Our Vacation Bible School (Repost)

Here's an old article I wrote for my church bulletin back in 15 Nov 2009... 

 

OUR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

John 10:16 (NKJV)
"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."

Reminiscing of our Vacation Bible School in years past is a delightful thing. As a young helper, I recall being such a playful rascal; playing more than helping! I got through the nights with as little sleep as possible while conquering the morning sessions with catnaps in-between (sometimes during!) activities. Then when I did work, I remember trying to get the children to listen as speakers retold wondrous stories and lessons from the Bible. Of course, there were the fun times, struggling to motivate "shy" (only on stage) children to memorise their scripts so their parents can understand the skits on Finale Night.

Today, our VBS has seen some interesting changes. Now we have day camps with just one stay-over night. This year, we are doing everything in-house; all speakers, teachers and manpower are from Grace B-P Church. A puppet show replaced the traditional skit last year. In addition, we have had chocolate fondue parties, barbeques, post-VBS outings and more.
But have things really changed? I think not.

For the children still manage to exhaust the helpers' energies, the children still get to listen to the precious Word of God, and the children still perform for their parents on Finale Night. The children remain the heart of our VBS and through this multifaceted ministry we have an opportunity for Gracians to labour in service to their Saviour, a place where the lost child may be found by the Good Shepherd and an avenue to extend the saving grace of Jesus Christ to the parents. Finally, the VBS is still a part of Grace B-P Church. It belongs to us.

See the words of our Lord in John 10:16. We are the sheep who have been called by the Shepherd but there are yet many outside the fold. What shall we do? Hear the urgency in His answer - "...them also I must bring".

So come forward and help in any way you can - we still have room for more. Keep our VBS and her helpers in prayer - we need wisdom and strength for the planning and operation. Pray for the salvation of souls, both of the children and the parents. May God give us a passion to serve Him with a heart for the lost.

Daniel Tan
Camp Master
VBS Committee 2009

It is interesting to look at old (in this case, not THAT old) article and see my atrocious writing...

What does the Living God mean to me?

Over the last few days, there was a piece of Scripture that gripped my imagination and made me re-evaluate my Christian walk. It's a short passage and one that ought to be familiar with many of us. It goes like this:

I John 1:1-4

 ¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Here is the Apostle John proclaiming something that is beyond my wildest imaginations: that he witnessed the Son of God in human flesh. What a grand thing! Let the thought of that sink in for a minute or so. This was no mere vision or dream but the real deal flesh & blood - the kind that could be heard, felt and seen. It was reality. Reality.

What does that mean to me? What does that mean to you?

I find the highest possible form of assurance in this proclamation. It is profoundly assuring because the reality of Christ is reason to believe in the promise of eternal life. (1 Jn 1:2) It is profoundly assuring to know that because of Christ, we now have a restored fellowship with our Creator. (1 Jn 1:3) Then John goes on to say that these things will be the reason that we have complete joy!

Don't we Christians rejoice again and again over these precious truths? Indeed we should and we must!

So are you joyful about this?

Now there are 2 things I would like to mention.

The first is that of the Christian's testimony, our testimony. John himself has set an example, as we read in verse 2, because he has taken the step to testify about the living God. He testifies by writing down the things he has known to be true.
So I wonder how I have been a testimony for Christ, actively sharing Him to my peers around me. If you had answered "I AM JOYFUL!" (as I did) above then this question should weight heavily on your heart.  Why is your greatest joy a hidden treasure from the world?

The second is about the act of reading what has been written. When John says that he is writing "these things" so that our joy may be complete, I must ask what are "these things"? In the context, I would say "these things" has reference to the verses preceding verse 4. Now, supposing I never read those verses - would I have have known these things? Let's expand this; supposing I never read my bible, would I have a clear understanding of how to glorify God through my life? Get my drift?
Scripture has been written down for us so that we can read it and yet we struggle with that task. If the Psalmist waxed lyrical with inspired words about the complete sufficiency of Scripture (Ps 19:7-11), then why am I not bothering? If even the Apostle Peter can call Scripture a "more sure Word"over his own eyewitness (2 Pe 1:16-19), then why am I not reading it? Shouldn't you pay more attention to His Word?


Amidst profound joy to God for His Son Jesus Christ, we ought to be responding in obedience to share the Gospel.

Amidst profound joy to God for restoring us to fellowship with Him, we ought to seek to KNOW our God through His Word.

I need this.

Alright, we need this. 

Working Relationships (Part 1)

I’m going to begin writing about a matter that is close to my heart. It’s about conflicts in relationships and it’s going to be in maybe 3 parts. So here goes:

Everyone gets their share of conflicts in life… Conflicts are an inevitable part of life. I only need to open the Bible and I find plenty of examples of conflicts and instructions on conflict management. I’m even told by the Lord that conflict will come my way. (John 15:19) So we expect conflict to be part of the Christian life and we ought to be prepared to support one another when it hits.

And I believe that many Christians are aware of this. We are ready to stand by our suffering brethren, ready to bear their loads and bear it long we shall!

What about that other category of conflicts? You know… the one that seems to hurt a wee bit more than the usual World-Against-I type? The brother-against-brother type. Fellow members of the household of God at loggerheads with each other. How about that category? Yes, we have instruction concerning this.

Pretty clear stuff too ya?

Except this kind of conflict seems different. Feels different.

I think it’s like that because such conflicts are unexpected. After all, the world doesn’t listen to the authoritative Word of God so we can’t expect respite from them. But for Christians, are we not expected to be bound by the Word?

If the Word says, “love one another”, shouldn’t we strive towards it? If you are at loggerheads with a Christian brother and you know that you are causing him grief, how is he going to “[offer his] gift at the altar”? (Matt 5:23-24) If we are His children, how can we have “His love perfected in us”? (I Jn 4:12) Are we not guilty of “vain repetitions” if we do not forgive others their trespasses? (Matt 6:7-14) And we know that God judges the heart – If you claim to forgive but your actions do not follow, how are you one of the “doers of the Word”? (Jas 1:22)

I could go on and on but I don’t have to because the Bible does go on and on.

Sounds real serious no?

So the call is clear – we are to love one another and if there are divisions, then we must work towards reconciliation. I don’t think there is a need to spell out the specifics/applications because I think the words of our Saviour sum it all up in Matt 7:12 – “…whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…”.

Eh. But I’m okay if the offensive-but-still-loved brother treats me the same way I’m treating him. I’m into giving the cold shoulder & complete indifference manoeuvre even if he’s beside me and I’m 101% fine if he returns the behaviour.

Ah… unfortunately, Christ says “others” not “offensive-but-still-loved brethren”. He means “others” as in your acquaintance/friend/best friend/BFF/pet/family… and no, you will not like it if your BFF treated you that way, neither would you like it any better if your pet dog treated you like that.

Oh, but one may cry out… “But you have to give some time for the fireworks to fizzle out right?” After all, Time Heals All^TM really does work, right?

Part 2 coming right up!

Uno

And so it starts…


Blogging was the last thing on my mind… I remember trying to blog some 8 years back and I don’t think I even started on a post. Signing up must have been tiring back then. Heh. So obviously, I have some kind of intention behind starting one, right? So here are the reasons for starting this endeavour.

1. I think it’s good to have additional Christian presence in the Blogosphere.
2. I hope to be able to edify other Christians in this effort.
3. I wish to have a never-ending journal that I can view anywhere and everywhere.
4. I need to exercise my writing skills, seriously.

So yeah, it’s kinda obvious that this blog will be intended for a Christian audience… therefore, be expectant about the content that is to come!


And now to figure out how to work this blogger thing…


Cheerio!
DanT