Yep, we are all a symphony written from above, written out of God's love.
Each of us have notes to play; we need to stay in tune and also in unison with fellow instruments.
We will then be a wonderful symphony that brings hope, comfort and warmth.
And yes, the less I get in the way, thinking I know best, the more God can let the music play.
Be the best song you are meant to be...
YOUR SONG Music and Lyrics by Corrinne May, ‘Crooked Lines’ 2012
Silent, wordless Everything was still You breathed us, yearned for us Our hearts began to thrill A brand new creation A symphony Written from above Written out of Love
Chorus: Let me be Your instrument Let me be Your voice Let me be the reservoir Where thirsty hearts rejoice Let me be the hand That wipes the tears away Oh Lord, If it be Your will Let me be Your Song
A violin, a piano Each one has a role Major or minor Or just a single note So take the time to stay in tune Cause we’ll never know When we’re called to play It could be today
A song of hope for the hopeless A song of comfort for the pain A song that warms the frozen heart that It might beat again
For what am I but a single breath That only You sustain The less I get in the way, The more the Master can let the music play
Was in chapel today and heard about the Parable of the Pencil.
I adapted it and hope the below will bless you as it has blessed me:
The Parable of the Pencil
The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box.
"There are 7 things you need to know..." he told the pencil, "...before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."
"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."
"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
"Three: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."
"Four: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
"Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."
"Six: Use your ability to erase appropriately, help others to correct mistakes and not to run them down and negate their mark."
"And finally Seven: You need to work alongside other pencils to see beautiful things achieved. There are times when a darker shade of pencil needs to be used and there are times when a lighter shade is essential."
The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart. Now, replace the pencil with YOU. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.
One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.
John 15:4 (NIV, 1984) "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."
Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various challenges in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.
James 1:2,3,4 (NIV, 1984) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Three: The most important part of you will always be what's inside. For some of us, we operate out of broken lead inside and no matter how much we sharpen, the tip will always come out broken and break. If you inside is broken, it's time for you to receive God's lead.
1 Samuel 16:7b (NIV, 1984) "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Luke 6: 45 (NIV, 1984) "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
Ezekiel 26:36 (NIV, 1984) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
Four: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.
The bible is full of imperfect people who makes mistakes. The difference is that they did not let them stop them from growing: David, Peter, Moses, Abraham and the list goes on.
Five: On every surface you walk, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to serve God in everything.
Romans 12:11 (NIV, 1984) "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
Six: Use your ability to erase appropriately, help others to correct mistakes and not to run them down and negate their mark.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV, 1984) "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV, 1984) "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 2: 25-26 (NIV, 1984) "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."
And finally Seven: You need to work alongside other pencils to see beautiful things achieved. There are times when a darker shade of pencil needs to be used and there are times when a lighter shade is essential.
Romans 12:4-8 (NIV, 1984) "Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."
By understanding and remembering, let us proceed with our life on this earth having a meaningful purpose in our heart and a relationship with God daily.
Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish. You can have a life with a meaningful purpose and a wonderful relationship with God everyday.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV,1984) "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 1:4-5a (NIV, 1984) "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;"
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV, 1984) "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, it has no point.
Thinking back, I really thank God for the trip and have come to realize how much I had been blessed through the trip. Even though it may sound cliché, but on hindsight, as I am sitting here typing this reflection, I have come to realize how God is in control all the time and I would say that this is the greatest take away for me.
Philippains 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Mark 10: 27 (NIV) Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
God’s Timing & Plans
I recall a year ago when I was doing cell planning for 2009 and I remember putting down, as one of the goals for the cell, that our cell would take up a mission trip together. Frankly, at that time, I wasn’t much hopeful that this would happen but nonetheless, I remember telling myself it is a good goal to work towards anyway and I do long to be able to anchor a mission trip together with my cell.
Fast forward almost a year later and I found myself prompted to ask my cell if they wanted to anchor a mission trip together. Initially, only 3 indicated interest and chances of it happening seemed so slim. I recall sharing with Min Qin, my fiancée, how I look forward to be able to join the trip. But as we are scheduled to go for marriage preparation course in church, we would only end on 27 Sep, which also happens to be the last day of missions. But, I thank God for working things out and soon, we were told that our marriage preparation course would end a week earlier instead. So that would mean that both me and Min Qin would be able to join the other 3 trippers for the mission trip. Soon, Chek Shih, our Area Overseer, also told us that he would like to join us for the trip too, bringing the number of trippers up to 6 persons. And so we have a mission team! Thinking back, it is amazing how God has worked things out, because the early conclusion of the marriage preparation has availed me, Min Qin and also Chek Shih (who is helping as a facilitator for the marriage preparation course). At the same time, the KAIROS course has also ended on the Saturday before the trip, a timely “graduation” as Min Qin and Trina (who helped out as KAIROS table hosts) and Joyce, were “launched” into missions just a few days later. All in all, it is amazing to note the timeliness of everything.
Anxiety Brews…
The pre-trip preparation was somewhat nerve-wrecking because we did not know what to expect. With only 2 out of the 6 trippers having experience with mission, and with less than two weeks left to the trip following the missions briefing, we started off feeling lost and not knowing what to do. And the thought of 6 of us setting foot onto unfamiliar grounds and meeting people we have yet to meet was enough to bring about much anxiety for me.
Spiritual Warfare
I recall the few weeks prior to the trip, the team started to meet with lots of challenges. For me, I was suddenly entering into the peak period of my work and there was a sudden increase in stress at work, so much so I wasn’t sleeping well at night and was even getting worried about going to work. Soon, I also learnt that my dad was not feeling well and was developing high fever and we had to rush him to the Accidents and Emergency and was warded for pneumonia. Along the way to A&E, my mum also got injured when she tried to get into the taxi and she accidentally knocked her face against the corner of the door. But thank God she is OK. Soon, I also came down with a bad case of flu which plagued me for days up till the eve of the trip. On my way back from the doctor’s, I had also suffered a rather deep cut on my finger as I dug for the key to my house. Things came to a point where I was so overwhelmed by stress at work, at having to deal with my father’s hospitalization, my illness and preparing for the mission trip, that I began to wonder how I am going to cope with it all. I remember turning to God and praying for Him to help me.
One night, I remember being rudely awakened by a nightmare which seemed so real. I had dreamt of a little girl but there is this evilness that I can sense in her and she held on tightly to my arm and threatened me to forsake God. I woke up in cold sweat and panting. This was the first time I had experienced something like this and as I laid there gasping, I could feel a physical pain where the girl had held on to me. The nightmare had been so real that fear began to grip me and I had to do something. I remember bringing out my bible and started to read and meditate on Psalm 23. Soon after, I felt the peace of God returning and I was able to fall back into sleep without much problem.
By this time, I was feeling overwhelmed but the more it got difficult for me, the more I was convinced that I needed to engage in spiritual warfare and pray. I remember one of our cell members commenting in an email that the fact that we are facing so much spiritual attacks does goes to show that we are most probably on the right track. Soon, I have also learnt about my sister having to deal with exhaustion both at work and with preparing for the children’s programme for the mission and there was generally quite a bit of anxiety among the trippers and people were also falling sick, even up to the eve of the trip.
As a team, we decided to fast and pray for the trip and also engaged fellow colleagues, friends, loved ones and cell members as prayer warriors to pray along with us. We were blessed when many of them willingly agreed to pray along for us. Frankly, I felt that we would not have been able to survive the whole trip without our prayer warriors and to that we give thanks to God for; we give thanks for every single one of them. The trip went smoothly because it was bathed in prayer. Talking about the power of prayer!
The Many Willing Helping Hands
As we slowly approached the day of the mission trip, I continue to see how God continued to journey with us and blessed us. It was amazing seeing how much He has helped us to achieve within a short period of time of 12 days; amidst all the stresses and anxiety and work, we had managed to meet up to practice Malay praise and worship songs, bought all the necessary logistics and work on the props for the Sunday school. It was also amazing how God has brought people into our midst to help prepare us for the trip, including Eric and Lydia, who came to share with us their experience in previous trips and taught us Malay praise and worship songs and children action songs. We also thank God for the many cell members who have came forward to help us, including, Jeslyn, in offering her creative skills and helping us to do up the giant worship song sheets; Kent, Elly and Raymond in helping us to do up the backdrop for the skit and cut up stickers for the children. Even though it seemed like a tight deadline to have everything done up, I thank God for unity and also for joy as we went about the shopping and doing the preparations. I thank God for protecting the relationships between all the brothers and sisters and how it seemed the preparations have also brought about much bonding between the trippers.
Dealing with Anxiety
Personally, I also thank God for how he ministered to me during this period. Throughout the whole period of preparation, I can see how the team members are all so focused on doing their best to ensure the success of the trip. I do not deny that this brought with it quite a bit anxiety and stress as we thought “there are so many things to do but yet so little time”. This is especially true for me because, call it occupational hazard, I am a person who is very particular about planning as I do extensive planning to ensure success in my role at work. So by this time, I was getting all edgy with so many things to do but yet having so little time to plan. We literally had to plan as we did our preparation. But throughout the preparation phase, I sensed from God through my quiet time, how we should not focus on the wrong things and ultimately, it is not about how well the things run but it is about how both we and the people we are ministering to are blessed. Things became more crystallized when I found myself in a situation where I had to share about what God has placed on my heart, to encourage one of our trippers about this. Talking about a steep learning curve! So, it’s amazing how God has first ministered to me, and then, as if to drive the point in, caused me to minister to another.
Throughout the preparation phase, I continued to seek God to give me His word so I can encourage our trippers. So, in my quiet time, He continued to speak to me through Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 62:10 and Isaiah 40:10 and reminded me that all we need to do is to just focused on preparing the way for Him and for His people to come to Him and how we are to continue to trust in Him that He will strengthen us and help us.
Prepare the way for Him
Isaiah 40:3 (NIV)
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
Prepare the way for His people to come to Him
Isaiah 62:10 (NIV)
Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
Continue to trust in God that He will be with us as we go forth
Isaiah 40:10 (NIV)
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
In fact, God continued to minister to me through His word and through people even throughout the trip. I recall that on the first day in Melaka, as we were doing some last minute shopping at the local shopping mall, we entered a Christian bookshop. There, my sister came up to me with a devotional book and pointed out to me how the devotional for the day and the day before was just so timely and appropriate; about not focusing on the wrong things but on worshipping God through what we do. That evening, we had a powerful time of worship, which I sensed further drove this point deep into the hearts of our trippers.
The Body of Christ; One Body Many Parts
I thank God for blessing the team with wisdom and for how each member of the team joyfully brought their giftings to bless one another. I thank God for using me and my skills in planning to put the trip together, though I have come to realize how my planning skills was of no use midway through the trip and realized I had to rely on my other members and God). I thank God for using my meticulousness in managing the mission fund. I thank God for sustaining me through His word, and as much as I was encouraged spiritually, I do hope that I had also been able to encourage the team spiritually too. I thank God for Joyce for her skills and experience in working with children and how this came in handy in planning the children’s programme for the trip as she willing offered her skills and experience. I thank God for Trina for her desire to serve, for her supportive role she played in the team; always ready to serve in any way and also the insights she brings to the team. I thank God for Chek Shih for his ability to confidently drive us around, for being the fatherly figure thus reassuring us, for his ability to translate for us, for his extrovertedness in engaging the Orang Aslis, and also for his humor in bringing much light hearted moments to the trip. I also thank God for Daniel for the joy and enthusiasm he injects to the team and for his willingness to plan out the programme and also his quick-mindedness in responding to situations. I thank God for Min Qin for her enthusiasm, joy, her support to me during the time of trip preparation, her quick-mindedness and her facilitation of the powerful time of worship on Friday evening which spoke into the hearts of the team and also in planning the worship for the trip and drafting out the mission trippers’ booklet. I also thank God for the various people He has placed to support us as well, including the many who supported us in our preparation and pray for us, including Kent, who provided me assurance when he offered to be the contact person in Singapore should my parents need help and James and Joyce Marissa who graciously agreed to help facilitate cell in my absence. God made it very clear to me how he has given each and every one of us different giftings, experiences, skills and how, when we are willing, we complement one another and can achieve much in His ministry. In fact, this was really beyond what I could have imagined because in the early stages of planning, I was still concerned how we are going to pull off the trip when I realized we only had a small team, we did not really have the time to practice worshipping in Malay with the guitar and we might not have someone who could speak Malay. But God provided and showed us that as we set forth to do His work, He provides. And as the body of Christ is willing to be a part, things are achieved.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 14, 25-27 (NIV) There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… Now the body is not made up of one part but of many… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
God’s Presence
I thank God for His presence with us throughout the trip, not only protecting us; granting us journey mercies, but even in ministering to us through a powerful time of worship on Friday, when the word came how we just needed to focus our attention on praising His name as we embarked on our projects starting the next day and not on anything else.
We thank God for his presence at Sungei Mering when we were caught by surprise and were asked to facilitate a children’s programme but yet without any plans. Nonetheless, we managed to pull together a whole programme and engaged the children. We just trust God and one another and sprung into action. And before we know it, we had managed to engage the children with action songs and the adults were finishing their sharing. By this point, I sensed God teaching me how I need to sometimes learn to rely on Him.
And I thank God for His presence with me on Sunday, as I stepped out to share my testimony with the Orang Asli. There was just a sense of peace and confidence as I faced the people, contrary to how I would feel when usually sharing in public and especially to a group of people I do not know. God gave me the words to speak and blessed my heart and gave me peace, that I found myself confidently sharing and even daring to interact a little with the locals as I shared.
Takeaways
I also thank God for the various takeaways I brought home with me:
Renewed Spiritual Fervor Throughout the trip, I am inspired by Pastor Joseph and his team. I have had the opportunity to chat with Pastor Joseph on Friday when we first met him. I have come to be encouraged by this man, who, despite the challenges faced in his ministry with the Orang Aslis (ranging from their indifference to disruptions from the police and authorities), he continued to hold on to his ministry for years; building rapport with the Orang Asli one by one, spanning his ministry over 17 kampungs over long distances. And yet, he has but a lean team of himself, his wife and 2 other helpers. It does make me ashamed of how I have come to lament and complain when faced with small challenges in ministry to just a small number of people, in blessed Singapore.
It was also amazing seeing Pastor Joseph’s helpers worship the Lord on Sunday. As another of my trippers has remarked: “they have nothing to gain out of their ministry but yet they are putting in so much to serve the Lord”, reaching out to people who might reject them but yet holding on. As I saw his helpers worship and one of them worshipping in tears, I come to realize how each one of them must have a story behind them, an encounter with God, which motivates and sustains them. As for me, I am reminded again as we shared our testimonies on Friday evening, that I have a story too and a rather powerful encounter with God. But because I am rarely revisiting it nowadays, I seem might be slowly forgetting about how God is so real in my life. I need to continue to remember what the Lord has done in my life and am thinking that it might be good for me to revisit my story on an annual basis during my spiritual retreat while continuing to be aware of how real God is in my life every single day.
Psalm 77:11-12 (NIV)
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
“One-Truth-At-A-Time”
Pastor Joseph also shared about his ministry principle of sharing one bible truth at a time to the Orang Asli. I guess it is a real reality check for me to take a step back sometimes in ministry and how sometimes packing too many truth into one sharing might not be helpful and I need to cater to varying levels of spiritual growth.
We are linked to one another to God During the trip, I had the chance to chat with Pastor Joseph and in the midst of talking, I had come to learn that he was classmates with an officer in The Salvation Army, where I work. This officer is also the same one who persisted and shared Christ with him, bringing him to Christ. Talking about a small world! And now he is here, reaching out to, ministering to and blessing many others.
Much later in the trip, I recall Chek Shih sharing how we are all part of God’s link in reaching out to His people; that we can choose to be a strong link, the weakest link or the missing link.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Even after I returned to work from mission trip, this continue to speak strongly to me when I heard my colleagues share how one of them shared her testimony during Alpha course the week before and as a result, someone who used to be resistant to receiving Christ, was touched and chose to receive Christ that very week. My colleague had shared that the pastor who approached her mentioned that he was prompted to ask her to share her testimony and how she, despite feeling her testimony is just a simple one, was also led by the Spirit to accept the invitation to share. And after she had shared, God used her testimony to touch the life of this lady who subsequently decided to accept Christ. Nothing is impossible for God.
Beware of cultural Assumption I have come to also realized how sometimes I would bring cultural assumptions into the missions field, just as how I nearly asked a boy who was doing some colouring to use orange for skin when I realized that their cultural understand of skin colour is dark brown. And God made each and every person they way they are, despite differences in skin colour, lifestyle, habits etc. I have learnt that I needed to be mindful of my cultural assumptions I bring into missions.
Breakthroughs I thank God for the breakthroughs in trip. At the beginning of the trip, I was feeling really lousy at not being able to engage the children and retreating again into my introvertedness. But as I reached the second project site at Sungei Mering, I remember telling myself that there is nothing to lose and I just needed to trust God. I did managed to break out of my negativity and became more engaged with the locals as we sang and danced to Malay praise songs.
Similarly, I had initially also intended not to share my testimony because the Pastor was telling us on Saturday that we can choose what we wanted to share with the locals, either a testimony or a song item etc. But after hearing him share about his challenges with the Orang Asli and how he would like to bring them to a deeper level of worship of God; from worshipping God for the goodness they received, to worshipping God for His greatness, I decided to just trust God and hoped to share and encourage them. At that very moment, God placed in my heart a burden and it became far too difficult for me to say no to share.
I was glad that I took the step of faith and could sense His peace upon me as I began to share my testimony with confidence on Sunday. Even though it was just a short version of my testimony, I trust God to be able to use it mightily according to His will.
Frankly, I can go on and on… but I just want to thank God for:
journey mercies and how despite plans and project sites were changed, we did not get lost and managed to always find our way to different places.
exposure to working with children on Saturday as we observed the our Malaysian brothers and sisters engage the children and how this has helped us to prepare ourselves for our second project at Sg Mering and also for Sunday School.
blessings over the trippers’ health and there was no major health problems during the trip, with the exception of me having a breakout of rashes on my neck, which cleared up soon.
friendly locals who welcomed us
unity and bonding not only within the team but also with Pastor Joseph and his team there. There was even a time where the team spontaneously burst out singing hymns as we made our way to Sunday service.
food credits for our hotel stay and so we had got to enjoyed a good sumptuous Japanese buffet on the evening of day 2.
energy and being able to sustain through the few days despite having little sleep with all the preparation the previous nights e.g. rehearsal for skit etc.
time for fellowship and a little eating and shopping on Sunday after finishing off with Sunday service.
touching me as I worshipped the Lord in the midst of people of a different culture, even though I did not understand them. It was amazing and awesome to see people of different tongues worshipping the Lord together. And I can’t imagine how it would be like on the day of Christ’s return when people of every nation and tongue worship and praise Him.
enough funds and how there is even remaining money from our fund.
the good rest I had at the trip, being away from all my work and challenges in Singapore.
Click here for the e-flyer to send to your friends. Click here to submit your prayer requests for the event to our cell prayer list so we can pray together.
Jesus warns about false prophets and teachers; the challenges we face today is not only worldly values which impacts lives but also a watering down of the gospel to fit our livestyles, to justify our lives and/or to manage our sins.
But the gospel of Jesus Christ is radically simple. Are we preaching the true gospel of Jesus?
"Living and Sharing the True Gospel of Jesus" by Dr Corne Bekker (19 July 2009)
In this sermon, Dr Corne Bekker address Riverlife Church on the impending revival and what to look out for as the enemy will come to counter the work of God.
He also shares from Mark how we are to live and share the true gospel of Jesus.
Hi everyone, we will be having church-wide synchronised prayer and even though we are not meeting together as a church.
You can refer to the above prayer pointers to continue to pray for ourselves, our nation, our church, our leaders and our families. Click on the banner above to download the prayer pointers.
I am sure that you would have "attended" our first e-Service on Sunday. And I was thinking isn't it cool how despite the mini-crisis or major disruption" as SP calls it, our church is still able to rise above the situation and overcome it. As someone has put it, we have victory over the enemy!
I have to admit that when the H1N1 infections in Riverlife Church was first made known over a week ago and when the church was identified as one of the initial few community cluster, it had not been easy. All of a sudden, it seemed that the virus is coming to our doorsteps and affecting people around us; there was worry for people admist us who are working in the healthcare sector, people who have been infected, people who are suspected of infection, people who are unwell and also people who are overseas.
And there was suspicion whether or not I myself had also been infected. People around me were also coming up to me and asking me "you are from Riverlife right?". I even had a friend who was concerned about contact with me that ultimately a gathering was cancelled for peace of mind. There was fear, feeling of being rejected, worry, uncertainty. Though I would have to say that it is not a major crisis, it nonetheless affected me a bit throughout the week.
But, in recent days, I have had the chance to also reflect upon the whole experience and I would say that to me, the mini crisis seemed to brought on positive effects as well. I realised:
how some were being pulled together in unity through this episode and how some cell, especially the central two cell which had 5 out of 10 infections in Riverlife. Some of us prayed for each other and for the situation as well
how I can sometimes be inward looking and it took this episode to remind me that I should not take things for granted and only pray when something happens but that God cares for everyone too; that be it whether Riverlife has infections or not, we should also pray for everyone;
the nature of the Church as people rised up to the occasion and who are willing to bless others by offering their time, effort and giftings for the sake of others; this as SP mentioned, is what Church is all about, not a building but the body of Christ coming together in unison for God and His people;
how God provides for us despite the circumstance; providing us with technology that we are able to continue to be edified by SP and come together as a church in Spirit to worship and hear from God;
how Riverlife Church is relatively well known now given all that happened, which makes me ask what's next for the Church? Is God positioning us for something that Riverlife could rise up to as we continue to seek Him?
I must say that Sunday's online sermon was powerful and it challenged me. As I sat there to hear from Senior Pastor, God placed in my heart the verse from Romans 8:31 (NIV) "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?".
Throughout the weekend, God seems to be asking this question as I did reflection for my foundation for cell leadership course and through the sermon:
"Will you still worship me in Spirit and in truth and trust in me?"
I may not know specifically what God's plans are but I do know He is real. To me, the uncanny coincidence about the second wave of revival starting with the youth and how the second wave of the H1N1 virus (as Minister of Health called it) was caught by our youth, may goes to show either (i) this is coincidence or (ii) something is happening and this is a preview of greater things to be done. Either way, I still think we need to grow in our walk with the Lord and have His power and glory manifest through us.
Within a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, I was also assured from Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) two separate times:
"but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Will you stand firm and worship God in Spirit and in truth? After all, if God is for us, who can be against us? Will you believe in Him?
God Of This City
You’re the God of this city You’re the King of these people You’re the Lord of this nation You are
You’re the light in this darkness You’re the hope to the hopeless You’re the peace to the restless You are
There is no one like our God There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come And greater things are still to be done In this city Greater things have yet to come And greater things are still to be done In this city (Here)
We believe, we believe in You, God!
We want to continue to give thanks to God for all His healing and that all the Riverlife cases have been discharged. Let's also thank God for the many staff and volunteers who have worked hard during this challenge. Let's pray for God's favour and restoration and protection over them. Do continue to pray for our leaders as they lead us during the time of the calling to revival and could be susceptible to spiritual attacks.
How is everyone enjoying the study of the book of Ephesians so far? I do not know about you but then the current sermon series on the book of Ephesians is making me fall in love with the book. It's one of the books which says so much succinctly and yet contains so much depth and insights into how we should live lives as a child of God.
Who We Are in God? (Ephesians 1) Starting with Ephesians 1, Paul first tells us how we are valued in God's eyes (v4-5) and what he did for us (6-10): 4. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5. he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6. to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10. to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
There Must Be More Than This (Ephesians 1) But then, it does not stop there, Paul tells us that "there must be more than this"; that there is more to just salvation but he prays that the eyes of our hearts be open that we will have the wisdom and be able to experience God more (v17-21). :
17. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19. and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20. which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Being God Aware (Ephesians 1) To experience (i) hope, (ii) blessings and (iii) His power. We need to be, like Lydia nicely puts it, "God-aware" because God is in our lives and all we have to do is jut be more aware about it. Which is why I am encouraging for a time of thanksgiving everytime we meet for cell because it helps us to see how real God is in our lives and help to also encourage others. For me, I can see how there is marked difference between the time I backslided and now. Yes, there are still of course challenges (who says life is going to be easy for Christians?) but then the difference I realise is that I have God in my life and in many areas of my life, including work, ministry and personal life, I have seen God work in marvelous ways. I am more positive now and trust in His power. With each thanksgiving, I am reminded more of this. Where is God in your life? Is He your saviour, redeemer, friend, counsellor? How can we make Him the Lord of our lives?
Saved by Grace, not Works (Ephesians 2) Ephesians 2 then starts off by reminding us again what God did for us, that we are saved by grace (v1-9); for God showed mercy to us even when we did not deserve it because of our sin and unrighteousness. Then Paul makes his case, instructing the church about how we are to live as a body of Christ because "His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility." (v15b-16). There are no strangers to God's kingdom and God's family because all deserve God's grace.
Praise for God and Prayer for Ephesian Church (Ephesians 3) Then, Paul breaks into praise and prayer in Ephesians 3, recounting how he himself was unworthy (v8-9) but yet God shown him grace. Paul, formely Saul, persecuted and allowed the killing of Christians but had an encounter with God in Damascus (see Acts 9). He then prayed for the Ephesian church.
Live a Worthy Life (Ephesians 4) Ephesians 4 begins instruction on how we are to live in the church, the body of Christ. The "Church" is not merely a physical building as most of us would understand it but the community of believers who have come to accept salvation and Christ as Lord. Paul starts off by asking us to live a life worthy of the calling we received (v1). The question is: what is a worthy life? Maybe we can gain some insights from Colossians 1:10-12 which says:
10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11. being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
A "worthy" life now that God has saved you from darkness with what Christ done on the cross and a "worthy" life in response to that, administering God's gifts to fulfill God's purpose and will for you. Have you thought about what the purpose of your life is? For some of you, you have shared that you have come to realise while for some, you are still discerning. Keep praying for God to show you His purpose for your life.
Some would say a "worthy" life is to grow to be more Christ-like. To me, being Christ-like is not only about how we behave but about one's heart too. Do we behave in a Christ-like manner but ALSO develop a heart for God just as Christ did? We can see this heart for God through Matthew 22:37-40 which speaks of the two greatest commandment that summarizes the 10 commandments; love God and love our neighbours (Christ has He himself explained in Matthew 5:17 that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it). But it seems that Paul is taking this a little further by telling us ways in which we can fulfil the 2 greatest commandment; because if we love God and our neighbours, all that is mentioned in Colossians 1:10-12 will come to be.
Ultimately, it is about our heart for God and what we are doing in our walk with Him in response to what Christ has done for us on the cross.
The Purpose & Power of Community (Ephesians 4) Then Paul speaks of the purpose and power of community; reminding us that although we are all diversely different with different gifts, we are all one in Christ. Unity in diversity! The purpose of God's community is really to help build up each others' lives (v12) that we become more mature and Christ-like (v13-14). In this way, we will not be swayed by lies especially from the enemy, whose aim is to distance us from God, ever since the beginning of time.
12. to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Colossians 2:2-4 2. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3. in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
And part of the building up and also maturing is how the community can help people to receive restoration and healing from God for past hurts. A Christ-centered community can allow God to administer healing and restoration through it but in a similar way, a non Christ-centered community can also has the power to destroy much. Love in a Christ-centered community can bring about much building up. For me, the community played an important role in helping me rebuild my life when I first came back to God (even though I did not foresee myself staying in cell at that time). In the same way, part of the building up also comes from how we help restore others from sin, helping to keep each other accountable. This would be what we may sometimes called "tough love".
Galatians 6:1-2: 1. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
So, the purpose and power of God's community is really to help us, upon being saved, to continue our walk with the Lord as WIP (Work in Progress); to help build up and mature, to edify each other.
Different Yet United; Gifts and Instructions (Ephesians 4) Now how are we to be able to tap into and release the power of God's community? God gave gifts to everyone to allow for one another to build one another up. Everyone will have gifts given by God that he/she can administer to help build each other up (v7-8, 11-13):
7. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."...
Romans 12:4-8: 4. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5. so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8. if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
God's Gift & Accepting the Significance of His Gift to Us The analogy of the body is constantly used because everyone has a part to play and God has a purpose for different ones of us with different giftings. It is important that we learn to accept the gifts God gave us and how uniquely God made us to be.
1 Corinthians 12:27-30: 27. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30. Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
I shared about how initially when I was called to leadership, I struggled and struggled and struggled. I was feeling all lousy about how I was such an introvert and how I could not compare to other leaders. Whenever, I see other leaders leading their cell, I remember always asking myself and asking God "God, why can't I be more extroverted?", "God why can't I be more charismatic?" etc But soon, God helped me realised how He had made me different and gave me giftings for the purpose He has for me. Now, as I look at our cell, it becomes clear what His purpose is for me and how much He had blessed my cell ministry. Not only that, I have also come to realise how everything came together to help me in my work ministry. I have been put into IT training and I picked up IT and training skills. I have worked in a hospital as a medical social worker but could not survive more than 6 months but I picked up important case management skills. I have been put into a professional association working at policy development level and I picked up project management and programme development skills. Now, God not only called me back from backsliding but also into my current job where everything fits together nicely. All the skills has come in handy and, by God's grace, my work ministry was taking off, despite not having done volunteer programme management before. God never wastes our past experiences and God has His purpose for us. Do we accept the unqiue self God has made us to be?
Talking about giftings, I am reminded of an illustration used by a fellow friend to demonstrate how we are all different but important, just as parts of a body are.
One day, various parts of a certain body entered into a heated debate about who is the most important of all. Every prominent and well-known part claimed to be superior to the others.
The Brain started the ball rolling by saying, "I am the most important of all. Without my ability to think, what can the body and all the parts do? You will all be helpless like a newborn baby!" Not to be outdone, The Eyes exclaimed, "Do you really think so? Without our ability to see where the whole body is going and what is happening, what can anyone of you do? And what can you, Mr Brain, do if you have no idea what is happening?". "That's what you think, Mr Eyes, " said The Hands. "Just look around you: how many things are made only possible by us and the 10 digits that we have? Can you even put on the clothes without us? You will be as naked as the lamppost. Hahaha", The Hands continued.
The ears, mouth, legs, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and various others took their turns to pitch their importance above the rest, all except for the lowly ass****. He did not know what to say. He thought again and again. What can he boast about? Nothing much, actually.
By now, everyone who has said their piece, turned to the quiet ass****. Suddenly, they all broke out in a guffaw.
"Of course (heehee) he has nothing to say, " offered Mr Brain, trying to control his laughter. "He just takes out the trash. Buahahahaha!" So, while the rest continued to poke fun at him and called him all kinds of unflattering names, the ass**** did not say a single word. He was too hurt to even mutter anything. He just shut up and sobbed quietly.
One day passed. Another day came and went. By the third day, the various parts of the body were groaning and moaning. The colon, intestines, stomach, liver and various members of the digestive system began feeling like wool and clogged drains at the same time. The throat and mouth became sore, while the eyes turned blurry and teary. Even the brain began hallucinating, while the limbs and various external parts of the body became numb and weak. The heart was at a loss as to what to do when the blood it pumps kept bouncing back almost immediately.
"Wwhhh...at's hhh..appening? Are we ddddyyyy...ing?" The Brain asked. The Eyes kept quiet. They couldn't tell what was wrong. Likewise, the ears, the mouth, and everybody else. After a long pause, a weak voice from far down was heard. "Maybe..." said the colon, "...it's got something to do with our friend, Mr Ass****, sir." "Everything we processed for disposal isn't moving at all. I think we are gonna die...The toxins have hit us..."
Finally, Mr Ass**** spoke.
"Sorry, folks. I have remained shut for the past few days to reflect on what happened. It's true. There's nothing noteworthy for me to say. I cannot claim to be as important as any one of you because I am just a lowly garbage man. Nevertheless, I hope you will accept me as a fellow member of this body. Nobody asks to be an ass****, and I am just trying to do this unglamourous task assigned to me everyday, and to do it well."
You can read a similar illustration in 1 Corinthians 12:20-26.
God's Instructions: Unity & Love So, enough about gifts. What about instructions? Paul instructed that the church needs to remember that even though we are all diverse and different, we are one and are told to make effort to keep the unity:
Ephesians 4:2-5 2. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5. one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But how do we keep the unity? Paul recognise that we need to make effort and this can come from one thing: love. Paul later mentioned in Colossians 3 about the list of things we need to do but gives an indication how we can achieve it:
12. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
And this interestingly points us back to Christ's greatest commandment again: love your neighbour. Paul mentioned that love will bind them together in perfect unity.
In fact, Christ himself mentioned about loving one another in John 13:34-35:
34. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Others can be found in Romans 13:8, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11-12, 2 John 1:5.
But like what was mentioned earlier, love and tough love can both edify and help build up. But we need to always remember that whatever it is, the commonality is still love.
