What in the world is God waiting for?
"On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat. But the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little life-saving station grew.
Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building.
Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it as sort of a club. Fewer members were now interesting in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a lliturgical lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held.
About this time, a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads on cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick and some had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities, as it was unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. So they did just that.
As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another 'spin-off' life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown."
The above was a story that i got from this book i'm reading called "what in the world is God waiting for?" and as i continued to read, i realised that the author meant us to at the end come to the point and ask "what in the world am I waiting for?"
The Church cannot lose it's fundamental purpose for existence, and that is to share the love of Christ with all nations. The moment we lose our fundamental purpose for existence, we will just be like the original life-saving station in the story; we'll just be a social club.
Someone aptly once said that the Church is the only club that was invented for the benefit of the non-members. Let the Church go back to its fundamental roots of disciple-making and we will see lives changed, churches revived, a nation transformed and a world evangelized. For without the coming together of the Word and Spirit, we will not see the revival for which we hunger.
Matt 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The call isn't just to GO, the call is to GO MAKE DISCIPLES. Am i ready? Are you ready?
Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building.
Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it as sort of a club. Fewer members were now interesting in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in this club's decoration, and there was a lliturgical lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held.
About this time, a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads on cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick and some had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities, as it was unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. So they did just that.
As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another 'spin-off' life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown."
The above was a story that i got from this book i'm reading called "what in the world is God waiting for?" and as i continued to read, i realised that the author meant us to at the end come to the point and ask "what in the world am I waiting for?"
The Church cannot lose it's fundamental purpose for existence, and that is to share the love of Christ with all nations. The moment we lose our fundamental purpose for existence, we will just be like the original life-saving station in the story; we'll just be a social club.
Someone aptly once said that the Church is the only club that was invented for the benefit of the non-members. Let the Church go back to its fundamental roots of disciple-making and we will see lives changed, churches revived, a nation transformed and a world evangelized. For without the coming together of the Word and Spirit, we will not see the revival for which we hunger.
Matt 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The call isn't just to GO, the call is to GO MAKE DISCIPLES. Am i ready? Are you ready?
A tie and fantastic bookmark from ruth, a church friend. I'll have many future use for it..in fact i tynk i can already use it for church dinner in september!
SKS bookstore vouchers!! This is 1 of my favourite gifts, because SKS bookstore is 1 of my favourite bookstores of all time. I spend about $50 a month buying books from there...So a very very fitting gift! The thing is, this place is a christian bookstore and is located at a super ulu place, yet they went and got this for me. And Even photostat the voucher onto a harder piece of paper so that i can keep a replica as a souvenior of the gift i received...from: Limin and Eexuan (and Limin's bf!)
Another fantastic gift from my class. Thanks for this wonderful gift coz my handphone is really ancient and ah pek already! From 15 pple. zixu, jasmine, valerie, seok fun, fiona, boon cheng, melisa, meiling, xu cen, zhenjie, wee boon, jianhong, sengkiat, cheekeong, junyuan
Wow!! 1 of only 2 people who acknowledged that i'm a genius. haha another great gift..TECMAN, 2nd favourite bookstore in singapore, and i also love frequenting this place! thanks for the vouchers and the card, Felicia, my cell group friend. I love your note especially, very touched.
5 birthday cards that i received...from My aunt Constance and family (blue card). This card is hilarious, it reads, on your birthday...ones that make you LAUGH, or ones full of MONEY. And inside is really a red packet with alot of money...SHOCKED! Card on top left is from shawna huimin gary, Red card is from fiona norman agnes, green ducky card is from my Aunt Helen, and last card below is from Valerie. I love this card the most. So simple and nice. Very nice message inside too.
3 CDs from jieqiang who is also from my cell group! Fantastic man...i love cds with christian songs...FaceDOWN by MATT REDMAN, and the other 2 is SAXCHILL and PIANOCHILL. nice.
All my ang pows...i shall not disclose how much i got...haha but yea mostly from all my aunts and uncles and grandparents.
Another shocking and totally unexpected gift...Barney coin bank from fiona norman and agnes...inside is a whopping amount of $$.
Chocolates and a tissue box again from Aunt Helen, wah she got me many things. And she said that the tweety looks like me. What did i say about me being cute? haha
My guestbook! A present given to me by janie. And in it, is recorded all the well-wishes of all my friends and relatives, my parents and all the funny stuff also...hahaha makes me wanna laugh just reading it..hee...
Zara long sleeve shirt from my army ocs pals, mark shiwei serhwee and weize...thanks guys..hope your tummies are feeling better!