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Preaching Revelation: two thoughts

28 September 2015 blogpastor Leave a comment

Sensationalizing Revelation

I have begun preaching through the book of Revelation in church. It gets more exciting as one passes chapter 5. I dislike sensationalizing this precious book with connections which have no basis in a proper interpretation of Scriptures. Those sensational and speculative interpretations and applications tickle the curious and fool the naive. They sell books and tapes and “energizes” some believers for a while, the way Red Bull gives a brief boost. Unsustainable. You want to give members slow burn carbs that can help them run the marathon called the race. This is what hope does: it gives endurance, sustained movement towards the eternal city.

One member told me a friend believed deeply that the “rapture” would happen by Monday or Tuesday. Her friend was frightened. Another couple sold all their stocks because they believed the “shemitah” would cause a collapse in Wall Street and ripple around the world. Shemitah has passed and the stock market has not collapsed. God is still on His throne, and refuses to dance to the tune of suspect interpretations of His Word.

So on Sunday I asked the congregation to lay aside their theological frameworks and preconceived ideas of the end time schedule, even if an angel had whispered it to them. Stick to the Word and let the Word reveal what is there. If it’s not there be quiet. Having a set framework prevents us from seeing the truth that is actually there! Some 50 years ago, this was a shortcoming of those who believed in the “cessasion” of miracles. Their theological framework could not accommodate the truth and the reality of the gifts of the Spirit in this age. As a consequence, they missed out on a grand blessing. Sad.

Interludes in Revelation

Yesterday my sermon title was “The Seven Seals” from Revelation chapter 6, but without explaining why, I stopped at the sixth seal. It was after all the end of the chapter. Furthermore, chapter seven is an interlude about the sealing of the 144,000 and the blessedness of the innumerable followers of the Lamb in eternal glory.

However after the worship service a few members asked, What about the seventh seal…you didn’t talk about the seventh seal? I saw how not talking about the seventh created suspense, tension, a desire to know what would happen next. Was this perhaps the intention of the interludes in the vision – to create anticipation? The interludes appear first in Rev 7 as above, and later on in Rev 10, when the two witnesses suddenly appear after the sixth trumpet. The pauses create suspense. You feel a tension as you want to know what would happen next. Your attention is captured. You will not let up on your curiosity until the last seal is opened or the last trumpet is blown.

FGB Gatekeepers’ 40th Anniversary Dinner

24 September 2015 blogpastor Leave a comment

Beautifully laid table in Fullerton Hotel ballroom

Wonderful gathering of people many of whom have served side by side with each other in FGBMF Spore

Celebrations began appropriately with songs that harked back to the heydays of FGBMF Spore.

The new face of FGBMF Singapore
Full Gospel Business Gatekeepers Singapore: this is the new name of what was once the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship Singapore ( FGBMF Spore). They were celebrating their 40th anniversary together with the launch of a book titled: UNFOLDING HIS STORY. The dinner celebration on 2nd September was well attended at Fullerton Hotel with most receptionist and volunteers manning the tables under 40 and most people attending the event over 50 years of age. On the stage that night the old and young represented the future of this middle-aged organization injected with a new zip in its movements. This partnership of young and old, hand in hand, is the new face of a miraculous but God-supervised transformation (or as businessmen would term re-invention) of the mid-lifer that was FGBMF Spore.
From dry bones to mighty army
The FGBMF Spore was at one point dehydrated and lacking vitality, if not moribund and breathing its last breath: words I dared not use if the organization was still like that today. It was like an organization that had lost its way. They had done their God-given mission so well that the churches they touched were so strong they did not need the organization’s help any more. Their heydays were in the 1970s and 1980s. They were the bearer of the transformative experience called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As people touched by the Lord returned to bless and strengthen their own churches, the role of FGBMF Spore became like the remains of a charcoal pit, covered with glorious ash, but needing some stoking for the fire to be reset. They needed a new purpose and that was found in the outworking of the theology of the kingdom of God in the world, the marketplace. Once a valley of dry bones, it’s now an inter-generational army infused with a clear mission and strategy. Thus they have changed their name to Full Gospel Business Gatekeepers Singapore to reflect the new mission. Some FGBMF national organizations in other countries are coming to Singapore to catch this fire too.

THE UNFOLDING STORY about to be unveiled and launched with prayer

The book with photographs of the newspaper stories of speaking in tongues among students and several WRPF photos is inside — The book contains valuable photographs of the ST aritcle headings of speaking in tongues among students and several WRPF photos

Pictures of my predecessors: Pastor Johney and Bro A.M. Mathew (seated L-R) — Pictures of my predecessors: Rev Dr Johney and founder pastor Rev A.M. Mathew (seated L-R)

Unfolding His Story: new book
The highlight of the celebration was the launch of an interesting book titled UNFOLDING HIS STORY, written by a father and son team, Georgie and Galven Lee. It is the story of the charismatic movement in Singapore with a special eye on the contribution of the Anglican Church and FGBMF Singapore. Even though the writing team directly involved was father and son, it was a pleasure to see the whole Lee family, including the mother and daughter, involved in the production of this book.

With Galven who did a — With Galven Lee who did his NUS research on the charismatic movement in Singapore and was conferred a first class honours for his work. Unfolding His Story used the extensive, thorough research of his dissertation.

I remember being interviewed by Galven Lee, one of the authors. He was then a NUS history research student with a voice recorder and notebook. I shared with him what I knew of our story in the meta-narrative of the charismatic revival of the 1970s. It had to do with many students of many schools being filled with the Spirit. Our little story started with the Holy Spirit pouring out his power upon a group of students behind the science labs of the lowly Dunearn Tech Secondary School, along Bukit Timah Road. What began as students speaking in tongues behind the science labs became a crying revival and finally became the church, World Revival Prayer Fellowship. This not insignificant event was mentioned in the book.

With Rev Michael Teh, Vicar of Chapel of the Holy Spirit

Enjoyable evening
At my table, I sat beside Rev Michael Teh, the vicar of Chapel of the Holy Spirit, an Anglican church that was planted as a result of the spiritual renewal among the Anglicans in the 1970s. We had a nice chat and could connect easily. He is the pastor of the church which originally started in the Lee family’s home. The fellowship was good and so was the food and service but later during the meal I had cold Coca Cola spilled over me. I left for the restroom to clean up and on the way back to my table there was the apologetic head waiter and the waitress apologizing profusely and offering free dry cleaning service. Wished they offered me a free night’s stay at the hotel with breakfast. Good thing I was wearing a Mandarin collar long sleeve not a jacket. It was a long but enjoyable night.

May the Lord continue to bless the FGB Gatekeepers. I have nothing but good things to say about them now and what they have to offer to churches. If you wish to learn more about how they train people to make disciples in the marketplace you may want to read this blogpost I wrote earlier about one of their programs.
THINE IS THE GLORY, THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE.

35 years in pastoral ministry

21 September 2015 blogpastor 2 Comments

Long service award

I was notified by the Board of Elders that I had served in WRPF for 35 years and would receive a long service award. The mention did not sink home until later. There was a guideline in place to bless pastors with long service monetary awards. It was routine. I was not one to mark the years. Neither have I thought of long service as an achievement, as something to be proud of. My perspective was more of, So what if I have served 35 years?

Biggest worry was preaching
Before I answered God’s call, one of the big concerns for me was, Can I preach a fresh message Sunday after Sunday? During my second year in Swiss Cottage Pre-University, I had preached in the students’ Jesus Youth Fellowship’s Thursday meetings at Hill Crest Road, the youth fellowship on Saturday afternoons and the occasional Sunday Service at Lengkok Saga. Preaching was bittersweet: a huge burden and delight for me. Teaching was my spiritual gift. Still is. The weight of preparing a sermon took more out of me than expended by a woman who gave birth. So when God called me, this was a major worry: the regular preaching a pastor had to do.

Five loaves and two fish
The Lord used a passage from the gospels to allay my fears: the miracle of the five loaves

and two fish. I was to be like the little boy who gave up the meal his mum had packed for him. All I had to do was to offer to the Lord, whatever I had, and let Him take it and multiply it for the multitudes. The text said the multitudes were satisfied and had more than enough. God was faithful and it has been 35 years. He multiplied. He satisfied. I only offered what gifts I had. That’s the deal He kept all these years.

Grace upon grace
It was nice to receive recognition for what you do not regard as needing recognition. You sometimes wonder how you managed to chalk up so many decades in the same church. The joys and deep satisfaction were sprinkled through the decades, but there were also pitfalls, errors of judgment, failures, and the weight of unrealistic expectations. In the end, it was grace, grace and nothing but God’s grace that led me thus far. So the 43rd Anniversary and crystal award was a lovely, thoughtful, generous and honourable thing the church did. I was thankful. If anything, it taught the church to honor their pastors, and it gave me fresh encouragement to soldier on.

And to buy something special for myself.