2014 - ANOTHER GREAT YEAR

Well, goodbye 2013 and welcome 2014! Another year another step in the journey of life! 2013 seems to be rolling pass so fast – in a blink of an eye – and we are on the eve of a new year. It has been six months long journey for my dear wife who had to endure chemotherapy. It hasn’t always been easy for her, suffering the pain of the needles, the discomfort, and the boring hours of treatment. Many times I wish I’d know how much it takes to endure it but I was not in the position to know. I can only watched from the sideline how she goes through with it. I must say that she really take it in stride.

Praise God that the tumour in her lungs had shrunk and I find her able to breathe more easily. She’s able to hold a conversation without the interruptions of irritation of the lungs followed by coughing. 2013 proved to be a trying year for us but also a wonderful year. Judson had graduated, called to the bar and now working. Joyce has come along well in her studies, her relationship, and her involvement in the work of the Lord. Jesher has finished his STPM and looking forward to Internship with the church and to Uni after that.

We have our ups and downs but 2013 is a good year – a good year to praise God, a good year to thank a lot of friends, a good year to thank God for His great provision, love and grace. 2014 will be better. The work of God will intensify. The ministry opportunities will increase. The challenges in life will undoubtedly get tougher BUT God is good and I will braced myself for yet another year of great adventure of faith in Christ.

There is no need for New Year resolution. There is only the continuing walk of a long obedience in the same direction – keeping my side of the bargain, that is, to be faithful in service, to be gracious and compassionate in attitude, and to be simple and humble in conduct and in conversation!

Looking forward to another good year – another great year!

LET US ARISE

It’s been a while since I last reminisce about life, faith and everything else under the sun. In a couple of my posts on Facebook I teased out a little about the excitement I have been anticipating as I sense that some good things are about to happen in the church. Some people were asking me what it is all about. I think it is too early to spill out what I think is in store but I would like to throw out some thoughts.

One of the things that a few of us have been mulling about is to re-look at “doing church”. Are we building the church of God rightly? Did we miss anything? We have been around for 30 years (FGA Centre) and I have been in pastoral ministry in this church for the last 28 years. Where are we going? Where are we heading? Did we come close to what God has purposed for us to be? And I think it is always good to take two steps back and re-examine ourselves in the light of the vision and passion that God placed in the founding fathers of the church.

I, for one, am interested in all that God has for the church. So, starting next year we will emphasise the whole premise of God’s Word through Isaiah – “LET US ARISE!” From January to April 2014 it would be to ARISE AND RETURN - Christ's Kingdom in Us. Then, from May to August 2014 it would be to ARISE AND BUILD - Christ's Kingdom in the Home. For the third trimester, that is, from September to December 2014 it would be to ARISE AND SHINE - Christ's Kingdom in the Marketplace. Each trimester emphasizes on a different aspect of the REIGN OF CHRIST --- in an individual life, in the basic Christian community (family and homes), and in the community at large (Penang and Beyond).

While we seek to establish the Kingdom of God in and through us, the Church Leadership continues to diligently seek to discover God’s purpose for us and with courage and tenacity to change as the Lord leads. After all we have been around for the last 30 years and it's a good to seek God afresh for a fresh mandate.

So, one of the "reformations of FGA Centre" is to re-establish that Christianity is a way of life, not a series of religious meetings; but an expression of the priesthood of believers. No church is lead by a single leader but by a team of leaders who collectively expresses the gifting of the 5-fold ministries. We must return from seeing Christianity as an organization to seeing Christianity as an organism. We have to stop thinking in terms of bringing people to a building which we call “a church”, but to think in terms of every believer’s home as a potential for the church to be expressed as believers gather together. One other thing is the idea of rediscovering the Lord’s Supper in its depth of meaning and significance through celebrating it in the home.

Before I sign off I would like to comment that the small group gathering of friends and fellow followers of Jesus Christ regularly for edification, for mutual care and concern, and fellowship is the way to “do church” in our context and in the 21^st century!

Think with me.

SEALINK CONFERENCE IN MYANMAR

After a trip to Yangon, Myanmar I realized that I must be fully appreciative of my homeland Malaysia. I may not like a lot of things that are happening here. I may not be happy with the inflation, the rising cost of living, and the price hike of petrol. I certainly am frustrated with corruptions, violence and injustices. Yet, I am thankful I am a Malaysian. I am thankful that there is still freedom and peace in this country. Myanmar is trapped in the 70s. But I am sure that if the government of the day in Myanmar continues to work towards greater democracy, greater freedom and peace they will rise up to be a great nation. What about Malaysia?

I saw much unemployment and much poverty in Myanmar - people living in just basic sustenance. In Malaysia we have so much food, so much resources and luxury. Let us not fall into the trappings of affluence and become blurred in our vision of the future – lackadaisical and laissez-faire, no longer visionary and far-sighted. As Christians we need to think beyond the NOW and be prepared for the near return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are we ready? Are we willing to sacrifice to see the Gospel of the Kingdom spread to the ends of the earth? Passion without sacrifice is just selfish passion but passion with sacrifice is the fuel that the Lord can use to set the world on fire – the fire of revival.

Years ago, in my younger days, I was so fired up for missions. I travelled quiet a fair bit to East Malaysia and Thailand for missions. I have long forgotten the adrenalin rush of missions. I am too contented with the “ministry” back home in Penang. Yeah, I do attend mission conferences and consultations but somehow it has become academic and rhetorical. I realized, after SEALINK in Myanmar, that I could no longer be a champion of Global Mission from a purely philosophical-rhetorical verbiage but to start getting my hands dirty – to be holistically involved in societal transformation with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. I pray that I will begin to walk the walk and not just talk the talk till the cows come home (they never do – period!) 

HAVE YOU NOT KNOWN. HAVE YOU NOT HEARD.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (Amplified Bible) - Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

The everlasting God, the Lord and Creator of the ends of the earth does not faint or grow weary. What a God we worship. He is super-duper great and wonderful. We should never doubt His goodness. He gives power to those who are weary. He gives strength when we are wearied from the many onslaughts of the enemies of life. Sometimes we are not sure what hits us. We are not looking for trials. We are not searching for trouble. But life itself does not leave us alone. As long as we are here in this broken world anything unpleasant can happen. It is not always bad – maybe a little – but it certainly will shake us out of our comfort zone. Even in those circumstances He increases strength – causing it to multiply and making it to abound – so that we will be renewed. God did not promise us a trouble-free life, trials-protection scheme and zero-temptation pathway BUT he promises changed and renewed strength when we are faint, wearied and exhausted emotionally and spiritually.

I remembered a song by Phil Driscoll entitled Soldier. The song speaks of believers are soldiers engaging in the battles of life and returning home from the battlefield discouraged, wearied and exhausted in our spirits.  There have been long hours and days digging deep into the trenches with no sign of relief. There have been battle scars, wounds, weariness, exhaustion, doubt, fear and uncertainty all around. But the song ends it this way: when the day is over, when the night comes and you lie down on your bed REMEMBER you are still a child – a child of God.

Especially those of us who are serving the Lord; feeling weary and tired battling through tough situations, difficult people and relationships, and engaging in spiritual battle and warfare – we need to know clearly that when we put down our fighting gear for the night to rest a little we remember we are still His child. We are our Father’s sons and daughters. We may be soldiers for Christ in this battle torn world advancing the Kingdom of God but we are still His children – loved by Him with an everlasting love. He will renew our strength. He will cause us to mount up with wings like eagles. We will soar above the clouds – above our circumstances and into the very arms of the Father’s warm embrace. We will have abundant strength in the weary-land.

Whenever I feel the strain and the weight of responsibility in the work of the Lord, I needed to stop on my track, pause for a moment, and go into the chamber of my King. It is there that I would receive renewed strength and the comfort of the Lord. It is there in His presence that I am once reminded that I am His child and I belong to Him. He loves me with an everlasting love. No weapon forms against me will prosper. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. The devil cannot snatch me out of the palms of His hand.

Nothing can compare with the time a child has in the presence of his Father. His abiding presence removes all weariness of self-imposed expectations, all frustrations of the unexplained dynamic of relationships and unexpected circumstances and all fears of unknown paths that we know we have to walk through. Like Isaiah, in quietness and confidence, shall be my strength. It is learning to rest in Him completely – confident trust and quiet faith!!

Father God, I love you! 

Today's Spirituality: Pandering to the Drama of Some Side Show Artists?

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THANK YOU.

THE STILL SMALL VOICE OF GOD

The cacophony of secular ideas and thoughts have slowly but surely silenced the still small voice of God calling us to gaze upward into His countenance, to emanate the light of His glory, and to surrender to His perfect will. We are being bifurcated in our allegiance; on one hand, we pledge to follow Him all the way, but on the other hand we are drawn to the stirring of the growing barbarians – the relapse to neo-paganism where we make our own gods out of our hearts and our minds.

Let us stop on our track, pause for a moment, before we go any further down the path of foolishness or in a cruder form, a sublime stupidity. Why? How could we ever live our lives without the Lord? How could we even try to make sense of our lives by ourselves? We need the Lord. We need to learn to gaze into His face. We need to surrender to the perfect will of God!

There are no options and no substitutions to being in the presence of God. It is better to spend a day in His court than a thousand elsewhere. It is better to hear the still small voice of God and walk in obedience than justifying and debating within ourselves because of the rational yet dissonant sound of secular ideas and philosophies. We have the Word of God. We have the Spirit of God. We need to open our hearts to the leading of the Lord.

I am struggling with my mental processes, my imagination, what the Bible says, and what I see within and without the church. All of these have given me a spiritual “headache”. As an example, I don’t see how people could say so easily “God said these” or “God spoke to me” or “God told me to tell you.” How could we use terms like these so easily and freely? How do we know that we know He has spoken? What is the indication? What is the sign that He said it? Is it audible? Is it an impression? Could our impression be wrong? How often have we been right? Is there a possibility of presumptions and assumptions when we said it so freely? If we could use it so freely, then those who can’t means what – they are not in tune, not in close intimacy?

Yet I can’t deny the fact that God would choose to do that either. I have read in the Bible how he had spoken in a still small voice to the prophets. It is a known fact that God does speak in such fashion.

So what should we do? I believe that it’s a learning process for all of us. I think I will have to press in and press through, patiently wait upon the Lord and learn to hear and recognized His voice when He speaks. There’s no other way to go. Even if we said that He speaks through His Word we still need that still small voice reassuring us from deep within that indeed He meant for that text, that passage or that portion in the Bible to be personal to you. Perhaps one of the most assuring thought from the Scriptures is found in Isaiah 30:18-21 –

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction,  yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

I think now is the time when God’s grace is found in abundance. He will be gracious to our cries. He will hear us as soon as we call upon Him. Isaiah said that even though God gave us “the bread of adversity and the water of affliction” – times of testing and trials – yet in the midst of it all the Holy Spirit, the Teacher of righteousness will not hide anymore. We will see the Teacher of righteousness and will hear when He leads and guides us with the still small voice from behind us – “this is the way, walk in it.”

AM I A PESSIMISTIC CYNIC, A CONFUSED WAYFARER AND A FRUSTRATED SINNER?

After being a Christian for so many years I still struggled...just like Paul said: I do not do what I should and I did what I should not have committed. It is very disconcerting when deep within oneself there is this struggle like hell still going on. Recently, I found myself struggling once again in an area of my life that should have been dealt with long ago. I hated myself for falling into it. I know that it displeases God. I don’t need spectacular or divine revelation to make me realize that this is SIN. Yet, I walked into it even with such knowledge of wrong-doing. I try to justify by saying that I can’t help it, that I can’t stop it, and that I don’t have the strength to resist it. We can try to make a case for it. It makes no difference to God.

That’s when I realize that we can present ourselves in the best behaviour; we can talk our way through a convincing sermonette; we can play-act perfectly with our piety. But in our inner world we struggle like hell. In our inner being a war broke out. In our soul there is no hiding place for our indefensible case – we are broken, weak and far off from the mark.  

Maybe you may think that I am a pessimistic cynic. I would not argue with you on that. Maybe you may term me as a confused wayfaring stranger. Yes, that’s true. But I am not confused. It is my inner struggle that causes me to ponder over and over again. Maybe you may see me as a frustrated sinner trying hard to live a true Christian life in this sinful world. I may have to agree with you but still it is too justifying on my part because this may give the implication that God is a tyrant and enjoys seeing us squirm. It would nullify the grace of God. It would make God look weak. It would be offensive to the Holy Spirit. It would have made Calvary a wasted cause for Jesus Christ.

I think I am just winning. I think I am moaning and groaning. I think I should just stop it – stop this pity-party, stop sinning, stop justifying and run into the name of the Lord. The Word of God said it – the righteous shall run into the name of the Lord and they shall be save. Salvation comes from acknowledging our sin, our weakness and our inability to save ourselves. That’s when we receive the grace of God and see the brighter side of life. I know that my struggle will continue to haunt me. I know that temptations will continue to jump at me round the corners and everywhere. But what do I do? But what can I do?

That’s where I am envious of people who seem to know the Heavenly Father so well. They use terms of endearment and intimacy. I could never come to a place of using such endearing terms like “papa” or “daddy” of my Heavenly Father if even for a second I felt that I am not meaning it with my ongoing thoughts or with my previous actions. Such terms of intimacy and endearment should never easily fall from our lips unless we mean it – I mean we mean it, is backed up with our attitude and our conduct. I still stand by what I said in one of my Facebook post: Sometimes I wonder when we "papa love me", "papa this and papa that" are we actually suffering from insecurity under the guise of the grace of God or do we really, really? I am just saying.

Please do not interpret what I have written here as a man with an unrelenting complains and cynicism. I am trying to look squarely at it in my own inner world – my own struggle with sin, with insecurity, with such glaring weakness. My biggest question is this: Father, why do you still love me for who I am after what I have done?

Thank you Lord for your intrinsic love manifested through your grace and mercy. In your grace I received what I don’t deserve, that is, eternal life. In your mercy I did not received what I do deserve, that is, eternal damnation.

Lord I believe! Help my unbelief. Give me the strength to call you ABBA Father, Daddy God and mean it from the bottom of my heart!

HUMANS - BEAUTIFUL CREATURES BUT SELFISH

People are very selfish creatures. We are given the freedom to choose, free will so to speak, and we undoubtedly choose to be selfish – care for ourselves and live for ourselves. We don’t live by instinct like animals do. We live by such incredible ability to think, to process, and to decide that is totally free from any manipulation. God gave us that free will. We are free moral agent. But I have a sense that we have the propensity towards selfishness.

Sometimes we get the same selfish treatment from our supposedly BFF (Best Friend Forever). Where is loyalty? Where is the spirit of camaraderie, solidarity or comradeship? Even in our vocation there is no longer loyalty – no longer longevity of service. There is always a need to move up the ladder. There is always this need to get ahead, to win, and to achieve. It’s not about the passion to work where we have a cause. The cause is no longer the company, the church or a particular ministry or activity. The cause has turned inward – what is in it for us! The cause is about our success. We are selfish and arrogant!

Even in the church today – ministry involvement is not based on genuinely wanting to help the church succeed in advancing the Kingdom but how much I am worth. If I am not being valued, appreciated and recognized or if I am being slighted I walk. Whatever happened to the call of God? Whatever happened to submission? Whatever happened to Paul’s admonition: “in all things preferring others better than ourselves.”

Whenever I see such things being played out in the church I developed jadedness in my spirit. It begins to sap away every ounce of spiritual energy still left in me. After 28 years of serving God, I have seen so many people come and go – especially those who have been in ministry and in Christian leadership. I remember when God called me long ago it is not a matter of what I can get out of it but rather how much I am willing to surrender, to sacrifice, and to allow God to do whatever He wants to do in me! This is not happening today!

Perhaps, the worse is also not about ministry involvement but about the sheer fact of coming to church on Sundays. I noticed that there are people who no longer come to church regularly. There are many reasons to it: apathy and indifferent, operating under wrong priorities, church is boring and attending church becomes not as important as a good sleep-in, running marathon, bicycling, movies vacation or even work in the office.

My conclusion: urban Christians have slipped into the mold of secularism, drowned in the cesspool of consumerism and spiraled down the tunnel of affluence. We work for play. We accumulate to dispense lavishly. We educate for status and stature. We get in the game for ourselves, our cause and our momentary happiness – oh, so that’s what we think!

Isaiah 60:1-2 - Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.   

Revive us once again! Reveal your glory once again! Establish your reign within our hearts once again!

LIFE IS AWESOME, LIFE IS BURDENSOME

I think life is a paradox – full of absurdity, irony and contradictions within contradictions!

Life can be awesome – when things are fine and dandy, when friends are nice and lovely, when comfort in life is lighting up all around. There is no care in the world. We sing with gusto: “God is good all the time.” The blessings of the Lord seem to be chasing us and we are on spiritual cloud nine!

We live in the Father’s unconditional love – His goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our lives – and we are elated, ecstatic, jubilant, euphoric, overjoyed and in seventh heaven! Oh what a thought: God’s goodness is for us and with us and in us! There is no severity of God because we are living in the grace dispensation – only good. Pain is a curse. Pain is not in God’s vocabulary.

I wish that’s the kind of wonderful picture of a Christian life at all times. I wish we can live in this sugar-coated, rainbow-painted, and chocolate-filled dream world. Life is awesome, indeed!

Life is burdensome too. Sometimes, our fantasy world comes crushing down.  It’s twelve midnight for Cinderella. Someone asked a question: If the shoe exactly fits Cinderella’s feet why did it come off? It’s a mystery just like life itself. Princess Fiona (in the movie Shrek) was different by day and by night! I think life is full of absurdity and irony. It is contradictions within contradictions! Many times when it rain, it pours! Life can be full of unusual events – painful ones, depressive ones, and mysterious ones too! I know what it means to have my world come crushing down. I know what it means to be overwhelmed with anxiety, worries and fear. When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the Rock that is higher than I

Whoever tells us that there is no pain in this world is insane. Whoever blames the government, the people around us, the system, and family upbringing are really out of touch with reality. I will blame it on Sigmund Freud though! We are then no better that Adam and Eve!

Who can blame us mere mortal when we desire heaven, when we desire the quick return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How can we not understand why the black slaves of yesteryears sang songs about Beulah Land, about a land that is fairer than day? How can we not pine for our Bridegroom-King? Our longing for the return of our Lord is real, is emotional, and is pivotal to our faith journey!

Think with me – we cannot bear to be alone without people around to love and be loved. We called that loneliness and depression. We long for relationships. We long for friendships. Yet we cannot stand people and wish we are alone and relationship becomes burdensome. We wish we could disappear somewhere and be alone. We called that relationship overload and depression!  Take marriage: there are those who are INSIDE who wish to get OUT and there are others who are OUTSIDE dying to get IN! Hello – there’s such a thing as a gift of celibacy.

There are more paradoxes in the teachings of Jesus than we care to ponder upon. Jesus teaches us that in order to live we need to die. That doesn’t make sense! He said that in order to receive we need to give. There, it’s illogical. Another one: in order to go up we need to go down. That’s why my conclusion is these: life is awesome, life is burdensome. My attitude in life is to praise God in whatever situation that I may be in – in good times and in bad times – but in all times be contented.

My simple life philosophy: in whatsoever state that I am in I choose to be contented! I will see life as awesome – walking in relationship with my Father in heaven. I will see life as burdensome – only for the brief span on this earth because this world is not my home. I will plough through life. I will bear with the pain, the discomfort, the betrayal, the anxiety and stress, and the evilness of a broken world. I will learn to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation in the midst of darkness. I will not let the evil, the violence and the injustices in this world keep me from appreciating the beauty of humanity and the beauty of relationships. The goodness and greatness of God will be my daily praise and meditation. I will praise the Lord at all times. I will worship and adore Him for He is good!

How about you? 

MEDITATION OF HIS WONDROUS WORKS

Psalm 119:28b – “.....I will meditate on your wondrous works.”

One of the Sunday school songs that I remembered is this: “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.” If I were to start counting the blessings of the Lord for the past 55 years of my life I would still not do justice to what He has done for me. The Psalmist knows that, the prophet of old knows that, the disciples know than, and Apostle Paul knows that too!

The work of God is a wondrous work – His work of creation, His work of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ, the provision of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us every moment of the day, and His soon return to establish His everlasting Kingdom on earth. He sent His angels charge over us. If that is not wondrous, awesome and incredible what is?

In Isaiah 61:3 we read of the comfort of God on His people: “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” This is one of the most comforting words of the Lord for His people. He gave us beauty for ashes. God acknowledges that there are times of difficulties – the ash heap of life – that we all face due to the fallen-ness of man and the consequences of sins. He did not gloss over the reality that we all face the “ash heap” of failures, betrayal, and disappointment in life. He did not promise us a bed of roses. He did not say all our problems will be gone. He promises us beauty out of the ash heap of life. He promises us that He can restore, revive, and transform all ugliness, brokenness, and cracks in our lives and make it beautiful in His time.

He gave us the oil for mourning. Oil almost always speaks of joy of the Holy Spirit. He acknowledges that there will be times in this broken world that we experiences sadness, separation, and unanswerable questions of difficult life circumstances and occurrences. He knows that there will be mourning – the flow of unmitigated tears, the pain of sudden separations, and the uncertainty that accompanied a lost. Therefore, He promises us the oil of joy for mourning. The Psalmist said that sorrows may endure for the night but joy shall come in the morning. He promises us that joy will finally win – cross over the finishing line!

He gave us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. We will be clothed with praise in replacement of the heart of heaviness. Though our heart may be heavy burdened because of the many sorrows, anxiety, and worries yet He will replace it with a garment of praise – a garment that is light and does not wear us down. Praising God is good for the soul and refreshing for the spirit. He has given us that. We are to adorn our lives with praise. Our lives must exude and emanate the praise of God. Praise gives us the liberty to overcome heavy burden of fear, insecurity, and uncertainty.

We are to be tress of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. As trees of righteousness we are not just to live uprightly, carefully and with all honesty. We are to exhibit the beauty of the Lord, the oil of gladness, and the praise for our Redeemer at all times. Our goal is to glorify God (Gloria Dei)! 

LIFE ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD

Psalm 119:25-32 - My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! 

We can hear the cry of the Psalmist here: my soul clings to the dust (v. 25). The Psalmist is experiencing the lowest point of his life; his soul metaphorically clinging to the dust – his life comes into contact with dust, comes into contact with death itself, with the rubbish of life. He is at his lowest point. In verse 28 he exclaimed: my soul melts away for sorrow. There is something obviously painful and causing some sort of grieving. Not only is he grasping at a straw for life his heart is pained by deep sense of sorrow – sorrow that melts his soul. I have been there and I know how it feels like. The sharp pain that stabs at your chest repeatedly can send shivers up your spine and causes you to cling to the dust literally. In verse 31 the Psalmist pleaded to the Lord to let him “not be put to shame.” Shame is the most debilitating (devastating) thing that can happen to a person. It hurts a person’s dignity as a human being; it hurts a person’s sense of significance, self-image, and self-esteem.

We are not sure what he was going through in his life at this point of time but we certainly can know that he was hurting, he was in deep pain, and he was crying out to the Lord. The psalmist appeals to the Word of God, probably the revelation of God’s Word, so that he can gain life again. He was appealing to the revelational Word of God to strengthen him; strength to overcome his grief, his shame, and his sorrow. He wanted so much to run into the Word of God – the word that comforts, the word that assures, and the word that is YES and AMEN!

EXPERIENTIAL GRACE OF GOD

“The profundity of the experiential grace of God is ever present in the banality of our existential living.”

This statement fully describes to a great extent the mystery of the working of grace in all its complexity and intensity seen in our mundane everyday living. What might be passed off as trivial may actually be the working of the grace of God in our lives.

The grace of God is not the glossing over of our sins, failure, and bad decisions by God but a gracious and compassionate heart of God that is big enough to pick us up and to brush off the “dirt” off us and to bandage up the “wounds” we have inflicted upon ourselves. It is like a father who said to his child who run and fell and hurt himself just minutes after a firm instruction not to run around in a particularly dangerous area: “It’s okay. Let me clean you up. There, you’re alright. Get going but remember not to run there again!”

The grace of God can also be seen in the quiet confidence within us as we come face to face with situations in our daily lives – a kind of calmness and peace that defies understanding as we put our trust in Him. We may not always see the results we expected but certainly we still sense that quiet confidence of restfulness in His presence.

In the last two weeks I am confronted with a new challenge as reality hits me when my wife had to go through chemotherapy. Out of the ash heap of calamity comes the voice of God assuring my heart that He is here with my family as He always has been. That’s the power of the grace of God. It is not some kind of supernatural, heaven-open, earth shattering divine manifestation that zaps away my calamity. Strangely, it is the quiet confidence that came over me as I rest in His presence and listen closely to His soothing voice, “I am here with you, by you, and for you!” That, to me, is the profundity (the complexity, intensity, and greatness) of the experiential grace of God manifested in the banality, the ordinariness, of everyday life on this earth! 

BLESSING GOD, BLESSING OTHERS

This one week I have changed my outlook of life. I used to think a lot and in the process let anxiety, doubts, and fears loom over my mind. After last Sunday’s message by Pastor Cheng Kin I have decided to take Genesis 12 seriously – I am blessed to be a blessing! Therefore, I began to open my mouth and bless my family – bless my youngest son every morning as I drive him to school, bless Joyce and Judson in my prayers. But I have begun to bless my wife not just once a day but throughout the day.

First, I bless God for life. I bless God for provision. I bless God for loving people around us, helping us and really caring for us. I bless God for my family who stood by me in prayers and frequent phone calls. I bless God for the strength to lift my head up in worship. I bless God for saving me, for transforming me, and for giving me the opportunity to serve Him in FGA Centre. Yes, I cry out to Him when my heart is overwhelmed BUT I quickly turn to my soul and said, bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!

I bless my wife with the strength of the Lord. I bless my wife with the peace of God that passed all human understanding. I bless my wife with the faith that can move mountains. I bless my wife for the faithfulness she has in Christ. I bless her with health. I bless her with overwhelming good cells to be multiplied. I bless her with the Word of God – Christ comes with healing in His wings, and by His stripes we are healed. I bless her with the promises of God because God’s promise is YES and AMEN! I call her BLESSED because she’s a daughter of the King of kings and Lord of lords. She is the beloved of the Lord. She is the bride of Christ. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Yes, that’s right! She is blessed because she has a wonderful Saviour, a glorious Redeemer, and triumphant King who have overcome sin and death on her behalf.  

I believe 100% what Pastor Cheng Kin spoke last Sunday. The little tongue can be used to curse or to bless. Paul exhorts us to speak words that minister grace to the hearers. It is not whispering in our hearts BUT verbalizing the blessings, the love, the grace and mercy, the purposes, the greatness and goodness, the healing, and the promises of God to those who need words of encouragement. It also means to ourselves too!

I am not advocating positive confession. I am advocating blessing God because it is right, it is the truth. God is love and God is Truth with the capital “T”. I am advocating blessing people around us with the Word of God, words of encouragement, and gracious words because that’s what the Bible teaches.

THE GENTLE TOUCH OF THE BREEZE OF GOD'S LOVE

From next week onward I cannot dash through life anymore in a 100 meter spring feeling the breeze brush against my face and hoping to catch the adrenaline rush of fulfillment in my labor. I have to learn and perhaps, relearn many times or unlearn sometimes I guess, to slow down and take a stroll - one step at a time - evaluating, reflecting, and pondering on life, and once again regain the gentle touch of the breeze of God's love brush against my breast. Oh, how I need once again to gaze into my Father's face of approval, of mercy, and tender compassion!

Oh, how I long for a miracle to happen once again in my life that I had long forgotten how it feels like and how it is like because it was in a very distant past. The faint memory of miracles eluded me ever so often. I wondered sometimes how I  could grasp it beyond the horizon. Faith, my child, faith. The Word of God is sure. Jesus comes with healing in His wings. I believe I can recall the miracles by faith from the distant shore and see it, touch it, and experience it. Father, I believe, help my unbelief!

My prayer is this: Lord, help me one day at a time, that's all I'm asking from you. Lord, teach me today, show me the way, one day at a time.

My heart is filled with many empty spaces waiting for the right answers to fill in the blanks. I will continually look up to Jesus and fixed my eyes and my heart upon him, the Author and Finisher of my faith. Father, draw me with your furious longing of love and I will run after you. In your presence is fullness of joy. Nothing, yes nothing, could or should separate me from your love.

GOD CAN MOVE THE MOUNTAIN

It's 1.30 am and I am wide awake. It is one thing to bravely say that my HOPE is in Jesus but another thing to have the actual fact of a huge mountain in front of you! I am not going to pretend to feel alright, I am NOT. But I am also not going to stay under - I will say to my soul, "Bless the Lord for He is good and His mercy endures forever. He is my ROCK, a shelter in times of troubles."

Yes, the negative news about my wife's health pulls me down to the bottom of the sea of disappointment, discouragement, and even despair, yet, I will be like the Prophet Habakkuk who look to God and proclaim: "Tho the fig tress shall not blossom, yet I will rejoice in my God - I will rejoice in the God of my salvation." This evening Keat Cheong and Cheng Cheng came over to my house and ministers to my wife and I. I felt a great relieve though the task ahead is still a task ahead - whatever it may be!! But while they were praying for Ean Beng I was brought to remembrance the life story of Job - everything that can be thrown at him he got it. He was in a very depressing situation. I felt the Lord encouraging me with the still small voice: "Out of the ash heap of despair I will raise you up and people will be amazed at the glory of the Lord." I am not going to try to interpret what that means in every detail but this one thing I know deep in my heart - the joy of the Lord will be our strength and it will defy every fiery darts of the evil one or brickbats that he tries to throw at us. God be praise and be blessed. He is worthy. He is good and He is great!

The facts may be negative but the truth is God heals and victory is in the hands of God! He is faithful to the end. Recently I just learned that "the just shall live by faith" in the Hebrew language can be translated as "the righteous shall live by his faith and his faithfulness." I will tell my wife and my children - we serve a faithful God, therefore, we must remain faithful! God be blessed!

I HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

I have problem with the problem of evil, do you? Actually, I don’t have problem with not understanding everything there is to explain about the existence of evil. I don’t question why evil is everywhere. I certainly would not question God. Some I understand, with the little that I know, concluded that because there is evil therefore God doesn't really exist. Their ‘logical” argument goes like this: If God is love. We see evil in this world. How can a loving God allow such evil in the world? But the atheists forgot to ask this of themselves: If everyone in the world is an atheist (believing sincerely that there is no God; material world is all there is and we are a product of evolution) would there still be evil? Would men be any better morally today - no violence, no crime, no natural disasters, etc.?

So I don’t have problem with the existence of evil. I have problem with the problem of evil because it is the direct result of SIN. Sin is not just about doing the wrong thing but in rebellion with his Creator and choosing to replace God with himself. I have problem with the problem of evil in people who thought it is their right to choose how they would live without taking responsibility of what might happen to people around them. I have problem with the problem of evil when men take hold of power over another by hook or by crook (sounds familiar, right?) and therefore violating human rights and democracy. They would also try to justify themselves with nice sounding political rhetoric. Clowning? “Sandiwara”? Monkeying around? Maybe that’s why the country that they control would become a banana republic pretty soon!

I have problem with the problem of evil in men who are full of greed because they have power and authority (most of the time illegitimately). where their billions were stashed away in Cayman Islands and yet won’t call it quit, foolishly thinking that all the illegal wealth that they gain at the expense of their fellow countrymen could go with them to the grave and beyond!

Yes, I have problem with the problem of evil!

TRIBUTE TO MY DAD

It’s been more than 15 years since my dad has gone home to be with the Lord. Today I want to pay a tribute to this great man. For the past one week my memories of my dad came back to me. My wonderful memories of my dad were not when I was growing up but when I was in my late teens. The earlier part of my life I did not have much time with my dad, in fact, I didn’t know him because he was working all the time and was seldom home.

Today, I am not going to rehearse about those days but the part of my life when I saw an entirely different dad. The first wonderful memory that I had of him was when I was taking care of him during his kidney operation in University Hospital, KL. It was those times, at his bedside that he told me stories about his life. That was, incidentally, the most my dad converse with me since I don’t know when! In between those stories you could almost felt that he was very proud of us. He was a man of few words; quiet but talented (he sing, he paint, and he’s a good photographer), hardworking, a man of principle and non confrontational. Though he’s not expressive like hugs and words of endearment but in his own way his life was a life of much sacrifice for his family.

At the hospital I asked him whether he’s in pain and he said that if he could endured the torture in prison during the Japanese Occupation this pain was nothing in comparison. He said that to my other siblings too. He’s indeed a tough man.

My father was also a very generous, friendly, and hospitable man. Many of his long times friends spend a significant time in our photo shop in Malay Street meeting up for chit-chat and friendly games of cards. But I think he was loyal in his friendship.

But the best of all memories that I have of my dad is his love for my children as well as all his other grandchildren. I remember him climbing four stories up to my flat many of the afternoons and placed a packet of Sugar Cane water on my grill door. He hardly called my wife. He just placed the drinks there for us. Like I say, he’s not very expressive but this little act of him speaks louder than words could ever express of his love. I know he loves us. I know he loves my children. Little things like this may not mean much to some people but it means a lot to me and my family.

Once a week we took him to supermarket and he would be carrying Joyce the entire time. Many times we asked him to let her walk by herself and he would insist on carry her – at least for half-hour or more. Asked all my brothers and sisters and they would tell you that he loves his grand-daughters to the socks (I’m quite sure he does loves his grandsons, just that he shows it more to the grand-daughters!)  My father was a loving man. I know he was at times hard and bitter when I was growing up but since his first operation he became different; in fact, he quit smoking and drinking, and came to church regularly. He was a changed man. I knew it and I saw it. All this happened not too long before my marriage. That’s more than 28 years ago. I really do have tremendous memory of him.

Let me relate one last recount of my father. I believe with all my heart that he is not only loving but very, very proud of his family (children and grandchildren). I believe that one of the reasons my family (my brothers and sisters) are close-knitted up till today and also very blessed is because my father was a faithful man – he was faithful to his wife, faithful to his own siblings, and faithful to the Lord. Every Chinese New Year reunion my entire family will meet at my elder brother’s home. The most touching part of the evening was the gathering of the family to pray before we feast. My father would pray before we begin. Every time he prayed he would be in tears – not tears of sadness – but tears of gratitude for the blessings of the Lord upon the family. It was faith building. It was heart-warming to feel the love of God for the family and the man of the house truly was appreciative of the blessings of the Lord. I am proud of my dad. My father was a BLESSED man. We have carried this tradition till today – grand children gotten married and now a latest addition – the first great granddaughter for my dad and a grand niece added to the Lim family!

DAD, I LOVE YOU DEARLY! 

FROM RADIO MALAYSIA TO FACEBOOK QUEEN

It’s so easy to give comment about anything. I’ll be the first to admit that. Just look at our country and the things that make up the news for the day, I think, we are in no short supply of gossips, comments, news reporting, and what not!

I remember when I was young we use to live in a rather big house and about four families (fairly large per family) stayed together. Our Lim Clan is rather large. And you know that with such large families living together there will always be misunderstanding, quarrels, and children fighting. One of the things I remembered vividly is about gossip – what goes around the grape vine! One particular person in the house was tag Radio Malaysia – daily dose of juicy news – both good and bad! It’s so funny because I was just a little kid then and the adults didn't think I could understand anything but I did. Those days there were no Internet, SMS, and email but Radio Malaysia was actually very fast indeed and the cause of many quarrels and misunderstanding!

Just imagine today – Facebook and Tweeter – and it’s enough information or misinformation overload! Let’ face it, we all are part of the great invention! Blame it on some IT Geek out there! Over the last 24 hours I am beginning to realize that it’s easy to comment about anything under the sun and get it out very quickly – to the moon and back in seconds! So be careful what we write, say or tweet. I know I am one of the culprits by posting on my Facebook questions that stir others to comment, gossips, and what not! Guilty as charged! I think I might be “sadistic” – thriving in stirring people up to comment or gossip boldly! Is this the freedom of speech that we are looking for in Malaysia? Just asking! What constitutes freedom? What is true freedom?

HARD THINKING ABOUT REALITY

I was looking through some of my sermon notes and came across this. It was written in 1st July 2010- that's about 3 years ago ..........
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"I am constantly THINKING ALOUD my thoughts about life – revisiting the ageless purpose of God for my life. I call this discipline of mine HARD THINKING ABOUT REALITY. I am never satisfied with a mediocre lifestyle; mundane, routine, and smooth sailing through the sea of non-involvement in what is happening in our culture, society, and nation. In my HARD THINKING ABOUT REALITY I ventured to contemplate about my own spirituality – my personal walk with the Lord. The danger for many of us who have been long-time believer is the fact that we can become a “professional”. By that it means that we can get so familiar in our Christianity; routinely doing what is considered as necessary like praying, quiet time, church attendance, etc BUT really not being able to raise our loyalty, our commitment, and our involvement in God’s business to the next level. In my own spiritual quest I found myself struggling even in making sense of all the things I do supposedly for Him! Some months ago I was rudely awoken to the fact that I have not taken my life on earth seriously….I was just careening through the highway of life at a fast speed and crisscrossing through the maze of ministry all the time thinking I was at my best. In one of my still moments with the Lord He spoke to my heart about how faulty I view my life – my physical health, my thought-life, my spiritual aptitude, and my motivation in serving Him."

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What have you been reflecting upon lately?

GOD WILL DO SOMETHING

What do you think we, as Christians, should do in the wake of a more vibrant political awakening in our country as never before? Much as we like to let it go and just move on with life, I think that after GE13 it has never been the same anymore for many of us especially those of the younger generation. Some of us may have some pent up frustrations. Some of us are a little more vocal. Some of us may actually give up of seeing any change at all. I think there are some of us who still believe that change will come sooner or later. I am a firm believer that God is interested in the affairs of our nation. I think that God will do something powerful, miraculous, and awesome in our midst when His children cry out in desperation to Abba Father.

Let me quote Ravi Zacharias:  When God wants to drill a man, and trill a man and skill a man. When God wants to mold a man to play the noblest part. When he yearns with all his heart to create so great and bold a man, that all the world might be amazed, watch his method, and watch his ways. How he ruthlessly perfect whom he royally elects. How he hammers and hurts him and with mighty blows converts him into tried shapes of clay that only God understands while his tortured heart is crying, and he lifts beseeching hand. How he bends but never breaks, when his goods he undertakes. How he uses whom he chooses and with mighty acts induces him to try his splendor out. God knows what he’s about.

God is no respecter of persons. He can and will raise up whoever he wills to carry out his plan and his purpose. I am very incline to think that when his children cry out to him in desperation, with tears for deliverance from evilness, violence, immorality, injustice, and unrighteousness, he will hear our cries and he will answer speedily. For those of us who carry the hope to believe in a better day for our nation should continually to pray fervently and believe that God will act. Let us trust in him to “use whom he chooses and with mighty acts induces him to try his splendour out! God knows what he’s about!”

God bless Malaysia.

FATHERS, LEARN CREATIVELY

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Mentoring & Coaching

Fathers must learn to use creativity in their mentoring and coaching. Fathers – we are told to repeat the word of God to our children. The bible tells us to talk to them when we are at home. And even when we are away from home we still need to leave behind godly instructions for them to remember. Spend time lying down next to them before they go to bed and talk to them about God and pray for them. And early in the morning speak the word of God to them. Don’t spend time scolding and reprimanding. Don’t strut like a big boss waiting to be served. Show them what it means to be godly and to remember all the goodness of God. Encourage our children to do well in education and to do well in serving God. We must be the source of encouragement, the source of security and the source of strength for our children. Learning is more than just cognitive teaching. There must be life application. Our children learn through mentoring, coaching and, apprenticeship. There must develop a father and son (daughter) relationship.

There are several ways of learning I found useful over the years:

1.  Friendship is important. This is where fathers learn to listen to them and to their fears, their struggles, and maybe their concerns. Friendship is also seen in learning to do things together especially things we like to do – playing football, watching world cup together and engage in meaningful conversation. 

2.   Have Family Altar - gather together to read the bible with some explanation. Then pray for one another and also for needs that we know of – church needs, people who are sick and going through difficulties. Pray consistently for missionaries too.

3.   Take our children through history lessons – not about Hung Tuah or some famous men but taking them back to our roots, our past and history about our family. They will appreciative of how we grew up – the kind of stuff that we do when we were young. Take them to the place where we grew up and from there tell stories. At special occasions gather the family together and remind them about our past and how God has been so good.

4.  Be transparent - sharing of fears, struggles, passion, calling and victories. In our Asian context, most fathers would not like to let down our guard and let our children sees our weakness. Let’s face it – even if we try to hide it our children knows our weaknesses and failures. There’s no point trying to hide – let us be honest and transparent to our children.  They will appreciate us even more.

Spiritual Training & Education

Spiritual Training and Education is a vital part of our children’s learning process. It is honorable to hold the thought of giving our children the finest education. Our instinct tells us that the secular education for our children will be their survival in the future. This is typically true for Malaysians due mainly to our political landscape and racial polarization. We are so afraid that our children will lose out so we work very hard to give them a good education. I think that is acceptable and reasonable. As Christians we need to have that perspective – one that looks out for their children. But I have an axe to grind with parents who stress secular education as top priority for their children. They have a warped view of the role of education and Christian discipleship. They do not see education as preparing their children for life but instead it’s just survival. Education should be holistic and not just to pass with flying colors in examinations. Education for our children should include Christian education and not just secular subjects alone.

The failure of parents to see discipleship and spiritual nurturing as more important than secular education may be the main cause of their children doing well in colleges and universities in terms of education but become lukewarm in their life of faith. What is the point of producing doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc when more and more of them are bent towards the world than to God? What is the point of our children succeeding in the world according to the world’s standard but failed miserably in upholding Christian values and maintaining upright moral behavior? What sort of legacy do we want to leave for our children? Do we want to leave them with the knowledge that we have provided them with the finest education but no spiritual heritage for them to hold onto when they face the harsh reality of an unkind and cruel world? Do we want to just leave them with the knowledge of the world without the knowledge of God and a vital relationship with Him?

I believe that we need to encourage our children to study hard and to study smart. I believe that we need to expect our children to know the value of education. But I believe we need to teach them lessons of faith; faithfulness to God, faithfulness in serving Him, and faithfulness of uprightness. I believe that we need to educate our children “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).”

What is the Life Application then? I believe it is the duty and responsibility of parents in the following areas: (1) Modeling to our children what it means to love the Lord with all our lives and one another as Jesus loves us. (2) Encouraging them to be involved in the Lord’s work (we need to be involved too!). (3) Challenging them to take time to study God’s word – discipleship courses and/or Bible study courses. (4) Motivate then to participate in short-term mission work. (5) Insisting that they put God first and learn to trust Him as they put their heart and mind into their studies.  

FATHERS, LISTEN ATTENTIVELY

Deuteronomy 6:4 - “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (ESV).

Fathers need to listen to God and teach his children how to hear from God. There are Truths that need to be transmitted to our children. It is not enough to send them to Sunday school though it is important but not enough.

Hearing God’s Truth

As fathers, we should not get caught up in our work and play and just give a token of our time to spiritual discipline. We would not be able to lead our family well unless we keep our ears open and learn to hear from God. Hearing the voice of God for ourselves and our families is vitally important. Here Moses instructed the people to listen carefully and attentively – there is only one God and one Lord. That’s the very foundation for any successful nation, community and home to survive – there is only one God. Your sons and daughter need to hear that and know that and have that embedded in the very foundation of their worldview since day one!!

We must pass to them the FAITH in the one true God. We know that there are many ideologies – many views being presented in the world today – if we are not careful – they will swallow our children. Like the children of Israel about to go into Canaan land Moses knows that they are many enemies of the soul –deceptions, wrong ideologies, and paganism.

Transmitting God’s Truth

If you don’t take up the responsibility of imparting truths to your children the world is ever ready to feed them with every wrong ideas and views from the very pit of hell. They are many voices today seeking our children’s attention. Do not let the world teach and educate our children. Do not let TV, Movies, Internet and Music teach our children about life. They are worldly, rebellious, and immoral and will lead our children astray. What is that one thing you want to hear from your children when they grow up? 

FATHERS, LOVE UNRESERVEDLY

We need to love our children UNRESERVEDLY! Deuteronomy 6:5 has this to say:“Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength”

Fathers, we need to model love through our personal life – our conduct, attitude, and actions. Firstly, is to love God with everything that is within us. We need to model loving God for our children. We need to have passion for God and not for worldly things. They will follow us whichever way we live. We show our children our faith by the measure of our love for God. If we love other things we become idolatrous. The scripture says that where our treasure is there will our hearts be also. It means that if we treasure our career, our money and possession, our pleasure and passion, we would pour all our time and effort into it. Our children will learn that from us. We need to model our love for God. We need to show them that loving God is top priority - the most important thing in life. Let us transfer godly values to our children by showing them that loving God with all our heart, soul and mind is more important that what money, fame and pleasure can give us.

Secondly, is to love the Word of God – the way to true living! Psalm 119:9-11 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Thirdly, is to love others. When we show love to others it can be seen. Such kindness, generosity, and attitude of love would be like putting a good handle in the hands of our children and they will grow up to love others too, in fact, very easily and very spontaneously.

Fathers need to model faithfulness in our marriage. Advice to fathers: None of us can claim that our marriage is always so wonderful. There were times when we struggle through our relationships. But no matter how tough it may be we should never succumbed to any temptation to walk out of it, to be unfaithful, or to be fall into sin. In a world of so much brokenness there is a need for us believers to model a stable marriage, a stable family by working out our differences and allowing God to be the center of our lives and marriage.

Fathers need to model integrity in our workplace. Proverbs 11:3 - The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. In all our dealings, our work, and career development INTEGRITY is the most important commodity to have. Crookedness of our dealings and behaviors will ultimately destroy us. Fathers need to bear in mind that when we let integrity leads us and guides us we will do well and will walk securely. Proverbs 10:9 tells us that “whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.”

CULTURAL SEISMIC SHIFT

“Who knew that a funny little word like Google would play such a big role in our culture’s seismic shift from local to global? Due in large part to the Internet and other media, people have 24/7 access to images, ideas, and information – all of which shape their lives and lead them either toward God and community or self-centeredness and isolation.” – Jonathan Morrow, Think Christianly, p.17

This could be scary as well as intimidating. We are living in a time where more and more people are having access to images, ideas, and information 24/7 – at the click of the button on the computer or a touch on the screen of the smart phone. While some are excited with the global connectivity and interactivity many have no idea the far-reaching ramifications.

Just give you one scenario: a student can get up from the dinner table and in seconds be face-to-face with all the pain, poverty, and suffering in the world on her laptop and wonder why nothing is ever said about this on a Sunday morning. Does God not care? Does Christianity have nothing to say or offer?

How about this? A curious, tech-savvy twelve-year old can find out about any religion in the world from her iPhone. She wonders to herself, “How do I know which one is true? [If any of them are true at all.] If I grew up in India, wouldn’t I have been a Hindu?”

I believe the church has to come to grips with the changing trend, come to grips with the changing world. It is not enough to be status-quo. We need the Holy Spirit, yes and absolutely true. We need the manifestation of the power of God. But we need to be equipped – the readiness to give an answer for the hope that is in us. We need to take positive steps to understand the changing culture and trend in order to be relevant.

Let me quote Jonathan Morrow again: “As society strains under the collective weight of pluralism and secularism and is deeply divided along worldview lines (not just political or socioeconomic ones), we need to think Christianly about all of life and seize the opportunities we have as Everyday Ambassadors to speak and embody the eternal kind of life Jesus offers to our culture. Tragically, many of these cultural moments pass us by unclaimed – either because we don’t notice them or haven’t adequately prepared ourselves to engage them.”

Jonathan Morrow, Think Christianly, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, US, 1978