REMEMBRANCE AND REFLECTION
The church will be entering into another phase of its life-cycle. We have to cast our eyes ahead in front of us and plan according to the needs of the people of the church. We may not know what is ahead of us but we certainly know that God will not leave us nor forsake us. We have to take a step backward, and take stock of how God has dealt with us all these years. Hence, it is important for us to look back at the years which had passed, and meditate upon the work which the Lord in our church.
The psalmist declared, “11I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. 13Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” (Ps. 77:11-13). Do you see the gracious hand of the Lord in every aspect of the Lord’s work in the church? The Lord has indeed blessed us in many ways. There are so many things we must thank God – for His providence in each and every need; for His guidance in leading the church through each step of her progress; for His protection from danger’s way and from the fiery darts of the evil one; and for His mercy in dealing with unworthy creatures like us.
And one important aspect that we ought to thank God for is the people of God here. Indeed, the Lord has blessed the church with many faithful and committed people who often worked behind the scenes to keep the church going, who desire only praise to be rendered unto God and not upon themselves. Many of you have labour untiringly, through much toil and sacrifices, out of the love for the Lord in this work. And because of that, the church is blessed by every inch of your effort.
Though we may be a small church but let us remember that we have a big God in our midst who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). Yes, as a church, we must adopt the approach urged by the psalmist – to have our eyes constantly focused on the Lord; our lips in constant praise of His greatness; our minds in constant remembrance of His goodness, and our hearts in constant thanksgiving of His graciousness. Let us learn to be a thankful people of God. Let us learn to thank Him while we still am able to do so while there is breath in us, “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” (Ps. 6:5).
Other than remembering the greatness, goodness and graciousness of our Lord, may you also take this opportunity to reflect upon your own life. After all these years in the church, have you been growing spiritually in the Lord? Has your spiritual life stagnated or gone into a spiral descent?
In order for our church to be a strong church, we must build the people up in faith and spirituality. A church is only strong when her people are spiritually strong. It is not a number game. The Gospel work is not about filling the pews with people but about the hearts of the people being filled with God. You may desire the church to grow and to be strong. But let us remember that the first work must always start with us. It would be foolhardy to seek others to come to church and to grow spiritually when we ourselves are not growing spiritually.
Once, I was at Wisma Atria at Orchard Road while my missus was shopping (yes, people in the full-time ministry need to shop too or we would have nothing else to wear). Located at the basement of Wisma Atria was the famous aquarium (that was quite some time ago). As I feasted my eyes on the various species of fishes in that aquarium, inevitably, the two small sharks (5’-6’ long) swimming near the surface caught my attention. I had been there before and saw the sharks before. What marvelled me was that after such a long period of time, both sharks were still there and their physical size remained. I was wondering maybe they could have replaced the old two sharks with two new ones when the old ones grow too big. When I went home and read about sharks, I found an interesting fact about sharks – sharks could remain merely 6’ in length even into adulthood. Their physical growth will be stunted when they are subjected to a limited space. Hence, the sharks need the vast ocean for them to grow big.
Transpose this to spiritual growth – my dear brethren, have you been growing spiritually? Are you stunted in your spiritual growth like sharks because of the inertia and unwillingness to move out of your comfort zone? Are you so comfortable with the “little aquarium” which you are in, and unwilling to venture forth into the ministry to serve the Lord? Spiritual growth requires a lot of effort. It calls for diligence in the study of God’s Word, the constant exercising of faith, and the unfailing service unto the Lord. My dear brethren, take time to reflect on your own spirituality before the Lord.
As we look forward to the future, may I urge you to consecrate your heart unto the Lord. Ask the Lord to search your heart and your thought. If you have failed in any way, may you cry unto the Lord to revive and restore you: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10). When we approach the Lord with a humble spirit and contrite heart, the Lord will surely revive us as His Word so promises: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). it is when we ourselves are strong in the Lord, we will have a strong church, because, we are the church. HCL.
