oopssingapore

proclaiming the Word through music

2009-05-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

Just had a blissful time sharing a workshop with brother Patrick and sister Gabby. Spoke on the role of music in proclamation of the Word. One of the roles of music in praise worship is to proclaim the Word or reinforce the Word.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Ephesians 5:17-21

Christian music should always emphasise the message the Word of God not the music, nor the musician. Christian music is not meant to be entertainment, it is not a performance, a concert or a talent show. Music is to be worship, a ministry as unto the Lord.
Dr. Frank Garlock has written: “Contrary to popular opinion, sacred music is not for entertainment. Christian music is first and foremost a vehicle for praise unto the Lord.” (Music In the Balance)
St. Augustine, observed: “When I am moved by the voice of him that sings more than the words sung, I confess to have sinned.”
However, much of what is presented as Christian music today not only emphasises the musician, but the medium completely overwhelms the message. In all too many cases the message is vague, ambiguous, obscured or incomprehensible.

Worship and singing are sometimes weapons of spiritual warfare eg. (2 Chr 20:20-25)
King Jehoshaphat's victory over the enemy through the power of praise caused the enemies to be confused and defeated.
Singing prophetically to the enemy about God's goodness and the enemy's defeat can bring victory. Another eg. Moses and the sons of Israel sang at the crossing of the Red Sea. (Ex15:1-18)

Good worship music, lyrics, and singing proclaim truth about God and His Christ. Jesus’ Person and Work are to be both the subject and object of the church’s praise. In addition to the Old Testament Psalms, the New Testament contains, alludes to, and quotes from several apostolic era hymns. For example, it is thought by scholars that the Kenosis passage of Philippians 2:5-11 was excerpted from an ancient hymn. Paul’s poetic lines in 1 Timothy chapter three, and verse sixteen, are thought to have been part of an ancient hymn.[16] Other Scripture passages quoted in the New Testament evidence that they were probably ancient Christian hymns (John 1:1-14; Ephesians 5:14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 1:18-24; 2:21-25; 3:18-22; Revelation 5:9 ff., 12; 12:10-12; 19:1ff.). These hymns exhibit profound Christological content that the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to bear witness to Christ, led the apostles to quote and include in the New Testament (See John 14:26; 15:26-27.). Spiritual songs are “teaching” songs! (Colossians 3:16, Greek, didaskō)

We also managed to check out the sanctuary at PLCMC for the upcoming Oops Asia worship concert with Patrick and Gabby. The acoustics is great and would need to try out the instruments in July when the band is down. Looking forward to an exuberant time of worship and fellowship!

sowed a good seed today

2009-05-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Had a fruitful time today ministering to a referral from One Hope. This is a heart rending story. The lady in question is a mother of five and her husband was apprehended for drug possession. His car ended up being impounded and her son was the guarantor . Managed to strike a good deal with the finance company to allow reasonable repayment . Been seeing more of such cases of late. I believe that during this difficult period, God is also opening the door for us to sow more deeply into the lives of others. I am always reminded by KP Yohannan's well known sermon on the call of Christ , that we are his eyes, his hands, his ears, his feet , being sent out to the world, to minister as he did. Indeed the Bible tells us that if we claim to be in Him, we must walk like him.

HELP IN THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS

2009-05-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

Although God has called us to holiness, this is not something which we can achieve on our own unaided.

Romans 6:11 " In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus".
How does this help us in our daily battle against sin?
Firstly, it gives recognition to the fact that we are united with Christ in all his power. We are united with the ONe who is at work in us to strengthen us with his mighty power.

Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones says:"To realize this takes away from us that old sense of hopelessness which we have all known and felt because of the terrible power of sin...How does it work? It works in this way. I lose my sense of hopelessness because I can say to myself that not only am I no longer under the dominion of sin but I am under the dominion of another power that nothing can frustrate.However, weak I may be, it is the power of God that is working in me."

Another implication flowing from being alive to God is that He has given us his Holy Spirit to live within us. In 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, Paul writes :
" God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God who gives you his Holy Spirit".

We are exhorted to "Live by the Spirit " and we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature : Galatians 5:16

The Holy Spirit strengthens us by enabling us first to see our need for holiness and cause us to become aware of specific areas of sin in our lives which we may be struggling with. Jeremiah 17:9 says " The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" None but the Holy Spirit can do so. Once we can see God's standard and our sinfulness, it awakens within us a desire to be holy. It leads to godly sorrow and repentance : 2 Corinthians 7:10

PURSUIT OF HOLINESS

2009-05-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

"Pursue holiness , for without holiness no one will see the Lord" hebrews 12:14.The word "pursue" suggests two thoughts namely(a) diligence/effort required (b) lifelong task. Holiness is a process, something which we never completely attain in this life but rather as we conform to will of God in one area, he reveals to us needs in another area.

Holiness is for me
"For sin shall not be my master because you are not under law but under grace"Romans 6:14
To be holy is to be morally blameless and be separated from sin and therefore, consecrated to God. The word "holy" signifies "separation to God and conduct befitting those so separated.
"To live a holy life is to live a life in conformity to the moral precepts of the bible and in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.1 thess 4:3-7
Paul used the term in contrast to life of immorality and impurity
1 peter 1:14-16Peter used it in contrast to living according to evil desires we had when we lived outside of Christ
Revelation 22:11John contrasted one who is holy with those who do wrong and are vile.

To live a holy life is to "put off old self which is being corrupted by deceitful desires... And putting on new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness " ephesians 4:22-24.

Why do we not experience holiness in daily living?

A. Our attitude towards sin is more self centred than god centred. We are more concerned about our own victory over sin than about fact that our sins grieve God.Contrast pharoah, balaam, saul, judas and david.God wants us to walk in obedience not victory. Victory is a byproduct of obedience.

Second problem : we have misunderstood "living by faith" galatians 2:20. We have personal responsibility for our walk of holiness.I can put away sinful habits that plague me if I accept personal responsibility for them.Third issue : we do not take some sin seriously.The holiness of God1 peter 1:15-16"But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written :" Be holy, because I am holy."Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God.

A W Pink said " Holiness ... Consists of that internal change or renovation of our souls whereby our minds, affections and wills are brought into harmony with God" ( The doctrine of Sanctification)
God is light and in Him, there is no darkness at all 1 John 1:5
Acknowledging his holiness is one of the ways we are to praise Him.Revelation 4:8Isaiah 6:3Exodus 15:11Habbakuk 1:13"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong."We need to cultivate in our own hearts the same hatred of sin God has.
See attitude of Joseph in Genesis 39:9God judges each man impartially 1 Peter 1:17.
The more we grow in holiness, the more we hate sin.Psalm 119:104:"I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path".
HOLINESS IS NOT AN OPTION

God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life 1 thessalonians 4:7
1 corinthians 1:2Whole purpose of our salvation is to be holy and blameless in his sight . Ephesians 1:4Holiness is not a condition of salvation but part of it.
Noone can trust in Jesus for true salvation unless he trusts in Him for holiness.Grace empowers us to be holy Titus 2:11-12.
Without holiness, we cannot fellowship with God. If we cherish sin in my heart, Lord would not have listened. Psalm 66:18God requires that we be serious about holiness, that we grieve over sin in our lives and earnestly pursue holiness.

Holiness necessary for effective service to God . 2 timothy 2:21Holiness necessary for assurance of salvation. 2 corinthians 5:17Holiness of ChristChrist's moral purity magnifies our impurity. Isaiah 6:7 " see.. Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."The more we grow in holiness, the more we need this assurance that the perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to us.Holy spirit makes us more aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to deeper yearning and striving for holiness but satan will use this to discourage us.Solution is to flee to the rock of our salvation. I flee there not to be saved again but to confirm in my heart that I am saved thru righteousness alone.

"Just as I am without one pleaBut that thy blood was shed for meAnd that thou bidst me come to theeO lamb of God, I come."

Christ's life is meant to be an example of holiness for us. 1 peter 2:21

Change of kingdoms

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless , that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sinRomans 6:6-7
God has made provision for us to live holy life but we also have responsibilities.Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Romans 6:12We must reckon ourselves dead to sin. Through our union with christ, we have died to sin and set free from sin .Though delivered from reign of sin, sinful natures still reside and are in conflict. Galatians 5:17.

fruitful weekend in Christ

2009-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Its been a fruitful weekend in Christ. On 1 May, Oops Asia had the privilege of ministering at the Annual CAC event held at Queenstown Methodist Church through One Hope Centre. We heard powerful testimonies from recovering clients on how God has delivered them from their bondage of gambling and transformed their lives. In particular, there was a couple , a taxi driver and his wife who were reduced to their wits end after the husband had chalked up huge gambling debts. Through One Hope, they managed to resolve their debt problem and found salvation in Christ. Sister Gabby also presented a powerful moving rendition of her song " I trust in you" which ministered to many.

This evening, we were treated to another powerful testimony from Kelvin Soh, a well known chinese/hokkien gospel singer at the Mother's Day dinner at Singapore Recreation Club. He shared his life testimony. A former drug addict, he had been in and out of prison for twenty years and could not find the strength to kick the habit but through the redemptive grace of our Lord, he finally broke free. Without any formal music training, he started to write songs and has todate produced five albums and a vcd of his life testimony. Wow! I could see many tears rolling down the cheeks of those present as they sat glued to their seats whilst he spoke his heart on how God has changed his life. Truly, we serve a living God.

A Rwandan"s confession

2009-03-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

Such unflinching commitment and singlemindedness is alas lacking in our modern day churches> Instead, our churches resound with the songs of the lukewarm :

Blest Be The Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style
Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me
I Surrender Some
I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives
Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus
Take My Life and Let Me Be
What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus
Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
He's Quite a Bit To Me
Oh, How I Like Jesus
Fill My Spoon, Lord
It Is My Secret What God Can Do

We mourn for the lukewarmness... the fact that many can carry on their normal lives, unconvicted by the fact that each day, each hour, each minute, there are people being sent to a Christless eternity.

A Sower's Prayer

2009-03-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

On sunday, we were blessed to have Dr David Geisler share his heart on evangelism in our church. Dr Geilser spoke about the challenges of evangelism today. One of the challenges is the erosion of truth. It is hard to proclaim forgiveness of sins and need for repentance to people who believe that morality is relative and that they have no sins which require forgiveness. Hence, the need to expand the evangelism paradigm today . Dr Geisler also addressed the need for pre-evangelism today. This entails tilling of the soil of their minds and hearts to prepare them to be at least willing and open to hear the truth. What really struck me though was the reasons why Christians are not evangelising as much as they should be. One reason is that we ourselves dont realise the degree to which we have been forgiven: see Luke 7:47. As Christ said: "For those who have been forgiven much, they love much." We need to be reminded daily about how much we have been forgiven. Another reason is that we often forget the urgency of the task at hand and we lose the eternal perspective of things.

As I was mulling and reflecting over these gems of wisdom , the Lord placed the words of a song in my heart at 2 am on Monday morning. Its a song called " A Sower's prayer" and the lyrics run like this :

A Sower's prayer

Lord, Help me sow one seed for you today
Help me draw someone closer Lord to you each day
Make me a channel of your blessing from above
That I may be your instrument of hope and love

Lord, help me pass your gift of love along the way
That I may touch one soul for you Oh Lord each day
And may you bless each seed that I may sow
And cause that little seed each day to grow

Chorus

Enlarge my heart oh Lord that I may see
How much every soul means to Thee
For you sent your only son to die on Calvary
Forever grateful for the price you paid for me

Lord, help me sow one seed for you today
And help point someone to the Cross along the way
In the way someone had sown a seed in me
And helped me find my way back home to Calvary

Repeat Chorus

I am going to do a demo of the song whilst the melody is still fresh in my mind and share it with others. Lets continue to seize every opportunity to sow into the lives of others . Amen.

Losing your life for Christ's sake to save it

2009-02-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

Outside the city gate, four men looked at each other in despair. They were lepers, gaunt with hunger and with no food in sight. Things were even worse behind the city walls, where mothers were so desperate for food that they were actually eating their own children. The men reasoned among themselves, “If we stay here we will certainly die. If we surrender to the enemy they will probably kill us, but there is a slight chance that they will have mercy on us.” Realizing that they had nothing to lose, they began walking toward the enemy camp. What they found was beyond their wildest imaginations—thousands of abandoned tents filled with food and treasures! They enjoyed a feast and then ran back to share the good news with the rest of the city. (See II Kings 7:3–16.)This account illustrates the mind-set that we also must have. If we seek to protect our lives by reserving our time, talents, and resources only for those things that will benefit ourselves, we will completely miss out on the wealth of eternal treasures that God has in store for those who live their lives for Him.Our condition is like that of the helpless lepers. Only when we are willing to lose our lives will we find life.After giving the command to take up our cross, Jesus said: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:24–25).In this passage, the Greek word for life is psuche, which refers to the seat of our affections, intellect, and volition. It is in the soul that a major battle between God and Satan occurs. Satan wants to control the mind, will, and emotions for his purposes, but God wants to transform the mind, will, and emotions through His power. However, this cannot take place until we surrender our wills to God and choose to follow Him.Losing your life means surrendering your cherished ambitions and replacing them with the goals God has for His kingdom.

MY TESTIMONY

This verse resonates deeply within me. In June 2003, I was going through a very bad patch in my life. I had wandered away from the Lord and was caught up in the world. I had many problems in my work , caught in the grip of Mammon and on the verge of losing my job. Around that time, I had another Christian colleague, Steven who was also making plans to leave his secular job to go into full time ministry. By divine appointment, our paths crossed briefly outside the lobby outside our office. I told Steven about the problems I was going through and he spoke a word of encouragement to me , telling me that our work and life is not the end all and be all. Looking back now, through God's eyes, there were two souls that day outside the lobby. On the one hand, there was Steven who was losing his life for Christ's sake that he may find it and there was me, still desperately clinging on to my life. However, this is where God's grace intervened in my life. 4 years later, when I had completed the album "Agape" for my church, I went to see Steven at the church where he is now pastoring to pass him a copy. He had completed his degree in theology at Trinity Theological college by then. As we sat there in his office that afternoon, I shared with him about his words of encouragement meant so much to me then and how God later used various circumstances in my life to cause me to repent and turn my heart back to Him. I also shared about this verse with him and how looking back at my own life, I have experienced the depth and breath of God's redemptive grace . 4 years earlier, our lives could not have been more diametrically opposite but that afternoon, as we aligned our lives to God, we experienced the warmth of God's manifest presence in his office .

What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Him

2009-02-27T05:33:00.000-08:00

In our day, the cross is very popular, even among non-Christians. It is worn on necklaces or in other ways as a charm or symbol of salvation. However, in the days of Jesus, the cross carried a more sombre symbol. It was the most dreadful and agonizing form of execution used by the Roman Empire. The phrase “take up your cross” referred to the Roman custom of requiring the condemned criminal to carry the cross on which he was to suffer and die.
“Taking up your cross” involves cheerful submission to the trials and afflictions that God allows in the course of following Him.There are great benefits for those who take up their cross and follow Jesus:Victory over temptation to sin: “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin” (I Peter 4:1).Intimate fellowship with Christ: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).Fulfilling God’s purpose for your life: “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (I Peter 2:20–21).Cross-bearing flows out of love for Christ and involves doing whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s will.What does it mean to take up your cross daily? It means ceasing to make independent, selfish decisions and beginning to fully follow God’s will.It means going beyond short-term commitments to total surrender to God.It means not focusing on personal pleasures but instead living for God.It means patiently enduring ridicule because of a glorious goal to achieve.It means evaluating every word and deed based on how they show God’s love.It means forsaking the distraction of worldly things and activities.How will you recognize your cross? Usually it comes in the form of God-given responsibilities and includes whatever pain, sacrifice, and effort must be expended to carry out those responsibilities for the sake of Christ. Your cross may consist of the very things that you have been complaining about and asking God to remove. This was true in Paul’s case. After three petitions for deliverance from his thorn in the flesh, God revealed to Paul that this was his “cross to bear.” Thereafter Paul gloried in his infirmities, and the burden of them was transformed into a blessing and a channel of God’s power. (See II Corinthians 12:7–10.)Taking up your cross will require daily actions, but these should be a natural outgrowth of the unconditional surrender to God that you have already made. At any point Jesus could have dropped His cross and gone His own way. What a tragic loss that would have been for the world and for each of us.
Christ said :"Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).We can expect to encounter trials and tribulations as we take up our cross and follow Jesus, because the servant is not greater than his Lord (see Matthew 10:24). If envious religious leaders and the crowds reviled Jesus, they will also revile us. However, there is much to gain by going through public reproach for our faith. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (I Peter 4:14).The Apostle Paul suffered greatly as he carried out the work God called him to. He was thrown into prison, threatened, flogged, and beaten, but still he wrote, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Paul goes on to explain that he is able to have this perspective because “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).Carrying our cross as we follow Christ should not be done grudgingly as a necessary evil, but we should rejoice in the fact that it is ultimately for our good and will bring glory to God. “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven …” (Luke 6:22–23).Suffering reproach for the sake of Christ fulfills the highest calling of man, which is to bring glory to God.Before Jesus died, the cross stood for a public curse; now it stands for a marvelous blessing. Before, it meant defeat; now it means victory. Before, it was a means of painful death; now it is the way to joyful life. Let’s follow in the steps of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, “… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross …” (Hebrews 12:2).

Finishing the race strongly

2009-02-26T06:43:00.000-08:00

In his book "The Journey", Billy Graham , the great evangelist of the 20th century, said that it is not enough to just start the race well but it is more important to finish the race strongly.

Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us to run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus... who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

One inspiring story which comes to mind about endurance relates to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania was the last runner to come in on a 26 mile marathon. In the course of the marathon, he fell badly and was all bloodied and bandaged but he did not give up. Instead, he persevered and hobbled through his final lap before collapsing. When he entered the stadium, all eyes were trained on him. A reported subsequently asked Akhwari why he did not quit the race. He replied "My country did not send me seven thousand miles to start the race. They sent me seven thousand miles to finish it."

The Christian journey is a marathon not a sprint. To finish well, we need to train ourselves in the same way athletes train for marathons. The apostle Paul makes the same point in 1 Corinthians 9 when he states :

"Do you not know that in a race the runners run but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Therefore, keep running and do not quit. Persevere for the crown of life which awaits us at the end to all who endure and to all who overcome.

how far will you go for a lost soul?

2009-02-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Getting UncomfortableHow far will you go to reach a lost soul?by Greg Laurie
Why on earth does God choose to use people to reach people? If I were God, I wouldn't use people. I would just do the job myself.
If I were God, I would roll the heavens away, poke my face through and say, "Hello, humanity. I am God. Believe in me now, or I will kill you." Aren't you glad that I am not God? At the very least, if I were God, I would raise up an army of mighty angels to preach the Gospel. Wouldn't that be powerful? I would never use people; they are flawed. They make mistakes. They fall short. They are inconsistent. Sometimes they contradict what they say by the way they live.
But God, in His great wisdom, has chosen to use people to reach people. Jesus has given us our marching orders. He said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV). This is not optional. It is the Great Commission, not the great suggestion.
In order to be effective in sharing our faith, we need a burden for those who do not know the Lord. Jesus showed us that we are to go outside of our comfort zone and reach people of all backgrounds. He went to the woman at the well in Samaria. In Jesus' day, not only would a rabbi not talk to a woman, but a Jew would never talk to a Samaritan. If you add the fact that the woman was immoral, she had three strikes against her.
But Jesus spoke to this immoral Samaritan woman. He engaged her in conversation and reached out to her in love. He was showing us that we need to go to all people, whatever they look like, whatever their race, whatever their background, whatever their socio-economic status. All of the messages on evangelism and all of the training classes you can go to will mean nothing if you lack this simple prerequisite: A burden.
Do you really care about lost people? We have to care and reach out to these people, even if it means going out of our comfort zone. Even if it means getting extreme.
Some time ago, we were in Hawaii holding a crusade. A father and his son were at Waikiki Beach handing out fliers for the event The little boy wanted to go up to a burly, beefy biker dude. The dad looked at the guy and said, "I don't know if that's a good idea." The son was insistent and walked right up to this big guy and gave him an invitation to the crusade. The guy took what that little boy gave him, crumpled it up and threw it on the ground. That night at the crusade the father told us that when the invitation was given, the first man on the field was that biker dude—he came after all.
We all know someone who needs Christ. For you, it might be some cranky old neighbor. It might be your mom or your dad. It might be a person you can't envision ever being a Christian. She is so hard. He is so against God. You have written him or her off. Even thinking about witnessing to that person seems extreme to you.
Think again. Remember, no one is beyond God's reach. That person can come to Jesus. Pray for him; pray for her. Allow God to put a burden on your heart, and be willing to reach out as God leads you. Are you willing to be extreme for Christ? He wants to use you today.
Greg Laurie is senior pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship (independent/nondenominational), in Riverside, Calif., as well as an evangelist with Harvest crusades. He has written more than 10 books, including The Upside Down Church. He and his wife, Catherine, are parents of two children and live in southern California.

Importance of meditating on God's Word

2009-02-15T00:30:00.000-08:00

The Navigators has evolved a good approach to the study of scriptures. The 5 point method involves hearing, reading, studying, memorising and meditation.

In this segment, I shall share on the importance of meditating on God's word. This creates an interaction with God so that instead of merely reading the words, we "taste and see that the Lord is good" ( Psalm 34:8). Its not enough to just know about God. We each need to know and experience God. Scripture meditation help to cultivate the heart and enables us to become more and more inclined to look at life as Jesus did.

Joshua 1:8 declares : Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

As God begins to speak to us through his Word, we come to love God more which helps us see the true goodness of obedience.

lesson one : importance of discipleship

2009-02-14T06:43:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite books is the "Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
In his book, he explains that discipleship means adherence to christ and because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship.

" Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ."

The question arises : " can I truly be saved and yet refuse to be a disciple?" . Is there any room for a non-discipled Christian?

The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace through faith." But what is the faith that saves? The answer is found in the book of James. Faith translates to active obedience to God's Word evidenced by the good Works which He had prepared in advance for us to do. The problem is that many think that faith is only intellectual agreement to a set of doctrinal facts.
A definition of faith which discounts active obedience to God's Word ignores the vital element of regeneration and sanctification which is evident in one who is truly saved.
Sanctification is the working out of our salvation as God works in us and hence, any profession of faith which does not embrace discipleship is dead.

Impacting the 9-5 window : the marketplace

2008-10-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

just pondering over the lessons gleaned at the seminar on "Impacting the 9-5 window" at Living Sanctuary by Ps Benny Ho. I believe that God has brought us into the Kingdom for a time like this and calling us to rise up to the call and sow deep in the respective places where he has planted us. For many of us, that would be the market place where we serve.

I thought it would be helpful to recap the salient points which emerged from the seminar.

4 Biblical perspectives on work

a. Work is a divine command
b. Work is a means to our personal growth
c. Work is a platform for my ministry
d. Work is a vehicle to transform society

Dr Billy Graham once said "I believe one of the next great moves of God is going to be through the believers in the marketplace".

What struck me is that we are all ministers in our market place. John 15:16 tells us "You have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit".

We need to come to grips with our calling to be ministers in our workplace. Ps Benny helpfully painted five types of christians in the marketplace :

a. struggling
b. surviving
c. stabilising
d. succeeding
e. significant

It strikes me that many have a wrong misconception of our role in the marketplace. Many fall into the category of the "stabilising" christian where we are more concerned about the corrupt influence of the market place on us than on our reaching out to the lost in the marketplace and being an instrument for transformation with the result that many well-meaning Christians actually recede and retreat from the market place, comfortably ensconced in the comfort zones of their cell groups or church fellowship but never striking a blow for Christ where it really counts.

reflections on "Shoes too big "

2008-10-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Just read in the ST about the passing on of Rev Henry Khoo, the prison chaplain at Changi Prison. I had read a copy of his book "Shoes too big" and was deeply touched by the wonderful testimonies and glimpses of grace in the lives of prisoners over the years who have experienced the transforming love and power of Christ. In particular, one instance about a certain inmate stood out. This inmate , who was on death row, declined to seek pardon from the President. Instead, he wrote a three quarter page letter to the President explaining how he has become a Christian and asked for a delay in his execution so that he can witness to his unsaved brothers. The salient portion of his letter read :

"Your Excellency, I deserve to die for the heinous crime I have committeed. I'm not asking for a pardon but for a stay of execution so I can witness to my brothers."The inmate got his stay of execution and went on to lead his unsaved brothers to Christ and one accomplice as well. What a powerful testimony.

As I reflected on this, it appears to me that like that inmate, we all have one thing in common. There will come a point in our life when we must all face our Creator. The only difference is that the inmate knew when that divine appointment would take place . How would we respond if we knew when we would die? Would we be living our lives differently? Whether we face up to it or not, with each passing second, we are each taking one step closer to that date .

The Bible exhorts us to live wisely and to make the most of every opportunity. We should take this to heart and spend out time and resources wisely not on the things below but on laying up treasures which are eternal. Remember the parable of Lazarus and the rich man and the rich
fool in Luke 12:13-21. The Bible calls us to be fruitful. In fact, fruitfulness is a mark of a true disciple : see John 15.

Even during this time of financial turmoil, we are called by the Lord to be fruitful amidst the season of heat and drought. In fact, I sense that the Lord will continue to open up more divine opportunities for us to sow more richly and deeply into the lives of others during this period.