Saturday, July 19, 2014

Thinking for a change

The Eagles at football.

Rev Joel Yong

Wesley Methodist Church Singapore

20 July 2014

Anthem : Panis Angelicus

Soloist Lauren Yeo

Panis Angelicus fit panis hominum,

Dat panis coelicus figuris terminum.

O res mirabilis, manducat Dominum,

Pauper, pauper, servus et humilis.

Obstacles to life change

Pygmalion vs Golem

Pygmalion effect: greater expectations result in better performance .

Golem effect: lower expectation result in lower performance.

Experiment

Students given IQ test.

Teachers given names of 20 said to have high IQ

After a year these 20 found to do well.

BUT their names had been choosen at random.

Thoughts determine deeds.

Rev Joel

Bottom of class in Sec 2

Was told and believed

Unless you put your foot to the pedal you can't go

Studied and studied

Within a year reached near top of the class.

1) Don't let your yesterdays be a bondage

Eg Lot's wife

Longingly looked back expectantly at Sodom

"Good old times"

2) Don't let yesterday's give you an ingrained mindset

Having left Sodom and Gomorah

Lot lives in a cave with his daughters

Isolated.

But the past licentious incestous atmosphere of sexuality remained.

His daughters get him drunk in order to get pregnant by him.

They had an ingrained contaminated mindset, influenced by their yesterday.

3) Don't let your yesterday leave you with a narrow mindset,

Eg Israelites, free but hungry in the deser

Would rather be well fed slaves in Egypt.

Tunnel vision, microscopic view

Fail to see the big picture.

4) Don't let your yesterdays limit you:

Israelites saw the enemies as giants and felt like grasshoppers .

For their fear and failure , wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Fail to see, blinded, that you can do bigger things

One thing in common of these examples

FAILURE

Failure to reach destination

Failure to accomplish what God had wanted them to accomplish.

Our yesterday ended last night

"Yesterday" some church members were ugly

Late in registering for course/camp

Rude to staff/volunteers / Sunday school teachers

Come with consumer mindset demanding to be served rather than wishing to serve.

Bury that yesterday

May there be a new tomorrow

Sermon Illustration

Rev Joel introduced football to a group of disadvantaged kids

Group of 28 grew to 100.

Team "eagles"

Entered under 16 competition

11+ year olds vs 15+

Held steadily to 0-0 at half time

Crowd cheered

Lost double digit but left field proud

Not influenced by their background but by what they decided to do.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

The harvest is plentiful

Mission Sunday

13 July 2014

Wesley Methodust Church

Pastor Yeoh Seng Eng

Pasir Panjang Hill Bretheren Church

Text Luke 10:1-12

The "other disciples" were sent "two by two" to "prepare the way"

Jesus is coming soon

We are the "other disciples "

We are to prepare the way.

Three interesting points

A) Status update

B) Strategy

C) Strength

A) Status update

i) Harvest PLENTIFUL

ii) Workers FEW

iii) You may be REJECTED

iv) You may be ACCEPTED

Even if you are rejected, it is not you that is being rejected, but God.

B) Strategy

i) Go two by two

Or pair up with partners from other churches

ii) simplicity

Use what is in your hands

Moses used a stick

Seng Eng used dried flowers

Make greeting cards

Grew into a business to support 800 families

Agriculture

Goats

Odorless vegetarian pigs (feeding on Azolla)

iii) seek man of peace

iv) heal the sick & tell of the kingdom of God

Care Channels used

Help them

Empower them

Dignified ways to get food on the table

These enabled connections with communities who are then willing to hear your message

C) Strength

With God's power

All things are possible

Ministry to migrant workers in Singapore

Lead to Telugu service

15-20 baptisms a year

Some will return to Bangaladesh and serve as pastors/ missionaries.

On a trip to Dacca

Pastor Yeoh got seriously injured in a traffic accident

13 micro fractures and a haemothorax

Finally returned to Singapore: needed to be drained (twice)

During healing process felt an unsuall warm sensation on chest: touch of an angel.

Lord’s Day Hymn – “Facing a Task Unfinished”

By Frank Houghton, 1930

Facing a task unfinished,
That drives us to our knees,
A need that undiminished,
Rebukes our slothful ease,
We, who rejoice to know Thee,
Renew before Thy throne,
The solemn pledge we owe Thee,
To go and make Thee known.

Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway,
Where forces that defied Thee,
Defy Thee still today,
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light,
Unnumbered souls are dying,
And pass into the night.

We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those,
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose.
Ours is the same commission,
The same glad message ours,
Fired by the same ambition,
To Thee we yield our powers.

O Father Who sustained them,
O Spirit Who inspired,
Saviour, Whose love constrained them,
To toil with zeal untired,
From cowardice defend us,
From lethargy awake!
Forth on Thine errands send us
To labour for Thy sake.

(c) Overseas Missionary Fellowship