Peace and grace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the joy of knowing Him, loving Him and walking with Him overflow in your hearts.
The past two months of ministry have been nothing short of exciting and fulfilling. In July, I spoke at St Luke’s Hospital’s Staff Devotions across two Wednesdays. I had a great time preaching and teaching the Word at Covenant Vision Christian Church (“The Promise of the Holy Spirit” Series) and at Covenant Vision Spiritual Growth Seminars (“Growing in the Word” Series). On 21 Aug, the Lord led me to teach on “A Hundredfold Harvest” based on the familiar Parable of the Soils. The next week on 28 Aug, I found myself releasing a prophetic message through the follow-up message, “A Hundredfold Harvest: Room for More”. When I made an altar call, many responded and the Lord moved in their hearts and lives! Praise the Lord!
Covenant Vision School of Ministry held an Open House on Thursday 27 Aug. I was very encouraged to see both Certificate and Diploma students actively involved in the organising and hosting. As they have been blessed by the courses and activities, the students have become fervent ambassadors of the School. We are now taking applications for the January 2010 Intake of the Certificate in Practical Christian Ministry. The next Open House is on Saturday 3 Oct 4pm. For more information, visit www.cvsom.org or talk to me.
On 29 Aug, I was invited to speak at Wesley Methodist Church’s Men in Christ Breakfast Fellowship. It was really encouraging to see so many men turn up to worship God and to hear His Word. The topic was “Stirred but not Shaken” where I shared on the need for godly wisdom in these difficult and uncertain times. Follow-up discussion questions were left with them to encourage them to continue meeting to dig deeper into the issues. It was also a nice time of catching up with old Wesley friends.
The most significant event was the transformetion weekend at Parkroyal on Beach Road 8 – 10 Aug where I brought a series of four teachings … transformation:gap, conformation:logos, liberation:mind and destination:glory. Call 6391 0027 if you’d like to purchase these teachings. Many commented it was strong meat, giving them much to chew on and plenty to think about for weeks to come. At the last session, the glory of God came! It was a time of challenging and changing mindsets as the Lord dealt deep with personal issues and comfort zones. Indeed, it was truly a weekend of transformation.
Sandwiched between the teachings was TransforNATION, a night of prayer, praise and worship as we interceded for Singapore on National Day. The Covenant Vision Worship Team led the congregation in music and song. Pastors from different churches and denominations joined us as we stood as one to pray through the seven mountains of government, religion, family, education, arts & entertainment, media and business. For 2.5hrs, hearts were open and voices were raised as we cried out to the Lord for our nation. I believe the Lord has answered and a fresh initiative has been activated in the spiritual realm!
After celebrating 8 birthdays, it was finally my turn to blow out the candles on 24 Aug. I was pleasantly surprised when my Diploma students brought out a birthday cake after class on Saturday 22 Aug. Then on Sunday 23 Aug, my parents organised a surprise lunch and the whole church celebrated with me! The Children’s Ministry even made a giant card for me – so sweet of them. On 24 Aug, the family spent the morning at Marina Barrage. In the evening, we rode on the Singapore Flyer in our very own capsule. I didn’t expect to mark my birthday in such a big way but it was nice that so many remembered and went out of the way to make it meaningful for me. One church member even took the trouble to make a special birthday agar agar for me! And in case some of you are wondering how young I am … I turned 45 that day.
In the last newsletter, I made an observation that 8 July 2009 would mark 9 years since the Lord called me into fulltime ministry. 9 is the number of completion and I see a new phase in my ministry unfolding. New opportunities are being presented as are new responsibilities, levels of authority and even spheres of influence. This is indeed exciting. At the same time, it is tremendously daunting! I can’t even begin to imagine how it will all turn out or how I will be able to handle and accomplish it. All I know is that God who has enabled me will continue to enable me for every task He has called me to. In 1 Cor 15:10, Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Yes, may His grace be continually sufficient for me, that in my weakness, His strength might be made perfect (2 Cor 12:9).
My dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, I covet your prayers for me, my family and my ministry. Without doubt, the work of the ministry is both challenging and demanding. Looking at how societies are evolving and changing, it is clear that things will not get easier, but tougher. Praise God for what we enjoy today, but we cannot take for granted the privilege to worship Jesus freely. What begins as religious harmony and tolerance can easily become compromise. It may be a fine line but still one that must not be crossed. The only safeguard is a real and intimate relationship with Jesus and a life lived in the Spirit.
As always, thank you for being a part of my ministry. I pray that this little update brings you encouragement, hope and joy. May you be filled with the love and peace of God even as you walk in His wisdom and promises. To God be all glory, honour and praise!
One Day At A Time 