The Call to Abandon My Nets

God’s calling came when I was 20 years old and still studying in Polytechnic.
After winning the top prize in an international competition, I was offered promising career opportunities that could offer a significant career edge – the temptation was real!
Yet through Scripture and worship songs, God kept drawing my heart back to His call upon my life.

Like the disciples leaving their nets to follow Jesus, I learned that obedience sometimes involves sacrifice.

With no ministry blueprint, I declined all the opportunities. I wanted to obey God.

Front-row Seat to the Supernatural

Long before my ministry calling, I had front-row seats to the supernatural.

Growing up, my dad regularly opened our home to church members seeking prayer for healing and deliverance. Some would begin manifesting the moment they saw him and had to be carried into our house. They would take them into a room for prayer and deliverance.

Meanwhile, I would be in the next room trying to do my homework. All efforts to soundproof my room failed – I could hear everything.

Whenever my dad returned from his overseas crusade ministry trips, he would constantly show me videos and testimonies of healing.

Looking back, I realise those were formative years when God was exposing me to a world of ministry that would become a significant part of my calling.

In time, I, too, began witnessing healings for the people I had prayed for!

The Lonely Road of Obedience

Calling can be exciting. Obedience can be lonely.

In my 20s, while many conversations with friends revolved around careers, relationships, and starting families, I found myself returning from missions trips talking about healings, bombings, and moments of God’s protection from danger. I often felt like the oddball, unable to fit in and relate well with my peers.

Ps Matthew travelling out for missions in his 20s

After graduating from Bible school, I joined a church as a full-time staff and thought, “Finally! I’m stepping into everything that God has been calling me to!”

Instead, the first four years became my most difficult years in ministry.

I was moved from one department to another, struggling to find my main area of ministry. I felt unwanted and wondered whether there was really a place for me.

The future was a blur. The wait felt like forever.

But one thing remained clear: God had called me.

So I stayed. I served. And I kept obedient.

Into Deeper Waters

A significant turning point came when some church members and I accompanied my dad on his overseas healing ministry trips.

What we witnessed changed us.

Packed healing meetings at Ps Matthew’s father’s overseas ministry. Thousands were healed and gave their lives to Christ

We saw many people encountering God through healing and giving their lives to Jesus! We were so inspired that we wanted to begin a similar ministry in Singapore. That was the birth of Healing Room!

Initially based in my previous church, the ministry grew steadily and expanded to two locations!

Then, another unexpected call of obedience came.

I sensed God leading me out of the security of full-time church employment to serve the wider Body of Christ.

It was frightening.

Leaving church employment meant giving up my stable salary and stepping into a ministry that would need to raise its financial support.

Still, I trusted God. I resigned. And Jesus Heal Me was formed.

Stepping Out in Faith

Jesus Heal Me in the early days

In the early days of the ministry, I began writing to churches and organisations, sharing the vision and inviting people to partner with us.

God surprised me! Within the first month, enough funds came in to cover an entire year’s salary, including surplus!

God is faithful to provide where He leads.

What began as a mustard seed faith has grown beyond what I could have envisioned. Today, Jesus Heal Me serves churches across denominations and nations through healing services, gospel crusades, ministry training, and equipping believers to pray for the sick. All glory to God!

Multiplication

Yet, what gives me the greatest joy is not ministry growth but the multiplication of impact.

My heart leaps whenever those whom I have coached begin praying for the sick themselves and return with testimonies of healing. Some have gone on to equip their own church members and mission teams.

Equipped Jesus Heal Me team members praying and ministering to others

Ministry is no longer one person’s impact but multiplied through equipping. It is my greatest privilege to play a part in multiplying Kingdom impact!

When Healing Doesn’t Happen

Healing ministry also means learning to live with unanswered questions.

While we celebrate every testimony, there are also those who experience the pain of unanswered healing.

One lady on our team was known for praying for cancer patients—even while battling cancer herself. People she prayed for subsequently reported improvements in their cancer markers, and some reported that their tumours had disappeared.

Yet her own healing did not come. After three years of battling cancer, she went home to be with the Lord.

Before she passed away, I asked her if she was ever angry with God. Her answer stayed with me:

“When they are happy, I am happy.”

Those words taught me something profound about ministry.

We do not serve God to earn “healing merits” or be guaranteed a problem-free life.

We serve Him simply because we love Him, and it is our privilege to participate in His work.

I still struggle with unanswered questions, but they do not dismiss the testimonies of God’s power. I will continue walking with people through the miracles and the mysteries.

Finding Our Spiritual Family

As the ministry grew, my wife, Serene, and I discovered that God was restoring our need for belonging.

My frequent travels made it difficult for me to remain rooted in a small group, while Serene yearned for a community where she could simply be herself. That often came with the unspoken expectations of being “the pastor’s wife.”

Things worsened when the pandemic hit. We both longed for a church where we could serve, worship, build friendships, and simply belong.

After leaving my previous church, we found our spiritual home at Eternal Life Assembly.

There, Serene and I found genuine friendships. Serene also serves joyfully on the Missions Committee.

Ps Matthew and his wife, Serene, with friends made in Eternal Life Assembly

Knowing that Serene is loved, supported, and thriving brings me tremendous peace, especially as ministry continues to take me to different churches and nations.

God has faithfully met our needs as we remained obedient to Him.

One ‘Yes’ At a Time

Looking back, I realise that God’s calling was never about chasing extraordinary moments, but about consistently saying “yes” to Him, one step of obedience at a time.

I used to think calling was primarily about discovering what God wanted me to do. Over the years, I have learnt that

calling is just as much about who God is shaping us to be as it is about obeying Him.

Perhaps, the greatest lesson this journey has taught me is this: we rarely receive the whole roadmap when God calls. Usually, His call is an invitation to respond in trust and obedience — an ongoing relationship!

I have never regretted saying “yes” to God. Two decades since the Lord called me, I am still learning to respond the same way.

One “yes” at a time.

Ps Matthew and Serene with the people in a leprosy colony in Tribal India. Some lost their fingers, toes and eyesight to the illness

October is pastors’ appreciation month! As we honour our pastors, remember that behind every sermon preached, every prayer offered, and every life impacted are many unseen moments of obedience.

  1. Let’s take a moment to thank our pastors for their dedication and faithful service to God and to us. What are some ways you can express your appreciation to them?
  2. Is God calling you into an area of work or ministry? Who is He shaping you to be? Pray and speak to trusted believers or church leaders for guidance and accountability.