ENLARGE — Nicholas Cheng Testimony
Nicholas Cheng (NUS labourer)
Nicholas is currently working as a Research Fellow at NUS and labouring among the students in the NUS Ministry.
What does “Enlarge the place of your tent” (Isaiah 54:2-3) mean to you?
I joined the NUS ministry when I was a freshman. Doing a PhD is like having a full-time job, wherein on a day-to-day basis, I carry out research tasks and present my research at conferences.
Reaching and Discipling Students
Apart from my research work, the Lord has also granted me the privilege of being able to invest in the lives of different individuals.
Benjamin is one of the men that Nicholas disciples.
I met Benjamin when he was a freshman in NUS. I taught him how to follow Jesus by spending time in the Word of God and prayer. Over time, I taught him how to invest his life in discipling others.
During the COVID-19 social distancing period when in-person meetups were restricted, Benjamin met up with several others over Zoom.
Meeting via Zoom during the COVID-19 Social Distancing period
The Lord has used each one of them to help me enlarge my faith as I pray for each of them to live lives that bring glory to Jesus. I learned that God uses people to help me enlarge my faith, love and devotion to the Lord.
Benjamin with one of his disciples, Addi (far right) having lunch with a pre-believing friend (far left).
They also read the Bible together, so that Addi can learn how to disciple others.
Love and Servanthood in Life Training
I have been leading the NUS life training apartment for the past two years where we learn to grow in servanthood through daily serving and chores. I invited Benjamin and his disciples to stay together in our life-training apartment. We also invite people we are ministering to for dinner. Through the time of interactions and sharing life together, Benjamin also learned how to pass on his life to someone else.
God used the apartment training to enlarge my emotional capacity. The Lord used it to build me to become more like Jesus through learning to serve in love.
What keeps you going?
I was ministered by this verse from my Quiet Time recently:
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordon?” — Jeremiah 12:5
I thank God for the past few years of learning how to race with men on foot so that I may compete with horses for a lifetime.