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Faith Journal (March 2016)

Faith Journal (March 2016)

“Wow! You’ve been with the worship ministry for so long. Don’t you get tired? Is it a burden for you?” These are questions that I get asked quite often, as I have been with the worship ministry practically ever since I joined the church in 1996, shortly after moving to Singapore. As I reflect on the past 20 years in this ministry at GBC, God indeed has been faithful. He has constantly shown us His grace in providing passionate and committed members to serve together regardless of the circumstances that He had laid before us as a church. He has also provided me with many opportunities for spiritual growth and faith lessons as I continue to serve Him in this area and learn more about the heart of God. Here are two of the most important aspects of God that I have learnt over the years which I feel have been instrumental in helping to shape and mould my heart to be more like Christ’s as I serve.

1) God is interested in the building up of the church.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

It helps me greatly to know the big picture of our ministry within the church. God wants every ministry in the church to be in the business of building it up. This has many times been my guide as I plan and choose songs, scripture passages and worship sets. Does it build the church body up? Does it edify and strengthen the faith of GBC as we worship as a corporate body? As GBC focuses on building up the community of believers this year, this verse is a poignant reminder for me to serve others and allow others to minister to me as well, as we strive towards the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Christ together.

2) God works through our weaknesses.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

This is a tough verse for me, not because it’s complicated to understand, but because it is difficult to do this practically. Everything in me wants to hide my own weaknesses and do my best as I serve. However, I realise that the more I do that, the more I am relying on my own strength, with the result that God rarely comes into the picture. It also leads me easily into disappointment and discouragement when things do not go right. I have to ask the Lord to give me a heart that is submitted to Him and that only seeks His glory, always eager to see God working His will throughout all circumstances. It is an ongoing struggle, but we must always give our best in service while at the same time depending on Him to help us give our best, so that the glory belongs to Him.

As we approach Good Friday and Easter, let us remember that it is Christ who paid the ultimate price to redeem us, His church, from the clutches of death. It is a debt which we can never repay. That is why Paul writes in Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” Indeed, we are to serve Christ, by loving and serving the church and building it up. Let us not lose heart and always seek His glory, so that we will attain the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Christ, mature and filled to the measure of the fullness of Christ when we meet Him face to face on that glorious Day.

 

Lup Meng