Impacting the Marketplace with Spiritual Gifts

Dwayne Lau (DL), a freelance theatre practitioner and drama coach, Yannie Yong (YY), CEO and Founder of Rose and Wendy Lim (WL), Senior Program Executive of REACH, from our churches/organizations across the Assemblies of God (AG) in Singapore, share how God has used their spiritual gifts to impact, influence and touch the communities in their marketplaces.

WHAT IS YOUR PREDOMINANT SPIRITUAL GIFT?

DL: I’d like to believe that I have the gift of creativity. As a child, I’d grab my blankets, pillowcases, dad’s neck ties and mom scarves, drape them around myself and pretend to be different characters entertaining my family and friends. Acting and creating always came naturally to me. Somehow, I’d see it play out in my head as images and scenes. My parents were very instrumental in facilitating the honing of my craft. They encouraged my desire to plunge into the world of drama and theatre in school and church.

At 18, I received a prophecy confirming that I was being called into the creative ministry. This was but one of the many prophecies that followed stating my involvement in the arts both in the church and marketplace. These words from God affirmed that I’d write scripts, direct and lead people (specifically youths), and bring the church to a higher level of creativity. 20 years on and I have written and directed more than 50 shows in my home church as well as other churches. I have conducted trainings, offered consultations and written scripts for other churches that also wanted to develop their creative ministries.

YY: I believe God has given me the gift of leadership. One of the things that I have learned is that having great leadership isn’t actually about being up there as a boss. Rather, from a biblical standpoint, it is about hearing from God and being a good and faithful conduit for Him—almost like a prophet.

Psalm 127:1 says: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” If we lead without the guidance and consideration of God’s will, as Solomon puts it, it’s in vain.

WL: The Lord gave me a gift of service. Mark 10:45 says: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” When I read this the first time, I cried and told myself, if Jesus can do this for me, I can do this for others. Even when I was young and ignorant, it was always a joy to do things for others. It did not matter if I am appreciated or not. Just that act of service was enough to make me happy. My motto in life is to find a need to meet and find a hurt to heal. When I am with someone, I always remind myself to be present because that person next to me is a precious child of God and he deserves my 100% for me to understand his/her needs.

HOW IS GOD USING YOUR GIFT TO BE A BLESSING IN THE MARKETPLACE?

DL: I coach in schools and often, through the themes of the shows we work on, I’m able to impart and discuss values and lessons in depth – selfworth, confidence, love, hope, fighting addictions, facing Goliaths and many more. I create work that highlights biblical principles like having faith and not giving up, the importance of friendship, family, working together, honor, respect and believing in miracles. I have written biographies about different people. One was a sold-out musical, Brave Maeve, about a 3-year-old’s battle with cancer. Most recently I wrote a musical called The Amazing Celestial Race. It was not a “Christian” Musical, but it showcased every possible principle, which, sometimes, even us believers need to remember!

I don’t shy away from saying that I am a believer, but I don’t go around forcing God down my colleagues’ throats. I testify, share and pray when the right opportunity arises. I have prayed for my colleagues in the dressing room, who have been sick, down, discouraged, or even needed direction in life. They know that I love and fear God and I’m very active with my church community. They know I’m also not perfect and that’s what I feel is important. Because they see that I am real, relevant, have the propensity to fail, but still am loved by an Amazing God who always has my back.

YY: My personal story has been one that is filled with grief and sorrow, but also one that emerges joyful in the morning. Through this journey, I have learned so much and I believe that God has put me in this position to be able to lead other women going through similar situations by sharing what I’d learned during my own journey. Rose of Sharon, my business, has also become a platform I can use for the glory of the gospel, reflecting His goodness, grace and mercy to all stakeholders.

As the founder, I am able to use my giftings in leadership to touch and impact the lives of not only my clients but also my employees, suppliers and shareholders. This effect doesn’t stop there. When someone has successfully been led through the journey emerging with joy and beauty, this then becomes a testimony for God to their family, friends and network.

I believe that without this gift, I would be entirely lost, unsure of what to do and how to carry on. But it was because of God and His wonderful giftings and blessings that I have been able to come this far.

WL: Our journey with the Lord is our training ground and as we keep moving forward, we get sharper and better with the gift He has given to us. As a Senior Program Executive in REACH Senior, I am able to use my gift of service to bless the elderly in the whole constituency. I thank God that through my previous jobs, I’d learned to listen and not judge because everyone sees things from different perspectives and we never know what they have gone through in life. This helped me communicate with the people I’m reaching out to and serve them better.

At where I work now, I feel privileged to be able to show the elderly that I serve the love of Christ through my words and actions. When I see how they turn up at the Senior Centre after they had valued the short conversations I’ve had with them over the period of knocking on their doors to see how they are, I can’t help but feel a warmth in my heart. To serve is a privilege.

WHAT IS ONE GODLY PRINCIPLE YOU ABIDE BY WHEN YOU USE YOUR GIFT TO SERVE IN YOUR MARKETPLACE?

DL: Excellence in everything. I choose to always give my best. I don’t cut corners or skive and expect nothing but the best from my collaborators. I believe God honors our best and He will bring your gifts into the presence of great men as written in Proverbs 18:16.

For the shows that I produce in church, I always aim to create work that is comparable to industry standards. Not just in terms of lavish sets, costumes and props, but how relevant the themes, characters and language used are to current social climates. I carry this same spirit of excellence into the marketplace as well.

In the industry I work in, Christians are often seen as judgmental, uptight and legalistic. Recognizing that I carry the title of being ‘Christian’, I try to always be genuine and relevant, but at the same time, holding steadfast to the values my parents have raised me up with. I believe that conducting myself in this authentic way, coupled with the fear of God in me, has led me to build a successful career and also be a well-respected and sought-after player in the industry.

YY: One of the clear instructions Jesus gave his disciples was when he washed their feet. John 13:12-17 says:

“When he (Jesus) had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’”

God’s ways are higher and His methods are far greater. If the Lord that created this universe decided that leadership is done by example, then I shall not be so arrogant as to think that I have a better way. Thus, just as Jesus led by example, so shall I.

WL: For me, it is to always give my best in the most effective way. Focus on the objective and work my way there. When I face a wall, do not give up. Go back to the drawing board and find another way to meet that objective. I used to just do what I was told and did only what I had to do. Then a colleague reminded me that I am where I am for a godly purpose. There is no need to know what that purpose is. I just need to be willing to give my best and God will do the rest. This changed my perspective of how I serve others.

As it states in Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT),

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

SHARE A SHORT TESTIMONY OF HOW GOD USED YOU TO BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE.

DL: Recently, a fellow artist shared with me. “I take my cues from you. You were the one who taught me all I know about God and His goodness and faithfulness.” I met this friend while we were both on a show. It was a failed show, where we were both hired as actors.

On hindsight, I realized it was not the success of the show that was important, but for us to make that connection. We became friends and later I cast him in another show—A Fundraiser for Children’s’ Cancer Foundation. There, he met my community of other church friends who were part of the cast, crew and production team. Through friendship, he learned many godly values and principles. He eventually found faith and God. Together with his wife, they now attend my church regularly, serves in the creative ministry, does life together in the cell group.

I barely ever preached the actual gospel to him. I shared with him my life testimonies and he has seen how I do life, and how I respond in adversity by trusting God. And he has been at the receiving end of God’s faithfulness, love, miracles, providence and a faith family. In the marketplace, I choose to be myself, be real, be relevant, be available and be in-tuned with God’s promptings and directions, and I thank God that He has used me to be a blessing to this good friend of mine.

YY: During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, there was a sense of hopelessness amongst many as the routine of life got disrupted. Many experienced a loss of income, being away from loved ones, and not able to travel.

Together with my team, we founded a movement called ‘My Joyful Moments’. This movement served to empower women to create joyful moments in their life by God’s GRACE. We set up a framework based on the word ‘GRACE’ that would minister to women:

Going back to basic of self-care

Relationship connection with loved ones and friends

Alignment of identity, talents with purpose

Community impact and support

Engagement of talent, elevates self-worth and empowers others.

Our team focused on Self-Care. Weekly, we created self-care events that helped women re-discover themselves. I invited trainers to my office and had them share three aspects of Self-Care: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual.

Women from all walks of life came and learned to care for themselves again. Many shared that they felt refreshed physically, emotionally and spiritually. They felt empowered to connect better with their loved ones, engage in their own talents and embrace their own unique identity. Also, it led to them to want to bless others by creating joyful moments with them.

WL: I had been teaching craft for about 15 years before joining the social service sector and this came in handy in serving. A group of elderly wanted to learn knitting and crochet, so I decided to start an interest group on it. After learning to make all that they wanted to make, they did not know what to do anymore. Recognizing their need to have a purpose, I shared with them what I had been doing with some of my craft. I got them on a project to make bonnets for premature babies and blankets for children in Africa.

Being grandmothers or even great grandmothers themselves, this project was extra meaningful. This small group of elderly found purpose doing what they enjoyed doing, serving not just their community, but outside of their community as well.