JURONG OUTREACH - JUN 05

A STRANGE THING
5 Jun 05

I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing” (Hosea 8:12). Israel was the “apple of God’s eye” (Deut. 32:10). He reared, taught and trained them in the ways of righteousness. Through his law, he sought to mold and shape their minds to walk in the paths of things divine.

God’s law was an expression of God’s love and concern for the nation. Every demand and prohibition was penned in their best interest. Through his divine precepts, God sought to insulate Israel from the idolatrous ways of the heathen nations and all the sins that flowed therefrom. However, Israel had no appetite for God’s decrees, thus viewing them as something foreign and undesirable.

God loves the church. Hallowed blood is evidence of the depth of that love. The great heart of God beats with fervent concern for the welfare of spiritual Israel. The law of Christ is designed to shield the church from error and sin and thus, promote truth and righteousness. Every mandate therein was inscribed with man’s earthly happiness and eternal security in mind.

Sadly, there are many within the church who view the law of God as a “strange thing.” They have developed a palate for human philosophies that appease, soothe and satisfy as opposed to divine truths that disturb, reprove and expose.

He concludes with excitement about  our “rethinking and renewing worship.”

They cry with ancient Judah, “speak unto us smooth things” (Isa. 30:10).

The church is replete with people who want religion without sacrifice, grace without law and Christ without a cross. Thus, they view the restricting, demanding, prohibiting will of God with disdain. Like the apostate heirs of Sinai, “they despise the law of the Lord” (Amos 2:4).

There is a “famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Human interest stories, philosophy and personal experiences are serving as empty substitutes for a “thus saith God.” Bible-centered preaching has become a lost art in many pulpits. Tragically, the church has its own who count the law of God as a “strange thing.”
 

LEARNING TO WORSHIP

An article written by Rubel Shelly of Nashville,Tennessee on July 29, 1990 entitled “Learning to Worship”.  In this article, Rubel criticizes “our own narrow experience” of worship and calls for  “creativity.”  He writes “...we have made the experience of public worship boring and unattractive to many Christians.  Futhermore, we have made our public assemblies into inappropriate and uninviting contexts for unbelievers.”

And how have we done this?  According to Rubel, it is our “traditional instruction-based services.” He calls for “assembly settings directed to the “unchurched...drama or musical presentations.”   He further writes, “They (unbelievers) don’t come to gospel meetings which are built on our traditional pattern of a few congregational songs, a prayer, and a half-hour lecture.  So perhaps we should try something a bit more creative.  Maybe we would catch more flies with honey than with whatever else we have been perceived as offering.”

Rubel believes that “people can be reached” with the truth, but that the problem is “how it is packaged.”  He concludes with excitement about  our “rethinking and renewing worship.”

True and acceptable worship is not a matter of “our own narrow experience” or “creativity,” but that which is revealed by the Word of God.  If worshiping God in His way through prayer, spiritual song, preaching, giving, and the Lord’s Supper is “boring and unattractive,” or “inappropriate and uninviting,” it is no fault of God’s!  The problem lies in the human heart and the worship of God must never be altered to satisfy man (John 4:23-24).

The Bible teaches us to sing psalms, which often are words of prayers (Ep 5:19).  But, for some to sing, while others are partaking the Lord’s Supper or when the preacher is preaching the contributing bags are being pass around for members to give is confusing and out of order (1 Cor 14:33, 40). Such a mixture of worship is without Biblical authority. 

“Instruction-based services” are as “traditional” as the New Testament.  Spiritual songs, fervent prayers, and Gospel preaching have not only edified God’s people, but converted many a sinner.  We are not “catching flies” but  “saving souls,” and the Gospel is the only “honey” that will do it (Rom 1:16).  We gather to worship, not put on a show! Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32), not “And I, if I be “packaged” in a pretty box with a ribbon on top.”

NEEDLESSLY BLIND
12 Jun 05

Rose Crawford was blind for fifty years. Then she underwent delicate surgery in an Ontario hospital. "I just can't believe it," she gasped, as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes. For the first time in her life she saw a beautiful world of form and colour.

Now here is the stunning part of the story! Twenty years of her blindness had been completely unnecessary. The surgical techniques used could have given her vision when she was thirty; the operation had already been perfected then. The doctor said, "She just figured there was NOTHING that could be done about her condition."

Why did Rose Crawford live 20 years assuming her situation was hopeless? Possibly she was not looking for a remedy, had given up hope, or perhaps those who knew of the operation just never told her about it.

Millions of people walk in spiritual blindness TODAY unaware of the terrible consequences (see Matthew 22:13); Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(Matthew 25:30) And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Yet, they are needlessly blind, for there IS a remedy. Why do they continue groping in darkness?

Two reasons: Some have QUIT searching, assuming their condition is hopeless. Such could not be further from the truth. God has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide a cure for spiritual blindness. The Cure is found through His Son Jesus, the "Light of the World."

Those who will turn to the LIGHT (Jesus) in faith (Acts 16:31) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house, turning from the sins of darkness in repentance (Acts 17:30-31) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. confessing Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. are delivered by God "from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col 1:13).

Then "-IF- we walk in the LIGHT as He is in the LIGHT, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

Others stumble in spiritual darkness because no one has shared the LIGHT with them. If you are following Jesus, will you not encourage others to do the same? Of Christians, Peter said, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet 2:9).

Jesus said, "I am the LIGHT of the world... He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the LIGHT of LIFE" (John 8:12).

Needlessly blind? What a terrible thought - especially when there is a Cure!

Will YOU not come to Jesus to receive your sight and allow His LIGHT to guide you through this DARK world?

Will YOU not also encourage others to do the same?

REFLECTIONS ON THE CAMP
19 Jun 05

The spirit is indeed high and we have come away from this camp tired physically but “recharged” spiritually.  Below is a summary on the thoughts of the campers on what they have learnt from the camp.

What have we learnt from the lessons taught in this camp?

We are very motivated to become  better servants of God.  We realize that everyone should find a place of service in the local congregation.  This is where we can use our talents and energy to serve the Lord together with our brethren as a family. When one is alone, he is limited in strength and when he is down, there’s no one to lift him up (Ecc 4:9-12). We should learn to work with others in the family. Our Lord has taught us that brethren should work together, allowing our differences to be our strength and not hindrances.

Remembering that every part of the body is important, we are reminded of the various works of the Church that we can each serve in. We could use our eyes to watch out for one another, our ears to listen to our troubled brethren, our hands to uplift one another, our feet to bring the gospel to the lost and our heart to forgive and love those around us. (Rom 12:4-8;1 Cor 12:14-26)

Every member is to evangelise ( Mtt 28:19-20, Jas 5:19-20  ). Every member is to be equipped to defend our faith. (1Pet 3:15; Jude 3) Our Lord has commissioned everyone of us to do this. He is not asleep, He is not on a journey far away.  He knows our work. ( Rev 2:2,9,13,19; Rev 3:1,8,15)

What have we learnt from the games played in this camp?

The games planned for us though are a little complicated at times but they were fun.  We laughed a lot and we had fun. We have learnt that some rules have to be changed as we go along because of unforeseen circumstances.  This led to confusion and unhappiness. For a moment, we forgot ourselves and went off the mark. This was the “dark minutes” of our stay. But we learnt a great lesson from this. We learnt that we are not perfect. We do sin against God and our brethren by our lack of self-control and thoughtless speech. Nevertheless, it ended well when we all realize our mistake and repent thereof.  We have grown more mature as we learn to forbear and forgive. We have learnt that going the second mile means to give in, even in a seemingly unfair situation. (Mt 5:38-42 ) What is more important is to have a team spirit, be creative, be sporting and have fun together.

What have we learnt from preparing for the skit in this camp?

The hidden talents of our brethren shone forth here as we put our heads together to prepare for the skit. Some were brave to act in front of many while others showed their talents in making probs. Here we learn to sacrifice our leisure time for the sake of others. We learn to put sleep, leisure, and even children aside so as to come together to get the work done.

All in all, we have learnt that there is a part for everyone in the vineyard of the Lord. If we learn self-discipline and sacrifice, we can do much for the Lord in His Church.  We have to be ready to preach the word and to defend it with our lives. We have to submit one to another and to put our love for one another into action. That will make our family in Jurong great.  I am proud to be part of this family and I believe you are too. This has been the best camp so far and I know it will get better each year. Let’s look forward to camp 2006, if the Lord wills.

THREE 'R's OF PARENTING
26 Jun 05

THE Book of Proverbs is filled with passages on the subject of parenting.  Prov 29:15 says, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” This passage shows the effects of both good and bad parenting.  God did not create man to train himself by his own wisdom.  Paul wrote, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” (1 Cor 3:18-20). Parents need God’s wisdom in the inspired Word.  Look at some aspects of parenting which are found in the Scriptures for instruction.

Role Models.  A critical aspect of parenting is being the proper example to a child.  Many children are brought into this world by some male and female only to be abandoned for someone else to take responsibility for rearing them.  There are even children who live in the same house with their biological parents, yet spend very little time with them due to busy business schedules or various personal interests that exclude the kids.  Children “left to themselves” find other people or things fill up the void in place of their parents

Those “surrogates” in many cases do not hold the moral and spiritual values needed for the proper development of a child.  Some professional athletes clearly proclaim “I am not a role model” to keep young people from following their lives in spite of their great popularity.  Youth, especially adolescents, are looking to build their own identity.  They see people who look successful in the media and emulate their character.  “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” (Pro 23:26).  If parents abandon, abuse, or neglect their responsibility to lead, their children will look elsewhere.

Reproof.  Another critical aspect of parenting is guidance and correction.  Rearing an immature human being from birth to adulthood is a great challenge to all parents.  Solomon said of this immature state, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Pro 22:15) “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.” (Pro 25:15)  One must not take this verse by itself to be God’s total instruction for correction.  Words are needed with correction.  If a child does not understand why he received punishment for a certain act, then a perverted understanding will come of discipline. 

Scripture also teaches that words without penalties are incomplete guidance. “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. (Pro 23:13-14).  Solomon is not saying a child should be abused or physically injured; the word “beat” could be translated “clap” or “ to strike lightly.” Again, “chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Pro 19:18). 

All children need to know that freedom to choose either right or wrong does not free one from the consequences of doing wrong.  The loving discipline of godly parents is far better than the cruel treatment of the far country.

Refuge.  Another critical aspect of parenting is providing a safe and secure place called home.  A home is not just a place where one is fed, clothed, and sheltered.  Physical necessities are only a small part of the needs of children.  There is the emotional, mental and especially spiritual development that is needed by children in those critical “growing up” years.  The dwelling place of the family should be a place where peace is found.  It is natural for adolescents to spend more and more time away from their parents to develop relationships with others outside their own immediate family.  However, some children leave because they do not consider their homes as great a refuge as they do the places where their peers reside.  The turmoil lived out in so many families makes the home more a place of war than of peace.  Solomon wrote, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith” (Pro 15:17).  Home is a place where children should want to live, not just have to live.

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 God’s Child

Her neck stretches to see. Is he listening?  Is he behaving himself? It was such a short time ago when she would complain “I did not hear a word the preacher spoke,” but now her thoughts are distracted for another reason.  Now her children are not beside her-they are “too big.” Her arms ache for a child squirming in her arms all through worship service.  She stands to sing, and her body sways as if rocking a child.  Where did the years go? Was it worth all those frustrating Sunday mornings? Wednesday nights?  Oh, there he is, Look at him… he’s singing.  His eyes are attentive.  She feels so much joy.  Look! There’s my child.  No.  He’s God’s child!