7:18 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
January 2007 — Testimony shared by Kenny Low in City Harvest Church
Hi Church, I’m Kenny and this is my wife Serina. I’m the principal of CHEC and O School. In the last few years, God has been teaching us how to reach out to professional dancers in the entertainment industry.
In 2003, I was involved in a series of outreach concerts in Asia. We engaged Ryan Tan to be the dance director and choreographer for those events. Ryan is a very experienced and well respected dancer in the entertainment scene. I remembered the first concert we did in Hong Kong. I saw Ryan sitting by the side of the hall looking grumpy, with his jacket hood covering his face. While, hundreds of people were touched by Pastor’s preaching, he was completely disinterested with God and the church. Yet, I felt in my heart that somehow, the Lord will someday touch him.
Throughout the 8-month long tour, I shared the same hotel room with Ryan. As much as I was eager to lead him to Christ, I purposed in my heart not to preach to him immediately. I felt that he will be hearing enough preaching and altar calls through the 50-over gospel events that we were doing. Like what we’ve learnt in the Caring System, I began by befriending him and showing interest in his life. I read the comics that he read, listened to the songs that he listened to, attended his dance classes when we were back in Singapore, and even helped him out in his business by introducing more students to him. As we spent time together, Ryan began to open up and shared with me more about his life.
Serina:
After working with him for a year, Kenny and Ryan had become very close friends. At our last stopover in Australia , when Pastor Kong was giving the altar call, Ryan lifted up his hands to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. He had even told Kenny that he was prepared to get saved in the meeting and that he actually went to buy a Bible before the meeting itself! After he said the sinner’s prayer, Ryan had tears flowing down his cheeks. We saw a different Ryan from the one that Kenny had seen originally in Hong Kong eight months earlier. God had truly touched his life. He is genuinely converted and was water baptized two months later in the river Jordan during our Israel tour. The moment he got out of the water, he was powerfully filled with the Holy Spirit.
The miracle did not stop there. After Ryan became a Christian, he began to help us with the Easter production. He brought in one of his students Carol as a dancing assistant. By that time, Ryan had become more on fire for the Lord. He was actively reaching out to his other friends about how Jesus has changed him. It was in the backroom at the Singapore Indoor Stadium where Ryan and Kenny first shared their testimonies with Carol and planted a seed of faith in her heart. A few weeks later, the dance ministry staged a dance during a Weekend Connection service. Ryan invited Carol to attend that service. Pastor Kong’s message about “Dreams” touched Carol’s heart and that day, she too gave her heart to Jesus.
Kenny:
Shortly after that, Ryan and Carol invited one other dancer to church. His name was Daniel. During that period of time, Daniel was facing a family crisis at home. Both Ryan and Carol began to share their testimonies on how their lives were changed in this church. They decided to show their care by pooling in their finances to help him out. They knew that Daniel loves to dance. So they asked him to perform during the recording of the 2005 Cross album. Daniel was very impacted during that time because he had never seen so many people so passionate and excited for their God. Soon after, they invited him to watch another dance performance at our Emerge Conference. Daniel was deeply touched by the presence of God and the message. As a result, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior as well. When Daniel was serving his National Service, he was unable to attend cell groups and services regularly. However, the cell group continued to show care by giving him Bible studies during his off days. Six months later, Daniel was fully integrated into the church.
But the love and care didn’t stop there. Ryan, Carol and Daniel began to reach out to more dancers in their circle of influence. So far, they have brought 17 other dancers to church, nine of them have accepted Christ and we are in the midst of integrating them into the church.
Through these very creative and talented individuals who came to City Harvest, the vision for O School was birthed. Today Ryan, Carol and Daniel are full-time instructors in O School. The ministry of O School is unique, we provide employment for young talented dancers, we raised bursaries to help youths finish their schooling, and we are giving them healthy role models in the area of dance. In just nine months, O School had crossed 1,000 in membership, we had done dance programs with 15 institutions, touching more than 900 students interested in dancing, and performed to over 10,000 people. I believe many more lives will be influenced for Christ as we shine for Him among these people.
Serina:
Being the salt and light in the world is not so difficult. It is not hard-selling the gospel or pestering people to become Christians. Sharing the love of God is simply showing care, love and interest in other people’s lives. By doing that, we change the world — one person at a time!
Guys(: I want to let u know that all of us can share the love of God and make a difference in other people's lives!(: We don't need a preacher to do that! All of us can play our part!(: Remember the "15 min Revolution" and the "Love Revolution" DVD? We are all empowered to make a difference!(: People need the Lord!(:
Love,
Mel(:
9:17 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Monday, March 23, 2009
And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as theOne who serves.”
God is not against us desiring greatness. Because our God Himself is a great God, every true believer has the seed of greatness implanted in his spirit. We dream dreams and see visions of ourselves achieving significance and purpose in life.
In Luke 22, there was again a dispute among Jesus’ disciples as to which of them should be considered the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus didn’t rebuke them for their aspirations. What He wanted to prevent was their succumbing to pride and selfish ambition. Realizing their striving, Jesus once sat a little child down in the midst of the disciples, saying that in the kingdom, the great are like children—humble, trusting, and teachable (Matt. 18:4). Now that their concern for status surfaced again, Jesus elaborated the principle that the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all (Luke 22:25-27).
This standard still works today! The greatest in our society are people who serve the sick, the needy and the wounded. These are great because they have given themselves to serve others. Jesus Christ tops the list. He is the greatest of all because He gave Himself for the sins of the world (Phil. 2:1-11).
There is a very practical outworking of this principle of greatness in our everyday world. Those who do serve the most may often become the most famous and prosperous people. But when you do a study on many of them, glory and riches are usually not their motives. Rather, the recognition and esteem of others seem to be the inevitable fruit of their self-giving, childlike service to mankind.
One pastor once said that every Christian is shaped for service, using the word “SHAPE” as an acronym. “S” stands for spiritual gifts. “H” stands for heart’s desire. “A” stands for ability. “P” stands for personality. And “E” stands for experience. When you put them all together and get into “SHAPE,” you should have a good idea
8:30 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Friday, March 20, 2009
9:14 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Thursday, March 19, 2009
9:01 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30
In Numbers 13, the children of Israel had come to Kadesh Barnea, the border of the with a bad report, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:32-33).
There are always “giants” in life. The greater the level you soar, the bigger the devil. Paul says that the life of faith is a good fight (1 Tim. 6:12). It is “good” because when we put our trust in the Lord, we will win at the end of every bout. But still, to win in life, you must be willing to fight.
There is no greater fear than fear itself. There is a difference between the fear of the Lord and phobia. Godly fear is reverence toward God, the desire to please Him and cautiousness not to displease Him in any way. This is a good fear that leads to wisdom and faith.
On the other hand, a phobia is a crippling and horrifying dread. Phobias lead to worry, anxiety and paranoia. Fear of men, circumstances and evil spirits paralyze you from possessing your dream. God says, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Is. 43:5).
Without faith, the children of Israel spiraled downward into widespread panic and hysteria when they heard about the giants in the Promised Land. The first thought that came to their mind was, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt” (Num. 14:4). Whenever there was trouble, they wanted to go back. They may have gotten out of Egypt, but Egypt had not gotten out of them.
The word “Egypt” in Hebrew means to be hemmed in, or to be limited. The Israelites came out of the harsh bondage of Egypt where their lives, dreams, future and opportunities were severely limited. God broke those shackles of limitations and gave them freedom. But mentally, their thought pattern was still one of doubt and fear. The result? They “limited the Holy One of Israel” (Ps. 78:41). Apart from Joshua and Caleb, that entire generation of doubters didn’t enter the Promised Land.
Faith puts no limit on God, and God puts no limit on faith. Remember, God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20). The moment you succeed in breaking a limitation in your mind, there is no question whatsoever that God can follow through and make that thought a reality in your life.
Yeah!(: Guys, all things are possible!(: Stop saying u can't!(: You CAN slay the 'giant' in your life!(: I believe in u!(:
Love,
Mel(:
7:47 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found. Luke 15:32
Jesus was often accused by the Pharisees for being too welcoming with sinners like parable of the lost sheep, (2) the parable of the lost coin, and (3) the parable of the lost son. Jesus doesn’t believe in a “token hunt” for the lost. He doesn’t believe in just walking through the harvest field proclaiming that harvest time has come. Jesus believes in the actual ingathering of the lost.
As the Good Shepherd, Jesus counts the sheep in His flock every day. In church, we count people because people count! Every number represents a life that Christ died for on the cross. Without counting, how would a shepherd know if any of his sheep is missing? A good shepherd would “go after the one which is lost until he finds it”(Luke 15:4). A conscientious woman who has lost a silver coin would “light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it” (Luke 15:8). Soul-winning is too important a task to be left to half-hearted, token efforts.
In the parable of the prodigal son, after feeding swine in the pigsty, the son fi nally came to his senses. He would go home to his father and confess his sins to him. He would then make amends by working as a hired servant. There was true repentance and a desire to make restitution. When the lost son was still a distance from his home, his father saw him. For many months now, dad has been standing by the gate every day, waiting for his son to come home. And when the father met him, he hugged the son, gave him the best robe, put a ring on his fi nger and new sandals on his feet, killed the best calf, and threw him the best party in town. Unfortunately, the elder son didn’t share in the celebration. He was unhappy about the fuss made over the return of his lost brother.
Have you ever wondered what might have happened if the elder brother greeted the prodigal son first at the gate? His holier-than-thou attitude would have forever driven him back to the pigsty! It would have confirmed the negative bias that sinners like him could never start life afresh. Thank God it was the merciful father and not the harsh elder brother who greeted him at the door.
The three parables of Luke 15 tell us this: (1) soul-winning is serious work, (2) soulwinning is dedicated work, and (3) soul-winning is compassionate work. Watch your attitude the next time you meet people who are really “messed up” in life. Your attitude can give them the faith they need to start life afresh, or drive them further away from God. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Let's have compassion for the lost!(:
Love,
Mel(:
2:15 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Monday, March 16, 2009
In Numbers 16, 250 Israelite leaders joined Korah, Dathan and Abiram in a rebellion against Moses. They were jealous of Moses’ authority and leadership. They wanted equal rights for all the leaders. Personally, Korah wanted a position and ministry that God had not given him.
There is always a tendency to downgrade the pastor in a church. But while the pastor is an elder, not all elders are pastors. You can’t put Moses on the same level as Korah, and you can’t put Korah on the same level as Moses.
This rebellion was a serious attack, not only against Moses, but against God Himself. The earth then opened up and fire came from heaven to consume the 250 leaders. The next day, the sympathizers of the rebels started murmuring against Moses. They felt that Moses and God were too harsh to Korah and the 250 men. By criticizing them, they were in effect saying that they had more compassion than God.
The Lord immediately spoke to Moses, “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” A plague swept through the people and 14,700 men began falling down dead. Aaron quickly took a censer, and with some fire from the altar, ran into the midst of the people and started making atonement for their wrongdoing. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped (Num. 16:48-49).
Who was Aaron? He was just one man in the midst of a terrible plague that was killing the multitude. He was an elderly man who was too old to exert himself. He was a man who bore the scars of failure in both ministry and life. Yet, he ran to the altar, caught some fire and stood between the living and the dead. And where he stood, the plague stopped.
This simple story was the rhema that launched our “Church Without Walls” ministry to the poor and needy in 1995. The essence of Christianity is simply loving God and loving people (Matt. 22:36-40). If you are willing to go to God’s altar, catch the fire of compassion, and stand between the living and the dead in your community, you can stop the ravages of sin and death.
Can one man make a difference? Aaron was a man of limited abilities. He was a man marked with many public failures. But when he caught the fire of compassion, he stood between the living and the dead and made the difference. With God’s compassion in your heart, you too can make a difference in your world.
1:59 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Sunday, March 15, 2009
-guohao
2:46 PM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Friday, March 13, 2009
5:37 AM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
Sunday, March 1, 2009
8:52 PM, & i live by faith and not by sight for you
