line活力线

JUNE 2008

A PublicAtion by AlDeRSgAte MethoDiSt chuRch

MicA (P) 062/08/2007

NOT JUST A WESTERN GOD PEAKS OF BEAUTY IN CANADA WOMEN ON WATER

Money.MINE?

+THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE

BOOK REVIEW AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT PRINCE’S DESTINED TO REIGN By REV. DR. GORDOn WOnG

ARE WE IN A RICH MAN’S WORLD?WHY MY BUYING IS A BLESSING.FOLLOWING THEMONEY TRAIL.

coJun. TWENTY ZERO EIGHT

ISSUE EIGHT

contentSCOVER STORYIS IT A RICH MAN’S WORLD?Who wouldn’t want to be rich? but is it wrong to be rich? What does the bible say about prosperity and abundance? Pastor chiang Ming Shun explores some of these timeless issues and explains whether your money is really yours.

FEATURESFollowing The Money Pathtwo youths track their spending for a week and tell gracia chiang if they think they are spending too much. Balancing, Buying, Blessing labelled as a “spendthrift” by his friends, benedict ooi reflects on his recent purchases and learns a lesson on contentment.

Money TextA book review special that features must-reads when it comes to handling finances the christian way.

REGULARSAROUND ALDERSGATEA look at two recent retreats and raw data on Aldergate’s Pastoral care groups.

SHOUT OUTgrace ho shares her experience with a ministry that reaches out to foreigners in Singapore.

TRAVEL TALESShawn Ang recaps his tRAckers mission trip to bangalore, india. Also, a photo essay on the canadian Rockies.

ALL ACCESSWe review a cosy French restaurant.

14

18

19

5

31

20

34

PAGE

10Jesus

did feast with rich people; he even told parables

about feasts. But Jesus also instructed a rich man to sell his possessions and give to

the poor.

COVER STORY

cover illustrations by MARCUS HUANG

liveline is a publication of Aldersgate Methodist church, Singapore.

Views expressed in liveline are the contributors’ and do not

necessarily reflect that of the church or the editorial team. Materials in

liveline may only be reproduced with permission from the editorial team or

the contributors.

Printed by Pica Digital Pte ltd

Pastor chiang Ming Shun

leslie chiang

Shirley PeeAndrew AngDerrick hogeraldine Anggracia chiangloh Ka WaiRudy Wong teresa chongtiffany Angyip Poh lin

Pastor chiang Ming Shunbenedict ooiDavy SuiFrederick tenggrace hogoh inn PengJanniza yeeJoyce huanglance & Melissa ohPaulette KhooShawn AngWendy chiangyee Wai cheongyeo Shun Quan何秀英叶定

Marcus huang

Advisor

Editor-in-Chief

Editors

Contributors

Sub-editor

EDITORIAL TEAM

line

CONTRIBUTION OF ARTICLES

if you have enjoyed reading ‘liveline’ and want to

contribute a short write-up on your bible reflections, your

Pastoral care group (Pcg) activities or even share some ‘favourite makan places’ or a great place to shop, do drop us an e-mail to let us know.

We’ll be most happy to liaise with you for your valued

contributions. you can send your contributions to liveline@aldersgate.sg

eDitoR’S

编辑的前言FOREWORD

PLEASE WRITE TO US AND TELL US HOW YOU FEEL. E-MAIL US AT liveline@aldersgate.sg

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

TWENTY ZERO EIGHTISSUE EIGHT

contentS

JUN 08 liveline 01

our last issue on technology received quite a number of positive feedback. the editorial team is greatly appreciative of the encourage-ment as well as the constructive comments for improvement. Keep those responses com-ing!

this issue, we focus on the topic of stewardship.

in recent months, Singaporeans have been lamenting the rising cost of living. De-spite that, there has been no let up in the spending. the strong Singapore dollar, freely available credit cards accompanied with zero percent instalment payments and endless special offers continue to call out for us to spend more and more.

We seem to have replaced our Asian culture of thrift with an insatiable appetite for material comforts. Many of us begin our work life in debt with study loans and then proceed to spend the rest of our lives incurring more debts. there is an increasingly alarming trend in our society that encourages us to spend beyond our means.

then there is the resource of time. We devote time pursuing what seems to provide satisfaction but end up feeling empty and un-fulfilled.

this issue is birthed out of that concern and the desire to raise awareness of the need for us to wisely steward the resources that we have. At the end of the day, we would want to be able to say that our time, money and re-sources have been invested in things that not only provide true satisfaction and freedom but made a difference in someone else’s life.

by LESLIE CHIANG

我们以科技为题的上一期季刊，获

得不少肯定。对于大家的鼓励，并

给予建设性意见，我们编辑队在此

衷心感谢。希望大家继续给我们回

馈。

这个6月，我们的主题是事奉。

最近几个月，新加坡人一再面对物

价高涨的压力，尽管如此，国人并

没有大幅度削减消费。强劲的新

元、伴随信用卡的种种优惠及0％

分期付款，一再召唤着我们越花越

多。

在我们不断追求物质享受

的文化里，很多人一踏入

社会就开始负债。最初

可能是要偿还教育贷

款，跟着便终其一生

的 工 作 ， 以 偿 还 更

多 的 负 债 。 我 们 的

社会出现了一种叫人

担忧的消费趋势，那

就是越来越不懂得量入

为出。

此外，在时间方面，我们花

费太多时间，追求似乎可以填补我

们内心空虚，但却不能带来长久满

足感的事物。

本期季刊的诞生，正是因为我

们关心，并希望弟兄姐妹智慧地运

用自己的资源来事奉上帝。当我们

总结回顾的时候，希望都能问心无

愧的说，我们的时间、金钱和资

源，都用在有意义的事物上，而这

些事物不仅带给我们真正的满足和

自由，也改变了他人的生命 。

WE ARE 29 YEARS OLD! We started as a small congregation in 1978, and we officially became a local conference or church on 6 May 1979.

these past 29 years have seen many changes, from worshipping in an old british army nissen hut (a galvanized iron hut named after the engineer who invented them) in Portsdown Road to our own building, through a name change from clementi Methodist church to Aldersgate.

but these have been 29 years of growth - a testimony of god’s faithfulness to us. We thank god for protecting us, for developing us as a family, for leading us into the harvest. We thank god also for the pastors and staff who have given so much to us.

this year we mark the retirement from full-time vocation service of Philip Khoo who turned 77 on 24 May 2008, Aldersgate Day. he served faithfully here for 8 years as lay Ministry Staff, and continues as head of our Seniors’ Ministry. We ask for god’s continued blessing on Philip as he enters new fields.

Also in May 2008, teresa Wilborn was interviewed for a possible move into missionary work. teresa applied to enter as a candidate for diaconal ministry. We will bring you an update in our next issue of liveline.

but what about you? have you considered working as a church staff member or a missionary or a pastor? We are looking for a few hard-working people whom god can use to do mighty things for him. is god calling you?

in a world that seems obsessed by money and wealth, we need people of character to call us back to more important things and life eternal.

We are looking for a few hard-working people whom God can use to do mighty things for Him.

PAStoRAl REFLECTION

JUN 08 liveline 03

IS GODCALLING YOU?FROM THE DESK OFPASTOR CHIANG MING SHUN

Phot

o by

Mab

el Fo

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h | i

stoc

kpho

to.co

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04 liveline MAR 08

fireplacefire placeHealing Service

Our God HealsSaturday, 28 June 2008

5 to 7pmAldersgate Methodist Church

Tired? Need rest?Come to the Fire Place Healing Service.

The quarterly “Our God Heals” service was kicked off last March. Since then, many have been

healed — physically, emotionally and spiritually. Lives were set free and restored by faith in Jesus’

name.

Isaiah 53:4-5 tells us that “Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” for “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed

for our iniquities…the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we

are HEALED.”

If you’re in pain, ill, beset with the difficulties of life, want release from physical, emotional and

relational problems or just tired; come find rest in Jesus, the Great Physician. Come experience

the healing touch of the Lord.

我们已经29岁！从1978年的一个小团契开始，在1979年

5月6日正式成为本地教区或教会。

这29年来经历了许多改变，原本只是在波斯陶路

（Portsdown Road）一个老旧的英军营房崇拜（这个

称为Nissen hut 的铁制营房以发明这种营房的工程师命

名），到拥有自己的教会建筑，并从金文泰卫理教会改

名为雅德门卫理教会。

这29年的成长历程见证了上帝是信实的神。感谢上

帝对我们的荫庇，建立我们成为一个属灵的大家庭，并

引导我们进入丰收的境地。我们也感谢上帝透过牧师和

教会职员，让我们获益良多。

今年，我们的Philip Khoo退休了。5月24日是他的77

岁生日，那天也是雅德门日。他信实地在我们的教会负

责了8年的平信徒事工，并继续领导我们的乐龄事工。

我们祈求上帝在他事奉的新领域，继续赐福予他。

此外，今年5月，Teresa Wilborn 接受面试，希望全

身投入宣教事工。我们将在下期的《活力线》告诉你进

展。

那么，你呢？你是否考虑成为教会职员，或从事宣

教，或成为牧师？我们正在寻找一些勤奋工作、并可被

上帝用来做大事工的人，上帝在呼唤你吗？

在这个似乎对财富着迷的世界，我们需要正直的人

唤醒我们对生命首要事务及永生的重视

上帝在呼唤你吗?章明舜牧师　

ARounDAlDeRSgAte HAPPENINGS IN AND AROUND CHURCH

SAYING ‘I DO’ ALL OVER AGAIN

COUPLES RETREAT

Healing Service

over the weekend of 29th February, 17 couples gathered at the idyllic surroundings of the legends golf & country Resort in Kulai, Johore to say, “i do”. these 17 couples marked the end of the AMc Marriage enrichment Weekend with a renewal of their marriage vows and commitment to each other. Apart from messages from Pastor Ming Shun and guest speaker,

benny bong, husbands and wives also participated in a feet-washing ceremony as an act of submission to each other out of their reverence for christ. Many tears were shed that night through this simple act of humility. other highlights included a buggy ride around the beautiful scenery surrounding the resort that gave those without licenses an opportunity to drive a vehicle. couples also enjoyed a romantic candlelit dinner with each other. you are never too old to “pat-toh”. the weekend was a restful yet fun one in which couples grew closer to each other as well as closer to the lord, and many came away refreshed and revitalized.— LANCE & MELISSA OH

AROUND ALDERSGATE

DELIGHTFULOASIS

PASTORAL CARE GROUP SPOTLIGHT: OASIS D’LIGHT

06 liveline JUN 08

WE MEET twice a month at our leader’s place. We have our bible study twice a month on Friday nights from 8.30pm to 11pm. our group was formed from the 40 Days of Purpose in March 2006. Since then, we have studied 1 thessalonians and 1 Peter. now the group is studying the book of Judges.

From Wendy loh, a member who joined the group about a year ago: “We would start our bible study with singspiration followed by bible study. the bible study has helped me to grow deeper in my christian life and also my walk with god. i began to trust god more by the power of prayer. god has shown me the important of fellowship so we need to encourage one another to meet regularly and pray together. “

hebrews 10: 24-25 says: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” — DAVY SUI

PCG is so much a part of my family life that my kids would eagerly await the PCCG meetings each time and once in a while when the meeting was cancelled, I sensed a great disappointment in them.- Davy Sui (left, standing)

“We have great fun, food and fellowship together. I enjoy the lively discussions we have during Bible study and even at the supper table.- Linda Woon (right)

“

HEAD COUNTPASTORAL CARE GROUP

4 4adult, youth and Chinese ministry PCGS in Aldersgate to date.

There are 24 adult groups, 15 youth groups and 5 from the Chinese ministry.

They come in highly interesting names that include Still Broken Saints , OUCH, CREATURES, Sponge and LEGO.

PCGs SURE and STEDFAST are made up of former members from the 33rd Boys’ Brigade. The BB’s motto is Sure & Stedfast.

There are also those with not-so-interesting names like, Sec 1 Girls, JC2 Guys and F4.

TWENTY NINE YEARS OF BLESSINGSALDERSGATE CELEBRATED its 29th anniversary on 4th May. opening the service was a upbeat song item, I am a Christian, by the Sunday school. the celebrations culminated with a buffet lunch for all.

the church also bade farewell to Philip Khoo who retired from full time ministry on 24th May 2008. this is the third time he is retiring from a job. Philip joined Aldersgate in 2000 and headed the Pastoral care group Ministry.

FAREWELLPHILIP KHOO

JUN 08 liveline 07

DOUBLE DOSE OF TRIUMPH After months of gruelling trainings, both the 33rd and 33rdJ BB companies emerged champions in this year’s

national-level Adventure Quest competitions.

33rd 33rd Juniors

the company sent in two teams, each comprising four participants and two

reserves. boys had to run, bike and canoe a total distance of 35km. out of 101 boy teams, our teams came in first and seventh. this is the first

time 33rd emerged champion in the Adventure Quest competition.

boys from Primary Six raced to complete various tasks that tested their tent building, first aid and field cooking skills. the route covered a distance of 10km. 33rd’s teams clinched the first, second, fourth and seventh positions. the company was also champions last year.

TRACking ALONG HIS WAY

FAMOUS ONE

PHASE ONEINTENSIVE BIBLE & LEADERSHIP

TRAINING

SHORT TERM MISSION TRIP

INTERNSHIP WITH LOCAL CHURCH

PHASE TWO PHASE THREE

JOYCE HUANG shares with liveline her journey over the past six months with Methodist youth programme tRAckers.

We attended lectures and trainings daily. Some of the lectures topics included identity in christ, christ as lord-ship, bible interpreta-tion etc. We also had outdoor learning sessions like visits to All Saints home, Prison Ministries etc.

We were divided into different teams to share christ and expe-rience god’s glory in a foreign land.

the internship gave me a taste of being a full-time christian worker. i got to be involved in pastoral visitations, Fairfield Methodist Secondary School’s youth Alpha programme and other youth-related work.

What did you learn from TRACkers?i’ve learnt to be thankful for people who have invested heavily in youths like me. it is their love for god that motivated my learning.

What did you enjoy most about being in the TRACkers programme?i enjoyed the fellowship with the 39 tRAckers who come from different Methodist churches. We even dreamt of having the Methodist family worshipping together!

Joyce with other tRAckers from her group “intaj”

Read about fellow TRACker and Aldersgate member Shawn’s trip to Bangalore on Page 20

youths from the youth minis-try decked out in their celeb costumes at the youth Alpha party to show how Jesus is as well known (if not more) as these celebrities. guess which personalities were present!

Ans: Forest gump, Victoria beckham, little Red Riding hood, Whoopi goldberg, l, cyclops, yao Ming & Kung Fu Hustle’s Axe gang member.

Some of my small group members attend church because of routine. Through Youth Alpha, I feel a need to nudge them to think deeper about questions of faith. - Annabel Chew

My group members appreciate us facilitators listening to them through the discussions in Youth Alpha. This encourages me.- Diana Kang

“

YOUTHPHORIA

AROUND ALDERSGATE

WELCOMEPAULETTEKHOO

08 liveline JUN 08

i thank god for the opportunity to serve in Aldersgate Methodist church as lay executive Staff with effect from 2nd January, 2008. My key responsibilities are managing the operation of the Pcg Ministry and the Prayer Ministry.

After having worked in the secular world for more than 20 years, i find working in church setting not that different as we have deadlines to meet, targets to achieve and different kinds of people to encounter. the only difference is the boss we work for.

in my previous employment as an Administrator with a Swedish Door Automation company, i was privileged to be working for an englishman who had lived in the Far east for many years. he was very localized in many ways & was very sad when he had to retire and leave Singapore. he was a good boss and i enjoyed working for him. i had the opportunities to learn many new things. i decided to leave my job as i did not like working for the new management. As i look back, i could see god’s hand in guiding me all the way.

i come from a big family of six siblings — three brothers and three sisters. i lived with my eldest brother and his family of seven children before i got married to Philip in 1993 by Ps Paul nga. he always calls my ong family, the “ong clan”. life with Philip is different as i had to adjust myself to his four adult children. overnight, i became a wife, mother & grandma but it has been a great life filled with tremendous joy!

As i mentioned, the only difference between working in the commercial world and the church is the boss we

work for. god is the boss of the church and we are accountable to him through the

pastor-in-charge. indeed, it is better to work for him & know that you are working for the most Mighty one the world has yet to know.

My prayer is that god will guide me and give me greater measure of his love, wisdom and strength as i strive to do my best to serve him.

IT WAS with great anticipation and curiosity that 20 ladies

turned up at AMC on Saturday, the 23rd of February to

find out what this ‘walking on water’ retreat is all about.

Based on the award-winning book/DVD by John Ortberg

If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of

the Boat, Teresa Wilborn, our

facilitator, guided us through

the lessons with the aid of

multimedia presentations, to

explore in depth the meaning of

this ‘water walking’ challenge.

Real-life anecdotes of peoples’

experiences with their faith

were also shared. In between

each session, we had good

interactive group discussions,

prayers and self-reflections.

There was never a dull

moment. Teresa injected fun

and team-building spirit into

this workshop and we played

‘musical chairs’ at intermission.

For the ice breakers, we

competed among groups not

only to build a model of a

church using only spaghetti

sticks and plasticine but were

also ‘tricked’ into moving the

completed model from one

table to another. Needless to

say, some of the ‘churches’ did

not make it and fell apart!

The highlight of the workshop was the drawing

lesson. Everyone was given a ceramic plate and some

poster colours. We had to draw our ‘gifts’ on the plate.

We then took turns to explain our drawings, what they

symbolised and how we would want to use these gifts to

further God’s purpose for us.

For example, Anna drew a computer on her plate to

show that her gift is being IT savvy. Susie’s heart and old

man revealed her love to care for the elderly. Cecilia’s

boat and a drowning man symbolised her interest to

help others through counselling. We realised we all have

gifts!

PAULETTEJOINS AMC STAFF

WOMEN ON WATER

WSCS RETREAT

MAR 08 liveline 09

illustration by MARCUS HUANG

Money, money, moneyMust be funny, in a

Rich Man’s World

page 10 to 19

People fight over it. All of us need it. We use it almost every day. but how much money is too much? And are we customers or stewards? this issue will challenge you to take a hard look at your expenses as we find out what the bible says about wealth. Plus, three individuals give us a peek into their world and let us in on their spending habits.

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE

COVER STORY

10 liveline JUN 08

by PASTOR CHIANG MING SHUN

So sang AbbA, and for many that is true.

on 27 June 2006, the uK newspaper The Independent ran an article with the title, “it’s a rich man’s world (in the uK): the rise and rise of the super wealthy”. According to the article, in 1989 one needed ‘only’ £60 million to gain entry to the top 100 of the Sunday times Rich list. but now the requirement is at least £605 million. Worldwide, the number of those considered filthy rich (individuals with a net worth of at least £15 million) rose by 10 percent.

in that same year, Singapore witnessed the birth of the $101 wagyu beef and foie gras burger at uberburger at Millennia Walk. the burger joint has since closed down but Singapore has

certainly become part of this rich man’s world.

look at credit cards. When i started work, a gold card was considered most prestigious.

today we have platinum and titanium cards with concierges on standby.

When i bought my first housing board flat, they were beginning to build bomb shelters in the flats. today, some of my friends have their own wine cellars at home. one or two have to even rent storage space for their wines, and have invested in wines for their children!

the church in Singapore itself is middle-class. the 2000 census of Singapore showed not only that a large proportion of residents of private flats and houses are christian, but that one out of three university graduates is christian. Many churches are run like companies now, with the pastor as ceo. Some pastors are even paid according to “market rates” of companies.

Who wouldn’t want to be rich?there were certainly rich patriarchs in

the old testament - Abraham, isaac, Jacob, Job, Joseph, to name a few. Some people like to point to this to say that god blesses true believers with prosperity.

but when we turn to the new testament, we don’t see many filthy rich early believers. in fact, Paul, when on his missionary journeys,

Rich Man’s World?

Is it really a

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE

Money, money, money,

Must be funnyin the rich

man's world! Money, money,

money, Always sunny

in the rich man's world!

Aha-ahaaa! All the things i

could do, if i had a little

money. it's a rich man's

world!

JUN 08 liveline 11

by PASTOR CHIANG MING SHUN

had to take up a cash offering to support the early church in Jerusalem.

Jesus did feast with rich people; he even told parables about feasts. but Jesus also instructed a rich man to sell his possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21); he said it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven (Matthew 19:24); of all the people offering money in the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus praised not the rich b u t the poor widow (luke 21:3).

When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples ahead of him, he specifically told them not to bring along a purse or bag or sandals (luke 10:4). later at the last Supper, Jesus asked whether they lacked of anything when they went without purse or bag or sandals. the disciples answered: “nothing.” (luke 22:35) After Jesus had left, Peter said: “Silver or gold i do not have...” (Acts 3:6).

certainly the new testament tells us that there were believers who were well-off. Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:46), barnabas who owned a field (Acts 4:36), cornelius (Acts 10), lydia who dealt in purple cloth (Acts 16:14), and the “prominent” greek women of thessalonica and berea mentioned in Acts 17.

i think christians generally know that while it is okay to be rich, the bible also warns us in 1 timothy 6:8-10,

“People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

And again in hebrews 13:5, we are to “keep our lives free from the love of money...”

As everyone knows, it is not money that is evil, but the love of money. but too often, i think christians fool ourselves into thinking we don’t love money when we do. We show this in our dogged accumulation of wealth. We show this in our spending habits, our giving strategies, the way we run church finances. We say we don’t love money, but we love all that it brings us. We don’t really behave as if we are stewards of god’s money - it’s ours!

the main problem is that more and more often we use the policies and tactics of the world in giving money to the church, its mission and its full-time workers.

We focus on the accumulation of money for the church, not on its distribution. in doing so, we serve

money, not god. how do we distribute money then?We have first to take care of the needy among us.John asks in 1 John 3:17: “if anyone has material

possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of god be in him?” the answer is that it cannot. As a family, we

have to take care of our brothers and sisters.the bible repeatedly tells us that among the

disciples, “there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34); money was “distributed to anyone as he had need” (Acts 4:35). As christians, we are to “share

with god’s people who are in need” (Romans 12:13). even former thieves must work, so that they “may have something to share with those in need” (ephesians 4:28).

unfortunately, have you noticed in this rich man’s world, the rich get richer, and the gap between rich and poor is increasing? it is not just individual circumstances that affect people, but systemic poverty that keeps people in thrall. national debts can be forgiven or cancelled, but the excesses of despots and corrupt leaders must also be curbed.

brian Mclaren, the founding pastor of cedar Ridge community church, asked pertinent questions: “if global capitalism makes the rich richer and leaves the poor in poverty, what will we do? Merely thank god we’re among the rich?”

beyond looking out for our fellow christians, we have to meet the needs of the world. Jesus said that when we fed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take care of strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick, we do this for him (Matthew 25).

Whatever needs we attempt to conquer, we are able to meet them because god will provide for us. Paul confidently said in Philippians 4:19: “...my god will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in christ Jesus.” And god will do this, “so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 corinthians 9:8)

god has blessed the church with wealth to do the work of his kingdom. it is therefore not wrong to be rich, if in our wealth we meet the needs of others, if we use the wealth to advance the Kingdom of god.

We must remember that this is not a rich man’s world. it is god’s world and god’s people must take care of both the planet and its inhabitants.

too often, i think christians fool ourselves into thinking we don’t love money when we do. We show this in our dogged accumulation of wealth.

COVER STORY

12 liveline JUN 08

钱，钱，钱，　　有钱就有趣　　在富人的世界！　　钱，钱，钱，　　有钱就有晴天，　　在富人的世界！　　阿哈阿哈哈！　　什么事我都能做，　　如果我有一点钱。　　这是个富人的世界！

ABBA是这么唱的，对很多人来说，这就是现实。（*ABBA是风靡一时的迪斯科流行乐四重唱组合，虽然在1982年解散了,但他们的唱片每年在全球仍有上百万的销量。）

2006年6月27日，英国报章《THE Independent》刊登了一篇名为“这是个富人的世界（在英国）：超级有钱的人更有钱了”。根据报道，在1989年，“只需”拥有6000万英镑（约1亿8000万新元），就能晋升100首富名单，如今，最少也要有6亿零500万英镑（约18亿1500万新元 ） 才 行 。 以 全 世 界 来说 ， 超 级 富 豪 （ 个 人 净资产至少1500万英镑，约4500万新元）的人数已增加了10％。同年，新加坡见证了101元一个的高档汉堡包；当然，它用的是被视为牛肉极品的黑和牛肉（Wagyu

Beef），加上香槟酱等配料。虽然这间设在美年广场（Millenia Walk）的汉堡餐厅Uberburger最后结束营业，但显然新加坡已成为富人世界的一员。

看看信用卡就好了。我刚踏入社会工作时，金卡算是 最 具 身 份 的 象 征 。 可是 ， 现 在 ， 我 们 已 经 有白金卡、钛金卡(Titanium card)，并附带特别的秘书服务。

当我购买第一间组屋时，建屋局开始在组屋内建设防空壕。现在，我的一些朋友的家甚至有自己的葡萄酒库，其中一两个不但租 地 方 储 存 他 们 的 葡 萄酒，还为他们的孩子，投资葡萄酒！

教会，在新加坡属于中产阶层。2000年的人口普查显示，很多拥有私人住宅的国人是基督徒，而每3个大学生当中就有一人是基督徒。很多教会如今像商业机构般运作，而牧师就是总裁。有些牧师的收入甚至根据私人机构的“市场价”。

有谁不想富裕呢？

圣经的旧约中，肯定是有富裕的忠实信徒，如亚伯

这是个富人的世界吗？

章明舜牧师　

拉罕、以撒、雅各、约伯和约瑟等。有些人喜欢以此为例说，上帝赐福给真

然 而 ， 当 我 们 翻 开 新 约时，并没有看到很多很有钱的信徒，事实上，保罗在 宣 教 时 还 必 须 接 受 捐献，以便在耶路撒冷建造早期的教会。

耶 稣 曾 和 富 人 一 起 吃 大餐，甚至告诉我们关于大餐的寓言。但耶稣也曾叫一个富人变卖他的所有，分给穷人（马太福音19:21）；他说，骆驼穿过针的眼，比财主进神的国还容易呢（马太福音19:24）；在所有捐给耶路撒冷教会的奉献当中，耶稣赞许的不是富人，而是捐出一切的穷寡妇（路加福音21:3）。

当耶稣差遣他的72个门徒

咐 他 们 不 要 带 钱 囊 或 口袋或拖鞋（路加福音10:4）。过后，在最后的圣餐上，耶稣问他们，没有带钱囊或口袋或拖鞋，他们是否缺少了什么？他们回答说：“没有”（路加福音22:35）。当耶稣离开后，彼得说：“金银我都没有，⋯⋯”（使徒行传3:6）

当然，新约也告诉我们，也有信徒是富裕的。像亚利马太的约瑟（是尊贵的议士，马可福音15:46）；巴拿巴有自己的田地（使徒行传4:36）；哥尼流（是意大利营的百夫长，使徒行传10）；吕底亚是卖紫色布匹的妇人（使徒行传16:14）；以及使徒行传17章提到的在帖撒罗尼迦和庇哩亚的希腊贵妇。

我想基督徒一般都知道，我们虽然可以富裕，但圣经也在提摩太前书6:8-10中告诫我们：“只要有衣有食，就当知足。但那些想要发财的人，就陷在迷惑、落在罗网和许多无知有害的私欲里，叫人沉在败坏和灭亡中。贪财是万恶之根。有人贪恋钱财，就被引诱离了真道，用许多愁苦把自己刺透了。”

希 伯 来 书 1 3 : 5 也 说 ， 我们“不可贪爱钱财⋯⋯”

就像每个人知道的那样，罪恶的不是金钱，而是贪爱金钱。

可是，很多时候，我想基督徒不愿承认自己爱钱，而是骗自己相信我们并不爱钱。然而，这可从我们如何累积财富看出来，也可从我们的花钱习惯、我们如何奉献及教会面对的财务问题看出来。我们说我们不爱钱，但却爱钱带给我们的东西。我们所表现的，并非我们是上帝钱财的仆人，而是这钱是我们的。

主要的问题在于，我们往往使用世俗的做法，捐献给教会、教会的事工和全职神职人员。我们把焦点放 在 如 何 为 教 会 累 积 钱财，而不是如何将钱分配出去。这么做，等于侍奉

金钱而不是上帝。

那 我 们 该 如 何 支 配 钱 财呢？

我们首先必须照顾周围的贫困者。

约翰在约翰一书里说：“凡有世上财物的，看见弟兄 贫 乏 ， 却 塞 住 怜 悯 的心，爱神的心怎能存在他里 面 呢 ？ ” 答 案 是 “ 不能”。

在教会的大家庭中，我们必 须 照 顾 周 围 的 弟 兄 姐妹。

圣经一再告诉我们，上帝的门徒，“内中没有一个缺乏的”（使徒行传4:34）；因为金钱“照各人所需用的，分给各人”（使徒行传4:35）。身为基督徒，我们应该做到“圣徒缺乏，要帮补”。（罗马书12:13）

即使曾经偷窃的人也必须工作，以便“可以有余力分给那些有需要的人”。（以弗所书4:28）

不幸的是，你注意到吗？在这个富人世界，有钱的变得更有钱，贫富间的距离越来越大。这不完全是个人的状况影响了人们的生活，而是结构性的贫困使人们面对困境。国债可

以被遗忘或销账，但需要制止专制和贪污的领袖。

Cedar Ridge Community教 会 的 创 教 牧 师 麦 拉 伦（Brian McLaren）问了这么一个问题：“如果全球化资本主义，导致富者越富，穷者越穷，那我们会怎 么 做 ？ 仅 仅 是 感 谢 上帝 让 我 们 成 为 富 者 之 一吗？”（*2002年2月，麦拉伦被《时代杂志》选为25位美国最具影响力的福音派基督徒之一。)

除了照顾主内弟兄姐妹，我 们 也 要 照 顾 世 界 的 需要。耶稣说，当我们给饿了的人食物，给渴了的人喝水，照顾陌生人，给赤身露体的人衣穿，探望生

身上了（马太福音25）。

无论我们尝试应付怎样的需要，都会达成，这是因为上帝必使我们充足。保罗在腓立比书4:19中，就信心满满地说：“⋯我的

基督耶稣里，使你们一切所需要的都充足。”上帝将会这么做，“使你们凡事常常充足，能多行各样善事。”（哥林多后书9:8）

上帝赐给教会财富以建设

们在富裕的同时照顾他人的需要，如果我们用财富来 拓 展 上 帝 的 国 度 ， 那么，富裕并没有错。

我们必须记住，这不是个富人的世界。这是上帝的世界，而上帝的子民必须照 顾 这 个 地 球 和 它 的 居民。

如果我们用财富来拓展上帝的国度，那么，

富裕并没有错。

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14 liveline MAR 08

MoneyFollowing the

Path

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE

How many of us know where our money has gone to at the end of each week? We ask two sporting subjects to keep tabs on what goes out of their pockets. Here is a tally of their receipts for the week of 17 to 23 March.

$38.60

Yeo Shun Quan, 23

by GRACIA CHIANG

Is your spending this week a good reflection of your usual expenses? to be honest, i cheated a bit because comics didn’t come in this week so i didn’t have to spend on that. one week of comics is about $20 to $25 and normally i would be spending $50 plus each month.

What did you observe through the week of tracking your expenses? i didn’t realise i spent so much on food. i had thought transport was going to be my main killer because each one-way trip costs at least $1. i think i could have saved more on food, probably only like $2 to $3 less, but every cent counts right?

How would you describe your spending habits? i’m a stingy person. haha. For food, i don’t see the point in trying something new if the old is good enough. if it’s good and cheap, no point changing right? i also consciously try to be mindful as action figures and comics are not a cheap hobby. i don’t keep track of what i save but if there’s any remainder, i push it forward to the next week so there’s always spare cash in the wallet.

What are some ways and means you use to cut down on spending?Where you live is definitely a major factor. i live 2 minutes away from the nearest MRt and 10 minutes away from town, so it’s a plus point. Sometimes i walk 2 or 3 bus-stops to save 10 cents on bus rides. For example, when i wake up early on Sundays, i’ll walk to Queensway Shopping centre to take 33 and alight at the stop before the one opposite church. Saves me 10 cents ok! Doing this for 7 times = 1 free ride. i also try to eat dinner at home most of the time and i head down to the library once in a while because sometimes the book you are eyeing is available there already. bringing your own water bottle out also helps to save $1 to $2 a day on drinks. When my good friends drive, i can also beg for a ride home. Remember, your dignity and integrity is free. A bus ride costs 60 cents.

How do you think your spending compares to your peers? i try not to compare with people in spending as everybody has different hobbies and different items to spend on. i don’t think anybody collects graphic novels and toys like me. Right now since i am still young and have no financial responsibilities like a family or a relationship, better spend on myself. When i have to support my family and all, it would be harder to justify buying that silly comic or toy (unless i buy it for my son, haha).

Is there anything you will change after this receipt tracking exercise?this exercise did make me put more thought into how i spend my money. i guess people would think twice about how they spend if they have to report their spending. For the past week after the survey, i have been eating economical cai fan for lunch at work - 3 cai for only $2! not a bad deal. having a toy shop near work helps also because if there’s time after lunch, i’ll go to the toy shop and drool at the figures. the desire to buy it decreases as you can see it every day, even though it’s just for a few minutes.

JUN 08 liveline 15

Following the

Path

$38.60

Yeo Shun Quan, 23Occupation: A recently ORD-ed NSman awaiting university enrolment

Disposable income: During that week, I had around $150 to spend because of savings from my army days.

Food - $18.40 1 omelette, 2 double cheeseburgers, 1 fried rice, 1 yucky rice (not actual name but it really tasted horrible), 1 economical rice and 1 iced kopi. I ate at home a lot.

Shopping - $10.20 (after using a $20 book voucher)1 graphic novel which would have cost $30.13 without the voucher.

Transport - $10Bus and train. I try not to take cabs. Actually, I do not take cabs because my life is quite routine now. Cabs are only necessary when I miss the last bus or train.

Entertainment - $0 The last movie I watched was super long ago. I do not play arcade too. The only entertainment I have is going to church and the comic shop to discuss the latest news with other comic fans.

Grand total

16 liveline MAR 08

$42.85

Janniza Yee, 14

I did not regret spending on food. Hahaha. Filling my stomach is very important to me...

“

JUN 08 liveline 17

Is your spending this week a good reflection of your usual expenses? this total sum is pretty much my average spending in other weeks but sometimes i spend less. one of the reasons why my spending for this week was higher was because i had to stay back in school every day so i spent more on food.

What did you observe through the week of tracking your expenses? the results caught me by surprise because i didn’t know i spent so much on food. i learnt that i’m spending too much on food but on other areas, i’m doing well.

What was one thing you regretted buying in the week? nothing!

What was one thing you did not regret spending on? i didn’t regret spending on food. hahaha. Filling my stomach is very impor-tant to me because without food, i will die. Who would regret spending on food right?

Do you have a weekly budget set for yourself? no, i don’t have a weekly budget set for myself. My mom usually gives us our allowance for the whole month so the extra money is either from the previous day’s remainder or from the allowance for the next day. i tend to overspend at times but i will only ask for more money from my parents when i really really really need to. i usually don’t set aside a sum to save every week. i’ll just see how much i am left with at the end of the month. Actually, i don’t save at all.

How would you describe your own spending habits? i think my spending habits are healthy because i don’t spend on unneces-sary stuff like on clothes rather than food. i’m not like other youngsters who spend money like running water but i think i spend more than my friends because they always skip their lunch and usually don’t eat during recess.

Is there anything you will change after this receipt tracking exercise?i’ll try to spend lesser by cutting down on fast-food. it’s not possible for me to walk home from school because i think i’ll just die halfway. haha. Maybe i can bring food to school instead. i can also give hand-made presents in-stead of buying them. i think it is quite impossible for me to save money though because each time i tell myself that i need to save, i’ll just forget about it after a few days.

$42.85

Janniza Yee, 14Occupation: Student

Allowance: About $30 per week

Food - $26Ice cream, chicken rice, hor fun, fishball noodles, sandwich, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds meal, Hello Panda, Doritos, Twisties, Wang Wang, McVities, Milo, Ribena, H20, mineral water. Most of the food was bought from my school canteen.

Shopping - $0 I usually shop, but I did not buy anything that week.

Transport - $5.85Bus and train. I do not usually take cabs.

Entertainment - $7 Watched The Leap Years.

Giving Away- $4Donated some money for a Flag day.

Grand total

18 liveline JUN 08

BALANCING, BUYING, BLESSING A RECENT INCIDENT sparked off a series of thoughts in my head. My friend and i were driving along the bukit timah expressway one night when i saw a Mazda RX8 with an off-peak number plate. i turned to him and said: “Who in the right mind would pay $70,000 for a car just to use it during off-peak hours? Doesn’t make sense. he might as well get a normal saloon car which costs way less and he can still use anytime he wants.”

With his eyes still fixed on the road, my friend replied: “one, it’s their choice to buy such a car; two, they can afford it; three, it’s just like how we can buy a Deuter bag but many still choose to buy a crumpler bag!”

initially, that moment triggered an innate desire to defend myself. i had just intended to buy a crumpler for $225. however, a long pause later, i couldn’t help but concede. “true!” i exclaimed. i realised that i sometimes have been like the guy who bought the

Mazda RX8, paying exorbitant amounts of money for looks and prestige, instead of an item’s intended purpose.

everyone has their own Achilles heel. tech gadgets, toys, bags, watches, guitars and the list goes on. $250 for a DVD box set? $90 for a polo t-shirt? $1000 for a mobile phone? that’s a ridiculous amount of money for these items. however, people still buy them, reasoning their purchases with their excuses.

these are the very items that make us drool and leave us wanting more. Just like how kryptonite weakens Superman, this “kryptonite” weakens our rational thinking when we rack our brains over whether to buy them.

At times, when i look at what my sister buys, i always think to myself: no way would i have spent that kind of money! i can definitely handle my finances better than her! For one, i actually have requirements set in place before i purchase anything.

yet it’s interesting how i’ve been known amongst my peers as one who spends freely. i get really irritated when they label me as being spendthrift.

As i recall some of my recent purchases, i don’t think i’ve been spending a lot. All my purchases were valid and worth every cent! in any case, i decided to do a review of them:

1) Adidas Predator Absolute soccer boots for $200 (I play soccer regularly and these boots will advance my game!)

2) PlayStation Portable (PSP) for $450 (Now that’s quite cheap compared to the regular price and since I would be using it often, it would not be a waste of money.)

By BENEDICT OOI

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE

“The truth is: I have been struggling with this issue of being a good steward of my finances for a long time.

JUN 08 liveline 19

THE DOLLARS AND SENSE ISSUE3) Asics DS Trainer shoes for $150 (I think I need a new pair because my old ones are really worn out and I need to use it for my job as a PE teacher.)

4) Two pairs of G2000 pants and a tie for $80 (I may need to wear pants to work in the future or for dinner functions and the tie might also come in handy one day. Besides everything is on sale!)

After running through the list, an eerie feeling slowly crept up on me. WAit A Minute! Aren’t these the same excuses everyone gives themselves when they buy something?

could it be that i’ve fallen victim to my own warped reasoning?

the truth is: i’ve been struggling with this issue of being a good steward of my finances for a long time. Recently i’ve even been thinking of buying another pair of soccer boots for $245 and a lcD tV for $899!

that’s when my brothers- and sisters-in-christ have come alongside to remind me of the very word which should reside in our hearts when it comes to spending money - contentment.

Paul says in Philippians 4: 11 -13: “i have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. i know what it is to be in need, and i know what it is to have plenty. i have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. i can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

When i read this verse, i am reminded to be grateful for the many things i have. this has also made me reconsider my decision to purchase that pair of soccer boots and the lcD tV.

i am still learning to base my purchases on needs more than wants. At the same time, i want to use what i’ve been materially blessed with to bless others. i believe it is not by chance that god directed my parents to name me benedict. benedict means “blessed”. Knowing that, it spurs me on to be even more of a blessing to the many people around me.

Books to help & guide Money Text

IS THAT YOUR MONEY? OR HIS? | Rev. Dr. George WanA true-blue evangelical, Rev Dr george Wan has always had a passion not only for evangelism but also for responsible christian living. Retirement has not slowed him down much, and this book on christian stewardship (published after his retirement a few years ago) is proof of that.

Rev Dr Wan has written a compact handbook on how christians should view wealth. he covers all the main topics: theology of money, giving and tithing, lifestyle, the model of John Wesley, and the fallacy of the prosperity gospel. but although the book is called an ‘introduction’, Dr Wan

also explores other interesting areas like ‘Suffering and glory’, ‘Jobs as Vocation’, ‘Disposition of the Poor’ and economic mobility.

When capitalism and the Free Market economy seem to be the models around which Singaporeans order their lives today, Dr Wan’s book draws christians back to a biblical view that can work in modern society. it is clearly written for the layman, with short, bite-sized sections easily digested. best of all, it is written lovingly by a pastor with a shepherd’s heart, seeking to protect the sheep. i recommend this book highly to everyone! — CHIANG MING SHUN

THE GRACE OF GIVING/REVISED EDITION | Stephen OlfordFaithful to Scripture, veteran pastor and author Stephen olford’s classic 1972 book the grace of giving is now in its 3rd edition, released in 2000. Journeying through Scripture, olford presents a compelling case for biblical giving, emphasizing on the basis and essence of giving, the example and ethics of giving, the efficiency and enrichment of giving and finally how it is used by god to provide for ministers. this makes an excellent guide for the church as well as home and individual study. easy to read and succinct.

MONEY MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE ANY | James Paristhis is an easy-to-use handbook that presents no-nonsense advice on how to achieve financial success - whether you’re a good money manager or not! With over 200 practical tips and strategies, Financial expert James Paris shares how you can handle money in a god-honouring way and enjoy all the benefits of sound financial planning. Much of the advice is trans-culture, so they do work in our local contexts as well.

THE MONEY SECRET | Rob ParsonsPivoting around the fictional tale of a woman whose life in debt drove her to a suicide attempt only to be “rescued” by a ministering “angel” called lydia, this book brings to life the common-sense principle of not living in debt. interwoven into its narrative style and fictional plot are numerous money principles and insights that are as witty as they are informative. A great read about a serious subject.

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MAR 08 liveline 21MAR 08 liveline 27

SHAWN ANG

makes his first trip to India under the Methodist

youth programme, TRACkers, to find a side of the land and people that he never expected to see.

MISSIONBANGALORE“Dear Pastor (Kai Ming), thank you for the information

about your arrival and departure. We will be wait-ing at the airport to pick you up on the morning of

the 11th.” that was the last email that intaj, my mission trip team comprising 10 youths and two mentors, received prior to leaving for bangalore, india. true to his word, Pastor Mark and the Rays of Peace Ministries team, a missionary organisation dedicated to do-ing god’s work, were there to receive us.

in true local indian fashion, we rode in an open-window van through a maze of busy, dusty bangalore streets. here, roads have no lane markings or traffic lights, and cows – regarded as sacred animals by hindus – literally rule the streets and hold up traffic. nevertheless, traffic was surprisingly orderly and we arrived sooner than we had expected. the bumpy and unpaved dirt road leading to our place of accommodation bore the first hints of what was to come – the undeveloped state of this unfamiliar land.

What greeted us upon our arrival was a black 3-storey house

which i called my “bangalore home”. it was here that i experienced first-hand, true indian hospitality extended by our hosts. in order to accommodate us, Pastor Mark’s family, along with the orphans staying there, vacated the house so that our team could sleep there while they themselves moved into the crowded church office. i felt extremely bad that our presence had caused much inconvenience and discomfort to them; however, their constant smiles assured me otherwise. in fact, over the next 10 days, they impressed upon us time and again how much they valued us as fellow disciples in christ.

THE BEACON THAT GUIDES THE RAYS OF PEACEAs the days went by, we learnt more about the simple way of life in chellikere Village. on the very first day, we had the opportunity to hear Pastor Mark’s testimony. listening to him stirred my heart on how god’s power is truly displayed in all circumstances. god brought Pastor Mark to this village one sultry night, with nothing

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22 liveline JUN 08

tRAVel TALES

but a box of belongings and a few rupees. he knocked on the door of an alcoholic man’s home to seek shelter. From there, he began his ministry “to share Jesus’ love.” Fast forward 20 years: he has planted sev-eral churches and orphanages within the region, a feat he never imagined possible.

Rays of Peace (RoP) is an organisation that aims to impact the community, reach out to non-believers with the good news, and instill active discipleship for believers. one way in which RoP reaches out to the community is by conducting healing ser-vices in the church, opened to all who long for god’s healing.

our team led worship for two of such healing services with simple english wor-ship songs. Despite the language barrier, the Spirit of god could be felt strongly by all who were present. our mentors, Pastor Kai Ming and Wendy, took turns to share the message. everyone also joined in to pray for the sick during ministry time. We gave god thanks and glory when a lady shared her testimony of how some nag-ging pains on her knees were gone that very night she returned home after the earlier service. god most certainly works beyond language barriers and everything we could ever imagine.

Another aspect of RoP’s ministry is in running orphanages for destitute orphans. We visited one called Victory children home at Sasalu Village. besides providing them with basic needs and education, the ministry also actively nurture these kids to be god’s faithful servants.

We did a prayer walk in the children’s dormitories where wall-mounted shelves were filled with clothes, books and toys. beside each shelf was either a photograph

or a name tag, belonging to the children whom we had to start praying for. the thing that struck me was seeing how little they have, especially when i learned that at least two children shared one shelf slot. it made me realize how ironic it was that my belongings alone could probably fill up every single shelf on the wall, yet at times, i still find myself desiring more.

HOGI BARUVE! TILL WE MEET AGAIN.bidding ‘goodbye’ on our last day was a huge emotional struggle. As keepsake, i gave two of my favourite orphaned boys – clinton and his brother David – a colour-ful stress ball each. Faces beaming with appreciation, they then betrayed just how

TOP LEFT:ON THE ROAD the rugged condition of the streets make car rides very bumpy ones.

BOTTOM LEFT:SPECTACLE Roof-top view of chellikere Village.

BOTTOM CENTER:LOVED With elisabeth, one of the adopted orphans.

CENTER:LAST DAY AT VICTORY Students ready to leave for school in their uniforms.

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rare it must have been for them to receive gifts by eagerly stashing away their new possessions deep underneath their stack of clothes, as if fearing they’d lose them. indeed, something that cost me nothing meant so much to them. As we waved our good-byes to the children leaving in their school bus, i vividly remember clinton’s cry of “bye, uncle Shawn!” amidst the din and babel. Admittedly, that moment nearly

brought tears to my eyes. it dawned on me how much my stay there had really im-pacted me, even though it was just a few days.

My interactions with our bangalore friends have taught me about the love mentioned in 1 corinthians 13, where one could so unselfishly give his best to anoth-er who is only a little more than a stranger. now i truly understand what it means to

give what little we have to god, so that others may be blessed by it, just like these friends in india did.

indeed, love was the bond that sur-passed all differences and difficulties that we encountered in our interactions with one another.

throughout this trip, i could feel god’s omnipresence almost every moment, in the small and not-so-small happenings, whether knowingly or unknowingly. god is not as silent as we think he is, and i’m glad to be able to know more of his heart and character over this duration. on reflection, one thing i know for sure is that his faith-fulness, sustenance, and protection were the heart and soul of our trip.

TOP LEFT:SHELTERED the team at Pastor Mark’s residence.

TOP RIGHT:SUNDAY SERVICE 1-hour long continuous worship

BOTTOM RIGHT:REACHED OUT Ministry time during healing services.

24 liveline MAR 08

tRAVel TALES

the castle Mountain is a scenic attraction popularly featured in many christian cards and e-cards. it is one of the most imposing peaks along the columbia icefield highway within the banff national Park.

24 liveline JUN 08

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PEAKS OF BEAUTY

Last October, while in Canada, I joined a four-day tour that brought me to one of God’s amazing creations – the awe-inspiring Canadian Rockies. The breath-taking scenery provided a rare opportunity for the eager-beaver shutterbug in me to click away in overdrive mode. It’s my joy to share these snapshots that are testimonies to the wonders of God’s beautiful creations.

CAnAdiAn ROCKiES

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY FREDERICK TENG

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LAKE LOUiS

ROGERS PASS

KOOTEnAY nATiOnAL PARK

Among its many nicknames, lake louise is hailed as “canada’s diamond in the wilder-ness.” the air is clean and fresh, and as i strolled around the lake, i felt a deep sense of peace, serenity and inner harmony that i never had before.

Rogers Pass, located at the summit of glacier national Park in british columbia, is a narrow valley surrounded by a number of mountains. the park is honoured as a canadian national historic site. because of the surrounding steep mountains, avalanches are common at Rogers Pass. numerous concrete tunnels and snow sheds are built along this pass to protect passing vehicles from avalanches. Although it has an elevation of only 1,382 metres, Rogers Pass receives the heaviest snowfall in the whole of british columbia. here, snow flakes were deposited on my camera lens because of strong winds.

Kootenay national Park is one of four national Parks in the canadian Rockies. it forms part of a uneSco World heritage Site. ice-capped mountain peaks form part of Kootenay national Park’s varied land-scape, which also features hanging glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and limestone caves.

26 liveline JUN 08

SULPHUR MOUnTAin

Sulphur Mountain is also situated within the banff national Park, located at the end of a ridge that spans over 3.5 km. it is so named because of the hot springs that flow from its north-eastern slopes. the peak of Sulphur Mountain, at an elevation of 2,451 metres, can be reached by gondola. it offers a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and the valley. Although it was not winter season then, the temperature was a chilling 10 deg c. Although the flight to Vancouver was a grueling 16 hours, it was a worthwhile trip which i will definitely consider taking again in future. i cannot thank god enough for blessing me with this unforgettable opportunity to enjoy the canadian Rockies, truly one of his many immaculate works of art.

JUN 08 liveline 27

28 liveline JUN 08

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A LIFELINEI COULDN’TIGNOREBy YEE WAI CHEONG

TO BE ABLE to share my story today is indeed a great privilege, a miracle and a testament to god’s goodness and faithfulness because i suffered a massive heart attack during church camp back in 2006.

before i came to christ, i was a very stubborn person and had never believed in the existence of god until my eldest daughter broached the subject. initially, i rejected what she had to say and instead challenged her to convince her granny to give up buddhism, stating that i would only attend church if she succeeded in doing so. i felt that i had set her an impossible task. but, to my amazement, my mother gave up her religion just before christmas 2 years ago and had even asked for the altar at home to be removed, including my father’s ancestral tablet! truly, nothing is impossible with god!

Since then, our whole family has been attending Sunday services together. At first, i felt uncomfortable being in such an environment. but time has changed all that. through the “40 Days of Purpose” campaign, i got to know god better and had gone on to sign up for the church camp following the campaign.

it was on the first day of camp that i passed out while returning to my unit and it was 6 minutes later that i regained consciousness, hearing most distinctly my wife, irene, calling out to me, alongside other voices that were praying over me.

upon my return to Singapore, i underwent a medical examina-tion and my doctor was extremely surprised with the diagnosis. Since i was unconscious for more than six minutes after the heart

attack, my doctor expected me to have suffered from some form of stroke or organ damage. but i survived with neither. As it was still a dire situation, i was then immediately admitted into surgery.

As god promised in the bible, he will never leave me nor for-sake me. his mercy was most clearly illustrated when i was in the intensive care unit. this proved to be the most difficult time of my life, as i was on a ventilator and had many tubes all over my body. Since i could not press the call bell, i was unable to call for help when i needed it. the only thing that i could do was to pray. And god never failed to bring me help, each and every time!

our god is indeed an all powerful god, in control of everything. i believe that he has a plan for each of us. he allowed this to happen for a blessed purpose as shown in John 9:3, where Jesus says that “…but this happened so that the work of god might be dis-played in (my) life”.

through this incident, god has not only drawn me closer to him, but he has also brought our family closer together. i thank god for my loved ones, friends and family in christ for their love, support and prayers. thank god also for all the medical staff who attended to me. i believe that god hand-picked each one of them as they were all christians.

Man can fail us but not god. in-deed, god is faithful and unchang-ing. he is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. our god is a god who lavishes his love on us all, wanting to give us nothing but the best; to give us joy, peace and strength for each day.

I was unconscious for more than six minutes after the heart attack, my doctor expected me to have suffered from some form of stroke...

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PHOTO: Wai chong and wife, irene.

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liFe STORIES

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back. in the hands of both these registered physiotherapists i should have gotten some relief but instead of making it bet-ter, i suffered the unthinkable, a second slipped disc!

At this point, i was asking many ques-tions like, “Why? Why did this happen to me? Maybe those idols i was praying to was causing me harm...” you know how people say, “once bitten twice shy?” but now i’m twice bitten!’ even before the slipped discs happened, i had wanted to stop all of this idol worship, i just did not know how to. but after this incident, i know that i had to trust god and god alone, not anything else.

i had always thought that historically, buddhism started before christianity. but i learnt otherwise when i started reading the bible in genesis and realised that god created all of the world and everything in it. And reading the old testament also brought to my attention the folly and utter

uselessness of idol worship. that was enough to convince

me so i personally accepted Jesus christ as lord and Saviour in August 2007, when eddie brought a pastor from Kreta Ayer to my house to pray for me and to do a house blessing. From then on, i have been a member faithfully attending the 10.15am services, and participating in the church life with a pastoral care group here at Aldersgate

Methodist church. My baptism marked a visible acceptance of christ to my family and those who know me, and even though i still have to live with two slipped discs, this does not hinder me from knowing god. i know one thing for sure...“god is almighty and great, and is supreme over all those things i used to pray to!”*Eddie Goh (who used to lead the Chinese congregation)

is the younger brother of Inn Peng.

NOT JUST A WESTERN GODBy GOH INN PENG

MY BAPTISM ON December 15th 2007 marked the climax of a long journey of god’s relentless pursuit. i’m 61 years old, and i used to be a buddhist who believed that christianity was a “Western religion”. it always seemed to be “higher class”, for those who are more educated, wealthy, and somehow it did not seem to fit some-one like me.

god used some extremely painful incidents in 2007 to turn my attention to him. looking back, i’m thankful that god used this difficult year to show me how much he loved me.

in May 2007, i sprained my back, so i went to a registered physiotherapist for some treatment. however, the physiother-apist in the course of doing the rehabilita-tion, actually caused me to suffer a slipped disc! instead of making my back better, i was now suffering even more!

over the past many years, my brother, eddie*, had been persistently asking me (and my other siblings) to come to church and to attend big events like those at the national stadi-um. And this time was no dif-ferent. on realising what had happened, eddie invited me to a healing service in June at Aldersgate Methodist church. Since i was already in such pain there was nothing to lose, so i went to the service and went up to be prayed for. i did not have a miraculous healing experience, but began to be more receptive of this “western religion” even though i still did not attend church regularly after that.

this all changed in July when i went back to the registered physiotherapists, this time the initial physiotherapist also brought in her daughter to rehabilitate my

Maybe those

idols I was praying to was causing

me harm...

30 liveline JUN 08

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我的见证何秀英姐妹口述

年轻的时候，为着好玩，时常跟着一位当女传道的亲戚到处去探访、传道，久而久之，就这样认识了主耶稣基督，主的道，也就不知不觉地根植在心中。我今年已 ８９岁高龄，在人生的旅途中，回想经历过的种种事故：其中两回车祸幸存、还有间中的种种病痛、家庭事故等等，其实每一步都是在主带领之下。

见证一两年前我患上了带状疱疹，俗称“生蛇”（据医生

说，这是儿童时期的水痘后遗症，病毒在水痘痊愈后，会潜伏在脊骨髓的神经节内，在人体抵抗力下降时，再度活跃，但是，皮疹通常只沿着神经线，呈带状，出现在小面积的皮肤上，不像水痘那样覆盖全身），鲜红色栗子般大小，凹凸不平的疹子，像一根带子紧缠在一侧胸部，所引起的锐痛、灼痛、麻刺痛，当衣服布料轻触皮肤，就像整窝蚂蚁在皮下爬行。这种异常的痛觉，非经历过是难以想象的。

整整两年，我寻访了很多医生，乌节路、裕廊西、诊疗所、中医、西医、皮肤专科，凡听说某某医生会“医蛇”，我就去求诊，可是都没什么进展。

有一回，我参加了教会的小组祷告会，我与会里的兄弟姐妹诉说了我“生蛇”的痛楚，大家一起为我祷告。回家后，我的症状就立刻减轻。我和我的大女儿锦莲分享，她鼓励我要有信心。然而，接下来两个星期的祷告会，我因为懒散而没出席。一晚，在睡梦中，我听见声音说：“你的病已经好多了，为什么不出席祷告会？”

因此，在接下来的祷告会我都一定出席，兄弟姐妹

继续为我祷告，我也不断为自己祷告。感谢主，在很短的时间内，我迅速康复了。时至今日，祷告会我未再

最好的医生！在此我也要谢谢教会兄弟姐妹的关心与代祷，尤其是伍显芬传道的热心与关怀。　

见证二我至爱至亲的妹妹在今年六月三日回返天家。十三

年前，她跌倒之后，只能坐在轮椅上，生活不能自理。每回见面，她都哭诉人生在世，没什么意思，希望能早日回到天家和我们的大姐团聚。

今年五月，她在家中昏迷了，在新加坡中央医院待了一个月，没清醒过。有一天，家人接到通知，考虑到在病人复原无望，却又不知还要拖延多长时日的情况下，医院决定安排将她转移到XX医院。XX医院是一个很有爱心的慈善机构，收费廉宜，帮助了很多贫苦大众。但是，毕竟是不同的信仰，我不希望妹妹住进一间不同信仰的医院，我相信如果有选择，她也不愿意去。

在她去世前三天，我每天在家中迫切地为她祷告，求天父怜悯，把她带返天家。在六月三日早上，虽然行动不便，在家人的扶持下，我还是坚持去医院，按手开声为她恳求。就在当天傍晚，天父听了我的祷告，她安详地走了。

后记我有五个子女，大女儿和小女儿已受洗信主，我常

常为其他的两个儿子和第二女儿的全家祷告，希望它们都能够拥有像我一样的福分，接受主做他们个人和一家的救主。阿们

你们祷告，无论求什么，只要信，就必得着。马太福音21：22

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Shout OUT

FOREIGN OUTREACH IN LOCAL FIELDS

By GRACE HO

THE INFLUX OF foreigners into our island whether for study or work translates into ample opportunities to share god’s love. Dif-ferences in nationalities or denominations are no obstacles for the Almighty. over the past couple of months, i saw first-hand how a Fellowship made up of PRc nationals from different churches worked hand-in-hand with local Methodists for outreach.

in July 2003, two new believers from china stepped into the car park of geylang Methodist chinese church (gMcc), wanting to pray for their accompanying friend. the group began meeting weekly and grew in size. eventually, gMcc offered a location for their fellowship and green olive was established in 2006. under the guidance of lay leaders, the group began outreach actively through activities and english classes, of which the lord led me to early this year.

Working with trained teachers See Keen and Florence from bedok Methodist church, and Anne from gMcc, we relied on god’s guidance in planning for the ten-week course. the class in-take was capped at 15 so that individual attention could be given to each student when needed. even so, their differing language abili-ties called for greater flexibility and sensitivity in teaching. What assisted us greatly was the presence of green olive members who encouraged the students along the way.

unlike my previous experiences in china that packed lessons into three to five-day crash courses, this ten-week structure gave the team ample time to develop a comprehensive lesson plan that catered to the students’ needs. besides touching on basic language skills, it was a hands-on class where students learnt practical skills such as making phone enquiries, reading newspaper articles and giving effective oral presentations.

While the teacher-student relationship was maintained in the classroom, i was thankful that friendships were forged outside. on the week the students were taught to write an exposition on the beijing olympics, i brought pictures from my student exchange in the chinese capital that not only provided graphic information, but also helped to establish a rapport. that very evening, i literally had

a taste of china all over again when the students brought me to a barbeque house along geylang to enjoy authentic mutton and beef grills.

the course concluded with an excursion to Pulau ubin in May. though we’ve laid down our teaching roles, green olive members will continue to walk these students through their sojourn here in Singapore. “hand in hand”, as the worship song goes, “We will an-swer the call, to build a church without walls”.

the next time you encounter a foreigner here, perhaps that is precisely where you can play a part in extending his kingdom.

NO LONGER GREENFor 10 weeks, Grace helped out in the Olive Green’s fellowship which organised basic language courses and practical skills classes for PRC nationals new to Singapore. The photos above were shot at an excur-sion to Pulau Ubin.

JUN 08 liveline 31

Shout OUT

神学,何者需之?

叶定

现今世界，资讯科技百花齐放。不管是生物学，物理学，化学，数学，建筑学，电脑学，文学，哲学⋯都有其包罗万象，深不可测的学问及研究。

神学，英文-Theology,希腊文 -Θεολογια是由ǰǹǼ(Theos) - / ǶǹǮǹǼ(Logos) - / /᷅

学说之意。有些人也就单单把神学看为我们研究及探讨的一门学问而已。今天的西方，抱此态度念神学者，乃司空见惯之举。遗憾的是，此绝非念神学之正确心态。

我个人相当喜欢新加坡神学院讲师-李振群博士在其著作《如此我信》对神学之定义：“神学，不是研究神的知识。他是我们信心的经历，从这些经历不断做反思，而透过反思更加了解我们所信的。”

神学可分为几类：1圣经神学/研究；2系统神学；3哲学神学/护教神学；4历史神学；5教牧学/实用神学。已故维真神学院讲师-Stanley J. Grenz及其好友贝勒大学教授-Roger E. Olson合著的《Who Needs Theology》(什么人需要神学)提到3个主要“神学工具”:首要工具-圣经信息; 次要工具-教会的神学遗产; 附加工具-当代文化 。有此可鉴，神学之主要根据（或前提）是神透过历代众仆人所完成的启示-《圣经》及道成肉身的耶稣基督。缺此二者，就有沦为把神学纯粹看为学问的危机。望各位主内乡亲父老们切记。神学起源

耶稣基督升天后，门徒于五旬节经历圣灵降临，得着能力传道。信徒人数激增，教会被建立起来。公元一、二世纪，除了来自原犹太教徒及罗马政府的逼迫，整个基督信仰之信念，面对由内到外，洪水猛兽般的挑战。

在外，许多人对基督教信仰产生误解，不少护教士纷纷为信仰辩护。在内，各路异端兴起，扭曲信仰：当中，有自称为‘圣灵的喉舌’，领受新启示，新预言，

质，依靠一些奥秘知识方能得救的诺斯底主义；教导人轻看旧约书卷，只看重部份保罗书信及一些新约书卷的马吉安..等等。

在这样的背景下，当时的教会领袖开始思考：哪些书卷应该被接纳为正典？如何将圣经这叙述性的记录，化成逻辑性、条理性、系统性的语言，向教内教外之人陈述基督教信仰？如何正确地了解圣经教训？

在神的引领下，先贤们（教父们）千思万想及长时间讨论，终于在大约公元4世纪，圣经正典成形，普世信经面世：使徒信经，尼西亚信经(确定三位一体的神)，迦克墩信条(确定耶稣基督神人二性)⋯。基督教神学，也伴随着它们，登上了教会历史的舞台。我们需要神学吗？

神学是教牧的专利吗？一般信徒需要神学吗？《Who Needs Theology》一书，也对基督教神学作以下定义：基督教神学乃让我们这些耶稣基督的跟随者，对上帝的信仰及基督徒所享有的世界不断地作反思及对其了解更清晰化(以神为中心的生活)].与先前的定义不一样之处，是让我们看到 - 神学，对每一位信徒都相当重要，而并非牧师，传道专有的。

千多年前有诺斯底，今天有与其相似的“新纪元运动”。以前有孟他奴主义，现今有极端灵恩教会。当年有马吉安主义，今日在神学路线上有一称为‘自由神/ -

抱着可有可无之态度。近一两年，有《达芬奇密码》，《犹大福音》⋯,纷纷向我们信仰发出挑战之物。主内的乡亲父老们，面对千军万马，十面埋伏的‘敌军’，以扎根神的话语、正解圣经、认识正统及基要真理，来装备自己迎敌，难道不是当务之急的事吗？三一神学院-夜间课程之得着

至今，已参加了三一神学院的4门夜课 - 教会论(林鸿信博士)；基督徒与社会关怀(李宗高牧师)；玛拉基书(潘朝伟博士)；教牧书信(李茂政博士)。当中学习良多。

从中，我能认识不同宗派的教会体制，圣灵的恩赐，充满与教会体制、行政的关系。基督徒参与社会活动的重要及其圣经和神学根据。玛拉基书 及 教牧书信 给予作为教牧和教会领袖的教诲都是值得我们深思的。观察经文的上下文，历史背景，对我们了解经文教导将有一定程度的帮助。大部份基督徒对旧约圣经许多书卷的认识，较之新约书卷，会稍逊一筹。其主要原因，是对古希伯来，巴比伦，中东一带的文化背景所知甚少。

上夜间课程，让我在以上这些方面受益匪浅。为此，小弟鼓励各位弟兄姐妹，给于自己一个挑战。8星期的课程（每星期二晚上7时半 至9时半），费用50元新币。这笔钱及这16 小时的付出，不能让你滚更多的钱，也不能让你成为任何一方面的成功人士。然而，只要你抱着正确的心态，他能渐渐为你提炼一副‘黄金盔甲’，一把‘屠龙宝刀’，以备迎接四面八方挑战我们信仰的‘劲敌’。

“历史背景，对我们了解经文教导将有一定程度的帮助扩大我的视野 。

32 liveline JUN 08

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER

By TIFFANY ANG

TAKE MY WORD for it – i would definitely like to hire a personal accountant to tally my monthly expenses, file my annual income tax or tell me when i should stop buying gifts for my friends.

only problem is, i still cannot afford to employ one.Despite being in a family where making sense of debit, credit

and balance sheets is all-in-a-day’s-work, this financial adeptness somehow never rubbed off on me. call me the Prodigal Daughter – the one who digs deep into her pockets to live for the day. My parents have long compared me with my thrifty brother and given up on educating me about the responsibilities of planning for a healthy financial future.

Don’t get me wrong. i’m not a wayward child who spends up

to the last cent of her salary on the 25th of each month, the day it’s miraculously “giro-ed” into my bank account. it is just that numbers are out of my comfort zone and i grapple to fall in love with them. i do save some, though i am not entirely sure if it’s 2% or 20%.

it has been almost a year since i graduated and stepped into the real world of gAinFul eMPloyMent. i’m absolutely enjoying my new found freedom as a “working adult.” instead of a monthly allowance, i now get substantially more every month, in what i term as my “hardship allowance.” Slowly but surely, my disposable income is heading north. Admittedly, the feeling is liberating, which then brings me to my next problem.

Suddenly, i am not as restricted with my expenses compared with my student days. in the past, i would mull over a Starbucks coffee, and eventually opt for the cheaper ya Kun alternative. now, without batting an eyelid, i’d dine at carl’s Junior, even asking for an upsize and a change of the usual French fries to criss-cut fries. We are talking about more than $10 for a meal at a fast-food restaurant.

initially, i welcomed this change in lifestyle with glee. As a fresh graduate, earning your first regular pay cheque makes you feel powerful. if you have the money, why not spend it right? you do deserve it after all.

but after a while, i began asking myself: Why is there this huge shift in mindset? Will my purchases get larger as my pay

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increases? What if it doesn’t hurt anymore to buy that desirable branded clutch bag? What if i squander away my hard-earned fortune?

i sat back and wondered whether having more each month is, really, a bane or a boon. i guess the answer lies in the individual.

My father has been in the workforce for more than 30 years. Sure, he has days where his lunches are way over $10, but there are also the two-dollar ones he eats at his desk. given his higher income, he obviously has significantly more at his disposal compared with his daughter. even so, has his spending habits grown out of hand? Did he forget to build his little nest egg?

the fact is quite the contrary. My parents taught me the discipline of being thrifty even when they have the means to spend more. having a larger income, they say, does not amount to having the right to spend more. the idea is to strike a balance. enjoy life while you can, but remember to save at the same time. the balance i’ve learnt comes in remembering that there are cheaper alternatives if i can help it. yet there are occasions to quit getting agitated over a few dollars and use them to bless others.

initially perhaps, many young graduates like myself forget that the freedom of a working adult comes with added responsibilities. there is now a future to plan for, including giving back a little to your parents, buying a flat, saving funds for our children, for medical expenses, and so on. the list is not exhaustive.

but if we get overly bogged down by financial worries while earning our keeps, then we are losing the point. god meant for work to be good, and the benefits we reap

should be shared as well. We should learn to share, regardless if we have more or less. even if your accounts do not tally for the month, set aside a small amount to bless your loved ones.

Spending $10.50 on desserts to take home is not going to trigger in me a cardiac arrest. in the past, i might settle for two $2-apple pies to be shared amongst the four of us in the family. but now i’m willing to part with more because i have more to receive as well.

having a monthly income puts more money in your hands. how you use it is the real question. it’s all up to you.

Many young graduates like myself forget that the freedom of a working adult comes with added responsibilities. There is now a future to plan for, including giving back a little to your parents, buying a flat...

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER line

IN THE SEP 08 ISSUE OF

WE DEAL WITH

MARKETPLACECHRISTIANITY

How does one be a Christian at the workplace?

Can entrepreneurship and Christianity mix?

How to explain to your collegues about service in church?

WE WANT YOUR SUGGESTIONS!

If you have any ideas or specific issues regarding this topic you’d like to read about,

please write in to us at

liveline@aldersgate.sg

CD REVIEWS

By BENEDICT OOI

Hillsong UnitedTHE I HEART REVOLUTION: WITH HEARTS AS ONERaw voices, live music and intimate worship recorded from world tours over two years are mixed in uniteD’s latest offering “the i heart Revolution”. the double-disc album features familiar hits like All Day and Salvation is here, and new ones like you’ll come and Solution. it will surely cater to those who enjoy the atmosphere of live worship. uniteD is using this album as a platform for bigger projects to unite christian’s all over the world through their music. look out for their upcoming double DVD special “We’re all in this together”.

Audio Adrenaline LIVE FROM HAWAII, THE FAREWELL CONCERTAudio Adrenaline’s “the Farewell concert” is for all you christian rock fans. the band continues to keep up its unwavering standards for high-tempo rock ones like Worldwide and big house. the album also features rock ballads like ocean Floor and a little hip hop elements in We’re a band. Although its lead singer, Mark, seems to be straining his voice a little throughout the whole album, the upbeat songs and concert’s live atmosphere make up for album’s flaws.

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BOOK REVIEW

By REV DR GORDON WONG

Joseph PrinceDESTINED TO REIGN

I RECENTLY READ the book Destined to Reign (2007) by Joseph Prince, the senior pastor of new creation church. When i conveyed some of my thoughts on the book, one of my pas-toral colleagues thought it would be helpful if i shared them with more Methodists. let me begin by saying that Pastor Prince’s em-phasis on grace has been a great blessing from god to many. My nephew and cousin belong to new creation church and have grown immensely in their relationship with god. My prayer is that god will use Prince’s gifts of preaching to even more blessed effect as he allows the holy Spirit to convict him (graciously, as always) of areas that could be improved. i hope my comments below will be helpful towards that end.

1. PRINCE’S TEACHING ON GOD’S GRACE AND ANGERhis emphasis on grace has led some to ac-cuse him of giving christians a licence to sin. he vehemently rejects this criticism (e.g. p. 30) and explains that a person who has properly experienced grace is one who is inspired and empowered to turn away from sin.

WHAT I LIKE: the book’s stress on the power of god’s grace is correct. the grace of

god in the bible is meant to inspire holiness, and not allow sinfulness. the book’s strong emphasis on grace is true to the bible. Self-condemnation and guilt are real problems that afflict many people today, and the mes-sage of god’s grace is truly good news.

WHAT I HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT:in stressing grace, the book appears to

suggest that god no longer gets angry with christians. if this is what it really means to teach, then this is not biblical. on p. 41, read: “We do see god being angry in the old tes-tament, and in the book of Revelation, where his anger is toward those who have rejected Jesus. but for you and me, believers in the new covenant, we are not part of the old testament and we will never be punished because we have already received Jesus. As believers, god is no longer angry with us be-cause all his anger for our sins fell upon Jesus at the cross.”

i suspect (and hope) that what the book really means is that god’s anger is not the type that takes delight in condemning us and pointing out how horrible we are. Also, i think (and hope) that what the book means to say is that god’s anger and punishment on believers does not result in the loss of eternal salvation. but to say the above is very different from saying that god gets angry only with unbelievers and never with true believers (p. 41), or to insist that “the holy Spirit never convicts you of sin” (p.134). Does the bible really say that god never gets angry with believers anymore? in the bible (both old and new testaments), god is presented as getting angry with believers. For example, the letters to the 7 churches (i.e. people who profess to be believers) in Revelation 2-3 in-clude a lot of stinging rebuke and condem-nation from Jesus himself, including the use of threats of punishment and judgement. (i find attempts to say that the “churches” in Revelation do not really refer to believers as far-fetched.) god himself seems to punish two professing believers Ananias and Sap-phira in Acts 5:1-11. isn’t this an example of the holy Spirit, through Peter, convicting Ananias and Sapphira of their sins? or must we as-sume the (not so gracious) judgement that Ananias and Sapphira cannot have been true believers?? For argument’s sake, even if they were not true believers, they were certainly in

the church assembly. So there is place still for Spirit-inspired preaching for the conviction of sin within church walls. there may be many “believers” like Ananias and Sapphira who need the holy Spirit to convict us of sin and our need for grace. Perhaps the book could have made a clearer distinction between di-vine anger at christians that results in the loss of eternal salvation (which is what he is most concerned to speak against) and divine anger at christians that aims to correct and discipline (which he seems to reject). to be fair, Prince does accept the positive idea of child discipline or training (pp. 65-67), but he rejects any association of this discipline with the words “anger” or “punishment”.

god’s anger was, and can still be an ex-pression of his love and grace, just like a lov-ing mother who sometimes scolds her child. (Prince is, hopefully, only joking when he im-plies, p.37, that children will become schizo-phrenic if parents sometimes express hap-piness and at other times anger!) to say that god will never get angry or punish believers anymore may promote (unwittingly or mis-takenly) a distortion of the bible’s teaching about god’s grace. god’s anger is an expres-sion of his love and grace towards his chil-dren. Prince would perhaps do better to speak of righteous anger (ephesians 4:26) versus unrighteous anger. god never gets (unrigh-teously) angry with us, but loving grace de-mands a place for righteous anger as long as his beloved children still need discipline.

2. PRINCE’S TEACHING ON LAWthe book is very strong on rejecting the value of the law in the ot as being of any positive help for christians. For example, on p.120 there is a section entitled “the ten com-mandments Kill” and it says that these com-mandments are “the ministry of death”.

WHAT I LIKE: i think (and hope) that the book is trying to say two biblical things about the law. Firstly, it may be warning us that the ten commandments can be used or preached in a condemning way that destroys the soul of people and makes them cringe in fear or turn away from god as a harsh Master. this is a good biblical warning. Secondly, the book’s description of the law as a ministry of death rather than life correctly describes and reinforces the biblical view that obedience to

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the law cannot lead us to receive salvation. it is correct and very good of Prince to speak against those who are “trying to use the ten com-mandments to remove their sins” (p.124). We are saved by grace, not by obedience to the ten commandments or the law. if these two points represent what Prince teaches on the law in the bible, then this is good and biblical.

WHAT I HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT: that the law can be preached and understood in such a way as to promote soul-destroying guilt and deeper condemnation is certainly true. Prince is to be commended for eloquently highlighting this biblical warning about the danger of the law, and stressing the wonderful grace of god that forgives us all through christ. but while there are many who need this mes-sage of god’s grace-filled forgiveness to save them from their guilt and despair over sin, there are many others who need the message of god’s grace-filled discipline and rebuke to save them from presump-tion and indifference to sin. Prince’s emphasis on free and full forgiveness is very good at helping the former, but not so good for the latter. Does Prince believe that guilt is the only problem people have because of sin? if so, that would present an incom-plete picture. Sin does not only imprison us in guilt; it also lulls us into indifference and presumption. the bible addresses both these effects of sin. the book appears to suggest that there is no way of preaching the law in a graceful manner in order to set us free from our sinful indifference and presumption.

Similarly, Prince is correct to stress that the law cannot save or justify, but his writings give the im-pression that the law has no other positive function except to prove that we cannot be saved by it. but the law in the bible is also presented as a positive expression of god’s grace in telling us what god de-sires. but because Prince contrasts law and grace in this manner, he gives the impression of implying that the law has only the negative value of telling people that they cannot be saved by their attempts at obedience to the law. the law certainly does perform that valuable function, but it does much more as well. it helps us know what is good in god’s eyes. the book is weak on emphasising the on-going value of the law for both christians and unbelievers.

to be fair to this book, there are certain parts of the bible that also speak in similarly strong negative tones against the law (e.g. most of galatians and parts of the books of Romans and hebrews). but this negative view is balanced out in other parts of the bible that are very positive about the law (e.g. Jesus in Matt 5:19-20; James 1:25; Psalm 119 etc.). in other words, the law as a means of salvation is spoken of very negatively in the bible, but the law as a means of showing us god’s pleasure or desire for our lives is spoken of very positively. the book seems to emphasise only the negative picture of the law. Doing so would fail to do justice to the biblical balance which speaks also of the ongoing positive value of the law for christians. Paul, himself, could sum up the law very positively as teaching us to love one another (gal 5:14; Rom 13:8,10).

3. PRINCE’S TEACHING ON HEALINGhealing is a big topic in the bible, and it is not the main theme of Prince’s book. but from the little he says in his final full chapter “good things happen” (pp. 287ff), Prince relates testimonies of people who were healed when they received the grace and forgiveness of god. he also states that “once you know that you have been forgiven of all your sins, past, present and future, the healing of all our diseases follows” (p.290).

WHAT I LIKE: i think Prince is correct to say that the bible speaks of a god who heals our diseases, and this is a true expression of the forgiveness and grace of god. Physical healing is taught and prayed for and experienced in the bible.

WHAT I HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT: Whilst the book speaks of bible passages where physical healing is expected and takes place, it says nothing about the passages that accept (without surprise or anguish) that miraculous physical healing did not take place e.g. 2 tim 4:20; Philippians 2:25-27; 1 tim 5:23; gal 4:13-14. incidentally, galatians 4:13-14 tells us explicitly that Paul did have a bodily sick-ness which resulted in the greater good of the gospel being preached contra Prince’s statement that “Paul did not suffer any sickness or disease” (p. 71). the problem is not so much with what Prince affirms viz. that healing is a blessing from a god who is full of grace; the problem is with what he omits to affirm viz. that physical illness without healing on earth can also fall within the gracious providence of god. the bible teaches us both to pray for physical healing and to be prepared to en-dure illness with patient endurance. the victorious christian life is one that remains faithful to god in both times of abundance and poverty, in sickness or in health, for richer or for poorer (cf. Philippians

4:12-13). i do not know the ministry of Prince well enough to be sure of what he really thinks about healing on earth. Perhaps if you listen long enough to his sermons, you may be able to make a fairer assessment. Does he preach to help christians cope with the onslaught of poverty and illness, or does he speak only of removing sickness and suffering by effortless faith? We need both messages, because that is the balance we find in Scripture.

in general, most preachers are prone to partial teaching. We all tend to favour one side of the balance more than the other as a re-sult of our personal experience of god’s dealings with us. the danger comes when we imply that the side we prefer is the only true side of biblical truth!

May god grant us wisdom and discernment as we seek to live in ways that befit those who have been saved by such a wonderful grace as that which our lord Jesus has lavished on us.

Postscript: there are several places where i do not agree with Prince’s interpretation of the bible verses (e.g. pp. 124f on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; p.263-65 on the cold, hot and lukewarm laodiceans in Rev 3:15-16), but these are disagreements over the interpretation of specific phrases that can commonly be found amongst devout bible teachers. My comments above focus on some major issues that discerning christians should reflect on more carefully.

Prince is correct to stress that the Law cannot save or justify, but his writings give the impression that the Law has no other positive function except to prove that we cannot be saved by it.

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UPCOMING EVENTSTWENTY ZERO EIGHT

JULY.

LOBANG CORNER

TWENTY ZERO EIGHT

AUG.

TWENTY ZERO EIGHT

SEP.

BONJOURVIS-À-VIS IF THERE’S A group of people you might want to consider splurging on, it might be your parents. , i’m quite certain that they would appreciate a well-deserved French dinner with wine in the quiet suburbs with their family members.

For this issue, i’m recommend-ing the Vis-à-Vis Restaurant in chun tin Road. considering that they’ve been around for 16 years, they must be making their diners very happy.

tucked away snugly in a corner of central Singapore, Vis-à-Vis offers the discerning culinary enthusiast a refreshing experience in French din-ing. in a setting that strikes an even balance between a bistro ambience with the trappings of a fine French establishment, it is the ideal choice for a multitude of dining appoint-ments.

Just 15 minutes drive away from

July to DecSeniors bible Study

11 & 25 JulyPastoral care group Visitation

19 JulyMarriage enrichment outing

tRAc Special Session 2008

23 Julylcec Meeting

25-27 JulyPcg conference

27 Julychurch conference12pm, AMc Sanctuary

24 Septemberlcec Meeting

27 SeptemberFire Place healing Service

28 September last local church conference

29 September Pcg leaders’ Quarterly Meeting

17 AugustPastoral care group Sunday

22 AugustPastoral care group Visitation

12 SeptemberPastoral care group Visitation

19 & 20 Septemberbaptism and Mem-bership class (2/08)

the central business District, with none of the parking hassles of down-town dining, getting to the double-storey shop house makes for part of the Vis-à-Vis experience that has en-chanted customers since the doors were opened in 1992.

Walk into the restaurant and prepare to be swept into a different world - to the rustic charm of country Provence.

the traditional food blends with the subtle modern decorative touch-es provide a warm and welcoming ambience for the most discerning diners.

the sumptuous food is comple-mented by an extensive wine cellar and friendly, knowledgeable service. the restaurant has all the right in-gredients to make your dining expe-rience a truly enjoyable and relaxing occasion. After all, the restaurant’s name translated from French means “face-to-face”.

By GERALDINE ANG

MUST TRYS

Rack of Lamb - Meat fell off very nicely and yet it was not over cooked. the mer-lot sauce complemented the meat very well.

Lemon Souffle - the souffle was impres-sive. it was very well done and quite size-able, which is not easy to lift it to such a puffy state. the taste was nice and not too sweet.

Vis-à-vis Restaurant 12 Chun Tin Road, Upper Bukit Timah Singapore 599599.Tel: 6468 7433 Operating Hours:Lunch- 11.30am~2.30pmDinner: 6.30pm~10.30pm

French Onion Soup - Served in a stone-ware crock and topped with gruyere cheese that’s melted until bubbly and golden. break through the gooey blanket of cheese and broth-soaked bread and you would taste the broth that’s thick and meshed with slices of browned onions. the caramelised on-ion flavours were robust, and the soup was rich, dark, and savoury.

Lobster Salad – this was served with mango bits and almond flakes. A re-freshing taste with the lobster bits. Just delicious.

MWS FELLOWSHIP ON THE GREENS 2008

conVening chuRch: grace Methodist church

gueSt oF honouR: Dr Vivian balakrishnan Minister for community Development, youth and Sports

Wednesday, 16 July 2008 Laguna National Golf & Country Club, Masters Course

to make your booking please call Ms clara lick at 6478 4723 or email claralick@mws.org.sg.

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Aldersgate Methodist Church雅德门卫理公会

98 Dover Road Singapore 139647tel: 6773 1964 • email: liveline@aldersgate.sg

www.aldersgate.sg