“Evangelism” is a lofty word and much-vaunted concept, but do we ever think of how it relates to us personally? When I think of how my spiritual heritage sprang from the work of two evangelists who were obedient to God’s call, I feel compelled to pass on this blessing of a spiritual heritage to others and share God’s love with them.
The first evangelist was a pastor who ministered to my late great-grandfather. My great-grandfather was a poor, illiterate Hainanese migrant to Singapore at the dawn of the 20th century, who sold bread for a living. One day, passing by a church, he decided to enter it out of curiosity, and heard the pastor preaching in Hainanese, the only language my great-grandfather understood. When the pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would step forward and receive Christ into their life, my great-grandfather boldly went forward. I’m not sure if he knew the magnitude of his decision, but I’m glad he did it. By all accounts, his whole life was transformed—he would preach openly to his customers while selling his bread.
No, his newfound faith did not change his impoverished circumstances, but it did change the way he viewed life’s vicissitudes. It was a daily struggle to make ends meet as he had eight children. They could only afford to eat chicken once a year at the Chinese New Year. My late grandfather and his brothers wore school uniforms sewn from discarded curtains and bedsheets. Yet, I’m told my great-grandfather possessed great optimism and joy—always believing that God would faithfully provide for him and his household. He imparted biblical truths to his young children daily and prayed with them. And on the occasions he received an earful from my great- grandmother (due to the general lack of finances), he would gather with his children to sing together, “Jesus Loves Me”. Such was the extent of his unshakeable faith in God.
The gospel of salvation and legacy of faith were what he left to his children, and the generations after. Through the grace of God, my family has been immensely blessed with much more than we could have asked for or imagined. I’m gratified that my extended family on my grandfather’s side remains close. I’m even happier that many of the clan are believers, with some involved in ministry work.
Despite my great-grandfather’s influence, my grandfather strayed from the faith in his early adulthood. Were it not for the second evangelist, in the shape of my mother’s best friend in primary school, my nuclear family might have a different story today. Being a pastor’s daughter and a staunch Christian, her best friend unfailingly invited my mother to church every week—invitations my mother declined as she had Chinese tuition on Sunday mornings. One Sunday, tuition was cancelled and my mother, left without an excuse, finally went along. She liked it so much that she rescheduled her tuition class. This was how my grandparents, who were fetching her to and fro, ended up taking their own tentative steps back into the church and have remain ever since.
These two testimonies illustrate to me what our Lord Jesus meant when he said, “… If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20 NKJV). Never underestimate the power of small actions, practised in daily life.
It’s said that our personal lives and journey with the Lord form the 67th book of the Bible, and that non- Christians often look to the way Christians conduct themselves to assess Christianity. I didn’t really think much about this until I began my studies in the UK in 2023. I became involved in the Cambridge Chinese Christian Fellowship (CCCF) at university, attending weekly Bible Studies and prayer meetings. At the same time, I made friends who were non-believers, who challenged me with questions like “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” and “What exactly are the implications for rich people in this parable?” (referring to Matthew 19:24 which says, “… it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”) After many deep conversations, I decided to ask them to come along for Bible Study.
I first asked a good friend from primary school. While enthused by the prospect of wolfing down home-cooked Sarawak laksa for dinner, he expressed apathy for the Bible Study to follow. I felt disappointed when he rejected my invitations throughout a whole term.
But after months of praying, and persistent asking, he finally agreed on condition that he was not the only friend I brought along. Long story short, I managed to persuade another friend to that seminal night when they enjoyed the warmth of my cell group, the robust Bible Study discussion and the short time of sharing how our week went and how we could support one another in prayer. They and other newcomers are well-integrated into my cell group. God taught me that my role in evangelism is simply to journey with my friends, expose them to Christianity, and pray for the Holy Spirit to convict their souls.
God taught me that my role in evangelism is simply to journey with my friends, expose them to Christianity, and pray for the Holy Spirit to convict their souls.
We face two possible realities as Christians called to fulfil Christ’s Great Commission. The first is failing to live up to what Micah exhorted—to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Such failure makes us the kind of Christian criticised by Mahatma Gandhi— “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” The second reality is this soundbite from my friend when he was asked his opinion of the CCCF community: “You guys have a different focus in life. Many here are motivated by careers, grades etc. You all, in contrast, look to God”. By God’s grace, let us strive for such truthful evangelism.
