My Testimony

Dear brothers and sisters, friends and family,

I am forever grateful that you can share this moment with me today. It wasn’t until recently that I realised the significance of this day. In many ways I would liken my baptism to marriage. Baptism of course isn’t necessary for salvation. Baptism is just a public proclamation of my faith in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, yet it is so much more. The Bible analogises many times in the Old Testament the relationship between God and his people Israel as a marriage, where the people are his bride (Jer. 3, Eze. 16, Hos 1-3). In the New Testament the apostle Paul speaks of the profound mystery: Christ and his church as his bride (Eph. 5). I do not have to marry my girlfriend for her and others to know that I love her. I do not have to be baptised for there to be a loving relationship between myself and God. But just as there are so many reasons to marry, there are so many reasons to become baptised. And so you see, this day could possibly be even more important than my marriage, because today is my marriage to Jesus. And now I would like to share my vows.

For sixteen years, I was oblivious to everything and anything to do with God. All I knew about God was that he was this big supernatural guy who lived in heaven. Heaven was a good place with angels, and hell was a bad place with the devil. Jesus was this important guy to do with Christians. I even remember once at school, when they asked us what B.C. stood for. I had no clue, so I asked Mum. “Bicentenary?” she said.

In high school, I met my best friend Brian. He said he was a Christian, so he was this good, conservative guy, right? In year 7, he said his mission was that by the end of year 12, he would convert his friends. My mission was that by the end of year 12 I would corrupt him. I don’t know how God did it, but that guy is sneaky, crept up on me real good. Brian had been talking about Christian stuff like RICE and other evangelistic events. I went to a few, and started learning a little bit more about who Jesus was and what he did. It was not until RICE Big Day Out in 2007 that the message of the gospel really hit me. For the rest of the week, my thoughts surrounded this decision I was to make. I had turned away from God and I was a broken, absolutely sinful person. Jesus had died on the cross so that I could be forgiven for all of my sins – all I had to do was accept it. But how could I? I didn’t deserve any of this. I am the worst person I could possibly be and now Jesus is just going to give me this thing I don’t deserve? It was the biggest decision of my life, and I actually prayed, not knowing if I was heard. I was once again convicted of Jesus’ love for me at the rally a week later. It was that night that I took the big step – the big leap of faith, and put my life at Jesus’ feet. Shortly after, I joined the youth group REEF at CMC. It was here where I studied Simply Christianity and was first exposed to what church really was. It was here where I grew in my knowledge of who Jesus was and who God was and how I could live my life with Jesus as my Lord. However, I lived far from church, and placed too much of a burden on my parents who would pick me up late every Friday night. Soon after, I had learned a lot of the fundamentals of Christianity, and was quickly accepted into the church family at REEF. But after a while, the late Friday night treks became too much for my parents and I couldn’t go to REEF anymore. It was so unloving of me. I used to wait until it was the afternoon before I told my parents that I was going to youth group, so I forced them to pick me up, instead of asking their permission. In the midst of my new knowledge of Jesus and what it meant for my life, I was becoming a stumbling block for my family.

A year after my turn to Jesus, I was still growing in my faith, I had a great foundation of trustworthy, loving friends at church even though I couldn’t get to see them. Eventually, I decided to start going to the Sunday services at Cabramatta Anglican Church. I also visited the youth group there and even brought a couple of friends along sometimes. But soon after that, the HSC year began. I began to use my study as an excuse for not going to church, and wasted my time on worldly passions. In a matter of months, I had dug a hole so deep that only God could pull me out. In my pain, I remembered God, and realised how broken a person I was and how much I needed him. Through the miraculous turning around of this ordeal, God revealed to me how much I had turned away from him and how little things in this world matter. From that moment on, I re-devoted my life to God and began to put him at the centre of my life. After the HSC finished, I returned to CAC Sunday services and went back to REEF. Ever since then, I have really dedicated my life to live for the glory of God, learning more about him every day and growing in my love for him. This is the story of how Jesus has turned my life right side up. To my church family, I thank God so much for your support: your rebuking, your encouragement and your fellowship. To my parents: I know that I have not been the best son, and I do not live up to God’s standards as a son. I apologise for my selfishness and not having the courage to speak to you about Jesus as often as I should. To my friends and my family: I thank you so much once again for coming to share this special day with me. I really want to challenge you to live the examined life, and to find out more about Jesus. I would love it if you’ll come and talk to me or ask any questions that you might have about anything.

science & faith

Here's one that not many people like to discuss. This may be one stumbling block for many Christians and also those who are considering the impact of the gospel on their lives.

It's been said before that science and religion aren't contradictory, they go hand in hand, one natural, and one supernatural. I remember being told this in my first biology lecture at uni: "Here we don't discriminate against any religion; science and religion may co-exist." But can it? They say this, yet none of my lecturers for one second doubted the theory of evolution (as an example). So are they just being politically correct, or is there an actual basis for what they are saying?

Famous astrophysicist and cosmologist Carl Sagan summed up science to its most basic foundations.

"Science is not perfect. It is only a tool. But it is by far the best tool we have, self correcting, ongoing, applicable to everything.

It has two rules:

1) There are no sacred truths; all assumptions must be critically examined; arguments from authority are worthless.

2) Whatever is inconsistent with the facts must be discarded or revised."

You would agree most of the public do not study or understand the nature of science at this level. It is sad, therefore, that scientists in the public light tend to misinform us about the nature of their work. The most famous and renowned scientists in the world continually claim to "disprove" or to "prove". In its basest form, science cannot prove or disprove, it is only a tool used to gather evidence for or against hypotheses, and further on, theories.

So how would you attempt to "disprove" God? I've heard people do it by logic. I daresay flawed logic. Most people have not carefully studied the Bible and learned enough about God to understand Him fully. Even the strongest Christians cannot imagine understanding God to the full extent. I've heard people do it mathematically. I'm not sure how, but I'm pretty sure the God of this world isn't bottled down into a mathematical formula. Just as we are unpredictable with our emotions, the God who's image we are made in also has emotions, and this essence cannot be tied down to a mathematical formula. Whatever way we try to "disprove" God is a futile attempt.

For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:19-21

So if what all the atheists are saying is false, why do they have so much to say about it? Why don't the Christians just step in, we know that we have evidence, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are right. Well the answer is humility. As still sinful humans, our judgment can be rash, it can be easily manipulated. We must not engage in arguments of any kind for this was not the way of Jesus. Even when Jesus rebuked what the pharisees were saying, he had the right - he was God. It is foolishness to fall into the trap of arguing, because arguing is futile. The reason we believed in the first place is because the Lord revealed it to us with his Word and his Spirit.

The god of this age has blinded the mind of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

You see I have not attempted to argue the claims of evolution (again, as an example) because I know that it is futile, and I know that I cannot be sure that I have the discipline to do so in absolute, complete lovingness. One thing I am sure of: God will only reveal himself through his Word and his Holy Spirit. However, whenever someone does ask me for evidence for creation, I will point to Jesus. Jesus is the centre of all hope, all truth and all love. There is more evidence for Jesus and his ministry than there is for evolution or any other claim made by this world. And everyday that we keep fighting the good fight, we continue to be witnesses to his ministry.

--

This post is named after a song by The Script