October 3, 2010
Newer may not be always better just as older may not mean wiser. A newer generation who refuses to learn from its past will become steep with stupidity. An older generation that is closed to new ideas runs the danger of being irrelevant and useless.
In our world, individualism is almost deified. Though craving for community, inter-generation contacts have been diminishing as more young couples are choosing to live alone. The media labelling the different generations such as ‘Gen X’, ‘The Yuppies’ and the ‘Baby-boomers’, etc. further polarises the generations and creates unconscious disdain and distrust among the different age groups.
If we heed the word of God, the church will have the real ‘feel’ of a healthy functional family.
I Timothy 5: 1,2
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
Coming from a dysfunctional family myself, I found God’s love most evident when I was introduced to a church in Singapore. I found the older folks accepting, guiding and loving me like responsible parents. Many of the uncles and aunties took me into their lives and homes and gave me a feel of how it was like to be protected and cared for. Many of the young teens under me looked up to me as their big sister and that taught me how to love and nurture others. In all aspects, I was healed emotionally and grow socially and mature spiritually in the Lord through God’s household.
I learned then that I belong to all the church members and all the church members are my family, “so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to ALL the others.” (Romans 12:5)
Thus, it is my vision to grow the BHLC congregation into a real family church where no one feels left out and where Sunday feels like a homecoming day.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
A Multi-cultural church
September 26, 2010
“Canadians are:
1. Either English or French
2. Bilingual
3. Peaceful and respect authority
4. Tolerant and welcoming to newcomers
5. None of the above
6. All of the above
7. None of the above and all of the above
If you answered 7, you’re a real Canadian. You understand we’re not who we’re told we are.”
Since the day-to-day contacts of our members are a mosaic of different ethnicity and colour, our church must reflect that multi-cultural and multi-racial mix of the mission field that is right in our midst. While predominantly Chinese, we must strive to consciously grow into a multi-cultural, international community of believers. A church that only reaches “its own kind” in a setting like Canada will be seen as ethnocentric and irrelevant and unfaithful to the vineyard that God has placed us.
In the next few years, we will consciously widen our sphere of influence in our social settings to deliberately win and disciple people of different races.
Revelation 7:9-10 will then be God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah and Amen!
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
“Canadians are:
1. Either English or French
2. Bilingual
3. Peaceful and respect authority
4. Tolerant and welcoming to newcomers
5. None of the above
6. All of the above
7. None of the above and all of the above
If you answered 7, you’re a real Canadian. You understand we’re not who we’re told we are.”
Since the day-to-day contacts of our members are a mosaic of different ethnicity and colour, our church must reflect that multi-cultural and multi-racial mix of the mission field that is right in our midst. While predominantly Chinese, we must strive to consciously grow into a multi-cultural, international community of believers. A church that only reaches “its own kind” in a setting like Canada will be seen as ethnocentric and irrelevant and unfaithful to the vineyard that God has placed us.
In the next few years, we will consciously widen our sphere of influence in our social settings to deliberately win and disciple people of different races.
Revelation 7:9-10 will then be God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven. Hallelujah and Amen!
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Purpose of Church
19 September, 2010
“What is God calling us as a church to be and to do?”
To put BHLC’s English congregation’s vision in a sentence, I believe God is calling us to be ‘An International Community that Makes Disciples’.
When asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:27-31)
Before leaving earth, our Lord left behind a task for us. This is what Jesus 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 28:18-20)
Upon the Great commandment and the Great Commission, we find our church’s bearing and direction.
In making disciples, we glorify God and love Him and in bringing others to His kingdom, we fulfil the commandment to love them as ourselves.
How our church expresses ourselves in disciple-making will be different from another congregation. I will share more about our church’s vision in the next few write-ups. Look out for it.
“What is God calling us as a church to be and to do?”
To put BHLC’s English congregation’s vision in a sentence, I believe God is calling us to be ‘An International Community that Makes Disciples’.
When asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:27-31)
Before leaving earth, our Lord left behind a task for us. This is what Jesus 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 28:18-20)
Upon the Great commandment and the Great Commission, we find our church’s bearing and direction.
In making disciples, we glorify God and love Him and in bringing others to His kingdom, we fulfil the commandment to love them as ourselves.
How our church expresses ourselves in disciple-making will be different from another congregation. I will share more about our church’s vision in the next few write-ups. Look out for it.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"Mountaintop Experiences" and Discipleship
I just came back from two great experiences – the India Mission Trip and our English Family Church Camp. Both were exhilarating.
There are two great temptations after a spiritual ‘mountaintop’ experience.
One temptation is to try to hang on to them – to build ‘monuments’ out of them. We do so by re-visiting these episodes again and again – to dwell on the ‘good old days’. We become spiritual ‘cowboys’ who love gazing into the open space, reminiscing about how God ‘used to’ work among us.
Another temptation is to try to run after spiritual experiences. Like an addict running after the next dose, we seek to recreate and pump up for the next high. In so doing, our faith is like a ‘roller-coaster’ ride decided by our feeling spiritually charged or not.
Peter, John and James had such an encounter – they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and saw two great ancestors of faith, Elijah and Moses. What was their response? “Put up three shelters,” Peter suggested. The narration said, ‘(He did not know what he was saying.)’ and God rebuked them,
"This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." (Luke 9:35)
What happened after is more important than what happened on the mountaintop.
Would we become effective workers for Him or will we be labelled as part of the ‘unbelieving and perverse’ generation even after the experience? (Luke 9:41)
Listen and follow the Lord of our experiences – not the experiences per se.
There are two great temptations after a spiritual ‘mountaintop’ experience.
One temptation is to try to hang on to them – to build ‘monuments’ out of them. We do so by re-visiting these episodes again and again – to dwell on the ‘good old days’. We become spiritual ‘cowboys’ who love gazing into the open space, reminiscing about how God ‘used to’ work among us.
Another temptation is to try to run after spiritual experiences. Like an addict running after the next dose, we seek to recreate and pump up for the next high. In so doing, our faith is like a ‘roller-coaster’ ride decided by our feeling spiritually charged or not.
Peter, John and James had such an encounter – they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus and saw two great ancestors of faith, Elijah and Moses. What was their response? “Put up three shelters,” Peter suggested. The narration said, ‘(He did not know what he was saying.)’ and God rebuked them,
"This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." (Luke 9:35)
What happened after is more important than what happened on the mountaintop.
Would we become effective workers for Him or will we be labelled as part of the ‘unbelieving and perverse’ generation even after the experience? (Luke 9:41)
Listen and follow the Lord of our experiences – not the experiences per se.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Radical Community
August 29, 2010
The Christian community is God’s idea. It is not a human invention.
Christ binds Himself irrevocably to the church. Christ “is the head of the body, His church” (Col 1:18).
Christians are bound together eternally to each other, not by natural blood and birth but of a supernatural source. In the veins of every Christian, there lies a common blood type – Jesus’ cleansing blood.
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:33-35)
So it is not a mere title when we tag each other as brothers and sisters and mothers. We really are. Our relationships with fellow Christians start now and will spill into all eternity.
God’s vision for the Christian community is that of a place to practise radical love.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
What a brilliant idea for me to repay my debt to God’s love by radically loving my family members.
Jesus’ love for us is nothing short of radical. We dare not do less for our brothers and sisters.
The Christian community is God’s idea. It is not a human invention.
Christ binds Himself irrevocably to the church. Christ “is the head of the body, His church” (Col 1:18).
Christians are bound together eternally to each other, not by natural blood and birth but of a supernatural source. In the veins of every Christian, there lies a common blood type – Jesus’ cleansing blood.
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." (Mark 3:33-35)
So it is not a mere title when we tag each other as brothers and sisters and mothers. We really are. Our relationships with fellow Christians start now and will spill into all eternity.
God’s vision for the Christian community is that of a place to practise radical love.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
What a brilliant idea for me to repay my debt to God’s love by radically loving my family members.
Jesus’ love for us is nothing short of radical. We dare not do less for our brothers and sisters.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Radicals for God
August 22, 2010
Below is an imagery dialogue between Jesus and the angels when our Lord ascended into Heaven and took His seat at the right hand of the Father.
Angels: “So, Jesus what is your plan for world evangelism? “
Jesus: “I have left my movement in the hands of my disciples.”
Angels: “What if they fail?”
Jesus: “I have no other plan.”
The Great Commission or world evangelism is the aim of Jesus’ death – that men may know God’s love for them and respond to Him in love by worship; in so doing glorifying God for who He is and what He has done.
For such a task, Jesus left it to no one but his small band of followers.
This puny group of illiterate, uncultured, rough disciples had been shown radical love – a love that took their Master to the cross. They, in turn were commanded to live out that radical love for one another.
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15:12,13)
Ultimately, it is not size that matters. In every social change, it is carried out by a small group of committed minority. It is commitment to the movement that counts.
Perhaps in the West, we have trivialised discipleship to that of a ‘feel good’ religion. It is time to radicalise our discipleship – to call men and women to the hard knocks of following Jesus and allow God to use us to change the world.
Determine to be a radical for the Lord. Don’t short-change yourself and God.
Below is an imagery dialogue between Jesus and the angels when our Lord ascended into Heaven and took His seat at the right hand of the Father.
Angels: “So, Jesus what is your plan for world evangelism? “
Jesus: “I have left my movement in the hands of my disciples.”
Angels: “What if they fail?”
Jesus: “I have no other plan.”
The Great Commission or world evangelism is the aim of Jesus’ death – that men may know God’s love for them and respond to Him in love by worship; in so doing glorifying God for who He is and what He has done.
For such a task, Jesus left it to no one but his small band of followers.
This puny group of illiterate, uncultured, rough disciples had been shown radical love – a love that took their Master to the cross. They, in turn were commanded to live out that radical love for one another.
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15:12,13)
Ultimately, it is not size that matters. In every social change, it is carried out by a small group of committed minority. It is commitment to the movement that counts.
Perhaps in the West, we have trivialised discipleship to that of a ‘feel good’ religion. It is time to radicalise our discipleship – to call men and women to the hard knocks of following Jesus and allow God to use us to change the world.
Determine to be a radical for the Lord. Don’t short-change yourself and God.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The End to Radical Discipleship
15 August 2010
Author Anne Rice announced on her Facebook that she had left both the church and organized Christianity (Vancouver Sun, August 10, 2010, A11).
This is what she wrote on her Facebook,
“Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or being part of Christianity.”
Her statement is disturbingly representative of today’s so-called followers of Christ.
Many today’s believers claim that it is alright not to belong to a church, that the important thing is loving Jesus; minus all the organization and ‘commands’ stuff.
In short, it is following Jesus ‘MY WAY’. My expression of worship is what counts in the end – that is commitment to Christ.
While I can understand Anne Rice’s (and many modern sincere followers) frustrations and disappointments with the church, I have to differ from their conclusion.
Christ is the head and the church the body of Christ – you cannot follow the head and discard His body. Christ’s commands are absolutes and cannot be bent to suit the world’s majority views.
It is either one or the other – when we embrace Christ, we get the full package deal – the perfect Saviour, with our imperfect spiritual siblings and many a times spiritually dysfunctional family.
Christ is committed to His church and His people.
Commitment to Christ means loving what He loves – and it means dying to ‘My Way’ and taking on ‘His Way’.
It means that when things do not go our way, we follow on. We praise Him regardless of feelings. We give Him despite fears. We obey Him without reservation.
Commitment to Christ is RADICAL. Radical in the eyes of the world but only matter-of-fact and should be a natural logical conclusion to him who calls Christ LORD.
Author Anne Rice announced on her Facebook that she had left both the church and organized Christianity (Vancouver Sun, August 10, 2010, A11).
This is what she wrote on her Facebook,
“Today I quit being a Christian. I’m out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being ‘Christian’ or being part of Christianity.”
Her statement is disturbingly representative of today’s so-called followers of Christ.
Many today’s believers claim that it is alright not to belong to a church, that the important thing is loving Jesus; minus all the organization and ‘commands’ stuff.
In short, it is following Jesus ‘MY WAY’. My expression of worship is what counts in the end – that is commitment to Christ.
While I can understand Anne Rice’s (and many modern sincere followers) frustrations and disappointments with the church, I have to differ from their conclusion.
Christ is the head and the church the body of Christ – you cannot follow the head and discard His body. Christ’s commands are absolutes and cannot be bent to suit the world’s majority views.
It is either one or the other – when we embrace Christ, we get the full package deal – the perfect Saviour, with our imperfect spiritual siblings and many a times spiritually dysfunctional family.
Christ is committed to His church and His people.
Commitment to Christ means loving what He loves – and it means dying to ‘My Way’ and taking on ‘His Way’.
It means that when things do not go our way, we follow on. We praise Him regardless of feelings. We give Him despite fears. We obey Him without reservation.
Commitment to Christ is RADICAL. Radical in the eyes of the world but only matter-of-fact and should be a natural logical conclusion to him who calls Christ LORD.
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