Pastoral ministry – Page 57

Category: Pastoral ministry

Do Christian men need grooming?

22 September 2009 blogpastor 1 Comment

Singapore women are highly motivated and consequently quite informed when it comes to grooming for they devour magazines, glean tips from friends, search online and attend workshops. Looks, after all are high on the priority checklist of Singapore men when it comes to choice of a life partner. A higher percentage from a woman’s income goes into the family and grooming. Furthermore it is socially acceptable, even desirable, for them to be informed of the latest trends in fashion, dating behavioral norms among them. They are quite sophisticated.

images The picture is reversed when it comes to the Singapore men. I came from the no-frills generation where neat, nice and smelling Lux fresh is all we can afford. Not so this generation of a large well off middle-class. Self awareness has risen together with parents’ income. Expenditure on grooming products and information have also increased. Things are different with the new generation and change is in the air. Yet, more can be done and every Singapore man still needs grooming. We spend fifteen years or more in formal education so we can get a job. Two years in National Service to be in the nation’s reserve fighting force. At least six months to get a driving license. So why not attend some kind of workshop on grooming as a small step towards becoming a gentleman.

The Christian men may feel that the inner man is more important. Fix the inner man and the fundamental thing is groomed. This is true. However, there is more to it. After the cake, the icing is the next important thing so that the main thing does not go to waste. Fixing a man entails the grace of God and transformation of the man on the inside from one who is self Lost but groomed centred to one who is Christ- and other- centric. However, why shouldn’t such a fix up be holistic and include graciousness, courteous consideration of others, looking pleasant(even attractive), and having good manners and culture, and a keener awareness of a woman’s psyche. Admittedly, to gain a good working knowledge of such require some pursuit and commitment of resources and time. How about beginning with a Saturday afternoon workshop, which will save you from having to read a book, and it will be more fun anyway. As you probably suspect by now, I am plugging for one of my church’s programs (Sat, 17th Oct 2009) organized by the young adults. More information HERE.

US preachers don’t preach on hell

9 September 2009 blogpastor 8 Comments

Just when it seemed to have cooled off, the topic of hell is back on the front burner—at least for pastors learning to preach about a topic most Americans would rather not talk about. At the recent annual Beeson Pastors School, Selles led two workshops to discuss “Whatever happened to hell?” He asked how many of the pastors had ever preached a sermon on hell. Nobody had, he said. “I think it’s something people want to avoid,” he said. “I understand why. It’s a difficult topic.” Only 59% of Americans believe in hell, compared with 74% who believe in heaven, according to the recent surveys from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. “I think it’s such a difficult and important biblical topic,” said Kurt Selles, director of the Global Center at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School. “There’s a big change that’s taken place as far as evangelicals not wanting to be as exclusive.” The Rev. Fred Johns, pastor of Brookview Wesleyan Church in Irondale, Ala., said after a workshop discussion of hell that pastors do shy away from the topic of everlasting damnation. “It’s out of fear we’ll not appear relevant,” he said. “It’s pressure from the culture to not speak anything negative. I think we’ve begun to deny hell. There’s an assumption that everybody’s going to make it to heaven somehow.” The soft sell on hell reflects an increasingly market-conscious approach, Selles said. “When you’re trying to market Jesus, sometimes there’s a tendency to mute traditional Christian symbols,” he said. “Difficult doctrines are left by the wayside. Hell is a morally repugnant doctrine. People wonder why God would send people to eternal punishment.” Speakers said the seriousness of Jesus dying for man’s sins relates to the gravity of salvation vs. damnation, according to Johns. “If you don’t mention God’s judgment, you are missing a big part of the Christian gospel,” Selles said. “Without wrath, there’s no grace.” Jesus never soft-pedaled the concept of hell, Selles said. “It’s not metaphorical in Jesus’ mind; it’s a real place,” he said. Either way, Selles said, pretending that hell doesn’t exist, or trying to preach around it, short-circuits the Bible. “This is a doctrine, a teaching, that’s being neglected in churches,” Selles said. “It needs to be preached. It’s part of the Gospel.” (USA Today 16/6/09)

Should we do a survey of Singaporean preachers?

Teaching and writing

13 August 2009 blogpastor 14 Comments

Jesus writing They say the early manuscripts do not carry this pericope but I am unreservedly captivated by it and more so last Sunday as I meditated on it and was struck by the timely insight that the gifts that God uses in my life were strongly figured and exemplified in Jesus’ ministry in this passage in the gospel of John chapter 8. You know the woman who was caught in adultery and the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus as he was TEACHING, and asked him a trap question, ” What should be done with this woman. The Law stipulates that she should be stoned.” The word “teach” got underlined and highlighted as I notice that all throughout my life I have had a passion and anointing to explain and apply spiritual insights from God’s Word to people’s lives. And I have always had good feedback about the clarity and impact of what I teach. So over the years I have become convinced that this is the Lord’s spiritual gift woven into my life to build up the church.

Jesus not only taught by speaking. In this case, He demonstrated the forgiveness of the Kingdom through action, firstly by stooping down to write. Some said he wrote on the floor the ten commandments, as the Law made the accusers conscious of their sins and they left in shame one by one when Jesus said, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” I am Pentecostal, so I am biased to a Pentecostal twist as to what he wrote. I think he wrote on the ground the specific sins of each of the accusers with great accuracy and the Holy Spirit convicted each one of his sins. Anyway what struck me is that he WROTE. My dad did not encourage me much and tell me what I am good at, but I remember him saying that I can express myself well in writing and so it has been a strength I have been sort of conscious of though I have never intentionally developed it. However four years ago, a step of faith into blogosphere has helped me to see writing on the web as an extension of my ministry, a modern means of communication that surpasses books in its reach and impact, and one that is geared to the new generation of internet savvy young people. I have since begun to see writing as a gift of increased value, and which I need to develop deliberately and deploy faithfully. I am also mindful as I meditate on this passage that the first and only recorded incidence of Jesus writing was combined with his teaching ministry to eradicate shame, fear, and condemnation by a declaration of full and free forgiveness available in Him.

I was blessed by the meditation, as I have been focusing more and more as a leader seeking convergence, so that all my experiences, and training and skills, and my understanding of what God had been doing, and is currently doing in my life, is moving towards the sharp tip of the arrowhead hitting the purpose the Father had painted. Our giftedness and anointing always point to our destiny and purpose of being. I feel focused, enthused and confident.