FEBRUARY - APRIL 2017
FEBRUARY - APRIL 2017
94
ISSUE
THE COVER
As part of DUMC’s 4-year plan, this year, the call is to STEP OUT. Our love for God is expressed when we serve people and make disciples. When we grow to become more and more like Christ, the Holy Spirit created a supernatural capacity within us for others. As the Holy Spirit is getting us to do ‘new things’ (Isaiah 43:19), we want to pray that it will take us out to serve people to make a difference and to show His glory wherever we are each day.
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Be With Jesus Essential 2017: Metamorphosis Twenty35: Porch Events Easter: “Oh What Love!” Attention All Men: Avoid Regrets in Your Life by Establishing Guardrails 12 Serve People: How to Shift from ‘Self’ to ‘Others’ 13 Praise & Worship 14-15 Free, Costly Grace 16-17 Six Congregations, One Church 18-20 Challenges of Christian Discipleship in Malaysia Today 21-22 CrossFields - Missions Trip to Nepal 23 You are My God and I am Your Son 24 Stepping Out-of-State 25-28 Getting to Know 29-30 DUMC Ministries 31 Events Calendar Back Cover : LEAD2018 CELEBRATIONS ENGLISH
CHINESE
BAHASA MALAYSIA
FLOODGATES is a newsletter of DUMC, seeking to report the happenings of the church and the blessings of God upon His people in DUMC. May the articles in Floodgates which seek to encourage and edify the soul, contribute towards building God’s community and making known His glory.
Auditorium Saturdays : 5.00 pm Sundays : 10.00 am
Hall 1 Sund ays : 8.30 am 11.00 am
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NEXTGEN Campus CRAVE (for ages 18-23) NextGen Space Fridays: 8.00 pm
CHILDREN’S CHURCH Room 103-106 Sundays : 11.00 am
Room 102 Saturdays : 8.30 pm
If you have an encouraging story to share please send your article of about 600 words to bit.ly/dumcstories or call Monica Lee at 03 7958 7388 if you need a reporter to cover your story. All articles may be edited or rewritten for purposes of clarity and space.
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NEPALESE
TAMIL Hall 2 Sundays : 2.00 pm MYANMAR Hall 1 /Room 102 Tuesdays : 11.45 pm Sundays : 3.30 pm
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CHURCH OFFICE Damansara Utama Methodist Church Dream Centre, 2 Jalan 13/1,Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia T : +603.7958 7388 F : +603.7958 3787 E : general@dumc.my : dumcMY W : dumc.my The church office is closed on Mondays.
My greatest adventure 7 September 2017
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Be With
JESUS by Chris Kam, Senior Pastor
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e have often heard the adage that we must be, before we do. What we do does not determine who we are in God. Meaning God loves us not on the basis of what we do for Him. But rather, He loves us for the worth He sees in us despite our fallen nature. We are made in His image and intrinsically we carry something of His nature. The understanding of who we are is the foundation to our life on earth as we answer His call to serve Him.
He loves us for the worth He sees in us… The understanding of who we are is the foundation to our life on earth as we answer is call to serve Him… Doing defines us. Or putting it another way, we do because we are. One of the amazing privileges we have as His children is to serve God and people. We are created to do good works. (Eph 2:10) Once we discover who we are, created to bear fruit in every good work (Col 1:10), we live out that calling. I am challenged by John Wesley: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” We don’t serve to gain favour. We serve because that’s who we are.
We don’t serve to gain favour. We serve because that’s who we are.
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As we do that faithfully, there is a tendency over time to serve not out of our being, but our doing. We get weary and burdened, eventually leading to burnout. “We cannot make up for failure in our devotional life by redoubling energy in service. We shall never take people beyond our own spiritual attainment.” (William Griffith Thomas) One of the keys to a consistent and life-long effective ministry is to discover what the apostles were doing in their spiritual lives. I am intrigued by a verse in the book of Acts on one such key. Peter, who was with John, was instrumental in the healing of a lame beggar in Acts 3. Crowds were attracted to this incredible miracle of this lame man “walking and jumping, and praising God.” (Acts 3:8) In Acts 4, Peter preached to the onlookers about the Messiah, which greatly disturbed the priests, captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees. They seized Peter and John and put them in jail until the next day. They were brought before the Sanhedrin, which is the supreme judicial and ecclesiastical council of ancient Jerusalem. In that exchange, here’s what the priests said. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
…these men had been with Jesus… How did they know that Peter and John had been with Jesus? I wish Luke had spelt out the criteria of that observation. Would people around say the same about us who are too disciples of Jesus? Not so much about what we have done, but that we have been with Jesus. They were trained from the onset of their calling by Jesus in that way. “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.” (Mark 3:13-15)
What does it mean to be with Him? It is a relational call of making time for the One who is our Friend, Brother, Saviour and God. We cannot have any meaningful relationship without making time for each other. To be with Him is to make regular time to read His Word and have a two-way conversation. It is not about putting a tick on our daily to-do list for our devotions and prayer time of presenting our request list. It is not merely functional. At the heart of it, it is relational.
with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3) God will BE with us and He will live amongst us.
The hazard of the modern urban life is that we have no time. Yet everyone has 24 hours, no more and no less. We say time is money and we need to be efficient and effective in all that we do so that we don’t waste time. Yet, have you ever thought that we can and should “waste time” with God? We don’t understand the principle that when we hear God clearly of His will for our lives, we actually save time and are even spared from heartaches and disappointments. There is something about being with Jesus that we begin to centre our lives around His agenda and not ours, which could be dramatically out of sync with God’s because we are carnal by nature.
Therefore, learning to be with Him on earth is a practice run! In the light of all that is happening around us in our nation, with all the uncertainties, challenges and threats, what gives us hope and clarity is the certainty of God’s Presence in our lives. We are not to be paralysed by the fear of the unknown but as in the example set forth by the apostles, if and when the time comes, we will be known as people who had been with Jesus.
There is something about being with Jesus that we begin to centre our lives around His agenda and not ours…
Discipleship towards Christlikeness is a call to know Jesus and to be with Him. It is simply helping another person be with Jesus as you continue to make time to be with Jesus. When we learn to do that, we don’t struggle too much in answering this question: “What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?” To be with Him then is the highest calling!
To be with Him is the highest calling for the child of God. Apostle Paul understood that when He said “I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (Philippians 1:23-24). Here’s that key again. He knew and longed for that intimacy with Christ.
Discipleship towards Christlikeness is a call to know Jesus and to be with Him.
What makes heaven “heaven” then? It's about who we will BE with. With Him and with His people. Heaven is all about relationships. What we will do thereafter for eternity will be unimaginable creativity and joy being in existence.
We will be known as people who had been with Jesus.
Often I hear Christians asking: “What else do we do in heaven?” That is the wrong question. One day, in the new heaven and the new earth, doing will not be the heart of existence. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell
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by Stella Lau PJN6
ESSENTIAL2017,
the long awaited biennial DUMC women’s r conference was held on 17 and 18 March. Aptly themed METAMORPHOSIS, we were challenged right from the opening of the conference by Senior Pastor Chris Kam to receive with an open mind, ready to unlearn and relearn. Rather than being a conference of sermons or preaching, it was a string of heart-felt life story sharing from two beautiful women of God, Pastor Marilyn Skinner and Pr Sarah Aye. Pastor Marilyn Skinner and her husband Pastor Gary Skinner are well known across the globe, especially for their work with the Watoto church in Uganda. They were young parents when they first set foot into Uganda. The work God had called them to didn’t only seem farfetched but also very dangerous for their young children. The doubts, or what Pastor Marilyn personally calls “but-God moments”, filled her mind every time they heard gun-shots outside their house. Yet they made a choice to count the cost to being a disciple of Jesus, and overrode the want for convenience with their obedience. She relived the many horrors during the early days of their work in Uganda, the fear and the threats upon their family as they fought to bring light to a bleak nation. Through God’s calling, and claiming the victorious name of Jesus, they managed to overcome, to some degree, the converting of children into soldiers, and changed that focus into rescuing these abandoned children, one at a time.
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God showed that He went before them, prepared the path and was always watching over them, when they were miraculously protected from harm more than once. When a dozen armed, ill-meaning soldiers failed to tear down the front door of their flimsy house, or when (on a different occasion) the hand of a man holding a shotgun pointing at Pastor Gary’s head shook uncontrollably, unable to fire, it was evident to them that God was with them. It was a victory boost
when the home raiders asked “Are you Christians?” and scrambled off upon their confirmation. Though often we would much rather not have any difficulties or challenges along our paths, God never promise us a smooth sailing journey. God promises to be with us, and asks of our faith and obedience. God is God, and God can do God’s things in God’s way. As humans we fear, yet to resonate Pastor Marilyn’s question, “Is my fear going to be bigger than my faith or will my faith be bigger than my fear?” Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
God is God, and God can do God’s things in God’s way Pastor Marilyn revealed that it was not her aim during this conference to bring news of the kingdom’s assets but of the responsibilities of the Kingdom. God has established that He is the Father of the fatherless and the lonely. We are to become the infector of the virus for the Kingdom. This is the LOVE virus. He has endowed us, women, with tiaras, not of entitlement but of responsibility. The strong should lend strength to those who falter. As princesses of His Kingdom we should not be overwhelmed by needs but be amazed by how we can make a difference, no matter how small. Needs are not trouble, needs are opportunities.
Needs are not trouble, needs are opportunities A young and unassuming petite lady of 26 who transforms into a woman of vibrant and passionate energy when she talks of her vision and relationship with God stepped onto the stage. That is Pastor Sarah Aye for you. This charismatic pastor of the fast growing Myanmar congregation of DUMC shared simply and powerfully during her time on the pulpit. Her story is a humbling one. The tale of a young girl from a lower
income family in Myanmar, whose only dream upon high school graduation is to own a smartphone, who came to Malaysia with that one dream, to work and to save enough to purchase one. To her amazement, her aunt who received her in Malaysia presented her with a smartphone upon her arrival. Having fulfilled her only dream at 16, she was at lost with what to do next. But God had other plans for her. Pastor Sarah came to know God in Malaysia. After working for months in a photo-printing shop, her soul and spirit hungered for more than just the daily routine of physical survival. During one of her quiet times with God, she cried out to God to use her any way He wanted. She found no other meaning in life besides serving God and decided to surrender her life to Him.
God gave her a vision… God gave her a vision, where she saw herself running on the beach with thousands of young adults running behind her. She was leading them to hunger after God. It was a life-changing moment. Although she questioned her capability to fulfill that calling as a young 17-year-old with no higher education, she was at the same time very excited and believed in His provision. The rest was an impactful testimony as she shared of God’s many timely provisions and guidance. She shared of His calling for her to teach at the Myanmar refugee school, which she obeyed reluctantly, not seeing how this could relate to fulfilling the vision. She struggled for months to understand the significance and value of her presence in a school where the children clearly were not interested to learn. Through her obedience to God’s command and God’s divine appointment, she was introduced to Pastor Margaret of DUMC’s
CES. DUMC’s CES was an affiliate of the Myanmar refugee school. DUMC, through Pastor Margaret, offered Pastor Sarah (who was not a pastor at the time) to host her cell group at DUMC after learning that it was becoming a challenge to host her cell group of 30 in her small rented house. Numbers were added quickly to their group, and within a few months there were 80 of them and later grew to a 100. In year 2010 Pastor Daniel Ho, who was the Senior Pastor of DUMC at the time, decided to officially start a Myanmar ministry and invited Sarah Aye to lead the ministry. In less than 7 years, what began as a 10-person cell group in her home, became a Myanmar congregation of a growing thousand. God is amazing! Pastor Sarah repeatedly affirmed throughout her sharing that “everything is possible for one who believes.”
“everything is possible for one who believes.” The question that remains for each and every one of us is “am I that ONE who believes?” If so, what do I BELIEVE in? He will use anyone who is willing to be used by Him. Qualifications of the world are not his measuring tape. He asks only of our obedience and our faith. Besides the heart-felt and life-impacting sharing from Pastor Marilyn Skinner and Pastor Sarah Aye, women who signed up for the Metamorphosis Essential2017 conference were spoilt with choices from 10 different enriching workshops. Some of the women shared with us what remarkable things they learnt from these workshops.
Sharon Janice Ng at De-cluttering Workshop
De-cluttering, by definition means to remove unnecessary things. Initially, I always thought de-cluttering meant throwing away unimportant things that take up too much space. After attending the De-cluttering Workshop during the women’s conference, I realized that de-cluttering as a whole deals with so much more than material possessions, yet there is always a starting point.
De-cluttering is not a one-day or one-week process; it’s a lifetime journey In life, whenever I feel caged up I go for a run, because that helps me de-clutter my mind. I learnt that day that it wasn’t enough. It’s easier to first start de-cluttering with the things around you. Ask yourself, do you really need that many shoes, are they just taking up way too much space? Once your space is de-cluttered; regardless of whether it’s your home or your office table, move on to your mind. Watching your thoughts is not easy, but if you are able to empty your mind, then you’re able to fill it up with Him. Then, also de-clutter spiritually. Empty yourself to fill yourself up with God. The workshop taught me that de-cluttering is not a one-day or one-week process; it’s a lifetime journey.
Marieanne Low at Multi-generational Mentoring Workshop
We were introduced to 2 types of mentoring; a formal and an informal format. We saw that the panel during the workshop as a 4 tier mentoring group. The 1st tier was a very intentional and formal way of mentoring, where there was a book study to follow and the mentee was requested to "pay it forward" meaning she had to look for someone to mentor as well. The 2nd tier was more informal. She chose to build a relationship with her mentee and just be her friend. They journeyed together and shared lives. It was not mentioned that she had to pay it forward but it would occur naturally.
Mentoring is just being a friend and journeying life with someone The 3rd tier was formed formally via the Faith@Work M2M program where she volunteered. 1 mentor to 3 mentees formed a group and it would be made optional for the mentees if they wanted a formal/book study or informal group. They shared their experiences and how unsure they all were about how qualified or equipped they weer to actually mentor. They shared this idea: mentoring is just being a friend and journeying life with someone. It does not have to be a formal setting, it's being there and most of all listening and adhering to confidentiality between individuals.
MAKE DISCIPLE
Betty Cheung at Handling Husbands Workshop
This was not the first time I heard of ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’. The three husbands’ life-sharing during the workshop had led me to reflect on my own ‘performance’ as a wife, on how I could better fulfill my wedding vows as a wife to love, care for and support my husband. Women today might be tougher and more independent than previous generations, thus it is all the more important for us to consciously be respectful and submissive to our husbands as the God-ordained leader in the family.
Maintain a strong and healthy marriage with synergy, support, and sharing Often, it is easy to pick on what our husbands have not done to our liking or up to our expectations, but rather than nagging or complaining it is more important (and more effective) to affirm and appreciate what our husbands have done right, assuring them that they are needed in the family. We should never put husbands down in public and in front of our children. In fact, it takes effort to develop and maintain a strong and healthy marriage, on basis of the 3S’s: Synergy, Support, and Sharing.
Rachel Eng at Single and Significant Workshop
To most Christian singles, the single state can be like a durian – being either simply wonderful or absolutely abhorrent. Lai Kit gave us a great framework on what it meant biblically to be single. She also allowed us to express real, painful questions on the struggles we faced. The session was powerful as we each began to share our perspectives and experiences to help one another navigate the practicalities and concerns we were facing. We were reminded that relationships do not cure loneliness, and that we needed to proactively seek out community that will exhort us to be joyful yet “real” in our adventure of life.
…relationships do not cure loneliness…
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by Pr Gilbert Tan PJN6 Zone Pastor
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n 24 February, Dream Centre was in pitch-black darkness and about 200 young adults braved the wet evening to participate in a series of tasks and activities while at the same time attempting to avoid getting captured and infected by a group of volunteers who posed as the villains for the evening. Participants had to work together to complete the challenges which had been set up around the compound of Dream Centre. The Walking Run, the title of the event that evening, was the first of its kind for the twenty35’s in DUMC. This was the first of a series of four Porch events organized by a group of young adults for this year.
What is a Porch event?
A Porch event is a platform for young people to connect. Using DUMC and the analogy of a house, when we invite people to our home with whom we may not be too close, we typically hang around the perimeter first, the porch area. We only invite people into the house when friendship bonds are stronger and there are connections.
These events are planned with the purpose of connecting an individual to another individual, an individual to a community and a community to another community. There are many young adults in DUMC but unfortunately many of them do not know each other because of the sheer size of our church, and some still have yet to find a Cell Group to belong to. For those who are in Cell Groups, they have a community within DUMC to be part of. However, some of these Cell-Group-going young adults would like to meet and connect with other young adults from different Cell Groups and there isn’t any opportunity to do so. With these Porch events, all these are now possible. These are the Porch Events scheduled for this year and all are held at Dream Centre. Mark the dates and times of each event and don’t forget to invite your friends using the advertisement on the next page!
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MAKE DISCIPLE 59
Easter By Stella Lau PJN6
r
by Jeric Lam PJN6
Jesus. Risen. Victory.
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hose are some of the words I associate with Easter, and no doubt many other different words spring to mind when we think of Easter. Christmas and Easter are two of the significant festivals that Christians observe and celebrate. Easter is arguably the more important Christian festival, as it is the cornerstone of our faith as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 states that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected. This grants us the power and freedom to live the Christian life, free from sin and bondages. Thus, Christians ought to be filled with joy, love and thankfulness. This is perhaps perfectly exemplified by the Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda, Africa who performed at DUMC’s Easter Celebrations on 15 and 16 April 2017. The choir is mainly comprised of children who have lost one or both parents to the AIDS epidemic or to war in their native Uganda. What I find amazing is that, despite having experienced hardship at such a young, tender age that is mostly beyond us Malaysians, joy was evident in the children as they sang and danced for God and celebrated His goodness. The choir treated DUMC to a highly entertaining, energetic and joyfilled performance. Their performance was a unique blend of native African rhythms, contemporary gospel music and ethnic dance. From the performance, we also learnt more about the choir.
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Watoto means "Children" in the Swahili language. The choir is under the purview of the Watoto Church in Kamala City, Uganda which is led by Pastor Gary Skinner and his wife, Marilyn. The choir is a huge testimony to God’s love and grace as the children were saved from their difficult situations, with many being orphans and born into poverty. Over the years, many children have even ‘graduated’ and are now adults, contributing to their community and country. I truly feel blessed to have had the chance to watch their performance, and more importantly, to witness God’s involvement in these children’s lives. After the performance, Pastor Chris stepped up to preach the message of the day, which was on God’s amazing love for us. God has lavished His great love on us, even calling us children of God. As each person has earthly parents, all Christians have God as their spiritual father. The children in the Watoto Children’s Choir are the evidence of how much God loves His children even when their biological parents are no longer with them. For most of us however, we might not be biological orphans but are still spiritual orphans. As fallible and flawed humans, we are all sinners. Sin is not just limited to lying or killing. Sin is doing things our way instead of God’s way. But we have been given a gift – the gift of Jesus who became sin and died for us on Good Friday. God gave us a new life and we are adopted into God’s family. This Easter, let us all remember God has lavished His love on us and we are no longer orphans.
Attention All Men:
Avoid Regrets in Your Life by Establishing Guardrails by Jason Leong PJN5
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any of us often drive down the highways and see guardrails on each side. They are almost everywhere, but they don’t really get much attention . . . until you hit one. Yes, they can dent your bumper and bust your headlights. But all that lies on the other side of the guardrail could do far greater damage. That guardrail could have been your lifesaver.
That guardrail could have been your lifesaver There are lots of things that are not actually sins against God, but we should still avoid them because they bring us too close for comfort towards the crossing of that line. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have guardrails in other areas of your life—areas where culture or pressure baits you to the edge of disaster and entices you to step across the line? Your friendships. Your finances. Your marriage. The message to men is that the principle of the guardrail applies on the road and in your life. Your greatest regret in life probably could have been avoided if you had protected yourself from the danger zone—if you had established some guardrails. Personal guardrails are boundaries that will set off warning bells over seemingly little things . . . little things that can lead to big, messy consequences. If you are going to crash, have a conscious crash, instead of one which can destroy your career, your marriage or your reputation!
If you are going to crash, have a conscious crash Before you find yourself in debt to the tune of perhaps hundreds of thousands of Ringgit, cue your conscience to guard your budget. Before you find yourself confiding in that attractive co-worker two cubicles away, let your conscience prevent any alone time with her.
Men Alive! has just embarked on a 6-session video series study on “Guardrails” by Andy Stanley, senior pastor at North Point Community Church, currently the third largest church in USA. In this six-session study, Andy Stanley challenges us to stop flirting with disaster and establish some personal guardrails. In our first session in February, we learned about the concept of guardrails which is to “Direct and Protect.” Just as we need physical guardrails on a road to direct and protect us, we need guardrails in other arenas of our lives as well. And these guardrails have to be so strong and established that when we bump up against them, they bother our consciences. We discussed how we have to be intentional with setting these standards for ourselves in order to keep us out of trouble and protect the relationships we have because we are always tempted to live right on the edge of disaster. So we need to set boundaries for ourselves - guardrails far from that real red “line” that we never want to cross and do something that we regret. Our second session in March was “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” It presented an important message for us that the things that make friendships wonderful are the very things that can make them dangerous. Our friends can make us drop our guard. We crave acceptance . . . acceptance leaves us open to influence. And that influence can be bad. Proverbs 13: 20 says, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” This Scripture contains a promise and a warning. Our conscience should light up when it dawns on us that our core group of friends are not moving in the direction that we want our life to be moving. The remaining sessions over the next 4 months will cover areas of relational/sexual decisions and flirting with the opposite sex, how to protect the health of marriage and family relationships, dealing with our finances, how to make up our minds about compromises, temptations and tensions.
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how to shift from 'self ' to 'others' by Melinda Yeoh PJN5
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t first thought, 'serve people' seems like a no-brainer, easy thing to do. Actually, serving people is both a doing as much as a being. We can serve people without love, but we can't love without serving people. It's only through a genuine love for people that we will serve people from our hearts. Love has to be put into action, and taking action takes time.
But, sometimes we feel that we can barely keep up with life's demands, let alone to spare time helping someone in need. That’s the danger of busyness. However, do consider this perspective—if everyone lives an increasingly cocooned life of not giving, the less we will receive help from others. So, as we mature in Christ, our focus should shift from self to others. Instead of asking, "Who's going to meet my needs?", we need to start asking, "Whose needs can I meet?" Here are some ways to help us intentionally shift our focus from self to others. PRAY Pray for us to love God deeply. And through obedience, that love overflows to a life of service to others. Also, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you to areas and people to serve. ONE ACTION PER WEEK Start to build the habit of looking out for the needs of others and be intentional in serving people at least once a week. It should become second nature in due time. SHARE YOUR STORY Encourage one another by sharing your story of serving people. The glory is to God. REEXAMINE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD If we are at a stage of our life where we have little to offer to others, perhaps we need to examine our lives and recalibrate our way back to the heart of God.
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GRATITUDE LIST Make a habit of writing down three things that you are thankful for each day. Being thankful makes us feel that we have so much more to give others. FIND A BUDDY Find a friend, a family member or a colleague and encourage each other to serve people. VOLUNTEER Everyone has 24 hours in a day; it is rare to find someone who is 'not busy'. Look out for areas where you can regularly serve in different ways. It's a great feeling to be able to contribute for the benefit of others. Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words]. 1 John 3:18 AMP
Let's be intentional in being kind and serving people. Further resources Find out more about #ServePeople—an ongoing initiative of DUMC to spur everyone to serve one another. Go to dumc.my/servepeople A daily prompter to get you thinking and going. Go to dumc.my/servepeople to download your free #ServePeople 30-day challenge guide. Encourage one another by sharing how you serve people. Submit your written or visual story at this link: dumc.my/share your story Posting ‘serve people’ stories on social media? Please hashtag #ServePeople. Further reading on shifting from self to others: wikihow.com/Stop-Being-Selfish
by Alex Tung PJN1
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hilst “Christian” or “Gospel” music is often categorised under the genre of “Praise and Worship”, it is far from accurate to assume that these words, “praise” and “worship”, are synonymous and can be used interchangeably. An in - depth understanding of what “praise” truly means and what qualities as “worship” would help us better appreciate the difference and synergy between the two – and, prayerfully, help us “praise” and “worship” more effectively. Let’s break it down. The word “praise” is a common translation of the Hebrew word yadah which can be broken down to (i) yad, meaning to open or throw out one’s hand toward a direction; and (ii) ah, which refers to God, Jehovah. Together, yadah then means the opening of one’s hands to God. This posture of yadah is one of thankfulness, thanksgiving and adoration which is not strictly reserved for God. It is universal and we can adopt this posture of “praise” to offer our thanksgiving and adoration to others such as our family, our friends, our pastors and even ourselves (albeit the risk of narcissism). The fundamentals of yadah are not confined within a singular form and can be expressed in plurality, i.e. it is not restricted to a sole recipient. “Worship”, on the other hand, is expressed as a singular form as it is an expression restricted to a sole recipient (Luke 4:8). “Worship”, in New Testament Greek translates to proskuneo which means to fall down over or to bow down before, in a posture of submission, humility and reverence. Nonetheless, proskuneo transcends more than a physical posture; it is an intrinsic posture that originates from the spirit (John 4:23-24). Unlike all other postures of humility, “worship” entails the highest degree of surrender; and in that same light, true “worship” entails true surrender and thus, we can only truly
surrender to one person (rather, one Trinity): God. PRAISE VS WORSHIP The expression of “praise” is oftentimes externally visible, whether in the form of singing (from exclusive psalmody, to singing only hymns and to mixing with contemporary Christian pop), dancing and shaking (think, the Quakers who would typically quote Isaiah 64:2, Philippians 2:12 and Hosea 11:10), or even shouting – even the stones will cry out in “praise” (Luke 19:40) – while “worship” tends to be more intrinsic (Mathew 6:6) as God is more concerned about the condition of our hearts rather than the tangible outward expression. A good example of this can be found from Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). In that parable, Jesus allows us a peek into the heart of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector as the flavour of their respective hearts are verbalised and we can understand the foundation of their “worship”. The Pharisee’s foundation for his prayer evidently comes from a vain and self-centred nature (Luke 18:11-12) while the tax Collector’s prayer is founded on penitence and humility (Luke 18:13). Jesus (in Luke 18:14) makes it abundantly clear that only the Tax Collector’s prayer rendered him justified before God. Nevertheless, at the risk of viewing “worship” as more important than “praise”, we should be reminded that “praise” in itself is a command of God for all His people (Romans 15:11). The Bible reminds us countless times to “praise the Lord”, if for no other reason, simply because He is worthy of “praise” (Psalm 18:3).
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WORSHIP VS WORSHIP The inescapable element that makes proper “worship” is, in one word, spirit. At the heart of true Biblical “worship” is the
spiritual posture of our heart, as encapsulated in John 4:24 where the author writes that we are to “worship” in the Spirit and in truth. This means that true “worship” can only come from the redeemed heart of a follower of Christ, one who has accepted Christ and has the Holy Spirit dwelling in one’s heart as only the Holy Spirit knows the heart of God (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). If one has not accepted Christ then one’s heart remains corrupt and filled with unforgiven sin. Such a heart would not have Christ in it (1 John 2:15) and from such a condemned heart there cannot be spiritual “worship”. In addition to the importance the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in our hearts as a prerequisite for “worship”, the posture of our hearts also needs to be right. Even mature Christians may find this challenging. The posture of one’s heart for “worship” needs to be one that is humbled, surrendering and repentant. A good example of this is the prideful heart of King David when he was filled with guilt over his immorality with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4) and found himself unable to “worship” (Psalm 32:3-4). It was only after he had confessed and acknowledged his sin and did not cover up his iniquity (Psalm 32:5) that David re-established his communion with God and was able to “worship” God. PRAISE AND WORSHIP To dichotomise between “praise” and “worship” with an intention of prioritising one over the other in order to determine the best way to express our adoration and exaltation to God is, ultimately, a futile act. “Praise” alone is insufficient and “worship” cannot be practiced to the exclusion of “praise”. True Biblical living commands us to do both! Both “praise” and “worship” should be interwoven into the fabric of our daily Christian living and should form the basis of our posture of Godly reverence.
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Chances are that at some juncture in our readings or conversation, we would have heard of the Christian concept that grace is offered freely but it isn’t cheap. Is this an oxymoron, a contradiction of terms or, worse, a fallacy in Christian philosophy? Thankfully, none of these. r
by Alex Tung PJN1
Grace is offered freely but it isn’t cheap
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nstead, the concept of free grace and salvation, when understood Biblically, is central to the Christian faith as we believe that for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16). Our salvation and assurance of eternal life is predicated upon our acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for us as we, a sinful humanity, would otherwise find it impossible to earn or buy our way into salvation. But to assume that this salvation comes without a cost is deeply erroneous – the salvation of our lives that we enjoy may not have cost us anything, but it did cost Jesus His life. Jesus’ sacrifice for us on Calvary is the ultimate price to pay for the atonement of our sins. If we fail to grasp the significance of this reality, then we would have failed to grasp the crux of Christianity – it is difficult to overstate the importance of this vital truth. In fact, comparatively, this concept of grace that we find in the Bible is unique to Christianity and can be found nowhere else in other religions.
Earning Grace
Nonetheless, we as Christians do make the error of thinking that we can earn grace through the good works and acts that we do. How many of us have entertained the thought that if we conducted ourselves in a more Christ-like manner, or if we raked up more counts of good deeds, then perhaps our prayers would more likely be answered? I know that I, for one, have caught myself toying around with such thoughts. Perhaps this is attributed to the underlying Eastern philosophy that surrounds our society – for
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example, we find the concept of karma in Buddhism or Hinduism and pahala in Islam spoken about and shared widely in our non-Christian circles. Or have we been swayed by Christian myth that God only helps those who help themselves? Whilst we have been called to repent of our sinful ways and live a God-honouring life, such a pursuit for good works alone in itself would not earn us a place in heaven. Notwithstanding our most honest and diligent efforts to live a God-honouring life, the fact remains that we are sinful beings and it would be impossible for us to live a life free of sin. Nonetheless, are we then to assume that if we verbally declare that Jesus is our Lord and believe in our hearts that God had raised Him from the dead that we are saved (Romans 10:9), i.e. that our salvation does not require us to be obedient to His commands? Not quite.
Cheap Grace
The term “cheap grace” was coined by the German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship* wherein he defined “cheap grace” as:
…the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Dietrich also goes on further to say: Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before… Well, then, let the Christian live like the restof the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin…. John 3:16 and Roman 10:9 (quoted above) are two of the most popular scripture passages quoted by proponents of cheap grace. One of the strongest challengers to the cheap grace philosophy is the renowned American pastor and author John MacArthur who preaches against this concept of “carnal Christianity”. John’s stand against the cheap grace philosophy has garnered international attention, partly because of its controversial nature but also because it is made available on his online radio station Grace to you. Whilst John and other opponents of the cheap grace philosophy do agree with the proponents of the cheap grace philosophy that forgiveness and salvation are free gifts of God’s grace, John goes a step further and argues that a pre-requisite to salvation also includes repentance and a call to live a Godly life. Whilst not downplaying Jesus’ role as Saviour on the cross at Calvary, we need to appreciate that, more than a Saviour (crucial as that may be), Jesus is also Lord. “Lord” in ancient Greek reads “Kyrios” or “Kurios” and is used unambiguously in Romans 1:4 which reads “…who was declared the Son
of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord…”. Additionally, ask any New Testament scholar and they would vouch that reference to Jesus as Lord far outweighs reference to Jesus as Saviour in the New Testament.
Given that Jesus is indeed our Lord, should we not then adhere to His commandment? Accordingly, and given that Jesus is indeed our Lord, should we not then adhere to His commandment? The Bible records that we are called to repent (Matthew 4:17) and even goes so far as to suggest that repentance is a pre-requisite to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). A true acceptance of grace, then, entails more than merely a verbal proclamation of our acceptance of Jesus as our Saviour, it also entails us becoming disciples of Jesus – and being a disciple of Jesus is hardly a cheap endeavour. There have been countless Christian martyrs throughout history but to quote one great martyr, in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Now that we recognise that there is nothing cheap about grace, how then do we appreciate how “free” this same grace is?
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son provides a good depiction of how free and abundant the grace of God is offered to us. Many of us know the Parable of the Prodigal Son as the story of the first son who took his share of his father’s inheritance, squandered it, and eventually returned to his father, and we assume that “prodigal” refers to the son’s repentant act of returning to his father seeking forgiveness – this is not so. The word “prodigal” as an adjective refers to someone who spends money recklessly, wastefully and extravagantly. Thus, the character of the Prodigal Son referred to in the Parable is in reference to the first son who had recklessly, wastefully and extravagantly squandered his share of his father’s inheritance.
Notwithstanding, Luke 15:11-32 is usually referred to as the “Parable of the Prodigal Son”, as the focus of this Parable is oftentimes on the first son, Pastor Timothy Keller took a slightly unconventional approach to this well-known Parable and put the focus on the father instead. In doing so, he equated the father’s love and grace for his two sons akin to the love and grace of God for us. In the slim volume of his book, The Prodigal God*, Pastor Timothy explains how as Christians we risk the conduct of our lives being similar to one of the two sons in the Parable and yet, God extends His love and grace, free from judgement and condition, as the father in the Parable had extended his love to his two sons. In the character of the first son, we find a reckless hedonist who had squandered all of his share of inheritance only to return to his father remorseful and repentant. In any household, it would be unthinkable that the father would extend such love to a son who had disowned his family. Yet in this Parable we find that the father held no grudge but instead was filled with love and compassion. Contrastingly, in the second son (the older son) we find a self-righteous “Pharisee” who thinks that as a result of his outward commitment to his father, he had earned and was more justified than his younger brother to their father’s inheritance. Whilst in this Parable we see that the lost younger son was found, the Parable ends with the elder son still being lost. Nonetheless, we see in the character of the father, a depiction of God’s love that is poured out to all without judgement – whether to those who had led a sinful life but are now repented or even to those who are still lost and have yet to come to God.
So, what gives?
Notwithstanding that salvation is offered freely for any who accepts Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, we also need to differentiate between true salvation against superficial ones (i.e. cheap grace). When one truly accepts Jesus as his Lord, there needs to occur a transformation in one's life that manifests from the depth of one's heart. The pursuit of a transformed life, a Godly life, is not then a commandment that is kept
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because a Christian has been instructed to. Rather, the motivation to live a repentant life is motivated out of love – out of a true understanding and appreciation of what Jesus had done for us.
When one truly accepts Jesus as his Lord, there needs to occur a transformation in one's life that manifests from the depth of one's heart The old chestnut in Christian theology questions whether mankind’s salvation is dependent on faith alone, or on faith plus works. A more holistic interpretation of verses like Romans 5:1 would see it being reconciled with verses like James 2:24. The outcome is a fuller appreciation that true acceptance of God’s grace renders us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Whilst grace remains free for us as its price had been paid by Jesus, it remains the costliest gift ever and acceptance of this grace is more than a verbal profession of faith; change and transformation need to occur in the people's hearts out of this conversation because, as our Founding Senior Pastor puts it, the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart
Resources Two books were referred to above but four are highly recommended for further reading. They are: • Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s masterpiece – originally in German entitled Nachfolge, translated to English and retitled The Cost of Discipleship (*); • Timothy Keller’s slander publication entitled The Prodigal God – Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith (*); • The biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas; and • As a good accompaniment to understanding Jesus’ Parables, Preaching the Parables – From Responsible Interpretation to Powerful Proclamation by Craig L. Blomberg.
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ongregations by Dr Warren Bird
ONE CHURCH
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“It is much easier to focus on outreach in only one language, but God’s call is bigger than that.” n North America it’s not uncommon for a church to share its facility with one, two or even three other churches, perhaps language groups like Spanish, Chinese or Arabic. Overseas, this idea is often pushed even farther. The record I’ve found is in Kuwait, where over 40 different churches—representing almost as many ethnicities—hold regular worship services in the same campus (see lighthouse.churchos.ca). But what happens when you have just one church that is worshipping across multiple languages? How do their leaders work together to truly function as “one church”? How do the various language groups share the facility and align around a central vision?
From One to Six— with a Few Bruises
In Kuala Lumpur, Damansara Utama Methodist Church, known locally as DUMC, draws 5,000 people on any given
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weekend—but it is distributed across six congregations, each having a different language. English is widely spoken in this multicultural capital of Malaysia, and that language group makes up the largest congregation at just over 3,000 people. The next largest are the Chinese and the Myanmarese (also known as Burmese), each drawing 700-800 people. The Bahasa (Malaysia’s official language) congregation numbers 150-200, Tamil 100, and Nepali 70. These numbers do not tell the whole story. The emphasis at DUMC is more at the cell level than the public gatherings. The cell church in its truest form has more people in cells than in the public gathering. The Myanmar congregation has 133% — or 1,000 — in cells, while for the English congregation, only 50%—or 1,500—are in cell groups.
The church, founded in 1980, was not always so multi-lingual. “We started as an English-speaking congregation,” says Bernard Lee, executive pastor. “We noticed that as people came to church, they’d bring their parents who often didn’t speak English. Being interested in their spiritual well-being, we asked ourselves, ‘What could we do to cater to them?’” By the church’s third congregation, leaders noticed that the outreach was exacting a toll. It took a lot of work to coordinate worship schedules, special events, and even the finances. For example, the Myanmar congregation’s regular meeting hall is just right for the 700-800 people they currently draw. But when they do a major event, they go into the auditorium, needing different support people. That means training volunteers from each different congregation to use the sound system, general facilities, and other equipment.
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Transportation issues also vary among the congregations. The Myanmar congregation meets at midnight on Tuesdays, not because of scheduling challenges, but because many are employed at restaurants, getting off work at 11pm. Being from a lower economic group, few have cars. But public transportation is limited at that hour, so the church hires buses. Church leaders also challenge people from the more affluent English congregation who can drive a minivan or larger car to offer rides—not only for pickups around 11pm, but also for a return to their homes after worship in the wee hours of the morning.
Focusing on the “Why”
DUMC has one senior leader, plus the equivalent of a campus pastor for each different congregation (language group). But it has one united vision, one message, and as much as possible across language groups and culture, one DNA. “It is much easier to focus on outreach in only one language,” Bernard observes, “but God’s call is bigger than that for us.” Through teaching, preaching and first-hand experience, the congregation has learned that missions has changed. People are coming right to the church’s neighbourhood. “Our nation is a multi-ethnic society coming together,” says Bernard. “What has helped us is trying to bring the church together, recognizing that God has given us a unique call. We pray, ‘God, give us your heart,’ since we know others need the gospel as much as English speakers.”
But the church doesn’t just pray that people will come. “Our prayer is that they’ll take the gospel back to their home countries,” says Bernard. “The Myanmarese are often refugees, waiting to be moved. The Nepalese will spend a few years working here, and then they’ll go back home to their extended family. Likewise many students come from other parts of the country, so the church’s challenge is that when they finish their studies, they’ll go back, taking Jesus with them.”
Leadership Challenges
Once a year the entire congregation comes together, requiring translation as they mix several languages for worship, preaching and announcements. That service is actually only a minor challenge. The bigger challenge, according to Bernard, is trying to keep anyone from feeling marginalized. “This manifests itself in many different forms. We spend a lot of time working on getting rid of the second class mentality.” One pathway that helps is that all the lead pastors meet four times a year. They look at overall metrics of the church, working on areas to bring to alignment. They also tackle scheduling and concerns. “That helps everyone get on the same page,” Bernard says. They also bring it down a level with a monthly operational meeting for Bernard and his counterparts.
Biggest Win Is Intentional Outreach
Being one church in six congregations has heightened everyone’s awareness that there are people out there yet to be touched by the Gospel. “All these people are at our doorstep, if we would only open our eyes more and be more intentional in reaching out,” he says. Thus the challenge of how to be salt and light to the surrounding community is never ending. “That’s why we no doubt will have more congregations to come,” says Bernard. He predicts the next one will start as a cell group with people from West Asia. “Who knows what will happen as they start bringing their friends?” he muses. Fast Facts: Church Name: Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) Website: http://dumc.my/ Church Founded: 1980 Senior Pastor: Chris Kam Location: Wilayah Selangor, Malaysia Attendance: 5,000 across six congregations Largest Seating Capacity: 2,700 Multisite: Not yet Reprinted with permission of www.outreachmagazine.com Warren Bird, Ph.D, is the Director of Research and Intellectual Capital Development, Leadership Network Profile: leadnet.org/warrenbird
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Challenges of
Christian Discipleship in Malaysia today Dato’ Dr Daniel Ho, Founding Senior Pastor
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“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 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? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” 1 Peter 4:12-19
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here are increasing challenges to Christian discipleship in Malaysia today. When a pastor like Pastor Raymond Koh, who has been doing very good work among the poor and the marginalised, could just be abducted suddenly this should really be very disturbing and distressing to us all Christians and indeed to every Malaysian. It now makes everyone of us truly vulnerable because if such a thing can happen to a pastor in Malaysia then it can happen to anyone. Truly no one can feel safe in Malaysia any longer. But this is also a reminder to us as Christians about the cost of Christian discipleship in this 21st Century Malaysia. Jesus tells us clearly about the cost of following Him in Luke 9:23-26: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” There is a price to pay in following Christ and sometimes it involves suffering for Him. But when we suffer for Christ we must be very clear that this is because of our faithfulness to Christ and not because of our own sins or foolishness as 1 Peter 4:15, 16 tells us: “If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” And when we suffer as a Christian we must know the right question to ask. The right question is not: “Lord, why am I suffering as a Christian?” but “Lord, how should I respond when I am suffering for You?” In the passage quoted above from 1 Peter 4:12-19, Apostle Peter tells us five ways we ought to respond when we are suffering for Christ.
Firstly, Peter says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening, to you” (v.12). Two thousand years ago, Peter already warns us not to be surprised when suffering happens to us in our faithfulness to Christ. Thirty years ago when some Christian leaders were arrested under Operation Lalang, the Church of Jesus Christ in Malaysia was shocked by the incident. But Apostle Peter had already reminded us. That this is part and parcel of Christian discipleship sometimes. In other words, Peter wants us to be prepared or to be ready whenever it comes if it comes. Secondly, Peter writes, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (v.13). Here we are even told to rejoice. Now this seems to be a paradox! How can we rejoice in our sufferings? But it is not just the writings of Apostle Peter but that also of Apostles Paul and James respectively: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5) and “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). Now Christians look at sufferings very differently from those who are not Christians. We can rejoice because of what sufferings can do to us. That it proves, as Jesus says, that our faith in Christ is real: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No
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servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me” (John 15:18-21). So, not only what sufferings can do to us but also what sufferings can do for us. Suffering moulds and matures our life because suffering produces perseverance, character and hope. Hence when we suffer for Christ and if we respond in a right manner we become a better person rather than a bitter person. Thirdly, Peter writes, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (v.16). Not only are we not to be ashamed, for example if we are imprisoned for Christ, but also to praise God that we bear that name. We are able to praise because praise is a reflection of a right attitude towards God in life. A Christian couple going through the trauma of losing their only child may blame God for what has happened while another couple going through the same pain may even want to praise God and surrender themselves and their child to God. And when we can praise God in spite of the incident, it is truly a reflection of a right attitude towards God in life. Fourthly, Peter exhorts us: “So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator…” (v.19). Our God is faithful and He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can trust Him regarding our lives and our future because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Fifthly and finally, Peter reminds us: “So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (v.19). We must carry on doing good no
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matter what the situation or the circumstances as this is an important part of our Christian discipleship. We are not to hit back in retaliation or in bitterness for suffering for no wrongs of our own. Instead, we are to come against all injustices with a different spirit, the spirit of Christ, which is to carry on doing good. This will both confound and confuse the persecutors or the oppressors. But there are also fruits that are borne in our suffering for Christ. Peter says, “But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (v. 13). There shall be joy and great joy indeed one day! Secondly, Peter emphasised, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (v. 14). There is an unusual presence, favour and blessings of God upon our lives. What it is we will not fully know but one day we shall when Christ’s glory is revealed. The final fruit Peter underlines is one of vindication: “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? 18 And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"” (v. 17, 18). Because there is going to be God’s judgment one day, and this is only fair in a world of injustice, we can be assured that there shall be justice and we shall be vindicated because we seek to follow Christ and do what is good and right. The Lord will finally prove who is right and who is wrong. That will be the reward for faithful Christian discipleship in Malaysia in spite of the challenges. Note: All verses are quoted from NIV 1984
M I S S I O N S T R I P TO N E PA L All glory and honour to God in the highest for a successful Nepal mission trip from 8-18 Dec 2016. We thank God for the amazing move of the Holy Spirit working through us and in us to bless the mission partners and churches in Nepal. We believe that each team member was handpicked and chosen by God to fulfil His plans and purposes for this mission trip. Every one of us has been blessed beyond words and imagination. There were 13 salvations, several re-dedications and many received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our DUMC missionary, Agnes Voon was also with the team throughout the entire mission trip supporting the team.
KATHERINE MAH (Team Leader) I want to thank God for the opportunity to go to Nepal once again. This is my 10th mission trip to Nepal over the past 12 years. When we encountered some challenges forming the team, I trusted that God would provide. He is faithful and had proven time and again that He does indeed provide all our needs. The team was formed and had only three weeks of preparation before we went on the mission trip. The team was indeed handpicked by the Lord as we all bonded wonderfully despite the short time of knowing one another and complemented each other in our skills and talents to carry out the work of the Lord. This proved again the words of Hudson Taylor, a prominent missionary, who once said, “God’s work done in God’s ways will never lack God’s provisions.”
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On this trip, I truly learnt to rest in the Lord and be guided by the Holy Spirit. When I asked who would be doing the sermon and who
would pray for the people, the Lord would show me a face or name of the team member. We all learnt to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to submit to Him. The outcome was amazing as it was indeed the work of the Holy Spirit and not the individual that brought forth the harvest and led others to His kingdom.
PHANG YOKE PENG (Assistant Team Leader)
I thank God for: 1. His presence & guidance in every agenda. I am reminded of depending on the Holy Spirit in every step that I take. 2. The beautiful combination of team members & talents. The team work that He blessed us with. 3. The opportunity of ministering, leading a deaf & mute person to Christ. 4. Learning to focus on His work even when I was distracted by the demise of a very good friend during the trip.
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5. The simplicity of the life of the Nepalese reminding me about going back to the basics of life which God has already provided. I am just in awe and simply thankful for the opportunity to experience his power in every way. Praise the Lord. I am just in awe and simply thankful for the opportunity to experience his power in every way. Praise the Lord.
STEVEN YAP
I was asked by my wife to join this missionary trip to Nepal as the team required a couple for the pre-marital counselling program the team was planning to do with our Nepalese partner church. The highlights that I encountered were: 1) I was used by God to deliver two sermons (revival & spiritual warfare) despite not having spoken in public for 30 years. 2) My wife and I conducted PMC (Pre-marital counselling) for the first time in our lives. 3) We, as a couple, prayed and released blessings to a few Nepalese couples. 4) My sensitive nose (I had undergone torn miniscus surgery) and knees had no problems with smell and squatting in the toilets there.
He has shown me how to take fewer things for granted; made me more conscious of the necessity and importance of praying for people, their lives, conditions and faith. We are all abled bodies empowered by Christ and given the amazing opportunity to serve in His name. Christ used our team to bring His blessings to the people. God’s presence was felt throughout the whole trip. God was there. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path Psalm 119:105 (NLT)
PHANG TZE SHU
- Nepalese are very hospitable; they always serve us the best food that they have even though they only have little. - Being in charge of the children's ministry, I learnt that I needed to be energetic in order to keep up with the pace of the children. They live a simple life; even a very simple game cheers them up the whole day. -The journey to Maidi was very bumpy and tough but God had assured us of His protection and we learned to enjoy His marvellous creation (Himalayas) instead of worrying about the scary road condition. - I enjoyed and learnt so much from the teammates. We laughed, prayed, worshipped, and supported one another throughout this trip. It is a trip that enriched my life walk with God.
CINDY TEOH
5) God answered my prayer to lead two persons to accept Jesus at the hospital.
Most Nepalese we met lived in very modest homes and led simple lives, but their simple faith and hungry heart for God was immeasurable. I remember during one of the open sharing we conducted in front of shop houses, the owner of the shop was touched by the Holy Spirit. He shed tears and yes, later, he and the wife gave their lives to Jesus, Praise The Lord!
6) I boldly invited a street person (half drunk) during the street ministry to join us in worship and dancing. I laid hands on him, to receive Jesus in faith. He responded by echoing after me "Hallelujah" three times.
We visited homes, churches, a hospital and other places. We mingled with the people. We shared life stories, laughter and we embraced one another. Through the process, we were edifying one another with the love of Jesus Christ.
All these are made possible through God's grace and powerful anointing and I praise him for it.
Besides, I was blessed to see such beautiful Himalayan scenery, feasting on authentic Nepalese food and sipping organic Himalayan coffee! Dhanyavaad! (Thank you in Nepali)
SANICE KAM
Rough Road. I thank God for the opportunity to be part of His work in this short mission trip to Nepal. The roads in Nepal are not easy roads to travel, it was like traveling on an old wash board. They were long and winding, dirty, dusty, dangerous and one would encounter many bumps and pot holes - just as the Bible tells us that following Jesus will not always be an easy road to travel. To listen and obey Jesus takes intentional effort, courage and faith. Going on this Nepal mission trip was part of my obedience unto the Lord. God has revealed Himself to me in ways I had never expected and I have experienced things I have never experienced. Walking with God in this journey of faith helped me to desire to go deeper and farther with Him. All I ever need to do is to step out in faith and rest on His promises!
PETER LIM
As the trip drew closer, the enemy kept discouraging me with thoughts of how difficult the trip was going to be. Jesus did not allow me to quit despite my many doubts, weaknesses, and fears. He challenged me to face my fears and see things with faith in my heart.
KONG KAM YONG
I thank God for the opportunity to join this mission team. Laugher followed us wherever we went. Allowing God to intervene where we did not plan, He took us to the Nepal Disabled Association Khagendra New Life Home. It was heart-wrenching to see inmates sitting on wheelchairs at the gate greeting us, one lying on his belly for some morning sun. We visited a Nepalese, who had worked in Malaysia. He became quadriplegic due to an injury. How wonderful it was to see three persons come to Christ in the room! Christ came for such as these. Hearing the children in the orphanage pray aloud and worship God with heartfelt praise humbled me, especially after discovering the sad family backgrounds of these children. God is the Father to the fatherless; He defends the cause of these little ones. They are a delightful bunch who bonded in unity, love, purpose (and food!).
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by Lee Chengrui PJN6
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Waiting. It had been some years since I graduated from my studies in Sydney but I could not find suitable work in a corporate setting that matched my tertiary qualifications. After much waiting, I decided to return home to Malaysia when I received a job offer as an associate for a television and radio broadcasting company. I was somewhat disappointed about leaving Australia after having lived there for almost a decade. At the same time, I was looking forward to the prospects that lay ahead. I thought I came back for work. But it seemed that God worked it all out because He had even bigger plans for me. I was not a believer then. I thought I had everything – a loving family, education opportunities, amazing friends, and a great working environment. And yet, amidst the seemingly perfect life, I felt miserably empty. Something was missing. A year had passed since I started working. One day during lunch, my manager, Adrian Choo, casually asked me whether I was happy. I naturally answered ‘yes’. He pushed on and asked how exactly I was happy. That question stumped me because, before that, the concept of happiness had never really come into existence (at least on a deeper level). I was merely meandering through life quite “happily” and putting in my best in all that I did. He then shared with me his joy from his personal relationship with Jesus and started challenging me on matters of faith. Being raised in a Buddhist family, I quite relished the idea of going head-to-head in debate with him. I would talk about Buddhism, he would talk about Christianity. So we would both dialogue over lunch on theology – covering Jesus, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Feng Shui, face reading, and various other topics.
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As the months went by, I started to pick up the Bible and study the Word. The deeper I explored, the more amazed I was about Jesus. But the more I explored, the darker my world had also become.
Those voices grew louder and louder telling me that I am useless I started to hear voices inside my head. Those voices grew louder and louder telling me that I am useless. I developed great fear of leaving work early because I would hear those same voices tormenting me all the way home. The only solution then was to drown out the voices with loud music and to scream back even louder. Some nights, I would cry out to God to rescue me to prove that He was real even though I did not believe in Him yet. Thoughts of suicide also kept recurring. On weekends, I would stand by the top-floor balcony in a shopping mall imagining my plunge to death. I had disturbing thoughts about myself as well. I had received compliments on my appearance but I hated those compliments. I hated myself. Sometimes, I would stand in front of the mirror and imagine cutting my face with a knife so that I would just look “normal”. That was when I knew I had to do something. I started going to church.
I started going to church I was desperate to be lifted from the pain and hoped that God would be the answer, so I attended services from three churches simultaneously. Week after week, I never responded to any of the invitations to accept Jesus. I even attended a workshop for cell leaders to see how leaders can run a cell for non-believers. Yet despite everything that I had listened to, everything that I had seen – I still was not sure. I was so tired and exhausted. I got angry at God because I wanted to believe in Him but I just could not. Partly it was because of fear of opposition from my family. And partly it was due to my inability to comprehend the truth of the Cross, of Jesus’ perfect love and divine mercy for us. But finally I surrendered and said, “Have Your will” and I accepted
Jesus as my LORD and Saviour on 12 October 2013.
“Have Your will” and I accepted Jesus as my LORD and Saviour When I drove home that night, for the first time after so long, I felt immeasurable peace and cried tears of joy. I could not explain it but I remembered feeling vividly that I was no longer alone. I belonged. By God’s grace, I am now assisting in the leadership of a Cell Group and am serving in the Worship ministry of the church. Never would I have imagined I would be involved in any of these things when I left Australia. But God gave me a new lease of life. I have been reborn. Now, whenever I feel empty, I am reminded that I am made in the image of God. God’s words in the Bible keep me grounded and I have a hope that will never be taken away from me. I will always remember – He is my God. And I am His son.
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Stepping Out-of-State by Jolene Lee NextGen
Hello! Leelets to Dream Centre, Leelets to Dream Centre… In 2013, we accepted the Lord’s call to serve the urbanites in a Creative Access Nation as full time missionaries. Our mission team comprises 6 members: CK, Penne, Jo, Nat, Bas and JJ. In March 2017, we celebrated the third year of our survival here. These three years have taught us that with His grace, survival can bloom into seasons of flourishing (in spite of new circumstances and expectations), connecting (with other humans and the Father) and trusting (in the Father only). Though we all live in the same city, our experience were radically different. Here is Penne’s perspective from her journaling: Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 It is apparent to me how different our lives are from when we were in KL. In KL, it seemed that we were full of importance, for our presence was required at the office daily. Here, apart from our children, things would continue on without us. I recall vividly our life in KL. It was an Egypt that You called us out of. You prolonged it 17 years so that I would remember the details. Our children did not see as much of the Promised Land as they do here. Here, we are closer to each other and to You. The price? In Egypt, people saw us as contributing to the economy of a vast nation. Here, it seems like the only occupation we have is to listen to You. Our food comes from heaven, not our own hands. We have no job description or long term purpose, except to listen and obey. We have stepped out of a stable, predictable job of serving man to a very unpredictable job of serving You. There is a sense of peer security when you do what most people are doing. Out here, if we do
not have security in You, we do not have security at all. We cannot find security in comparing ourselves with our peers, they are few and far in between, each one hearing different instructions from You. We are following a totally different standard that doesn’t make sense or seem valuable to many, sometimes ourselves. When we started stepping out, everything changed. Here is Jolene’s recent testimony: God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10. In PJ, I was a student, a NextGenner; when I moved, I stayed a student. Nothing earth-shaking changed in my life outside the house. My spiritual life stayed lukewarm as it had ever been, until last year. In this city, Christians of secondary-school age are relatively scarce. Last fall (August 2016), at school, when the youth pastor who gave weekly sermons returned to the US, the school couldn’t find a replacement. Upon the Spirit’s calling (although I didn’t know it), I talked to the school administration, who gladly let five other students and I take over leadership of the youth group. My fellow leaders and I weren’t very committed, passionate or spiritually healthy. With complete honesty, we were also underqualified and overwhelmed in every possible way. But I have learnt to see this as an opening for the Father to lead us in paths that we would not otherwise take. The following six months of leading the youth group has taught me to reflect more, pray more, care about others more, and place my trust in God’s ability to save the day. I started out with no experience, passion, or spiritual readiness, yet God has blessed these efforts. Thus, I would like to encourage any Christian who is reading this article: this year, step outside your spiritual circle of habit. Speak to non-believers about
MAKE DISCIPLE
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Him, or find small ways to serve those in need of spiritual nourishment. Be willing to be refined by the fire. Have faith. Bas (11) and JJ (9) go to a small local school and during dinner, they regale us with hilarious stories of their headmistress (who likes to give us gifts like live chickens) and classmates. But they also amaze us by the actions they take to share His Word, seemingly effortlessly. Jayden frequently comes home and quietly tells Penne about asking his teachers or friends whether they are believers, subsequently having discussions about Christianity. Bastien obtained a Chinese Bible through CK to give to his friends to read together. Once, he also casually mentioned “praying for 2 hours during study time”. The rest of us cannot help but be awed at how God moves through young children. We still have seasons of grief and joy that enrich us in irreplaceable ways, teaching us to survive (and flourish, connect, trust). If there is one lesson we have learned, it is one that is applicable to any believer, missionaries or not:
GOD IS READY.
He has missions for you to complete, lives for you to speak into. All you need is a committed heart, and the first step outside that comfort zone. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 CrossFields: Contact missions@dumc.my to subscribe to our NewsLet mailing list to connect with us personally!
Getting to know From left to right: Pr Mike Ngui, Sarah Lye, Monica Lee, Teo Wun Meng, Pr Samuel Krishnan, Ker Kin Meng, Pr Gan Jin Leong, Pr Tan Moy How, Steve Yew and Lee Kok Yin
KER KIN MENG
Multimedia & AV Director Serving for 25 years since 1992 I’ve been a techie type of guy all my life. Not because of my vocation, although I was trained as an electronics engineer, but from my curiosity about how things work, and my love of making things happen from scratch. Building computers by hand, setting up sound systems from ground up, to me, it was all so much fun! So when I joined DUMC in 1992, it was so natural for me to gravitate towards its one-and-only techie ministry. Then it was called the PA (for Public Address system) ministry. It was like a tailor-made ministry for me to serve in, surrounded by equipment with knobs to twiddle, faders to push and blinking lights all around. It was bliss! The Church grew, and the systems and ministry grew with it. We multiplied from 2 people to 20 and beyond, and the equipment multiplied too, from the basic setup in Taman Mayang, to the 200 lights and 2 mixers in Ruby Cinema (DSP) to the latest equipment that we installed in Dream Centre. As I served, I began to feel a different kind of joy as I stood behind the controls at a weekend Celebration or an event. God was taking me out of my inward perspective of just enjoying myself while serving Him, and turning my eyes and
mind toward how much more joyful it had become to serve Him through serving others. You see, I began to realise why I was there. Not to satisfy my love for gadgets and gear (although it was still great fun) but to be His instrument to help bring His people closer to Him. I began to understand the role of the AV team (or Dew Crew as we were now called). As the church grew into larger and larger premises, our role was to ensure that His message to His people through His ministers was carried through with clarity and conviction. As I saw DUMC members worshipping with arms raised and tears in their eyes, or listening raptly to a message delivered clearly from the pulpit, I understood why God had brought me into this ministry. And I thank God for that privilege.
LEE KOK YIN
Finance Manager Serving for 17 years since 2000 I am Lee Kok Yin, from a Christian family since young. My parents prayed for me to be a man of God, in fact, to become a pastor! I arrived in Petaling Jaya in 1977 to complete my education and attended a Lutheran Church for 22 years. Without me knowing, God was preparing me to serve Him. I was attached to Glad Sounds from 1979 for a good 10 years. There, I learnt how to run an organisation
as a corporation. After that I joined The Bible Society for a few years. Along the way, my two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebekah, and wife Nelly felt comfortable at DUMC because their aunt (and Nelly’s sister) were already attending there. As a family we decided to move to DUMC. By 1991, I was in the waterproofing and corrosion control business with my brother. We were doing fine but, in 1999, I received a call from Pastor Daniel. By 2000 I had joined DUMC as a full-time staff. Soon after, my wife joined Tadika Juara Cerdik. I was assisting Pastor Daniel in operations and in everything else he needed me to help with; I was doing accounts, maintenance and administration as well. I realised all the past experience I had from the previous companies was relevant for me when I came to DUMC. In a blink of an eye, 17 years have gone by. In 2007 I was given the title of Chief Operating Officer and was recently invited to join the Senior Pastor’s Office (SPO) Management Team. God has been preserving and equipping me through challenging times, and overcoming the major hurdles is what I am most grateful for. My greatest joy in all these years of serving is to be able to see people’s needs met in the best possible way and to help the church organisation find viable solutions.
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Many times I had wanted to give up but God reminded me, “I call you, you obey. You take care of my business and I will take care of yours. I have never short-changed you.” It’s Him that I am serving, not man. This is the principle I hold on to. The bottom line is that, after reaching the age of 60, I told myself I had a lot to rejoice about despite all the ups and downs. My hope is to leave a legacy for the younger generation who are coming in now. God has placed people into my circle of influence. My desire is to share my insights, experience and encouragement with them so that they may carry on the race giving all Glory to God.
MONICA LEE
Multimedia Designer Serving for 17 years since 2000 I have been working full time at DUMC as a multimedia designer for almost 17 years. It’s been a privilege to be called by God to be part of this house of God and serve with the people who loves God. Through the years I feel blessed and amazed of how God had challenged, used and molded me into what I am today. I enjoy working in DUMC very much because it gives me so much joy, love and encouragement to be a part of this family. Not only am I called to be in multimedia department but also I have the privilege to serve as a leader in Children’s Church. The experience of witnessing how children learn, apply what they had learned from the Bible and grow, had made me realise how important it is to ‘pass the baton’ to the next generation. I give all my thanks to Him for also allowing me to experience serving in the mission field and doing community work within the church. I love to be around people and sharing about what God has installed for them in His promises. I just need to avail myself, ensure that my physical body is fit to run the race and let God be a part of everything I do. Every journey will be guaranteed exciting as long as it is with Him!
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GAN JIN LEONG
Pastor Serving for 19 years since 1998 My name is Gan Jin Leong. I have been involved in full-time Christian ministry for the last 19 years; DUMC is the only church I have been serving in this capacity. I am a Ministry Pastor – a trainer in EQUIP, an Alpha Coach, Quiet Retreat Facilitator and Zone Leader.
We came to DUMC in 1997. My wife and I were taught in our previous church environments, to serve where we can, as much as we can. So, in DUMC, we were open to serving in any capacity. We served on the worship team and led a cell group. I worked on music and drama productions. Eventually I took on a non-staff pastoral role in our ministry to college and university students.
When I came to DUMC in 1993, I had a great need. God used different people in DUMC to minister to and assist me. I was greatly blessed and am grateful for each one. Since then, God has been giving me opportunities to minister to people who lost their loved ones.
Throughout my ministry (from even before DUMC), it became obvious that my concern was always around equipping believers in Christ - in running small group Bible studies, teaching doctrine, helping young people wrestle with issues of faith. Being the Equipping Pastor is the natural expression of God’s gift and call for me.
Our elders and leaders of DUMC marked by their servanthood has been inspiring and resonates with me. Having attached myself to a cell, I was progressively appointed as a cell leader and zone leader. Subsequently, I responded to the call to full-time ministry as a Zone Pastor in DUMC in March 1998.
I delight to help someone come to see God as the highest object of our heart’s desire. Often this happens in personal conversations and discussions, over coffee or teh tarik. But not everything has been so encouraging.
I am grateful to the Lord for serving Him and be involved in the lives of believers and pre-believers. It is always a joy and privilege to listen to their stories of God’s transforming and redemptive work in their lives. With God’s help and divine appointments, He brought different people into my life in 2010 when I was experiencing “Christian fatigue syndrome.” The experience taught me the value and importance of creating a safe and secure environment for spiritual friendships – trusted friends who can journey with me in different seasons of my life. More importantly, to intentionally “waste time with God” for rest, renewal, refreshment and rejuvenation.
MIKE NGUI
Pastor Serving for 20 years since 1997 I am Pastor Mike Ngui, husband to Cynthia, and father to Gabriel, Joel and Joy. On DUMC staff for the last 12 years, I am presently responsible for the equipping program particularly for the English- speaking congregation.
Church is about people from different walks of life with different histories. When it becomes difficult dealing with people, the Father reminds me that as much as He chose me, He also chose others quite different from me. Hence, I keep learning to serve people in the spirit of Christ serving all in love.
SAMUEL KRISHNAN
Ministry Pastor of Breakthrough Serving for 13 years since 2004 I’m a husband to Lee-Ann from Canada, father to Brianna, Nathanael, Nolan and Josiah. I’m passionate about people; football and a good cup of teh tarik kurang manis. I have been serving as the Head of Ministry in Breakthrough Rehabilitation Centre for the past thirteen years. My journey to DUMC is an interesting one! My life was dramatically transformed; I too was once trapped in the bondage of addiction. I desired to reach out to others, with the same hope I found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In 1999 I enrolled in Malaysian Bible Seminary, desiring to serve God full time
but I lacked the finance required. DUMC agreed to sponsor my studies; upon completion I was approached as to whether I would be interested in heading up a Rehabilitation centre. I accepted, as DUMC had done so much for me; I was eager to give back. In 2004 Breakthrough was established. My greatest joy in serving is seeing the lives of the brothers changed, transformed, restored, and families reconciled. Looking back, our greatest challenge was when the community forced us to relocate. I tried to appeal MBPJ’S decision but in the end we were forced to move. It was a very difficult time; I did not know what God was doing or where He was leading? As the days drew nearer, we still didn’t have a new premise. Deep down, I knew that this is God’s ministry, he would not abandon us. However, it was becoming harder and harder to believe when nothing seemed to be working and I had no answer to give the church nor the boys at the centre. I tried to remain hopeful and strong, but inwardly I was desperately crying out to God for a solution, and quickly! At the eleventh hour, God in His faithfulness provided a new premise! As a result to God’s prompting and direction, Breakthrough expanded significantly, new doors opened for talks in school, universities, community football projects were birthed. It’s been a great honour to serve.
SARAH LYE
General Administrator Serving for 20 years since 1997 I am a mother of two young kids. I joined DUMC back in 1997 when we were still meeting at DUMC Taman Mayang. I was asked to help with Children’s Church Christmas Party project and together as a cell group back then, we were helping to paint the backdrop. Subsequently, I got involved in Children’s Church not long after that. Sometime in early 2000, I was challenged to join full time serving in DUMC by the then Children Youth District Pastor. At first, I struggled and I prayed for the Lord’s
direction and confirmation before agreeing. I remembered vividly when the Lord spoke to me while I was worshipping in an evangelistic rally in a huge indoor stadium at Bukit Jalil. It was a loud clear audible voice saying “I want you to serve me now!” I was trembling and feeling hot all over my body. After this experience, I wanted to be more certain of the calling to serve full time. I asked the Lord for another confirmation. It came when our cell group had a retreat in Penang. We were attending the celebration at the Reservoir Garden Baptist Church in Penang. The message spoke to me and I responded to the altar call. As I knelt down there, tears kept on flowing and I knew that the Lord was touching me and confirming His call upon my life. So I joined DUMC as Children Youth District Administrator in August 2000. One of the joyous occasions when serving in Children’s Church was to see many children coming to know the Lord Jesus, subsequently, seeing them grow up, becoming youth and entering into the phase of young adult. I was serving in that capacity for the last 15 years until 2016 when I was asked to change roles to becoming the General Administrator. Before accepting the current role, I was apprehensive and unsure about the transition. But the Lord is faithful as He reminded me again that it is He who placed me in DUMC and He would guide me in the ‘new’ role that I was given. Looking back, I can only stand in amazement at the Lord’s direction and guidance upon my life. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him 1 Cor 2:9
at the word SERVANT closely, and only then did I see the words “serve-ant” so clearly spelt out, reminding me of soldier ants serving their queen day in day out as they are born to do so. And like the ants, I faithfully serve my “King”. These words have carried me through my ministry among the least, the lost, the last, the lonely, and those who lack in our community, from the dirty, narrow, dark alleys of the city’s back lanes, to the loud, bright lights. He also made it clear to me in Matthew 20:26-28 that servanthood is the least among the positions in His Kingdom work and it is my privilege to serve Him, be His slave, as He was slain for me. What a journey it has been as the Lord led me and worked in me after He reached out to me while I was still behind prison bars in the now demolished Pudu Prison in downtown Kuala Lumpur. He began to prepare my heart to serve among His people, those who are down-trodden and looked down upon by society. What is ‘my biggest love and joy in serving?’. If I can only give one word to describe it, I would choose ‘satisfaction’. The tears of joy at being loved has brought such deep satisfaction to my soul. It is immeasurable and indescribable. It drives me to serve others with love and joy. Although the body may be crying out at times, as we are weak, yet the satisfaction in my Spirit says, “oh, this is for eternity in Heaven…”. In conclusion I would also like to say that I have found the smiles that we are able to bring to this grieving world as we ‘step-out’ to serve and share mean more than can be measured by any monetary terms. Thank you for such joy Lord!
TAN MOY HOW
STEVE YEW SOON KIN
District Pastor Serving for 18 years since 1999
The word ‘serve’ has always had an impact upon my life. For I have been asking the Lord to define the word ‘servant’ as I began this journey of serving years ago. The Lord said to me to just look
People know me as Moy How. I am one of the many Pastors in DUMC. I hold a mixed bag of roles, namely a background Cell Leader, Zone Pastor for PJS1, District Pastor for the English speaking congregation, and more aptly described in Cantonese, “yat-kiok-teck” (English literal
Special Projects Officer Serving for 14 years since 2003
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translation is one-leg-kick) kind of a cradle to grave responsibility. By His grace, I am in my nineteenth year of my call. I started twenty six years ago attending a Care Group (now known as Cell Group) in Pastor Kee and Eng Lih’s home as a cell group member, just faithfully serving in doing the small things assigned. I grew over the years as a member then became a leader’s intern, to an assistant leader, to a cell leader and the first Zone Supervisor (now called Zone Leader) for umpteenth years. I remembered holding the Church Camp chairman role for a consecutive nine years. My biggest passion is seeing transformed lives by faithful gospelling. My favourite ‘fishing’ ground is at O&S Restaurant, Sea Park after Sunday’s Celebration and in the Visitors’ Lounge. I am very intentional in serving people, especially over a meal, be it in a family, wedding, sitting with strangers settings. This opens the door to share my testimony and I rely on the Holy Spirit to witness. I will usually end off with a prayer of blessing, which I am amazed again and again how the people are touched by the Lord. Recently, I attended a photo exhibition at Bangsar Shopping Centre, met a Russian and prayed a blessing for him and his family. I could see at the end of the prayer, Sergey was visibly touched. I prayerfully ask for a heart of compassion (Matthew 9:36; 14:14;
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15:32; 20:34) similar to Christ. He exhibited compassion to the messed-up, downtrodden, sick, unlovable and the lost. I am reminded of apostle Peter’s urging, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21). Our Lord selflessly loved and sacrificially served.
TEO WUN MENG
Office Manager Serving for 12 years since 2005 I joined DUMC in 2005 as a full time employee. I have also been a Cell leader of Taman Bukit Desa cell group under Pastor Allan Leong for over 10 years. With regards to serving people I am always reminded of what our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 25:35-40. When serving others, it does not need to be something spectacular. We can easily accomplish it in our normal daily routines as long as we are intentional in wanting to serve others and not expecting a return. We can serve others at home, at work, at school, to our neighbours, our cell group member etc. In serving people, what are some of the simple things that I have done? Helped push a car and helped to jump start someone else’s car, looked after someone’s pet, baby sat, looked after a neighbour’s house, cut the grass, repair the locks, cooked a meal, talked to someone, lent a listening ear, prayed for
someone, provided transport for a cell member, helped push shopping trolleys, gave coins to someone to pay his parking coupon, and the list goes on. Of course at times, serving others will also demand our time and cause us to sacrifice a bit more. Some of these take more time and effort. Doing premarital counselling, counselling couples with marriage issues and looking after people who are not well. One of the challenges that I often encountered was when the needs of others demanded odd timings and affected my time with family. I thank God for my understanding & gracious children, and God’s protection. I remembered on a few occasions my wife and I had to go out in the middle of the night to attend to someone else’s needs, leaving my young children at home. One of the biggest joys of serving others is when you see the smiles on their faces. To serve people we are effectively helping them to get unstuck at their points of need. My greatest motivation is not the “thank you’s” from those I had served but knowing that I have somehow fulfilled what God has called us to do i.e. doing good to others.
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