www.trinity.net
Issue 01/2013
Envision
Encounter God Up Close
Death! Where is your Sting? Heartbeat
Trinity’s First Children’s Home in Chiangmai
REVIVAL, ARE YOU READY FOR ONE?
Missions Convention
2013 Missions Rally
Fri, Mar 1, 8pm
Trinity@Paya Lebar Visit our “Cultural Village” (7-8pm) Come dressed in a national costume Catch God’s heartbeat for the nations! Guest Speaker: Rev Gary Rucci
Missions Weekend
Find out how you can play a part in Trinity’s missions efforts. Trinity@Paya Lebar
Sat, Mar 2, 5pm Sun, Mar 3, 10am Trinity@Adam
Sat, Mar 2, 5pm Sun, Mar 3, 8.30 & 11am b
Guest speakers Rev Gary Rucci is the Director of Mission for the Assemblies of God of Great Britain. Coupled with his vast experience in ministry, his preaching is thought-provoking and relevant to real world problems today. Be captivated by God’s missional heart through this man.
Rev Dr Gregory M Mundis is the Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM). This faith-filled man has dedicated his life to missionary work. Hear him testify of God’s power through his adventures and God-encounters in the missions field.
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Contents Issue 01/2013
26
26 Encounter God
Watchnight Message 2013
44 Death! Where is your Sting? Real Life Miracle
102 Trinitarian Hero 78 and still serving
66 Missions Director’s message
Pastor Jeffrey Wong speaks to Trinitarians
67 Missions at a glance
An Overview of Trinity’s Missions Outreach
68 Missions Report 2012 Missions highlights
70 Partnering to Bring Aid Emergency supplies to China
72 To the Rescue Flood relief
73 8 Houses in 4 Days Homes rebuilt
74 Our First Children’s Home
E n c o u n t e r
God E x o d u s
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3 : 1 - 9
Trinity’s first Children’s Home in Chiangmai
76 God Loves the Little Children 938 destitute children sponsored
77 Blessing Bihar Bihar Outreach
78 Healing Haryana
Medical Missions to the slums
80 Doctor’s in Town
Medical Missions to Timor Leste
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Issue 01/2013
Contents
Real Life Miracle 38 Revival, Are you Ready for One?
Draw Near to God, Gun for a Revival
54 Sparked by Prayer
Prayer is the hallmark of revivals
57 What we can learn from Old Testament Revivals
81 Rebuilding Lives
Four powerful lessons
Reaching out to Koriyama after the tsunami
82 Empowering Leaders, Equipping Churches
Training and Consultation around the world
86 Developing Well-Rounded Christian Leaders
TCA College Alumni testify of God’s greatness
90 An Unexpected Track AlphaTrack Batch 39
92 The World at Our Doorstep Trinity’s local missions
An unprecedented scale
20 Knock! Knock! Children’s Christmas
22 Start Better By Ending Well A Trinitarian’s take on Trinity’s Year-end Traditions
36 Encountering God through Prayer
First Prayer Meeting of 2013
94 Many Firsts, And Only the Beginning
58 We are chosen!
96 Giving Life through the Word
60 R.A.W.
A Trinitarian’s first MIT to Cambodia Missions in Mongolia
98 True Liberation
Touching lives of Inmates in Taiwan
99 Campus Ministry on a Mission
Campus Ministry’s first MIT to Philippines
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16 Home for Christmas
DL Leadership Camp Chosen IGNYTE Camp
62 Plugged-in
Campus Leadership Camp
100 Caught on
Trinity’s Camera Trinity moments
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Advisor Chief Editor s for you of great read
to
mbled a list We’ve asse stian walk? in your Chri ence in your daily life. or stagnant of God’s pres Feeling dry of God experience g the Will and Doin deepen your Knowing ian
Diana Lim Kevin Kwang Miranda Zhang
Editorial Team
Carol Lim Chia Ban Seng Christine Poon Elaine Cheah Elane Luo Gabriel Chu Han Mei Zhen Ivan Koh June Teh Lye Hui Xian Moo Yubin Sharon Lim Will Yong
e of
How ing God: de V. King Experienc and Clau T Blackaby by Henry
Step-byrelationship. ’s , but from place in God from study your special comes not to discover y day. This book Knowing God rs explain how onal way ever rience the step, the autho Him in a pers you to expe experience ring and leads Kingdom and inspi and ward with God. is straightfor in fellowship life a of fullness
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with about God ult question eries res the myst another diffic tackles yet book, he explo Philip Yancey wit. In this seen and deals cannot be wisdom and is wrong with a God who his signature worshipping that something myths of ve and ing belie who of trust the of Christians . He addresses its place, he with the fears not feel close to God In . do on emotions God based them if they faithful. ionship with genuine and building a relat with God that is both walk presents a
ssics Presence of God The Cla tice of the The Prac Lawrence by Brother
ch monk century Fren go. As ence, a 17th ywhere we Brother Lawr ic volume, presence ever practice. While In this class ires dwell in God be us how to of God requ shares with one’s life can the Presence es us how title implies, , all the while the book teach the book’s God first, to r at be easy inuous praye it may not istent and cont that Christians face. cons a struggles turned into the common representing
Zoie Kau, East District It is always with great pleasure that I devour every new copy of the Trinitarian hot off the press! My family brings at least three copies home so that we can read it at the same time instead of taking turns. After which, a copy is kept at home and the remaining copies are passed around to friends and relatives. The new smaller size makes it easier to carry around and hold. Three cheers to the team of Trinitarian heroes!
Pastor Janice Chng
Editor
ntur wing Christ Full Adve to Live the For the gro
The stories of faith from the Trinitarian are always inspiring and encouraging. It’s a beautiful testimony of how God is working in His people and church. Even my two-year-old enjoys ‘reading’ the magazine. He took a copy and was attracted by the colorful pictures. I also noticed that there was a book review in the last issue! I found it a very useful a resource for Christian reading. Please write more!
Pastor Dominic Yeo
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Contributing Photographers
Contributing Designers Editorial Support
Campus Photography Team Chrisppics Plus IGNYTE Photography Team Law Kian Yan Twenty4Frames Faith Koh Sarah Lau Woo May Yin
Advertising Sales & Admin
Sarah Lau For ad sales enquiries, Tel: 6304 7718 Email: sarahlau@trinity.org.sg Mailing Address
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admin@trinity.org.sg ISSUE 1/2013
Kathleen Ho
The Trinitarian is published quarterly by Trinity Christian Centre. Company registration number 197802911H MICA (P) 102/03/2011 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.
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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
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Revival, are you ready for one? As we enter into 2013, there is a distinct atmosphere in the air. It is an atmosphere filled with expectation.An anticipation that something great is about to happen; that God is about to bring a supernatural visitation upon the Body of Christ.A hunger and yearning that says:“I want more of God!” When you read the Watchnight message again on p26, I pray that you will have a sense of expectation and capture the revelation of God in your hearts. When that happens, you are going to experience God’s transforming power and His miracles for your lives. On home ground, we have already been witnessing breakthroughs. Home for Christmas saw the largest attendance so far. Trinitarians have also risen to a new faith-level knowing that we can successfully invite 10 loved ones for presentations. Read about this Christmas of an unprecedented scale on p15-21.
Trinitarians, this could not have been done without your prayers and intercession leading up to the event. Let us continue standing in the gap for our loved ones, the nation and the nations around us. Read how your prayers that touch God can spark a revival (p38) with an open and pliable heart. The World My Mission is truly God’s Great Commission to us. As we approach Missions Convention 2013, allow God to bring a revival of your heart that will bring a transformation to the nations. Read the exciting reports of what God is doing through Trinity’s missions on p64-99. May you be gripped with a radical passion for God and catch God’s heartbeat for the nations. Revival, are you ready for one? Praying and believing with you,
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Trinitarians express thanks to those who have served courageously and been a blessing to others.
During the Local Thai missions trip, Pastor Alice taught us on warfare prayer and praying for the sick. I would like to thank her for her impartation, as it has increased my faith and I have witnessed healing.
Yong Wei Feun
I was visiting from Brisbane, Australia with my family and I was glad to catch the message “Be a God Chaser”. The message convicted me deeply and renewed a new and fresh desire to seek after the identity, presence, and revelation of Jesus in my life and as a family.
Sanny, Wen Lin, Erica and Evan Wu
Thank you, Pastor Dominic for the exhortation to be a God Chaser. Your message resonates within me and I made a fresh commitment to carry His presence in my daily life. It’s amazing what follows.
and struggle. Another day, after breakfast and a car ride with someone, the person remarked, “God really sent you to speak to me today.” The car was holy ground, filled with God’s presence.
I was giving people lifts in my car just these past few days after your sermon. At the end of the ride, two persons whom I’ve known only recently excitedly remarked, “Wow, thank God! This ride is really a divine appointment!” They felt that I had spoken into their areas of needs
I feel so blessed and I continue to seek to be a God Chaser, carrying God’s presence to touch the lives of every individual I meet.
Lang Ren Jee
Do you have someone to thank? Send your appreciation notes to connect@trinity.org.sg. 14
After 4 powerful weeks of intercession, 6 heartwarming presentations and the rally to bring 10 successful invites per person, Home for Christmas was a powerful Godencounter for visitors and Trinitarians alike. Here are some fast facts.
14,588 470 people came and heard the Good News (including children)
12,718 205
oikos’ names committed in prayer
VOLUNTEERS IN THE PRODUCTION
decisions made during the presentation (including children)
982 More than
200
first time visitors recorded HOURS OF REHEARSALS 15
It wasn’t Christmas as usual, last December, with six Home for Christmas presentations over Dec 21-24, 2012. Sharon Lim shares the highlights of the event that saw 267 decisions for Chirst.
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1. 2. 3.
For six consecutive years, IT engineer Vijay R.S. had been working hard on Christmas Day, just like any other workday. But he decided not to work on Christmas Day 2012, because at the Home for Christmas presentation on Dec 23, Vijay accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. “This is my first time in Trinity. A friend invited me here,” Vijay shared. “The presentation was very relaxing. It was wonderful. The most important thing that I learnt today is that nothing is insignificant in this world. Bethlehem was an insignificant town. Before Jesus changed its history.” Significance in God was one of the topics touched on in one of the six presentations, which showcased different testimonies for each performance. The stage set was a cozy, intimate living room complete with a fireplace, chimney, symmetrical white curtains and a very inviting dining table filled with the quintessential hamand-turkey Christmas feast. The audience was serenaded by live caroling backed by a live band and a 100-man strong choir, with either senior
Vijay R.S. with Justin Kitty Li Angelina Tan
pastor, Senior Pastor Dominic or Pastor Beatrice weaving all the songs and testimonies together to highlight the tapestry of God’s love evident in the birth of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. “The testimony of the parent with an autistic child moved me greatly because my son has autism, and it’s very stressful,” Kitty told us moments after receiving Christ into her heart, “At the beginning it was very hard to accept it, and even now at times it can still be very hard to cope. I had wanted to die with my son, but my friend told me I had to pray. Today marks the beginning of a new journey.” Home for Christmas marked the beginning of a new journey with Christ for property agent Angelina Tan too. “This is my fourth time in church, and this Home for Christmas presentation is memorable for me because I’m reminded that God came for the outcast,” Angelina said, “I’ve felt like an outcast during certain periods in my life, and God touched me with His unconditional love and moved me to rededicate my life to Him.” T
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A Leap of
Faith
The vision was great and the net was cast far and wide for Home for Christmas. Staged on an unprecedented scale of six presentations, Trinitarians were encouraged to invite 10 friends to the presentation. Stories of Trinitarians eagerly reaching out to former schoolmates, relatives, colleagues, and even complete strangers were aplenty. Read these first-hand encounters.
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A
t carecell meetings, we were told that there would be six presentations and were challenged to pray for 10 successful invites. As I could only think of four names, 10 seemed impossible to me. Five of my colleagues had agreed to attend the Friday night presentation. But to my dismay, it rained heavily at about 6pm and one by one, they turned me down. In the end, nobody was coming. I was very discouraged and did not attend as well. On Saturday, I accompanied my housemate who had invited a couple to the presentation. The presentation was beautiful, professional and I truly felt the real meaning and spirit of Christmas. I started thinking of whom I could invite because I did not want this opportunity to slip by without doing anything or bringing anyone. The conviction was so strong that it drove me to ask God, “Is it too late to invite? It’s Saturday night and I don’t have much time left. Who can I invite?” Then I was reminded of the passage in the Bible about how a banquet host went out of his way to invite the poor, the lepers, the unwanted and the outcasts from the streets as all the original guests he invited turned down his invite. So I thought, “Yes, I can do that too! There are many others out there.” Immediately, I took out all my contacts of friends – old friends, new friends, forgotten friends. I simply invited everybody and anybody that I could think of. I sent out mass group emails, SMSs, and rang people up. I don’t usually do this but that night, I knew I had to tell
others about Home for Christmas because the fire inside me couldn’t stay still! I started at 10pm and ended at about 2am. I am not a sales person, but that Saturday night, I felt like a “top insurance agent”, making cold calls to sell “very, very Good News”! I was surprised by my energy, joy and excitement that made it seem so effortless. Two of my friends agreed to come, and they eventually brought another friend with them. After I had exhausted my list of friends, God prompted me to invite my family as well. I am not close to my family so inviting them to church was a very big step for me. I felt awkward but took a step of faith to invite them. To my surprise, my brother-in-law, who is usually quite skeptical and not very receptive agreed to come and even drove us here! In all, seven of my family members came for the production. This was the first time my family attended a Christmas event with me. I thank and praise God that out of the more than 40 people I invited, 10 came. So it is possible to bring 10 people after all! God has shown me that everything is possible with Him. Two of my friends came back for service the following week and wanted know more about the church and God. To all who had prayed and invited, I would like to encourage you not to grow weary in praying and inviting. As we do our part and let God do His part, we will see the reward in due time. Ms Wong, operations executive
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have always struggled with sharing the gospel due to the fear of being judged as “too holy”. This year, when the church rallied to invite 10 oikos, I felt the prompting to take a leap of faith to invite my oikos for Christmas. To my surprise, within two days, 10 of my friends said ‘Yes!’. I eventually invited more than 20 people and more than 10 of them came to the presentation. It was a breakthrough for me in sharing the gospel, inviting people to church and loving them with God’s love. Amanda Lee, business development manager
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A whopping 718 children attended the evangelistic Christmas event on Dec 22 and 23, 2012. It was exciting seeing 316 first-time visitors and 203 decisions by these young ones.
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Today was my first time in church and I learnt about who Jesus is. I prayed to accept Jesus and thank Him for dying on the cross for my sins. Cheong Yenn Ee, 11
It is my first time in church and I had a good time. I learnt that Christmas is not about the presents and the shopping but a God who loves me very much. Bernice Chua, 10
I invited two of my cousins to Knock! Knock! and then to church. I am very happy that two of them prayed to accept Jesus into their lives. Now we can love Jesus together! Malcom Poh, 11
I brought my good friend Ian. When he first stepped in, he felt bored. But when the service started, he started to enjoy himself, became happier and got to know Jesus. He prayed the sinners’ prayer and was saved. He is hoping to come again. I am very happy and excited to bring him to church with me. Gaston Liew, 11
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Start
Better by Ending Well
How does one reflect on a year gone by? How does one account for the past 52 weeks of joy, pain, laughter, tears, regret and celebration? Will Yong shares his views on three Trinity year-end traditions – Family Christmas, Family Communion and Watchnight.
Dec 25, Family Christmas: Redemption
The service is an hour long – a little shorter than usual, but definitely not any lighter on impact. The mood is always cheerful and joyous as Trinitarians young and old gather together to worship God with yuletide carols and songs of praise. The Sanctuary at Paya Lebar and the Auditorium at Adam Road were both packed to overflowing as Celebration Hosts worked tirelessly to make sure every member of the congregation had a seat. Personally, I find it a great privilege to be amongst like-minded believers to celebrate Christmas freely together. Christmas Day is special to me because it symbolises redemption. I know that whatever has happened this year, it can be buried under the Cross of Jesus Christ. If, like me, you have had mistakes in the past year that you’d rather forget about, I offer my humble view and a higher hope – Jesus has taken away your shame. I am reminded of what the gospel of John says: For God so loved the world, He gave us His only Son so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. We have Jesus not just for Christmas Day, but for every day of the year, and I know I can always trade my sorrows with Jesus for laughter and joy! 22
Dec 30 & 31, Family Communion: Reflection
Just as Jesus instructed His disciples to come together to commemorate His covenant with the cup and the bread, we too come together to reflect on God’s goodness and providence in our lives – not alone, but along with those we consider family, both spiritual and physical. It all begins with Trinitarians arriving in church with their families or cell groups and readying themselves to hear from God. Family Communion has always been, to me, a time for reflection; it is a sacred moment– a designated time for every person to think back on the year past, to thank God for victory and amidst failure, take Communion and pray together as a family. Certainly, at its conclusion, I have always felt a sense of joy and gratitude, knowing that because I have spent time in God’s presence giving thanks to Him. My dissatisfaction turns to contentment, my disappointment turns to rejoicing and my bitterness always turns to joy. I am reminded of what the writer of wisdom wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has truly made everything beautiful in its time. 23
Dec 31, Watchnight Service: Revelation As important as it is to look back on past victories and struggles, it is just as important to look forward into the year ahead. Watchnight service is a time for building faith – as it says in Romans 10:17, faith indeed comes by hearing the Word and message of Jesus Christ. Faith is built through our corporate worship. Faith is also built through the sharing of miraculous testimonies from ordinary Trinitarians who have encountered an extraordinary God: gambling addictions, terminal diseases, family squabbles and all-around impossible situations – God can take care of them all. As I listened closely to each testimony, I was in awe of all that God had done and could do. Finally, faith is built through the preaching of God’s Word where our Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo shares God’s prophetic word for the church. In this year’s message, he spoke on the need for encountering God for a life-changing revelation. Each of these milestone events has been very important to me, and I can think of no better way to conclude each year and begin what would undoubtedly be a new and victorious one in the Lord. T 24
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Watchnight Message 2013
E n c o u n t e r
God E X o d u s
3 : 1 - 9
Do you want to see breakthrough and the fulfillment of God’s plans for your life? By Pastor Dominic Yeo
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xodus 3 is a familiar passage to many of us – it describes Moses’ meeting with God at the burning bush. The Bible tells us that Moses would eventually be the leader of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt toward the Promised Land. However, for Moses to step into the fulfillment of the call that God had placed on his life, he needed a divine encounter with God to position and prepare him for his task. As a church, we too have been stepping into a season of fulfillment. What is fulfillment? According to Jeremiah 29:11, fulfillment is simply all that God has for us: plans to give us a future and a hope. It is a future that we have been promised and the abundant life that Jesus promised us in John 10:10.
Fulfillment through personal encounters that bring revelation In order to see the fulfillment of God’s plans for us, there are a few things that must happen. First of all, we must step out in apostolic faith – in other words, we cannot see fulfillment if we do not exercise a level of faith that seeks for and brings forth breakthrough. In addition, it is critical that we have a personal encounter with God. And every encounter of God must bring forth a revelation of God.
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The Charismatics and Pentecostals understand the significance of encountering God. In fact, we thrive on it! This is the reason why we give altar calls at the end of every service. However, encounters with God that do not result in a revelation of Him will be mere meetings.
Revelations from God’s encounter with Moses The Bible tells us that during the time of Jesus’ ministry, many people in the New Testament met with Jesus face to face, yet not everyone who met Him saw any change in their lives. Even the disciples themselves were not immune to this: in John 21, Simon Peter and the disciples had encountered Jesus on four occasions after His resurrection, and yet they had gone back to their old, fruitless ways of being fishermen. Despite meeting with Jesus, the disciples did not receive a revelation that would allow them to step into God’s plans for them. To have life-changing encounters, it is important that we learn to distil truths from what God reveals to us. From within the burning bush, God declared to Moses in Exodus 3:5-6 that He was the God of his father, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
From this passage, we can identify five specific revelations about who God is:
• • • • •
God is the God of our Identity God is the God of the Covenant God is the God of Provision God is the God of Transformation God is the God of the Generations
Let us examine each of these revelations one by one:
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The God of your Father = The God of our Identity
God told Moses, “I am the God of your father.” Moses might not have even known his own father. He was born a Hebrew child, the son of nameless Levite parents. When he was three months old, his mother floated him down the river Nile in a basket. The Bible records that he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised as an Egyptian prince. In the times of the Old Testament, a person’s identity is drawn from who their father was. For instance, King David was known as the son of Jesse while different characters in the Bible have
been likewise identified by who their father was. While Moses had been brought up as an Egyptian, by revealing Himself as the God of Moses’ father, God was establishing Moses’ identity as one of His chosen people. What is identity? Identity is what distinguishes you from other people. Sociology and psychology have put forth several theories and concepts on identity such as real and social identities, and whether our identity rests upon who we are or what we are. Biblically speaking, our true identity does not depend on what we are but on who we are. My identity is not Dominic Yeo, Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre; it is not based on my occupation. If that were true, that means that when I retire, I will lose my identity! The problem with our world today is that many people base their identity on what they do and what they have. They lead empty lives because when they chase something and finally achieve what they want, they feel hollow and then start to chase something else again. For example, I wanted to be a great soccer player when I was growing up. I played with different clubs and even competed in the President’s Cup Final with my team. Yet today,
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I find all these achievements meaningless – I don’t even display the medal anymore! So what is our true identity? The answer is found in John 1:12, which says that we have the right and power to become sons and daughters of God; genuine identity is therefore found in God our Father. If we are not anchored in who God wants us to be, we will be tossed to and fro, perpetually chasing after the world and all that it defines us to be. Now that I know my true identity, I can be positioned for God’s purpose for me. When you know your identity in God, you align yourself with His purposes.
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The God of Abraham = The God of the Covenant
Now that Moses understood who he was, God then revealed Himself to Moses as the God of Abraham: The God of the Covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two or more people where the fulfillment of that agreement brings blessing while its breach will bring curses and penalty. The first covenant recorded in the Bible between God and man was the Abrahamic covenant. In it, because of Abraham’s obedience, God fulfilled His promise to give land, offspring and
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Covenant
Promise
Reference
Agreement made with
Abrahamic
Land, offspring and blessing
Genesis 12:1-3 Genesis 17:1-14
Individual
Mosaic
Blessing for every act of obedience
Exodus 19-24
Group of Israelites
Davidic
Establishment of an everlasting kingdom
2 Sam 7:8-16
Nation
New Covenant
New relationship between God and all people, Abundant life
Jeremiah 31:33-34 Luke 22:20 Romans 10:9-13
All believers
blessing to him. Throughout the Bible, we see many instances where God makes covenants with His chosen people, including Moses and King David. Covenants always involve conditions, and these conditions reveal God’s plan for our lives and give us direction. Do you know the covenant that God has established with you? The covenant reveals God’s plans for our lives; the covenant directs us to a place of God’s blessings and fulfilment. My wife used to work in the aviation industry. After I preached on the matter of apostolic faith, she decided to resign from her job. My son looked at me and said that we are going to be poor. For three months, I saw her seeking the Lord for the direction for her life. While I suggested that she get in touch with her old contacts in the aviation industry and set up a business there, she declined because that was not where God was
directing her to. She had decided to exercise apostolic faith and venture into an entirely new industry in which she had no experience in. In my human logic, I was not confident of her chances of success. However, within three months, she had landed three contracts for her new business! She was amazed, I was amazed, and her business partners were amazed! You see, those three months she spent seeking God were absolutely critical. When she had sought the Lord for His direction, she received a direction from God. The covenant was that if she obeyed God’s direction, He would bless her. As the God of the Covenant, He has plans for our lives, our household, our businesses; He wants to bring us blessings and abundance. But we must seek Him and obey His direction. As we align with God’ plans for us, He will bring the blessings of obedience. 31
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The God of Isaac = The God of Provision
When you understand who you are in God, your walk is steady – you are not easily swayed by circumstances or temptations of the world. When you encounter God for yourself and form a covenant with Him, God’s directions and purposes for you become very clear. The third revelation from Moses’ encounter at the burning bush is that as the God of Isaac, God is the God of Provision. The story of Isaac as it is recorded in the Bible is a story of the miracle of God’s provision. Beginning from his birth, we already see God’s hand of provision upon his life. Abraham and Sarah were very old – in fact, biologically speaking, she was way past menopause and it was impossible for her to get pregnant. However, because of God’s covenantal promise to Abraham for offspring, Sarah bore a child through the miracle of God’s provision. God’s provision through Isaac did not stop there. When Abraham obeyed God’s call to sacrifice His only beloved son on Mount Moriah, we read in Genesis that after Abraham had bound his son and was about to slay him, Abraham encountered God at the altar. Abraham encountered the God of Isaac who stopped Abraham from killing his son and provided him with a ram in the thicket as a substitute sacrifice. Even as an adult, God provided for Isaac when Eleazar, the servant of Abraham went back to Abraham’s hometown to find him a wife. In Genesis 24, it is recorded that Eleazar prayed to God to provide for Isaac’s needs by means of a revelation: the first woman to offer him and his camels water would become Isaac’s wife. This was no simple request – water was very hard to find in Middle Eastern terrains, so for that woman to offer him water, she would need to be very generous. However, even before Eleazar finished praying, the God of Isaac, the God of Provision presented him with Rebekah who not only offered him water, but to his 10 camels as well. 2 Peter 1:3 says that His divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. Provision is defined as the act of giving or making something available – the God of 32
Isaac therefore makes things available to us. While God is able to give us all that we need, in order to receive His provision, we must take heed of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Provision is conditional on us seeking His kingdom first. I see the word ‘provision’ as two words: ‘providing’ and ‘vision’; when God has a vision for something, He will also provide for it. The vision precedes the provision – therefore when we catch the vision from God, then what we need to achieve that vision will be made available to us! The power behind this truth is that when we stop trying to get the provision and start seeking, then God will do the work of provision. We sometimes fail to step into fulfillment because we do too much providing but not enough seeking; we chase after the provision, and that is why we end up with nothing. Remember that the disciples went fishing and caught nothing. However, as soon as they sought the Lord, heard Him and followed Him, they had abundance. Let us do our work of seeking, of pressing in and encountering him. Let God do His work to provide. When we encounter the God of Isaac, then the provision will come.
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The God of Jacob = The God of Transformation
God is also the God of Transformation: God is able to take anyone and turn them around through the power of encountering. Jacob was such a man – a liar, a cheat, a loser, perpetually coming in second place. Transformation is made up of two parts: ‘trans-’ and ‘-formation’. ‘Trans-’ refers to movement, like ‘transport’ – movement from one place to another – or ‘transaction’ – the exchange of money. When we are transformed, we are actually moving into formation – the formation of who we are meant to be. Therefore, when Jacob wrestled with God the night he was approaching Canaan, God changed his name and likewise transformed his character as well. It was the encounter of God which brought him from his old self into the fulfilment God had planned for Him.
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Transformation requires two things: Firstly, transformation is achieved only by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to His disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” God empowers us and equips us with His divine power, and trains us for His work. God’s transforming power must also be accompanied by the yielding of our lives to the Holy Spirit. If we are to participate in God’s makeover plan for our lives, we will need to allow Him to work in our lives. Years ago, when I became a Christian, the power of God came into my life and transformed me. I was instantly healed from drug addiction without ever having to go through cold turkey. As I attended the cell groups, and as people started to pray for me, I was set free from demonic oppression and began to speak with other tongues. Not only that, God started to change the way I spoke. I had always been a school dropout, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, He changed that too. Indeed, I went through an amazing transformation that was not possible with human hands, but only by the power of God. The other way that transformation comes is through the Presence of His grace. God takes our lives and makes something beautiful out of them, even when we do not deserve it. When the church comes together to pray and worship God, the presence of God is evident. When the presence of God is evident, we see healings and breakthroughs - just look at our pre-service prayer meetings. There are exciting testimonies week after week because of His grace working in our lives. In the place of encounter, when we pray, God takes our situation and turns it around, transforming it for His glory.
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As the God of the generations, God is unchanging in all of His ways and faithful throughout the generations. God’s plans are meant to outlive us – even after Moses, there was Joshua. When we encounter God, we need to see that He is the God of the generations, who gives us the blessing of posterity. In the blessing of posterity and generations, we will see an increase in our offspring and we have the knowledge that His plans will bless the generations that come after us. For those of you that are childless, take heart that the blessing of posterity means God can give you children. The blessing of posterity also means that we can have many spiritual children where people are saved and nurtured through us. God’s blessing of posterity is present in our church. We have seen many generations of pastors who have brought forth a successive generation of even more leaders and more pastors. Resident Apostle Naomi Dowdy, our former Senior Pastor has raised me as a pastor. And after myself, I have raised other pastors and leaders as well. When the fruitfulness and blessings of our generations continue, and each successive generation of leaders raises up another level of leaders and spiritual children after them, this is the blessing of posterity. As we begin the new year, let us prepare our hearts to truly encounter God and receive a revelation of Him. When we encounter God, we have a great sense of confidence: we know who we are, we know where we are going, we step into His provision, He continues to transform us, and through the transformation, we will see posterity. Let this year be the season where the fulfilment of God’s plan for our lives takes place. T
The God of your father, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob = The God of the Generations
The last revelation of God from Exodus 3:5-6 comes when we put all these verses together. God revealed Himself to Moses as God your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. What do you see there? Do you realize that there are four generations present in that revelation? If we were to include Moses, then there would be five generations of God’s people present. 35
Encountering God Through Prayer The call to encounter God was answered by 2,367 Trinitarians young and old on Jan 4, 2012. Some came to the first prayer meeting of 2013 as families, some with their carecells. Not for our own agendas but only to seek the audience of the one we call Lord.
It was a divine night of worship. The presence of God intensified as Pastor Dominic shared what God had laid upon his heart. Worship went on and on as if it was for eternity. It was an awesome demonstration of what it’s like to live in the presence of God. The response from the congregation was a validation of God’s glory – He is truly in the House. Jocelyn Bacasno, administrative staff God’s presence was really strong. I felt the assurance of God’s love.
God’s presence filled the prayer meeting! Through the times of worship, I felt God’s immense love for us. It was so tangible that I am resolved to put God as the first priority in my life, and to live for Him! Alan Tan, system planning and review executive There was an awesome presence of God. As we prayed through the different agendas, God rekindled a passion and burden to pray for the next generation (youths). Audrey Guo, photographer
Amelia Yeo, student
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My perspective of worship and prayer has changed since experiencing God at the prayer meeting. God showed me how to delight in the Lord first and then He will provide for all that I need.
When you encounter God, you realize every fear and insecurity disappears. I have been grappling with God's direction and plans for my life. But after the time of worship and prayer, God infused fresh assurance and affirmation in my heart to trust Him and step out in faith.
Vivien Ee, social worker
Francesca Tay, news producer
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REVIVAL
Are you ready for one? “Revival awakens in our hearts an increased awareness of the presence of God, a new love for God, a new hatred for sin, and a hunger for His Word,” said the late Del Fehsenfeld Jr, founder of Life Action Ministries. Do we really want God to live in our midst? (Don’t answer too quickly.) Not everyone was thrilled when Jesus walked into the ‘church’ (synagogue) one Sunday morning. It was usually peaceful, service was predictable and in order. Till Jesus arrived and it became a madhouse. He threw people out, disrupted worship and they did not even get to the sermon. He was cleansing the temple. Encountering God is radical. Surrender is total and absolute. We know this truth, yet we often drift from it. We serve God out of habit and religiosity. We divide our life into little compartments and give Jesus a nice compartment of His own! But when He comes in revival power, you can be sure He will not be contented with just a compartment. When God invades our hearts, our routines will never be the same again. He transforms us and takes us into a deeper encounter with all that He is as our Savior and Lord. God has given us an invitation in James 4:8 – Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you. That means personal revival is possible right now! This section of the Trinitarian outlines the timeless pathways that lead to revival and drawing near to God. Learn how to pursue God for transformation in your life, ministry and community.
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Hard Questions:
How Do We Draw Near?
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raw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you doubleminded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:8-10 NKJV
James 4:8-10 is often called the “New Testament 2 Chronicles 7:14 promise for the church”, because it echoes the Old Testament promise that God revives believers who come to Him in humility, prayer, and repentance. James precedes this promise by describing something we all know too well — the predictable outcomes of life dominated by sinful desires and governed by the world’s system: pride and arrogance leading to conflict, frustration, quarrels, fights, and destructiveness (verses 1-3). But he follows up this reality-based analysis by offering two ‘antidotes’ that lead to revival: There is hope in the form of a wake-up call (verses 4-6) and an invitation (verses 7-10). God’s Wake-Up Call Hard questions to evaluate ourselves
God’s Invitation The incredible news is that despite our unfaithfulness, God is willing to take us back! James unpacks this gracious invitation and shows us the way. God wants us to experience His grace, and He wants the relationship restored. God actually yearns to revive His children! God is always inviting you. Have you responded to His invitation to draw near? This invitation involves six actions that are key to revival: submit, resist, draw near, wash, grieve, humble. Much could be written on any of these, but let’s focus on what it means to “draw near” to God and believe His promise to reciprocate. Drawing Near Drawing near to God involves coming close— just the way you wish to be with those you love. Seeking expresses the action, while drawing near expresses the heart attitude. Isaiah proclaimed,
1. Have you compromised your commitment to God with a worldly lifestyle? 2. Have you traded your closeness to God for camaraderie with the world?
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7 NIV) God called out, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” (Jeremiah 29:13-14)
James says that these believers had settled for what they thought was a happy medium between sold-out commitment to God and a worldly lifestyle. In reality, they had become adulterous, arrogant enemies of God.
Jesus taught that coming close to God is life’s top priority — the one thing that undergirds everything else: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Talk about a wake-up call! James makes the choice clear: Believers who have traded their closeness to God for camaraderie with the world must lay aside their sin and humbly plead for grace. The Spirit of God jealously desires our deepest affections. Our wicked ways must be completely abandoned in order for Him to bless with revival.
Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), God yearns to be reunited with His wayward children. God loves us beyond description, and He wants our relationship to be restored. The Scriptures teach that this is why God the Father waits so patiently for our response — why He doesn’t 41
just bring about the conclusion of humanity’s discouraging history today (2 Peter 3:9). He does not want anyone to perish, so instead He waits for more of us to draw near! In fact, God has always wanted His children to draw near to Him with all their hearts. Not surprisingly, then, drawing near is a major theme of redemption history. God created us to walk with Him in fellowship and experience the joy and fullness of life (1 John 1:1-5; 3:1-3; John 10:10). God planted a garden to be near His children. Adam and Eve drew near in the Garden to walk and talk with God. Sadly, the first couple was deceived by the lies and worldview of Satan (just like the church James was addressing), and they chose to sin against God. As a result, they were separated from God. But God graciously provided a plan of forgiveness and restoration through the promised Messiah, 42
making it possible for sinful men to draw near again to God (Genesis 3:15). Adam and Eve, Seth, and Enoch were some of the first to take advantage of this offer (Genesis 3:21; 4:26; 5:24). Moving across history’s timeline, we see God proposing the tabernacle (Exodus 35–40) and eventually the temple (2 Chronicles 7:14-16) to be near His people.Yet as close as the Israelites came to God in this context, they were still separated by the unfulfilled demands of the Law. The Law could not restore, but instead magnified their sinfulness and increased their fear. But in the fullness of time, God Himself took on the form of a man. Jesus Christ came near to the world through the incarnation in order to die for the sin of humanity and to rescue them from death with an offer of eternal life. Thus the message of Jesus to the Judean villages was simple: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. (Matthew 4:17)
Because Jesus became flesh and dwelled among us — because Christ went to the cross and then rose gloriously from the dead — we can draw near to God! Not surprisingly, then, all of history culminates in the awesome day when a voice from the throne will boom across a renewed heaven and earth: Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. (Revelation 21:3) The culmination of history is in the fulfillment of this divine hope: that God would be close to us, and we would be close to God. Every revival approximates this ultimate goal. Where Do We Begin? James 4 suggests that God is ready to open His arms and restore those who return to Him. Drawing near is the decision to come back into the life of God. It is a restoration of what we were designed to enjoy forever.
Even now, despite the darkness of human sin all around us, God is never far away. And the experience of God’s nearness is not out of reach. He is present right here and now, ready to revive us again. Our responsibility is to draw near to Him in humility, prayer, and repentance and God will reciprocate. What hope this brings! Even when evil is destroying life and relationships, James wants believers everywhere to know that there is a clear pathway to revival. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Written by Dr. Richard Fisher and reprinted from Revive magazine,Vol. 42, Issue 3, copyright © 2011 by Life Action Ministries. Used by permission. T
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SALVATION TIMES
www.trinity.net
(since 1970)
D eat h
Where is your Stin g?
One woman witnessed the salvation of ten fam ily members. Dalphine God turned her family Tan shares how to Him one by one. By Carol Lim
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SALVATION TIMES www.trinity.net
(since 1970)
Death Where is your Sting?
One woman witnessed the salvation of ten family members. Dalphine Tan shares how God turned her family to Him one by one. By Carol Lim My Story
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here are twelve of us in my family. Dad passed away when we were all very young. Times were tough as Mum raised ten children up singlehandedly. I was the first Christian in my family. As a young Christian, I tried to witness to my family members but was rejected repeatedly. They were against my
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new faith and would not allow me to share it with them. It was heart wrenching for me, but through the grace of God, I found strength to persevere in praying and sharing Christ with them. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) This was the verse I held on to tenaciously and asked God to use me as an instrument to bring salvation to my family. Reaching out to my younger brother In 1994, Soo Quai, my younger brother, contracted an incurable disease. He was devastated
and did not know what to do. Not wanting to die in hospital, he demanded to be let out of the hospital. He even beat up a nurse who refused to let him go. Finally he left the hospital. That night as he stayed over at my brother’s home, Soo Quai experienced a spiritual attack. He was tormented through the night and muttered strange things in which we did not understand. I immediately turned to God in prayer to help Soo Quai. It hurt me to see him traumatized by fear. Back at the hospital, my carecell and I shared Christ with him. As he heard about Jesus, he experienced a peace that calmed him. Soo Quai opened his heart and accepted Jesus to be his Lord and Savior. After that prayer, Soo Quai never felt fearful toward death and never experienced the tormenting spiritual attack again. Though he passed away not long after, fear of death had lost its hold on him. I know he is with Jesus in heaven today. Reaching out to my youngest brother and his family Tommy, my youngest brother was a free thinker. I tried to share Christ with him on several occasions but he simply brushed me aside as being too holy. He and his wife Angeline were young parents then and were having some difficulty with their two young boys. Boys, being boys, were very active and caused much frustration to them. I had
shared with them about letting the boys experience God in church and trust that God will change their lives to be more obedient and loving. God led another Trinitarian into their lives who then invited them to Trinity. A few weeks later, Tommy and Angeline and the two boys came to our evangelistic event in 2001, Black or White and when the altar call was given, the entire family gave their hearts to Jesus! Tommy testifies of how God transformed his family,“We became closer and started caring for each other more. Communication between the children and us were restored and we could relate better to one another. It’s never easy to parent but with God’s wisdom and patience, we were able to become better parents.” Reaching out to my mother In 2010, my mother suffered a mild stroke without any warning. In panic I cried out to God to heal and save her for that entire night without sleep. I believed that God would heal her in His perfect timing. Her condition needed someone to look after her. So I decided to take a break from my business to take care of my mother. I did not give up on her condition and continued to fervently intercede for her. Ten days later she began to regain strength and recovered from her stroke without any
medication. All this while, I knew that God had worked in her heart. She was beginning to open her heart to the reality of God and His love for her. I asked my pastor if he could visit my mother to minister and pray for her. After a time of sharing, she gave her heart to Jesus. It had to be God and His mighty power at work in my mother’s life as she was very staunch in her ancestral worship. Immediately after accepting Christ, she stopped worshipping her idols completely. Reaching out to my older brother “It is stage four liver cancer.” Johnny, my second eldest brother, broke the news to me with fear and despair in his voice. I was taken aback, I grasped my breath and all I could utter was, “I’ll pray for you.” I very much wanted Johnny to experience God in his time of crisis. Doctors said it was inoperable and put him through chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As there was hardly any progress Johnny decided to stop the treatment and just let the cancer take its course. He had given up on hope and life. All this while, my carecell and I tried to share Christ with him but he was not open as refused to allow us to pray for him. Even though Soo Quai,Tommy and Mum became Christians, he was still resistant. He had many questions about God. He wanted scientific evidence to prove that God was real. Despite the strong front he was putting on, I knew that only 47
God could touch his heart and be his answer to the many questions he had. I continued to pray for God to speak to him in a real and tangible way. As the months went by and the cancer spread, I took up the responsibility of taking care of him as he was single without a family. I visited him at his home daily. When he could no longer cook for himself, I would deliver his meals to him before I went off to work and visited him in the evening to have dinner together. It was not easy but God gave me the strength to do so despite my busy schedule at work. During this period, my carecell continued their concerted prayer efforts for us. These prayer warriors never ceased praying. Prayer really works. Gradually, Johnny began to open his heart
to the gospel and allowed me to pray for him. As Johnny got weaker, he needed to be warded into a hospice. He was skeptical about getting a room as there was a long waiting list. My carecell and I pray for God to provide Johnny a room. The following week, he got a room in Assisi Hospice! And it was a single room at a highly subsidized rate. It became evidently clear to Johnny that the power of prayer should never be under-estimated. I boldly told him that it was God who answered all our prayers. I never really knew how to answer all his questions and deal with his difficult “anti-God” statements, but I took time every day to visit him in the hospice. There were times my carecell came along too.
The late Johnny in the hospice during the last days of his life. 48
After some time, Johnny became open to my carecell members visiting, praying and singing worship songs with him. He even started looking forward to these times. March 28, 2012, one of my carecell members asked if he wanted to accept Jesus as His personal Lord and Savior, and he answered, “Yes!” Johnny even requested to be baptized during Easter a week later. Awestruck and dumbfounded, I asked Johnny what made him receive Christ. He replied that the care and concern of the carecell members and the Christians around him deeply touched him. There was an unusual outpouring of God’s grace upon his life throughout his crisis. God’s love, channeled through Christians around Johnny, broke down the resistance in his heart and
brought him to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. There was such a wonderful peace in his heart when he passed away shortly after.Though he was battling the last days of his life, he faced it with a renewed hope of life with God. Death had lost its sting once again! My younger brother needs to stop gambling! “No! Gone! My month’s salary is all gone!” Soo Yau, my younger brother, sank his face into his palms. Quietly and disappointed, he walked out of the Turf Club, dragging his feet home. When he reached home, he was in a daze. Our family kept pleading him to stop his gambling habit. “Soo Yau, please don’t gamble on soccer anymore!” “Quit 4D!” “Stay away from the Turf Club!” He had been a gambling addict for 30 years, since he was a youth. And he just could not break out from this bondage. There were times when he would gamble away a whole month’s salary. Everyday, he would spend his time with friends and colleagues who were gamblers themselves. After each gambling session, they would head out to clubs and party the night away. Many of his gambling friends were suffering from broken marriages and were heavily in debt because of their gambling habits. It was a sad plight but he could not quit.
All this while, I shared the good news of Jesus Christ with Soo Yau. He was impacted when Johnny and my mother passed on with perfect peace and hope in their hearts. It made him wonder where that peace came from. When he visited Johnny at the hospice, he saw that he was at peace despite his condition. He kept looking heavenward. Soo Yau shared later that it left an indelible mark on his mind. “I saw how God transformed Dalphine after she accepted Christ, how she cared and helped each family member. Whenever someone needed help, she would be the first to lend a helping hand. Her kind gestures touched me deeply. In my heart, I wanted to accept Christ but there was a huge obstacle,” Soo Yau shares. “In a nightmare I had before,” he continues, “There was a dark figure that threatened me if I were to receive Jesus, Jesus would nail me to the cross. I was frightened by that dream and never dared to accept Christ despite my thoughts that Jesus could be the solution to all my problems.” Last year, Soo Yau experienced severe stomach pain and was admitted to the hospital. There was a hole in his large intestines and he needed surgery. However, he was terrified and did not want to go under the knife. The doctors then prescribed medication to halt it from getting worse and hopefully allow the hole to close on its own.
I rallied my carecell members and pastors to pray for him. Pastor Leslie visited him in the hospital and prayed for God to heal him. Soo Yau’s heart was very touched. He felt there was a contrast in who really cared for him and who did not. “All my gambling friends were not concerned at all,” says Soo Yau, “In fact, all they did when I was sick was to invite me to join them gambling.” Three days later, the hole in his intestine closed up! He had escaped surgery and knew it was God’s grace upon his life. After Soo Yau discharged from the hospital, some of my carecell members visited him at my home. Once, they brought the whole carecell meeting to my house to connect with Soo Yau. He was left speechless by the love of Christ showered upon him through His people. “With all the love that the carecell showed, Jesus had to be a loving God, I chose not to believe in that nightmare and decided to receive Jesus into my heart as my Lord,” says Soo Yau. After accepting Christ, God started His beautiful work in him. He used to be a loner but he now has a spiritual family, his carecell, who encourages him in his walk with God. He now enjoys having conversations with people and sharing his testimonies with them.
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Dalphne praying with Soo Yau 50
Soo Yau and his carecell His relationship with our family is also better than before. In the past, he would eat, hang out or wander the streets all by himself. Now, we would have meals as a family regularly and spend time together. Even at his workplace, relationships with his colleagues changed. God is using him to share His hope and love with them and giving him opportunities to help his workers with their problems at work. “I even persuade them to give up bad habits like gambling and drinking. In the past, I would get agitated and anxious over stressful work situations. But now, I have learnt to commit all my work challenges to God,” says Soo Yau. “The biggest transformation I experienced with my newfound faith in God was how He broke
my bondage from gambling,” says Soo Yau, “I have stopped gambling and it no longer has any hold on me. I can proudly declare that in Christ, I am free. “God is my Redeemer. He has given me a second chance in life, healed me and redeemed me from the chains of gambling. He gave me a new heart to love people and follow Him for the rest of my life. Life is so much more meaningful and exciting after receiving Christ.”
from cancer and he thought that Soo Yau was suffering from cancer too. Soo Yau and I visited him and started sharing Christ with him but Soo Choo refused to believe. After all he was the eldest son and he was bound by duty to continue the ancestral worship which was handed to him.
Reaching out to my eldest brother
His interest in Jesus grew when he remembered how God healed and transformed Soo Yau. He also witnessed God’s peace in Johnny and our mother when they passed away. We took the opportunity to invite him and his wife, Liang Yu, to Trinity’s Chinese Service.
In November last year, my eldest brother, Soo Choo contracted stage one prostate cancer. He was extremely worried because our younger brother, Johnny, died
At the service he experienced the goodness of God and came to the conclusion that the ancestral worship practices were meaningless. At the end of the 51
Dalphine’s family members who are saved and attending Trinity 52
Dalphine and Soo Yau together with Soo Choo and LiangYu service, both Soo Choo and Liang Yu accepted the Lord. It was really a breakthrough for Soo Choo as he had always felt the burden to carry on the ancestral worship of the family. After accepting Christ, both of them began to attend carecell and worship services regularly. They are now growing spiritually in the Lord. Now that he has Jesus as His Healer and Strength, he is no longer afraid to face up to his cancer and go through treatment. T
Dalphine’s passion for God and for the lost is evident. Her eyes well up whenever she speaks about how God has been faithful in her life and the salvation of her family members. She has also led some of her friends to Christ.What a sold-out evangelist! “A human heart without the heat of heaven is an iceberg.” (source: Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill) Salvation and revivals tarry because we let our hearts for evangelism turn cold. But if we want to see our loved ones come to know Christ, let God set it ablaze with a passion for winning souls. As God has done for Dalphine, He will do for you too. Dalphine’s heart is on fire with the passion from heaven to see her family members saved. Her fervor for evangelism is like a flame which ignited many hearts. God used her mightily to care, connect and lead many to Christ. Let God use you too!
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SPARKED BY PRAYER
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rayer has been the hallmark of revivals through the years. In fact, one of the foremost historians and advocates of revival in the twentieth century, the late J. Edwin Orr said, “Whenever God gets ready to do a great work, He always sets His people a-praying.” From Frank Damazio’s book, Seasons of Revival, “There has always been a spirit of prayer and intercession associated with spiritual awaking, both in Scripture and in history. Revival is preceded by prayer, birthed through intercession, and sustained by fervent, persevering prayer. Prayer is the central living element to every spiritual awakening and every moving of the Holy Spirit.” The Welsh Revival in 1904 began in prayer. Seth Joshua, the Presbyterian evangelist, came to Newcastle Emiyn College and prayed publicly in a meeting, “O God, bend us.” Evan Roberts, 26, a college student, went forward and prayed with great agony, “O God, bend me.” 54
Evan Roberts then told his principal, “I keep hearing a voice that tells me I must go home to speak to our young people in my home church. Is that the voice of the devil or the voice of the Spirit?” His principal replied, “The devil never gives orders like that. You can have a week off.” So he went back home to Loughor and asked to preach. His pastor let him speak after a church prayer meeting instead. Seventeen people stayed to hear him. Evan Roberts said, “I have a message for you from God. • • • •
You must confess any known sin to God and put any wrong done to man right. Second, you must put away any doubtful habit. Third, you must obey the Spirit promptly. Finally, you must confess your faith in Christ publicly.”
And all seventeen responded. He was invited to speak at the missions service and the midweek service. The church became packed with people. Shopkeepers closed early to find a place in the church. The revival then swept over Wales. In five months 100,000 people was converted in churches throughout the country. Crime rates went down; drunkenness was cut in half and the illegitimate birth rate dropped 44% within a year. The social impact was astounding. Here in Singapore, the outpouring of the Spirit upon some Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) students in 1972 was the beginning of the charismatic movement in Singapore. Groups of students gathered at the ACS Clock Tower along Barker Road for regular prayer. Rev Malcolm Tan, a former ACS boy recounted, “It cannot be denied that there was a very powerful prayer movement that was going on here in school prior to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And if you walked up Barker Road Hill in those days, you would have seen groups of ACS boys praying… Not only was the church full, but the clock tower was also full.” The students used every opportunity – recesstime, before school hours, after school hours, to cry out to the Lord. The Holy Spirit moved upon the students “in a dramatic way – the result was similar to the experience of the apostles at Pentecost”. People were touched, and began speaking in tongues. It was such a big thing at that time that it was published in our national newspaper, The Straits Times, on November 7, 1972: “Some students who have been taking part in religious meetings after school hours have ended up either in hysterics or in a trance.” It all began when he uttered a simple prayer to God “I would like to see a revival in my school.” One of our pastors, Gary Chia, shares how God led him as a young 14 year-old studying at Fairfield Methodist Secondary School.
it felt like a ‘funeral meeting’, there was no zeal and hardly any sign of life. But things started to change as he gathered the group as well as 11 youths from Trinity for prayer. Rain or shine, they prayed for one entire year at the school’s basketball court. After some time, students from other churches started joining. There was a great hunger for God. More prayer groups sprouted around the school. Almost every class had a prayer group. Canteens were empty as students were praying for their generation. The atmosphere in school changed, Christians were determined to live their lives as a good testimony to their classmates, people wanted to know Jesus. Non-Christians were excited to come for chapel time. At the Easter presentation in school, more than half the school responded to give their lives to Jesus. Lives were transformed. It all began with obedience to prayer. We could go on to show that every mighty move of God had its source in the prayer chamber. So aptly described by the late Del Fehsenfeld Jr: “There has never been a revival in history that was not born, and cradled, and sustained in prayer.” A question posed to all believers to reflect upon is, “If revival depended on you—your prayers, your faith, your obedience — would your nation ever experience revival?” It’s time to spread the word — to stir one another up to unite in seasons of fervent prayer for God’s manifest presence. In short, it’s time to make the words of the prophet Habakkuk our own: Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)
Soon after that prayer, God spoke to him to quit Track and Field and join the Christian Fellowship group. When he turned up for the first meeting, 55
If my people will “…humble themselves…” 1. Pray that we will humble ourselves before God and recognize that we need Him more than anything else. James 4:6-10 2. Pray that we will guard our hearts from pride and self-sufficiency, and allow God’s wisdom to lead us. Proverbs 11:2; 16:18 3. Pray that we would stand in the gap on behalf of our nation against the erosion of moral values. Ezra 9:6; Psalm 51:16-17
“…and pray…” 4. Pray that we will hunger for God, seek His face and let the agendas of His heart become ours. Psalm 63:1-8 5. Pray that urgency and fervency will grip our hearts and cause us to travail in prayer. Isaiah 64:9 6. Pray that God will raise up an army of prayer warriors who will persevere in prayer and wage war on their knees. Luke 18:1-8
“…and turn from their wicked ways…” 7. Pray that we will acknowledge our sins, seek God’s forgiveness, and genuinely turn away from our sins. 2 Corinthians 7:1,9-10 8. Pray that God will set us free from all bondages and addictions. John 8:36 56
9. Pray that we will allow God to transform us to be more like Him and empower us to walk in His light. Romans 8:29
“…then I will hear from heaven…” 10. Thank God for hearing our prayers and saving us. Isaiah 59:1 11. Thank God that He draws near to all who call upon Him. Psalm 145:18 12. Thank God for His grace and compassion on all mankind. Psalm 145:8-9
“…forgive their sin and heal their land…” 13. Pray for revival and an outpouring of His Spirit in our families, schools, workplaces and nation. Isaiah 61:1-3, Acts 2 14. Thank God for His promise to extend mercy, forgive sins and establish righteousness in our land. 1 John 1:9 15. Thank God that He will bring favor and blessings upon us and people will recognize that God is with us. Genesis 39:2-6
What We Can Learn From Old Testament Revivals Use your influence Some of the kings of Israel and Judah used their authority to lead the people into worship of the one true God. These included David (2 Samuel 6:12-15), Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:41-50, 2 Chronicles 20:1-30) and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:1-8, 2 Chronicles 29:1-31). As these leaders have done, we can also help the people around us – our families, churches, Sunday school classes, circles of friends and workplaces – to see their need to follow God alone. Get rid of other gods When Jacob’s family was in peril (Genesis 35:1-7), when Joshua led the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 24:14-27) and when Samuel served at the close of the era of the judges (1 Samuel 7:2-9), the people did away with all their foreign gods. We, too, must rid ourselves of anything – money, status, friends or anything else – that competes with God for our worship. Obey all that God commands During the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:3-8, 24:3-7, 33:1-10, 35:20-29), the people made a firm commitment to obey everything that God commanded. So we too, must examine our lives and see if there are any areas where we are disobeying God. We must confess this sin and purpose to obey God completely. Worship God sincerely Early in Solomon’s reign, during the dedication of the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-10), the people knelt in reverent worship and gave thanks to God. In the same way, if we expect God to work powerfully in us, we must be attuned to Him, praising Him for His greatness, thanking Him for His goodness and giving freely and generously to the work of God. It is God’s will that we, too, freely give back to Him the time, talents, and resources He has granted us, to be used for the Kingdom of Heaven. “This article was taken from Decision magazine, June 2005, page 14; ©2005 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; used by permission, all rights reserved.” T
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! Trinity’s Children’s Ministry, DiscoveryLand (DL), held a threeday-two-night leadership camp for pre-teens aged 10 to 12 during the school holidays from Nov 27-29, 2012. Sharon Lim finds out what makes Camp Chosen a memorable experience for both campers and facilitators.
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Despite the rain, indescribable excitement and joy warmed the atmosphere on Nov 27.
176 children and 7 first-time visitors gathered
at Trinity’s Summit for DiscoveryLand’s leadership camp for pre-teens, Chosen.
Grouped according to kampungs, each team represented different estates in Singapore, symbolic of the children’s desire to see every child in this country come to Christ. The services and games that took place further affirmed the children’s identity as God’s chosen people, commissioned by God to reach out to their friends and loved ones. “During service, when we were kneeling down and praying, I felt God’s presence for the first time. It was amazing,” enthuses Bridget Lee, 11. “In Camp Chosen, I learnt a lot but the most memorable part was the kneeling. It allowed me to give my all to God in worship. Although my knees became painful, I decided not to sit down,” says Ryan Bek, 11. “The food is really extra super nice. There’s also touching sermons and fun games,” recalls Calista Wong, 10. On the last day of camp, the children personally blessed the residents of Circuit Road with goodie bags and plucked up much courage to invite the residents for Trinity’s Christmas presentation, Home for Christmas.
For many of these children, it was their very first time inviting complete strangers to church and facing rejection. They learnt to cope with their fear and uncertainty by praying and simply believing in God's power and grace. “There was an elderly woman limping as she had hurt her leg,” recalls Rachel Low,11. “I wanted to pray for her but I didn’t have the courage to do so. Sister Shireene cheered me on, so I prayed for her. She also let God into her heart. Yay!” “I had never served in any DL service or activities before, but when the opportunity came, I felt this calling to serve God by taking care of His children,” says Jamine Chee, 26, who had a very memorable experience as a camp facilitator, “Seeing the young campers stepping out of their comfort zones when reaching out to the Circuit Road residents was very encouraging and rewarding.” “Before I came to Camp Chosen, I used to think that church camps were boring,” Melanie Tan, 11, shares, “Now, I realize that this church camp’s really meaningful as I learnt that I am God’s precious child.” T
Watch out! for the next DL Camp in 2013 Wed-Fri, Dec 11-13
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oon after arriving in Desaru, campers started the camp with an exciting mass game where they worked together to rebuild and defend water fountains representing their relationship with God. Through this creative game, the youths were reminded that some of them needed a revival of hearts and that this revival was only possible through God. That night, campers were blessed to hear from Rev Ong Sek Leang who preached his first sermon, ‘Wimp, Worrier or Warrior?’ The Holy Spirit began a beautiful work of revival in the hearts of the youths. The youths were also challenged 60
to be honest before God and to be real with Him about the state of their hearts. The second day was rounded up by another powerful sermon delivered by Rev Ong about being subdued by God as Jacob was, to be made strong by a release of His power. Youths learnt to persevere for God’s touch and blessing. Led by the Spirit, Rev Ong also prayed for specific groups of people, ministering to them and setting them free from different baggages in their lives. On the last night, Rev Ong preached about breaking our glass ceilings - barriers that we cannot see but prevent us from moving forward in God. He
asked the youths to tune in to the voice of God and discover what their personal glass ceilings were. Dominic Lam was one of the youths who had been struggling with a glass ceiling. He had an honest encounter with God as he learnt who he really is as a servant of God. Having served many years in IGNYTE, Dominic always felt he was all right. However, his growth was always measured by how people saw him as a servant of God. Having received this revelation from God, he now knows what really matters when it comes to serving God, and that is the heart. He received a revival in his heart and a new passion to serve God.
IGNYTE CAMP 2012 – R.A.W. In Dec 10-13, 2012, more than 500 IGNYTErs and parent helpers journeyed to Desaru, Malaysia to Camp R.A.W. (Revival of Hearts, Abide in Him and Win the World). 14 first-time visitors also joined us this year, a record for our annual year-end camp. By Shairel Foo
Many received prophetic words from the pastors and leaders during the times of prayer. Sarah Chua from Zone 1 said that it was during the anointing on the last night when she really felt a touch from God as His love embraced her. Jing Hui from Zone 2 said that through the camp, she learnt what it meant to have a posture of worship. She was able to open her heart and allow God to speak to her. She even received a vision to win her school for Jesus, which she will pray and act on in the year to come. God indeed also blesses the hearts of those who choose to serve him; even the parent
volunteers were not left out. John Ong, a parent volunteer, came for camp with an expectation to understand the youths of our generation better but left with more than he asked for. He felt God had used him to touch the youths as he prayed prophetically for individuals. He felt God’s anointing fill him as he spoke into their lives, an experience he has not had in years. His daughters also attended Camp R.A.W. and left with a fresh hunger and energy for the Lord. Through Camp R.A.W., God has brought about a revival of hearts as countless
IGNYTErs aligned their lives to Christ once again.Youths also grew through the different camp activities, learning the importance of abiding in Him and being commissioned to win the world by reaching out to their schools come 2013. Praise God for an awesome time of ministry to this generation of youths! T Watch out for these exciting Camps in 2013! Poly Camp Mon-Wed, Apr 1-3 IGNYTE Camp Mon-Thu, Dec 9-12 61
Campus Leaders’s Camp Just before turning in to the new year, 41 leaders and spiritual parents from the Campus Ministry gathered at Lotus Desaru Resort, Malaysia, from Dec 27 to 29, 2012 for a time of empowerment and encountering God. By Tan Kia Hua
Plugged-in – Campus Camp
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o be plugged-in means to be closely attuned or responsive. Our sole purpose in the camp was to be plugged-in to God.
In one of the workshops conducted, we dealt with mindsets and attitudes that prevented us from fully experiencing God’s presence and blessings. Determined for more of God in our lives, we took the principles taught and pressed in for more of God. We wasted no time to enter into His presence. We were hungry for more of Him. “In the past year, I’ve experienced disappointments one after another. It was painful to the point that I asked God where He was,” says Rachel Lim, “Despite my brokenness, I pressed in for more of Him and it was beautiful to simply encounter Him. I surrendered my pain and God exchanged it with faith to see breakthrough happen.” Heavens opened and our hearts were ready to hear the word. Pastor Wilson Teo, Deputy Senior Pastor (Local Church), exhorted us to align our hopes and ambitions with God’s purpose and calling. A familiar passage from the Great Commission, yet it felt like a brand new commissioning upon our lives to make disciples in our generation. When Pastor Wilson shared that the vision behind the establishment of Campus Ministry was to raise leaders within Trinity, the workplace and the nations, he challenged us to use our talents and giftings for the Lord.
“God was really challenging me and convicting my heart,” testifies Rachel Ten, “Before coming for camp, I wanted to talk to Pastor Wendy about not serving anymore. But as I heard the messages throughout camp, I knew I simply had to obey and let God use me. God renewed the joy of serving in my heart – I am determined to continue serving.” On the last day of camp, Pastor Wilson spoke about the character of a leader. He exhorted campers to have a consistent and resilient attitude in giving their best to God despite setbacks and disappointments. Emphasizing the importance of moral character and doing what is right in God’s sight. “Even though I am serving in the worship team and other areas of the Creative Ministry, the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, revealed many things within me,” recalls Jonathan Foo, “I realized that my priorities had shifted and moved away from God’s will for my life and my promises to Him. I thank God for the opportunity to recommit my ambitions to Him and to let Him be the center of my life.” “During this camp, God restored broken dreams – He reminded me that impossible dreams were His specialty – so that when they come to pass, it could only have been God at work and not by my own hands,” says Isaac Wong, “I’m honestly excited about what God is going to do in 2013. I know it will be a challenging year but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” T
Watch out for these exciting Camps in 2013! Campus Camp Tue-Fri, Jul 16-19 LEADERS’ Camp Mon-Wed, Dec 9-11 63
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MISSIONS DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Dear Trinitarians, We love because God first loved us. We go because God first came to us. Missions must be motivated and sustained by God's love in our lives. Our love for God is best demonstrated by our obedience to His mandate to go and make disciples of all nations. As John Stott said, "We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God." Trinity has always been a global church and we thank God for His grace and favor in how God has been using us to make disciples of many nations. We thank God for many “firsts” that we have experienced in Missions in 2012. We thank God for each of you for having a passionate heartbeat to fulfill God's global agenda by your praying, giving and going. It is important for us to keep praying, giving and going because the life of the church depends on it. Mendell Taylor wrote, "The Church must send or the church will end." Trinitarians, I encourage us to join our hearts in prayer for 2013:
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Pray for our Partnering Churches and Organizations: • God-encounters in their services and carecells • Breakthrough anointing to reap the harvest • Strong and godly leaders who love God and love people
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Pray for the future of TCC Missions: • New plans and strategies to be birthed by the Spirit of God • Divine alliances to connect Trinity with the right partners • Workers for the harvest field
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Pray for our Sponsored Children: • Calling – know God intimately and fulfill their God-given destiny • Character – live lives that demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit • Competencies – grow to full maturity: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually • Caregivers – godly people to bring them up in the ways of the Lord • Companions – friends to spur them to lead godly lives.
Missions at a glance An overview of Trinity’s Missions Outreach
Jan-DEC 2012 GO: Missions Impact Teams (MITs)
320 10
Trinitarians went
24 4 4,856 47
Evangelistic MITs
GO:Training and Consultation
53 13
Trips Countries (Bulgaria, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam)
Countries (Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand)
Humanitarian MITs Decisions Healings
GIVE
938 27
Destitute Children in Cambodia, India and Thailand sponsored Ministries supported
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MISSIONS REPORT 201 2 Church Development There were many firsts for Trinity’s Missions in Church Development for 2012: •
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First Pastors’ Conference in Singapore. In March, Trinity hosted 483 pastors and leaders from 27 nations. They were trained and equipped with powerful truths and practical handles to take their churches to the next level. First Pastors’ Conference in Vietnam. In April, Trinity conducted training for more than 200 pastors and church leaders from the Assemblies of God of Vietnam. They received an impartation of faith to transform and grow their church. Launch of Japanese Ministry in July. Japanese services are held every 2nd and 3rd Sunday of the month and all other Sundays have carecell meetings. Exciting things have been happening! Launch of Spanish interpretation in July. While reaching out to the Spanishspeaking community through interpretation via headsets in our Sunday 10am service, we have seen visitors from Colombia, Guatemala,
•
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Mexico, Peru and Spain. Some of them are attending the LEAD courses “Introduction to the Trinity Family” and “Spiritual Parenting” this year. First MIT from the Campus ministry. Raising up a new generation that would impact the nations! (read about it on page 98) First MIT to Mongolia. In addition to the trip, Trinity also helped to fund the Bible distribution project which blessed many believers living in a rubbish dump in one of the poorest areas of Mongolia. Bibles were also distributed to nomadic herders. Sponsorship of 9 students from China, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Tibet who are studying in Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Baguio, Philippines to be equipped as leaders in their nations. 7 Steps to Transforming your Church Conference was conducted in China, Poland, Romania and Taiwan. Churches were not only introduced to the TCC Cell Church model but were also equipped to launch their first leadership carecell and transform their churches.
Community Development Crisis Relief Trinity also funded projects in different places impacted by floods in China, India and Indonesia. The funds enabled the building of a public kitchen, rebuilding of classrooms, distribution of food, tents and other essential items. (read about it on pages 70-73) Non-crisis Trinity continues to explore partnerships to give destitute children an opportunity to know Jesus and to be developed to their fullest potential. We now have 938 sponsored children, an increase of 170 from 2011. A key milestone for Trinity was the inauguration of our first children’s home called Home of Blessing in partnership with a local church. (read about it on page 74)
Our MITs also continued to bring the joy, hope and love of Christ through different means, including: • •
Building of wooden houses in Padang. Trinity has been helping with the rebuilding work since the earthquake in 2009. Medical camps in East Timor and India. More than 1,000 patients treated. (read about it on page 78)
Closer to home, we have 30 Trinitarians that are involved in the regular activities of Care Community Services Society – Senior Activity Centre (SAC), CareHuts, d’klub and Corporate Communications – and 250 Trinitarians who were involved in the ration distribution. 11 Trinitarians were part of the first local MIT in partnership with CCSS, which reached out to the needy in our community. They brought much joy and meaning to both the elderly at the SAC and the children at the CareHuts. T
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Community Development Crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
Partnering to Bring Aid May and June 2012 saw mainland China struck with episodes of heavy torrential rain that swept across 22 provinces and affected more than 60 million people. Trinity partnered with reputable missions agencies and organizations to purchase emergency supplies that helped those affected to cope. By Ivan Koh
Place: China Dates: May, Jun 2012 • • •
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31,260kg of rice distributed 1,000 quilts and 50 tents distributed 712 hygiene, family and children friendly kits distributed
“I really wanted to go back to my village and take care of my grandparents, but the roads were flooded. A man told me it was too dangerous, and stopped me from going”, says Xiao Lian. Unable to reach her family, this 13-year-old girl hoped that the situation was not as bad as she thought. When she finally got home, she saw her grandparents cleaning out the mud
that had plastered their house. The water supply network was destroyed by the floods and the whole village experienced both water and power outages. “Water from the river is not drinkable—it’s too dirty,” she says. Having no water, they collected rainwater for cooking and she had to go up to the mountain to fetch water. The floods washed
away all their crops. Their rice field collapsed in the deluge and could no longer be used. “My grandfather harvested the rice yesterday and brought home only two bags of rice,” Xiao Lian recalls. “Normally we can get twelve bags from that field,” says her grandmother, sighing. Her story is just one of the many thousands affected. Trinity may not be able to be there physically with them. However, through our partners, we supplied quilts
and tents to offer shelter and comfort against the weather’s elements. Necessities such as rice and food supplies sufficient for a month were given to the affected villagers. Besides these shelter and necessities, other practical items such as towels, soap and pails were distributed to aid the affected families to maintain hygiene and a sense of normalcy.
the affected families so that they could be assured of a shelter and better protection from future natural calamities. Many of the beneficiaries were grateful and highly appreciative of the contributions. Xiao Lian expresses her gratitude, “Thanks to your rice, we’re no longer afraid of being hungry.” T
At the same time, permanent and stronger houses were in the midst of being constructed for
(Photos from World Vision)
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Community Development Crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
To the Rescue Floods hit Padang hard on Jul 24 and Sep 12, 2012. 3,672 people were forced to evacuate from their homes. Bridges and roads were cut off and 1,150 families were isolated. Trinity partnered with reputable missions agencies and organizations to bring immediate relief. Place: Padang, Indonesia Dates: Jul, Sep, 2012 • •
150-200 families fed through public kitchen sponsored Clothes, mattresses and food distributed
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Did you know? Just because a storm is over doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. Not by a long shot. Floods can potentially increase the transmission of the following communicable diseases: • •
Water-borne diseases, such as typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis and hepatitis A Vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue and dengue fever, yellow fever, and West Nile Fever
s heavy floods inundated Padang in the Jorong Sikabu, Nagari Parit, Parit Koto Balingka sub district, and Pasbar district, 1,150 families were isolated as waters rose above two meters, cutting off roads and bridges, food supplies and clean water.
The major risk factor for outbreaks associated with flooding is the contamination of drinking-water facilities.
Together with our partners, we distributed food supplies, clean water, clothes and essential items for daily living. With people evacuated from their homes, we supplied mattresses for the community that brought relief to more than 150 families. We also started a public kitchen stocked with food and ingredients, in which the locals could come and have their meals through the day. T
The risk of outbreaks can be minimized if the risk is wellrecognized and disaster-response addresses the provision of clean water as a priority.
In Tajikistan in 1992, the flooding of sewage treatment plants led to the contamination of river water. A typhoon in Truk District, Trust Territories of the Pacific in 1971 disrupted catchment water sources and forced people to use many different sources of groundwater that were heavily contaminated with pig feces. As a result, there was an outbreak of balantidiasis, an intestinal protozoan. A cyclone and flooding in Mauritius in 1980 led to an outbreak of typhoid fever.
(source: World Health Organization - Flooding and communicable diseases fact sheet)
Community Development Non-crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
8 Houses in 4 Days Padang, a place devastated by natural disasters over the past decade has been part of Trinity’s humanitarian efforts since 2009. Last year, an MIT of six took up the challenge of distributing rations and constructing homes for the vulnerable families in Padang. By Ivan Koh
Rebuilding Padang since 2009: 2009
a Built 2 wooden houses a Cooked hot meals for 70 affected persons, for three days a Facilitated children’s programs a Distributed 30 kerosene stoves to 30 families a Distributed 35 pairs of school shoes to the children
2010 previous homes were destroyed. Additionally, the team brought food supplies to the village and provided the less privileged with food. Through the entire process, it was heartening for the members to see how their efforts impacted families and gave them hope in the form of shelter and supplies.
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our years after Padang was hit by an earthquake in 2009 and a flood in 2012, the locals are still trying to grapple with having a secure roof over their heads. Low Lum Soon, retired, recalls, “I saw many houses that were destroyed waiting to be rebuilt. Families with damaged houses had to stay with their neighbors.” Over four days of arduous labor, the team members managed to achieve their intended target of completing four houses that were able to shelter families whose
a Built 2 wooden houses a Provided and cooked meals for 40 people in the community a Facilitated children’s programs
2011
a Built 13 wooden houses a Distributed food and kitchen equipment to 102 families
Aw Chee Seng, real estate agent, says, “I had always felt inadequate and did not think that I could accomplish much, but it was life-changing for me when we completed building the houses. I’m so glad that I contributed. I’m looking forward to another trip in 2013 and this time I want my wife to join me.” Though the team from Trinity did not speak the local language, the expressions of joy and smiles from the locals communicated a sense of purpose and achievement to the team. Lum Soon summed it up best, “The smile of the house-owners after we drove in the last nail into the wall made it all worth it.” T
Place: Padang, Indonesia Dates: Feb 19-25, 2012 • • •
140 families and 20 individuals impacted 140 families fed 8 homes built 73
Community Development Non-crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
Our first Children’s home Jan 15, 2013 marks the inauguration of Trinity’s very first Children’s Home, Home of Blessings, in Chiang Mai. It all began with a God-vision birthed in Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo, “Many years ago, I was stirred by God’s compassion for underprivileged children; I knew God was calling Trinity to be that hope to the children.”
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aka’s grandfather has AIDS and his mother is on drugs. With an estranged relationship with his mother, Kaka would wander aimlessly around the village everyday, with no one to care for him - he is only five years old. Win, a six-year old boy, needed much hope. His mother met with an accident that damaged half her skull and has been hospitalized for many months. His father, a daily-waged worker who is partially blind, broke down in tears when we met him. He could not provide for Win. Last Christmas, Trinity prepared a present for every child in the Home of Blessings. Choking back tears, Win un-wrapped his gift of two sets of clothing saying, “This is the first time I have ever received a present.” Abandoned since birth, Mochi, a six-year old girl, was left in the care of her grandma when her parents separated. In the first two weeks at the Home, her tears would start flowing whenever the sun set and she would not eat. However, after she started school, she stopped crying, “I didn’t understand why I had to leave grandma, but now I know I can study here.” Mochi has even learnt how to take care of the younger ones in the Home. One day, she wrote down all the names of the children in the Home and proudly proclaimed, “They are my family.” These are some of the seven children, aged four to seven, in our Home of Blessings, They come from broken homes from five different villages of the Akha tribe in the mountains of Chiangrai. It may be a humble beginning, but it is a glimpse of fulfilling God’s heartbeat. The Home is a joint partnership between Trinity and Thailand Jitmaitree church. Together with two
house parents, Trinity's ambassadorial team, Steven and Rita Leng, and Cal-lin Neubronner, they run the Children's Home. Pastor Sandie, who has been in Thailand for 15 years, helps out occasionally. Running a Home in a foreign land is not an easy feat for the team. They face cultural nuances, “We need to be very sensitive to the different worldview and run the Home with wisdom,” Callin shares. Language is another barrier. For Steven, learning to communicate with the children has become a game of charades with them. Most of the children did not know Jesus. But through the Home’s program, the children are learning about Jesus and loving Him more every day. The children pray for one another and even memorize scriptures before their meals. Six of them have already received Jesus into their hearts. Steven shares, “Many of these kids lack a fatherfigure or parents' love. Rita and I know we can be fathers and mothers to them… They are our children.” The children may not know how to express their appreciation, but their simple gestures speak for themselves. The team shares, “Win would hold our hands and hug us. The children would ask, ‘Can you sleep next to me? Can you sit beside me?’ Or with big puppy eyes they would ask, ‘Oomph noi?’ meaning ‘Carry me?’ Out of the blue, they would come up to us and say ‘I love you’ and we, in response, wiill carry them and love them.” T
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Community Development Non-crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
God loves the little children
2009 – 166 children 2010 – 347 children 2011 – 768 children 2012 – 938 children
‘Will I have my next meal?’ is a cry of many destitute children in the world. Over the last four years, Trinity extended God’s love to 938 destitute children from Cambodia, India and Thailand. They receive sponsorship for their food, medical expenses, school fees, school uniforms, shoes, stationery, school bags - and our Christmas gifts too.
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God loves children. No child should be neglected, deprived or abused. Trinity can play a part to see them rescued from the streets and given a safe place call home. Trinitarians, thank you for making a difference in their lives!
-Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo
Home of Champions - 1 of 7 homes sponsored by Trinity.
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Blessing Bihar Bihar is a land of great spiritual dryness, a land known to have the second highest crime rate in India. Trinity partnered with TCA College Alumni, Pastor Kalyan to bring the gospel and encouragement to more than 1,000 in Bihar. By Ivan Koh
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ihar is a spiritually dry place. Due to the tremendous challenges in this place, many missionaries become very discouraged and do not want to return to work in this field. Bihar is known to many as the “missionary’s graveyard”. There are also other challenges such as the limited supply of electricity and water and the high crime rate.
on nearly met with an accident. Thank God it stopped just in time or we would have smashed into the bus in front of us. When we reached our hostel we discovered the brakes of the jeep was not working during our ride back. It was definitely God who protected us!” At the end of the day, their efforts paid off as they saw more than 1,000 people impacted and more than 270 making decisions for Christ.
Despite challenging physical conditions, the Missions Impact Team (MIT) of 12 rose to the challenge to minister God’s love to the locals. They travelled for nearly a full day by plane, train and van across uneven terrains just to minister to people that they have never met in their lives. Adeline Tang, bank manager, recalls the team’s travel experience, “On our way back to our hostel after the village ministry, the jeep we were
They also brought a smile to the 100 missionaries and church workers by blessing them with a simple meal, winter clothing and blankets. Winter clothing and blankets are essential to the missionaries as the temperature can drop to about 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Place: Bihar, India Dates: Aug 21-27, 2012 • • • •
1,158 lives impacted 270 salvations 100 church workers fed 100 sets of winter attire and blankets provided
says Candice Chong, executive technician, “Now I have no excuse not to share Christ at my workplace as I have so much more resources to tap on.” As the team departed from India, everyone in the team shared and agreed that they had grown in their personal faith. Team member, John Chia, senior manager, says, “I felt that we have risen to another level of our intimacy with God, growing in our prayer life and trusting in God’s leading in our lives”. T
In return, the team was greatly encouraged and blessed by the faith and perseverance of the missionaries. “I saw how passionate the local missionaries are through their sacrifices in serving God, some had not seen their family for many years,” 77
Community Development Non-crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
Healing Haryana The lives and hearts of more than 700 people living in the slums of Haryana, India, were illuminated by Trinity. A team of eight provided medical care to the people, played with the children and loved them with the love of God. By June Teh Place: Haryana, India Dates: May 1-7, 2012 • • •
516 children impacted 356 decisions 745 patients treated
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he Missions Impact Team (MIT) heading to the slums of Haryana, India had no experience in engaging children, but they had a passion to make a difference. They gave their best in the drama and games that they prepared really hard for. They believed that as long as they were willing, God could and would use them.
God's miraculous healing of five individuals. A lady could not touch her shoulder with the same hand due to extreme pain. But after the team prayed for her, she could. Adeline Wong, family care coordinator, was encouraged by the miracle. She says, "I witnessed God healing His people and many came to know the salvation of Christ."
Through this humanitarian outreach, 745 people living in the slums were blessed by the team. Many were amazed at
Every evening they had to conduct evangelistic programs at the numerous branches of the church and although physical and mental fatigue set in, it did not deter the team from pressing on and praying fervently, relying on God's strength to complete the race. Every individual who had been on an MIT would attest that it is indeed a tiring journey and not a bed of roses. But the joy of seeing people touched by
God and coming to know the Lord is priceless, and it kept them going. “Even though the people living in the slums had little to call their own, they still made do and survived,” says James Kwek, doctor, “There was an awful lack of medication that we could provide for the people but they were still grateful to receive whatever we could give them including vitamins. It came to a point where I knew what mattered the most was giving the hope of Christ.”
area of prayer. I’ve learnt that it’s important to always be in a posture of prayer. When called upon to pray for something, I’ve to be ready to pray. In this trip, God challenged me to pray in my Spirit every morning before leaving the hotel room. It was tough as I was physically tired but I chose to obey in faith and prayed in my Spirit. It was amazing because as I prayed; God would deposit a certain truth or passage in my heart. I was encouraged and felt the strength of God upon me every day."
Esther Lau, HR executive, reflects on the breakthroughs she experienced on this trip, "I feel that I’ve grown in the
Nancy Ang, contracts executive, recalls the satisfaction she felt after the trip, "The team obeyed and stepped out in faith and
God did the rest. I think our achievement as a team in this MIT is like the story of the boy who gave up his lunch box of bread and fish and gave it to Jesus. Jesus took the little that we individually gave and multiplied it." As the team gave of their five loaves and two fishes, God multiplied it and moved powerfully among the people. They witnessed more than 350 people making a decision for Christ through this MIT. He is indeed the Lord of the harvest! T
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Community Development Non-crisis Relief Humanitarian Works
DOCTOR’s In TOWN The five day medical MIT to Timor Leste saw 577 patients helped in three locations. Comprising of medical staff and helpers, the team of 12 spent much time on the road and crossed difficult terrains to bring help to those in the rural areas around Dili, Timor Leste. By Ivan Koh
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raveling four hours on road daily to get to the people in the rural areas, the team made an impact on the patients and became the carriers of hope to people who could not afford to travel far distances to seek help. Jason Ong, doctor, says, “We achieved the impossible! Driving in the dark and serving up to 200 villagers per day, I only see 400 patients at my clinic in a week!”
Place: Dili, Timor Leste Dates: Aug 21-25, 2012 • •
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3 medical camps set up 577 patients seen
The team members were in unison when it came to testifying of God’s providence and protection through the entire trip as they crossed treacherous mountainous roads. They too were thankful for the opportunity to be a blessing to the nations as they availed themselves. One member, Harry, nurse, declared, “It is a joy to serve others but more important is the willingness to allow myself to be used in different ways.” T
REBUILDING Lives Following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Trinity undertook humanitarian efforts to alleviate and comfort families and churches that were affected. This year, a team from Trinity partnered with Grace Garden Chapel to bless the community in Koriyama. By Ivan Koh
Place: Koriyama, Japan Dates: Jun 19-25, 2012 • • •
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pring cleaning came early for an elderly couple whose home in Japan had been devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Our team of nine pitched together and started cleaning up. “It was hard work and back-breaking but most rewarding as we saw at the end how grateful and thankful the elderly couple was by their sincere expressions, thank you speeches and warm hugs. We simply did what Jesus said to help the needy,” recalls Richard Lee, 50+ years old and the oldest on the team.
The team’s trip reached a climax when they hosted the ‘Singapore Hour’ during the Love Kids Festival in
conjunction with the local church and community groups in Koriyama. As the
110 lives impacted 2 cells visited 1 home cleaned
team cooked up Singaporean delicacies and did a Singapore workout dance, the locals thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a heart-warming experience for those present as the community accepted the church amongst them and recognized the positive impact they had brought to them. Indeed, the biggest takeaway by the team was to see how they played a part in the transformation of the community’s acceptance toward the local church. No matter how small the task was, it became powerful when the team served with all the love of Jesus Christ in their hearts. T 81
Church Development Leadership and Organizational Development
Empowering Leaders, Equipping Churches In 2012, Trinity was privileged to conduct 53 training and consultation trips in 13 countries. Our pastors braved some cold winters and gave of their time away from their “own flock” to equip churches in various nations. Here are some testimonies from the churches.
TAIWAN
Taiwan Our church has been a small church without a pastor for over 15 years. It was a very rundown church with only about 20 members. At prayer meetings we only had two to three people attending. I knew we needed a strategy to experience breakthrough and growth. I knelt down to pray for God to answer our need. Amazingly I received a mailer on “7 Steps to Transform your Church”. It was a mailer mailed to the wrong address and I got it! I knew this was God answering my prayer. I attended the conference and decided to adopt the model. I am a female pastor with no formal experience. I started to learn the model with humility. As I began putting it into practice, I realized how useful it was. After 12 months of adopting the TCC Cell Church Model, we grew to 150 people. In the last 4 years, we have multiplied to 30 carecells, with five Sectional Leaders and three Sectional Leader Trainees. People are hungry to become 82
disciples of God, and every two weeks, we would have leadership cell where over 60 leaders attend faithfully. Last Christmas (2011), each carecell member used the “Book of Life” to target their oikos to come to church and carecell. Amazingly the number of decisions during the Christmas season reached 150. Everyone was very excited. Members experienced the joy of bringing their oikos to church and a strong sense of belonging to the church. Through the discipleship process, 90% of our members are in carecells. There is a change in the atmosphere. We have been transformed into a church with a culture of discipleship. Our church is still growing. We now have more than 300 people joining our services excluding youth and children. Each year we are experiencing 25 percent growth. If our church can do it, so can yours. Pastor Qian Li Rong Ren Ai Ban Qiao
POLAND
BULGARIA
ROMANIA
Bulgaria It’s exciting to see growth in the church. Since we started our first batch of open carecells, two out of four of our carecells have multiplied in end 2012 and the other two carecells are poised to multiply in 2013. Thank you for equipping and empowering us to breakthrough! Pastor Kaloyan, Senior Pastor Breakthrough Christian Centre
USA
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Church Development Leadership and Organizational Development
JAPAN
Japan In Japan, the average size of a Protestant church is less than 30.Yet through the TCC cell model we have seen 10 new people added through the carecells and stayed on to be disicpled. Members have also been actively reaching out to their oikos. Over 40 oikos have visited our carecells and two 84
of the carecells have experienced multiplication. Thank you for taking time to walk us through the TCC cell model. Pastor Koji, Senior Pastor Tokyo Metro Church T
Preaching and Teaching More than equipping churches with the TCC Cell Model, we also conduct pastor’s conferences, prophetic conferences and evangelistic meetings around the world.
TAIWAN
ROMANIA
VIETNAM
INDONESIA
Kuala Lumpur 85
Church Development Leadership and Organizational Development
Developing Well-Rounded Christian Leaders TCA College has trained and equipped more than 1,200 students from 30 nations all over the world. Hear from these alumni as they testify of how their education in the college has adequately prepared them for the rigors of ministry. School of Counselling Before graduation, Jonathan Lee did his TCA College practicum at a Family Service Centre. His performance at the center was very professional such that he was offered a job there before he graduated in 2011.
School of Theology Eng Sam Ath was a student from Cambodia. During his time in TCA College, he not only received biblical knowledge but received much discipleship and mentoring from the various faculty members in the school.
Now a counsellor at the center, he noted that the training he received in TCA College was very relevant and in-depth which prepared him well for the actual counseling cases that he now undertakes.
After his graduation in 2006, he returned to Cambodia to serve as a pastor in an Assemblies of God church. He is now the Senior Pastor of Agape Assemblies of God in Cambodia and serves the larger body as General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Cambodia.
Jonathan, an elder in Jubliee Church, a Presbyterian church in Singapore, commented, “I must thank all the faculty members at TCA College for training and equipping us well. With humility, I see a vast difference in the areas of knowledge and clinical skills when compared to other graduates from other counseling programs.” TCA College is also a faith-based school, where strong biblical and spiritual knowledge is imparted, bringing deeper meaning to counselling. This is an extra tool he says he appreciates. Extracted from TCA President’s Speech at 2012 Graduation Service
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He credits much of his development as a leader and pastor to the years spent in TCA College. He shared that it was years of laying a good strong foundation for all that God will build in the years ahead. Extracted from TCA President’s Speech at 2012 Graduation Service
Rev Kalyan, an Indian national, began his theological education at TCA College in 1994. While studying at TCA College, he was involved in pioneer church planting work amongst the migrant Indian workers in Singapore. In partnership with various local churches, he successfully planted seven churches in Singapore. Today after fourteen years, Rev Kalyan has planted more than fifty churches in the unreached regions of India, established three Church Planters’ Training Schools in three different languages and have trained, to date, over 600 church planters. Rev Kalyan says, “The teaching at TCA College has empowered me for the missions work that I am involved in right now. The vision for church planting was ‘rekindled and fuelled’ for a greater fire. I am thankful to TCA for its impact in my life and the impetus that it has generated! Thank you, TCA!” T
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TCA College is an accredited multi-disciplinary Christian college founded by Trinity Christian Centre in 1979. The College trains and releases
all-rounded leaders to make a fresh impact in the church and marketplace.
OUR FOCUS
Life Transforming We are transformed in our thinking, values and ministry approach.
God Centred God is the centre of all that we are and everything we do.
Culturally Relevant We are positioned on the cutting edge of what God is doing.
Global Recognition, Global Partnerships • • •
Asia Theological Association Azusa Pacific University, USA Singapore Association for Counselling
Exceptional Schools, Exceptional Programmes School of Counselling Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (Recognised by Singapore Association for Counselling) Master of Arts in Counselling School of Creative Arts Continuous Learning Programme
*Specific Creative Arts Courses can be taken as part of School of Theology Bachelor & Master programmes.
Creative Arts Workshops Trainings and Consultations School of Theology 神学系 English Department Certificate in Ministry Diploma in Theology Bachelor of Theology Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies Master of Arts in Ministry Master of Divinity
中文部 Chinese Department 圣工证书科 Certificate in Ministry 神学文凭科 Diploma in Theology 神学学士 Bachelor of Theology 圣工硕士Master of Arts in Ministry 道学硕士 Master of Divinity 神学硕士 Master of Theology
School of Leadership Master of Arts in Global Leadership 249 Paya Lebar Road #03-11 Trinity@Paya Lebar Singapore 409046 Tel:6304 7602 • admin@tca.edu.sg • www.tca.edu.sg 88
Organized by School of Counselling
CHILD PROTECTION:
GUIDANCE FOR CHURCHES How do you instill values in communities to not tolerate abuse toward children? Christian leaders can be strategically placed to provide spiritual ministry, make referrals to socioeconomic aid, establish policies, and help neglected or abused children. It is crucial to be aware of the complex issues faced by these vulnerable children, and be equipped with the skills to address the various needs. This seminar aims to train and educate church pastors, leaders, professionals and volunteers who work with children and youth.
SPEAKER
Rev Dr Laurie Vervaecke is a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counsellor with the National Christian Counseling Association and a Member of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. She is the Chaplain as well as Board Member for Childhelp (Wasatch Front Chapter, USA), an organization which seeks to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children.
Ministry of Social and Family Development An official will present an update on the Child Protection Policies in Singapore and have a Q & A Session with participants.
Mon, Mar 18 9am-5pm
(registration begins at 8.30am)
Trinity@Paya Lebar, 247 Paya Lebar Road Level 3, Lecture Theatre 1 Free admission by registration only. A freewill offering will be collected.
Please call 63047602 or email admin@tca.edu.sg to register. Registration closes Mar 4.
249 Paya Lebar Road #03-11 Trinity@Paya Lebar Singapore 409046 Tel:6304 7602 • admin@tca.edu.sg • www.tca.edu.sg 89
Church Development Leadership and Organizational Development
An Unexpected Track Giving God 90 days to change my life was not on my mind. However, when God gave an invitation to journey with Him, I decided to sow my time. By Christine Poon For me, the most unexpected breakthrough was how God dealt with my inadequacies.
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was initially fearful about not being “spiritual” enough, but somehow, the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the principle of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7-8: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. By the end of my first month in AlphaTrack, I was actually enjoying myself more than I expected to. It was occasionally unnerving to have to share devotion, but I began to draw strength from the regular time spent with God every morning, and the sincere friendships formed enabled me to be real with my new-found friends. We were privileged to attend a buffet of classes conducted by the pastors where we 90
learnt more about ourselves, our faith in God and the different areas of ministry. Beyond the head knowledge gained, AlphaTrack encouraged each of us to open our lives to each other and I personally was blessed by the testimonies of what God had done in the lives of my fellow trackers. We prayed together, served one another and simply had a great deal of fun just getting to know one another within this spiritual family. While on the MIT to Iloilo, the Philippines, we witnessed a powerful move of God where we saw more than 1,000 decisions for Christ. Day after day, as we entered the presence of God and encountered Him, we began to see how He has wired each of us so uniquely for His kingdom.
Before attending AlphaTrack, I often felt I wasn’t good enough to serve Him, but during the track, the Holy Spirit kept reminding me that it was not about my abilities. It was simply obedience and willingness to let God use me. I know with certainty that God had called me to serve His purposes wherever He placed me, be it at my workplace or in church. My life after 90 days with God has never been the same again. Indeed, God cannot be mocked. If we would only sow the time and effort to know Him better, to let Him speak to us, and allow Him to mold us within our spiritual family, we will reap the spiritual blessings that God freely gives to all who seek after Him. T
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Church Development Leadership and Organizational Development
The World at our Doorstep Missions is not necessarily about crossing geographical boundaries. In Singapore, the nations are at our doorsteps! Here in Trinity, we are reaching the Filipinos, Indonesians, Japanese, Spanish-speaking and Thais. 2012 was an exciting year as we launched two new language ministries, Japanese and Spanish-speaking. JAPANESE Since its inception in July, an elderly Japanese lady, after hearing and understanding the gospel in Japanese, chose to be water baptized. A pilot visited our service and asked us to visit
and pray for his mother who was unwell in Japan. As a result of that, his mother and sister got saved and water baptized in Japan! He is now a regular in our Japanese service, learning more about God and enjoying the fellowship with fellow Japanese. SPANISH-SPEAKING Started in August with four people in a carecell, they have grown to 10 regular members. At the recent Home for
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Know someone who speaks Filipino, Indonesian, Japanese, Spanish or Thai? Invite them to our language services at Trinity@Paya Lebar! Filipino Service Sun 10am Indonesian Service Sun 10am Japanese Service 2nd & 3rd Sun, 10am Spanish Interpretation Sun, 10am Collect headsets at Level 2, Information Counter Thai Service Sun, 3pm
Christmas evangelistic event, they saw a breakthrough in evangelism where they had sixteen first-time visitors from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. People are encountering God in their native language and experiencing godly fellowship through the carecell. In 2013, they will see a number of them attending LEAD courses Introduction to the Trinity Family and Spiritual Parenting as well as getting water baptized.
Spanish-Speaking
Filipino
FILIPINO Many lives have been transformed through the Filipino celebration services, carecells and life skill courses. Among the many is Kristine who was invited by a friend to the service in June 2011. She was greatly impacted by the worship and preaching in the services and received support and encouragement from her carecell. A year later in 2012, she decided to be water baptized and subsequently became a commissioned Spiritual Parent where she now enjoys nurturing new believers and sharing Christ with others.
Thai
weeks when they went SALTing to invite people to come for the event, they managed to invite 91 people who were even willing to give them their mobile numbers. God has really brought the ministry to a new level of faith. After the event, one of the carecells doubled in number, growing from seven to 15 members! THAI No one knows a Thai better than a Thai. At their evangelistic event in 2012, they discovered a new way to reach out
to their fellow Thai people through songs. They planned a “Singing Contest” which was very effective in touching the hearts of the Thai people. Ice was broken and friendships were made. There were about 40 oikos and 12 salvations. We rejoice to hear that three of them will be getting water baptized soon! Their lives have truly been transformed by the power of God. T
INDONESIAN The Indonesian Ministry experienced open heavens with 26 first-time visitors and nine decisions at their Christmas event “Greater Purpose”. Despite a short six weeks to coordinate and practice for the event, it was one of their biggest events with an involvement of 40 of their congregants. On one of the six Indonesian 93
Church Development Evangelistic MIT
Many Firsts, and only the Beginning Trinity’s first MIT with Pastor Sam Ath, a TCA College alumni and General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Cambodia was also Trinitarian Sharon Lim’s first MIT with Trinity. Sharon Lim shares how this has led her to believe this will be the beginning of many more mission trips to come.
Place: Phnom Penh, Cambodia Dates: Feb 7- 13, 2012 • • •
1,280 lives impacted 298 decisions 2 healings
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or seven years I’ve called myself a Christian. The first few years were spent not quite understanding why some of my carecell friends could actually read their Bibles regularly, and why some others would go for missions trips. I’ve heard about missions trips for as long as I’ve been in Trinity but I never thought I’d participate in one. I conveniently believed that missions trips were for pastors, or at least, for the supremely “holy ones” among us, who would be “powerful enough” to preach the gospel to those living overseas. In February 2012, I had a most awesome experience with 11 other teammates. I 94
experienced incredible unity with teammates whom I didn’t know beforehand and learnt so much about humility and servant-leadership from each of them. It was a trip filled with many last minute surprises, but the group was spontaneous and even joyful in handling each ‘surprise’ as it came. Many times as we set off to our destination for the day, we would immerse ourselves in worship and prayer to realign ourselves with God and ask Him to refill us for another long day. We had an amazing time ministering to many children in different villages. We were granted much favor that allowed us to share about Jesus in two schools, one of
which had at least 200 children. The sight of the children raising their hands to accept Jesus as Lord and praying sincerely with eyes closed and hands clasped was most precious to me. It reminded me of how Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 to let the little children come to Him. On one particular morning, we had three hours in a slum resettlement area to do home visitation. In that span of time, the presence of God was so tangible that it led to us witness healing, salvations, baptism of the Holy Spirit, baby dedications and house dedications all in one morning!
This missions trip marked the first time I led a total stranger to repeat the Sinner's Prayer in a foreign tongue and land. It was the first time I led entire classes of children in schools to invite Jesus into their hearts as Lord and Savior. It was the first time I led a Khmer worship song and my first time praying for a total stranger to be healed. Most importantly, it was the first time I really understood what it meant to empty myself and let God move both in and through me. I learnt what it meant to be a vessel used by God to speak words of life and hope. T
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Church Development Evangelistic MIT
Giving Life through the Word Trinity made its foray into Mongolia through its first Missions Impact Team (MIT) in June 2012. Before that, Trinity has already been partnering with reputable missions agencies and organizations in Mongolia to sponsor and distribute Bibles to the needy in Mongolia. By Ivan Koh
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urchasing a Bible is beyond the means of many believers in Mongolia. Throughout the nation, a lack of Bibles has been one of the hindrances of church growth, and believers maturing in their Christian walk. Bibles are not expensive by Singaporean standards but Mongolians who have extremely low income cannot afford them. This put Bibles out of reach for many rural church members. Launched in conjunction with trusted partners, Trinity sponsored Bibles to the needy in Mongolia. Bibles were purchased and distributed to people
Darkhan City
Erdenet City
Khentii Province Ulaanbaatar City
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living in various parts of Mongolia. Among the key recipients included nomadic tribesmen living in the Khentii province and those in poverty, particularly those living in the Tolgoit Rubbish Dump. The families living in the rubbish dump are among Mongolia’s poorest and have very little possibility of ever being able to purchase a Bible. Many who received Bibles were new converts, hungry to study the Word of God and to grow deeper in their understanding of God. Receiving
their very own Bible is very much an answer to their prayers. A new convert, Oyuna explains, “I’ve trusted in Jesus for nine days. My pastor told me that I would need a Bible in order to know God better, so I started praying for a Bible. I’m very happy that my prayer has been answered.” Ganchimeg shares, “I’ve trusted in Jesus for one month. During this time I’ve had no money to buy a Bible. I’m really happy that I’ve now got the opportunity to read God’s Word.” T
Information and Photos Courtesy of Asian Outreach Mongolia 97
Church Development Evangelistic MIT
True Liberation Carecell ministry was more than just a Christian small group gathering for this team of 14 to Taiwan. They had the opportunity to minister to prison inmates and lead 15 inmates to Christ. By June Teh
Place: Qidu, Taiwan Dates: Jul 31-Aug 6, 2012 • •
74 lives impacted 55 decisions
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od opened doors for the team to touch lives and minister to the people of Qidu, Taiwan.
Amongst the numerous outreach initiatives that they had experienced – street evangelism, house blessings, cell visits, and oikos visitation – God opened doors for an unusual opportunity to minister to inmates in a local prison. Members were thrilled at this rare chance to share their testimonies and skits. Their efforts paid off when 15 out of 74 inmates they shared with gave their life to Christ. Anthony Phang shared, “It shows that when we put ourselves in the hands of the Lord, all things are possible.” This MIT was a step of faith for Miracle Pabellon, a Filipina who did not have any knowledge of Mandarin. Despite this handicap, she availed to be a vessel for God. She shares, “This trip opened my eyes to the real meaning of missions—knowing the heart of God, having the compassion to share the salvation message of Christ to others, and fulfilling the Great Commission as God commanded.” 98
In the Bible, Paul talked about being a Gentile to the Gentiles and a Jew to the Jews. Peter Leong experienced what this meant literally, “I helped an old lady sell vegetables during our street evangelism outreach. While two of my team members were SALTing the old lady’s granddaughter, I was shouting like a street stall hawker, trying to sell off as much vegetables as possible, so that I can be a blessing to her." Kenneth Tan, also shared, “At the carecell visitations, I witnessed how our carecell model and 5G’s were helping churches outside the walls of Trinity to nurture believers and disciple leaders. I felt really blessed and proud to be a Trinitarian.” T
Campus Ministry on a Mission The Campus Ministry broke new ground in June 2012 as they embarked on their first Missions Impact Team (MIT) to the Philippines. Rising up in apostolic faith, many of them took the step of faith to save up and go for their first missions trip. By Ivan Koh
Place: Iloilo, Philippines Dates: Jun 26- Jul 2, 2012 • •
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ight campus students sacrificed their holidays to partner with God on a missions trip. The team's daily efforts of street evangelism culminated in a successful campus rally at a local university. Despite some setbacks in the initial organizing of the rally, the team found favor and were allowed to proceed with the rally that saw many young adults give their lives to God. Another moment of impact was when the team partnered with the local church in their outreach program by visiting the Sunshine Kids' Club and ministered to more than 200 children. Guan Hau, first time on a MIT, shared how surprised he was to see large numbers of people receiving salvation through street evangelism. Melanie Chan, who experienced a
breakthrough in evangelism, shares, “I’ve learnt what it means to be selfless, not get caught up in my own emotions and thoughts and just let God use me as His ambassador.”
1,083 lives impacted 85 decisions
who had cigarette burns on her arm. “When I saw those marks I really wished there was something I could do to help her. I now want to continue joining MITs to help children in whatever way I can, be it just making that one day better for them, or praying for them”, says Delise. T
Apart from witnessing salvations, God gave them compassion for the lost who do not know Jesus. “God has increased my capacity to love others. I’ve often struggled with this, as I rationalized that I needed a reason to love and accept someone. This trip caused a change within me. During the times of prayer and street evangelism, God filled my heart with compassion for people I did not even know”, says Isaac Christian. Another member Delise Yang was impacted most when she met one four-year-old girl 99
A Glimpse of Trinity’s Staff Dinner 2012
We call them IT
Thumbs up!
Ever ybody da masterpiece We are God’s
nce now!
老夫老妻
Radient smile
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Master Caligrapher at work
Share your ‘Trinity moments’ with us. Send them to connect@trinity.org.sg 100
Jan 23-29 INDONESIA
Apr 16-22 INDIA
Mar 11-16 CAMBODIA
Mar 19-25 THAILAND
May 2-8
Jun 11-17
INDIA
TAIWAN
THAILAND
Jun 18-24
Jul 9-15
INDIA
INDIA
CAMBODIA
VIETNAM
MONGOLIA
JAPAN
Sep 5-11 INDONESIA
Sep 24-30 TAIWAN
Aug 20-26
Oct 8-14 CAMBODIA
THAILAND
Oct 22-28 INDIA
Nov 26-Dec 2
k Mar e thes ! s date
INDIA
Oct 29-Nov 4 THAILAND
Nov 7-13 INDIA TAIWAN
Dec 3-9 INDIA
Missions Impact Teams (MITs) 2013 Go and be a blessing to the nations! Sign up for one of these upcoming trips planned for the year. Sign up at www.trinity.net or at the Level 2 information counter. For enquiries, email tccmissions@trinity.org.sg
Information is correct at the time of print. Refer to www.trinity.net and church bulletin for latest updates. 101
78 year-old Chan Kum Yoke serves faithfully as a Celebration Host and Spiritual Parent. She also equips herself with the Word through attending LEAD courses regularly. When asked what the challenges faced in serving were, she simply says that there are none. By Diana Lim Chan Kum Yoke
What makes you serve as Celebration Host and Spiritual Parent?
Are there any challenges that you face in serving?
God is the reason. I serve Him because He loves me. Whenever I have problems, He will always answer me and help me.
No. There are no challenges. Serving is simple for me. Just be there and let God use me. I am happy when I am in God’s House serving Him.
Many years back, I had financial difficulties. I prayed and asked God to help me. After that, a long-lost relative suddenly contacted me and gave me a sum of money that belonged to my late mother. Amazingly, the sum of money was sufficient to resolve my financial difficulties, and I was in awe of God.
I am already 78 but I feel that there is no inconvenience for me at all.Each time I’ll just take a bus from Yishun, travel for an hour’s journey, and I’ll reach church.
Though I have limited capacity, but within that limitation, I am glad that I can still serve as a Celebration Host and Spiritual Parent to honor Him and be His beacon of light for others.
Even for late night events like Home for Christmas where I served as Spiritual Parent, there was no inconvenience for me. I was hospitalized in December and the doctor said I needed to go for an operation in late January. Even so, I did not experience any discomfort at all and was still able to serve as Celebration Host and Spiritual Parent in December. I thank God for every opportunity to serve Him. T
ur Trinitarian
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The
An Easter Presentation
Tabernacle The Greatest Love unveiled for Man’s Greatest Need.
FREE ADMISSION
Thu • Mar 28 • 8pm Fri • Mar 29 • 10am*, 4pm* Sat • Mar 30 • 4pm* Trinity@Paya Lebar Level 2, Sanctuary
Mandarin interpretation via headsets available. *Concurrent Children’s program available for children of ages 4-12, Level 4, Summit.
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