Category Extra Thoughts

Just some of my many thoughts…

Fighting Apathy in the Church

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Two years ago, I wrote an article sharing my observation and opinion on Singaporeans’ general apathetic attitude towards politics.

My concern was how this general passivity and overly ‘trusting’ of our goverment leaders would pose as a threat that was awaiting to implode.

Today, it appears that the Church also suffers the same predicament.

Apathy in the church

“I believe they (pastoral leadership) know what they are doing”

“Things are not that bad and it won’t happen here”

These are common cursory responses that we too often hear from members within the ranks of a church in regards to their church’s leadership and governance.

I think we are in such a position because we believe or safely assume that the leadership in the church are people of high moral standards or even perfectly godly.

Perhaps some of us might be resigned to the fact that we cannot change anything as one person out of many. Thus, we accept the status quo since it is “not that bad” and stay out of engaging our leadership.

But who is to say that this happy situation will always be the case- when we know that these are also imperfect men like you and I that are operating in leadership?

Jesus was not apathetic

I believe God expects us as His followers to be actively involved and to take ownership of His Church since we are His sons and daughters.

We read in the gospel how this sense of ownership is displayed in Jesus when the holy temple became a ‘den of robbers’.  In Luke 19:45-47, it said that He drove those wrong practises out!

Though it was the main responsibility of the teachers of the law to uphold the holiness and governance in the temple, Jesus didn’t wait for them to do so as He saw the temple as His Father’s House.

Therefore, whether out of apathy, ignorance, indifference, resignation or complacency, I do not think Jesus wants us to blindly follow or to just “sit on the picket fence” and be apathetic.

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17

On the contrary, we should be deeply involved in not only supporting the leadership, but also actively engaging them when policies or decisions are made especially in terms of finances for the accountability of His Church.

In whatever positions of authority we may have in our church- no matter how little we think our authority is, we can contribute to the betterment of the church by highlighting possible errors or wrongs in policies or processes.

Leadership is Not a Position

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Leadership is not a position.

People follow people, not positions. They respect people whom they trust.

They tag along with people in whom they believe in. They follow people who have demonstrated they deserve to be followed.

Using Jesus as a prime example, the magnitude of people followed Him even though He was a Nazarene and a carpenter by trade.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law”

Matthew 7:28-29

Jesus wasn’t even in a position of leadership. He was not even part of the Jewish hierarchy of the teachers of the law, but yet this Man commanded the respect and the following of people.

Leaders puts others first

Being committed to His Body over the years, I have also learnt much about leadership. This time, I understoodd that the true essence of leadership is about “washing other people’s feet” or to serve others.

This lifestyle of service though easy to talk about, is not an easy way of life to live. This is so because it demands a total surrender of one’s rights by putting the interest of others first.

Having said that, to lead and to serve others should not be carried out because of a title like pastor, shepherd, cell leader, deacon or bishop. It should be birthed out of an identity as a child and servant of God.

Leaders walk the talk

Leadership is not a position. A leader is a leader not because of a title. Leadership is something that is earn from people on a day to day basis.

Examples of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi reflected this. They led with the “walk the talk” formula. Hence, they did not need position or title to lead.

It is what is inside a man that truly makes him a leader- His character or moral excellence, competence and intelligence.

No one will ever acknowledge a person as a “leader” till they have earn it.

Violation of the First Degree

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I caught an episode of Crime Watch on television a couple of weeks ago.

One of the cases re-enacted was about a young 10-year old girl.

Her unexpected usual ride on an elevator was about to change her life forever.

About the case

On that particular ride, she met with an unfortunate incident. A stranger who took the same elevator outraged her modesty.

In that short 5-minute horrid act, her entire life was now never to be the same again. You can say it was a defining moment for her.

I believe that girl is merely one out of the numerous similar cases that happens almost everywhere.

Violation of trust

In my opinion, the most scarred of victims are those who are violated by someone close to them like a father, uncle or teacher.

Apart from being physically violated, they are tormented emotionally by the sense of betrayal.

Most victims of this nature suffer in silence. They are trapped in a dilemma because the person in question is in a role of authority over the victim.

Obviously, the related offenders have clearly abused his authority over the victims. They have abused their roles by harming the victims instead of protecting them.

Likewise, it is equally disheartening when we witness or experience when the government, employers, business partners, spouses or even church leaders abuse their positions of authority for their selfish gains.

Victims of such violation of trust, in general will carry the scars of these betrayal for the rest of their lives and would not so readily trust again.

The fortunate ones heal over time, but  some less fortunate never recover fully and live dysfunctional lives.

The Environmental Factor on Your Vision

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The kind of environment that you place yourself in can limit your vision.

Using myself as an example when I grew up with a gang during my teens. My vision was to own a club or a pub.

Some of my other peers in the gang aspired to be loan sharks, drug pushers, bouncers or managers for a disco or pub.

Obviously, our vision was much influenced and limited by our environment.

Not surprisingly, most of us did not pursue or further our studies as our aspirations didn’t require any high academic qualifications.

This taught me that no one can grow beyond his vision. In other words, the greatness of your vision will determine the greatness of who you can be or what you can achieve.

More about the environment factor

Another influencing factor about our environment is that it largely determines how successful we can be with our vision. Not finding an environment that supports us can cause us to fail.

Tiger Woods’ genius came out from golf courses. If he was a jockey, he would not have been successful. Likewise, Mick Jagger who initially studied to be an accountant, found his genius on stage as a Rolling Stone.

For me, after I became a Christ-follower, I entered a new environment with a church community. That developed me spiritually and practically. God used the right environment to change and define my vision and mission in life.

Choosing your environment

Similarly, as employees, we are probably working in an environment designed for those who work not to lose- people who want job security and a steady pay check. This can be described as a poor environment.

Many people who want to become rich fail to become rich simply because they are rich people in a poor environment. Employers who create such environments attract and keep good employees- employees who are happy working not to lose. And one such  obvious environment is the government service.

Like how a tree will grow strong and big with  the right environment that provides a healthy dosage of sunshine, water and fertile ground to take root. The same is true with us as people.

Choosing the right environment (led by God) to be rooted will not only shape your vision, but will largely determine your success in achieving it.

Change is Coming

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Obama is now in the house. A new era is approaching us with the change that is happening in the US.

I for one believe that this change is not confined to the political arena, but spiritual realm as well. God is moving behind the scenes as He always has.

We as the Church need to brace ourselves for that change (signs of it has been appearing) that will inevitably spill over unto the world including Singapore.

For glimpses of the change ahead, read Obama’s inaugural address here>>>

Re-thinking Our Economic Expectations

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Recent news have been filled with retrenchments, retrenchments and more retrenchments.

It’s quite disturbing to read how companies have heartlessly ‘axed’ their employees who they deem as excessive expenditure in order to ride through the slowdown.

Judging from the recent comments by NTUC’s Labour Chief, Mr Lim Swee Say who conveniently also happens to be a Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, it’s clear that we should expect no one to owe us a job or pay check; not even from our government.

I’m not sure about you, but seeing of these unfolding each day has triggered me to seriously think about my career path

Everything increases except our pay

It is not uncommon for us to bemoan how daily expenses for our standard living have rocketed, but the truth cannot be said of our monthly income.

From a globalised marketplace standpoint where Singapore is competing with low-cost labour countries like India and China (without even mentioning our regional neighbours), I think the harsh truth is that by increasing our income level any higher would erode Singapore’s competitive prowess and business appeal.

This is the reality that we’ll need to firstly come to terms and accept. We need to renounce the ‘crutch mentality’ and make best out of what we have.

If we really do have any sort of increment regardless of the economic situation, we should learn to be more grateful.

Nonetheless, salaries do differ exponentially across the gamut of industries available and the type of job we are in. So this might not apply to you if you are in a niche industry like the Oil & Gas or Civil Service working as a Minister.

The way out is…

After managing your expectations with our reality and you find that you are a person that is easily satisfied with whatever you have and have no qualms in having others determining your worth and job security, then you can choose not to take any action.

However, if you desire to earn more and do not want a ‘glass ceiling’ to your income level, then some practical actions might need to be taken in order to get to that ideal position.

From my opinion, I think there two routes we can consider in ‘escaping’ from the system. One of it is to start our own business and the other is to switch to politics and join PAP sales where much of our salary is dependent on sales commission.

I think both these routes are career paths that reward us fairly according ly to our efforts invested and performance delivered.

Maybe some of us can take the opportunity of the approaching year-end by taking a ‘stock check’ to re-evaluate our careers.

We can seize the opportunities that are there for the taking in this situation by planning ahead how we can take our career to the next level in the coming New Year.

The Four Levels of Loyalty

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In this modern age, loyalty is a difficult and controversial subject.

For instance, employers or leaders expect their employees or followers to be fully loyal to their company or cause.

But in threatening times like a recession, we see that they do not hesitate to retrench their staff in order to survive.

Ironic isn’t it? With such acts being carried out, it is not surprising that the idea of loyalty has become vague and often with wrong emphasis.

True loyalty

What is loyalty? In a simple definition, it means faithfulness. Faithful to commitments or obligations; faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader or cause.

“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:27

However, let me submit to you that the first loyalty anyone should be committed to is God. That’s because He represents TRUTH which is the foundation for us to stand upright.

The reason why many of us are insecure because we have seek security through following a flawed concept of loyalty. We mostly put the greatest stress on loyalty to our boss or leader. In a church, it could be our pastors.

Priorities of loyalty

The first loyalty should be to God- our relationship with Him. Are we right with Him? Are we worshiping Him in spirit and truth? Are we following His will according to His word? Are we committed to His kingdom cause?

The second loyalty is our God-given assignment. Doing what we are called to in serving His purpose. We are His servants and are called to use our talents, gifts and abilities to serve His Church for the lost.

Therefore, it is our obligation to discover our personal assignment, our talents, gifts and abilities. Through this journey of discovery, we need to eventually blend all of these elements to fully optimise our lives in fulfilling His will for us.

The third loyalty is to the government, company or church we are working for or belong to, because we do not bite the hand that feeds us. If we want to be part of the organisation, then it is only right that we submit to their goals and direction.

The fourth and the last is loyalty to our boss or leader who surely needs our support, advice and assistance. But remember that he is not and cannot be the first loyalty.

Conclusion

However, if submitting to either the third or fourth violates our first loyalty or even second, then we should align our lives according to those priorities and stand by them.

Likewise, the same measures should also be carried out if the fourth violates the third.

As you can see, understanding and having a proper priority of loyalties will be the first step in building a sense of security.

This will ultimately and greatly help in building a strong and intimate relationship with God; walking in faith and obedience to His will.

My Revelation on ‘Thoughts’

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Some time ago, I had a dream. In this dream, I was having a conversation with a friend and it went something like this:

“How is heaven different from earth?”

“Thoughts”

“Thoughts??”

I woke up mulling over this and wondered what thoughts had to do with heaven and earth. Finally, I understood this ‘revelation’.

Having big thoughts of big dreams

It is not wrong to say that in heaven there won’t be any need for thoughts as we would when we are on earth.

Thoughts can also refer to as our dreams. Usually when we think of thoughts, it is something related to the future. It can be thoughts for the immediate or distant future.

We think about what to eat for lunch or what to wear for the next appointment. Those are for the immediate. But when we think what will I do for the next 5 years or I want to be a social entrepreneur when I am 30, those are for the distant future.

Big thoughts of big dreams require faith. And faith is what we need in order to think big and dream big. With thoughts and faith closely intertwined, it was clearer for me to understand why thoughts would no longer exist in heaven.

Because in heaven, faith is no longer required as we are with God and all things will be perfect.

More decoding on thoughts

If it is true that thoughts are no longer needed in heaven, it means that our thoughts should be regarded as something sacred and precious while we are living this life on earth.

But what thoughts are we mostly thinking? Negative or positive? Backward thinking or forward thinking? Destructive or productive?

I submit that if we just have this one life to live and use, we should be thinking big and dreaming big for God. Cos it is the only chance we have in exercising faith and to experience the thrill and adrenalin of seeing dreams becoming a reality.

Our attitude and outlook of life should be one of enjoyment and not one crippled by fear and false security. Since we have this one life to live, let’s live it to win rather than living a life avoiding loss.

Having thoughts of godly purpose

It’s important to be thinking big dreams of fulfilling our God-given destiny. “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp,” as Robert Browning said. That’s what keeps us going in life.

What happens when we do not think big and shrink? This leaves us at the level of mere survival in living our lives and it is not what God has created us for.

In truth, Jesus promises a life that is full in Him; one lived as a conqueror (scripture says more than a conqueror!). Let us be daring enough to dream big towards fulfilling His purpose in our lifetime.

Moreover on earth, we can place our faith in a living God that will accomplish exceeding and abundantly more that we can ever imagine through us.

Let our reality begin with our dreams, and our dreams will become our reality.

With Authority Comes Great Responsibility

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We have heard the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20 being preached many times and often the final line, “Go and make disciples” is emphasized.

Without a doubt, that’s the mandate for Christians- to extend the frontiers of the kingdom through discipleship!

However, the problem of giving this charge is that we often overlook the process of getting there. And this process denotes that we need to be a true disciples ourselves first before becoming a disciple-maker.

Creating more value in discipleship

Discipleship is a process of reproducing more disciples. In doing so, we are reproducing more of ourselves and it is safe to say that a disciple can only get as strong as his mentor.

No offence to anyone but can a person with a highest education of PSLE be an educator for a university? Or can a person who doesn’t know how to swim coach others in swimming? Imagine the consequences.

High likely, the university students would not be adequately equipped and enter the workforce poorly informed and unable to perform to the market’s demands. In the case of swimming, chances are that those students would not be top swimmers or worse, some might even drown.

Similarly, if we truly want to participant in the Great Commission and make true disciples, then we should first resolute to be a credible disciple of Jesus as we embark on being a disciple-maker; one that walks the talk in obeying all of God’s commands in our lives before teaching others to do so.

Qualities for value-add

Albeit discipleship is a tall order,  we need not be perfect before we can start discipling others. Cos we can never be fully perfect, but we can work towards perfection in our obedience and faith in God.

In working towards being a disciple-maker for Christ,  we should exhibit some minimal qualities as a disciple below:

  • A unwavering passion for God, His Church and the lost
  • Good knowledge and understanding of His word
  • A healthy self-esteem in God to lead and serve
  • Having some basic counselling skills
  • A sound and balanced worldview 
  • Ever-learning and desiring to grow
  • Good basic inter-personal skills


Responsible discipleship

Discipleship is God’s business and is a serious business cos it concerns lives of people that God had redeemed. Their destiny and future are many of times shaped by what we teach (or don’t teach) on important areas such as marriage life or BGR matters, our careers, finances, ministry etc…

For that reason, I believe the responsibility rests on our shoulders as a disciple of Jesus to develop and train ourselves fully towards being a relevant and value-added disciple-maker in our lifetime.

Let’s aim to be a ‘springboard’ and a platform high enough for others to take their growth to the next level. If not, we will become a ‘stumbling block’ or a ‘glass ceiling’ in stunning their potential and growth.

Developing Your Reputation for Christ

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Many of us overlook the importance of developing our reputation. This reputation should be one that displays a strong character and a sharp mind; one that adds to our value in the eyes of those around us.

If we believe we are ambassadors of Christ, we are to be conscious of our reputation because it can either be good or bad.

Being ambassadors of Christ

According to some definitions, an ambassador is a high ranking official representative of their country. He is someone who clearly understands the value, history and philosophy of his nation and puts his country’s interest above his own. 

Likewise, as Christians we need to imbibe the spirit, the power, the philosophy, the sense of purpose and the mission of the kingdom of God. We are sent out into our world to represent that kingdom.

This leads us to some hard questions we need to ask ourselves:

“What reputation am I building within the marketplace?”

“Am I known to be reliable or unreliable?”

“Does my reputation enable me to effectively bring the gospel across to others?”

“Or are my words and actions a constant stumbling block that hinders others from approaching Christ?”

Like it or not, we all have a responsibility as individuals to strive to grow and develop ourselves in all areas where required such as our character, intelligence and competence related to our profession. Even more so a greater responsibility for us Christians who are called to represent His kingdom.

Living out this privileged responsibility

As famously quoted from St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times and used words only when necessary.”

In order to win people to Christ, we first have to win them to us. We can’t expect others to want to know more about our faith if we cannot even get them past who we are and what we stand for.

So let’s live out our responsibility and not let reputation ‘just happen’ to us. We need to build it intentionally; knowing the kind of person that we want to be and going to work on being that person.

If we want people to trust us, then we need to work on our trustworthiness as someone who gets the job done. Credibility comes from reputation which instills confidence towards our words, actions and choices.

Your reputation is a revelation of your character.