Fang Fang in Fu Gong

Went to Fu Gong, Yun Nan, with Ji this past week. Met up with Fang Fang and was blessed richly by getting involved with her work. Posted below is a Mediacorp program about her work in Fu Gong.

Don't Worry

"Don't worry, mom." This is how my son always starts his sentence when he talks to me. (Oops! I thought that should be what I would say to him as I am the senior one and has the power to cast his worries away???)

Don't worry. This is also what I heard from the pulpit today as Ptr Coleborn brought us the message for this Lord's Day. He preached from Matthew 6:24-34, a all too-familiar passage for those who have been in church long enough to take it like a light breeze that blew across their ears.

Don't worry. How often we would mumble this to ourselves and others but find our heart rate racing the next minute? Sigh, vanity of vanity, even saying "Don't worry." has become vanity as the worry itself!

Jesus gave His counsel on overcoming anxiety in this passage. Ptr Coleborn summarised it in 4 key points: Living from day to day, Know that Jesus cares, Count our blessings, Set the
Right Priority.

Straight forward advice this may sound but anyone who is truthful enough would agree with me that only with God-given-Grace that one can truly follow this remedy for our worrying hearts.

Here is my own reflection on the message:

Living from day to day: Don't we always want either to wollow in the past or stretch ourselves to attain what we want for the morrow? Problem will always be overwhelming when we have the cumulative view of it. But breaking it down to bitesize portion for each day, we will find it easier to deal with if we stay focus and rely on God's Grace to handle each day's demand. If we ask God to give us each day our daily bread, why do we still preoccupy our mind with the entire week's ration?

Know that Jesus cares: If we worship God as the creator and sustainer of our lives, why do we still fight to be in full control by working on our own worries? Leaning on our own strength and think that we know better what is good for ourselves would make our worship of God a mockery!

Count our blessings: if we are the accountants of our own spiritual bank, we are doomed for we often dwell on the deficits. We are too busy looking at our "have-not"s and our long "wish list". Perhaps, we should start each day and end each night by writing down what we receive from the Lord in between. Phil 4:8 is the perfect antedote for a lousy accountant to balance his book.

Set the Right Priority: The key word is "Right" and it must be defined according to the Bible. The Kingdom of God is the Right Priority. We are prince and Princess of this wonderful kingdom of God but we often find ourselve living the lives of beggers for the treasures of this earth! No wonder we worry, for we have to be slave to gather earthly treasures. Slave to our own greed and pride and we worry that we are not the best of slaves as there are always someone better than us!

"Don't worry" is neither a sloggan like "Just do it!" nor is it a chant like "Amituba" to cast away the evil spell of worry. Before I next say it to myself, I better remember to go through the 4 points check list to make sure that I have reasons to use it with clear conscience.

First Fruit

Oh, my mind start to show some sign of life more and more, I just can't stop...... shall i write one more post? Yes, i am alive!


This meditation came about on Friday when we had our Hougang BS. We came to this verse in
Pro 3:9 Honor the LORD with thy substance,and with the firstfruits of thine increase

We were discussing what is meant by "first fruits". According to cross reference in Lev 23:10 and Num 18:12,13, this the first part of the annual harvest was given to the priests.

Our increase, I suppose that means all that we receive from the hand of God. It not only include all things material but also all increase unseen such as our wisdom, strength , time, understanding....etc , etc.

Just today, Eld Siew went through the preparation for the Confession of Faith with the young adults in the CI class. He mentioned that one sign of readiness is sign of maturing mind, will and heart. It striked me as I chewed on this and what we heard in Ptr JJ's message just a week ago: on Jesus increse in statue and wisdom (Luk 2:52) . There, Christ has honour the LORD with his increase. How he remained teachable and learned in the synagogue.

I shared with the young people this thought that in all our getting and increase, do not wait to give the first fruits to the LORD. Remember, it is the FIRST fruits. Our enlightened MINDS, the decisions we start to exercise with our enabling WILLS, the tenderness and openness of our enlarging HEARTS, the visibly increasing STRENGTH of our body -- give it to the LORD by harken to His command to make that confession of our given Faith-both the objective and subjective faith. He will then direct our path, all the way in our life as we hold to that confession.

"O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear"-- when we use our first fruits for ourselves, we not only do not honour our God, we'll walk our life in vanity.

Deborah - a glimpse of her Special Service for the Lord

Looking at my last post, I guess my mind must have died for a month! Oh no, I certainly hope not. There are lots of fleeting thoughts, hardly any meditative ones. They are not worth writing about......oh Ah Q....

Today, Ptr Coleborn's message on Special Service triggle my neuron activities again. I thought I better share them quickly less I consider them worthless for publishing once again.

Deborah, (Deborah I - as Ptr Coleborn called here to distinguish from the Prophetess Deborah) Rebekah's nurse (Gen 35:8) was an oft-unnotice member in the Kingdom of God is one whom God appointed for a Special Service. The Holy Spirit especially singled her out in the Holy writ for our encouragement and instruction.

Her life, presumely in singlehood, was given to care for Rebekah and 2-3 generations of her children till her death. Her service was hard and often lonely, seemed lowly and mandane. But that was a Special Service for that promoted the Kingdom of Christ - Christ came through the line of Jocob's offsprings! Her care for her charges was so tender and nurturing that earned her their respect and high regards as they weeped sorrowfully at her burial.

Deborah reminded me of so many brothers and sisters in our Church who has given their life to care and nurture her flocks. To them, I wish to say Thank You for being on Special Service!

Titus 2:13,14

The Grace that teaches us to live in this present world trains us also in The End of our Salvation according to these two verses recorded for us by the Holy Scripture.

We as Christians has the privilage of possessing a Blessed Hope - we can look forward and wait for the glorious return of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. With his return, our salvation is Completed. We will be glorified and enter into eternal life with God.

We are reminded here concerning the Purpose of the work of Salvation done by Christ. That is: to cleanse us from our sins and qualify us as His Chosen people; enable us to have the zeal of carrying out good works --obeying the revealed will of God in the Holy Scripture, doing as we are commanded in sincere faith that God may be glorified.

Acts 6: Stephen - A man Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit

Today, Ptr Willy Ng encouraged us from the Bible account of a man extraordinaire : Stephen, singled out among the seven man chosen for the office of deacon, was described by the Word of God to be a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5) /power (Acts 6:8).

Faith is defined in the Holy Word of God as one who believe in God and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6). Faith is a gift from God (Eph 2:8) and it come to man by the hearing of God's word.(Rom 10:17)

Holy Spirit too, is given to one who repent of his sin and is the recipient of that faith which enables him to believe and trust in the Salvation of God. (Eph 1:13)

He who has faith would have heard and believed in the Word of God and have the Holy Spirit within. He would be one who loves the Word of God as the Word of God is also the Word of the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20, 21)

Being filled to the full of Faith and of the Holy Spirit therefore goes hand in hand. i.e. One who loves the Word of God who be one who find himself trusting in God more and more easily.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Ptr Willy Ng repeatedly ask :Are you full of the Holy Spirit? Do you find trusting God and His promises in the Holy Bible getting easier and easier? If so, in time of persecution, you will be one like the excellent Stephen who without a doubt trusted in the promise of God : My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)

Go to the Word of God, dwell in with your heart, mind and soul. God who has given Faith to believe in it and the Holy Spirit to guide you in the understanding of it will increasing fill you more and more. Be filled (Eph 2:18) till you are man and woman Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit!

Phil 1:12 to 18

Pastor Bernard Low's messages has often been meditational, offering fresh insight as well as confrontational. In this evening service, he brought to us the portion of God's Word on Phil 1:12 -18 in the liked fashion with the challenge for us to examine our reason in living this life.

In this portion and its context, we were brought to see that the all-consuming desire of the Apostle Paul was to live a life that focus on the furtherance of the Gospel. He had this "why" to live, therefore he could endure almost any "how" -- as fitting the quotation cited by Ptr Bernard. Paul was keenly aware of the sovereignty of God and he had full confidence that the Almight God can use every situations of His servant's life for the progress of the Gospel. Thus, he cheerfuly submitt to His provisions even of adversities, ceased all God's given opportunities to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Christ Crucified. God would bless His own work.

So, what is our reason to live? Why do we do everything that we have done, doing or would be doing? We are confronted by God's Word to reflect on this and to take stock of our life.

I am sure many who have heard this message this evening had in one point or more in their lives thought of this issue. But some, like myself, have never come to a point when we make a firm resolution or stick to one that we had made: i.e. tunning our reason to live to that as pointed in the Word of God and the creed : to Glorify God ( in the way of advancing the Gospel of Christ) and to enjoy Him forever.

Why? Or what it is that hindle us to have the mind/heart/soul-set of Paul? Or what has swayed us away from the same reason?

For myself, I am too easily distracted, too open to temptations. Thus my "Why" take many forms and shapes throught the path of this life. Tonight, God gives me an opportunity to ponder on this yet again.