I finally finished the book Good News to the Poor by Tim Chester, and I must say, I rank it as one of the best books I've read. :) It provides a very balanced view of reaching the poor through the gospel and through social involvement.
In the second last chapt, I learnt of this word called "Christendom"- which is the term used to refer to those countries and regions that consider themselves Christian. It involves the church "using or influencing political power to protect its interests and further its mission".
I never quite managed to capture why I felt this sense of discomfort whenever there was mentioning of how Christians will go into the marketplace and be in positions of authority and power and convert the whole culture. In some ways I believe in that, and yet in other ways, I think this book captures it well. He says, "Christian ministry is not conducted through political power or media influence. It is conducted in the upside down, unpredictable power of the cross. It is conducted through weakness and dishonour."
"The church became aligned with the establishment so that those who were marginalized within society were therefore marginalised from the church... The involvement of Christians in cultural and civic life ought to be motivated by love of neighbour, not by self-interest- not even by the corporate self interest of the evangelical movement."
"The church as the church should not seek power or influence in a secular sense. Instead it should seek opportunities to serve the world. As the church follows the way of the cross, it must choose 'participation in the powerlessness of God in the world'. It stands with the weak and the powerless. It speaks on behalf of those whose voice is not heard. It seeks justice for the poor."
He closes with this poem which I find quite meaningful, and touched my heart.
Jesus, Jewel of the Poor
Steward Henderson
From the crystal courts of heaven
to the fly-blown stable floor,
this is a different kind of glory-
Jesus, jewel of the poor.
Visionary of unknown planets
strolls unnoticed by the shore,
this is a sparse and modest glory-
Jesus, jewel of the poor.
Made the dust walk by his breathing,
weeping image of the Law,
this is a strangely chosen glory-
Jesus, jewel of the poor.
Zeal of heaven hangs exhausted,
bore the gouge of Satan's claw,
this is a beaten, hopeless glory-
Jesus, jewel of the poor.
Homeless Saviour of the nomad
lifts the starving through his door,
this the just and finished glory-
Jesus, jewel of the poor.
-------------
How precious the cross. How precious the Father's love for us.
The power of the cross...."power in weakness, victory in failure and glory in shame".
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Once saved always saved?
We had an interesting cg session on Monday, and we were talking about whether we can lose our salvation. I think thats a whole huge debate that has been going on for ages. So where is my stand on it? It reminds me of that faithful day when I was in Burger King, debating this with J, and being angry when he insisted on this concept of once saved always saved. But then a lightbulb lit and I saw it from a different perspective, of how our salvation is not upheld by our own hands or by our works, but how a good God protects our faith from being destroyed. Yup, and what good news that everyday I live my life as a christian knowing that He is keeping me...He is keeping me from falling. And I don't have to worry, did I pray enough today, was I nice to someone today, and will I wake up the next day in heaven? Cos I am assured that I will be in heaven with faith in my God.
Yet, another aspect that makes me not so comfortable...Remembering the warnings in the bible of those who come to God, and the reply was that, I do not know you. Or how about choosing the goats and the sheep? Hmm. Maybe I am not reading those verses in its entire context. Somehow sometimes I feel that it is so unfair that some people could be really nice and all, but yet they end up in hell because they don't know God. That's prob so why I think what C.S. Lewis said makes much sense...in my blog some time ago, about how people are in the process of being saved. Hmm.
And maybe with the concept that God is all accepting, we may not be inspired to do more works. The other opinion is that because I know God is all accepting, therefore I am even more encouraged to serve Him more. But I don't know how many of us take God's grace for granted. I know for me I tend to err on the other extreme of legalism. So I don't know if we can err on the side of grace. Or can we be all comfortable and all being christians, knowing we are saved and yet not doing anything about it. And also how radical is this call of God in our lives?
I dread growing older and compromising on God's call, just find a good husband, marry, have kids and earn a steady income. Be faithful serving in a church. Maybe that is a calling. Maybe that is not? It is always easier to think that being called to serve in Singapore in the mkt place is our calling, because the alternative seems much more difficult. Don't mistake me, I think that it is a challenge as well being in a ministry say of serving lawyers and reaching out to them. I am sure sometimes it just gets really lonely esp when yr peers have different values from you. But yes, it must be a calling to stay in a job and to serve in this manner. I wonder how many of us has never ever stopped to ask God what our calling is, but simply continue with our dreams and aspirations as if our lives were our own....continue making plans for our retirement, and for our etc etc.
Hai, this is a very intensed post as u can see, I've been thinking a lot about these things. And I am scared of losing myself. I am scared of compromising and going with the norm.
Yest during counseling class we were talking about singlehood, and there was this lady who said if she had a 4K salary, she will not consider someone who was earning 2K. Hmm. And on the inside I was thinking how diff people value different things. Like for me, I value more that a person is living out his life in God's plan and will. And yah, if someone gave up prospects to serve God full time, I will be so inspired by this man who goes against the norms (again not suggesting that it is godly only if someone does that). I'm wondering if I will find someone who has crazy ideas like me. ;D I wonder if anyone feels like me. Or am I going crazy. I sometimes wonder if being at peace with yrself and with the world is a good thing. Because maybe the world is not so peaceful afterall and it needs us to fight a good fight.
Yet, another aspect that makes me not so comfortable...Remembering the warnings in the bible of those who come to God, and the reply was that, I do not know you. Or how about choosing the goats and the sheep? Hmm. Maybe I am not reading those verses in its entire context. Somehow sometimes I feel that it is so unfair that some people could be really nice and all, but yet they end up in hell because they don't know God. That's prob so why I think what C.S. Lewis said makes much sense...in my blog some time ago, about how people are in the process of being saved. Hmm.
And maybe with the concept that God is all accepting, we may not be inspired to do more works. The other opinion is that because I know God is all accepting, therefore I am even more encouraged to serve Him more. But I don't know how many of us take God's grace for granted. I know for me I tend to err on the other extreme of legalism. So I don't know if we can err on the side of grace. Or can we be all comfortable and all being christians, knowing we are saved and yet not doing anything about it. And also how radical is this call of God in our lives?
I dread growing older and compromising on God's call, just find a good husband, marry, have kids and earn a steady income. Be faithful serving in a church. Maybe that is a calling. Maybe that is not? It is always easier to think that being called to serve in Singapore in the mkt place is our calling, because the alternative seems much more difficult. Don't mistake me, I think that it is a challenge as well being in a ministry say of serving lawyers and reaching out to them. I am sure sometimes it just gets really lonely esp when yr peers have different values from you. But yes, it must be a calling to stay in a job and to serve in this manner. I wonder how many of us has never ever stopped to ask God what our calling is, but simply continue with our dreams and aspirations as if our lives were our own....continue making plans for our retirement, and for our etc etc.
Hai, this is a very intensed post as u can see, I've been thinking a lot about these things. And I am scared of losing myself. I am scared of compromising and going with the norm.
Yest during counseling class we were talking about singlehood, and there was this lady who said if she had a 4K salary, she will not consider someone who was earning 2K. Hmm. And on the inside I was thinking how diff people value different things. Like for me, I value more that a person is living out his life in God's plan and will. And yah, if someone gave up prospects to serve God full time, I will be so inspired by this man who goes against the norms (again not suggesting that it is godly only if someone does that). I'm wondering if I will find someone who has crazy ideas like me. ;D I wonder if anyone feels like me. Or am I going crazy. I sometimes wonder if being at peace with yrself and with the world is a good thing. Because maybe the world is not so peaceful afterall and it needs us to fight a good fight.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Is it time to start anew?
I'm so thankful for the sermon today, and this one phrase that Pastor Ed shared lingers in my heart even now. Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God. It brings to my mind my journey back then in ministry, thinking about whether the many troubles that happened to my cell group members and myself meant that I was not called to serve in this area. And this sermon gave me a revelation that perhaps God had wanted me to walk through the troubles, with His presence by my side. Not to fix my eyes on the problems and fixing my eyes on what He has called me to do.
Seeing the video today with the vibrant youths made my heart leap with excitement. Youths...an age where they are so mouldable and in need of proper guidance. In need of love and their love tank to be filled. It stirred deep within me memories of youths jumping up and down in CHC. Heh. It reminded me of how yielded youths can be. And I remembered the faces of youths who felt unloved, who dropped out from school, who took up smoking, who felt lonely, who struggled with their studies, who were upset with their friends...Tears of healing streaming down faces of youths...Oh gosh, this love I've for youths. Though I have some apprehensions, my counseling teacher said before, if yr own love tank is empty, u have nothing to offer others! I wonder if my love tank has been refilled. Or do I need more time?
Seeing the video today with the vibrant youths made my heart leap with excitement. Youths...an age where they are so mouldable and in need of proper guidance. In need of love and their love tank to be filled. It stirred deep within me memories of youths jumping up and down in CHC. Heh. It reminded me of how yielded youths can be. And I remembered the faces of youths who felt unloved, who dropped out from school, who took up smoking, who felt lonely, who struggled with their studies, who were upset with their friends...Tears of healing streaming down faces of youths...Oh gosh, this love I've for youths. Though I have some apprehensions, my counseling teacher said before, if yr own love tank is empty, u have nothing to offer others! I wonder if my love tank has been refilled. Or do I need more time?
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Loving the excluded
Worth thinking about:
1) Stan and Mari Thekaekara work with tribal peoples in the Nilgiris Hills of India. Their reflections on visiting a number of projects in inner city areas of the UK are reproduced in a report from the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action:
"On arriving in the UK, it is difficult at first for a visitor from a Third World country to immediately perceive that poverty exists at all. Everyone was better housed, clad and fed. Everyone seemed to have a television, a fridge- some even had cars- all items of luxury for the majority of people in India. But as the week went by we began to see beyond the televisions, refrigerators and cars. Amazingly, similarities between the people of Easterhouse* and Paniyas of the Nilgiris began to emerge. Though the face of poverty was completely different, the impact was exactly the same. - cited in Ingrid Hanson, Faces of Poverty: The State of Britain in the 90s."
-Tim Chester, Good News to the Poor
*Note:
A district of Glasgow, Easterhouse lies to the east of the city centre- the settlement came to be associated with high unemployment, poverty and deprivation. In the 1990s the Greater Easterhouse Development Company was formed to help attract industry to the area.
2) When Christ said: "I was hungry and you fed me," he didn't mean only the hunger for bread and for food; the hunger to be loved. Jesus experienced this loneliness. He came amongst his own and his own received him not, and it hurt him then and it has kept hurting him. The same hunger, the same loneliness, the same having no one accepted by and to be loved and wanted by. Every human being in that case resembles Christ in his loneliness; and that is the hardest part, that's real hunger.
-Mother Teresa
1) Stan and Mari Thekaekara work with tribal peoples in the Nilgiris Hills of India. Their reflections on visiting a number of projects in inner city areas of the UK are reproduced in a report from the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action:
"On arriving in the UK, it is difficult at first for a visitor from a Third World country to immediately perceive that poverty exists at all. Everyone was better housed, clad and fed. Everyone seemed to have a television, a fridge- some even had cars- all items of luxury for the majority of people in India. But as the week went by we began to see beyond the televisions, refrigerators and cars. Amazingly, similarities between the people of Easterhouse* and Paniyas of the Nilgiris began to emerge. Though the face of poverty was completely different, the impact was exactly the same. - cited in Ingrid Hanson, Faces of Poverty: The State of Britain in the 90s."
-Tim Chester, Good News to the Poor
*Note:
A district of Glasgow, Easterhouse lies to the east of the city centre- the settlement came to be associated with high unemployment, poverty and deprivation. In the 1990s the Greater Easterhouse Development Company was formed to help attract industry to the area.
2) When Christ said: "I was hungry and you fed me," he didn't mean only the hunger for bread and for food; the hunger to be loved. Jesus experienced this loneliness. He came amongst his own and his own received him not, and it hurt him then and it has kept hurting him. The same hunger, the same loneliness, the same having no one accepted by and to be loved and wanted by. Every human being in that case resembles Christ in his loneliness; and that is the hardest part, that's real hunger.
-Mother Teresa
Calling
I thought this was pretty good and it spoke to me..
GRACE@WORK MAIL 11/07
[March 16, 2007 Edition]
"I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain."
(John 12:24 NET)
Commentary: One Life to Live
She had a professional qualification in accounting and had worked in one of the Big 4 accounting firms for a while. But deep down she knew she was a teacher with a special love for preschoolers. And so she resigned from her accounting job and became a kindergarten
teacher in her church. The drop in salary was drastic. She had to take another job to make ends meet. But her faith was strong. And her joy was real.
Her story moved me profoundly.
If you are a regular reader of this column you will know that I do not divide jobs on the basis of whether they are secular or spiritual. If you are a regular reader of this column you will know that I champion the call for Christians to understand that God calls us into all sorts of work and
not just into church related work. And we definitely need God's people in the Big 4!
But what moved me about my friend's decision was that she had the courage and the faith to be true to her heart's call.
There will be those who will call her decision a waste. What a waste to give up a job of such earning potential. What a waste of her had earned expertise in accountancy. And doesn't she know how expensive it is to live these days? Doesn't she know the crushing effects of inflation on those of us who are not rich?
I heard the same arguments when I came to understand that God wanted me to leave dentistry to be a full time minister of the Word. I had expected that non-Christian friends would have found it difficult to accept such a counter-cultural decision. What I didn't expect was that most of the resistance to my leaving dentistry to go into a church related vocation came from Christians.
I would have thought that Christians would be the first to understand that our lives are not our own and that we are all but stewards of the lives we have received. I would have thought that Christians would understand that their security lies ultimately in the Lord and not in the monthly pay cheque, and that the most secure place one can be is walking in the will of the Lord wherever that journey takes you.
I was wrong.
It seems that many churches are not places that encourage people to discover their vocations, and support them as they embark on their God-given adventures. And it seems like this reluctance to think of life in vocational terms is not new.
At the age of 30, Albert Schweitzer decided to leave his position as principal of a theological seminary to enter medical school to prepare to be a missionary doctor to Africa. He talks about the resistance he received.
"My relatives and friends reproached me for the folly of my enterprise. They said I was a man who was burying the talent entrusted to him and wanted to trade in false currency. I ought to leave work among Africans to those who would not thereby abandon gifts and achievements in scholarship and the arts...
In the many adversarial debates I had to endure with people who passed for Christians, it amazed me to see them unable to perceive that the desire to serve the love preached by Jesus may sweep a man into a new course of life. They read in the New Testament that it can do so, and found it quite in order there.
I had assumed that familiarity with the sayings of Jesus would give a much better comprehension of what to popular logic is not rational."
(Albert Schweitzer, Out of My Life and Thought, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1998, pp. 81-95.)
We cheat the world of the Schweitzers in our midst by not encouraging our people to find and pursue their vocations. And we cheat ourselves and our children from living lives of meaning and significance.
How do we discover our vocation? I believe discovering our vocation is a life long journey. A good starting place is to consider the primary calls on our lives. We have been called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). With my abilities, burdens and opportunities how do I best love God and neighbour at this point of my life?
And here is Frederick Buechner's oft quoted advice:
"By and large a good rule for finding out (your life calling) is this: the kind of work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you've missed
requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you
have probably met requirement (b) but if most of the time you're bored and
depressed by it, chances are you have not only bypassed (a), but probably
aren't helping your patients much either. Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
(Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, New York: Harper &
Row, 1973, p.95.)
I also believe there is no ideal time to pursue one's vocation. Some of us carry heavy financial responsibilities --- aged parents to care for, children to feed etc. The Lord knows that. We may have to do one job to put food on the table while pursuing our vocation outside of work time --- and striving to do our best in both responsibilities. Others may have to wait
for another season in their lives to pursue their vocation full time.
The Lord knows the details of your life and will work out everything in the end. Nothing will be wasted. We are to follow God in the realities of our life and not in some romantic never-never land.
But what all of us need is the courage and faith of my young friend who became a kindergarten teacher. At some point we need to choose the security of obeying God over the security that comes from popular logic. And when we do that we find life, life for others and life for ourselves.
Your brother,
Soo-Inn Tan
Email: sooinn@graceatwork.org
GRACE@WORK MAIL 11/07
[March 16, 2007 Edition]
"I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain."
(John 12:24 NET)
Commentary: One Life to Live
She had a professional qualification in accounting and had worked in one of the Big 4 accounting firms for a while. But deep down she knew she was a teacher with a special love for preschoolers. And so she resigned from her accounting job and became a kindergarten
teacher in her church. The drop in salary was drastic. She had to take another job to make ends meet. But her faith was strong. And her joy was real.
Her story moved me profoundly.
If you are a regular reader of this column you will know that I do not divide jobs on the basis of whether they are secular or spiritual. If you are a regular reader of this column you will know that I champion the call for Christians to understand that God calls us into all sorts of work and
not just into church related work. And we definitely need God's people in the Big 4!
But what moved me about my friend's decision was that she had the courage and the faith to be true to her heart's call.
There will be those who will call her decision a waste. What a waste to give up a job of such earning potential. What a waste of her had earned expertise in accountancy. And doesn't she know how expensive it is to live these days? Doesn't she know the crushing effects of inflation on those of us who are not rich?
I heard the same arguments when I came to understand that God wanted me to leave dentistry to be a full time minister of the Word. I had expected that non-Christian friends would have found it difficult to accept such a counter-cultural decision. What I didn't expect was that most of the resistance to my leaving dentistry to go into a church related vocation came from Christians.
I would have thought that Christians would be the first to understand that our lives are not our own and that we are all but stewards of the lives we have received. I would have thought that Christians would understand that their security lies ultimately in the Lord and not in the monthly pay cheque, and that the most secure place one can be is walking in the will of the Lord wherever that journey takes you.
I was wrong.
It seems that many churches are not places that encourage people to discover their vocations, and support them as they embark on their God-given adventures. And it seems like this reluctance to think of life in vocational terms is not new.
At the age of 30, Albert Schweitzer decided to leave his position as principal of a theological seminary to enter medical school to prepare to be a missionary doctor to Africa. He talks about the resistance he received.
"My relatives and friends reproached me for the folly of my enterprise. They said I was a man who was burying the talent entrusted to him and wanted to trade in false currency. I ought to leave work among Africans to those who would not thereby abandon gifts and achievements in scholarship and the arts...
In the many adversarial debates I had to endure with people who passed for Christians, it amazed me to see them unable to perceive that the desire to serve the love preached by Jesus may sweep a man into a new course of life. They read in the New Testament that it can do so, and found it quite in order there.
I had assumed that familiarity with the sayings of Jesus would give a much better comprehension of what to popular logic is not rational."
(Albert Schweitzer, Out of My Life and Thought, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1998, pp. 81-95.)
We cheat the world of the Schweitzers in our midst by not encouraging our people to find and pursue their vocations. And we cheat ourselves and our children from living lives of meaning and significance.
How do we discover our vocation? I believe discovering our vocation is a life long journey. A good starting place is to consider the primary calls on our lives. We have been called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). With my abilities, burdens and opportunities how do I best love God and neighbour at this point of my life?
And here is Frederick Buechner's oft quoted advice:
"By and large a good rule for finding out (your life calling) is this: the kind of work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you've missed
requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you
have probably met requirement (b) but if most of the time you're bored and
depressed by it, chances are you have not only bypassed (a), but probably
aren't helping your patients much either. Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
(Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, New York: Harper &
Row, 1973, p.95.)
I also believe there is no ideal time to pursue one's vocation. Some of us carry heavy financial responsibilities --- aged parents to care for, children to feed etc. The Lord knows that. We may have to do one job to put food on the table while pursuing our vocation outside of work time --- and striving to do our best in both responsibilities. Others may have to wait
for another season in their lives to pursue their vocation full time.
The Lord knows the details of your life and will work out everything in the end. Nothing will be wasted. We are to follow God in the realities of our life and not in some romantic never-never land.
But what all of us need is the courage and faith of my young friend who became a kindergarten teacher. At some point we need to choose the security of obeying God over the security that comes from popular logic. And when we do that we find life, life for others and life for ourselves.
Your brother,
Soo-Inn Tan
Email: sooinn@graceatwork.org
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Setting my house in order
God has been teaching me a lot of things this week. Just by my mum fracturing her ankle, and how we are all adjusting life at home without her. Also the cosy visits at the hospital room, perhaps get to talk much more and interact with my parents than ever before.
Today I brought Q to church, and I felt such a tremendous sense of peace and amazement of how He is just moving in her life :). Really everything in His time. And today pastor was talking about enlarging our tents and how knowing God was such a fantastically joyful thing, because you do not just receive forgiveness, but it gives u a new life. I am so amazed at how simple evangelism can actually be, which is simply: sharing the good news of a loving Father who loves you unconditionally. Flipping thru sermon notes, and saw what Pastor Edmund had said before, that God pours His love unconditonally, but from men's point of view, we cannot receive it. But once the heart is open...wow, the love pours forth into the heart and heals the broken heartedness. God's love has always been the thing that saw me through every difficult situation, no matter how difficult, lonely or depressed I felt, I know that my greatest comforter is God.
And so maybe in this post I will just blabber a bit. :) Ha... so many thoughts running through my mind right now. How good He is, and how amazing He has called me to a new place, a new church where I can call my home, and yup, where I can "come out of Egypt", into a new land of milk and honey.
Today the topic was on broken down walls, and accessing those walls in our lives and taking decisive action. A broken down wall for me is definitely family relationships. I have fears of/about my parents that go down so deep, and I don't like to acknowledge these fears. Perhaps it is more comforting sweeping them under the carpet. Yet the word spoken today reminded me that I should face those fears that are hidden, and from there receive healing and move forward. And this whole incident of my mum being hospitalised...I must say it just came so close...it's right 1 week after the quarrel I had with Dad about going to Africa with World Vision for a trip. I was very upset then with my parents, and cried out and travailed with God for an hour at least, and felt a deep sense of burden. Fasted during the week. I believe that God is doing a new work in my life. I believe that He is calling me to come out of Egypt, out of my fears & bondages that hold me back for He is doing something new in my life.
Just thought of how good God is, to help me set my house in order first- the inner conditions of my heart and in the family. :)
I'm very tired. But very very thankful from the depths of my heart. :)
Was reading Tim Chester's book again yesterday, and he wrote about:
"Godly contentment is not about austerity or ascentricism. It is about enjoyment.. involve opting for something of greater value."
I was reflecting about whether I am really trying to spend less/live simply out of legalism (aka treating it as a sacrifice), or do I really enjoy the choices that I have made? Am I really convicted that choosing God is far more satisfying than the alternative (material satisfaction)? With this mind blowing revelation, I realise that choosing God is actually for my own good rather than a sacrifice. He loves us too much to not give us what is best for us. Just that humanly, we sometimes cannot grasp that the alternative is so valuable.
Today I brought Q to church, and I felt such a tremendous sense of peace and amazement of how He is just moving in her life :). Really everything in His time. And today pastor was talking about enlarging our tents and how knowing God was such a fantastically joyful thing, because you do not just receive forgiveness, but it gives u a new life. I am so amazed at how simple evangelism can actually be, which is simply: sharing the good news of a loving Father who loves you unconditionally. Flipping thru sermon notes, and saw what Pastor Edmund had said before, that God pours His love unconditonally, but from men's point of view, we cannot receive it. But once the heart is open...wow, the love pours forth into the heart and heals the broken heartedness. God's love has always been the thing that saw me through every difficult situation, no matter how difficult, lonely or depressed I felt, I know that my greatest comforter is God.
And so maybe in this post I will just blabber a bit. :) Ha... so many thoughts running through my mind right now. How good He is, and how amazing He has called me to a new place, a new church where I can call my home, and yup, where I can "come out of Egypt", into a new land of milk and honey.
Today the topic was on broken down walls, and accessing those walls in our lives and taking decisive action. A broken down wall for me is definitely family relationships. I have fears of/about my parents that go down so deep, and I don't like to acknowledge these fears. Perhaps it is more comforting sweeping them under the carpet. Yet the word spoken today reminded me that I should face those fears that are hidden, and from there receive healing and move forward. And this whole incident of my mum being hospitalised...I must say it just came so close...it's right 1 week after the quarrel I had with Dad about going to Africa with World Vision for a trip. I was very upset then with my parents, and cried out and travailed with God for an hour at least, and felt a deep sense of burden. Fasted during the week. I believe that God is doing a new work in my life. I believe that He is calling me to come out of Egypt, out of my fears & bondages that hold me back for He is doing something new in my life.
Just thought of how good God is, to help me set my house in order first- the inner conditions of my heart and in the family. :)
I'm very tired. But very very thankful from the depths of my heart. :)
Was reading Tim Chester's book again yesterday, and he wrote about:
"Godly contentment is not about austerity or ascentricism. It is about enjoyment.. involve opting for something of greater value."
I was reflecting about whether I am really trying to spend less/live simply out of legalism (aka treating it as a sacrifice), or do I really enjoy the choices that I have made? Am I really convicted that choosing God is far more satisfying than the alternative (material satisfaction)? With this mind blowing revelation, I realise that choosing God is actually for my own good rather than a sacrifice. He loves us too much to not give us what is best for us. Just that humanly, we sometimes cannot grasp that the alternative is so valuable.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Not what it seems
Interesting article by Philip Yancey
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/22.120.html
"The world is full of pain. The prosperity promised on religious television must exist in some alternate universe from what I encounter as I visit churches in person. For all its faults and failures, the church offers a place to bring wounds and to seek meaning in times of brokenness and struggle...
In one meeting, a 20-year-old came to the microphone and chided me for not taking literally the Bible's promise about faith that can move mountains. I agreed I needed a larger dose of such childlike faith, yet at the same time, I could not dishonor the pain of suffering people by telling them their faith is somehow defective.
From such souls, I learn that life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived. Prayer offers no ironclad guarantees, just the certain promise that we need not live that mystery alone."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/22.120.html
"The world is full of pain. The prosperity promised on religious television must exist in some alternate universe from what I encounter as I visit churches in person. For all its faults and failures, the church offers a place to bring wounds and to seek meaning in times of brokenness and struggle...
In one meeting, a 20-year-old came to the microphone and chided me for not taking literally the Bible's promise about faith that can move mountains. I agreed I needed a larger dose of such childlike faith, yet at the same time, I could not dishonor the pain of suffering people by telling them their faith is somehow defective.
From such souls, I learn that life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived. Prayer offers no ironclad guarantees, just the certain promise that we need not live that mystery alone."
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Boasting only in the cross
"In Britain, it seems we are obsessed with celebrities...We love our celebrity converts. Footballers, singers, models- if they become Christians, then we buy their books, go to their concerts, trumpet their conversion. Best of all we love to show them off to unbelievers...When we engage the world we try to convince people that we are worthy of being listened to because we are respectable. We hide away the freaks, the mentally unstable, the socially inept, the people who smell, the people who stand too close when they talk to you, the poor people, the stupid people. After all, no-one is going to listen to them...
But Paul takes a very different line in 1 Cor 1:26-31. Paul has been expounding his claim that 'the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God' (1:18). God, he says, destroys the wisdom of the world by revealing his power in soemthing that worldly wisdom does not recognise (1:19-22). It seems as if only powerful signs can impress Jews and as if only clever philosophical ideas can impress the Greeks...We must not think that doing miracles or expounding clever arguments will convert the world, because the power of God and the wisdom of God is found in the message of the cross (1:23-25). Our message must be, and can only be, Christ crucified...
Paul invites the Corinthaians to look at themselves. They do not represent the wise, influential and noble people of this world. There were some in Corinth, like this, but not many. The church was primarily made up of those who were on the fringe- those in soceity who did not have much to appeal to. God is choosing these kinds of people to be part of his demonstration of the wisdom of the cross. God chooses the foolish, weak and lowly to nullify human power and wisdom. He shames wisdom, power and status because we use these things to proclaim that we do not need God."
Tim Chester
Good News to the Poor
(XJ says: It is not our form that convinces people to christianity. Why not seek first of all a walk of obedience to the cross? Thereafter everything falls into place, whether in the form of being influential in the mkt place or not, whatever station we are working in- seeking only to testify of the cross. For transformation preceeds multiplication. The inward must be changed first instead of changing what forms on the outside.)
But Paul takes a very different line in 1 Cor 1:26-31. Paul has been expounding his claim that 'the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God' (1:18). God, he says, destroys the wisdom of the world by revealing his power in soemthing that worldly wisdom does not recognise (1:19-22). It seems as if only powerful signs can impress Jews and as if only clever philosophical ideas can impress the Greeks...We must not think that doing miracles or expounding clever arguments will convert the world, because the power of God and the wisdom of God is found in the message of the cross (1:23-25). Our message must be, and can only be, Christ crucified...
Paul invites the Corinthaians to look at themselves. They do not represent the wise, influential and noble people of this world. There were some in Corinth, like this, but not many. The church was primarily made up of those who were on the fringe- those in soceity who did not have much to appeal to. God is choosing these kinds of people to be part of his demonstration of the wisdom of the cross. God chooses the foolish, weak and lowly to nullify human power and wisdom. He shames wisdom, power and status because we use these things to proclaim that we do not need God."
Tim Chester
Good News to the Poor
(XJ says: It is not our form that convinces people to christianity. Why not seek first of all a walk of obedience to the cross? Thereafter everything falls into place, whether in the form of being influential in the mkt place or not, whatever station we are working in- seeking only to testify of the cross. For transformation preceeds multiplication. The inward must be changed first instead of changing what forms on the outside.)
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
What is the greatest need we face today?
Still reading Tim Chester's book. And the organization of the book is pretty cool, it provides a case for social involvement, and a case for evangelizing the poor. Then he merges them together- i.e. how it can work out on a practical basis.
Here's the portion for the case for evangelizing the poor. I'm still reflecting about it...
"What is the greatest need of people in your area? Your answer might depend on where you live. Some of the needs we face in the area that my church serves are racism, poor mental halth and unemployment. In leafier suburbs, the problems may be less evident, but behind the curtains of the show homes are people facing loneliness, domestic violence, emptiness and household debt. In the shanty towns and slums of the Third World, the need for clean water, proper sanitation, housing, education, regular income, and basic health care. I remember asking the women of a slum in New Delhi about their hopes for the future. The thing they wanted most was electricity. They wanted to be able to run fans to make the heat of the slums more bearable. A few weeks later the temperature soared into the high forties and a number of people in the slum died of heat exhaustion.
A 2001 MORI poll asked people in the UK what they considered the main problems in their local area. Crime and transport were the biggest concerns that people had. Other concerns included limited facilities for the young people and children. Another MORI poll showed that crime was considered by people to be the main problem at a national level while the environment was cited as the main international problem.
Looking at the world around us, we might well agree. But the Bible opens our eyes to a much broader horizon. It reveals that people have a need much greater than any mentioned above and of which we are largely unaware- the need to be reconciled to God and so escape his wrath."
Here's the portion for the case for evangelizing the poor. I'm still reflecting about it...
"What is the greatest need of people in your area? Your answer might depend on where you live. Some of the needs we face in the area that my church serves are racism, poor mental halth and unemployment. In leafier suburbs, the problems may be less evident, but behind the curtains of the show homes are people facing loneliness, domestic violence, emptiness and household debt. In the shanty towns and slums of the Third World, the need for clean water, proper sanitation, housing, education, regular income, and basic health care. I remember asking the women of a slum in New Delhi about their hopes for the future. The thing they wanted most was electricity. They wanted to be able to run fans to make the heat of the slums more bearable. A few weeks later the temperature soared into the high forties and a number of people in the slum died of heat exhaustion.
A 2001 MORI poll asked people in the UK what they considered the main problems in their local area. Crime and transport were the biggest concerns that people had. Other concerns included limited facilities for the young people and children. Another MORI poll showed that crime was considered by people to be the main problem at a national level while the environment was cited as the main international problem.
Looking at the world around us, we might well agree. But the Bible opens our eyes to a much broader horizon. It reveals that people have a need much greater than any mentioned above and of which we are largely unaware- the need to be reconciled to God and so escape his wrath."
Monday, February 12, 2007
A visit to the prisons...
I went to the prison today at Tanjong Balai, which is a 2 hr ferry journey from Singapore. Hmm..don't exactly know how to begin this post as there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind.
It was very touching worshipping with the inmates. It spoke so much to me of God's love and compassion for the broken hearted and the sinful. But it spoke to me also, about how sinful I also was, even though technically I had not been sentenced to jail, yet equally having the capacity to sin, and so on equal footing with the inmates. I couldn't understand a word of the Hokkien and Bahasa Indonesian that was being spoken. But when it came to ministry, everyone responded, and we prayed for them. A lady broke down, kneeled and cried. There was another guy that I prayed for, and I saw how visibly touched he was by the Lord. He just kept weeping...and tear drops fell from his face to the floor.
Perhaps it took this, and also yesterday's sermon at church to remind me of God being covenant keeping and faithful. Pastor Edmund explained that Jonah story was actually about a compassionate God seeking those in Nineveh- not wanting any to perish- and also telling Jonah to see His heart...how His heart was compassionate for the sinful ones. And then Pastor Ed explained how Exodus was about the faithfulness of God in delivering His people. Finally, how Nehemiah was about the covenant keeping nature of God, i.e. fulfilling His covenant with Abraham.
I must say I have forgotten this aspect of God, or really do I know God? Doubting His faithfulness and compassion as I think about the lost souls (condemned eternally to hell?), the poor, the broken hearted, and how unfair this world was.
Thought about how limited the human capacity was to love others. And for myself, who I think has the gift of mercy, it is so easy to get disillusioned and bitter about the state of the world, if I base it on my own idealism. God revealed to me the true condition of my heart, is my heart increasingly hardened by the day with hopelessness and bleakness?
The number of people today who came for the gathering was about 20. We don't really need huge numbers to start with, because how precious each of these 20 must be to God. And that is where I shd start with all over again, just making a difference in lives one by one.
It is very easy for a compassionate/humanitarian ministry to be relying on one's own strength, because we could try and pour in more time, energy, money to feed the poor. Yet real transformation, I believe, comes when the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the people and heal the broken hearts and bring salvation. And then how easy and light this burden becomes when we are servants of the Lord, following His leading.
Again perhaps another reminder on Sunday's sermon, that when God calls us to His work, He will equip and empower us for His work.
Dear God, I pray that You will empower me to do Your work, and that You will always keep my heart from bitterness. Let all that I do be empowered by You. Take away all human pride, all personal agenda. Let my thoughts and intentions be pure before You. Thank You Lord for touching the lives tonight. In Jesus Name I pray, amen.
It was very touching worshipping with the inmates. It spoke so much to me of God's love and compassion for the broken hearted and the sinful. But it spoke to me also, about how sinful I also was, even though technically I had not been sentenced to jail, yet equally having the capacity to sin, and so on equal footing with the inmates. I couldn't understand a word of the Hokkien and Bahasa Indonesian that was being spoken. But when it came to ministry, everyone responded, and we prayed for them. A lady broke down, kneeled and cried. There was another guy that I prayed for, and I saw how visibly touched he was by the Lord. He just kept weeping...and tear drops fell from his face to the floor.
Perhaps it took this, and also yesterday's sermon at church to remind me of God being covenant keeping and faithful. Pastor Edmund explained that Jonah story was actually about a compassionate God seeking those in Nineveh- not wanting any to perish- and also telling Jonah to see His heart...how His heart was compassionate for the sinful ones. And then Pastor Ed explained how Exodus was about the faithfulness of God in delivering His people. Finally, how Nehemiah was about the covenant keeping nature of God, i.e. fulfilling His covenant with Abraham.
I must say I have forgotten this aspect of God, or really do I know God? Doubting His faithfulness and compassion as I think about the lost souls (condemned eternally to hell?), the poor, the broken hearted, and how unfair this world was.
Thought about how limited the human capacity was to love others. And for myself, who I think has the gift of mercy, it is so easy to get disillusioned and bitter about the state of the world, if I base it on my own idealism. God revealed to me the true condition of my heart, is my heart increasingly hardened by the day with hopelessness and bleakness?
The number of people today who came for the gathering was about 20. We don't really need huge numbers to start with, because how precious each of these 20 must be to God. And that is where I shd start with all over again, just making a difference in lives one by one.
It is very easy for a compassionate/humanitarian ministry to be relying on one's own strength, because we could try and pour in more time, energy, money to feed the poor. Yet real transformation, I believe, comes when the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the people and heal the broken hearts and bring salvation. And then how easy and light this burden becomes when we are servants of the Lord, following His leading.
Again perhaps another reminder on Sunday's sermon, that when God calls us to His work, He will equip and empower us for His work.
Dear God, I pray that You will empower me to do Your work, and that You will always keep my heart from bitterness. Let all that I do be empowered by You. Take away all human pride, all personal agenda. Let my thoughts and intentions be pure before You. Thank You Lord for touching the lives tonight. In Jesus Name I pray, amen.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
William Carrey
I'm reading Tim Chester's Good News to the Poor: Sharing the gospel through social involvement.
Wow, quite a good read, I've extracted something interesting about William Carey here. Truly he was a missionary, and much more in India.
"Two hundred years before, in 1793, William Carey arrived in India. Ruth and Vishal Mangalwadi begin their appreciation of Carey with a fictional quiz. They imagine a competition for Indian university students in which the question is asked: 'Who was William Carrey?' The first reply is that William Carey was a botanist who published the first books on the natural history of India, introduced new systems of gardening and after whom a variety of eucalyptus is named. Next an engineering student says William Carey introduced the steam engine to India and began the first indigenous paper and printing industries. Another student sees Carey as a social reformer who successfully campaigned for women's rights. Another as a campaigner for the humane treatment of lepers. An economics student points out that Carey introduced savings bank to combat usury. Carey is credited with starting the first newspaper in any oriental language. He conducted a systematic survey of Indian agricultural practices and founded the Indian Agri-Horticultural Society, thirty years before the Royal Agricultural Society was established in England. Carey was the first to translate and publish the religious classics of India and wrote the first Sanskirt dictionary for scholars. He founded dozen of schools, providing education for people of all cases, boys and girls. He pioneered lending libraries, wrote the first essays on forestry in India. To a significant degree he transformed the ethos of the British administration in India from colonial exploitation to a genuine sense of civil service.
And so it goes on with Carey's contribution to science, engineering, industry, economics, medicine, agriculture and forestry, literature, education, social reform, public administration and philosophy all being celebrated. Yet most of us know William Carey as the cobbler from Northamptonshire who became a pioneer missionary and evangelist. Who was the real William Carey? The answer is that Carey was all these things and more."
Wow, quite a good read, I've extracted something interesting about William Carey here. Truly he was a missionary, and much more in India.
"Two hundred years before, in 1793, William Carey arrived in India. Ruth and Vishal Mangalwadi begin their appreciation of Carey with a fictional quiz. They imagine a competition for Indian university students in which the question is asked: 'Who was William Carrey?' The first reply is that William Carey was a botanist who published the first books on the natural history of India, introduced new systems of gardening and after whom a variety of eucalyptus is named. Next an engineering student says William Carey introduced the steam engine to India and began the first indigenous paper and printing industries. Another student sees Carey as a social reformer who successfully campaigned for women's rights. Another as a campaigner for the humane treatment of lepers. An economics student points out that Carey introduced savings bank to combat usury. Carey is credited with starting the first newspaper in any oriental language. He conducted a systematic survey of Indian agricultural practices and founded the Indian Agri-Horticultural Society, thirty years before the Royal Agricultural Society was established in England. Carey was the first to translate and publish the religious classics of India and wrote the first Sanskirt dictionary for scholars. He founded dozen of schools, providing education for people of all cases, boys and girls. He pioneered lending libraries, wrote the first essays on forestry in India. To a significant degree he transformed the ethos of the British administration in India from colonial exploitation to a genuine sense of civil service.
And so it goes on with Carey's contribution to science, engineering, industry, economics, medicine, agriculture and forestry, literature, education, social reform, public administration and philosophy all being celebrated. Yet most of us know William Carey as the cobbler from Northamptonshire who became a pioneer missionary and evangelist. Who was the real William Carey? The answer is that Carey was all these things and more."
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Its one of those days...
Was feeling so burdened and sad about the lost, poor and our apathy, and wrote an email to 2 leaders in CEFC. And yesterday night was writing a card to someone who I knew understood, couldn't help but end up in tears. And went to pray to God, crying, about the lostness of men, about how helpless I felt.
This morning, I was very touched during worship, and couldn't help tearing again while we sang about the river of God.
And the message was so good, it spoke to me.
Pastor Ed emphasized that the great commission was about disciple-making to the "nations". So why are we all in Singapore?- He asked. The only reason I am in Singapore, he said, was because God had called me to Singapore. He was at the jungles and rural area before and had told God he would have been happy to stay there all his life.
There I saw the heart of this man of God.
He talked about how transformation preceeds multiplication.
True indeed.
And the final portion on the Holy Spirit. Just been feeling so discouraged because of how loosely He is being used. But Pastor Ed brought it all back into perspective. We need the empowering of the Holy Spirit, we need to be filled by Him in order to fulfil the great commission.
How do we get filled- by desperation and yielding. How true.
Kept crying again during worship. From the depths of my heart cried out to God. For myself, for the suffering, for the lost, for how helpless I felt. Scenes in China at the mission trip- faces of those chinese youths so vivid. Scenes in CHC...tear stained faced, and hands lifted up to God- crying, use me God. Those moments of prayer in the past, of yielding...of desiring to use my life to serve Him.
Perhaps its time for me to start serving once again. By the empowering of the Spirit.
This morning, I was very touched during worship, and couldn't help tearing again while we sang about the river of God.
And the message was so good, it spoke to me.
Pastor Ed emphasized that the great commission was about disciple-making to the "nations". So why are we all in Singapore?- He asked. The only reason I am in Singapore, he said, was because God had called me to Singapore. He was at the jungles and rural area before and had told God he would have been happy to stay there all his life.
There I saw the heart of this man of God.
He talked about how transformation preceeds multiplication.
True indeed.
And the final portion on the Holy Spirit. Just been feeling so discouraged because of how loosely He is being used. But Pastor Ed brought it all back into perspective. We need the empowering of the Holy Spirit, we need to be filled by Him in order to fulfil the great commission.
How do we get filled- by desperation and yielding. How true.
Kept crying again during worship. From the depths of my heart cried out to God. For myself, for the suffering, for the lost, for how helpless I felt. Scenes in China at the mission trip- faces of those chinese youths so vivid. Scenes in CHC...tear stained faced, and hands lifted up to God- crying, use me God. Those moments of prayer in the past, of yielding...of desiring to use my life to serve Him.
Perhaps its time for me to start serving once again. By the empowering of the Spirit.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Discovering where hope begins in a village in Mozambique
Check out this article.
So encouraging.
Surprised by Friendship
Cassandra Zinchini
"I was moving to Africa for selfish and unselfish reasons. Selfishly, I hoped Africa would save me from a life of numbness, a life of seeking mere satisfaction—more money, more recognition, more whatever. I hoped to find it true that less is more.
Unselfishly, I wanted to help the one-sixth of humanity living without basic food, water, and shelter. My heart was touched from continents away...
But here in a place where the people I grew to love did not have enough food, my own needs faded like the imprint of waves on the sand, quickly receding into the bright sea. The Africans were not happy in their poverty. At the same time, it was obvious to me that material goods were not the only answer, because neither had I been happy in my Western materialistic life.But here in a place where the people I grew to love did not have enough food, my own needs faded like the imprint of waves on the sand, quickly receding into the bright sea. The Africans were not happy in their poverty. At the same time, it was obvious to me that material goods were not the only answer, because neither had I been happy in my Western materialistic life...
In the Jesus film, Jesus multiplied bread so the hungry had more than enough, and he watched with pleasure as his disciples pulled in a large catch of fish from the sea. The ones surrounding me—the poor, the hungry, the sick—understand and believe Jesus' message. They are eager to receive friendship. Here the gospel is applicable, and it really is Good News: bread for the hungry, healing for the sick, love for the unlovely."
So encouraging.
Surprised by Friendship
Cassandra Zinchini
"I was moving to Africa for selfish and unselfish reasons. Selfishly, I hoped Africa would save me from a life of numbness, a life of seeking mere satisfaction—more money, more recognition, more whatever. I hoped to find it true that less is more.
Unselfishly, I wanted to help the one-sixth of humanity living without basic food, water, and shelter. My heart was touched from continents away...
But here in a place where the people I grew to love did not have enough food, my own needs faded like the imprint of waves on the sand, quickly receding into the bright sea. The Africans were not happy in their poverty. At the same time, it was obvious to me that material goods were not the only answer, because neither had I been happy in my Western materialistic life.But here in a place where the people I grew to love did not have enough food, my own needs faded like the imprint of waves on the sand, quickly receding into the bright sea. The Africans were not happy in their poverty. At the same time, it was obvious to me that material goods were not the only answer, because neither had I been happy in my Western materialistic life...
In the Jesus film, Jesus multiplied bread so the hungry had more than enough, and he watched with pleasure as his disciples pulled in a large catch of fish from the sea. The ones surrounding me—the poor, the hungry, the sick—understand and believe Jesus' message. They are eager to receive friendship. Here the gospel is applicable, and it really is Good News: bread for the hungry, healing for the sick, love for the unlovely."
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Mere Christianity
I've just finished reading C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity! It is such a good book, one of the best I've read so far. The thing about this book is how much it challenges the mind to believe in God.
Not sure if it is just the influence of this book, but perhaps also because of other materials I've been reading, I think that the salvation experience is very sacred. It is not immediate, but God is working within the lives of every individual. Hence the act of bringing an individual to church is not the matter that deserves rejoicing - though it can be the start of the journey, but rather we pray that God will work deeply within the life of that individual. I think God touches us in different ways, apart from visits to church, but He can speak to us through events, situations and people, soften our hearts to hear Him.
I liked this paragraph written by C.S. Lewis. I think it makes a lot of sense. And perhaps...closer to my idea of what God is doing within our lives.
"In the first place the situation in the actual world is much more complicated than that. The world does not consist of 100 per cent Christians and 100 per cent non-Christians. There are people (a great many of them) who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name: some of them are clergymen. There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so. There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are so strongly attracted by Him that they are His in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand. There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position. And always, of course, there are a great many people who are just confused in mind and have a lot of inconsistent beliefs all jumbled up together. Consequently, it is not much use trying to make judgements about Christians and non- Christians in the mass."
Not sure if it is just the influence of this book, but perhaps also because of other materials I've been reading, I think that the salvation experience is very sacred. It is not immediate, but God is working within the lives of every individual. Hence the act of bringing an individual to church is not the matter that deserves rejoicing - though it can be the start of the journey, but rather we pray that God will work deeply within the life of that individual. I think God touches us in different ways, apart from visits to church, but He can speak to us through events, situations and people, soften our hearts to hear Him.
I liked this paragraph written by C.S. Lewis. I think it makes a lot of sense. And perhaps...closer to my idea of what God is doing within our lives.
"In the first place the situation in the actual world is much more complicated than that. The world does not consist of 100 per cent Christians and 100 per cent non-Christians. There are people (a great many of them) who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name: some of them are clergymen. There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so. There are people who do not accept the full Christian doctrine about Christ but who are so strongly attracted by Him that they are His in a much deeper sense than they themselves understand. There are people in other religions who are being led by God's secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it. For example, a Buddhist of good will may be led to concentrate more and more on the Buddhist teaching about mercy and to leave in the background (though he might still say he believed) the Buddhist teaching on certain points. Many of the good Pagans long before Christ's birth may have been in this position. And always, of course, there are a great many people who are just confused in mind and have a lot of inconsistent beliefs all jumbled up together. Consequently, it is not much use trying to make judgements about Christians and non- Christians in the mass."
Evangelism
Mere Mission
N.T. Wright
For generations the church has been polarized between those who see the main task being the saving of souls for heaven and the nurturing of those souls through the valley of this dark world, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who see the task of improving the lot of human beings and the world, rescuing the poor from their misery.
The longer that I've gone on as a New Testament scholar and wrestled with what the early Christians were actually talking about, the more it's been borne in on me that that distinction is one that we modern Westerners bring to the text rather than finding in the text. Because the great emphasis in the New Testament is that the gospel is not how to escape the world; the gospel is that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Lord of the world. And that his death and Resurrection transform the world, and that transformation can happen to you. You, in turn, can be part of the transforming work. That draws together what we traditionally called evangelism, bringing people to the point where they come to know God in Christ for themselves, with working for God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That has always been at the heart of the Lord's Prayer, and how we've managed for years to say the Lord's Prayer without realizing that Jesus really meant it is very curious. Our Western culture since the 18th century has made a virtue of separating out religion from real life, or faith from politics.When I lecture about this, people will pop up and say, "Surely Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world." And the answer is no, what Jesus said in John 18 is, "My kingdom is not from this world." That's ek tou kosmoutoutou. It's quite clear in the text that Jesus' kingdom doesn't start with this world. It isn't a worldly kingdom, but it is for this world. It's from somewhere else, but it's for this world.
The key to mission is always worship. You can only be reflecting the love of God into the world if you are worshiping the true God who creates the world out of overflowing self-giving love. The more you look at that God and celebrate that love, the more you have to be reflecting that overflowing self-giving love into the world.
N.T. Wright
For generations the church has been polarized between those who see the main task being the saving of souls for heaven and the nurturing of those souls through the valley of this dark world, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who see the task of improving the lot of human beings and the world, rescuing the poor from their misery.
The longer that I've gone on as a New Testament scholar and wrestled with what the early Christians were actually talking about, the more it's been borne in on me that that distinction is one that we modern Westerners bring to the text rather than finding in the text. Because the great emphasis in the New Testament is that the gospel is not how to escape the world; the gospel is that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Lord of the world. And that his death and Resurrection transform the world, and that transformation can happen to you. You, in turn, can be part of the transforming work. That draws together what we traditionally called evangelism, bringing people to the point where they come to know God in Christ for themselves, with working for God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That has always been at the heart of the Lord's Prayer, and how we've managed for years to say the Lord's Prayer without realizing that Jesus really meant it is very curious. Our Western culture since the 18th century has made a virtue of separating out religion from real life, or faith from politics.When I lecture about this, people will pop up and say, "Surely Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world." And the answer is no, what Jesus said in John 18 is, "My kingdom is not from this world." That's ek tou kosmoutoutou. It's quite clear in the text that Jesus' kingdom doesn't start with this world. It isn't a worldly kingdom, but it is for this world. It's from somewhere else, but it's for this world.
The key to mission is always worship. You can only be reflecting the love of God into the world if you are worshiping the true God who creates the world out of overflowing self-giving love. The more you look at that God and celebrate that love, the more you have to be reflecting that overflowing self-giving love into the world.
Monday, December 25, 2006
How should I live out my faith?
For Goodness Sake, Do Something!
by Randy Nabors
How? "How should I live out my faith?" I hoped you would ask. I want to emphasize that the Scriptures move us beyond a simple personalization of religion. If we understand our religion simply to be a moral change, or a change of personality so that we become "nice," or a spiritualized change where now we have personal meaning and relationship with God, then we have missed what true religion is supposed to be. Yes, the gospel can and does all of the preceding things mentioned, but it calls us to more. It calls us personally to "weightier matters of the law, like justice and mercy"(Matt. 23:23). It calls us, both as individuals and corporately as congregations, to help the poor (James 1:27, 2 Cor. 8-9, Matt. 25: 31-46).
by Randy Nabors
How? "How should I live out my faith?" I hoped you would ask. I want to emphasize that the Scriptures move us beyond a simple personalization of religion. If we understand our religion simply to be a moral change, or a change of personality so that we become "nice," or a spiritualized change where now we have personal meaning and relationship with God, then we have missed what true religion is supposed to be. Yes, the gospel can and does all of the preceding things mentioned, but it calls us to more. It calls us personally to "weightier matters of the law, like justice and mercy"(Matt. 23:23). It calls us, both as individuals and corporately as congregations, to help the poor (James 1:27, 2 Cor. 8-9, Matt. 25: 31-46).
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Humility is difficult
By Jim Wallis
We all know Lent is meant to be a time of reflection, deepening, and preparation for Easter. Lent is also a call to repentance and, especially, humility. With Lent's beginning on Ash Wednesday, we impose (I love that word) ashes as a very physical, visual, and tangible act of repentance and humility - a mark and act of commitment, not merely a rote ritual.
Some members of our staff have suggested to me that the events of recent weeks and months call us to humility. But humility is a difficult virtue for those who are called to a prophetic vocation - people like us.
Humility is difficult for people who think they are, or want to be, "radical Christians."
Humility is difficult when you're always calling other people - the church, the nation, and the world - to stop doing the things you think are wrong and start doing the things you think are right.
Humility is difficult for the bearers of radical messages.
When we're always calling other people to repent and change, it's not always easy to hear that message for ourselves.
I want to suggest that there is a real and very deep tension between humility and the prophetic vocation. And most prophetic Christians I have known - present company and preacher included - are really not very good at humility.
You see we are always making judgments of others - church leaders, political leaders, majority cultures - but are not often good at applying the judgment to ourselves. Even when the prophetic judgments we are making are necessary, they seldom lead us to humility. After all, we are the ones who know how other people are supposed to change. We are the ones with the answers. We are the ones who are doing it right.
How do we preach like Amos - "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty river!" - without becoming self-righteous ourselves? I think that is very difficult. Perhaps Micah had it right: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
And we are especially prone to turn our righteous judgments on each other, at those close at hand, even within our own community - and that can be especially destructive. When that happens, if the truth be told, radical Christian communities are not always pleasant places to be.
When the prophetic indignation we offer daily to the world is turned toward those who happen to be in judging, glaring, or shouting distance of us when we decide they too have fallen short of our ideals - look out!
And let me be human and honest enough to say that leaders in church, state, and certainly faith-inspired organizations should always be held accountable, but being a leader in a prophetic Christian community is often a very hard place to be. Just look at the qualities necessary for the prophetic vocation: The capacity to speak clearly, strongly, boldly, decisively, distinctively, and of course, visibly. I would say, from my experience, that none of those qualities lead directly to humility.
Likewise, the call to be and offer an alternative reality, community, vision, lifestyle, etc., requires an energy and confidence that, again, is not necessarily prone to humility.
So what can save us radical Christians? The same thing that saves everybody else: the grace of God.
I've found myself remembering an old article prompted by a time in the life of Sojourners when these issues were very much at play. It was an article I felt quite convicted to write as a correction to ourselves, to myself, to the prophetic vocation we had chosen. I remember I stayed home from a prophetic anti-nuclear action that many of us were undertaking because I felt the need to think and write instead. It's from May of 1979. It's pretty faded now, but I think it might be relevant to us today:
"Sojourners has written much and often about the abuse and cheapening of grace. In many ways, it is the place where we began. That concern still stands; cheap grace continues to be the greatest affliction of the churches.
"Radical Christians, however, face another problem. It is the tendency to seek justification in our lifestyle, our work, our protest, our causes, our movements, our actions, our prophetic identity, and our radical self-image. It becomes an easy temptation to place our security in the things we stand for and in the things we do, instead of in what God has done. It is a temptation to depend on things other than God's grace.
"'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest [anyone] should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).' Grace is the logic of a loving God. There is nothing we can do to earn it, win it, or deserve it. Grace is simply a gift, not a reward. We can receive it only by faith, not through good works.
"Grace saves the prophetic vocation. The knowledge and experience of grace can ease the seriousness with which we tend to take ourselves. Grace can restore our humility, our sense of humor, and our ability to laugh at ourselves. All are regularly needed by prophets.
"To trust grace is to know that the world has already been saved by Jesus Christ. It is to know that we cannot save the world any more than we can save ourselves. All our work is done only in response to Christ's work. To receive the gift of grace is to let go of self-sufficiency and to act out of a spirit of gratitude.
"Radical Christians must pursue more than a successful strategy; we must seek a deeper faith. Only then will we have the assurance of salvation, not because of what we have accomplished, but because we have allowed God's grace and mercy to flow through our lives." This article was adapted from Jim Wallis' reflections at Sojourners' Ash Wednesday service March 1, 2006.
We all know Lent is meant to be a time of reflection, deepening, and preparation for Easter. Lent is also a call to repentance and, especially, humility. With Lent's beginning on Ash Wednesday, we impose (I love that word) ashes as a very physical, visual, and tangible act of repentance and humility - a mark and act of commitment, not merely a rote ritual.
Some members of our staff have suggested to me that the events of recent weeks and months call us to humility. But humility is a difficult virtue for those who are called to a prophetic vocation - people like us.
Humility is difficult for people who think they are, or want to be, "radical Christians."
Humility is difficult when you're always calling other people - the church, the nation, and the world - to stop doing the things you think are wrong and start doing the things you think are right.
Humility is difficult for the bearers of radical messages.
When we're always calling other people to repent and change, it's not always easy to hear that message for ourselves.
I want to suggest that there is a real and very deep tension between humility and the prophetic vocation. And most prophetic Christians I have known - present company and preacher included - are really not very good at humility.
You see we are always making judgments of others - church leaders, political leaders, majority cultures - but are not often good at applying the judgment to ourselves. Even when the prophetic judgments we are making are necessary, they seldom lead us to humility. After all, we are the ones who know how other people are supposed to change. We are the ones with the answers. We are the ones who are doing it right.
How do we preach like Amos - "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty river!" - without becoming self-righteous ourselves? I think that is very difficult. Perhaps Micah had it right: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
And we are especially prone to turn our righteous judgments on each other, at those close at hand, even within our own community - and that can be especially destructive. When that happens, if the truth be told, radical Christian communities are not always pleasant places to be.
When the prophetic indignation we offer daily to the world is turned toward those who happen to be in judging, glaring, or shouting distance of us when we decide they too have fallen short of our ideals - look out!
And let me be human and honest enough to say that leaders in church, state, and certainly faith-inspired organizations should always be held accountable, but being a leader in a prophetic Christian community is often a very hard place to be. Just look at the qualities necessary for the prophetic vocation: The capacity to speak clearly, strongly, boldly, decisively, distinctively, and of course, visibly. I would say, from my experience, that none of those qualities lead directly to humility.
Likewise, the call to be and offer an alternative reality, community, vision, lifestyle, etc., requires an energy and confidence that, again, is not necessarily prone to humility.
So what can save us radical Christians? The same thing that saves everybody else: the grace of God.
I've found myself remembering an old article prompted by a time in the life of Sojourners when these issues were very much at play. It was an article I felt quite convicted to write as a correction to ourselves, to myself, to the prophetic vocation we had chosen. I remember I stayed home from a prophetic anti-nuclear action that many of us were undertaking because I felt the need to think and write instead. It's from May of 1979. It's pretty faded now, but I think it might be relevant to us today:
"Sojourners has written much and often about the abuse and cheapening of grace. In many ways, it is the place where we began. That concern still stands; cheap grace continues to be the greatest affliction of the churches.
"Radical Christians, however, face another problem. It is the tendency to seek justification in our lifestyle, our work, our protest, our causes, our movements, our actions, our prophetic identity, and our radical self-image. It becomes an easy temptation to place our security in the things we stand for and in the things we do, instead of in what God has done. It is a temptation to depend on things other than God's grace.
"'For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest [anyone] should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).' Grace is the logic of a loving God. There is nothing we can do to earn it, win it, or deserve it. Grace is simply a gift, not a reward. We can receive it only by faith, not through good works.
"Grace saves the prophetic vocation. The knowledge and experience of grace can ease the seriousness with which we tend to take ourselves. Grace can restore our humility, our sense of humor, and our ability to laugh at ourselves. All are regularly needed by prophets.
"To trust grace is to know that the world has already been saved by Jesus Christ. It is to know that we cannot save the world any more than we can save ourselves. All our work is done only in response to Christ's work. To receive the gift of grace is to let go of self-sufficiency and to act out of a spirit of gratitude.
"Radical Christians must pursue more than a successful strategy; we must seek a deeper faith. Only then will we have the assurance of salvation, not because of what we have accomplished, but because we have allowed God's grace and mercy to flow through our lives." This article was adapted from Jim Wallis' reflections at Sojourners' Ash Wednesday service March 1, 2006.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Praise You in This Storm
Praise You in This Storm
Casting Crowns
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
I was sure by now, God You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes unto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Casting Crowns
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
I was sure by now, God You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes unto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Testimony on Unity
I'm gonna share my testimony this Monday with the MAS & GIC fellowship.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, my name is Xiaojia. I just graduated last year and have been working in GIC for a year and a half.
I became a Christian when I was in primary school. Back then, my maid, who was a catholic, shared Christ with me. Her boyfriend was a Christian, who wrote me letters and taught me how to pray. Salvation was a gift for me, as I readily believed and prayed to God whenever I was sad or angry. I was a self professed Christian who never attended church.
I only started attending church when I was in secondary 4. At 15, I was faced with the question of whether I was really saved, for God seemed so distant to me. I had a lot of doubts about God, but I experienced Him in many tangible ways, and that was when my faith was cemented.
As I attended a charismatic church, I believed in a style of praise and worship and sermons. Praise was dynamic and I jumped up and down in jubilee. Worship meant raising my hands and praying in tongues. Sermons were preached by charismatic speakers who were powerful and impacting.
At NUS, I started attending the Varsity Christian Fellowship. There, I was exposed to different styles of worship. God put in our hearts the desire for unity among Christians. As leaders, we prayed for Singaporean Christians to be one body in Christ in spite of denomination.
Last year, my faith hit a crisis as I started reading books written by Christian authors from different denominations. I found some of their points very enlightening and grew a lot through these materials. It was then that I began to feel uncomfortable with my church’s teachings and started praying about whether I should change church.
During this period of visiting different churches, I was rather confused, angry and bitter about my old church. I had been there for 8 years, and uprooting was difficult. There are practices that I don’t understand and perhaps disagree with, yet I am thankful that God was with me during this period. He encouraged me in various ways, through songs, encouragement from others and books as well. One morning in Oct, I woke up and felt this stirring within me. There was an unspoken happiness and assurance from God that He was with me through my journey. I was so thankful for His peace in the midst of the struggles that I faced. I felt my faith had grown as it was not anchored on any human being, but anchored in Him. As time passed, I began to understand the distinctive that God has blessed my previous church with. I missed the praise and worship there, as well as praying in tongues. The sermons preached there were simple and ministered to the youths. After 10 months of prayer, I am now settled down in Covenant Evangelical and am very blessed by the in-depth and strong teachings in the church.
Recently, I went to Philippines with Habitat for Humanity on a house building project in the urban slums. It was an experience of humility, working alongside the poor, regardless of our backgrounds. It strangely reminded me of how united the Israelites were in rebuilding the temple. Some stood guard against the enemies while the rest built. And what is amazing is how the gospel has come full circle in my life. My domestic helper- a Filipina was the one who first shared Christ with me, and now I was back in Philippines to share God’s love.
The body of Christ must be united in tackling the real enemy and not major on the minors by attacking each other. Many of us Christians tend to be inward looking and criticize other denominations without understanding more. Just a few days ago, a colleague asked me which denomination of Christianity I came from. I didn’t know how to answer her. I think I belong to the church of Christ. And being a Christian simply means living out a life that is Christ-like, that glorifies Christ. I find Christ most of all in the slums, when I work alongside the poor. Thank God that He still chooses to work through us, even though no church or human is infallible or perfect!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, my name is Xiaojia. I just graduated last year and have been working in GIC for a year and a half.
I became a Christian when I was in primary school. Back then, my maid, who was a catholic, shared Christ with me. Her boyfriend was a Christian, who wrote me letters and taught me how to pray. Salvation was a gift for me, as I readily believed and prayed to God whenever I was sad or angry. I was a self professed Christian who never attended church.
I only started attending church when I was in secondary 4. At 15, I was faced with the question of whether I was really saved, for God seemed so distant to me. I had a lot of doubts about God, but I experienced Him in many tangible ways, and that was when my faith was cemented.
As I attended a charismatic church, I believed in a style of praise and worship and sermons. Praise was dynamic and I jumped up and down in jubilee. Worship meant raising my hands and praying in tongues. Sermons were preached by charismatic speakers who were powerful and impacting.
At NUS, I started attending the Varsity Christian Fellowship. There, I was exposed to different styles of worship. God put in our hearts the desire for unity among Christians. As leaders, we prayed for Singaporean Christians to be one body in Christ in spite of denomination.
Last year, my faith hit a crisis as I started reading books written by Christian authors from different denominations. I found some of their points very enlightening and grew a lot through these materials. It was then that I began to feel uncomfortable with my church’s teachings and started praying about whether I should change church.
During this period of visiting different churches, I was rather confused, angry and bitter about my old church. I had been there for 8 years, and uprooting was difficult. There are practices that I don’t understand and perhaps disagree with, yet I am thankful that God was with me during this period. He encouraged me in various ways, through songs, encouragement from others and books as well. One morning in Oct, I woke up and felt this stirring within me. There was an unspoken happiness and assurance from God that He was with me through my journey. I was so thankful for His peace in the midst of the struggles that I faced. I felt my faith had grown as it was not anchored on any human being, but anchored in Him. As time passed, I began to understand the distinctive that God has blessed my previous church with. I missed the praise and worship there, as well as praying in tongues. The sermons preached there were simple and ministered to the youths. After 10 months of prayer, I am now settled down in Covenant Evangelical and am very blessed by the in-depth and strong teachings in the church.
Recently, I went to Philippines with Habitat for Humanity on a house building project in the urban slums. It was an experience of humility, working alongside the poor, regardless of our backgrounds. It strangely reminded me of how united the Israelites were in rebuilding the temple. Some stood guard against the enemies while the rest built. And what is amazing is how the gospel has come full circle in my life. My domestic helper- a Filipina was the one who first shared Christ with me, and now I was back in Philippines to share God’s love.
The body of Christ must be united in tackling the real enemy and not major on the minors by attacking each other. Many of us Christians tend to be inward looking and criticize other denominations without understanding more. Just a few days ago, a colleague asked me which denomination of Christianity I came from. I didn’t know how to answer her. I think I belong to the church of Christ. And being a Christian simply means living out a life that is Christ-like, that glorifies Christ. I find Christ most of all in the slums, when I work alongside the poor. Thank God that He still chooses to work through us, even though no church or human is infallible or perfect!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Heart of a missionary
Check this out:
Eternal Perspectives Ministry set up by Randy Alcorn. There are quite a few good links.
In particular, I've extracted two articles for yr read. ;)
The Heart of a True Missionary
"So, I felt duty-bound to just tell my own story of how Jim Elliot and I made up our minds long before we ever fell in love, that we did not belong to ourselves, but to God Himself; and this body in which I live is holy, it belongs to God until God gives it to somebody else. So, Jim and I were perfectly clear about that independent of each other and then, when he came along and confessed to me that he was in love with me, he followed that immediately with saying, 'I'm not asking you to marry me. You go ahead and go to Africa and I'll go to South America, and if God wants to bring us together, God knows how to do it.'
"I thought I was going to Africa, but in various ways, God indicated that it was South America. And so, we waited 5 ½ years for each other. That, of course, is another tremendous lesson in sacrifice. Young people today, it is my impression, are not prepared to sacrifice. They want what they want and they want it now. They're going to get what they want, any way they can get it. When you start at the foot of the cross and lay yourself totally at God's disposal, there are a whole lot of pitfalls that are avoided."
Elizabeth Elliot
Dreams & Visions Move Muslims to Christ
More and more Muslims are having dreams and visions of Christ, Christian ministries say. There is increasing evidence that the supernatural is playing a role in drawing Muslims to Christ.
Campus Crusade for Christ has received thousands of letters from Muslims, many of whom claim to have had a similar dream of Christ, according to the ministry's radio broadcast office in northern Africa. In the dream, Jesus appears and tells people, "I am the way," Campus Crusade founder and president Bill Bright said. Moved by the dreams, they contact the radio ministry and "freely respond" to the gospel message, he said. In Algeria, an imprisoned Muslim political radical said Jesus appeared to her in her cell. The woman now is a Christian and works with Campus Crusade ministering to Muslims.
Eternal Perspectives Ministry set up by Randy Alcorn. There are quite a few good links.
In particular, I've extracted two articles for yr read. ;)
The Heart of a True Missionary
"So, I felt duty-bound to just tell my own story of how Jim Elliot and I made up our minds long before we ever fell in love, that we did not belong to ourselves, but to God Himself; and this body in which I live is holy, it belongs to God until God gives it to somebody else. So, Jim and I were perfectly clear about that independent of each other and then, when he came along and confessed to me that he was in love with me, he followed that immediately with saying, 'I'm not asking you to marry me. You go ahead and go to Africa and I'll go to South America, and if God wants to bring us together, God knows how to do it.'
"I thought I was going to Africa, but in various ways, God indicated that it was South America. And so, we waited 5 ½ years for each other. That, of course, is another tremendous lesson in sacrifice. Young people today, it is my impression, are not prepared to sacrifice. They want what they want and they want it now. They're going to get what they want, any way they can get it. When you start at the foot of the cross and lay yourself totally at God's disposal, there are a whole lot of pitfalls that are avoided."
Elizabeth Elliot
Dreams & Visions Move Muslims to Christ
More and more Muslims are having dreams and visions of Christ, Christian ministries say. There is increasing evidence that the supernatural is playing a role in drawing Muslims to Christ.
Campus Crusade for Christ has received thousands of letters from Muslims, many of whom claim to have had a similar dream of Christ, according to the ministry's radio broadcast office in northern Africa. In the dream, Jesus appears and tells people, "I am the way," Campus Crusade founder and president Bill Bright said. Moved by the dreams, they contact the radio ministry and "freely respond" to the gospel message, he said. In Algeria, an imprisoned Muslim political radical said Jesus appeared to her in her cell. The woman now is a Christian and works with Campus Crusade ministering to Muslims.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Making a difference
Wow, think there is something we can learn from this church. ;)
Long-Distance AIDS Ministry
How one modest-sized church in North Carolina is making a big difference in the heart of Africa.
Long-Distance AIDS Ministry
How one modest-sized church in North Carolina is making a big difference in the heart of Africa.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Definition of success
"We need a radical re-definition of "success" in the ministry. I reject the notion that the bigger the church is, the more "successful" it is. In an age of superficiality, immaturity and mediocrity, the church must be careful not to get caught in an ego-trip that equates mere numbers with success. It is easy to sacrifice the integrity of calling (and the implications of discipleship) upon the altar of bigness.
Nonetheless, I believe in church growth! In some Christian circles, "church growth" is a dirty word. Yet, nothing is sadder than an in-grown, inward-looking church. Heir of infinite resources, destined for glory, entrusted with the glorious Gospel, an in-grown church is but an irresponsible sleeping giant. There is indeed such a thing as irresponsible non-growth!"
Pastor Edmund Chan, A Calling: Covenant Evangelical Free Church
I was blown away by the sermon today, the emphasis on inward growth, before the outward. The reminder that it is relatively easy to change on the outside, but very difficult for change to come from the heart. Telling someone steps 1-10 is easy to complete, but left without the steps, one has to live based on principles. These come from the heart.
The vision of Pastor : seek to build the foundations (authentic discipleship), through which, God will build the church. The key to a missions church is discipleship.
I had to repent of whatever I had thought abt the church, that it was inward looking. For God laid upon my heart what was the heart behind this vision. That only when we are changed inwardly can we be missionaries wherever we go to, and bring transformation to the place we go to.
I'm so thankful also how every individual is so valued in this church. How comfortable it was today sharing with a leader about my journey and struggles. And how we are all on this journey, and the start of it all is to confess that we know nothing/can do nothing, only God can work through us. The more I know God, the more inadequate I feel, the more I need His grace.
God has been speaking to me. To not focus so much on my environment, not be distracted by circumstances, but to be thankful, and focus on Him. That is the discpleship of gratitude. Being thankful in all things.
Nonetheless, I believe in church growth! In some Christian circles, "church growth" is a dirty word. Yet, nothing is sadder than an in-grown, inward-looking church. Heir of infinite resources, destined for glory, entrusted with the glorious Gospel, an in-grown church is but an irresponsible sleeping giant. There is indeed such a thing as irresponsible non-growth!"
Pastor Edmund Chan, A Calling: Covenant Evangelical Free Church
I was blown away by the sermon today, the emphasis on inward growth, before the outward. The reminder that it is relatively easy to change on the outside, but very difficult for change to come from the heart. Telling someone steps 1-10 is easy to complete, but left without the steps, one has to live based on principles. These come from the heart.
The vision of Pastor : seek to build the foundations (authentic discipleship), through which, God will build the church. The key to a missions church is discipleship.
I had to repent of whatever I had thought abt the church, that it was inward looking. For God laid upon my heart what was the heart behind this vision. That only when we are changed inwardly can we be missionaries wherever we go to, and bring transformation to the place we go to.
I'm so thankful also how every individual is so valued in this church. How comfortable it was today sharing with a leader about my journey and struggles. And how we are all on this journey, and the start of it all is to confess that we know nothing/can do nothing, only God can work through us. The more I know God, the more inadequate I feel, the more I need His grace.
God has been speaking to me. To not focus so much on my environment, not be distracted by circumstances, but to be thankful, and focus on Him. That is the discpleship of gratitude. Being thankful in all things.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Rebuilding our altars
Was really encouraged by Pastor Kai's msg today at Prayer and Praise. I felt that it was the word in season for me. How Elisha had to rebuild the altar before the fire came down. How we as christians have to rebuild our altar before revival will come.
I have a lot a lot of rebuilding to do. How I have come so short of Him, with my whinning, bad attitude and focusing on the nitty gritty stuffs that I don't like. How I am simply so distracted. It wasn't even specific things that had become my idol. It was just losing my focus on Him, and no longer having that kind of child like faith to believe in Him. I know that it will take some time for the altar to be rebuilt, but nevertheless, I was really encouraged.
It amazes me at times how the same God can speak to us in the same manner in different settings. What do I mean by this? CHC style of ministry and worship is different from CEFC. And in many occasions in the past at CHC, I had felt God's touch, and the Holy Spirit's presence over me. Similarly in CEFC, for example today, I felt the same touch of the Holy Spirit, and it was the same peace and assurance that came upon me. :D So God doesn't come by formulas and styles, He comes when a people seek Him and worship Him.
Have u ever felt so "naked" before the Lord? Like He knows u inside out and u can't hide anything from Him. And u feel so humbled. No matter how much self-justification, pretending to be good & alright, He just searches so deeply on the inside.
Been very burdened about a lot of stuffs. Especially wrt how comfortable many christians are...the lack of urgency...living like peace time when it is war time. Was just sharing with a sister from GIC CF, and she pointed out that sometimes, when burdens are given to us, it is time to look inward. Something like looking at the plank in yr own eye first, let ourselves be changed, and others be impacted by the change they see in us. And I find that is really insightful.
I have a lot a lot of rebuilding to do. How I have come so short of Him, with my whinning, bad attitude and focusing on the nitty gritty stuffs that I don't like. How I am simply so distracted. It wasn't even specific things that had become my idol. It was just losing my focus on Him, and no longer having that kind of child like faith to believe in Him. I know that it will take some time for the altar to be rebuilt, but nevertheless, I was really encouraged.
It amazes me at times how the same God can speak to us in the same manner in different settings. What do I mean by this? CHC style of ministry and worship is different from CEFC. And in many occasions in the past at CHC, I had felt God's touch, and the Holy Spirit's presence over me. Similarly in CEFC, for example today, I felt the same touch of the Holy Spirit, and it was the same peace and assurance that came upon me. :D So God doesn't come by formulas and styles, He comes when a people seek Him and worship Him.
Have u ever felt so "naked" before the Lord? Like He knows u inside out and u can't hide anything from Him. And u feel so humbled. No matter how much self-justification, pretending to be good & alright, He just searches so deeply on the inside.
Been very burdened about a lot of stuffs. Especially wrt how comfortable many christians are...the lack of urgency...living like peace time when it is war time. Was just sharing with a sister from GIC CF, and she pointed out that sometimes, when burdens are given to us, it is time to look inward. Something like looking at the plank in yr own eye first, let ourselves be changed, and others be impacted by the change they see in us. And I find that is really insightful.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Being Single
Quite thankful for a workshop I attended at CEFC today on Dating. Perhaps quite a taboo topic for discussion, yet there was an atmosphere of openness in talking today.
Pastor Chung Kai spoke of the purpose of dating. He emphasized on the importance of friendship, and how friendship is a worthy end in and of itself. Usually when u are attracted to someone, u move on to explore if that someone is suitable, get into courtship and marry. But he suggests after being attracted, to move on to friendship with the person, leading to exploring and courtship and marriage. Hence the impt of getting to know the opposite sex for friendship.
Lordship- Christ must be Lord in all relationships. If we are unhappy being single, we will still be unhappy attached. That's because we don't expect our partner to fulfill our needs.
So once again, I said a quiet prayer, giving God Lordship over my heart.
Relationships has always been something that affected me a lot. I'm also glad for this period of single-ness where I begin to enjoy spending time with myself, and getting to know myself better. Now I understand better what I like and dislike. Learning to be independent and secure about myself.
I also understand better what kind of man I want. Defintely a man who loves God with all his heart, someone who is compassionate. Someone who is wise and kind and sensitive to others.
Recently, I seem to be coming to a place where I actually tell God it is okay if I remain single all my life. I don't know if I will really enjoy doing that...But nevertheless thankful that I am no longer that needy nor starving for love elsewhere. May His love truly and wholly satisfy. Out of which that satisfaction, I am able to love another.
What one of the speakers say today is true, we look for love elsewhere, but they never really satisfy. For many of us, including myself, God's love is sometimes what we only conceptualise in our head. But it's something we need to experience with our hearts before we can say that only that love can satisfy.
Loneliness- definitely those times when u are alone, waiting for the bus/mrt, walking down the streets and seeing people holding hands. Bible did say that it was not good for man to be alone. We all need relationships and accountability. Yet, these may not come in the form of a life partner. They may come in the form of a group of godly friends whom we attach ourselves to, people who encourage us along in this journey.
Pastor Chung Kai spoke of the purpose of dating. He emphasized on the importance of friendship, and how friendship is a worthy end in and of itself. Usually when u are attracted to someone, u move on to explore if that someone is suitable, get into courtship and marry. But he suggests after being attracted, to move on to friendship with the person, leading to exploring and courtship and marriage. Hence the impt of getting to know the opposite sex for friendship.
Lordship- Christ must be Lord in all relationships. If we are unhappy being single, we will still be unhappy attached. That's because we don't expect our partner to fulfill our needs.
So once again, I said a quiet prayer, giving God Lordship over my heart.
Relationships has always been something that affected me a lot. I'm also glad for this period of single-ness where I begin to enjoy spending time with myself, and getting to know myself better. Now I understand better what I like and dislike. Learning to be independent and secure about myself.
I also understand better what kind of man I want. Defintely a man who loves God with all his heart, someone who is compassionate. Someone who is wise and kind and sensitive to others.
Recently, I seem to be coming to a place where I actually tell God it is okay if I remain single all my life. I don't know if I will really enjoy doing that...But nevertheless thankful that I am no longer that needy nor starving for love elsewhere. May His love truly and wholly satisfy. Out of which that satisfaction, I am able to love another.
What one of the speakers say today is true, we look for love elsewhere, but they never really satisfy. For many of us, including myself, God's love is sometimes what we only conceptualise in our head. But it's something we need to experience with our hearts before we can say that only that love can satisfy.
Loneliness- definitely those times when u are alone, waiting for the bus/mrt, walking down the streets and seeing people holding hands. Bible did say that it was not good for man to be alone. We all need relationships and accountability. Yet, these may not come in the form of a life partner. They may come in the form of a group of godly friends whom we attach ourselves to, people who encourage us along in this journey.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
How shall we live then?
I've been rather troubled about how I should be living as a christian in terms of my possessions. One of the questions is, should I liquidate all my assets and give them away? How much proportion should I retain, how much should I save? Basically the practical application of living out a godly life.
Quite thankful I read this chapter from Randy Alcon's book tonight. I think it is quite insightful.
Chapt 13
Giving: Reciprocating God's Grace
The most striking characteristic of the early Christians is that they shared all they owned, liquidating their possessions to give to the needy (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37). In one verse, we're told, "Much grace was upon them all," and in the next, "There were no needy persons among them." Compare this description with that of Christ's bickering disciples, jockeying for position and unwilling to wash each others' feet (Mark 9L33-34, 10:35-41; Luke 9:46, 22-24; John 13:3-16). Radical giving demonstrates the life-changing power of God.
There are two common errors made in evaluating the first Jerusalem church. One is to see it as a model to be followed by all Christians. The other is to reject it as irrelevant to us today.
Those who see the Jerusalem church as a detailed model fail to understand its unique historical context. Perhaps a million Jews had made the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The city was bursting at its seams. Many of the thousands coming to Christ wanted to stay in Jerusalem to learn as much as possible before going home. Others probably couldn't return to their homes at all. As a result of following Christ, they would have become "the victims of social and economic ostracism, ecclesiastical excommunication, and national disinheritance. Their business enterprises must in most cases have collapsed in ruins and family bonds been heart-breakingly severed."(Hughes, 1965)
The result was thousands of homeless, jobless people. This was an emergency situation that called for unusual action. It cannot serve as a strict pattern for all Christian communities, because not all congregations are faced with such extreme situations. However, the first Christians' attitude toward money and possessions is a timeless model for all Christians. Second-century Church leader Justin Martyr writes:"We who formerly treasured money and possessions more than anything else now hands over everything we have to a treasury for all and share it with everyone who needs it."
Some groups have followed a communal model and done well, whereas others have found it problematic. I don't oppose attempts to imitate the early Church. To hoard or withhold our resources from the needy is always unscriptural. But the graces of giving and sharing can legitimately take other forms than that of Acts 2 and 4. Although sacrificial giving is an intergral part of all healthy churches, never again in the New Testament do we see it manifested in the same way as in Acts 2-4.
Some have taken these texts to indicate that the early Church rejected the private ownership of property. On the contrary, the liquidation of possessions took place not all at once but "from time to time" (Acts 4:34). It was strictly voluntary. Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that their property was theirs till they sold it, and once they sold it the money was still theirs to use as they wished (Acts 5:3-5). Their sin wasn't in failing to lay everything at the apostles' feet but in claiming they were doing so when they weren't, just so to impress others.
The early Church is not potrayed as utopian. In addition to the situation with Ananias and Sapphira, the Greek and Hebrew Christians quarreled over in-equities in the distribution of food to the needy (Acts 6:1).
The "bread line" of Acts 6 is not a specific pattern for churches, but a reflection of the ongoing effects of the emergency in the fledgling Church. However it demonstrates the high priority of helping the needy and taking organisational steps to do so effectively. It would be a mistake to see Acts 2-4 as a socialistic model, but an even greater mistake to disregard the early Church's example of openhanded giving to the needy.
Giving involved money, but much more. We can give a meal, a house, dress, shovel, bicycle, sewing machine, or any possession. I may give someone a car. Or I may freely loan it to others, or use it to give a ride to my elderly neighbour, or to go buy groceries for a shut-in. There's a great deal of giving that can take place even when I retain ownership-as long as I remind myself that God is the true owner, and I am only his asset manager.
Two cautions are in order. First, we can easily rationalize owning unnecessary things on the grounds that we share them with others. The face that people often invite others out on their boat doesn't necessarily mean that owning a boat is the most strategic ministry use for the money required. We must also be careful that our ownership doesn't involve possessiveness.
Money, Posessions and Eternity
Randy Alcorn
Quite thankful I read this chapter from Randy Alcon's book tonight. I think it is quite insightful.
Chapt 13
Giving: Reciprocating God's Grace
The most striking characteristic of the early Christians is that they shared all they owned, liquidating their possessions to give to the needy (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37). In one verse, we're told, "Much grace was upon them all," and in the next, "There were no needy persons among them." Compare this description with that of Christ's bickering disciples, jockeying for position and unwilling to wash each others' feet (Mark 9L33-34, 10:35-41; Luke 9:46, 22-24; John 13:3-16). Radical giving demonstrates the life-changing power of God.
There are two common errors made in evaluating the first Jerusalem church. One is to see it as a model to be followed by all Christians. The other is to reject it as irrelevant to us today.
Those who see the Jerusalem church as a detailed model fail to understand its unique historical context. Perhaps a million Jews had made the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The city was bursting at its seams. Many of the thousands coming to Christ wanted to stay in Jerusalem to learn as much as possible before going home. Others probably couldn't return to their homes at all. As a result of following Christ, they would have become "the victims of social and economic ostracism, ecclesiastical excommunication, and national disinheritance. Their business enterprises must in most cases have collapsed in ruins and family bonds been heart-breakingly severed."(Hughes, 1965)
The result was thousands of homeless, jobless people. This was an emergency situation that called for unusual action. It cannot serve as a strict pattern for all Christian communities, because not all congregations are faced with such extreme situations. However, the first Christians' attitude toward money and possessions is a timeless model for all Christians. Second-century Church leader Justin Martyr writes:"We who formerly treasured money and possessions more than anything else now hands over everything we have to a treasury for all and share it with everyone who needs it."
Some groups have followed a communal model and done well, whereas others have found it problematic. I don't oppose attempts to imitate the early Church. To hoard or withhold our resources from the needy is always unscriptural. But the graces of giving and sharing can legitimately take other forms than that of Acts 2 and 4. Although sacrificial giving is an intergral part of all healthy churches, never again in the New Testament do we see it manifested in the same way as in Acts 2-4.
Some have taken these texts to indicate that the early Church rejected the private ownership of property. On the contrary, the liquidation of possessions took place not all at once but "from time to time" (Acts 4:34). It was strictly voluntary. Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that their property was theirs till they sold it, and once they sold it the money was still theirs to use as they wished (Acts 5:3-5). Their sin wasn't in failing to lay everything at the apostles' feet but in claiming they were doing so when they weren't, just so to impress others.
The early Church is not potrayed as utopian. In addition to the situation with Ananias and Sapphira, the Greek and Hebrew Christians quarreled over in-equities in the distribution of food to the needy (Acts 6:1).
The "bread line" of Acts 6 is not a specific pattern for churches, but a reflection of the ongoing effects of the emergency in the fledgling Church. However it demonstrates the high priority of helping the needy and taking organisational steps to do so effectively. It would be a mistake to see Acts 2-4 as a socialistic model, but an even greater mistake to disregard the early Church's example of openhanded giving to the needy.
Giving involved money, but much more. We can give a meal, a house, dress, shovel, bicycle, sewing machine, or any possession. I may give someone a car. Or I may freely loan it to others, or use it to give a ride to my elderly neighbour, or to go buy groceries for a shut-in. There's a great deal of giving that can take place even when I retain ownership-as long as I remind myself that God is the true owner, and I am only his asset manager.
Two cautions are in order. First, we can easily rationalize owning unnecessary things on the grounds that we share them with others. The face that people often invite others out on their boat doesn't necessarily mean that owning a boat is the most strategic ministry use for the money required. We must also be careful that our ownership doesn't involve possessiveness.
Money, Posessions and Eternity
Randy Alcorn
Friday, November 17, 2006
Compassion and Hope
A bit of a lag, but nevertheless, stumbled upon this and thought it will be nice to share! :)
I'm sure that gay and homosexual issues are not as simplistic as they sound.
Brian McLaren: Compassion and Hope in the Haggard Scandal
As a representative of the Red Letter Christians, I was asked the other day to participate in an NPR dialogue about the recent resignation of Ted Haggard. Two things struck me about the dialogue.
First, compassion. The tone of the conversation was not glee at the fall of a hypocrite, but rather sadness and empathy at the suffering of a fellow human being - before and after his resignation. I'm sure there has been some glee, both among secular people who saw Ted as their political enemy, and among religious people of a certain type who find it easy and legitimate to disregard the words of I Corinthians 13, the "Golden Rule," and the Sermon on the Mount. I have been especially moved, both on the NPR program and elsewhere, by the compassion expressed by many in the gay community and by many evangelicals, both of whom may have found reasons to respond otherwise.
Second, hope. A number of people on the program expressed hope that this trauma in the evangelical community will increase understanding about the issue of homosexuality, that it will bring to light the complexity and depth of pain experienced by people for whom heterosexual drives are not inborn and exclusive. Perhaps this painful story will help more preachers (like myself) to back away from the easy answers and binary thinking that are so easy to dispense, and to reject the simplistic moralism Jesus diagnosed in the Pharisees, who, he said, loaded up burdens on the backs of others that they themselves couldn't bear. I've met Ted on a few occasions and he impressed me as a compassionate and hopeful person himself. I join millions of people - Christian and non-, straight and gay - who pray for God's presence, strength, and guidance for him and his family - and his church and NAE colleagues too, as they grapple with the complex realities of the human condition which we all share.
It's Sunday as I write these words, and in an hour or so, I'll be in church, and we'll pray, "Lord, have mercy." The older I get, and the more I experience, the more weight and meaning those simple words carry.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker, and board chair of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
I'm sure that gay and homosexual issues are not as simplistic as they sound.
Brian McLaren: Compassion and Hope in the Haggard Scandal
As a representative of the Red Letter Christians, I was asked the other day to participate in an NPR dialogue about the recent resignation of Ted Haggard. Two things struck me about the dialogue.
First, compassion. The tone of the conversation was not glee at the fall of a hypocrite, but rather sadness and empathy at the suffering of a fellow human being - before and after his resignation. I'm sure there has been some glee, both among secular people who saw Ted as their political enemy, and among religious people of a certain type who find it easy and legitimate to disregard the words of I Corinthians 13, the "Golden Rule," and the Sermon on the Mount. I have been especially moved, both on the NPR program and elsewhere, by the compassion expressed by many in the gay community and by many evangelicals, both of whom may have found reasons to respond otherwise.
Second, hope. A number of people on the program expressed hope that this trauma in the evangelical community will increase understanding about the issue of homosexuality, that it will bring to light the complexity and depth of pain experienced by people for whom heterosexual drives are not inborn and exclusive. Perhaps this painful story will help more preachers (like myself) to back away from the easy answers and binary thinking that are so easy to dispense, and to reject the simplistic moralism Jesus diagnosed in the Pharisees, who, he said, loaded up burdens on the backs of others that they themselves couldn't bear. I've met Ted on a few occasions and he impressed me as a compassionate and hopeful person himself. I join millions of people - Christian and non-, straight and gay - who pray for God's presence, strength, and guidance for him and his family - and his church and NAE colleagues too, as they grapple with the complex realities of the human condition which we all share.
It's Sunday as I write these words, and in an hour or so, I'll be in church, and we'll pray, "Lord, have mercy." The older I get, and the more I experience, the more weight and meaning those simple words carry.
Brian McLaren (brianmclaren.net) is an author, speaker, and board chair of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Radical & Ridicule
Just very thankful that God encouraged me today. He confirmed His word through CF.
Been wondering whether I am being too "radical", or how people might view me for how I keep talking about poverty. And wondering if I should tone down a bit. This morning, I felt He was trying to tell me that it doesn't matter what others think, it matters mostly to please Him.
And during CF, a colleague shared about how the world will hate us, and how Jesus wasn't exactly the most comfortable person to be with. He challenges us, challenges people.
So I shall continue.
God, help me to fear U and not fear men. Help me to speak truth. Guard my mouth, let whatever comes out of it bring light. Guard my heart from pride, help me to be humble and ready to learn.
Been wondering whether I am being too "radical", or how people might view me for how I keep talking about poverty. And wondering if I should tone down a bit. This morning, I felt He was trying to tell me that it doesn't matter what others think, it matters mostly to please Him.
And during CF, a colleague shared about how the world will hate us, and how Jesus wasn't exactly the most comfortable person to be with. He challenges us, challenges people.
So I shall continue.
God, help me to fear U and not fear men. Help me to speak truth. Guard my mouth, let whatever comes out of it bring light. Guard my heart from pride, help me to be humble and ready to learn.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
How vulnerable we all are.
Not sure if u all follow the Ted Haggard saga. But I thought this post was really balanced and kind.
Esp this prayer:
And so I pray: Lord and Father, how sad you must be when you see the most powerful and the weakest of your children fall prey to the energy of sin and evil. There is nothing any one has ever done that we –each of us—is not capable of doing. So when we pray for our brother, Ted Haggard, we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross. Father, give this man and his wife the gift of your grace. Protect them from the constant accusations of the evil one who will seek to deny them sleep, tempt them to talk too much to the public, arouse conflict between them as a couple and with their children. Send the right people into their lives who can provide the correct mixture of hope and healing love. Deliver them from people who will curry their favor by telling them things they should not hear. Restrain them from making poor judgments in their most fearful moments.
I don't exactly know who this pastor is. But he has responded in a contrite spirit, and I pray that God will keep him from the evil one.
It's just too easy for us to be self righteous and to condemn another isn't it? But "we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross".
I believe that through his ministry, he must have been a blessing to many people. We can be most sinful, but God uses us to fulfil His purpose anyway.
How we can be critical of homosexuals or outright sinful acts, when hidden in our hearts is also a sinful nature? How vulnerable our christian leaders are to sin. How easy it is for us to critique others.
God, help us. Help him.
Esp this prayer:
And so I pray: Lord and Father, how sad you must be when you see the most powerful and the weakest of your children fall prey to the energy of sin and evil. There is nothing any one has ever done that we –each of us—is not capable of doing. So when we pray for our brother, Ted Haggard, we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross. Father, give this man and his wife the gift of your grace. Protect them from the constant accusations of the evil one who will seek to deny them sleep, tempt them to talk too much to the public, arouse conflict between them as a couple and with their children. Send the right people into their lives who can provide the correct mixture of hope and healing love. Deliver them from people who will curry their favor by telling them things they should not hear. Restrain them from making poor judgments in their most fearful moments.
I don't exactly know who this pastor is. But he has responded in a contrite spirit, and I pray that God will keep him from the evil one.
It's just too easy for us to be self righteous and to condemn another isn't it? But "we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross".
I believe that through his ministry, he must have been a blessing to many people. We can be most sinful, but God uses us to fulfil His purpose anyway.
How we can be critical of homosexuals or outright sinful acts, when hidden in our hearts is also a sinful nature? How vulnerable our christian leaders are to sin. How easy it is for us to critique others.
God, help us. Help him.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Freedom & Detachment
This is from MrForest's blog, which he has kindly allowed me to publish on my blog.
I find it very encouraging to know someone else is on this route as well. ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM & DETACHMENT
I've been attending service at this church near the Stanford campus for the past month and have decided to settle down in there. The preaching is good, the music is fantasic, the people are nice, the distance is perfect. One of the main reasons why I have decided to settle there without even visiting any other church is because I was already too sick of visiting churches. For more than 2 years, I was 'gallivanting' along the 'corridors' of the church, experiencing a load of different emotions -- from anger, disappointment, nausea, helplessness, to freedom. Organized religion can be problematic at times. Oftentimes, I have to separate God from the church because humans can make the church experience very unbearable.
I was reading Time magazine (thanks and courtesy of batthwee!) and the excerpt of Barack Obama's book caught my attention. Although he wrote about something that resonated within me, I was rather reluctant to agree.
"[M]y mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well... [a]nd yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice...The Christians with whom I worked recognized themselves in me; they saw that I knew their Book and shared their values and sang their songs. But they sensed a part of me remained removed, detached, an observer among them. I came to realize that without an unequivocal commitment to a particular community of faith, I would be consigned at some level to always remain apart, free in the way my mother was free, but also alone in the same ways she was ultimately alone."
I wanted to illustrate a few points from that excerpt. First, I experienced the same freedom Obama and his mum had. It was something that I have grown to cherish. I no longer have to deal with the dissonance I felt when what I witnessed or heard deviates from what I thought was proper. This is ultimately my relationship with God. I am absolutely clear what my faith is made of, who my God is, and what I stand for. I also do not have the need to provide a response to unenlightened individuals (who can say the meanest things). Godly behavior is independent of involvement with the Christian community. Second, this freedom has a tradeoff -- detachment. The researcher in me makes the switch to the "observer" role almost seamless. As admitted earlier, I was reluctant to agree even though Obama's words resonated, because I have to give up that freedom. This detachment can sometimes really boggle the mind and challenge our taken-for-granted notions of what Christianity stands for, and what being a Christian really means.
As I reflect, I found a different form of freedom. The 2 years of wandering (and wondering) have been the most fruitful years in my Christian walk. Perhaps 'fruitful' may not be the best word to use because I bore no fruit, 'rooted' may be a better word I guess, because my roots deepened. This new freedom comes from the assurance that God alone is my judge. Unenlightened individuals can say whatever they want to say, ultimately, it is still my personal relationship with God and only He and I will know. This new freedom also derives from the fact that I care a lot less about what others think (not in the negative sense) and the new security i found in who I am and who He is. I really know what I am doing. I will serve His people with a new freedom.
As I go back into the community of believers, I am keeping that new freedom and detachment.
I find it very encouraging to know someone else is on this route as well. ;)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM & DETACHMENT
I've been attending service at this church near the Stanford campus for the past month and have decided to settle down in there. The preaching is good, the music is fantasic, the people are nice, the distance is perfect. One of the main reasons why I have decided to settle there without even visiting any other church is because I was already too sick of visiting churches. For more than 2 years, I was 'gallivanting' along the 'corridors' of the church, experiencing a load of different emotions -- from anger, disappointment, nausea, helplessness, to freedom. Organized religion can be problematic at times. Oftentimes, I have to separate God from the church because humans can make the church experience very unbearable.
I was reading Time magazine (thanks and courtesy of batthwee!) and the excerpt of Barack Obama's book caught my attention. Although he wrote about something that resonated within me, I was rather reluctant to agree.
"[M]y mother viewed religion through the eyes of the anthropologist that she would become; it was a phenomenon to be treated with a suitable respect, but with a suitable detachment as well... [a]nd yet for all her professed secularism, my mother was in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I've ever known. She had an unswerving instinct for kindness, charity, sometimes to her detriment. Without the help of religious texts or outside authorities, she worked mightily to instill in me the values that many Americans learn in Sunday school: honesty, empathy, discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work. She raged at poverty and injustice...The Christians with whom I worked recognized themselves in me; they saw that I knew their Book and shared their values and sang their songs. But they sensed a part of me remained removed, detached, an observer among them. I came to realize that without an unequivocal commitment to a particular community of faith, I would be consigned at some level to always remain apart, free in the way my mother was free, but also alone in the same ways she was ultimately alone."
I wanted to illustrate a few points from that excerpt. First, I experienced the same freedom Obama and his mum had. It was something that I have grown to cherish. I no longer have to deal with the dissonance I felt when what I witnessed or heard deviates from what I thought was proper. This is ultimately my relationship with God. I am absolutely clear what my faith is made of, who my God is, and what I stand for. I also do not have the need to provide a response to unenlightened individuals (who can say the meanest things). Godly behavior is independent of involvement with the Christian community. Second, this freedom has a tradeoff -- detachment. The researcher in me makes the switch to the "observer" role almost seamless. As admitted earlier, I was reluctant to agree even though Obama's words resonated, because I have to give up that freedom. This detachment can sometimes really boggle the mind and challenge our taken-for-granted notions of what Christianity stands for, and what being a Christian really means.
As I reflect, I found a different form of freedom. The 2 years of wandering (and wondering) have been the most fruitful years in my Christian walk. Perhaps 'fruitful' may not be the best word to use because I bore no fruit, 'rooted' may be a better word I guess, because my roots deepened. This new freedom comes from the assurance that God alone is my judge. Unenlightened individuals can say whatever they want to say, ultimately, it is still my personal relationship with God and only He and I will know. This new freedom also derives from the fact that I care a lot less about what others think (not in the negative sense) and the new security i found in who I am and who He is. I really know what I am doing. I will serve His people with a new freedom.
As I go back into the community of believers, I am keeping that new freedom and detachment.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Lord gave and took...
I think what makes Job stand out in the bible is one of these phrases that he said:
Job 1:21
And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.
It inspired (I think) this song, which we sang during service last week. And it stayed in my mind, cos the first time we sang, I was in tears.
Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I think basically what Job is saying is that- these riches that I have, are from God anyway, and I came in naked on this earth, and there is nothing that I can retain. In my bible, there is a reference to another verse wrt "The Lord gave"- it is in Eccl 5:19
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God.
Wow! I know that I am living in this upper middle classy life (hmm? Am I?) in Singapore because I know that it is God who has given it to me.
At the same time, couldn't help remembering another verse that says that God causes the rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous. Sometimes we wonder why some people are unrighteously rich? Why, we really will never know.
Basically what I am trying to say is that, be thankful when the Lord blesses u. Yet at the same time, this needs to be balanced with the heart for others, as well as to remember that the possessions that we have should not be held in such high esteem. Learn to be like Job, to praise God inspite of all. To be like Paul- to abase and abound. Power is in the hands of those whom God has blessed with plenty to learn to share, and redirect wealth.
A nice comment by someone, he says we shd give thanks IN all things. And as that thought seeped in- yes, we should be thankful to God whether we are rich or poor. We are not thankful FOR the wealth, but rather being thankful IN the wealth.
In all circumstances yes, blessing God, and praising Him.
Job 1:21
And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.
It inspired (I think) this song, which we sang during service last week. And it stayed in my mind, cos the first time we sang, I was in tears.
Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I think basically what Job is saying is that- these riches that I have, are from God anyway, and I came in naked on this earth, and there is nothing that I can retain. In my bible, there is a reference to another verse wrt "The Lord gave"- it is in Eccl 5:19
As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor--this is the gift of God.
Wow! I know that I am living in this upper middle classy life (hmm? Am I?) in Singapore because I know that it is God who has given it to me.
At the same time, couldn't help remembering another verse that says that God causes the rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous. Sometimes we wonder why some people are unrighteously rich? Why, we really will never know.
Basically what I am trying to say is that, be thankful when the Lord blesses u. Yet at the same time, this needs to be balanced with the heart for others, as well as to remember that the possessions that we have should not be held in such high esteem. Learn to be like Job, to praise God inspite of all. To be like Paul- to abase and abound. Power is in the hands of those whom God has blessed with plenty to learn to share, and redirect wealth.
A nice comment by someone, he says we shd give thanks IN all things. And as that thought seeped in- yes, we should be thankful to God whether we are rich or poor. We are not thankful FOR the wealth, but rather being thankful IN the wealth.
In all circumstances yes, blessing God, and praising Him.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Grappling with God
"Like Abraham, I approach God at first in fear and trembling, only to learn that God wants me to stop groveling and start arguing. I dare not meekly accept the state of the world, with all its injustice and unfairness. I must call God to account for God's own promises, God's own character."
Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference
Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Seeing a bigger picture
Today a director from a local bank came to share during CF. He shared his testimony on his encounters and experiences with the Holy Spirit. He was from a methodist background, and was a very lukewarm christian. But his spiritual life took a turn when he went to Canada. God spoke to him while he was driving in his car and reminded him abt the importance of His word. He also shared of his baptism in the Holy Spirit, how someone told him that there was such a thing. The heat he felt when someone laid hands on his chest and how he felt God just wrapping His arms around him when he got slain.
All the things he shared was so familiar to me, for I have encountered such experiences with the Holy Spirit as well! Laying hands on people and seeing them fall under the power, at the mission trip in china- feeling my hand tremble with electricity vibes running through, prayed for deliverance with girl manifesting even before I laid hands, cg member sharing that she felt heat all over her and light when I prayed for her, moments where I felt His anointing and it was just me and Him alone.
Haha...yeah...God is so real in such supernatural encounters, and my faith is encouraged during those moments, and u just feel as if that it is not you, but it is Him doing the work through you.
I remember that when I first took part of Roy's cg, and saw him laying hands and people getting slain, I was all awed. Heh. I wanted "that" too. The "power" from God to do supernatural things. Yet when I tried and prayed for people, it was as if it was in vain. Nobody moved. I ended up with lengthy prayers, and sometimes gave a word to people that were not really sharp...I wasn't sure abt what to share when I prayed for them too. But I wanted "that" and I asked God....
It was during Benny Hinn's meetings I think when I saw the way he ministered and I understood the importance of waiting. Waiting on the Holy Spirit to come. Inviting Him and making Him feel welcome in the place. And this yearning for Him. A trusting in Him also that it is He who works in and touches people's lives. And so during cg session we just sang worship songs during ministry, very simple songs, and we just sang softly and we waited for His presence. I didn't say much, didn't have to. And it was so glorious, just feeling His anointing fill the place. It is wonderful wonderful. And laying of hands was just a matter of being a steward. Having the trust that it is He who works through me.
Going to China in April this year, during one of the worship sessions that Grace led, everyone just broke down into tears. It was the Holy Spirit touching many hearts, melting many hearts, speaking to people in areas that are so deep that nobody knew. And it was so sharp that when He spoke, people cried. Me too. I remember He spoke to me abt Hebrews, coming boldly into His presence. And then the next days when we had ministry...really all ready to go. Laying of hands and people just fall one by one....and then had inner healing as well. :)
I love the presence of God, and I love to minister the presence of God. I wished somehow that Covenant had more ministry sessions after services. Or that the worship style could be more charismatic.
And yes, I think that for me, I am so deeply convicted that God is real because of these experiences.
However I also remembered some times when I squirmed in the seat of the church because the interpretation of the word was just not contextualised. Today's lunch time sharing as well, I feel that it was not a very accurate interpretation of the Word. It is quite typical of charismatics to have "revelational" truths from reading the Word, and hence sometimes interpretations that are not exactly true to the Word. And how I wish that we can have both! A balanced Word and also a move in the Holy Spirit.
The wonderful amazing thing is how God uses us in our imperfect ways. Given that it is so impt for the Holy Spirit to move and hence we can't quench that...it is the arm that gives power.
Anyway was really good talking to this colleague who was from Church of our Saviour and then went to ARPC after a long long transition journey. And tho ARPC doesn't talk much abt the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these are things he believed in. Yet, he can stay in ARPC and accept these things cos these are not core to him. And one statement he made- if you agree with the church all the time, u don't have yr own relationship with God, cos having yr own r/s means that u seek out and go back and see if what is spoken is true.
And this is so true, there is no perfect church, no perfect humans. Only fallen creatures like us.
If the director was God-sent to speak to traditional christians w/o fresh revelations of who the Holy Spirit was, then I pray that for me- He will use the experience I have and help me speak truth into overly zealous and one sided charismatics.
All the things he shared was so familiar to me, for I have encountered such experiences with the Holy Spirit as well! Laying hands on people and seeing them fall under the power, at the mission trip in china- feeling my hand tremble with electricity vibes running through, prayed for deliverance with girl manifesting even before I laid hands, cg member sharing that she felt heat all over her and light when I prayed for her, moments where I felt His anointing and it was just me and Him alone.
Haha...yeah...God is so real in such supernatural encounters, and my faith is encouraged during those moments, and u just feel as if that it is not you, but it is Him doing the work through you.
I remember that when I first took part of Roy's cg, and saw him laying hands and people getting slain, I was all awed. Heh. I wanted "that" too. The "power" from God to do supernatural things. Yet when I tried and prayed for people, it was as if it was in vain. Nobody moved. I ended up with lengthy prayers, and sometimes gave a word to people that were not really sharp...I wasn't sure abt what to share when I prayed for them too. But I wanted "that" and I asked God....
It was during Benny Hinn's meetings I think when I saw the way he ministered and I understood the importance of waiting. Waiting on the Holy Spirit to come. Inviting Him and making Him feel welcome in the place. And this yearning for Him. A trusting in Him also that it is He who works in and touches people's lives. And so during cg session we just sang worship songs during ministry, very simple songs, and we just sang softly and we waited for His presence. I didn't say much, didn't have to. And it was so glorious, just feeling His anointing fill the place. It is wonderful wonderful. And laying of hands was just a matter of being a steward. Having the trust that it is He who works through me.
Going to China in April this year, during one of the worship sessions that Grace led, everyone just broke down into tears. It was the Holy Spirit touching many hearts, melting many hearts, speaking to people in areas that are so deep that nobody knew. And it was so sharp that when He spoke, people cried. Me too. I remember He spoke to me abt Hebrews, coming boldly into His presence. And then the next days when we had ministry...really all ready to go. Laying of hands and people just fall one by one....and then had inner healing as well. :)
I love the presence of God, and I love to minister the presence of God. I wished somehow that Covenant had more ministry sessions after services. Or that the worship style could be more charismatic.
And yes, I think that for me, I am so deeply convicted that God is real because of these experiences.
However I also remembered some times when I squirmed in the seat of the church because the interpretation of the word was just not contextualised. Today's lunch time sharing as well, I feel that it was not a very accurate interpretation of the Word. It is quite typical of charismatics to have "revelational" truths from reading the Word, and hence sometimes interpretations that are not exactly true to the Word. And how I wish that we can have both! A balanced Word and also a move in the Holy Spirit.
The wonderful amazing thing is how God uses us in our imperfect ways. Given that it is so impt for the Holy Spirit to move and hence we can't quench that...it is the arm that gives power.
Anyway was really good talking to this colleague who was from Church of our Saviour and then went to ARPC after a long long transition journey. And tho ARPC doesn't talk much abt the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these are things he believed in. Yet, he can stay in ARPC and accept these things cos these are not core to him. And one statement he made- if you agree with the church all the time, u don't have yr own relationship with God, cos having yr own r/s means that u seek out and go back and see if what is spoken is true.
And this is so true, there is no perfect church, no perfect humans. Only fallen creatures like us.
If the director was God-sent to speak to traditional christians w/o fresh revelations of who the Holy Spirit was, then I pray that for me- He will use the experience I have and help me speak truth into overly zealous and one sided charismatics.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Will we enjoy heaven?
"We might think that the 'virtues' were necessary only for this present life- that in the other world we could stop being brave because there is no danger. Now it is quite true that there will probably be no occasion for just or courageous acts in the next world, but there will be every occasion for being the sort of people that we can become only as the result of doing such acts here. The point is not that God will refuse you admission to His eternal world if you have not got certain qualities of character: the point is that if people have not got at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, then no possible external conditions could make a 'Heaven' for them- that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, unshakable kind of happiness God intends for us."
CS Lewis
Mere Christianity
Have u ever pondered what heaven will be like? I have...
I think it was Brian McClaren who suggested that afterlife it may be the same place- but to the sinner walking in darkness, he wouldn't like the brightness in heaven- and hence heaven is like hell to him.
What abt those people who said the sinners prayer 1 min before they passed away, what will heaven be like for them?
Randy Alcorn suggests that we shd invest our treasures in heaven. When we get to heaven, different people will receive different kind of rewards/crowns. This sounds strange to me though. Cos heaven doesn't seem like a place with distinctions to me. Imagine someone who has been a spendthrift on earth, and ends up in a atap house in heaven, while someone else stays in his magnificent 3 storey mansion. That'll be strange wouldn't it? Hence I couldn't really agree with it. Then how does God differentiate people and is there differentiation? Really don't know!
Just some preliminary thoughts...
CS Lewis
Mere Christianity
Have u ever pondered what heaven will be like? I have...
I think it was Brian McClaren who suggested that afterlife it may be the same place- but to the sinner walking in darkness, he wouldn't like the brightness in heaven- and hence heaven is like hell to him.
What abt those people who said the sinners prayer 1 min before they passed away, what will heaven be like for them?
Randy Alcorn suggests that we shd invest our treasures in heaven. When we get to heaven, different people will receive different kind of rewards/crowns. This sounds strange to me though. Cos heaven doesn't seem like a place with distinctions to me. Imagine someone who has been a spendthrift on earth, and ends up in a atap house in heaven, while someone else stays in his magnificent 3 storey mansion. That'll be strange wouldn't it? Hence I couldn't really agree with it. Then how does God differentiate people and is there differentiation? Really don't know!
Just some preliminary thoughts...
Saturday, October 14, 2006
God's absolute goodness and the fix we are in
"And it is no use saying either that if there is a God of that sort- an impersonal absolute goodness- then you do not like Him and are not going to bother about Him. For the trouble is that one part of you is on His side and really agrees with His disapproval of human greed and trickery and exploitation. You may want Him to make an exception in your own case, to let you off this one time; but you know at bottom that unless the power behind the world really and unalterably detests that sort of behaviour, then He cannot be good. On the other hand, we know that if there does exist an absolute goodness it must hate most of what we do. That is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless. But if it is, then we are making ourselves enemies to that goodness every day, and are not in the least likely to do any better tomorrow, and so our case is hopeless again. We cannot do without it, and we cannot do with it. God is the only comfort, He is also the supreme terror: the thing we most need and the thing we most want to hide from. He is our only possible ally, and we have made ourselves His enemies. Some people talk as if meeting the gaze of absolute goodness would be fun. They need to think again. They are still only playing with religion. Goodness is either the great safety or the great danger- according to the way you react to it. And we have reacted the wrong way."
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
Conversion
When I was around primary 1 or 2, my maid was a catholic who shared with me that Jesus loves me. She taught me how to pray and say grace before my meals. Though I don't really understand this Jesus then, I said good night to God before I slept everyday, and whenever I was upset, I went into the room and cried and prayed to God.
When my friend brought me to church, that was in 1997, december. With eyes closed and heads bowed, Pastor Kong asked if anyone would like to know God as her Lord and saviour, and with the encouragement of Vene, she walked with me down the altar call with her arms around my shoulder.
Well, I think I believed in God but it was a struggle to really believe, I was doubtful and unsure. Hence even after "receiving" Christ, I went down to the altar call a couple of times more subsequently, until Vene told me that it was by faith, and that I didn't have to respond so many times.
I never "felt" God when I first converted, hence I doubted if He existed. Esp when my sister shared with me how she felt rivers of water moving in her tummy when she was prayed for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Or how ple had holy laughter but not me.
My faith was sealed though when I experienced the touch of God. It was a warm feeling that surrounded me, and I knew God was so real then. And I realised that it was not about seeking the presence, but it was about seeking Him and His presence came naturally. Though people say that charismatics are an emotional lot- I think that emotions are important, for it is that touch that humans relate to. And we can't dismiss everything as being emotional. I remember many lovely times when I just dwelt within His presence, understood His personhood, and the Holy Spirit being so close to me, encouraging me. And it was those times when I had the breakthroughs in my spiritual life, having new revelations from God.
However, I never really understood what conversion meant until much recently. Receiving Christ, yes I did, I received Him into my heart, His love. But most recently I realise that conversion includes repentance. Didn't I know that? Perhaps just the conviction and true realisation of how unworthy I am, and how needy I am of Him. I never understood repentence cos I am not sure what I had to repent of. I didn't steal, kill, have bad attitude. I tithed regularly, went to church, loved my parents and did well in my exams.
I'm thankful for the recent spate of events that took place, and though it was a very painful time for me, I learnt repentance and humility. For the first time, (though I'm sure it was there all along) the impure things hidden in my heart came out in anger, bitterness, loneliness and lust. And I cried out to God in desperation, because there was just no way I could fix this or move on. And then this self righteousness had to go and I come to realise how much I need Him. And repentance-being a giving of our lives. Conversion, not just knowing God loves me, but conversion-is surrendering all of me to Him.
And I am thankful to also understand that christianity is not just an emotion. It is not just abt feeling God. But it is IN SPITE of how we feel, we have faith that God is there, ever present for us.
For a while I swung to the other extreme, being very skeptical and labeling many stuffs as "emotionalism". Because I finally understood also that it can be very very dangerous to be telling people that "God says...", "God is telling you...", "God gave me a vision to...", and in the name of what He spoke to me, I ask others to follow me. Because of that a lot of people dare not question what is really preached at the pulpit-afterall who am I to challenge what "God" has said. But I think it is not like that. It is not just the feelings of high we receive when we jump up and down or shed a few tears.
For true conversion, which includes being touched by God, but also a conscious decision to change our lives. For God is not just a lovely dovey Father or santa claus who comes to hug u when u are wounded. He is also a very Holy God. Hence it is not just giving God a chance in yr life. It is a giving of yr everything.
I'm not sure if u can identify with what I have written. But I am thankful for His love for me. And I know that I mess up, I am so unrighteous, but upheld by His love for me, and I am thankful.
When my friend brought me to church, that was in 1997, december. With eyes closed and heads bowed, Pastor Kong asked if anyone would like to know God as her Lord and saviour, and with the encouragement of Vene, she walked with me down the altar call with her arms around my shoulder.
Well, I think I believed in God but it was a struggle to really believe, I was doubtful and unsure. Hence even after "receiving" Christ, I went down to the altar call a couple of times more subsequently, until Vene told me that it was by faith, and that I didn't have to respond so many times.
I never "felt" God when I first converted, hence I doubted if He existed. Esp when my sister shared with me how she felt rivers of water moving in her tummy when she was prayed for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Or how ple had holy laughter but not me.
My faith was sealed though when I experienced the touch of God. It was a warm feeling that surrounded me, and I knew God was so real then. And I realised that it was not about seeking the presence, but it was about seeking Him and His presence came naturally. Though people say that charismatics are an emotional lot- I think that emotions are important, for it is that touch that humans relate to. And we can't dismiss everything as being emotional. I remember many lovely times when I just dwelt within His presence, understood His personhood, and the Holy Spirit being so close to me, encouraging me. And it was those times when I had the breakthroughs in my spiritual life, having new revelations from God.
However, I never really understood what conversion meant until much recently. Receiving Christ, yes I did, I received Him into my heart, His love. But most recently I realise that conversion includes repentance. Didn't I know that? Perhaps just the conviction and true realisation of how unworthy I am, and how needy I am of Him. I never understood repentence cos I am not sure what I had to repent of. I didn't steal, kill, have bad attitude. I tithed regularly, went to church, loved my parents and did well in my exams.
I'm thankful for the recent spate of events that took place, and though it was a very painful time for me, I learnt repentance and humility. For the first time, (though I'm sure it was there all along) the impure things hidden in my heart came out in anger, bitterness, loneliness and lust. And I cried out to God in desperation, because there was just no way I could fix this or move on. And then this self righteousness had to go and I come to realise how much I need Him. And repentance-being a giving of our lives. Conversion, not just knowing God loves me, but conversion-is surrendering all of me to Him.
And I am thankful to also understand that christianity is not just an emotion. It is not just abt feeling God. But it is IN SPITE of how we feel, we have faith that God is there, ever present for us.
For a while I swung to the other extreme, being very skeptical and labeling many stuffs as "emotionalism". Because I finally understood also that it can be very very dangerous to be telling people that "God says...", "God is telling you...", "God gave me a vision to...", and in the name of what He spoke to me, I ask others to follow me. Because of that a lot of people dare not question what is really preached at the pulpit-afterall who am I to challenge what "God" has said. But I think it is not like that. It is not just the feelings of high we receive when we jump up and down or shed a few tears.
For true conversion, which includes being touched by God, but also a conscious decision to change our lives. For God is not just a lovely dovey Father or santa claus who comes to hug u when u are wounded. He is also a very Holy God. Hence it is not just giving God a chance in yr life. It is a giving of yr everything.
I'm not sure if u can identify with what I have written. But I am thankful for His love for me. And I know that I mess up, I am so unrighteous, but upheld by His love for me, and I am thankful.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Fix yr eyes on Jesus
I'm beginning to appreciate this journey that I am going through, God meant everything for good. ;) Listened to a Charles Spurgeon audio sermon just now, and he was talking abt how the law brings sin- cos with the law, we realise how sinful we are, and we cannot meet the requirements of the law without God! And hence when we are convicted of our sins, we realise how really sinful we are, and how in need of mercy we are.
In CHC, I've learnt that we are not "worms" but we are children of God, and we walk in righteousness and boldness. The latter is true of cos. But I think that a contrite heart, and the realisation of how in need of God we are, are necessary ingredients of conversion. For only with repentance comes salvation.
During this period of time I can't tell u how often I feel so condemned and unworthy. It may be a natural process when we realise we are sinful in nature. Yups, and it is probably part of the christian journey, of having our prides broken, and asking for God to be merciful.
Afterall, why did Paul say that of all people he was the chief sinner!
The circumstances are not perfect, but we all have to get on with our lives. Thoughts come into our mind like torrents. We have to filter them, protect our mind, and shield it with all our might. Let it be that even in the midst of the storm, we fix our eyes on Jesus. So the storms may take place on the exterior, but the interior is always still & peaceful, cos it has its eyes on Christ.
People may not be perfect, and offenses WILL come, that's what Jesus said. But guess what, anger is satan's bait for us to sin. Not that we cannot be angry, but we must learn daily not to take offenses personally, and learn to release our pain to God.
Just went to Church of our Saviour. There are things that I liked about it, cos I am used to the charismatic kind of worship, as well as the cell group format. ;) There were ofcos, other things that I am unused to. Hence when my friend asked me how I find it, I could only say "okay". The word "okay" to imply many things. One of which is that a church will never be perfect. If u want to find your fair share of offenses, there will be plenty in the church. That is because God is perfect, but the church is not.
Going on this journey has made me realise how impt it is to fix my eyes on Jesus. No matter what happens, or what christians I meet. These can be said to be peripherals. Because nothing on this earth is perfect. I am more and more critical these days, and I get mad at people for their apathy, or practises. But I must say, be angry if I want to, ultimately, it is to fix my eyes on Jesus, and nothing in this world can shake this relationship between u and the Maker.
Most of all, the time taken to resolve conflicts or quarrel with another christian or ruminating over doctrinal issues could sometimes be better utilised by just walking the talk- doing it, serving people, meeting needs, and helping lives. :)
It will take time for us to figure out what we should do, which ministry to serve in, which occupation to take up. Whatever it is just do something! Do not worry about tmr, live each day as it is, being precious. Each day be a blessing to someone. Start something, do something. We may not have our future all mapped out in front of us, but surely opportunities will come as we take each step of our lives. I must believe this. I have to hold on to this.
Dear God, let me fix my eyes on You. No christian is a lone ranger, for U have called us into a Body. Help me, Help us, as a church, to walk right with You. And make me a blessing to those around me. Thank You Lord. Amen.
In CHC, I've learnt that we are not "worms" but we are children of God, and we walk in righteousness and boldness. The latter is true of cos. But I think that a contrite heart, and the realisation of how in need of God we are, are necessary ingredients of conversion. For only with repentance comes salvation.
During this period of time I can't tell u how often I feel so condemned and unworthy. It may be a natural process when we realise we are sinful in nature. Yups, and it is probably part of the christian journey, of having our prides broken, and asking for God to be merciful.
Afterall, why did Paul say that of all people he was the chief sinner!
The circumstances are not perfect, but we all have to get on with our lives. Thoughts come into our mind like torrents. We have to filter them, protect our mind, and shield it with all our might. Let it be that even in the midst of the storm, we fix our eyes on Jesus. So the storms may take place on the exterior, but the interior is always still & peaceful, cos it has its eyes on Christ.
People may not be perfect, and offenses WILL come, that's what Jesus said. But guess what, anger is satan's bait for us to sin. Not that we cannot be angry, but we must learn daily not to take offenses personally, and learn to release our pain to God.
Just went to Church of our Saviour. There are things that I liked about it, cos I am used to the charismatic kind of worship, as well as the cell group format. ;) There were ofcos, other things that I am unused to. Hence when my friend asked me how I find it, I could only say "okay". The word "okay" to imply many things. One of which is that a church will never be perfect. If u want to find your fair share of offenses, there will be plenty in the church. That is because God is perfect, but the church is not.
Going on this journey has made me realise how impt it is to fix my eyes on Jesus. No matter what happens, or what christians I meet. These can be said to be peripherals. Because nothing on this earth is perfect. I am more and more critical these days, and I get mad at people for their apathy, or practises. But I must say, be angry if I want to, ultimately, it is to fix my eyes on Jesus, and nothing in this world can shake this relationship between u and the Maker.
Most of all, the time taken to resolve conflicts or quarrel with another christian or ruminating over doctrinal issues could sometimes be better utilised by just walking the talk- doing it, serving people, meeting needs, and helping lives. :)
It will take time for us to figure out what we should do, which ministry to serve in, which occupation to take up. Whatever it is just do something! Do not worry about tmr, live each day as it is, being precious. Each day be a blessing to someone. Start something, do something. We may not have our future all mapped out in front of us, but surely opportunities will come as we take each step of our lives. I must believe this. I have to hold on to this.
Dear God, let me fix my eyes on You. No christian is a lone ranger, for U have called us into a Body. Help me, Help us, as a church, to walk right with You. And make me a blessing to those around me. Thank You Lord. Amen.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Nice quote!
"God has richly blessed us financially not so that we can show ourselves to be his children by living above the standards of others, but so that we can show ourselves to be his children by coming down a few rungs on the ladder of affluence and bringing others up a few rungs, that there might be true, from-the-heart equality."
Money, Possessions & Eternity
Randy Alcorn
Money, Possessions & Eternity
Randy Alcorn
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The other side of the story..
I've been talking so much abt finances and money, and opposing the "prosperity" gospel. But to be fair, I have to talk abt the other side of the story. I'm not really going to be quoting any verses, but these are just some of my thoughts from what I've experienced.
CHC is indeed a very giving church, and I know that in the years where I've been there, when it came to building fund and missions fund, a lot of us gave our very best. Some of us give so much that our bank account only had a few dollars left- trusting that God will honour us back as we give to Him.
In order for ple to give a lot- they must have the faith that God will provide. And I think that ple really do need to know that! To learn to trust in God's provision.
I believe that God works through our faith. I also believe that as we give, He will always provide for us. Though the part that I am uncomfortable is emphasizing on the blessings that we will get if we give. I think emphasizing on what we can receive seems a bit transactional to me- giving so that u can receive. As opposed to, I know God will provide for me even as I give, but most of all, I give because I love Him.
I am also uncomfy with the question "How many of u want to be rich?" Pastors always a link we want to be rich to be a blessing, but sometimes it is so hard to draw the linkage.
Most of all, I think God sees our hearts. Whether we are dumping our money in the offering so that we can be rich (smtimes it seems to be implied that way from the sermons), or whether we really give with the right hearts/attitudes.
CHC is indeed a very giving church, and I know that in the years where I've been there, when it came to building fund and missions fund, a lot of us gave our very best. Some of us give so much that our bank account only had a few dollars left- trusting that God will honour us back as we give to Him.
In order for ple to give a lot- they must have the faith that God will provide. And I think that ple really do need to know that! To learn to trust in God's provision.
I believe that God works through our faith. I also believe that as we give, He will always provide for us. Though the part that I am uncomfortable is emphasizing on the blessings that we will get if we give. I think emphasizing on what we can receive seems a bit transactional to me- giving so that u can receive. As opposed to, I know God will provide for me even as I give, but most of all, I give because I love Him.
I am also uncomfy with the question "How many of u want to be rich?" Pastors always a link we want to be rich to be a blessing, but sometimes it is so hard to draw the linkage.
Most of all, I think God sees our hearts. Whether we are dumping our money in the offering so that we can be rich (smtimes it seems to be implied that way from the sermons), or whether we really give with the right hearts/attitudes.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
I've to let this go..
Hello hello..yr Target?
Yr Forecast?
Attendance is low, can u all try to bring more...?
"Hello...hey check with u something, what is yr average prayer hour?"
A: "Hello...hey, are you going for the prayer meeting?"
B: "Nope, I'm not... I gotto take care of my mum at home."
C: "Er...hmm...try and go la. Have faith. The prayer meeting will be good."
Communication is an art.
If u miss that, it is going to come out as pressure and not love.
Fang says that mature christians/ leaders will know what is the heart of the pastor. It is not for numbers, but it is for souls. For individuals to come to know God.
Question is, when systems are in place, numbers are to be submitted, how can one ensure that he keeps his heart on the right focus?
I failed. It wasn't me at all, to lecture ple for their legitimate reasons for not going for cg/service. I don't have a conviction in my heart that attendance measured a person's spirituality. But then in my heart, when someone told me he couldn't come, naturally I would think.. sigh, attendance dropped.
I started to dislike myself for thinking that way. Its shdn't be that way at all. What are are concerned about and who are u working for, XJ???
In my search for perfection in everything I did, I was angry with myself for a long time. My conscious bugged me. Is this what being a christian is all about?
What makes a man a christian? Is it by his attendance for activities?
Who can judge a man but God.
Leaders are mere facilitators, mere servants of God.
We are nothing. When we begin to think we are something, we are finished.
When we begin to apply man-made traditions on ple, and man-made judgements/rituals to follow, we put bondages on people.
Man-made systems are not perfect, and neither is man. I am ashamed to say, I've done things wrongly. But thank God for the grace to step down, to start all over again. :)
I care a lot about how ple view me, abt how they view my "spiritual condition". That's because I think ple judge others by what they do on the outside. I know I am not perfect, and I try hard to prevent myself from bitterness. I almost try and justify myself and wanna shout it out- I am doing spiritually okay! But what defines spiritually okay anyway?
I have to be true to myself, and I am who I am. There are things I love that others don't. There're preferences I have that make me unique. And this is me.
Yr Forecast?
Attendance is low, can u all try to bring more...?
"Hello...hey check with u something, what is yr average prayer hour?"
A: "Hello...hey, are you going for the prayer meeting?"
B: "Nope, I'm not... I gotto take care of my mum at home."
C: "Er...hmm...try and go la. Have faith. The prayer meeting will be good."
Communication is an art.
If u miss that, it is going to come out as pressure and not love.
Fang says that mature christians/ leaders will know what is the heart of the pastor. It is not for numbers, but it is for souls. For individuals to come to know God.
Question is, when systems are in place, numbers are to be submitted, how can one ensure that he keeps his heart on the right focus?
I failed. It wasn't me at all, to lecture ple for their legitimate reasons for not going for cg/service. I don't have a conviction in my heart that attendance measured a person's spirituality. But then in my heart, when someone told me he couldn't come, naturally I would think.. sigh, attendance dropped.
I started to dislike myself for thinking that way. Its shdn't be that way at all. What are are concerned about and who are u working for, XJ???
In my search for perfection in everything I did, I was angry with myself for a long time. My conscious bugged me. Is this what being a christian is all about?
What makes a man a christian? Is it by his attendance for activities?
Who can judge a man but God.
Leaders are mere facilitators, mere servants of God.
We are nothing. When we begin to think we are something, we are finished.
When we begin to apply man-made traditions on ple, and man-made judgements/rituals to follow, we put bondages on people.
Man-made systems are not perfect, and neither is man. I am ashamed to say, I've done things wrongly. But thank God for the grace to step down, to start all over again. :)
I care a lot about how ple view me, abt how they view my "spiritual condition". That's because I think ple judge others by what they do on the outside. I know I am not perfect, and I try hard to prevent myself from bitterness. I almost try and justify myself and wanna shout it out- I am doing spiritually okay! But what defines spiritually okay anyway?
I have to be true to myself, and I am who I am. There are things I love that others don't. There're preferences I have that make me unique. And this is me.
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