Our passions 

Pastors Stuart and Nancy brought our upcoming church plant before the Vineyard Singapore church body for “visibility and prayer” at last Saturday’s celebration service on November 20th, 2004.

Unfortunately Anne and Alice and their family were unable to attend. However it was a great opportunity for the rest of the launch team to receive prayer and ministry. We felt very blessed and uplifted by the prayers (and now wish we had recordings of all the encouraging and promising words spoken).

Stuart had invited us to share our vision to the body, as well. Lye Heng felt he should speak on what we are passionate about, which is in turned shaped by what has happened to us.

Where we came from
We have shared elsewhere that Lye Heng was a non-ordained (lay) elder of a big church (with over 1,000 members). We were at ease with both its traditional and charismatic congregations. Well regarded, even. But much of the work at the end had involved corporate stuff (committees and approvals). He had also served as Chairman of the church board, and we count it a miracle that he managed to remain Spirit-filled.

We are forever grateful for our spiritual roots, Christ Methodist Church. However from good and bad modeling, we came out with several deeply ingrained values, things that we are passionate about: And they are servant-leadership, teaching the word, discipleship, accountability, worship and intimacy with God.

Lye Heng felt that when the Lord called us out of our comfort zone into church planting God said to him, Close the door behind you and step into the new. The fields are white unto harvest. Who shall I send? You are a mighty man of God and I have called you. Seek only my purpose, my will and my glory and keep your eyes on me.

If you have no reservations you will have victory over and over and over and over and over and over again and will completely destroy the enemy. (Unlike the experience of Jehoash, the King of Israel described in 2 Kings 13:14-19.)

These words were added to what we felt the Lord had said when in a very quiet moment Lye Heng had asked Him why we should answer the call. His short and sharp answer was, I will be in it!

Accordingly, we are also passionate about evangelism (saving lives like Super heroes snatching people from the jaws of death, rescuing them in a burning building, leading them out from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light). We badly want to make a difference in people’s life in what we are doing, and God has to be in everything we do!

Vineyard experience
Building community in house churches has been our priority over the last two years. When we were beginning to gather people and “pouring ourselves” into their lives, Susan was reading Tommy Tenny and we had the opportunity to hear him speak (in person) at a couple of meetings. A challenge he made to the pastors present at one meeting sort of stuck. We felt God saying, “Work with everyone that I shall bring to you as if they are your only sheep! Do not worry about numbers or about resources. Just care for them and be their pastors (shepherds)”. With no intention of depreciating any one, Tommy had shared about how God had blessed pastors whom worked selflessly with the people that nobody else (and no other church) wanted. At the end of it God brought people to them that everyone wanted.

We have been so enriched by the love, care and help shown to us.

Building real community, one that flows out from a relationship with the Holy Spirit will continue to be a high priority. Building the church from the bottom up is extremely challenging (say hard work). But it seems to us that God is more interested in whether we get it right, what we become, rather that just doing it or getting there fast. (It’s like teaching at Young vines on the “Purpose Driven Life”, that God is far more interested in what you are than what you do. We are human beings not human doings). We feel that God is saying to us, I am in the business of multiplication. Are the right values and processes in place? Are you ready and prepared to give thanks for what you have got, and ask for multiplication?

We asked the body to pray for the kingdom of God to move us as it had compelled John Wimber: Actually doing the stuff that Jesus did, in terms of proclaiming the kingdom and the works (say signs and wonders). To resist the temptation to redirect and dilute Jesus’ teachings and works on the kingdom if our own ministry does not have consistent evidence of the kingdom breaking through. Pray for us specifically that we will see clearly in the spiritual realm, and actually exercise kingdom authority and move in faith. May the Holy Spirit greatly use us to bring in his sovereign rule in this present evil age, and to do as Jesus did, healing the sick, casting out of demons, even the raising of the dead, in the power of the Spirit.

There are other Vineyard stuff but suffice we hope to mention them briefly. We have “caught” the passionate for missions, and will participate in the Inroads2asia/Vineyard Singapore mission activities in SE Asia. Mercy is a high priority. We are already spending time ministering to friends at the “Econ” home. Now Lye Heng feels that God may be leading us to work with families of convicts, and explore an ex-prisoner ministry. Two other values which are ingrained in us are: Vineyard’s willing to give away ministries and its “best” and our relational approach.

About Singapore
We are too serious, and place too low a value on fun. Can we try to have fun in “doing church"? We know that nothing beats the joy of seeing people come to Christ and grow. But again, can we try to enjoy one another, worshipping, and have fun studying the word and serving, etc.? Any ideas will be gratefully received and experimented upon!

And relevance: In the face of materialism and a managed society that works well and delivers the goods, how is the kingdom of God relevant, how is church relevant ? We remember once asking the kids in Young vines if they trusted and love God more or money in the bank? Money in the bank had more “ayes”. We confessed that we don’t have the full answer to this one yet. But nothing like God demonstrate his reality and working powerfully in our lives. Just the other night, Susan sighed and said to me, “God got to do something here. There is nothing more for us to say. It’ll take kingdom break through to convince people”. And she is right!

What next?
Be totally dependence on God. Yet be down to earth. Our greater priority is ensuring that each person gets all the pastoral care he or she needs and they are being “discipled” in the house churches. We may only have a “monthly” celebration service when we start out, unless we get help along the way.