7 Jan 2024
An employer briefed his employees about some work to be done. One of them totally ignored it and did nothing. Another was not paying attention to the instructions and did them diligently but wrongly. The third took his time to listen very carefully and went about doing everything meticulously. Which employee got the year-end bonus?
We enter 2024 as a year of prayer. It is not a new venture. It is a continuation of what we were supposed to do. Just that we now do it with more intent and effort. Churches nowadays face the problem of having too many voices. Many churches are managed and run using management and accounting principles of the world. Not that they are wrong. They are good. However, the context for them is different. The secular world is out to make money, the more the merrier. The church exists to benefit the people of God – in body, mind and soul. Its course will, very likely, go against the grain of the world. Meaning you may be losing money or doing something that management principles tell you exactly not to do. For example, the world wants you to go after those “high value” individuals. The Lord wants us to look for the down and out. The direction are poles apart. What do we do? Remember that we are the Lord’s people.
The church must come together to pray sincerely and humbly. Seeking the direction of God and discerning how to carry it out. It will mean that all of us must come together without prejudices, pre-conceived ideas or pretense. We need to come on our knees, humble ourselves and listen. There is no one more important than another. We are all equal before God. He will speak to all of us, not just special people.
Brothers and sisters, it is time to pray and pray hard we must. The situation in the world today will remind you of the day coming to an end. Let the last part of the race be run well. Do not lose out at this very end. May the Lord be with us all.
God bless,
In Christ’s service,
Barry Leong
一位雇主正在指示他的员工一些该作的事。其中一位完全不理会也什么事都不做。另外一位心不在焉的听,虽然勤奋的作却犯了错误。第三位用时间小心聆听并一丝不苟的把所有的事都办妥了。哪一位员工会会得到年终花红呢?
我们步入2024年将为祷告年。这不是一个新的尝试,而是延续我们该作的事,只是我们现在是更加刻意且用心的去作。今天的教会所面对的一个问题就是声音太多。许多教会是以世界的管理及会计原则来经营和运作。这些并不是错误的,它们都是好的,然而,它们的处境并不一样。世俗的世界是为了赚取金钱,且越多越好。教会的存在是为了上帝子民的益处——在身体、思想和灵魂。这个过程很可能会与世界的觅食之法相抵触。意思是你或许会丧失金钱或作一些管理原则告诉你不可行的事。例如,世界要你去追随那些“高价位”的人,主却要我们寻找卑微和被遗忘的人。这两个方向是背道而驰的。我们会怎么作呢?请记得我们是主的子民。
教会必须一起来虔诚及谦卑的祷告,寻求上帝的方向并辨明该如何去执行。这意味着所有的人必须放下成见、先入为主的想法和伪装,一同前来。我们需要跪下,谦卑自己并聆听。没有一个人比其他人更重要。我们在上帝面前都是平等的。祂会对我们所有的人说话,而不只是一些特定的人。
弟兄姐妹,是时候祷告并要殷勤的祷告。今天世界的局势会提醒你末日快要来到。让我们好好跑完最后一段的赛程,不要在最后的时刻挫败了。愿主与我们所有的人同在。
上帝赐福,
在基督里服事的,
Barry Leong
(林秀娟会吏翻译)