Church Trek: The Next Generation

Jesus' Facebook Profile -
Haha... it's a bit irreverent at times, but just thot it's a cool, FB-ised version of the Life of Christ seminar that we just came back from yesterday.

And! Wow, had a good time of jogging today with Andrew (my neighbour) around Bishan Active Park. Then went off to meet Shuyi to do job search together. Then went for Life of Christ conference. And after that, Andrew jio-ed me for supper with his Poly gang... got to know some more brothers from the Poly side - Nicholas and Richie. Also got to hear Ps Jasmine share very excitedly about some Poly stuff with the bros and sisters...

Wow, really want to thank God for this joy and excitement, being able to personally witness God's powerful Spirit at work in all our ministries, be it HopeKids, Youth, Uni-YA, PolyDINS, NS, Adults and even Family ministries!

To be honest, in a way, it feels a bit like visiting so many different "churches" in the same church, if you know what I mean. 'Cos generally all our services for the different life-stations tend to be self-contained. While that kind of arrangement has advantages, it also has a big disadvantage in the sense that you lack exposure to other life-stations.

So this bro and I had been discussing the possibility of a cross-generational kind of ministry. Not ministry as in the official/formal sense, but ministry as in meeting the needs of others. And we can start small by organizing cross-generational activities - be it writing, playing soccer/ basketball, chess, or Nerf gun battles...

I've shared before abt how I have breakfast regularly with one of the ex-HopeKids "graduates", Joel. He's now helping out as a helper in the HopeKids service, even tho he's in the Youth service now. It's a great blessing and, I think, a privilege to be able to be invited into friendship with a different generation, be it older or younger.

And last Saturday, one friend from the Family group shared with me his/her concern abt his/her son's issues with some people in his CG. I'm touched that he/she shared about such things... but I'm also v inspired by his/her sweet and noble heart to see his/her son serve God faithfully.

Wow. Very encouraging! The family of God really knows no boundaries, be it social, economic, educational or age... we are all one in Christ!

Psalm 145:4
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

In this day and age, when people are starting to disparage the importance and the beauty of the Church, the body of Christ, the family of God, the city of the living God... I think 'tis so impt then to remind the generation after us how God is going to build His church.

Like what Jasmine shared so well:

"We don't keep replacing the foundations every time our people move from one life-station to another. No, we build each foundation upon each other, build, build and build up."

And that's precisely what the psalmist declared in Psalm 48:

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,

13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

Walk about the Church. Go around her. Count her magnificent accomplishments. Consider well how she has held off against the gates of Hades, from age to age. And see the beauty of how she is blessing the world, being salt and light in every nation and generation.

So that we may tell of what God has done in us, and through us, to the next generation.

So that we may know that our God is the forever God, the God of forever and ever, the God who is our guide, even unto the very end of the age. Whee!

Man... I love the Church! :D It's truly the apple of God's eye! Not only my local church, but I'm so delighted to see more and more how we can all work together, the churches in Singapore - and all over the world - how we can bond together to be the catholic (i.e. universal) Church of Jesus Christ, world without end! Amen. :D