EXTRACTED FROM ALPHA NEWS [JAN-APRIL 2009]

Tan Siew Lim was a secret society ringleader, a rowdy union leader, a compulsive gambler and a chain smoker.  But his colourful past pales in comparison with what God has done in his life since.  When he came to faith, his family members and friends followed, and all 20 of them were baptized on the same day.

My youngest daughter Amelia was the first in our family to become a believer, and she prayed for our salvation.  Later, some of my children became Christians as well.  One day, my son-in-law Gilbert Ong and my second daughter invited me to church. I thought, "Why not just go and take a look?" But I could not understand the sermon. It just didn't make sense to me. Still, I followed them there for 10 weeks.

An elder in the church chatted with me. He asked me if I believed in God. I confessed that I didn't believe. He simply said, "Take your time." Then he invited me to an Alpha Course that they ran for the elderly. They called it 'Yum Zhou Cha', or Morning Tea.

At the Alpha Weekend Away, I experienced the reality of God. I did not believe that I would fall under the power of God, so I stood firm, with my knees bent, intent on not falling over. But the moment I was prayed for; I just fell under the power.  There was no way I could control it nor refute the reality of God.

One day, we were at a worship service.  My wife was seated with some of our children and I was sitting with my son-in-law.  The pastor said,"If you have been touched by the Holy Spirit and want to receive Christ, please come forward." I stood up and made my way to the front. There, I saw my wife! I asked her, "What are you doing here?" She was there to receive Christ as well.  It was the Holy Spirit moving upon our hearts.

Until then, my life had been very messy. When I was younger, I was in a secret society, and also a union leader. This was in the 1960s and it was wild. In those days, one could not be a union leader without being in a gang, because we needed the gang members as our bodyguards; otherwise our lives would be in danger.  I had at least 5 bodyguards at any one time. I gambled, drank, and got my men to beat up people.  I was often out at night. I would go to the nightclubs, and come home only at 5am.

I was also a compulsive gambler. Whatever could be gambled upon, you would find me placing bets on it. I also acted as a runner for a bookie. My life was ruled by the phone.

After I believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit led me on the right path.

I was a chain smoker.  I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day - that's 60 cigarettes!  I could not quit even though I wanted to.  One day, a brother told me, "If you do not want to continue smoking, talk to God about it!"   My reaction was, "You mean like that also can ah?' So every morning, I would say to God, "I really don’t want to smoke; please take away my urge to smoke.' Usually, every 20 minutes or so, I would go for a cigarette 'break'. Then one day, I simply ‘forgot' to smoke. When I took out a cigarette and lit it, I was repulsed by the taste. I thought perhaps there was something wrong with the cigarette, so I tried another one, and the same thing happened. Then I realized I was free from my smoking addiction - after 53 years! This happened two weeks after I told God to take away my urge to smoke. Praise the Lord!

My lifestyle now is very different. Instead of being out till 5am, I am back home by 10pm, and wake up by 6.30am for my morning jog. After breakfast, I read my Bible. There is a certain stability in my life that was not there before.

The change is visible to my friends. Just the other day, I met up with my old friends at a coffee shop. My friend asked me, "What has happened to you? I have been sitting with you for so long, and you have not said a single curse word. In the past, I used to get scolded and cursed by you every few minutes!"

Before we received Christ, my wife and I could not speak three sentences to each other without quarrelling.  But I have changed a lot, and she has seen the change in me. I am more joyful and easier to get along with. Now we just praise the Lord.

After I got saved, I became a helper on the Alpha course.  They called me the 'chicken curry uncle', because I cooked a mean chicken curry that was always well-received!  I brought my younger sister and her husband and their kids to the Alpha Course, and they received Christ.  My eldest son and his family also came to faith through the Alpha Course.  Some were already Christians but were nurtured through the Alpha course. After exactly two years, about 20 of us got baptized all on the same day. Today, our entire family are all believers: my two sons, three daughters, their spouses and 11 grandchildren!  There is now unity in our family.

In the past, I had a lot of anxiety and frustration. Now, if I am worried about something, I simply pray! I am very at peace and satisfied with life.  I have surrendered my life to God. I am on stand-by – whenever my pastor calls, I go!  I am part of the visitation team that visits people and ministers to the sick. Every week, I serve as an usher or as part of the worship team. God is very good to me, and I will never give up on Him.  Whenever I meet my old friends, I tell them - follow me, and believe in Jesus too!

EXTRACTED FROM ALPHA NEWS [AUGUST – NOVEMBER 2008]

I called myself a ‘free thinker’.  Journalist and business consultant Lee Yew Meng, 58, of Singapore, was brought up a non-christian environment and thought of himself as a ‘free thinker’ when he was invited to an Alpha course by a business colleague. Here he describes how his life has turned around:

At secondary school I came into contact with Christianity for the first time and would occasionally meet with a group of Christians. But I didn’t pursue Christianity any more after I started work as a news journalist for The Straits Times group of newspapers in the 1970s. I worked there for more than ten years. After that I worked for news agencies…

I got married in 1995. In 2000 I became the Business Editor of a free newspaper called Today which goes out all over Singapore. Life was hectic but fun. Once again, I was invited to lunches, dinners, parties and junkets. Four years later, I started working for a public relations and investor relations consultancy firm.

Throughout much of my life I was a free thinker. I attended talks on different religions…, but I was not committed to any of them.  A couple of events had given me cause to think however. In 2000 a cousin in his 40s had a heart attack and died. He was slim, fit and healthy. Then in about 2004 a friend died of cancer in his early 50s.

I was wondering why. At middle age, I was now on a more serious spiritual search. I went to listen to sermons at a local Christian church but could not find the answers I was looking for. Then, in early 2007, a colleague of mine, June, invited me to an Alpha lunch meeting. Thinking that it might enlighten me spiritually, I readily went along.

There were around 60 people –pre-believers and backslided Christians -- there and the food was good. Then they put on a DVD and this Englishman started speaking. I thought he had a good sense of humor and a way of explaining Christianity that I hadn’t heard before.  I thought, ‘This is interesting.’ So I decided to go back the following week to do the course.

I was to go week after week and found the course quite enlightening. We had an Alpha weekend which I attended – but I wasn’t moved by it. Before the 10-week course was over, I was invited to a church service. I went and enjoyed the sermon. My wife and I have been attending regular Sunday services at the church since then.  Some of my Alpha group members also attended the same church, so we’d meet up there.

At Alpha, the setting was friendly and informal. I was able to search and they were able to give me the answers.  I began to learn more. My wife and I began reading the Bible and other Christian literature…

Then somebody asked me if I wanted to accept Christ into my life. He told me it would be too late if I wanted to know everything about Christianity before I would commit. That set my thinking and I finally accepted Christ while attending the Alpha course.   So sometime last August I said a prayer. I said, ‘I believe that the Bible is the true word of God, I believe that Jesus died for us sinners of the world, I want to follow the Christian path, the Christian way of life…’

I wanted to learn a new life, away from what I was used to – looking at life from the material point of view. The change has been a gradual thing – but it’s a different world altogether now.

After becoming a Christian I wanted to learn more. So I enrolled myself on to a baptism course at the church. My wife, who was baptised while a teenager, did the course with me.  On Christmas Day 2007 I got baptised. On 26 January my wife and I got confirmed.  My wife and I started helping on a new Alpha course this year – and I brought some non-Christian friends along.  Before doing Alpha I would not mince words if something goes wrong at work. Now, I would listen to opposing or different views and tried to reach a win-win solution.   I try to read the Bible as often as possible and also study the Bible in our cell group.

I realise the Alpha course is a very good platform to engage non-Christians. People who are busy and successful in life have little or no time for Christianity. I learned that because I was one of them When I was a free-thinker I thought of Jesus as maybe a great prophet or a great religious teacher. Now I say he’s a person through whom I believe I have salvation. I believe that he will come again. Before becoming a Christian, I did not understand that you must have a personal relationship with God – someone whom you can talk to every day, hopefully get answers. Now I do.

When you don’t get answers – don’t be disappointed. Maybe there will come a time when you understand why the answer was not given to you at that point in time when you prayed. Sometimes I have a problem that I can’t solve. Then I realise that I may have to seek divine intervention or guidance. There must be a way out.

God now comes first in my life. After my baptism I realised that I had to put him before other things. Before, work came first – then family. Knowing that one day I will be with Jesus is a source of great comfort. Now I don’t need to worry about things.

I used to worry about not having a job or not having any money to spend. Now I don’t put much emphasis on material possessions which won’t last and worrying about them is useless. I just love the simpler and much happier life I have now.