Articles

Kingdom Family Spectrum defined

The church is God’s manifold wisdom (Ephesians 3:10). His glory is diverse and colourful, and He wants to shine through us. Spectrum is used here to mean diversity of God’s colourful glory.

This is possible especially when we live in His Word. The Word of God is like a mirror (James 1:23). It is also like cleansing water (Ephesians 5:26). His word is living water (John 4:10). When God’s pure light casts upon a mirror or a body of water, a spectrum is established. When we have the Word of God hidden in us, God’s light creates a spectrum of His technicolour glory in His blessings, favour, miracles, goodness and mercy, in and through our life. These glorify Him. On the contrary, when our life is dull and pale, He is not glorified.

The Bible shows us things that are described as a range. (‘spectrum’)

For example, love is described in a range/diversity of meanings: agape (God’s love expressed by action, obedience, not feeling; example John 3:16, as in Christ’s sacrifice), phileo (friendship love, emotional; example John 11:3, as in Jesus and Lazarus), eros (marriage love, emotional), and storge (family love; example Romans 12:10 as in brotherly love).

Another example is prayer. In the Bile, we see prayer is asking God for needs met. We also see prayer as petition to a righteous judge to vindicate against the evil one; as meditative thoughtful yearnings in the heart when even words are unable to utter; and then there are occasions when prayer comes out as declarations, proclamations or decrees.

God is shown to us as Creator of the Universe, Husband to Israel, Judge that spares no evil in the Old Testament, God of grace in the New Testament, God of all good at Eden, a friend to Moses and Abraham, King of kings, Father of Jesus, our heavenly Father and provider.

Jesus is shown to us as Saviour, Emmanuel (God with us), advocate, redeemer, Christ the Messiah, the coming King, Son of God, and the firstborn of all creation, our brother and friend to us, healer, deliverer, Word made flesh, wonderful counsellor, prince of peace, mighty God, everlasting Father.

The Holy Spirit is shown to us as helper, teacher, guide, power, God, counsellor and comforter.

There are so many facets of God and diversity of His works that await manifestations in and through us. I believe God’s Kingdom is manifested most in relationships. That is why God brings about His Kingdom by referring to Himself not only as King but also Father in heaven (as in the Lord’s Prayer). God’s Kingdom is executed on earth through the family and the church (which incidentally, is also a family, God’s Family).

Through acceptance and appreciating one another as in a family, God is able to release the gifts and talents, personalities and uniqueness of everyone to fit into His giant jig-saw puzzle of His big, grand picture of His Kingdom purposes on earth.

Everyone is born with God’s intentions and destiny. There is a book of our destiny pre-determined in heaven even before we were born. It is our duty to know and live out our destiny. Being saved and go to heaven is too basic and insufficient. Being blessed just to attend church and have a religion is too uninformed. You have a purpose in God that only you can fulfil. Together with others, we fit into God’s plan for the ages for His Kingdom of heaven to come upon earth in the fullness of His technicolour glory. He wants to glorify Himself in and through you. You are important to His divine purpose.

Love,

Pastor Jeremiah Yap

Kingdom Family Spectrum 1

On 8 January 2017, I loudly encouraged NLRC churches to focus once again on the family, especially our families in God’s Kingdom and His purposes. This makes our families Kingdom Families. In the same breath, I also taught that the Bible tells us the Church is also a family, it is God’s Family. In this light, we must see that the church exists for God’s Kingdom. Hence it is also Kingdom Family. So the concept of Kingdom Family is two-fold, applying to our natural family and the church as a family.

Families are Emotional Systems

Both the natural nuclear family and the church family are emotional systems. Saved and born again in the spirit, we are new creation in Christ and perfectly righteous through Christ in the spirit. But our soul, that is our mind and emotions need to be converted. This is a big process. Failure to see this has kept genuinely born again believers in the bind and control of the flesh, the world and the devil. This makes them ineffective in their faith. My call is for families to be successful and healthy families in their physical, spiritual and especially their emotional state so that they enjoy what Jesus says in John 10:10, to live life abundantly (wholesomely), in spirit, soul and body.

 

Anxiety

Jesus and Paul the apostle emphasized the need to refrain from anxiety. Stress, hurts, offences, and anxiety are weights that prevent Christians from enjoying their abundant life. Someone gave this apt illustration. Stress is like a glass of water. Held for one minute, it is nothing. Held for an hour, your arm will ache. Hold it for much longer, you feel numb. Much longer still, it paralyses the arm. Stress and anxiety are like that glass of water. The right thing to do is to put it down. In the words of Paul: cast all your cares upon the Lord; be anxious for nothing but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Jesus addresses anxiety in ten verses in Matthew 6:24-34. That was in the context of the Lord’s Prayer. We cannot be in prayer and still stay anxious. This contradicts the idea of faith. Trust in the Lord.

The Big Thing is God’s Kingdom Purpose and Destiny for you

Let God’s Kingdom purposes and destiny be your main focus. It is the biggest thing in the universe. It is God’s Kingdom that brings all other things in this world under its rule and dominion, especially all things that pertain to the evil one. Things that have harmed people with addiction, selfish plans, greed that hurt others, diseases, corruption and perversions; these things must be brought under God’s just and righteous jurisdiction. The world is full of these. Unfortunately, sometimes, many Christians are still suffering these things. They have inner conflicts and are at a loss. To win over these and not let worldly issues dominate our life, we live for God’s higher cause and bigger purpose. When you do not have a big thing small things become big. Pains, hurts and worries will dominate and some people get into a downward emotional spin. Others get into depression. It is not worth it. Live for God and be lifted to a higher plane.

Here is the Good News of the Kingdom. Sin is already judged at the Cross. Believers do not need to stay under condemnation as Christ has borne all our sins. Whenever we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us, by what Christ has done in his death, shedding of his blood, God readily forgives us and is able to cleanse all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God is waiting for us to effect what Christ has done for us at the Cross and resurrection. Once forgiven, God casts our sins from the east to the west, never to be remembered. Do not stay condemned and guilt-ridden. Whenever there is anything in our life that the Devil can accuse us for, he will claim his right to torment us. Job was a classic case. He was a righteous man but his children were not. That is why he made offerings daily hoping to atone for their lifestyles of dishonour to God. His children’s sins alone, was enough to give Satan the legal ground to torment Job who stood in intercession.  But we the New Testament believers have Jesus our Intercessor who intercedes for us unceasingly before the

Father (Hebrews 7:25). He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

The question is executing what Christ has done for us to live with an inner freedom. Repent from motives or behaviour that displeases God so that the devil has no place to keep accusing you. The devil is legalistic. He builds a case against us if we can.

The Holy Spirit will be able to vindicate you and judge the devil and his demonic cohorts to dispel their presence and mischief in your life. These include freedom from sicknesses, generational curses, obstructions to answers to prayer and breakthrough that you need. It’s only ignorance that prevents Christians from freedom from things that must be brought under the judgment of God our Righteous Judge and King. We need to see to it that we are individually set free from the wiles of the enemy, and to protect our family especially the ones who are young and vulnerable. My focus on families is so that they all come under God’s Kingdom authority, power, protection and provision.

In freedom, we are able to enjoy God’s spectrum of His glory in our families. Within each family, and I mean both your nuclear family and the church as God’s Family, there are many talents and many opportunities God wants to manifest His manifold wisdom, supernatural works and glory. If we align our life under Him, we enter into the flow of His grace and favour from His Throne of Grace. This river of grace includes healing power, gifts of the Holy Spirit, voice of God that leads in every situation, in your home, at school, at work or in your business. This is Kingdom Family Spectrum.

Love,

Pastor Jeremiah Yap

Pastor Hock and Jinny are a very loved couple among us in the New Life Family. Very talented and full of the heart of service, both these precious souls are working out their life of God’s Kingdom Purpose with a church-centred family lifestyle. They remind me of our early life of NLRC. Our children were brought into every church meeting in their baby basinets at their early age. Our baby baskets were passed around from family to family in the church until they finally disappeared. But the story was the same, raising babies in God’s presence in our church services and events, year in year out. We now have children that love church in their adulthood. Hock and Jinny are sowing similar seeds. They pose as a challenge to those who tend to keep their babies and children overly sanitized from church music and church people.

As I read their article, I can see a couple whose priority is the Kingdom of God. It gives me a sense of confidence that the Lord Jesus’ promise of provision will be accorded them will come true. Already, they received as a gift a seven-seat MPV when they proclaimed that they would like to have a number of children. God’s faithfulness is always available for the faithful.

Enjoy their article…

Love,

Jeremiah Yap

December 2016

Kingdom Family Culture

By Pr Teo Chung Hock & Jinny

To me, Kingdom Life is about living our faith accurately for His will to be carried out on earth. It’s a life long journey which requires progressive faith and learning. But it has to start with the change of our mindset and desire to live out this Kingdom Life.

Kingdom Family is about living out this Kingdom Life amongst our family members especially those who are under our care. I observe how churches have become so institutionalised that we have forgotten that we were born spiritually into this Family of God. Seeing a church as an organisation with many departments versus pastoring a church as a family are so different and would require us to re-think as to how we are to treat others and how to structure the church.

We have three very young children at this moment. They are respectively five years old, two and a half  years old, and six months old at the time of writing this. Although we may not have many years of parenting experience to share, but both my wife and I do set certain Kingdom values in our family. Weekly Dawn Prayer in church is one of the highlights in discipling our children. Whether if they understand or not (actually most of the time they are sleeping while we pray), we just want them to grow up in the presence of God.

Another value is living with a mission in mind. Whether long term or short term mission, we will want to include our children. As a family, we live a life which is flexible enough to be used for mission purposes. On a practical side, our kids are trained to be able to sleep everywhere at any time. We recognise that it is a grace given to them.

We have also made our home as a ministry house where we host youth gathering, short term missionary team, pastors and speakers. By doing so, we also see that our kids grow up knowing the ministry and learning how to interact with others better.

The advantage of having spent lots of time with our children growing up, we manage to guide and help them in seeing God through some basic practical theology, understanding God through daily living. I personally find this the most challenging task for Christian parents and Christian families. By the time our kids reach youth, they would have heard the bible stories many rounds but might not have a clear understanding of their faith. This is one area which we need wisdom to disciple them to experience God and have a personal faith rather than just having the knowledge of what Christians should do and behave.

Application:

1. Why do you think it is important to disciple our family (especially our children) to live a Kingdom Life?

2. What are some practical ways we can start today to disciple our family spiritually?

It is my pleasure to introduce Pastor Kenneth and Loo Ann Toon in this issue of Kingdom Family. They have a journey of sincere service to the Lord Jesus and a family life of Kingdom living up until this stage when both their children have grown up. I recall how their son, Benjamin, brought up under the prayer of his parents, was a little toddler standing in the time of worship, sucking his dummy but deeply soaked in God’s presence with his eyes closed. That picture was most amazing and how I wish that photo is still available. Eliza was a natural when she danced as a little girl during the worship time. Now she writes with passion and pour her heart out fluently through her mighty pen.

Pr Jeremiah Yap

All mission trips count for God’s destiny for the nations. But personally it is not often that a mission trip turns out to be a clear God’s destiny moment in a nation. I noted Cambodia. When our Pastors went there after Communism, it was a destiny defining moment. Twenty plus years of investing into that nation by our leaders and members, Pastor Barnabas Mam in our 2013 Pastors Retreat informed us that over 400 churches have been planted since that beginning. Russia was another experience where I was privileged to plant 2 churches. Today, the door to preach in Russia is closed.

Now it is Kobe. The prophetic word before we went, “This is the time for Japan”, turned out to be in a time when the Holy Spirit was moving in extraordinary ways 6 weeks prior to our arrival at KBF. Their people received prophetic revelation, a girl baptised in the Holy Spirit by herself in a meeting, man insisting on being baptised despite of typhoon, and so on, were some of what the Holy Spirit was doing (in a previously conservative church).To be part of their season was pure privilege. Thanks to Pr Lawrence who requested me to go and teach them Kingdom Family. He opened the door also for Kobe beef!!! Jokes aside, his fervency for NLRC to be moving into global mission is so integrated in God’s Kingdom mind and God’s destiny into the nations.

Susan Yap

It was clear that the Holy Spirit was awesomely at work in this mission trip, and we were just privileged to be part of it. For the prophetic teaching, we taught on the baptism in the Holy Spirit when we were told only 5 people pray in tongues in KBF. At the end of that session, Pr Akira told us that 100% of those prayed for spoke in tongues. One of the highlights was the prayer preparation before the trip. The Lord gave us prophetic insights of Japan and Kobe. Much earlier the Lord showed me a bunch of keys. In our prayer time, he showed me that Kobe is the womb of Japan. The womb is where new birth begins before entrance into the world. Could it be that God intends to birth revival using also Kobe? Upon releasing that word, Pr Rob told us that “Kobe” means “God’s Gate (or God’s door)”! They have been praying for revival. If they would steer their lives well, KBF can be mightily used by God for revival for whole of Japan. That would be incredible!

Wong Kar Sum

The presence of God was strong throughout the teaching seminar of Kingdom Family, sharing of testimonies, prophetic ministry as well as the Sunday worship services.

I felt a stronger presence of God during this Kobe mission trip compared with other trips I had gone to in the past.  During one of the pre-mission prayer sessions, a thought flashed in my mind about people that were cast aside, i.e. the elderly, the under-performers and the weaker ones. During the mission trip, I sensed God’s heart for different ones in KBF who were going through struggles.  I was teary and felt God’s love for them as I prayed for them.  This made me realise that the Holy Spirit had been speaking to me during those pre-mission prayer sessions.  Even as Pr. Jeremiah and Aunty Susan were proclaiming a season of birth for KBF and Japan, God was showing me that He loved all His children personally.

I gathered from our conversation with people at KBF that they were experiencing the move of the Holy Spirit even before we arrived in Kobe.  The presence of God could be felt tangibly and the hearts of the KBF members were so open to receive the messages that we shared with them.

This mission trip has changed my perception of church life and my Christian walk.  While I have tried to build the foundation in the Word all this while, I could see and feel the difference in ministering the Word together with the Holy Spirit and the presence of God compared with just ministering with the Word only. This Kobe mission trip gave me a fresh understanding and revelation of Kingdom life.

Soon Vi Vian

During the recent mission trip, I feel privileged to see how God is working in Japan through Kobe Bible Fellowship. I was amazed to see various nationalities during the international service (English with Japanese translation).

We received positive feedback from the church leaders: encouraging prophetic ministry, good timing and confirmation from God. Some even noted that the message from Pr J was the same as what Pr Rob had shared recently. The Kingdom Family concept was enlightening for some (e.g. A home school teacher who has a passion for the youth mentioned she was “shocked” as she received a revelation of the teaching).

Most of the KBF members were expecting something from God. When the Holy Spirit moved within their hearts, they were released. A particular young lady who had depression before said she was really blessed by the divine arrangement of God. She recently started speaking in tongues during one of the pre-service meetings prior to our trip. She also testified that she began to open up to people more in the recent months.

Besides the teachings and the sharing of testimonies, we gathered that they also learned by observing our team. One of them shared with me that she gained something by watching me asking their pastor what he would like for a drink. It was during a buffet dinner, where I brought two different types of tea to the table.

Overall, it was a blessed trip. I was encouraged by their hospitality, kindness and commitment to serve the Lord. Some of them also prayed for me. I sense that this is the beginning of a remarkable journey for the people in KBF for it was proclaimed that the timing of the Lord for Japan is now. With the excellent translators and commitment from the pastors and leaders, I believe they will flourish in their Kingdom-living and soul-winning focus.

Caleb Lau

Upon arrival in Kobe, I felt a sense of excitement and hunger in the people in KBF. Beyond the smiles and polite gestures, there was a deep desire to hear from God. When I stepped into their sanctuary and as they began worship, I felt a sense of peace and presence of God. I really enjoyed the communion with God during that worship.

As Pastor Jeremiah prophesied upon them, tears flowed and I could see that these were tears of joy and their hearts were so open. As we prayed for them during and after the sermons, tears flowed in us as we prayed for them. The Holy Spirit was truly working in and through us and in them.

The confirmations that we get from them were amazing. According to them, Pastor Jeremiah’s prophecies were consistent with what was happening in their church in the past six weeks. This was also amazing to us as a team to KBF.

After sharing my testimony on fear, some of them came up to me to share about their difficulties in overcoming fear and depression. I was truly encouraged that there was a purpose in sharing this testimony. God has prepared their hearts to receive our sharing and prayers for them.

I was personally overwhelmed that God opened this door for our New Life mission team. It is not every mission trip where we can see the Holy Spirit so strongly through us. I believe that this mission trip is a calling for the whole team to expect more from God, not just in future mission trips but in our daily lives.

Just before I left for Kobe, my boss was not happy for me to go, as they have postponed the company sales event to the weekend I was away. And we had a big sales target to meet. Pr J prayed that God would give me favour and that, even though I am in Kobe, my team would exceed the sales target. When I reached home on Monday, I found out that we have indeed exceeded the target! We sold 109 cars that weekend. Praise the Lord!

My concerns – two important points to consider for Kobe

What is needed to keep this move of the Holy Spirit in KBF growing so that the church may reap a revival and not suffer any damage as in past charismatic renewal?

How is KBF going to join/support Pastor Rob in preaching the Gospel, trusting for revival, to the whole of Japan?

If these are also their concerns, and if requested, we should help them in moving ahead in order that God’s plan and destiny of Japan for Kobe may not be disrupted by the evil one.

 

In this segment of Kingdom Family Series, I wish to introduce Pastor Weng Cheong and Yee Fun. Both of these are our home grown ministers of God. Came to New Life and born again in our church, they have grown to be successful ministers in our NLRC Church Family. They are our spiritual son and daughter.  We are very proud of them. We have seen them in joy and in tears on account of labouring in the Lord’s harvest field. But they have never complained not ever thought negatively about God and our spiritual family. They tenaciously served from one stage to another. Today, they are effectively serving God with their family with wisdom and in the power of the Holy Spirit. They told me repeatedly, more than ever, they feel the Kingdom vision and church planting are unique to NLRC and it is God’s call to our Group. So they are into building foundations for future success. If they have to restructure, they will do so, so that they will groom up strong leaders for future multiplication. These are special God’s servants indeed.

Love,

Jeremiah Yap

October 2016

 

The Values of Kingdom Life & Kingdom Family

by Pr Wong Weng Cheong & Ng Yee Fun

 

Understanding of Kingdom Life should not remain just theory, more importantly it is how we apply and live out its values in our daily living.

Our Story

Esther and I place great emphasis on the family, so much so that everything we do starts from the family. I praise the Lord that we enjoy a good marital relationship, and God blessed us with three daughters.  Most worthy of thanks is the fact that they are all very teachable. They have a sense of security and good self-esteem in their growing up years. Whenever they are faced with obstacles or failures, they know their home is their best refuge. Dad and Mom are always there by their side when they need a shoulder to cry on, to guide, strengthen and encourage them to get back on their feet again. As parents, we know we have to portray the image of God the Father before our children, with love and honesty, according to the Scriptures. Whilst our foundation of life is firmly rooted in God’s righteousness, Yee Fun and I are careful to show them God’s unconditional love and acceptance. These explain why our home is filled with laughter always. As Yee Fun is one who honors her husband, as a father, I know that when I love my wife dearly, our children will feel the warmth and love of the family.

 

“I like my family” is the expression of joy from our daughters regularly. We are truly grateful to the Lord for all these.

 

Our daughters spend their growing up years in church life and are serving in church ministry. They are growing spiritually in knowledge, wisdom and faith in the Lord. Yee Fun and I are so encouraged by them.

I want to make a special thanksgiving about my 94-year-old mother. She has been staying with us all these while and we take care and look after her. Despite being afflicted with Alzheimer’s Syndrome since over 20 years ago, God has taught us to put in practice the culture of honor and filial piety towards her. Our children witness how we love and take care of their grandmother since young. As a result, I have never heard them murmur while taking care and cleaning after grandmother. Praise the Lord. “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

 

Conclusion

Praise the Lord for giving us a chance to put into practice these Kingdom values. I am convinced that an exemplary life is the most effective means to pass down our legacy to the next generation. In these end times, let’s bear witness to these values that undergird Kingdom Life and Kingdom Family through our personal walk and family.

 

Introducing Pastor SS Loh and Vivienne…

If there are two words to describe Pastor Loh and Vivienne in New Life Restoration Centre PJ, these would be “tenacity” and “faithfulness”. Knowing them from the early years of pre-Christ to now, they have remained faithful to Jesus and the church for many years. I have also seen Loh’s tenacity in beating life’s odds to muster Christ’s victory in his personal life. From that, he and Vivienne have successfully raised a family that trusts in Jesus.

I recalled Loh’s early personal challenges. With his discipline in scripture memory and church ministry and support, he beats the devil at his intentions to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10) people in this modern world with deceptive spiritual and emotional attacks. Loh and Vivienne often say that simple faith in Jesus is what we need. By their simple faith, they have been blessed and they are into the journey to bless others, growing in the ministry of marriage counselling. Their journey of learning and serving in the marriage ministry can only be more and more competent. I can foresee a greater demand for this ministry as people find their need of Bible values because worldly principles are not solving marital difficulties. In the world, their common way is separation or divorce; all ending only in pain.

As Loh and Vivienne grow in their ministry, may the Lord’s wisdom increase with anointing that breaks the yoke of heartaches in marriages and families. Enjoy their Kingdom Family story…

Love,

Jeremiah Yap

September 2016

Kingdom Family & Culture

By Pr SS & Vivienne Loh

I (Pr SS) am blessed with a wonderful wife Vivienne and two lovely daughters Sherine, Suzanne, our son-in-laws Aalva and Aaron and two beautiful grandchildren Kate and Jack and one grandchild on the way for Suzanne and Aaron.

We thank the Lord for His love, saved by His divine grace some 33 years ago. Our children were blessed to be brought up with godly values, guidance & influence in church environment. Our home life and church life were interwoven, so much so that, to our children, church was their spiritual family growing up from toddlers to teens.  Wherever we went they went, from church services to leaders’ meetings, cell groups, prayer meetings you name it. We spend time as a family whenever we can. We always enjoy the time of bonding with them. During their teens both of our girls were involved in areas of worship and youth leading.  And today they are mother and mother-to-be, they continue to experience God’s divine guidance for their lives. Vivienne and I see the importance of godly values in homes, in churches and beyond. The Lord has placed a desire and burden in our hearts for families in the areas of building strong Marriage and Parenting skills. We told the Lord we will give ten years of our lives to serve Him in this area and to raise more couples to perpetuate this ministry for families.

In order to build a strong family, to raise godly off-springs, husbands and wives need tools and skills based on God’s principles in order to work together in agreement and knowing each one’s own role(Malachi 2:15, Amos 3:3). Today, heads of families must have a desire to learn God’s principles to safeguard their children’s destiny and to leave a legacy of faith by teaching God’s truths to their children. We endeavour to model godly parenting, to raise our children in God’s ways, instead of adopting the manner in which we were parented by default.

When our children were young, as a family we pray together daily (today we address it as family altar). As we look back, it is through prayers and with the Lord’s guidance that our children grew up secured and emotionally stable throughout their teen and adult years. Although there are challenges, they know someone greater (God) is with them to help them. Glory to God! Whenever our children, son-in-laws and grandchildren come to visit us we will include praying before they leave for their homes. We can never stop praying for our children and their family.

We now see in our granddaughter Kate who is keen in composing her own music & song, we pray that she will excel in the area of worship. Sherine ensures her children pray before their bedtime.  For our son-in-laws, we pray for the Lord’s guidance upon them to lead their family in Kingdom living daily.

Vivienne & I have completed the season in our lives in raising our children in God’s way.  Now they have family of their own, we are grateful to the Lord for all that He has bestowed. All glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Application:

1. What is your understanding of ‘headship’ in a family?

2.  How should the head of a family (together with the spouse), lead and guide one’s family into Kingdom Living? If you are a parent, how would you endeavour to parent in God’s way?

3. Which are the specific areas you intend to disciple your family in?

I like to introduce Pastor Kwan and Vera of our NLRC Chinese ministry. They both do us proud as our spiritual son and daughter who were saved and born-again in our House, and groomed to go out on church planting. They pioneered the Shah Alam and Klang Chinese churches. They have their eyes keenly on greater disciple-making with a heart of faith for mega impact on the Land of Malaysia. Pastor Kwan told me not long ago, that with his discipleship vision and system in place, he is fully assured of multiplying church growth and churches.

They are now spiritual father and mother in their own right. Vera has been a very important pillar behind her husband Kwan and has been very instrumental in the upbringing of the family and the church. They meet their challenges in the church together and have kept a close eye on their two children so that they may also be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. There is a very bright future in their ministries. We take this opportunity to also congratulate Pastor Kwan on his completion of his degree in Master in Ministry this year.

Love,

Pastor J and Susan

 

Kingdom Family

by Pr Liew Wing Kwan & Vera
God’s Kingdom is one in which God’s rule prevails. As Paul said in Colossians 1:13 (God) has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son; we are God’s people and citizens of His kingdom and the powers of darkness have no authority over us, the redeemed.  Kingdom family simply means that Jesus is the head of the family in which all matters are to be in line with His purposes and will and they are not to be run according to one’s wishes and preferences.  We need to constantly remind ourselves that Jesus is Lord.

We have two children whom we regard as God’s inheritance for us.  We have named one child “ Yi Le “(meaning God is the joy in his life) just like Enoch who walked with God  and the other child is named “ Yi Xin “ (meaning whose heart is after God’s heart) just like Dorcas who helped the poor and needy.  Since when they were young we have dedicated our children back unto God.  In raising, teaching and nurturing our children we have diligently inculcated in them the truth, concept and values of God’s kingdom.  We often take them with us to the mission field to let them experience the reality and greatness of our God.  In kingdom family, our most important duty as parents is to bring our children into a living relationship with God so that they can experience for themselves the reality of God and His guidance in their lives.

In God’s kingdom the family has a very important role to play.  In particular, the parents’ testimony and foresight have great influence on the spiritual growth and zeal of their children.  As parents we have to make sure that we live our lives in alignment with God’s standards so that we can be good role models to our children.  In addition we have to be careful not to allow the values of the world to make inroads into our lives. Instead, we are to recognise the priority of family in God’s kingdom – let’s keep the most important thing as the most important thing.

Questions to ponder:

1 A secular theory proposes: “Do not let your child be disadvantaged right off the starting line of the (rat) race “. How will this theory potentially affect parents in their parenting style?

2 If you are like most Christian parents who do not want their children to be disadvantaged, what concrete actions can you take in the area of your children’s spiritual / faith development to prepare them to finish the race of life well?