Titus Sent to Corinth

Titus Sent to Corinth

 ¹⁶I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

 ²²In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

Pastor Micky shared at Sunday’s board meeting on this rather unfamiliar passage, based on Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church. After speaking at length about the importance of generosity and giving, Paul appealed to the Corinthians to contribute charitably to the poor saints in Jerusalem. Now, in these verses, Paul takes special effort to lay out the credentials of each of the three men tasked with collecting the offerings.

A brief description of their qualities are as follows:-

Titus:- had deep concern for the saints in Corinth, enthusiastic to meet them, Paul’s fellow partner and worker.

Second brother (thought to be Luke):- praised by all the churches for his service for the gospel, chosen by the churches, representative of the churches, an honor to Christ.

Third brother (thought to be Apollos):- zealous, had great confidence in Corinthian church, representative of the churches, an honor to Christ.

This message interestingly shows us a deep insight into Paul’s ministry, mainly that he was not alone. It was a shared ministry, and he did not consider himself superior in any way, just a fellow worker and brother! In whatever ministry or care group we are in, let us then like Paul, learn to encourage our fellow brothers & workers, and speak well of them to others.

God bless,

Jason

The Seven Sayings At the Cross

The Seven Sayings At the Cross

This Sunday, as we approached the celebration of Good Friday and Easter in the coming week, CDC had the honor of our own Pastor Micky give a powerful sermon on “The Seven Sayings At the Cross”, a special focus on the meaningful words uttered by our Lord Jesus Christ as He suffered such cruelty at the cross.

Each saying teaches us so much about the life and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(A) Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing

Even as they nailed the terrible nails into the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus, He did not curse his tormenters, but instead asked His Father to forgive them. His great mercy and forgiveness, to even those who wronged Him calls us to do likewise, not holding the sins of others against them, but asking the Lord to forgive them. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we truly need to cultivate the wonderful heart of forgiveness that the Lord had.

(B) I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in Paradise.

At the cross, one of the thieves chose to defend Jesus at that terrible hour. His actions and words showed his faith, the belief in his heart that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Lord answered Him with great compassion, today you will be with me in Paradise. Even at His death, the Lord still found the love and passion to bring in another sinner into the kingdom of God! We too need to rekindle in our hearts the Lord’s great passion for the lost, that we may love others as Jesus loved us, and seek the salvation of their souls!

(C) Dear woman, here is your son (to Mary), …here is your mother (to John)

Even in enduring great suffering, the Lord cared deeply for His family, and commissioned his beloved disciple John to care for her as his own mother. We need to cultivate this wonderful love and care that Jesus had not only in our own families, but also all the family of God!

(D) My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

As the sins of the world fell upon the shoulders of our Lord Jesus, the Father was forced to turn away, and in that moment, poor Lord Jesus felt completely alone, completely forsaken, and cried out in anguish to His Father in heaven. Throughout His life, our Lord Jesus was completely honest before His Father, pouring out His feelings and telling God exactly how He felt. We too need to learn to be honest like Jesus before God, opening our heart to Him and expressing our deepest thoughts and feelings. In all things, we must always understand that Jesus understands, for He endured all things, and suffered more than we could ever know.

(E) I thirst

After terrible hours of ordeal at the cross, the Lord was thirsty and He was not ashamed to admit so. His words showed the humanity and humility of Christ. Although He was equal to God, the Lord was willing to become a mere human mortal and suffer all that we suffer in our frail human bodies. Sometimes we become angry, and our pride rises as we think “I don’t deserve to be treated like this”, but when we look at the Lord, we can’t help be ashamed, for the Prince of Heaven, left all His glory, humbling himself to be a mere man for our sake. Let us learn to be humble like our Lord ….

(F) It is finished

Finally, the Lord knew that He had borne all the sins of the world and His ordeal was over. In a loud and triumphant voice, He cried “It is finished!” The Lord Jesus was true to His mission throughout His whole life, and His crucifixion was the climax of His entire purpose of coming to the world, to fulfill all righteousness. May the Lord help us too fulfill the destiny that He has planned for us with faithfulness, perseverance and hope in Him.

(G) Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit

As His final saying, the Lord committed His Spirit to His Father in Heaven. Our Lord trusted in God the Father completely and surrendered His Spirit to Him in complete faith. Let us too, who hold on to the Lord, trust in our God with all our heart and soul, trusting Him always, even till the day of our death. Let our hopes ever be upon Him.

God bless,

Jason

Saying	Application
Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing…	Forgiveness and mercy
I tell you the truth, today, you will be with me in Paradise	Passion for the lost
Dear woman, here is your son,….. here is your mother	Love and care
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?	Honesty
I thirst	Humility
It is finished	Faithfulness
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit	Trust

The Prophecy of the Great Light

The Prophecy of the Great Light

This Sunday, we were privileged to have our own Pastor Micky give the message from Isaiah Chapter 9, a very powerful passage showing Old Testament Prophecy of the coming of Christ.

It was a time of economic gloom and darkness, not unlike the situation we are experiencing now. There was a general sense of depression in the air, but God sent Isaiah to turn the people back to Him and to give them hope. 

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

 2 The people walking in darkness
       have seen a great light;
       on those living in the land of the shadow of death
       a light has dawned.

The great light was of course referring to our Lord Jesus Himself. In Him was light, and no darkness at all, and His life was the light of men! And later Jesus declared “I am the light of the world!” 

3 You have enlarged the nation
       and increased their joy;
       they rejoice before you
       as people rejoice at the harvest,
       as men rejoice
       when dividing the plunder.

Indeed, how we rejoice at Christmas, as we celebrate the coming of the Lord. Joy to the World, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King!

In the Bible, names are always very important, and the names given to the Messiah, the Savior are very meaningful indeed.

6 For to us a child is born,
       to us a son is given,
       and the government will be on his shoulders.
       And he will be called
       Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

Our Lord Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, truly Wonderful, beyond anything we have seen. He is our Great Counselor, listening to us and counseling us, teaching us what we should do. He understands because He Himself was tempted. He understands because He knows us better than we know ourselves. The learned teacher, Nicodemus, came to Jesus in the night, realizing the emptiness of his religion. Jesus understood his emptiness, his needs, and explained deep and wonderful things to him. He continues to listen to us today, and counsels us through His Mighty Spirit.

Our Lord Jesus is Mighty God. He is all-powerful, all-supreme. The demons are subject to Him, heaven and earth are subject to Him. He has power over every disease and sickness, and He has power even over death.

Our Lord Jesus is Everlasting Father. He is forever, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is the Great Father and Creator. Through Him all things were made and nothing was made that has been made.

Our Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace. His peace is not the absence of trouble, but a peace in spite of trouble. No matter what terrors the early Christians faced, they did not fear for they had the peace of God!

May we grow in our relationship with Jesus, seeking His counsel, praising Him as mighty God and Everlasting Father, and trusting in Him to give us peace, in any and every situation. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have our own Pastor Micky share the message on the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds from Matthew Chapter 13. The parable speaks of 2 sowers - the farmer and the enemy, 2 crops – the wheat and the weeds and 2 harvest – the burning of the weeds, and the keeping of the wheat.

The first point to note was that the farmer sowed good seed in his field, and in a sense, God’s field can be interpreted as God’s church on this earth and this parable tells us of a time when there will be a sorting among those who call themselves God’s people. And the genuine will be separated from the counterfeit. There are Christians in name, but not in heart, in appearance but not in reality.

Charles Spurgeon was once asked by a man where he could find a perfect church. The great man of God replied that there was none, and he cheekily told the man “But if you should happen to find it, please don’t join or that church will no more be perfect”. The church is a mixed community of believers and non-believers, true and nominal Christians, not to mention the myriad of different personalities making up the church. Hence, there will always be problems, complaints, and dissatisfaction, but God accepts everyone who comes to Him. The primary task of the church is to help people to know Christ so that they can become children of God!

There are many visible churches of various denominations all over the world, but there is only one true “invisible church”, which spans across culture and race, land and sea. It is the church consisting of members who have Jesus Christ in their hearts. Only God knows who are genuine believers, for only God can see the heart.

In any case, we must also be aware that the devil is at work in the church. The more spiritual and God-centred the church, the harder the devil has to work. And the devil sows distrust, division and false teaching… If Satan cannot take the Word of God from your heart, he will use other means, bringing the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things to infiltrate the church.

Even at the very start of the early Church, Satan was already at work, deceiving Ananias and Sapphira who attempted to lie to the Holy Spirit in regard to their giving. Once the devil sows distrust and suspicion among church members, unity and harmony among the brethren breaks down, and no army can fight effectively unless they trust one another.

In the church of Corinth, division and trouble was also brewing. Some said they followed Paul, and others said they followed Apollos. A party spirit and politics have destroyed many a church, and even disputes over spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues have caused the fall of many.

Our Lord Jesus warned us of those who would come as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Wrong teaching left unchecked can also quickly destroy a church. Hence, the Apostle Paul strongly exhorted the Church to take action against false teachings and members who did not obey the moral laws of God.

We need to be constantly aware that there is a spiritual battle in the Church. Yet, we are not told to go around on a witch-hunt and judge the lives of others. The farmer told his servants not to pull the weeds at the beginning for fear that they would also uproot the weeds. Still, we need to expose Satan and his lies, and declare the purposes of God. We are called to continue planting good seed instead of focusing on uprooting false believers. In the end, it will be God who will do the separation of the weed from the wheats.

And this separation will come on judgment day, where the good seed, the wheat, the children of God will shine like the sun having bore good fruit in living righteous lives. However, the weeds, the children of the evil one, whose with no good fruit and reject the will of God will suffer punishment. One of the Lord’s most frightening prophecies was of those who would come to him saying 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' And the Lord replied, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of the Father in Heaven.

In closing, Pastor Micky asks us to reflect on 3 questions:-

-         How can we know we are true Children of God?

-         How should we judge or take action against wrong doers?

-         Howe can we defeat the devil’s work within the church?

Finally, we were exhorted to be on guard against distrust, division and false teaching and to always encourage unity, trust, love and forgiveness.

God bless,

Jason

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

On Sunday, as CDC continued its series on the Sermon of the Mount, we had the privilege of our own Senior Pastor Micky speak on the Lord’s Prayer.

Starting of his message, Pastor Micky first taught us three important reasons why all Christians must pray:-

(i)                  Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath – Without prayer, there is no life, no meaning in our Christian existence. In his pride, the wicked does not seek God, in all his thoughts, there is no room for God. Psalm 10:4

(ii)               Prayer releases the power of God – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

(iii)               Prayer is communion with God – Prayer is the way we communicate with God, and have a meaningful relationship with Him. My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord, my flesh and my heart cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

At the same time, our Lord teaches us in Matthew 6 how not to pray:-

5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Firstly, we must not pray for the benefit of man. In church, we are so careful to pray “correct” prayers that sound flowery and nice because we are afraid of what others might think of us. However, God wants us to pray in complete honesty, to tell Him what is in our hearts. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.

7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words

Secondly, the length or form of our prayers are not so important. Meaningless repetitions and blind chanting don’t impress God for sure. He looks at the heart of our prayer. We must pray with all our hearts and all our minds and all our strength. So often we pray formality prayers e.g. Thank you God for my food, Amen. When we thank God we must mean it in our hearts.

Now, Pastor Micky took us through every step of the majestic Lord’s Prayer.

Our – First of all, throughout the prayer, it is said in plural. As Christians, no one is alone, but we are united together in the body of Christ. When we pray, we pray not only for ourselves but also for all our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Father – At that time, the Jews seldom referred to God as Father, probably feeling it was too personal or disrespectful to do so. However, God wants us to know Him as our loving Father. Few may approach the President of the United States without the proper protocol and approvals but his children can come and meet him anytime. By allowing us to call Him Father, God shows us that we have free access to Him. He sees us as His family, and loves us as a wonderful, perfect Father. He has limitless wealth and generosity but He will also be careful not to give us things that will harm us and discipline us when He needs to for our own good. Indeed, it is a great privilege to be a child of the mighty God!

Who art in Heaven – We must always remember that God is in Heaven, and that too, is our final destination. As we mention Heaven, we remember the glory, the power, the great dominion of God, whose ways are higher than our ways, and thoughts than our thoughts.

Hallowed be thy name – As rightly said in the first chapter of the Purpose Driven Life, it all starts with God. We are created for Him, and only in Him do we have any purpose at all. Hence, we must always start by glorifying His great name.

Thy Kingdom come – As we pray this, we are reminded of God’s great commission to us to extend His kingdom by spreading the good news to all creation. Whenever we bring truth, healing and do good on the earth, we extend God’s kingdom here.

Thy Will be done – We are reminded here that it is not “my will” that is important but God’s will! Jesus said “He who seeks to save his life will lose it but he who loses his life for My sake will find it!” God’s will may not be easy to follow, but it certainly is the best and most important way in the end!

On earth as it is in heaven – On earth, God’s will is not always followed. It is not His will for us to continue to live in sin. Yet, because of love, He gave us choice, the choice to reject Him or accept Him. With this power of choice that we have, let us choose life and righteousness, for that is our destiny in God’s plan.

Give us this day our daily bread – We realize here that all that we have, our food, job, home, salary and everything we own actually comes from God. In humility, we must always depend on God to provide us all we need. From another viewpoint, daily bread also refers to the Word of God, and we can also pray at the same time for God to make His Word rich and meaningful in our lives. The man who meditates on the Word of God is like a tree planted by streams of water!

And forgive us our sins – As long as we remain on earth, we cannot be perfect. We continue to sin, due to our fallen human nature. However, we must continue to come back to God, repent and ask for forgiveness, seeking for God’s grace and perfection to change us little by little, day by day.

As we forgive those who sin against us – One of the preconditions of being forgiven is to forgive others. Pastor Micky gave a very good illustration of unforgiveness likened to a clenched fist. With a clenched fist, we cannot give, but neither can we receive. With an open hand, we can give, and also receive.

Lead us not into temptation – “God does not tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed” James wrote. However, if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He will lead us around temptation and away from it. It is written that God will not let us be tempted more than we can bear but will provide a way for us to stand up under it. Paul writes “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desire of the sinful nature.” As long as we are Spirit-led, we will walk the path of righteousness.

But deliver us from evil – God is our great protector. God is our refuge and our strength and ever present help in time of trouble! As long as God’s presence is with us, we need not fear any evil. Beautifully written in Psalm 23, David wrote “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for you are with me!”

God bless,

Jason

The Great Commission

The Great Commission

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have our own Pastor Micky share the message on the Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20.

Imagine if a man suddenly found a cure for cancer, and he had asked a group of common people like you and me to go out and share it with everyone they knew. It was very good news but would we go out and do it? Would we say we have no time? Would we be afraid of people not believing us? Would we have the right to interfere with people’s lives?

Our Lord Jesus is the cure for the disease of sin, the disease that spoils our lives and the lives of others and eventually leads us to death. And He says to us “The cure is ready, now go and tell others!”

The Great Commission comes to us from the highest authority. All authority and power has been given to me, Jesus said. The Word of God says that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has authority over men, spirits, angels, diseases and even nature. He even has power to forgive sins. A traffic policeman on a street has the authority to stop any vehicle. It doesn’t matter how big the vehicle is or how small the policeman is. All vehicles must submit to the authority given to the traffic policeman by the law. We too have been given that authority by Jesus. Our service is not on our own strength or intelligence but on the power and authority of the name of Jesus.

The Great Commission is a command, not a suggestion. It is not just for Pastors, Evangelists and Missionaries, but for every believer. In the church of Acts, the early believers built a caring community which exuded a powerful, good influence all around them. Their lives and faith appealed to the people. They were ordinary church members, spreading the Word of God wherever they went.

Jesus’ specific command was to go and make disciples by going, sharing, baptizing and teaching. A true disciple is one who is willing to give up everything. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it, said the Lord. We are called to make disciples as we are going. The man of Gadarenes who was delivered from demon possession was asked by Jesus to go home and tell his family how much God had done for him. Pastor Micky exhorted the example of sister Connie and Nellie who shared God’s love and word as they went along their respective occupations. Baptizing is like the wedding day, where a believer’s commitment is made public. That’s why it is so important to be baptized once anyone becomes a believer. However, baptism is only the beginning. Now begins a lifetime of discipleship, learning be like the Master, our Lord Jesus.

In His closing words, Jesus said “I am with you always to the very end of the age”. His command is accompanied by a very great promise, that He will be with us always, till the end. Dr.David Livingstone shared with a group of students that he was only able to survive Africa because of that promise, that Jesus would be with him all the way.

Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators believed very strongly in discipleship and preached it wherever he went. His motto was “Always holding somebody up”, and in fact, he died saving a person from drowning.

In closing, Pastor Micky encouraged us to be a true friend to others as we go around gossiping the gospel and to also support the church corporately by bringing friends during the special events such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. May the Lord give us the strength and passion to fulfill the Great Commission, and hold it with great importance, each day of our lives.

God bless,

Jason

The call of the Fishermen

The call of the Fishermen

"Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Peter had been a fisherman all his life, and he knew from countless years of experience that the fish in the great lake of Galilee do not come at this time of the day. Yet, out of his respect for the Master, he obeyed what seemed to make no sense, and saw a great miracle before his eyes. This was the key text from the passage Luke 5:1-11 preached by CDC’s own Pastor Micky, and there was a great challenge for us all to trust and obey the Lord, even when we don’t understand….

We are called to serve Him no matter what profession we are in or what we do, whether as a fisherman, accountant, teacher, housewife, student, cook or CEO. The Lord has complete sovereignty over every area of our lives. He is God of education, housekeeping, accountancy, business, the share market, culinary, and everything in all creation. All that we create and the skills we so effectively use are all given and enabled by the Spirit of God, as it is written “Without Him, nothing was made that had been made.” Therefore, whenever we work at anything, let us work to our best ability as to the Lord, and the Lord will be pleased. In the letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that each one should retain (be contented with) the position in life to which he has been called and that God has assigned to him. Wherever we are and what we are doing is all according to God’s plan and will, as stated in Day 2 of the Purpose Driven Life: You are not an accident.

Hence, let us encourage one another to give our best in all that we do, showing love to our colleagues and friends, praying for them and doing all the good that we can.

God bless,

Jason

Here would be a good time too to recap some lessons from a CDC Youth Bible Study in 2004 on the passage Luke 5:1-11.

(a)    The Boat – When things get too busy, and life becomes too crowded, stop, take a step back, and gain a better perspective, before taking the next course of action.

(b)    The Fisherman’s challenge – Jesus challenged the fisherman on his own ground, his own expertise. The fisherman humbled himself and listened to Jesus. Think we know best how to run our lives? Don’t! Listen to Jesus and God’s Word, for He certainly knows best.

(c)    A tired morning’s work – We may labor and toil for a long time and still no see no results, but the moment God steps in, we receive much more than we could ever hope for or imagine. So, never stop hoping in God and trying our best.

(d)   The Repentant Sinner – The fisherman recognized his sin in the light of divinity. Only when we realize our sin, and our hopelessness, can God begin to save us.

(e)    Fishers of Men – It is our destiny to save men from sin with the Net of Salvation, the Lord Jesus. So let us be ready to fish, big or small, colorful or dull, fast or slow, young or old – it does not matter, all fish are precious to God.

Responding to Crisis

Responding to Crisis: Pastor Micky Kua

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have our own Pastor Micky share a very important message on 1 Samuel Chapter 30: Responding to Crisis.

Each one of us will face crises at one point or another in our lives. There are many types of crises, for example: financial, physical, domestic and legal, to name a few. However, our true character is best revealed when we face a crisis!

At the beginning of 1 Samuel Chapter 30, we see how David and his men were faced with a terrible crisis. Upon returning to their base, they discovered that their homes were completely destroyed, their possessions stolen, and their wives and children all kidnapped by enemies. It was a fate far more terrible than death, and David and his powerful warriors could not contain their grief, weeping until they had no more tears left to weep. Once the grief had passed, some of the men began to look for a scapegoat, and when any crisis appears, the first to be blamed is always the leader! David was immediately singled out as the scapegoat, just as the manager is always singled out as the scapegoat whenever any football team fails to perform! Some of the men, in their anger had started talk of stoning David to death!

However, David did not defend himself. He did not think of blaming others or coming up with excuses. Instead, David turned to God, and found strength in His Savior! He remembered how God had helped him in the past, against lion, bear and giant! He remembered God’s promises and God’s anointing. He felt God’s presence and knew that his purpose had yet to be fulfilled.

Pastor Micky made reference at this point to the remarkable missionary Gladys Aylward, a simple parlor maid in England who was quickly thrown out of missionary school because of her lack of education. Yet she did not give up but saved what little she could until she finally made the 47.50 pounds she required to travel inland to China. Taking with her hardly any clothes or food, she made it finally to China, braving freezing temperatures and dangerous wolves. Step by step, with God at her side, she did great things, especially in her ministry to the poor street children. Her story of leading 100 children in flight from a viciously advancing Japanese army is legendary. In one famous incident at the Yellow River, Gladys almost gave up, for they had no way across. However, one of the children she taught so well exclaimed full of faith “God opened the Red Sea for Moses”! Gladys retorted sharply,”But I’m no Moses!” Just as quickly, the clever child replied “But God is still God!” Humbled, Gladys got the children down on their knees to pray, and almost immediately, friendly soldiers appeared who helped get the children across the river safely.

Likewise, when David was faced with a crisis, he too prayed to God. He called for the priest and ephod and consulted God… and received God’s Word. God gave David assurance to pursue the enemy and promised him success.

David obeyed immediately. He could have looked at the problem, and found it impossible. The desert was a big place, and David had no idea where the enemy could have gone. By the time they actually found the enemy, all their family could well have been killed. However, David did not look at the circumstances, he just trusted God and pursued in the general direction. And behold, God led David to a half-dead Egyptian in a field who just happened to be a servant of one of those Amalekites who had attacked Ziklag. This fortunate Egyptian was then able to lead David and his men to the Amalekite raiders who were oblivious to any danger. After an intense battle, the Amalekites were routed, and everything was recovered. All of their families were safe, and they now possessed all the great plunder of the Amalekites. God had turned a terrible situation into a great blessing for David and his men.

Even after this, some of the selfish men tried to persuade David not to share the plunder with the 200 men who were too tired to continue the pursuit. David, true to his noble character, would have none of it, and gave them all equal share, and also was generous to some of the elders of Judah who had supported him. David realized that it was God who gave them the victory, not their own strength, and they had no right to deprive the other men from the good things God had given them.

In closing, Pastor Micky gave us three powerful challenges and a wonderful verse to abide by:-

(i)                 Focus on God and not your problem

(ii)               Pray for God’s guidance

(iii)             Seek godly advice

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding;
 6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
       and he will make your paths straight.

May the Lord help each one of us turn to Him in our times of crisis, and trust Him for our deliverance like David, like Gladys Aylward did, and like thousands of great men and women of God did throughout the ages. In Jesus name, Amen.

God bless,

Jason

Qualities of a leader

This Sunday, CDC had the privilege of Pastor Micky give the message on the Qualities of a leader from 1 Timothy Chapter 3.

There are many books on leadership in the world today, and most of them focus as essential characteristics, things like vision, mission, goal-oriented, strategic, effective communication and motivation. However, as Paul teaches in his letter to Timothy, the most important aspect of a good Christian leader is his character!

Many of us may perhaps say that “leadership” is not applicable to me. However, all Christians are called to leadership. We are destined to be the head and not the tail. Just as leaders influence those around them, we are called to influence those around us towards God! Not all of us are church leaders or Pastors, but all of us have leadership roles in some capacity or other. As parents, we are leaders to our children. As elder brothers and sisters, we are leaders to our siblings. At work, some of us are leaders to our subordinates. Some of us are leaders to our maids at home. We can be either a good leader or a bad leader.

Furthermore, the qualities listed by Paul are important not only to church leaders but to all Christians, and we would do well to desire and build on these aspects of our character.

(i)                 Above reproach:- A good leader must have a good reputation, not only in church, but at work, and especially at home. What do others say about me?

(ii)               Morally pure:- A good leader must control himself well and abstain from sexual immorality or impurity

(iii)             Temperate:- A good leader must be calm, cool and collected, in control of his emotions, and balanced in his outlook of life.

(iv)             Self-control:- A good leader must be able to control his own anger. He should not react in anger to others or keep resentment in his heart and look for revenge. Instead, he should pour out his heart to God in prayer, and let Christ free him of his anger.

(v)               Not addicted:- A good leader must not be addicted to the things of the world. Food, drink, shopping, TV, computer games, and any other hobbies must be controlled. If you get very angry, when you can’t get access to it, this could well be a sign of addiction

(vi)             Not violent but gentle:- A good leader is not aggressive or pushy in his ways

(vii)           Not quarrelsome:- A good leader is not divisive

(viii)         Respectable:- A good leader is orderly and well-behaved

(ix)             Hospitable:- A good leader is friendly to strangers, open to people with needs

(x)               Not lover of money:- A good leader is generous, and willingly give tithes and offerings

(xi)             Able to teach:- A good leader must be ready to share God’s truth with others

(xii)           Manage his family well:- A good leader must manage his family first before managing others.

(xiii)         Not new convert:- A good leader should be humble and willing to learn from others before assuming a role of leadership

In closing, Pastor Micky gave us three challenges to develop ourselves in aiming for leadership in life.

(A)  Focus on serving

(B)  Develop spiritual maturity in God’s Word and Prayer

(C)  Have a mentor

God bless,

Jason

tidslorePatience and Prayer

Patience and Prayer: Pastor Micky

This Sunday, last day of 2006, we had our own Pastor Micky fittingly giving us the closing message from James 5, Patience and Prayer.

Firstly speaking on the subject of patience, Pastor Micky referred us to three important examples in James.

(A)  The Farmer –

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. The farmer waits long and patiently for his crop, and so too sometimes, we need to wait long and patiently for God to work in our lives and those we love.

(B)   The Prophets –

Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. The prophets were ridiculed, despised, rejected, abused, but they remained faithful through their suffering and they were vindicated by God in the end when their words proved true! Sometimes, we face trials and sufferings in life, but we need to be patient like the Prophets. 

(C)   Job –

As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The most incredible example of seemingly unreasonable suffering was that suffered by Job. Yet, he persevered through it all, and received great blessing from God.

It was quite incredible how several testimonies given by CDC members themselves proved powerful examples on the very same day. Sister Soo Li shared how God’s love especially shown by her parents helps her battle against lupus. Sister Siew Yong shared how by God’s strength, she continues to fight bravely against cancer and even continues working in her school despite medical doctors having given up on her. Brother Keng Kiang shared how he learned to be patient before God and listen as he sought employment opportunity at an advanced age in a difficult environment. The verse that spoke most to him at this time was from Proverbs: Trust in the Lord with all Your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  

Pastor Micky then proceeded to speak on the power of prayer, giving us three main important points:-

(A)  Prayer covers all circumstances

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

We should pray at all times. In times of trouble, pour your heart to God. In times of   happiness, praise God! In times of sickness, ask for prayer and healing! When troubled by sin, confess and ask for prayer! Prayer encompasses every part of our lives and is the lifeblood of our spiritual lives. Like a car cannot move without petrol, so too, a Christian can not move spiritually without prayer! Prayer is relating to God in all circumstances of life!

(B)  Prayer is for people just like us.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Elijah was a man just like us. God is interested in each one of us. Sometimes we may think God only has time for the spiritual giants of the world, but Jesus showed us the true heart of God. He loved little children, cared for the poor and sick, and touched those nobody else wanted to touch. Prayer is definitely for all of us, both you and me.

(C)  Prayer is powerful

 The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

“For resources, to move men, through God, by prayer alone. Hudson Taylor.

The righteous man is in right relationship with God, and his prayer is powerful and effective. If we have an ongoing relationship with God, our prayers will indeed be powerful. That is why it is so important for us to spend time with God and get to know Him.

Amazingly, several other testimonies by CDC members also supported the message perfectly in regard to the power of prayer. Sister Karen Phoo shared how prayers by caring CDC brothers and sisters helped her husband recover very quickly from his operation. Brother Derek shared how only prayer to God was able to cure him from his physical pain. Sister Kun Han also shared with us very important lesson that she learned about praying for the sick. No longer does she just pray: Lord, please heal this person or that person. Instead, she prays: Lord, what is Your purpose? If we can learn to pray like that, it could certainly change our lives!

May the Lord indeed give us the strength and perseverance to seek time to spend with Him in prayer that we may live life according to His will and not ours.

God bless,

Jason