Get In Touch!!!

I don't know if you have or realize this pattern but I certainly do. The pattern goes like this - it is almost Good Friday, Easter or Christmas time and you picked up your phone to give your non-believing friend an sms or a call. "Hi, how are you? Would you like to come to my church this Sunday......" The reason: It is an evangelistic service and you would like to get your friends to come down and hear the gospel and prayerfully they respond.

While there is nothing wrong with inviting your friends, have you notice that you only sms or call them because it is an evangelistic event? On other normal days, you hardly sms or call them. So what am I trying to say? I am trying to say that we must make an effort to build up our friendship with non-believing friends. We should not only remember them when an evangelistic event draws near but treat them as we should have treated our cell group members. An occasional call, sms and meet-up IS necessary to keep in touch and to be an effective witness for Christ.

Everyone wants friends that genuinely cherish friendships. This sincerity is shown by your effort in maintaining contact and being real to them. Popping by last minute to invite friends you have not met for some time is akin to calling up your long-time friends with the intention of selling them insurance policies. I am not saying that we should not invite friends we have not met for a long time but ideally, we should have make an effort to keep in touch with them much earlier even before any evangelistic events. Because logically speaking, if my friend(who have not kept in touch with me for a long time) were to suddenly call me up and invite me to church, I would imagine him to be similar to some dude trying to sell me MLM products.

I hope you're getting what I mean. While shortcuts are possible, it can easily back-fire and put your friends off. I realized this recently and I am making an effort to meet my non-believer friends for dinner or other activities. They are not just worth inviting for evangelistic events, but worth spending my time with. Jesus died for them so that they can be saved, will you not spend some time with them to make Jesus's death worthwhile? Let's not be caught up in our own little 'christian world' where we spend 365 days with christians only.

Get out and get in touch today!!!

Your small acts of kindness matters

It has been a while since I last stopped to talk to a new tissue aunty. I occasionally talk to this aunty that I've mention in my blog last year but I haven't really stop to talk to other tissue sellers in recent times. Apathy and rushing for appointments are 2 main excuses I use to squirm my way out of blessing these people which many of us come across. What a shame, isn't it?

So there I was on my way back that I met this new tissue aunty on a wheelchair. Business must have been tough because she was so grateful when I bought her tissue. So as I converse with her, she spoke about why she is selling tissue. "I stay alone and I have to earn some money to buy "pampers" when there is not enough. No choice. Otherwise I will soil myself" said the auntie. That must have been a tough statement to say - imagine telling a stranger that you are in a health condition where you can't control your bowels, and you had to stay alone AND earn money yourself.

I decided to help out a little and pass her some money discreetly. "This is for you aunty. You can use it to buy food or to buy drinks or to use it in whatever ways you want..." I tried my best to water down the money giving act so that she will not feel she is some kind of beggar. (Not further damaging the dignity of a poor person is something that we must be highly sensitive of)

When she received the money, she started tearing and thanking me. I was shocked(by the fact that this little act had meant so much to her) I then told her that Jesus loves her and I was glad to find out that she believes in Jesus too. I will never forget those tears of joy and gratefulness on her face. Perhaps she thought everyone had forgotten about her, but God did not. Perhaps it was an answer to her prayer for provision from God. Perhaps it was an affirmation of God's promise that He will take care of her. Nevertheless, God met her that day. I was just a passer-by that God used.

There are just too many broken hearts out in the world today. If only we will slow down, pause, and listen to them. To talk to them and share with them. Our life can make so much a difference to another person's life more than we think it can. Our small acts of kindness matters. To them, and to Jesus.

"For i was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply,' I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:35-40

Festival of Light

Today I celebrated Deepavali, a major Indian festival significant in Hinduism , Jainism and Sikhism. It is popularly known as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify the uplighting of darkness and victory of good over the evil within. Sounds familiar? Yes, similarities of the gospel where the great Light has come to the world and triumph over death and darkness.

Though I didn't get the chance to use this analogy to share with my Indian friends, I had a great time fellowshipping with them and got to pray for them when I was invited to say grace for the food. It really is a slow process but it is a good stepping stone to building deeper relationship and to shine as light before them.

Christmas is coming up and I'm praying for more of them to join me this time and may God opened their hearts even more. With globalization, the missions field is really not too far away from where we stay. Take a trip down to Little India, Golden Mile complex and Peninsula Plaza and you will see many Indians, Thais and Burmese. And there are many other nationalities in your workplace and neighbourhood too. So let us all take a good look at the field and realise this soon. The world is waiting to hear from us.

"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." John 4:35