by Admin | Nov 16, 2024 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
Practicing Christian Discipleship
In the world we live in, we are always struggling with time and energy to practice Christian Discipleship. Nevertheless, it is important for us to follow Jesus Christ and live according to His teachings and commandments.
Whether you are a new believer in Christ or have been a follower of Christ for many years, it is good to follow some basic ways to practice Christian Discipleship.
- Read the Bible daily: Spend time reading, recording, reflecting and responding to God’s Word. You can use the Bible reading chart to help you to read it systematically. The important thing is you must enjoy reading the Bible on your own.
- Pray regularly: Talk to God through prayer by sharing your praise and thanksgiving items and requests. Some people like to use this acronym ACTS which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication to help them in their prayers.
- Serve other people: Seek opportunities to serve other people, whether they be Christians or people of other faith. Show God’s love to people around you especially those who are in need physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.
- Share your faith with your neighbours: You can share the gospel of Jesus Christ with other people who do not know Jesus yet. You can be a witness to God’s love and grace whenever opportunities arise. Examples are to take part in BCS’ activities and be involved in Neighbourhood visitation. Pray for your OFJ. Ask God for patience and boldness to share Christ with them eventually.
- Join a Small Group Church: This is important as it is an effective way to have close fellowship with church members and learn to pray for one another and encourage one another in their walk with Jesus.
- Obey God’s commands: As you read the Bible daily and pray regularly, God will reveal to you how you can obey His commands. You need to obey God’s teachings and follow His guidance in your daily life.
- Seek mentorship: It is important to look for a spiritual mentor to support you in your Christian Walk. It would be good also if you could mentor those who are young in faith (2 Tim 2:2). It is the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of every nation, not just making converts (Matthew 28:19).
- Join a Bible Study: Every year our church organises a Berean Series for members to deepen their understanding of the Bible. Grab these opportunities to study the Bible Study together.
There are other ways for strengthening Christian Discipleship and the above list is not exhaustive. Nevertheless, the points listed above are basic and simple ways for all of us to practise. Bear in mind that Christian Discipleship is a process. We must have persistence and perseverance to succeed.
By brother Yue Fah Yong
by Admin | Nov 4, 2022 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:22-24 (NIV)
These words are Paul’s exhortation to the church in Colossae to live the new life in Christ and to be a good spiritual example to those around them in their conduct. In the area of work, the relationship between the master and the servant is of paramount importance, and the servant is to obey the master in the flesh in all things. (v.22)
(1) The object of service
The object of a servant’s ministry is his master. In the modern workplace most people work in a company and have their own bosses, sometimes more than one. The same is true in the mission field where everyone has at least one manager who is responsible for the missionary. Paul exhorts Christians to obey them in all things. But he also made a very important statement, which was, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (v. 24) So the true object of service is the Lord Jesus Christ, not the earthly master.
(2) The attitude of service
The right attitude in service is to be careful and self-disciplined. Each of us has a stewardship responsibility from God to manage all that we and the master have on earth. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Let every man serve one another according to the gifts he has received, as good stewards of the gifts of God.” Each Christian should remember to be a good and faithful steward of God as he keeps his or her office.
We are also reminded to have this attitude that whatever we do, work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. One version (NASB) puts it as “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” We do get some rewards by working for men – such as a monetary reward, promotion, and recognition. However, the biggest reward is the inheritance from the Lord. Hallelujah!
(3) To please men or to please God?
This is something that Christians are often troubled by. The truth is that we cannot please everyone and please God. Our ultimate goal should not be to please people, but God. Paul says very clearly in Galatians 1:10, “If I remain pleasing to men, I am no longer a servant of Christ.”
Conclusion
Christians are servants of Christ who are prudent and self-disciplined, faithful to the Lord and enduring suffering to live a good testimony for the Lord. Through this, they have more opportunities to spread the gospel of Jesus so that more people can be saved into the kingdom. Let us therefore serve our Lord assiduously and prudently.
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.” – 2 Tim 4:5
By brother Yue Fah Yong
by Admin | Oct 29, 2021 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NASB)
In a dry and weary land where there is no water, we naturally think of seeking water to quench our thirst and to satisfy our physical need. But in Ps 63:1, we can see that King David, in the wilderness of Judah where he was hiding from his son Absalom, wasn’t thinking about water or his personal safety. Instead, his soul thirsts for God, and he seeks God earnestly, his flesh yearning for God. His thirsting soul is satisfied in God only.
When you find yourself in a dry wilderness situation in life, what do you do? Let us learn from King David and follow his footsteps.
First, he seeks God. In Ps 63:2-3, he wants to see God’s power and glory as he had seen it in the sanctuary. King David had been in the tabernacle. He had seen the glory of God, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted to see that wilderness turned into a sanctuary where he could worship and praise God.
We are satisfied to hear about God and sing praises to Him in church. But what happens we come into the wilderness? We should be like King David and say,” I want to see God’s glory through this wilderness experience just as though I were worshipping God in the church service in the comfort of a familiar setting.”
King David was a man who went after God’s heart and yet he had his wilderness experience. We likewise will go through different wilderness experiences (this pandemic is one of them) in our life.
The second thing King David does is: he blesses God. “So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. “(v4). In v2b “To see Your power and Your glory.” In v5b “and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.” In v6b “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.”
The psalmist is totally involved in the worship of God. He uses his eyes, lips, hands, soul, mouth and mind. The psalmist serves as a good example of the true worshipper who blesses God.
Satisfaction doesn’t come from the circumstance on the outside. It comes from the blessing on the inside. Praising God releases blessings and satisfaction. The psalmist’s soul is satisfied with marrow and fatness . King David was satisfied with God.
Finally, King David rejoices in God (v11). King David could rejoice in God while he was in the wilderness. That’s what God wants from us. He does not want us to rejoice in earthly things or in any person.
Indeed, the wilderness is good for us for it teaches us an important truth: We draw satisfaction from blessing God on the inside, not from circumstances on the outside, especially when we are faced with so many adversities and challenges in life.
Wilderness experiences are not entirely bad for us. They draw us closer to God and remind us to praise God who satisfies.
Next time when we face a wilderness experience, let us learn from King David’s responses to God. First, he seeks God, then he blesses God and finally he rejoices in God. Let us praise God who satisfies!
By brother Yue Fah Yong
by Admin | Oct 25, 2020 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
To boast is to puff oneself up in speech, to talk too proudly about one’s abilities, achievements, or possessions. It always carries a negative tone when someone wishes to boast. The Bible gives us the reason why no one can boast in the presence of God.
“Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen the world’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world’s weak things to shame the strong. God has chosen the world’s insignificant and despised things— the things viewed as nothing—so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in his presence.” (1 Corinthians 1: 26-29, HCSB)
This passage reveals God’s ability to glorify Himself even in our weakness. Whatever good may come from our ministry, we have no reason to boast because humanly speaking we are “weak, foolish, lowly and despised”. All the glory goes to God and God alone.
“But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord…” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31, HCSB)
The word “boast” here carries a positive tone. Paul’s statement about boasting in the Lord has nothing to do with worldly possessions. Paul is obviously not talking about sinful boasting in 1 Corinthians as pride is condemned in Scriptures. Proverbs 11:2 (NLT) says: “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” The reason to boast in the Lord is that He has granted us redemption, righteousness, wisdom and sanctification.
Paul probably quoted from Jeremiah 9:23-24 when he said “the one who boasts must boast in the Lord”. What kinds of people are more inclined to boast of their own achievements? They are the wise, the mighty and the rich. We can still find these groups of people today.
“Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness in earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9: 23-24 NASB)
True boasting in the Lord is actually boasting of the Lord – boasting of His attributes, boasting of what He has done for us, of what He is doing and of what He has promised to do. From Jeremiah’s verse, we can see that God is a God of unfailing love, of justice and righteousness.
As a disciple of Jesus, God delights in us when we boast in the Lord. To boast in the Lord is to tell what the Lord has done so that people may truly know Him and his attributes such as unfailing love, faithfulness, compassion and greatness. To boast in the Lord is also to tell what He is doing and what He has promised to do in the future.
God will not be pleased when we boast about ourselves, whether we are rich or poor, mighty or weak, rich or poor. So, let us echo what the Psalmist says: “My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together” Psalm 34:2-3 (NIV).
By Brother Yue Fah Yong (YCKC Bulletin 25 Oct 2020)
by Admin | Jul 7, 2019 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
In Mark 14:1-10 is an account about our Lord Jesus receiving His last deed of love in His life on earth. Jesus was anointed at Bethany by a woman (her name is mentioned as Mary in John 12:3) at the home of his host as they were having dinner.
What did this woman do for Jesus to say “she has done a beautiful thing to me.”? She broke an alabaster jar containing a very expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head. John recorded for us the amount was a pint which was worth a year’s wages at market rate then. According to the Jewish custom, when a guest comes into your home or sits down to a meal, the host must sprinkle perfume on the body of the guest as a form of respect. I would think that this woman must have treated Jesus as a very important guest and worthy for much respect because she poured all the perfume on Him alone. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Everyone in the room also received the benefit of her action.
Interestingly, this passage of Jesus’ anointing was being placed between the Chief priests’ intention to arrest Jesus and kill him (vv1-2) and Judas Iscariot’s offer to betray Jesus to them (vv10-11). It was at this tense moment when people wanted to place Jesus on the cross that the gospel writer describes the behavior of different types of Jesus’ followers including Mary.
But what was the actual reason Mary wanted to do this good deed to Jesus? According to the custom of the Easterners, the body of a dead person needs to be bathed clean first and then have oil applied all over. After the body was rubbed with oil, the bottle would be broken and be buried together with the dead body.
What Mary did touched Jesus deeply because Jesus felt that Mary had already anointed Him with oil (John 12:3) before His burial. Mary was preparing for Jesus’ burial before He died.
What Mary did was very appropriate and timely and it pleased those who were present, except for a few who said it was a waste of precious resources.
Mary truly loved the Lord and that was why she could do such good thing. The Lord loved her and said that “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” When we love the Lord, we should not be calculative as to how much we have spent or invested or deem it a waste of resources for the Lord. Moreover, we must grasp the opportunities to work and give thanks for the opportunities that come to our doorstep. If Mary did not grasp the opportunity to serve the Lord at that moment, she would probably lose it forever.
Because Jesus our Lord is more valuable than any precious thing in this world, the Lord is worthy for us to pay the price to truly love Him. Mary could see this clearly and that was why she offered the expensive perfume to prepare for the Lord’s burial.
What kind of precious thing we can offer to our Lord to prove that we truly love Him? Every one of us needs to answer this question as each person’s precious thing is different. We may be able to get back our precious things later, but the opportunity to serve the Lord in that particular way may never come back to us!
By Yue Fah Yong (YCKC Bulletin 7 July 2019)
by Admin | Jun 23, 2018 | Yue Fah Yong, • Timely Word •
I realized that I am asking a hard question to all of us as a body of Christ. Deep inside our hearts we want to make disciples of all nations as our Lord Jesus has given us the command in Matt 28:18-20. However, when it comes to obeying the Lord’s command, it may be an entirely different thing when reality sets in.
We may give all kinds of reasons such as tiredness, lack of time, lack of energy, the need to focus on one’s career, the need to care for one’s family and not being equipped for making disciples etc. Indeed the heart is willing but the flesh is weak! I think the reality is that everyone is in one situation or another: either one is striving or thriving in one’s journey of discipleship.
Before we embark on the journey of discipleship, we need to do something to make things happen. For Christians, the most basic and important place to begin is praying to God for clear direction.
We also need to realize that there is a cost in discipleship.
Discipleship requires lots of sacrifices at personal level such as time, finance, inconvenience and giving up something you like to do after work and on weekends, losing time spent together with your family and possibly of getting hurt and misunderstood by your disciples.
The cost of discipleship is this: we must each give up our old selves in order to embrace and become the person Christ created us to be. Apostle Paul knew the cost of discipleship. He said in Philippines 3:7-8(NIV): “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.”
We are not perfect disciples of Christ. We are aiming to be Christ-like but we are not there yet. Even though we are not perfect yet, we can still make disciples of all nations. It will be a process of molding our character while we journey together with our disciples. The important thing is to get started. It was Jim Elliot who said that
“You can’t steer a parked car”.
Where in your life are you in the journey of discipleship? Are you sitting in a parked car or are you letting God direct you while you are driving on the road and show you which ramp to exit? God can’t steer a parked car for us either. We need to get the car moving so that God can lead and guide us on to the right path.
Recently Josephine and I were approached to do mission mentoring of a young couple who plans to go for long-term mission work in a neighbouring country. We have been thinking about mentoring someone recently and God has provided someone to us. We take it that we will not just be the mission mentors but treat it as a discipleship process. We will be living our lives as a model to them, our vulnerabilities, our strengths and weaknesses, our struggles and victories and our values etc. We can also learn from one another in the process of discipleship. We gladly said yes to mentor them, knowing that it would take two years or more before we could see the result.
I am striving in the journey of discipleship but my end goal is to thrive despite of all the challenges and difficulties. May the Lord help each of us as we ponder upon this question: Are we striving or thriving in our journey of discipleship?
By Brother Yue Fah Yong (YCKC Bulletin 23&24 June 2018)
