For the last few years, I have been through several Mass Harvest events. To conduct MyHope Evangelism which is a cell based harvest event, it felt strange but yet brings a thrill of excitement to me.
In preparation for MyHope party, my cell shared and reviewed each others' testimonies. We also went through training for the sharing of John 3:16. The most helpful training session of all, I would say was the one conducted by Pastor Evelyn which taught us how to broach the salvation question and how to handle excuses.
Due to some adjustments in calendar, my cell's party was finally scheduled to 12Dec Friday. There was only 10 days from the day we confirmed the date, to the actual event. I delegated some tasks to my helpful members and was grateful for their support.
Many of my gers could not get any of their friends for the party because of the short runway and their friends' travelling plans. Only on the night before the event, did we have 3-4 guests whose attendance was confirmed.
On the actual day, Sarah, Juliana and Paulina came in early to help out in the carolling, going through the icebreaker games etc. Around 630pm, we were still confirming attendance! The 4 of us prayed for God to use us as vessels and we invited Him be the VIP for our party.
We expected 20 persons (members and guests) and the food seemed insufficient. However, our Lord the Provider multiplied our "5 tau-hueys and 2 almond jellys" (an inside joke) to a living room carpetted with food (thanks to Sarah for coordinating!). Guests were satisfied and we had plenty of leftover food! The guests participated actively in the icebreakers (cheers to Paulina!). After a pretty awkward time of carolling, we shared our reason for celebrating Christmas and showed the DVD.
Out of our 7 guests, 1 gave his life to Jesus and 1 rededicated her life to follow Him. Out of the remaining guests, few have indicated a desire to know more about God and join us for future events. This was a surprise to us to receive such open-ness, from friends who has rejected us in previous harvest events. A seed has been planted, and we have more opportunities to water and nuture it.
Introducing my team who made it possible!
Juliana: MyHope taught us to be good hosts and allowed our friends gain some ideas about "church stuff" in a comfortable setting.
Sarah: I learnt that one pair of hands wouldn’t be able to accomplish much, but together, we managed to plan the party, enjoy ourselves and even the guests had fun and laughing to the various antics we displayed. And indeed the Lord provides, in food, in guest numbers and also in the smooth flow of the party. It was a blasting success.
Paulina: I saw the simpliest form of evangelism as we all gather and serve our guests with food and drinks. of course, how everything is possible when we invite God as our guest of Honour.
Upon reflection, I knew that this entire event could not have been possible if not for the Lord's intervention. Initially, we could not fix a suitable date for the party and the response from the ground was poor. We were not confident of carrying it through because my girls had not prior experience and I had not lead a cell-based harvest before. It was a major step of faith for us to plan it with such a short runway.
However, when the Lord shifted our calendar, when the guests started streaming in, I knew in my spirit that the Lord's hand was upon us. The event was so well received that the guests lingered on to chat, even when we were already cleaning up (sign that they have to go, haha!). This is nothing short of amazing. And just like how Kelvin Soh would say it, All Glory Goes to God!
Many of us have unfinished business in our lives. Doors not close, memories unsettled, promises not fulfilled. Both by people in our lives, or to people and some to the Lord. The Key - A focused life. The famous writer led a life of questioning God in his endless hours of study of the Word of God, until His truth refuted him beyond measure and he was convinced totally to believe in his mind of Jesus. From there on, he led a Focused life only to further the Kingdom of God. You and I have read his books and even watched his moveies that talks about out redeeming Jesus. His name is C.S Lewis.
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
When you read the above passage you will understand if you are unschooled in the ways of God, your life will be a journey of unsustainable growth, double-mindedness with a lack of devotion to Christ.
The Key - ASK the Lord to show you HIS burden. Not your burden. Be carried along by His thoughts, His Desires, His Will, His concerns that as you seek Him earnestly, He will surely show you.
He will help build your sensitivity to Him in prayer and obedience!
This year's Christmas season feels different... and i am thankful. It was kind of nice to hear over the radio a description of Jesus Christ's birth on Christmas Day.
I am thankful for the 3 hands that were raised for the Christmas Party for my students. Had a good talk with one of them. Need to follow up on the other two.
I am thankful for the team i led up to Thailand. The rapport and relationships built has been amazing considering we had so little time up there. Thankful that they have been pretty real to me and how the Lord has shown me how He is using me to touch these lives. It is a privilege.
I am thankful for the birthday party for Nigel. Had a wonderful time catching up with the old Marists boys again. It is always a joy to see them. And i caught a glimsp of how dynamic things would be if they were all on fire for God. Shall keep praying for that to become true!! Am proud of Gif and XF who just tirelessly worked to make things work out. Proud of Nig who seemed determined to be a light to his gang of friends. :)
I am thankful that thru Christ i really have hope for the future no matter how bleak it looks. More and more i am convinced that my optimism is not just my character but a God-given joy of knowing that He is in control. Timing of things will always look perfect even as i trust in the Lord to provide..... Jer 29:11 - His plans are always to prosper me and to give me hope.
I am thankful for the rest. Am on leave till Christmas. Just need to clear the accounts for the sch trip, finish up on 2 assignments (LAST TWO!!!) and i can really enjoy this break. Got two referrals from Dr. Tan... exciting! Praying that things will go well since one of them asked for CBT... not exactly my strength.
I am thankful that the Lord seems to already be setting things up for me next year in the area of work. Have been roped into a cluster team requested by my cluster supervisor to oversea certain areas for the cluster. Hopefully it will be a good learning experience. As much as i am quite resistant to climbing up, if it is what the Lord has planned for me, i shall do my best.
I am thankful for this year of being lost. Had been feeling so far and lost for the most of this year. Quite opposite to the theme of Sabbath, but it as shown me how little i can acheive apart from Him. Even what seemed as natural and easy becomes so difficult. It has been pretty humbling and i am reminded, just like what Paul said, that i can boast only because of what the Lord had done thru me.
"If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear." Ps 66:18 its not just about confession, its dealling thoroughly with sin. Someone once said, if you sin you can't truly pray. But if you pray, you will not sin.
Pray here is an action contiuous word. Meaning prayer is our constant battle to stand firm.
A Good Key- Really take time to read devotional books. Books that help you think about God. Books or biographies that inspire you to faith and change.
2. A Weak Foundation - Weakness exit not becos of unwillingness, but because of our lack of understanding of God & ignorance of God's wonderful secrets & solutions.
The Key - A THANKFUL HEART, A WORSHIPING MIND A PRAYERFUL SPIRIT
Start by reading a psalm a day- To know Him is to give Him room in your heart, your mind and your spirit.
When I watched this video it sort of reminded me of who I was before Christ. Lost, hopeless unsure of what I am looking for. But as I walked with the Lord in the years that I have given my life to Him, I now know what is real happiness. And as this season of MY HOPE Singapore, I pray that the people that I am inviting will also understand that without God, we cannot find the happy life that we so yearn for.
Welcome to the DE Tribe Blog. We hope it finds you well. With this new layout, we are also introducing new content to enrich your blogging experience. As with tradition, we will continue to have our usual devotion/thanksgiving column. The email address to send your devotion/thanksgiving to is detribe@yahoo.com.sg. Moreover, we are introducing 2 new segments. They are the Pastors’ Column, where Ps Danny and Evelyn will pen their thoughts and also the DE24 Column, where our resident writers will discuss topics that will spur our growth.
Juliana: MyHope taught us to be good hosts and allowed our friends gain some ideas about "church stuff" in a comfortable setting.
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