Society and religion – Page 5

Category: Society and religion

Pray for Ukraine

1 March 2022 blogpastor Leave a comment

I have been upset, angry and frustrated with the developments in Ukraine from a few weeks back to today. The bullying of a smaller weaker nation by another; the betrayal of guarantees by UK, USA and Russia when Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal; the defiant and blatant invasion by a superpower of a neighbouring independent nation. I kept fretting and praying for sanity, self-control and peace. It frustrates and angers me no end at what Putin has done, and I pray for his downfall and of all evil despotic leaders. I wondered if the leaders were two women instead of two men, would there be a better chance of peace prevailing?

Last night I saw a Netflix video “Winter On Fire” about Ukraine and how at great cost the Ukrainian people’s persistent protests saw a pro-Russian president step down and leave the country, and new elections called by the parliament. I don’t fully comprehend the complexity of the political and security background but surely invading another country because you are bigger and more powerful goes against the norms of international relations. Who will be next then? The Baltic states? China invades Taiwan? From time immemorial more powerful nations expand their boundaries with no country or international body able to be act as policeman and defender of the weak and small.

“There shall be wars and rumours of wars”. “Nations will rise up against nations”. Jesus words in Matt 24 echo again and again through the corridors of history. Wars have been happening throughout time. However the frequency of wars and conflicts along tribal or ethnic and religious lines has multiplied. It does not mean we should be indifferent to them since this was predicted anyway and would happen. As believers we are blessed if we are peacemakers. And we are also called to pray for leaders of nations and for peace for all peoples so the world would be a better place. Furthermore, this would mean that the gospel can spread freely and without hindrance. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). So what can we pray for in this Russia-Ukraine war?

How To Pray

God to deliver Ukraine from evil invasion and to rescue this newly independent nation.

For the world leaders to have courage to do what is right, compassionate and just.

For God to step in to defend and support the weak, small and bullied.

For the church in Ukraine to be faithful as salt and light in the midst of corruption and darkness. For the largely Orthodox church to experience revival.

Try Imprecatory Prayer

We can also use an imprecatory Psalm 35 to unknot some of our anger and the sense of injustice and helplessness we feel. Change words to make them relevant to Ukraine. Example: change “me” to “Ukraine”.

Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me.

Take up shield and armor;
arise and come to my aid.

Brandish spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to me,
“I am your salvation.”

May those who seek my life
be disgraced and put to shame;
may those who plot my ruin
be turned back in dismay.

May they be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the Lord driving them away;

may their path be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

Since they hid their net for me without cause
and without cause dug a pit for me,

may ruin overtake them by surprise—
may the net they hid entangle them,
may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.

My whole being will exclaim,
“Who is like you, Lord?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

Praying In Tongues

Those who have the gift of tongues can begin by praying, Lord I do not know what to pray for. I ask the Holy Spirit to empower me to intercede about this war as I pray in tongues. Before starting, you can set your mobile timer to five or ten minutes and pray in tongues for that time period.

“Departure Points” by Tony Siew: Book Reflection

3 January 2022 blogpastor Leave a comment

Reading “Departure Points” was a breeze and I completed the book more quickly than most. The reading overtook some other books which I had started reading a few weeks earlier. I typically read about five to ten books at a time, dipping into any of them as my whim or mood fancies. The language is informal and it was an easy and interesting read.

I first met the author through reading his blog. Then when he was in Singapore, we had a few meals together, and he also preached in World Revival Prayer Fellowship, the church I served. In our limited meetings and from reading his blog, what impressed upon me is that he is a man of deep convictions, who works hard at teaching and preaching God’s word, and displays great love for the SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo) churches. Reading this book has given me more insights into his gifts and character. I can see how he obtained a well of wisdom in church leadership – both parochial and denominational – from his wide experience and postings in different settings and countries.

“Departure Points” gives a quick and easy account of the life and ministry of Rev Dr Tony Siew. The settings changed quickly, from local to denominational, from Sabah to New Zealand to Singapore, from urban church to rural church, from rich city church to poor village church, and denominational seminary to established regional seminary. His ministry roles were as widely varied as his settings: pastor, writer, researcher, denominational treasurer and fundraiser, itinerant preacher to rural churches, seminary lecturer, scholar presenting papers at international conferences, and acting principal of a denominational seminary. The book’s title is clearly appropriate.

I liked the book for its easy read and my interest in this Sabah denomination which began with Holy Spirit outpourings in the mid-1970’s, about two or three years later than the revivals that began in Singapore. It demonstrated the power of the Spirit in missions and evangelism and natural church multiplication. Till today the Spirit’s activity is still part of the DNA of the church and I do pray it stays that way for the tendency is for such DNA to fade into obscurity with the passage of time, and the equipping of seminary lecturers in seminaries that restrict the Spirit’s work.

I admire the work of the foreign missionaries from Australia (Borneo Evangelical Mission/ OMF) who successfully passed on the baton to the local pastors and leaders and left behind a model of church polity that required plurality of leadership. This has given a lot of stability (despite the slow speed of decisions and execution). The history of foreign missions is littered with missionaries that held on the power for too long and did not contextualize polity to suit the culture they had evangelized. But these Aussie missionaries did well. No doubt the Spirit was upon them to guide them.

Through Tony’s report of his story, I have a better understanding of the SIB denomination and the local churches in the city and the rural villages, and how they operated, and the challenges they faced. He is the only ethnic Chinese pastor among the scores of pastors and church leaders (from the major tribal ethnic groups) that fulfilled the many leadership roles in church and denomination. It is grace on the part of the tribal majorities and upon Tony’s ministry that he was promoted to strategic positions and appointments during his sacrificial tenure of ministry in the denomination.

I could see that while he is multi-talented and very responsible and capable, his strong convictions, sense of responsibility and courage occasionally landed him in no man’s land and within the crosshair of his critics’ rifle scopes. He is a courageous and forthright leader, passionate as a scholar of God’s truth, and as a pastor-lover of God’s church. I cannot help but feel that a mission that suits him and will make a great contribution to SIB is some kind of wide-ranging and influential role in reformation and implementation of the training of future pastors of the SIB.

The Power of Right Believing by Joseph Prince

21 July 2021 blogpastor Leave a comment

This is a collation of several posts about Joseph Prince’s book titled “The Power of Right Believing”. In the past I had written a string of reflections following the reading of each part spread over some time, as it was done while I was busy in ministry. I noticed that people do read these old posts even though they are all over the place. For convenience, I pulled them all together in internal links for the convenience of readers.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7