On Solid Rock I Stand

Seeing the Dragon in Context

2012-01-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am a dragon. This is the Chinese animal sign applied to everyone born in the season when I first drew breath and those born every cycle of twelve years before and after me. According to Chinese culture, I was born under the zodiac sign of the most magnificent of Chinese animals.

Yet when I was a young Christian, the display of Chinese dragon signs and symbols was disapproved of. They were understood as a symbol of Satan in the Bible – “the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Rev 12:9). As a result, having Chinese dragon symbols on your clothes for Chinese New Year and sending greeting and invitation cards with such symbols were frowned on. Is such an application being true to God’s Word? I doubt so. We need to understand context and cultural setting when we apply the Bible.

Chinese dragons are seen as auspicious symbols of power and fortune. In the Chinese language, esteemed people are compared favourably with a dragon. It is always seen as good and full of promise and energy. More importantly, it is portrayed as a benevolent creature, never as an enemy of mankind. In contrast, European culture typically depicts the dragon as evil and sinister. It is seen as a destroyer spouting poison or fire and an enemy of man. This European dragon is the creature mentioned in Revelation by John. His symbolism of an animal, known for its malevolent nature to describe Satan, the father of evil, would have left his Greek and Roman readers with no doubt of what he meant.

Thus, we need to be careful in applying the dragon symbol linguistically and across the board in all circumstances. To do so indiscriminately would reduce the Christian faith to mere ritual and superstition. Instead, I believe on the occasions where Chinese culture comes to the fore as in weddings, festivals, auspicious occasions, not only is it not wrong for the dragon symbol to be displayed; it is also good to do so.

It is important to read the Bible with understanding of its context and setting. The Bible can be, has been and will continue to be read to oppress and hurt others, with terrible consequences. The preacher can sometimes preach his own prejudices as if they were the Word of God. One example from history is the white South African Christians who preached apartheid from certain Biblical stories. They felt it right to believe themselves as God’s people chosen to capture the new African Promised Land. This gave them cause to subjugate the Africans, just as the Israelites had subjugated the Canaanites at God’s command. To guard against such sinful misuse one has to be alert to the context – both the biblical context and our own cultural context. This is because what may have been God’s Word to his people in a different cultural context may be totally misunderstood and applied by us in another cultural context.

Of course, there will always be some subjectivity in Scripture reading. This is because we can never know 100% about the original context. However, I try to read with one principle in mind – Jesus came to set us free (John 8:32). Therefore one way is to question how the text is to be applied. Is my interpretation/application setting people free from their burdens (Luke 4:18)? Or am I further burdening or, even worse, oppressing them? (Matt 23)

May God’s wisdom guide us in all that we do!

Moving Forward

2012-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

The church is called to be a leader in the community. Each one of us too will be called by God to be a leader - whether in church, workplace or elsewhere. Some of you are already serving in leadership in our church – as an elder, deacon, ministry or CG leader, etc. I believe to be most effective as a leader one has to strive to be faithful rather that aim to be successful according to the world's standards. God uses leaders who are faithful.

God has a purpose for HPC and we should faithfully carry out his purpose for gathering us in HPC. Therefore, the Elders & Deacons (EDC) have committed 2012 to discovering God's will and direction for HPC and seeking to fulfill it. Prior to this, the EDC have agreed that the church structure including responsibilities, decision-making process, line of accountability, etc should first be confirmed. Thus, they have tasked me to prepare a draft of this structure and present this to the EDC for deliberation. After this, the elders will meet to discuss on the matter of the mission and direction of the church post-2012. Included below are the suggested timelines for both matters.

A. STRUCTURE
Nov 2011-Jan 2012 – Fact-finding, prayer and reflection on Structure
28 Jan 2012 – First draft circulated to EDC
25 Feb 2012 – EDC & pastors Retreat
03 Mar 2012 – Final draft circulated to ministry leaders
24 Mar 2012 – EDC, pastors & ministry leaders Retreat
26 May 2012 – Church structure presented at ACM

B. MISSION & DIRECTION
Apr-June 12 – Fact-finding, prayer and reflection on HPC Mission & Direction
07 Jul 2012 – First draft circulated to EDC
28 Jul 2012 – EDC & pastors Retreat
04 Aug 2012 – Final draft circulated to ministry heads
25 Aug 2012 – EDC, pastors & ministry heads Retreat
15 Sep 2012 – Calendar of Activities by ministry heads
15 Oct 2012 – Budget Submission by ministry heads
01 Nov 2012 – Print Structure and Mission and Direction in a HPC handbook

A healthy church is marked by people who pray. Every movement of God in history was under-girded with faithful prayer-warriors who cried out to God daily. When God’s people pray to him in earnest, he will answer in power. Thus, we invite you to pray for the leadership as they pray and reflect on these matters. When our Lord comes again, may his praise be found in you.

What Has Roti-prata got to do with witnessing?

2011-11-17T00:35:00.001-08:00

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you.’ 2 Tim 1:5

After his opening salutations, Paul’s first words to Timothy were to remind him that it was his grandmother, Lois, and mother, Eunice who were responsible for the Christian faith he believed in. These were just ordinary women who we know did not do extraordinary things for the Christian Church. But we can see their faithfulness in witnessing faithfully to their children the true Christian faith. The fruit of their faithfulness is seen in Timothy’s life although I am sure they did not plan for him to take over from Paul. And I think that is a good lesson for us to learn that faithfulness is not dreaming of doing great things for God tomorrow but doing the mundane for him today.

We all have what some people call a sphere of influence - a small circle where our actions affect other people’s lives. We have our own families, we work in an office with other colleagues, we play games with people of similar interests, and we have our neighbours, and so on. We can share about what God has done in our lives and then leave it to God to touch their hearts. And we should not be ashamed to share the Gospel. What is it that motivates us to share the Gospel? Think about it, what would motivate you to share the Gospel with those people in your sphere of influence? I know the literature always puts the burden on us to witness because we don’t want people will go to hell or Jesus will not come until everyone has heard the Gospel, etc. That is valid. But let me give you one more reason why I think you should share it – because it is true. That is right; you should share the Gospel because it is true and has worked in your lives. That is what a witness does; just tell what is true and what he has seen. Think about it, if something is true and good for you, don’t we want to share it with your friends? When we go to the Maxwell Road market and eat the chicken rice, and we find it to be very good, don’t we talk about it with our friends over the next days? When someone wants to eat roti prata, wouldn’t we suggest some place where you know the roti prata is good? So if we can share something about the goodness of the food that you have eaten then why not share the truth about the Bread of Life that nourishes our soul? All of us are Christians because someone near us took the trouble to share the Gospel with us and we were touched by God. That is all that Lois, Timothy’s grandmother and Eunice, his mother did. They faithfully carried out their ministry – to share the Gospel with their own household and because of their simple faith and faithfulness, it made a significant difference in God’s Kingdom. And that is what we all can do, no exceptions, faithfully witnessing whenever we can to whoever we can.

Prayer - The Greater Work

2011-10-26T06:35:00.000-07:00

Today, perhaps you are wondering how you can be involved in mission. There is a very powerful way you can be involved – prayer. You don’t even need to leave home to do it. Oswald Chambers once said “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work”.

There was this old lady named Dorothy Clapp in the 1950s. Everyday she prayed faithfully that God would use the students across her home to touch the world. Eventually God answered her prayers. One of the students was George Verwer, a name familiar to you. I heard him preach at a mission conference and also in our church. George told us, “This lady near my high school, put my name her Holy Ghost hit list. She not only prayed that I'd become a Christian, but she prayed that I'd become a missionary and then she sent me this Gospel of John through the post.” The rest is mission history. George went on to start Operation Mobilization and through the Logos 2 and Doulos ships brought the gospel message to millions of people world-wide. The successor ship to the Doulos is the Logos Hope where two young men from our church, Greg and Daniel, are serving right now.

There are many other such prayer testimonies but the bottom line is, prayer works! Things happen when God’s people pray faithfully. Where do we start in praying for missions? Matt 9:38 is a good start, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”. Our church is already supporting some missionaries. Perhaps the time has come to pray for more of our own missionaries, beside Greg and Daniel, to go out. God’s method for preaching the gospel is not merely programs, pamphlets or radio although these mediums are helpful and effective. His primary method is to send people. Pray for missionaries that are in the field. Read their prayer letters and pray for their concerns. I used to send out prayer letters every month when I ran a home ministering to drug addicts in the Philippines. It always meant a lot to know there were people faithfully praying for me. Pray for our field missionaries’ children, their spouses, their health, their well-being, etc. It is very easy for us to forget missionaries are also normal people. They have the same fears as we do. When I was in the Philippines, I too struggled with stress, loneliness and anxiety. Normal people do that when they are transplanted out of their comfort zones. We need to recognize that and so we need to pray for our missionaries. Let them know they do not stand on their own.

We should pray for countries where people have never heard of God’s great love and we should also pray for people to go and tell them. Pray for open doors for the gospel – open opportunities, open hearts, open minds – willing to receive. The OM ships are able to go into many countries and send teams ashore because of many people praying for their mission. George Verwer understood the need for prayer. At one mission conference, he would stand at the exit door. As we were leaving, he would shake our hands as we were leaving and then give each person a prayer letter.

We cannot change people’s hearts. Only God can, so we must be willing to pray for our mission, missionaries and mission fields.

Witnessing With Our Lives For Life

2011-09-22T01:29:00.000-07:00

2 Tim 1:8, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God.”

In this verse, Paul exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed of witnessing or suffering for the Gospel. Perhaps this is a good time to try and understand what the Gospel really means to us. On Good Friday, we remember that our entry into heaven was secured at a high price. Jesus, God himself, had to die so that we might be forgiven of our sin. Yet if our thinking were just to stop there, i.e. that we are now forgiven and so we are going to heaven, I think we are missing the point because the other aspect of our salvation tells us that we are also God’s children. That is what we are told in John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Children of God – what an awesome thought!

I wonder if there is another religion with the thought or teaching that God can be addressed as Father. What do most religions teach about God or rather what do their prayers reveal about God? Some think of a deity that is very powerful that can destroy them anytime. So when they approach their deity, they do so out of fear and trembling. They pray asking that their god will not harm them or hurt them in any way. Some others may teach that god can be manipulated. So if they make the right offerings and sacrifices and mumble the right words to please him they can manipulate him to get what they want. Even in the Old Testament, I think the Israelites never addressed God as father. God was called the Lord of Hosts, the Almighty One, etc but never as a heavenly Father. Yet that was how God himself perceived his relationship withy those who accepted him, even the Israelites. In Jeremiah we learnt of how the Jews were conquered and exiled. God speaking through Jeremiah promised to restore them and then he said these words, (Jer 31:20) “Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him". He is a God who has compassion for his children. Do we get the picture here? A tender-hearted God who always has the interests of his children in his heart, a God filled with compassion for his children. That is why when Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, his opening words were “Our Father”. Our omnipotent God cares for us and is also our Heavenly Father. Therefore, as children of an omnipotent God, who cares for us, we therefore can have confidence to live for him. So then let us be what we are, children of an all-powerful God, and live for him alone.

Elijah – A Man Like Us

2011-09-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

Jesus called Elijah one of the greatest prophets in Israel. Yet, the Bible does not say much about him. We are told only that he is from Tishbe in Gilead. Bible maps shows that Tishbe is in the centre of Gilead, (Num 32: 28-32) on the rugged side of the Jordan River. The land is sparsely populated, a wilderness. No wonder, Elijah’s manner of dressing was described as strange as he wore “a garment of hair, with a leather belt around his waist” (2 Ki 1:7-8). The image of Elijah was that of a mountain man, a country bumpkin especially when compared with the slick city people from Ahab’s palace.

The lesson from Elijah’s life is that everyone is useful to God as his instruments, even those seen as obscure. Elijah was called, out of obscurity, to deliver Israel from idolatry. We can see he had a heart zealous for God’s agenda and God’s glory. What brought this about?

If we look at the text of James 5:17, 18, we read that Elijah prayed and the rain stopped. Then he prayed again and the rain came down. Such powerful prayer is not the fruit of a man who prays occasionally. It can mean only one thing - long before he appeared in King Ahab’s palace, he was already praying for God’s glory to return to Israel. What do we do when we see something that is brings dishonour to God but yet is beyond our power to do anything? We pray because nothing is impossible with God.

Basically prayer is seeking to know God’s Will and purpose so that we can re-align our will with his. I believe that when we pray and especially when we pray earnestly, God’s Spirit will take control and lead us to do the very thing that we are interceding for. I think that is how Elijah probably received his calling. As he prayed, he came to see God’s Will clearly and stepped forward to do God’s Will.

The people had been warned by Moses that they will have to endure judgment by God if they turned to idolatry (Deut 11:16, 17). So as Elijah prayed, and with the full knowledge of Scripture, he could see even more clearly God’s Will - no rain in Israel. God was leading Elijah to do something greater than what Elijah himself could have asked for or imagine.

Prayer changes things and us. This is the power of prayer. It is a relationship that we continue through every part of our lives. It is being in constant communion with Someone always ready and always wanting to listen to us and talk to us. In that communion, we are slowly changed to seek God’s Will above ours. Perhaps this is a change in ourselves that we are not prepared to make. Confronting Ahab in his own palace was not easy for Elijah but he did it out of obedience. Obedience to Someone who is greater and more powerful than we can ever imagine, yet Someone who is more loving and merciful than anyone we can ever hope to meet on earth.

God has a plan for our lives, greater than we can ask for or imagine. He wants us to proclaim his wonder, his power and his love wherever we are and be surprised at his power as we do it. Such a plan can only be discerned through prayer. Why wait?

Obeying Authority

2011-05-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

On 7 May, we remembered Mothers’ Day and voted in our General Elections. Reflecting on the 4th Commandment “Honor your father and mother…”, my mind was drawn to Martin Luther’s Catechism on the 10 Commandments where he expands this, “we must fear and love God so that we will neither look down on our parents or superiors nor irritate them, but will honor them, serve them, obey them, love them and value them.”

Its interesting how Luther expands the 4th Commandment to include obedience of all lawful forms of authority. There are biblical injunctions to obey the different spheres of authority – home (Eph 6:1), workplace (Eph 6:6), church (Heb 13:17), government (Rom 13:1). Normally, we get turned off by the word ‘authority’ because we think of someone dominant and forceful, who compels us to do what we don’t want to do and not do what we want to do. Our fallen condition makes it easy for us to disobey our authority figures because the ‘I’ comes first. Or we may respect them but it is always tinged with dread.

However, we need to remember God has instituted authority so that the peace is kept and his blessings of safety and stability flow to the people. More than that, institutions like schools and infrastructure may also be built providing prosperity. I believe disobedience of any lawful authority is disobedience of God himself. This is because God rules and orders the world through parents, teachers, managers, ministers, etc.

Nevertheless, this is not a blank cheque for authority to demand blind and cringing obedience. Obedience is qualified by the principle of Acts 5:29, “we must obey God rather than man.” Institutions of authority do not have the mandate to supplant the authority of God. When that happens, we must courageously obey God than man. However, this does not give us a blank cheque to disobey the authority anytime we do not agree with them. More often that not, our disagreement is based on mere opinion rather than facts which prove the authority has superseded God’s authority. Or we look at the perceived flaws of the authority figure and we amplify them to justify our disobedience. We look at our parents and we think, ‘they don’t understand our generation”. We look at the flaws in temperament or conduct of a church leader and we tell ourselves, “he’s not worthy to be a Christian leader”. We blow up the unfulfilled promises of the government so as to excuse our disobedience. While each case’s grievance may be true, we need to tinge our judgment with grace and also reflect on the good the authority figure has accomplished. Being fallen creatures ourselves, it would be unfair to expect our leaders to be saints. Therefore, Acts 5:29 is always to be used judiciously and only after much prayer and biblical reflection.

Being Christians, we live by Kingdom principles. Our Lord Jesus came and lived a life of love, grace and truth. He taught his disciples to give oneself away rather than grasp for more. That is the Gospel, difficult to follow but promising blessing to those who do. Gethsemane shows us Jesus was willing to obey and trust in the Father’s plan. Can we do any less with earthly authorities who remind us of the heavenly authority, Jesus Christ our Lord?

God is Still on the Throne

2011-03-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

The news has been riveting these few days. A massive sea-quake sent 10-meter waves crashing into north-east Japan. The earth movements caused havoc even in Tokyo. This affected the stability of nuclear reactors raising fear of Chernobyl-like radiation contamination in the surrounding areas. Japan is now reeling from this triple whammy.

As is usual amidst such devastation, our minds turn to God. How can a good and loving God allow such suffering to happen? If God is omnipotent, why did he not stop the tsunami? If he could stop the tsunami and he did not, can he be called a good God? One is not deemed faithless in asking such questions.

The answer is found by turning back to the Garden of Eden. At the dawn of creation, God made everything perfect and created Adam to oversee creation. God however gave Adam a choice – to follow Him by not eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As we know, Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree signalling their rejection of God.

The result of their disobedience brought sin into the world. We normally connect sin with moral evil such as murder, robbery, lying, etc. However, sin not only affected mankind but God’s creation as well. Just as humans are subject to organ failure, ageing, etc, God’s creation is now subject to tsunamis, plagues, cyclones, etc. It would not be like this if Adam and Eve had not sinned.

Nevertheless, the Bible reminds us sin and evil are temporary because God has an ultimate outcome for a broken mankind and earth. “Creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God”, Rom 8:21. We are the sign that this deliverance of creation will come to pass.

However, we are also the sign that God is not helpless in this world. Devastation like this should spur us to share the Gospel urgently with people in our circle of influence. When was the last time we took the trouble to share the Gospel with someone? Are we fervently praying for someone to receive the Gospel? After my mother became a Christian, she prayed for nine years before I received Christ.

We can also respond to disaster with acts of compassion. Perhaps, when communications and transport have stabilised, there might be more relief teams looking for help to get medical and home-rebuilding care to the affected people. If we are suitably qualified, we should consider taking time off to help. Another way would simply be to give financial aid to established organizations sending in aid. In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, millions of people gave millions, perhaps billions, of dollars to provide medical aid and practical aid that enabled boats and homes to be rebuilt. We can also help to ensure such financial aid is forthcoming to the Japanese in their time of need. Such acts of compassion show that God is still on the throne. God did not cause the tsunami – a fallen creation did. However, God moves the hearts of his people to respond with love and compassion because God is love (1 John 4:8). Let us respond as children of love.

Saved By Grace

2011-02-09T05:23:00.000-08:00

Almost 20 years ago, a group of Hong Kong women were arrested for drug trafficking and were sentenced to death. Two of them were over the age of 18 years. They came from two extreme families. Abigail was from a dysfunctional home and Grace (names have been changed) was from an over-indulgent one. At the age of four, Abigail’s parents were separated. She was left with her grandma but was ill-treated by her uncles and cousins. At 14, she ran away from home and cohabited with a man who used her for ill-gotten gains. She was mistreated by the man and at the age of 18, she ran away to another man who obtained a passport for her and sent her to Thailand to smuggle drugs. She was caught at Changi Airport together with Grace.

A Christian counselor came from Hong Kong and ministered to them. Abigail told me that for the first time, she experienced the love of God. She readily accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour and eagerly shared her new-found faith at every opportunity. During her time on death row, she led four other women to the Lord. I visited her and the other prisoners on death row once a week. They were asked to memorize one verse per week, but she would memorize the whole chapter. She loved the Lord dearly. Together with Grace, they prayed that their lives would be spared.

One night, Grace dreamt that she and Abigail were at a prayer meeting and Hymn 18 was sung. The next morning, Grace shared her dream with Abigail. They turned to Hymn 18 but did not know it. They wondered whether the number 18 had any significance. On 15 May 1993, the Superintendent of the women’s prison stood outside their doors and told them that they would be executed on 18 May. Now everything became clear to them. With peace in their hearts, they thanked the Lord for preparing them.

Abigail’s parents came together to visit her during her final few days. On the last visit before her execution, she told her parents that she did not blame them for the present situation she was in. She shared with them the love of God and urged them to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Before they parted company with their respective parents, she and Grace sang a hymn to them. Both sets of parents broke down and cried, but seeing how much peace their daughters had, they were able to leave with some measure of good cheer.

That night, a lady counselor and I stayed with them. I decided to look at hymn 18 again. As I read the stanzas of the hymn, they proved to be extremely meaningful. Suddenly, I remembered the tune and we began to sing it. The girls were so filled with the joy of the Lord.

Hymn 18: Face to Face
Lord of life, beneath the dome, Of the universe, Thy home,
Gathering us, who seek Thy face, To the fold of Thy warm embrace.

(Chorus)
And I shall see Thee, face to face, Tell the story – Saved by grace,
And I shall see Thee, face to face, And tell the story – Saved by grace.

While deepening shadows fall, Heart of love, enfolding all,
Ascend thru the glory and grace, Of the stars that will veil Thy face.

Some glad day, sorrow will cease, Some glad day, all will be peace,
Then no more tears shall dim our eyes, What a meaning, there in the skies.

They thanked the Lord for not only telling them of their homecoming but also of what awaited them in heaven. As they walked up to the execution chamber, it was clear to all that they did so with the deep peace of God in them.

The above true story is from “Shoes Too Big” by Rev Henry Khoo. He served in Changi Prison’s Death Row and help usher many condemned people into the glorious presence of our Lord Jesus. Before she was hanged, Abigail also wrote to the man who had involved her in drug-smuggling to say she forgave him for what he had done to her.

What Child is This? (Part 2) - Wonderful Counselor

2011-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

He will be called Wonderful Counsellor. One of the attributes of God is omniscience which means all-knowing. Human rulers need a cabinet or group of counsellors but God does not need any because he is all-wise. Jesus is all we need to guide us in life. The description of Christ as a perfect guide to life is emphasised by the word Wonderful. In the original language, the word means a miracle, a marvel, unusual or extraordinary.

The Gospels testify that Jesus was indeed a marvellous guide and teacher, a ‘Wonderful Counsellor’. In his public ministry, people were even more amazed at His counsel. At the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew tells us: “…the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” The people were amazed because Jesus taught them as though He were God Himself by giving wonderful counsel to His own people.

We all need good counsel in this life. Yet we can be guilty of turning away from God’s Wonderful Counsel by not attending church and Bible Class. Or like King Ahaz in the Biblee, we turn to the counsel of this world and ignore what the Bible teaches us. It is important for us to hear, read and study God’s Word. We should also do this in our own daily schedule. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to convict us of sin so that we might repent and put our faith in Jesus, who was born to save us from our sins. The Spirit uses God’s Word to cleanse our minds from the foolish counsel of this world and replace it with the Wonderful Counsel of the Lord Jesus.

The baby boy prophesied by Isaiah was conceived in Mary’s womb. He was given the name “Jesus” because He would save us from our sins. We also call Him “Wonderful Counsellor” – and we will continue to be blessed by His Wonderful Counsel as we hear, read, study and believe His Word.

What Child is This (Part 1) - Introduction

2011-01-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Do you think that the world is a better place today? If you do, you might belong to a minority. Powerful governments are unable to act against the leak of secret documents. The world leaders at times seem like toothless tigers unable to solve political and economic crises. The Korean peninsula seems to be a ticking bomb. If war breaks out there, is Singapore safe? After all, we are not out of reach of North Korean missiles carrying nuclear bombs. Do you leave your house door unlocked all the time? If you do, you probably belong to a small minority. Or maybe you have a few fierce dogs prowling outside your front door.

The news tells us that there is a sense of confusion and helplessness as we look at the world situation. In fact, many governments don’t seem to be able to cope with the changing political and economic landscape. Many people look for peace inside and around them, but cannot find it. Who can such people turn to in this confused and insecure world to give them peace?

In Isaiah 9:1-7, the setting was also that of political instability and confusion. Assyrians raiders were invading from across the border. Ahaz, king of the southern kingdom of Judah, had shown a lack of faith in God. When an alliance of Northern Israel and Syria invaded his territory, he did not turn to God for deliverance. It was a time of political insecurity and spiritual darkness much like the world situation today. Isaiah 8:22 describes it “Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”

Darkness is also a description of sin. People who are lost think they are enlightened but do not realise their minds are filled with darkness. Like King Ahaz, they want to depend on their own efforts rather than trust in God. For King Ahaz and the people of Judah, judgment was coming soon in the form of the Assyrian invaders. For sinners, judgment comes on the day they have to stand before God. But against this gloomy background of judgment and unbelief, we see the light of God breaking through. Chapter 9 has a beautiful picture of salvation being painted by God through Isaiah’s prophecy in v1&2, “nevertheless there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress… The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

That is a wonderful promise isn’t it? And this promise came true literally at the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, and the child of this promise. The Gospel of Luke tells us about the angels who brought the news of the birth of Jesus to the shepherd. The light of their glory shone brilliantly and literally pushed away the darkness. Henceforth, there was to be no more living in the darkness of sin. There was to be no more being burdened by the weight of sin. Instead God’s people would live in joy (v3), “they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest” as God has given them victory over darkness and sin. God’s people will live in victory (v4) and peace (v5). How will God achieve all this for us? What Child is this who can bring such blessing to God’s people? The four-fold names given to the child of promise will show us what Child is this.

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 6) - Pitfalls

2010-12-16T23:56:00.000-08:00

As we complete our observations on the identity and ministry of the pastor as a transforming leader, I believe it is also good to look at some pitfalls he should be careful to avoid. Being a transforming leader means extending God’s Kingdom. This is something that will meet with resistance from Satan. It behooves us to remember that spiritual conflict is also involved and that Satan will do whatever he can to bring the transforming leader down. Sometimes it can be through the pastor-leader’s fleshly weaknesses or by transforming virtues into vices, like steadfastness into stubbornness, patience into indecision, etc. The pastor-leader must not forget that he is still not fully transformed and is still prone to sin. If he does not walk carefully, he too can fall. The tragedy, as we can see in current examples, is that his fall does not only affect himself but also the church people whom he ministers to as well. That is why he is a special target of Satan. Therefore, it is good to consider the following which are some examples of pitfalls the pastor has to heed:

NOT EXPECTING CONFLICT AND NOT HANDLING IT
In dealing with people, the pastor must expect conflicts to arise as all believers are “works-in-progress” and therefore prone to sin. We can see from Paul’s example that he does not avoid handling it (The dispute between Euodia and Syntyche in Phil 4:2, 3 and factionalism in 1 Cor 1:1 – 13). The pastor-leader should be sensitive enough to know the hostile under-currents that develop and threaten the harmony and continuity of the project.

PRIDE
At the core of the pastor-leader’s ideology should be the thought that Christ is the head of the church and every believer, including the leader, a member called to perform a specific task. Blackaby (Spiritual Leadership) tells us that the leader must guard against thinking only he has the ability and the depth of insight to run the organization successfully. If not careful, he becomes unteachable in his pride and impatient with his followers. He must also remember that Jesus should get the glory and should humbly direct all praise to Jesus. All this simply means he should not consider himself a leader but as a member of Christ’s body who serves by leading.

PROJECT VS. PEOPLE
We have earlier seen that in God’s Kingdom, people matter above programs. While the goal of transforming his environment and extending God’s Kingdom is a laudable one, he should look at the forest and yet not forget the trees that make up the forest. Nehemiah 5 gives us one biblical example of maintaining people sensitivity against being goal-oriented. Halfway through the rebuilding of the wall, the people brought their social and economic problems to him. Rather than rebuking them for distracting him from a “great project”, Nehemiah takes time off to mediate and solve their problems. He knew that the well-being of the people and not the project should always be uppermost in the leader’s mind. The modern-day pastor should bear this always in mind and guard against thinking only of the goal and brushing the people aside.

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 5) - Practices

2010-12-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

I think the leader of a great church will just need to put into practice two commandments of Jesus – The Great Commission and the Great Commandment. All other considerations of the Christian leader will spring from these two commandments.

OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION (Matt 28:18-20)
The pastor-leader must have a passion for souls. He must have a passion for God’s agenda. If he is seeking God’s will daily, he will be totally committed to mission and evangelism because people are what God is concerned about and God’s concern should be his concern. Therefore, local as well as foreign missions should be spearheading the ministry of the church.

Having evangelized and brought people into God’s kingdom, the next step is to disciple them so that these new converts can continue to grow in their faith. There is a biblical injunction that believers are to grow in their relationship with Christ (2 Pet 3:18) and also in spiritual maturity. The aim is discipleship and therefore the pastor’s ministry of teaching, preaching, visitation, etc., should bear this aim in mind. In Christian life, a believer is already backsliding if he is not moving forward. I believe one of the reasons why factionalism and friction is found in the church is because of the immaturity of church members who put their agenda before anything else. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop and the devil is always busy at work when Christian minds are idle.

OBEYING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT (JOHN 13:34-35)
Mother Theresa once said “I am God’s pencil; a tiny bit of pencil with which he writes what he likes.” The pastor-leader should also see himself in this light, as one in whom God’s compassion and love is written for the people to see and be touched. By adhering to the Great Commandment, the pastor-leader will thus keep his focus on God’s ways and not his own. To the secular leader, the ends justify the means but the pastor-leader has to ensure that both the means as well as the ends please God and glorify him. Paul was a good example of a pastor who was focused on God’s way and not his own in ministry. That is why he said “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” (1 Cor 10:23-24).

In obeying the Great Commandment, the pastor-leader also should not end up setting himself over his followers. Thus, in love, he must be willing to make himself accountable for the decisions that he makes. Nor only that, he should also make himself accountable for the mistakes of those whom he delegates responsibility to. A person gets disillusioned when he sees support not forthcoming from the leader but is strengthened when the leader charges to his own account the blame accruing to his subordinate.

Obeying the Great Commandment also means attending to the needs of his followers. The church leader must never forget that he is above all, one who is called to pastor God’s people. We have already seen one image of the pastor as a shepherd, one who tends God’s people. Unlike the secular leader, who sees failure as unforgivable and is quick to sever the weakest links in the organizational chain, the pastor-leader is willing to slow down and come alongside the straggling ones to lift their spirits or tend to their hurts or lead them to rest so as to prevent lives being broken. I do not think a church ministry is worthwhile if lives are shattered and relationships broken in achieving its goal. The pastor has to remember that he must love his people because they are God’s sheep entrusted to him. The pastor should remember that leadership is not a status symbol or position of power but a responsibility and service.

If the pastor desires to transform his environment, he must therefore model obedience to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. Only when he is an example of obedience can he then speak with authority to his members. Love always brings about a positive response and so out of love, people will respond by giving and working towards growth of the church ministry in missions and planting churches.

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 4) – Characteristics

2010-11-24T01:18:00.000-08:00

In this segment, we will look at the characteristics that make the transforming leader effective in his organization of the people in carrying out their God-given vision.

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS CONGREGATION
A very important, if not the most, feature of the transforming leader’s ministry is his relationship with his congregation. He is able to nurture a special leader-follower relationship that induce devotion and emotional attachments that stirs up a drive to accomplish greater things for God’s Kingdom in pursuit of their shared vision. The following are some characteristics that result from this feature.

Esteem. The pastor should prompt respect and regard from those whom he leads. It makes his task easier to mobilize people towards the vision and I am sure followers will bring to bear great effort to the vision and expect no other reward that to emulate their leader and take pleasure in a shared victory. However, while many may admire qualities such as excellent oration, outstanding intellect or charismatic character, I think to have a good relationship with his followers, the pastor should manifest gifts of grace that displays God’s workmanship in him, such as nobility and godliness. Leaders who exhibit a good blend of both will appeal to their followers.
Trust. The pastor inspires trust because his followers believe that he prayerfully pursues God’s agenda and walks according to God’s ways. They trust in his competence, uprightness and strength of character. His followers affirmation of his leadership should however be balanced with the leader’s honesty, accountability and humility to the trust engendered. In this way, a cultic situation can be averted where the leader induces slavish and blind devotion. Many Christian leaders, such as John Wesley, Hudson Taylor, etc. have had their ministries expanded because they were able to inspire their trusting followers to carry forth their visions into other areas.
Love. Charismatic leadership has many qualities in it – persuasiveness, eloquence in handling God’s word, knowledge, faith, self-sacrifice. Yet Paul tells us that it is worthless if without love (1 Cor 13:1-3). The love described is agape (self-sacrificing) love and the leader should model this to his followers so that they too may reciprocate in love to him and to one another.

INFLUENCES/INSPIRES HIS FOLLOWERS
One aspect of a pastor’s ministry is to influence people for good. In this regard, he works to expand God’s kingdom by inspiring others to the same vision. One such example is Hudson Taylor who remains the most widely used of God missionary in China's history. During his 51 years of service there, his China Inland Mission established 20 mission stations, brought 849 missionaries to the field (968 by 1911), trained some 700 Chinese workers, raised four million dollars by faith (following Mueller's example), and developed a witnessing Chinese church of 125,000. It has been said at least 35,000 were his own converts and that he baptized some 50,000. His gift for inspiring people to give themselves and their possessions to Christ was amazing. Today his legacy lives on through the work done by the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF). This aspect of influencing/inspiring others remains very important in pastoral ministry if the pastor’s vision is to have any lasting impact in the life of the church.

PROMOTES UNITY
The Bible addresses the church as the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-6). In any team endeavour, solidarity enables the team to manifest its strengths and its people to effectively use their gifts and talents. Just as Jesus prayed for all believers to be united (John 17:22-23), the pastor should make a core belief of his ministry. Groups have dynamics in their relationships and often these dynamics are affected and perhaps even upset when new members join as others leave. The pastor should remember to repeat the vision so as to ensure the complete unity of the people. When he is diligent in keeping the people united in one common purpose, creativity abounds and dynamic energy is exuded with the result of people having synergy and enthusiasm to attain the goal set.

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 3) – Vision

2010-11-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

DERIVING/DEFINING THE VISION

I sincerely believe that all transforming leaders are led by a vision and the vision has to be a God-given one. This is because as a spiritual leader, the pastor’s people are God’s people and his duty is to steer them towards God’s purposes. Whatever dreams and visions the pastor may have will have to be subordinated towards God’s will in the ministry he has been entrusted with.

Basically, having a vision means forming a picture of a future reality and being willing to work in the present towards the reality of that future. I personally think this should form part of a pastor’s theology – being future-oriented. God himself desires change. After all, He looked at the formless chaos and decided to form the universe and man, bringing beauty and excellence out of nothing. Even when man sinned, God did not maintain the status quo but gave us a hope-filled future through the work of Jesus on the cross. Much of the Old Testament prophets, as well as New Testament writers maintained an eschatological outlook (Isa 4:2-6, Ezek 34:24-31, Joel 3:16-21, Zeph 3:11-20, Matt 25:31-34, Mk 13:26, 1 Thess 4:13-17, Rev 21:1-5,). Thus, as God’s obedient servants, we too should envision how we can qualitatively work towards redeeming the future for God’s purposes. Most important of all, to be a leader, we have to look at and to our Supreme Lord for the vision.

Nevertheless, I would like to qualify the word ‘vision’ here. This should not be understood here as a ’The Word of the Lord came to…” variety of commissioning of the pastor to go forth as God did with the prophets in the Old Testament. Rather, vision may be properly interchanged with dream, mission, purpose, direction, plan, objective, long-term goal, etc. Therefore, a vision projects a future condition, presenting a picture of a changed organization and compels action. Thus, a vision may emerge as the pastor reflects on God and His designs for the church. This vision will undoubtedly be influenced by factors such as values, characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, etc as well as communication and feedback from leading members of the church. Although I refer to the pastor only, I think it is also important to note that the pastor should not seek a vision for the church in isolation. Rather he should do this in concert with a team of leaders and matured Christian members of the church, through fasting, prayer and fellowship.

COMMUNICATION THE VISION
Having defined the vision, the pastor will have to communicate it to his congregation. This is because the church is not an autocracy where the leader speaks and people obey but a community called to serve God’s purposes for this world. Therefore, it is important for the church to be co-partners in the vision. Transforming Christian leadership requires this shared sense of destiny. Hobgood (The Once and Future Pastor) tells us that “there is no point in a pastor’s giving voice to a vision of the church’s future direction if there’s no one to hear and no one to get excited by it.” The wise pastor will not pitch his vision over the heads of his congregation but at their hearts to gain acceptance. Therefore, getting the church people to buy into the vision requires loving patience with warm, open communication. The Bible describes God’s people as royal priests, a holy nation, precious, etc. That means they are equally important to God as the pastor is and he should never lose sight of this truth.

What the pastor needs to keep in mind is that the vision is God’s vision and that change is God’s work. The pastor’s job is to just faithfully communicate this vision to the people. Perhaps a better way to articulate this is to say that the pastor is to be the channel through which God’s vision is imparted to the people. I believe that the key is to encourage followers to grow in their relationship with God. As God’s channel, that means the pastor has to maintain the following:

Be faithful to his prophetic office. This office is sometimes described as “an extraordinary ministry of special inspiration, of discernment of the meaning of events already revealed, or in some cases, yet to be revealed (Blackaby in ‘Spiritual Leadership’). Preaching seeks to “inspire, devotion dedication, loyalty and discipleship to Christ.” Through the preached word, we encounter Jesus, the revealed word. With the help of the Spirit, it results in changed lives.
Be faithful to Christ in his own life. The pastor also has to give a good witness of God’s work in his own life lest he cause members to stumble resulting in a negative reaction to any vision by him.

When these two components are adhered to, it will allow for Spirit-inspired communication of God’s vision and result in the Holy Spirit affirming the vision’s authenticity in people’s hearts. Perhaps, this is why we can see Paul as a great biblical example of an effective communicator of God’s word. His life (2 Cor 4:8-12) and his message (1 Cor 2:4-5) was a demonstration of God’s power at work in a Spirit-inspired leader and resulted in much fruit in his life in inspiring others into expanding the Kingdom of God.

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 2) – Character

2010-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

In the secular understanding of leadership, more often than not, leadership is defined by the results obtained while the leader’s character is not given much, if at all any, prominence. However, in the church, this should not be the case. Character should be the most important criteria if not the most. That is why we should give it prominence by looking at it first in our study. The character traits that we see in an outstanding leader stems from his identity and the best model to form our identity as a pastor-leader should be Christ. In the Bible, the two clearest images that we see of Christ are servant and shepherd.

A. A SHEPHERD'S HEART

A Christian leader must have a heart that is attuned to his followers’ needs and welfare. In secular society, we often hear the maxim “you need to break some eggs to make an omelet.” The implication is that it is justified for lives to be broken and people hurt in the attainment of an objective. Yet Jesus never saw it that way which is why he introduced the concept of the shepherd-leader.

When Christ painted a picture of the relationship of himself with his followers as shepherd and sheep (John 10), it was a picture that his listeners could relate to. Even in the Old Testament, God is seen as a shepherd (Gen 49:24, Psalm 23) respectively by Jacob and David. What was the shepherd’s duty in those days? In a dry and rocky land, he had to look for grass and water; he had to protect his flock from the weather and from bandits and wild beasts. He also had to look for and recover any sheep that had strayed away. Sometimes in carrying out his duties, he had to travel far from human company living alone with maybe just a bag containing his necessities. Very often, the sheep pen was a cave in the hills with only one opening and the shepherd himself slept across the opening. Robbers and wild beasts had to go through him if they wanted to plunder the flock. This paints a picture of what a true shepherd is - devoted, selfless and fearless at the same time.

Thus, while the leader seeks to advance God’s Kingdom, as a shepherd-leader, he should be willing to move at the pace of the weaker members. Sheep, by nature, suffer from defective vision as well as stress and fear. That is why Christ portrayed his followers also as such so as to affirm his own shepherding vocation. From the shepherd’s image given earlier, we can see that compassionate love should be the distinguishing mark of the shepherd. In Mark 6:31-34, we see Jesus modeling this example of a shepherd-leader. He had asked his disciples to come away for a retreat with him to find rest. However, many people got wind of his destination and so, Jesus finds even more people clamoring for help as he reaches his destination. Yet Jesus “had compassion on them” (Mark 6:34). The implication for a shepherd-leader is that success in ministry is not to be at the cost of people’s lives. Instead, my belief is that the leader should be willing to subjugate his own interests to the needs of his followers and be willing to even slow a project’s pace if it means that the weaker ones can also partake of the vision and share in its success.

Stowe in ‘The Ministry of Shepherding’ describes shepherding as a challenging opportunity but paints an interesting outcome – like shepherd, like sheep. He tells us that “the godly shepherd can produce an exemplary godliness in his flock. His faithful discipleship will be mirrored in theirs. His ethical patterns will become theirs. Through shared concerns for this common cause, they will be welded in a spiritual union until the commander and unit are almost one and the same thing.”

B. A SERVANT’S SPIRIT

The Bible describes the church as a living organism, the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27, Eph 4:12). That means Christ is the head and all believers, including the pastor-leader, simply his servants, playing equally important parts to build up the body toward maturity and extending God’s Kingdom. Thus, the leader does not lead but serves Christ by leading, i.e. his primary objective is to serve his master.

In the Old Testament, all the great men of Israelite history are called servants. Although secular society rejects the idea of a leader as servant, biblically it is not an inferior calling. In fact, in the New Testament, Jesus makes it very clear that leadership is about serving and not being served (Mark 10:45). He then models it (John 13:1-17) showing that leaders are servants who stoop to minister from the servant’s position and bring cleansing to the body.

In the following examples, we can observe some secular presumptions of leadership that should not be carried over into our theology of pastoral leadership. The study is based on Matt 20:25-28.

1. Relationship with the led. The ruler is ‘over’ those he leads. He is above and distinct from those that he leads.

2. Command. The secular leaders ‘lord it over” and “exercise authority” over their followers. This is a command-type authority telling others what to do, demanding conformity of behaviour.

3. Mode. Secular leadership involves issuing orders and passing on decisions the leader has made.

4. Power. Behavioural conformity is obtained by levying sanctions and coercive means.

Instead, the example of the Lord shows that the pastor-leader should be humble in heart and submissive to God. According to Finzel in ‘Empowered Leaders’, the servant-leader’s purpose is not his own glory but to make the worker successful. He should consider that the church members are there not to serve him but the mission of the church and that his role as leader is to facilitate their effectiveness in the fulfillment of the church mission.

Finzel emphasizes that servant-leaders must be willing to live lives filled with submission on many levels: submission to authority, submission to God, to principles of wise living, etc. Inability to understand submission indicates arrogance and self-sufficiency. Again the best model held before us is Jesus who always acknowledged his submission to the Father’s Will (John 5:30). Another biblical example of submission to emulate is Joseph, who was totally submitted to God’s Will no matter what circumstances, prison or privilege, he found himself in. “The Lord was with him” (Gen 39:3, 21) and this enabled him to serve God well. In fact, even after his elevation to Prime Minister of Egypt, Joseph remained submitted to God’s Will. As a result, he could forgive his brothers and reassure them of his forgiveness, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)

The Pastor as a Transforming Leader (Pt 1) – Introduction

2010-11-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

One thing to note as we look at any church around us is that it is always purposely formed. It could have been due to the vision of a denominational pastor who sees the harvest in an area not exposed to Christ. It could have started with a few families gathering for Bible study, mutual fellowship and encouragement. They then later decide to gather for regular worship and eventually form a church. It may also be the result of a Christian layperson who disciples a group of young people. Later, these young people win others to Christ and, in due time, they set up a church so that they will be able to worship together regularly. As time goes on, they, and we have many such examples, also become blessings to the world outside their gates, as they build schools, community outreaches, charity homes, etc.

Although there may also be other reasons for churches being formed, one thing should be very clear – the church’s existence is due to a person or a group of like-minded persons having the vision of transforming the environment by expanding God’s kingdom in their midst. From this then, we need to note that for the church to perform the mandate given them by Jesus (Matt 28:18-20); she (I prefer to use the feminine pronoun in referring to the church) needs to pay close attention to the issues of leadership. This is because to form a community, one needs to have one or more persons committed to leading people to form these communities.

This article suggests that just sending forth any person who volunteers will not do. In fact, leadership or administration is mentioned as a gift of the Spirit in Romans 12:8 and 1 Cor 12:28. Tidball in ‘Skilful Shepherds’ tells us that the original word translated as leader means a “ship’s helmsman” and refers to the gifts necessary to steer a congregation. It therefore has to do with “the sensitive uniting of people towards a common goal”, which is God’s agenda for this world.

Therefore this article, posted in parts over the next few days, looks at the pastor as someone who, more than guiding and protecting the flock, although these are also tasks of prime importance for a church leader, also has to be a transforming spiritual leader. This means that he, through God’s empowerment and guidance, is able to transform the hearts and minds of those to whom he ministers so that they will catch his God-given vision and strive to fulfill the visions that the transforming leader articulates. I think Henry and Richard Blackaby clearly define it by quoting Robert Clinton’s book ‘The Making of a Leader’ that “the central task of leadership is influencing God’s people towards God’s purposes.”

Jesus, our Ultimate Priest

2010-11-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

From the Old Testament, we know that the priests were not exceptional models of morality and integrity. Aaron built the Golden Calf (Exodus 32-34), his sons Nadab and Abihu disobeyed God by offering unconsecrated incense. That was at the beginning of the priestly ministry. Later, in 1 Samuel we read that Eli’s sons, were also corrupt and were replaced by Samuel. The sins of the priests were one reason for the exile (Micah 3:11; Jer 1:18; Ezekiel 22:26). Psalm 110:4 promised a future messiah “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." The Ten Commandments were not just about God’s Law but a sign of his covenant with Israel. They were to be his people and he would be their God. But Israel broke this covenant over and over until God allowed them to be conquered and taken into exile. Yet, despite their unfaithfulness, during their exile, they get a wonderful promise. Jer 31:33 says "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

God does not change and, in his grace, God shows a future where his people will not break the new covenant because God will write the law on their hearts. The old covenant had been engraved in stone; the new covenant will include a revolutionary change in will, heart, and conscience. It will be an internal covenant. The law now becomes a principle of life (cf. Ro 8:1-4), a part of the nature of God's people. That is what we learn from Romans 8:1-4, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” The core of the new covenant is God's gift of a new heart when we are born again. The motivation for obeying God's law is inner knowledge of his will, coupled with an enablement to perform it - all founded on the assurance that sins are forgiven.

The priests of Israel were but dim shadows of the one Great Priest of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. The writer of the book of Hebrews understood this perfectly. That is why he said confidently “They (meaning the priests) serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle, ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’ But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:5-6)

Therefore, throughout the book of Hebrews, we see the writer emphasizing the perfection found in the priestly character of Christ:

• Heb 5:5 - Christ as Priest is appointed and chosen by God

• Heb 7:20-22 - He is consecrated with an oath

• Heb 7:26 - He is sinless

• Heb 7:23-24 - His priesthood is unchangeable

• Heb 9:25-28 - His offering is perfect and final

• Heb 7:24-25 - He intercedes continually for his people.

So we can see that the priestly role of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the priestly ministry that began with Aaron and his sons. Looking at what we have learnt, in a sense, Christ did not supersede the priesthood although he did away with the old system of offerings. Just as Aaron is a type of Christ, we are also a type of Aaron’s sons who are to carry on Christ’s priestly work. Christ instituted the church, that is his body, to be the priests today. That is why 1 Pe 2:9 says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” As Christians, we have a priestly role to play. We worship God as one body to proclaim the true God to a world that does not know him. We offer our prayers and our lives as sacrifices to show pre-believers what it means to live in a covenant relationship with God. We also offer God’s Word to people to help them find healing and blessing from God. That is what we do as a royal priesthood and holy nation – mediators between God and man.

What do we Learn from the Tabernacle?

2010-10-28T00:55:00.000-07:00

Whenever the Israelites camped in the wilderness, they would set the Tabernacle up first and then they would set their own camps up around the Tabernacle. That meant the tabernacle was in the center of the camp. This was how the kingdoms of those days and even the Assyrians and the Babylonians camped. When their king marched with them, his camp was always in the center. The symbol is very clear. The Israelites the one true God as their king and their God was one who dwelled with his people.

The tabernacle also symbolized that their God was holy and to be approached carefully. This is seen by the encampment. The Israelites could enter the courtyard to bring their sacrifices but only the Levite priests could enter the holy Place. While the Levite priests could enter the Holy Place, only the High Priest could enter the most Holy Place and even then once a year. Even the decorations and furnishings showed this. The courtyard frames had bronze supports but the tabernacle supports were silver. And even then, on entering the tabernacle, the furnishings were of gold not silver. The curtains to the courtyard were embroidered but did not have cherubim. The curtains at the entrance of the Holy Place had cherubim which were embroidered into them. But the curtains at the entrance of the Most Holy Place had cherubim not embroidered but woven into the cloth – the work of a master craftsman. It was symbolic of the majesty of their God who was pre-eminent above all things. But despite his majesty and holiness, God had chosen to bless the Israelites by dwelling among them. The location of the tabernacle, its structure and materials all symbolized this.

When we look at the Tabernacle as symbolic of God’s presence, obviously we can conclude that Jesus is our Tabernacle today. That is why in Matthew he is called Immanuel which means “God with us”. This is most clearly seen in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In English, it is not so clear. But the word translated as ‘made his dwelling’ comes from a root word that is translated as tabernacle. So v14 translates literally as “Jesus became human and tabernacled among us”. Moses’ Tabernacle pointed to this future, where God would dwell among man. Of course, today God lives in his people, the body of believers called his church.

What are the practical lessons for us to learn from. First God’s care is demonstrated in our day-to-day circumstances. Light, life and food all come from a sovereign God who lives in and among us. Our circumstances and daily blessings are not by chance or luck but God’s provision to us as an act of grace and mercy. Therefore, we need to look to God first. Our priority is to seek God first in all aspects of our lives.

The Tabernacle reminded the Israelites that God chose them. They did not choose him. Similarly, we too did not choose God. God chose us to be recipients of his love and grace. We are not to be proud and think we are one-up on non-believers like some Christians think. Instead, we should be humble before God and give him first priority in our lives.

Finally, the Tabernacle was seen as glorious holy and pure. The Israelites were to model themselves after their God by being holy and pure reflecting the glory of their God as symbolized by the Tabernacle. They had to learn which articles were clean or unclean, right or wrong, etc.

Similarly, the church, that is the body of Christ, must also be seen as holy and pure. The church is the dwelling place of God. It is not a voluntary association for the members to do as they see fit. The church is to be structured according to the will of its king, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many Christians don’t do that. Church to them is like a country club where their own wants come first. Jesus Christ lives in us and so our church, our homes and our families must reflect his beauty and glory.

Who Will Watch the Watchers Who are Watching the Watchers!

2010-10-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! Today I have found out that no matter how liberal in thought and broad-minded people claim to be, they will reserve their RIGHT to censor you just because they are in charge. And despite censoring you, they will post all sorts of judgments on you and presume all sorts of conclusions about you. And of course you have already been muffled by then.

I guess that is why Jesus gave us the Golden Rule! Do unto others as you want them to do to you? That means if we want someone to act justly to us, we ourselves must act justly towards others even if we do not receive justice from the ones we act justly to. If we want to have a right to be heard on our thoughts then we too must give others the right say their piece without judging to condemn them even when their thoughts are jarring to our sensibilities.

That's sad but it is life, real down-to-earth, no-up-in-the-ivory-tower kind of life. I have to learn this for myself and especially not get bogged down in vain and preening arguments.

That is why I have learned one thing and that is never let someone else's actions ruin your day. Life is too good to let others pull you down, no matter how unjustly they act against you.

But still my heart begs this question - I wonder, who will watch the watchers who claim to watch out for us?

How does God view Work - Col 3:23

2010-10-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

To understand how God views work, we can look at Col 3:22. The context of this chapter begins from v1-17 with some rules for holy living, like seeking after heavenly things, mortifying the earthly nature, consideration for other Christians, etc. Then from v18, Paul shows how our holy living is manifested in the way we treat others, beginning first with our family members. Then from v22, he moves on to the people we transact with in our working life. Imagine what would you say if you were writing to slaves? From a Christian viewpoint, the idea of a person owning one another is abhorrent. So if I had any advice to give to slaves, I would probably say “guys, you have to look after your rights. You better organize your own unions and make sure you fight for your rights. Don’t get bullied. Look for loopholes and make sure you aim to get out one day.” But what does Paul say? V22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” He’s saying, “You’re a slave so make sure you are a good slave. In fact be the best slave possible. Do all that your master tells you to. Go the extra mile by pleasing your master even when he is not around.” And if you had to talk to the masters, what would you say. I probably would say, “hey buddy, you’re a Christian and God created all of us equal in his image. So how can you own slaves? That is sinful and you’re a hypocrite!” But what does Paul has to say? Eph 4:1 “Dear masters, be fair and good masters. Do the right thing for your slaves.”

And sandwiched in between these two verses in v23, we have our key verse for today. Its position is interesting isn’t it? After all, each one is somewhere between master and slave. We may be a top executive but we still answer to shareholders and partners. Or we may be at the bottom and yet not slaves because our boss does not own us. So in that sense, v23 refers to everyone of us who works in this 21st Century world. And what does Paul say? “Whatever you do…” In other words, “wherever you right now.” So what is God telling you right now in this verse? Don’t wait until you get that dream job before you put your heart into it. Don’t wait for that promotion before you put in a good day’s work. Don’t wait until you have your own company before you put your heart, mind and soul into your work. Whatever you do – that means whether you work part-time or fulltime, or your boss is a slave-driver, or you’re just a store-room clerk that no one can see working, work at it with all your heart. That is somewhat hard to take in when we think of it. I mean can we put all our heart into our work? We can put our hearts into taking care of our family. We can put our hearts into serving in church ministry. But when it comes to work, I am not sure if it applies all the time. A lot of us might think, there is nothing significant that I do so why put my heart into it? My boss doesn’t know I exist in the store-room so why work so hard? I just prepare the accounts for the boss to check and if some figures are wrong, it is not my fault because he should check it. And anyway, even my boss doesn’t put his heart in to it when the CEO is not around. And he doesn’t care! When the company goes on hard times, I will be the first to go. Or else he will cut my bonus. Or else he will outsource my job and I end up working 60 hours for the new boss. What’s the big deal? Why should I work hard now when my boss does not care for me? I am just going to do enough to get by until a better opening comes around. That is exactly the work attitudes that many of us encounter in our lives in the secular world.

But Paul gives us the reason why we ought to out our hearts into whatever we do. He says do it “as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” In other words, when you go to work up tomorrow morning to work, put your heart into it as though God is your supervisor or your best customer or your CEO or chairman of the board. But again, this raises the question that we ask ourselves always when faced with this point. This is not ministry, it is just work, it’s not significant. But Paul gives us a new perspective and motivation for giving your all at work when he says “since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

And suddenly we are faced with a very broad context because he is saying that as a Christian, ultimately we have to give an account for every single part of our life to our Lord Jesus. And one day we will be rewarded for every single part of our life in this world and that includes our work. Not just for what we did in our marriage, or in church ministry, or raising our children. In other words, your earthly boss may reward you with a bonus or extra leave or a promotion but never forget you have a big boss up in heaven. God does not compartmentalize our lives and he is going to measure our faithfulness in every single part of our lives and that includes our working life. Don’t be deceived by thinking this is between you and your supervisor or your employer or your Company Chairman. God is saying that “No! You’re a Christian and your whole life is a test of your faithfulness to God. I am interested in your working life and faithfulness in your work is faithfulness me, your Heavenly Father. And I will reward you for your faithfulness.” The point is this – what you do is not as important as how you do it. The significance of your work is not measured by your job description and details. It is measured by whether you put your heart into your work now wherever God has placed you somewhere between being a master and being a slave. We are so focused on what and where but God is focused on the how and the diligence and the fact whether you are putting your heart into your work now.

And then to reinforce the idea, Paul tells us in v24, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Just as you serve him in your marriage, in your finances, in your church ministry and in your friendships, you are to serve him in the same way in the marketplace. He is your ultimate rewarder. Ultimately, you are accountable to him. He is your permanent boss and we are to serve him in our current jobs with that in mind. We are not to worry about what we do or where we work but how we do our jobs today, now. With that in mind then, let us think of what are the implications of Col 3:23 when we go to work tomorrow. I’d like us to consider 4 points that we can glean in our study of this verse.

1. What you do now has eternal implications even if it has no obvious value

The first is that your work has eternal implications even if it has no obvious value, per se. Your work, whatever it is now, has eternal implications even if it has no eternal value to anyone. The reason I am saying this is because we get too hung up on the eternal value of what we do. We think of evangelism as having eternal value. We think that maybe if we are a doctor now that has eternal value because we save lives and heal the sick. Or maybe we think that counseling people has eternal value because we heal people’s minds and attitudes. And perhaps some of you may be thinking, “exactly, pastor! That has eternal value. But look at what I am doing. I type letters for my boss. I call people and sell them things. I wash the toilets and cook for my employer. I buy and sell the stocks that my clients ask me to. How can this thing that I do have eternal value?” But that thought is so wrong. Because if we take what God is saying here in Paul’s letter as the truth, it means that, every piece of work that we do in the marketplace is significant. Significant not in the sense that it has eternal value for someone else, but it has eternal implications for you and certainly that means your work attitudes has an eternal value for you. Your heavenly father is going to watch you work tomorrow. And he will measure and judge your faithfulness to him with the faithfulness that you show towards your job tomorrow. By seeing how you give your all in your workplace tomorrow. Whether you come in on time, whether you work when the boss is not around, whether you take things from the office for your use at home. All these are going to be some of the signs of your faithfulness and God is going to be watching. And he is going to reward you according to the attitude and heart that you put into your job tomorrow, not just what you put into your ministry on Sunday or your family responsibilities.

2. How you perform at work is as important as where you work.

The second implication is how you perform at work is just as important as where you are working. We are always focused on where we work aren’t we? We see our friends have better jobs or the grass is greener over there. Or we think if only I had my own company, that is where I can perform well. If you have those thoughts, perhaps God might be saying, “Hold up my child, just take a step back and do a rethink.” Its OK to ask God for a transfer or a promotion or even to bless your efforts to start a new company. God may well do that for you in the future but what about now? God is more concerned with how you are performing right now, not just when you get that dream job or that professor’s chair or that IPO. We tend to pray far more often prayers like these, “Oh Lord help me to get that promotion or help me get another company because my boss is real nasty, etc.” How often do we pray, “God I want to do my work today really well! Help me to put all my heart into my work today and I will let you decide when I get that promotion or that transfer or that new job, etc?” If what the Scripture verse is to seen as true, that means how I do my job tomorrow wherever I am is more important than where I am. How I do my job wherever I am is more important than where I am.

3. Your performance at work is just as important as your Christian character and witness.

The third point is this – our performance at work is just as important as our conduct at work. Now what am I saying here? It simply means you cannot claim to be a Christian of great character and yet slack off when you are working. There are some Christians who may have this attitude. They think, “Who cares about this job anyway? I am not going to be in job very long and it has no value as far as God’s Kingdom is concerned.” I believe God might have something different to say to an attitude like that. Poor performance in your workplace is never balanced out by great Christian character. It should not be offered as an excuse in place of bad performance. Don’t say “Boss I know I did not get the job done but praise God I did not steal the pens.” Our Christian character should be a given. It is a given that we should not steal the pens, we should start work on time, we don’t take credit for others’ work, etc. However in addition to that the question is “how are we doing our jobs?’ The question is not “are you a nice person?” The question is, "are you getting the job done?" Are you being faithful to your supervisor or boss or company in doing the job they hired you to do? And you cannot make the excuse, “But that is just the world. It is just secular, it’s the marketplace, it does not matter.” No, to God, your performance matters as much as your character. Yes, God has called you to be a man or woman of great character in the marketplace. Yes, God has called you to be a good Christian witness in your office. But God has also called you to work at your present job with all your heart and to put your all into your present job. And when you put your all into the job, you can be sure that you are getting the job done. It is as simple as that. So telling God that what you do is not significant is not going to work for you.

4. Putting your heart into your work allows God to bless your work.

We come now to the last point which is if you want God to bless your work than you need to put your heart into your work. What do we mean by this? If you were a Christian counsellor and a couple were to come to you and say, “We want God to bless our marriage. Can you tell us what we can do so that God will bless our marriage?” how would you reply? I am sure you probably say that’s great and I can show you how you can get God to bless your marriage. And then you would take out the Bible and you would tell them that all they have to do is read the Bible and conduct their marriage according to the principles found in Scripture. This is because God blesses obedience and he cannot bless disobedience. In the same way if you come to me and say, “I want God to bless my work from tomorrow”, I would reply, “that’s great. So tomorrow, you have to go to your workplace and do your work with all your heart because that is what Scripture tells you to do.” Obeying the Scriptures is one sure way of ensuring that God will bless your work. But you cannot go to work tomorrow and put in half the effort or just enough to get by and then expect God to bless your work. You cannot do that and then ask God to bless you by giving you a better job like your neighbor has, or a workplace environment like another neighbour. If you’re not being obedient to God now, you cannot say, “God give me that job I been asking for and I know I can do put my all into my work over there.” God may answer, “well that is well and good and maybe I will do it someday but what about now?” Are you putting your heart into your work now? God can bless your work now but he cannot bless your work until you handle your present job the way he has asked you to in Scripture. He can only bless your work if you invite him into your workplace and acknowledge that he is the big boss that you are accountable to. And when you become accountable to God, you will want to put your heart into whatever your work is. And when you do things this way, you position yourself to receive the blessing of God.

You see the difference between what we think and what God thinks about work? With us, it is always about where we are and how much we get. With God it is about how we do at where we are right now. So when we go to work tomorrow, God will be looking at us. And when he sees us doing our job with all our hearts, he is going to be thrilled. He is going to be so proud of you because you’re being obedient to his Word. You’re showing him that “yes, you work for the Lord.”

I want to close with a story that happened to me in my early years at the Helping Hand. One of my first assignments in the Helping Hand was working for the catering department. We provided buffets for church weddings and small groups, etc. So there we were setting up the buffet tables and laying out the food when a church staff came to us. He told us that someone had messed the toilet up and he told my staff in-charge to help clean it up before the wedding started. So my staff called me to help him and while cleaning up the toilet and mopping it dry, I kept going on and on about how unfair the staff was. We did not mess the toilet up, we are the caterers and the toilets were not our responsibility and we should have just told him so. I complained that the staff was just taking advantage of us. Finally, when we finished, my staff looked at me, smiled brightly and said, “Its OK Luke, we work for the Lord not for men.”

Salty Influence

2010-09-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

At a CG I recently visited, the topic of discussion was on Jesus calling his disciples “the salt of the earth”. Someone shared that salt dissolves and dissipates into the dish to which it is added. The dish itself is very much larger than the tiny amount of salt that is added. Yet, it is able to influence the taste of the dish. In the same way, Christians can exercise influence over a body of people much larger than themselves.

In what ways can we as Christians influence a body of people larger than us? I believe God has entrusted us with the task of preserving his goodness in this world. So we must always reflect to see how we are doing this. Being Christians, it is very natural to attract the attention of people around us. Our colleagues, relatives and friends observe our values that come out in the things we are passionate about. Do we engage them with bawdy jokes and stories just to be one of the crowd? They will see how we treat others in our midst - the foreigners, our subordinates, even how we attend to our children. They watch and they see how we act and react to circumstances. If our desire is to live up to the salt that we are in Christ, then every moment people see us is a glorious moment to show them the goodness of God. Therefore, we must commit ourselves to preserving God’s goodness around us. This is because we may be the only Bible these people will read.

Another thing that surfaced was that salt has healing properties. I remember, in my younger days, whenever I had a tooth taken out, the first thing my mother did was to dissolve salt in water and make me gargle and wash the cavity out. It was to help the healing process. During Jesus’ time, salt was used as an antiseptic. I remember reading somewhere that when little babies were born, they were given a saline bath to ward off infection. Christians too can bring healing into people’s lives. There will always be people around us who need acceptance and comfort for their failures and brokenness. They need people who will hold them up, speak healing words and let them know, even though down, they are still not crushed and beyond hope.

Different dishes require different amounts of salt. So it is with people we attend to. How much we give of ourselves to non–Christians depends on what is going on in his or her life. It could be that the person has some special need for compassion or comfort or some other unique need in some way. That involves a sacrifice of time and resources and makes us vulnerable.

However, just as salt has to interact with the dish to influence its flavour, we too have to interact with people to influence their lives. Salt is no use if it remains on the shelf or in the shaker. In the same way, Christians cannot influence the world if we simply remain in our churches and small groups. We exist for the purpose of being involved with non-Christians. We need to manifest a willingness to go out and let non-Christians enter our lives. We need to know them as people honestly and earnestly. That is why one of our core values is “Outreach for Christ”.

Discerning God's Will

2010-09-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isa 55:8)

I have been caught in many situations where I lamented “If only God would speak to me clearly now”, “if only I was like some others who seem to believe they understand exactly what God thinks and what he would do in every situation.” However, I do believe that God’s ways and thoughts are far beyond our ability to fully understand all the time. If we are unable to read one another’s minds, except through calculated guesses, we definitely cannot read God’s mind.

Nevertheless, there are ways that God gives us glimpses into his thoughts and desires. I believe these are the ways:

1. Through His written Word. The Bible has been given to us by inspiration from God. It teaches us what is true. It points out wrong things about our lives and guides us into doing things right (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Therefore, if we seek God’s will and way, it is best to begin by saturating our minds with God’s Word.

2. Through prayer. Prayer is not about presenting a shopping list to God, it is a dialogue with our loving Heavenly Father. Prayer focuses our thoughts and attunes us to all that God is. Thus, we are prepared to hear what he might say to us. Does God speak to us through prayer? I believe he does, but with a still small voice that is more sensed than heard.

Yet, there are times when, in trying to discern God's will, nothing seems to come to you through the Bible or prayer. I believe there are also indirect ways that God makes his will known:

1. Circumstances. God works through providential circumstances. He will create opportunities, e.g. through open and closed doors, and then place it all in our paths - in order to direct your steps or confirm a particular direction. We should pray and ask God to confirm the steps then. It is also important to discern if the opportunity presented is against God’s revealed will. In doing so, we can make sure that the situation before us in not coincidental.

2. Good Judgment. God has given a sound mind, able to weigh pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities. We should use it. In times like this, I mentally check-off pros against cons, strengths against weaknesses, etc. This way I can discern which side outweighs the other. However, there is a need for caution. Our perceptions are not always objective (Jer 17:9). Thus, in a real sense, judgment is limited in how far it can direct us along God’s path, even if our hearts are at peace with our conclusion. It is always best to check the decision with other means, such as God’s revealed Word, counsel of others, prayer, etc.

3. Advice of Others. The advice of mature Christians is highly regarded, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Prov. 12:15). Yet, it is seldom sought in these days of individualistic expressions of faith. The advice of other mature Christians in Christ’s body is more objective than ours. They have their own experiences and knowledge and the wisdom to be gleaned from them is valuable.

Although things are not perfect

2010-09-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of "Camp Complaining"
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o "thank" is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Z ion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

SOURCE UNKNOWN

Living Lives Worthy of the Gospel

2010-09-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

2 Tim 1:8b-10 “But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Notice that Paul says God has saved us and called us to a holy life (V9). That means we should live our lives befitting that as children of God. We may not be a Paul who calls himself a herald, an apostle and a teacher but we can all emulate the examples of Lois and Eunice who not only taught the Christian life but lived the life in a way that Timothy caught it from them. That is what we should do, all of us.

I am sure all parents do not want their sons to grow up and become drug addicts or have their daughters emulate Paris Hilton. They would want their children to reflect their parents and bring honour to the family. It is OK in wanting that because God also expects his children to bring him honour. What is not OK is to make them feel small and unaccepted when they don’t live up to their parents’ expectations. That is the good thing about God – he never expects more from us than what we can give him. Christian faithfulness is to be faithful witnesses of Christ in every area of influence where we find ourselves with people who do not know Christ. Also faithfulness is not just talking about Christ but walking to show that he is in our lives. Our works must measure up to our words.

How do we do that? One way is that we should strive to be good examples to one another. Just as Paul was a good testimony and a role model to Timothy, so Timothy must have been a good example to those who came behind him. All of us are Christians because of someone’s effort. Therefore we too should make the effort to ensure that the people around us know what a Christian looks like. Say what you like, we are all examples and the only difference is whether we are good examples or bad examples. Why not chose to be good examples especially so when we have a loving Heavenly father who loves us and imparts his grace to help us live for him.

And we should be living our lives now because we never know how our influence can have eternal implications and impact the Kingdom of God. Faithfulness is each one of us living the Christian life now and not looking to do it in the future. I keep thinking of William Carey. He was born into a Christian home but he never really knew Christ. Much later while he was working as a cobbler, he had a genuine conversion experience through the faithful witnessing of a fellow cobbler. From then on, he was on fire for God and about fifteen years later in 1793, he sailed to India as a missionary. Today we call him the father of modern missions and study his life as an example of missions. But William Carey laboured very hard and it was at least seven years before he had his first Indian convert. Imagine plodding on for 7 years before you bear fruit. Today, if we experience the same thing, we will say maybe this is not God’s calling because there is no fruit and God is not blessing our work. But because of Carey’s perseverance and others like him, today we have many Christians in India. And William Carey wrote these words in a letter to his nephew “I can plod and persevere. That is my only genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” Carey calls himself a plodder, one who moves slowly but surely. And if you read Hudson Taylor’s story it is the same thing, he persevered in China and because of people like him today we have many Christians in China. The way we live our lives when we purpose to live our lives as a blessing to the people around us can have eternal implications for the Kingdom of God. Is that not worth doing? You may think that you are one person and you won’t make a difference. I would like to share a story of this seminary classmate of mine. He was from India and a vice-president with an international bank but he gave it all up to come to Singapore to study theology so that he can help the church in India to grow. He had become a Christian because another Christian was faithful in living for Christ and witnessed to him. We may not achieve the great things of Paul the apostle. We may think we may not be like Paul the apostle or we may not be William Carey but we can be like Lois or Eunice. Christians who model the Christian life so that it is caught by those around them. Christians who witnessed whenever they could to whoever they could around them. That is what many Christians have done before us and may God help us to be faithful so that those behind us may find us faithful examples.

God is our Heavenly Father

2010-09-09T06:46:00.000-07:00

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Tim 1:8, 9

Paul exhorts Timothy not to be ashamed of witnessing or suffering for the Gospel. Perhaps this is a good time to try and understand what the Gospel really means to us. Every year, we remember Good Friday. We know that our entry into heaven was secured at a high price. Yet if our thinking was just to stop there, that we are now forgiven and that we are going to heaven, I think we are missing the point. Because the other aspect of our salvation tells us that we are also God’s children. That is what we are told in John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Children of God – what an awesome thought! Is there another faith where we can find the thought or teaching that God can be addressed as Father? Even in the Old Testament I think the Israelites never dared addressed God as father. Yes - God was addressed as the Lord of Hosts, the Almighty One but never as a heavenly Father. Yet that was how God himself perceived his relationship withy those who accepted him, even the Israelites. In Jeremiah we learnt of how the Jews were conquered and exiled. God, speaking through Jeremiah, promised to restore them and then he said these words, (Jer 31:20) “Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. He is a God who has compassion for his children. He is a tender-hearted God who has the interests of his children in his heart always. He is always filled with compassion for his children. That is why when Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, his opening words were “Our Father” We are the children of a God who cares for us. And because we are the children of a God who cares for us and lives for us we therefore we can have confidence to live for him.

Doing and Being

2010-09-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

One thing we can evidently say about Nehemiah – he was a man totally attuned to God’s agenda. We see this as his story unfolds in the book of Nehemiah when he hears of how the walls of Jerusalem are in ruins. He must have been a good and sensitive listener because Nehemiah responds with “when I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Neh 1:4). But his is not a mourning of passive despair. Instead, he is filled with what Billy Hybels calls ‘holy discontent’. Such ‘holy discontent’ is not contented with merely crying and wringing the hands helplessly but a spur to do something about the cause of his mourning. Nehemiah gets a vision of how he can use his life purposefully for God’s Kingdom – by restoring the ruins of Jerusalem’s walls. And we know how Nehemiah’s vision ends – in a great work which sees Jerusalem’s ruined walls and gates restored in 52 days.

As we go about the activities of our spiritual life, we too will hear stories of people with shattered and ruined lives. In fact, every church is filled with them – people with errant and wayward children, non-believing and absentee spouses, life-threatening or terminal medical conditions, self-destructive habits and behaviour, etc. Do we listen sensitively and pray to God for them? Do our prayers move us to examine ourselves rigorously, to see if there is any part we can play to restore their lives?

Even if we have no tangible resources to offer for the alleviation of another’s distress, we can still offer time and ourselves. When we cannot “do” for others, at least let us “be” there for them. Just being there and listening to them is already doing something for them. Over time, this will make a difference and translate into authentic and trusting relationships. Many of us have heard the maxim, “people don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” I have found to this to be a tried and true maxim in that almost all afflicted people are able to come up with solutions to their problems or the strength to live with it. What they need most is just someone with whom they can articulate their grief and pain and have the assurance that they will not be judged at all. Over time, our steadfastness in caring will build a trust within which growth and change can happen.

Time - that is something we find hardest to give. We are often tempted to “quick-fix” the other’s problem and then get frustrated because the other person will not move at our set pace. We end up hurt and forget the hurting person is not us but the one we are helping. In these situations, it is important just to accept the person unconditionally. After all, is that not how Christ acts with us too? I am sure we all have occasions where we stubbornly cling on to our wayward ways despite knowing the fallacy of it all. Does Christ’s love decrease on those occasions? I am sure it does not, so let us pray for the grace to be likewise with the people whom he points in our direction for us to help. Let us hold on to the promise of Gal 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

TWENTY TRUTHS TO REMEMBER

2010-09-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still.God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle -- it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Choosing the Right Side (Mark 8:31-38), Part 5 – Conclusion

2010-09-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

In conclusion, we can see the cross is a paradox. To the world, it stands as a symbol of death. However for Christians, it is a symbol of eternal life. We know that things like power, possessions and privileges, look like success to the world at large. However, they are actually failures in God’s eyes. This is because we know that no amount of earthly success will carry us into eternity. Further, we cannot carry our symbols of earthly success into heaven. As the text asks, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?” The answer to both questions is: nothing. Now Jesus is not telling us to give up everything. He is just telling us this world does not offer everything for a real life. Only He offers something worth striving for. Only He gives what is necessary for us to find life.

When we choose Jesus over the things of this world, we are not exchanging one form of slavery over another. In comparison, the cross of faith that we carry is light when compared to the yoke of sin we once bore. This is because Jesus himself grants us the grace to carry them. That is why we can choose to align ourselves to the Will of God. The Holy Spirit empowers us to do so, as we walk in faith. By the Holy Spirit, we can put on the right mindset and focus in the life choices we make. We will take up our cross, which is our Christian responsibilities, and see them for what they really are - the source of our freedom in Christ. When we take on the burden of charity, we are freed of the weight of greed. When we take on the burden of humility, we are freed from the weight of arrogance. When we take on the burden of mercy, we are freed from the weight of anger and guilt.

Let us pray that our Lord will make us bold in choosing the right side. That as we deny ourselves, the reality of his power and care will be visible to the people around us. Let us pray that he will help us to choose the right side.

Choosing the Right Side (Mark 8:31-38), Part 4 – Choose the Right Focus in Life (vv 36-38)

2010-09-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

Jim Eliott is very well-known for his statement “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” When Jim Eliott made this statement he may have been applying Mark 8:36-38, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." With these questions, Jesus challenges us to think about our real focus in life. Do we live for the things of this world? As Christians, we believe we will live with Jesus Christ in eternity. However, how is this fact lived out in our daily lives? Are we living in anticipation for his commendation when he comes again in glory? Are our lives focused on the temporal things of this world? Or do we live with one eye on eternity? He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Our focus in daily life determines how we live our daily lives.

People without God have nothing better to live for. So their lives are portrayed by chasing after earthly things – eating, drinking and material possessions. The more they have, the more successful they seem to be. There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking and having material possessions. However, the point is that should not be the main goal of our lives. We should live for what is eternal and not what is temporary.

That means we refocus whatever we do to reflect Christ’s Kingdom. If you are a businessman, apply Christian principles to your business. If you are a worker, work like your boss is Christ himself. In the home, inculcate Kingdom values in your children. Train them to have values and concerns and priorities and relationships as citizens of God’s kingdom. I am sure we are concerned that our children get a good education, job, etc. That is not a bad thing but that is also not the only thing in life. Our children should also learn to put Christ first. It is good to celebrate good grades, goals and the achievements of our children at home. However we should also celebrate Kingdom values such as godliness, humility, purity, stewardship and self-sacrifice.

In the use of our time and money, we should be kingdom-focused. That means we set goals for our giving. I am always edified by news of churches’ outreach ministries to the people around them. That is really being kingdom-minded. To fund those programs, God’s people need to give. It is only because many Christians cultivate a generous and giving spirit that makes all that possible. I am sure that if everyone was kingdom-focused all, ministry needs will be met and even more new ministries started.

Perhaps, it is also good for us to think specifically about how we can make some needed changes that reflect our kingdom focus. What can we do to be a better steward of our mind? Not our time but our mind. Perhaps we can keep track of our entertainment time? That means checking to see how much time we spend on TV, games, net surfing, etc. Then we compare it with the time we spend reading the Bible and prayer daily. If the gap is wide, we need to cut down on our entertainment and use the time for our spiritual pursuits. After all, which one has temporal and which one has eternal value?

Is there some thing we can do to invest in a ministry? We could go for training, check out our church ministries and set goals, find out the needs and opportunities for outreach. There is always something we can do for God’s kingdom. The work is never finished.

Keeping our focus on the kingdom is a mark of a follower of Christ. That is what Jesus is reminding us of as he says “what good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Our heavenly father knows what is truly valuable and will rust away or be eaten by moths. He has created the whole universe in such perfect order. Surely we can trust in his ability to define the worthy things we should focus on, in this life.

Choosing the Right Side (Mark 8:31-38), Part 3 – Choose the Right Mindset (vv34,35)

2010-09-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

We choose to follow God’s will and we also need to choose the right attitude. Now maybe you might ask me, “does not the two go together? When we choose the will of God, doesn’t it automatically follow that we will choose the right mind-set?” My answer would likely be “10% yes but 90% no!”

This is because of the sin nature within us. Its like the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Cognitively, we know we have to do the will of God. Yet many times, our weak flesh lets us down. The world’s mindset is that success is measured by how much wealth we have or how convenient & easy life is for us. Do anything different from that and you will be counted as unsuccessful. Tragically, some 21st Century city churches adopt this mindset too. Success is measured by the size and most number of programs offered to members. We end up with people who go church-shopping to see which church offers them the best for themselves.

But Jesus says here (v34), "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself & take up his cross and follow me." What did He mean? What does it mean to "take up a cross?" What does it mean when someone says, "I will take up my cross & follow Jesus?”

First of all, Jesus tells us that "taking up our cross" is something that we do voluntarily. Jesus calls us and challenges us but it is our choice. That is why I say we need to choose the right mindset. Taking up our cross and following Jesus is always a voluntary choice we must make.

Taking up our cross is not an accident that happens to us, or something unavoidable that we must face. For instance, I have a weak heart. I have to eat carefully and take medication and go for checkup regularly. It’s a condition I have to live with for the rest of my life. It’s a burden but it is not a cross I take up for Jesus. I cannot say that this is my cross to bear because I didn’t volunteer for a weak heart. Imagine if I am driving a car along the highway and a sudden storm causes a tree to fall and trash my car. So now I need a new car and the insurance company refuses to pay saying it is an act of God. And for the next four years, I stinge and save to pay the installments. I cannot call the installments my cross to bear because the accident was not my voluntary act and something I chose to do for Jesus.

Cross-bearing is an act of love that we freely choose. It is a price that we pay or a task we undertake out of love. For Jesus it meant going to a cross to die because his love for us compelled him to do so. For us, it means reaching out to people who are unlovable, unlovely and who may never return our love. We keep on loving because that’s what Jesus did.

I am very sure you will have heard of the story of Jim Elliott. In 1955, with other missionaries, he started to reach out to the Auca Indians in the jungles of Ecuador. The Auca Indians at that time were a murderous tribe that killed any outsiders they came into contact with. In reaching out to the Aucas, Elliott and the other missionaries sacrificed their own lives because the Aucas killed them in Feb 1956. Their martyrdom became known worldwide and continues to be an encouragement to many missionaries. After their deaths, there were many conversions to Christianity among the Indian tribes of Ecuador. After Elliot's death, his wife Elisabeth and daughter Valerie also reached out to the Auca Indians and lived among them. Because Elisabeth Elliott was willing to forgive the Aucas for killing her husband, many of the once-murderous Aucas came to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an amazing story of the amazing love of God.

That is what we mean by cross-bearing means. It means having the mindset of taking the love of God to the very ends of the world. It means to reach out and touch the lives of people around us who are hard to love. It means a mindset of self-denial and self-sacrifice. It means paying the price regardless of the hardships we must endure.

Choosing the Right Side (Mark 8:31-38), Part 2 – Choose the Will of God

2010-08-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

(Pictures taken off the Internet)

As mentioned earlier, from our study of Mark 8:31-38, we can see three principle that will guide us in discerning how we can choose the right side and make the right choices in life. The first principle is to choose the will of God above all. In Mk 8:29, Peter had just proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah, the long expected savior of God’s faithful. After that proclamation, Jesus explains to his close friends that there is more to salvation than feeding the hungry or leading a political revolution. He tells them that being the Messiah also means he must suffer and die and then rise again from the dead. However, Peter does not want to hear about suffering and dying. He finds that unacceptable. He takes Jesus aside and “rebukes” him strongly, “C’mon Jesus. You’re God. You don’t need to suffer. We came to you to escape suffering. We came to you to escape the oppression of the religious leaders. This is crazy talk. We’ve seen what you can do; we know no one can beat you.”

What is Jesus’ response? “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking in human and not divine terms”. Peter’s words were actually a temptation to Jesus. Jesus clearly knew about the suffering of the poor and the oppressed people of Palestine. He had divine power and could have overthrown, if he wanted to, the Roman Empire and taken over the government. He could have fixed all of the social injustices and cured all of the diseases of the world. To use modern terminology, he could have created a society where the standard of living was beyond anyone’s expectations.

But that was not his objective. Jesus’ objective was to do the will of the Father. That is why he rebuked Peter with these words, “You do not have in mind the things of God”. To Jesus, the will of the Father was most important above all. Think about it for a moment. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God himself. Yet he obediently followed his Heavenly Father’s will. And if Jesus, the perfect and sinless man chose to put obedience to God above all, then can you and I live a God-pleasing life by doing anything less?

Let us study a little astronomy. Look at the first picture above of the earth. The total area of the Earth, including the oceans, is approximately 510 million sq km. The diameter of the earth is 12K+ Km. Is that big? It sure does, especially to me from a little red dot called Singapore. Let us consider the sun in picture two. Big as the Earth is, you could actually string 340 Earths around its centre. So imagine your neck as the sun. You have to string 340 pearls of Earth together to make it go round your neck. In fact, 1.3 million planet Earths can fit inside the Sun. Do you think that is big? Let’s look at the third picture. Consider Sirius, one of our neighbours, only 8 light-years from Earth. 1 light-year is measured as the distance it would take for an object to reach its destination in 1 yea, travelling at the speed of light (186,000 miles/second). It is almost twice the size of the sun. But even that is nothing compared with Arcturus in picture 4 with a diameter 25 times that of the sun. Even bigger than Arcturus is Aldebaran which is 36 times the diameter of the sun. And even that cannot compare with the giant stars like Beteigeuze and Antares. To them, the sun is even smaller, just one pixel in the picture as you can see. Are you impressed? And who designed all this? Genesis 1:1 says God is the maker of Heaven and Earth. We read that in the Apostle’s Creed too. Not only did he create the world, he also sustains it by his power. Think of the wisdom that would be needed to keep all that in order. He is the same God, who so loved the world that he gave his one and only son Jesus Christ so that whoever among us believes in him would be saved. Imagine God, the all-powerful, all-knowing maker of Heaven and Earth, becoming your kind and loving Heavenly Father. Isn’t that an awesome thought? Surely we should be choosing to follow his Will above all.

The question is whose will do we really follow in life? Is it God’s will or the world’s? If we want to know whose will, all we have to do is examine what we do with our time and money. I heard Tim Keller preach this once. Tim is a Presbyterian pastor in New York City and I love to hear him expound God’s Word. He said that if anything that replaces God as the object of your heart’s affection, that object becomes your god (small g). Are there any other gods that we serve - golf, cars, money, careers, online gaming, anime watching, pornography, high fashion, even our own talents, etc? We should think about what is really the central object of our heart’s affection. Who really sits on the throne in our hearts - God’s will or our own? Would you stop coming to church near exam time? Then your exam results and not God sits on the throne of your hearts. Do we work (even pastors) ourselves to exhaustion to the point where the Bible and prayer becomes just an option in our daily life? Then our careers are now our idol and replaced God’s will for our life. Do you rush back from school and go online immediately to chat, play games online or download videos for hours, ignoring Jesus who wants to chat with you? Then your internet activities have become your idol. When we place anyone or anything above our Almighty God, we are choosing to disregard God’s will and follow that false idol’s will.

Choosing the Right Side (Mark 8:31-38), Part 1 – Introduction

2010-08-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

In Genesis, we read the story of Joseph as a slave in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar was the captain of Pharoah’s bodyguards. He trusted Joseph so much he made him manager of his household. Joseph carried out his assignments well. However, because he was young and probably good-looking, he attracted the attention of Potiphar’s wife who attempted to seduce him. However Joseph refused to give in to her and answered, “How can I do such a wicked thing and sin against God (Gen 39:9).” Joseph made a choice and, as history shows, he chose to the right side to be on.

The challenge to take the right side still confronts us today many times in our lives. Whose side are we on in the daily decisions of our lives? There are so many choices that seem right to us. How do we know we have chosen to make the right decision? In Mark 8:31-38, we can find the answer. We see Jesus himself confronting his disciples with their very understanding of him. It is only with the power of understanding Christ that, after his resurrection, they were able to make the right decisions in life. Only then could they choose the right side to be on as they carried out their mission in life. However, the text itself is not a dummies’ guide to choosing the right side. Instead, we can we can see three principles that should guide our decision-making. When we consistently follow these three principles, we can be sure we are choosing the right side and making the right choices in life. Over the next few days, I will post what I believe to be the 3 principles that should guide our decision-making in life.

Ready Or Not?

2010-08-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

The H1N1 pandemic, like SARS a few years earlier, is a reminder to us of our own mortality. That day the Lord calls us before him is a day we all anticipate, although we also know it comes on us stealthily and suddenly. Nevertheless, it is a day we can prepare for. In reading 1 Thess 4:1-18, we are reminded that as we live on earth, there are dangers to avoid and duties to take on. If we follow faithfully our Lord’s guidance, we can be sure that we will not be caught ashamed when the Day of the Lord is upon us.

Live a Balanced Life (vv3-8) – Avoid spending disporportionate resources and effort on things we do for pleasure. How much time do we spend on our entertainment or on eating even? Measure that against time we spend on reading God’s Word. That should give us some idea of how important our spiritual life is to us. We should also avoid being obsessed by our work life. God has given each of us creativity. Unfortunately, when it is tarred by sin, we tend towards workaholism. This subjects us to burnout and nervous disorders leading to a barren life, despite our material abundance.

Be involved in things that matter (vv9-12) – While we are to avoid the excess of working for our keep until we burnout, it does not mean we avoid ministering in God’s name. I believe God expects us to be involved and has called us to be his partners in making him known through ministry and mission. How involved are we? Are we using our gifts to his glory in ministry?

This life is not the only one we have (vv13-18) – We should live keeping our eyes on eternity. Many people, Christians included, live as though only the earthly life matters. Our journey through this life should be lived in the light of the Gospel. Each day is a day that God calls us to the obedient life that reflects his glory and truth. Sometimes, this obedient life will cause the world to think disparagingly of us and even ridicule us. This is something Jesus received and told us that we will too. But he also reminded us that God’s favour is on us when we live our lives to please God, regardless of the world’s attitude towards us.

So as we ponder about balancing the work life and recreational life with the spiritual life, or even our temporal work life against our ministry life, we can see that we need divine wisdom, above all, to bring things into balance. We all need this wisdom, even pastors, and it can only come from above. To attain this, we need an uncompromising attitude of prayerfulness. This consists of continuous and continual prayer. How much time and how many times do we spend on daily prayer? Excluding our prayer before meals, our prayer in church and with our CG friends, how much time do we devote to prayer daily and weekly?

Regular prayer is victorious prayer. I read this somewhere “unless we know how to bend our knees before God, we will never stand upright before Him on the Coming Day.” Seeking to live a God-pleasing life without seeking God’s will can be futile and fruitless. The only way to overcome the flesh, the world and the Devil is by drawing on heavenly resources. These heavenly resources are ours through reading and reflecting on God’s Word and through prayer.

May the Lord’s praise be with us when he comes to take us home!

How Do I Carry My Cross and Follow Jesus?

2010-08-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

What does Jesus expect of me when he tells me to take up my cross and follow him? What did he show by carrying his cross? I think it means he showed his love for me who was his enemy, hostile to God and deserving of whatever I had coming to me. So then should I not follow his example to love those who are unloving to me? Perhaps 1 Cor 13 would be a good way to describe cross-bearing for Christ.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but do not take up my cross and follow Jesus, I gain nothing.

Taking up my cross and following Jesus means being patient and being kind. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I will not envy, I will not boast, I will not be proud. I will not be rude, I will not be self-seeking, I will not be easily angered, and I will keep no record of wrongs. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. To take up my cross and follow Jesus means I will always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere.”

Its easy to say but so hard to do all the time. That is why I praise Jesus that he accepts me totally and unconditionally, even when I fail him.

Not Crushed, Not In Despair

2010-08-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

I remember reading the sports pages of one particular weekend in 2009 which were dominated by (then) English League soccer champions Manchester United’s 2-1 win over their arch-rivals Arsenal. Among the reporters comments were ‘Arsenal were clearly the better side’, ‘they (Manchester United) were lucky to win’, etc. I did not see the match but from the neutral reporters, what emerged was that Manchester United never gave up. They kept moving forward even though Arsenal displayed greater skills and speed. Ultimately their resilience in the face of a seemingly superior opponent paid off. Reading these reports, I get an echo of Paul’s words in 2 Cor 4:8, “hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.”

Does this verse hold true in our lives? In these challenging times, we will be hard-pressed and perplexed by events like divorce, financial failure, retrenchment, children’s waywardness, etc. If Paul’s words are to hold true, then it is important to let God help us face, accept and resolve the pain of our stressful crises and then move us on.

First, we must acknowledge God as sovereign and the ultimate source of all we have. This means we can trust him to provide what we need to overcome our challenges. Thus, as we wait on God’s timing to deliver us, we should also look for a new job if we are retrenched and not act paralyzed by despair; seek sound advice to manage our finances so that we are not crushed by financial failure; join a parents’ support group so that we do not feel abandoned when our children become independent, etc. God, in his sovereign power, works through all our circumstances. I also think it important that our daily schedule be as normal as those days where we do not face these challenges. In other words, go to bed and wake up at the usual time. Go out and engage in some positive pursuits during what used to be your working hours. Don’t stay up late ‘unwinding” on the internet or cable TV. Keep in contact with other people, pastors, church friends and others, who can encourage and pray for you.

Above all, we need to keep our eyes on the goal. That is what the Manchester United team did – keep their eyes on the goal they were shooting for. Our goal is ensure that our fellowship with God is maintained at all times. It is always good to keep close to God and to dwell in his presence. We should pray and read the Bible often to seek God's Will and to act accordingly rather than act according to how our emotions tell us to. He will not fail us and if our challenges are due to us failing him, then we should all the more seek him because we know he loves and accepts us unconditionally. The right spiritual attitudes will determine if we overcome or are overcome by our challenges. May we then avail ourselves to his grace and live as overcomers to glorify God.

May Christ’s blessings abound in all whose hope is in him and in him only.

The First Duty Of Love Is To Listen

2010-08-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

It was a late night after my seminary class gathering. As I walked into the waiting area to catch the next train home, these words which formed the SBSTransit thought of the day caught my eye, “the first duty of love is to listen.” This was one of the most famous quotations of Paul Tillich, an eminent Protestant theologian. He died about forty+ years ago but his thoughts on how theology should correlate the gospel to modern culture, by answering the questions thrown up by that culture, are still influential enough to be discussed in seminaries today.

The words of Tillich could well have been echoing God’s admonition to us in James 1:19 that we are to be slow to speak and quick to listen. From my past years of ministry, I have come to realize that many people, including myself, have the habit of speaking more and listening less. When someone comes to us to share a problem, we are prone to break into the conversation and immediately suggest a solution instead of allowing that person to finish. When someone makes what we think to be a simplistic or unworkable suggestion, we pre-empt the person with our own conclusions and brush off the suggestion without allowing the idea to be fully articulated. That is why I really admire my former theology professor for his reaction when he realizes he has unconsciously broken into a conversation thread. He would immediately apologize and ask that person to continue with what he was saying. Would that more of us, including myself, were sensitive like him to the times we are too quick to speak.

People talk to us for many different reasons. They may be seeking comfort from some inner struggle or relief from sorrow. They might simply be nervous about some impending situation. And sometimes, they just need to vent their emotions. Many times they come to us not seeking solutions but mainly a warm heart and sympathetic ear. The act of talking becomes a cathartic moment for them, helping to lift their fears and burdens. We need to determine their need at the moment so that we may know how to react. We can never be a good listener if we are jumping to conclusions as others are talking. We should let the other person tell the whole story before we respond.

We can develop in our listening sensitivity and we should develop it because God has called us to minister to one another in our community. Parents are natural listeners. They listen raptly in adoration as their children recount the things they just did or describe to them the work they put in to finish their latest drawing. Parents too are naturally inclined to put aside their own needs in order to listen intently so as to help their child work through a difficult situation. We also have the example of God to follow. We come to him all the time with our fears and frustrations, unfulfilled hopes, unrealistic expectations and demands, etc., and we come with confidence knowing that he listens to every word that we say. We can be assured that he does not brush aside our feelings in the manner that we are wont to do to others. Thus, we have the ability and we have the example to emulate.

If we are to be known as disciples of Christ who listen to their master’s command to love one another, then Tillich’s reflection should not be a burdensome chore to us. Rather, it should fill us with joy to know that, humble and small though our efforts may seem, God is using us purposefully in this community. We may not be trained counselors able to offer profound wisdom about overcoming adversity but we can listen with intent and sensitivity. We may also find that many times, that act of listening is enough for effective ministry to one another.

Make and enjoy quiet times with God

2010-08-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

In our hectic world it seems that there is no such thing as "quiet time," but there is a way to find and protect such periods of tranquility, especially time we spend with our God, in prayer. Establish - or re-establish - your prayer life with a considered plan of action.

Introduce yourself to God in prayer. Tell Him what's on your mind. Tell Him you are ready to begin - or begin again - a prayer relationship. Don't worry about saying it right, being in the right place, or at the right time. Come as you are.
Don't worry. Don't try so hard that your quiet time becomes a burden. It should be a joyful time when you are with God.
Make friends with silence. Begin a day's devotional time by sitting quietly. Set aside a few minutes for quiet communion with God, unworried by words and unhurried by agenda. Don't worry about saying anything or accomplishing something.
Approach God confidently. Come to your quiet time with anticipation. Expect to meet God. Expect that He will take what you say into account. Expect that He will be able to do something about what you say.
Read the Bible. Read it not only for information, but for your own transformation. Ask, when you have read a portion of the Scripture, What would God have me learn from this about Him? About myself? About how I live as His servant?
Pray the Lord's Prayer. Say it in a fresh new light. Say each petition separately, and then contemplate what that simple phrase means, and what God's response might be.
Prime the pump. Use other prayers to get you going when you just can't seem to begin your own prayers - or if you are unaccustomed to praying. Collections of prayers are available at any Christian bookstore. Hymnals and worship books contain useful prayers. Periodicals devoted to daily devotions, such as The Upper Room or Our Daily Bread are valuable sources. See such prayers as supplements to your own. Read them slowly and meditate on them. Concentrate on their meaning. Don't let the archaic language of ancient prayers delight you - or distract you.
Sing songs. Hymns and praise songs can enrich your quiet time. Listen to tapes and CDs. Sing your favorites. Instead of reading a Bible passage, sing it to a favorite tune - or in your own musical terms.
Use the Psalms as cue cards. They can help you bring a wide range of emotions into your devotions. Add your own personal verses to the ones of the psalmist.
Use the newspaper. Come to God with the daily press and broadcast news programs; and pray for the sorrows and needs of the world. Turn them into fervent prayers.
Prioritize. Make prayer a big enough priority that you plan it in your daily life, even when it's not easy.

Taken from the Internet : Source Unknown

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

2010-08-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

In Isaiah 53:5, we have the promise “…by his wounds we are healed.” We know that even after becoming Christians, we do not have disease-free lives. Nor do we have healing every time our organs break down. What then is the healing that Isaiah refers to?

Healing is defined as “to become whole and sound”. In this regard, I believe healing refers to the act of restoration to wholeness that God seeks to bring about in his crowning act of creation, i.e. us. When sin burrowed in and became rooted in our lives, it marred the very image he created us, that image which God said was “very good.” It is true that when Christ suffered and died for us, he did it so that our sins could be forgiven by trusting in him as Saviour. However, Christ’s sacrifice also made possible our reconciliation with God and the Holy Spirit’s residence in us. Through all these heavenly riches, the healing of our sin-scarred image is made possible. I guess that is why GRACE forms an apt acrostic for God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

In Richard Foster’s “Life with God”, he says grace is something God invites us to experience. Grace is more than just forgiveness of sin, which is what we tend to think it to be. Grace is experiencing the richness of God in helping us live an overcomer’s life. We are now able to overcome the sins that make us dishonour God. We are now able to overcome the hurt of others by forgiving them. We are now able to learn to live on less so that we can give more to God’s work or to others more in need. We are strengthened when we face financial crunches like debt, failed investments and falling property rates. We persevere through issues like job loss or instability, conflict at work, etc. We learn to do good even to those who victimize us in school.

In some of these cases, it could be due to our own fault arising from our disobedience of God’s laws. If so, we need to confess it to Christ, ask for forgiveness and resolve the wrong especially if others have also been hurt. It could also be due to others’ wrongdoing (spouse’s abuse, work-related stress, fraud by people we trusted, etc. It could also just part of our earthly life, e.g. cancer, physical/mental breakdowns, accidents or death of loved ones. In times like these, when we are innocent of wrongdoing, it can be easy to let discouragement overcome us. Yet, it is in times like these that God lavishes his grace on us to carry us through such trials. His grace will lift our heads to look up in faith and be assured that God is good, even when life is not good.

In 2009, I have no doubt that many of us will face such trials. To live the overcomer’s life is simply to maintain God’s perspective in all circumstances. His perspective is for our trials to make us “mature and complete” (James 1:2-4), i.e. making us whole and sound. Our trials are the very means of our healing, through God’s grace. Therefore, let us maintain God’s perspective and continue reading His Word and listening to His Spirit. This will help us answer questions such as “what would God have me do?”, “what does God think of me?”, etc. We also need to persevere in our life together because that may well be the means through which his grace enables us to grow in Christlikeness. It may also be the means for us to seek godly counsel from others around us and who have our interests at heart. When we do all these things, we will be cooperating with God as he brings about the healing of the stained image of Christ in us.

Transformed From The Inside Out - By Sue-Lynn Teo

2010-08-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

The following article was written by Sue-Lynn Teo, one of our Powerhouse+'s powered-up young people.

Someone once asked me “When you became a Christian, how was your life transformed?” I was quite stumped at that moment, but as I reflected on it I was reminded of Galatians 5:16-18 “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature… If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law”.

As I meditated on these verses, I realised that even born-again Christians like me struggle with issues of how we live a holy and pleasing life to the Lord (Romans 12:1). The lure of the world and its sinful desires seem much too attractive and we sometimes can get pulled back in. As a university student studying overseas, the temptation of drugs, alcohol, clubbing and getting drunk just to experience a ‘high’ were more real. I have to admit that at one point, I found myself swayed to conforming to worldly desires. Why wake up so early to go church on Sunday when I can go clubbing with my friends till late on Saturday? Why spend time serving in ministry when I can enjoy other more ‘exciting’ pursuits? I lived the life of a Sunday Christian, coming to church and being ‘holy’ but on other days, being no different from a non-believer. Looking back, I realised that I was choosing to live my life ‘somewhere between’ that of the sinful nature and that of the Spirit. Not willing to surrender my all to God, I gave him only a part of myself.

In retrospect, I realised two things. Firstly, no matter how hard I tried, I could not be free from sinful desires. I remember trying to change my outward attitudes and actions by my own effort. More often than not, I failed to see any real change. I could not deal with the two conflicting forces by myself and if I relied on my own strength, I would inevitably fall back to my sinful life. My own effort to change my external actions and attitudes without an inward working of spirit could not lead to lasting and true transformation. Indeed, an outward change of actions and attitudes can only result from the inward workings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The apostle Paul proclaimed to the Galatian church that Christ has set us free from sin and the law. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1). The image of a prisoner’s chains being broken away as he is released from life of captivity comes to my mind. He has to carve out a new path in his life and start afresh, making the conscious decision everyday to resist his old ways.

It dawned on me that transformation was not a “one-off-overnight-thing”. Rather it was a process that I have to go through to truly live a life worthy of the Lord. Luke 9:23 reminds us that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. We have to surrender our whole selves to God, not just a part, and wholeheartedly follow Him. Not just today, not just on Sundays but every day of our lives.

Indeed, only a transformation from the inside out can enable a lasting change so that we can truly use our lives as living testimonies to His name. I encourage you, my brothers and sisters in Christ to make every effort to live a life by the spirit. Then, the power of Christ will help you control your sinful desire, the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ will be behind your actions.

ON HAPPINESS, PROSPERITY AND PROGRESS

2010-08-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Just last Monday, we celebrated our National Day, the most important day for us as a nation. It was 45 years ago that Singapore became a sovereign nation. This was after an unsuccessful experiment at federalism with our neighbours which began when all of us achieved independence from Britain in 1963. Fortunately, we have been spared traumatic experiences like wars, ethnic killings, etc when we achieved sovereignty. Nevertheless the future did look uncertain, in 1965, for a nation that was a hodgepodge of ethnic groups, with no resources to sustain a viable economy. By the grace of God, we have weathered these obstacles to become one people moving progressively in the 21st Century.

As Christians, we have our own personal “National Day”, the day we are born-again. It is the day, the Bible tells us, when God “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13, 14).. The Almighty God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth chose us to be his children and the recipients of his love. It is something to marvel at and to render all praise for God for his mercy.

Just as a nation seeks to grow in riches as it moves on from independence, so too must we Christians grow in ‘riches’ as we move through Christian life. A Christian’s perception of riches, however, is unlike that of the world. God’s Word reminds us that true wealth is not about being abundant in cash and material possessions. Rather it is about being abundant in the blessings of peace, joy and spiritual growth.

Therefore, we should always seek to determine our heart’s attitude to see what kind of blessings we seek after. What absorbs most, if not all, of our daily energy? How do we respond when the sermon speaks to our attitudes regarding material possessions? What is our priority – increasing our possessions or worshiping God and spending time with family and friends? Do we own our possessions or do our possessions own us?

Christian literature reminds us to maintain a thankful attitude daily towards God. Being grateful to God daily gives us a proper perspective of life. It will help us establish benchmarks on how we are progressing in our spiritual life. If we do this throughout the day, we will be grateful for the things we already have instead of being preoccupied with what we do not have. Our hearts then will not be compelled to increasingly seek after material things at the expense of our relationships with God, our family and friends. By faith, we should put God first in all things. After all, God has promised us “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33).

When we seek after God’s Will and live according to his principles, we will find ‘happiness, prosperity and progress which, defined in biblical terms, translates into joy, a life governed by grace and peace and progress in spiritual growth. This is what Christ died to achieve for us. That is why we know grace as the acronym for ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’

May His blessings abound in all whose Hope is in Him and in him only.

Where is our Security?

2010-07-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

In I Kings 17, we have the account of Elijah hiding from King Ahab of Israel in the Kerith Ravine. After a year, the brook dries up because of drought in the land. Could God have caused the water to keep flowing since he had told Elijah to hide there? Yes! However, Elijah is told to go to Zarephath in Sidon. This was where Ahab’s wife, the wicked Jezebel, came from. That must have surprised Elijah because he could be sure that everyone there hated his guts since he had prophesied the current drought afflicting Israel. Why could not God send him to safer Jerusalem in Judah, ruled by good King Jehoshaphat? Further, widows were the poorest of all peoples. Yet, we see Elijah, in obedience, turn control of his life over to God and he moves, despite the drastic change.

With President-elect Obama helming the USA, we have seen him seek to implement policies to bring about changes. There is no doubt the changes have rattled departments which have been in maintenance mode or may have tangentially veered off. Further, some of his changes will affect other nations. Will all the federal servants be happy to implement the changes? Will those affected by the policy changes be happy? I may be wrong but somehow I doubt many will be. Nobody likes change especially once they have settled in.

I believe God brings changes in our lives so that we do not settle into our comfort zone and forget who he is or what we have to do. There is a Chinese saying that goes, “When you drink the water, remember the spring.” Biblically, I think that means remember not just your blessings but who provides them. Earlier, Elijah had seen the miracle of unclean ravens bringing food to him daily. Perhaps, watching the same miracle day after day can make the miraculous mundane for Elijah, as it sometimes does for us. God had a tremendous task ahead for him – to purge Israel of idolatry. To achieve that, Elijah needed the complete assurance of God’s sovereignty over all things. Perhaps it is to assure Elijah of this that God brings about this change.

We may find change uncomfortable but yet it is necessary. When change occurs, we learn to let go of what we want so that we can do what God wants. We become more dependent on the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather than people or our own resources. When change occurs, we adapt faster when we are rooted in God and not in our own resources. That is one lesson we can learn from Elijah’s life. In 2009, no one can doubt that there will be many challenges to our lives. Some of these challenges will be personal to us because of our uncertain times. Some of it will be part of our HPC journey as God moves us from where we are to where he wants us to be. These challenges will require changes, some uncomfortable, in our lives. However, let us concentrate on the end result to which we know God is leading us – our own spiritual maturity and making his glory known to the nations. When we do so, we will, just like Elijah, not be distracted by what is currently happening in our lives. When we do so, we will be walking in faith and trusting in the one who has sovereignty over all things, just as has been proven in Elijah’s life.

True Blessing

2010-07-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

In its December 2007 issue, Fortune Magazine subtitled its report on the Wall Street financial crisis arising out of mortgage debt as “the subprime mortgage crisis keeps getting worse—and claiming more victims.” The subprime crisis caused billions of dollars in losses then. The share prices of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, America’s biggest commercial and investment bank respectively, dropped 35%. Many other Wall Street financial giants such as Bank of America, Credit Suisse, etc posted billions of US$ losses.

Nine months on in 2008, the statement, “the subprime mortgage crisis keeps getting worse—and claiming more victims” is still true. Mortgage giants FannieMae & FreddieMac needed US government intervention to stop going under. Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, three of Wall Street’s biggest five investment banks, sold or forced into bankruptcy. When these financial dominos fall, they send jitters through the world economy. Already we see the shockwaves in various stock markets around the world. The future looks grim indeed with financial losses and unemployment looming.

Many were affected, including Christians. As Christians, what are the lessons that we can take with us? One immediate thought is learning contentment, amidst trial and tribulation. Paul was in prison yet he was contented. (Phil 4:11, 12) “… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” What was Paul’s secret? “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). Jesus was Paul’s all-in-all. Jesus should be our all-in-all. If he truly is, we will obtain the grace to withstand the losses. We will learn to reduce our living expenses to match our income. We will learn to ask, “How much do I want before I say I have enough?” We may learn that the next car, gadget, appliance is not something we really need. Perhaps we can also teach our children that the next videogame or toy or clothes or sportswear may not really be necessary and that they could do with a cheaper version or even not at all. Then when the economy looks rosier and our living picks up, we will remember Jesus’ exhortation, “…a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”(Luke 12:15). This is what caused the downfall of Wall Street’s investment bankers – imprudence arising out of discontentment with what they already possessed.

The other is to avoid ill-gotten gain. One news article described the crux of the sub-prime crisis was because these banks “bought each other’s debt and erased one another’s risk by dealing with one another in a giant chain letter.” It was paper wealth that was unethical if not downright illegal. Wealth per se is not a sin. It is our security in adverse times and it has the power to influence things for good. I believe God expects us to work and, at the same time, be a good steward and prudently handle the wealth and resources that we accumulate from our labour. But I also believe our means to attain wealth as well as the ends to which we use our wealth matters to him. Wealth, ill-used or ill-gotten displeases God.

Let us learn to live life by the standards that God expects of us. When we do so, we are blessed and “the blessing of the Lord brings wealth and He adds no trouble to it” (Prov 10:22).

Effect of Overwork on Children

2010-07-21T02:28:00.000-07:00

Today we read of many teenagers who roam the streets and get into trouble because they are too free after school. At the age when they need attention most and are trying to discover who they really are, they are left on their own and so they drift to the wrong people and learn the wrong values. Imagine the children coming home, looking forward to spending time with mom and dad. However, dad’s brought a whole briefcase of work home again and mom has a meeting with her colleagues again. The children get to spend their quality time with the maid instead in front of the TV or with the Sony Playstation. James Dobson once said this “crowded lives produce fatigue, and fatigue produces irritability, and irritability produces indifference and indifference can be interpreted by the children as lack of genuine affection and personal esteem.”

One biblical example of a good leader who failed to raise his children well was David. He became king over Israel at the age of 30 and made a great king. He won all his battles, reunited Israel and brought prosperity. However, in the second half of 2nd Samuel, we see a lot of dysfunction in his family. His oldest son Amnon rapes his own stepsister and David does nothing. After 2 years, Absalom takes justice into his own hands and kills Amnon. He escapes and years later he returns home but David refuses to see him. The rejection causes Absalom to rebel years later and David is forced to flee into exile. A writer once said that all this happened because David spent too much time at the office. What we see here is parental neglect. The failure to instill godly values leads to the rape of Tamar. There is also failure to rebuke and discipline Absalom’s murder of Amnon. The failure to cultivate a loving and respectful child-parent relationship leads to Absalom’s rebellion. David was just too busy at work and he reaped a harvest of bitter fruit because of the little time he sowed with his family.

In conclusion, I think we all agree that family should have a higher priority than work. The problem is in applying it because that demands sacrifices like career adjustments. We may have to give up that fast track we are on. We may have to work less overtime or maybe even get a new job. We have to overcome our pride and ambition to resist the lure of more money and accolades. There is a good chance we may earn less when we make this choice.

However, I also think there is a promise of a richer life to it. I believe those who align their vision of what success is with God’s vision of success will have a happier and more stable marriage. They will have a closer relationship with their children and they will have more time to nurture and train them. I am also very sure they will find little to regret in their twilight years.

Desire - by Matthew Teoh

2010-07-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Life is all about desire. And desire is not necessarily a bad thing. It is a passion that drives us towards a purpose. Life is full of wants, wishes, and cravings. Money, food, physical pleasure, studying, good grades, success (for ourselves and our children), girlfriends/boyfriends, technological gadgets, branded clothes, watching TV, Korean dramas, Facebook, MSN, respect, and love are just a few things humans enjoy and desire. It is not wrong to want or enjoy these things. But when we desire these things beyond what God intended (outside the boundaries set by God, basing our identity on them, obtaining them at the cost of people, etc.), we want unhealthily more than is necessary.

While reading the first chapter of James, I was struck by verse 16, which says: “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.” I spent some time reflecting. The verses prior talk about desire, temptation, and sin resulting in death. The verses after speak of God’s good and perfect gifts. I think that James was warning his readers to not be deceived by their sinful desires, because God is much better.

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:16-17

Because we were born into this world, we were born with its desires. Yet, we who have been born again should no longer crave earthly things because the “old has gone” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We know that the desires of the flesh and desire of the Spirit are in conflict. Thus, if we choose to live by the Spirit, we will not live according to the flesh. Desire becomes dangerous when our eyes are affixed on worldly things.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

On the other hand, when our eyes are fixed on God, the things of earth grow strangely dim. And it is peculiar because it is natural for humans to crave earthly things! However, we shouldn’t be trying to stifle our worldly desires because we no longer live for ourselves (Galatians 2:20). Our cravings for worldly pleasures will fade away when we long for something greater: God. Do our souls thirst for the living God (Psalms 42:2)? Is our delight in the law of the Lord (Psalms 1:2)? Are we experiencing His joy (Psalms 28:7)?

Being God-centered is not about giving up my “Facebook” or “TV” time to read the Bible. It is about desiring God and His Word so much that Facebook and watching TV becomes secondary (it doesn’t mean that using Facebook is a sin). It isn’t about us sacrificing our stuff for God. It is when our yearning for God becomes so great and overpowering that there is nothing else we desire but Him! Don’t be deceived by earthly pleasures. If you don’t desire to live by the Spirit, you may be willfully choosing to live by the flesh. If your mind isn’t being filled with scripture and Godly things, what are you filling it with? If you don’t desire God, then what are you desiring?

I earnestly pray that God will fill us all with an overwhelming and irresistible desire for Him, a soulful longing and incredible hunger for His Word, and an intense, fervent, and zealous passion for His glory.

Matthew Teoh is with Powerhouse+, HPC's Youth ministry

Facing Your Giants

2010-07-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Numbers 13, 14 chronicles one of the most tragic moments of Israelite history. The Israelites were on the verge of crossing into the Promised Land. As commanded by God, they send in twelve men on a reconnaissance mission. After 40 days, the men return with a promising report of an abundant land overflowing with mild and honey. However, the men also reported that it was impossible to conquer the land because it was inhabited by giants who would surely destroy the Israelites if they attempted this. This fearsome report caused them to grumble and murmur against God and invited his wrath. For their sin of unbelief, God judged that none of that Israelite generation over 20 years old at that time would cross over into the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb.

In the movie ‘Facing the Giants*’, American football coach Grant Taylor, the main character, is facing some ‘giants’ in his own life. His high school football team is perennially losing on the field. His house and car is breaking down, he cannot become a father and, even worse, he discovers a conspiracy to kick him out of his job. In his moment of despair, he asks his wife, “What’s God doing? Why is it so hard?” Yet, as the movie progresses, we see him overcoming his ‘giants’ of fear and failure and inspiring the people around him to do likewise.

What made Coach Taylor overcome his circumstances where the Israelites could not? In a pivotal scene, Coach Taylor walks in a field, praying the promises of Psalm 18 back to God to be his rock, his fortress and his shield. In his adversity, Coach Taylor turns to the promises of God’s Word. This is in stark contrast to the Israelites who turn away from the promises of God’s Word. They forgot God’s promise in Numbers 13:2 “send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites…”

More than simply being a guide to living well, the Bible is literally the promises of God to us. For this reason, it is important to read his Word, memorize it and reflect on it. When we do so, God’s Word becomes personalized to us and we can talk to God about it in our prayers. By doing so, we allow it to penetrate into the deepest nooks and crevices of our person, so that it becomes rooted within us, awaiting the Spirit’s bidding to bear fruit. Such a process of growth does not come overnight but it will come as long as we remain responsible to doing our part of reading, remembering and reflecting on Scripture. In the coming weeks and months, we will be returning to the discipline of memorizing Scripture in our Memory Verse of the Week (MVW). Let us give our best to God in this exercise so that we may echo what the Psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11)

* The DVD movie ‘Facing the Giants’ is available in the HPC library. In it, there is also a study guide where eight scenes from ‘Facing the Giants’ are selected for study to challenge us to think through how God would have us live. I like to recommend HPC CGs to consider this study for their meetings.

Who Am I?

2010-07-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?

Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, You know, 0 God, I am yours!

Poem by Dietrich Boenhoeffer,
March 4 1946

Sharing Your Testimony

2010-07-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Many Christians are intimidated by the idea of sharing their faith. Jesus never intended for the Great Commission to be an impossible burden. God meant for us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ through the natural outcome of living for him. We make it complicated. We think we must complete a 10-week course on evangelism and apologetics before getting started. God designed an easy evangelism program. He made it simple for us. Here are some practical ways to share our faith simply by being an example for Christ.

Faith for Me - Then You - In That Order
There's nothing worse than somebody trying to preach to you about something going on in your life when all you can think about is finding a way to fix it. At that moment, the last thing you want to see is somebody carrying a Bible, acting like they know exactly what you need and how you feel. And truth be told, when they ask you to read from their Bible, you're thinking you'd rather hit them over the head with it!

This is the very scenario that makes the concept of sharing your faith so intimidating. Most people would like to help others, but knowing what to say and how to say it stops you in your tracks. So how do share your faith without making people run and hide from you?

People can spot a phony from a mile away. The absolute worst thing you can do is say one thing and do another. If you aren't committed to applying Christian principles in your own life, you will not only be ineffective, but will be seen as insincere and phony. People aren't as interested in what you say, as they are in seeing how it's working in your life.

Here are some practical things you can do without having to say much at all:
1. One of the best ways to share your faith is to demonstrate the very things you believe by staying positive and having a good attitude even in the middle of a crisis in your own life. Remember the story in the Bible about Peter walking out onto the water when Jesus called to him? He kept walking above the water as long as he stayed focused on Jesus. But once he focused on the storm, he sank.

2. When the people around you see the peace in your life, especially when it seems like you're surrounded by storms, you can bet they'll want to know how to get what you got! On the other hand, if all they see is the top of your head as you sink into the water, there's not a whole lot to ask.

3. Treat people with respect and dignity, no matter the circumstances. Whenever you have the opportunity, show how you don't change how you treat people, no matter what. Jesus treated people right, even when they mistreated Him. People around you will wonder how you're able to show this kind of respect for others. You never know, they may even ask.

4. Find ways to be a blessing to others. This not only plants amazing seeds for a harvest in your own life, it shows others that you're not a phony. It shows that you live what you believe. Saying you're a Christian is one thing, but living it in tangible ways every day is something else. The Word says, "They'll know them by their fruit."

5. Don't compromise your beliefs. Situations happen every day where compromise is not only possible, but many times is expected. Show people that your Christianity means living a life of integrity. And oh yes, that means you tell the sales clerk when she undercharged you for that quart of milk!

6. The ability to forgive quickly is a very powerful way to show how Christianity really works. Become a model of forgiveness. Nothing creates division, hostility, and turmoil more than an unwillingness to forgive the people who hurt you. Of course, there will be times when you are absolutely right. But being right doesn't give you a free pass to punish, humiliate, or embarrass someone else. And it most certainly doesn't eliminate your responsibility to forgive.

The best way to share your faith is to be an example.
People will want to know how you can be peaceful in the storm, why your kids are doing so well, why your marriage is so great, and how you know for sure about your purpose in life. And when they ask, you'll have all kinds of great stuff to share.

Source of Article unknown.. From the Internet

Making the Impossible Possible

2010-07-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

The miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 in the Gospels is a captivating one. One lesson we can learn from it is that little becomes much when Christ is in it (Mark 6:43, 44). The Bible has many examples telling us that when the smallest, most insignificant things are surrendered to God, they become of great worth as he uses them.

Gideon's 300 men routed a great host of the Midianites.
Daniel was in exile but rose to become adviser to four kings in his lifetime.
The widow's two coins were a greater offering than that of the rich Pharisee.
The boy's lunch was enough to feed more than 5,000 men.

When we work in partnership with God, our little plus His power and provision becomes abundance. I read this story about a Christian who lived in a small town in the US and ran a provision store. One day a family moved in across the road and because the shop was nearby, the father, who was a non-Christian, would come into the store to do his shopping. After one year, he went to the pastor of a nearby church and said, "The store-keeper is a trustworthy and honorable man. I want to be like him." And so the pastor explained to the man about Jesus and how Jesus can change his life. The man accepted Christ and then he opened his home to the church to use. Two of his daughters became missionaries. So many wonderful things happened because one simple man was faithful with his life. All he did was influence one man with his Christian life.

There is a hymn that we sing regularly "All to Jesus, I surrender. All to him I freely give". When we do that sincerely, we enter into partnership with our mighty God who will then be able to use us. Therefore let us not say, “we have nothing to give or we have too little to give.” Rather let us be like the little boy with the five loaves and two fish who said, “I only have this but I will give it to the Lord anyway.”

Jesus performed the miracle of feeding ALL the people, even though it appeared that there was NOT enough to go around. This impossible feat became possible only because one little boy was faithful in the small things that he had with him. I know when we have little, it can be hard to share with others but I believe that what we give to God is returned to us many times over in the joy and satisfaction that he fills our hearts with. What we give to our Lord in time, energy and resources will give us far greater fulfillment than if we were to use them for ourselves.

So that is the challenge before us today. Let us not struggle and lament at what we are unable to do for God in the church today. Let us learn from this miracle that tasks that look impossible with our own resources are opportunities for God to manifest his glory. Miracles are possible if we perform our part faithfully first and commit what we cannot do to our Lord who is sovereign over all things.

Responding To Hurt From Others

2010-07-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

In John 18, we see the incident where Peter denies any association with Jesus after Jesus had been arrested. Before this event, Jesus had been sold out to his enemies by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas, like Peter, been a close companion for the last three years. At the time of Jesus’ arrest, all his disciples ran away out of fear. After investing three years of his life in some people, we see a sad picture where Jesus finds none of his friends faithful. Here he was, the most powerful person in the universe, and yet, he had no support while he was tried on unjust charges, whipped and abused. What would we have done if we were Jesus? What would we do? It was an unfair situation where Jesus was concerned and when life is not fair we do everything within our power to make it fair for us. At that moment, Jesus could have called down 10,000 angels to defend him and show his power but yet he did not do so. This scene, despite its gut-wrenching context, is a wonderful picture of God’s grace and mercy lavished on us. If Jesus had defended himself with all his might and power, we cannot deny his right to do so. But had he done so we would be still lost in our sins. If he did not shed his blood on the cross, salvation would still be out of our reach, leaving us to face eternity in Hell.

Although Jesus was equal to God the father in everything, he did not cling to his rights so that he could avoid humiliation, shame and death. He willingly embraced his destiny because that would enable us to be reconciled with God, if we trust in him as Saviour. One Bible commentator once described love as a whole-hearted commitment to the other person’s well-being. This is what we see here. Jesus’ love was more than an emotional, warm feeling in the heart. It was a commitment to ensure that we would go to Heaven whatever it cost him to do so. The world says “love your neighbours but hate your enemies.” But Jesus says, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” The world says do to others what they do to you which can also mean if they hurt you it is not wrong to hurt them back. But Jesus says “do to others what you would have them do to you.” We are to love first before asking it of others. We are to forgive first if we want people to forgive us. Love and reconciliation is the heart of the Gospel message and it is the fruit of love for the other. It is caring for the other person to the extent that the other’s life is more important than ours. Only such a love can ever bring about reconciliation with those who hurt us. That is why if you read the Bible, you will find many instances where it teaches us, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21), “do not repay evil with evil or insult for insult, but with blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). Jesus did not just teach these things to his disciples. Instead, he lived out his teachings as we can see in Bible today.

HPC Family Day – Experiencing God Together

2010-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

The book, “Experiencing God Together” by Henry & Melvin Blackaby answers the “so what?” question after we are saved and baptized. The book begins by reminding every Christian that he is called of od and that there is no distinction between those who stand in the pulpit and who sit in the pews. To help us discern and live out that call, God speaks to us through His Word. We answer God’s call as we read the Scriptures and respond in obedience to His voice.

However, obedience to God’s call for our lives has a context and setting - a community of believers known as the church. The authors state “there is a corporate dimension to the nature of God’s purpose for each individual Christian.” We are saved to accomplish God’s purpose THROUGH the church he places us in.

The church is known as the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27, Eph 4:12) where Christ is the head. Therefore, it is the church that Christ will instruct and motivate to fulfill the mission that God has willed for it. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the church is then enabled to carry out her mission. As we can see, everything is pure grace. We are given a purpose for our lives and we are given power to carry out this purpose as we use our Spirit-given gifts to build up the church where we are placed. I would like to recommend that you read this book “Experiencing God Together”. Whether you are a new Christian seeking God’s Will for your life or further up the Christian road of life, this book can help you to know or reinforce what you already know about God’s call for your life. It will help us to love and serve our fellow members of the Body of Christ, thereby fulfilling our mission and help the lost find Christ.

Our recent HPC Family Day on 26 June 2010 was a wonderful way for all of us to Experience God Together. The CG Committee (Vincent & Siew Beng Goh, Soong Kuan and Shirley Wong, Karen Peng and Tan Eu Gin) had worked very hard in the previous months to help this day bear fruit. The planning, logistics and setting-up took up a lot of precious resources and time. The CG leaders too chipped in by mobilizing their members to man the stalls. This gave everyone a chance to serve as well as to enjoy the games and fellowship. Finally, at day’s end, many of our people came forward to help clean the premises up so that we could return the borrowed premises in pristine condition to our neighbours, OWIS. These deeds are a testimony. They witness of how Christian brethren can love and serve each other and build up the body of Christ. They are also a witness of our call to be good neighbours to the people amidst us. God is glorified in our working together to ensure OWIS did not have a bad experience in allowing us the use of their premises.

May God’s grace continue to empower and mold us so that we can help fulfill God’s Will for HPC!

The book “Experiencing God Together” is found in READS, our HPC Library on the third floor. It is excellently-written and very-readable. READS also has many other books on Christian living, Christian Family Life as well as CDs and DVDs available for free loan. The library is open before and after our 11am service. I highly recommend that you take time out to check its resources today.

Why Read?

2010-07-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Being Christians, reading should come naturally to us. After all, our lives are grounded in and we grow as we read God’s written word in the Bible. Further, God’s word exhorts us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2). While God’s word remains the primary vehicle for this transformation, it is to our advantage to read other Christian books as they also help renew our minds.

I began reading Christian books about two years after my conversion and the earliest Christian books I read included ‘Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp’ by Doug Sherman and ‘The Power of Commitment’ by Jerry White. I then moved on to the Warren Wiersbe commentary series on the various books of the Bible. These books really helped me to understand and apply the Bible better. I am not sure if yours is the same experience as mine but there were times, in my early years as a Christian, when I felt I was floundering in trying to understand what each book was trying to say. Understanding verses and short passages was not difficult but understanding the book in its entirety and discerning the themes were beyond me. Reading other Christian books helped me to grapple with unfamiliar sections and relate them to other passages in the Bible. It increased my joy to realise that the Bible does make sense and that God remained the same throughout the ages.

We have often heard it said that it is better to learn from the mistakes of others than our own mistakes. In the same way, it is better to mine the riches of other scholars and mature Christians who have years of ministry experience and thoughtful reflection on biblical issues behind them. Their scholarship will help us to understand God and his mission and purpose for the world much better. This is especially so today when we are faced with a whole plethora of modern issues like homosexuality, euthanasia, workplace ethics, etc. It helps us to look at the experts and then to form our own opinion as we look back to the Bible as the final authority to confirm our stand. This is one way God reveals his truth to us. From experience, I have found that God’s truth, when gleaned this way, becomes, in a certain sense, his personal revelation to me.

Thus it is that I am very encouraged by some members of our church taking steps to foster the reading habit in our church. They have set up a library on HPC’s premises and arranged the books according to a topical index. This makes it easy for you to browse through books on topics close to your heart. They have also set up a blog at hpc-reads.blogspot.com detailing the topics and book available. I must say it is a wide range of books. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sherman’s ‘Keeping Your Ethical Edge Sharp’ but then many of the Christian books are actually timeless and worth reading years after their publication date.

My encouragement is for you to stop by this book hub and if you are not sure where to start, I’d like to suggest Index 248 – Christian Living. I doubt you can go wrong here. Who knows? You might find the book you pick up worth your while to even give up that TV reality show you have been following faithfully.

The One Who Holds Tomorrow

2010-07-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this book, “The Extreme Future” written by Dr James Canton, an American futurist. In his introduction, the writer states that one of the five factors that will define what he calls the “Extreme Future – a highly dynamic, disruptive and multidimensional future” is surprise. He further elaborates “sometimes good, sometimes difficult to imagine, surprise will become a daily feature of your life, often challenging sensibility and logic.” The beginning chapters have made interesting reading. However, these words did make me think “isn’t surprise already a daily feature of our lives since day 1?”

We live in a perishable, sinful world. It laces our lives with good and bad surprises, making life unpredictable. That is why we have the saying, “Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes” (Benjamin Franklin). Another way to look at this statement is to say that the only thing certain in life, besides death and taxes, is uncertainty and surprise. We may be resting contentedly in a good job but find ourselves surprised by the challenges posed by a globally mobile workforce that leads to our job being outsourced. We may be enjoying good health but overnight find that uncertain because of epidemiological diseases like SARS, chikungunya, etc, brought on by globally mobile neighbours. We may even be enjoying peace and harmony and yet be uncertain if it will last because of random acts of violence and terrorism.

However, although we may not know what tomorrow will bring, we know that our Heavenly Father is the one who holds tomorrow. We also know as the song goes, “he holds our hand.” Therefore rather than contemplate or feel anxious about the uncertainties of life, let us rest in the security of our position as beloved children of God. The Bible reminds us nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-38). Nothing includes things like trouble, suffering, hard times, hunger, danger, death, angels, spirits, the present or the future, etc – none of these can bring about this separation. This promise holds true even when we neglect him in fellowship and worship and fail to be true disciples. When we return to him, he is always ready to welcome us back into his ever-loving arms.

With the certainty of God’s unconditional love, in Jesus Christ, for us, we can let the God who is in charge of the universe also take full charge of our lives. You are in good hands. If there is some part of your life where God is not in full charge, something that is causing you fear and anxiety, turn them over to God because he knows best what to do with them.

The past is history. The future is in God’s hands. Therefore, what matters is for us to ensure the present counts for something. Let us live each day as an offering of worship to God, being sensitive to his beauty and grace in our lives. Let us live each day in fellowship with our brethren, being sensitive to opportunities to serve and minister to them. Let us live each day walking in discipleship, seeking opportunities to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and to extend his kingdom. These are the things that will count in eternity. These are the things that can be achieved because of the certainty of God’s unconditional acceptance of us and his grace to uphold us. In conclusion then, we can modify Benjamin Franklin’s statement to our Christian truth – the only thing certain in life, besides death and taxes, is God’s unconditional love for us.

God's Power Is Unleashed In Your Life When You Pray

2010-07-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Praying isn't just a way to comfort yourself by saying pleasant, benign words. Neither is it a way to earn God's favor by trying to sound pious. When you pray, you're making a direct connection with the living God of the universe. Prayer is powerful! So powerful, in fact, that it can have a more significant impact than anything else you do.

Here are some ways you can pray boldly, inviting God to transform your relationship with Him through prayer:

Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Once you have a relationship with Christ, you can ask the Spirit to indwell you. Relying on the Holy Spirit's power will dramatically help you hear and respond to God's voice as you pray. The Holy Spirit will also help you express your deepest prayers to God even if you don't know how to put them into words.
Believe in God's promises from Scripture and expect Him to work in your life. Have faith in His willingness and power to answer your prayers. Be persistent when you pray. Remember the power that was unleashed when people in the early church prayed, and look for God to respond to faithful prayers in powerful ways today as well.
Approach prayer like the exciting adventure it is -- not as an obligation. Prayer should never be boring! Be open to hearing from God during your conversations with Him, and don't be afraid to encounter Him.
Don't try to follow any type of formula when you pray. Just as God has created each person differently, He expects you to pray in ways that reflect the individual He has made you. So don't worry about a right or wrong way to pray. Instead, pray in the unique ways that best help usher you into God's presence.
Don't allow yourself to grow complacent. Pursue God with a passion and a true desire to be transformed every day.
Frequently read the Bible, think about what it says, apply it to your life, and speak portions of it in your prayers to affirm and claim God's promises.
When facing a decision, ask God to show you the direction in which He's moving, then commit to following Him.
Regularly confess any sins that are hindering your relationship with God. Ask for God's grace to help you live a pure life.
Intercede for people who don't yet have relationships with Christ, standing in the spiritual gap for them to ask God to work in their lives.
Be humble. Remember that it's Christ's work on the cross that is the ultimate source of power your prayers have.
Pray often in private, and when you do pray in public, don't make a big show of it. Be sure that your motivation to pray is to commune with God rather than to impress others.
Don't let your prayers become just laundry lists of requests. Praise God for who He is, confess your sins, and thank God for His work in your life during your prayers as well as asking Him for what you need and want.
Fast when God leads you to do so. Fasting can help you focus more on your spiritual appetite than your physical one.
Be willing to make sacrifices for God. For example, God may sometimes ask you to give up some social time with other people so you can spend some time alone with Him.
Know that God will always hear and answer your prayers in the way that's best. Wait patiently for Him to act in His timing.

Adapted from Contact with God: The Amazing Power of Prayer written by Jeanne Wilkerson with Brent Olsson.

Source of article unknown.

Doing

2010-07-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

Everybody Matters to the Body

2010-06-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

I have often heard this argument from non-churchgoing Christians, “I don’t need to go to church. Once I believed in Him, I am in his spiritual body and so I can worship him anywhere.” I think this is more a rhetorical argument than anything else.

Col 1:18 tells us “And he is the head of the body, the church.” In the original language, the word translated as ‘head’ also means ‘source’ or ‘origin.’ That is why Paul referred to Christ as “before all things.” The idea here is to remind us that Chris is the source of life in the church, through the Holy Spirit. In Eph 4, we learn that Christ has provided his people in church with gifts so that the body of his believers will be built up and God is glorified. That is why we need to belong to a local body of believers. It is a question of obedience. The fact is that although all those who have trusted in Christ as Saviour are members of the universal church, yet we also have responsibilities to the local church. As members of the body of Christ, it is our duty to build up our local body of Christ and to strengthen it. We achieve this by:

Serving. Every Christian has a ministry awaiting him or her to serve in. It may include leading children or youth groups, visiting the sick and new visitors, leading the ministry committees, etc. God has given all of us at least one talent so let us use it.

Learning. We all need to grow in our faith and be able to communicate it clearly to others. We achieve this by participating in Bible study groups and faithfully attending Bible classes and worship as well as studying the Bible on our own.

Giving. Every Christian is expected to support the budget of the church ministry. We should give cheerfully without thinking of gain. Furthermore, we should give systematically and proportionally out of our income first and not out of our leftover money after we have taken care of all our other wants and needs.

Praying. Prayer does make a difference. We should pray on our own as well as with other Christians in our community. The answer to our prayers is dependent on the One who hears it, not on how well we say it. Thus, all we need is sincerity when we approach God who delights in seeing his children approach him.

Worshipping. In corporate worship, we encounter God. This means he meets with us and directly ministers to us, strengthening our faith, making us more aware of His presence, and refreshing our spirits.

There is still much of Christ’s work that needs to be done. It is our sacred responsibility to our Master to ensure it is done. Therefore, let us pray and ask God for the wisdom to see if we have done all that our Master has expected of us.

Death Has Lost Its Sting

2010-06-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

Back when I was still growing up, I remember some of my friends loved playing with scorpions. They would normally cut the sting off rendering the scorpion harmless and then let it run over their faces and bodies. My friends would even throw the scorpions at some unsuspecting passerby to provoke consternation and make some laughs. Some of the scorpions were more that 4-inches long and so it was a fearsome sight to watch the scorpions running over a person’s face, especially since they would raise their tails at times as though they were getting ready to sting. But the scorpions could not sting any more and thus were no longer able to hurt anyone. Knowing this fact helped my friends and me from feeling any fear whenever these sting-less scorpions crawled over us.

I was reminded of this incident while ministering at a funeral for a friend who went home to glory after suffering a cancer relapse. For many people, death is a fearsome thing because it seems so final. A person’s history has ended. Yet, my friend was able calm amidst the knowledge of knowing her life was ending soon. She did not lament her relative short life (49 years) or complain about the ‘unfairness’ of it all. In fact, there was joy in her heart and she was able to bring closure to all her personal matters while she still had strength and a clear mind. What made it possible for my friend to weather this transition from life on earth to eternity unshaken and at peace? It was because of her relationship with her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. She had total trust in his promises for her regarding eternity and life after death. Thus, she found death sting-less and no longer something fearsome to face.

The beautiful thing about our Christian faith is that death is not the final chapter in the history of an individual, but the beginning of a new life that was eternal. Whatever possessions, power and privileges, the one truth we need to bear in mind is that we too ultimately face death. However, as certain as we are that we will one day die, so can we be certain that we are going to rise again. The Bible tells us that Jesus, not only died for our sins, but rose from the dead and is living today. This fact, attested to by witnesses in history, is our guarantee that we shall also rise from the dead. Therefore, we can joyfully declare, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor 15:55,56). Jesus has removed the sting of death and it is now no longer the fearsome sight that it used to be for us.

Therefore, our most important question in life is not “when will death come for me?” None of us can know that except that it definitely will come for us. The most important question we need to ask ourselves is “Will I be ready to meet Jesus when death does come?” My friend was certainly ready because of her trust in all the promises that Jesus Christ has made to her in God’s Word. May God continue to grant us the grace to be just as ready!

Does Jesus Live Here?

2010-06-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

It seems that there is a regular trend to publish books seeking to prove that God does not exist. Recent books in this genre include Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’ and Christopher Hitchens’ ‘God is Not Great’. However, instead of providing empirical data to prove God cannot exist, the writers invariably point to the acts of the followers of the different faiths as examples to prove their point. Some of the examples used are acts by the Christians in history such as religious persecution by the church, fleecing of money by Christian evangelists, irrational comments made by Christian figures, etc. Their choice of examples reminds us how important it is that our Christian walk matches up with our Christian talk.

To live in a blameless manner that will not detract from our Christian witness, we really need to depend on God’s power. Right at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus concluded his Great Commission to us, he also gave us this promise “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20b). Jesus’ last words on earth reminds us that however good our intentions are, however great our gifts may be, all that they would be useless without the power that Christ offers through His continuing presence in our lives.

The goal of our lives is to become like our Master Jesus. Our gifts and resources are not our life’s centerpiece but God’s means towards our achieving this goal. Therefore, to achieve his goal, let us be bold and ask God to give us a witnessing lifestyle since that is how Christ lived. We can start this process by praying daily. Pray specifically about our attitudes toward our work and our colleagues. God listens and responds, and because he does, prayer changes things. Through prayer, we attain God’s perspectives which transport the acts of our daily lives from the temporal and physical world into the spiritual world. We can also start each day right by reading God’s Word to strengthen and encourage us. We reflect on what we read and then pursue ways to apply and obey it throughout the day. We also need to give priority to relationships. We get so distracted by the busyness of daily life that we marginalize and brush aside relationships. Relationships matter so let us give up some of our daily activities to build and reinforce our relationships, both with God and with our fellow man.

Ultimately, we must always remember our lives belong to God. As mentioned earlier, nothing that we have or have been given in this life is ours to own and use as we like. Not our gifts, not our resources and definitely not our children. Instead, we are stewards commanded by God to share what we have with those who do not have. If we make that choice to live with God at the center of our lives, we make it possible for him to use our lives to impact our surroundings. We will then be able to offer a pure version of Christian life, one that says ‘Jesus lives here’. This life will not a watered-down version which offers so much food for criticism to the detractors of our faith. It will be a life that will offer a life-changing invitation to come, see and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.

Images of a Father

2010-06-19T01:59:00.000-07:00

Paul planted many churches, among them the church in Thessalonica. In a sense that made him the Thessalonian Christians’ spiritual father. Therefore, from Paul’s relationship as seen in 1 Thessalonians 2, we can see some images of what a father is like.

A father sacrifices to provide for his family (2:9). Paul did not desire to be a burden to the Christians in Thessalonica and so he worked hard to support himself. Rather than imposing his needs on his spiritual children, Paul took it on himself to work as a tentmaker for a living. Just as Paul demonstrated sacrificial giving for others in the Christian family, a father works hard for a living and demonstrates sacrificial giving for the sake of his own family.

A father’s life influences his family (v10). Paul was holy, righteous and blameless in his Christian walk. While an earthly father cannot achieve sinless perfection, he can influence his family by walking in faith resulting in a life not personified by sinful ways. This will result in a righteous life, a life of integrity marked by moral and ethical correctness. He will take care to be blameless meaning beyond reproach, maintaining spiritual habits that will acquire blessing from both God and man.

A father’s life inspires his family (vv11, 12). Paul was like a father to the Thessalonians (v11). While the characteristic of a mother’s love is tenderness and cherishing her children, a father’s love demonstrates strength in lifting up his children to pursue godly lives. To this end, he encourages them, comforts them and urges them. A father will not just make his children feel better in life but he will also make them want to do better in life. To do that, requires a face-to face element in his family relationships. He must be personally involved in the lives of his children. A father must be concerned for the Christian walk of his children just as Paul was concerned for the Thessalonians’ Christian walk (v12). Paul wanted God to be proud of his Thessalonian children, whom God has called “into his Kingdom his Glory”. Paul did his best to ensure they grew as Christians that would glorify the name they bore. Similarly, an earthly father would want to be proud of his children. He would do his best to ensure his children picked up right virtues, conduct and character to honour the name they bore.

Some of you may recall the TV comedy series “Under One Roof”. In many episodes, the family patriarch Tan Ah Teck would sometimes launch into his famous “Let me tell you a story about a long time back when I was your age…” routine. Then all his children will sigh as they thought another boring life story was coming up. However, I think this is a wonderful thing showing how a father can encourage his children from his own experiences. Every child needs to learn how to life a purposeful life and to do that, the child needs good role models to follow.

May all our fathers be faithful servants and caring fathers who will grow children that live and honour both their earthly and heavenly fathers whose name they bear.

Is God Silent?

2010-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

When Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, the Bible tells us they also took twelve stones from the Jordan’s river bed. These stones were piled into a memorial to be a testimony of how God has worked for them. Joshua told the Israelites “the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God" (Joshua 4:23-24).

Testimonies and memorials are wonderful reminders us of God’s unchanging faithfulness to his children. As the line from ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ goes “As thou hast been, thou forever will be”. Reminders of his past faithfulness strengthen us to keep going in the face of adversity. The reality of our Christian life is that there will be times when our world falls to pieces yet God is silent. We cry out to God but we seemingly get no answer. We feel ignored. Situations like these are not unique to us although we tend to believe and make it so. The Bible tells us that the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years before being delivered in the Exodus. This means whole generations of Israelites cried out to God for deliverance but faced God’s silence to their needs. Wang Ming Dao, with other fellow Christians, suffered greatly at the hands of cruel captors for many years during the Cultural Revolution. For many of them deliverance was long in coming and for many of them, not at all.

They remind us of our own adverse times when God seems silent – the only difference between theirs and being the degree of adversity. In moments like these, we should turn to past victories and recall God’s blessings. Recalling those victories will produce renewed confidence for our lives because they are testimonies of God's faithfulness. The Bible itself is a track record of God’s accomplishments in his people’s lives. Therefore, we should read it to commune with him so that he may remind us of his faithfulness in the past and his promises of hope for the future. The Bible also reminds us that God has already delivered us from the penalty of sin that we deserved. This testimony of God’s greatest act of deliverance is our strength. This is our assurance that he will also deliver us from the presence of sin and evil one day. Let us then be faithful to him because surely he is always faithful to us.

GOD – Our Answer Or Our Answer-er?

2010-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

As I continue my journey in the ministry God has given me, I must confess I am still learning about how much grace God has availed to me by his presence alone. Many times, too many actually, I find that only in my moments of inadequacy and insufficiency do I really avail myself to the grace of his presence alone. I can still recall how, a few years back, an old friend in the terminal stages of cancer asked me to handle her funeral needs. Thus, it also fell to me, as the only pastor she related to, to walk with her through this final stage of her life – a daunting task indeed, considering my pastoral experience then. Her faith in my ministry has led me to seek God’s presence to a greater degree, to pray more fervently and urgently.

All of us face such pivotal moments in life. It may be about choosing a career or someone to marry. It may involve making some intricate choices for your difficult or special child. There may be a conflict in the office that has implications on your future prospects. Perhaps, your wife and children have to leave their friends behind as you uproot to another location for your career’s sake.

These moments are crossroads that signal to us the end of our own self-sufficiency. We realize that we need to turn to God for a clear direction. To realize this is good but our problem is we come to God on our terms. We crave to hear his mighty voice proclaim loudly the turn we should make. We tell him our needs but we demand an answer immediately. We search for verses that corroborate the answer we want. We desperately look for signs that God has answered our prayer. If you have ever acted so, welcome to the club, you are not alone.

Larry Crabb reminds us “Unless we become like little children who approach our heavenly Papa just to be near him, something in our hearts will keep us confused and frustrated when we ask God what we want” (The PAPA Prayer). This means that, in prayer, we approach God to hear what he has to say to us and not because we want him to give us what we ask for. We approach God because he is the answer to our prayer and not merely the answer-er to our prayer. There is a difference.

Think of how you would want your children to approach you. Will you not prefer your children to approach their papa/mama with adoration, just for the pure pleasure of being in the presence of papa/mama? Will it not warm your heart to know that your children their papa/mama with thanksgiving because of all the goodness they have ALREADY received instead of what they hope to get with their future requests? In prayer, God is not the audience, we are. God-seekers must seek to hear God first and not vice-versa. Therefore, let us then make seeking God our most important activity as Christians. Let us make this our prime pursuit in our journey through this life on earth.

Giving Second Chances to Losers

2010-06-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

There are many people who inspire me when I read the Bible. I think of Caleb whose dogged devotion to God’s cause continued even after he reached eighty years. There is Joseph, who remained faithful to God even when the future looked bleak enough to cause despair. Luke is another inspiration, a doctor who could have lived comfortably, but chose to face the perils of the road and sea on mission trips with Paul. There is also Barnabas, the second-chance giver of the early church.

There were some losers that crossed Barnabas’ path but he never labeled them losers. He knew that these people needed a second chance. More than that, he went out of his way to ensure that these people got a second chance and did not remain losers.

Despite Paul’s conversion, many Jerusalem Christians remained apprehensive of him. After all, he had persecuted many Christians and was responsible for many Christians’ deaths. One could hardly fault the Christians for thinking Paul was one leopard that could never change his spots. Yet Barnabas believed in Paul and vouched for the authenticity of his conversion (Acts 9:27).

Barnabas was also responsible for restoring the ministry of John Mark. The first time Paul and Barnabas had set out on their missionary journey, he had deserted them. So when the next mission trip came, Paul refused to allow John mark to go along. In stepped Mr. Encouragement, Barnabas, to stand up for John Mark. So convicted was he that Barnabas was willing to break up with Paul to bring John Mark along.

The effects of Barnabas’ convictions resonate in history. John Mark went on to write his gospel. Paul not only wrote many letters to the New Testament church that became part of our Bible but was also responsible for planting churches on his many missionary journeys. In God’s sovereign plan, Barnabas was the instrument to ensure church history did not take a different turn.

In life, we will meet people who have lost faith in themselves and believe they will fail again. They need others to have faith in them and to tell them so. We can be a Barnabas by believing in them first and sometimes even before they believe in themselves. We can emphasize their strengths and help them see that they have what it takes to succeed. We can help to inspire them when they falter. Not many people are naturally resilient. They need someone to push and encourage them even when they are making mistakes and fumble. We can motivate them by pointing out the hope of the future—that a person is only defeated when he quits in the face of difficulty.

I believe this trait of encouraging the defeated and depressed is much-needed today. In an achievement-oriented society, it is easy to cast our eyes high to look at winners on their pedestals and fail to see those in the dumps. This is not what we should do. The parable of the lost sheep is to remind us that the ones who are strong and secure need less attention when compared to the ones who are weak and lost. This is how God’s heart works—beating for people like these. God needs people who will help others to rise up and walk in victory. If we are honest, we have to admit that once we too were defeated by our fallen nature and laden with guilt and discouragement. It was God who saw our predicament and saved us. He is expecting us now to go out and be his instruments to do the same to others.

Why We Worship Together

2010-06-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

I once came across a thought-provoking comment by Warren Wiersbe in his book “The Integrity Crisis”. Commenting on the spiritual climate of Israel during Jeremiah’s time, Wiersbe says “the priests and false prophets peddled a popular brand of religion that gave the people enough experience to make them happy but not enough truth to make them holy.’ It is a statement worth pondering. It helps us to understand that, in corporate worship, the church needs to be a balance of both – an experience of God’s presence together with sound teaching of God’s Word to strengthen as we return back to the world.

It is true to say that God is always present in our lives but in our corporate worship of God, we gain a better picture of who God is and what He has done for our lives. We may be reminded of his sovereignty and power as we sing a hymn like “A Mighty Fortress is our God”. Our hearts may be moved to remember the immeasurable love and mercy of God as we partake of the bread and wine, commemorating an event that Jesus himself inaugurated with his disciples. As we hear the message, we are challenged to align our lives here on earth with God’s agenda and we respond meaningfully with songs like “Lord I offer my life”. When we experience God in this way, it may seem as if we are being lifted up to Heaven.

However, the ultimate goal of worshipping God is not merely the gaining of an emotional experience, per se. Were that so, it would be man-centred! We also need to encounter God in his Word. More than just being a motivational talk or a homily to soothe our fractured psyche, preaching is how God’s Spirit convicts and challenges us to bend our will to his. As we reflect and meditate on the truths of God revealed to us, we are moved to respond. We feel compelled to share Christ with some of our friends who still do not know him. We are moved to change some aspects of our lifestyle that affects our witness to the world. We are moved to confess that certain behavioural changes have to be done, if we want to live God-pleasing lives.

This is how we grow spiritually as a result of our corporate worship. It will prepare us for the week ahead in the way we live our lives. Our encounter with God in our corporate worship will challenge us to better efforts and greater heights in the works and witness that we do before God in our everyday lives. It is then that we become, in truth and in spirit, God’s people.

Living Above the Sun

2010-06-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

One recurrent phrase running throughout Ecclesiastes is “under the sun”. Looking at Solomon’s life, one would think he had much to be proud of. He had achieved grand construction projects – edifices, gardens, reservoirs, etc. He had amassed tremendous wealth—gold, silver, livestock and the treasure of kings. He had acquired many means of enjoyment—a harem, men and women singers, etc. He had advanced the nation of Israel—there was peace and the respect and accolades of other nations. However, when he looked back, Solomon could only say “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Solomon’s reflection leads us to believe that if we live only for the purpose of achieving and acquiring in the realm of this world (‘under the sun’), we will remain empty. There is nothing wrong with acquisitions and achievements, per se, but if our happiness rests only on them, we need to re-think our priorities. Not doing so can cause us to become caught in an endless spiral because, no matter how much we achieve or acquire, we always will feel as though there is something more we want. We may even end up with, what some writers call, ‘destination sickness’ i.e., we arrive at the point of having accumulated and acquired all that we want, and then discover it is not what we want after all.

Instead of an ‘under the sun’ perspective, let us gaze above the sun. This is to move our thoughts into the realm of the spirit, the heavenly Kingdom of God. This is what God has planned for us—to be free from pursuit of the mundane, temporal and fleeting things found under the sun. His plan is for us to be his instruments—to promote his rule over his creation. We can see that Christians in this country, as well as in many others, have been blessed with much affluence. The question is what do we do about it? If we have an “above the sun” attitude, we will be able to see it as an unparalleled opportunity to pursue the interests of the kingdom of God who is above the sun. That is where our eternal treasures are to be stored. That is where our real master is found. That is what should always capture our eye. That is where we will enjoy the true blessings of God’s favour – in the realm that is above the sun

Ministering to the Sick (Adapted from an Unknown Source)

2010-06-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

“…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40

In the early days of my ministry, I found it difficult to make hospital visits. What could I say that did not sound trite and hollow? With the patient hooked up to machines and stuck with needles, what demeanour should I adopt? However, studying Clinical Pastoral Care during my theological studies was of great help to me in overcoming this difficulty. This course showed how appropriate visits and careful listening can enhance the healing process of the patient. Further, this is a ministry of presence manifesting Christ’s compassion and mercy to the patient. The following are some skills of pastoral care that I learnt from my studies.

Be prepared – Do not get flustered by the machines and needles. Be calm and assuring. Smile when it is appropriate. Let your faith in the Lord radiate forth in the situation. This allows the patient to gain confidence from your presence.

Be attentive – Let the patient talk and be sensitive to the effect of the environment on the patient. Do not brush off any fear or apprehension as irrational.

Be comforting – Read scripture or write comforting scripture on a card for the patient to reflect on. Pray for and, if possible, with the patient. A gentle touch on the hand or shoulder as you pray has immense therapeutic value so do this when you talk to the sick or pray with them.

Be sensitive - Do not display over-exuberance, e.g., by praying in loud voices or joking boisterously. Do not stay too long as patients need to rest and recover. Sometimes, if the patient is asleep, it is best to just leave a card indicating you have dropped by. If you are unable to visit, send a sms or have a short conversation on the phone. This is definitely more appropriate than not paying any attention to the sick person that you are unable to visit.

Be God’s instrument – Establish a trialogue by bringing God’s presence into the visit. Share a testimony of how God has brought you through adverse circumstances.

To many people, hospital visits are the work of the pastoral staff and the patient’s close friends. Scripturally speaking, this is not true as we are members of one family – the family of Christ. Further, the aforementioned skills are something all people, both pastors and laity, have. It just needs to be exercised and polished through regular visits.

So just do it. It is a wonderful ministry because it enables us to reach out to not just the sick person but also to family members who may not be Christians. And when we do this ministry, we have the blessings of Christ who promised that extending such acts of mercy and compassion to the least of his brothers was equivalent to extending it to him (Matt 25:35-40).

Godly Desires

2010-06-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

As a Christian, I have found it easier to live by aligning my goals with God’s goals. The trouble in doing this is that it is easier said that done. Too often, I expect things to be the other way around. Yet in the few times, I have managed to align my aims with God's aims and my wishes with his, I find myself more harmonious and less depressed. We all have godly desires. We want to be godly parents, we want to be godly spouses, we want to be godly bosses, godly practitioners of our professions. As parents and spouses, we want a happy and harmonious home. As bosses and professionals, we want congeniality and concord in our working environment. As good Christians, we want a church environment that will help us to grow, manifest our gifts and serve one another. These are godly desires but the truth is that there is no guarantee they will bear fruit. And despite having godly desires, we become a repository of frustration, bitterness and resentment at the people around us because they are ‘responsible’.

However, if we aim to be the spouse or the professional or the mother or father or Christian that God wants us to be, I believe we stand a better chance. This is also a godly desire but, unlike the ones mentioned earlier, this is not impossible. Why do I say that? God desires to build us into a person after his own heart. And if that is God’s desire for us, then surely it must happen! There is one stumbling block, however, to this desire of God. This obstacle is our own self. Nothing is impossible with God until it meets our own unsurrendered will. But if we cooperate with God, success is guaranteed.

Our main problem in life is that we expect our circumstances to change to suit us but never the other way around. We expect our spouses to be loving, we expect our children to be obedient, we expect our bosses and colleagues to be understanding and our fellow Christians to be Christ-like. Then we go berserk when they are not. Circumstances like these do not block us from our aim to be the person that God wants us to be. Instead, they are tests to our commitment to be the person that God wants us to be.

There will always be difficulties, struggles and trials in our lives as long as we are on this side of heaven. Yet, it is in such times of crisis like this that Christ-like character is needed. Why not then make the choice to depend on God’s grace to respond with Christ-like character even if the other party does not? In a domestic spat, why not respond to your spouse with greater acceptance instead of defending yourself? If your children are giving you a hard time, why not respond with a higher love instead of criticizing them? If your colleagues and bosses pick on you, why not respond with kindness instead of backbiting back at them. And when your fellow Christians let you down, which happens many times? Continue to reach out to them and do not give up anyway. These difficulties are opportunities for God to mold your character. So if your aim is, and I am sure it is, to be the person that God wants you to be, why not cooperate with God’s molding?

Become the person that God wants you to be. No one can block it but you.

A Look At Anger

2010-06-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

“Man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:20

In the Bible, we regularly come across the term “God’s wrath”. It is used to describe God’s anger at injustice and profane acts. It is always seen as the righteousness of God in antipathy, as a holy God, to the impiety and unrighteousness of his people whom he has called into a covenant relationship with him. God’s anger is never seen as unjustified. Man too has anger, but are there circumstances and situations where we can say man’s anger is justified?

It is common for a person to justify his anger by saying “after all even Jesus displayed his anger.” Rhetorically speaking, that is true. However, if we examine the Bible and look closer at the incidents in which Jesus was angry, we will find it hard to justify our own anger. Let us look at two situations where Jesus was angry. The first is where he cleansed the Temple by driving out the merchants and moneychangers (Matt 21:12-13). The second is seen in the many occasions where Jesus rebuked the combined group of Pharisees, scribes, etc., for raising their own unjust regulations to the same level as the Laws handed down by God to Moses (Matt 23). He also termed them as honor- and applause-seeking hypocrites (Matt 6). Jesus was angry at them because of the way these parties exploited the name of God for their own gain. Moreover, their acts were unjust and resulted in the people under their care being oppressed and down-trodden. As we can see, Jesus’ anger was directed at people who perpetrated injustice and dishonoured God’s name and this compelled him to act against such acts.

Can we say our occasions of anger are of the same ilk? If we examine ourselves, we should honestly say that most of the times, we get angry only at ‘injustice’ performed against ourselves. Our anger normally begins with someone saying an unkind word about us or getting an unfair promotion over us or acting meanly to someone close to us, etc. We get upset, we seethe with resentment and sometimes we boil over into raging anger. But the example of Jesus was never to get angry at unjust acts directed personally at him. The greatest injustice done to him was to crucify him. As he hung on the cross, Jesus could have called down 10,000 angels to defend him. If he had done so, he would still have been found righteous. Instead, Jesus chose the path of meekness and prayed for our Heavenly Father to lavish his forgiveness on those responsible for his death. We tend to act the other way. We normally remain quiet when injustice reigns and afflicts people unrelated to us, responding and retaliating only against acts done to us or our family and friends. We can therefore conclude that our anger is a self-centred anger but Jesus’ anger is other-centred.

The Bible views our anger negatively. Yet there will be times when someone else's wrong words or actions harm us - a gossiping friend, a manipulating neighbor, a bullying colleague. The sting of their deeds can hurt terribly. But God’s desire and will is for us to forgive those who hurt us. Unforgiveness is a bitter root that poisons only us, not those who hurt us. Therefore, we should endeavor to channel our energy, when offended, in positive and not negative ways. Instead of using energy to nurse resentment and grudges, let us think of creative solutions to the problem and ways to improve our relationship with people who hurt us. God wants us to release our pain to him in prayer and commit the offenders to him. Let us pray for the people who have hurt us, even when they have not reconciled to us. Let us ask God to give us the grace to interact graciously with them when we encounter them.

WHY LET THE DEEDS AND ACTIONS OF OTHERS RUIN OUR LIVES?

A Reflection of Darius Tng

2010-06-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

I am very impressed by our young people in church. This reflection is by Darius Tng, one of them.

At the beginning of the internship, I struggled with a concept regarding Godly behavior. On the 18th of Jan, I was sitting in the pews and listening to a message from Senior Pastor about focusing on God. I had a stumbling question in my mind - How am I to differentiate between forcing myself to produce godly behavior and using spiritual disciplines to achieve godly behavior?

Was not godly behavior supposed to be natural?

At that moment I was struggling to find the balance between this concept of godly behavior and spiritual disciplines. Keeping spiritual disciplines and refraining myself from doing certain things seemed like I was forcing myself to be a "better" Christian. All this while I had thought that a close relationship with God will automatically make one more Christ-like. As the days passed, I found myself caught in situations where I was tempted to act in an ungodly manner, especially at home. My patience grew shorter and I was easily irritated by my mom's nagging.

It was not until two weeks later that God spoke to me in one of the lessons with Bryan Lim and Pastor Luke. While going through the book ‘Life with God’, the author explained the importance of spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines present ourselves as living sacrifices to God that He might then take us and transform us. We are not dead sacrifices who are void of reason and logic. We are living ones that think, act and feel.

I learned that spiritual disciplines are steps of obedience that don't enable or force us to become more Christ-like. Instead they make us malleable to God's use and receptive to God's voice. Only God can change our behavior and turn us around. It is not by our own efforts that we become more holy but by God's will that we do. Simply put, 'The tools for transformation are the choices we make.' Every choice we make, whether at home, at the office or in the public is in itself a tool used by God to transform us every waking moment.

In the end God taught me an invaluable lesson. We do not achieve, it is God who gives.

Ruins

2010-06-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Just after my graduation from theological college, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Turkey. It was a historical tour and we visited some of the sites of the ancient Greco-Roman civilizations. Most of the sites contained only ruins and provided only a glimpse of the glory of the city that existed then. Entire streets made of marble with buildings supported by ten-metre marble pillars had existed once where we now walked. It must have been an engineering feat to raise such magnificent structures considering that the only technology available was a pulley system fueled by raw human muscle-power. Yet for all that glory and magnificence, what we saw now was only a pale shadow of the cities as compared with the splendor of their heydays. Even the Grand Theater of Ephesus where Paul’s friends from Macedonia, Gaius and Aristarchus, faced a mob led by the silversmiths of Artemis, did not look like it could seat 24,000 people as it once could.

From history, we can see that most civilizations decline and fall by first decaying internally, which makes them weak and susceptible to foreign invasion and conquest. The same truth applies to our Christian life. No one ever falls from grace overnight. The early signs are probably things like being too busy to read the Bible or Christian literature, not praying, etc. In our busyness, we begin to forget the many blessings of God. We also begin to move away from regular fellowship with our church friends citing family commitments, etc. Too soon, we lose interest even in Sunday worship as our sense of the majesty and awesomeness of God diminishes and worship becomes mundane. At this stage, just a small spark is enough to trigger us and make us leave the community. I have seen even worse cases with the believer falling into sin to the extent of being almost helpless in looking for deliverance.

The Christian faith is like our muscles. They need to be exercised to be kept in shape. Years ago, I used to run regularly throughout the week. But now after many deskbound years of inactivity, I find it hard to start up again. Now, as I try to heed my cardiologist’s advice by exercising regularly, I found it hard going. The muscles would scream in agony at being subjected to the strain. As with our muscles, so it is with our Christian faith. We will find it hard to trust in God’s love, when crisis looms, if we have not exercised that trust through regular reading of his Word and obedience to the commands therein. We will find it hard to experience his healing and comfort when we face adversity, if we have not been faithfully communing with him in prayer. We will find it hard to even share our problems with our church friends, if we have not been communing with them in a shared spiritual life in our small groups, etc.

CHANNELS OF BLESSINGS

2010-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

What is the greatest need of any person? I believe it is the knowledge of where they will spend eternity. No matter how well they will deny, no one will fail to express this need when they are confronted with evidence of their mortality. Thus, we as Christians and people of God should cultivate this attitude – to see how we can play a part in fulfilling this long-term need of the people that God has placed in our midst.

Eph 2:10 tells us “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. This verse tells us what we are saved for - to produce the good works that demonstrate salvation’s reality. While works play no part at all in securing salvation, Christians will prove their faith with good works. And the best work we can do for God is to point the people around us to Christ by sharing the Gospel with them. God has saved us so that we will go out and share the Gospel with others. We show that we belong to God’s family by being responsible members of the family.

If you were to see a child run out into the road, what would you do? I am sure you would run out and even risk your own life to pull the child out of harm’s way. There are many people, men, women and children, who are being pressed and pressured by sin, temptation and all the stress of world. They are dying without the Lord and it is our responsibility to rescue them from eternal death.

We Christians should always maintain an interest in the future of others. We need to remember that all people are creatures of God. Whether or not a person ever loves him in return, still God loves them so much that he gave his Son to for them and to carry their sins.

It is a sad fact that many people struggle with their need to understand and find meaning with their lives. In Singapore, it is estimated that there is one suicide a day. We Christians have found our meaning in life in Jesus Christ who offers us grace for each day and a secure hope for tomorrow. It is our duty and responsibility to point the people around us to the one person, Jesus Christ, who can help them into an understanding and meaning of their lives.

My friends, we are the beneficiaries of Christ’s ability and willingness to redeem us from our sins. But I am sure that all of us are Christians today because someone took the time to share the Gospel with us. It could have been a parent, a sibling, a friend or someone else. God used someone near us as a channel of blessing, to show his grace and love and bring us into his Kingdom. These people understood their responsibility as members of God’s family. Therefore, we too should remember to be responsible members of God’s family.

Run to Him, Not Away from Him

2010-06-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

In preparing for an earlier sermon, I came to understand that real faith will always draw us to God. No matter how badly we have failed God, no matter how dire our circumstances may seem, no matter even how badly other people, especially Christians, treat us, real faith will draw us to God for forgiveness and comfort instead of away from him. Even when Peter did not meet the resurrected Jesus in Galilee (John 21) soon enough, he did not go back to Jerusalem in despair. He did go fishing but then perhaps, being a man of action, it would have been difficult for him just to sit around, while waiting for Jesus. The fact is that he remained in the area where Jesus wanted him to be and was, thus, able to learn for himself that real faith always brings about reconciliation and restoration with God, no matter how badly he had failed Jesus by denying him.

Judas Iscariot, on the other hand, did not have the real faith that Peter had. Matt 27:3, 4 tells us that Judas was filled with remorse after he saw Jesus condemned. Yet he could not bring himself to throw himself down before the mercy of God. Judas was willing to return his ‘blood money’ back to the chief priests and the elders. He was willing to admit he had sinned by betraying an innocent man. He was willing to even go to the extent of taking his own life. Yet all these actions only show that his was a false faith, willing only to resort to his own devices to make things right, instead of availing himself to God’s unfathomable mercy. Peter’s example shows us that genuine faith brings about a repentance which trusts only in the love and compassion of God.

The Bible has many verses that attest over and over again to God’s unbounded faithfulness, compassion and love. However, one of the best promises that make me unashamed to draw near to him is Isa 62:5b, “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” Parents are thrilled when their children are around, and a groom is thrilled by his beautiful bride’s presence. In the same way, I believe it thrills God to have me around. So then, it is better to be around him rather than be away from him.

Knowing what we know about God then should encourage us to run to and not away from him. We need not have to hide our mistakes and weaknesses. We should go to him without any intention of making him think we are anything other than who we are. After all, he knows us from the inside-out. Thus, we can let God help us deal with our failings. We can therefore deal with them honestly and openly and, in doing so, free ourselves from guilt and shame. We can always come before God’s throne of grace and know that we will find mercy in our time of need and strength to move forward once again. Since God rejoices when we come to him, we can imagine his joy in hearing our petitions and requests. Therefore, as children of a loving heavenly Father, let us not isolate ourselves from him. Rather, let us seek a close connection with him through regular times of prayer, worship and reading his Word.

WHY GUYS LIKE THEIR WIVES

2010-05-31T02:41:00.000-07:00

1. She will always smell good even if its just shampoo
2. The way her head always finds the right spot on our shoulder
3. How sweet she looks when she sleeps
4. The ease in which she fits into your arms
5. The way she hugs you and all of a sudden everything is right in the world
6. The way she takes hours to get dressed but yet it is so endearing to you
7. Because she is always warm even when its cold and rainy outside
8. The way she looks good no matter what she wears
9. The way she fishes for compliments and its still allright with you
10. The way her hand always finds yours
11. The way she smiles
12. The way she kisses you when you do something nice for her
13. The way she says "I miss you"…and the way I really miss her
14. The way her tears makes you want to change things or die trying
15. (MOST IMPORTANT) BECAUSE I WAS CHOSEN BY HER TO SPEND THE REST OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER.

There are probably a million other reasons and no writing can do justice to this topic. How do you measure something that goes beyond intellect any?

Tiredness - Bane or Boon

2010-05-31T02:31:00.000-07:00

If you have been busy and you are tired because of your busyness, think back to the life of Elijah. After his great victory over the false prophets of Ahab by calling down heavenly fire, he fled when Jezebel threatened to take his life. What happened? What made him come to this – from hero to zero? I think it was simply fatigue.

At the end of 1 Kings 18, it was recorded that he outran a thunderstorm all the way back to the king’s palace in Jezreel. Now Mt Carmel is 600 meters high and the distance from Mt Carmel to Jezreel is about 42 km, the distance for the Olympic marathon. Imagine Elijah’s state as he arrives. Physically, he must have been very tired. He must have also been emotionally tired too after having dealt with the prophets of Baal. And so he runs at the first sign of trouble. That is what tiredness can do. It takes our eyes off God. It makes us forget God’s power and promises.

Do we lament this aspect of our human-ness? Do we bemoan our tiredness wishing we could accomplish more work? Do we then push our bodies and think it good to ignore our fatigue so that we can achieve more? Do we think it a blight, this frail aspect of our existence that foils our efforts to squeeze more from our limited day? I know I do sometimes. Yet as we reflect, is tiredness a bane or really a boon? I have come to think it a boon, a gift of God. If we touch a hot iron, the pain automatically moves our hand away. The pain prevents our hand from being burnt beyond repair. In the same way, fatigue prevents us from going on and on until we are burnt out. It reminds us that we are human and therefore feeble. It reminds us that there are times we need to rest. It also reminds us that our strength and achievements come from God not ourselves. It helps us to be humble and dependent on God.

Do you get worn out from the cares and stresses of your daily life? If you do, welcome to the club. The demands of earning a living, our families and sometimes the burdens of friends’ needs add up to a lot of time and energy resulting in overwork, stress and sometimes burnout.

How do we avoid burnout then? Perhaps the following may be of help to us.

• Connect with God. This is most important. If we are too busy to be alone with God, we are too busy. Just as food gives our body the energy it needs, communion with God is also food for our soul.

• Decide what's really important. Everything we meet can be urgent but not everything is important. Ask God for grace and wisdom to decide what things are important and focus on them. Our role model, Jesus focused only on doing the Father’s Will, so we should do the same.

• Ask for help. Don't be a lone ranger. I believe that God has designed people to need each other. So sometimes, more is accomplished if we share our burdens with others.

• Remember people, not programs, matter. Relationships are the key to happy living. Let us not just work and forget the people around us. Let us make time for them. Sometimes merely being together is time well spent.

Sometimes the best is to just rest. That was what God did with Elijah. He did not lecture or rebuke Elijah when he complained, preferring to just let him eat and sleep. Only after Elijah regains his strength does God give him further instructions to carry out. The lesson is very clear to us. God cannot use a tired person. If we want to be useful in our lives, we must acknowledge our fatigue as a sign to rest. God can only use a tired person who knows when to rest. May He then give us the wisdom to know it and abide in it!

Shine Crystal Shine

2010-05-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

People Get Ready

Crystal's Shining Moment

Ambition or Mission in Life

2010-05-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

If there is one clear lesson that all of us can learn from the recent devastation that struck our neighbours, it is about the brevity of life. Which one of us can tell how much more time we have left on this earth? We can make plans for a long life but we have to live with the fact that life can be short. This truth makes it compelling for us to live and make our days count for something.

If only annihilation faced us beyond this life, then our choices are easy. Just eat, live and be merry because after this we cease to exist. Some do believe in this reality which is why they live for themselves grabbing and exploiting all that they can. We Christians, however, know that there is a different reality for us in eternity and that is fellowship with a loving Heavenly Father. So, knowing this is just a temporary holding area for us, we too should make our days count – benefiting not ourselves but the Kingdom of God. It would indeed be a sad day to stand before the Lord and be ashamed of the missed opportunities of service and obedience that came our way.

A book I once read had this question to ask, “In life, do you pursue an ambition or a mission?” It is a question worthy of our self-reflection. Although the two may fit together at times, I think ambition refers to doing what we want while mission refers to doing what God wants.

Mission means focusing not on ourselves, which ambition does, but on how we can serve God and others, as God wants us to do. Mission is being God- and others-centred. It means being sensitive to the needs of others around us. Sometimes, meeting those needs may even cause us some discomfort and personal loss. But we should do it anyway, because it is what God wants us to do. We should expect from God situations like these, situations that will test our faith. If we respond in obedience, our faith will grow stronger. If we respond by compromising our faith, we slide farther and farther away from God.

I believe this is a Kingdom truth - when we do things we are not naturally inclined to do, we come away changed, and for the better. Further, we will praise God for that change because we would have done something we ‘naturally’ would not do. This is because God’s grace is at work. When we cooperate with His Spirit in performing others-centred acts regularly, we will be changed to having an others-centred mentality that is able to do Kingdom acts ‘naturally’. A shepherd’s heart and a servant’s spirit will come ‘naturally’ to us.

Every year we can thank God for the past blessings of being able to give and work towards his Kingdom’s agenda. In the rest of the year ahead then, let us ask God to help us to be wise in our priorities. With only one life, our resources of time, energy and possessions are indeed important, not only to us but also to God. Let us then invest them in things that have eternal consequences, not in things that may seem important to us but ultimately be trivial from a Kingdom perspective. May God grant us the grace to know the difference as we echo the words of the Psalmist, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Be Still and Know...

2010-05-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

(Pictures taken from the Internet)

One of the songs that we sing in church is Don Moen’s ‘Still/Be Still’, which is adapted from Isaiah 43 and Ps 46. Many times have I asked, as I am sure you have, “what does it mean to be still before God?” Someone sent me the following poem which has given me much food for reflection. In the times when your life circumstances threaten to overwhelm you, thus may our good and gracious Lord also speak to you!.

My child, I have said in my Word:
Though the earth be moved,
Though the waters thunder,
Though the mountains tremble,
Though the winds blow,
Though the storms rage;
BE STILL

IN OTHER WORDS
Though your bills are due,
Though your boss harasses you at the office,
Though your husband won't act right,
Though your wife won't act right,
Though your children are disobedient,
Though there's sickness in your body,
Though your colleagues get on your nerves;
Stop your WORRIES!
Stop your COMPLAINING!
Stop your DOUBTING!
Stop your FROWNING!

Cease your fears, and dry up your tears,
For I'm right there to comfort you,
I'm right there to guide you,
I'm right there to hold you up,
I'm right there to heal you,
I'm right there to deliver you.
So cast your cares upon me because I care for you.
My child this is what I mean by being still and knowing
I AM GOD.

Author Unknown

GRACE ALONE

2010-05-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

This was what I recollected at the beginning of a new academic year when I was still in theological college. As we sang “Grace Alone” during morning chapel, it made me realize how much grace has been lavished on me. It seemed only recently that I was just another “green” student with all the corresponding anxieties and doubts about making it. Yet after a year, I was listening to another batch of students expressing the same doubts and anxieties. As I was reflecting on my experiences, I thought of how each student in the college, indeed everyone of us, need God’s grace in every facet and experience of our daily lives.

GRACE is indeed God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense freely bestowed on us. Yet in the busyness and urgent demands of our daily lives, we sometimes forget this very precious free gift we have. Instead we trust in our own natural abilities to carry us through. Although we may still accomplish much, yet our failure to appreciate our need for God’s grace may actually cause a rift, without us realizing it, in our relationship with Him. Perhaps, that is why God allows crises and adversity to enter our lives so that, in His mercy, our spiritual lethargy does not grow to the extent of threatening our walk with Him.

This is why to guard against spiritual sluggishness, we need to practice daily the disciplines of grace – prayer, Bible reading and study, reflection and worship. These disciplines are more than mere ritual. Think about it, the omnipotent God has chosen to walk with you. Is that not grace? As we exercise these disciplines of grace, we are actually communing with Him. We can hear Him. We can see His glory. And we gain in seeing a greater vision of his plans and strategies for mankind. We gain in the growth of our spiritual muscles to avail ourselves of even more grace in our times of desperate need. Amazing grace it is indeed that we mere mortals can connect with a God who is sovereign over all there is and be empowered by His grace.

Perhaps that is why we may also experience materially-rich but spiritually-defeated lives. We do not take Him seriously. Instead we take Him as a hobby and give Him the leftovers in our lives – we talk to Him when we have leftover time, we worship Him when we have leftover Sundays and we give to Him when we have leftover money. We are attracted by the world but we are jaded with the church. As a result, we have much power, possessions and privilege but yet we fail to forgive readily, we question the goodness and purposes of God and we fail in obeying Him regularly.

Dear readers, inasmuch as I write these words to you, I am also preaching to myself. Amidst the abundance of spiritual resources and material as I was studying in theological college, my greatest fear was that these spiritual riches so easily available to me become mundane instead of spectacular. I had to constantly guard against practicing the disciplines of grace merely for the sake of having something to write in my assignments or to share with a study group or to preach on Sundays.

I have to remember that these disciplines of grace are the channels by which I enter His presence and experience Him. It is not easy and I must admit sometimes I fail. It is only because of God’s mercy that when I fail, I do not fall too far.

Grace alone, which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide,
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth, in grace alone
(from the hymn, “Grace Alone”)

Let us then remember that Christianity is a faith that connects us to a living God and transforms us.

SO WHAT?

2010-05-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

(Pictures taken from the Internet)

After studying in theological college for a year, I came to understand that it can be very easy to slip into a knowledge acquisition mode in bible study. The pursuit of knowledge becomes an end in itself and every profound truth is eagerly grasped and filed away in the mind for future regurgitation at some opportune moment. This was brought home to me when, in one class discussion, a classmate leaned over to me and said, “we theologians can take something simple and easily make it complicated.” How true, which is why I am very grateful for those of my teachers who constantly challenged us to ask ourselves what we will do with the knowledge that we learn. My theology professor constantly reminded us that theology seeks to apply truths to life and thought in order to guide us on how we ought to live accordingly. Another lecturer was always bringing in a “so what now that you have learnt all this?” dimension during our class tutorials.

As we come to church every Sunday, as we listen to the message and the ACE lessons, I guess the “so what now that you have learnt this?” aspect can never be over-emphasized. All that we study and hear is to help us know Him better, not know about Him better. After all God did not give us a book so that we can gain more knowledge of Him, much like reading an encyclopedia for expert knowledge on a given subject. Instead, He gave us His living Word to walk with us and guide us in our daily lives. We experience His still small voice when we read his Word, whether it be comfort, rebuke or exhortation. Yet at times it can be hard to hear His voice and so we fail to obey the “so what?” part.

Do you find it a problem to hear His voice sometimes? I must admit it happens to me many times. One of the problems I believe is the busy-ness of daily life. With our fast-fix mentality, we want to hear God enlighten us the moment we pray and read our Bibles. When we spend our Quiet Time, we mechanically start with prayer or reading our Bibles. We do not make it a habit to practise quietness before God. God tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Be still is not just about finding a quiet place without any distracting noise. It is also about the heart and mind being still before him. That means letting go those anxious thoughts about your financial problems or that nasty neighbour next door or that mean colleague in the office, legitimate concerns though they may be. It is about being willing to let go of those selfish desires and motivations, although they may cost you since many others have the same motivations. This is how we can listen to God’s voice more effectively.

Once we have heard his prompting, it becomes essential that we obey what He has said to us. The Bible was meant to be obeyed, not just for the sake of hearing his voice. Then when we obey, we are leaving behind the Bible knowledge acquisition part of our faith and crossing over into the “so what?” realm of our faith. When we do so, we will then manifest our faith in our daily lives by being a blessing to the people around us.

Touching LIves LIke a Mother

2010-05-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

On Mothers’ Day, we remember and honour our own mothers as well as all mothers we know in our midst. It is right that we do so for the way mothers sacrifice their own comfort and happiness for their families’ sake. I sincerely believe all of us can learn from the attributes of mothers and apply them in our ministry to one another in HPC. In 1 Thess 2:7-10, Paul shows us the way to learn from mothers, “…we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children...”

Firstly, Paul was gentle towards the Thessalonians just as a mother is with her children (v7). Here we get a picture of a mother who deals patiently with her children who are difficult, stubborn and immature. My first church ministry, in my former church, was teaching in Children Sunday School. About a month later, a mother of a P4 girl in my class asked me, “What was it that gave you a call to teach the children?” I replied, “There was no call, it was more for my own gain. I felt I needed to learn to curb my impatience so teaching children was a good way to cultivate patience.” It takes time and energy to look after children. That is what a mother does, gives up her time and energy for her children’s sake. We know that Paul was involved in the lives of his flock. After we evangelize people, we should not just give them a gospel or Christian handbook, ask them to read and expect them to grow. We need to spend time to disciple these young believers, helping them to grow in the Lord, walking with them in their struggles and not be put off by them when they still behave as Christian babies.

Secondly, the Thessalonians were very dear to Paul (v8). How does he show this? Paul worked hard and sacrificed himself for their sake (v9). A mother sacrifices her own life, her wants and dreams for the sake of her children. Paul was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his flock. May we also be willing to sacrifice for our Christian brethren in our journey together.

Thirdly, Paul also passed on spiritual life and virtues to the Thessalonian Christian (v8, 10). It is easy to impart theology and Bible knowledge but, more than that, I believe we are to share our lives with our fellow Christians. A mother’s calling is to nourish her child. As we grow, it is our calling to nourish and strengthen the lives of those around us in need of such. Paul lived a ‘holy, righteous and blameless’ life (V10) so that his example would impart the virtues of a Christ-like life to the Thessalonians. This is also what a mother does – giving her heart away as she seeks to demonstrate and pass on godly virtues to her children. All those who are in a mentoring role - parents, teachers, pastors, elders, CG leaders, etc., have to learn and must know what it means to give your heart away to those you mentor.

Yet sometimes, those whom you give your heart to, end up poking a needle into that heart, just as sometimes children grow up, turn away and forget their mother’s love. No matter! The same thing happened to our Lord Jesus. May God’s grace lavish us with gentleness, love and acceptance for our brethren and may it be clearly seen both in our words and in our works.

ON BEING A LOVING COMMUNITY

2010-01-27T01:52:00.000-08:00

Our Powerhouse+ youths’ vision statement is “A youth-led loving community, empowered by God; growing in faith and grace; impacting lives for Christ.” As we unpack this statement, one of the sub-themes that spring out is a “loving community”. I believe it is this defining characteristic that most establishes the church as God’s light to an unbelieving world, giving the irrefutable undeniable proof that Jesus Christ is Lord and, more than that, he loves and welcomes sinners to turn to Him.

One of the practices that define a loving community is accepting one another in love. In any local church, you find people different in ethnicity, culture, economic positions, personalities, upbringing, etc. It is very easy for such differences to become flashpoints of division between us. In fact, I am sure that in every Christian community, we will find people that we least want to have any contact with. How do we handle such situations? One way is to retreat into an exclusive ‘holy huddle’ and associate only with those with whom we get along with. The other is to accept one another, despite all the ‘flaws and failings’ that we see (and sometimes we are the only ones who ‘see’) in the other person. When we do that, we are living up to Jesus’ exhortation that “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

This is also the only way that a visitor to Hope Presbyterian Church will see the reality of Christ in our midst – in the way we accept one another. This thought should also compel us to go out of our way to accept those who are new in our midst and strenuously make the effort to integrate them into our community. We can start by giving them our phone numbers and making ourselves available to their queries, if any. We can also invite them out for lunch after service. Perhaps, after service, we will fellowship with them instead of our regular circle of friends. We can invite them to join our small group meetings. All of us can play a part in accepting and integrating newcomers into our community. All that is required of us is a heart willing to do so. And I believe that accepting these newcomers and integrating them is also an act of worship to God in that we are obeying his commands and building his kingdom.

Let us then be proactive about building a loving community for God’s glory. Let us, with God’s grace, actively choose to accept one another and help those who are new in our midst also to join our loving community.