Made For Ministry

Jesus had already warned his followers three times in recent days that he was going to Jerusalem to be rejected and killed. They couldn't accept this message. They had no way to truly understand it. Their misunderstandings led to an argument about who was going to rule at Jesus' right and left side. So Jesus tells them one more time the essence of his life and ministry:

"You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:42-45)

Look carefully at that last sentence and notice the two key phrases that describe Jesus' ministry - "to serve" and "to give." If we are to ever really get a handle on the concept of ministry, we must commit to follow the Master's example in those two key ways. We must be willing to serve and we must be willing to give.

Being a servant is not popular. It never has been. Voluntarily being a servant to bless others simply does not make good human sense. But Jesus reminds us that it makes perfect heavenly sense. (Philippians 2:5-11) To voluntarily give of our goods, our finances, our resources, and ourselves also runs against conventional wisdom. However, this is heavenly wisdom in action. (John 3:16)

In a world of instant gratification, the call to give up our rights and our possessions to bless others appears stupid, shortsighted, naive, and weak. The long-term call of Jesus, however, reminds us that this world is not our home, that the riches we have now are only on loan from the Creator to whom we will give an account, and that glory awaits those who live the counter-culture lifestyle of the Savior. The last will be first. The least will be greatest. The sick will be well. The lonely will be included.

God wired all of us to be involved in his great ministry of redeeming the world. However, such a powerful impact on the world cannot be made by audiences in church buildings or self-absorbed religious dilettantes who have read all the best sellers on the Christian market but have been unwilling to soil their hands with the dirt of the street and the grime of lost souls. Now don't read this as being critical of going to church or reading Christian books. Both are important! But, those activities should move us to minister, not insulate us from the messy and costly nature of ministry!

The work of ministry still boils down to two, powerful, convicting, and moving commitments: to serve and to give. Jesus became this truth. Jesus taught this truth. Jesus demonstrated this truth. As those who gather around the Lord's Table and share in the communion meal that makes us one, we also hear the call of the Savior to remember him by being his bodily presence in this world by committing to serve and to give. (1 Corinthians 10:14-17)

Now I want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them. ... You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. (2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 2 Corinthians 8:9)

(adopted from Heartlight)

Along the Road of Life

Life is a journey, not a destination.

There are Some Things I Wish to Tell You

Dear Lord, there are some things that I wish to tell you. That is my Lord, You love me more than any other and I am living for you today. The love that you have poured out for me is so much that I can't contain within me. Thank You for being with me in my darkest hours and speaking to me through the Holy Spirit, warning me to guard against my soul.

For the past two Saturdays, we were dealing with Excellence. We discussed on what are the attributes of excellence and how do God define excellence. I learnt that an excellent work or output does not relect an excellent worker because the worker might not have the excellent characteristic which determines the excellence of the attitude to complete the work. This has indeed made me reflected on my life. As some would know, I am currently in the midst of examination. Thus, I came out with a revision schedule which seemed perfect. However, when it was time to revise for a particular subject, I decided to skip it because of the complacency within me. Thus, I feel that even if I manage to get a pass or slightly higher, I do not think that God will be glorified as I did not possess the excellent attitude towards the process. However, I know that He will still forgive me as long as I am willing to repent. Thus, I will really try my best to stick on my schedule for the following three papers.

Lord I pray for commitment and humility to be upon me that I will be a commited, devoted and humble servant before You. Allow me to stay commited in pursuing what is eternal and take away my temporal pursuits. Lord, as I am going to take on the challenge to bring about a change, I pray that You will help and guide me to stay humble before anyone and not look down on them. For Lord, You did not once look down on me as everyone is equal before You. Grant me also Your wisdom that I may be able to do what is right and pleasing in Your sight and let me not judge and act by my own earthly wisdom but allow the Holy Spirit to speak and act through me. Here I am, presenting myself as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing before You. Use me Lord, as Thy servant is waiting.

Most of the youths of Emmaus will be involved in Ecclesiastes Youth Force (EYF) during the term or semester breaks. As the October semester break is approaching, there are some crucial decisions that I have to make as there will definitely be events clashing with one another. One of them is the mission trip with the Navigators in mid-October. Therefore, it means that I would be missing a few sessions of EYF meetings. One will be contributing to me spiritual growth (EYF) yet the other one is evangelism (Mission Trip), I really do not know which one to decide. Recently, I made a conclusion that spiritual growth and evangelism should go concurrently as they are equally important and none should be of higher priority. Perhaps it is really time to ask myself and God my purpose of pursuing any of them and I hope that till then, I will be able to have a clear mind knowing which one is far more worth pursuing and which decision would satisfy both myself and God.

My prayer requests are posted at the left column, please pray for me.

And I am learning to leave... May I be able to succeed this time...

Made Complete in Christ

Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you, Lord
In Your strength will I break through, Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
And I will be complete in You.

Here I am, Oh God
I bring this sacrifice--my open heart.
I offer up my life.
I look to You, Lord.
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
And by faith, I will walk on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my calvary one day,
And I will be complete in..

I look to You, Lord
Your love that never ends
Restores me again

So I lift my eyes to you Lord
In your strength will I break through Lord
Touch me now, let your love fall down on me
I know your love dispels all my fears.

Through the storm I will hold on Lord
And I pray I will hold on, Lord
Then I'll see beyond my calvary one day
And I will be complete in

I will be complete in
I will be complete in You

Many Responsibility, One Destination

Thanks for the prayers. After today's PEP, I have indeed learnt something new and worth keeping in mind for my whole lifetime. I have learnt more about the meaning behind serving the Lord.

It was my own human nature that thought I should withdraw myself from the Youth for Christ. After consulting Khen Howe, Khai Ying, Elmer, Adeline as well as Lian Sie, I have to admit that I gained many precious advices from each of them.

Khew Howe taught me to look at things at a deeper perspective. Asking myself question and discover the answers to my doubts in a more personal way.

Khai Ying taught me to return to the Word for advices. Of course, the Word is always the most reliable source of advices in times of need.

Elmer taught me to differentiate essentials from priorities. He taught me that Spiritual Growth and Evangelism should co-exist and go con-currently.

Adeline taught me to take time to think through the real motives and purposes before making any decision.

Lian Sie taught me something that really rooted down into my life. She told me that no matter how many responsibilities we take on, everything leads to the same destination. Therefore, rather than saying that we are spliting ourselves for each task, we should give in 100% for each and everyone of them. This is because He really desires our fullest attention. Therefore, no matter what I do, so long that it is for His Glory, I should give my fullest into it.

Lovin' Christ to the Fullest

Dream, Was It Not?

There is something deep in my heart that I can't describe. I felt as if I am thinking to much. Just as I thought it wasn't there anymore, but my heart reacted differently. I thought it was no more. It still remains. What should I call that? Love.

What does it take to follow Christ? What cost is there to pay in order to follow Him, to the very end? I met Adeline yesterday regarding me returning back to foundation. She asked me what are my reasons and what are the purposes of me returning. And why I left Emmaus without a proper reason. I felt so foolish about my past. Perhaps I wasn't even willing to be committed in the past. I merely attend church in order to please people around me and to show them that I am a faithful Christian. Is that all? I can't deny that.

Lost, is an ideal term to describe the first six months of 2005. No Christ in my life. Not at all. However, I am thankful that Christ did not say "No Chin Ho in my life." I believe that through that dark period, He still regards me as His child and believed that I would finally turn back to Him. He had indeed sent a few people to persuade me. They failed for a few times till i finally turned back and said, "Yes Father, I am coming back to You." I believe that was the best moment in my life thus far as I finally regained freedom - again.

This return should not be only a casual act. In fact, I am going to lay down a lifetime committment that I will never ever leave Him again. I am going to strive and burn hotly again. Having the burning passion with a clear motive - to know Christ and to make him known (adapted from The Navigators) I am going to let His plan be done in me. Died to my sins and purified for the Lord.

Sacrifices & Committments

While I am gradually getting back onto the right track, I am seeing many people still struggling and walking on the path that leads them away from God. One of my main concern is for the Navigators (SP). I feel that something must really be done as soon as possible as I see quite a few persons with the attitude I used to possess. They claimed to be Christians (I hope they do) but there is still something lacking in them. Sacrifices and Committments. These are the basic characteristics that a typical Christian should have. The willingness to sacrifice for Christ and the willingness to be committed and devoted to no one but the Lord. Before I mention anything else, I have to confess that I am not perfect either as I do have that kind of attitude sometimes.

In the Navigators, I do not think that any of the Family Time sessions managed to get a full attendance. It might not be their fault as some lectures may have clashed with the sessions. However, I see some of they giving reasons such as "I am going out with friends.", "I am very tired" as well as "I need to study for tests." There was once that I heard a comment which had a great impact on me. That is "I can't give my committment as I have many work to do."

Who is Jesus to them then? Is He just someone whom they talk to and seek help from only in times of need? How would God feel if He sees His creation to behave this way? Let's go back to the basic - Creation. God creates us to have a personal relationship with Him. However, our activities on this earth has defeated the purpose. How are we going to have such initmate relationship with the Creator when we put all our fun and work before Him?

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Prayer Requests

1) In the following two weeks, I will be really seeking God to show me the genuine purposes of me returning back to foundation class.
2) I am still unclear about which decision to make regarding the previous post.
3) A heart of willingess to sacrifice and to be committed.

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There Is So Much That I Owe You

Looking back at my past and thinking how much the Lord has done for me, I realised that there is too much that I owe Him as He has indeed given me the abundant grace that nothing can ever measure.

Only by grace can we enter,

Only by grace can we stand.

It is indeed by His loving kindness and grace that we are still standing today. When I thought about the sins that I've committed almost everyday, I felt ashamed. I can never understand why the Lord is still willing to be by my side even when I start to drift away from Him. Perhaps that really shows how much He loves me and each and everyone of His creation.

I can't help it but to give the highest worship ad praise to the King.

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I have been facing some difficulties nowadays. I feek that I've involved myself in too much activities. It was during the preparation for the musical that I nearly suffer a break-down. At that point of time, I set out a list of priorities. Emmaus would come first, followed by the Navigators, then the Youth for Christ. I thought this was an ideal plan.

However, things did not appear as expected. I've spoken to a few people and we concluded that I've been engaging myself in too much activities. The musical is just over and i really felt a heavy burden being unloaded from me. I know that it is a blessing to serve the Lord. However, would God rather have me to concentrate and focus on just one area or would He prefer me to contribute to as many areas?

As a Christian whom just returned to the Lord, I find myself not being able to cope well with the various organisations. I really want to serve the Lord with the best of my ability. However, it's not for me to decide the level of my ability. If I can't cope well in any of the tasks I am entrusted to, how can God use me fully? I guess i really have to focus on only one or two areas so that God can really maximise my strength and ability in those areas so as to use me to the fullest.

I am not God and I can't decide where God would use me. However, the little wisdom of mine would want me to withdraw myself from some of the activities I am engaged in. Perhaps I need more time to re-structure my life and work on time management so that one day I will be ready to step out and reach out again.

Meanwhile, lots of prayers and advices are needed.