Pentecostals and Charismatics: the main difference

28 May 2014 Leave a comment

Pentecost: come Holy Spirit
Pentecostals and charismatics carried along by Spirit

“In 2011, there were an estimated 584 million Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians worldwide. They made up 8.5 percent of the world’s population and 27 percent of all Christians. There were 279 million Pentecostals and over 300 million Charismatics. Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity is second in size only to the Roman Catholic Church.” (Source: David Barrett, “Christian World Communions: Five Overviews of Global Christianity, AD 1800-2025,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Volume 33, No. 1, January 2009, 31.)

Pentecostals are Christians who believe that the gifts of the Spirit described in the New Testament like the gift of tongues, healing, and casting out demons, are available and expected to be experienced by God’s people today. Our worship is characterized by lively responses to a palpable sense of God’s presence. We are so named after what happened to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost (read Acts 2) and our insistence that the essence of such experiences are to be normative for today.

Charismatics are believers who originally worship in mainline churches such as Methodists, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. They had Pentecostal experiences and hold almost similar beliefs and practices as Pentecostals, but continue to attend and serve in their traditional churches.

Admittedly, there is considerable overlap in usage of both terms and such strict definitions have become porous and interchangeable in the recent decade or two. Who cares anyway? Probably the theologian and the researcher.

Reminder: 8 June is Pentecost Sunday.

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Neglected Pentecost

24 May 2014 Leave a comment
Pentecost: come Holy Spirit
Pentecost: come Holy Spirit

Why do we neglect Pentecost? We celebrate Good Friday and Easter, and even Palm Sunday. We have Lent but do we have “Pent”? The mainline churches have the church calender and lectionary that give at least a nodding acknowledgement to Pentecost Sunday. The shame is that it is the independent and Pentecostal churches that ignore this important opportunity to shed light on the vital and vitalizing ministry of the Holy Spirit, and to rejoice and give thanks for their precious heritage. I plead guilty. Perhaps we need to start a “Pent” – 10 days of waiting expectantly and praying for the Spirit’s empowering. Here are 10 suggestions:

  • We could encourage members to take extended time to pray in silence every day for 10 days until Pentecost Sunday.
  • Or encourage that members follow a 10 days reading plan that include all the relevant Scriptures in Old and New Testament about the coming person and work of the Spirit.
  • Be on the alert to the Spirit’s prompting to share the good news of grace to anyoneHhe directs during this period.
  • Be sensitive to give a prophetic word of encouragement, comfort and strengthening to someone who is weary and burdened.
  • Meet with other Christians in school, homes or workplace to pray with during the 10 days.
  • Reflect on your spiritual gift and how it has developed and how it has been deployed. What is God doing through your grace-gift?
  • Exalt Jesus in worship because that’s what the Spirit came to do. Use the gift of tongues, spiritual songs and hymns.
  • Pray for 10 nationalities living or working in Singapore: Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian nationals, Thais, Myanmese, Indonesians, Malaysians, Bangladeshis, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, Taiwanese, and whoever else.
  • If you are a pastor, how about preaching a sermons series on the Holy Spirit and open the altar for prayer at the end.
  • Write a personal letter to the Holy Spirit appreciating Him for his faithful help and presence in your life.
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Church in general, Pentecostal

Don’t procrastinate: do what you dread and fear

22 May 2014 Leave a comment
Time to act
Time to act

There are many things we procrastinate because we dread doing them. A talk to correct someone. An apology to make. An appraisal to do. An assignment to complete. A household chore begging to get done. A meal with someone you dislike. Attending an important training you think will mean less time for other pursuits. A textbook you have to read. How do we find courage and grace to do them?

Well, why not try this. Talk to the Lord about it. Lord, I dread this, I am afraid of this, I feel inadequate for this, but I am going to depend on You to be with me and together we do this thing that has to be done. Then step out of the safety and inaction of sitting in the boat and go out and walk on water. He is there. The water will hold up. It is an adventure you will later reflect on with some relief and celebration. His presence and empowering grace makes all the difference. It illuminates puzzling situations; it eases the pain; it energizes the hopeless case; it lifts up your countenance; it elevates your faculties to perform beyond what you think you are capable.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”. (1 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

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Thankful for Olympus customer service

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Olympus lens cap perimeter damaged
Olympus lens cap perimeter damaged

After I came back from Rinjani, I discovered that a fragment of the perimeter of the lens cap of my Olympus Stylus XZ 2 broke off. I did not drop the camera and it was okay when I was in Gili Trawangan. I was puzzled how it was damaged. So I tried to buy a spare from camera shops but they do not carry them, and they pointed me to Olympus service center. I wrote to them explaining my situation and they were very sympathetic and graciously offered me a free one on a once-off basis. Thank God for good customer service. After all, how much does a lens cap cost? But good service stories spread goodwill towards the company and is priceless. Wise policy, Olympus.

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Rinjani: dirtiest park I have ever seen

12 May 2014 2 Comments

Litter at campsite
Litter at campsite

Gunong Rinjani National Park is slightly more than half the size of Singapore’s 716 square kilometres.

The park is amazing and beautiful with a variety of vegetation and interesting geographical features from caldera-lake and hot springs, to active volcanoes and a recently formed new mountain; from grasslands to alpine and equatorial forest. The air is fresh and the views awe-inspiring. The sunrise and sunsets are stunning. It is a national treasure to be preserved and enjoyed for generations to come. It is God’s gift to Indonesia to be treasured and managed well so that all can enjoy and give praise to the Creator.

Yet during this trek I was appalled that this rare natural beautiful park is marred by litter. Litter of all kinds. There were paper, plastics, and even human excrement. Sweet wrappers, plastic water bottles, paper, empty food containers, plastic bags and paper can be seen every 500 metres along the route. The litter was concentrated where the camps were set up but much lesser along the trekking paths. They were an eyesore. It marred what God has made and given for people to enjoy. It assaulted my senses; it stirred up anger and disgust. And this is not my country. I am sure there are many Indonesians who are angry with this too.

One of my friends said, Mt Ophir used to be as dirty. But now the mountain is clean. The park officials have taken action. One of them is to insist that people who climb pay a money deposit and can claim it back only if they show proof they have brought back litter they were responsible for. How true this is I do not know, as I have not been there in the past nor more recently after the changes. But this was what I heard. If Malaysia boleh, then Indonesia boleh.

I also understand that local guides and porters make regular trips to pick up litter but I suspect this is not true. I heard that Singaporeans organize two trips each year where scores of young adults climb Rinjani to pick up litter along the way to bring back. How true this is I do not know but that was what the guide told me when I asked whether efforts have been made to clean the park.

It’s obvious more can be done. I wish for Rinjani what I saw at Kinabalu – a relatively clean park for all to enjoy. I wish for Rinjani what I saw in Nepal. It can be kept relatively litter free. It is not impossible.

So please when you do your treks keep all litter with you till you return back to the villages for proper disposal. The plastic wrapper of your energy bar, chocolate or sweets can be kept in your pocket. The water bottle can be kept in your backpack. Be responsible for your own trash. This will help keep other people’s land clean and litter free and later generations can enjoy it too.

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