Trinitarian Magazine Issue 2/2013 by Trinity Christian Centre

Issue 02/2013

Envision

The Power of Affirmation Up Close

Lost and Found Pulse

Five Nights of Prayer

REVIVAL

in the home

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Finding Your Way Through the Prophets

The writings of the Prophets accounted for a large part of the Old Testament. While their messages carried indictment and judgment, they also contained instructions, promises and hope for the future. This seminar will empower you with some simple tools to navigate your way through the Prophets, allowing you to discover the relevance of these messages for Christians today.

FRee m Ad iSSiOn

Sat, Oct 19 | 1pm – 4pm | TCA College To register, email your full name to admin@tca.edu.sg by Oct 16 2013.

Rev Joseph Tan teaches Old Testament modules at TCA College. He holds a ThM from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (USA) and is currently pursuing a PhD from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (USA). 249 Paya Lebar Road #03-11 Trinity@Paya Lebar Singapore 409045 • 6304 7602 • admin@tce.edu.sg • www.tca.edu.sg 3

Contents Issue 02/2013

24 THE POWER OF AFFIRMATION What is our true identity in God?

56 GOD IS IN MY HOUSE

A personal reflection from a LEAD class

58 MORE THAN 4500 HAVE ATTENDED LEAD

Testimonies from two classes with overwhelming responses

60 Lost and Found Real Life Miracle

100 Trinitarian Hero

Rain or shine, we can count on them

76 THE MCDONALD’S EFFECT Living in a Globalized World

84 MISSIONS CONVENTION 2013 Pray, Give and Go for Missions

88 CELL CHURCH CONFERENCE 2013 More than 400 delegates impacted

90 TRINITY’S CELL CHURCH

MODEL IMPACTS THE GLOBE

Hear how our cell model is transforming churches

96 MISSIONS AT A GLANCE

Overview of Trinity’s Missions Outreach

98 SECOND CHANCES

Care Community Services Society help ex-offenders re-integrate

Unleash the Power of Affirmation

Issue 02/2013

Contents

60 32 Revival in the Home

What would it take to see revival take place in our homes?

34 RAISING SPIRITUALLY STRONG CHILDREN It’s time for spiritual parenting

42 PINT-SIZED WARRIORS

Be amazed at how God works through children

46 HIS PURPOSE, MY GENERATION Stirring a revival among the Youths

50 SEND REVIVAL, START WITH ME

Is it possible to live passionately for Christ after college?

52 20 WAYS TO CARE AND CONNECT WITH YOUR FAMILY

Faith without action is dead

54 31 BIBLICAL VIRTUES TO PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY

We got you covered everyday of the month 6

Real Life Miracle

12 THE TABERNACLE

Easter Presentation 2013

20 Who’s GOT THE POWER? Children’s Easter Special

70 FIVE NIGHTS OF PRAYER

Seeking God was our single agenda

72 YA COMBINED CELL GATHERING Get up-close and personal on sex

74 CAMP IMPRINT

IGNYTE Polytechnic Camp

102 Caught on

Trinity’s Camera Something exciting is coming your way

Advisor Chief Editor

Last issue, Revival Are you Ready for One? was a very encouraging and inspirational read, especially the Missions Impact Team stories. I think the term is very appropriate. Trinitarians are truly impacting many people. I was amazed by the large numbers of people making decisions to accept Jesus as their Savior and marvel at how God can make use of a small country like Singapore to reach out to so many larger nations. Our God is really almighty and loving! I'm now inspired to go on an MIT.

Ku Shanli

Pastor Janice Chng

Editor

Diana Lim Miranda Zhang

Editorial Team

Carol Lim Chia Ban Seng Christine Poon Elaine Cheah Elane Luo Gabriel Chu Han Mei Zhen Ivan Koh June Teh Kevin Kwang Lye Hui Xian Moo Yubin Sharon Lim Will Yong

Contributing Photographers

Lim Poh Chean Thank you for featuring the 2012 MIT to Koriyama, Japan in Issue 01/2013 of the Trinitarian magazine. They say that a picture paints a thousand words. The pictures from the MIT reminded me of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favor over us throughout our exciting experiences like cleaning the home of the elderly couple and running the Singapore Hour during the Love Kids Festival in conjunction with Grace Garden Chapel. I will definitely pull out this article the next time someone asks me about my MIT experience to show them more about it.

Pastor Dominic Yeo

Law Kian Yan Marcus Lee Nathaniel Leong PufferFish Renatus Pte Ltd Twenty4Frames

Contributing Designers

Faith Koh

Editorial Support

Sarah Lau

Advertising Sales & Admin

Sarah Lau For ad sales enquiries, Tel: 6304 7718 Email: sarahlau@trinity.org.sg Mailing Address

Singapore Post Centre Post Office PO Box 616 Singapore 914021 Website

www.trinity.net Email

admin@trinity.org.sg ISSUE 2/2013

The Trinitarian is published quarterly by Trinity Christian Centre. Company registration number 197802911H MICA (P) 072/04/2013 Designed by Cicada Design Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Refine Printing Pte Ltd License number L004/06/2012 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Opinions and views expressed do not necessarily constitute the official stand of the church.

Trinitarians express thanks to those who have served courageously and been a blessing to others. I would like to express my heart-felt thanks and appreciation to the pastors, leaders, staff and members of the various ministries in Trinity. I was invited by a member of the church to attend the 5pm service. When I stepped into the Sanctuary, the worship was simply beautiful and I experienced the tremendous presence of the Lord. The message that evening on ‘Time is not Enough’ was a timely one. I was extremely touched and responded to the message. As the prayer team ministered to me at the altars, I wept as God spoke to my heart.

I would like to express my appreciation toward the staff at DiscoveryLand. My son went for his first service two weeks ago and he enjoyed it. He said that it was interesting and is looking forward to going again this weekend.

Jessica Wong

At the guest reception, a pastor connected me to a carecell and prayed for me again. The next day I received a heart-warming SMS from Trinity and a call from the wife of a carecell leader. She made me feel at home as if I’d known her for sometime. I accepted her invitation to join her carecell. The welcome did not end there. On Tuesday morning, I received a call from a staff of Trinity who welcomed me and ensured that I was connected to a carecell. Another pleasant surprise came in my mailbox one week after my first visit – it was a personal letter from the Pastor. I stand amazed at your personal touches that made me feel welcomed in Trinity. Thank God for this team.

Ong Sian Neo

Do you have someone to thank? Send your appreciation notes to connect@trinity.org.sg. 9

ENGLISH SERVICES Weekend Services, Nursery & Discoveryland* Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am & 11am Pre-Teens Services (ages 10-12) Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am IGNYTE Services (ages 13-20) Sat 5pm • Sun 11am CHINESE SERVICES Sat 8.30am & 11am

We see our worship services,

We see Trinity Christian

prayer meetings and carecells

Centre as a church living

as places where people hunger

together in covenantal

for the presence of God

relationships; where

and where God delights to

carecells, ministries,

inhabit and dwell. In a vibrant

families and individuals

atmosphere of worship, prayer

are flowing in corporate

and discipleship, we see people

unity to fulfill God’s

encountering God and the

purpose and plan for the

manifestation of signs, wonders

church for that hour.

and miracles.

ENGLISH SERVICES Weekend Services, Nursery & Discoveryland* Sat 5pm • Sun 10am Pre-Teens Services (ages 10-12) Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am IGNYTE Services (ages 13-20) Sat 5pm • Sun 10am CHINESE SERVICES Sat 5pm • Sun 10am** FILIPINO SERVICE Sun 10am INDONESIAN SERVICE Sun 10am JAPANESE SERVICE 2nd & 3rd Sun of the month 10am

We see a people consumed

We see the church

with a vision to touch the

as a place for the

world for Jesus Christ and

empowerment and

to see His glory displayed

development of Spirit-filled

throughout the world. We see

leaders who will be

a church with a passionate

strategically positioned

heartbeat to fulfill God’s global

and deployed within

agenda through sending men

the Body of Christ. Every

and women of faith to equip

Trinitarian a leader with

and empower churches and

a ministry.

the body of Christ.

THAI SERVICES Sun 3pm

Passionate Honor Passion to love and honor God

Audacious Fervor Boldness and zeal to believe and ask largely for the impossible

Relentless Belief Unwavering belief in people and their God-g¡ven dest¡ny

Contagious Faith Authentic and infectious faith that reaches out to the lost

June is a special month for Trinity Christian Centre as we celebrate families and honor our parents. We began the year seeking God and entering into His presence. By now, you would have noticed how we are lingering in His presence more during our weekly services. And God is moving powerfully among us, as His presence brings revelation and leads us to a place of transformation. When our individual lives are impacted, our families will be changed, too, by His grace and for His purpose. In this issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special feature (read p34-55), we look at the importance of stirring a revival in our families because I believe that when families are restored and transformed, then the church and our nation will be similarly transformed.

That said, when I became a parent I did not take for granted that my children would embrace my faith by default. It was a partnership with my wife, Chin Inn, and the various ministries within the church that instilled within them a faith they now profess their own. In fact, I am heartened by my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to join the current batch of AlphaTrack, a three-month local missions program in Trinity. I encourage you to dive into the feature section to find out how you can usher in a spiritual revival for your family as well. Catch Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart for your household. I believe our families will experience a revival!

I remember the time when I was the first Christian in my family. Despite their persecution, I was determined to be a salt and light to my family. Today, 17 of my family members are believers and many of them are serving the Lord faithfully.

The

abernacle T Unveiled

From Mar 28 to 30, 2013, Pastor Dominic transported the audience back in time, on an archaeological tour of the Tabernacle, exploring the significance behind each artifact. Through the unveiling of the pattern and symbolism of these items, 159 people made a decision to follow Christ. Sharon Lim recaps this historical Easter tour.

The

Tabernacle Unveiled

“T

hen have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” Exodus 25:8-9

discovered how each element had foreshadowed the arrival and eventually, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us. This biblical journey addressed the crux of Christianity — Why is Good Friday good?

God’s instructions to the Israelites to build a tabernacle were more than just clear, they were very precise. This tabernacle was to be the dwelling place of the almighty God Himself. For the rest of Exodus 25, 26 and 27, God continued to give details on how the tabernacle was to be constructed – even the number of loops on the edge of the curtain.

The journey came to a climax as Pastor Dominic concluded the biblical exploration of the tabernacle, the lights dimmed to mark the distance between each of the elements, which formed a pattern of a cross. The significance of God’s very precise instructions concerning the pattern of the tabernacle was revealed. A cross on which the lamb of God was sacrificed on a Friday that would forever be remembered as good, because on that day, the unbearable burden of Man’s sins was removed by the shedding of the blood of Jesus, to forever reconcile God and Man.

As Pastor Dominic walked the audience through each section of the tabernacle, from the narrow entrance to the Outer Court, to the Holy Place and finally the Holy of Holies, the audience 14

“My brother invited me to The Tabernacle. I find the pattern of the cross and Jesus being our scapegoat very meaningful! With my wife’s encouragement, I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.” Mark Leong, engineer “My neighbor Joanne invited me. Today I thought I couldn’t come because I had to make deliveries in the morning, but I actually managed to rush those deliveries and come for this event! I find it meaningful that Jesus sacrificed Himself to wash away my sins. I accepted Jesus today.” Angeline Lai, homemaker, who accepted Christ with her daughter, Felicia Cheng. “I asked my employer if I could come to The Tabernacle, and I’m so happy to be here. Today the Lord stirred within me that if He is with me, I can really make things happen. I want to have the Word - the bread of life - planted in me.” Bella Tresvalles, domestic helper

“God’s unconditional love touched me. Because of Jesus’ death, the curtain was torn. Because of His unconditional love, we can go straight into His presence.” Ruth Chong, executive “How God loves us so much to become a scapegoat for us really touched me today.” David Chua, executive “I like the part when Pastor Dominic said that there must be shedding of blood for remission of sins. It signifies that Jesus shed his blood for me on the cross. It brought to mind my encounter with Him many years ago when He told me that He loves me. The weariness of life has dulled it but God said He is still the same God. ” Stanley Lim, self-employed

Inside

The tabernacle G

od’s instructions to the Israelites to build the tabernacle were very precise. It was to be the dwelling place of God where He could meet with His people. Let’s look at the significance of some of the items God had designated in the tabernacle.

The

Outer courts

The Brazen Altar

Brazen Basin

In those times, it was necessary to bring an unblemished sheep for sacrifice on the Brazen Altar (Exodus 27:1-8), to symbolize the transfer of Man’s sins to the animal, which would then be slaughtered. The crucifixion of the sinless Jesus (lamb of God) on the cross epitomized this act of sacrificing an unblemished sheep.

The washing of one’s hands and feet at this Brazen Basin symbolized one’s thorough cleansing. In Ephesians 5, God says that we are cleansed by the washing of water through the Word.The Word is Jesus (John 1:1) and this foreshadowed how Jesus would dwell among us (John 1:14).

The

Holy place

Table of Showbread On this table lay 12 pieces of the bread of His presence which signified Jesus as the bread of life. In John 6:35, Jesus declared He is the bread of life, and whoever goes to Him will never be hungry.

Seven Golden Lampstand Seven, the number of completion and perfection, was the number of oil lamps resting in intricate petal-shaped bowls on the stand. As the only source of light in the entire tabernacle, the lampstand provided illumination, akin to how Jesus is the light of life (John 12:46), especially in the shadow of the darkness of humanity.

Golden Altar of Incense At this altar, the aroma of incense would rise to His throne, and the incense had to be kept burning continually. It became an acceptable sacrifice to God, much like the prayer and intercession of God’s people that rises up to Him as a pleasing aroma. It also represented Jesus as our mediator, interceding for us before God the Father.

Holy

Of holies Ark of the Covenant In the Holy of Holies stood the ark of the covenant, which was a chest made of acacia wood with a golden pot of manna, Aaron’s budded staff and two stone tablets of the ten commandments kept inside. The covenant represented God’s agreement with humanity, and the ark was God’s throne, symbolic of His presence and power. This is a covenant sealed and signed by the blood of Jesus.

Behind

The curtain

ver wondered what goes into building a huge stage set like that of The Tabernacle? Hear from some of the behind-the-scenes heroes from the Props and Sets Team, who gave of their time and energy to reconstruct the breathtaking Tabernacle and what they enjoyed about serving. Sim Rong Zhuang

Melvin Lee

Holding a regular job with hectic working hours, it is definitely a challenge commitment-wise. But God really helped me to multiply my time as I was able to finish work in the office and make it on time to serve. I thought I was giving through my serving, but at the end, I received so much blessing and was touched by God’s grace serving alongside this amazing team of dedicated Christians.

I enjoy working with this group of church members who commit their time and effort in serving the Lord at every production. I have also witnessed how newer team members grew spiritually and enjoyed breakthroughs in their life. I’ve learnt what it means to serve the Lord unreservedly and wholeheartedly. The Lord never fails to bring in people with different skill sets and experience to come together to serve Him. Time is usually not on our side. However, by His Grace, we always manage to put things together in time. Through these challenges, we learnt to trust the Lord to provide resources and uphold the quality of work.

Jared King

Fernnie Leong

I did wonder at one point, “Why do I really enjoy serving God with this bunch of people who are much older than me?” Then, it struck me. We all have one objective and that is to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. We align our lives with His work to meet a common goal – Reach out to those yet to experience God and those who have gone away from Him.

I remember when I was assigned as Stage IC. It was totally out of my comfort zone! Being an introvert, I struggled in communicating with a big group of people. But God was faithful. On each production day, I experienced His presence and His mighty hands at work. God empowered me to handle every difficult situation. The greatest joy I experienced was when I saw God’s hand putting everything good in order.

This Easter, I have truly been humbled once again by how much God can use the ‘imperfect’ jobs that we have completed and make it look so grand, so powerful, and so full of God Himself.

2 Corinthians 12: 9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. T

One of our greatest challenges was making the artefacts look like brass. Especially so would be the Golden Lampstand and the Brazen Laver.The contours were hard to follow with the material we had. But God was good. For something that I thought was humanly impossible to finish in one day, it was almost completed the very next day! God must have been with us!

Merlvyn Heng I made great lasting friendships and caught on a spirit of excellence from the team, that everything done for the Lord must be our very best. The team constantly encourages and spurs one another to go the extra mile. Besides the learning and spiritual growth, the greatest gift from God was the salvation of my father and aunt in the very first presentation I served, Night of the Father’s Love. A close friend also gave her life to Jesus in January the following year. There is no greater joy that contributing in a small way to the salvation of our loved ones. Indeed God is faithful! All glory to God!

Three super heroes, incredible hawk, wonderful windy and the iconic ion man, landed in discoveryland (DL) to surprise the children, and to show off their super powers!

On Mar 29 & 30, 2013, a group of mighty Super Heroes landed in the Summit at our Children’s Easter Program, donning their sleek signature costumes and boasting unique supernatural powers. They recruited the 783 children there, including 224 visitors, to help them outwit, out-power, and outperform each other in a battle of the mightiest. Hawk lifted rocks with a thunderous roar, Windy blew her opponents away and Ion Man, well…ironed his clothes. Which superhero emerged the winner? Gabriel Chu was there to witness this spectacular contest and the victorious salvation of 180 visitors after Jesus’ powers were revealed.

The children shouted in delight as they cheered the super heroes on in a battle of the mightiest!

First up was Hawk, who lifted rocks and stacks of heavy boxes with a booming roar! He won the contest of strength!

Next was Windy, who showed everyone her power of the wind! She was top in the second contest of blowing objects away.

Finally, there was the contest of forming difficult, body contorting poses! Ion Man and his team easily beat Hawk and Windy as he gracefully transformed into various challenging poses.

Ultimately, the greatest super power belongs to Jesus, as He has the power to save us from our sins! DL teachers shared how Jesus is truly the real winner in this battle of the mightiest. T

"I learnt that Ion Man, Hawk and Windy are not the most powerful. Jesus is the most powerful!” Stephen Liu, 6

"It is the best Easter I’ve ever had! I learnt that all heroes are not perfect. Only God is perfect." Jostham Chua, 9

"I learnt that God has power over my worries. My mother has a tumor in her brain. I learnt that I shouldn’t worry but trust God to heal her!" Claudia Foong, 8

"I learnt that God’s power and presence can soften my friend’s heart and take away her sins.” Grace Cheong, 12

“I learnt that God is

the one who has the greatest power and that superheroes not only have powers but have weakness too.” Gaston Liew, 11

Children share what they’ve learnt

"It was a very nice event. I learnt that God is stronger than any superhero as He has a power that nobody has: the power to heal.” Zachary Leong, 10

Unleash the Power of Affirmation By Pastor Dominic Yeo What is our true identity in God? Do you see God as a distant deity or a loving Father? Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo shares some important truths about who we really are as sons and daughters of God.

was in Israel last year with my wife and we visited the famous River Jordan. What I remembered about the River Jordan was that it wasn’t very spectacular or even very wide. Though it was long, at its widest, it was a 100 meters wide and about 10 feet deep. Yet this is the place where several important events recorded in the Bible took place. The main event I want to mention comes from Mark 1:9-11, when Jesus was baptized by John in the River Jordan. The Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11) At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 9

In this Scripture, God affirms Jesus as His son. It’s interesting because this statement of affirmation came to Jesus even before Jesus started His ministry. It preceded His temptation in the desert by Satan. Affirm people for who they are God’s affirmation of Jesus tells us something very important: that it comes to us not because of our achievement or what we have done, but because of who we are. We are His creation! He loves Christ not because the latter had accomplished great things, but because He is God’s beloved son. This lesson is one we should remember – we should affirm the people in our lives because of who they are, and because we love them. The power of affirmation is so important but as humans, we tend to only do so after the person has achieved his goal. Worse still, some of us don’t even affirm because we think the person was only doing what he was supposed to do.

So I call on parents to not affirm your children only when they come home with a good report card. Sometimes, we can be so tempted to praise our children only for doing well. Husbands and wives, let us also learn to affirm each other. Careell members, don’t just affirm your leaders because they have done a great job at the carecell meeting. Learn to do it before! Affirmation fosters one’s identity Going back to the scripture, God affirmed Jesus for a very powerful reason. When God declared to Jesus, “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”, His identity was created. This is because affirmation creates an identity in our lives. When Jesus started His ministry, He had to know He would always be God’s son, no matter what happened. When we know our identity, we know how to respond based on our identity. Likewise, it is important for you to know who you are through the Word of God and through Christ. We should never let the world tell us who we are. Do you have a clear idea of your identity? At this moment, God looks at you from heaven and says you are His sons and His daughters. In other words, we are called into sonship. Sonship has Rights So what is so special about being called into sonship? First of all, the identity carries rights. When God affirmed Jesus as His son, it means He was bestowed all the rights of heaven. Not some, all. As seen in Matthew 28, these rights included all authority and power. Jesus went on to say this authority and power was given to us so that we can make disciples of all nations. We cannot make disciples without His authority and power! Tragically, some Christians have listened to the lie of the enemy that they do not possess any of God’s power. Some of us have even become afraid and fearful of perceived spiritual ‘darkness’ during certain times of the year. As a child of God, we do not need to be afraid. Remember this: the Bible says in 1 John 4:4 that the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. But what does this authority really mean? Just the other day, I came across a construction worker

Remember, affirm people not for what they have done, but for WHO THEY ARE. Who can we AFFIRM? • Parents, affirm your children • Husbands and wives, affirm each other • Carecell members, affirm your leaders • Affirm people around you who was directing traffic through a single lane and soon, it was my turn to drive forward. Just as I was about to move off, a car from the other side suddenly dashed past me! This driver had clearly ignored the instructions given by the construction worker and nearly collided with me head-on. Not too long after that, I came across another traffic situation where the traffic lights had broken down. This time, an officer of the Singapore Traffic Police was directing traffic. He looked quite young but, unlike the construction worker, he wielded power and authority. By virtue of his uniform and crest of the Singapore government, he appeared to have both the ability and right to command and direct the traffic. In the same way, when we receive Jesus Christ, we carry with us the power of the Holy Spirit and the crest that comes from the blood of Jesus in our lives. We have very powerful rights as Christians, yet if we do not understand what these rights are, it is likely we will give in and lose our ground when the devil comes and attacks us. Sonship has Access As sons and daughters of God, we also have access to Him. By contrast, slaves and servants do not have access to the Father. As God’s son, Jesus was granted direct, open access and that is why we see Jesus approaching God the Father through prayer all the time. Suppose Jesus did not have that access, what would He have done? Most likely, He would have had to go through a priest and perhaps even bring a sacrifice of goats or turtledoves. Similarly, as sons and daughters of God, we have been granted direct access to God by grace. There is no need to undertake any religious exercise or activity before we can approach our Father. Some Christians are mistaken when they feel they need 28

to fast, pray or act a certain way before they can enter into God’s presence, or that we have to attain a certain degree of ‘holiness’ before we are allowed to approach God. Thankfully, this is not the case. We are given access to God purely by His grace through Jesus Christ. As God’s sons and daughters, we have: • Rights to all authority and power, which helps us make disciples of all nations • Direct access to God • Privilege to receive from God Jeremiah 33:3 affirms this: “Call unto me and I will answer thee.” Sonship has Privileges When God affirms us as His sons and daughters, we are also granted the privilege to receive. Simply put, we are blessed! We must understand this concept or fall into the trap of hoarding. Hoarders do not know they are blessed. People who understand this privilege of being blessed will have no problem giving things away, but hoarders are afraid they will never have enough. Let me ask the question again: why is it so important to understand sonship? As the King’s children, who we are is distinct from what we have done or achieved. Take comfort in the knowledge that the authority of God has endorsed you, regardless of what you have done. When we know our true identity, we will walk with a different posture knowing that we have rights, access and blessing. This truth will then transform the way we live our lives. When we speak blessings to others, our words will not be empty but be words of authority and power. Because of our access, God answers us and we can speak blessing into another person’s life. So now when you bless others, God will also bless you! Your words of affirmation can confirm the written Word about one's identity in God. When people have a revelation of their God-given identity, they arise with new authority and faith! Unleash the power of affirmation today! T

When we know our true identity, we will walk with a different posture knowing that we have rights, access and blessing. 29

REVIVAL

in the home Raising Spiritually Strong Children Pint-Sized Warriors

His Purpose, My Generation

Send Revival, Start With Me

20 Ways to Care and Connect with Your Family 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Family

“D

ear Jeeeeeeeeshush! I pray for Ah-Ma. No more pain. Amen!” declared threeyear-old Gabriel on one of his weekly visits to Grandma’s. Grandma was experiencing pain in her knees and he and his mother decided it was a good opportunity to witness and pray for her. He was, after all, the trump card – the grandson. Standing not taller than 90cm, barely higher than her knees, he laid hands and prayed 10 simple words. The next day, Grandma called to say she slept like a baby that night as there was truly no more pain – she even acknowledged that God has answered her grandson’s prayer. When the Bible says that we are the Salt and Light in Matthew 5:13-16, it

means that we are to be God’s agents of change wherever we are. Imagine if your household shone brightly with the light of Christ. How would family gatherings be, how would a prebelieving teenager react to God’s love? Revival in the home begins with a desire for more of God in our lives. Our hunger for God to dwell and move among us will change us and cause us to become better parents, children and siblings. Before you know it, transformation would have already begun in the home. What would it take to see revival take place in our homes? Read on to find out.

Raising Strong Children 34

ingaporean parents spend a whopping total of US$680 million (S$840 million) on tuition a year, a report by the Asian Development Bank showed. We inspect their schoolwork. We ask them “What did you learn in school?” We buy them the most updated exam papers to practice on. Question is: When was the last time we shared about God’s faithfulness or talked about their walk with God? Or discussed what a story in the Bible meant and how it can be applied in life?

It is an amazing privilege to model our Christian lives for the next generation. A mother gets excited every time her child learns a faith lesson or worships with gusto. It’s Spiritual Parenting literally. Many Christian parents have relegated this responsibility to the Church’s children and youth ministries. Even with the best programs in church – it’s only two hours a week compared to the other 166 hours they spend with us outside church.

We invest much of our finances, time and energy in our children’s academic development – How about their spiritual development?

We have a very important role to play in raising spiritually strong children.

Understand Your Child’s Spiritual Development

their teenage years and emerging into adulthood. How can we as parents meaningfully guide and mentor them spiritually through these developmental stages?

Every child is unique with different personalities and developments. Not to mention the different challenges and needs they encounter as they progress from preschool, to primary school, to

In Creative Bible Teaching, Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt propose several “spiritual development tasks” that can be addressed as our children mature in age.

Preschool Years • • • •

Experiencing love, security, discipline, joy and worship. Beginning to develop awareness and concept of God, Jesus, and other basic Christian realities. Developing attitudes toward God, Jesus, church, self, and the Bible. Beginning to develop concepts of right and wrong.

Primary School Years • • • •

Receiving and acknowledging Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Growing awareness of Christian love and responsibility in relationships with others. Continuing to build concepts of basic Christian realities. Learning basic Bible teachings adequate for personal faith and everyday living. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

•

Praying in daily life. The Bible in daily life. Christian friendships. Group worship. Responsibility for serving God. Basic knowledge of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, creation, angelic beings, heaven, hell, sin, salvation, Bible history and literature.

Developing healthy attitudes toward self.

Youths • • • • • • •

Learning to show Christian love in everyday life. Continuing to develop healthy attitudes toward self. Developing Bible knowledge and intellectual skills adequate for meeting intellectual assaults on faith. Achieving strength of Christian character for meeting anti-Christian social pressures. Accepting responsibility for Christian service in accordance with growing abilities. Learning to make life decisions on the basis of eternal Christian values. Increasing self-discipline to “seek those things which are above”.

• • •

Accepting responsibility for one’s own continued growth and learning. Accepting biblical responsibilities toward God and toward others. Living a unified, purposeful life centered upon God.

Adults

Leave a GodImpression

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." This passage describes how God instructs us as parents to leave a lasting legacy of faith. It encourages parents to be intentional in raising children in the ways of the Lord.Your relationship with God and love for God should be evident and obvious to your children. How can we impress God in their lives? This passage provides good principles for us. It tells us

to talk about it when we are at home or along the road, when we lie down and when we get up – in other words – talk about God and His commandments anytime and anywhere through different methods. As we understand the various spiritual developments they go through, here are some practical ways we can leave godly impressions. A.

Pray for them

Prayer is something you can easily do for them. Speak blessings over them and into their lives.You have greater authority over them than you know. The most important prayer we can pray for them is for them to encounter Christ personally and receive Him as Lord and Savior. These are some examples of areas of spiritual developments that you can pray for your children at different developmental stages.

•

For Preschoolers • Pray for them to experience God’s love • Pray that they will know right from wrong • Pray they will develop godly attitudes For Primary School Children • Pray that you will be parents who model and inculcate the basic Christian disciplines • Pray for them to develop healthy attitudes toward themselves For Youths • Pray for them to have godly friends that would spur one another on to love and do good works • Pray for them to be strong in their faith For Emerging Young Adults • Pray they will walk in the center of God’s will for their lives • Pray for godly wisdom and maturity in handling life

More than just praying for them, teach children to pray by praying together with them from a young age. Invite them to join you in prayer as you pray for different agendas. Then encourage them to pray for yourselves as parents or even for the needs in their lives. As they pray, they will grow in their faith in God. When their prayer is answered, they experience the reality of God working in and through them. They begin to recognize God at work in their lives. B.

Model for them

Our children learn by what they see us do more than what we tell them. There are so many lessons of God and life that they can catch from us.

Stress is something every person experiences. How you react and handle stress speaks loudly about the faith and trust you profess to have in God. Are we mindful of God in our speech and actions? Or do we punctuate our sentences with vulgarities? When we discipline them, is it in love or is it to vent your anger and frustration? How do we show our children to honor and love God if we tell them that there's no need to attend church during exams? Or something crops up at work and you conveniently decide to skip church for the weekend? We need to consciously shape the homes that our children grow and live in. Look at the various spiritual development tasks they go through by Lawrence O Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt and see if you can intentionally model for them and concretize the learning stages in their lives.

DID YOU KNOW?

For example • For Preschoolers – How are we helping them to develop in their understanding of right and wrong? • For Primary School Children – How do our expectations of them enable them to develop a godly and healthy attitude toward themselves? • For Youths – How are we making life decisions based on Christian values regarding issues such as sexual purity and peer pressure? • For Emerging Adults – How do we display a life that is still growing in God and living a life centered upon God?

Our iPhone app and website have pointers from the lessons taught in DiscoveryLand and IGNYTE DefinYtion. Great talking points for family discussion to start with!

C. Talk about God For our children to gain salvation and to grow in their faith, someone has to tell them about the goodness of God and how God is working in their lives.You have the privilege to be the first few to share God’s love with them and teach them to see God in their lives. It doesn’t have to be everyday – it’s quite impossible with our travelling schedules and bizarre working hours. But your children will benefit from the times you have heart to heart talks with them about God. Talk about God's love and faithfulness. Share your own life-transforming stories of how you encountered God and became a Christian. Encourage them with the Word of God. With youths and emerging young adults, interact with them on deeper levels and challenge their mindsets. Help them to interact with the Word of God and the daily rigors of life so they can see how Christ makes a difference in their decisions and actions.

Encourage them to serve in and attend their respective services. Best place for them to find good Christian friends is in the Youth and Children services. The lessons and thoughts they carry home from the weekly sessions are great discussion topics that you can talk about at lunch after service.

Hear how some of our parents are leaving an impression in the lives of their children.

"Having regular Christian family devotions is something my wife and I have wanted to do since we got married. But, quite honestly, we never really managed to get it going. I was simply too busy with work to think about it. With the arrival of my third child last year, and my first one turning five soon, we really wanted to move forward with family devotions and begin to lay a foundation of faith in our children's lives.

After taking stock of our priorities, I decided to take a threemonth sabbatical from work to re-connect with my kids, and “Serving is a Love Language of God; our bring our faith into our family life. Now we take time to three children have partnered read the Bible once a week as a family and help my with us in the journey of serving daughter memorize Bible verses. I hope we will continue God. Since young, they were in with this and build upon it even when I resume work again." charge of keeping the house Eugene Lim, civil servant clean and getting it ready for carecell meetings. Sometimes, we will bring them with us during home visits and take the opportunity to share with them how God answers our prayers and work miracles in peoples’ lives.

Last year was a busy year for the family as our children were sitting for their PSLE and ‘O’ Level examinations; we continued to serve God because we know that God will take care of all things (including their exams) as we honor Him. And God truly took care of their exams for they did well! We have chosen to keep on serving God regardless of challenges as our children will see God’s blessings upon our family and they will be encouraged to serve Him and live victoriously.” Jenny Lee, resident manager of serviced apartments

“We touch base with our children about two to three nights in a week due to our ministry. We usually set aside half an hour or one hour before bedtime to read Bible together. We have a 16- and 11-year-old, so we usually give them time to read their own devotional material and after reading, we will all share what we have read, what our thoughts on it were and how it can be applied in our lives.

As parents we help them to discover things that God has done in their lives and point them to give thanks to God. This will also be the time to share what has taken place for that day and we will pray for each other. We will pray for them and they will pray for us as parents.” Pastor Melina Hee, pastor

“Finding opportunities to share about God with our children is very important. It’s not just about studying the Bible but sharing about our real experiences and encounters with God. I wrote a testimony of several pages on my encounters with God and had my daughters read them. Talking about our God-encounters happens quite

often during meal times. Now that both my daughters are 21 and 17, it’s become a family culture to sit around the dinner table after the eating is done and just talk about anything – joking with each other; talking about our lives, talking about our ministry and our encounters with God.These are casual moments that provide for very good listening moments, light discussions, sharing our faith, learning to handle people and situations, and translating values.” Pastor Johnathan Lee, pastor

"We are heartened whenever we hear our boys, 6 and 9 years old, say, 'Dad, Mum, it's time to pray or we can't sleep!' Our boys always look forward to prayer time before they sleep! Before praying, we will ask our boys for their line-up for the next day and ask them to envision the ideal situation they hope to see. Since our sons are 6 and 9 years old, we will encourage them to first pray out loud for the ideal situation before we add on. This exercise encourages them to invite God to walk with them in their daily lives and to exercise their faith in God through prayer.

We inject variations on different nights to grow their prayer life. Some days, we encourage them to pray for each other and there are days where we pray for loved ones, oikos or nation too. ” Randy Ng, lecturer

It’s true that we can do our best to parent them but some of our children will still choose to exercise their freewill in God to go wayward. However, Proverbs 22:6 assures us to start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Teach them how to make their choices and trust God to work in their lives. God will continue to minister, reach out, and draw them back to Himself.

We as parents must continue to understand the development stages our children are in and leave a God-impression through praying, modeling and talking about God to raise strong Christian families. Whatever age your child may be, it is never too late to start spiritual parenting. Let’s believe for a transformation in our lives as parents that will bring about a revival in our families and homes. T

Parenting Teens in the Modern Age

Leade rs' Empowermen t and Di sciple ship

How do you parent your teenager amidst all the distractions of this modern world? Learn practical ways to build a strong relationship with your teenager and manage issues like relationships, spirituality and boundaries.

Sun, Jun 23, 30 | 2.30–5.30pm

Trinity@Paya Lebar, 247 Paya Lebar Road

PINTSIZED RIORS R A W

Be amazed at how God works through children. From praying for healing to inviting friends to church and sharing the good news â&#x20AC;&#x201C; children are hearing God, experiencing Him and are having a contagious faith of their own.

hildren have a huge part to play in God’s Kingdom. Remember the little boy who offered his five loaves and two fish? Jesus used his “faith offering” to perform a miraculous feeding of the multitudes. David was only a little boy when he had a faith in God so big that it took down Israel’s most feared giant – Goliath. Samuel the prophet was only a little child when he heard God call him and grew up to be the prophet who anointed the three kings, Saul, David and Solomon. Jesus also said in Matthew 18:3 Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. What were some of the child-like qualities that Jesus was referring to?

Perhaps it was a heart and mind that simply believed that if God said it – that does it! Our adult-minds have grown to process and analyze situations and sometimes even answered prayers. We wrestle with thoughts of “What if God doesn’t answer my prayer?” Children, on the other hand, haven’t learnt how to be afraid of unanswered prayer. Jesus wasn’t joking when He said, “Nothing will be impossible for you” in Matthew 17. And our children believe in that! Read these exciting testimonies from our own DiscoveryLand (DL) children.

HEALING WA

RRIORS

We got to know Thea, our 11-year-old neighbor when we shifted into our new home. Thea was curious why we were out every Saturday. Elita, my sister, also 11, and I shared with her that we go to church every Saturday. We used the opportunity to show her the flyer of ‘Who’s Got the Power?’ Thea got really excited and asked her Mum for permission to join us. Her Mum agreed. Thea was very touched by God when she came for ‘Who’s Got the Power?’ She went home and asked her mum to let her come to church every Saturday with us. Her Mum agreed as well. Thea has been joining us at Pre-Teens Service every Saturday for the past few weeks. She even asked to serve in our service. We’re very happy to be see Thea with us in church! We are so glad to see Thea trying to worship God even though she doesn’t really know the lyrics of the songs. Inviting friends to church is something Elita and I wanted to do very much. We tried many times before and this time God enabled us to reach out to Thea. We will continue to invite our friends! Elita & Esther Eso, 11 & 12

My sister was sick the week before church camp. She had caught the Hand Foot Mouth Disease(HFMD) and was told she could only recover in a week. I prayed to God everyday for His healing and by the third day, she was healed! Caelyn Teo, 12 I had a high fever of about 41 degrees and I couldn’t do anything. But I asked God to heal me and right after I prayed, I was healed! Luke Lui, 12

SALVATION

RRIORS

I prayed for a friend to receive Christ. After one year he wanted to be a Christian and I was very happy about it. I gave him our Christmas flyer and invited him to church. God did the rest of the work! Neo Yang, 12 At the DL Leadership Camp we went out to bless the residents of Circuit Road with goodie bags and invited them for our Christmas presentation. There was an elderly woman limping as she had hurt her leg. I prayed for her and at the end of the visitation she let God into her heart.Yay! Rachel Low, 11

life trans-

Two years ago at DL camp I learnt how to do my Time Alone With God (TAWG). After the camp, I started to feel closer to God and my family. I started to share God's Word with them and encouraged them to do their TAWG regularly. My family has started going to church regularly and now spends more time reading the Bible. When my younger sister saw that I was doing my TAWG, she too became interested and started doing TAWG. Kristine Lee, 13 God helped me overcome my sins. I used to steal things. Now I don’t steal anymore and I have also stopped lying. Zacchaeus Goh, 10 Trinitarian magazine ad 180mm x 120mm copy.pdf

2/10/12

formation WA

RRIORS

I used to say a lot of bad words. After the Power Up camp, I prayed for God to help me overcome this bad habit. Now, I no longer say bad words. God has helped me to change. Chaela Marie Dolendo, 11 12:16 PM

Nurturing the future today

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” PROVERBS 22:6

Raffles House Paya Lebar • Robin Close • Toa Payoh • Jakarta

45 Tel 6742 8015 For ages 18 months to 6 years www.raffleshouse.com

His

Purpose, My

Generation Trinity's youth ministry IGNYTE aims to raise a Godly army through carecells and its youth discipleship program - DefinYtion. IGNYTE Pastor Melvin gives us the lowdown on the exciting things happening among the younger generation.

I see a generation, rising up to take their place With selfless faith, with selfless faith I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek We're on our knees, we're on our knees This is the cry of IGNYTE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to see a revival among the youths of Singapore! It was with that aim in mind that school cells were launched this year as a first step toward seeing the fulfillment of a revival. Not only do we want to instill a spiritual hunger in our youths, we also want to cast a vision for each of them to be missionfocused people and see their schools as a personal harvest field. The school cells also help to assimilate secondary-one students into their new school. On weekends, Trinitarian youths attend DefinYtion and service in their school carecells. There, they experience vibrant carecell life through interaction in DefinYtion and foster strong, godly friendships. It is a place where iron sharpens iron! On weekdays, some of the school cells would also come together to pray for one another and their schools. Through these efforts, God is doing something exciting in our schools. Find out from the IGNYTERs themselves what's been happening in their lives and those around them.

"The Fairfield Methodist Secondary School carecell started with just three of us. But as we prayed fervently and encouraged one another to reach out to our oikos in school, we started to see our friends coming for services and events and being saved! Praise God that now the carecell has nine regular members!" Rachel Ng, 17 "My youths started a prayer group in school on their own initiative. It is really encouraging to see them with a hunger for God to move in their school." Jeremy Tan, IGNYTE adult leader "After Camp RAW last year, my youths started meeting for prayer in their schools. Since then, they have seen two salvations take place at these meetings, and have invited them for church service and carecell!" Jeannette Choe, IGNYTE Adult Leader "God provided an opportunity for me to share with my teacher about my faith when she asked me if I'm a Christian. I took the step of faith and answered her questions, and even invited her to visit our adult church services. She is considering!" Zoey Lee, 16 Going by the testimonies, these are exciting times in IGNYTE. And we want you to be part of it, so join us in our carecells and services today. Together, let's encounter God and experience a revival in our lives!

DefinYtion was created because of our Senior Pastor Dominic's vision to have a cutting-edge discipleship platform that would teach our youths Godly truths. Given the rapidly global landscape and shifting social mores, youths need a standard that will empower them to navigate through different life issues. Our youths struggle with peer pressure in and outside school. The pressure of being accepted by their friends is one of the major issues they deal with. More recently, the rising pervasiveness of social media means our youths are increasingly exposed to elements of immorality, dishonesty and lack of respect for authority.

Since DefinYtion was launched two years ago, it has evolved in how biblical truths are taught. Classes are structured to be learner-centric and teachers employ different interactive teaching methodologies to engage our youths' interest. To enable continual discipleship at home, a summary of the lesson taught and follow-up questions are posted on our website and iPhone app. Parents can download them and continue to interact with their children on these lessons. May the Word define this generation to live His purpose and win their generation! T

It is only when they align themselves with God's Word will they know how to deal with these issues and make the right decisions.

Hear what some of our youths have to say… “DefinYtion has taught us to be alert about the dangers of the world and to stay away from it.” Christopher Seah, 15 “DefinYtion has helped me learn more about God and His purpose for me. It has helped me find my identity in Christ!” Vanessa Tan, 16

“DefinYtion has been a platform for me to really learn more about the Word of God. It has also helped me clear my doubts and build my faith upon God’s Word.” Zaneta Goh, 15 “The teaching in DefinYtion is engaging and interactive. The teachers are able to relate to and engage us with fun activities to learn God's Word. We also enjoy the interaction with our friends during these sessions!” Megumi Chua, 15

DefinYtion Where lives are defined. Be a part of it today! WHAT can you look forward to? ENCOUNTER the Word ENGAGE in real-life issues EXPERIENCE new friendships What?

Where & When?

Quarter 3 Topics

Trinity@Paya Lebar

Trinity@Adam

Sat (3-4.30pm)

Sun (8.30-10am)

Sat (3-4.30pm)

Sun (9-10.30am)

Level 4, Classrooms

Level 1, Chapel Level 3, Blue 1-4

Level 4, Classrooms

Level 3, Hall 3

Level 3, Praise Junction

Secondary School Zone

Get Ready

Level 4, Classrooms

JCs, Polytechnics, Private Institutes, ITE and National Servicemen

Redemption and Spiritual Renewal

Level 4, Classrooms

E T Y N IG Service Where & When? Trinity@Paya Lebar

Trinity@Adam

Sat, 5pm

Sun, 10am

Sat, 5pm

Sun, 11am

Level 1M, Theatrette 1

Level 1, Chapel

Send Revival, Start with

“I used to invite my oikos to carecell and church…” “I used to attend every prayer meeting…” “I used to serve every week without lamenting…” “I used to lead my oikos to receive Christ!”

Sound familiar? Has your relationship with God taken a backseat to the ideals of the world? Is it possible to still live passionately for Christ after college? How do we continue to fan the flame of revival for the long-haul? Even after 10 years? Zhan Chun Lei, a young adult, shares his story.

y journey with Christ began more than 10 years ago.

I became a Christian during my university days. My parents didn’t know I had become a Christian – they would’ve never allowed me to become one. But my encounter with God was so real and true that only He could be the one true God. I grew in my conviction about who God was and my relationship with Him flourished. Naturally I wanted my pre-believing friends to

experience what I’d experienced. It was a call of God echoing within me simply to share Christ. It was only after leading a few friends to Christ that I decided my family needs to hear the gospel too! It was my heartfelt desire to see my parents receiving salvation despite their unbelief. I began praying for their salvation. Knowing that God will do something miraculous in their lives. I started to share openly with my parents about my “new-found” faith and how God has changed me from being a self-centered person to someone that cares for others. They too noticed that I’d become more patient with them since I became a Christian. God had His timing and I just needed to pray and not give up. As her grown-up son, I would try to answer my Mum’s many questions on the practices of the church and who this God was. There were times I felt like putting a pause on reaching out to my parents. But I resolved to keep on praying and being a salt and light at home. I opened my house for carecell gatherings and during the carecell, my parents would get

to listen to the testimonies that we shared and see the reality of God in our individual lives. Finally, after 10 years, Mum accepted Christ at our Triennial church camp. The past two years I’ve taken on the role to nurture my mother spiritually. She still has some struggles like many of us when we don’t understand why God sometimes works in ways different from our expectations. But we talk about our challenges openly and commit them to the Lord in prayer. We are now interceding for the salvation of my father. What joy it is to personally lead your loved ones to know Christ! In my early Christian years in campus, many who walked before me taught me how to honor God first and trust God to do the providing. This was a conviction I carried all the way through my early working life since graduating. The corporate ladder is a fierce one.You hear talk about coming in earlier than your boss and leaving later than them. Would I shortchange myself if I left work on the dot for carecell and block out my weekends for ministry? The joy of pleasing God and walking a life that honors God outweighs everything. I never had to fear losing out to my peers at work for I knew that when I honored God, He will honor my work. I continued to serve passionately in the church from nursery to DiscoveryLand, from Celebration Host to Traffic Marshal. God never failed to bless me when I chose to sacrifice my time serving. Within two years, I was promoted to a senior engineering position.

If you were to ask me what keeps me going for Christ? Looking back at the many years passed, it’s to seek first His kingdom and all these other things will be added (Matthew 6:33). I seek God for His direction at each juncture of my life. One day in the house of God is better than the thousand days in the world. I choose the “retreat and commune with God” approach pretty often. I believe this has enabled me to have an undying passion for God. I would take time off to attend church prayer meetings, conferences, camps and even AlphaTrack. These times have never gone wasted. Each time has helped me refresh my soul and realigned my commitment to God. We could chase many things in life. Many things can keep us busy. But like the old hymn that sings: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; And the things of the Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” We have only one life and one God that we live for. Let us live a life abandoned to God and keep the fire ablaze. T

Family time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a precious commodity in our increasingly busy lives. Eveleen Ng shares 20 creative ways to make this time extra meaningful. Revival sparks from PRAYER Listen out for a need and offer to pray for your family members. Let your family members know that you are supporting them in prayer. Encourage your children to give thanks to God for the food at the dining table. Ask to pray for protection before an overseas trip. Revival sparks from CONVERSATION Talk about a miracle or testimony that you recently heard or witnessed at church. Play your favorite Christian song at home or in the car and share how its lyrics ministers to you. Share a joke that your pastor shared at the pulpit.

Send an SMS of encouragement with a Bible verse to brighten up their day. Share your own testimony of why God is your Provider. Share how your church friends and leaders are a blessing to you. Revival sparks from COMMUNITY OF FAITH Invite your close church friends to your home for a meal or an activity (board game) so that your family can get to know them. Share about the fun activities your carecell enjoys and invite your family to come sometime. Introduce a GEL activity that you used at your carecell at your family gathering. Revival sparks from EVENTS Bless your family members with a love gift using a red packet or card with a Bible verse for occasions like birthday, first-month, house warming etc. Bless your family members a Christian DVD/Book/Song CD on a special occasion. Tell your family members about the places near your church that serve great food and invite them for service and a meal after service. Introduce your family members to attend a Life Skill Seminar that you feel will be useful for them. Invite your family members to share in the joy of your special events like Water Baptism, House Blessing and Baby Dedication. Revival sparks from ENVIRONMENT Tag pages of articles in the Trinitarian magazine that are a must-read for them. Put up posters with Bible verses in your home that will inspire them each day. T

31 Biblical Virtues

TO PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY

Appreciative

One for each day of the month. By Eveleen Ng God, thank you for reminding me to appreciate the fact that I have a family. Philippians 1:3

Benevolence

Humility

Lord, open our eyes to find a need, meet a need! Let benevolence begin with my family as we consider the interest of others. Deuteronomy 15:11

11 54

Contentment Lord, keep my family free from the love of money. Help us to be content with what we have. Hebrews 13:5

Enthusiasm Master, help us to work with enthusiasm, as working for you, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23

Lord, give us discerning hearts that know Your will as we run this household for Your glory. 1 Kings 3:9

Forgiving Lord, help us to be a family that is forgiving toward one another. Colossians 3:13

Gentleness Lord, help us to be gentle and considerate in our ways toward one another. Titus 3:2

Industrious

Lord, humble us to value others above ourselves in this home. Philippians 2:3

Holy Spirit, remind us to be tenderhearted and kind to one another in our speech and actions. Ephesians 4:32

Discernment

5 Joy

Make us good stewards with industrious hands that bring wealth to our home. Proverbs 10:4

Kindness

Almighty God, you are the Lord of this household, fill this home with your joy. Isaiah 56:7

Love Lord, empower us to love you and others. Luke 10:27

Mercy Father, teach us to show mercy just as you are merciful. Luke 6:36

14 Nonconforming

Obedience Lord, forgive us for being wayward. Help us to obey your commands and trust you. 1 Samuel 15:22

Spirit-led

Empower us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind to be Kingdom-minded. Romans 12:2

18 Understanding Lord Jesus, help us to be understanding that we may always empathize with and support one another. John 11:33

Zealousness Lord, keep us always zealous for the fear of the Lord that we will not be deceived by our enemy. Proverbs 23:17

In times of trial, give us the strength to persevere and wait upon you. James 1:12

Father, help me to be patient with others and myself. 1 Corinthians 13:4

Create in me a pure heart, Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

19 Vigilance Help us to watch out for each other and be vigilant against the plans of the enemy. 1 Peter 5:8

Courageous Give us the courage to honor you and not to bow down to the gods of this age. Daniel 3:18

Teachable

Father, help us to be teachable and know that you love this family especially in times of discipline. Proverbs 3:11-12

Wise Lord, send us wise friends who can walk with us so that we will not suffer harm. Proverbs 13:20

Self-control Teach us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live selfcontrolled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:12

Help us to be generous and willing to share. May you take delight in our good deeds to those in need. 1 Timothy 6:18

Help us to be respectful in our dealings with others so that we will be respected. Luke 6:31

Steadfastness

Generosity

Perserverance

Respectful

Patience

Holy Spirit, lead us and help us to keep in step with You. Galatians 5:25

26 29

Submissive

Kingdomminded Help us to be focused in seeking first Your kingdom and righteousness in our everyday choices. Matthew 6:33

Cooperative

As we cooperate with one another, help us to grow a healthy and strong family. Ephesians 4:16

Help us be mutually submissive to one another at home. Ephesians 5:21 T

31 55

ent owerm p m E ' s Leader Discipleship and

God

MY is in the house ^

Establishing God’s presence in our homes is really not as difficult as it seems. Ivan Koh shares his key takeaways from a recent LEAD class, Establishing God’s Presence in the Home.

eing recently married with no children yet, I wondered how this class would be relevant for my life. But I went anyway, and ended up learning many golden nuggets of truths that can be applied in my home. At the start of the class we were asked to describe the kind of atmosphere that would be in our homes if there were a “God presence”. I never thought about this but this got me thinking.

Establishing the presence of God in the family applies to all – single, married or as parents. The presence of God isn’t just confined to the weekend services. God wants to manifest Himself in my life and in my home. Where His presence is we can experience His protection, provision, prosperity, power and purpose. After envisioning a home with God’s presence, it gave me new hunger and desire for His presence in my home.The trainers, Pastor Wendy and Pastor Victor, then provided simple but pivotal handles to do this.

Practical Handles Drawing from the example of King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29, the three things we can do are: Repair the doors, 2 Chronicles 29:3 In our minds and hearts, there must be a renewing and readiness to welcome God into our daily lives, while keeping sin out of our lives. Remove defiled items, 2 Chronicles 29:5 What are items that are defiled? While I may not have statues of idols or other gods, other defiled items can be movies, songs and magazines that displease God with their content. Or even our attitudes of disobedience, unforgiveness and resentment or our inappropriate relationships which can hinder God’s presence from settling in our homes. Restore worship to God, 2 Chronicles 29:20-29 In worshipping God, we ultimately make him Lord over all things and people in the home.

1 2

While reflecting on these things, I was personally impacted by learning to restore worship to God. Worship is more than just singing worship songs. Worship must also exude from our lifestyles and actions that would glorify and please God. Following the handles on establishing the presence of God in the home, the next important step I learnt was the need for the creation of a family altar to worship God as a family. The notion of a family altar takes its biblical roots in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where the head of the family leads the entire family in learning the Word of God or organizing a time of worship and prayer for the family. In doing so, it establishes the faith

and conviction for the next generation and models care for others as the family prays for their needs and the needs of others. Pastor Wilson, a special guest in the second class offered his own experience, tips and also the outcomes of his family altar’s time. This also spoke to me reminding me that as head of my family and a member of my extended family, I shoulder a huge responsibility to cover my family in pray and lead them to establish the family altar. In summary, the greatest take away from the class was far more than just knowledge and useful tips but rather a change of my mindset regarding the perspective of what God’s presence is and how important it is for His presence to be established in my home. As the course concluded we were posed a very important question that enabled us all to see the bigger picture – how does establishing God’s presence in the home lead to a strong church? As Pastor Victor succinctly puts it, “Transformation and discipleship must begin from homes and if we can have strong families, we can and will have a strong church.” Likewise, as Joshua the hero of faith declared in Joshua 24:15, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD,” His response triggered a response from the people to choose to follow God. Hence, an effort on the family front does have far-reaching effects on the whole church as Christians model for their families what it means to establish a family altar and pursue after God’s presence at home. T

ent owerm p m E ' s Leader Discipleship and

More than 4,500 Have Attended LEAD

Learner-focused – LEAD’s exciting teaching philosophy has attracted a growing number of participants since its launch in 2012. Two classes in particular, Growing in Prayer and Identity in God each gathered over 200 participants with glowing reviews. Ivan Koh finds out more on what impressed these learners.

Growing in Prayer Perspective Change “My mindset has been corrected. My worries of not having a correct prayer posture are gone! I can focus better in my prayers.” Don Ong, civil servant “I’m glad I attended this class. I’m no longer intimidated by big words other people use in their prayers. I just have to come before God as ‘who I am’.” Melissa Teo, personal assistant Powerful yet Personal “Through the course, I met with God and heard His voice. This helped me to pray for someone who had been giving me a difficult time and also helped me to release forgiveness and love.” Ms Lee, preschool teacher “Such a great refresher for me! Time to get back on my knees and partner with God in prayer. Thank you and God bless. See you at Prophetic Ministries!” Jackie, publisher 58

“God revealed His love to me once again through this class.” Audrey Guo, photographer Practice Practice! “The course is beneficial in learning on prayers. It is simple and easy to understand for new believers like myself” Yan Xuan, business executive “I learnt how to pray using scripture and now I’ve found the courage to pray with another person.” Christy Han, sales

Identity in God Perspective Change “I can really identify with the thoughts of an orphan. Through this course, I realized that even though I accepted God as Lord and savior, I never adopted the attitude of a son of God. Now I know how to live my life right with God.” Lee Hong Ling, desktop engineer “Suddenly it dawned upon me that God is my Father, right from the beginning, not just when I became a Christian. This brings assurance to me.” Mark Teo, technician “This course has caused me to find my identity in God after 50 years in this world” VR Sooria, director “Knowing more about my identity in Christ makes me want to look out for other believers who are lost to help them be more confident in who God has made them to be.” Melanie Tan, graphic designer Personal Touch “Excellent course! God was in the room and I felt His love pouring out onto us as the course unfolded. Throughout the week I felt even greater

intimacy with Him. I also diagnosed the problem in my life as bearing the ‘orphan mentality’ which I can work to displace.” Lee Chuen Huei, civil servant “Now I am very much assured that I am not a mistake. God formed me and He lavished His love on me because I am His child.” Norman Lew, manager “The impact of the love letter from God was overwhelming! It’s like an answer to most of the doubts I have. In carecell, we went through it again and it impacted even more of us! I feel so blessed to be introduced to it.” Dawn Kuan, webmaster Impactful “Thank you pastors for sharing your real-life experiences during the sessions as I’m better able to relate to and exercise what I’ve learnt during the course. I have a clearer affirmation of my security and identity as the daughter of God, in spite of my physical condition and current situation.” Judy Wee, homemaker “I am truly enlightened and inspired by the trainers’ testimonies and will apply the principles to my life.” David Lye, self-employed T

Lost and Found Adopted and orphaned when young, Patrick Koh was resigned to never reuniting with his biological family until a God-orchestrated encounter made last year's Home for Christmas event one to remember. By Carol Lim

â&#x20AC;&#x153;M

cousins shared that she was actually my sister. I chose not to believe her then as I already had five sisters, and it did not dawn on me then she could be telling the truth.

Never did he realize that his life would never be the same again once the day was over.

Despite my reservations, I did not pursue the matter further as I'm sure they had their reasons for keeping my identity from me.

Patrick: I lost my parents before I even reached my first birthday. It was only later did I realize that they were my adoptive parents. This loss made me much closer to my five adoptive sisters who then raised me. They never showed any signs that I did not belong to their biological family.

During those tough growing up years, my adopted sisters gave up many things to bring me up. My eldest sister provided us with a roof over our heads as she worked as a cleaner to pay our rent, while the second sister got a job as a nurse to support me financially. The last sister opted out of taking her PSLE to care for me when we became orphans.

On my part, I used to inquire about having two names listed on my birth certificate, but my sisters said the original copy was burnt during a fire and they had to buy one the one listing "Chew Siew Hoon", in addition to my other name Koh Hoon Seng, as a result.

As I started going to school, my sisters even queued for several days just to get me a place in a prestigious primary school. Like mothers, they were very protective of me. Even as I entered my teenage years, they forbade me to take up parttime jobs just so people from the outside can see I was well taken care off.

usic scores, checked. Flute, checked.Yes, I am ready to serve!" thought Patrick Koh as he packed and prepared to serve as a flautist in the orchestra for Trinity Christian Centre's Home for Christmas evangelistic event last December.

Another point of suspicion was when I was about 7 years old, some "cousins" stayed with us for a couple of months. During one occasion, one of the 62

I am truly grateful for their sacrificial love.

Battling an inferiority complex That's not to say I had a carefree childhood. The stigma as an orphan affected me significantly as I had an inferiority complex and could not relate to classmates who were mostly from well-to-do families. They had parents who would shower them with attention, or siblings who would look out for them should they get bullied. I did not. While my peers enjoyed their sumptuous spread in the school canteen during mealtimes, I dined on free biscuits and milk. It was only after I met Angela - my then-girlfriendturned-wife - during my Pre-University days that I managed to overcome my inferiority complex with her help and love. She was the one who showed me that regardless of family background or financial well-being, everyone is entitled to receive love and affection. I was the band instructor in Angelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school during those days, and she was very generous even then when she treated a few of us to lunch, usually at pricey coffee houses. I had a phobia of going to these places as I could not afford the meals, but since I wanted to be around her so much I succumbed by ordering the cheapest item on the list like a soft drink. She didn't seem too bothered and paid for everyone's meals. Eventually, I realized that I was not more inferior to the others when accepting her Saturday meal treats. With that in mind, I look forward to being around her, not for the free meals, but to witness her generosity, caring attitude, and not judging my cheap clothes or me. She even took to sharing her food with me and, slowly, my feelings of inferiority ebbed away. Who am I? Besides meeting Angela, the other silver lining during those tough growing up years was being in a mission school. That allowed me to be familiar with God and His teachings, especially as I sought solace for being an orphan and talking to Him whenever I felt lonely. He is my Father, friend and comfort and, from young, I learnt that I can trust God to direct my paths through all its twists and turns.

It is also from His Word that I learnt to pray earnestly for the salvation of my family. Acts 16:31 says, "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved - you and your household." This verse constantly reminds me to pray for my family and their salvation, and it proved necessary in 2006. Then, my fourth sister Lucy was in the final stage of her cancer but I prayed that she would receive God's salvation and she did eventually say the Sinner's Prayer. After she gave her life to Christ, we both asked God to extend her life so that she could witness her son's wedding. Eight months later, she was there at her son's wedding and, a month later, she went to be with the Lord. This was just the beginning of seeing Acts 16:31 in action. A couple of years later, my eldest sister, Chin Tee, followed after Lucy's decision and said the Sinner's Prayer in Trinity's Mother's Day service in the Chinese ministry. I praise God for her salvation, and my faith in praying for my family increased. Chin Tee passed away last year to be with the Lord. It was after Chin Tee passed away that gave me the impetus to want to find out more and piece the puzzles of my life together. It wasn't long before I concluded that I was adopted at an early age, and the yearning to search for my biological family became stronger. Angela has been very supportive all the years, and she agreed to accompany me when I decided to approach my second sister, Or Hui, to unravel the mystery of my past. Unfortunately, when I spoke to Or Hui, she claimed she had lost contact with them. That left me disappointed, as she was the sole link to my biological family. Nonetheless, I asked her to keep me informed if she does meet any of them given that Or Huiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family runs a popular chain of prawn noodle shops and my other family has been seen patronizing these shops before. I decided then to let God lead my search for my biological family and, since I have no inkling how to re-connect with them, I decided to once again claim Acts 16:31 and pray for their salvations. 63

As Patrick packed up his flute and walked toward the debrief room after the Home for Christmas presentation concluded, something caught his attention. A lady was walking toward the Celebration Hosts' counter to find out the name of Trinity Christian Center in Mandarin. As Patrick saw that the person attending to her question seems to be having some challenges translating it for her, he strode forward - emboldened by being equipped with some Mandarin terms during his recent MIT to Taiwan - and said, "三一基督徒中心". The lady turned to look at Patrick, stared for a moment and, out of the blue, asked him in Hokkien if his name was Hoon Seng. He was shocked as no one calls him by that name except for his sister Chin Tee.

With his mind swirling with questions and uncertainty, Patrick did not say a word. The God orchestrated meeting Lily: Our mother had an eldest sister who had a family of daughters but needed a son to carry on her family's surname. Hearing her plight, my mum offered Patrick to her and he eventually assumed the surname "Koh". My interest in Patrick and his well-being was piqued when my son John, who is a sectional leader in the West district of Trinity Christian Center, brought home the Trinitarian magazine three years ago (Issue 01/2010). In that issue,

I chanced upon Patrick's picture and felt he resembled one of our brothers, but because his surname was listed "Koh" I had my doubts. To make sure, I showed his picture to my other siblings hoping one of them would be able to make a positive identification. While some did say he looked like one of us, the others did not agree. Despite the less-than-favorable response from the other family members, I held a glimmer of hope that Patrick could be our long-lost brother. I did think of finding out more, but did not do so as I was busy. Besides, I had no leads or his contact details, and was afraid he may reject me since he had not contacted us all these years. With these thoughts in mind, I left the matter as it is. I told God, "If it is Your will, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll meet my brother again." I have been a Christian for 10 years and in my walk with God, I learnt that I should let Him decide. Fast forward to the Home for Christmas presentation last December. My grandson was performing and I was invited to see his performance. My daughter-in-law asked me to join them for the 8 p.m. presentation instead of the initially planned 4 p.m. show. Deep down, I felt God was leading me to the later presentation and since I have not been to church for a time, I said yes! Before the performance began, I approached the Celebration Hosts' counter to find about some information. When Patrick spoke, I turned and saw him. My eyes wide open, I thought, "Am I dreaming?" The person in the Trinitarian magazine was standing right in front of me! Hesitating for a moment, I mustered my courage to ask, "Are you Hoon Seng?" The moment I uttered the question, I immediately regretted my impulsiveness. I realized I might have embarrassed myself and thought, "What if he is not the one? What if he does not want to acknowledge me?" His silence made the wait worse and my heart plummeted.

When he finally acknowledged me though, I was totally ecstatic! I blurted, almost choking, "I am Ah Luan, your second sister!" The reunion Patrick: Stunned, eyes wide open, and taken aback, I was left motionless. Ah Luan, also known as Lily, stepped defensively toward her husband and said it was alright if I did not want to respond and she could have mistaken me for another person.

It was then that I remembered her name from my childhood. Immediately, I went forward and hugged her. I broke down in tears as I assured her I remember her, and there were tears of joy and delight that filled the air. We were both left speechless at this unexpected reunion. It was only after the emotions subsided somewhat that Lily, eyes twinkling, said, "You are really our brother, Hoon Seng. I am so glad to have found you!" In turn, I told her how I have gone to several of my relatives to find out about my biological family but was told they had all lost contact with one another. To meet in such a manner, it had to be God. He made the way. We wasted no time to re-connect with the rest of the family. If I could describe this season in a musical term, it has to be an "allegro" as things moved in a fast, lively manner. I found out that I was the eighth sibling in a family of 10 children, and my first meeting was with three of them. The second meeting was during Chinese New Year this year, and I was full of joy as I interacted with the whole family. During the gathering, Lily explained that the family initially resented me because when their mother passed away, they could not reach me having lost contact with my adopted family. They mistook this "snub" as my unwillingness to acknowledge them, she said. After reuniting with me, Lily had to personally call each of her siblings to assure them it was a misunderstanding and that I was more than willing to reunite with them and meet up. I was glad for her help in clearing the air. In reminiscing the past, my eldest brother said, "It was a norm in those days for families to give away their children as most could not afford financially to raise all of them." He did not get to spend much time with me after my birth, so he had little recollection of my time in the family. 66

It was only after the emotions subsided somewhat that Lily, eyes twinkling, said, "You are really our brother, Hoon Seng. I am so glad to have found you!"

Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gathering with his biological family. My fifth sister, Rosalind, shed more light to my childhood years, and affirmed how protective my adoptive sisters were when she stayed over as a "cousin". She recalled how our biological mum and sisters would visit my adoptive family regularly, and the time when she revealed her real identity to me. When I told this to one of my adopted sisters, I was given a slap for uttering nonsense. It was then she realized how serious they were of the adoption, and she was sorry I got slapped for her revelation. The last piece of news from my "new old" home was also a joy to receive. My biological father has received Christ too! Even as I was separated from my family, God's promise that my entire household will be saved continued to be fulfilled. I continue to intercede for the rest of my family members that they will come to know God, and I know He will answer my prayers.

A renewal of faith Lily: It felt like I was on the outside watching a Hong Kong television serial whereby a pair of long-lost siblings meet up after many years in an unexpected manner. But this happened to me, and while I could not believe it at first, I determined this had to be God's hand at work to ensure our family's reunion. I am thankful for our Almighty God. I would also like to thank Patrick's adoptive sisters for giving Patrick the best they could and raised him to be the man he is - with a good education, good health and good life. It must not have been an easy job, and his sisters did a marvelous job. I am also thankful that by reuniting the family, I have helped fulfill our late mother's wishes. When she was alive, she would time and again casually wonder how Patrick was doing. She did not explicitly say she wanted to meet him, since my parents decided to give him away and she

Patrick and his foster family. did not want to interfere, I knew deep down she missed him. Through this entire sequence of events, I believe in God more, love Him more, and have decided I must go to church more often. I am amazed and can only give praises to God for the wonderful thing He has done in our family. Home, sweet home Patrick: Reuniting with my biological family had a wider impact on my own family as well. Angela was surprised and excited at the God-orchestrated reunion, and was very eager to meet the rest of my family once she found out.

As I reflect on the whole sequence of events, I must say the family reunion would have been impossible if not for God. How else can I explain the miraculous encounter with Lily last Christmas? With my limited knowledge of Mandarin, I would have usually walked away and not provide assistance. But as I let God lead, He orchestrated the reunion and I had my wish of a family reunion fulfilled. We were truly Home for Christmas. T

My son, Theodore, too, was pleasantly surprised at the warmth of the family gatherings although he is still getting used to idea of being a part of a bigger family with more cousins. I believe he will eventually understand and welcome these new developments. 69

Five

Nights of Prayer

One day in the house of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere. More than 2,000 Trinitarians experienced this as they gathered from Mar 11 to 15, 2013 to simply seek God with no other agenda. By Lye Huixian

hat would it take for a person to draw near to God? A Trial, a Tribulation, or a prayer request? We came bearing our own needs and agendas, but it all melted away when God visited us. His presence was felt by all who came. From children as young as three years old to adults. By then, we could not have any other agenda but just to press in for more of God and seek His face. Many testified of encountering God and receiving a revelation from Him. Lawrence Foong says, “As a young Christian, I am reserved by nature and slow to ‘warm up’ to God. After attending the prayer sessions since Tuesday, I found my inhibition in expressing myself during worship slowly dissipating night by night. God has also given me a personal message every night and His love has really touched my heart.”

years ago when the woman who was bleeding for twelve years reached out to Jesus in faith. I am trusting God for breakthrough in healing me.” Where the presence of God is, there is victory! The presence of God was so tangible that healings took place, the backslidden returned to God and different individuals received salvation at the prayer meeting. “The words of the song ‘He is there’ didn’t quite sink in for me, until God brought an awakening within me that He’s always been there for me. Even though I’ve backslid and kept Him away while I tried to handle the world on my own, God reminded me that He’s always with me. After today, I am going to work on my relationship with God again,” says Valerie Tan.

“I am refreshed by His love and marvel at how God can work powerfully in just two hours at this prayer meeting,” says Gabriela Koh, who had left church for some years and is now back with faith renewed.

Tricia Leong, a mother, testified of how her threeyear-old boy gave his life to Jesus at the prayer meeting. Another attendee, Wendy Teo testified of how she received a revelation from God to hear and she took that Word and received it in faith. That night, God healed her of her hearing problem!

Sheila Vanitha, a Christian since young, shared “The prayer meeting has been amazing! God’s presence was so tangible. Someone was crying out, ‘Yesu, Yesu!’ This brought me back to two thousand

Truly, God reveals Himself to His people so that we may know Him more. Thank God for the work that He is doing through the privilege and power of prayer! T 71

YA Ce C ll om Ga b thine er d in g

On Apr 26, 2013, more than 400 Young Adults got up close and personal with Deputy Senior Pastor, Wilson Teo, as he shared candidly about how to maintain Sexual Purity in a Sex-Crazed World.

any words of wisdom were shared by Pastor Wilson Teo on a topic many would shun from talking about â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sexual Purity.

Sex scandals are taking place regularly among Christians.

Sex is designed by God to be enjoyed by husband and wife within a marriage covenant. God created sex for marriage. That truth has not changed. What has changed is the way the world has projected sex to be.

Ladies

Gents

Do not

give your body away to men who have no guts to marry you and to say the marriage vows with you before your family and friends.

If he truly loves you, he will cherish you, protect you and make sure that God is glorified in your relationship with him.

Your body is precious to God and is a special gift for your husband.

Reserve it

for the man who truly loves you in marriage.

If you truly love someone, you

do not demand love and sex. True love

wants to protect and safeguard what’s most precious to each other.

Don’t be too anxious and excited over sex. You will have lots of it when you get married.

The moment your courtship becomes sexdriven, you lose what’s most important during the courtship period – which is to know if the person you are about to marry is suitable for you.

Be Different! Some of you are thinking, “Pastor, what you are saying to us is really against what our peers around us are doing.” Yes, you are right to say that! I am not asking you to be like your peers. I am asking to live to please God in your relationship so that it is holy and honorable before God and Man.

”

The YA Combined session provided both my boyfriend and I with useful handles for honoring God in our courtship. Tan Weilin, teacher I fully agree that men are clearly called to treat women with honor. Culture might say otherwise that it is okay not to do the same and it is uncool. But I think exclusivity is hip! Really appreciated the teaching from Pastor Wilson. Sugi Thio, online sales executive I found the session meaningful and enriching. It helped me to further strengthen my determination to remain pure till marriage. Chris Huang, workshop assistant

This session has not only given me strong encouragement to remain steadfast in pursuing holiness in my relationship with my fiancé but also provided practical handles to help me advise singles and couples in my carecells. Ong Jun Jie, medical scientific liaison I was truly blessed by the message. It was not an unfamiliar topic but it brought a greater understanding on the importance of being set apart. The handles in setting boundaries in a relationship were practical and useful to me. Though I’m single, I’m determined to stay holy and honorable to God in my future relationships. Jerlyn Koh, HR executive T

Camp

Imprint

64 youths from Poly, ITE and army gathered for IGNYTE’s third Poly Camp from Apr 1 to 3, 2013. Camper Shairel Foo shares how God presence impacted many at Camp Imprint.

amp Imprint had a simple but important agenda. We were to retreat from our hectic lives and receive again God’s imprint within us – that which we may have lost through the heaps of projects, exams and even the pressures of army. The three-day-two-night camp gave us many opportunities to bond with our carecells and new members who have joined us. We also had bonding time with our leaders during the games where we chased each other with buckets of water, water bombs and soapy sponges. It was just a fun-filled time of unleashing our inner child and getting to know one another better.

During the services, we knew that this camp was different. The presence of God was so strong and evident; all we needed to do was just bask in His presence. As we simply worshipped Him, we were left wanting more and more. Pastor Melvin led us in a time of worship and challenged us to be people that purposed in our hearts to honor God, like Daniel did. The night session led by Brother David left us with keys from Deuteronomy 28:13 on how we can be the ‘head’ that God has intended. We started the second day with a workshop entitled Faith versus Logic where questions from the creation account to the legitimacy of Christ’s

resurrection were answered. Moreover, Pastor Melvin, who led the session, also left us with tools on how to address the difficult questions pertaining to our faith.

God’s Imprint for our lives. There were two youths who received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. All the campers were prayed over by the Pastoral Team and were imprinted with a Word from the Lord.

Brother Kah Fei shared during the last night session that once we choose God’s ways and please Him, we will walk in His presence and accomplish the great plans like Moses did. Pastor Melvin closed the camp by leading us to receive

Camp Imprint stroked a balance of fun and learning. We all left with something etched in our hearts from God and hopefully a new mind-set to face what was in stored for us as we headed back to our lives in school and army.

“During the Poly Camp, I got this prompting to read Zechariah 4 which says: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the Lord. At that time, I was getting ready to start my poly life and I was worried if I could cope. However, after reading this verse, I know that the Lord is reassuring me that He will be there to help me through my poly years, and to rely on Him. I’m glad that I went for Camp Imprint, as I was able to prepare myself to receive His word. ” Dorcas Keow, Temasek Polytechnic “When I came to camp, there was an emptiness in me. I felt that I was unworthy of the great things God has planned for me. However, at camp I experienced a breakthrough and a change in perspective on how I thought God saw me. Now, I have a more assured and stronger relationship with Him!” Zenneth Lim, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

“I went to camp but was not really ready in my heart. At camp, I realized that having a heart that solely wanted to seek God was so important. I also kept thinking I was not worthy of God’s plans but God taught me how to rely on Him and not to stop seeking Him.” Charissa Ng, Ngee Ann Polytechnic “At camp, Brother David prayed for me and sensed that I lived according to the expectations of people and was fearful of it. God spoke to me through this and brought me to the verse that tells us to cast our cares on Him for His yoke is easy. I feel that now I’m able to speak to people more freely without fearing what they would think of me or having to live up to their expectations.” Alvin Chua, Ngee Ann Polytechnic T

The

McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Effect

Rev Dr Gregory Mundis draws on lessons from Malta and McDonald's to inspire us to make God's message relevant and bring it to non-Christians in today's globalized world. 77

e live in a world that is rapidly changing. Through the way people talk and communicate, technology has changed the way we live and the way we connect. For instance, we are constantly on the Internet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a third of the world's people are online. In fact, if Facebook is a country, it would have the thirdlargest population in the world! While these changes take place, I have been in the mission field since 1978 and had the opportunity to travel to different places around the world. One of these places is Malta. Malta is a very unique place; it is half the size of Singapore and is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. As I journeyed around the island, I saw cathedrals, church buildings and refugee camps. With its rich history, people and culture, I began to see Malta as a microcosm to our world. During my time there, a local pastor took me to St Paul's Bay which was where apostle Paul suffered a shipwreck as described in Acts 28:1-10. The Bible states that Paul was on his way to Rome when he encountered a storm and his ship ran aground. However, God preserved him and his shipmates by bringing them to the island of Malta. What I found quite remarkable as I visited the spot was even on the tiny and remote island of Malta, there was a McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outlet there at St Paul's Bay. Between McDonald's and St Paul's Bay, God began to reveal to me several lessons about living and preaching His gospel in a globalizing world.

Lesson 1: People still Need to Hear the Gospel Man without Christ is lost and heading toward eternal damnation and hell. The one concept we must never lose as believers is to understand that without Christ, we have no hope. As globalization takes root, we now live in a world that is very transient. For example, in 2005, we saw 190 million migrations and of which 57 per cent were to First World nations. We also currently have about 42 million refugees seeking asylum around the world. Malta, itself, is also home to many immigrants. What does this transient global population mean for us? It means our neighbor, colleague, or even the person at the grocery store may come from a place where they have never heard the gospel. Every one of these people needs to know that Christ is their Mediator and Savior. With the world now at our doorstep, we now have the wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with people we might otherwise not have met. Lesson 2: Be Responsible for our Generation Culture, heredity and environment do not make us Christians. We can have Christian parents, or grow up in a Christian nation but we are only Christians when we personally ask Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins, to come into our hearts and make us each a new creation.

In my time, we had pencils and wrote in cursive form. Today, my 4-year-old granddaughter can navigate the iPad better than I can. As technology progresses and becomes more advanced, this generation has a reach far beyond what my generation ever had. Therefore, it is each generation's responsibility to reach out and meet the needs of their own generation, and to teach the following generation to do the same. Lesson 3: Nowhere is too Small or Remote for the Gospel Did you know that McDonald's is on a mission? Its mission is to sell hamburgers, and it will do everything to sell as many hamburgers as it possibly can. The company will bring out Ronald McDonald, a playhouse, Happy Meals and anything else to draw your children into the restaurant. As Christians, we too have a mission and that was given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to go into the entire world and preach the gospel. If Malta was important enough for McDonald's to open a restaurant, why shouldn't the gospel be as well?

What then does it mean to "go"? It means we have to get out there. Whether it is all the way to Malta, or across the street, we just need to GO, not wait for people to come to us. For example, there was a missionary in Malta who set up a radio station on the island to play Christian music and share devotionals about Jesus. One day, a truck driver who had tuned in to the station heard about how Jesus loved him and wanted to save him. That driver stopped his truck, knelt on the shore and gave his life to Christ. To preach the gospel, we also need to adapt and be culturally relevant to reach people who may otherwise never hear it. Lesson 4: The World is Shrinking There have been many definitions for globalization but, to me, it just means the world is shrinking. With technology, we can now exchange ideas and information so quickly. It has become so easy to communicate and coordinate what we do with people around us. There are approximately 38,000 McDonald's around the world. On the other hand, there are

over 350,000 Assemblies of God churches around the world today! When you look at the church of Christ, you can definitely see that this is a global network of brothers and sisters that God has called to reach their generation for Christ. The Holy Spirit has already given us the tools we need. Alone, we are but one small part of the kingdom of God but, together, we have a force that can change the world. If as a church we can have a common vision of making the preaching of the gospel our most important task, then God can use us to preach the gospel to the other 4 billion unreached people and 7,000 people groups around the world! Lesson 5: Shipwrecked, but still Influential My life without Christ was a mess. I was shipwrecked emotionally for having a mother who remarried three times, and a father who remarried three times. I had brothers and half- brothers. At 48, I discovered my father was not my biological father. My life was messed up, and so were my identity and family environment.

However, Jesus Christ came into my life and made me a new creation! If your life has been shipwrecked or you have temporarily ran aground, Jesus Christ can give you hope and new life in abundance. Paul is a good example. On his way to Rome, the storm threw his plans into jeopardy. He did not know if he would even make it to shore.Yet, because of God's plan, he still made it! Just like Paul, God has a plan for each of our lives. Even if we have experienced a shipwreck of our own, experienced heartache, or even if we have fallen into sin, the message we take to the world is that knowing Christ can make a difference in our lives. Lesson 6: Contextualize God's message Paul was also a master at contextualizing messages. He could speak to the common man around the fire after gathering wood or to the governor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it made no difference. He made the gospel clear to everyone in the context they were in. I remember I was once called to preach in Serbia in a place called Leskovac. It was a gypsy church, 81

and I was preaching to a group of nearly 200 people in a room so tiny there was hardly any space to stand, let alone move. That evening, all I could think about was the story in the book of Mark about the crippled man and his four friends. In that story, Jesus was preaching in a house just like the room we were in, so full that there was no way in.Yet, the friends broke through the roof of the house just so they could reach Jesus and get him to heal the crippled man. I shared that story with them and as I was preaching, I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to say, "If you're here this evening, and you're on drugs, and you don't know Jesus as your Savior, Christ wants to come and heal you from your drugs and become your Savior." After saying it, I moved on with the rest of my message. Two weeks later, the Leskovac church pastor e-mailed me to say he had initially found my message very strange. The community was very close-knit, and he was certain no one there was on drugs. Nonetheless, he found out afterwards that there had indeed been a drug addict in the congregation. Four men from the church had brought one of their nephews to church from the hospital. The nephew was a young man of about 18 and he had ruined his trachea from drug abuse. As a result, he was in hospital and was being fed intravenously. Before the service, these men had gone to the hospital and asked him if he wanted to be healed, and he said yes. That night as I was preaching, when he heard that Jesus wanted to heal him and set him free, he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and was completely healed!

At the end of the week, he was discharged and when he went back to his village, he gathered eight of his friends and brought them to church. Every one of them gave their hearts to Jesus, and every one of them went home, took out their occult books and drug paraphernalia to the middle of the village, and burnt them. They then started a church there. Christ can break through any communication barrier.You don't need to have a PhD in communication to connect to people, you just need to have a burning in your soul that Christ set you free and GO. Lesson 7: Be Empowered by the Spirit This is one of my favorite parts: Paul went, and was empowered by the Spirit. Likewise, the Spirit will enable us when we go. In fact, the Bible says salvation, healing and signs shall follow those who believe. Above all, we need to have a soft and pliable heart that will follow His nudging. God has gifted us in several ways such as through art, technology and communication skills but, on top of that, He wants to seal the call that He has placed in our hearts. Whether it is to another country, to Malta or even across the hallway, God looks for people who will simply GO. And when he calls, I pray we will be like Isaiah and say, "Here am I, send me.â&#x20AC;? Rev Dr Gregory Mundis is the Executive Director of the Assemblies of God World Missions. He has dedicated his life to missions work in over 200 counties and territories around the world. T

Feast for the Senses A

The Missions Convention on Mar 1 to 3, 2013 was not only a feast for the physical senses, it stirred a deeper, more urgent sense of mission to reach the world for God. Christine Poon shares her thoughts and takeaways.

issions Convention 2013 burst into yet another exciting evening where the tranquil courtyard of Trinity@Paya Lebar was instantly transformed into a global cultural village. Trinitarians and international delegates immersed themselves in the carnivallike atmosphere. Our ears were tickled by tribal drum rhythms and our taste buds were tantalized by the scrumptious Colombian nachos. Be it the intricate Japanese origami cranes, the delectable Indonesian glutinous rice and Filipino cassava cake or the graceful elegance of the Thai cultural dancers, it was truly a feast of sights and sounds, tastes and smells from around the world, right here in Trinity! On top of the festivities, Trinitarians, stirred by a sense of mission for the 84

world, committed to faith promises amounting to S$9,456,507.54. Our guest speaker, Rev Gregory Mundis, the Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), challenged our congregation to consider what it means to serve our generation in this globalized world that we live in. Once, missionaries had to sail across the Pacific Ocean to bring the gospel to unreached people groups, today, we enjoy unprecedented levels of connectivity with diverse peoples and cultures. How have we as a generation leveraged on this new connectivity and tools of technology to fulfill our God-given mission?

Surely if McDonald’s can succeed in advancing their mission of selling hamburgers through their 38,000 branches worldwide, why should the church exempt ourselves from the affordances of globalization to fulfill our mission? Through his message entitled From Shipwreck to McDonald’s (article can be found on p77), Rev Mundis issued a sobering reminder that people need to hear the gospel, and our mission is to GO and be that vessel for Christ to reach the nations. The world is shrinking, and the nations have come to our doorstep – our neighborhoods, our workplaces and our schools. But perhaps, the irony is that amidst the flurry of stomping feet and hushed mumblings about our nation’s projected population demographics in recent months, the frailty of our human condition may sometimes blind us to the mission fields that God has placed in our paths.

Where cultural differences have created a rift, perhaps we can take a leaf from the life of Jesus to mend these rifts. Just like Jesus, who demonstrated what it meant to transcend cultural barriers when He reached out to the Samaritan woman at the well, we, too, can offer that same hand of friendship and compassion to new members in our society. The hand of God that reaches out to us during our times of need is the same hand that wants to continue extending, through us, to the nations. For if we, the undeserving, have received grace, surely part of our mission is to extend that same grace, and love people in the Kingdom of God, regardless of race, culture and background. Will we serve our generation? Will we embrace His mission as our mission? T

Cell Church Conference 2013 From Feb 28 to Mar 4, Trinity welcomed 403 delegates from 19 nations to our Cell Church Conference 2013. We hear from two first-time participants on how they have been blessed and equipped for ministry during the five days.

“T

his is our first time at the conference. We were looking for a cell group model for our church that goes beyond extending good works but also involves a sharing of faith. So, I was very excited to hear about the TCC Cell Church Model. When we came here, the culture of Trinity was really an eye-opener for us. From the volunteers who served us food, to the ushers, to the people teaching – every Trinitarian that we’ve come across is a leader! It was heartening to see the sons and daughters of God’s house serving together. We believe that this was an affirmation from God that we were heading in the right direction with the adoption of the Cell Church Model – one that is generational and multiplies God’s Kingdom through His people.” Pastor Keith Collins Lead Pastor, Fellowship of International Revival and Evangelism (FIRE), USA

“We heard about Trinity at our first Pastor’s Conference held in Vietnam. So a group of us, 20 pastors, came here to see what the Cell Church Model is like and how we can bring it back to our churches in Vietnam. I had a vision prior to this conference that the Assemblies of God (AG) churches in Vietnam would rise to a new level. We would see change in our churches that will in turn, impact and cause change in our society. Coming and witnessing how Trinity works at this conference had confirmed this vision. Though we were a little sad to realize that we’ve been doing many things wrong, but our mindsets have been changed throughout the conference. We trust that as long as we stay focused on God, He will surely bring great things to the Vietnam churches in the coming days. Also, we gained some useful handles on how to implement the Cell Church Model effectively and correctly step-by-step. It is truly the beginning of change.” Rev Samuel Duong Thanh Lam General Superintendent, Assemblies of God,Vietnam T

Trinityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cell Church Model

Impacts the Gl be

The TCC Cell Church Model has gone beyond our shores to many churches around the world. June Teh hears from some of the pastors how God has blessed their church and nation through the model. Pastor Kaloyan Kurdomanov Breakthrough Christian Centre, Bulgaria How did you find out about the TCC Cell Church model? I knew about it through Pastor George Bakalov, who founded our church. He has attended this Cell Conference a few of times and subsequently encouraged me to adopt the model. Before this I was frustrated by the stagnancy of the Church, and I felt that the congregation lacked a sense of belonging and the real understanding of what community life and support was. Church to them was simply a routine every Sunday but with no real interaction and relationships being built. How has this model impacted your church? Initially, people were skeptical and resistant to change. It took time to motivate them to embrace the Cell Church Model. But God answered our prayers. We saw how the community came together through the carecell system. Real relationships were forged and people started praying for one another.There was a hunger to see salvation. Many shared their initial shyness when carecells were first introduced, but as trust developed and bonds were formed, they started opening up to other carecell members and discovered their true identity in Christ.

Pastor Raja Daiva Vara Prasad Rao Sharon Assembly, India How has the TCC Cell Church Model impacted your church and other churches in your country? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been 15 years since we adopted the TCC Cell Church Model.We were the first church in Hyderabad to implement this system. Our church started with merely 70 people but has since grown to a strong 2,000 congregation.The journey was tumultuous but God was faithful.We experienced a breakthrough in the multiplication of our leadership carecells, with a current base of 180 open carecells and 20 church branches. Our leaders grew spiritually and became influencers in the marketplace in reaching out to the lost. Requests were received from pastors from other churches and states, expressing their desire to know more about the Cell Church Model. So I started a mentoring program using the Cell Church Model, introducing Spiritual Parenting and Carecell Leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Training to equip the pastors with the knowledge and skills to build a strong leadership foundation in their churches.

Pastor Terada Fumio Nanki Riverside Church, Japan

How has the TCC Cell Church Model impacted your church and other churches in your country? Since adopting the TCC Cell Church Model about 10 years ago, our church has doubled to more than 200 members, of which close to 100 have been water baptized. An average of 120 members are attending service faithfully every week which is considered a big congregation in Japan.

Share with us some testimonies of transformation that has taken place since the implementation of the model? A sister-in-Christ who had left church for more than 40 years rededicated her life to Jesus in a carecell setting. She subsequently brought her mother and husband to know the Lord.With renewed faith and purpose in life, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now serving as a carecell leader in our Church.There have been more like her.

We introduced the model at small-scaled conferences in the Nanki region and were met with overwhelming interest to adopt it. News spread and in the last two years, we were contacted by over 10 pastors requesting to know more about the model. Over the past five years,Trinity sent teams to churches in the Shikoku district, training and supporting us in our church seminars. More than 25 churches in Nanki and Shikoku have been impacted with a constantly-growing leadership base.

It was also heartening to see carecell members support one another when the tsunami hit two years ago. Our church building and the homes of many members were badly damaged and a sense of loss and desperation filled the area.The carecells came together to share drinking water and food supplies as well as car-pooled.

Pastor Lin Feng Bin Chao Liao Church,Taiwan How did the TCC Cell Church Model impact your church and other churches in the region? Over the 50 years that our church has been around, many of our secondgeneration Christians lacked spiritual renewal and passion for the lost. For them, church became more of a religion than a relationship with God. The enthusiasm in seeking God and knowing His word was lost. After adopting the model, our members found new zeal in pursuing God. A drastic improvement was seen when â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Time Alone With Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was introduced in the carecells. Many began to have personal breakthroughs in their relationship with God, closer bonds were formed in the carecells and many leaders have risen up to nurture others. Water baptism and congregation numbers has multiplied as well. Our church, located in a rural area, wanted to share what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learnt with other churches in the city. We spurred them on by citing that if our rural church can do it, they can too. We were encouraged when some churches took up the challenge and joined us in the learning process. T

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Missions at a Glance The period from January to March 2013 has proven to be a fruitful season for Trinity Christian Centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s missions! Ivan Koh reports. Jan-Mar 2013 GO: Missions Impact Teams (MITs)

3 30 3 30 1 GO: Training and Consultation

5 3 96

Countries (Indonesia, Cambodia & Thailand) Trinitarians Evangelistic MITs Humanitarian MITs Decisions Healings GIVE

1,052 India and Thailand sponsored 21 Ministries supported

Destitute Children in Cambodia,

Trips Countries (USA, Japan, Singapore)

Updates from Jan to Mar One highlight of the first quarter of 2013 was the Cell Church Conference. 403 delegates from 19 nations gathered in Trinity for the four-day conference. They were refreshed by the teaching and ministry of speakers, pastors and leaders and received a renewed vision to persevere for a mighty harvest of souls through their carecells. Many pastors shared testimonies of how their churches have been blessed by the TCC Cell Church model (read more on p92). 24 leaders from Vietnam attended the conference for the first time. They shared that they were awakened to see what was needed to be done in Vietnam. Trinity plans to do further training in Vietnam later this year. At our annual Missions Convention, Trinitarians embraced God’s passionate heartbeat to pray, give and go so that the gospel will continue to be spread to the nations! We had the privilege of sponsoring another 114 children from Cambodia, India and Thailand, bringing the total number of sponsored children to 1,052. Besides this additional sponsorship, 30 Trinitarians went on MITs to Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand to demonstrate the love of God. Eight Trinitarians built four houses in two days in Padang, Indonesia, to provide much needed housing to families affected by the floods. Two other teams went to Cambodia and Thailand to minister to our sponsored children. The children were greatly blessed by Trinitarians who not only supported them financially but who also showed them God’s love through visits and ministry. Trinity’s pastors also continued to go on training and consultation trips to equip churches in Japan, Singapore and the United States. The people in these churches were strengthened both in faith and discipleship through the ministry of our pastors. T

Be a Partner in Prayer for Trinity Missions! Pray for: • Churches in partnership with us to have God-encounters in their services and carecells • Trinity’s Missions to have new plans and strategies that are birthed by the Spirit of God • Trinity’s sponsored children to know God intimately and to fulfil their God-given destiny 97

Second Chances By Patricia Chiang

“U

seless!” “Hopeless!” “Good for nothing!” This was all Adam* could think of whenever he looked at himself. Things looked terribly bleak and nothing close to positive less than a year ago when I first met Adam at the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) of the Singapore Prison Service. I had met him through an aftercare program that Care Community Services Society (CCSS) conducts in partnership with the Singapore Prison Service. The program helps ex-offenders re-integrate into their families and society to start life afresh. Adam is part of the worrying trend mentioned by a recent Straits Times article dated Jan 30, 2013 where the number of those admitted into DRCs has more than doubled from 688 in 2010 to 1384 in 2012. Although it was the second time Adam was incarcerated, he has been in a self-imposed “prison” since his first encounter with heroin at 14.Young, ignorant and impulsive, all he cared about were his friends who, incidentally, were a

bad influence. Unable to get through to him, his parents and siblings slowly distanced themselves from him and eventually gave up on him. Then he met Dorothy*, who was two years younger than him, at a party and after a three-year courtship, got married. Dorothy was determined to help Adam break free from his drug addiction. With her dedication and support, Adam went cold turkey and was drug free f or a few years. Then in 2010, after eight years of marriage and with two young children, Adam was accused of sexually harassing Dorothy’s younger sister when he was drunk. Distraught by this incident, Adam went back to drugs. He was caught, convicted and jailed for 15 months. When I first began to work with Adam, he was very reserved and felt very inferior. He couldn’t face his wife and children for fear of what they might think of him. I worked with him to help him change the negative perceptions of himself and encouraged him to focus on his strengths instead of his weaknesses. Over time, Adam started

recognizing what he had, instead of what he lacked. He began appreciating his wife and became much more positive and cheerful. Through this process, Dorothy also stood by Adam and didn’t give up on him. Times were tough as the sole breadwinner with two young children, but with the encouragement and support, she was confident that things would get better. In this program, CCSS works not only with the inmate but also closely with the family. As case managers, our role is to support and provide casework management over a period of eight to 20 months. This close working relationship between CCSS and the family or significant others provides the synergy that is much needed in bringing about the positive change and successful reintegration of ex-offenders back into society. When Adam was released on a ‘home tagging system’ to serve out the remaining six months of his sentence, his other family members also began visiting him, talking with him on the phone and having family meals together. Dorothy also made it a point to meet him after his work so that they could have some quality time as a couple as they made their way home.

The way Adam looks at his future is more positive now. He has learnt to treasure his family. It is gratifying to hear him declare that his long term goal is to work his way back to a cleaning supervisor’s position and to buy a HDB flat where he and his family can call home. Time at home for Adam is time spent with the children watching TV, reading books and even singing songs together. He also tells me that he looks forward to the day when he will be able to fulfill his children’s wishes of wanting to spend time showing him different places like the new mall near where they stay. I can only imagine how wonderful it will be to see them spend time as a family at the zoo or cycling at the park. As I close this case and put away the case file, I am hopeful that their future as a family will indeed be positive. T “The love of a family is life’s greatest blessing.” – unknown *Names have been changed to protect the identity of the persons involved

Want to Make a Difference? Find out how you can Be A Partner. Visit the CCSS website at: http://www.carecom.org.sg or email at: ccss@carecom.org.sg Like us on facebook.com/carecommunityservicessociety In partnership with the Singapore Prison Service, CCSS’ team of social workers and caseworkers from Prison Care Services help ex-offenders re-integrate into their families and society to start life afresh. This project is an after-care program and includes case management support and counseling for inmates from Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs) and their families. 99

The two head of operations are at church on both Saturdays and Sundays overseeing all the ministry expressions to make sure our services run smoothly. Chia Ban Seng speaks to Chee Keong and Richie, about how they serve week-in-week-out despite their heavy commitments at work and at home.

How do you juggle your family, career and ministry as a husband, a father and a breadwinner? Chee Keong: There’ll always be demands for your time and energy. It’s important to prioritize and balance your availability. God and family have, and will always be, first in my life. As I do so, God has blessed my career in return. I believe that when I do my best for God, He’ll do the rest. It’s helped that my family supports me serving in church. The key when faced with challenges is not to take everything upon your shoulders but to seek God’s wisdom and the assistance of those around you. Richie: Having a wife who is my Sectional Leader makes a lot of difference! She’s my motivator for serving because she always has the answers to my excuses. Many have asked me: "Richie, don’t you feel tired serving every Saturday and Sunday?" I reply that serving is a posture in my relationship with God from which I find joy in. I thank the pastor from whom I’ve learnt this principle from. Come rain or shine, there’s no need to make any special arrangements to serve the Lord. As Psalm 100:2 exhorts us, I just serve the Lord with gladness and come into His presence with singing! 100

Richie Choo How did you overcome the challenges that you faced in the course of serving God? CK: Fatigue, both physically and spiritually, has been a real hurdle for me. To be honest, there’ve been many days when I’ve asked God: "Why me?" but God always replied: "If not you, then who?" It's important to realize that God is on our side and that we can always draw strength from Him. R: Handling difficult people has been a challenge, but by focusing on serving God, it helps me to overcome this challenge. Through this, God has developed grace and humility in me.

What has been a most meaningful experience for you and your family when serving God? CK: The smiles and appreciation from each church attendee strengthens me. I'm also heartened that my family understands that service to God is a privilege and that rewards may not always be in the form that the world recognizes. R: Once when I was serving as a traffic marshal, a driver shouted at me in the presence of others as he demanded for a parking lot. But when he saw me around four months later, he extended a brotherly handshake to me and thanked me for serving God! That was memorable! I'm also heartened that my commitment to serve God has impacted my children. Both of them are serving diligently in their ministries with awe and excitement. It’s a joy seeing them rushing to church to serve! Any advice for the fathers out there who are serving or considering serving God? CK: Don't wait for the right moment! There will always be a reason not to serve. Take heart that the struggles you face are not unique to you. We are all running the same race with the same challenges. Only be strong and courageous. God knows your heart and destiny! R: There are many Ministry Expression choices in our church that you can try out to serve God. You will be surprised how you can bless and touch others just by serving them.Your commitment to serve is an act of obedience and God will surely bring heaven into your household! As I look back, I can see God’s blessings upon my family – a challenging but rewarding career for my wife, an obedient and God-trusting daughter and a Godfearing son. T

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Celebration Host Traffic Mar shal cher Nur sery Helper/Tea /Teacher er elp H d Discover yLan Singer Musician RGB Video Sound & Lighting lunteer Pastoral Suppor t Vo d sign up! et for more info an Visit www.trinity.n

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Trinity’s own Baby Rompers and Toddler’s Tee – launching

SOON

Share your Trinity moments with us. Send them to connect@trinity.org.sg 102

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Fatherhood

Sun, Jul 14 | 2.30 – 5.30pm Trinity@Paya Lebar

247 Paya Lebar Road

Synopsis Fathers have a direct impact on their child’s psychological well-being, cognitive ability, educational achievement and social behavior. Gain practical tips on how you can nurture the father-child relationship and raise a happy and confident child. About the Speaker Edwin Choy is the Founder and Director for Centre for Fathering. In 1999, he gathered two other friends and co-founded Centre for Fathering to inspire Dads to be more involved with their children. Centre for Fathering won the Outstanding New Initiative award given by National Volunteer Centre.

Ordinary FOlks,

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Sun, Aug 4 | 2.30 – 5.30pm Trinity@Adam • 21 Adam Road

About the Speaker Anthony Tse is the Associate Director of IPP Financial Advisers Pte Ltd. He is a regular speaker at marriage preparation courses, financial planning talks and corporate seminars. He is also a certified Associate Estate Planning Practitioner (AEPP). Prior to his wealth management career, Anthony was a regional business head of a telecommunication MNC.

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