen for fifty years. You will be surprised that he is none other than Rev. Timothy Tow. Fifty years back, we were revived and saved when we attended Dr. John Sung's meetings. I met him when I went with my youngest son Eddie Yap Eng Gee and daughter-in-law Nancy to Life Church at 9A. Gilstead Road. He is the pastor of Life B-P Church and principal of FEBC. We were so happy to see each other again after so long a period of time. From then on I started to go to Life Church for Sunday Service and Prayer Meeting on Tuesday night. I also joined the Chinese service.

One day, in a working Committee's Meeting, Rev. Tow proposed to send me to head a Chinese service of our new outreach to Johore Bahru, Malaysia, across the Straits from Singapore. This day was the 7th April, 1985. This eventually became a Chinese-English bilingual service. Rev. T. Tow said to me, "You work for God, you will be blessed with ten more years of your life-span." Praise the Lord for giving me physical and spiritual strength so that I am able to serve Him. It is now two-and-a-half years, and the work is going on, with a panel of helpers, headed by Rev. T. Tow. We thank God for sending His faithful servants to help in the ministry. I am really grateful to them for all the help they have given us during the last two years.

Eddie and Nancy his wife have also dedicated themselves to the Gospel, especially in the field of music, for both of them are musicians. Now the Sunday services held in Johore Bahru are shifted to their house in Woodlands, this side of the Causeway, at Block 346, #01-174, Street 32, Woodlands. As Eddie and Nancy have a wish of buying a house at Pelentong, South Johore for the founding of a Church permanently, we have started a Building Fund into which we have put our tithes with the gifts of friends. This Fund reached $19,000 by November, 1987.

Mark 8:34 says "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

I now use Dr. John Sung's chorus No. 240, "FORSAKE THE WORLD TO FOLLOW CHRIST" to conclude my testimony: -

1.  Now Forsaking all things'

    I'll bear the Cross to follow Jesus.

   Though in poverty and in pain,

   I'll still follow his footsteps.

   All the fame and riches I'd craved,

   Now I regard them as dung,

   For I have found the best treasure Jesus,

   The most precious one.

2. The world may despise, forsake me,

   Regard me as enemy, but I am not surprised.

   For the world also hated Christ my Lord,

   Who in future will say to me

   "Thou faithful servant, welcome."

3  Think, what honour an earth's greater

   Than to be the Lord's servant?

   And just think what work on earth is

   More precious than soul-saving?

   I will pay the highest price to

   Complete my Lord's mission for me,

  The cross I bear for a while

  Will at last be changed for a crown. Amen!