Community is messy business...

Community is messy business.

Picture of drawing of what community means,
put together through the collective effort of
Forerunners Adults & Children in Aug 2012

2 hours ago, a group of leaders met up and shared about how each of our communities are doing, the help needed and sought each other's insights on how we should proceed on various matters. And I left the session overwhelmed about how messy community life is. 

Forget the wonderful picture discipleship books paint about how wonderful and supportive community life will be IF everyone embraces the same principles, put their hands to the plough and regularly come with joy and gladness, ready to love everyone, or extend generous help when someone is in need. 

Reality is not quite so rosy. Many of us come tired, our patience a little challenged, our spirits a little prickly and easily offended (though we may not admit it so readily). 

On some days we come because....it's a commitment we made to our leaders - we need to come and support, boost the numbers, because, well...we are the regulars you know. 

On other days, we secretly wish in our hearts the meeting will be cancelled so we can take a break, have a night to...well... just rest. There are days & seasons where the weight of life become too heavy for us and we no longer have capacity to engage with any more social interactions. I get it. Because I feel that too.

Community can be frustrating, because we are all very different individuals, and very human; and

Community is messy, because... life is messy.

We, and others bring all our wonderful self, as well as our messes into our interactions. So it is hardly surprising that we frustrate each other (some more than others... 😆 - and myself included.)

Community is God's business

Then I read 1 Corinthians 3...

"Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?..." (1 Cor 3:1-3)

How exasperated Paul might have felt. How frustrating that after the years of leading, teaching and encouraging, the Corinthians were still acting so... childish!

Still he reminds them (and us!) that "What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose." (1 Cor 3:7-8) We labor & advocate for meeting in community, speaking into each other's lives, praying for & prodding one another for the same purpose - that the Lord will make seeds grow, and the people of God will build their lives upon the foundation of Christ Jesus (v11), and that God's temple - the church of Christ (v16) - will be Holy (v17) and their hearts will belong to Christ wholly (v23). 

Paul reminds the Corinthians & us, that Community is God's business.

"Don’t you realize that all of you TOGETHER are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives among you" (v16). 

And God is jealously guarding His Temple and ensuring it's completion in the Fullness of His time. Anything that comes against the growth, maturing and glory of His temple, he will destroy. His temple (the community of His people, His church) is precious to Him!

"God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple." (v17)

We're not struggling to hope things will happen. We are praying & laboring to proclaim to those in our community, the Truth, that "It has happened! It is Finished! Christ is Risen! Arise! Shine! The light has come!"

So:

to the passionate ones: Do not let your heart be weary. Christ has won the victory and He has a sure end for His Church, one that is a glorious bride, a Holy Temple. Come and follow Him. Let His Spirit enfold you and strengthen your hearts. For You belong to Christ. That is your (and our) assurance and peace.

to the ones laboring: Labor in Christ and remember we are in this TOGETHER. You are not alone.

to us all who are TOGETHER, the temple of God, who have the Spirit of God dwelling among us: let us press on in our pursuit of holiness, and be hungry for more of His Glory in our lives and in our communities. And let's encourage each other to keep doing this TOGETHER.

Because Community is God's Business. 

A New Year Reflection...

On Behalf of C.K. Lim.

--- I Am The New Year ---
Author Unknown

Life, I am the new year.
I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.

I am your opportunity to practise
what you have learned about life
during the last twelve months.

All that you sought
and didn't find is hidden in me,
waiting for you to search it out
with more determination.

All the good that you tried for
and didn't achieve
is mine to grant
when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do,
all that you hoped but did not will,
all the faith that you claimed but did not have -
these slumber lightly,
waiting to be awakened
by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity
to renew your allegiance to Him who said,
'behold, I make all things new.'

I am the new year.

13^th November 2007

Dearest Family,

After a day of slumber, I’m finally awake to face the world and return to work (reluctantly :P). How was your first day back at work? 

This year’s retreat is the first time we have the FOC joining us with the kids and house helpers in tow and boy! has it made the retreat more exciting and challenging! Many thanks are due to the Children’s Ministry leaders who anchored the Children’s ministry time to ensure that the kids are well-occupied during the teaching sessions.  Thank you for your sacrifice during the teaching sessions to be with the children so the parents may be able to benefit from the sessions. 

Huge thanks are also due to the Retreat Committee led by Jiahui who looked into the venues, accommodations, food, programme arrangements for the entire retreat. Thank you to each and everyone one of you for serving the ForeRunner zone in the ways that you have in spite of your busy daily schedules and commitments. 

A big thank you to Adrian as well, for being God’s willing instrument to guide and teach us through yet another series of teaching. To each and every one of you who prayed before, during and after the retreat, thank you for being the prayer warrior that you were, and for partnering God through your prayers.

Thank you also for your individual sharing during the Worship Extravaganza sessions which no doubt encouraged the hearts who were listening. I’m indeed very privileged to be able to hear and witness for myself, the transforming work of God in each and every one of your lives. 

I know God has spoken in His own way to every one of us and I pray that we will continue to take the lesson with us every single day as we come down from the “mountain-high” experience. Let our hearts and minds soak up the goodness of His word to us during the retreat so we may carry them into the rest of the days ahead of us. 

PS/ This is not my testimony; this is my love letter to all of you. 

In His love,

Esther Marikea

An Exhortation - Romans 12:5

1st Corinthians Journey – Phase 1 conclusion

An Exhortation : By Swee Ching

As we came to the end of Cafe Charis and the teaching on Sectarian Spirit, just feel the need to do a sharing on some of my thoughts which I hope can encourage us to apply what we have learned from cell.

This is a long email so please take time to read. Thanks!

Verse from Roman12:5

..so in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

The key word here is belongs. Normally when something or someone belongs to us, we own that that particular subject.

Eg. the Mazda car belongs to me, so I am the owner of the Mazda and I am responsible to take good care of my car.

So the above verse says "EACH MEMBER BELONGS to all the others".

So when each member belongs to all the others, it will mean that the rest own the member!

What I want to touch on now is the sense of OWNERSHIP.

I'm going to break this ownership into 2 levels.

1. Personal ownership

- Take ownership over your own spiritual life. All of us have personal responsibility to do our own QT and to seek God for answers in our prayers. On Sunday, Pastor Leslie taught that when you remain stagnant, you risk backsliding. How many of you know that you are stagnant but you are not doing anything about it? Start now!

Practical steps:

a. Tell someone! Be accountable and take action.

b. Go back to the fundamental and build your spiritual disciplines and fundamentals with word of God.

c. Start serving in cell and ministries and mix with people who can help and spur you in your spiritual walk.

2. Ownership over the rest of the cell group/zone/church.

- Once you understand the personal level of ownership, take on a 2 ^nd level of ownership for your cell/zone/church. The verse says that we are a body of Christ and a member belongs to us! What are we doing about this ownership that God has given to us? Are we pro-active in helping the weak in faith and are we a blessing in cell/zone/church? Or are we simply there to receive?

- Start making a positive difference in our cell group.

a. Transparency/ accountability. Pastor Stanley taught about having a spiritual friend. Be one and look for one now! Start sharing authentically and be accountable. If not, start with your cell leader.

b. Lack of people serving. Start encouraging people to share testimony and to start serving and bless in small ways. Offer your help in small ways! Start small! Affirm one another's spiritual gifts and service.

c. Being serious in word of God. Come prepared for cell word. Read Corinthians and anticipate God to speak through Adrian. Listen attentively and meditate and chew on the truths you learned.

Infact it is natural that cliques are formed. There are healthy cliques and unhealthy cliques (like what Xinhui shared with me). Healthy cliques support one another spiritually and challenges or rebuke one another in love. It includes others unconditionally and uses its strength as a clique to be a blessing to the others. Unhealthy cliques stick to themselves only and are selective in who they want to bless.

We are a big group and we are diverse because God created us differently. However the beauty of unity is to see it in diversity and to see His people standing together in times of blessings and in times of crisis. Do we stick together or do we run away when there is a need for help?

God bless and may we stand together in good or bad times.

love,

SC