Watching my life everyday...why?

Titus was placed in an environment that was hostile to Christianity.  False teachings were rife and the Christian community was in disarray.  The nation was infamous for being liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons.  The Christians were probably making things difficult for Titus to do his work.  However, Paul expressed confidence in Titus by leaving him in Crete to straighten out the bad situation in the church.  He urged Titus to be bold and to persevere and step out and teach the right doctrines and setting the right example to the people by being an exemplary role model.  Likewise, here in Singapore, we live in an environment that is not entirely friendly to Christianity. And Timothy teaches how to endure opposition.  The world is especially hostile to Christ hence we need endurance and to practise gentleness in the face of opposition.  Just take my family for instance.  One of my sisters is a Catholic while the sister and my mother are Buddhists.  Religion is not important to my nieces and brother-in-law. There is and always has been resistance to Christianity for as long as I can remember.  However, I must not give up hope and still continue to share the Good News to my family members whenever I can although I do feel weary at times.  This is especially so when I see no change to their receptiveness to the Gospel.  From the book of Titus, I am reminded that this hostile environment is not unique to just my family or to Singapore but to the world at large.  The world has been hostile to Jesus since Day One.  The enemy crept in stealthily and with his lies, ‘stole’ the blessings that God had given man and he is still very much at his game today.  But Scriptures assure us that God desires for all man to come to know Him and not perish.  Therefore, I will not be discouraged even when faced with objections and resistance but will continue to believe in my family’s and friends’ salvation.

Many times, we question the ability of someone young and inexperienced especially at leadership positions.  However, Paul taught Timothy not to be discouraged or disheartened at remarks that he (Timothy) was too young but instead he should continue to set himself as a blameless example for others to see and follow.  The going would be tough, Paul promised, but Timothy was to ‘keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Tim 6:14).  This is a lesson for me not to doubt the young but instead to be an encouragement and help to them.  I have to remember that everyone, young or old, experienced or not, is being appointed by God to serve in the Body of Christ and as a community, we are to encourage and build each other up.  And just as there was a starting point in my life to learn and grow, so do others.

          ‘It gets lonely at the top.”  I remember this punchline from a Svensons advertisement, a hair regrowth brand.  A balding man was looking out of his skyscraper office window at the New York scene outside.  Obviously, this man is in an executive position within the corporation, hence the window view, hence his loneliness.  Paul was acutely aware leaders can get lonely and discouraged with all the work yet seeing little or no results.  He thus kept reminding Timothy of his calling and ministry to encourage him and egg him on.  It is possible Timothy could have been feeling down and needed all the encouragement he could have.  Likewise, many leaders are alone and have no one to turn to when they need help so it is important that as church members, we need to remember them and keep them in prayer to encourage, motivate and uphold them.  Leaders are not super beings.  They are normal people being placed in positions of responsibility and authority as caretakers in the different aspects of God’s work.  We have to acknowledge that they too, just like everyone else, need encouragement.

In our group skit, I played a character who was disgruntled with her lady boss whom she deemed unfit for her position.  She started to complain and gossip about her at cell group.  It is indeed human nature to pick on others’ shortcomings.  It is also a common fact that a complaint may very well continue to grow to become gossip and once started, it is difficult to stop.  That was not only acting.  I am guilty of complaining and gossiping about people in real life and it is a habit that has to be stopped because it is like venom that will spread like gangrene not only within me but that will affect the people around me as well.  1 Tim 4:16 says ‘I need to watch my life and doctrines closely and to persevere in them because when I do, I will save both myself and my hearers’ and may I add, watchers and observers as well.  So I ask myself, how do I want people to view me, a disciple of Christ?  Do I want to be criticised for my behaviour and speech or do I want to live a life that will encourage and lead others to Christ?  People are watching and it seems they are watching Christians closely.  So I have to adopt the right behaviour at all times, my speech as well – even when no one is looking, because God is still watching. 

            Another lesson, not the last, is about guarding what God has entrusted to my care.  The ministries He has placed in my care, am I looking after them well?  The studies He has called me to, am I working hard at them?  The things He has given me, am I being good steward of them?   The family and friends He has placed and is bringing into my life, how burdened am I for their salvation?  Am I doing enough and where can I do more?  The gifts He has given me, am I hiding them and storing them away?  It is a sobering thought that should I not do His work and His will, He can always appoint someone else to do that same work.  When that happens, how am I going to give my report on that Day?   I truly need to sit down and examine these seriously. 

These are some lessons and reminders I am taking away from the Pastoral Epistles.  Initially I had thought it is about pastors and their work.  However, it did not take long to realise the Scriptures apply to every Christian – pastor, leader, church member young and old, because firstly, all of us are called to be leaders and secondly, we need to watch our lives so that “in every way, we will make the teaching of God, our Saviour attractive” (Titus 2:10). 

The Corinthians Adventure

I had heard from a college mate that she benefited much from the Corinthians class. Naturally, I was looking forward to it. Plus the fact that I was going to teach NT Survey at church makes attending this module more timely. I was eager to apply what I was going to learn in my teaching. Here are some personal take-aways:

Do not let the sins of my culture become my sins

Corinth was one of the most pagan and sinful cities during Paul’s time. The Corinth church found it difficult to insulate themselves from the pagan practices and rituals that these foreign traders brought along with them. Likewise, here in Singapore, Christians are being surrounded by different cultures and religions. I used to work in an environment where the people were superstitious. There, I had to be sensitive and yet stand firm upon my belief and biblical truths. The sales team used lucky charms to improve their sales while the company practised fengshui. The lady boss had a golden abacus which she would shake to bring on the sales. Someone enquired about my lucky charm and was speechless when I said I had none but that I pray. I also had to refuse someone’s kind offer to get me some personal lucky charms. Through it all, I was polite and smiled although I was praying silently they would not involve me in their activities. It was easy to simply follow along in order to please everyone and be part of the group but I thank God He have me the courage to stand firm on His teachings. What happened eventually was that even my lady boss explained that I would be busy on Sundays due to church and ministry when being asked to work on a Sunday at a show. God used a pre-believer to speak on my behalf! From the lessons from Paul’s teachings to the Corinth church, I am once again reminded how important it is that we remain pure and blameless in God’s sight in the face of the sinfulness around us.

Handling criticisms graciously with God’s grace

Another important personal lesson is learning how to handle criticisms graciously with God’s grace. Most criticisms stem from trivial matters and potentially would turn into personal attacks. In the past, I would confront the person or individuals involved to clear my name. Then there was a period of time when I would simply act nonchalant but deep down I was hurting. Although what was being said was baseless and unfair, I chose to take a different stance somehow. After reading 2 Corinthians, I now see the best way to handle criticisms is to handle them graciously – with God’s grace. Yes, although the remarks may be hurting or personal and baseless, I know I can turn to God for comfort and strength during these times. However, it does not mean that we remain quiet and be misunderstood. It means instead of being confrontational and aggressive, I should seek out the person in love to clear the air. It is also during this time when 1 Corinthians 13 comes strongly to mind – love. Love regardless whether others love you; accept others regardless whether they accept you – something God impressed upon my heart some years ago. Recently, a guest speaker prayed over me a very comforting message about some misunderstanding that had taken place. There was no mention of a specific event or individual but I felt great comfort and peace knowing that God knows and He is looking after me. The best thing is He knew I am being misunderstood! So in future, when criticisms arise, I will remember what I have learnt in Corinthians, being assured that He is in total control and that I am safe in His Hands.

Team work

There are seven of us in our team – each of us with different personalities, work styles and personal commitments. Several of us are working while the rest are full-time students. So, here we have a relatively big group working on class projects together, of course requiring our attention to deadlines. Needless to say, we faced challenges getting assignments done as not all of us have been able to meet the deadlines. This resulted in some getting frustrated and some feeling bad and guilty. However, as being taught and having learnt from the book of Corinthians, we solved the problem in godly ways – by being open and using love as the first tools to discuss the problem at hand. From everyone’s comments, we were learning a) to be mindful of accountability to one another and thus, to the group efforts, b) understanding different capabilities, limitations and expectations of each other, c) recognising we are a team that possesses different gifts, d) exercising grace and patience, e) communicating our thoughts clearly, for instance, on timelines, submissions (in this case) as none of us are mind readers. This is important so we can also pray for each other. Overall this open-hearted discussion brought the meaning of teamwork to a higher level for me.

The Community

As always in Bro Casey’s class, hitting the books is not the only way to learn. Building relationships and community are focal points in his teaching as well. Expanding head knowledge whilst the heart factor remains stagnant will not bring me far. More so when the emphasis in the Corinthians books demonstrates the importance of community living – being mindful of each other’s spiritual growth, critical we do not stumble each other in our faith, being considerate to the poor and needy, loving one another – so, we had our Chinese New Year Potluck where we had fun ‘lo’heing’ and fellowshipping together, of course not forgetting Bro Casey and Sis Davina! It was not just community-mindedness that abounded in the bringing of the food. It was also the preparation for the party and the clearing up thereafter that reflected this community-living spirit in us. The college theme this year is ‘One Community’. My church’s theme this year is ‘This is my family’. Indeed, I am reminded that wherever God calls me to, there is my family, the community where He wants me to be a blessing and surely, be blessed in return.

Being with pre-believers

Many Christians shun from eating food offered to idols for obvious reasons. We do not visit temples and other places of worship for obvious reasons as well. What happens then if, say, our parents or friends challenge us to visit the temple with them when we invite them to church? The discussion in class revealed various thoughts and answers but one thing that stays on my mind is this – how can we even attempt to share the Good News with others if we do not try to understand them. How do we show our love, God’s love when we are not where the people are? Paul teaches in 1 Cor 9:19-23 he makes himself a slave to everyone in order to win as many as he could to Christ. I want to be more like Paul in this aspect. This set me thinking that the next time my mum challenges me to visit the temple with her, I will do so. But I will have to pray very hard that she is not attending a chanting session.

Indeed, I am more than enjoying this class. I came away with additional materials for my teaching at church. I now understand Corinthians better, like and understand Paul better (I used to think he was an MCP), the fellowshipping is simply fabulous, we are always laughing, new friendships have been forged and old friendships have been strengthened. I now know Soo Ling likes to ‘kid around’, Marcus as usual is up to his antics, Bro Casey and Sis Davina, as always, teach both through books and notes and their deeds. The cakes and chocolates they feed us with, their openness and friendship, the prayers for one another – all these make this class a very memorable adventure and I do not want to get off this ride…yet!