6740 miles, 15-hour flight with a transit at Dohar, 2-hr coach ride from London to Cambridge, and 10-min taxi ride from Park Terrace to Westminster College – I was a long way from home! But thanks to the hospitality of the Westminster Community, I made friends quickly. In fact there was some familiarity amidst the newness of the environment. Emma and Frin were 2 of the first few people I met at Westminster. Emma’s dad, Roger Wild, taught me ‘Pastoral Care’ when I was first year at Trinity Theological College (TTC); Frin knows another of my seminary lecturer from TTC whom she has served alongside in Council of World Mission (CWM); it was nice to know that both Emma and Frin have been to Singapore.
More friendships have developed ever since. Phil and Richard have been so willing to include me in their morning jog – well it is jogging for me but running for them so you can imagine how patient they have been with me. I have been invited to homes for sumptuous meals; people have loaned me all sorts of things – bicycle, tie, thermal wear; they have given good advice as to what I should be doing and which places of interest I should visit if I am heading to a certain place outside of Cambridge; the conversations over meals, along corridors, during tutor group and social events have helped me to get to know the people a little bit better – their families, ministries, passions, hobbies. From time to time, many have come to ask how I am coping. I am really grateful to God for bringing them into my life!
I have been very encouraged by the conversations that I have had with various people, listening to their stories and journeys and seeing how involved they are in ministries and in the kingdom of God whilst still receiving their training at Westminster. Some are already pastoring, taking services (leading worship and preaching) regularly, engaging meaningfully with people in their placements and I have spoken to Tim who helps to revive churches who are on the verge of closing. When I move around to visit various churches, I am also humbled to see the amount of good work each church is contributing to the kingdom of God, regardless of their size or denomination – student ministry and discipleship, evangelism and outreach through various means (e.g. Alpha course and Christianity Explored), school ministry, community involvement, ecumenical partnerships (with different denominations), overseas missions. I pray that God will use these churches and my friends who are training for ministry to bring about a revival in this land.
Sometimes I do wonder where I fit into God’s economy. I actually feel pretty small. The contribution that I make and the contribution that True Way makes to the kingdom of God surely is only a drop in the ocean given that there are so many churches across time and space that have been impactful, and so many faithful individuals who have stepped up to serve the Lord even to the extent of giving up their lives. Does my contribution matter and does True Way’s contribution matter? Then I am reminded that I am not just another number in God’s humongous data spread sheet. I am His beloved and He knows me personally, even the number of hairs on my head is known to Him; He loves my church, He loves every local congregation and cares for them much more than we as pastors ever can. Surely, He cares about the work that we are doing with Him. We are the Body of Christ and if just one part of the Body is not functioning well, the Body will be operating at less than its full capacity. I suppose even if we are only a drop in the ocean, one less drop means less ripples to impact the world. But if we faithfully do the work that God has called us to, we cannot even begin to imagine the effect each child of God and each church of God will have on the advancement of His Kingdom!
On this basis, may I encourage you as a church to rally together as the Last Days of Robert Wong are fast approaching. Every one of you has a part to play in this outreach effort. Prayer is so important so do set aside time, e.g. the synchronised time of prayer, prayer meetings, personal prayer time, to bring before God this important endeavour to share the Gospel in a creative way. Pray for the cast as well as those working in the background. Pray for your friends and family members whom you have invited. Pray that the musical will touch the hearts of those who attend and cause them to think seriously about the vulnerability of life, the reality of suffering and the meaning of their existence. Pray for good follow up with the contacts made and for a great harvest of souls. It will truly be a fitting way to bring our 20th Anniversary celebration to a climax with the church coming together to present the Gospel and seeing lives being touched and souls turning to God!
I shared two verses with those who are involved in the musical and I thought I would like to share them with you as well. My prayer for them and for you is that…
“Our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His POWER He may fulfil every good PURPOSE of yours and every act prompted by your FAITH. I pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be GLORIFIED in you, and you in Him, according to the GRACE of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1.11-12)
God’s POWER is at work in you as you step up in FAITH to serve Him and to fulfil His PURPOSES for you. You are going to GLORIFY Him through the staging of this musical as you demonstrate your unity and love; you are going to GLORIFY Him through the Gospel message of redemption and hope that you bring; you are going to GLORIFY Him through the transformation of lives that only the Holy Spirit can cause to happen. And all these will come about only according to the amazing GRACE of God which you yourselves have first tasted and of which you are now the conduit, the channel!
By His Grace, for His Glory!
