Intentional Worship

“You are worthy, O LORD our God, to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased”

(Revelation 4:11, NLT)

Karen Burton Mains wrote these well-phrased admonitions about worship in the preface of the hymnbook, Sing Joyfully:

“Worship has been defined as being preoccupied with God. How do we learn to become preoccupied with God? By cultivating intentionally. By deliberately turning our minds toward divine preoccupation. By developing worship habits and working on them. Intentional worship means a worshipper is not going to church expecting that worship will just happen; but intentionality means that a worshipper is going to church determined to make worship happen…

“A church bulletin aptly (said): ‘Too many Christians worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship.’ We must learn to work at our worship so that preoccupation with God becomes delightfully habitual.

“The biblical ethic regards worship as work. Av’dh in Hebrew, dienst in German, leitourgia in Greek, service in English all have the double meaning of worship and work. In fact, liturgy means ‘common work.’

“We must remind ourselves, over and over, that the focus of Sunday worship must be upon the living Christ among us. In truth, if Christ were bodily present and we could see him with more than our soul’s eyes; all our worship would become intentional. If Christ stood on our platforms, we would bend our knees without asking. If He stretched out His hands and we saw the wounds, our hearts would break; we would confess our sins and weep over our shortcomings. If we could hear His voice leading the hymns, we too would sing heartily; the words would take on meaning. The Bible reading would be lively; meaning would pierce to the marrow of our souls. If Christ walked our aisles, we would hasten to make amends with that brother or sister to whom we had not spoken. We would volunteer for service; the choir loft would be crowded. If we knew Christ would attend our church Sunday after Sunday, the front pews would fill fastest, believers would arrive early, offering plates would be laden with sacrificial but gladsome gifts, and prayers would concentrate our attention.

“Yet… Christ is present.”

“You are worthy, O LORD our God, to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1) Karen Burton Mains, Sing Joyfully (Carol Stream, IL: Tabernacle Publishing Co., 1989), Pg. 3-6.

2) Robert J. Morgan, Preacher’s Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007), pg 814-815

Evangelism: The Smallest Seeds becomes the Largest Tree

“We do not have a secret to be hidden but a story to be heralded”

(Vance Havner)

In his book What in the World is God Doing? Dr. Ted Engstrom relates a story told to him by a veteran Korean Christian. In the early 1880s three Korean workmen, laboring in China, heard the Gospel and embraced the Lord Jesus. The three soon conspired about getting the message of Christ into their own country, an action forbidden by the government. Since the Korean and Chinese alphabets were similar, they decided to smuggle in a copy of the Chinese Bible. They drew straws to see who would have the privilege of bringing the Gospel into Korea.

Chinese Bible

The first man buried the Bible in his belongings and headed toward the border, a journey of many days by footpath. There he was searched, found out, and killed. Word reached the others that their friend was dead.

The second man tore pages from the Bible and hid the separate pages throughout his luggage. He, too, made the long trip to the border only to be searched and beheaded.

The third man grew more determined than ever to succeed. He ingeniously tore his Bible apart page by page, folding each page into a tiny strip. He wove the strips into a rope and wrapped his baggage in his homemade rope. When he came to the border, the guards asked him to unwrap his belongings. Finding nothing amiss, they admitted him.

The man arrived home, untied the rope, and ironed out each page. He reassembled his Bible and began to preach Christ wherever he went. And when the missionaries of the 1880s fanned into the country, they found the seed already sown and the firstfruits appearing*.

This story reminds me of what Jesus said in the Gospel: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32, NLT).

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Reference:

§  Ted W. Engstrom, What in the World is God Doing? (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1978), Page 161.

Refleksi tentang Kasih Kurnia TUHAN kepada Penduduk Niniwe & Respon Nabi Yunus kepada-Nya

Walaupun Kitab Yunus dalam Perjanjian Lama sangat kecil, ia mengandungi cerita tentang kebesaran TUHAN yang maha penyayang dan berbelas kasihan. TUHAN menyuruh nabi Yunus untuk mengkhabarkan berita tentang-Nya ke Kota Niniwe, ibu kota Kerajaan Asyur (musuh orang Israel). TUHAN berfirman kepadanya,

“Pergilah ke Niniwe, kota besar itu, dan kecamlah penduduknya. Aku tahu bahawa penduduknya sangat jahat” (Yunus 1:2, BM).

Mungkin kerana Yunus sangat membenci musuhnya atau mungkin juga dia tahu bahawa TUHAN itu suka mengampuni orang yang berdosa, dia “pergi ke arah lain untuk menjauhi TUHAN” (1:3). Namun begitu, TUHAN tidak mengambil nyawanya dan menamatkan misinya. TUHAN menggunakan dia untuk bersaksi tentang kebesaran-Nya kepada para anak kapal (baca 1:3-16) walaupun pada masa itu Yunus memberontak dan berdosa. Akhirnya, Yunus terpaksa akur dan menyelesaikan misinya untuk mengkhabarkan firman TUHAN kepada penduduk kota Niniwe (baca bab 2-3).

Ini respon penduduk Niniwe apabila mendengar perkhabaran TUHAN melalui Yunus:

“[Mereka] percaya kepada perkhabaran Allah itu. Segenap rakyat mengambil keputusan untuk berpuasa, dan semua orang, baik yang kaya mahupun yang miskin, memakai kain guni untuk menunjukkan bahawa mereka menyesali dosa mereka” (Yunus 3:5).

Ini pula respon TUHAN apabila Dia melihat perbuatan mereka:
“Dia nampak bahawa mereka tidak lagi berbuat jahat. Oleh itu Dia mengubah fikiran-Nya dan tidak melaksanakan hukuman yang dirancangkan-Nya terhadap mereka” (Yunus 3:10).

Walaupun penduduk Niniwe buat masa itu telah terlepas dari murka TUHAN, Yunus pula sedikit sebanyak mengalami murka-Nya – angin kencang melanda kapal yang dinaikinya, dia ditelan oleh seekor ikan besar dan angin panas bertiup ke arahnya. Hal ini tidak mengubah hatinya, malah dia marah kepada TUHAN kerana telah menunjukkan belas kasihan kepada musuhnya. Yunus seakan-akan lebih keras hatinya berbanding dengan penduduk Niniwe. Mungkin semua ini terjadi kepada Yunus untuk menunjukkan kepadanya (dan kepada kita yang membaca Alkitab ini) bahawa: Dalam kita berbuat dosa, TUHAN ingin menunjukkan kasih dan belas kasihan-Nya kepada kita. Dia sedia mengampuni sekiranya kita memberi respon kepada Firman-Nya dan menyelamatkan kita sekiranya kita menyesal atas perbuatan dosa kita. Melalui Yunus, TUHAN telah menunjukkan bahawa Dia sanggup memberi peluang kedua – malah ketiga – untuk kita kembali kepada-Nya.

Dari segi pandangan manusia, hanya segelintir orang sahaja yang boleh menerima pengampunan dan penyelamatan dari TUHAN. Manusia beranggapan bahawa ‘Niniwe’ dan ‘Yunus’ masa kini tidak layak untuk mendapat kasih dan belas kasihan daripada TUHAN. Namun begitu, bagi TUHAN, semua itu tidak benar. Dia ialah “Allah yang penyayang dan pengasih, panjang sabar, lemah lembut, dan selalu bersedia untuk mengubah fikiran sehingga tidak menjatuhkan hukuman” (Yunus 4:2). Semua orang mempunyai peluang untuk menerima kasih kurnia-Nya jika mereka memberi respon kepada-Nya dan bertaubat dari dosa mereka.

Dalam kebanyakkan kitab di Perjanjian Lama, TUHAN seringkali menunjukkan kasih dan belas kasihan-Nya kepada umat-Nya, orang Israel. Tetapi melalui Kitab Yunus, khususnya, TUHAN juga menunjukkan bahawa Dia bukan sahaja TUHAN Allah Israel tetapi Dia ialah TUHAN Allah seluruh semesta. Oleh itu, adakah TUHAN sedia mengampuni saya? Kamu? Mereka? Malaysia? Ya! Dia sedia mengampuni kita semua! Amen.

Sekarang TUHAN telah menyediakan jalan bagi kita, musuh-Nya (oleh sebab dosa kita) untuk mempunyai hubungan dengan Dia semula melalui Yesus Kristus. “Semua nabi [termasuk nabi Yunus] berkata-kata tentang Dia. Mereka berkata bahawa setiap orang yang percaya kepada Yesus, dosanya akan diampunkan dengan kekuasaan nama-Nya” (Kisah Rasul-Rasul 10:43, BM). Apakah respon kamu?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

What You Cannot Buy but You Have it Now, Don't Waste It

Take time to work – it is the price of success

Take time to rest – it is the antidote for failure

Take time to think – it is the source of power

Take time to play – it is the secret of youth

Take time to read – it is the foundation of knowledge

Take time to worship – it is the highway of reverence

Take time to help and enjoy friends – it is the source of happiness

Take time to love – it is the one sacrament of life

Take time to dream – it hitches the soul to stars

Take time to laugh – it is the music of the soul

Take time to care – it is the act of justice and mercy

Take time to remember – it will cultivates your gratitude

Take time to pray – it helps bring Christ near to your heart

Take time to THINK BIG – it is the way to gain wisdom

Take time to START SMALL – it is the step of obedience

Take time to GO DEEP – it is the way to spiritual growth

Take time for Everything – Don’t waste God-given time!

Fuge, Terche, Et Quisset

Pic taken from:
drewboswell.com

“The desert fathers of centuries ago,” Henri Nouwen tells us, “understood the importance of a silent environment for the cultivation of the spirit when they called out to one another, Fuge, terche, et quisset – silence, solitude, and inner peace.”

Few of us can fully appreciate the terrible conspiracy of noise there is about us, noise that denies us the silence and solitude we need for the cultivation of the inner garden. It would not be hard to believe that the archenemy of God has conspired to surround us at every conceivable point in our lives with the interfering noises of civilization that, when left unmuffled, usually drown out the voice of God. He who walks with God will tell you plainly, God does not ordinarily shout to make Himself heard. As Elijah discovered, God tends to whisper in the garden.

Recently I read a missionary center in Latin America where workmen were constructing a sound studio for a radio station. They were taking careful measures to soundproof the rooms so that no noise from the city streets could mar the broadcasts and recordings that would emanate from that place. We must learn to soundproof the heart against the intruding noises of the public world in order to hear what God has to say. I love the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “We need to find God and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how natures – trees, flowers, grass – grow in silence; see how the stars; the moon and sun, how they move in silence…”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

References:

1.       Gordon MacDonald, Ordering Your Private World (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985), Pg. 126

2.       Robert J. Morgan, Preacher’s Sourcebook of Creative Sermon Illustrations (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007) Pg. 708-709

Most Important Question for Christ Followers

What I Remembered (and Learned) While Waiting for KTM Komuter Train

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10, NIV)

“He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul” (Psalms 23:2-3)

While waiting for KTM Komuter at KL Central station to Mid-Valley station yesterday, I remembered an old story about the wood-chopping challenge. Two neighbours lived near each other in the mountains. There were quite competitive and always testing each other’s strength.

One day, the first neighbour challenged the second to see who could chop the most wood in 3 hours. The second neighbour agreed to the challenge. The first man started out strong. As he chops away, the second man chopped for about a half hour and then sat down 10 minutes under the shade of the large tree. The first man could not believe his neighbour’s laziness. To his surprise, the second man continued to take these 10 minutes breaks each hour.

Finally, 3 hour passed. Not having paused to take a single break, the first neighbour was sure victory was his. To his dismay, he found that the second neighbour had chopped twice as much wood as he had!

In disbelief, he said, “That’s impossible! You took a break every hour”

With confident and a smile on his face, the second man replied, “I wasn’t resting, I was sharpening my axe.”

The lessons from this short story are massive. One particular lesson that I want to emphasis here is that: if we don’t take time to develop our relationship with God and fine-tune our mind, body and spirit through His eternal Word, we will always lose in the end. As I recalled this story and put it in writing, I reflected on what I have learned and experienced for the last 5 days. I was having a good rest away from the internet and computer – and enjoying my time with my colleagues as we discussed and planning for the student ministry next year and rediscover God in the Book of Isaiah. It was also a time for me to get away from my daily ministry routines and be alone in silent and solitude with my Lord Jesus.

As in sharpening the axe, we may not see the instant short-term gain from taking time away from the ordinary everyday life and take time to cultivate our relationship with God, but the long-term physical and spiritual benefits are huge. We know we should sharpen the axe (“Be still and know that I am God”), but who has the time, desire, determinations, or focus in this fast pace modern world? If you don’t sharpen your axe, it will become dull and useless. When we do, by the mercy and grace of God – our axes are sharp. God will “restore [our] soul”

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree

and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” (Abraham Lincoln)

God be with you. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.