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Kong Hee
Friday December 4, 2009
| I have been fasting regularly since 1986. In the early days, I would fast once a week for 24 hours, from 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. on Thursday. However, since 2004, I have been going on 21-day full fasts once every 6 months. Once, in 2007, I fasted for 40 days. | | Many people have asked me, “Kong, why do you fast so often?” This blog is dedicated to that question. There are many wonderful benefits of fasting: | | 1. | Biological: The physical benefits fasting has toward the body have been so well documented that even non-Christians these days fast regularly for better health. According to World Health Net, a study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, shows that regular fasting can reduce risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, insulin resistance, immune disorders, and more generally, the slowing of the aging process, and the potential to increase maximum life span. | | | In Japan, “fasting clubs” are now in vogue. A June 16, 2003, issue of Newsweek states that “for decades Japanese doctors have treated obesity, diabetes and some psychiatric illnesses with fasting.” | | During a fast, the body takes the opportunity to eliminate a lot of toxins (harmful substances) that have been built up over the years. The toxins are predominantly stored in fat and mucous cells. The body is “resetting” itself. A common detoxification reaction is headaches. This occurs because the toxins in the blood cause it to thicken and hence cause a headache. A simple remedy is to drink more water or have a bowel movement. In fact, a three-day fast has been used as a standard means of detox recommended by nutritionists the world over. | | 
| | In America, it is now common to have a 28-day detox program. Books such as Get Healthy Through Detox and Fasting: How to Revitalize Your Body in 28 Days by Don Colbert, and New Again! The 28-Day Detox Plan for Body and Soul by Anna Selby, describe detoxification plans which remove harmful toxins from the body and revitalize it. | | 2. | Spiritual: There are a number of very good reasons why we Christians should fast: | | a. Breaking the power of the carnal flesh. Our fallen nature is so tightly linked to the physical appetites of our human body. The more inordinately we yield to our physical drives (such as hunger, sleep, sex), the more we embolden the carnal nature of our undisciplined flesh. Apostle Paul himself was fully aware of the power of the flesh, and constantly disciplined his body “to bring it into subjection” (1 Cor. 9:27). One of the ways he did this was “in fastings often.” (2 Cor. 11:27). As I deprive my body of its craving for food, I am taming my flesh and bringing it into subjection to my spirit. By the end of my fasting period, I often find myself more spiritual, more heavenly minded, more in tune with God, and more sensitive to His voice. In fact, the Scripture records that the reason the church leaders of Antioch were so sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, concerning His plan to reach the Gentile world, was a direct result of prayer and fasting (Acts 13:2). | | b. Self-humbling before the Lord. This is the reason why the saints in the Bible fast (Ps. 35:13). They were reminding themselves that they were weak in their own human strength to achieve the big visions and goals that God had set before them. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). Therefore if our God-ordained dream is going to happen, it must be by a supernatural work of the Lord. | | Fasting heightens that awareness. When I fast, I feel so weak in myself. I can’t workout in the gym. I can’t run five km (three miles) each day. After every service during my 21-day fasting season, I often felt like “crashing.” I would then cry out to the Lord, “Jesus, I can’t do it, please help me by the power of Your Holy Spirit!” God will always give grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). | | c. Increasing the anointing level. Jesus says that certain demons can’t be expelled except by prayer and fasting (Matt.17:21). Last month at the Kuala Lumpur Emerge (our annual youth conference in Malaysia), many commented that the preaching of the Word and the ministry time were some of the best they have ever had. Honestly, I didn’t feel any different. In fact, I felt I didn’t preach too well in a couple of the sessions because I was tired due to my long fast. However, many attendees sent me text messages and emails to say that their lives were so impacted and irrevocably changed. As I reflect on this, I can clearly see that God Himself was doing the work. He had so anointed my voice and let His power flow freely through the laying on of my hands. The presence and power of God made a huge difference in my time at KL. | | 3. | Revival & Church Growth: In the Bible, whenever the people of God stopped fasting, they became dull and complacent. However, when a fast was decreed, the whole nation underwent revival and deliverance (2 Chr. 20:3-25; Esther 4:16; Ezra 8:21; Jonah 3:5-10). Last month, I fasted and prayed for three specific purposes: (1) 30 percent growth in every pastoral zone, (2) CHC to get its 10,000-seat arena in the city, and (3) my wife Sun to excel in her American singing career. Fasting greatly adds spiritual momentum to my prayer and faith. | What to Do When You Fast? - If you have a sickness, if you are pregnant, or if you are a nursing mother, please don’t fast.
- If you have a history of weak health, please seek medical advice beforehand if you want to fast.
- If you are on regular medication, please consult a doctor before you fast.
- If you can’t fast throughout the week, just go for a three-day fast. But please don’t fast intermittently (stopping a few meals, eating a few meal) as this will affect the rhythm of your gastric flow and may hurt your body. Once you start fasting, don’t eat until you have finished the fast.
- You must drink a lot of water when you fast. Be careful of juices and beverages (such as, coffee) that may give you gastric problems because of the acids they contain. For some people, milk may result in a lot of gas. Yoghurt may cause stomach rumblings, and is generally considered food. The best is electrolytes like 100-Plus, H-2-0, Pocari, et cetera. You need the minerals contained in them during a fast. Drinking clear soup in moderation is good when you need extra energy for work or ministry.
- Don’t do anything strenuous like run 10 km, house-moving, dance performances, etc. Adopt a commonsense approach to fasting.
- Brush your teeth often as you will tend to have bad breath (again, due to the release of toxins). I normally carry a toothbrush and toothpaste everywhere I go when I am fasting.
- Most of all, when you fast, try to start or end the day with a time of deep personal devotion and prayer. Fasting must go with prayer. Otherwise, it is just dieting or a “hunger strike.”
| | How to Break a Fast? | | After fasting, always begin with a light meal, even if you have fasted for only a short period of time. Don’t begin with anything too greasy, fatty or heavy. | | The next thing to keep in mind is that the longer the fast, the more gradual it takes to break it. Somebody has said that you must take as long a time to break your fast as you do the period of fasting. When you have fasted for a long time (over three weeks), your stomach becomes like that of a baby’s. Feed yourself after that fast as you would a baby. It may take up to a week to get back to consuming normal food. | | When you are in a fast, you usually don’t feel so hungry after the first three days. However, when you start to eat again, your hunger comes back. That is when you must really hold on to yourself. Exercise self-control. Fasting causes your stomach to contract. It is unwise to expand it again to the same extent. Fasting is a great way to change our eating habits, which many of us need to do. However, if you are planning to slim down or reduce your weight, fasting alone will not do that normally. You will get a few kilos off, but you will put them on just as quickly unless you combine it with a changed program of eating and exercise. |
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| | Posted by konghee at 1:29 AM - | |
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Thursday November 26, 2009
| Recently I was
invited to speak at an Indonesian church an hour outside of Jakarta.
The senior pastor was diagnosed with liver cancer a year earlier. The
doctors attending to him explored the possibility of a liver
transplant. After much effort, the money needed for the operation was
raised and a liver donor was found. On the eve of the surgery, as the
doctors were doing a final pre-op examination, they discovered that the
cancer had spread throughout his body. It was now too late to do a
liver transplant and the procedure was called off. The pastor and his
family were devastated by this unexpected turn of events. Upon hearing
the news, the assistant pastor was so grief-stricken that the next day,
he suddenly collapsed in the middle of the church service and died.
Forty days later, the senior pastor passed away. Without any clergy in
this fledgling church, the housewifely widow of the senior pastor had
to conduct the funeral service on her own. Some finger-pointing members
started questioning if the untimely deaths of the top leadership were
due to divine retribution, or whether the church was cursed. Over the
next few months, attendance began to dwindle. As I ministered in the
church, I could sense an unspoken question in the air—why do bad things happen to good people? |
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| There are many wonderful
blessings that come with belonging to the Faith/Charismatic circle: the
belief in signs and wonders, divine healing and health, success and
financial prosperity, living a life of influence and purpose, et
cetera. However, one area that most Charismatics do not handle too well
is the issue of suffering. The prevalent reasoning is that if God is a
good, healing, delivering God, whose desire is only to protect and
bless His children, then a Christian should not have to suffer. And if
a believer does suffer, then there must be something wrong with his/her
life or faith. As such, it is not uncommon to hear prominent
Faith/Charismatic ministers making rhetorical statements like, “Our
heavenly Father will never allow Christians to suffer. I reject
sufferings and claim only God’s blessings!” |
| When this kind of simplistic thinking
is embraced, it can make a person judgmental and mean-spirited. If one
is faced with an incurable disease or experiences a tragic accident, it
must be the result of an unconfessed sin, a generational curse, or that
God is giving up on that person. It is a judgment from God, a divine
retribution. |
| Years ago, one of my Bible college
classmates died unexpectedly. Instead of consoling and comforting her
father, who was a minister in the Assemblies of God, some Christians
wrote accusatory letters condemning him of being the cause of his
daughter’s untimely death. They speculated the existence of secret,
unconfessed sins that had resulted in this “divine punishment.”
Otherwise, it must have been his “lack of faith” that failed to raise
that girl from the dead. |
| Shortly after Seow-How and Cecilia
co-founded Heart of God Church in 1999, there was a terrible accident
that took place outside of their church premises one Sunday. Two
teenage members were walking across the road when a sleepy bus driver
rammed into them. One of them died on the spot, the other died in the
hospital hours later. It was a heart-wrenching tragedy for this very
young church and its congregation. One lady from a local Charismatic
church berated Seow-How and Cecilia, saying that the church had been
divinely cursed. How else could they explain the unexpected death of
the two teenagers? If God’s blessing was on the congregation, there
should never have been any form of suffering. |
| In an overly simplistic view on suffering, the logic usually goes like this: |
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If you are good, there will be no suffering for you.
If you are bad, you will suffer.
So if there is suffering, then you must be bad, cursed and judged!
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| If this line of reasoning is true,
then what about Jesus Christ, the apostles and all the heroes of faith?
They all suffered greatly for the gospel. Obviously the
“suffering-means-accursed” logic espoused by many is greatly flawed. I
feel strongly that we need to re-look the whole concept of suffering,
especially through the life of Job, a man who went through an
unparalleled magnitude of suffering. |
| The Scripture introduces Job as someone who was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job
1:1). In fact, Job’s morality was so legendary that he was listed twice
as one of the three most righteous men in the Old Testament (Ezek.
14:14, 20). He was a spiritually mature man, not a novice in the things
of God. |
| Job was blessed with seven sons and
three daughters, all grown up with their own families and homes. He was
incredibly wealthy with thousands of livestock. His ownership of 3,000
camels meant that he ran the largest transportation business in the
region during his time. The sheer number of his sheep, camels, oxen and
donkeys meant that Job also owned a lot of farmlands for the animals to
graze on. Without a doubt, he “was the greatest of all the people of the East” (1:3), a man professionally respected by all. |
| Beyond his material success, Job was
a caring father to his children. Like the patriarchs, he functioned as
a priest over his family. He took his sacrificial obligation seriously,
viewing it as expiation for sin. To Job this included even sins of the
heart, for he made special offerings just in case his sons had secretly
cursed God (1:5). Even God Himself acknowledged that there was not a
better man than Job in his day (1:8). If ever there was an outstanding
man, it was Job. Yet, very bad things happened to him. |
| In one day, severe calamities befell
him and his household. Out of nowhere bandits came and pillaged all his
oxen and donkeys, murdering all his farmhands in the process (1:15).
Then a lightning bolt came out of the sky causing a forest fire, and
all his 7,000 sheep and herdsmen were burned alive (1:16). At the same
time, robbers came in three raids and took away his 3,000 camels and
slew all their handlers (1:17). And before the dust could settle, a
freak storm struck the house wherein his ten children were dining. The
roof fell on them and they all died instantly (1:19). Within 24 hours,
Job lost his entire business and family. Without anyone to help him,
this 70-year-old elderly man had to bury all his children by himself. |
| As if what happened was not bad
enough, Job now became very sick. His body was inflamed with ulcerous
sores (2:7). Bible scholars believe that he had a severe case of
elephantiasis, an illness that causes swelling and the disfiguration of
face, causing him to be unrecognizable (2:12). He began to lose
appetite and spiraled into depression (3:24-25). His body was covered
with scabs oozing out pus and there were worms crawling all over him
(7:5). He developed difficulty breathing (9:18), darkening of the
eyelid (16:16), severe weight loss (19:20) as well as continual pain
and anxiety (30:27). The high fever and blackened skin (30:30)
indicated that he was probably having some form of kidney or liver
failure. For the next nine months, Job was in constant delirium. |
| Because he was totally bankrupt, Job
was now living at the city dump where they burned garbage and human
excrements. He was the absolute personification of misery. The richest
man in the East was reduced to nothing. He was now a social
outcast—shamed, disgraced, rejected and despised by all. Very bad
things happened to this very good man! |
| It is never easy for anyone to go
through difficult times and tough situations. However, when terrible
things happen to us, here are a few things we need to bear in mind: |
| 1. |
Know that God is not angry with you. Job was an extremely righteous man, yet he suffered like no one else. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” The apostle Paul, who himself is no stranger to suffering, says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2
Tim. 3:12). You could be going through a hard time because you have
been righteous and godly. So do not condemn yourself or think that God
is displeased with you. |
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By the way, the word
“afflictions” also means physical suffering and mental anguish. With
all my heart, I fully believe in divine healing (Mark 16:17-18).
However, I also submit to the sovereignty of God in any given
situation. Like Job, many great men of faith (with strong healing
ministries) have themselves been afflicted with terrible illnesses.
Elisha the miracle worker died of a terminal sickness (2 Kin. 13:14).
The apostle Paul was said to have had an incurable disease (2 Cor.
12:7). Epaphroditus was so sick he almost died (Phil. 2:27). Billy
Graham and Yonggi Cho are both diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Reinhard Bonkke struggled with prostate cancer a few years ago. Casey
Treat was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 2003. A week ago, on November
22, megachurch pastor Billy Joe Daughterty succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma and passed away. All these ministers are godly men of faith,
with impeccable integrity, but have themselves been suffering with
severe illnesses. The next time you see someone who is sick, please do
not be quick to judge him/her for having little faith. We do live in a
fallen world with imperfect bodies. |
| 2. |
Realize that you are in a spiritual warfare. The
Bible makes it very clear that the source of Job’s suffering was Satan
the devil. He has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Through
tragedies and calamities, Satan constantly seeks to tempt us to reject
God, to “curse Him to His face” (Job 1:11). When you are faced with
hard times, do not get mad with God. It is not His fault. |
| 3. |
Believe that God is ultimately in control. To
touch Job’s possessions, family and health, Satan needed permission
from God (1:12; 2:6). We can be assured of this one thing: nothing can
ever happen to us without His permission. As a good God, He never
enjoys seeing His people suffer. Yet sometimes, He allows bad
things to happen to bring about a deeper change in us. In the case of
Job, Satan may have thought that he was provoking God; but really, God
was simply using Satan to complete His own perfecting work in Job. |
| 4. |
Offer up the sacrifice of praise. Despite being grief-stricken, Job “fell to the ground and worshiped,” acknowledging
God’s sovereignty over his life to give and take away (1:20-21). Even
when he was made bankrupt and saw the irrational death of his ten
children, never once did he “sin nor charge God with wrong” (1:22). Job’s trust in God’s goodness was astounding. |
| 5. |
Understand that God is seeking to make you better. God
is more interested in our character than our comfort. He is a very
purposeful God and never arbitrary in His treatment concerning us. That
is why when we do not see His hand, we must learn to trust His heart.
If not, we will become confused, resentful and bitter. That is
precisely why we need faith in our walk with Him. The silence of God
will make you wonder if He even cares, but He does. The silence of God
will make you wonder if He is even there, but He is. Faith is never for
the good times, it is always for the difficult times. |
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One cannot appreciate
Job’s love for God unless one understands Job 29, which is a
description of Job’s life before the tragedies befell him. Way back
then, the counsel of God was already a lamp unto his feet and a light
unto his path (29:1-3; Ps. 119:105). He was walking in revelation. By
Job’s own admission, he considered himself as one who had already
“arrived” at advanced spiritual growth and maturity: “I was in the days of my prime” (Job 29:4). He was living with great material abundance and God’s presence (29:6). |
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When he spoke, everybody listened. Job was the “eyes to the blind,” the “feet to the lame,” the “father to the poor,” the
provider to widows, and the defender of justice. The people loved,
admired and looked up to him. He was their guide, commander and king.
Really, there was nothing more for Job to achieve. He had done it all!
He was living the dream! |
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I know that for most
Christian businesspeople or “kingdom professionals,” this is the kind
of life we all aspire to live—blessed with wealth, a great family life,
and status in society. We desire to be the head and not the tail, above
and not beneath, and at the same time, a spiritual leader that everyone
looks up to in the church and community. Yet as far as God was
concerned, Job was not completely mature. There were many
inner struggles he had that nobody knew of. For one, Job never felt
safe or secure in life in spite of all his achievements. He had a lot
of restlessness and anxieties in his soul (3:25-26). |
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Here was a man who knew
and sensed God, but never had real, deep, life-changing encounters with
God. He had heard from God, but had never seen the Lord (42:5).
Although he loved God with all his heart, he had not yet reached the
point of total abandonment toward Him. Job is like the Christian who has not come to a place where he can say, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21), or “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). |
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Job was successful,
spiritual and blameless, but he was not broken unto the Lord. He felt
he had “arrived” (materially, parentally, socially, spiritually), but
he was terribly deceived—a victim of his own illusion. God wanted to
change that in him. In His sovereign wisdom, the only way to break Job
was to take him through a period of abject suffering. |
| 6. |
Develop the capacity to obediently endure.
This is the key purpose of all God-ordained sufferings. James 5:11
exhorts us to experience and learn the “perseverance of Job.”
Perseverance is the “capacity to endure,” which is critical to our
maturity and destiny. Very often, when we are exposed to certain viral
sicknesses (for example, chicken pox), our body develops immunity
against it thereafter. Similarly, while suffering does not originate
from God, He allows it to build in us the spiritual capacity to handle
intense pain and stress, and an immunity toward discouragement and
depression. |
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Romans 5:3-4 says that “we
also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces
perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” No
one in the right mind will ever wish for suffering.We do not rejoice in
suffering unless we know there is something greater that God has
purposed in our lives. God’s ultimate purpose of putting us through
crisis, heartbreaks, misunderstanding and persecution is so that we
develop perseverance (the capacity to endure), character (moral
strength) and hope (a positive outlook of life). |
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How great a life do you
want to live? Well, how much pressure are you able to take? When Job
lost all his wealth and ten children, and his resentful wife blamed
God, he was able to keep on worshiping Him. When his physical body was
suffering from sores, swellings and multiple organ failures, and when
his psychological state of mind was in severe depression, Job was able
to keep trusting God. His capacity for pressure was amazing. Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). Trusting God is when you do not need an explanation from Him for whatever is happening in your life. |
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When his three friends
(Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) turned against him and persecuted him,
telling him that his predicament was a punishment from God for his sin,
Job held on to his faith: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). |
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Even Jesus Christ went through sufferings to “learn obedience” as a Son (Heb. 5:8). Obedient endurance is the crowning mark of maturity.
When you can obey the will of God even in the midst of crisis,
heartbreaks, misunderstanding and persecution, you have become truly
mature. |
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Sufferings refine our faith in God like nothing else will. That is why the Scripture encourages us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James
1:2-3). As your capacity for endurance grows, and you can keep on
obeying the will of God in spite of stress, hardships, criticisms and
pain, you will become “perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:4). |
| 7. |
Get ready for the double portion. Suffering is a prerequisite for sonship. Only true sons inherit the Father’s estate. Jesus was willing to suffer and become “obedient
to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also
has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in
heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-11). Jesus Christ, the true Son of God,
became the heir of all things and inherited His Father’s estate. It is
the same for us: “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). This is what obedient endurance does: giving us the sonship to inherit the double portion. |
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Ultimately, God’s
purpose of Job’s suffering was to qualify him for the double portion.
True enough, God doubled all his possessions. He was blessed with
14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, and 1,000 donkeys (42:10-12).
He was blessed with ten other children (42:13-14). God then doubled his
length of days by adding another 140 years (70 x 2) to his life.
Moreover, Job became God’s example of obedient perseverance for all
eternity. |
| Like Job, it
is one thing to be blameless but quite another to be broken unto the
Lord. True maturity is the absolute abandonment to God and His will.
When there is no capacity for obedient endurance, we are not yet ready
for the double portion. If you are going through a period of intense
suffering, wisely do everything you possibly can to overcome it. And
having done all, hold on steady and stand before the Lord in faith
(Eph. 6:13). Obediently endure through the fire, trial, pain,
disappointment, sickness, financial lack and persecution by faith. God
is working out something beautiful in your life. | |
| | Posted by konghee at 3:29 AM - | |
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Thursday September 24, 2009
| In 2007, my wife Sun
released a music video of the hit single, “China Wine,” the result of a
creative collaboration with reggae wunderkind, Wyclef Jean. That video
garnered a lot of attention on YouTube with more than two million hits
over two dozen fan sites. It received rave reviews from industry
insiders as well as youths who love dance pop the world over. Not
surprisingly, the video also raised quite a few eyebrows within the
religious fraternity who felt it was inappropriate for a Christian to
be featured in a dance video. |
|
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| Although Sun is married to
me, she herself was never formally ordained as a minister. She never
felt gifted with a pulpit ministry. But ever since Sun was a child, she
had participated in many singing contests and won quite a few of them.
As a preacher’s wife, Sun functioned faithfully from behind-the-scenes
as my helpmate, becoming an effective counselor and a singer in the
church. |
| At the turn of the millennium, as I
began formulating my doctrine on the Cultural Mandate, challenging my
generation to come out of isolation and engage the marketplace, I urged
Sun to help me embody that message. In 2002, she launched her new
career in Taiwan as a pop singer. Since then, she has done very well
with more than four million units sold, five multi-platinum records,
and over 30 number one songs in five different countries. Today, she is
known in the Far East as a bona fide singer, entertainer and
humanitarian. |
| From her royalties, Sun has built
eight schools, two orphanages, two medical centers, one rehabilitation
clinic, and two housing projects. Through her connections, she has
helped with the establishing and fund-raising of four other orphanages,
two hospitals, two community services, and one charity foundation. For
all these humanitarian achievements, Sun was awarded the Top
Outstanding Young Person of the World in 2003, and became China’s
Charity Ambassador of Children since 2004. In 2007, she sang the theme
song for the Special Olympics at Shanghai. Last year, she sang the 2008
Olympic Anthem during the pre-game launch at Beijing. The unchurched
throughout Asia loves Sun and views her as an exemplary model to the
youths of society. |
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| Yet, in spite of all her secular and
creative achievements, many conservative pastors find it hard to accept
Sun in any role outside of church ministry. But the reality is that she
is no longer a church staff or a gospel singer. She doesn’t work for
any religious organization. |
| As a professional artist, Sun has to
take on many dramatic stage personas. This is what entertainers do. In
the “China Wine” video, she happens to be acting in one such role.
Fiction must be separated from fact. I think the struggle many pastors
have is the difficulty to separate her association with me (as a
pastor’ wife) and her career as a singer. I agree that if she is a
“pastor” or “preacher,” perhaps the video would have been
inappropriate. But Sun is not a pastor. She is an entertainer. All her
music videos were not produced by the church but by her secular music
label, the company that she is working for. |
| “China Wine” is a music video about a
girl who has to take up an extra job at a nightclub to make ends meet
for her family. Some pastors immediately took offense at the club scene
and sexy dancers around her. As for her costumes, she wore gym clothes
which was not inappropriate for the set she had to act in. At the end
of the music video, she caught her boyfriend cheating on her in the
night club and confronted him in Mandarin. If you understand what she
said, her words were neither crude nor profane at all. She basically
shouted at the guy, “Hey, what are you doing with this mistress?”
Unfortunately, the video translator subtitled that as “Hey, what are
you doing with this b****?” That final b-word caused a further uproar
among pastors, who were quick to condemn her for uttering profanities.
A few of them wrote me angry emails calling Sun a “whore,” “hooker,”
and other nastier, derogatory terms. Some said she was promoting free
sex and immorality. But any intelligent, objective viewer would know
that the whole drama is not about sex; if anything, it portrays the
reality of a fallen secular world. |
| All these storms in a tea cup set me thinking of a bigger question: Are Christians living a sanitized life?
Why have “Christian” productions been so ineffective in their reach to
the unchurched, to the extent that even believers are not interested in
their products? |
| In his book, Eyes Wide Open: Looking For God in Popular Culture,
author William D. Romanowski talks about a 1993 survey, which reported
that over 80 percent of all churchgoing Christians regularly go to the
movies. When they were asked what they thought about Christian films,
TV productions and Christian Contemporary Music, this was what they
said: |
| 1. |
Christian popular arts are inferior imitations as compared to mainstream culture.
To many, Christian music is substandard guitar pop and happy-clappy
lyrics about Jesus. This is not surprising as many Christian artists
feel that their main job is to preach the gospel and proclaim the
faith. As such, artistic quality or creativity is not so important. But
what they forget is that when people go to a movie or buy an album,
their first desire is to be entertained. If they want to be preached
to, they would have gone to church. |
| 2. |
Christian popular arts are unrealistic, sanitized versions of the real world. Some reviewers even use the phrase “wholesome shallowness”
to describe them. Christian entertainment has come to mean movies and
music appropriate for “family-only” audiences. That basically means
kids-oriented programs or old-time TV reruns for senior citizens. Are
Christians that naive and immature, living in a perpetual time warp of
a bygone era, that we can’t handle the realities of the 21st century? |
|
As early as 1916, Hollywood had already discovered that 60 percent of theater owners wanted pictures that portray the real world—even
if they contained themes on violence, sex and greed. This is because
moviegoers want films that honestly and artistically address the issues
of life. |
| 3. |
Christian popular arts are limited in content and purpose.
If you listen to most CCM, you would think that all Christians do is
worship and evangelize 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But people in
general, Christians and non-Christians alike, don’t want to be preached
to 24/7. They want a pop culture that is fun, entertaining, artistic
and innovative. They are also concerned with the issues of life—and
they enjoy it when those themes are addressed with artistic flair. |
| Everybody knows the
trials and temptations of daily living. We are not immune to problems
and tensions. We are all concerned about love and relationship, life
and health, career and finances, the global economy and politics, war
and peace, and our future. We are all trying to understand why things
happen the way they do and how we can live our lives properly. Pop
culture helps us to navigate through all that. |
| People get inspired and
moved by U2, the biggest band in the world today. Their music captures
a sense of religious longing and the struggle of living in a world torn
by war, injustice and poverty. They enjoy movies like The Matrix, which speaks of an invisible world behind our natural world. They are moved by Schindler’s List
(rated R) which touches on courage, sacrifice, and overcoming racism.
CHC member, Jack Neo, is arguably the best movie director in Southeast
Asia. His films, I Not Stupid I and I Not Stupid II, were box office hits because they realistically deal with the pressures of the rat-race in Asian societies. |
| Listeners and viewers cry
buckets over these powerful songs and films. They may be secular, but
people get touched by such productions more so than most Christian
ones. If Christian pop culture is artistically inferior,
unrealistically sanitized, and limited in content and purpose, is there
any surprise that surveys regularly show that even churchgoers are not
excited about them? No wonder Christian artists have such a difficult
time selling their products beyond small book tables in churches. |
The beautiful truth is that God is not against pop culture.
There is a section of the Old Testament known as “The Writings,”
covering books like Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Song of Solomon,
Ecclesiastes and Lamentations. Honestly, aren’t they the popular songs,
dramas and musicals of biblical times?
- Psalms are songs of frustration, regret and anger, yet sung with
love to a sometimes hidden God. Aren’t they like most tracks on the Billboard Chart?
- Job deals with the sufferings of life, and the desire to find meaning through them. Isn’t it like the Hollywood hit movie, Forest Gump, or the long-running Korean serial drama, Jewel In The Place?
- Proverbs deal with the danger of shortcuts, the snares of
temptation, and the rewards of honesty. Aren’t they just like the
cartoon series, The Simpsons?
- The Song of Solomon is about the obsession with love and the
sensual. Just turn on any pop radio and we have our modern-day Song of
Solomon being broadcasted 24/7.
- Ecclesiastes deal with the weariness of daily living in an imperfect world. Isn’t that portrayed in movies like Signs and The Pianist?
- Lamentations deal with grief. When one listens to most of Eric Clapton’s songs, aren’t they all about the dealing with grief?
|
| Like the Old Testament
writings themselves, pop culture is the collective wisdom of our
generation. Popular arts explore social injustice, songs of sorrow, and
even tributes to women. Like the Book of Esther, they may not even
mention the name of God. Like Ecclesiastes, they suggest that in this
life, bad things do happen to good people. Or like the Song of Solomon,
they may celebrate romance and sex. These songs and movies may not have
a salvational purpose, but nonetheless, they offer us the essential
comfort and wisdom for living. As such, pop culture represents a powerful means of communicating to us what the real world is like, and how to live in it. |
| We are all products of
our personal theological persuasions and convictions. Pop culture
affects the lifestyles of the masses. Venturing into the realm of
secular culture is certainly not for the weak or the fainthearted. What
Sun is seeking to do is to show us how to be a modern-day Daniel or
Joseph to our contemporary Babylon and Egypt. Daniel took on Babylon’s
language, education, fashion, name and persona, and yet he didn’t
compromise his own value system. According to the New Bible Commentary,
Joseph was thoroughly “Egyptianized,” and yet he lived a great life of
purpose. Esther, the super celebrity, was also similar. Sun simply
wants to emulate these heroes of faith. |
| Can you
remember John the Baptist questioning the authenticity of Jesus’
ministry when he heard about the latter’s working style? Jesus had
become widely known as a friend of sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes
and drunkards. He was even seen going to parties and events that the
Pharisees themselves wouldn’t set foot in. John the Baptist was
concerned that Jesus was becoming worldly, immoral and compromising—a
bad example to the disciples. Our Lord’s reply to him was simply this:
“Look at My fruits. Look at how the gospel is preached. ‘And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me’” (Matt. 11:6). The Greek word for “offended” is scandalizo,
which means “to trip up, stumble, or be enticed to sin.” I would say
the same to those religious critics who may be offended by Sun. |
| The “China
Wine” music video was never meant for a church event. Neither was it
ever intended to be an evangelism tool or a gospel video. It is simply
pop entertainment. People watching the video and regarding it as just
that will never get offended or stumbled, which explains the millions
of hits and thousands of good reviews on YouTube. |
| So to the
religious and conservatives who have used nasty, derogatory and
expletive terms to describe Sun, my parting shot are the words of Jesus
Christ from Matthew 21:31, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” | |
| | Posted by konghee at 2:25 PM - | |
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Tuesday August 25, 2009
| On August 16, 2009, I was invited to the National Day Rally held at the NUS University Cultural Center. The National Day Rally is akin to the State of the Union Address delivered by the President of the United States. In our case, it is an annual address that the Prime Minister of Singapore makes to the entire nation. |  | | That night, I was seated on the second row, directly behind Rustom Ghadiali, the vice-president of the Inter-Religious Organization. Among those around me were the Methodist bishop and the Catholic archbishop, Buddhist monks and Muslim leaders. I must say that I was very impressed by the podium design, multimedia incorporation and technological gadgetry that PM Lee Hsien Loong used. The discipline and excellence in which the entire NDR was organized is indeed commendable. | | This year is the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s self-government. The PM spoke first in Malay and then in Chinese. The following two hours, he spoke in English, issuing a call for unity across different races and religions. I was amazed by the content of the PM’s speech as it is consistent with the value and philosophy of ministry we practice in City Harvest Church. In a sense, it is comforting to know that our approach is not antagonistic to the society we are planted in and seeking to reach. | | PM Lee: Critical to our long-term success is maintaining social cohesion, particularly racial and religious harmony. We have discussed potential fault lines in our society - between rich and poor; between Singaporeans and new arrivals. But the most visceral and dangerous fault line is race and religion. | | As far as racial harmony is concerned, this should be second nature to us Christians. The Bible says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Jesus Himself exhorts us to “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). That word “nations” (Gr. ethnos) literally means people of diverse races and ethnicity. We can’t reach them with God’s love if we don’t engage, befriend and build meaningful relationships with people of various cultures and customs. God created the world as a collage of various colors, hues, “nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues” (Rev. 7:9-10). For us to live and operate within our own racial enclave is certainly against the spirit of New Testament Christianity. One of the things I am very proud of about City Harvest Church is that our membership is made up of 24 different nationalities (based on a 2007 internal survey), and within them a further multiplied variety of ethnic races. This racial mix enriches us and gives us a more global outlook as a community. | | PM: [In a multi-religious society, we] need good sense and tolerance by all sides, and a willingness to give and take. Otherwise whatever the rules, there will be no end of possible causes of friction—noise, parking, joss sticks, stray ashes, dog hair, etc. | | We have been saying for years that God expects His people to thrive and prosper even as they mingle with people of different faiths. A good example is Jeremiah 29, when the Jews were in exile in Babylon. The Babylonians had thousands of gods that its citizens worshiped and revered, with religious values that were diametrically opposed to that of the Jews. Yet, God instructed His people, | | “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace” (Jer. 29:5-7). | | They were to put down their roots, establish businesses and profit from them. They were to assimilate themselves fully into the culture by raising their families, to increase and not diminish in their presence and contribution to the society. They were not to be antagonistic as a community but to seek the peace and prosperity of the world God had placed them in, knowing that if their city prospered, they too would prosper. It was precisely in that setting of a multi-religious culture that God promised His people, | | “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (29:11). | | This is a promise to all Christians who are living in this present world. In fact, our greatest value to God is right here in our society, not when we get to heaven. Truth be told, heaven is just a temporary holding place for us before we return to earth to rule and reign with Christ. Like the Bible heroes Joseph, Daniel and Esther, we need to adopt a non-antagonistic stance toward our multi-religious world. Relationship precedes ministry. In our interface with people of different faiths, the central issue is always one of trust. Do non-Christians trust us enough for us to speak truth, wisdom and blessing into their lives? | | The PM talked about “noise, parking, joss sticks, stray ashes, dog hair, etc.” Let us ensure that our weekly cell group meetings are not a constant source of noise pollution and nuisance to our neighbors. Let us not park indiscriminately (or illegally) when we come for church gatherings. Let us live the words of Jesus Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:39). May our neighborliness and consideration be evident to all. | | PM: In itself, there is nothing wrong with people becoming more religious. Religion is a positive force in human societies. It provides spiritual strength, guidance, solace and a sense of purpose to many, especially in our fast-changing and uncertain world. But stronger religious fervor can have side effects which must be managed carefully, particularly in a multi-religious society. [For example:] Aggressive proselytization: pushing one’s religion on others, causing nuisance and offence ... the distribution of Christian tracts with contents that are offensive to other faiths ... Groups trying to convert very ill patients in hospitals. | | The PM is certainly not against conversion or the sharing of our faith, but he is exhorting us to do it in a civil manner. In our zeal to win others to Christ, we should not be “pushing” our faith on others, “causing nuisance and offence.” I can’t agree with him more. Never once in the Gospels do we find Jesus scolding, shaming or condemning people into believing in Him. If Jesus ever got agitated, it was always to rebuke the religious scribes and Pharisees in the synagogues—people who shared His belief, who had the form but not the substance of the faith. But when it comes to the general public, Jesus was considered a friend to those whose lifestyle and religious beliefs were very different from His (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34). He was a natural in befriending, relating and communicating with them. | | We see the same with Paul when he was in Athens. Though he was in a city whose citizens worshiped many different gods and idols (Acts 17:16), Paul remained gracious and polite in his interaction with the Athenians, even commending them for their religious longing (17:22). Sure, he was uncompromising in his presentation of the gospel, but he did it with great sensitivity, civility and in a non-pressuring manner, allowing his newfound friends to decide for themselves if they wanted to embrace his faith (17:32-34). | | “Evangelism” is the sharing of good news. It is a good word. This term is even used in secular arenas today. For example, Google has a “chief internet evangelist,” tasked to promote and market the products and services Google is offering. On the other hand, the word “proselytization” evokes a negative connotation. It is the inordinate, overly zealous pushing of one’s religion at the expense of causing offense. In some societies without religious freedom, proselytization is the enforced conversion of the masses by the dominant local religion. It is insensitive and borders on harassment. Personally, I get very upset if someone aggressively tries to push his religious belief upon me or puts down my own Christian beliefs. Just like the indiscriminate touting of commercial products by insensitive salespeople at shopping malls can be irritating, proselytization is a huge turn off to many. | | The way we grow CHC is not by “selling” the gospel, but by “serving” people. Jesus gives us the New Testament model of effective evangelism in Luke 10. He says that whenever we interface with nonbelievers, we must learn to be gracious, to bless and be encouraging in our words (10:5). We should build a genuine friendship with the people of different faiths, fellowshiping and sharing meals with them (10:7). We must then seek to serve them and meet their practical needs (10:9). And only when their hearts are open to us can we share the gospel of the kingdom of God to them (10:9). The pattern is clear: be gracious, befriend, meet needs, and then when they are open, share the gospel. Again, the underlying principle is clear—relationship precedes ministry. | | The impersonal, indiscriminate “handbill saturations” done by Singapore churches in the 1980s have never proven to be effective. Instead, it has made a nuisance out of Christians in the community, giving us the image of being an overzealous bunch of religious fanatics. Yes, as Christians, we do believe that people without Christ will go into a godless eternity; but there is always a right time and a right way of sharing the gospel to nonbelievers. When we serve people lovingly and unconditionally with no ulterior motives, the opportunity to evangelize will naturally present itself. | | PM: Intolerance—not respecting the beliefs of others, or accommodating others who belong to different religions, sometimes even within same families. Children who have converted from their parents’ religion, and decline to fulfill funeral rites of parents, or even stay away from the funerals [is] the ultimate unfilial act. | | Again, Bible heroes like Joseph, Daniel, Esther and Paul have proven that being with people of different faiths does not “contaminate” their spiritual purity to God. Joseph had a diviner’s cup given to him by the Pharaoh (Gen. 44:5). Daniel worked among the magicians and sorcerers of Babylon (Dan. 4:7-9; 5:11-12). Esther was a beauty queen who lived in the harem of the Persian king (Esther 2). Being with Athenian idol worshipers didn’t mean that Paul had become one himself (Acts 17:16-17). | | In fact, one of the greatest ways to demonstrate the reality of Christ is by loving people who are radically different from you (John 13:34-35). Loving people means accepting them just the way they are and treating them with respect even when you don’t agree with them. | | The PM talked about filial piety. Honoring our parents is not only an Asian culture, it is a sacred biblical value. The Fifth Commandment states, “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 5:16). To stay away from our parents’ or grandparents’ funerals because the rites are unchristian is truly the “ultimate unfilial act.” At moments of grief, as loving Christians, we need to stand with our family and walk with them “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4). We should “fear no evil” (grieving the Lord, being demonized, etc.) having the confidence that God is with us (23:5). Remember, we are already covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit in us. | | The trickier part is the fulfilling of funeral rites. This is where we need to be more spiritually discerning because not all portions of a funeral rite are religious or superstitious in nature. Showing honor and respect to the dead doesn’t mean you are worshiping them. Whenever possible, in the non-religious traditions, we should do them in solidarity with our families. | | PM: Exclusiveness—segregating into separate exclusive circles, and not integrating with those of other faiths. This could be a direct preference to stay within own group or an indirect result of intolerance. Example, preferring not to share meals with others, or disapproving of yoga and taiji practices, because they allegedly contain religious elements. | | First of all, Jesus tells us to share meals with nonbelievers (Luke 10:7). This should be a nonissue for us Christians. | | But what about yoga and taiji? Yoga is often associated with Hinduism, and taiji with Taoism. But it is undeniable that the health elements of these physical disciplines are beneficial to the human body. So again, the question lies in whether is there anything religious in them. It all depends on the context they are practiced in and the instructors who teach them. In Singapore, as with many metropolitan cities around the world, yoga and taiji are taught as forms of physical fitness systems in sports gyms, just like aerobics and Pilates, devoid of any superstitious elements. | | John Calvin (1509-1564), in his Commentary On First Corinthians, teaches that any good contribution by nonbelievers to society, as long as it is free from religious superstition, should be freely employed by Christians for his or her own enjoyment, for the glory of God. | | I personally know of Spirit-filled pastors in Taiwan and Indonesia who regularly practice qigong. They certainly don’t pray to idols, recite chants, believe in magical powers, or embrace Taoism. And they certainly don’t get possessed by demons. None of the Christian leaders I know who practice yoga and taiji regularly have lost their spiritual consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ. | | But aren’t the roots of these ancient exercises unchristian or even anti-Christian? Well, if you go by that reasoning, then we shouldn’t even celebrate Christmas with Christmas trees. There is no dispute that the origin of Christmas trees is pagan. The ancient Egyptians decorated their homes with tree branches during the winter solstice as symbols of the afterlife. Heathen Greeks used them to worship their god, Adonia. Pagan Romans decorated their trees during their midwinter festivals in honor of the sun god. In Northern Europe, the ancient Germanic people tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches in honor of god Woden. (By the way, this is the deity after which Wednesday was named.) | | In fact, the English Puritans long condemned the use of the Christmas trees, yule logs, hollies, mistletoes, etc. Oliver Cromwell preached against “the heathen traditions” of Christmas carols, decorated trees and any joyful expression that desecrated “that sacred event.” Yet, over the years, the Christmas tree has been “de-idolized” to become a major Christian symbol celebrating the birth of Christ. To people everywhere, it is a symbol of hope for the New Year and the future return of warmth to the earth. Churches today have “singing Christmas trees” and carols are sung to herald the birth of Christ. What originated as something totally unchristian has become very Christian over time. | | Titus 1:15 says, “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.” Don’t do anything you are uncomfortable with in your heart. But at the same time, don’t condemn others who do not share your personal preferences or convictions, or think of them as lesser followers of Christ than you. | | PM: All groups must exercise tolerance and restraint. Christians cannot expect Singapore to be a Christian society, ditto Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other groups. Many faiths share this island. Each has different teachings and practices. Rules which apply only to one group cannot be made into laws that apply to everyone. Muslims do not drink alcohol, but alcohol is not banned; ditto gambling, which several religions disapprove of. All must adopt “live and let live” as our guiding principle ... Secondly, religion must stay separate from politics ... Third, Government must remain secular. Government authority derives from the mandate of the people. Laws are not based on divine authority, but enacted by Parliament based on the public interest. | | The Bible teaches repeatedly about the “royal law” (James 2:8), commonly known as the Golden Rule: treat others in the same manner you wish to be treated yourself. I often ask myself, as a Christian, if I live in a state whose dominant religion is say, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Mormonism, do I want the values of those religions to be legislated as laws and imposed upon me? Definitely not. Even as a lover of the Holy Scripture, do I want the ceremonial, dietary and civil laws of Old Testament Judaism to be imposed on me? Definitely not. Now, putting myself in the shoes of the adherents of other faiths, how would they feel if they hear us spewing rhetoric about a Christian state where biblical commandments are enforced as law to all? I am sure the reaction would not be dissimilar to mine if the table is turned. | | Look, even among the body of Christ we can’t all agree to the style and philosophy of ministry. If we have a Christian government seeking to establish a Christian state, whose denominational doctrine are we going to follow? Anglican? Baptist? Assemblies of God? Roman Catholic? Church of Christ? I shudder just to think of the amount of religious legalism that would be mandated upon Faith-Charismatic, contemporary churches if that happens. | | Is it God’s will to have a Christian geopolitical state in this dispensation? I doubt it. Even after the resurrection, the ever zealous disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” To that, Jesus answered, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). Looking at the Holy Scripture, that is not going to happen anytime soon in this dispensation. | | The beauty of a democracy is that human rights and freedom can be pursued for the common good of all. I believe in the separation of religion and politics. Christianity is a freewill religion. I wouldn’t want our commandments to be enforced on others who don’t follow the teachings of Christ. As much as he was persecuted for his faith, Paul didn’t advocate the overthrow of the oppressive Roman government. | | Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. (Rom. 13:1-7) | | Paul endorsed the secular state of Rome even with Nero Caesar on the throne. Paul teaches that we should submit to secular laws, pay taxes, respect and honor the political leaders in authority, even if they are secular in nature. In fact, Paul wants us to regularly pray for them. | | Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (1 Tim. 2:1-2). | | When a secular state guarantees “The Four Freedoms” enshrined in the United Nation Human Rights Charter: (1) freedom of speech and expression, (2) freedom of worship, (3) freedom from poverty and lack, and (4) freedom from fear, the gospel can thrive in that society. I certainly wouldn’t want any government to legislate what I should believe, and how I should worship or carry out my faith. I greatly doubt that the unchurched public would appreciate us forcing them to embrace our spiritual convictions either. Let us continue to keep religion and politics separate as much as possible. | | PM: [Concerning the recent AWARE controversy:] On homosexuality policy or sexuality education in schools, there can be strong differences in view; but government’s position on these issues is clear. | | My position on this hot button issue is this: gay or straight, heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual, we want to introduce everyone to the love of Jesus Christ. But how are they going to encounter that if gays and lesbians perceive the Church as hostile toward their community? As the shepherd over my flock, I don’t want my members exposed to any unwelcome, predatory sexual advances made by anyone—be that person straight or gay. But if he or she doesn’t pose a direct, negative influence over the congregation, we should indeed adopt a “live and let live” attitude. We are all sinners saved by grace. I want City Harvest Church to focus on the issue of salvation, not sexual orientation. Once someone is saved, I trust the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth and sanctification. | | PM: Hence, we also invited religious leaders to be here with us tonight. Help your flocks to understand our limitations and guide them to practise their faith taking our context into account. Please teach them accommodation, as this is what all religions preach. I look forward to religious communities continuing to do good for Singapore. | | “Tolerance,” “accommodation,” “mutual respect” and “being accepting” are all buzzwords of City Harvest Church. These are not foreign or new concepts to us. These are the values of new covenant Christianity. This is how we have always run CHC. They are an integral part of our DNA. In the last 20 years, we have grown our church by loving and serving people, not by knocking down other races, religions or communities. Let us continue to stay engaged to our culture as the salt and light of the earth (Matt. 5:13-16), promoting the common good for all. |
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| | Posted by konghee at 12:33 AM - | |
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Tuesday August 11, 2009
| This is the 20-minute message I shared on August 2, 2009, at the second 20th Anniversary service held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. | What an awesome thing it is for us to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary as a church. Let’s face it, to have come through all these years, against incredible odds, is nothing short of a miracle.
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| | On May 7, 1989, when we started our church, I was only 24 years old, going on to 25. With a handful of teenagers, we had our first gathering in an office space at Peace Center. We had no money, no assets, no financial supporters. All we had was a simple faith in God, and in the dream that He had given to us—that we will raise up a new generation of believers who will take Asia by storm. | | When I was a kid, I used to hear sermons on revival. Elderly missionaries, who had witnessed revivals, would reminisce of how when the move of God comes, there will be signs, wonders and miracles. But more than that, people will receive Jesus Christ by the hundreds and thousands. Those elderly preachers would give prophecy after prophecy that a huge revival was coming to Singapore, making us the Antioch of the East—a great mission base for the gospel in the region. | | We were admonished to get ourselves equipped in the Word and spiritual things, because when revival hits, we are going to be so busy winning the lost, healing the sick, casting out demons, and making disciples of the new converts. To only start preparing then would be too late. We had to start now. As a kid, those sermons fascinated and consumed me. | | As I dreamed of revival, the Lord told me four simple things I have to build my life around. First of all, I must make prayer a way of life. Coupled with prayer, I must learn to fast to weaken my fleshly nature and become more alive in the spirit. Thirdly, I must give, especially my tithes and offerings, and enter into the rhythm of sowing and reaping. Most of all, my whole life must be laid down as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. | | Unbeknown to me, the Lord was also speaking to a young teenage girl by the name of Sun. As she grew in her passion for God, one day Sun prayed, “Lord Jesus, I give You all of me, in exchange for all of You.” | | A common dream was born in the two of us. We shared a faith in the possibility of a new kind of church. A church with a strong, tangible presence and power of the Holy Spirit, with members of passionate spiritual convictions, but tolerant, accepting and loving of people—even if they were radically different from us. And no one was going to despise our youth (1 Tim. 4:12), even though we were often looked down upon for our youthful zeal and enthusiasm. | | But as I stand here today, I know that the story of my wife and I is just part of a larger City Harvest story. I owe a debt to all the pioneers who have made tremendous sacrifices—their tears, sweat and blood—they have given their lives to make this story possible. | |
| | Today, we gather to affirm the greatness of our God. Not because of the size of our congregation, or the assets we have accumulated, or the number of ministries and affiliate churches we now have. We thank God for entrusting us with an awesome vision: “To build a church with a strong spiritual atmosphere of faith and purity, where every member is released into ministry, discipled in the Great Commandment, to fulfill the Great Commission.” | | This is the DNA of City Harvest—loving God wholeheartedly, and loving people fervently. A love for God’s Word. A love for prayer, praise and worship. A love for the spiritual gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We have faith that God is a good God, that as we seek His kingdom and righteousness first, He will add all things back to us (Matt. 6:33). He will provide for our families. Our careers and businesses will prosper and be successful. Our children will grow up to be happy, godly and excellent. Most of all, the destiny of our lives will come to pass. We shall be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, blessed in our coming in and blessed in our going out (Deut. 28:6, 13). | | As with all things great, we face challenges as we seek to live out our dream. These challenges often come in two fronts: legalism from the ultraconservatives, and antinomianism (which is the rejection of morality) among the ultra-liberals. The ultraconservatives feel that we are too worldly; the ultra-liberals feel that we are too driven by our vision, that we work too hard. | | Now, this is nothing new. Jesus Christ Himself had to resist the narrow-mindedness of ultraconservative Pharisees. But at the same time, He also warns against ultra-liberals who seek to destroy and reject the law of God. Jesus says that the abounding of lawlessness will cause the love of many to grow cold (Matt. 24:12). | | Paul himself cautions us of both extremes. He writes the book of Galatians to loose the church from all the do’s and don’ts of manmade rules and regulations. Paul says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). Then turning to those who embrace “cheap grace,” Paul teaches in the book of Romans, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Gal. 6:1-2). | | If we shouldn’t veer to the far right of legalism and the far left of antinomianism, how then shall we live? Well, balance is always the key of life. In Ecclesiastes, the Bible tells us that being “overly righteous” and “overly wicked” will lead to self-destruction (Eccl. 7:16-17), that “anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes” (Eccl. 7:18 NLT). | | Now, this is easier said than done. As I minister around the world, I see so many good Christians who have come out of the bondage of sin, and they sincerely believe that to protect the next generation, they should now monitor the behavior of their followers with strict, enforced codes of morality. At the same time, I see others who have come out of churches that are rigid and driven. Today, they are tired, burned out and dry. As a reaction to their demanding, legalistic upbringing, they are casting away the moral law of the Ten Commandments and basic discipleship, throwing away the ancient landmarks that have grounded their faith. | | Yet, most believers I have met just want to live a good, normal Christian life. They have not enrolled into a theological seminary to debate on doctrines. Instead, they join churches hoping to have their needs met and at the same time, that will help them grow spiritually in God. The Church should be a family where they can trust their pastors and leadership to lead them into God’s purposes for their lives. | | It is tough enough facing the challenges of daily living. People don’t want to come to services each week only to hear sermons that are negative and condemning, or to be constantly reminded that they don’t measure up to the standards of God, or that of the Church. Neither do they want to continue living an immoral life. They know they are sinners saved by grace. And having received that divine grace, they want to overcome their sinful habits and character flaws, be better people, and live lives that are pleasing to God. | | In City Harvest, we offer that choice. We seek to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. We want to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-39). We believe that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives ... God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16 NLT). And because we love Jesus, we keep His commandments (John 14:15)—especially the Ten Commandments. | | We love the presence and power of the Holy Spirit—that as we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). Through the Holy Spirit, we now lean on that grace of God to win the lost, grow the church, and do missions all over world. | | So yes, we are conservative but not ultraconservative. At the same time, we are liberal but not ultra-liberal. Sure, in absolutes, we want to be absolute. But in non-absolutes, we allow for the freedom of personal convictions and give space to the Holy Spirit to lead every Christian individually. | | We believe that Jesus has come, not only to give us a new birth in our spirit, or to heal our physical body, He has come to redeem our soul. And this is what separates us from the birds, the fish, and the beasts of the field. The moment God breathed into Adam, man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7 KJV). Our soul is who we really are. Jesus has come to liberate our soul and fill it with love, esteem, knowledge, beauty and freedom. Without those things, we may be religious, but still live a very empty and meaningless life—a soulless existence. | | And because God is a very creative God, we glorify Him as we seek to be innovative, colorful, contemporary and progressive in the way we live and do ministry. In that quest for creativity, we seek to provide loving answers to the many questions society is asking. | | Take Kenny Low for example. As a teenager, Kenny was touched by the Lord. He was thinking of serving God in a full-time capacity as a pastor, a preacher or a missionary. But Kenny is more gifted in education and street dancing. As a dancer, Kenny has performed with pop-stars like M.C. Hammer. So he set up O School as a means to train and befriend other street dancers. Today, O School has become the premier dance school in Singapore that trains 800 student-dancers per week. | | Kenny then enrolled into a postgraduate program and completed his Master of Education. He opened CHEC as a private school that offers early school-leavers a second chance at their GCE O Level Exams. Many of these school-leavers come from lower income families. Kenny uses the profits generated from his dance school to finance the tuition of the poorer students. Over the years, his innovative efforts have bore fruits that gained him national recognition. Two years ago, Kenny Low was given the 2007 Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for using his creativity to solve social problems among young people. | | Like Kenny, we recognize that our secular vocation in the marketplace is a calling from God. For too long, the Church worldwide has been preaching separation, but practicing isolation. There is such a disconnect between the Church and the world Jesus wants us to reach. We have been looked upon as prudish and alarmist, constantly spreading unnecessary fear and warnings of danger, capable of only reaching out to the simple and naive. | | I believe God has raised up City Harvest Church to change that perception. While we live in a broken-down world, I don’t believe in keeping Christians naive and ignorant of the harsh realities of society. I don’t ever want City Harvest to be so isolated and sanitized that we become out of touch with the world. We want to be a tolerant, accepting and gracious people. We want to identify with their pains, brokenness and struggles. We want to give hope to the hopeless, and peace to the restless, believing that value can be added to those whom are considered worthless. We are not antagonistic to society, or its popular culture. On the contrary, we seek to engage pop culture fully as salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). | | Every one, two hundred years, God raises up ministries to remind the body of Christ of its responsibility to the Cultural Mandate. In these early days of the 21st century, the lot has fallen upon us. Not only must we focus on our faith and families, we must engage the marketplace of business, education, government, arts and entertainment, and the mass media. And this is our destiny, not just to preach the message but to be that message. | | In a sense, we are an enigma to many. To the conservatives who label us as “worldly”, they can’t fault the spiritual disciplines they see in our members. We diligently study the Word, pray and fast, move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, win the lost, and plant churches all around the world―often more than those conservatives themselves. To the ultra-liberals who label us as “narrow-minded”, our members are colorful, artistic, fashionable, ultra-current and sophisticated―often more than those liberals themselves. | | The Bible says, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9). Jesus tells us to pray and bless our enemies (Matt. 5:44). That means that there will be enemies as we forge ahead. Opposition may come through principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness—forces that are demonic in nature (Eph. 6:12). Opposition may come through those who are anti-Christians or anti-Church. But most of the time, opposition will come from religious believers who are against our way of life and the freedom we enjoy in Christ. They want to keep us locked up in the little box of religious correctness. | | I am never worried of the enemies without. They may inflict some pain but they can’t stop us. In the last 20 years we have gone through many trials, testings and tribulation―for me, for my wife, and for all of us. Yet, in Christ Jesus, we have overcome them all. We have grown bigger and stronger. | | What I am more worried of is the enemy within. Can we continue to keep our unity and focus as one people? The place of agreement is the place of power. We never have a church split because we have never allowed internal strife and disagreement to fester. Can we stay totally united in carrying out the Great Commandment, the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate for years and years to come? I believe we can. | | To fulfill the purposes of God for our lives and the church, we must become even more loving, more giving, and spiritually bigger on the inside. But for us to grow larger, we must care even more for others. | | If there is a child that is abused and neglected, who can’t read or write, whether in Singapore, Indonesia, India or China, that matters to me, even if it is not my child. | | If there is a senior citizen somewhere who is abandoned, that makes my life poorer, even if it is not my grandparent. | | If there is a person somewhere facing pain and brokenness, because of a natural disaster, a civil war, or simply because that person is marginalized by society, we have to do something. | | I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper. And that is what makes City Harvest Church special and unique. Yes, we want to pursue our individual dreams, but yet we come together as one spiritual family to meet the dreams of others. Ultimately, we want to proclaim the gospel of truth that people need the Lord. Whether you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, able or disabled, gay or straight, young or old, we proclaim that Jesus Christ loves you and He is still the answer for our world today. | | In the end, that is what City Harvest is all about―a place where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. This is our place and moment in history: to demonstrate a growing church that is passionate for Jesus, yet relevant to society, caring for the broken and marginalized. A church with a “holy worldliness.” That means holy disciplines that make us the people of God, but a worldly sophistication that makes us relatable to the world. | | Today, we have a chance not just to represent Christ but to re-present Him in the 21st century. This is our calling. This is our destiny. This is our dream. A new brighter day has dawned for the body of Christ, and we are all part of it. | | Finally, today we gather to affirm the goodness of God. For Sun and I, it is a great privilege to serve the Lord Jesus. But beyond all that we have done and can ever do, my prayer as your pastor, is that we will love God more each day. 20 years ago when we had nothing, He has already loved us and called us His own―long before we have church growth, or big buildings, or fame or influence. And He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). His love for us never changes. | | As I stand here in this awesome crowd, I am fully convinced of one thing: even if all these didn’t happen, God still loves me for who I am. Even if all these didn’t happen, God still loves you for who you are. | | In 20 years, we have all grown a little older, and hopefully a little wiser. I’m sure we have made mistakes and tasted failures, yet God is still faithful. And He is still as excited about us as the first time we met Him. Whether it is at 41A Amber Road, or at Duke Hotel, Bible House, Hephzibah, Wold Trade Center, Westin Hotel, Hollywood Theater, Jesus is still very much in love with you—passionately, deeply in love with you. | | On this 20th Anniversary, why don’t we make a decision to love Him back even more every single day? Shall we do that? Shall we, once again, live to love Him more each day? |
| | Posted by konghee at 2:15 AM - | |
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