Creative Bible Teaching

I finally decided to buy this book, Creative Bible Teaching


This is the book I have been borrowing from Singapore Bible College for many times. It contains many good ideas on Bible Teaching. It particularly helps me in preparing Bible Study materials. After much deliberation, I think the money should be worth spending - $51.50. It has 342 pages and is a hard-cover book.

Those who are Bible Study Leaders and Teachers should read this book.

One chapter on Youth listed 5 non-negotiable principles when we are working with youth:

1. Youth Learn Best Through Direct Experience
- make the Bible Study practical by including field trips and actual doing of things.

2. Youth learn Best from Caring Role Models
- ultimately how we live, BS leaders, teachers, mentors, youth worker speak louder than how we teach. As the saying goes: “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”

3. Youth Learn Best when they are active in Discovering Truth
- provide a structure and guide for them to discover truth themselves. Include projects that they can search for themselves. As the saying goes:

"I hear, I forget;

I see, I remember;

I do, I understand."

4. Youth Learn Best when a variety of Methods are used
- give a new style in the teaching material each week, instead of the same old question/answer format in BS.

5. Youth Learn Best when lessons are relevant and needs focused
- make our BS material connect with them. Are our study really meet their needs or just to fill up the time on Sunday?

Let me know if you like to read this book. Let’s be creative in teaching the Bible, particularly to the youth.

For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (Ezra 7:10)

Mark Lim

Joshua 7-8: Failure teaches us to rely on God

I was reading the Book of Joshua 1-8 early this morning.

It is a good place to start my Bible Reading as the Book of Joshua starts with a new leader, a new generation of Israelites, a new venture into the promise land. It is just the right time as we move into a new year.

1. Complacency after capturing Jericho (Joshua 7)
After gaining victory over the city of Jericho, Joshua seems complacent when he sent 3000 people to attack the city of Ai. He didn’t even go with them. The failure and casualty of his troops sort of wake him up. Time for some soul searching. Time to come to the Lord. As always, when we come to the LORD, He will show us the way, the cause of the failure. If Joshua would have humbled and seek the Lord before attacking Ai, then it would be very different.

2. Contemplative after assurance from God (Joshua 8:-1-13)
After removing the sin of Achan and the encouragement of God to attack Ai, this time Joshua is more humbled. He now sends 30,000 warriors (notice the different – 3000 ordinary people at first, now 30,000 well-trained warriors) even though God has assured him of victory. He himself is now involved in the battle.

2 verses strike me:
– Josh 8:9 – but Joshua spent that night in the camp
- Josh 8:13 – but Joshua spent that night in the valley

What was he doing? When a man of God spends the night alone, it is usually in prayer and meditation. Jesus does that often. So does Jacob. Let’s learn to be prayerful in all our activities and events in BPCES this year.

3. Covenant after defeating Ai (Joshua 8:30-35)
After defeating Ai, this time Joshua builds an altar to the LORD. An altar is always a symbol of worship. He then read the Law of Moses (i.e. the WORD of GOD). Why? Because he remembers what God told him at the beginning (Josh 1:8). To who? To all the assembly of Israel, including women, little ones and aliens who resided among them. What a timely reminder to me!! Worship and Bible Reading should include everyone, even little ones.

Care to join me in reading the Book of Joshua?


Joshua 1:8 - Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Sharing our lives with others

Those who came to the watchnight services at BPCES on 31 Dec 2008 night would probably learnt some very meaningful lessons on sharing our lives with others.

As our dear sister-in-Christ, Michelle Ang was talking about her personal struggles and problems in her family, I was reminded of the times when I too talked openly about things like that. I was very young spiritually then, just like her. Learning to be transparent, willing to let God take control and trusting God to lead in the path ahead is part of the Christian journey. Sure, there will be others who feel threatened about such openness and remarked to me, "Your sharing is too personal, it frightened me." But when we are daring to confront life issues which I believe everyone will encounter difficulties (Jesus also faced many oppositions), then we are walking in the path of learning to trust in the Lord.


He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

New Year Hopes for BPCES

Wishing everyone a blessed and God's presence New Year!

You may probably have made some New Year Resolution. I am still thinking about it.

As I look at the past year and ask what changes has happened to BPCES, I can't really think of any. Maybe you can share some, like more follow-up been done, etc. What do I hope to see happened to BPCES in 2009? We don't set target like membership growth by XX% or more new leaders or more new converts, etc. Is there any wrong to set such target? Our reason would probably be that God is the one who does the convicting and converting. But, really, if we don't set target, it wil be just another year of hoping more people walk into our church.

For me, I hope to see more people joining us in fellowship like the BSG, outings, and more people able to share what they learn from the Bible. So far, I have yet to hear anyone talk about what they learn from their devotion, prayer, etc. OK, maybe one or two share it occasionally.

Agape
Mark Lim

What is Christmas to You?

Every once a year, the whole world is caught up with the festive mood. It’s a joyous occasion to be merry!

As a child, living together with my cousins, we had a Christmas party every year with our neighbours’ kids. We were poor, and the gifts were simple and cheap. Yet, we enjoyed and loved Christmas. Although none of us (including neighbours) were Christians, we still sing: Joy to the World, the Lord is come! The question then, is Jesus Christ really LORD of the world? To be more direct: Is Jesus Christ your LORD? (on further reflection, many of us, including our cousins are now Christians, not sure about the neighbours whom we have long lost touch).

The world is not celebrating because we have found new life through the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, the last two week of December is a festive season passed down traditionally many centuries even before Christ came into this world. You may not be aware of this. But you may probably reason like this, as some of my non-Christian friend do: If only Muslims celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed and only Buddhists celebrate the birth of Buddha, why then do non-Christian celebrate the birth of Christ?

Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th AD1. It is likely that the Lord Jesus Christ was born sometime in the Summer-Autumn of 4BC. Luke 2:8 tell us that shepherds are still out in the field at night, which is unlikely in winter. We who have stayed in the northern hemisphere for a couple of years would know that grass start to grow in early spring and last till late autumn. In winter, the whole field is bare and hibernating, unlikely for animals to graze upon.

The Origin of Christmas

The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. Mithra was related to the Semitic sun-god, Shamash, and his worship spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras. Rome was well-known for absorbing the pagan religions and rituals of its widespread empire. As such, Rome converted this pagan legacy to a celebration of the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice period. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and downright debauchery, as the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen boughs in procession throughout the Roman temples. Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine (who became a Christian a few years earlier) officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas under the church leadership of Pope Julius I

If you move further back in time, the Roman actually adopts it from the Egyptians, one of the earliest civilizations, in about 3000BC. They believe that their dead King-god Osiris was reborn every 25 Dec as the Son, Horus of his wife, Isis. Hence, the mother-child is the chief object of this worship. (sound very much like the Catholic – Mary and Jesus).

Hence, the celebration and feasting on 25 Dec existed long, long ago.

My response to Christmas

The early Apostles never celebrated Christmas. There is no command to observe Christ’s birthday. Some Christians who are aware of the origin of Christmas see the celebration of Christmas as a compromised of our faith to paganism. True Christianity never mixes with pagan worship.

Now that I have told you the truth of Christmas, you are caught in the dilemma. You love the festive mood and the fun and here I am the kill-joy.

No, I am no killjoy. First, I need to ask: What is my motive of celebrating Christmas? Next, how then should I celebrate Christmas?

My childhood Christmas experiences do prepare me for the Good News. So I am not going tell you stop celebrating Christmas. Done in the right way, it creates opportunity for sharing Christ’s love. But, we should not tell somebody that Jesus Christ was born on 25th December. However, I would say that we celebrate Christmas to commemorate the birth of Christ into this world so that those who believe in HIM will be in heaven after they die. (I will avoid Christian jargon like eternal life when talking to non-Christian). It is also a time to spread Christian love and the Gospel. However, I will definitely avoid the partying and merry-making. I don’t usually exchange gift and normally skip that. The gift in Christmas is the gift of Jesus. (John 3:16)

Have a Blessed Christmas!!

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:10)

Mark Lim

Epistle to Bethany PC

Mark Lim, follower of Jesus Christ the Son of God who richly meets our needs according to His glory and praise to His name.

To all the faithful saints of Bethany PC and those who serve as leaders and teachers because of their commitment to their calling.

Grace and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

I thank my God every time I pray for all of you, how you volunteer yourself as worship leaders and serving as BSG leaders in spite of the lack of zeal the church display. Always rejoicing that your perseverance is being tried and yet standing firm as you labour for Him. This is my prayer, that in whatever you do, that your love for God and His people be seen by all, setting an example for others to follow, to the glory of God.

I want to remind you, brothers and sisters-in-Christ that no one should be put in leadership or as teachers until he has been found to be faithful in the studying of God’s Word, spiritual mature in bearing the fruit of the Spirit, regular in worship services and being found worthy to serve by the members of the church. Those who lead and teach has a great responsibility and accountability and so should set an example to the flock. Do not be hasty in appointing leaders even though there is a great shortage of able people. The pastor, elder and deacons have the responsibility of raising up leaders just as our Lord Jesus Christ who though ministered to the people by healing the sick, raising the dead, teaching the crowd and feeding those who are hungry yet took considerable effort to nurture and train 12 disciples who would later be the pillar of the church. The pastor must likewise, follows the footstep of our Lord Jesus Christ and concentrate on mentoring a few disciples in addition to delivery of his weekly sermons. If he do this, in 3 and half years, the church would have produce many more able “Peter, James and John” just like our Lord Jesus Christ did. Of course, there would be some “Judas Iscariot” along the mentoring process but if we don’t sow, we would not reap. He who does not sow bountifully to produce worship leaders, youth leaders, BSG leaders and teachers so shall not reap bountifully.

Leaders must understand that church growth does not depend on making 3 years or 5 years plan. Neither does it depend on how big nor many facilities the church has. You plant, I water, but actually it is God who gives the growth and increase the number and faith of His people. Like the apostles during the time of the early church who concentrate on prayer and teaching, do not neglect the coming together regularly to pray and seek the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of all spiritual gifts and power for the growth of the church to the glory of God the Father through the blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen. We have only one head who is Christ, the head of the church. Pastors, elders, deacons and ministry leaders are but servants who must tend the flocks that are in their charge, not by constraint, but willing, not as domineering but being example to the flock in love, in faith, in purity and in unity. In your zeal and pursuit of spiritual and charismatic gifts, do not neglect the teaching of the giver, the Holy Spirit and over emphasize the gifts. In any dispute among leaders, be tender, kind-hearted and forbearing one another in love.

I commend to you our brother Peter Soh, who for the love of the Lord, give all his time and energy, making many sacrifices to the service of the Sarah Active Centre. Honor such people and learn from their example. Greet Judy and Janice who in their quiet way serve the elderly. The Lord knows your deeds. Greet those who also volunteer occasionally and work very hard at the centre also. The Lord knows where your hearts are. Greet all the saints in the production team for the evangelistic film – Ransom. May all your labour bear forth fruits that will last for eternity in God’s own timing. Greet the church visitation team who always refresh others with their presence. Our brother, Isaac will be going to Yunnan soon. May what he has planned to do encourage others to follow in his footsteps.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.

Epistle to Bethany PC – the introduction

If there is a church call Bethany PC during the first century, how would an Epistle to Bethany PC read like?

For the past 3 weeks I have been studying and comparing many of the Epistles in the Bible, in particular the Epistles written by Apostle Paul. It is interesting to learn his style of writing. Each of us has a way of writing our thoughts. I am sure you are quite familiar with my style after reading this blog for some time. Many of his letters deal with church problems – false teaching, money problems, leaders quarreling, immorality, and sometimes his leadership is been questioned. Problem doesn’t mean dead church. The issue is how you deal with problems in the church and grow stronger as you solve them. Problems and tensions are part of church growth. It stretches the church.

2 things you need to know before you attempt to write an Epistle. First, you need to know letter structure in Ancient time. Second, you have something to write. Maybe it is an encouragement or information to share, but mostly Christian advices on how to deal with problems.

Let’s start with Ancient letter structure. It looks something like this:

1. Name of writer (e.g. Paul)
2. Name of recipient (e.g. to the church of Rome, to Titus)
3. Greeting (e.g. grace and peace to you from God our Father)
4. Prayer wish or thanksgiving (e.g. I always thank God for you …)
5. Body
6. Final greeting and farewell (e.g. the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you)

Next, are you aware of Bethany PC problems? How would you response to these problems?

There are a few that I can think of. We have a shortage of leaders. We need worship leaders, BSG leaders, committee members, Sunday school teachers, Youth leaders. How do you encourage people to grow up spiritually and take the lead? Also, there are some leaders for no apparent reasons just vanish, never to be seen in church. Then, there is this tension with money issues. The church building is going through many changes. It starts with church extension and building of more rooms. Then, it is church renovation. Soon it will be church upgrading, then more facilities, more music instruments, more IT gadgets, more this, more that and it is going to be never ending. But not more people. In fact we see some 40 to 60 people leaving the Chinese congregation. Also, you may have your view about different form of church worship. Some prefer the reform way, which the English service is following. Others think being Charismatic is more spiritual and will attract more people to the church. How would you give Christian counsel in your epistle?

Do you have some advice for Bethany PC that you want to add in your epistle? Maybe, you can advice the church to have more faith in God, since we are studying the Book of Hebrews. Remember a few years back we see pamphlets written in Chinese all over church claiming that the church will have 1000 worshippers by the year 2008? Well, year 2008 is coming to an end and we should have 1000 worshippers. What is your take on this?

For the closing of your epistle, you might like to include greetings to people in the church, especially those who work very hard. Let encourage them. Tell those who talk too much or write too much like Mark Lim to shut up may be another good advice.

Ready to try writing the Epistle to Bethany PC?

I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1Tim 3:14,15)

Mark Lim