IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

I remembered the seventies and the eighties when I was in my twenties,

God showed up in powerful ways, in those days;

Dry bones in the valley were rattling, old traditions were crumbling,

God visited our generation, with deliverance and transformation.

God is challenging this generation TODAY! Are you willing in the day of God’s visitation? Will you offer yourselves freely on the day of His power? Calling the millennials believers – IF NOT US, WHO? IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

I am not asking you to join CONVERSE-LIFE to fulfill your religious duties, to mark your spiritual attendance or even to assure a place in heaven in the hereafter. I am challenging you to enlist in God’s army, a band of youthful, idealistic, ambitious, and creative (even odd to those of other generation) with willing hearts to offer themselves sacrificially – for a greater good, for a greater purpose. There is a call from the Lord to those who would trust in the Lord and partner with Him in a cause greater and bigger than themselves.

Look around us. Look at humanity lost in a sea of hopelessness, aimlessness, and despair. There are many people out there who are lost, who are desperately trying to make a little meaning here and a little meaning there out of their lives. A relationship is fragile. Not even tight friendship can be assured to last a lifetime anymore. Individuality, independence, and self-preservation have taken over.

My challenge to you is to lock arms together to form a new community (a new breed) that is relevant, transparent and honest. A new community that holds on to Truth with a capital “T”, love God with everything, love one another without partiality, not ashamed to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all who are willing to hear, care for the environment, the poor, the needy and the outcast of society, and not forgetting to walk in the supernatural life that God has given (empowered by the Holy Spirit and endowed with spiritual gifts).

We don’t believe in hype, events, and new methodologies. We believe in the power of God to change lives. We believe in honest relationships. We believe in prayer. We believe in the power of God’s Word. We care. We love. We challenge. We communicate. We dialogue. We converse. We engage. 

REEVALUATING MY LIFE BEFORE GOD

Yet again I am reevaluating my life before God. How do I fare? Have I grown? Have I truly made progress in my spiritual life? These are important questions that we need to ask from time to time. We need to check our spiritual barometer. So what do you think should be the criteria that we use to evaluate our spiritual vitality?

Some people would use daily devotion and quiet time, others would use prayer time with the Lord, and maybe others still would use their involvement in ministry and service for the Lord. Much as I want to think they are all right but the gnawing feeling is that only few could prove that their spiritual vitality is due in large part to such spiritual exercise if taken in isolation. What I mean is that there are people who “boost” of their unequivocal devotional and quiet time each day but shows no sign of healthy spirituality in everyday theology – self-doubt, dissatisfaction, anger issue, fear of losing, hoarders, selfishness, and other attitudes that are not so spiritual. And they have absolutely no clue about it – not even an iota!

I have also seen people going from one prayer meeting to another, “boost” of their many hours of prayer for people, nation, and the spiritual visions that they see frequently but are so spiritually immature when they actually open their mouth. There are many who have spent a lot of time in the prayer room but no firm knowledge of God and His Word. And of course, many serve in the ministry thinking they are trying to fulfill their Christian duty. Serving is no indicator of spiritual vitality either.

I still firmly believe that we need to come to a clear understanding of who God is and what is required of us through His Word. The knowledge of the Holy One brings understanding – but an understanding of who, yes, but to what? I believe that when we intentionally develop biblical knowledge as revealed through the Written Word we come to know the Living Word. Knowing the Living Word would bring an understanding of the plan and purpose of God for mankind in general and for you in particular. It is in this posture that prayer (worship, intimacy, petition, supplication, and intercession) make sense, have depth, and would be in alignment with God’s perfect and acceptable will. I believe it is in this posture that our devotional life becomes meaningful because through it we receive revelation, exercise faith, and see the working of God in and through our lives. Devotion and quiet time no longer is the yardstick to measure our spiritual vitality or discipline but it is because of our relationship with the Father that comes through knowledge of the Holy One and understanding of His ways, that we develop the desire to spend time alone with Him. Actually set time and place are no longer the issues though it is commendable!

Conversely, this can also be said of those who serve the Lord in ministry. It is not how much time we give in serving or what we do in ministry but who we are (our being) in Him. Out of the relationship with the Father, ministry becomes a privilege – we serve because He first served us by becoming a perfect sacrifice for each of us!

Just saying… 

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF FRIENDSHIP

From Left - Chong Leang, Thean Khee, Heok Hee, Heok Cheow, Andy Thum

Once upon a time, long long time ago, back in the good old days, these "five wise guys" spent a lot of their waking hours together. Significant time was spent eating, talking, singing the blues BUT actively serving the Lord too. Back in our bachelor days, our blues were mainly about our girlfriends. It has been said that, of all God's creation, women were the hardest to understand and to comprehend. Therefore, many times our little "congregational conversations" were about the near impossibility of knowing what our girlfriends want and why the "dark cloud"! (If you cannot understand what "dark cloud" means in our context please talk to Yeoh Thean Khee. Search for him on the facebook.)

Actually, our regular meeting up for supper after tucking our girlfriends to bed was very therapeutic indeed. These sessions helped Andy through his bout of gastritis due to self-inflicted hunger because he could not eat and sleep over girlfriend issue! 

It was also very helpful to Thean Khee because his girlfriend has been pursued by some unabashed suitor! He needed the encouragement, a listening ear, a broad shoulder, and whatever hope we can give to him! 

Heok Hee had a long distance relationship. His girlfriend was hundreds of miles away from home, somewhere in the down-under state of Johor, studying to be a teacher. He needed some company to ward off his loneliness. We often caught him in his room reading love letters from her! On the side note (because he would not let us read the letter) we suspected that she might have returned his letter with the scribble of a red ink pen and a bold-letter note at the end of the letter "PLEASE SEE ME!" Of course, it's just our speculation!

Chong Leang and his girlfriend were the perfect couple! You see them you see music all over. They were like hand-in-glove OR should I say like the black and white keys of a piano - flow in and flow out! If there was any dissonant sound in their partnership we didn't hear about it - a very well kept secret! Anyway, for most of us, we were tone deaf, to begin with. 

It won't be fair if I didn't say something about the man with an "all round" ministry. His girlfriend issue was like our Malaysian four seasons - hot, very hot, terribly hot, and stinking hot. Most of the explosions were the result of his stubbornness. Hokkien said, "ka kee cho kwei lai" (loosely translated - he creates the mess all by himself). Thank God it was only the initial stages of their relationship. I was told that he had to work very hard to regain her trust. He prevailed in the end. They got married after 6 long years!

So you see, these five wise guys have a lot in common and a lot to sing the blues about. So it says - birds of the same feathers flock together. All of us, after close to 40 years of friendship, we took this photo at Heok Hee's 60th birthday dinner. We were all married to the love of our lives. We raised wonderful children who called us blessed. Some of us are grandpas now or going to be soon!

We stick together like brothers. We serve God together until today. We see our children serving God. Praise the Lord.