Personal Evangelism

Personal Evangelism

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have brother Terry Tan give us an excellent message on Personal Evangelism based on the passage of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. In the very interesting passage on the Book of Acts, we see how the Lord led Philip to a desert road where he had a powerful encounter with an Ethiopian Eunuch. The Bible says that all Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness. The famous theologian and writer Michael Green believes that one reason this passage was put in the book of Acts was to teach us the value of personal one-on-one evangelism.

Brother Terry shared with us four lessons that we could learn from this passage in regard to Personal Evangelism.

Firstly, we need to be Sensitive and obedient to God’s calling.

Acts 8:26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

Philip had been chosen as one of the seven deacons in the early church, commissioned to wait on tables, as it were, in overseeing the distribution of food to the widows. Besides that, Philip was also very successful in public ministry. In a town in Samaria, Philip preached the gospel powerfully, accompanied by many signs and wonders. However, Philip now heard a very strange message from the Holy Spirit, to go south to a desert road, and Philip obeyed. It is something that we all need to strive to learn, to be sensitive and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, even when God works in mysterious ways. 

Secondly, the Lord prepares the way for us to witness. 

27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

In a sense, it seemed that Philip just happened to meet an Ethiopian eunuch, who happened to be a convert to Judaism, and who happened to be reading Isaiah on his way home. The Lord had prepared the way for Philip to witness just as He prepares the way for us to witness today. Brother Terry also shared how once he had went on a mission trip to Cambodia when he noticed a cook standing in the doorway of a Christian meeting, observing. He felt a stirring in his heart to go and interact with her and he asked her through an interpreter if he could pray for her. To his great surprise, she told him “I want to be a Christian”, and he led her to Christ there. The Lord had already worked in her through the ministry and example of other Christians before this, and brother Terry just happened to be there at the point when she was ready to make a decision. Not everyone has the gift of Evangelism but every Christian is called to evangelize. We may not reap but we have to sow gospel seeds, through word and example.

Thirdly, we need to seize opportunities to engage people where they are.  

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
   "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
      and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
      so he did not open his mouth.
 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
      Who can speak of his descendants?
      For his life was taken from the earth."
 34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Philip did not badger the Ethiopian, no pressure was given at all. Philip engaged the Ethiopian where he was. We need to flavor our conversation with grace and make the most of every opportunity. We need to gage the needs of the people first, whether emotional, physical or intellectual. We have to be ready to give a reason for our faith.

Finally, Personal Evangelism can be greatly used by the Lord.

 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

As the Ethiopian came to the faith, this passage was also the first fulfillment of the prophecy in Acts 1:8 where Jesus said that they would bring his gospel to the ends of the earth. Later Christianity is also became prominent in Ethiopia, and the presence and prayers of a Christian as an important court official may well have paved the way for later works in the North African country.

May the Lord help us learn to be His good witnesses, always listening to the Spirit, seeking out opportunities and praying for the lost. In Jesus name, Amen

God bless,

Jason

How to live with others

How to live with others

On 4^th May 2008, we were privileged to have our new Pastor Terry Tan share with us on the message “How to live with others” from 1 Thessalonians 5 where the Apostle Paul, in his closing instructions to the church of Thessalonica, gave important principles on how to live together peaceably.

Living together is not easy, and in this day and age, reality programs actually bring it out on the camera for all to see. There is envy, backbiting, politicking, scheming and anger. Living together is messy, and it is very difficult to meet God’s standards. We don’t choose our family members. Quite often, there is envy, jealousy and fighting. In fact, we ourselves are difficult to get along with. However, for this morning’s message, the emphasis was on “How to live with others in church”.

Regarding this, Paul addressed three areas, our leadership, our fellowship, and our worship.  

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Firstly, addressing our leadership, Pastor Terry spoke of some people who put pastors on a pedestal, accepting everything they say blindly as right. On the other extreme, some people are also totally against the pastor’s authority, always complaining against the pastors, always overly critical. However, in this context, the passage refers to anyone in any form of leadership, in particular, those who work hard in the Lord, those who are over us, and those who admonish us. There is no place for laziness in the ministry. Still, we need to examine our attitude towards those in charge, whether we love them or respect them.

Our response as taught by Paul should be always to respect our leaders and acknowledge their true worth, and hold them in the highest regard in love, and with the right motivation, not for personal praise or gain.

Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15

Secondly, addressing our fellowship, we soon realize that there is no perfect church. The Thessalonian church was experiencing tremendous growth, but was filled with people from all sorts of diverse backgrounds. The warning for those who were idle gives the idea of soldiers assigned to military work but abandoning their posts. Similarly there are people who won’t do anything for the church, but expect things to be done for them. The challenge is for us to get back to our posts.

We were also exhorted to encourage the timid and show tenderness. There are those who want to serve but their lives are characterized by brokenness and low opinion of themselves, and we need to help them. We need to be patient and kind to each other, and no one is to pay back wrong for wrong.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Finally, regarding our worship, Paul explains how we should relate to our Lord. Firstly, we need to be joyful always, secondly we need to pray continually in continuous dependence on God and finally, we need to give thanks in all circumstances. Of course, we do not give thanks for all circumstances, but we can always be thankful that God is still there, still working for our good, even when things are bad.

Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Paul also further exhorts us not to quench the Holy Spirit, not to become so organized until we box in God’s spirit. The Thessalonians were also disregarding prophecies. We should not disregard prophecies but test it, and biblically discern God’s guidance, examining closely to see if it is true. Some people are disillusioned with God’s church, but sometimes it is good for us to be disillusioned so we do away with illusions, unreasonable expectations. The sooner we realize that church is God’s thing and not ours, the better.

23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

In closing, Paul prays for our sanctification. Indeed, we need God’s power to press on as a community until Christ’s coming.

May the Lord bless our leadership, our fellowship, and our worship as we serve the Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

God bless,

Jason

Psalm 46: How to face Crisis

Psalm 46: How to face Crisis

On Sunday, 1^st June 2008, we were privileged at CDC to have our Pastor Terry Tan preach the message on “How to face Crisis” from Psalm 46.

Pastor Terry began by drawing our attention again to the recent natural disasters that came upon the people of Myanmar and China. He shared how he was particularly troubled by the image of a young Chinese boy who expressed hope that his parents could see him and find him because he was on TV. Sadly, the newscaster reported, his parents had died in the earthquake. Crisis comes when we least expect it, and when it happens, we look for security! But how can we be secure? The key is Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

The first point of the morning was this “Our security is in God, not in this world”. The motive of creation was very strongly described by the Psalmist here. Psalm 46:2-4 reads:- Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

We are to look to the Creator not creation. The Psalmist asks us to look to God as our refuge and our strength, our source of security. There was once a story of a couple who were very concerned about their own safety and traveled throughout the world to find the place least likely to be affected by war. They thought they found it in the Falkland Islands, and moved there with high hopes of a peaceful life. Ironically, the Falkland Islands became a war zone between Argentina and Britain. Nothing in this life is certain. There is no security unless we have placed ourselves in God’s hands.  Psalm 20:7 reads  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. God is waiting to hear us call to Him for help.

The truth is, problems and crisis are part of life. The Bible says that there will be trouble, but also promises that God will be there to help us through it. Some people lose all hope when trouble comes. Some choose to deny it and pretend it is not there. We are called to be realist and confront the crisis but with our hope and eyes set on our God, our Deliverer.

The second point of the day is that “Our security comes from our faith, not from our circumstances.” The Psalmist says in vs.7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. God does not want us to depend on things. In His lovely words to His disciples, Jesus said in Psalm 46:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Our peace is knowing that our future home is in heaven. Some are rich but constantly worried. Some are poor but happy and at peace. Security is not the absence of trouble but confidence and courage in the midst of trouble.

Finally, our final point was “Our security is in eternity, not the present”. As Christians, we have an eternal dimension. One day, God will destroy all evil and the world itself. The truth is, there are no guarantees in this world for any of us. We are not immune from the harms of the world. However, we can be best assured that no matter where our journey takes us, God goes with us and His words promises in Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

In closing, Pastor Terry drew our attention to the rock badger or conies, creatures of little power who made their homes in the crags, where it was safe. Away from the rocks, they were completely vulnerable to predators, but in the rocks, they were safe. In the same way, our security is in the Rock of Ages, our Lord Jesus Christ, and as long as we remain in him, we need not fear anything at all in all the world, even death. As Paul wrote most beautifully in the Spirit “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

May the Lord help us face all our crisis and troubles with confidence, knowing that we can overcome all things because He is with us.

God bless,

Jason