Two Burdens

Galatians 6:  ¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ²Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, ⁵for each one should carry his own load.

Yesterday, during our board meeting, Pastor Micky shared a devotion based on these verses which “coincidentally” is really so appropriate to the questions posed by Bee Lee.

Pastor Micky spoke of two kinds of burdens. The first burden is the burden of a brother who has fallen into sin. All of us are human, and even great men of God at some point or another had fallen into sin, sometimes, really terrible ones too. King David, the man after God’s own heart, fell in a moment of weakness, and the sin grew from adultery to deceit and finally to murder. King Solomon, the wisest man in all the earth, fell victim to the lust of the flesh, and let his countless foreign wives and concubines lead him astray to worship other gods. Even today, many great pastors and evangelists have fallen by the wayside. However, we must remember one thing, it is not how we start the race, or whether we stumble halfway, but whether we actually finish it. Yes, men of God have fallen, and so too have Bee Lee’s friends to a certain extent, but there is still hope. There is always hope, as long as God gives us breath in our nostrils, and there still is beating in our hearts. Manasseh, the most evil king Judah had known was forgiven by our merciful God when he repented and turned away from his sins. What is important is that our hearts are soft towards God, that we listen to the call of His Spirit, to repent and run back to God the Father like the prodigal son.

I commend Bee Lee for his concern for his friends, and I understand the discouragement fellow Christians face when someone we have looked up to has fallen. However, we must not give up on our fallen brothers or sisters, because we can be absolutely assured, that our Lord Jesus Christ has not. In verse 1, we see that if our brother is caught in a sin, we should restore him gently, softly encouraging him to come back to the faith. In verse 2, we are told to carry each other’s burdens, for this is what Jesus commanded us, that we love one another as He has loved us. However, Pastor Micky highlighted that when anyone does this, he must do so in humility and out of love. In verse 3, it is written that we must examine ourselves and ask whether we think we are something when we are not. We must take away all our pride, and be completely humble before pointing out a brother’s fault, doing so out of love, and a desire that the brother come back to grace. I believe, that Paul is referring to pride as the sin we must watch against when judging a brother.  

The second burden Pastor Micky spoke of is the burden that each person must carry for himself. This burden no one else can carry, it is his own responsibility. Wherever we are placed, God has placed us specially according to His good purposes. We have our own living ministry, our own world where we are able to touch people and do good in a way that no one else can. As a good Christian, it is our burden to carry, and we do so with a will to please God. The Lord said “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”. Enoch said at our YACG meeting on Friday that an ox came to mind when thinking of what obedience means. We learn to carry our yoke by seeking God’s will, and submitting to Christ everyday.

So finally, let us

-         Encourage brothers and sisters who have fallen in humility and love, with perseverance and prayer

-         Live the life that God has given us to the full, making our will obedient to Christ, and striving to live for him everyday.

God bless,

Jason

Father’s Day Message

Michael Lee: Father’s Day Message

On Father’s day at CDC, Michael Lee gave a very personal message on fatherhood. Based on the text of the Prodigal Son, Michael started off by referring to three types of fathers common in the world today, all of which can have detrimental effects on their children.

Firstly, there is the Distant Father. Typical of many Chinese families, the distant father hardly talks or communicates with his children. He sees his main duty as only providing for the family. There’s no real relationship with the children, with only mono-syllabic conversation. He can be in the same room as his son but as distant as another planet. His children may well develop relationship and communication problems in the future with their own spouse and children.

Secondly, there is the Overindulgent Father. He caters for his son’s every need and fancy, and pretty much does everything for him. In the end, he will only raise, spoilt, spineless children who cannot stand up to the challenge when the going gets tough. The best tuitions and teachers may get them the best grades, but life’s true lessons will show who really has the faith!

Finally, there is the Abusive Father. Some are physically abusive fathers, who belong in jail. Most however are emotionally abusive fathers, who abuse their children with demeaning words, insults, and curses. Their children may develop serious self-esteem problems, with high inferiority complex and poor confidence.

Looking now at the story of the Prodigal Son, we are told the sorry tale of how one son demanded his inheritance of his father and squandered it abroad in foreign lands. Broke, and hungry, abandoned by his new found “friends”, the prodigal son decided to return home and seek mercy from his father as a common servant. However, the loving Father ran to meet him even before he could say anything. This powerful picture shows us the great love of God who runs to embrace every one of his beloved Children who come back to him, no matter what they’ve done. The Lord’s forgiveness and love is always open to all who will come back to Him. In our families, we too must learn to be affectionate and loving, not distant and abusive. We need to spend time with our children and be careful that we do not ridicule or put them down. We need to learn to encourage and affirm them.

Another side of the loving Father is seen in his handling of his other son. Although loyal and obedient to his father all these years, he felt aggrieved that His younger brother should get such loving treatment for his “sins” while he never received a reward anything close for his faithful service. The Father exhorted himself in to understand the big picture. What was truly important? Firstly, he was always with the Father, most important was their precious relationship. Secondly, he was heir to everything the Father owned. In view of their close relationship and his great inheritance, there was little reason for the older brother to feel aggrieved, but instead he should share in the joy of his brother’s repentance. A truly loving Father does not merely submit to all his son’s wishes and complaints. A truly loving Father teaches his son what is truly important. In life, we need to learn to carry our own load and teach our children to do the same. A schoolkid should carry his own schoolbag, it is his load to carry…. Love without proper guidance and discipline is not truly love at all.

God bless,

Jason

Failure if not final

Failure if not final

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have our own Pastor Micky give the message on John Chapter 21, titled: Failure is not final.

Failure is part of human life, and each one of us has failed at one time or other, for we are all imperfect beings. The heroic feats and achievements of the rich and famous are often highlighted again and again. However, little attention is drawn to the many times that they failed before they achieved success. Thomas Edison failed over 900 times before finding the way to light up the light bulb. Winston Churchill was condemned in a school report card as a conspicuous lack of success. Abraham Lincoln failed again and again, in business, in marriage and in politics, but he pressed on, and became one of America’s most famous and beloved presidents. Throughout the Bible, we see many men of God who failed at one time or other, but were restored and revived by the mercy of God. The important thing is not the failure but how you deal with the failure.

The morning’s passage is focused on the apostle Peter. Peter and some of the other disciples are fishing in the sea of Galilee, and they see the Master call out to them from the beach. The risen Lord calls out to them, and they come to Him. Together they enjoy the breakfast He has prepared for them. The Lord indeed provides for our daily needs.

Before the crucifixion, all the disciples had failed Jesus, fleeing when their Master was arrested. However, Peter was especially downcast for he had denied the Master publicly three times. Before, Peter was confident and rash, even boastful, but now, he was greatly humbled, and remorseful. His eyes probably could not meet Jesus. His guilt continued to haunt him. And then Jesus called him by name…..

Addressing him by his full title, Simon, son of John, Peter was instantly aware that the Lord had something important to say to him. “Do you love me more than these?” The Lord asked. Theologians have many theories about this question. It could mean “Do you love me more than the other disciples love me? or “Do you love me more than you love the other disciples?” or “Do you love me more than you love your fishing boat and nets, your career, your lifestyle?. In any case, the Lord’s call is clearly for Peter to love Him, and it is the same for us. Two times more the Lord asked Peter “Do you love me?” When God calls a person for service, the most important thing is not his qualification or his charisma. The most important thing is whether the person loves Jesus!

Three times Peter denied Jesus and now three times, Peter confessed that he loved Jesus, and so did he receive full forgiveness and restoration. The Lord did not condemn him or point out his failures. The Lord understands that we are weak. He let the past bury the past and asked Peter to focus on the present and the future. Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep. Yes, we may have failed many times, but the Lord calls us today, leave it behind, love me today, serve me today. Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep.

May we find forgiveness and mercy in the Lord for our failures, and find strength and faith to love Him and serve Him as we press forward to finish the race that He calls each one of us to run.

God bless,

Jason

Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light

Notes on sermon by Mr.Michael Lee (CDC)

" 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. ¹⁶'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. ¹⁷I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' Acts 26:15-18

Today’s sermon looked into an interesting period in Paul’s life where upon his return to Jerusalem, his message had created an uproar in the city among the Jews, who could not accept his proclamation that God had granted salvation to the Gentiles. In the course of his examination by the King Agrippa, Paul shared his opportunity boldly, with the main emphasis on the message being on vs.15-18.

(i)                  Like Paul, each one of us has been appointed as servants of Jesus, and His witnesses, commissioned to spread the good news wherever we go. Paul preached to prisoners and prison guards, kings and governors, sailors and islanders. It did not matter where he went, he preached the gospel passionately to all he met.

(ii)                The purpose of the message is to open the eyes of unbelievers, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God so that they may be forgiven and have a place among God’s people. This is our mission, to lead others to the light of God, wherever we go.  

 I was greatly encouraged by this message, especially as the previous day’s lesson at Youth was on John chapter 1, with emphasis, on our Lord Jesus being the life and light of men which shines brightly in the darkness. Just as John the Baptist was appointed as the witness before Christ, all who believe are appointed likewise, His servants, commissioned to be the salt and light of the earth.

Finally, we see two typical responses in King Agrippa and Festus. King Agrippa became afraid, for he led an immoral lifestyle, and backed away from the gospel. Festus refused to belief and passed off Paul as insane. Some will not be willing to give up a sinful lifestyle, and others will refuse to open their minds and believe. Regardless of the response, our calling is to preach, to shine, and share the good news always.

God bless,

Jason