While the APEC guys were doing their stuff over the weekend... a very different kind of feast was given for the forgotten "foreign talent" in our own country. THIS is what the churches in Singapore are doing... THIS is the kingdom of heaven come...
And there's this great report abt this fantastic banquet...
Gives me an even deeper discontentment with the way we are right now... I was chatting with this freethinker (he's just finished his O levels). He's from a Catholic school. And when I asked him whether he'd been to church before, he said that it doesn't make a difference, 'cos everyone just seems to live their own lives after church service - "They all go straight to the LAN game shop after service." That was just a passing remark from him.
But it gripped me. Because... that is exactly what we have been doing.
Are we losing our saltiness as Christians? Are we just becoming a social group? God forbid! I mean, Jesus died a bloody excruciating death on a horrifying cross so that we can just go service and then after that just live a "normal", "proper" existence for the rest of the week?
*deep breath* I was thinking. It's not wrong, it's not bad to have fun and games together. But... we have to remember we are more than just "fellowshipping" together... I think we've devalued the word "fellowship". Go watch LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring. THAT is real fellowship. Fellowship in the middle of battle. Fellowship in the middle of suffering. Fellowship in the middle of fire and storm, blood and tears. Fellowship in the fire, and fire in the fellowship. We are in a bloody warzone, damnit. And if we don't get our act together and start living for Jesus... then I think He will come and discipline us accordingly. I mean, go read Revelation where Jesus Christ rebuked some of the churches. He means business, and He has the scars to prove it!
*Pause* At this point, just want to thank God for Huaqiang and Sarah, who have organized discipleship training programmes for the DMM. Thank God for Jiayan who organized Bible studies for her people. Thank God for the many unsung heroes... Thank God for Michael who organizes the movie nights. Thank God so much for all the wonderful men and women of God who want to live lives worthy of His calling for them. Their sacrificial lives inspire me to look outwards beyond myself and to live for Jesus.
And Philippians 3 speaks so directly and clearly on this issue:
17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.I remember reading in my Bible study guide on Philippians that the "many" who live as enemies of the cross of Christ... were actually fellow Christians. The cross speaks of suffering and hardship. And the apostles said that we must go through many hardships in order to enter the kingdom of God. (Check it out in the book of Acts for yourselves...) Would we be willing to deny ourselves?
18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Come to think of it... I happened to be listening in to two sisters talking the other day. One of them was sharing about how, when guys ask her out for a date, she uses these opportunities to get freebies from them. Thankfully, the other sister pointed out to her that her motive is wrong... still, it struck me, how even in the church, there are some Christians who have worldly thinking and motives. About how many people, whether brothers or sisters, can be very myopic, not having a kingdom-minded mindset.
And I am increasingly clearer that whoever I look for in my future life-partner, one criteria is: she must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It's not so much about human notions of "compatibility" or "affinity" or "chemistry" or "security"... as it is ultimately about seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And I have found such people to be like gold: precious - and rare. I think that's what makes discipleship so important... we help to refine people... to love God and love people. To seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. To go forth into all the world and make disciples of all nations. (I like this brother's words: "I thank God my gf who follow me to serve very very frequently! She's so pretty!" Haha... that is exactly the kind of sister I want! =D (i mean, not the guy's gf lah! but you get the idea.))
Perhaps some may ask at this point, "What about you? What right do you have to judge?" Well... I can only say that this is my perception. But gosh, Jesus said, "You shall know them by their fruit..." And having been in church for a long time... I'm glad to say tt there are genuine brothers and sisters who have a wonderful love for God, and earnest desire to extend His kingdom. But I am also stunned that there can be pairs of close friends where one is really kingdom-minded, and willing to sacrifice everything for God, but the other sets conditions for obedience, sets limits upon Christ's reign in his/her heart and sets boundaries on whom he/she will love. And these chilling words come to mind as I see: "One will be taken, and the other left behind."
How, how, how can this be so? I wish it weren't so. But there is always hope to be found in God's grace.
In fact, Weizhu and I had been talking about this a few weeks ago. About two brothers. Both of them had very similar backgrounds and had gone through similar experiences. But the thing is, one of them turned bitter and left. The other stayed, and grew stronger. I've seen this pattern repeated again and again. Those whom you never expected to grow mature - become godly men. And those whom you looked up to... collapsed in the end. The Great Inversion. "The first shall be last, and the last first."
This is puzzling to me, and to be honest, I still wrestle with the stunning implications of our Lord's words. And I think it also bewildered the apostles at that time. But yes, this is the way of the kingdom, and we would do well to lean on the Master's words. Because in an upside-down world, those walking the right way up will look upside-down to an upside-down world. But we still walk anyway.
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