On 30 April 2017, a group of 12 Curtin students took up the Red Discipleship Course at Senadin Methodist Preaching Centre. The 12 students came from various backgrounds ranging from new believers to mature Christians, Methodist to Roman Catholic, and foundation to post-graduate students. Compared to previous classes, I found this group of students more challenging to facilitate, as their level of biblical knowledge and understanding varied widely. Moreover, they tended to be generally quiet in class but more responsive on social media.

Two-thirds into the course, only eight students remained. Through an unforgettable experience of a three-day-two-night mission trip to Ulu-Belaga, these eight widened their horizons and cemented their friendships. Thank God for their perseverance, these eight students graduated on 10 June 2018. Let’s read their individual testimonies.

Esther Wong:
like taking an art stream subject

At first, I signed up for the Discipleship Course to fill up my spare time. I wanted to do something rather than stay in my room and watch dramas all the time. However, during the orientation class, I was discouraged by the commitment that I had to make. I had to sacrifice my Sunday during my free week by staying for class instead of going back to my hometown. I wanted to give up the course but after consulting with my facilitator, I decided to stay on the course.

At the beginning, I was uneasy and there were times that I regretted taking up the course. After one semester, I finally came for class willingly. It had become a routine. But my relationship with my classmates was not deepened, until after our mission trip to Belaga. That was the turning point of my feelings towards this course.

In the past, I was afraid to let people get close to me. After the mission trip, I was able to blend in and feel comfortable in the group without disclosing my past. The bonding and relationship that we have developed is the treasure of this Discipleship Course. It had become the recess time that I most looked forward to in a busy week. I was hoping that the class would never end and we could still meet every Sunday afternoon.

As a science stream student, Discipleship Course was like taking an art stream subject for me. It had no pictures or formulas. It required you to dig deep into your life and answer some questions that you would never have thought of before. Going through chapter by chapter, I began to enjoy and anticipate the questions that were going to be asked in each class. By the help of those questions, I reflected on my life and made some decisions about my future.

Eugene Tang:
a relationship

Discipleship to me is really just a relationship, a relationship with God and with people who share similar philosophies. Omitting all formality, isn’t the Bible a written account of how people valued these relationships; some chose to better these relationships, some chose not to. But at the end of the day, through their journeys in life, the trials and hardship brought them to a better understanding and appreciation of these relationships.

As for me, through this discipleship journey, I can’t be certain that I have changed much, but I definitely have a better relationship with fellow Christians. I’ve also learnt a little more of the Bible, and the mission trip was interesting. What now? The new journey begins, I guess.

Wong Sie Wei:
spiritual partners

Joining the Discipleship Course was on my bucket-list ever since I heard of some testimonials in my hometown church. Coming to study at Curtin and having joined SMPC in 2017, I heard that there would be a Discipleship Course coming up. I also heard that this course was only for degree students. But that didn’t stop me from trying to become one of the disciple class students. I went on to register myself and thank God I successfully became one of the students.

On this 34-week journey, I learnt a lot of new things from the Bible, but what I found most important was having spiritual partners. We shared our experiences, our thoughts together and that was new and challenging to me because I’m more of an introvert. Fortunately, there were classmates who were willing to share their thoughts and ask questions. This slowly made me feel comfortable and I gradually opened up to share my thoughts.

Most importantly, having a group of spiritual partners helped me to learn and understand the Bible more easily. Also, learning together was more interesting than learning by myself. I got to discuss topics and hear views from different perspectives.

Darren Chang:
not just a religion

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a Buddhist. I never pictured myself attending a Church, let alone calling myself a Christian. Initially, I wasn’t very keen on attending the Discipleship Course, but I have always been curious to find out more about Christianity. Coming from a Buddhist background, I constantly wondered about the teachings in the Church and who ‘Jesus’ was.

After attending the course, I have answers. I learnt that Christianity is not just a religion but a relationship with God. I also have great friendships with my fellow Christian students in the class. Without these guys, the entire journey wouldn’t be the same. The laughs, the deep personal conversations, the whole process of getting to know and understand the Word of God, step by step along with their support and companionship, made the entire journey much more enjoyable. This is a part of my life that I will never forget.

I cannot say that through this Discipleship Course, I am a better believer, or that I know more than anyone else. I am still a sinner, and I am no better than any believer or non-believer, but I have learnt to have faith. I will still fall, and I still have doubts, and there will be questions in the future that are going to baffle my mind, but I believe, and that’s what makes me different from the guy I was 34 weeks ago.

Tony Wong:
my personal devotion changed

Ever since I became a Christian, I have wanted to do two courses. First, join a Life Game (which I did in 2016); second, take up Discipleship Course.

At first I hesitated because this course was in English but I wanted to do it in Mandarin as I wasn’t comfortable in English. Anyway I decided to give it a try. I found out this wasn’t a conventional class where the teacher taught and the student listened. There was lots of sharing and discussion.

The course has changed the way I did my personal devotion. In my personal studies, I had to ask myself what this scripture was trying to tell me and what it had to do with my life. This made bible studies much more interesting.

I have made some interesting humorous friends and we shared God’s wonderful grace in our lives. We grew even closer during the Belaga mission trip. I have no regret in taking up this course.

Benjamin Hor:
prioritise what’s important

Looking back on this past 1 ½ years, I wish I could say I have grown much more in faith, but to say that would be an overstatement. However, I do know for a fact that my knowledge of the Bible has improved.

I had never read a large portion of the Scripture until I joined this Discipleship Course. Through the group discussions I realised just how similar the “situation” back then was to current world’s events, and how we need to depend on God at times like these.

One thing for sure is that I’m truly grateful to Ms Fidella for inviting me to join this course, as it helped me to be more aware of what is important in life, especially during one time last year when I told her I had to skip church and class for a group meeting, and she bluntly told me to prioritise what’s important in my life, and that was really a wake-up call of sorts. Even though there were still times when the temptation slipped in and I’d be tempted to just give in, remembering what she said definitely gave me a knock, and I just had to turn up.

I’m also grateful because through this discipleship course, I’ve made friends that I now treasure, when I thought I’d never be able to make any in this church. Though I may still not be close to some, and honestly most of us only became closer because of the mission trip, I know I can call all of them my good friends. I definitely hope that we will continue to grow in the Lord, even if it’s slowly for me, but we all need to start somewhere.

Finally, I hope I will continue to be disciplined in doing my devotion, and to do it out of love for God instead of for the sake of finishing my “homework”.

Michelle Tiong:
self-reflection

Deciding to join English Discipleship Course was easy but it was hard to persevere to the end. Thank God for His wonderful grace, I made it. Nothing is impossible with God. Throughout this course, I’ve learned self-reflection: To be saved is a precious free gift from God, to be a Christian is a blessing from having faith in Jesus Christ, but to be a disciple, it takes not only faith, hope, love, but also commitment, perseverance and willingness.

I’ve learned also from prominent biblical characters such as Abraham, Moses, King David, Apostle Peter and others. These biblical people all had their own weaknesses and committed sins, just like us. But they repented and they were willing to step out their comfort zone to do God’s work and to be greatly used by God.

Knowing this somehow reassured me to have faith and press on, “press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)”. Press on to study God’s word and live out the Word. Press on to have faith in Jesus until we meet three in one God face to face. Press on to pray, either for ourselves or others and wait for God patiently. I learn to press on despite everything. And now, I’ve graduated, together with brothers and sisters who press on to the end too. Glory be to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Nicholas Thien:
daunting Belaga mission trip

It took me a while to get warmed up in my Discipleship Course. I came from a Roman Catholic background, so I was a bit shy to be the odd one in the group. Even so, my fellow classmates showed me nothing but kindness and acceptance and I had never felt fellowship like that before in my life. Although we saw each other only once every week, it felt as though I had known these guys for a long time, like a family of some sorts and I could count on them for anything. It was truly a great joy to experience the Word of God together with people who were also interested in getting closer to God, it made the Scripture learning so much more fun and interesting.

I especially remember the daunting Belaga mission trip. We all had to work together to make the trip a success and although we went through many ups and downs during the process, we still came out on top in the end with bursting laughter and wonderful memories.

This disciple class has truly opened my eyes that we as Christians should be more aware of what the Bible teaches. I am now more knowledgeable about my faith and am proud of whom I have become. Finally, although we are from different Christian backgrounds, we are one in Christ. For as long as our hearts remain faithful to the One God in heaven, we belong to Him as a family.