Love vs Duty
I met a lovely Christian couple in my neighbourhood and, in our friendly banter, they shared with me intentions to bless the residents with gifts and organising a block Christmas party at the year-end. With all eagerness, they asked, “What do you think? Will it work?” I was encouraged by their zeal and initiative but wondered if they were missing something. Without sounding like a party pooper, I asked, “What’s your goal in having a Christmas party for your block […]
What’s In Your Kindness Box?
While fetching my boy from school, a big colourful box with the words ‘Our Kindness Box’ in his classroom caught my attention. It brought back memories of Singa the Kindness Lion that was launched as our National Courtesy Campaign’s mascot back in 1982. Its slogan went ‘Courtesy is part of our tradition, it’s so nice to be courteous.’ The campaign later became part of the Singapore Kindness Movement as a call for Singaporeans to become a more gracious society. In […]
Smoked Wineskins
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.’ Luke 5:37 When religious legalism and its pharisaical trappings reigned supreme, Jesus stepped down from the realms of glory to usher in the new age of freedom in His Name. He was the ultimate ‘New Wineskin’ spoken of in Luke 5:37. His final gasp as He hung on the tree, “Tetelestai,” was a resounding and deafening […]
The Gospel Of The Elite And The Outcast
John 3-4 records Jesus’ conversations with two people on the opposite ends of the social spectrum. First, He meets Nicodemus, one of the most respected, scholarly leaders in all Israel. He was a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin. Jesus called him ‘the teacher of Israel’. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and addressed Him as a rabbi. “We know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God […]
To Know Him And Make Him Known
Of all the ministry slogans I’ve heard, my favourite must be YWAM’s ‘To Know God And Make Him Known’. We need to know Him so as to share His love for people. The question is, do we really know Him? And what does it mean to know Jesus? Personally, there’s been a fresh hunger and renewed passion in my heart to know Jesus like never before. To fall in love with Him all over again. In two weeks, I watched 3 seasons […]
It’s As Simple As Starting With “Hi!”
As believers, God commissions us to evangelise (Matthew 28:18-20). What comes to your mind and how do you feel when you think of evangelism? An event or a programme? A Christian obligation? Bringing people to church? Or this may sound familiar – “I can’t do this! I’m too shy, it’s too awkward.”; “I’m not a good communicator.”; “I’m too busy, too tired, wait till I have more time and energy.”; “I’m feeling discouraged and spiritually dry to reach out to […]
Born With A Mission
I recently heard from a church member that a few of his peers had left the church because they were offended by a preacher saying that this church was not for those who didn’t believe in missions. I couldn’t help but think – Is there a church that does not believe in missions? When Jesus’ time on earth was ending, He gave His disciples a mission that would affect the entire world to this day. When we become Christ followers, […]
