I am supposed to be on leave today but decided to go to work instead. I thought I had better clear my backlog of work first. Well, the Church has come and gone and I am back in Singapore again after spending 4 days and 3 nights in Malacca, Malaysia.
The camp was one of the biggest ever for my church. There were more than 400 members who attended. To me, it is a good sign of how these persons want to integrate with the rest of the church - basically to connect. That was the theme basically - to connect to God; to ourselves; to the community.
I praise the Lord for the lessons I have learnt. They reminded me of the importance in integrating the three components together and not see them as separate entities.
Every Christian must connect with God first. If not, there is no relationship between us and Him. Ever wondered how weird it can be to say we have acknowledged God as our Lord and Saviour but we have no inkling of who this Person is? Therefore it is important for God's children to connect with Him so that we know what His will is for our lives; what He wants us to do; and how we can use our lives to impact and minister to another and also to those who have yet to know who Jesus is.
I was also reminded that the Christian's journey is not that of a hermit where he is all by himself. The pilgrim's journey is to be walked together; to be connected to one another. I like a quote that the camp speaker used, "If you want to travel fast, go alone; but if you want to travel far, go together!" How true that is! I am glad to have known a few siblings-in-Christ better during the camp. Many times in church I see them but there was no effort to go beyond the usual greetings.
I happened to bump into a dear brother-in-Christ whom I have been serving in the Worship and Music Ministry. He is an Australian but holding a Permanent Resident status in Singapore. He is a trumpeteer and a drummer in the band. Though we have served a couple of months together, I hardly knew this brother. It was when we made a conscious effort to sit down and catch up that I got to know him better.
We always think that it is difficult to open ourselves up to one another. Through this camp and also in the number of years I have spent in my pilgrim's journey, it is actually as easy as just taking the first step to say it is not difficult and just do it by approaching a sibling-in-Christ to strike up a conversation. The rest will flow naturally.
After being able to connect to God and to ourselves as a church, it is also important to connect to the community! A church is not a church till the people are involved in activities outside church. I do not know whether that sentence makes sense but I have learnt recently that the church is not just about the people inside but also those outside whom many are crying for help. The cup within us must overflow so that those outside the church walls will also be filled as well! How I wish sometimes the church has no walls because that is what a church should be. Again, I was reminded of the quote that I read not to long ago, "The mark of a growing church is not about the number of people in it but the number being sent out!"
It is my prayer that this is the beginning of a revival in my church and in all the churches around the world!
Well, I just had my lunch of a couple of sandwiches I made. I should be able to be done with work in an hour's time. I praise the Lord for giving me the ability to clear so much stuff on my desk!
I shall write again later.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:19-25
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20
The camp was one of the biggest ever for my church. There were more than 400 members who attended. To me, it is a good sign of how these persons want to integrate with the rest of the church - basically to connect. That was the theme basically - to connect to God; to ourselves; to the community.
I praise the Lord for the lessons I have learnt. They reminded me of the importance in integrating the three components together and not see them as separate entities.
Every Christian must connect with God first. If not, there is no relationship between us and Him. Ever wondered how weird it can be to say we have acknowledged God as our Lord and Saviour but we have no inkling of who this Person is? Therefore it is important for God's children to connect with Him so that we know what His will is for our lives; what He wants us to do; and how we can use our lives to impact and minister to another and also to those who have yet to know who Jesus is.
I was also reminded that the Christian's journey is not that of a hermit where he is all by himself. The pilgrim's journey is to be walked together; to be connected to one another. I like a quote that the camp speaker used, "If you want to travel fast, go alone; but if you want to travel far, go together!" How true that is! I am glad to have known a few siblings-in-Christ better during the camp. Many times in church I see them but there was no effort to go beyond the usual greetings.
I happened to bump into a dear brother-in-Christ whom I have been serving in the Worship and Music Ministry. He is an Australian but holding a Permanent Resident status in Singapore. He is a trumpeteer and a drummer in the band. Though we have served a couple of months together, I hardly knew this brother. It was when we made a conscious effort to sit down and catch up that I got to know him better.
We always think that it is difficult to open ourselves up to one another. Through this camp and also in the number of years I have spent in my pilgrim's journey, it is actually as easy as just taking the first step to say it is not difficult and just do it by approaching a sibling-in-Christ to strike up a conversation. The rest will flow naturally.
After being able to connect to God and to ourselves as a church, it is also important to connect to the community! A church is not a church till the people are involved in activities outside church. I do not know whether that sentence makes sense but I have learnt recently that the church is not just about the people inside but also those outside whom many are crying for help. The cup within us must overflow so that those outside the church walls will also be filled as well! How I wish sometimes the church has no walls because that is what a church should be. Again, I was reminded of the quote that I read not to long ago, "The mark of a growing church is not about the number of people in it but the number being sent out!"
It is my prayer that this is the beginning of a revival in my church and in all the churches around the world!
Well, I just had my lunch of a couple of sandwiches I made. I should be able to be done with work in an hour's time. I praise the Lord for giving me the ability to clear so much stuff on my desk!
I shall write again later.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:19-25
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20
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