This year the church theme is "Discipling the community"
The idea of discipling the community is kind of overwhelming to me.
However when I pray over it, I realize that this theme is indeed achievable.
It is achievable in this manner.
"Touch my community, not just the or any community"
1. I cannot possibly disciple an entire community but I can certainly disciple
"my" community i.e. people whom I touch base day in day out. My community consists of my colleagues in the Bank and legal practitioners. In small little measures, I can look for ways to "disciple my community".
Testimony (Wednesday): On Tuesday, I helped a lawyer from SP find her way by train to Pudu. It was her first time taking the monorail and LRT and she was completely lost. Even the machine kept spitting out her RM!
I took her all the way even to the interchange of the trains.
She was very grateful and we made plans to keep in touch. My small action in this manner is touching "my" community in a small way. It may not appear to be such a big thing but I really felt good about it.
Testimony (Friday): I helped a blind man board the monorail. After speaking to him, I realized that he was related to an ex-colleague of mine. I asked him why he wanted to remain a Hindu and be subject to karma and reincarnation when he can easily receive Jesus by faith and be assured of a place in heaven. He kept quiet but told me that he had been to church.
Again, God showed me that it is possible to touch
"my" community very easily. Those whom I meet on a daily basis. Just
be obedient.
2. To me, the second aspect of this theme is all about doing good works:
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Good works prepared beforehand that we should
walk in them
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Maintain good works
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Stir up love and good works
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Zealous for good works
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Keep pattern of good works
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Full of good works (like Dorcas)
Some good works I can think of is visiting the sick in hospitals, praying for them, buying food for the needy, giving money and provisions whenever there is a need, giving/visiting flood victims, sowing our lunch money during prayer and fasting month, visiting my good friend and god-sister in India and sowing to her ministry in taking care of orphans and widows, helping my friend when she is out of job by giving her money and food and sowing to the work of Nekson Balang to cut a children's CD for the suku wana.
Good works in the context of my family would be be giving my mother a call to ask about her welfare, praying for her, going back to Penang to see her, sending her money every month for her expenses.
When doing good works from my children it is to be Christ-like in dealing with them. For e.g. not lodging false police report to help them escape being charged for a traffic offence and not bribing the traffic policeman (pattern of good works).
The truth is that the world tells them to bribe and to lodge false police report in order to get insurance to pay (tow-truck operators, car-repair workshop reps all of them speak the same lingo) but as Christian parents we must tell our children to tell the truth and not to lie even if there are consequences such as penalties and fines to pay.
That was what we told Samuel when he banged the Honda on the kerb. He got fined by the police but it is better that the fine be paid then create lies in the police report as one lie will lead to another lie.
1. Good works is what we are created for and what we are born to do
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them"
2. Good works are meant to be done openly to show the world the goodness of our heavenly Father
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"
Acts 9:26
"At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. The woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did"
Dorcas reminds me of my dear sister Lata.
1 Peter 2:12
"Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation"
3. Good works starts with godly thought patterns
This is immensely interesting because I suddenly realize that there is such a thing as meditating on God's Word and developing "good thought patterns" being a "good work"!
I realize that good works starts with having the right kind of thoughts in the mind. What better way to have the right kind of thoughts than mediating and memorizing the Word of God!
That's why meditating on God's Word is super-important.
There is a godly thought pattern being built up while meditating on the Word of God.
This godly thought pattern will incline us towards doing good works.
Those who meditate on God's Word will also be sober-minded in their actions, reactions and their speech. People will not be able to find anything wrong with them. In the end instead of cursing them, they will have to praise them!
Titus 2:6-8
"Likewise exhort young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may not be ashamed, having nothing to say of you"
4. Zealousness for good works will not lead us into unproductive and rebellious activities
If we are zealous for good works, we will not be wasting our time being involved in rebellious activities.
Titus 2:14
"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify Himself His own special people, zealous for good works"
5. It is always profitable for us to maintain good works
It is always profitable and beneficial to maintain good works. Affirm this constantly to yourself and to others.
Titus 3:18
"This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men"
6. Love and good works go together hand in hand
We cannot have good works without love or love without doing good works. If we say we have love for the brethren, we will want to do good works for others. Both are indispensable. Both are like two peas in a pod.
When good works is being stirred up, love is being stirred up. When love is being stirred up, good works is being stirred up.
Hebrews 10:24
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works"
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