12 Feb 2013 by Adeline Lum-
On Feb 7, I attended the Full Gospel Businessmen (FGB) Fellowship in Kajang, headed by Sebastian Siah.
Today, John Hong, president of the Putra Heights FGB, was invited as the speaker to share his testimony on how he came to know Jesus.
“I have been with FGB for six years and I find that it’s a great platform for people who did not know Christ,” said John. “In fact, one of my brothers came to know Christ here.”
Working in his family’s embroidery business, John recalled working ten hours a day, seven days a week. Although the business flourished, the family was also laced with strife, jealousy, unscrupulous business, gamble and favoritism.
“Because of my long working hours and also the pressure from delivering on time, I cannot control my anger,” said John.
Due to his hot temper, his relationship with his family was also strained, resulting in unrest at home. And to find peace, he accepted a friend’s invitation to a disco-tech, to where he was exposed to the worldly indulgence. His business was also down during the recession, added with a stacking credit card debt due to his gambling.
Falling into depression, he turned to his brother Gary who became a Christian for a year.
“I was sending my brother to the airport and sharing my struggles with him, when suddenly he asked me to stop the car to retrieve and give me a pocket-sized book entitled God’s Word,” said John.
In the beginning, John found himself dozing off whenever he flipped open the Bible due to his upside-down sleeping hours. However, one early morning, he felt prompted to read the Bible. And the first page he flipped to was the sinner’s prayer in which he read aloud. The second page he flipped to was the Lord’s Prayer! This time, he knelt down and prayed to the Lord.
“I remember God’s peace and warmness resting upon me and I began to hunger for his Word,” said John.
So, he read the Word for a week. And on Dec 25, 2005, he walked into the church with Gary. As he entered the church, uncontrollable tears fell onto his cheeks. The Word of the Lord became alive in Him and his life began to transform ever since! One of the first transformations was forgiveness of his family.
“In the past, I used to despise my brothers and sisters for their ways in the business but God gave me Ephesians 2:8-9 and Ephesians 6:12,” said John.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood… this gave me a revelation! My enemy is not my brother, sister, mother, father, uncle or auntie. But the devil is my enemy and he would us to destroy each other,” said John who had a flash back of how his brothers and sisters were all happily playing together with the guitar, when they were still young and poor.
God asked John to forgive his siblings. So, he did and called them one-by-one to ask for their forgiveness.
“After that, I felt that a heavy weight was lifted up. I had been so burdened with hatred and unforgiveness in me,” said John. “(Remember that) we are not fighting against flesh and blood especially between our family members.”
Although the devil is a defeated foe, he is an expert in deception. The devil knows how to deceive you, when your eyes are not focused in Jesus.
1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
“Hence, put on the amour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) because there is an invisible war around us,” said John. “Faith is built by listening to God’s words and FGB is a platform where you and me share testimonies as the shield of faith. God wants us to be grounded in His Words.”
Indeed, it is the battlefield of the mind! Let us now forgive our parents and siblings for the wrongs they have done. Our job is to forgive them. And remember that we all stand accountable to God one day.
And in closing, Sebastian Siah urged us, “Yes, let us put our anger and unforgiveness at Jesus’ feet!”
May we redeem our relationship with our siblings this Chinese New Year for our struggles are not against or among ourselves! Amen?
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