Saving a Lost Sheep
Su Yu, 2nd Congregation
Su Yu
I first heard about God when my parents brought me to church when I was a toddler.
Going to church always seemed such a chore to me, I neither felt God nor knew him, though I attended church many times. I was a known nuisance after times that I cried and screamed in church, pulling and begging my parents to go back home.
Other occasions I attended church for the sake of showing up, that I will may maintain my image to other Christians in my church. Like some lawful religion.
Later in secondary school, I leaned towards logic, nature and science, it seemed hard to understand the routine I was going through every week in church, eventually I stopped going to church and self-declared myself an atheist.
However, this turned into a stepping stone to discover God. I had little friends and lots of free time and accepted an offer to go to a bible study. It was then I realise the joys of reading the bible. I was taught how to share the gospel and even went out with this group to go and share the gospel, however it was nothing personal to me.
Not being convicted enough to what I was sharing, I shut myself in a room to let no one speak to me but the bible alone. After long hours of prayers and reading, asking the words written in this book to come to life, that I would see them and God would speak to me.
And amazingly, after hours, my eyes were opened, I start to understand the bible and God’s truth started to speak to me. I saw how Jesus lived, the love he shown to sinners and the strange extraordinary way he came to redeem us. The bible showed me how he did not intend that, just for his original disciples, but for me as well!
It also showed to me that my attitudes were wrong and revealed God’s character and his very being. And there has to be heart change and repentance, David Platt calls the Christian life the outliving of the indwelling Christ.
God did more than revealing himself to me in His word.
Through amazing teachers, I was taught and built up. All I had to do is simply repent and receive. A different life God has called me to. That I may live for him because he is simply better, better than any pleasures this world could offer.
What brought me to repentance was not science and knowledge but the relationship he desires to have with me, it is a relationship he offers.
Luke 15:4-5
And what man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave ninety- nine in the open country and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulder and goes home.
What else can has this passage told me, it told me that he pursues me, one who was lost. And not basing it on righteousness, as heaven rejoiced over one sinner who repents than ninety nine who needs no repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing anyone perish, but that all should come to repentance.
I lay my trust in these two passages, that in my sinfulness, doubts, disobedience against him. He pursued me for me to come to him. And in him, I am immensely thankful and satisfied. Jesus revealed how much I needed him and that I should live for Him.
My journey with God as a Christian certainly comes one with doubts. Sometimes even doubt the way I was living and wonder whether am I really a Christian? Especially in my work where I can get so caught up in it, thinking about progress, pleasing my boss in my internship and what do I do facing these circumstances?
So when Charles asked me to share my testimony I was really challenge by God to look outside of myself.
And even when I doubt my own testimony I was reminded by God through John Piper which mentioned to me that it is okay to not remember a turning point, because we cannot rely on our own memories, we can rely on anything we have but look into what the scripture says and it says we are lost, we are blind, we are once dead in our trespasses
but God in his great love showed grace to us by dying for us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved — Ephesians 2:5 ESV
The infallible word has been a wonderful reminder as we forgetful humans can turn against ourselves. I would also encourage all of you here who do not have remember a fixed turning point or your own testimony. God's grace (is found in his word) has been and will be and will never be taken from you. He does not retrieve his grace like how we turn back on our words. And in spiritual sense all our testimonies are alike! God drew us back to him in our sinful wrathful state that does not desire him. And that really is how He does it and who He is. Praise God.