This Sunday, i switched the sermon topic a little bit. Why? Because i feel that our church is missing something. There’s something that’s just a little out of sync at the BCEC. Though we’re growing, people are maturing, and things are moving forward — there’s this part of me that still feels that we’re losing sight of what’s real — of the reality of Christ.
“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,” said the little man, in a trembling voice, “but don’t strike me–please don’t!–and I’ll do anything you want me to.”
I’ve know Franki since I was a teenager going to church and youth group, so hearing him share this Sunday about what God has been doing in his family’s life for the past five years in Turkey, has for that moment drawn me away from a self-absorbed world. When I hear of what has happened to this family I am amazed at how God has brought them on a journey of faith, from Hong Kong to Wales and now to Turkey in the face of so many trials and uncertainties. During Franki’s sharing I was reminded of still so many places in this world, shrouded in spiritual darkness and in desperate need of knowing God’s truth and love. People and places steeped in deep and complex influences that makes it seemingly impossible and dangerous for anyone to reach these lost souls.
BCEC now has a mailing list! If you are part of a cell group, you have probably already been added. If not, you can visit the subscribe page. However, in order to subscribe, you need a Google account. If you don’t have one and don’t want one, you can send a message to the list managers.
We’ve got some good stuff going on this weekend!
Saturday, 20 June | 10:30-12:30 | @BCEC
Alexander Chow gives a seminar on Perspectives on Christians and the World. Come by and have a gander.
Saturday, 20 June | 6:30pm-10pm
The Men’s Fellowship are getting together for some food! Donald Yung has more details, but it’s open to anyone who’s a male.
Monday, 22 June | 6pm – 10pm | @BCEC
The Women’s Fellowship (not to be trumped by the men), will be having a guest speaker, Jenny from Open Doors, to come and share.
Love. All religions and cultures teach about it. They claim it to be among the world’s greatest virtue. Is it a feeling or an action? Is it in roses and chocolates or through special words and unexpected gestures? Whatever form it takes, it is clearly not something that is innate within us. When you look at a baby, the only one he truly loves is himself. I cry when I’m hungry. I cry when I poop. I cry when I wake. I cry because I want things. And yet, as adults, I actually don’t think many things have changed. As I have learned so many times through marriage, still, the only one I truly love is myself. Instead of crying, these days I just whine. Many arguments and annoyances that erupt in my relationship with my wife seem to stem from the same source as when I was a kid: my purely selfish nature. It seems as though the reason all religions and cultures talk about love so much is because it is so absent in our very beings. Rather, as this past sermon seemed to suggest, something that is perhaps more true about human nature is the very presence of something completely opposite: hate. It is a harsh word but when you take the façade and fakeness away from statements like “I’m just annoyed at her” or “He irritates me so much,” it really translates out to hatred. Read more on Why Love Those You Hate?…
Every year in the area I grew up, OMF (Overseas Mission Fellowship) would host a missions conference for churches to keep up on the Christian work happening around the world. Even in the children’s program the focus was on missions. We’d hear missionary stories, learn about different countries, and fold origami or weave African baskets. And so I thought the Great Commission meant traveling to far-off places and coming back with stories about witch-doctors and miracles.
On June 20, Alex Chow will be giving a seminar on Perspectives on Christians and the World. He’ll be looking at different ways Christians have responded to the culture around them through the ages, and challenging us to think about how we should respond. It will be a relevant and exciting seminar.
To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
That’s what the woman said, in a voice that was at once pleading, anguished and resigned. Read more on Why do we need to love our neighbour?…
This Sunday (7 June 2009), the BCEC will be holding a Great Big Tea Party! Open Doors UK encourages churches each year to hold a Great Big Tea Party in support of Christians around the world who are being persecuted in their faith. This year their focus is on India and the plight of thousands of Christians whose homes, churches and lives have been destroyed by Hindu extremists.
“It is not about building our own empire. It’s about taking the power of the Holy Spirit and living a life where we are witnesses in Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth.”
That line from Alex’s sermon stands out so clearly. I remember the first time I realised that church was not a singular unit in a moment of time, but rather a living body that transcended time, and drew it’s leadership and direction from Christ itself. It was at that moment where I realised that Jesus was not born during the Roman Empire — the Roman Empire was raised for the arrival of Christ. The coming of Christ is the singular point by which all of history is defined!
So a year ago, I went out and bought WiiFit. Part of me believed that somehow by purchasing WiiFit, I’d become more proactive in exercising and keeping myself in shape. It was like how people get gym memberships hoping that the cost would somehow encourage them to have a more active lifestyle.
The thing about WiiFit is that it helps you set targets, and encourages you to meet them. In fact it keeps track on whether you are using it everyday. So if you missed a few days here and there, the little animated WiiFit board would say, “I’ve missed you,” or “Haven’t seen you in a few days.” A subtle guilt-ing to hopefully inspire you to inaction.
Read more on Exploring Community : Active…