Students’ Testimonies – 2009

Someone once said, “Taking Bible Knowledge (BK) is an investment of time for eternity.”

Personally, the decision to take BK as a subject for SPM was an easy one for me. My sister took it a few years back and was excited and passionate about what she learned through learning BK. She along with both my parents strongly encouraged me to take it too. So, I went for it not knowing that those two years of learning BK would help me in more ways than one.

I had the privilege of learning BK from Ms. Yeo Kim Eng. She is an amazing teacher and taught me more than just a subject for SPM. God has used her to touch the lives of many, including me. Most people have a preconceived notion that BK is a boring subject, but I can tell you with full certainty that it isn’t. In fact, it is anything but boring.

In my particular experience, I believe that I have learnt more in BK than I have in any other subject. This is because BK wasn’t just a subject. It was studying the Word of God. And God, in His awesome power and majesty, found a way to speak to me through BK. It was through certain verses and passages in the Bible that comforted me and reminded me of His love and presence in dark times. Also, the examples and experiences that were faced in Peter and Paul’s lives give me strength and hope for tomorrow. Even now, I still remember with perfect clarity the lessons learnt in BK class as it has continuously been applied in my life.

Every now and then, I face a time in my life when I am in absolute turmoil. Be it stress over exams or the heartache of a broken relationship or many more. But one thing that has helped me through it all was the comfort and peace that God’s Word alone can give. The knowledge that I have gained from BK is in me and during these particular times, verses pop up in my head reminding me that God is with me now and forevermore.

BK is not just another SPM subject, it is not just another “tuition class”; it is studying God’s Word and that lasts for eternity. BK helps to build and

strengthen our foundation as Christians and continue to mould us to be the salt of the earth through the studying of God’s Word.

As Christians, we strive and yearn to know God better. To achieve this, we need to know His Word. BK has helped me understand and know more about God and how awesome He is. It has helped me in my walk with Him and brought me closer to Him. BK enriched my spiritual life and I’m sure it will bring you closer to God too!

Lastly, these two verses I leave with you. Matthew 24:35 tells us, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Also it states in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Therefore, be rest assured that no matter what happens in our life, God is always there for you and for me through His word.

God bless!

As a new convert, I was at a loss where to start reading the Bible and it was through SPM Bible Knowledge that I was provided a foundation at where to start.

I would always allocate and set aside a special time just to study this particular subject and now I know better about the Word of God. Learning this subject itself also has changed me to a better person because our Lord Jesus Christ and Saint Paul have been excellent role models for me to look up to.

I am also very sure that learning this subject has something to do with me obtaining the JPA scholarship and I am very grateful to the Lord for such a blessing.

All in all, I am very glad that I had actually taken this subject and God had blessed me with such a wonderful result and I would like to encourage all of you to take up this subject, ace it with flying colours and most importantly, LOVE IT with all your heart! All the best and may God bless. Praise the Lord!

First of all, I would like to thank God for what He has done. He has given me this wonderful opportunity to take Bible Knowledge as one of my SPM subject’s and He has greatly blessed me with an A.

I’m not a person who reads the bible and prays constantly every day. I only do it occasionally when I have the time to do so. The reason why I took BK was because my sister took it when she was form 5. Another reason is because my church has classes for those who want to take BK and so it was convenient for me.

When I was Form 4, I saw a registration list for those who want to sign up for BK classes. My friend asked me whether I was joining and I said yes! Immediately, I wrote down my name on the piece of paper. I never really thought of why I did that but I never regretted making that decision because it has truly benefited me in many different ways. I have learnt so much about God, how he performed miracles and how he was raised from the dead. It has taught me to be more patient like how God was patient with us although we rejected Him over and over again.

Besides thanking God for blessing me with an A for my BK, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Aunty Chwi Ling and Puan Carol for their dedication in teaching me BK. Without them, I would not have got the result that I have right now. I truly enjoyed their teachings, making every lesson enjoyable and fun. I also enjoyed the company of my BK classmates who constantly bring joy to the class every time. Studying the word of God together as a family truly is a wonderful and a beautiful thing.

In conclusion, I would like to encourage all Christian students to take up BK as one of their subjects for SPM. Although the government has now limited the number of subjects to ten plus two, I urge all of you to think twice in taking up another extra subject. It may not be BK but it is good to take it up as an extra subject. I can guarantee that it is not a waste of time. It’s an opportunity for us to draw closer to God and learn more about God. So do not hesitate in taking up Bible Knowledge as a subject. It will truly benefit you. God Bless!

BK is always something that puts a smile on my face when I journey down memory lane. My initial intention of taking up the subject was to follow in my sister’s footsteps. After attending classes for a while, BK became more than just a subject to me. It was a constant reminder to me on what I should do and what we are living for.

Every time I studied BK, it was like having my Quiet Time as well. In the last few months before I sat for my BK exam, I told myself that the reason I was taking the subject was to do well, thus bringing glory to God’s name. If I did not do well, people might question how serious I was when I chose to do the subject. Time and effort are required to master BK. There were times when I just felt like giving up when faced with difficult questions. Thanks to my BK teacher’s encouragement, I was able to pull through the rough times. God is always there. He is my Strength and Comforter. By His grace I was able to do well in BK.

I would like to encourage other Christian youths to take up the challenge of taking BK as an extra subject for SPM. It is worth the time and has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me. Most importantly never forget to depend on and draw strength from the Lord.

Studying the Bible seemed like an attractive option as opposed to taking up a subject I had never been exposed to before. After all, the Bible is something I read everyday, so taking it as an exam subject was only logical.

However, as I soon found out, just reading the Bible is quite different from actually studying it. Despite all the memory work that BK demanded, I can’t say that I have been anything other than thankfulness that I stuck with BK to the very end. It taught me to look at Luke and Acts in a completely different light, forcing me to pay attention to all the little details that I would never have noticed otherwise – but more than that, it built up my faith in God. Be it in the stilling of the storm, or the healing of the blind man – it reminds me time and again that God loves us, and whatever life may bring, we are in God’s hands.

Ever since being a Form One student, I’ve never imagined myself being able to hold any leadership position of any kind, nor have I been able to see myself as an excellent scorer in my studies. I only pictured myself as a typical reserved student with a rather low self confidence. Strangely, after Christ came into my life and after transferring my trust wholly to Him, He took hold of every single moment in my life, including times when I was in secondary school.

There is too much to testify about the great things God had done for me, but I’ll just share a little on how He helped me through the times when I was preparing for my SPM examination. I remember clearly how much responsibilities I had to take on as not only I was the vice president of CF, I participated in the F1 in schools competition, and weekends were always busy with church activities. Adding on to that, exams were coming, and I had no tuition classes at all.

No our team did not win, nor did I do very well in my exams. In fact, I got really disappointed and upset. But as time went by, I soon began to understand God’s promise, which says that all things work for God to those who love Him. Indeed, my human knowledge tells me this is not the way things should be, but when God slowly reveals His purposes to me, I can see that it is not my competition nor my results He is working in, rather, He was working in me, He was changing and moulding me into a better person. All He wanted me to do was to completely trust in Him in every circumstances, and to be thankful and know that He is in control no matter what happens.

From then on, my faith in God grew stronger and stronger. When I came to form 5, fear began developing again as it was a big year for me, and I knew I had to do well in order to earn a scholarship to further my studies. But as the worries started building up, I knew it was time to be still, and to surrender everything into God’s hands. I prayed and decided to take up two extra subjects for SPM, which are Principles of Accounts and Bible Knowledge. There was a lot of peer pressure in attending tuition classes after school, but I told God I didn’t want to waste money and tire myself so much, so I asked Him to be my source of wisdom and strength. I only wanted to depend solely on him and to give my very best in my studies. At the same time, I was holding the presidency post of CF plus everyone was so busy preparing for the coming drama competition.

There were definitely times when I was just so tempted to give up, rant, complain, throw a tantrum, or just fill myself with stress and anxiety, but, God really gave me the peace I needed, just like what Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Truly, God really gave me this peace which I’ve never experienced before. Even as SPM was drawing closer and it seemed like the end of the world to some of us who were form five students, I was able to enjoy every moment of my examination, strangely, but with the help of God.

By the grace of God, He granted me 11As, which I would need for my scholarship applications. Dear friends who are reading my story now, especially to those who will be sitting for this year’s SPM examinations, I hope that you’ll listen to what I have to say.

Really, do not be worry AT ALL, God is your heavenly father, and He knows your needs and He is there to provide for you. All He wants you to do is to trust in Him and lean not on your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will indeed make your paths straight. Of course, what God means by this is not just staring at the sky all day long and pray to God for straight A’s. But know that acknowledging Him simply means carrying out your responsibility well as a student, and playing your part as how God wants you to, and of course, don’t ever steal God’s time using exams as an excuse. Of course, there will be times when you’ll be tempted to, just like how I did, which was very wrong, for I learned that stealing God’s time is just telling God that, “ Hey, my studies are more important than you are.” So I strongly encourage you to also spend time doing your devotions with God everyday. God will definitely bless you through His word, and this is more precious than anything else you can ever have.

Also, I want to encourage all form 4 students who are Christians, take up the challenge and take up Bible Knowledge as your extra SPM subject. Be proud, for you will be studying God’s word, and you’ll be testifying to others that you truly love God. Do it not for the extra A, but rather, to glorify God’s name. Remember, seek first the kingdom of God, and all the things you need will be added unto you. And, in everything you do, do it for the glory of our heavenly Father, and surely He will bless you in many ways.