Skillful Shepherds

New website & blog launched! (updated)

2011-06-17T00:00:00.000+08:00

Update (19 Aug 2014)
The free web hosting provider I was using recently just suspended my account for over-usage, so I have decided to migrate back to Wordpress.com. Apologies all for the disruption. Visit us at Skillful Shepherds Blog.
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After a month of researching and upgrading my knowledge and use of open source software such as WordPress and Joomla!, and hunting for the best deal and platform for domains and web hosting, I'm pleased to announce that I've effectively migrated this blog to http://blog.skillfulshepherds.org. You can find all my old posts intact there. Thank you so much for your support, readership, and partnership in the gospel and Christian ministry. Looking forward to more interactions and dialogue, web partnerships and friendships formed and forged. To God be the glory!

Migration of blog to WordPress

2011-05-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

I'm in the midst of migrating my blog over to WordPress. Do visit my new URL @ http://skillfulshepherds.wordpress.com. All posts and comments are intact, just migrating blog server to accomodate future upgrading and enhancements. Thanks for your support and readership!

Shalom,
Timothy P

Youths' level of faith dependent on community

2011-04-27T12:00:00.002+08:00

http://www.christianpost.com/news/study-youths-level-of-faith-depends-on-community-50011/

A survey of 80 teens (10-20 year olds) from various faith communities, including Christian and Mulsim, conducted by a professor from a Mormon university found that parents, religious leaders, a faith community, rituals and traditions, faith tradition or denomination, God and sacred texts are crucial to a young person's faith.

It also found that

Keeping the traditions and a strong relationship with their church community not only helps teens in their faith commitment but also gears them toward seeking a religious network once they leave home and go to college – which tends to be a period when many either leave faith or place their faith on the backburner.

(read more)

Singapore General Elections 2011

2011-04-27T12:00:00.001+08:00

I'm really quite excited with the upcoming General Elections 2011. For the first time in my life, I'm eligible to vote, as I'm under Sembawang GRC, which is being contested by SDP this time round (in fact, 82 out of 87 seats, compared to 2006, 47 out of 84, and 2001, 29 out of 84). For the previous 2 elections, I was living in Novena under Tanglin-Cairnhill, which has been moved around from being a SMC, to part of Kreta Ayer-Tanglin, then now Tanjong Pagar GRC (which has never been contested, even this round, when the opposition team missed the submission deadline by 35 seconds!).

One of my schoolmates is even running under WP for East Coast GRC. You can find out more about him, Gerald Giam, at his socio-political blog here.

Blogpastor has written an excellent and succint summary of key issues to consider as Christians when voting in our General Elections. You can read it here.

Extravagant worship

2011-04-17T00:00:00.004+08:00

Recently, there was a commotion in the media about the Ministry of Manpower buying designer Herman Miller chairs priced at S$575 for their civil servants. People were asking if this was really necessary, and whether the government should be spending so much money. On a more personal note, my wife is expecting our first son, and we recently attended a public talk on storing of a baby’s cord blood in private banks. The suggested fee worked out to $1k for enrolment, and about $250 a year for 1, 5, or even up to 21 years. Of course, the organizers, who represented a particular company, would strongly encourage and convince you that it is really vital and beneficial for you to store your baby’s cord blood, as it can be used in future for medical treatments of possible blood-related diseases. These two incidents caused me to reflect about the worth or value that we place on items, or what one would be willing to spend for a certain quality of item or service.

The passage for today's sermon (Mk 14:1-11) contrasts a woman who anointed Jesus with perfume, and Judas Iscariot who agreed to betray Jesus. Interestingly, the jar of perfume the woman broke was priced at 300 denarii (about $6000, a year's wages in those days), and it was Judas himself who complained (Jn 12:4), only later to agree to betray Jesus for a thirty silver coins (about $600). Perhaps to those present, the woman had wasted this precious perfume and money pouring it all over Jesus, but Jesus accepted her sacrificial offering, as she was symbollically anointing or blessing Him (in preparation for His burial). I wonder if we were living in Jesus' day, would we have felt or said the same things as those present?

In our worship of God, do we dare say that we should be extravagant, or is there even such a thing as out-praising or out-blessing God? Worship, in its simplest sense, is ascribing worth to someone or something, in this case, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our worship, of course, does not just consist of praise songs that we sing on a given Sunday, or just our quiet time devotions with Him on a regular basis. Our time, our tithes and offerings, our service to Him, our vocation in life, all these count towards giving God the praise and worship that He is due. Can we ever out-give or out-serve Him? In Lk 6:38, Jesus says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured out into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Are we willing to go all-out for Jesus, and how much are we willing to sacrifice and offer to Him in worship? I believe that God challenges us all to choose to worship Him wholeheartedly, but at the same time, I believe that if our hearts are right before Him, He is more than willing and able to pour out His abundant blessings into our lives. As Paul says in Eph 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” How much is God worth to us, and can we afford to be extravagant with Him?

7 marks of great preaching

2011-03-05T12:00:00.000+08:00

Good article on 7 key marks of great preaching.
http://www.sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/david-lose-7-marks-of-great-preaching-797.asp

A good sermon:

Engages the biblical text
Proclaims the gospel
Connects God's word to the lives of God's people
Is well organized and easy to understand
Engages the imaginations of the hearers
Is delivered well
Orients hearers to life in God's world

(read more)

The problem with pizzazz

2011-02-05T13:47:00.002+08:00

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/spring/problempizzazz.html

Leadership Journal interviewed Chuck Swindoll about the use of entertainment values in worship, based on his latest book, The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal, which outlines the dangers when churches seek the world's affirmation and copy the world's methods.

(read more)

新年蒙恩 (Blessed New Year!)

2011-01-30T00:00:00.003+08:00

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or 春节 (chun1 jie2), normally celebrated in February, is traditionally tied to the arrival of spring, where everything starts to grow again and birds and animals return, symbolizing the new life that is about to spring forth. Some even suggest that an ancient myth involving a beast called 年 (nian2), may have had its origins from the Israel's Passover (Ex 12:1-30). Have you ever stopped to wonder why we celebrate or remember customs and traditions, particularly Chinese New Year, for those in our midst who are ethnically Chinese? Do our ethnic roots, beliefs and practices conflict with our Christian faith and testimony? It's interesting that our sermon passage for today begins, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col 2:8)

In Christian thought, there is a concept known as the Wesleyan quadrilateral, which basically suggests that there are 4 sources with which one forms theological conclusions, or how one develops his/her concept and understanding of God and faith. These were namely:
Scripture – the Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments),
Tradition – the two millenia history of the Christian Church,
Reason – rational thinking & sensible interpretation and,
Experience – a Christian's personal & communal journey in Christ.

John Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason. Scripture (however) is primary, revealing the Word of God 'so far as it is necessary for our salvation.'

All our practices and traditions should be weighed and examined in the light of Scripture*. This is not to say that anything that is not found or encouraged in God's Word should hence be boycotted or abandoned. There are still healthy and biblical values and principles that can be found in ancient traditions. As for the celebration of the Lunar New Year, the reunion dinner can and should be a good practice to upkeep, to reunite with family members amidst our busy schedules, as well as an opportunity to honour our parents and respect our elders and loved ones. However, at the same time, we should be careful as Christians to avoid any practices that might have superstitious or religious meanings, e.g. offerings to ancestors or deities, or even unhealthy practices like excessive drinking of alcohol and gambling.
*A good resource on this is “A biblical approach to Chinese traditions & beliefs” by Daniel Tong.

“Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial, constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble.” (1 Cor 10:23-24, 31-32)

Youth EE training (3-6 Jan 11)

2011-01-06T00:00:00.000+08:00

Did our 3rd run of Youth EE training from 3-6 Jan. 7 youths and 1 young adult graduated from the course, making 77 contacts, sharing the full gospel with 50 people, and seeing 7 come to salvation and 3 reassurances of faith. Praise God for His blessings and favour!

Sarah through the looking glass

2011-01-05T00:00:00.001+08:00

A videologue* of one of my youth leaders, Sarah, who used the opportunity of her 21st birthday to share her birthday wishes, reflect on her life and friendships, and reach out to her non-Christian friends.
*video produced by another youth leader, Germaine

Gold fears no fire (真金不怕火炼)

2010-12-19T00:00:00.003+08:00

An OMF biography of missionaries in China has this title “真金不怕火炼,” which literally means real gold not fearing the refining of fire. We read of this in a passage in 1 Peter 2:7,

These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

We have a living hope because we serve a risen Saviour, and we are also promised an inheritance in heaven that will never perish, spoil or fade; we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:2-9, 17-19). As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this coming weekend, let us remind ourselves that in His great mercy and love, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die for our sins, He rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Are we going through trials in our lives at the moment? When we encounter or experience failures, weaknesses or trials, it is indeed difficult to worship or celebrate God's goodness and blessings. Jesus came to this earth in a time of oppression, corruption and pollution, not just in society, but in the ruling Roman authorities, and even amongst the Jewish teachers of the Law. He appeared to lowly shepherds, to humble fishermen, and reached out even to the tax-collectors, prostitutes and lepers. He chose to follow His Father's will, and in obedience, humbled Himself to death, even death on the cross. He redeemed us for His own, His Spirit continues to work in our lives to be more like Christ, and one day, our Lord will come again, returning in all His glory. Will our faith stand the tests of time? Will our faith be proven genuine though tested and refined by the fires of life? Continue to have an unwavering hope in the Lord, and renew your strength by waiting on Him (Isa 40:30, 31). I pray that indeed you will have a blessed Christmas, and remember the reason for the season.

"Proof of Purchase" Youth Camp

2010-12-03T00:00:00.005+08:00

Just got back from our youth camp. This year's theme was on discipleship, entitled "Proof of Purchase" (POP). For the messages, I focused on the major aspects of the gospel, our salvation, namely Justification, Sanctification and Glorification, looking at the book of Romans, namely chapters, 3, 5, 6 and 8. We also had workshops on Apologetics, Cults, Mentoring and Grey Areas.

Praise God for how He moved and worked in the lives of our youths and leaders. I was most encouraged by the camp comm, led by Abel and Sarah, for their service and leadership both with the comm and the campers. They really rose to the challenge, and led with clear vision and passion through our preparations since mid-year and throughout the camp itself. Many also observed and affirmed how united and initiative the comm was, during meals, games, etc, going all out to help one another and serve in whatever ways needed.

Really thank God for the workshop speakers too, Adeline, Germaine, Renfred, Marcus. They really put in a lot of effort and did a great job of making their sessions engaging, interesting, relevant and timely. I believe all the youths enjoyed and went away learning lots, even the younger ones.

Also really appreciate Ze Ken and Jie for co-ordinating the worship throughout camp, from moving and setting up of equipment, to choosing leaders and songs, to leading a well-thought through and deeply meaningful Omega Night. It was truly Spirit-led and Spirit-filled every worship session we had. I believe God truly used each worship leader, musician, vocalist and AV crew for His glory and praise.
Lastly, would like to thank and affirm all our older youths and TL/ATLs. You guys did a fantastic job leading your groups! It was truly amazing and encouraging to see youths stepping up to take up the challenge of leadership, coming along especially the younger ones as older brothers and sisters in Christ, and even handling the difficult Scripture passages for discussion and QT. I truly believe that as we groom and expose our youths to leadership and service, we will see God strengthen our ministry and LCGs, and He will bring the increase as we faithfully disciple youths and grow leaders for His kingdom.
All glory and praise to God alone! Many responded during the last night, hearts and minds were renewed and turned back to the Lord, strongholds were broken down, commitments were made. 2 salvations as well, praise the Lord! I thank God for seeing myself through as well, for His anointing and wisdom for the 3 messages, preserving my health (no major illnesses), and for blessing and protecting all our youths throughout, especially in an external venue. We thank God for the favour and support from the Salvation Army staff and volunteers too. All in all, it was a really good camp, and I thank God for everyone who made it possible and gave their all and best to serve God and others. Looking forward to the next one! ;)

Truthcasting

2010-11-12T01:11:00.004+08:00

Trying out a new free HD-video uploading website, Truthcasting.com, that offers churches and ministries free accounts, unlimited uploads and bandwidth.

Tim Keller Feb'09: Preaching the Gospel from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

Reformation Sunday

2010-10-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

Today we commemorate Reformation Sunday, the anniversary of Martin Luther's historical nailing of his 95 Theses on the door of the Roman Catholic Church. I will be collating comments, quotes and thoughts across the blogosphere as we remember our roots and heritage.

Alex Tang wrote on his blog, regarding a comment he made while preaching that "we are Protestants and still protesting," that a member noted,

Protestants should not longer mean protesting. Protestants should mean professing and testifying.

A call to holiness

2010-10-29T00:00:00.001+08:00

A quote from Spurgeon on Kevin DeYoung's blog.

That a teacher of the gospel should first be a partaker of it is a simple truth, but at the same time a rule of the most weighty importance. We are not among those who accept the apostolic succession of young men simply because they assume it; if their college experience has been rather vivacious than spiritual, if their honours have been connected with athletic exercises than with labours for Christ, we demand evidence of another kind than they are able to present to us. No amount of fees paid to learned doctors, and no amount of classics received in return, appear to us to be evidences of a call from above. True and genuine piety is necessary as the first indispensable requisite; whatever “call” a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry.

Other notable quotes

What my people need from me most is my own personal holiness. ~ Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Sanctity in ministers is a loud call to sinners to repent, and when allied with holy cheerfulness it becomes wonderfully attractive. ~ Spurgeon

(read more)

2 Pet 1:3,8; Eph 1:4

Marriages in Singapore still strong

2010-10-26T00:00:00.003+08:00

A recent survey of 1,100 soon-to-wed and married couples by a national marriage resource centre showed the following statistics:

98% of married respondents were satisfied with their marriage
95% of married couples were looking at marriage as a lifelong commitment
82% try to resolve the conflict within the same day when an argument with the spouse arises
1 in 3 couples married for 20 years and more said they would have married someone else if given a second choice.

These figures and others show marriages in Singapore are healthy, according to Anita Fam, Chairperson of Marriage Central, noting that in the past 5 years, divorce rates have stabilised, averaging 7.5 divorces per 1,000 married Singaporeans, according to Department of Statistics.

Recent news reported that 830 couples got married on 10 Oct (10.10.10) and 234 on 20 Oct (2010-2010). One author noted that on average, there are 20,000 weddings a year in Singapore. That's almost 385 a week, or 128 per weekend (Fri-Sun). A watch group ranks Singapore as 16th in terms of divorce rate per nation (0.8 per 1,000 people, compared to US's 4.95 and UK's 3.08). However, in the same list, we are the highest Asian country to be listed (ahead of China's 0.79 and Thailand's 0.58). Wikipedia lists us as 2.02 divorces per 1,000 people in 2007.

As my pre-marital counsellor advised, don't just prepare for the wedding, prepare yourself for the marriage. The wedding lasts a day, the marriage is for a lifetime.

See related articles
Tough to get hitched in Singapore (New Paper, 30 Dec 07)
Ang Pow Calculation Table (May 09)

Past mistakes, amazing future

2010-10-11T00:00:00.005+08:00

God spoke to me recently through our church sermon on Gen 20:1-18 about Abraham committing the same sin of lying that his wife Sarah was his sister to Abimelech king of Gerar. I was convicted to bring before God my past sins and seek His forgiveness, and to seek closure and confession so that such things would not resurface because I had not dealt with it properly or definitively.

I was also reflecting on the recent allegation made by a male teacher of ACS (I) towards the recently retired Dr Ong Teck Chin, who had served the school in total for 23 years, as vice-principal (1988-94) and principal (1994-2010). He also serves as an elder at Bethesda (Frankel Estate) Church, and does counselling with the community. The world and media have in recent years been quick to jump on any opportunity of a scandal or juicy tabloid news of high-profile leaders or people in authority, especially within religious circles, both abroad and local. Think of former-US president Bill Clinton, New Life Church's pastor and former-NAE president Ted Haggard, ex-NKF's CEO T. T. Durai, ex-Ren Ci's CEO Venerable Shi Ming Yi, City Harvest's senior pastor Rev Kong Hee, ex-ACS (Barker) principal Ng Eng Chin, the list goes on. The main two hot buttons tend to be sexual impropriety and mishandling of finances, amidst other issues e.g plagiarism.

Not only do society and the press slam or come down hard when such scandals or allegations surface, Christians and churches, sad to say, also play their part in "shooting our own wounded." This is not to say that there is no just cause to do so, especially when the facts of each case proves the individual as guilty, whether denied or admitted. I just lament that the approach we take tends to be no different from secular society or non-Christians. I am reminded of the Pharisees' versus Jesus' attitude towards sinners e.g. prostitutes, lepers, tax-collectors, as well as Jesus' teachings as part of His sermon on the mount, about removing the log in our own eye before looking at the speck in our brother's eye (Matt 7:1-5).

I was beginning to feel discouraged, wondering if one day my past mistakes would catch up with me. I'm glad that the very same night, I came across this entry by Perry Noble, about not allowing our past mistakes to rob us of an amazing future.

You have pain, regrets, frustrations and disappointment ... and ... the problem is that IF we are not careful we will allow our past ministry mistakes and shortcomings to define us rather than propel us to a greater understanding of Christ and the call that He placed on our lives ... Our past only defines us when we lose sight of the future Christ has for us (Gal 6:9)

I promptly submitted my past to the Lord, and seeked forgiveness for areas of unconfessed sin, as well as renouncing my old sins and self, believing with faith that God would do His cleansing work as well as remove unhealthy shame and dwelling in discouragement and defeat, and rising again and standing firm on His promises, His word and His blood that cleanses me from all unrighteousness. I leave you with Paul's encouragement in Phil 1:6

being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

10.10.10

2010-10-10T00:00:00.005+08:00

Today is an interesting date in history. It happens to be the 10^th of October, 2010, or in numerical form 10.10.10. Perhaps for many young couples in Singapore, this would be an auspicious or special date to tie the knot. I can imagine restaurants and hotels being popular and fully booked, and many a wedding dinner happening tonight¹.

In the Bible, the number ten, linked originally to reckoning by the fingers, is a favorite round figure in the O.T. e.g. the Ten Commandments, the ten plagues, the ten patriarchs before the flood, the tenth (tithe) as an offering to God, and ten as a measurement in relation to the ark, tabernacle, and temple (Gen 6:15; Ex 26-27; 1 Kgs 6-7). In the N.T., ten plays a lesser role. It is a round number e.g. Lk 19:13; Matt 25:1; Rev 2:10. Jesus displays His messiahship by ten miracles in Matthew 8 and 9. The genealogy in Matt 1 fits into a ten-period schema. The ten horns in Revelation represent a totality of power (as in Dan 7:20). In Rom 8:38-39, ten powers are unable to separate us from God, and in 1 Cor 6:9-10, ten vices exclude from the kingdom of God².

A pastor friend of mine once describe one's human life in sections of ten years, or decades. The first 10 years, from 0 to 10, as formative years; the second decade (10-20) as discovering years; the third (20-30) as learning years, the fourth (30-40) as growing years; the fifth (40-50) as serving years; and the sixth and beyond (50 onwards) as mentoring years. Formative (0-10), as this is the period of physical dependence and formation, from birth to pre-teens. Discovering (10-20), as this is when adolescence begins, and besides dealing with hormones and puberty, youths learn to grapple with issues such as identity, peer influence, relationships, independence, personal discipleship, spiritual gifts, crises of faith, calling; and for males, national service. Learning (20-30), as this is where formal education, for many, will take place, and we not only take in the most in terms of education and book learning, but also learning from experiences e.g. starting out in the workforce, beginning a family, involving in ministry; for some, missions and theological training. Growing (30-40), as this is where we have been working and/or serving for some time now, and we begin to narrow down on where our strengths, giftings, passions lie, and perhaps the beginning of specialising or focusing. Robert Clinton in his book Spiritual Leaders describes this as congruence, where our person, passion and pursuits come together. Serving (40-50), as this is when we make our most significant contributions to society and the church, serving God to the fullest of our potential and capacity. Mentoring (50-60), as this is when we move towards investing and pouring our lives into the lives of others around us, in our families, our workplaces, our churches, our communities.

These do not have to be taken too rigidly or distinctly. For some, the phases might come earlier or later in life. Some may even overlap. The point is that God continues to work out His purposes throughout our lives, and “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6). Ten years is a significant period of time or life. Where are you at in your life today? What does God have for you at your current life stage? Where will you be in ten years' time? My prayer and hope is that, like the apostle Paul, we will fight the good fight, we will finish the race, we will keep the faith (2 Tim 4:7).

¹Post-note: 830 couples tied the knot on 10.10.10, according to CNA.
²Adapted from Friedrich & Bromiley's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1995).

Terry Jones & the Qur'an (Koran)

2010-09-11T00:00:00.003+08:00

In recent news, a pastor from a church in USA announced that they would be burning the Qur'an, the Muslim sacred book, on the anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks. Ps Terry Jones from Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, used their church website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote this "International Burn a Qur'an Day," to remember 9/11 victims and to take a stand against Islam. They were also protesting a controversial mosque project near Ground Zero in New York.

This caused an international backlash and widespread media coverage, including statements from US President Barack Obama and other world leaders and a personal phone call from US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to Jones. Several protests were staged across the world, especially in Muslim countries e.g. Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A day before the 9/11 anniversary, Jones announced at a press conference that he was calling off the event, as he had struck a deal on the Ground Zero mosque project after a meeting with Imam Muhammad Musri, president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida. He claimed that the imam in charge of the project had agreed to move away the project. However, after the news conference, Musri explained there was no deal about the mosque, and that he had only agreed to travel to New York with Jones to meet with the imam overseeing the project. In New York, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the leader of the Islamic center project, said that he was surprised by Jones' announcement, as he had not talked to either Jones or Musri, and no such deal was discussed or agreed upon. Jones eventually travelled to New York, but no such meeting with the imam took place. In a NY interview, Jones declared that there would be no Qu'ran burning, "not today, not ever."

See related articles
Church plans Quran-burning event (CNN, 30 Jul 10)
National Council of Churches deplores intention of US pastor to burn Koran (CNA, 9 Sep 10)
World condemns US pastor's plan to burn Koran (CNA, 9 Sep 10)
Pastors nixes Quran-burning, claims NYC mosque deal (AP, 9 Sep 10)
Muslims urged to exercise moderation (CNA, 10 Sep 10)
Interpol warns of global attacks if Koran burned (CNA, 10 Sep 10)
Gates phoned Florida pastor to say US soldiers at risk: Pentagon (CNA, 10 Sep 10)
Jamiyah Singapore calls on Muslims to uphold harmony, unity (CNA, 10 Sep 10)
Pastor puts Koran-burning on hold, eyes NY mosque deal (CNA, 10 Sep 10)
Fla. pastor issues new demands (USA Today, 10 Sep 10)
Lessons from the whole Quran episode (CNN, 14 Sep 10)

Never Gonna Give - FJT A Celebration of Love

2010-09-05T00:00:00.001+08:00

Our very own in-house retro dude Jie doing his rendition of a viral song along with his very own go-go gals. Opening video for our Open Sun FJT "A Celebration of Love".

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

2010-08-01T00:00:00.003+08:00

As we focus on the book of Ruth in our Family sermon series, I am reminded of how the book ends, with Boaz marrying Ruth, who gives birth to Obed, the grandfather of King David. The women made this declaration to Naomi,

“Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.” (Ruth 4:14)

This concept of “kinsman-redeemer” is rare in the Bible, repeated mainly in this book, but serves as an archetype of both the past, when God redeemed His people Israel from slavery in Egypt (Ex 6:6), as well as a foreshadow of Christ as our ultimate Redeemer, from the bondages of sin and death, that we might receive the blessings and full rights of sonship (Gal 3:14; 4:5). Indeed, God has been our Redeemer from ages past, throughout biblical and church history, He shows Himself faithful time and time again to His servants and people. To this day, God continues to be our Rock and our Redeemer (Ps 78:35).

A question for us to ponder on, “Do we as the Church reflect that we are God's redeemed people?” Do we live our lives as redeemed sinners saved by His precious blood, do we act and behave as believers who have been rescued from the curse of sin and death, and brought into His marvelous light? The psalmist exhorts us,

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.” (Ps 107:1,2)

How can we as redeemed say so? I believe it is by living our lives as redeemed, as well as being redeemers of the times. Our lives should reflect God's redemption on a daily basis, not just in church, but in our workplaces, in our schools, in our homes. Moreover, we should be like the men of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (1 Chr 12:32). Let us rise up to redeem our times for the Lord, impacting the 7 gates of cultural influence, namely Arts, Business, Communication, Disadvantaged, Education, Family and Government. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!

Cheapening the blood of Jesus Christ

2010-07-24T00:00:00.006+08:00

A beautifully written reflection by one of my core youth leaders on the grace of God.

Hebrews 10:26-31

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

It's sad how today, so many people today call themselves Christians when they're actions obviously show otherwise. GRACE GRACE GRACE. That's what they tell themselves, as if Jesus' blood on the cross and the grace he showed is an excuse for them to live anyway they want. We have severely cheapened God's grace. And what does Hebrews tell us about that? If the people were so severely punished for rejecting Moses' law, how much worse do you think they will be punished for cheapening the blood of Jesus.

1 John 2:4

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

And the Bible has tons of other verses like this one. Isn't it obvious? We are Christians not because we call ourselves Christians. If we truly are Children of God, our lives will reflect the glory of God! Of course we won't be sinless, but we will show desire for His Holiness. Notice the last line "whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did". The Bible is full of other such verses that remind us that what we do reflect what we really believe? Do you REALLY believe Jesus died for you? Do you REALLY believe God expects holiness from you? If you REALLY believe it, you would live your life as if you believed it.

This is not to say we work our way to heaven. No, I've repeated time and time again, Jesus' precious blood is what redeemed us. And what amazing grace this is. But the knowledge of this sacrifice should change the way we live our lives completely! Stop playing with Sin and treating it like a small matter. The blood of Jesus is NOT TO BE CHEAPENED.

Quotes from "Full Service"

2010-07-14T00:00:00.002+08:00

Servanthood and Rest

Freedom from the need to have other people's approval and praise, and hence the need to be the great hero or heroine (the "Messiah" complex), in true servanthood will produce much rest and peace in the Spirit.

Maintaining healthy boundaries involves having your priorities in place, resulting in the freedom to say yes but not the fear to say no.

Servant Evangelism and Warfare

Kindness ... practical acts of mercy done by followers of Jesus who are inspired by the Holy Spirit to see others through the eyes of God.

Servant evangelism consists of deeds of love plus words of love plus adequate time.

Servant warfare ... using the power of kindness to penetrate the spiritually darkened hearts of people with the love of God.

We become servants to everyone, as servants of Jesus, in flexible, sensitive, loving outreach, to bring as many people to Christ as possible.

... build relationships with everyone, especially the last, the lost, the least.

We must communicate (the gospel) in a clear, caring, compelling, and compassionate manner.

Intercessory prayer on behalf of the felt needs of the lost is the best way to open their eyes to the light of the gospel.

HP (a High Potency Christian character) + CP (Close Proximity to our friends) + CC (Clear Communication of the gospel message) = MI (Maximum Impact)

Why expository preaching?

2010-06-28T00:00:00.000+08:00

Pentecost Sunday

2010-05-23T00:00:00.006+08:00

As I was reflecting on commemorating Pentecost Sunday today, God reminded me of the biblical account in Acts 2, when on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and filled the believers of the early church for the first time, as prophesied and promised by Jesus (Acts 1:8). Next to the death and resurrection of Jesus Himself, this would likely be the second most significant event in the history of Christianity.

The day of Pentecost in the Old Testament was traditionally an annual feast that followed the Feast of Firstfruits by a week of weeks (seven weeks, or 49 days), and therefore also was called the Feast of Weeks (Lev 23:15-22). The name “Pentecost,” from the Greek word pentekostes, means “fiftieth day,” because it was the 50^th day after the Firstfruits feast (Lev 23:16). By the time of Christ in the New Testament, it had become a tradition for Jews from every nation to gather in Jerusalem during Pentecost for the feast.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost signified the beginning of the early church, as well as the first illustration of the Lord's intentions to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth, as those present heard the mighty deeds of God in their own language (Acts 2:9-11), and after Peter preached the gospel message, 3,000 repented and were baptized (Acts 2:41).

Today, Christians all over the world continue to commemorate Pentecost Sunday, now calculated as 7 weeks after Easter. In the last decade, another phenomenon has been linked to this day. It began in 2001, when 45,000 Christians united for a Day of Repentance and Prayer in Cape Town, South Africa. This prayer movement initially started by praying for Africa, but grew to a global level when in Nov 2004, at a meeting of the International Prayer Council in Malaysia, it was decided that all nations would join in a five year Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) up to 2010.

In 2005, more than 200 million Christians from 156 nations of the world united across denominational and cultural borders for the first GDOP. In the months following, Christians were overwhelmed by the testimonies of God's powerful work in answer to these prayers. An estimated 500 million Christians participated in GDOP 2008, and as of last year, all 220 countries of the world were participating in this global prayer movement.

This year marks the 5^th year that Singapore has participated in GDOP. The theme, as set by the organisers EFOS, is “One Desire,” to honour and glorify God by (1) loving our God, (2) serving our neighbours, and (3) reaching the nations. This is so much in line with our church vision, "a God-loving community touching and transforming lives for Christ in Woodlands and the World."

Where will you be today at 3pm and 7.14pm? I strongly encourage you to make time and join us in interceding for Singapore and the nations today, and be ready to trust and see God's hand at work in your life and those around you as we join in unison to pray!

"... and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chr 7:14)