Archive for September, 2005
One interesting aside that Andrew Goh the preacher brought up was about Sabbath-keeping. Sabbath of course comes from Hebrew verb sabat ‘to cease’ or ‘to rest’. It was instituted by God and vital to life and faith in Israel. On that day, spanning from sunset Friday to Saturday sunset, the people were to rest from activities, especially the labour and work of the other six days (Exo 20.8-11; 31.14-15). However many in the history of Israel desecrated this day by conducting business as usual. Beyond the physical, it is also a day of worship, to re-orientate one’s compass to the True God. Thus it was called a “day of sacred assembly” (Lev 23.3).
It seems the early church’s practice is to gather together to worship on the first day of the week, Sunday, “the Lord’s Day” (Rev1.10; Acts 20.7; 1Cor16.2), the day Jesus rose from the dead.
The FAQs are : Is the Lord’s Day the Christian Sabbath? Are Christians to keep the Sabbath? How are we to practise it? The first question is a perennial debate amongst sincere Christians and theologians. Now what do you guys think? Give me your comments.
September 30th, 2005
After the Saturday morning Hill climb with my wife and brother in law, Kenneth, we were at a hawker center eating when we saw Pastor P. J. John and his wife Martha and children, Darlene and Elisha.. They joined us for teh aliah. John really looked good and in health - the Lord has healed him - his speech is back to normal and he looked like he lost weight, and in his usual cheerful self. Darlene is real pretty young teen and my wife says she smiles like Andrew though she is a spitting image of Martha. Elisha was quiet. It was a brief but happy time of catching up. Invited them to join us on Saturdays.
In the afternoon, it was a worship ministry meeting and Zack was stepping down as leader of the audio visual ministry. It has been 5 years and I don’t think this has been easy for him. This ministry isn’t an easy one to handle and those in the sound control know they need to have social skills, besides being technically sound as well as managing high expectations of people in an auditorium not built-to-purpose. I respect Zack for his resilient, even-handed and meticulous service. Others would have lost their cool. Shaun Goh too will be handing over the worship ministry to Cedric and Christina at the end of the year but that is another story for another time. Such changes are usually good though we have to get used to new adjustments. Felt satisfied though physically spent from the morning’s exertions.
It was good to see the worship hall jam-packed with the youths and adults in the Sunday service. The worship was well-led by Christina with a good balance of new and old worship songs. It does take some finesse to fit in and pull off a “How great Thou art” seamlessly. Andrew Goh was in his element and he really inspired us, with pungent humour, to be bold in our testimony to Jesus. (I actually planned to sit through a GNK meeting but they were having a Children’s Day special and I just wanted to check out a normal children’s church meeting.So gave it a skip.) The EOGM meeting was good: good constructive questions with good intentions and good to see new leaders like Mark Cheong and Joseph Soh answer queries though it required an experienced hand Paul and a legal eagle Florence to top it up before the vote. In the end, this church has always steadily moved forward in unity and trust as a community and that in itself is a great blessing of God. There is apprehension, and it is natural when we look at our wallets and bank accounts. But as God’s people we must ever remember the 5 loaves and 2 fish. We have to look to God who takes all that we offer him and that will be enough!
Sunday was tiring because of MEL training workshop from 2.15pm to 4.30pm. I was wanting to impart communication skills to this new generation of emerging leaders and this was a workshop session. It was fun when everbody had to practise restatement…..fun for me of course, not them! But they will gradually get the hang of speaking and get better and better. Leaders need to communicate in a variety of situations and I try to give them simple tools and practice so that they can do so. We also learned to analyse a verse which will develop into a talk. Near the end we were all tired, real tired. I felt gratified for the privelege of co-mentoring them with Abe Sim but it is forbidding to think that these guys will be analysing me when I preach in the light of what I taught them. ha ha.
September 26th, 2005
Just received a sms message from a tennis friend, Eric, who is now at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. We had together climbed Gunong Kinabalu last year, and also trekked Inkathon (Chiengmai). He told me that he and three others have all reached the Loh’s Peak.
One of them is an incredible single mum, Linda, a dedicated Christian, who succeeded in reaching the peak despite having been down with food poisoning five days earlier. Now if you’ve been up there you’d know that to reach the top you need strength, stamina and determination and with her recent bout of illness she would be short on the first two. But she made it. A greater inspiration for us was her perseverence- this was her third attempt! The first attempt she reached Laban Rata, viz about three-quarters of the way. The second time, she reached the base of the Loh’s Peak, viz nine-tenth of the way. Sigh. This time it was all the way to the top! She just didn’t know the meaning of giving up. She was very focussed. She just plodded on and on and on and on.
I hope this will encourage those of you out there tackling specific challenges or studying for exams and feeling sian and hai-er. Never lose heart; and never give up! Eyes on the peak. A step at a time, a day at a time; and by the grace of God you’ll get there. Then it will be wah and shiok.
Another miracle took place around the same time: a blogsurrecton at Pastor Thomas’ xanga.com/stillpressingon. Check it out.
September 21st, 2005
On Saturday evening my wife and I had a meal with a family from church at the Keppel Club. Just a time of fellowship. Nowadays I am more relaxed the Saturday night before preaching. Used to be tense, strung-up like a bow ready to shoot its arrow. No I am not being complacent, just more reliant on His grace…after all I am only the branch, He is the vine.
After the meal we were walking along the boardwalk, a really pleasant stroll with the sea breeze, salty air and the sound of waves gently crashing on the shore below. To top it all, over above was a full moon. Near the end was a young couple sitting on a bench absolutely lost in their own world. As we walked up a gentle slope to look at the pavilioned outdoor jacuzzi we saw a couple smooching in the bubbling pool . We averted our sight in embarrasment and walked back. Romance was sizzling in the air that night on that stretch. It was so infectious I would have kissed my darling………but it was a married man beside me. Hai-er. Where was she? Talking elsewhere to the man’s wife. And they say the Singaporean man is not romantic….ha ha.
September 19th, 2005
One of the hazards of preaching is going through a self-evaluation after you felt you have not preached well. Last Sunday I preached from John 21 about how Christ restores us. Yes I am sure there were those who felt it was helpful and others who thought it was okay since the outline was pretty good with its alliteration on FOCUS, FAITH and FUTURE and the powerpoint was okay too. But yet I felt like I didn’t really connect with the people.
So this week I was analysing the sermon again and again and I have come to a few conclusions. Firstly, I tried to cover too many substantial truths at one go and in the end did justice to none. It was a three in one; and could have been a series of three separate messages instead of one message with three points. Instead of skimming through three points, I should have taken just one major point and stayed there and go deep into its meaning and wide in its application. Secondly, there weren’t sufficient illustrations and applications and this is a capital crime in preaching.
Then this week as I was preparing this Sundays message I was so tempted to sort of sum up the 21-parts John series with a message titled “the Seven ‘I AM’s’ of John’s Gospel”. You know, I am….the bread of life…the light of the world..the good shepherd..etc. It will give a sense of completion, of having tied together the 21 separate messages, a reinforcement. This is a teacher kind of need. Must be my past training . But then this will be repeating my mistake with a seven point sermon, a seven-in-one!! ha ha. We preachers just never learn, do we? This is good for church camps, teaching seminars and conferences where 1 hour messages with lots of points are the order of the day, but not for Sunday sermons where the object is to facilitate encounter with God. So I aborted the sermon.
Thankfully, as I prayed for the people and their needs, trying to discern their condition, a new theme and text was conceived in me and that is what you will hear when the “new baby” is delivered tomorrow.
Praying that God will strengthen and encourage His people tomorrow.
September 17th, 2005
Arsenal lost 2-1 to Middlesborough. No Viera and no Henry meant no trigger and no bullets! By the end of the year, all we will have is a new stadium and a tattered reputation of invincibility.
Chelsea is playing like Graham’s Arsenal , like boring champions. Man U is playing as well as last season’s Arsenal, and Arsenal like last season’s transitional Man U. Liverpool has improved because of rafaelution. My prediction: Champions: Chelsea. Runners up: Man U; third, Liverpool; and fourth, Arsenal. What do you soccer fans think?
September 12th, 2005
Saturday, Sunday, Monday and today. Every afternoon, I have been sleeping (not napping) …sleeping, sleeping. Have not slept so much before. Hey, what’s going on?
September 6th, 2005
Fresh air and lots of perspiration. And God talking. That’s why I find myself climbing Bukit Timah hill so regularly it is almost a new religion. ha ha. 7.45 am. Always aimed for 7am but never made it. Birds chirping, cicada praising the Lord, the thuds of my footsteps, my wife’s and others. Monkeys staring at you as if you were intruders. Streaks of sunlight and rustling leaves overhead. All my senses become more alive including the spiritual. He talks quite a bit….. and I talk to Him too.
Was the Garden of Eden a rainforest?
September 3rd, 2005
Felt very sian on Wednesday and took leave for the day. Slept in. Blog on. Ate out…. with Elaine. Went for omnitheatre show “Mystery of the Nile”. On rubber raft from source to sea. Must organize one for the youth. 114 days - no TV, no computer, no air-con. ha ha .
Went home. Watched J-movie: “cry out love, in the center of the world”. Another bittersweet love story. What’s happening to me? Used to be action and war movies and nothing else. Looks like I may…just may…. be.. finally….. growing up. ha ha.
Then I received an sms from Jude, “Pastor, you forgot lunch with me so I had lunch with Simon.” Oh, no, I forgot. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.” Felt bad. Owe him big time. Not growing up…… but growing old. ha ha.
Decided that I better take a looong leave or I will get into more trouble besides forgetting lunch appointments.
September 2nd, 2005
