A n e w s letter o f The N a viga to rs S in ga po re M C I (P ) 012/03/2019
OCTOBER 2019
“Let the little children come to me ...� Wong Wing Ben, an NP-SIM-TP ministry labourer, is in Freetown of Sierra Leone for six months. We look back at this year of missions and various Nav Worldwide Partnerships! (Image credit: Adrian Ho)
I WILL MAKE YOU A LIGHT TO THE NATIONS Isaiah 49:6 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
B
efore God called me to serve Him in East Asia for 25 years, I first went on a two-week mission trip to Indonesia to have a taste of mission work. This year, we are excited to see many young labourers step out in faith and embark on short-term trips to multiple receiving countries. The Navigators’ calling is “to advance the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom INTO THE NATIONS ...” We encourage our labourers to let God lead us on at least one such trip. We pray that such exposure further challenges us to heed God’s calling to go out to the nations and be part of His worldwide work.
Mission Director Tan Jee Long
MISSIONS REPORT To date, many of our labourers have responded to the call to go for more than a week. We challenge more to attempt crossing cultures for two to six months. 18 14
(L-R) Class is in session for Tan Jingfei, Chester Ho, Daniel Kim, Pedro and Jonathan Wu. (Image credit: Chester Ho) São Paulo, Brazil I am not an easily excitable person, so when Daniel got us praying for one faithful man each to follow-up on this mission, I took a while to own this goal. When Jesus first saw Peter, he did not just see a poor, uneducated fisherman, but boldly declared Peter to be the rock of the church (Matthew 16:18). Jesus was excited. If I look at people through His eyes, how could I not get excited too? While witnessing, we met a guy called Pedro (Portuguese for “Peter”). As we shared our faith, he was responding so well to us that I joyfully declared in my head, “Yes, this man will be the rock of this ministry.” Since then, we have met him thrice for bible reading. Pedro is eager to journey in his renewed faith. This excitement led us to pray earnestly and to genuinely invest our lives into him, in order to see him bear fruit too. - Chester Ho, NUS Labourer
No. of Pax
9
3 1-3
4-6
7-9
44 Mission Trippers
>9
No. of Weeks 10 Countries Visited
199 Total Number of Weeks Spent
Freetown, Sierra Leone (R-L) RP-NYP ministry staff Adrian Ho with a small pack of snacks, together with Wong Wing Ben and Jermyn Lai, to encourage Brother Salliue to walk closely with Jesus. (Image credit: Adrian Ho)
Natalie Law, 3rd from left, having spiritual food with the students and missionaries as they fill up on physical food. (Image credit: Sunkyu Lee)
The Singapore team is treated to a farewell dinner with some students at a Fijian Navstaff ’s home. (Image credit: Ratu)
Bangkok, Thailand
Fiji
Sawadeeka! I’m really thankful for my time in Thailand. It was mutually beneficial to learn from the missionaries, Mr. Lee and Mrs. Lee, and support them in outreach work. I learned about God’s longsuffering heart for each soul through their love for the Thais in spite of discouragements along the way, especially as we shared the gospel on campus.
NUS ministry staff Ryoo Jae Kwan and his four colabourers drew up a schedule in their month-long mission trip to Fiji. This is a typical day for them there:
Pioneering a ministry can be challenging. Yet, from their life examples, I observed some aspects to persevering in faith and hope: continuous surrender, persistent prayer, remaining in His promises, and doing all these with humility, love and servitude. It was a glimpse into God’s infinite heart for the world. - Natalie Law, NP-SIM-TP Labourer
0600 0900 1030 1200 1400 1630 1800 2100
Quiet Time Prayer Walk Witnessing @ university Lunch Witnessing & Follow-up with various local students Dinner preparation Dinner fellowship with new friends Evaluation & prayer
Joy Tay (3rd from left) spent two fruitful months in Yangon. (Image credit: Yangon Nav) Yangon, Myanmar Being with the Yangon Nav taught me about evangelism as a daily lifestyle. Daily, each person would ensure they had shared the gospel with at least one person. One labourer even set a onemonth goal to speak to 40 people each week! Unashamed and bold, they would go to campuses, shopping centres and bus stops. They often went alone, seizing every opportunity depending on their availability: for example, going before, in-between, or after work. - Joy Tay, NP-SIM-TP Labourer
GIVE AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU—REALLY? By Scott Morton, International Fundraising Coach
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
T
his has become a well-used proverb regarding tithing— you’re sure to get money back for money given, tit for tat. Some preachers have hijacked this verse and made it a formula guaranteeing a financial return for a “seed gift” to their ministry. Sadly, we are skeptical of and hesitate to claim this wonderful promise. It seems too materialistic. How can giving a mere few dollars guarantee a financial benefit in return? A surprise awaits us as we dive into its context. Look at the powerful verbs from verse 28 on. 6:28 Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 6:30 Give to everyone who asks of you … 6:31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 6:35 Love your enemies; do good and lend, expecting nothing in return … 6:36 Be merciful … 6:37 Do not judge, do not condemn; pardon and you will be pardoned. And finally verse 38, Give.
Christmas Outreach by various ministries Pray for the Lord to move mightily in and through His people, to tell of His Son’s birth and sacrifice this season.
Luke 6:28-37 is about building relationships, especially with those who mistreat you. When we love even those who are unkind, when we are merciful and forgiving, when we seek the other person’s good, these same people pour into our lap even more in return—love, mercy and forgiveness—than we originally gave. This is the mark of discipleship with Jesus as our leader, and as we grow in Christlikeness. They will pour into your lap.The Jews wore a full-length robe which could be pulled up at the waist to form a deep pocket (or lap) for carrying grain and groceries home from the market. What about getting money back? Sure, if money is given, money could come back. But notice how verse 35 says “expecting nothing in return.” “Give so that it will be given to you” is not a guaranteed formula to coerce God to bless you financially. Such an attitude towards giving is disappointing to Him. Jesus’ followers need to give without expecting a return. Apostle Paul captured Jesus’ teaching in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 when he said to the new Thessalonian believers, “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”
My Christian friend, when you give money, do you secretly hope for a financial windfall? Instead, why not focus on simply loving and serving others cheerfully? Let us give our hearts, our emotions, our time, and yes, our money, without expecting anything in return. And wait and see what happens! To whom can you give today? Prayer: Father in Heaven, I enjoy and am grateful for Your blessings that are being poured into my lap. But sometimes I hesitate to take the first step to build or re-build relationships. Help me not to withhold my emotions, my time, my finances and my energy from people in my world. Help me to be more interested in others than in me, starting with my own family. Amen. Extracted with permission from Scott Morton’s upcoming book, “What the Bible Actually
Says
About Money: 31 Meditations”.
PRAYER PULSE Vacation Training Programmes (VTP) of Polytechnics As the VTP ends and the new academic year begins, pray for eager souls hungry for God’s Word, and to seek Him first.
Missions Update Freetown, Sierra Leone: Pray for receptive hearts to the gospel and the Lord’s protection as Wong Wing Ben faithfully sows the Word.
BEE-ING WITH GOD By Loo Bee Eng, Nav-Community Ministry staff
H
aving grown up two streets away from funeral parlours, I had a fear of death. When a Singapore Polytechnic (SP) classmate shared the gospel to me, promising eternal life and hope beyond death, I readily accepted it. But I kept my faith secret for nearly two years until I was convicted by God’s Word in John 15:16. I’ve since had many Navigator mentors in various seasons of my life. I am what I am today because of the love and time they invested in me. Their selflessness influenced me to give the second half of my life to serve our Lord Jesus and invest in others as well. Motivated by 2 Timothy 2:2, I’m committed to raising generations of disciples for Christ. One-on-One, or Man-to-Man, discipleship had helped me to keep a close walk with God. And now I do the same with the women God has brought into my life. Here are some of them:
Elizabeth Chia
My mother, my ailing father and I were attending church regularly, when I met Bee Eng. My elderly parents were both believers and I wasn’t, but I accompanied them to Sunday service anyway. When Bee Eng brought me to a Nav-Community Ministry evangelistic event in end2014, I accepted the Lord. She began meeting me to study the Bible … however, juggling between work and caring for family was tough. Thankfully, I grew in faith and began to serve with our church’s Indonesian ministry. Recently I went on a trip with three other co-workers to visit the families of 11 domestic helpers from our ministry. It was heartening to know our labour of love paid off and the families were touched by our gesture.
Bee Eng developed a heart for the Chinese people and spent nine years in East Asia.
Chun
Eileen Chua
These 10 years I worked in Singapore, I had gotten a bad impression of Christians, and that had hindered me from knowing God. Last November, I was feeling very down and so I took up my colleague’s invitation to attend church. I accepted Christ there and then and experienced such peace that I had never felt before. I regret not knowing Jesus earlier.
I’m a beautician. I was first exposed to Christ through a client who invited me to an Alpha Course. I went out of curiosity and, mostly, obligation. It was God’s divine appointment that I met Bee Eng, my client’s friend.
Two of my sisters came to visit a month later and both gladly received the Lord too! I’ve had basic spiritual follow-up from Bee Eng and have been passing on what I know to my sisters over social media, since they returned home. I am so blessed to have someone helping me in my spiritual growth. I return to my hometown soon, and I aim to influence the rest of my family and friends for Christ.
Bee Eng brought me to an evangelistic service, where God spoke to me through a timely message on having “no time, no time, no more time.” That day, I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour. Everything I had heard at Alpha suddenly made sense too. Since then, we have been meeting regularly for personalised Bible study before I open my shop. The more I know God and His salvation plan, the more I feel the urgency to share with my family and clients about Him.
www.navigators.org.sg
Whenever we read the Sermon on the FROM THE Mount (Matthew 5-7), it is hard to miss NATIONAL the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10. Its eight blessings attract us, and are what we long DIRECTOR for because they are seemingly beyond our reach. I therefore selected this topic for Yap Kim Meng our NavStaff’s upcoming Extended Time With God. During my preparatory research, I stumbled upon John Stott’s Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (verse 3). The Lord honours those who are humble or lowly in His presence. And the King even promises them the inheritance of His kingdom. There is enough in the Scriptures to confirm this, two of which are: 1. Isaiah 66:2b “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit ...” 2. Luke 18:13 “But the tax collector ... would not even look up ... and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner ...’” Along with others who follow Christ, we must humble ourselves before God. This marks us as those who yearn to claim the kingdom of heaven. This should be our goal. We are each called to follow and be like Him. I encourage you to join us in pursuing and practising the Beatitudes as we meditate on it this last quarter, and as a preparation for the coming new year.
@SingaporeNavigators The Navigators Singapore, 117 Lor K, Teluk Kurau, Singapore 425758 Tel: (65) 6344 4133 Email: admin@navigators.org.sg The calling of The Navigators is to advance the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost. Views expressed in published articles are those of the individual writers and may not necessarily be the views of The Navigators Singapore. All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® Copyright © 1984, unless otherwise stated.
National Director: Yap Kim Meng Editor, designer: Kylie Chia
Scan the QR code or go to this link to download the Beatitudes card or read John Stott’s book wp.me/p6jEYb-J8
Copy Editor: Ms J Printer: Seng Lee Press © 2019 by The Navigators Singapore
“YOUR MONEY, YOUR FUTURE” TALK Saturday 23 November 2019 | 1.30pm - 5.30pm @ Chart Nexus, International Plaza, 10 Anson Road, #34-08 Register via BeeEng@navigators.org.sg. Seats are limited so book before 1st November 2019 to secure your place. Cost is $20 per pax (inclusive of tea break). Do invite your friends to this evangelistic event! Singapore reigns as the world’s most expensive city for the 5th year in a row, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit 2019 report. With a high cost of living, how do we better plan our finances? Here’s how: 6 JARS OF MONEY MANAGEMENT Earning, Spending, Saving, Giving, Borrowing & Investing
KEY MONEY NEEDS AT 30, 40, 50 & 60 Pitfalls to Avoid, Maximizing Cash, CPF & Various Resources
Dr Neo Boon Siong serves on various Board of Directors, was CANON Endowed Chair Professor of Business and twice served as Dean of Nanyang Business School.
Lim Mui Khim is Managing Director of Client Advisory at GenRiver Financial Pte Ltd with 19 years’ experience in the industry. She continuously qualifies for the Million Dollar Round Table.
WHERE THERE IS A WILL Matters of Will, Love, Law and Other Legalities
Low Sau Bing is Senior Consultant at an independent financial advisory firm with 17 years’ experience in the industry, giving talks on estate planning, wills, trusts and LPAs.
