Love & Unity / 86 Reminiscence
Today was a really strong and powerful reminder of the need of unity among God's people. Unexpectedly, EVERYTHING in church today seemed to be about that!
Some of the verses that have been in my mind for VERY long:
Mark 12:30-31 (Jesus was talking about the GREATEST commandments)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:17 (a rather significant repetition)
This is my command: Love each other.
John 17:20-23
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
Today, during Youth Praise, we sang "One Voice". Then after that, during big group teaching, the teacher taught us from the gospel of Mark about how we should not reject or disown fellow believers, and he took this opportunity to remind us about how we often make others in our church feel left out instead of being welcoming towards them. After that was service and during the sermon, the speaker spoke about Jesus' last prayer, where He prayed for Himself, His disciples and for us, all of His believers. He made the point quite strongly about what Jesus wants for us is unity, and that it's this unity that will glorify God. After service was a youth adults' forum where the Young Adults Fellowship got together to talk about the young adults ministry, which was in effect virtually non-existent. One of the young adult leaders, representing the leadership team, told us that the team had realised the importance of a loving, caring, united ministry that could support the young adults in the church and how it was lacking in our church.
I've actually been thinking about these things for VERY long. From the Bible, Jesus wanted 2 very important things for all his believers: Love and unity. I heard on several occasions how it was the love of a Christian community that moved non-believers to join this community and accept Christ. I've heard it among the adults in my own church. Yet, among the youth and young adults in the church, so many are struggling. So many of them are left alone in their struggles, left to fend for themselves against Satan's attacks, no one reaching out to them, no one caring about them. Sounds like an exaggeration? Probably it's more real than most think. Not surprisingly, many have left church, and even now, yes, RIGHT NOW, some are on the verge of leaving. Can we even call ourselves a Christian community?? Where is the love and unity that we Christians proclaim to have??
On my own, I've tried to reach out to these "lost" people in church and out of church. Maybe it's crazy for one person to try to reach out to so many people, but someone had to do it. It did feel quite draining at times. The past few weeks have been extremely stressful cos I had to spend a lot of time at home helping my sis with her prelims, at the same time trying to reach out to these people. Worse still, it's just 1 more month to the 'A's, so this period is going to repeat itself! Oh no! I'm expecting another very difficult period ahead. Maybe I am crazy, but if I don't reach out to these people, who will? Who will give them the love and acceptance that they need so much? I'll feel even worse if I leave them to suffer on their own, cos I've been there before, and the pain and suffering I went through nearly killed me. Literally.
Seeing the other batches thriving and also having been reminded MANY times (including today when one of the older young adults shared that he never got to enjoy the comfort of a batch), I've also been thinking a lot about my own batch. Having been in church for 3 years now, I can still remember the very 1st day I came to church. Samuel and Dawn, 2 of my own batch people, came and talked to me. Then later on, we went for lunch together and they exchanged their contacts with me. These were the 1st new friends I found in church. In June 2004, our batch had an 86 batch retreat, which was the first (and I fear may be the last) batch retreat I went for. These are memories that I still hold very dearly of my batch, cos I feel that these are experiences that I may never ever live through again.
On my birthday, I was at a church friend's place. After we celebrated and cut the cake, I was looking through some photo albums that were on the table. There were a few photos of my batch in the past (before I had even come into church). These photos showed my batch doing things together, such as having a meal together, spending time together. I was deeply moved by these photos, and was looking at them for quite some time.
Looking at my batch now, things are so different. The gender gap has widened. On the girls' side, they've become quite a close-knit group. But on the guys' side, it's a different story. The guys are all now in NS, and it's taking it's toll on everyone (except me cos last year I already went through the worst I could ever go through in NS). Some of the guys have hardly been coming to church now, some may be considering other churches (I think). I fear they may be struggling with their spiritual walk right now. Even their family members have shared with me that they are feeling concerned over the 86 guys. Will they survive spiritually through NS or will NS kill their faith like it has done to so many?
Right now, I'm like "the 86 guy" among the youth. But I know, and several of the youths younger than me have also told me, it wasn't like that in the past. Some of these youths tell me of how my batch guys used to be so passionate for God. Right now, they've lost their once-strong passion. I'm desperately trying to reach out to my batch, but trying to accomodate the different schedules (plus them not coming to church most of the time) makes meeting up almost impossible.
I know my batch has seen better days in the past, more united and closer as a group. But now it has changed so much. For very long, I've been praying for a revival in my batch. Will it happen, will it not? God knows. I've tried to bring the batch back together but it was a failure. So, what now? If no one can help now, then it's up to God and me to bring this dying mentoring group together. God has given me gifts of Shepherding, Mercy, Encouragement, Hospitality and Intercession, and it's up to me to use these gifts. God, You have given me powerful gifts, and now is the time for You to empower me and enable me to unleash the full potential of these gifts. I may be but one person, but with You, I can achieve miracles beyond imagination.
Time is running out, and I can feel it slipping. I've got to do something, and I've got to do it fast, or I may never see these guys in church again.
Let us be one voice
That glorifies Your Name
Let us be one voice
Declaring that You reign
Let us be one voice
In love and harmony
And we pray, O Lord
Grant us unity
Some of the verses that have been in my mind for VERY long:
Mark 12:30-31 (Jesus was talking about the GREATEST commandments)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
John 15:17 (a rather significant repetition)
This is my command: Love each other.
John 17:20-23
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
Today, during Youth Praise, we sang "One Voice". Then after that, during big group teaching, the teacher taught us from the gospel of Mark about how we should not reject or disown fellow believers, and he took this opportunity to remind us about how we often make others in our church feel left out instead of being welcoming towards them. After that was service and during the sermon, the speaker spoke about Jesus' last prayer, where He prayed for Himself, His disciples and for us, all of His believers. He made the point quite strongly about what Jesus wants for us is unity, and that it's this unity that will glorify God. After service was a youth adults' forum where the Young Adults Fellowship got together to talk about the young adults ministry, which was in effect virtually non-existent. One of the young adult leaders, representing the leadership team, told us that the team had realised the importance of a loving, caring, united ministry that could support the young adults in the church and how it was lacking in our church.
I've actually been thinking about these things for VERY long. From the Bible, Jesus wanted 2 very important things for all his believers: Love and unity. I heard on several occasions how it was the love of a Christian community that moved non-believers to join this community and accept Christ. I've heard it among the adults in my own church. Yet, among the youth and young adults in the church, so many are struggling. So many of them are left alone in their struggles, left to fend for themselves against Satan's attacks, no one reaching out to them, no one caring about them. Sounds like an exaggeration? Probably it's more real than most think. Not surprisingly, many have left church, and even now, yes, RIGHT NOW, some are on the verge of leaving. Can we even call ourselves a Christian community?? Where is the love and unity that we Christians proclaim to have??
On my own, I've tried to reach out to these "lost" people in church and out of church. Maybe it's crazy for one person to try to reach out to so many people, but someone had to do it. It did feel quite draining at times. The past few weeks have been extremely stressful cos I had to spend a lot of time at home helping my sis with her prelims, at the same time trying to reach out to these people. Worse still, it's just 1 more month to the 'A's, so this period is going to repeat itself! Oh no! I'm expecting another very difficult period ahead. Maybe I am crazy, but if I don't reach out to these people, who will? Who will give them the love and acceptance that they need so much? I'll feel even worse if I leave them to suffer on their own, cos I've been there before, and the pain and suffering I went through nearly killed me. Literally.
Seeing the other batches thriving and also having been reminded MANY times (including today when one of the older young adults shared that he never got to enjoy the comfort of a batch), I've also been thinking a lot about my own batch. Having been in church for 3 years now, I can still remember the very 1st day I came to church. Samuel and Dawn, 2 of my own batch people, came and talked to me. Then later on, we went for lunch together and they exchanged their contacts with me. These were the 1st new friends I found in church. In June 2004, our batch had an 86 batch retreat, which was the first (and I fear may be the last) batch retreat I went for. These are memories that I still hold very dearly of my batch, cos I feel that these are experiences that I may never ever live through again.
On my birthday, I was at a church friend's place. After we celebrated and cut the cake, I was looking through some photo albums that were on the table. There were a few photos of my batch in the past (before I had even come into church). These photos showed my batch doing things together, such as having a meal together, spending time together. I was deeply moved by these photos, and was looking at them for quite some time.
Looking at my batch now, things are so different. The gender gap has widened. On the girls' side, they've become quite a close-knit group. But on the guys' side, it's a different story. The guys are all now in NS, and it's taking it's toll on everyone (except me cos last year I already went through the worst I could ever go through in NS). Some of the guys have hardly been coming to church now, some may be considering other churches (I think). I fear they may be struggling with their spiritual walk right now. Even their family members have shared with me that they are feeling concerned over the 86 guys. Will they survive spiritually through NS or will NS kill their faith like it has done to so many?
Right now, I'm like "the 86 guy" among the youth. But I know, and several of the youths younger than me have also told me, it wasn't like that in the past. Some of these youths tell me of how my batch guys used to be so passionate for God. Right now, they've lost their once-strong passion. I'm desperately trying to reach out to my batch, but trying to accomodate the different schedules (plus them not coming to church most of the time) makes meeting up almost impossible.
I know my batch has seen better days in the past, more united and closer as a group. But now it has changed so much. For very long, I've been praying for a revival in my batch. Will it happen, will it not? God knows. I've tried to bring the batch back together but it was a failure. So, what now? If no one can help now, then it's up to God and me to bring this dying mentoring group together. God has given me gifts of Shepherding, Mercy, Encouragement, Hospitality and Intercession, and it's up to me to use these gifts. God, You have given me powerful gifts, and now is the time for You to empower me and enable me to unleash the full potential of these gifts. I may be but one person, but with You, I can achieve miracles beyond imagination.
Time is running out, and I can feel it slipping. I've got to do something, and I've got to do it fast, or I may never see these guys in church again.
Let us be one voice
That glorifies Your Name
Let us be one voice
Declaring that You reign
Let us be one voice
In love and harmony
And we pray, O Lord
Grant us unity
posted by Guangrong at
10:17 pm
