Dear Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ,
I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
1. We thank the Lord for the 1st of May Chinese Gospel meeting. Thank the Lord for visitors to the church, especially for some who came for the first time and others who have come regularly. Only the Lord knows the hearts of all men. For those whose hearts are still closed against the Lord, we can only pray that they will eventually turn to God, to have true knowledge of Him.
2. Today, I will be speaking to our brothers and sisters in the Chinese congregation. With God’s help, using colloquial Cantonese on the topic, “I am the Bread of Life,” and to be interpreted in Mandarin by Dns. Shuping. There are four Gospel accounts of Christ’s miracle of the five loaves and two fish. There were definitely more than five thousand mouths to feed according to Matthew’s account in chapter 14:21, “And they that had been eaten were about five thousand men beside women and children.” As much as those whose hearts are still closed against the Lord, the Lord’s heart is closed against those who seek him with wrong motives. The Lord in the days of His flesh was never impressed by great crowds of people. Jesus was looking for disciples and not for a great multitude to follow Him. The Lord said in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” which is a proverbial in reference to the Jews who were called but few had been chosen. It is also true that many who are in the church may not be clothed with the righteousness of Christ and in the end, be lost. Amid the multitude of Church-goers, the ones that are truly chosen are the disciples of Jesus Christ. If you are a disciple, there is no limit to what the Lord can do through you.
3. There are 3 marks which the Lord indicates without which, we are only church-goers at best and far from being disciples :
a) Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”
b) Luke 14:27, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be My disciple.”
c) Luke 14:33, “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.”
Below were the false expectations of the crowds : They wanted
i) Only to see miracles.
ii) Only to be fed.
iii) Only that the Roman government to be overthrown.
What the Lord wants in your personal relationship with Him, is for you to be willing to pay the price for following Him. Have you counted the cost of following Christ and evaluated the cost of following Him?
Elder Douglas Ho
Myanmar Mission Trip – A Humbling Experience
Thank God for a truly enriching and humbling trip to Myanmar. As part of the ASEAN community, Myanmar is known for its close doors and tight fisted military rule. Entry to the country is a harsh and hush affair, controlled by the number of visas they issued. As such, I am thankful that God opened the doors to this former British colony. Despite the fact that the days we were at Myanmar was also the week leading up to their by-election, the Lord proved that He is indeed the Almighty God who is in control of everything. It was amazing how safe Myanmar is and how hospitable their citizens are.
We conducted a three days Vacation Bible School on the book of Daniel at Brother Thangno’s orphanage, New Life Orphan Centre for approximately 60 children and youths. The kids were bright and eager to learn. As a result, I was able to not only teach the lesson but also on the application aspect. They were wonderful singers too! The sheer volume and the gusto they have would put us to shame. I taught the youngest class which was made up of 15 boys and five girls. With the help of Brother Sonny who was my interpreter, I was able to deliver the lessons without worry. After every lesson, the children would be given handmade bookmarks with memory verses, made by Sister Meijie, and they were really excited! I have never seen people who are so eager to memorise Bible verses and with such intense concentration. With the weather going at 38 – 39 degrees Celsius, it is a miracle that these young ones could strive on and give their 101% in learning God’s Word.
The kids were my ‘body guards’ too – together with the rest of the mission team, they protected me from the animals (a cat, four kittens and a chicken) that roam freely in the orphanage compound. They were rather amused initially when they realised I am fearful of animals but after they saw the frozen expression I had, they would chase them away even before the animals had a chance to be near me. My heart went out to them when Brother Thangno shared with us that many of them are orphans, had their last outing six to seven years ago and can only afford to have meat once a week. The many things Singaporeans took for granted are luxury to them. It taught me to be thankful for the variety of food we can eat in Singapore i.e. I ought not to complain, the numerous outings and even overseas trips and the fact that my parents are still together, my family is still intact taught me to count my blessings.
This mission trip was filled with many memorable events too. I had my first motor bike ride (without helmet, no less!) at Da Hla village and it was also there where I took the best picture of the whole trip which was a sunset at the pier. The people living in Da Hla may be very poor but they are rich in the Lord. From them, the parable of the Widow’s mite came to life for me. It was also the first time I took a super overcrowded boat to cross the Yangon River to this village.
To me, saying goodbye was the hardest. Although it is hard to communicate with the children but the common bond that we have in Christ connected us. It is wonderful to know that we are all His children. This trip not only taught me not to take things for granted but also make me realised how blessed I am to be born a Singaporean.
With a thankful heart,
Sister Lingqin