During the June holidays, King's Generation went on a 2D1N trip to our mission house in Kluang, Malaysia. It was a significant trip because it marks our very first overseas excursion together as a ministry. There were many highlights: from the entertaining games to the strenuous hike, from the delectable packet foods to the all-consuming worship session; undeniably one of the most incredible and unforgettable adventure!
The presence of God was so real during our worship session and Pastor Steven’s sharing. It was then that I finally grasped the essence of the saying: To an Audience of One. Though the room was filled with people, it felt as if it was just me and God. My eyes focused solely on Him; my heart yearned only for Him. Oh, how the love and joy of the Lord lavished me! The challenge now, is to not lose what God has deposited in us, allow Him to reside fully in us and bring His powerful presence wherever we go.
Greeting in the Name of our Lord Jesus & our Father God, who is also the God of the Generations!
Often times when we read a Bible passage that lists down genealogies, an initial response is to skip them and move further down the verses that dwell on more active & interesting narratives. Don’t we all do that? I do - until the Lord impressed upon me that every word in the bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and carries a message! And indeed they do!
If there is one thing you won’t fail to find in the Bible, it’s the names of people - throughout history, throughout civilisations, throughout great biblical events. The detailed listing of names in the genealogies tell us one thing - that God’s focus is on people. His agenda in creation is people. Not the vegetation. Not the animals. It’s you and me. The value He places on us warrants His action to send His only Son to die on the Cross! We all worth that much in His eyes!
My family was blessed to go for a family vacation. We were delighted to live and stay at what was known as an UNESCO World Heritage site, the Gunung Mulu National Park. Yes, one would expect mosquitoes… I mean, it was after all, a rainforest (think Lim Chu Kang Forest, guys). Yet at the park, it was God’s eco-system that prevailed! We were told that there were mosquitoes, but the bats in the caves would come out and finish them off. Zara and the children were virtually unscathed! Praise God for His order and wisdom!
It was one morning, while the family was still resting, I made myself a cup of tea, and headed out of the room. Seated in a wooden chair, I gazed into the forest. The sun was beginning to rise as I sat there quietly, listening to the rustling of leaves, the calls of the early morning birds, and watched for movements in the forest.
Greeting in the Name of our Lord Jesus, in whom, we live, move and have our being!
When engaging a group of Athen philosophers on the reality of God, Paul used a communication style that was attuned to his audience’s mindset & culture, quoting quotes made by poets of their time. (Acts17:28-29) Isn’t this the same way Jesus talked to fishermen using their vocational language & metaphors, subsequently transforming them from men who fish to fishers of men! (Matt 4:19).
In Acts 17:28, Paul said, “ .. Yet He (God) is not far from each one of us, for “in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.”
This short excerpt gives us a prompt & challenge to evaluate the reality of God in our lives, defining what a walk with the Father should be like.