by Admin | Jul 29, 2017 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
This year, our church theme is “A Gospel Community in a Global City”. We have been studying the book of Romans. In Romans, we learnt that the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes. None of us is righteous, all of us fall short of the glory of God, and have gone astray. But God in His grace and mercy, demonstrated His love for us, that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. In Christ, we have a relationship with God and nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is the hope we have in Christ, yet, there are many in this world who do not know Christ, are broken-hearted, troubled, live in fear, cannot find peace and are lost.
Do we pause and consider the brokenness and needs of people who live around us in this world? As children of God and a community of believers, who have received Christ and experienced God, His love and goodness, do we testify and share it with others? Do we pray for the lost, care for them and share the Good News?
What are the challenges that you face as you consider sharing the gospel? I would like to share two accounts here.
The first account is from a sister I met during my recent time in Indonesia. In her teens, a crisis in her home caused her to consider deeply the question of “Who is God?”. She searched the Scriptures and later came to faith in Jesus Christ. However, she faced great opposition when she first became a believer. It was a difficult time. Initially, many of her friends from school moved away from her, did not want to befriend her, and rejected her. She was isolated. Later, she went to another town to study at a high school. During that period she stayed in a hostel. Most of the students who lived in the hostel are of a different faith. As before, they were likely to reject her. Yet, interestingly this time, something changed as she lived out her faith, prayed and cared for others. Contrary to the past, she was well accepted there. She made many good friends. Over time, these friends out of curiosity, also began to ask her about the Bible: what are the stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc, about in the bible? She gladly shared each story with them.
The second account is my personal experience. For more than 12 years, lady TK has been someone on my heart. I visited her often, talked to her, and prayed with her, especially in the past when I was still working in the accounting firm. Once, the Lord gave an idea and I bought an audio bible for her, which was in her own language. For a period of time, she listened consistently to the gospel stories. And when I visited her, she could tell me in her own language that “Jesus is good”, “Jesus is the greatest”, and “Jesus saves people”. She may not have believed in Jesus then, but the seeds were sown. I was excited. Yet, over time, I became busy, I became cold-hearted. There were also many conflicts and quarrels in relationships surrounding this lady. I was discouraged and stopped visiting her. When I came back from Indonesia recently, I began to realise my mistake. I should not have given up on her even in the midst of difficulties. By God’s grace, I was recently reconnected with this lady. My prayer is for her to experience God’s love and peace that she may know that Jesus is God.
What are your experiences in praying, caring and sharing the Good News? How can we, as a gospel community, spur one another in sharing the gospel, both in good times and bad times? Let us not give up in living for Jesus, and sharing the gospel, for the gospel is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.
By Chen Yahui, Pastoral Staff (YCKC Bulletin 29&30 July 2017)
by Admin | Feb 25, 2017 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
What does it mean to be fully human? I have often asked this question. Even after receiving Jesus into my life, I sometimes feel incomplete or empty within. Hence, I stretched out my hands to find things to do, to occupy and fill my life. I put much effort into work, church ministry, hang out with friends, and soon I realised my identity revolves around these. These became my ends. I strived to do well in these areas, to gain significance, acceptance, job progression, status, recognition, monetary rewards.
My relationship with God, sometimes, becomes a means to these ends too. I come to God to ask for success and to fulfil what I have on hand, or plan to do and achieve, and sometimes to prove my worth, instead of truly seeking Him. In the process, I found much stress, frustration and futility. Further, it never truly satisfies, and is often temporal.
Yet, it is not to say that I cannot come to God to ask for things. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us that we can go to him in prayer and ask Him for our daily needs (Matt 6:11).
He promised that He will provide. However, it is interesting that He taught us to come to Him first by recognising our relationship with Him, that God is our heavenly Father; to reflect on His character of holiness, and to yearn for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done (Matt 6:9-10). In the book of Revelation, in the final restored Kingdom, Jesus will be on the throne, dwelling with His redeemed people, in the fullness of glory. The redeemed people of God will worship and serve in the temple of God day and night (Rev 7:15). I come to realise that at the end, the presence and glory of God is the everlasting end that will truly satisfy.
I begin to understand what being fully human means. It is coming into the presence of God, through Christ, finding forgiveness, acceptance, love and my identity and significance in Him, which matters most. As I dwell in the presence of God, worship Him, behold His power and glory from His revealed words in the bible, I am gradually transformed into His image. NT Wright in his book “After you believe” describes that men were made to be God’s image bearer, to be priests and rulers, to reflect God’s glory of wisdom, generosity, justice and beauty. Work, church, family, relationships, etc., become gifts from God, to serve His purposes, as God’s agent in the world to bring about restoration and redemption, to reflect God’s glory to the world. I begin to find my joy, fulfilment and significance in Him.
Yet, as I live in the world, I would continue to experience frustrations, pains and aches, as the world is fallen, and is far from perfect. Romans 8:22 describes how the whole of creation groans in pain, as we wait in eager anticipation for the final restoration and renewal in the last days.
Meanwhile, I need to depend on His grace, and persevere on in faith.
Yet, it is often so easy for me to forget that Jesus Christ is my utmost, and to seek His kingdom and glory. I swing from being self-seeking or being consumed by the troubles of this world. It is here that I find myself needing to build habits of grace, to frequently turn back to Him, to seek Him in His words and prayers, having daily devotions, space and time to reflect and dwell in His Word. David Mathis, in “Habits of Grace” says “Meditating on God’s words shapes our soul… As we’re freshly captivated by the grandeur of our God and his gospel, we become what we behold: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, and being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18).
Are you dwelling in His presence daily? Are you reflecting God’s glory to the world we live in? Draw close to God and He will draw near to you.
By Chen Yahui, Pastoral Staff (YCKC Bulletin 25&26 February 2017)
by Admin | May 21, 2016 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
I remembered an occasion when I had an intense sudden cravings for a bottle of “Coca-Cola”. “I want to drink Coca-Cola. I want it now!” “Wait”, I stopped and pondered “Wait a minute, what is going on here? Why do I have such cravings?” I then realised that it was the “Coca-Cola” advertisement that was screened in the movie theatre earlier on that has affected me. The message of the advertisement of having a bottle of Coca-Cola “to quench your thirst” was powerfully etched in my mind unknowingly.
Thinking back, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola may seem harmless. However, what if the advertisement was something else? What if it entails something that is harmful or even falsehoods? What if the messages from the imagery or narrative tempts me into addictions or sins? Living in a world of hyper-imagery and hyper-narrative, this is very possible. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be self-controlled and alert, as the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Another word for “alert”, is “to be watchful”.
Every day, different messages are thrown at us, whether, we want to hear it or not, through our mobile devices, tablets, social media, television, emails, etc. We can also find all sorts of information, images, and even relationships in the internet. There is a crying need for “a filter”. We cannot take in and receive everything from media, which influences our minds, since not everything that is portrayed in media is good, ideal and beneficial. We need to constantly pause, reflect and discern the messages that we are receiving and how they are influencing us, our beliefs and actions. We need to discern between what is good and true, falsehood and harmful, that what is pleasing to God and what is not.
The other challenge in living in a world of hyper-imagery and hyper-narrative, is that the bible seems to pale in comparison, in being able to “catch my attention” and applicable or relevant to my world. Yet, the Word of God is life-giving, it is not stagnant and stale. The Word of God is powerful and life-changing. I have seen how the Word of God is lived out in generous love, courage and service that gives life to others. The Word of God gives hope and healing to the broken hearted, to the humble and contrite and comfort in period of dark times. I have heard testimonies of how people’s lives were saved from death, of how the Word of God brought them back to life and changed them. The Word of God reveals who God is. Ultimately, He is the owner of all creation, the Creator God and Redeemer.
Therefore, I reckon, it is more worthwhile to be tutored in God. God’s Word is still applicable and relevant today. Convinced of this, it gives me a hunger for Him and His Word. I also reckon, I can let the Word of God become an active engagement in my everyday life, a compass to discern my ways.
The Spirit can bring to my mind, God’s Word, even as I go about doing my daily chores and work, giving me faith, wisdom and joy in the Lord in my daily work. God’s Word is not stagnant and is most visible when lived out in a Christian community and the world.
Let us be tutored by God’s Word and not give up in encouraging one another, so that we may be alert and watchful, that we do not compromise in our faith and constantly aligning ourselves to our God, who is holy, loved us and laid down His life for us.
By Yvette Chen Yahui, Deaconess (YCKC Bulletin 21&22 May 2016)
by Admin | May 23, 2015 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
One day towards the end of last year, I suddenly had this thought that maybe I could initiate a prayer time with my parents. My parents are pre-believers. I felt the Lord was prompting me to do something. To keep myself accountable, I even shared this thought with a sister so that she could remind me of it. Yet, very soon, doubtful thoughts came to me. “Maybe, they are not ready, maybe they would not like it”. I did not had the courage to ask them.
Soon time passed by and I forgot all about it. Yet the Lord remembered. Earlier this year, some events occurred which brought about stresses in the family. Under such tension, in addition to the fear that my mum would turn to other gods for help (which she probably still does), and also a conscious heart that I needed to account to God, I was “forced” to ask my parents “shall we pray together?” By God’s grace, they were actually opened to it. We started our prayer time together, regularly, once a week, whenever we could. Their acceptance to prayer gave me hope, comfort and confidence.
There were times when I felt weak and was tempted to skip the prayer time with them, but God is faithful and kept me going.
In Singapore Bible College where I am studying, prayer has been a very integral part of the relationship between my roommate and me. We started with praying to encourage one another. And then in times of crisis and challenges, we would also pray. I was often amazed at how God has answered our prayers. I remembered a conflict situation that we witnessed and as we prayed together, we saw God at work to bring light into the darkness very quickly. It also caused my roommate to go through a process of reconciliation and forgiving someone, even when she realized it was still hurting her.
It takes courage and intentionality to pray. Whether it may be to initiate to pray for or with someone or to ask for prayers from someone. We need not be afraid to act upon our intention. We are a grace community to spur one another towards Christ-likeness. Praying together and for one another helps us to unleash grace in our church community and provide the power for us to develop godly relationships.
Let us cultivate the habit of praying for one another. Would you in the new week take time to see the burdens of people around you, and then take the courage and intentionally pause from what you are doing to pray for someone? May the Lord bless you as you do so. “Cast your burden to the Lord because He cares for you”.
By Yvette Chen Yahui, Deaconess (YCKC Bulletin 23&24 May 2015)
by Admin | Oct 11, 2014 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
I thank God for the privilege of serving in the Charis Fellowship over the last few years, reaching out to women and men from China who have come to Singapore to study and work. One of the privileges I have is to co-work with sister Susan Cheong and many lovely mentors from YCKC. Through them, I have seen the extravagant love that they give to our foreign brothers and sisters. The mentors eat with them, spend time with them, care for them and love them like their own family. In the unconditional love of this fellowship, I saw the love of Jesus Christ. The love of Jesus Christ that has come alive to me, that is tangible and real.
A parable was told in Luke 14. When Jesus was dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, he said to the host, “When you hold a banquet, do not invite your friends, brothers, rich relatives, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:12-13). Why was that so? The culture then was that by accepting the banquet invitation, one is committed to invite the host to a feast in return. The feast has to be one that is as lavish or more than the banquet to which one was invited. However, the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, invited to the feast, cannot repay their host. What extravagant love that is from Jesus Christ!
In the parable, Jesus Christ is like the host who calls the poor and handicapped to Him. Jesus Christ gave of Himself freely, bore the sins of man, that all who believe in Him will have everlasting life. Just as the sick and poor recognise their need for a doctor, it is the poor and sinful people that recognise their need for a Saviour. Jesus has paid it all. Come to Jesus, who has paid it all.
Do not be like those in the parable who were too caught up with earthly concerns, like inspecting newly bought land, examining newly bought oxen or setting up a new household, and miss the opportunity to attend the banquet (Luke 14:18-21,24). Find rest in fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Finally, the banquet invitation is for all people. It is not exclusive to a certain group of people. In the parable, those who would seem to be excluded from the banquet because of their social or cultural liabilities are invited to the banquet. Who are the people in our society that seem to be marginalised, neglected or missing out on the opportunity to hear the gospel? The extravagant love of Jesus Christ is for all.
By Chen Yahui, Deaconness (YCKC Bulletin 11&12 October 2014)
by Admin | Oct 12, 2013 | Chen Yahui, • Timely Word •
I praise and thank God for the celebration of YCK Chapel’s 59th Anniversary last Sunday. We celebrated by not only looking at the past and giving thanks to God for His love, goodness and faithfulness, but we also took time to look forward, to be prepared and equipped to live in the challenging post-modern world of today. Rev Dr Robert Solomon’s sermon has been impactful to me and I especially like how he described the world today:
- “Forgetfulness of God in the modern age” – In the highly technological age today, where information is at the touch of the fingertip, man can become arrogant and think we can explain everything and therefore become less dependent on God. This can take away the awareness of God in our everyday life, since one may think he/she already knows it all.
- “Religion of the eye” – Everything functions by what we can see. We take in a lot from what we see on the television screen, phones, computers, tablets. If we are not careful in discerning, or are uncritical and just absorbing everything from the screen, we can open opportunity and room for the devil to tempt us with deceitful thoughts and motivations. We can begin to “hear” less of His laws and decrees.
- “Self-indulgence and instant gratification” – In today’s society, many are gripped by materialism. Many are less heavenward-thinking and more are thinking of having “heaven” here on earth; hoping to have the “best” of everything here, e.g. acquiring the best education, properties, clothing, food, etc, We desire to be “No. 1” in almost every area of our lives, so that we become more prone to grabbing the things of this world to get there. Yet, as Christians we know that this world is not our home, we are only passing through. There is still much imperfection and suffering in this world. We should have a heavenward yearning, where an inheritance that is pure and undefiled is kept in heaven for us.
In the midst of all these, it is comforting to know that in YCK Chapel, we have a community of believers, who can be authentic with one another, and encourage one another in our discipleship journey so that none may become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Similar to what Rev Dr Robert Solomon shared, I was in a class recently and we were having a discussion on the prevalence of reality television today. Examples of such reality television programmes are: Survivors, The Bachelor, Extreme Makeover and The Apprentice, just to name a few. The irony is that these programmes seem real, and yet they are all staged. Many enjoy watching reality television as they can relate to the feelings and thoughts of the characters in them.
A study to understand the ideology behind reality television reveals that people in the post-modernistic culture of today desire for authenticity as a reaction to the lack of authenticity inherent in postmodernism, where mass production and masking are normative.
As I reflected on the discussion in class, I begin to thank God for YCK Chapel, where I can see the church growing in authenticity, where people are sharing lives with one another and where a grace community is developing to care not only for its members but also for the world outside. Praise be to God, our Father, who is unchanging and everlasting!
By Sister Chen Yahui (YCKC Bulletin 12&13 October 2013)
