The Salt & the Light

The Salt & the Light

This Sunday, brother Ewe Jin, chief editor of the Sunday Star, shared the sermon as CDC continued its series on the Sermon of the Mount. The text was Matthew 5:13-16, the Lord’s vision for each of us to be the salt and light of the world.  

 13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The main role of Salt is to preserve and give flavor. The main function of light is to drive away darkness. As the Lord’s disciples, we are the salt and the light. Once we receive Christ into our hearts, and acknowledge ourselves as Christians, we become the Lord’s representatives on the earth, “little Christs” as some would say. However, we are tempted everyday to conform to the world’s standards and principles which are beneath our godly principles found in the Word of God. If we continue to conform to the world, we will lose our “saltiness”, and become no longer good for anything. Likewise, to be effective “lights” for Christ, we need to stand up and shine. If we allow darkness to overwhelm us, our light deems and lose its purpose, for no one can see the goodness that should be in us.

Brother Eugene focused on three main areas where we really need to ask ourselves whether we are really being the salt and the light.

Firstly, in the home, husbands must ask themselves whether they love their wives as Christ loves the church. They must ask themselves if they are bringing up their children in the ways of God. We need to be the salt and light, first and foremost, in the home, where our true nature is most revealed.

Secondly, at work, we need to check our behavior and attitude. Do we indulge freely in procrastination, gossip and politicking as worldly unbelievers do? Are we bent on money and promotion no matter what the cost? We need to work hard honestly, for God loves a fruitful worker. Yet, we also need to maintain our integrity and principles at work, to refuse to do what is wrong. Do we seek the applause of man or the applause of heaven?

Finally, at play, we also need to check ourselves. Do our social activities reflect who we are as the salt and light? Do we drink just because our friends drink, or indulge in unholy behavior just to be one of the crowd? Brother Eugene encourages us to make our stand clear from the beginning so that others will respect us.

In all these things, and the good work that we do, Brother Eugene warns us in conclusion, that we must be careful not to glorify ourselves, but do it all for the glory of God! 

God bless,

Jason

Humility and Contentment

Humility and Contentment

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Soo Ewe Jin give us the message on the Parable of the Rich Fool. It was a very meaningful message from a very wise brother, who had gained invaluable strength and maturity in facing death during his two battles with cancer.

The parable of the rich fool is the story of a rich man who built up bigger barns for himself in view of his great harvest. He thought to himself that he had many years to lie back and enjoy his wealth. However, he never expected that God would demand his life of him that very night, and he would not be able to enjoy all the wealth that he had stored up for himself. In today’s context, one could imagine a successful executive who was suddenly given three times his salary, the best company car, the biggest bonus, and just three days later, found his life required of him.

The parable of the rich fool causes us to look at a very fundamental fault in human nature – greed. Greed is good, say capitalists and the money men of Wall Street. It is greed that drives the economy, that lifts humanity up to higher heights, they claim. Yet it is greed that causes Wall Street to collapse every 10 years or so, and greed that so quickly destroys families and lives all over the world. And greed comes in many forms, none the more obvious than the greed of money. Jesus warned us against all kinds of greed. Greed for gadgets are very common these days, the latest I-Phone, the latest LCD TV, the latest Mega-Stereo System. Brother Ewe Jin himself found himself drawn towards an uncontrollable collection of DVDs that he was ultimately convicted to let go off. Some are greedy for endless entertainment, endless pleasure, endless self-gratification. Tiger Woods, in his public confession conceded that he had deceived himself, thinking that because he had worked so hard to get where he was, he deserved to enjoy the temptation around him. He was deceived to think that the normal rules did not apply to him, and satisfied his greed to a point of almost no return.

But what is the cure of greed? It is humility and contentment! Humility is a constant awareness that we are human, and no matter who we are, or how we rise in the eyes of the world, we are the same before God, and we need to answer to Him for the deeds done in the flesh. The rich are often given many privileges, even treated as more credible in court, but rich or poor, there is no difference in the eyes of God. We are all sinners alike, in need of the grace of God. Humility is being aware of the shortness of human life, that at any time, one may be called back to the Creator and all the wealth, the goods stored up for one’s self will be just utterly meaningless.

Contentment is being satisfied with what one’s has, no matter how little. Brother Soo may drive only a Kembara compared to the BMW’s and Volvo’s of the rich, but he is content that he has a car at all. Brother Soo spent 6 years of his life at home with his children as a house-husband. Well-meaning friends and relatives chided him severely. You must work hard and earn as much as you can when you are young, they said, and perhaps they were right from the eyes of the world, but to brother Soo and his wife, the years spent with their children in their growing years were worth far more than any amount of money. And to this day, the closeness his children are to him and his wife bear testament to the correct decision they made to take turns to be at home with their kids to nurture them and be with them in their formative years.

The famous preacher John Wesley absolved to live as simply as he could, and give away everything else he earned in excess. And brother Soo pointed in particular to two great role model couples who greatly impacted him in his Christian life. First was our own Pastor Micky and sister Kun Han, whose home and love was always open to anyone who would come to them for help and need. Once, they even took in a dying lady from Batu Pahat who had no where to go to. The lady died in their house, and they had a funeral service for her there and then only sent her back to Batu Pahat. They always resolved to live simply and humbly in service to God, and the trappings of material things was never of importance to them.

Likewise, brother Soo was greatly impacted by Reverend Peter and Betty Young, who freely gave to whatever good cause they could find. They only have two properties, two burial plots which they purchased at a discount, but they are rich and happy in the Lord. Even the proceeds from Betty Young’s well-written books are given to charity.

When we feel discontented, or discouraged with our current lives, it is just so meaningful to consider great role models such as these who were so content in living simple lives and serving God. People who see them see Jesus Christ in them.

May we too, friends, brothers and sisters find that humility and contentment, that we may live lives to the full in Jesus Christ, irregardless of how much or how little we have.

God bless, Jason

Father’s Day Message 22nd June’08

Father’s Day Message 22^nd June’08

On Father’s day, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Soo Ewe Jin give the Father’s Day Message.

Starting off, brother Soo shared with us how he was once given an opportunity few men had, which was to be a full-time father. And his years as a full-time father was indeed his most precious. All his fame and success in his career was nothing compared to that!

Basically, to understand the role of a father, one must first know the role of a husband. God comes first, family comes second, and everything else comes after. The main role of a father is to pass on the spiritual baton. No two children are alike, and it is the sole mission of parents to communicate the real meaning of our faith to our children. It is so important for fathers to train their children. It is they who should set the rules of the house and a father should not leave his responsibilities to others.

Ephesians 6:4 says, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger but train them up. And in the Proverbs, it is written, train a child in the way he should go and in the end, he will not turn from it. Teaching also is not just made up of formal lessons. Quite often, genuine conversation is needed to guide, and help children make decisions. Mothers should fully cooperate with their husbands in setting the rules of the home. Ultimately, the authority of the father goes back to the Fatherhood of God. All authority from heaven will flow down to the submissive father through Jesus!

Now giving a special message to children, brother Soo exhorted them: tell the truth, and obey your parents. Too often in homes, children have to pay too heavy a price for telling the truth. There must be a sense of forgiveness. Fathers are not always perfect, not always right. However, we need to obey them because it is God’s command unless their instruction goes against God’s law. And God promises that if we obey, we will be blessed.

As fathers, it is so important for us to live out our faith, to walk our talk. Are we patient? Do we love others? How is our attitude towards money? We need to be like the Lord who is slow to anger and abounding in love. Finally, we should make it our ambition to be a model father by exhibiting the qualities of love described in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It not rude, it is not self-seeking. It does not easily anger, it keeps no records of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

God bless,

Jason