Loving Our Neighbours in the Community

Two weeks ago, on the 10th of June, Bless Community Services (BCS) officially launched the SWEE! Club for seniors and GRIT Club for youth, with service to the community in mind.

We at YCKC, whether new or long-time believers, and regardless of our background or age, are called to  build relational bridges with our neighbours. We can  do so by joining our Small Group Church in the Neighbourhood Visitations or be a member in either of the two clubs to participate in bonding activities together. We can also volunteer in any of the BCS programs provided under  its Seniors Connect, Youth Connect or Community Connect.

By God’s grace, we are chosen to be a royal priesthood of believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit to bless and to be the salt and light in this broken world (Matthew 5:13-16). This calling requires us to step out of our comfort zone and to clothe ourselves in Christ’s attributes to reach out to our neighbours so that they will experience His love, mercy and grace and to one day accept Jesus as their personal Saviour (Colossians 3:12-15).

Christ reiterated the two greatest commandments laid out for us. The first is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength. The second is to love our neighbour as ourselves. Loving our neighbour as ourselves means having a charitable and gracious heart towards them even if they are unfriendly or difficult.

Remember always that we are God’s image bearers to do gospel-driven good works to all. Can a man love God and hate his neighbour? Certainly not! For 1 John 4:20 warns: “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, but hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

We embraced the vision for Church 2.0, to reset our mindset from “going to church” to “being church” to the community and the world. So, the important question today is, are we going to step forward to love our neighbours unconditionally, in the same way Christ first loved us? He exhorted us in Matthew 25:40 “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.” It is rather absurd these days, that a good deed like buying a meal for the destitute can be portrayed as an extraordinary act of kindness, to be bragged about and self-glorified on social media for the whole   world to applaud. Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31 exhorted that whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. And all glory to Him alone.

Not everyone is able to serve in the overseas missions field for various reasons. But what about missions at our doorstep? To be His co-worker in reaching out to our pre-believing neighbours.  Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him? Perhaps we can take the first step in faith, to commit our way to our Lord, trust in Him, and He will certainly act on our behalf (Psalm 37:5). We have this sacred assurance that He will journey alongside us. For it is declared in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the end of the day of Jesus Christ”. Amen!

By brother Vincent Lim