Sunday, 24 May 2020

Sunday Livestream

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From the Pastor’s Desk this week

REUNION by Rev David Zhang

Since last Friday, isolation restriction began to ease with the possibility of mini gatherings under 10 people. Thereafter, June may see 20 people and then to 100 people in July which can persist for a period of time. I believe it is now time for us to consider how we may return gradually to physical gathering enabling deeper fellowship with one another.

Firstly, how much are we looking forward to congregate is something we need to consider. I found that as restaurants are gradually opening up they are booked up right the way since people cannot wait any longer. What about us? Many brothers and sisters have not seen one another for 2 months. Are we equally eager to meet up and exchange tales about God’s grace?

For the early churches, they did not have a church to go and worship and yet they were keen to meet up. Acts 2:46-48 described the situation at the time: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” There, together they were worshipping, dining and bearing witnesses for the Lord and as a result their lives have moved a lot of people to willingly follow the Lord!

The situation we are under can change but our love for the Lord and for our brothers and sisters cannot change. I personally had experienced a time when the church was persecuted. Although we were not able to have public meetings but brothers and sisters kept up with fellowship. Every time we met, the togetherness was so warm as if we were relatives separated for a long time. At that time many believers did not possess a Bible but instead we hand copied Bible verses and sent them to brothers and sisters as a gift. For those whom we did not know but had come from afar, we would bring the best to share with them despite the fact that we did not have much left at home.

May the Lord help us to use this time well to worship Him and to maintain a deep fellowship with our brothers and sisters in any way we can so as to grow together!  

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Sunday, 17 May 2020

Sunday Livestream

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From the Pastor’s Desk this week

Dear friends,

Does God still speak to people today and through what means does he speak? Whenever we are in times of transformation or transition, or have important decisions to make, or directions to identify, how do we choose well and get in step with what God wants and thereby glorify God?

Is it possible to know what God is saying to us and can we be assured that it is God’s voice among the many voices we hear every day? I believe we can. As we listen attentively to God, the Spirit of Christ aids us in hearing God’s intention for us and the direction he wants to take us.

The intention of Christian communal discernment is discerning God’s leading together. Such discernment is important when considering the direction and vision of the church, identifying God at work in our midst, calling pastors, God’s calling to mission, overseeing ministries and so on. There are many situations within the life of the church and its service and witness that might call for the practice of Christian communal discernment.

According to Bishop Cray (UK Anglican Bishop), ‘the leadership of any church or Christian community has a critical role to play in preparing and equipping the people of God to be a people of discernment’. The purpose of discernment is to know God, not just the will of God. Graham Cray (The Discerning Leader) writes, ‘If Christian mission is about, ‘seeing what God is doing and joining in … then discernment and the cultivating of an environment which enables discernment are the leadership capacities most needed at this time’.

Discernment means to see the heart of the matter with spiritual eyes; to see from God’s vantage point, through God’s eyes; beneath the surface of events. Discernment is practicing a habit that is steeped in prayer and scripture.

Communal spiritual discernment is a process of deep listening to God and for one another as we consider questions and direction. It recognizes and acknowledges what God is doing and what God desires. It sees a situation from God’s perspective. It is about ‘uncovering’, rather than deciding. It is listening to the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us. This is an essential aspect of the role of church and ministry leaders, rather than being distracted from this task by being bogged down in management issues. May we continue to grow to become more a spiritual discerning community of God’s people here at Central Baptist.

Pastor Ken

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