Tears

Tears – Blog 8

Tears are often cathartic and cleansing.

I saw another side to our young people recently at their recent camp, held at Philip Island.  A few sobbed as they shared their testimonies and others joined in. It was an eye-opener for me as most times, as with young people, they would be free and frilly. So it came somewhat as a surprise for me to see them cry. Hasn’t it been said before that “Grown men don’t cry?” Well, cry they did and grown men too! So I complemented them for their openness and transparency.  I said, It was alright to cry. For surely God loves soft and sensitive hearts, especially contrite ones. I sensed the Spirit’s presence that day, in moving their hearts and surely it augured well for the future, for God loves to work on soft soil.   

After all, the bible did say “Jesus wept.” He wept on at least two occasions. Once, over the death of his friend Lazarus (Jn 11:35) and the other, as he drew near to Jerusalem (Lk 19:41). In both cases, Jesus wept out of compassion and grief although for two different reasons.

In the first, he mourned with those who mourned because he felt for them and his heart ached as he identified with their loss. In the second, he wept over the impending physical destruction of Jerusalem and more importantly, the destruction of mankind wrought by sin, corruption and injustice and the resultant pain created.

Let us weep then with those who weep. For we know and are assured that he comforts us in all our tribulations (2 Cor 1:3-4). And in a broken world, brought about by sin and destruction, let us resolve to do everything we can to make a difference (M.A.D.) physically, emotionally and spiritually for a dying world. Amen.

Ps N Koh

30 Sep. 2011  

What's in a Name Change?

What’s in a name change?

Blog 7

By Nelson Koh                                                                                                      

Recently, the C.A.C.V. voted for a name change from ” Chinese…”  to the “Christian Alliance Church of Victoria”. The change would be subject to confirmation at the coming AGM on 31 July 2011. The church has agreed to this new name from among several other names proposed earlier for a time like this. The reason given is so that the English Congregation especially, may become more inclusive.  This seems to fit in well with the overall vision for a more multi-cultural and inter-generational church, whilst still retaining the acronym, C.A.C.V.

In today’s largely post-Christian and worldly culture, the word ‘Christian’ has not and is not exactly popular with the masses. It is also not necessarily the case anymore that when an entity calls itself a church, that it is a ‘Christian’ church. Hence, one should be glad that the church has made a stand to boldly declare itself as a ‘Christian’ church in-spite of its seeming unpopularity even among some Christians.

It is important also to note that having prayed and submitted the matter to the Lord, the church can now trust that it has God’s approval. Hence, it should look at the name change soberly just as one sees how serious a name change is in the context of the bible.

Changing a name alone, however, will not be sufficient when it comes to reaching out to people from all walks of life, which is the purpose of the name change in the first place. One has to live out the new name by first embracing it and actively appropriating it in thought, word and deed.  It requires a new resolve, a change in mindset and a new character, besides working together, starting with the leaders, to promote and be actively involved in fulfilling the vision.

The apostle Paul (who had his name changed from Saul) would not have been who he was unless he had actively engaged himself in bringing the gospel to the gentiles. Likewise Abraham would just remained as the ‘High Father’ instead of the ‘Father of a multitude’ if he had not taken that step of faith to move out from the Ur of the Chaldeans.

The challenge is for the leaders to respond to the church theme ‘Respond to the Call’ to take the message to every church member, such that they would in turn be inspired to run with the vision, in order to make the name change truly meaningful and hence be able to make a difference’. 

nkoh290611

The First Three Months

THE FIRST THREE MONTHS

Blog 6 Entry

9 May 2011

I’ve been asked how has it been at the C.A.C.V. for the first three months?

Well for starters, it has been better than I expected.  I was first advised to take it easy until end June, focus on relationships and to ‘ease into ministry’, which I was quite happy to comply. It was good advice I guess, to just get a feel of things and to meet as many folks as possible. With that I started on a ‘getting to know you’ visitation program, determined to visit every member of the English congregation plus their families till end June. So far it’s been relatively slow off the mark having called at only three homes but I understand that it is the ‘culture’ of the church not to be too forward too soon.  I guess it takes time and would simply mean that I will have to extend my ‘every house’ visits till end December.

What did get off the mark quite quickly though, were 3 seminars that I conducted in quick succession. The first was on ‘Leadership”, the second on ‘Worship’ and the third was on ‘Boy-Girl relationships’. The latter was completed at a church camp, held end April. I had my share of once a month pulpit preaching which I intend to increase to at least twice a month eventually. Regular monthly speakers have been around for some time and I have been advised not to ‘rock the boat’ too early too soon. The same holds for those who chair services, worship teams and leaders and other helpers.

It has also been satisfying to be involved in the re-starting of a Tertiary Sunday School Group. We’re now half-way through a course entitled “Understanding the Bible in 30 Days”. I have also been over-seeing the Reverb (High School) Fellowship which meets thrice a month in the evenings.  It keeps me young and alert, I guess. Come July, I’ll also be taking the Young Adults Uni Fellowship (called EM2) which meets fortnightly on Sunday evenings.

All told it has been a satisfying and fulfilling first three months, with more to follow. At least two people have asked me if I have been worked too much. My reply has been “I’m more concerned with not having enough work rather than having too much”. Let’s hope it remains that way for a very long time to come!.  

My Induction

My Induction

Blog 5 Entry 11/03/11

I was officially inducted as English Congregation Pastor of the C.A.C.V. on 20 February 2011. It seemed strange after 2 previous inductions, but then it is an induction to a particular church, of course.

This morning, more out of curiosity, I checked on the meaning of the word “induction” and got this from the Collins Dictionary – “A formal introduction to a new job or new way of life”. Strange again I thought, as I have never thought of the pastoral ministry as a ‘job’, but rather as a ‘calling’. While I appreciate that a pastor needed to be ‘gifted’ as it is biblical, not many see it as other than an employer-employee relationship. Secondly, what new way of life can there be, other than “a life with Jesus”, I thought. Oh well, let’s not be pedantic…as the Bee Gees once sang, “Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be…”

I appreciate that my immediate and close family members were there to lend support. So were some of my friends and relatives. It’s been a long journey since I first met the Chairman and Cantonese Pastor of the C.A.C.V. at a Pastors’ seminar organized by the RBC, on 21 May 2010 ( 9 months to be exact!.)

Since then I had gone through two “getting to know you dinners”, 2 formal interviews with the Board (including one with Kim) and 1 interview with a few deacons to discuss the contract. As though that wasn’t enough, there was 1 interview with 2 Reverends from the C&MA, a very comprehensive application form from C&MA Canberra with loads of questions to answer, a doctrinal questionnaire to fill, a personal testimony statement and a 100 questions biblical knowledge test to top it all. Phew!

All in all I had to present 4 references (specifically, one from the Board of my previous church and another an ordinary member) to the C.A.C.V. Board and 7 more (including the earlier 4) to C&MA HQ, Canberra. My, what a host of requirements, I thought to myself and to think that it was only a phone call each that brought me to my 2 previous churches! Thank God, for all the effort, I finally received my pastoral license in mid-February 2011.

Don’t get me wrong - this is not meant to be a ‘slight’ to my present church but rather a compliment. As the saying goes “Easy come, easy go!” So my prayer my hope indeed is this - that it will be quite a while before “I ride into the sunset!” Meanwhile, I have this to say, “Here I am Lord, use even me!”

Nkoh 11/03/11

…from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the Ends of the Earth

(Blog 4 Entry 02 March 2011)

Welcome back. Here’s what I mean by “I’ve come a long way from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and now to the Ends of the Earth.” At my official farewell from the last church, where I had served for 10+ years (after completing the 3^rd of three-3 year contracts plus a year at a branch church) I stated that I was about to embark on a ‘Samarian’ experience and it would be tough. I had earlier mentioned that I viewed the church that I was about to leave as ‘my Judea’ and an earlier 2 year sojourn as youth pastor in a Presbyterian church as ‘my Jerusalem’. The part statement, of course comes from Acts 1:8b, for those who are more familiar with the bible.

True to my remark, my ‘Samarian’ experience proved to be tough in the sense that I did not have a church where I could really call ‘home’ for 5 years. I was able though to do some itinerant preaching in not so many churches. It was an opportunity also to take a hard look at the church from the outside. On the upside, I had ample time to reflect on ministry besides being exposed to the ‘real world’ as sessional ESL teacher at various TAFE Colleges and Universities. The exposure to the ‘real world’ which consisted mostly of adult migrants only added to the urgent need to proclaim the gospel to such people.

By God’s grace and having been called to the C.A.C.V., I now see it as a ‘last call’ to ministry. The English Congregation of about 40 people is made up mostly of young and eager hearts and minds with great potential to ‘Make a Difference’ for God. Many are ABCs and there are a few older adults. I consider my call into the C&MA through the C.A.C.V. as a last call to “the Ends of the Earth”. After all, the C&MA, as I have stated in an earlier blog, started off as a missions’ organisation in the latter half of the 1800s and has since spread to almost every corner of the globe. I look forward to vast future opportunities to join with what God is doing in the missions’ field.

So, that’s I how I arrived at the statement “…from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the Ends of the Earth.”

A City on a Hill

A City on a Hill

Blog 3 Entry 21 February 2011

A “City on a Hill” – you may have wondered what that meant in my second blog entry..

Well, the C.A.C.V. is literally on a hill overlooking the surrounding Burwood area which includes such iconic sites like Deakin University and the Presbyterian Ladies’ College. It is in a quaint, quiet and fairly leafy area. Kids ride their bikes through narrow pathways in-between blocks. I actually noticed an interesting labyrinth of connected blocks at my first morning neighbourhood walk today. The church overlooks the new Deakin English Language buildings, on the Elgar Road side and seem to offer a wonderful opportunity to connect especially with overseas students.

More importantly, I got the impression of the C.A.C.V. as “A City on a Hill” as far back as 12-13 years ago when I was first invited to preach. The immediate message then and still is, is that “a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put in under a bowl…” as in Mt 5: 14,15. Then in v16 we have “…let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven…”

My immediate prayer is that the C.A.C.V. will not just be a literal “City on a Hill” but a spiritual power-house radiating God’s love and gospel light to the neighbourhood and beyond, even to the nations.

That brings me to the next part which you will see in Blog 4 “from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and now to the Ends of the Earth…” So hold on to your horses!

(any questions, reflections, comments, advice would be most welcome. God Bless) 

New Beginnings

Six months have passed since my first blog entry. No, I've not been 'hibernating', simply waiting. Indeed, a lot of water has since 'flowed under the bridge'.

New Beginnings are almost always exciting as a fresh start or starting on a new slate invariably involves adapting to changes and new responsibilities. Just ask any new mother and you'll better understand what I mean.

I actually embraced my new beginning with the Chinese Alliance Church of Victoria (C.A.C.V.). Who wouldn't?...especially when it involved attending a week long Council Conference from 31 Jan., in Brisbane. It was a great opportunity to meet the larger Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) fraternity. How best to familiarize oneself with the inner workings, history, culture and ethos of the C&MA than to start off with a week-long series of lectures, seminars, worship, prayer, business meetings and fellowship?

It was interesting to note that the C&MA has been in Australia for 40 years and has since grown to 48 churches with a combined force of 5000 people. It has perhaps the most multi-cultural network of churches working in 11 languages with 8 full-time current missionaries. I have always been impressed with her emphasis on the centrality of Christ as in her four-fold gospel and it's focus on missions (the C&MA started off in the U.S. as a missionary organization in the late 1800s).

Dr Ron Walborn, principal of the Alliance Theological Seminary, Nyack, N.Y., was the keynote speaker. Notably, in a series of very interesting lectures, he spoke on the need for a greater emphasis and reliance on the work of the Holy Spirit in ministry besides continuing the Alliance's traditional focus on healing. In one of his closing sermon, Dr Walborn spoke about a shift in the Alliance's stance on "speaking in tongues" from a traditional "seek not forbid not" position to a more accomodating position of "expectation without agenda". It seemed to me from Dr Walborn's papers and in a speech by the C&MA Australia Presidet, Rev. Rod Russel Brown that the C&MA is open to and moving towards a greater and freer Spirit-filled and Spirit-led expression in her  ministries.

All told, it has been a great beginning. I thought it would be great if it had only continued...only to be brought down to earth to begin my second week in what I have always considered "A City on a Hill" since some 12 years ago. It was then as an invited speaker to this church in Burwood that I first sensed a call to the C&MA, aided no doubt through my association with Rev. Spencer Sutherland, a colleague at my previous church and former principal of the Alliance College of Theology, Canberra.

It was by no accident then that I should meet with the Chairman and the Cantonese Pastor at a seminar. One thing then led to another until the call was finally confirmed by the church body at an EGM at end November last year. So, here I am now...I guess I've come a long way - from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and now "to the Ends of the Earth".

That my dear is the story of a new chapter in my life. Your questions, comments, reflections, advice would be most welcome. God Bless.