Spent the entire day doing up this summarised personal timeline of God's fingerprints in my life just before I start my journey at Trinity Theological College in less than a couple weeks time. This is a revised note to a similar one I posted last year to also remind myself again how and why I started this Faith adventure with the Lord into full time ministry today. The part 2 is also an extract of a question posted to us on our present understanding full time service as part of our Spiritual Autobiography in my initial application to study at Trinity Theological College (TTC).
Part 1 - My Spiritual Autobiography
Part 2 - My Present Understanding of Full-time Service
I once heard from a church leader that once you’re a Christian, “We are actually all called to be full time service for our Lord." However, you are either full time ministers for the Lord in the market place or vocationally full time ministers in a church, Para-church organisation or in the mission field.
My present understanding of full time service means that I am able to focus my entire time and energy to prepare myself to the specific call of the ministry that God has called me too.
Ever since I sense God’s confirmation for me to full time service on 17 Jan 2009 see (Reflections of God's fingerprints in my life! (Part 1/2) ), there have been this deep hunger in my heart to search, seek, study to find out more of this God of mysteries. The more I study and read His scriptures, the more I realised there’s so much of God which I do not know, and it’s such a thrill just discovering his hidden treasures. As said in Ephesians 3:3-5, “... the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.”
There’s this quote by Selwyn Hughes which just resonates in my heart.
"God plans life in such a way that the greatest treasures are concealed, waiting for you to discover them. And there is no thrill like the thrill of making a great discovery." - Selwyn Hughes
Ever since I started working full time as a staff in the Youth Ministry in church, it has definitely assured my call even more each day. Being able to live out my passion to minister to the youths and leaders and to be so directly involved in ministry in all areas of my life has definitely been a great privilege for me. And it’s such an intrinsic joy to see lives being transformed by God in my time serving here thus far.
“Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”- WarrenW. Wiersbe, “On Being a Servant of God”
My Personal Time Line:
Below are just some of the significant events that have made some what of an impact in my life to my call in ministry today.
1989- 2005- Growing up days (The Prevenient Grace of God)
Looking back, I’m grateful that I was born into a Christian family. Like what John Wesley would probably say, it was because of this that the prevenient grace of God could have led me to Christ eventually. In my growing up days, I just followed my parents to church each Sunday. Heard from my parent’s that I accepted Jesus Christ into my life when I was about 4 years old.
2005- (9 Dec)- YM Camp 2005 (God's Transformation in my life)
Had my first real encounter of God's manifest presence in my life at the age of 16 years old despite growing up in the faith. My life was never the same again after this camp.
"The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become... It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own." - C. S. Lewis
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2008/04/my-personal-life-changing-testimony.html
2006 (Jan)- Step up as a Youth Leader in YM (Started peer leading)
2006 (Feb)- Joined the Crosstrainers Sub-ministry (The YM Activities Ministry)
2006 (May)- Joined CRU Singapore (Formerly known Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ)
I’mthankful for this amazing season, serving in CRU Singapore (Formerly known Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ) from 2006-2009 as a student on campus. This is the ministry whichequipped me greatly especially in the area of Discipleship & Evangelism. Inmy later years started to serve as a Spiritual Multiplier (SM), the ServantTeam (ST) and then eventually the Student Coordinator (SC) for the ministry.This exposure equipped me greatly in Christian leadership planning for eventsfor the Christians on campus and mentoring the future leaders in the ministry.Being involved in this Para-church ministry also allowed me to understand thedifferent theological views from my Christian brothers and sisters fromdifferent denominations.
2006- (2 Sep)- YM Leaders Retreat (My Strangely Warmed Experience)
Probably my first powerful encounter of the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" after YM Camp 2005. When I felt that "strangely warmed" experienced.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/a-strangely-warmed-experience/10150501640562315
2007- (13 Dec)- YM Camp 2007 (Heard God's Audible Voice...)
On the first day of YM camp 200, after a message on hearing God's voice by Pastor Alvin Chan, he asked everyone to quieten their hearts and hear what God want to tell us abt out destiny... The thought of "to minister to others" kept appearing in my mind. I believed it was from God. "...and after that I heard this AUDIBLE VOICE, it sounded like someone I knew but wasn't at that camp at my left side of my ears. And it was just this 2 words.... "HEY BEN" ... till today I've never experience anything like that before. And looking back I think this could be an initial call for me just like how God spoke audibly to Samuel.
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2007/12/wesley-ym-camp-2007-at-singapore-sports.html
2008- (17 Jan)- A Personal Devotion (God opened my heart to be ready for His Call)
An extract of a of my devotion... "EVERYDAY WITH JESUS" by Selwyn Hughues.....
Before i started today QT... I told God to continue to reveal to me his purpose and calling for me, and basically to really speak to my heart... and well today passage was base on "Judges 5:1-18... Some will find the year ahead to be one of the most exciting of their lives, and will be determined to respond to all the challenges God gives them. Others of us, I am afraid, will be like Asher who "sat still by the seaboard,clinging to his Creeks" (V.17)
The passage is questioning us if we are that "CREEK-Minded" Christian like Asher in (V.17) or an OCEAN-minded Christian where you are ready to accept all the plans God has for you who is willing to lose the little in order to reach out the BIG. As I read the latter again, it spoke to me.... Am I really READY for the BIG THING GOD has for me? I responded and confidently said a resounding... YES! But right now i'm just waiting for that continual assurance of what really my TRUE Calling really is! And when i'm that sure! I will go for it!... is it to be used by God in the market place? or serve Him in a Full time vocation? Thats an area of my life that I will continue to Trust the Lord as I live each day for HIM....
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2008/01/my-450-post-god-is-so-amazing.html
2008- (7 Oct)- CRU Singapore Wordwide Day of Prayer Meeting (Dreaming with God)
I was in this prayer room called the “Dreams & Destiny” room. And as I was just being still and waiting upon the Lord, for the first time ever, I experience a very strong sense of God speaking to my heart, it was so real that questions that was on my mind was being responded by God immediately on my mind. It was as though it was a two way conversation with God, and I just had to write everything that was being said to me at that time. It started when I just openly asked God in faith for his call for my life.
As I asked him where specifically, Psalms 37:3-5 came to my mind, "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this." I knew this desires of my heart, wasn’t my desires but as I delight in the Lord, he will place His desires into my desires. And it made so much sense at that point of time. And then the phrase "From the Inside out" came into my mind, an interpretation came quite immediately and this was what was impressed on my heart that very day in that prayer meeting. “To reach out to the world, by starting with equipping the people in the church to prepare them for outreach to the World.”
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2008/10/dreaming-with-god.html
2009- (17 Jan)- Fellowship of Burning Hearts Retreat (God's Confirmation Call for my life)
On 17 Jan 2009 was where I got the confirmation of God’s Call for me. I attended this retreat called "Fellowship of the Burning Hearts (FBH) under CRU Singapore (Formerly known as campus crusade for christ) where a selected few graduating students who have some desires or questions about full time ministry came together to seek God's calling.
I still remember the speaker shared on these 3 points that may help us discern that call. Firstly, the Providential Call, incidences or events that have happened before, Secondly, the Charismatic call, spiritual gifts that God give one, and lastly, the Heart Call, where deep in your heart you actually know that you know that God has called you somewhere, but sometimes we are to afraid to verbalized it out to others, as we are afraid to be verbally accountable for it, and when he said that, I felt a deep conviction for it, as that was the feeling I was feeling at that time.
However, I still desired more confirmation, I prayed before I slept that night and in my amazement, I actually had a dream of where I was in my bed there was a signboard in front of me that said “Just Say it”. I woke up the next morning, recalling what had happened, and still wanted more confirmation from God’s Word itself and not have a dream determined my future, so decided to spend some time with the Lord, and my devotional reading of that day was taken from Hebrews 3:1-11 and when it came to verse 7-8 it said, "So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..." , there and then, a deep conviction resonated in my heart again, as I knew that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me all these while, and flashes of my initial call came back to me again. And I knew when the Lord said, “God is faithful always, just be obedient to His call”. I knew I cannot run away already, and there and then I prayed and committed myself to response to His call on the spot.
When I thought that was it, God just assured me yet again when I went home that afternoon to share with my parents about it, my mom responded that the devotional book that I use to read a year ago also spoke to my sister today too for a different matter in her life. And then a flash back came to me that exactly 1 year ago on 17 Jan 2008, I wrote an entry on my blog about this same devotional reading that my sister is using now. And when I searched back to that post, this was what I wrote, “I was ready to be that “OCEAN-minded” Christian who is ready to accept all the plans God has for me, and that I’m willing to lose the little in order to reach out the BIG.” And I left an open questioned at the end, “that I’m all ready to be fully used by God, but didn’t know if it’s going to be in the market place or to be in full-time ministry?”
And now exactly 1 year later on 17 Jan 2009, God answered that open question to Him. I was just in awe, I knew this was one of the many “providential calls” that the speaker the night before was talking about.
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2009/01/i-have-received-gods-call.html
2009 (Jan)- Step down from peer leading my own small group to take a Sec 1 group in YM
2009 (13 Jul) - 2011 (12 May) - Full Time Nation Service (NSF)
Godhas developed me greatly in the 2 years serving full time in the National Service. Going through the mental & physical demands in BMT, OCS & later as a platoon commander.
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2011/05/my-nsf-journey-13-july-09-to-12-may.html
2010 (Dec)- Stepped Down from Cross-trainers (The YM activities ministry)
2010 (Dec)- Joined YMove (The YM Mission Committee)
On 4 Jan 2011, just few months before my Operationally Ready Date (ORD) from the National Service, I was contemplating deeply on 2 possible paths after my ORD. Firstly, I was seriously considering the option of extending my contract in the SAF for awhile after many opportunities to sign on came. Secondly, to explore a new area of ministry in church in the area of Sport’s ministry, which I left of as a sports intern before going into National Service.
I left with this prayer "Dear Lord, Where do you want to sent me next? I believe i'm ready to step into the area you want me to go!"
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2011/01/where-sld-i-go-next.html
The next day on 5 Jan 2011. Met up with Pastor Alvin Chan the next day for some pastoral advice, and he told me there weren’t any job opportunities as a staff in sports ministry at that point of time, but this was what shocked me, the previous YM programme coordinator actually just left for a career change, and now they were actually looking for someone to replace him. And the amazing thing was I didn’t even know he was planning to leave. I knew there and then that this was a door opening for me to serve in. Back into the very ministry that God has place such strong passion and desires in my heart all this while. And that was with the youths in the ministry that I have grown up in.
http://benlau89.blogspot.sg/2011/01/god-answers-to-my-previous-post.html
2011 (16 May)- Full Time staff in Wesley Youth Ministry
Began my journey as a full time staff in the youth ministry as a programme coordinator (youth worker)
2011 (The entire year)- Journey towards YM Camp 2011 (Seeing a glimpse of God's vision taking place in my life)
"To go into FAITH adventures with the Lord where i have never been before!"- One of my main new year resolution for 2011 on 1 Jan 2011.
In the beginning process of planning camp, God reminded me to re-look into the calling that He has called me. Dated back on 7 October 2008 at a Campus Crusade World wide day of prayer meeting. This was what was He impressed on my heart on that very day, “To reach out to the world, by starting with equipping the people in the church to prepare them for outreach to the World.” And now YM Camp 2011 is over, and going in to the year 2012, where the YM theme is followed up on SHINE FORTH: Light Up The World...its like a glimpse of that vision really coming true?
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/my-personal-journey-of-ym-camp-2011-shine-forth-light-up-the-world/10150428786662315
2011 (Oct)- Journey being in a Mentoring Group, (The beginning of the "BPX" band)
John Wesley the founder of the Methodist movement initiated this small covenant discipleship support group known as the “bands”where members were accountable to each other. They confessed their faults to one to another, prayed for each other, and stirred up one another to love and good works.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/my-personal-journey-in-a-band/10151392895482315
2012- (30Jun to 10 July)- Hillsong Conference 2012
Spent one of the most memorable 10 days of my life in Sydney with a bunch of wonderful people as we all attended our first ever Hillsong Conference 2012 together and came back so inspired & bless from the conference!
We want to keep that flame going on and not let it just be a "spiritual high" experience that we experience and leave it behind when reality kicks in! Like what Joyce Meyer said in her sermon on spiritual maturity, "we shouldn't just go from conferences to conferences, hear inspiring sermons, feel good like a sniff of a perfume and then go back to our worldly lifestyles. We need to take it back and study it!" Below are a couple of links of my internalised thoughts of what God has inspired & revealed to me in this conference! :)
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/sermon-notes-from-speaker-sessions-electives-from-hillsong-conference-2012-part-/10150891851882315
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/personal-reflections-from-hillsong-conference-2012-part-22/10150893587612315
2012- (7-9 Sep)- Young Methodist Leaders Conference (YMLC)
This YMLC has definitely assured me of my calling again,especially in the specific area of the pastoral call in a methodist church after I responded to the call on the last day after a closing message by Dr Ed Pousson on "Remember your roots, remember your future..."
This conference just made me so proud to have been brought up as a methodist which such a rich heritage left of by John Wesley, more than 200 years ago. And now we are the generation to carry on that Wesleyan flame! :)
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/reflections-sermon-notes-from-young-methodist-leaders-conference-ymlc-2012/10151001352397315
2012 (8 Oct) - My Present Theological Framework
Developed this mind map of my present theological understanding of God in this framework on how we should live out life for Him in accordance to “Missio dei” (God's Mission), influence from the few mission trainings that i've been exposed too the past 2 years & "order of our salvation" according to John Wesley.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/whats-your-theological-framework-of-god-8-oct-2012/10151075622872315
2012 (Dec) - YM Camp 2012 & Cambodia Mission Trip
YM Camp 2012 Reflections
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/ym-camp-2012-roots-to-fruit-reflections/10151127881687315
YMove Cambodia Mission Trip Reflections
2013- (Jan to April)- TRACKERS 2013 (Intensive Discipleship Journey)
This 3months being involved in this intensive discipleship programme as one of the mentors as been one of the most rewarding ministry that i've ever been involved. Being able to journey with an amazing team of youths from different methodist churches and even going on a mission trip with them and still maintaining the spiritual friendships formed from the 3 mths spent together.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/pre-mission-trip-reflections-trackers-2013/10151232539617315
https://www.facebook.com/notes/benjamin-lau/trackers-mission-trip-reflections-18feb-to-1mar-2013/10151255570282315
2013- (18 June)- Wesley Methodist Church Camp 2013 (A re-ignited fire)
"We want to run to the Altar..and catch the Fire"... This line just kept resonating in my heart as Ps Benny Ho shared the story of how this heartfelt song came about at his final session at the Wesley Church Camp on day 4 morning. And when he gave the altar call after his final message, my heart was jumping so hard that I knew God wanted me to run back to the altar to catch this renewed fire from God! And I will always remember this very morning on 18 June 2013...At that very altar, God brought me again to this deep intimate experience of God's fire in my belly to pursue the big dreams that he has place in my heart for His church! And looking back at all the Wesley Church Camps (not including YM Camps) i've been too, I never expected to have such a deep encounter of God's presence like this until this very church camp! :)
2013- (1 Jul)- Beginning of my new journey in Trinity Theological College (TTC)
(The Future- ?) - On this exciting journey stepping into Faith Adventures with the Lord each and everyday! :)
"God plans life in such a way that the greatest treasures are concealed, waiting for you to discover them. And there is no thrill like the thrill of making a great discovery."- Selwyn Hughes
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