Pastor John: I would like to introduce to you Mr. David Cheung who is a regular worshiper with us and is better known as "Betty's dad, and Madeleine and David's granddad."
Pastor John: David, we are delighted to have you share a bit of your story with us today. David actually wrote a beautiful testimony of God's recent work in his life, and we have posted it on our church website if you would like to read it.
Pastor John: 1. David if you would, tell us where you grew up and at what stage in your life you came to Christ:
Good morning everyone!
Yes, pastor John, I am very happy to tell you my story, and let you know how Jesus' amazing love and mercy has been upon me.
When I was fifteen, I accepted Christ into my life and was baptized. 1949, the Communist Party took over the Chinese government, all the missionaries, were driven out of mainland China, and went on to serve in Taiwan. I had a chance to get to know some missionaries from the China Inland Mission. I learned how to live a Christian life from them. I also learned how to love the church. At 33, God gave me a wonderful wife – Ruth, and eventually He gave us two wonderful children – Betty and Chris. In 1976 we moved to the US.
Pastor John: 2. David, I know that you love to praise God for ways that he has helped you in your life and I know you have many stories to share. But if you would, just take a moment and tell us just a couple of ways that you know the Lord has been with you and faithful to you in small ways and in big ways.
About 20 some years ago, one day, I was fired suddenly for no reason. I stayed at home for a month and couldn't find a job, eventhough I made numerous phone calls trying to find one. Then a friend suggested that I should consider becoming a limousine driver. With a decent income and flexible hours,this was a pretty good option for a person like me, who needed to support a family and also have time to serve in the church.
At that time, we simply had no idea where to find the money to start the business. The only thing we could do was to pray that God would open a way for us. The next day, a friend of my wife came to our house with exactly that amount of cash we needed. She wanted us to keep the money for her. We asked her what the terms would be if we borrowed the money for our own use. She said, “Nothing. I won’t need the money for the next one to two years.” Our hearts pounded, praising the Lord. We received the money and handed her an I.O.U. She said it was totally unnecessary and tore it up right away.
With that money, I became a limo driver. The business indeed went very well. My wife was working at that time too. Soon, we were able to pay back all the money we borrowed.
Now a small story. One day, I drove a passenger to Manhattan. When the passenger got out of the car, she took her belongings from the trunk, but didn’t close the trunk completely. I had to go to close the trunk after she left. When I returned to my driver’s seat, I was shocked to see a ticket on my windshield.
The police officer who gave me the ticket was still standing next to my car, smiling at me. I took the ticket, and said to the policeman, politely, “Officer, I know I did something wrong, but can you please pardon me and give me a break?” The police officer said to me: “Most people would normally argue that they didn’t do anything wrong and want me to get rid of the ticket, some even get angry and curse at me. You are different. You admit that you were wrong and ask me to forgive you. I have never seen someone respond this way.”
He took my ticket and put it on top of his copy and touched the paper slightly, with his pen, then he returned the ticket to me while saying three times, “Read it!” I had no idea what he did, but my heart was filled with peace.
When I got home, I looked at the ticket again carefully and finally figured out what the officer did. He changed an “O” in my license plate to a “Q”. Later, I told the judge that the license plate number on the ticket was different from mine. After the court clerk confirmed it, and stamped my ticket, the judge declared “Case dismissed.”
I received a great spiritual lesson from this small experience: When the time comes for me to stand before the judgement of Christ, I don’t know how many “tickets” I shall present to Him, but I am 100% sure that every ticket will be stamped with “Sin Debt Paid in Full” by the Lord Jesus. Anyone, including you and me, who confesses his sin and confesses Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, will enjoy this ultimate blessing before the judgement of Christ: “Sin Debt Paid in Full”. “CASE DISMISSED!”
One more story: For over two decades, I worked as a limo driver. My wife and I would work really hard for 11 months so we could have the time and money to go on mission trips to China for one month each year. The places we went to were usually remote areas. In some places, roads were not available, sometimes we had to walk for one to two hours before reaching a village.
The local churches usually didn’t have anyone who had received formal theological training. But they were strong in prayer and diligent in reading and reciting the Bible. When I was there I taught them about church history and bible study methods.
One time, I was teaching the book of Ephesians in a town called Yongxiu. On the last day of class, a sister came to me, distressed, and said, “Brother Cheung, I followed your teaching from Ephesians 5:22, ‘Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.’ When my husband asked me for the bankbook, I gave it to him. It turned out that he spent almost all of the money in our bank account, and now we don’t even have enough money to pay the rent. What should I do?” I really didn’t know what to do with this situation, so I gathered several coworkers and we prayed together with the sister. Afterward, I left for another place.
Now, I also want to tell you that I had a total left knee replacement several years ago. So it is difficult for me to squat down low and use the old-fashioned toilet, these are still used in some parts of China today. A brother from church, who was a carpenter, made me a special chair with a hole in the seat. Whenever I went to China, there was always a brother who would carry that chair and travel with me from town to town.
Four years later, I went to Yongxiu again. The brother who usually traveled with me was preaching at another place, so I didn’t have my special chair with me. Then the coworkers at Yongxiu, arranged for me to stay at a church family’s apartment, because they had a modern sit-down toilet.
As soon as I stepped into the apartment, the couple greeted me warmly while saying, “Thank you, Brother Cheung!” I was quite confused, so I said, “I should be the one to say “Thank you” for opening your home to me.” Then they explained to me what had happened to them four years ago.
Long story short, the wife was the same woman who gave the bankbook to her husband. After she did that, she would kneel by her bed to pray every night. One night, while she was still praying, her husband said to her: “I feel a fire burning in my heart. What are you praying about?” The sister replied, “I am asking the Lord to save you,” and she invited him to pray with her. On that day, the husband confessed and repented of his sin and accepted Jesus as his savior. From that time on, the couple would pray together every night. The brother quit smoking and drinking, and found a good job so that they can afford to buy this modern apartment with a sit-down toilet. I just said to them, “You should thank the Lord Jesus, not me!”
Pastor John: 3. David, the reason I asked you to come up here on Easter Sunday is that while your life has been "full speed ahead in business and in ministry" for many years, I think you have a special message for our congregation because of what you've recently been through. Last January you were diagnosed with lung cancer and in July you had major surgery to remove the tumor and a big portion of your lung. Tell us something of what God has taught you through all this.
First of all, I was always so happy to see my name on the church’s prayer list. I rejoice that this is a praying church and I hope you will continue to be a praying church!
Pastor John, the lesson I am learning from cancer comes from the Bible in Romans 8:28. Cancer is one of the “all things”; I know it is for my “good.” I really believe this because God's word tells me so.
After my surgery, a tube was inserted to infuse anesthetic into the wound in my lung to relieve my pain. When the tube was removed, I began to take painkillers. However, a few days later, after I returned home, the painkiller was no longer effective. Instead of switching to a stronger pain medicine with side effects, I decided to endure the pain without any medication.
One late night, the pain had really intensified beyond what I could tolerate. “O Lord!” I could do nothing but cry out to the Lord. Just as I was calling on His Name, the mercy and power of the Lord came upon me, and transformed the “negative energy” from my agonizing pain into “positive energy”. The pain did not disappear, but the distress caused by the pain was turned into joy.
The Lord caused me to remember His cry on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He suffered the excruciating pain of the cross for me. He became my substitute, taking the punishment that should have been mine. If not for Christ, I would be forsaken by God eternally, a punishment far beyond a mere physical pain. Our Lord Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins by giving up His life, and then He was raised from the dead. Because of His wondrous love and mighty power, I am no longer condemned, but have become acceptable before God.
At that moment, springs of joy welled up in my heart. “O, Lord” I cried out, I am willing to let your wondrous love continue its work in me without any hindrance!
I figure that I am in the last 10 meters of my life's "hundred meter dash!" I am 80 years old, but I want to finish strong, when I reach the goal, I will get the prize. Whether that is sooner or later, after this life, I know I will have the prize from Him and eternity with Him! What a wonderful Savior with amazing love in Jesus we have! Paul told us (II Tim4:8) that this prize shall give not jus t unto him, but all them also that love Christ's appearing.
Dear brothers and sisters, let's just love Him with all our heart.