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Testimonies

It Is Good to Be Afflicted

Petaling Jaya Church | Elder Andrew Tee

In the name of the Lord Jesus, I testify.

Diagnosed with Lymphoma

After the Sabbath service in early November 1997, while chatting with two brethren about cancer patients, I unwittingly discovered a swelling above my collarbone.

Thank God. Though I was a man with a “take-it-easy” attitude, I considered this a serious matter and had a biopsy conducted shortly thereafter. The test result concluded that I had the dreaded disease—cancer (lymphoma).

My family and I had a great shock when we received the test result from the doctor. It felt like a death sentence to me because I knew a westerner, who on leaving the hospital after receiving the test result and was diagnosed with skin cancer, almost collapsed due to fear and helplessness.

I thank God for His abidance and comfort. Although I was sorrowful, I did not collapse. I believed God had given faith and strength to my family and me. At that moment, it came to my mind that I would soon depart from this world and my family. Only then I started to realize and understand the words of God:

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mt 16:26a)

If a man suffers from a terminal illness, what does it benefit even if he has the whole world? (Lk 12:16–20)In fact, people of the world are suffering from an incurable disease—sin. As the Scriptures say, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23a) It also tells us that “…it is appointed for men to die once…” (Heb 9:27a) We should ponder over the meaning of life.

Elder Andrew Tee and wife
Elder Andrew Tee and wife

Before starting the cancer treatment, the focal point of the cancerous cells had to be identified and how far it had spread. My attending doctor from the University Malaya Medical Centre did a very detailed examination which included a bone marrow test, an esophageal-gastroduodenal endoscopy and a CT scan. Thank God, everything went smoothly and I did not suffer much pain. (I had heard of a woman who screamed loudly when undergoing the bone marrow test.) The test results showed there was a 4 cm tumor in my chest and a lump on the side of my collarbone. Finally, I was diagnosed with Stage II blood cancer-lymphoma, that requires six months of chemotherapy.

The chemotherapy began on December 26, 1997, and ended in late June 1998. During this period, I experienced many side effects including hair loss, appetite loss, nausea, arm pain, insomnia, abdominal pain, chills, headache, and physical frailty. However, with the great love and power of the Lord Jesus, He had relieved and bore all my burdens. After losing about two-thirds of my hair, my hair stopped shedding. Amazingly when the hair loss reoccurred, only the gray hair fell off. At my weakest and most painful moments, I would always sing hymn 30 (In Tenderness He Sought Me) in my mind. The hymn moved me to a flood of tears and It brought great comfort to me. I was instantly relieved of all my sufferings and pains. Later, I regained my appetite; eating five to six meals a day. I truly praised God after I recalled these incidences.

During every prayer, I felt warm as if I was wrapped in hot cotton. That kind of feeling was truly comfortable, heartwarming and touching. At the same time, I sang spiritual songs in every prayer.

There was one time when I could not sleep well for many days. I became extremely anxious and I was in pain. I got up at midnight with great frustration and while preparing to go to a 24-hour clinic to get some sleeping pills from the doctor. However, as my wife was awoken by the noise, she encouraged me to pray together to ask for the Lord’s mercy. We then prayed in one accord and I was able to sleep shortly thereafter. Thank God, I had no more insomnia after this incident.

Prior to chemotherapy, I suffered from hemorrhoids. During the course of treatment, possibly due to the side effects of the medication, the hemorrhoids were inflamed and it was very painful. The pain was excruciating whenever I went to the toilet. This resulted in constipation and I had hard stools for several days. It was an affliction of suffering upon suffering. However, the Lord Jesus is always my Savior and Helper. As the Bible says, He will help us with a smiling face. At that time, I prayed for the mercy of God when I was in the toilet. Having uttered “Hallelujah” once, I was able to clear my bowels. Thank God, I was greatly relieved with tears of joy.

During the second cycle of the third course of treatment, anti-cancer medications were given through an intravenous drip in my arm; it was very painful. Nothing could relieve the pain. I could not sleep and felt uncomfortable no matter how I positioned my arm.

The pain went on until 4 am. As such, I woke up and prayed for the mercy of God again. At that time, I was greatly filled with the Holy Spirit, and my arms vibrated rapidly. Amazingly, the vibrations of the praying hands became the best remedy to eliminate the pain. The pain gradually reduced with every vibration of the arm. As soon as I ended the prayer, the pain had reduced 60 to 70 percent. Afterward, I was able to sleep soundly.

The next day, the pain was totally gone and it never aches again. O Lord, how wonderful is Your love, power, and work!

During the 185 days of treatment, I deeply experienced the abidance of God as He was always by my side. He comforted, supported, motivated and encouraged me. During every prayer, I felt warm as if I was wrapped in hot cotton. That kind of feeling was truly comfortable, heartwarming and touching. At the same time, I sang spiritual songs in every prayer. I could even clearly remember two of these songs, which were later composed into short hymns and sung by the choir during an evangelical hymnal service to testify and glorify the Lord’s name.

This is to let you realize that if you cannot be saved, the penalty in hell will be 10 million times more painful than your current sufferings.

In every prayer, the Lord Jesus seemed to tell me, “The sickness is not unto death.” During the six months of treatment, the second course was the most painful. I was helpless and asked God why His servant had to be tormented by this affliction. The Lord’s answer was, “The bitterness of your sufferings is much lighter than what I had suffered on the cross. This is to let you realize that if you cannot be saved, the penalty in hell will be 10 million times more painful than your current sufferings. This serves as a warning to you; lest your heart is hardened, you deviate from the truth and you do not listen to advice.”

Although I am a church minister, the fact remains that as long as we are living in this world, we are under the shadow of sickness and death. Without the help of the Lord Jesus, it is very difficult for us to jump out of this cycle. For a cancer patient, living in fear and sorrow will have a negative impact on our health and sometimes worsen our condition.

Thank God, during a prayer session, ministers laid hands on me; and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon me and comforted me. Amazingly, from then on, my heart was no longer troubled by my sickness. God’s comfort and strength took away all my worries; I was able to face the situation with a calm heart.

The Benefits of Trials

During the six months of chemotherapy, I experienced the words of the Bible, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” (Phil 4:14; Ps 119:71) These are some of the benefits I experienced:

  1. To have a profound experience of our Saviour Jesus Christ (Isa 53:4–5).
  2. To experience more wonderful works of the Holy Spirit: comfort and spiritual communion (Jn 14:18; Isa 46:3–4; Jn 14:16–17).
  3. To comfort others with the comfort of God that I had personally experienced (2 Cor 1:3–4).
  4. To have a strong sensitivity to sin (1 Pet 4:1).
  5. To realize that I had to please God in everything I do (1 Pet 4:2, 5, 17–18).
  6. To refine our faith into pure gold (1 Pet 1:6–7).
  7. To establish a closer relationship with my family, and enjoy the bond and love we have with one another.
  8. To enjoy the love and concern of our brethren.
  9. To allow the brethren to receive the promised blessings of “giving.” (Acts 20:25; Mt 10:42)
  10. To become indifferent to worldly pursuits, but understand the values and outlook on life with a mature mind as the citizen of God’s kingdom. (Col 3:1–4)

Sunshine after the Storm

The difficult yet spiritually edifying 185 days of treatment eventually came to an end. The doctor told me to go for another CT scan. If cancerous cells were still found, radiotherapy must be used.

This was another worrying and frightening moment for me and my family; we were troubled again. As such, we prayed for God’s mercy and compassion. The Lord comforted me and I hummed and recited the lyrics of hymn 156 in my prayers. Thank God, my family and I were overjoyed because the result indicated that the cancerous cells and tumor had disappeared.

Now, 12 years (at the time of this testimony) have passed and everything has been going smoothly. What I would like to mention again is that although I felt nauseous during the chemo-therapy, I never vomited. The Lord Jesus is truly our Savior. Only He is able to carry our pains and bear our sorrows in times of tribulations. Although our beloved family members can support and comfort us, and help us in our physical needs, they cannot relieve or bear our sufferings.

Finally, I give all thanks, praise, and glory unto the holy name of the Lord Jesus forever. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the ministers, preachers, brothers and sisters, both local and abroad, for their prayers, love, concern, comfort, and encouragement during my difficult times. May the Lord remember all of you. Amen.

Testimony 002 – Elder Andrew Tee – It Is Good to Be Afflicted

In the name of the Lord Jesus, I testify.

 

Diagnosed with Lymphoma

After the Sabbath service in early November 1997, while chatting with two brethren about cancer patients, I unwittingly discovered a swelling above my collarbone.

Thank God. Though I was a man with a “take-it-easy” attitude, I considered this a serious matter and had a biopsy conducted shortly thereafter. The test result concluded that I had the dreaded disease—cancer (lymphoma).

My family and I had a great shock when we received the test result from the doctor. It felt like a death sentence to me because I knew a westerner, who on leaving the hospital after receiving the test result and was diagnosed with skin cancer, almost collapsed due to fear and helplessness.

I thank God for His abidance and comfort. Although I was sorrowful, I did not collapse. I believed God had given faith and strength to my family and me. At that moment, it came to my mind that I would soon depart from this world and my family. Only then I started to realize and understand the words of God:

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mt 16:26a)

If a man suffers from a terminal illness, what does it benefit even if he has the whole world? (Lk 12:16–20)In fact, people of the world are suffering from an incurable disease—sin. As the Scriptures say, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23a) It also tells us that “…it is appointed for men to die once…” (Heb 9:27a) We should ponder over the meaning of life.

Before starting the cancer treatment, the focal point of the cancerous cells had to be identified and how far it had spread. My attending doctor from the University Malaya Medical Centre did a very detailed examination which included a bone marrow test, an esophageal-gastroduodenal endoscopy and a CT scan. Thank God, everything went smoothly and I did not suffer much pain. (I had heard of a woman who screamed loudly when undergoing the bone marrow test.) The test results showed there was a 4 cm tumor in my chest and a lump on the side of my collarbone. Finally, I was diagnosed with Stage II blood cancer-lymphoma, that requires six months of chemotherapy.

The chemotherapy began on December 26, 1997, and ended in late June 1998. During this period, I experienced many side effects including hair loss, appetite loss, nausea, arm pain, insomnia, abdominal pain, chills, headache, and physical frailty. However, with the great love and power of the Lord Jesus, He had relieved and bore all my burdens. After losing about two-thirds of my hair, my hair stopped shedding. Amazingly when the hair loss reoccurred, only the gray hair fell off. At my weakest and most painful moments, I would always sing hymn 30 (In Tenderness He Sought Me) in my mind. The hymn moved me to a flood of tears and It brought great comfort to me. I was instantly relieved of all my sufferings and pains. Later, I regained my appetite; eating five to six meals a day. I truly praised God after I recalled these incidences.

During every prayer, I felt warm as if I was wrapped in hot cotton. That kind of feeling was truly comfortable, heartwarming and touching. At the same time, I sang spiritual songs in every prayer.

There was one time when I could not sleep well for many days. I became extremely anxious and I was in pain. I got up at midnight with great frustration and while preparing to go to a 24-hour clinic to get some sleeping pills from the doctor. However, as my wife was awoken by the noise, she encouraged me to pray together to ask for the Lord’s mercy. We then prayed in one accord and I was able to sleep shortly thereafter. Thank God, I had no more insomnia after this incident.

Prior to chemotherapy, I suffered from hemorrhoids. During the course of treatment, possibly due to the side effects of the medication, the hemorrhoids were inflamed and it was very painful. The pain was excruciating whenever I went to the toilet. This resulted in constipation and I had hard stools for several days. It was an affliction of suffering upon suffering. However, the Lord Jesus is always my Savior and Helper. As the Bible says, He will help us with a smiling face. At that time, I prayed for the mercy of God when I was in the toilet. Having uttered “Hallelujah” once, I was able to clear my bowels. Thank God, I was greatly relieved with tears of joy.

During the second cycle of the third course of treatment, anti-cancer medications were given through an intravenous drip in my arm; it was very painful. Nothing could relieve the pain. I could not sleep and felt uncomfortable no matter how I positioned my arm.

The pain went on until 4 am. As such, I woke up and prayed for the mercy of God again. At that time, I was greatly filled with the Holy Spirit, and my arms vibrated rapidly. Amazingly, the vibrations of the praying hands became the best remedy to eliminate the pain. The pain gradually reduced with every vibration of the arm. As soon as I ended the prayer, the pain had reduced 60 to 70 percent. Afterward, I was able to sleep soundly.

The next day, the pain was totally gone and it never aches again. O Lord, how wonderful is Your love, power, and work!

During the 185 days of treatment, I deeply experienced the abidance of God as He was always by my side. He comforted, supported, motivated and encouraged me. During every prayer, I felt warm as if I was wrapped in hot cotton. That kind of feeling was truly comfortable, heartwarming and touching. At the same time, I sang spiritual songs in every prayer. I could even clearly remember two of these songs, which were later composed into short hymns and sung by the choir during an evangelical hymnal service to testify and glorify the Lord’s name.

This is to let you realize that if you cannot be saved, the penalty in hell will be 10 million times more painful than your current sufferings.

In every prayer, the Lord Jesus seemed to tell me, “The sickness is not unto death.” During the six months of treatment, the second course was the most painful. I was helpless and asked God why His servant had to be tormented by this affliction. The Lord’s answer was, “The bitterness of your sufferings is much lighter than what I had suffered on the cross. This is to let you realize that if you cannot be saved, the penalty in hell will be 10 million times more painful than your current sufferings. This serves as a warning to you; lest your heart is hardened, you deviate from the truth and you do not listen to advice.”

Although I am a church minister, the fact remains that as long as we are living in this world, we are under the shadow of sickness and death. Without the help of the Lord Jesus, it is very difficult for us to jump out of this cycle. For a cancer patient, living in fear and sorrow will have a negative impact on our health and sometimes worsen our condition.

Thank God, during a prayer session, ministers laid hands on me; and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon me and comforted me. Amazingly, from then on, my heart was no longer troubled by my sickness. God’s comfort and strength took away all my worries; I was able to face the situation with a calm heart.

 

The Benefits of Trials

During the six months of chemotherapy, I experienced the words of the Bible, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” (Phil 4:14; Ps 119:71) These are some of the benefits I experienced:

  1. To have a profound experience of our Saviour Jesus Christ (Isa 53:4–5).
  2. To experience more wonderful works of the Holy Spirit: comfort and spiritual communion (Jn 14:18; Isa 46:3–4; Jn 14:16–17).
  3. To comfort others with the comfort of God that I had personally experienced (2 Cor 1:3–4).
  4. To have a strong sensitivity to sin (1 Pet 4:1).
  5. To realize that I had to please God in everything I do (1 Pet 4:2, 5, 17–18).
  6. To refine our faith into pure gold (1 Pet 1:6–7).
  7. To establish a closer relationship with my family, and enjoy the bond and love we have with one another.
  8. To enjoy the love and concern of our brethren.
  9. To allow the brethren to receive the promised blessings of “giving.” (Acts 20:25; Mt 10:42)
  10. To become indifferent to worldly pursuits, but understand the values and outlook on life with a mature mind as the citizen of God’s kingdom. (Col 3:1–4)

 

Sunshine after the Storm

The difficult yet spiritually edifying 185 days of treatment eventually came to an end. The doctor told me to go for another CT scan. If cancerous cells were still found, radiotherapy must be used.

This was another worrying and frightening moment for me and my family; we were troubled again. As such, we prayed for God’s mercy and compassion. The Lord comforted me and I hummed and recited the lyrics of hymn 156 in my prayers. Thank God, my family and I were overjoyed because the result indicated that the cancerous cells and tumor had disappeared.

Now, 12 years (at the time of this testimony) have passed and everything has been going smoothly. What I would like to mention again is that although I felt nauseous during the chemo­therapy, I never vomited. The Lord Jesus is truly our Savior. Only He is able to carry our pains and bear our sorrows in times of tribulations. Although our beloved family members can support and comfort us, and help us in our physical needs, they cannot relieve or bear our sufferings.

Finally, I give all thanks, praise, and glory unto the holy name of the Lord Jesus forever. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the ministers, preachers, brothers and sisters, both local and abroad, for their prayers, love, concern, comfort, and encouragement during my difficult times. May the Lord remember all of you. Amen.

 

Testimony 002 – Elder Andrew Tee – It Is Good to Be Afflicted