|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Dec 2006
Another year is ending. Time seems to pass so quickly. We've come to the season when men, women and children around the world remember the birth of Jesus Christ.
Hopefully we take time to reflect on what that gift means to each of us. This is a time of peace, goodwill, and hope. And, yet, sadly these seem in short supply in so many parts of the world.
Inevitably we look back on 2006 and reflect on what it has given us. There are clearly things we wish were not there. We continue to see news of natural calamities where regional countries devastated by typhoons
that seem never end; uprising of conflicts within a country where recently a bloodless coup over-turned an elected government at our northern neighbour; emerging news of political scandals not only in prominent
countries, but also at our home front; and also the ever worrying trends of deteriorating moral values where divorces seem to be the legitimate way of ending a covenanted marriage at the expenses of not only the
families, but most hurtfully – the next generation of siblings.
However, when we look back on 2006 we find much that brings us joy and thankfulness. We ought to be thankful for our families and
friends; for the opportunity to serve the Lord and His church; and for us who have or going through difficult times, we can continue to be thankful for God's continuous presence and for the strength that His
presence gives.
I am personally thankful that the life of this church, which we love, does not depend on one person; it is God's to look after and we are privileged to partner with Him in
service. I am also immensely thankful for the large number of dedicated lay people who give of their best as they partner with the Lord and with those of us in leadership assignments to make the mission of the
church effective. The leaders truly thankful for what you do.
2006 is also the year our English Assembly has a full Board of Deacons serving together in advancing God’s mission. It is with a
clear mandate to be even more deliberate in focusing on evangelism as we continue to “Each One Reach One”. We are also especially delighted that the Lord has provided us our first Full Time Worker in our English
Assembly to support the church ministries. We believe that the Spirit led us in this. It is now our responsibility to make sure that it works.
As we enter the New Year, evangelism, in all
possible shapes and forms, will be high on the agenda of the church. "Each One Reach One" is the theme we chose to describe a vision of an inclusive, wide-reaching mandate for involvement in witness by the
assembly. We are not just a 'preaching' community. We are here to help and heal in practical ways. We will enter a New Year, not knowing what lies ahead. But we urge you to stay close to the Lord and to look after
your spiritual life. We are on a pilgrimage, and one day it will be over. We have this hope, and we have His promises.
Let us remember to pray for each other. We will need each other prayers as
we give of our best to serve the Lord. We pray that the Lord will give each of us much joy and many blessings in the New Year. And I leave you with His promise: "Behold, I am coming soon! And My reward is with
me." (Rev. 22:12)
WK
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Nov 2006
On this, the penultimate month of our first year reflecting on the theme: Each One Reach One, let us pause for a moment to consider whether God’s grace is
sufficient in our lives to motivate us to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
A Dutch theologian, Henry Van Dyke once quoted: “There is absolutely nothing that man cannot do
without – except God”.
Often times we lament that we do not have enough of money, friends, properties, prestige, love and many other things. Our lives would be so much better if we have more and more of these things. Such thought is illusory and is a clear reflection of our greed for more. The crux of our problem is not that we do not have enough of these things but that these things in themselves are not enough to satisfy us. Even if we have everything we craved for but if we are not satisfied with what God has already provided us in our lives, our deepest longing would still be unfulfilled. Until and unless we have reached a point in our spiritual lives to agree with the apostle Paul in Phil 4:19 that my God will meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus, we would not be in a position to relate to others that the grace of God is sufficient for us to bring others to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
Some of us may then ask this question: How do we relate to others?
Another theologian from Wales, Cynddylan Jones once said: “The best way in which we, the people of God, can reflect that nature of God here on earth is in the way we relate”. To do so, we have to turn our spirit outwardly for others and not inwardly for ourselves. It is no wonder why self-centeredness is such a heinous act which violates the universal order set by God. Most of us have to confess that we are usually more concerned for ourselves than for others. In Phil 2:4, we are admonished to look out for one another’s interests and not just for our own. It is only when we bear such an attitude like that of Christ Jesus who, of His own free will, gave up all He had and took the nature of a servant (Phil 2:7), reaching out and relating to others would invariably be difficult.
In looking out for other’s interest, let us always be mindful and concerned for our relatives, colleagues and friends whom our Lord has placed in our lives – those who have not accepted Jesus
Christ as their Savior and Lord. While we as God’s children, will one day enter heaven’s glory but what about these people? They will certainly experience eternal perdition. In Acts 4:12, we are
told that salvation is to be found through Christ Jesus alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.
Let us then look to the Lord for help (1 Chron 16:11a) to provide us with the fortitude and courage to reach out and to touch the lives of the unsaved ones with the love of Christ and to guide them on their onward way to salvation; so that where they are now here with us on earth, they will one day also be with us in heaven.
Let us together as one Body in Christ embrace the values of: Each One Reach One and to declare to the world that Jesus Christ is our Lord and salvation is only through Him, for the glory of God
our Father.
In His Service,
MG
|
|
Each One, Reach One - Oct 2006
As we follow after Christ, we all can lead one
We can lead one to the Saviour
And together we can tell the world that Jesus is the way
If we each one, reach one.
When the author penned the words above, it was probably the most fundamental principle of our Christian faith and growth. Jesus himself was the best role model
as He was the one who made the first move when he called the first disciple, Andrew. This was followed by Andrew calling his brother Simon Peter and then John, and the rest of the disciples.
That was how the early church grew as well. It was through the word of mouth and each one brings someone else.
In His many parables, Jesus often talked about using our talents and gifts for
His kingdom. We are to grow our talents/gifts.
Recently one of our speakers likens our talent and gifts with eternal life. This eternal life is God’s gift to us when we believed and confessed that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour. Our lives are a gift that we can use to bring others to know Christ. It may not necessary be an earth shattering conversion but a simple quiet prayer for the unsaved loved ones or the way you live your life can be a testimony of Christ in you.
Matthew 28:19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples…” That means that we are to expected to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives; a difference for God, because if we are
willing to introduce others to Christ, He will make a difference in their lives. Do you remember the person who brought you to Christ and made a difference to your life?
If you look through the
bible, the people who made a difference were not people of great talent or knowledge or anything else. There were just average people like you and me. We must realize that God does not call the qualified, but he
does qualify the called. Remember Moses and Jonah. They were reluctant at first but when they eventually listened to God, what a tremendous impact they had on other people.
God uses people like
you and me. Has God used you to touch other people’s lives? Would you want God to use you to help others? If you want to, He will, but you have to be willing to let God use you as He sees fit.
Finally, the author of the song ends the verse with this:
The message is unchanging; go into the world
Share the live of Jesus far way or door-to-door
You see, just like someone told you that Jesus loves you so,
You must tell someone who will tell some one
Until the whole world knows
In His Service
AC
|
|
Each One Reach One - Sept 2006
I have finished reading the book "The Heavenly Man" by Brother Yun. This book is a very touching book about a young poor farmer (Brother Yun) in China who discovered
Jesus Christ after a miraculous healing of his earthly father. Despite years of torture, suffering and persecution in China yet Brother Yun continued to preach and teach the Gospel in China. This is one classic
example of how a church actually grows stronger despite the persecution. This brings in mind 1 Corin 1:25 - "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's
strength."
While I marvel at the transformation of thousands of poor Chinese farmers becoming fiery preachers and missionaries of God's Word in China, I often wonder when can we here in our cosy little
corner of the world ever achieve the same spiritual awakening as our Chinese brethren in China. What's the problem? Why aren't we having the same spiritual zeal to preach and teach Christ? My dear wife shares with
me the parable of the sower (Matt 13:22). Like the seeds that have fallen on the thorns, the worries of our everday life and the illusions of wealth have choked our spiritual growth thus making us unfruitful. Are we
like that? Oh Lord forgive us!
Brother Yun when he managed to escape to Europe away from the clutches of his persecutors, observed the following state of a number of churches in Europe. Nice and spacious
church buildings but only filled with old ladies and occasionaly old guys. What happened? Wasn't there a Great Awakening in Europe in the 18th and 19th century sending thousands of missionaries worldwide even into
China? Why are the churches in Europe in such a desperate state? I believe when the vision of the church is lost, the whole congregation will perish. The dwindling numbers in such churches in Europe speaks true of
God's Word with regard to a lack of vision (Prov 29:18). Are we lacking a vision for Christ? Oh Lord open our eyes!
We are already close to the end of the third quarter of 2006. Has the company you work
for achieved it's third quarter revenue/profit goals? What about the goal of "Each one, Reach one"? Note that in Mark 11:13-14 Jesus says to the fruitless fig tree "May no one ever eat fruit from you
again" and soon enough the fig tree withered. Let us not continue living our lives enjoying our earthly resources yet bearing no fruit for our Lord. Our Lord is "hungry" to see us fruitful, let us
bear fruit for Him. Amen!
In His Service,
JW
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - AUGUST 2006
"I feel like giving up" I believe we faced this struggle many times in different situation like in our job, business, exams, with friends, family members, marriage, children or church? In many occasions,
the thought of running away is ever present.
We see it in the news where people becomes fugitives due to corruption; fathers or mothers separating from each other leaving the children idle, lost and confused
as though they were the caused of the problems; children running away from home, students committing suicide due to study and peer pressure and the list goes on.
Perhaps you are also feeling like this now and
you ponder ... why am I feeling like this? What is the solution and when will this end?" Many questions and no answers can be very frustrating and trying. It is very similar to the times of the Moses where he
was asked by the Lord to lead the Israelites out of Egypt; Joshua and the conquering of the land of Canaan; David when he was sought by Saul who wanted him dead; Deborah the prophetess and judge who was faced with a
very charged up Canaanites or Job whose life was filled with one calamity after another and it never seem to stop.
Many give up when they start walking by sight and not by faith, when they see to odds are
coming stronger. It is natural to use whatever strength, wisdom and advises we can get to try to overcome such situations. That is were we start compromising with the truth of God’s Word and feel like giving up.
God’s is the same yesterday, today and forever - Heb 13:8. So are His promises, faithfulness, mercy, love, protection, deliverance, blessings and He asked us to - Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or be
terrified of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you - Deut 3:16.
His truth and character is still the same. He still calls us to obey and trust him, stay focused
on Him even though we don’t understand it. Yes, it is difficult but remember, we are all in God’s hands and He is our loving heavenly Father who created us in His image. We are God’s children and He loves us very
much and knows us in detail even to the number of our hairs. He knows us more than we do.
Pro 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean in your own understanding. In all your ways,
acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight".
God has never given up on you, so don’t give up on Him. So let us persevere on, each one continue to reach one, no matter how tough the situation is.
In His Service,
AQ
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - JULY 2006
It was reported that a representative from the Barnabas Fund visited the earthquake-devastated area around Yogyakarta in central Java in June ’06. The devastation
was far beyond a man’s imagination.
Houses, public buildings and hundreds of churches were destroyed; leaving behind piles upon piles of broken bricks, mortar and other rubble. While we maybe excused if we were to comfort ourselves that these destroyed buildings can be re-constructed, albeit with millions of dollars but we are unable to draw any comfort when thousands of lives were perished in the devastation.
Perhaps the question that rests on everyone’s lips, even amongst the Christian community is: “Why did a loving God allow such a catastrophe to take place in a world that He has beautifully
created?” Some Christians, have been heard saying that this is an indication of the end times.
While we can continue to speculate over this disaster but what we need to urgently consider is whether we have fulfilled our godly responsibility in reaching out to the community of our people with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Isaiah 40:6-8, we are being admonished to: “Proclaim a message! ….. .to proclaim that all mankind are like grass; they last no longer than wild flowers. Grass withers and flowers fade
when the Lord sends the wind blowing over them. People are no more enduring than grass. Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever”.
Considering that our lives
on this earth are likened to a puff of smoke in the air and that God’s gift of salvation is being offered only to those who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him from death (Romans 10:9),
how shall we ought to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people whom God has specially placed in our lives?
Perhaps there are some members of our family who may not have heard that our eternal destiny to heaven can only be through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When the apostles Paul and Silas were languishing in
darkest prison at Philippi, they responded to their jailer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your family” Then they preached the word of the Lord to the jailer and all the others in the
prison with them (Acts 16:31-32).
The converts during the early days were introduced immediately to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Lord over all His creation was the only form of salvation; just as it was then, it should also be for now and ever, even though twenty one centuries have gone past us, like water under the bridge. In Acts 2:36, we are further reminded that God has made this Jesus, who was crucified, both Lord and Messiah.
Let us together as the Church of the twenty-first century embrace the values of: Each One Reach One and to declare that Jesus Christ is our Lord, for the glory of God.
In His Service
MG
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - JUNE 2006
There have been a lot of controversies lately surrounding a movie that is based on a very popular book of fiction. This movie had stirred people, angered them, make
them thoughtful, and most importantly, it had provoked conversations about spiritual issues that might not have arise.
A well known columnist in our daily newspaper wrote: "While there are many
Christians who are upset about the book and movie, they are countering it with seminars and other educational events to balance what is being said in the book, even if the book is only fiction. There have not been
“Da Vinci Code”-related riots or death thus far, which speaks volumes for the adherents of the faith".
In 2 Peter 2: 1, the Apostle Peter has already warned about false prophets and false teachers
who sought to confuse and distract people from God’s truth: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies,
even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them ….”
How did we as Christians respond or should respond? How can we respond? May I suggest a few ways: Firstly, we should pray for all those who have
gone to see the movie to want to seek the truth. Secondly, we ought to examine ourselves to see how prepared are we to expound on our faith and what the Bible is actually saying. We cannot just demise people by
saying “the Bible said so”. We need to know the facts. We need to sharpen our faith by deepening our bible knowledge and historical understanding. Thirdly, we should see this as an opening to reach out to those who
want to know who God really is. The opportunity is there everyday. No event or occasion had “allowed” the debate on Christianity and biblical facts to be published in our local papers daily. This is also your time
to act. This is your opportunity to each one reach one.
Nevertheless, as Paul puts it in Philippians 1: 18 “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives
or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
In His Service,
AKC
|
|
Each One, Reach One - May 2006
As you read this have you noticed the empty seats in our Father's house? Have you wondered why this is so? Is it because others are not interested in our Father's business or is
it us? If we continue to allow those seats to be empty, given time our seat will be empty too. Is this the fate we want to leave for our Father's house? What would He say of us when we finally meet Him?
The
King James version of Luke 2:49 says "And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?". Jesus was 12 years old when His parents frantically
searched for Him and found Him in the temple courts AFTER 3 DAYS. And guess what Jesus was doing? He was TEACHING THE TEACHERS. And when His parents reprimanded Him Jesus replied "Why are you searching for me?
Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" Or as the KJV says "I must be about my Father's business".
Is it coincidental that some 21 years later this same Jesus would lay in the tomb
for 3 days and His disciples will be frantically searching for His body. Yet an almost similar reply comes to them "Why are you searching for Him?" (paraphrase of Mark 16:6) . And where was Jesus? Busy
doing the FATHER'S BUSINESS of course.
Are we busy doing the Father's Business like Jesus? Or are we busy doing Our Business? With today's many worldly distractions, needs and wants the Father's Business is
often overshadowed and forgotten. No wonder the seats are empty in our Father's House. We have forgotten how to reach, teach and preach for Jesus. It is high time we awaken from our sleep and begin doing our
Father's Business. May we all each one reach one for Jesus. Amen!
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed.
In His Service,
WYF
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Apr 2006
Just about a month ago, many were shocked with the unprepared increase in petrol price and this time with a significant increase of RM0.30 per liter. The news of this increase
was kept so secretly until about 10pm before the increase the next day. SMSs were flying around, emails forwarded to relatives and friends immediately, urgent phone calls were made. Those who caught the breaking
news quickly headed for the petrol stations though it was pass sleeping time.
There were long queues at the petrol stations and they were enjoying very good business till midnight. A very big disappointment
for those whose tank are still full but for those who had an empty tank considered themselves very fortunate.
There is similar parable in the Bible (Matthew 25) about this situation. There were 10
virgins who took their lamp and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and the other five were foolish. The foolish took their lamp but not the oil but the wise took oil in jars with their lamp.
While waiting for the bridegroom, they fell asleep. When the announcement of the arrival of the bridegroom came, they all woke up to light their lamp to meet the bridegroom. But the foolish virgins did not have
any oil in their lamp and they asked the wise for some oil.
As the journey was long, the wise decline to give any oil otherwise it would not be sufficient for the long journey. So the foolish ones went away
to buy oil. So while they were away buying oil, the bridegroom came. The wise virgins who were ready went with him to the wedding banquet. When they all arrived, the doors were shut.
Much later, the foolish
virgins also came to the wedding banquet but found that the doors were shut. They call the people to open the door but were shocked with the reply, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”
Morale of the parable: - “Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
Wise or foolish is decided by we ourselves. Are we ready?
While you finish reading this article, there goes another
moment of time, gone forever. Let’s keep watch and hasten our efforts in anticipation of the Master’s return. Let’s each one, reach one … while there is still time left for us.
In His Service
AQ
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Mar 2006
In John 1:35-46 we read about the calling of the disciples of Jesus Christ. We see a very definite sequence in this passage:
- Jesus called John and John followed the Lord (35-42),
- John reached Andrew and Andrew followed the Lord,
- Andrew reached Peter and Peter followed the Lord,
- Jesus called Phillip and Phillip followed the Lord (43-46),
- Phillip reached Nathanael and Nathanael followed the Lord.
A simple yet powerful effort, each of the disciples was reached one by one! And from this group of men, the word of God was preached throughout the
land and the Gospel message went around the world. But it started with one witnessing Jesus Christ to another one.
A "witness" is someone who attests to a fact, so in order to be an effective
witness for Christ, one must have first-hand knowledge of Him. John the Apostle speaks of this in 1 John 1:1-3, when he says, "That . . . which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, of the Word of Life . . . that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." Today, we who have experienced new life in Christ simply give an account of His love and forgiveness. This
is witnessing.
In our witnessing for Christ, each one of us should have this personal responsibility that compels us wanting to live our lives so that others will see Christ living in and through us! Your
personal testimony is a powerful "silent witness" to the grace and power of God to change lives. No one can argue with your personal testimony. You are not "pointing fingers" at anyone when you
simply share what God has done for you. When relating your testimony, it is vitally important to both: "SHOW IT with your life," as well as, "SPEAK IT with your lips." We need to constantly walk
the talk, as well as continuous talk about the walk! If others see little resemblance of Christ in our life: we have very little chance of reaching them.
God has called us to be His disciples, and to share
the good news of Jesus Christ to every nation and every corner of this world. We can begin with our immediate family members, our neighbors or our office colleagues. But it must first begin with us. If only each one
of us would at least reach one, each year we could at least double the size of our congregations! Let’s REACH OUT to men through Christ given empowerment!
In His Service,
WK
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Feb 2006
Recently, our nation and perhaps our neighbor across the Causeway were shocked with grief and compassion over the news of a young and promising businessman who was tragically
killed in an accident. A cement mould weighing 720 kgs fell from the 20th floor of a building under construction on to his vehicle at that fatal moment. Along with him were his driver and wife who were seriously
injured.
This tragedy brought to us the grim reminder that not only life is transient but also that an accident of this nature can happen at anytime and anywhere on anybody. In the book of Isaiah 40:6b-7, it
was proclaimed that all mankind are like grass; they last no longer than wild flowers. Grass withers and flowers fade when the Lord sends the wind blowing over them. People are no more enduring than grass.
Since the people are no more enduring than the grass of the fields and that the great gift of salvation is offered only to those who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him from death
(Romans 10:9), how then we ought to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people we meet at our work place or in our school; in our neighborhood and at our lunch table everyday? Perhaps there are some members of
our family who may not have heard that our eternal destiny to heaven can only be through our Lord Jesus Christ who promised us in John 14:6: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one goes to the Father
except by Me".
Let us look to the Lord for help (1 Chronicles 16:11a) by providing us with the fortitude to reach out and to touch the lives of the unsaved ones. We are called to share the love of Christ
with them and to guide them on their onward way to salvation. Unless and until we make it our resolution for this New Year to do so, they would be heading for their eternal perdition away to the eternal hell.
In Colossians 4:5-6, we are called by the apostle Paul to be wise in the way we act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity we have. Our speech should always be pleasant and
interesting, and we should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
How else to make our speech interesting if it is not to testify to the unbelievers of how our God has been faithful to us even when we are faith-less to Him; loving and merciful to us in our moment of weaknesses.
Let us together at the start of this year, embrace our church theme: Each One Reach One and more for the glory of our God and His Son, Jesus Christ!
In His Service,
MG
|
|
EACH ONE, REACH ONE - Jan 2006
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, we are reminded that God has revealed to His family the wonderful plan and future He has prepared. The English Assembly leaders have recently spent
weeks in planning meetings wanting to rediscover this wonderful plan, His vision for this church. We realized we have come a long way since the start of the English worship ministry in the eighties, catering for the
needs of the emerging English speaking generation from the families worshiping at the Chinese Assembly.
Over the years, the English Assembly has grown to our current average congregation of about 80
worshippers every Lord’s Day. By God’s conviction to us, we realized we need to go back to the core business of a church and for every believer to preach the gospel, make disciples as what our Lord Jesus commanded
us to do in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). With this being in mind, our theme "Each One, Reach One" is an attempt to capture this focus and direction for us to move forward.
"Each
One, Reach One" is not only direction focused, but also action focused. We need to get into action go into the world, meet people in person, hold their hands that is you be there the way they are. If you are
different economically, culturally, socially, politically, doctrinally different from them you will not be able to hold their hand. Holding hands means being one among them. Intentionally becoming one among them
like Jesus who became one among us. Meet them as they are, where they are and guide them to the Saviour.
Can you also open your hearts and feel the yearnings of your brothers and sisters who are lonely,
despised, fearful, neglected and unloved. Reach out in understanding, clasp their hands, and invite all to share in the blessings of Christ created in the name of the One who suffered on behalf of us all.
We
applaud those of you who have been faithful in the effort to bring a friend to church with you. We also give thanks to God for the joy that comes from having new faces amongst us! If you haven't done so, try
inviting a friend to church with you. We have something wonderful to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We have a church full of resources. We need to share these gifts with others. Will you be part of our
active believers for this year? Will you bring an inactive member with you? Will you bring a potential member to an event? Can we be the voice of Jesus to those who are searching God all over in ways and means best
known to them? Can we share the gospel? Can we share Jesus? Will you be ready to reach at least one in this coming year?
Today is the New Year day: a time for reflection, resolutions and rededications. And
whether our goals be to tithe more faithfully, reconcile with someone we have hurt, or stop continuing old habits and sins
which are displeasing to God don’t wait any more longer but make your life a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God! Through Him, we can each one, reach one.
In His Service
QWK
|
|
