Our ministers came together for a time of empowering on April 6, 2023, by our panel of speakers: Rev Robert Lum, Rev Mark Poh and Rev Calvin Lee.
April 6, Maundy Thursday was an apt occasion to consider what ‘Being and Becoming Faithful’ means in light of Philippians 2:5-8. Our calling first and foremost is a call to be and become more like Jesus, in His servanthood, suffering, death, and His resurrection.
Reflection
Rev Bernadette Fan shared a reflection on Christ’s willingness to divest of Himself. The confines of Christ’s humanity are similar to our limitations as finite beings, and just as the Son obeyed faithfully, we are likewise called to obey the Father by the Spirit, and that confirms us faithful as sons (Romans 8:14), and by which hope we too will be glorified in the Son.
It is important that we grasp the love between the Father and the Son from which comes Christ’s impetus to rely on and obey the Father. It is the fullness of the Father’s love that Jesus received and generously gave to us in His self-emptying.
Our call to be and become faithful is the call to conformity to Christ’s image.
Prayer
Ps Terence Ong then led the ministers into prayer based on the understanding of our limitations.
As much as we want to do great things for God, we must come to grips with what we are unable to do. It is in recognition of our limits that we humble ourselves and turn to the One who is able. The other prayer item was embracing the Father’s love. Unless we receive His love and know the concrete image of that love, we could very be running on autopilot in our ministries, based on experience and expertise. Unless we encounter and receive His love for us, the impetus with which we serve will be very carnal. Let us acknowledge our limitations, and God’s love for us, even beyond the holy week, so that we may be able to experience the sufficiency of His Grace for us in our finitude and weaknesses, and His love that gives profound impetus to our ministry.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Panel Session
Ps Terence then facilitated the session with Rev Robert Lum (Eternal Life Assembly, Rev Mark Poh (Emmanuel AG), and Rev Calvin Lee (former senior pastor of Grace AG) to share their journey of being and becoming faithful to their call.
They retrospectively shared similar experiences when God called them in their youth and began serving God faithfully, recognizing that it was His purpose and plan in shaping their destinies. They value the time God has given and entrusted to them to do His work in a full-time capacity. They learned to trust the Lord for His provision as the transition to becoming a pastor meant a reduced income. The task was clear and they stayed focused where God has placed them every step of the way.
What tied the whole session of the 2TiP was the focus on the cross, and how our calling as ministers is to the faithfulness of Christ on the cross. The sharing by Rev Robert, Rev Mark and Rev Calvin too points to the cross where each of them bears their crosses in obedience and faithfulness to the One who bore the cross for us. Let us therefore be and become faithful, bearing the cross in the vocation where Christ has called us, be it as a pastor, missionary, administrative staff, or in the secular workforce.
