Our children are away from home this week. Sheryl is currently participating in a school camp; she would get to experience rowing a dragon boat. Shermaine has flown off to Beijing with her school cohort for an immersion trip. One of the things we did before they left for their respective expedition was to get the contact numbers of their close friends, in case of an emergency. We thought this would be useful in case they're uncontactable or their mobile phone ran out of battery. Kidnap scams have been circulating round periodically and having the ability to get through to them in a timely manner is vital.
Every school seeks to inculcate good moral values and self-discipline in her charges. Of course, one good way to build character and hone leadership abilities would be through camps and overseas trips. The process involved in planning, organising and executing a camp/trip is a learning journey in itself for both staff and students. Learning to interact and collaborate with one another is key to the success of any venture. Staff need to assess the risks/dangers involved in the different stages of the programme as well as the external environment where they'd be interacting with. All of us are aware of the Icelandic volcano eruption that has affected air travel to Europe recently. School leaders need to make important decisions such as whether to allow such trips to go ahead.
We are living in an inter-connected world where things happening far away could have very real implications on our lives. Looking back a few years, the financial crisis that hit America due to the sub-prime mortgage saga invariable affected us in SE Asia. Our country went through recession and had to put hard measures in place to enable us to rebound. Thank God we've recovered from the recession. Closer to home, the political situation in Thailand, especially Bangkok, has caused trips to the Land of Smiles to be cancelled or shifted elsewhere. Where lives are concerned and especially young charges who would be the future of our nation, we have to err on the side of caution.
For our children, trips are meant for them to connect with people/places in a different culture and to learn to appreciate what we have in Singapore. They are also picking up knowledge and skills which would stand them in good stead for the future. Networking with one another is the buzz word nowadays. Our world has become a huge market place where trade and commerce take place; it is no longer confined to a small region. Traveling to a foreign land would be like taking a bus for some of us. I personally know of people who travel quite extensively within a year. As we travel, it is also a good opportunity to sow the seeds of the gospel to people in a different culture. The apostle Paul was a traveling evangelist who made three missionary trips during his life time. Mind you, in those days, the trips made were long and arduous. The people then did not have the benefit of modern travel locomotives. Praise God for the wonders of technological advances that made traveling so much easier nowadays!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Acts of the Apostles
This book continues that started by Dr Luke in his gospel. It traces the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome through the apostles whom God had appointed. The book of Acts can also be described as The Acts of the Holy Spirit because it is after the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:8) that the Great Commission of Christ began to be fulfilled.
Since I have problems creating a table here, I am going to use colours to denote different entries/themes.
Acts 1:8 THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
Outline: Witness in Jerusalem Witness in Judea & Samaria Witness to the ends of the earth
Chapters: 1 – 7 8 - 12 13 – 28
The Church: Starts Scatters Sends
Key Group: Jews Samaritans Gentiles
Dates: AD 33-35 AD 35-48 AD 48-62
Time: 2 years 13 years 14 years
The book of Acts ends abruptly with a continuation of the very theme with which it began - the expansion of the church. The ministry in which Christ was engaged, "all that Jesus began to do and teach" outlined by Luke in his gospel account, finds it furtherance in the closing sequence of the book, "preaching ... and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ," and in spite of the growing persecution, Luke adds the encouraging words, "with all openness, unhindered."
This is the task of the church. We are Christ's witnesses in the urban centres and the rural regions that surround us, in the opposing cultures more distant from us, and in the totally distinct cultures far from us. The task goes on until we have effectively bring the gospel to the "uttermost part of the earth."
Since I have problems creating a table here, I am going to use colours to denote different entries/themes.
Acts 1:8 THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
Outline: Witness in Jerusalem Witness in Judea & Samaria Witness to the ends of the earth
Chapters: 1 – 7 8 - 12 13 – 28
The Church: Starts Scatters Sends
Key Group: Jews Samaritans Gentiles
Dates: AD 33-35 AD 35-48 AD 48-62
Time: 2 years 13 years 14 years
The book of Acts ends abruptly with a continuation of the very theme with which it began - the expansion of the church. The ministry in which Christ was engaged, "all that Jesus began to do and teach" outlined by Luke in his gospel account, finds it furtherance in the closing sequence of the book, "preaching ... and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ," and in spite of the growing persecution, Luke adds the encouraging words, "with all openness, unhindered."
This is the task of the church. We are Christ's witnesses in the urban centres and the rural regions that surround us, in the opposing cultures more distant from us, and in the totally distinct cultures far from us. The task goes on until we have effectively bring the gospel to the "uttermost part of the earth."
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Prophetic Word for BC
Prince Kudolo gave a prophetic word for the church at the second service yesterday. This was taken from Jeremiah 30:19 but to look at the verse in context we need to read v18 as well:
18 "This is what the LORD says: 'I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained." (NIV)
The whole chapter of Jeremiah 30 is about God's promised restoration to Israel from captivity. Israel was ravaged by the Assyrians (northern kingdom) and the Babylonians (southern kingdom of Judah) due to their idolatrous worship, when they forsook the Lord. They were taken captives by the foreign powers to undergo reprogramming, among whom we have Daniel and his three friends. Inasmuch as God brought judgment to His people, His mercies still shines through in this chapter. There will come a day when God would bring the captives back to their homeland. This happened during the reign of the Persian king, Artaxerxes, who issued a decree to allow the Jews to return back to their homeland to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Later Nehemiah followed to rebuild the city. And in 1948, the nation of Israel was reconstituted.
Applying the word to our contemporary context, it would mean that God desires to bless our church with increase in numbers. We have seen minimal growth for the past few years despite the efforts put in to organise evangelistic outreaches. God is aware of the discouragement faced by His people and that's why this word was given to motivate and encourage us to press on with the work. The verses above tell us that it is His prerogative to restore and to add to our numbers. I believe that as a church we need to continue to pray for the fulfillment of His good word to us; that God would bring back those who have left us and that new ones would come in.
At the same time, I believe we need to build on our character as a church - to be a warm and inviting church that really cares for our people inasmuch as we care for the community. Do we call up people whom we know have left us to find out how they are? There are many reasons why people leave a church; more often than not people do not leave an organisation, rather they leave people. As people of God, we need to be mindful of the way we carry ourselves in public; often times our tone and mannerism can put people off. The attractiveness of a church is seen in the way we interact with each other, exhibiting the both the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that God has forgiven us of our sins (past) and desires to take us into His glorious future, to shape and mould us into the image of His Beloved Son.
May God continue to favour us as a church as we yield ourselves to His Spirit's leading and conviction in our lives.
18 "This is what the LORD says: 'I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained." (NIV)
The whole chapter of Jeremiah 30 is about God's promised restoration to Israel from captivity. Israel was ravaged by the Assyrians (northern kingdom) and the Babylonians (southern kingdom of Judah) due to their idolatrous worship, when they forsook the Lord. They were taken captives by the foreign powers to undergo reprogramming, among whom we have Daniel and his three friends. Inasmuch as God brought judgment to His people, His mercies still shines through in this chapter. There will come a day when God would bring the captives back to their homeland. This happened during the reign of the Persian king, Artaxerxes, who issued a decree to allow the Jews to return back to their homeland to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Later Nehemiah followed to rebuild the city. And in 1948, the nation of Israel was reconstituted.
Applying the word to our contemporary context, it would mean that God desires to bless our church with increase in numbers. We have seen minimal growth for the past few years despite the efforts put in to organise evangelistic outreaches. God is aware of the discouragement faced by His people and that's why this word was given to motivate and encourage us to press on with the work. The verses above tell us that it is His prerogative to restore and to add to our numbers. I believe that as a church we need to continue to pray for the fulfillment of His good word to us; that God would bring back those who have left us and that new ones would come in.
At the same time, I believe we need to build on our character as a church - to be a warm and inviting church that really cares for our people inasmuch as we care for the community. Do we call up people whom we know have left us to find out how they are? There are many reasons why people leave a church; more often than not people do not leave an organisation, rather they leave people. As people of God, we need to be mindful of the way we carry ourselves in public; often times our tone and mannerism can put people off. The attractiveness of a church is seen in the way we interact with each other, exhibiting the both the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that God has forgiven us of our sins (past) and desires to take us into His glorious future, to shape and mould us into the image of His Beloved Son.
May God continue to favour us as a church as we yield ourselves to His Spirit's leading and conviction in our lives.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Lost Chapter (Luke 15)
Today we read about the three parables of Jesus told in quick succession - the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. We observe that the value of the 'commodity' increases once it becomes lost. To the shepherd, a lost sheep is the cause for the open search. To the woman who lost a silver coin, which possibly formed part of her dowry, missing it is a cause of great anxiety. To the father who had to part with his son so early in his life, it was a cause of great pain and grief.
I remembered that when my daughter Sheryl was much younger, probably 3-4 years old, she somehow wandered by herself in Joo Chiat Complex. Our maid then also didn't notice that she had gone missing. Naturally, this was a cause of great anxiety for us as parents and we started looking for her around the shops selling fabrics. To our great joy and relief, she was quickly found and none the worse for it. The value of our 'possessions' become great when there is a potential of long-term separation.
The climax of each parable is the celebration and rejoicing over the lost 'items' that were found. More than that is the rejoicing that takes place in heaven over a sinner who repents and finds forgiveness in God. We all have caused grief and heartache to our Heavenly Father when we chose to wander away from Him. But thanks be to God for His indescribable gift, we have now been reconciled back to Him. More than anything else, we have to guard against having the attitude of the older son. This attitude forbids any other prodigal from returning back to the Father.
Let's continue to pray fervently for the lost 'tribe' in our family and neighbourhood. God is watching and waiting for their return. He has a robe (speaks of the righteousness of Christ), a ring (His authority) and sandals (His walk) waiting. The whole of heaven can't wait to rejoice.
I remembered that when my daughter Sheryl was much younger, probably 3-4 years old, she somehow wandered by herself in Joo Chiat Complex. Our maid then also didn't notice that she had gone missing. Naturally, this was a cause of great anxiety for us as parents and we started looking for her around the shops selling fabrics. To our great joy and relief, she was quickly found and none the worse for it. The value of our 'possessions' become great when there is a potential of long-term separation.
The climax of each parable is the celebration and rejoicing over the lost 'items' that were found. More than that is the rejoicing that takes place in heaven over a sinner who repents and finds forgiveness in God. We all have caused grief and heartache to our Heavenly Father when we chose to wander away from Him. But thanks be to God for His indescribable gift, we have now been reconciled back to Him. More than anything else, we have to guard against having the attitude of the older son. This attitude forbids any other prodigal from returning back to the Father.
Let's continue to pray fervently for the lost 'tribe' in our family and neighbourhood. God is watching and waiting for their return. He has a robe (speaks of the righteousness of Christ), a ring (His authority) and sandals (His walk) waiting. The whole of heaven can't wait to rejoice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
