Was reading the below devotion this morning, and it sure reminded me how important it is to take every opportunity we got to share and talk abt Christ to the people we meet each day, if not one day we might regret it if we miss that divine chance to prepare one for eternity...
EVERYDAY WITH JESUS- SELWYN HUGHES
Ready and Alert
13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fearb]">[b]; do not be frightened."c]">[c]15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:15-17
George Barna, a Christian researcher, says that seven out of ten Christians who share their faith with others come away feeling they have failed. Fear of failure is one of the chief reasons why people fail to share their faith. When we fear something we avoid it. Unless we have a disciplined approach to sharing our faith with others it simply will not get done.
In my youth I was encouraged to share Christ with someone every day, and to be alert to every opportunity. At the age of eighteen I was drafted into the mines to do a two-year period of national service. The mining industry was more in need of help than the Armed forces so I found myself, much against my will, working in a coal mine, One morning, deep underground, I turned to the young man next to me and though I did not feel in an evangelistic mood asked him if he had ever thought seriously about where he would spend eternity. He said he hadn’t, and that led to an interesting few minutes at the end of which he accepted Christ. This conversation took place during an official break, of course; it would be wrong to evangelize when paid to do something else. An hour later this young man lay dead- killed by a large stone that fell from the roof and literally flattened him. Were it not for disciplined sharing I might have missed the opportunity to prepare him for eternity. Honesty compels me to admit, however, that over the years I have missed more opportunities than I have taken.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Below is the script of my sharing at the recent TP Campus Crusade for Christ Life Meeting on 27 October 2010...
SEIZING YOUR DIVINE MOMENT
I’m really so blessed to be given this opportunity to share what God has taught me and shown me over the years in my 3 years in TP campus crusade. I still remember it all started when I was surveyed like most of you guys at the bridge at TP by my former TP crusade staff Irene. After that very day, the Lord has molded me so much in my time in TP before I enlisted in the army… The various spiritual leaders that I have encountered has greatly influence how I led my life on campus and how i led my life after my sch days...
Before i start....
I wld like to share this statement below that I have learnt in my times in crusade which has change my perspective of how I view in life...
“ARE YOU A STUDENT SO HAPPENED TO BE A CHRISTIAN? OR ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN CALLED TO BE A STUDENT”
You have ONLY ONE LIFE to LIVE!
You got a choice how you want to live it…
1) Your Own Way (You get tired after a while trying to meet your own standards)
2) God’s Way (Exciting path that unveils each day you step unto campus)
“We are always just one choice from a different life. At our worst, good is only one decision away”
“The good news is that when you choose the good, when you choose to move with God on His adventure, nothing can stop you from fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.”
1) KNOWING your TRUE IDENTITY
The worlds have this idea.. e.g.They like to have motivational talks abt THINKING you are the best in class, THINKING that you are the best in what you do! THINKING you are good…etc… it’s this action of…”Thinking to being it… then you are being it. I’m not saying the former is wrong…
However, I would choose to suggest, the other way round, YOU ARE… than you be it.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world . A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men , that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16
This verses alone, says what we are. It starts with “YOU ARE”, so it’s we are a Child of God and thus we are being it first, before it leads to us to do anything. But taking in considering next that being it means that we ought to live out the purpose that we are all called to be.
It’s like in a game of “polar bear”, “Bang”, “Murderer”, we play the roles of our character’s identity. Like if we know our Identity in Christ is…we know how to be it!
“And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:6
“… to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” 1 thessalonians 2:12
2) BEING GOD’S WORKMANSHIP
"8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For WE ARE God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."Ephesians 2:8-10
Couple Sundays ago I was teaching my sec 2 kids on other religions and Christianity. Its not about doing all the good deeds and works we etc, it’s because of God’s Grace given to us, that we are SAVED, that we are Christians! And its out of the Love of Christ that We want to do the good works for him!
“who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 timothy 1:9
God needs to be involved in every aspect of our life we do, e.g. in school, our workplace, if not it’s POINTLESS. He and HE ALONE is the only REALITY. It’s POINTLESS to expend your energy in things that God is not in the picture. Through this act, of just living out of Faith is a form of Worship to God, and this set as APART from this world!
As it says in Psalm 127:1 “Unless the LORD builts the house, the builders labour in vain.”
And because of how we live our life different, it give us a credibility and opportunities to talk abt our Faith… this leads to my final point which I want to share the most upon….
3) SEIZING YOUR DIVINE MOMENT FOR GOD
The Great Commission!
For me I’m commissioned as an officer of the SAF by the president, but in contrast to that, WE are ALL COMMISSIONED by GOD!!! And that’s is a great task that God have commanded us all to do!
18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.Matthew 28:18-20
IT ALL STARTS WITH EACH and everyone one of us right here on campus! How can we stand out! And be that LIGHT! How can we be that contagious Christian! How we take opportunities! To SEIZE the divine moments!
MISSION TRIPS everywhere. It doesn't need to be overseas, it can be right where we are right here on campus! Each day stepping into campus is a mission trip itself!
Just remember this... KNOWING... BEING...& SEIZING!
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU!
PRAY FOR THAT DIVING OPPORTUNITY! SEIZE THAT DIVINE MOMENT FOR GOD!
TP Campus Crusade weekly Weds Life Meeting's at the Amphitheatre...
MOVEMENTS EVERYWAY SO THAT SOMEONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO TRULY FOLLOWS JESUS! =)
“A LIFE TOUCH BY GOD ALWAYS ENDS IN TOUCHING OTHERS”
Statistics has shown that sports ministry is a great tool for evangelism. Guard the fruits of it. Youth More Than Goal (YMTG) in the recent SYOG movement, 320 people accepted Christ.
Sports Ministry is a process...which will lead to the OUTREACHOF PRE-BELIEVERS through the RELATIONAL interaction of the Church players and Friends!
(Refer to the ENGEL Scale... bringing a believer or pre-believer to a step closer to God each day)
Just came back from Day 2 of the Sports Symposium and is really inspired right now to be part of this sports ministry movement for Christ!!! I really want to thanks Rev John Boyers, Jeff Martin and the many other likeminded christian friends who really just made me so encouraged at how sports ministry is growing in Singapore and the World today!!!! =)
"Bridges to reach the World Through Sports"- Jeff Martin (FCA Vice President of Camps & Campus Ministry)
Today was the first session of the SPORTS SYMPOSIUM at The Emmanuel house!And i wld say i'm certainly glad i sign up for this course! With key speakers such as Rev John Boyer better known as the Chaplain to Manchester United Football Club. Jeff Martin is the vice president of Camps & Campus Ministry of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). And Jon Hamilton who has a vast coaching CV and last year Jon became one of the youngest people ever to receive the top coaching license in Europe, the UEFA ‘A’ badge from the English FA.
I'm sure i can learn a lot abt sports ministry from this various people the next few days! Besides them, i sure enjoyed the company there too, meeting a lot of people who made an impact in my life like my secondary sch soccer coach and other sports ministry people whom I met in someway or another in the last few years! And the amazing thing abt such an event was they were all gathered in one same place.
After thinking for the longestttttttttt time how much we miss those bible study sessions we use to had last time. I believe today I saw a glimpse of a start of a revival in our grp again after coming together to share and really just pray!
During the sharing we realized is more than just meeting up like any other social grp for lunch, gatherings and talking abt surface things to one another... I mean all this are the good, but are the basic things our grp can do first, but after much thought to it, its so much moreee than that! As a small grp we are set apart from a normal social grp! We are a grp of Christians who professed the same Faith! And as a small grp we come together for the intention of encouraging each other with God's word, fellowship(over meals =D) and especially praying together as well! And all this is what God actually said and shown to the early Christian grps coming together in the below text.
GOD’S CLAY 09 OCTOBER 2010
The Believers Form a Community
“ 41-42That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
43-45Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
46-47They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.” Acts 2:42-46 (The Message)
From Verse 41-42...
1)Teaching of the Apostles (Hearing the teaching of God's word thru the Pastors in Church)
2)The Life Together (The Fellowship and sharing of lives!)
3)The Common Meal (meals together!)
4)The Prayers (We are Professing our Faith when we come together to pray as a grp!)
At the end of the really lovely discussion and sharing ... we read this text about prayer and we just PRAYED. Trusting that God can keep our grp going strong again...
Instruction about Prayer
1It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."
2And He said to them, "(A)When you pray, say: '[a]Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3'Give us (B)each day our daily bread. 4'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who (C)is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
5Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8"I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet (D)because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9"So I say to you, (E)ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10"For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
11"Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12"Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13"(F)If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Luke 11:1-13 (New American Standard Bible)
Day 1 of my OFF day! Had a good day today shopping with ethel & jem as i got pretty good fashion tips from them before I actually invested in 2 pretty good pair of jeans! Besides that really enjoyed the christian coaches session sharing at night which i attended after the shopping spree. Decided to bring ethel & wenhao along too since i planned to go for this session before hand. And i would say i really enjoyed my short time there when it came to the sharing part...
It was really interesting how although we were randomly split-ed into 3 different grps. And not everyone in the grp know each other really well, somehow the sharing abt authentic community really brought us to really be AUTHENTIC with each other and the Holy spirit certainly did move in our sharing, as it prompted us to openly share abt our opinions and led to a friend of mine in that grp sharing his personal testimony which encourage me so much to see how God was working in his life. I really didnt know much abt this friend life till todays session actually. And now i can certainly see that God sure is moving thru peoples life out there! =)
After that session, i had a really good time talking to my good friends wenhao and ethel over supper, this was when i guess was another good time of what i wld say are an authentic friendship where we can be just so open and honest when talking to each other. This are friendship which i wld treasure for life. =)
"9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:9-13
