8 Jan 2013, by Adeline Lum CM-
On January 6th, I arrived at FGA KL for their first service in year 2013 of 10:30 am to 12:15 pm to a full-house.
Making a Difference Together, Transforming Life
Elder Ho Kien Keong, speaker for today, shared this year’s theme, which was ‘Making a Difference together, Transforming Life.’
When Jesus called his disciples, he said, “Repent! And follow me (Mat 4:18-19),” Following Jesus means being close to him and engaging him our lives. And engaging includes occupying oneself, becoming involved and taking part with God.
Matthew 4:17-19
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
“If we engage and connect with God, God can transform our lives,” Ho said.
Engage like a Father-son Relationship We Know
“As a father ourselves, we want to engage our child to build their character and self-esteem,” said Ho. “You don’t just provide for your child by sending him or her to school, tuition centers and paying for their books. You want to connect with them, engage them.”
And a way we judge the closeness between a father and a son is by how long they look eye-to-eye at each other. This signifies an open relationship. And if you connect with God, you would not let go of your sight of Him especially when He is connecting and talking to you. A son, who’s connected to his father, would also look at his father with expectation and excitement, which give the son courage to go through any obstacles. And that is what God wants in a relationship with you!
Watch this video!
Engage like Tom with His Rocking Chair
Another story was shared about a man named Tom. Despite his busy schedule as a senior executive, Tom decided to spend at least half an hour with God by waking up half an hour earlier every morning. After three months, he bumped into his pastor who could not help but noticed Tom’s new radiant look. Inviting his pastor to his house, Tom showed his rocking chair by the windowsill.
“That is the rocking chair I sat on every morning with my aromatic warm coffee and I would pray to God and open the Bible,” said Tom. “Sitting here, I didn’t realize how beautiful the scenery was by my windowsill!”
His pastor was amazed. So, Tom continued ‘sitting on his rocking chair’ and engaging with God through His Word. Three months later, he received a prompting by God to quit his job to work full-time in church despite the warning of the major pay-cut he would be receiving. Still, he quit. He worked in church for a few years, and later he received another prompting from God to return to workforce to fund a church planting!
“Boldness, courage and faith were what Tom had,” said Ho.
After serving the Lord for a good number of years, Tom died and left his rocking chair. At the funeral, the pastor met Tom’s wife who said to him, “That rocking chair changed Tom’s life and him as man,” to which the pastor asked, “So, what are you going to do with that chair now?”
“I will pass down that chair to our children and hopefully, like Tom, they would grow into becoming the man like he is,” said Tom’s wife.
“So, the question is… where is your rocking chair?” said Ho. “It could be your cozy room, the corner of Starbucks, in your school library or your office desk. Where is the place you find God?”
Engage like the Disciples in the Bible
If we do not “engage” with Jesus, we will never experienced the depth in our spiritual relationship. The challenge this year is to engage, follow or connect with Him. The testimonies of transformed lives are from people who persisted in engaging with Jesus in the midst of life’s circumstances.
“There are so many noises in life. But sometimes, we need to switch off distractions to listen to God. And that brings transformation,” said Ho.
The Acts period was an intense period when Jesus was recently crucified and followers of Christ were on guard in pronouncing their faith. The crowd who followed Jesus on foot ran, hid and became by-standers. If Acts were played during our time, it would be the audience watching CNN in the comforts of their home, whispering and discussing, but not acting out their faith.
A group of disciples in Act 1:13, however, assembled in the upper room to pray with faith, courage and confidence. One of the disciples was the passionate Peter who despite denying Jesus three times, was forgiven by Jesus and used powerfully to proclaim the gospel.
“Do you know that all of us can be Peter as well? Sometimes, we betray God too but still He can and will transform us to become His Light in the world!” said Ho.
Another character is Cornelius who became an instrument of transformation for God. In Acts 10:24, Cornelius was expecting Paul and he called his relatives and close friends to meet this Jesus that Peter would talk about.
24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
How precious is Cornelius’s invitation! He knew that receiving the salvation by Jesus was a gift, and he wanted to share this gift with all his closed ones!
And God through Peter spoke about the gospel and baptized Cornelius and all those with him in the Holy Spirit. That is how the Good News was brought to the Gentiles. Cornelius and those around him were the first Gentiles to receive salvation.
“This year, God wants to use you too,” said Ho. “Let us be like Peter, Cornelius and Tom who have courage, faith and persistence in engaging God in their lives!”
Note: FGA KL will be having an Alpha Introduction Course on 16 February. The Alpha course is developed for believers to bring their non-believing members and friends to explore their faith.
Dear Viewers in Christ, if you find this article edifying to you, please share with your friends or loved ones by using the social media plugs (Share, Email to this article). The Lord will surely bless you as you bless others. May the Lord’s peace and love be with you. Amen.
References of pictures:
http://reverentlife.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/rocking_chair_by_window.jpg
http://bibleencyclopedia.com/picturesjpeg/Cornelius__comes_to_Peter.jpg
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