YISS 2007 Theme



A theme is very important to the YISS. God always does something new every year in the lives of the participants and service team. We want the theme to prophectically capture what God is going to do. So after a time of prayer and group discernment, the Amplify Leadership team is happy to announce the theme for the Youth In the Spirit Seminar 2007:

"ALL THINGS NEW"

Taken from 2 Cor 5:17. Perhaps I'll just let the passage (in context) speak for itself.

Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.

God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

(2 Cor 5:17-21 Message Bible)

This year, we are believing for a fresh start for everyone who comes for YISS. Whatever you have been through, how you have lived, how your relationships may be like - God wants to make all things new. Leave the baggages of the past behind and allow God to love you into a new life - the abundant life He wants you to live!

I found the reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over New
And the reason is You.

Amen.

Leo

My Life Goals



Written on the back flap of my bible are 7 life goals that I feel God put in my heart over the years of walking with Him. Quite frequently, during prayer and meditation, I would flip to it and remind myself what God wants me to do with my life.

My hope is that my life would be like David whom the bible described, "...and David had served God's purpose in his own generation..." (Acts 13:36)

I too want my life to serve God's purpose in my generation with the short life I have been given.

Perhaps this sharing could in some small ways inspire you to do so too. 8)



Life Goal #1
See the Catholic Church become irresistible and relevant to today's people.


Life Goal #2
Build a movement of youth ministries all over this nation to impact an entire generation for Jesus.


Life Goal #3
Raise a generation of Leaders who would raise up generations of Leaders.


Life Goal #4
Raise an Army of Lay Preachers and Teachers whose effectiveness in communicating the Word to today's people far surpass those who came before.


Life Goal #5
See youth ministries and churches reaching out to the greater community with acts of Kindness in Jesus' name.


Life Goal #6
Empower and release Lay people to influence every sphere of society especially in the Marketplace for God's Kingdom.


Life Goal #7
Establish a School of Ministry and Bible College for Lay people to be equipped to impact their world.



-written on the 6th of May, 2005.

Leo





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Postscript:
These 7 Goals together with my Personal Mission Statement pretty much direct my life's decisions and choices. What I choose to do and what I choose not to do. It brings immense clarity and purpose to my days not to mention a sense of desperate dependence on God.

To tell you the truth, they scare the life out of me. (I'm sure you can see why) But I pray that together with others whom God send into my life, we will together accomplish them 'not by Might, not by power but by God's Spirit.'

Wounded



All of us are wounded one way or another. Like the woman with the issue of blood, all of us are bleeding privately on the inside. Some of us are just better at hiding the issue than others.

The wisest thing to do is to come to a place where I admit that I don't have the resources within to heal myself and that I need to reach out and touch Jesus.

"If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

I want You, Jesus. More than anyone or anything in the world.

I really do.

Leo

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Join Amplify Speaker's Club

You never know when you'll need it...

Starting 20th January at the Catholic Spirituality Centre, Cassilda and I will be starting the Amplify Speaker's Club.


WHAT IS SPEAKERS CLUB?

Speaker's Club is a safe environment that allows members the opportunity to practise their public speaking skills. It is held fortnightly and runs for 1 &-a-half hours for about 8 weeks. The program includes a wide range of speaking opportunities, such as 1 minute impromptu speeches, testimonies, 5-7 minutes sermons, evaluation of all speaking assignments and yes, even an altar call!



WHO SHOULD COME?

Anyone who has spoken in front of a crowd and later described it as a 'near-death-experience'.

We know exactly how you feel! That's why we will be making Speaker's Club a safe place for you to 'give it a go' at public speaking while finding support and encouragement from fellow participants who are probably as nervous as you are. Its a great place to gain confidence as well as have a good time!

Anyone who feels a call of God on their life to Preach, Teach or Lead.
Speaker's Club is a great place to 'learn by doing'. Part of the program involves getting feedback from others; letting you know the strengths of your speech and areas to improve. This will help you to both steward and sharpen the call of God on your life as an effective communicator and leader.

So what are you waiting for? Join Speaker's Club Today!
There are only 26 places available. Registration is $5

If you are interested please email your details to:

Leonard Koh:

creatsia@yahoo.com.sg or

Cassilda Lim:

lovelynois@yahoo.com.sg

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Amplify Speaker's Club is an initiative of Amplify Partnership Development

Leonard and Cassilda each hold a Certificate VI in Pastoral Leadership and Counseling respectively from the Hillsong International Leadership College, Sydney, where they were both resident Coordinators of the Speaker's Club.

A Christmas Poem

What If Christmas Never Happen?
written by Leonard

What if Christmas never happen?
Would there still be jingle bells and silver bells
Would Frosty still exist?
Would Rudolph be the one we love
Couples linger mistletoes above

Would we get our two front teeth
And Partridges in pear trees.
Would we deck the halls
Or kiss Santa Claus
And still be home for Christmas?

well, probably...


But what if Christmas never happened?
What will we see?
What if God didn't love the world
And the Child never came to be
With the world in sorrow pining
Will hope still sail the seven seas

If Christmas never happened
What glad would tidings be?
Will shepherds still prolong their strains
Will Nations come on bended knees
Will there be rest for merry gentlemen
Had not the Herald Angels sang

In this season that came to be
Silent night of our Savior's birth
Tucked away in a manager
Lies our soul's great worth

So come celebrate the love divine
Join the Angels heard on high
Leave the trample of the Sales
And join the Triumph of the Skies.

- 12 Dec 2006

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Have a Blessed Christmas!
Leonard & Cassilda



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Excellence: A Core Value of Amplify

Excellence is one of the Core Values of Amplify. The others include God-Centered, Relevant Environments, Authentic Community, Character, Supernatural, Strategic Service, Intentional Apprenticeship (and somemore that we are in the process of articulating).

Excellence is an attitude and not end product. The end product will naturally come when we choose to be excellent at what we do. Excellence is about giving the absolute best that we have, going the second mile, above and beyond what is expected of us. Excellence is maintaining onto a good attitude and coming up with our best inspite of whatever constraints that we are facing.

If I can boil Excellence down, its simply: "Be Bothered." Be bothered to just put in that extra effort, go that extra distance, make it neater, because it tell people what you value. Conversely, lack in excellence is simply "I can't be bothered" - and that communicates something as well.


God Values Excellence

More importantly, Excellence is a God idea. In Genesis, it was recorded that God created the world, created Man and Woman and saw that it was Good i.e. Excellent. If you were to read through Leviticus and Deuteronomy you will begin to see that God is deliberate and into the details. (read about the construction of the Ark of the Covenant) He is not tardy or slipshod in what He does, and in what He represents. I shared about 1 Kings 10 at Leaders Retreat, about Queen Sheba paying a visit to King Solomon. She came because she had heard about his wisdom and his excellence in representing the house of God. She saw that the magnificance and excellence of God through King Solomon and was converted to believe in the God of Israel.

"When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed." 1 King 4:5

One expression of excellence is to create distraction-free environments for people to experience God. The less shody and tardy we are, the more WOW! factor we give our seekers and attenders, the easier it will be to soften their heart to receive the Word of God.


Excellence Paves the Way

Great environments, neat arrangements, Perfect sounding music, nice lights, moving media do not change lives. Only the work of the Holy Spirit brings about spiritual and character transformation. BUT, by becoming less of a hinderance through removing distractions and providing a conducive environment, we partner the Holy Spirit and give Him space to bring about Heart Change. Think about it, how do you even begin to concentrate on worshipping if there is feedback going on, the lights are too bright, the lyrics are not flashed and you are made to stand for too long on your feet?


That Which Cost Us

We need to be like King David in his pursuit of God's heart. That is, we need to offer God only that which cost us something. (2 Sam 24:24) This is excellence - Offering God that which will cost us something. The better prepared we are, the better relaxed we are, the better we can hear God and what He wants us to do.

Bottomline, need always be grateful for all that God has given us. We need to remember that God is ultimately in control, that we are doing it for His Glory and Namesake. Everything He gives us is a blessing and given because of His Grace and not because we have earned it. And because it is given to us by His Grace, we need to be careful in stewarding it.

In that way, we always keep an open hand with what is entrusted to us and keep an obedient Heart towards God. And as we are faithful and reliable with the small things, God will entrust us with bigger things.

God Bless,
Cassilda

Amplify In The City?

Amplify In The City is an idea I have for 2007.

I was thinking of holding our usual Amplify Friday Prayer Meet in a location in the City, maybe for about 4 weeks through the Season of Lent. (40) The idea is to give people a sampler of Fridays but many times bigger.

I was thinking of a location like Good shepherd or St. Peter & Paul where we can hold like a few hundred young people. Its a Lenten Thing so we challenge young people to fasting and penance. Maybe the sessions can center around reflections on the meanings of the Cross. Different perspective of one Act. Maybe invite different speakers from different the Religious Orders.

I was thinking of a Ancient-Modern Concept. Have it in a Church, light it up with candles and cool colored spot lights and fabrics. And like find the oldest Lenten Traditional para-liturgy the ancient Catholics used to use. We can bring it back but mix it with a modern feel and music. Sing Hymns but give it a modern mix. Its a kinda going back to our Catholic roots kinda thing, help us appreciate the inheritance of our Faith yet at the same time making it meaningful and relevant to people today.

We could challenge young people to fast but we coordinate the prayer requests for everyone to pray, for example - Pray for Vocations This week. Next week, Youth Ministries, the environment, terrorism, world peace etc. Issues that are relevant to young people.

This is keeping with the same excellence we keep at Prayer Meeting in terms of worship, sessions, media, Intercession and the all important hospitality and Food.

This gives us a chance to let young people have a 'Sampler' of Fridays at CSC, gives us a chance to mobilize young people to prayer and promote YISS

Its just an idea lah. See whether want to do or not. Leave a comment, tell me us what you think.

Leo

Why I am in Youth Ministry

If there is one statement that is often used about youths in church that I really dislike is this: "Youths are the future of the church". I know. I know. Those who say it probably mean well and its said to encourage (and sometime scare) us.

Maybe its just me. But it really erks me when I hear it. Because I find that it reveals a mindset that discounts the important and crucial contribution of the youths to the church TODAY - as they are as young people! Youth is not a disease that we one day outgrow and then we really and finally become "the Church."

I believe that our Youths are not just the future of the church, they are part of the Church today. I am driven to help the Church fill the present void with the only people that can fill it - young people. Only then can we present to Jesus 'a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless' to fulfill her Mission in this world. We need a Church that welcomes young people and challenge them to play their part.



In this entry, I would like to share my story of how I started to want to serve in youth ministry and why I have a passion for it.


My calling to youth ministry came in 1995 at the FIRE CONFERENCE organised by the New Evangelisation Team (NETS), FLAME Ministries and Youth Praise Ministry (YPM). I had been serving 8 years as an Altarserver and 2 years in the Charismatic Renewal. FIRE Conference was purposed to encourage greater competence in Youth Ministry to meet the needs of young people in a changing world. It was there I realised both the need for and the lack of effective youth ministries. My heart burnt as I listened through those two days.

I remember walking home from the Conference when I sensed the Holy Spirit speak in my heart, calling me to respond to the need. He showed me His heart for young people and the improvished spiritual state they are in. My heart burnt as He spoke. When I reached the landing outside my door, I prayed to God saying, 'If you call me, I will go. Just tell me what to do."


"Reach into your bag and pull out the Conference file. On it you will see my Commission to you.", I sensed Him say.


Curious, I reached in and pulled out my file and my eyes immediately fell upon a verse that was printed there:

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — 'fruit that will last." John 15:16


There and then, I felt the Holy Spirit call me into ministry and tasked me specifically to build for Him, not just a youth ministry but a LASTING youth ministry. Not the kind that come up big and strong and fizzle after a while, but a ministry that would impact young people and continue to do so from generation to generation.


That has been my goal ever since. It has never been my intention to build the biggest or the hippest youth ministry in town. Instead, it has always been my heart’s desire to build one that can pass the test of time and grow increasingly in impact through the years. This is what drives me to get into the trenches of youth ministry, read countless books, observe successful youth ministries internationally, push on despite the odds, attend conferences and recently, study Pastoral Leadership at the International Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney, Australia. I was finding and studying ways to make Youth Ministry bear lasting fruit.

Amplify Ministry

I felt my call 11 years ago and things have not changed. Today, I serve as Coordinator of the CSC-based Amplify Ministry. Along with my dedicated team of Leaders, we purpose to lay the foundations for a lasting and impactful ministry to meet the spiritual needs of young people and contribute as an positive example for other youth ministries in an increasingly changing world. We want to do whatever we can in the capacity that God has given us to champion youth ministries in Singapore and place value on young people.

This is my heart - A Church for young people.

Leo

Spiritual Warfare

St. Paul tells us that we 'wrestle not with flesh and blood but with princes, powers and principalities' in this world. The reality is that we live in a spiritual world. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the things we can see, that we forget that those things we can't are just as real if not more real. I am not talking about ghosts or so-called wandering spirits. I'm talking about the reality of the fight between the forces of good and evil that happens all around us every moment.

Remember the Salvation of the Isrealites from Egypt? Moses? Prince of Egypt? About the ten plagues? Do you know that they are actually meant to wack each of the gods of Egypt? As you read the story of the plagues, there is more than already meets the eye.

What really happened was that there was a Confrontation in the Heavenlies, between God and the demons. This still happens today in Spiritual Warfare, in the Prayer of Confrontation.
To confront someone or something means to face them in hostility or defiance, or to come with opposition.

This type of prayer not only outwits the devil but also humiliates him and his forces in the process. God also us to enter into this type of encounter to show His power over the evil spirit(s) to which a particular group of people has been in bondage. As God displays that His power is greater than that of a given demonic structure, that structure begins to crumble and those who were held captive are then free to follow Christ.


Moses' Great Confrontation
A wonderful biblical model for this type of prayer was Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh. As Moses declared God's will to Pharaoh in the earthly realm, he was also confronting in the spiritual realm the gods of Egypt - false deities (territorial spirits) linked with the oppression and captivity of God's covenant people. Through the plagues and destruction unleashed upon the nation of Egypt as a result of Moses' confrontation, God's plan was fulfilled, the power of oppression was broken, and His people were released.

Let's take a look at how each demonstration of God's power through Moses was actually a power encounter with a specific Egyptian god. Its quite interesting.


The Rod Becomes a Serpent (Exod. 7:8-12)
Two main Egyptian gods were linked with serpents. Apep was the Egyptian snake god, the personification of darkness and evil. Edjo, the serpent goddess of the Delta, was the protectress of Lower Egypt and was symbolized on the royal diadem (crown) as protection for the king. When Aaron's rod became a serpent and swallowed the magicians' serpents, there was an undeniable display of whose power was stronger.


The Nile Turns to Blood
In this first plague, god demonstrated His power over Khnum, the ram god whowas the supposed protector of the source of the Nile, and over Hapy, god of the Nile in inundation. Although the court magicians were able to imitate the phenomenon, they were unable to stop the effects of the plague. So the fish died and the water became putrid and undrinkable.


The Plague of Frogs (Exod. 8:1-15)
The second plague was directed against Heqet, the goddess of creation, birth and the germination of corn. Heqet was depicted as a frog, which was considered a sacred animal in Egypt. Once again, the magicians were able to imitate the plague but were unable to remove it. So Pharaoh had to summon Moses and Aaron to put a stop to it.


The Plague of Lice (Exod. 8:16-19)
The third plague came against Geb, the Egyptian earth god that was believed to play a role in fertility and vegetation. Geb was also supposed to imprison souls of the dead, and his laughter was said to cause earthquakes. The magicians were unable to reproduce the sign of the lice and conceded to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (v.19).


The Plague of Flies (Exod. 8:20-24)
"If you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand" (v.21). This plague was set against Dua, the Egyptian god of toiletry. This fourth plague made clear that God was the author of plagues and had authority in the land over the gods the Egyptians served.


The Cattle Die (Exod. 9:1-7)
Hathor, the Egyptian cow goddess, was next in line for humiliation at the hands of God's wrath. She was the suckler of the king ad the goddess of love, fertility and women. She was also said to cleanse the land of unbelievers. This plague was a judgment from God and a direct insult to the religious hierarchy, as calves, cows and bulls were all worshipped and considered sacred by Egyptians.


The Plague of Boils (Exod. 9:8-12)
The sixth plague came against Imhotep, venerated as the god of learning and medicine. The magicians appeared to try and protect the Pharaoh, probably through Imhotep's power, but were instead attacked themselves.


The Plague of Hail and Fire (Exod. 9:12-35)
The seventh plague challenged Horus the Elder, the powerful falconlike deity and originally the sky god, who was identified with the king during his lifetime. This was the first plague that apparently caused human death - enough so that Pharaoh even admitted he had sinned and begged for the plague to be stopped (see Exod. 9:27,28).


The Plague of Locusts (Exod. 10:12-15)
The eighth plague targeted Shu, god of the air, the atmosphere and dry winds. It was through an east wind that last for a day and a night that the Lord ushered in swarms of locusts that "covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt" (v. 15).


The Plague of Darkness (Exod. 10:21-23)
The ninth plague demonstrated God's power over the light of the sun and one of Egypt's chief deities, the sun god Ra. Ra was thought to be the father of the gods, head of the great ennead (a group of the nine most powerful deities) and supreme judge. This plague dealt a heavy blow to the evil powers and principalities of the spirit world.


The Slaying of the First Born (Exod. 12:29-33)
The tenth and most devastating plague was directed against a family of three deities. The first was Isis, the most important of all Egyptian goddesses, who assumed all the attributes and functions of virtually every other important goddess at some point in Egyptian history. Her primary functions were motherhood, marital devotion, healing the sick and the working of magic spells and charms. The second deity was Osiris, the god of the dead and the ruler, protector and judge of the deceased. The third deity was the son of Isis and Osiris, Horus the Child, a suckling child represented as a young boy sucking his finger. This final plague so overwhelmed the Pharaoh and so thoroughly defeated the gods of Egypt that the Israelites were finally set free.

God's power has not diminished in the years since Moses! Power encounters through the prayer of confrontation that see people groups released from demonic structures are going to become more and more common as we enter the future war of the Church. We need to enter into an expectant mindset that believes God will display His power greatly over the earth and over demonic structures in order to see great throngs loosed from Satan's grip. And from that mindset, we must pray with unwavering faith prayers of confrontation according to His will.

In the words of my house downstairs the ah beng, 'you win lor'

Leo

NOT FIRE BUT AN EARTHQUAKE
Some thoughts on the Charismatic Renewal of Singapore


Two years ago at the SACCRE Core Team meeting held at the Major Seminary, Fr William Goh crowned his opening speech by a statement of vision and hope, "Let the Fire fall again".

When I think about it, I guess, perhaps, in his mind, he saw that the embers of zeal and spiritual revival dimming in the Charismatic Renewal. He hopes that once more the fires of Revival will fall from heaven and ignite a new move of the Spirit. I want to share some of my thoughts with you since that day about the state of the Charismatic Renewal in Singapore.

First of all, allow me to say that I felt perhaps what we need is not Fire to fall on the Renewal like it did 40 years ago. The Lord has poured out His anointing on SACCRE and He continues to pour out His power when we ask for it. I believe what SACCRE and all the Charismatic renewals in Singapore need now is not Fire but an Earthquake.

Let me explain -

In ACTS, after the Pentecost, the church of Jesus Christ in the power
of the Holy Spirit went out into the whole world preaching the gospel
with signs and wonders. The apostles caused such an upheaval in the
jewish religious system that when an opportunity presented itself, the
jewish priests arrested Peter and John, in an effort to quench the
movement. After being sternly warned, they were flogged and set free.
Read the actual account -

"As soon as Peter and John had been set free, they went back and told
the others everything that the chief priests and the leaders had said
to them. When the rest of the Lord's followers heard this, they prayed
together and said: Master, you created heaven and earth, the sea, and
everything in them. And by the Holy Spirit you spoke to our ancestor
David. He was your servant, and you told him to say: "Why are all the
Gentiles so furious? Why do people make foolish plans? The kings of
earth prepare for war, and the rulers join together against the Lord
and his Messiah." ........ Lord, listen to their threats! We are your
servants. So make us brave enough to speak your message. Show your
mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the
name of your holy Servant Jesus.

After they had prayed, the meeting place shook. They were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and bravely spoke God's message. "


When the faithful people of God, stung by persecution and victimized by the establishment, their respond was to turn to God to ask for more boldness and power. At their supplication, the Lord bared His strong right arm and poured out His Holy Spirit with so much power and boldness that the gathering became an epicenter of an earthquake. The result of that outpouring was a renewed passion and courage to preach the Word.

I believe that in Saccre, what we need is an earthquake, not fire. We don't need ignition, we need a shake up in the Charismatic Renewal.

As I sat there two years ago at Major Sem, on a Sunday, what I percieved were not men and women of passion and boldness but people who may be feeling a bit worn out, jaded and scared. I saw in their eyes, the weight of being caught between the disapproval of the clergy, suspicion of the laity and the burden of their own people. They don't say it, but I sensed I was in the presence of battle worn veterans. Dedicated men and women of God who have experienced the same persecution of the Charismatic Renewal from Day 1 of Pentecost.

Perhaps, We need once more, like the Faithful in Acts, in the face of these persecutions , pray , " Lord, listen to their threats! We are your servants. So make us brave enough to speak your message. Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servant Jesus. "

I prayed since that day, that the Lord will pour out His Spirit with such great Power to cause a Shake Up, not in the enemy's camp, but in ours. That with this Shake up will come new Vital Leadership, Spirit-filled Structures, Renewed Vision, Boldness to preach the Word by all means necessary.

Today, I clearly see that happening in Saccre. Under the leadership of Gerald Franciso, his leaders and Chris ow with Saccreyouth, we are indeed making tremendous progress forward. My heart is glad and I know God will accomplish much over the next couple of years.

I love the CCR. It changed my life and continues to everyday through the Holy Spirit. In sincerity and humility, I allow me to propose 8 suggestions for the Renewal. 8 Shake-ups that if felt through out the nation in renewals all over Singapore will help make the Renewal the Unstoppable Force God intented us to be. These 8 suggestions will take some explanation so I will continue in the next email. I will just briefly mention them here -


1) Forge a strong Partnership with the Clergy

2) Develop a Vision for the Laity

3) Develop a strong Charismatic Theology and ministry philosophy aimed specifically for the Lay.

4) Develop and refine Ministry Methodology

5) Preach and administer to felt needs of people today

6) Emphasis on Character not just Charisma

7) Build Communities, not Prayer meetings

8) Aggressive Collaboration of the generations in the renewal



These are the 8 shake-ups I believe will bring renewal to the Renewal. I will try if I have time, to further elobrate on them in the following entry. But I believe that are pretty straight forward. Do drop any thoughts you might have and get a conversation going.

God Bless,
Leonard

I DREAM OF A CHURCH

I was thinking. When Jesus was on earth, He was irresistible. People flocked to Him, Children loved Him, the sick wanted to be near him. Jesus was Irresistible.

I believe that the Church, being Jesus' Body and him the head, has to reflect that same irresistibility on earth.

As I look at our Church today and honestly ask myself -
IS OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH IRRESISTIBLE? Are we reflecting who Jesus is? Are people flocking to church? Or do they can't wait to get out of there?

I believe change is needed. The worlds needs the Church. But they will not darken the doors of the church if we continue to be what we are. Already we see an Exodus of our own young people out of our church.

I believe a generation of Spirit-Filled Catholics can make a change. We are the Future of the Church. What we are is what the church will be in the Future.

That is why I dare to say...


I DREAM OF A CHURCH ...


I dream of a church in the future that is Irresistible.


I dream of a church where everyone is passionately satisfied by Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit.


I dream of a church where every man, woman and child would rush in every Sunday. An environment so irresistible, there is no better place to be.


I dream of a church that is relevant to culture. That sees culture not as a foe but as a friend, not as friction, but traction for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


I dream of a church where people are real. Where perfection is not expected and grace is extended. Where we warm hearts and not pews. Where we are friends and not strangers.


I dream of a church where joy, not just knowledge, is the measure of faith.


I dream of a church where clergy and laity are equal, even partners.


I dream of a church where the Word of God meets Real Life. Where what is heard on Sunday can be used on Monday.


I dream of a church where the presence of the Lord is tangible and the joy of the peoples contagious.


I dream of a church where there are signs and wonders, healings and miracles, prophecies and deliverances.


I dream of a church that doesn't just have small groups but will be of small groups. Where people live shared lives and care for one another.


I dream of a church where character is the measure of maturity. Where people fear the Holiness of God, love Righteousness and do justice.


I dream of a church where every person discover their purpose and is released into ministry.
Where everyone is released to be everywhere.


I dream of a church that is irresistible to the lost, the hurting, the broken and the skeptic.


I dream of a church that is bold and dangerous enough to capture the imagination of the leaders, achievers, the artistic and the intellectuals of our society.


I dream of a church that change lives, impacts society, blesses the nation and touches the world practically with the Love and the Spirit of God



How?

We need to see a rising generation of radically God-Centered Catholics whose passion for Jesus will ellipses the pervious generations.

Students and young people so sold-out to the Kingdom and so broken for lives who do not yet know Him that they are willing to risks all. A people of great resolve to prudently challenge the present and forge a framework of a Future Church that will be able to speak in the culture in the most effective way possible. These people go on to establish communities and ministries that will embody the very blueprint of the future.

An Irresistible Church - as Jesus was when He was on earth.

It can happen. The Dream can become Reality. We have to start now.

One Generation. That's all it takes.

The Irresistible Church.

The BEST is yet to be.

Catholic Junior College Retreat

Amplify together with many other ministries are combining forces this weekend to minister to 220 students of Catholic Junior Collge. The theme is "Mosaic - Art In Me". This theme was chosen to represent the fragmentation and brokeness of our lives. Yet in the Hands of God can become something beautiful.

We will be helping the students examine the different aspect of our lives - Self, Friendships, Family, Church and Purpose. Please pray for us, the participants and the service team- that God's anointing with pour down and many many lives will be changed for His Glory!

It going to be awesome!

Leo

The Purpose of Life: His Glory


Last Friday I (Leo) gave a session at Amplify Fridays on the Glory of God. Frankly, if I could only give one sharing for the rest of my life, that would be it. I showed from scripture, how God's chief purpose of creating and governing the world is to display His glory. And we, as creations of God, the purpose of our lives is to glorify God.

Now, what then does it mean to say that God created us for his glory? Glory is a very hard thing to define. It is like the word "Beauty." We all can use it and communicate with it but to try to reduce it to words is very frustrating. It is easier to point to examples. A sunset seen from the top of the Blue Mountains- that's glory. A perfect performance on the balance beam by Nadia Comaneci—that's glory.

The glory of God is the beauty and excellence of his manifold perfections. It is an attempt to put into words what God is like in his magnificence and purity. It refers to his infinite and overflowing fullness of all that is good. The term might focus on his different attributes from time to time—like his power and wisdom and mercy and justice—because each one is indeed awesome and beautiful in its magnitude and quality. But in general God's glory is the perfect harmony of all his attributes into one infinitely beautiful and personal being.

So God's chief purpose for everything is to display who He is.


Now for some of us, this is a very disturbing thought. That God lives and does everything for his own glory. Say if I tell you that I live for the glory of myself, you would tell me that I have a major issue. So if its wrong for me to seek glory for myself, how could it be right for God to do so?

And the reason why we think this is because for many of us, our concept of God is that He is just a little more bigger than us. Or that like Cheryl Crow puts it, 'like a stranger on the bus, trying to make his way home.' So if its wrong for us to seek our own glory, it should also be wrong for God too.

But it is not so. Because God is God and we are not. Consider this quote:


"Now, if it right for men to have the Glory of God as his goal, can it be wrong for God to have the same goal? If man can have no higher purpose than God's Glory, how can God?

If it is wrong for man to seek a lesser end than this. It will be wrong for God too. The reason it cannot be right for man to live for himself as if he were God its because he is not God. However it cannot be wrong for God to seek His own Glory simply because He is God."

- A.W. Tozer



And because God seeks to display His own Glory, He created everything in the heavens and the earth. He created Man, in his image and likeness to reflect His glory in a way no other creature can. But Man turned away from his created purpose, betrayed God and chose to glorify themselves instead

But God, bent on His glory, sent His only Son into the history to suffer and die for the very people who betrayed Him- us. In so doing, leveraged our sins for His Glory, namely His unbelievable love and goodness. See, when a King die for his subjects, its says more about the King than it does the subjects.


This shows very clearly that our very existence is for the Glory of God. That in the end, God will get what He created us for. Either we will glorify Him as Loving Father and Savior by our total trust and reliance on Him in this life and next. Or we will glorify Him as Righteous Judge when we refuse, and are sentenced to pay the penalty of our rebellion against a Holy God in the fires of hell.

Either way, God will have His glory. The question is by which way would my life glorify God? This is what we will all need to ask and answer all our days, in every choice, every circumstances, every season, every relationship of our lives. How will I glorify God in this?

For this is the our purpose. And our choice.




"Today I put before you Life and Death... choose Life that you may live!"
Deut 30:19



Leo

Turning the World on its head.


There are certain truths in the universe that when discovered have the potential to turn the world upside down..or rather right side up. For example:

1. The Earth is not flat. You cannot fall off the side of the earth like coming to the end of a table.

2. The Earth is not the centre of the universe. It revolves around the sun. Not the other way. The first guy who discovered that - Cop got into a whole lot of trouble as a result of it.

3. God does not exist for me. I am not the centre of the universe.

4. God exist for Himself. God is the Centre of the universe.


Living in the 21st Century, Pt 1 and 2 are of course, already well established facts. Pt 1 makes perfect sense when you look out at sea and you can see a horizon- your line of sight doesn't go on forever, read - the earth is a sphere. If there were any more doubts, space travels of this century would have effectively put that theory (as well as pt 2) into the casket, said our final farewells and burnt in the fires of intellectual hell. Still there are some people in the world especially from the Flat Earth Society who are totally convinced that this is all a huge conspiracy theory and they meet once a year to revel in their preservation of the 'Truth'.

Well, being Singaporean, if my science text books says it lound, its lound. I believe.


However Pt 3 and Pt 4 - 'God does not exist for me', 'God exist for Himself' are real hard one to swallow. It took me years to finally come to an acceptance of this fact of reality. Consider this:

"But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord God, 'It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst" Ezk 36.


What God is saying here is that He is about to act for the sake of His own reputation which His own people whom He had entrusted it with had totally ruin before the eyes of the other nations. Incidentally earlier in Isaiah, He had already told them that the reason why He created them in the first place was 'for His glory.' (Isa 43:1-7) That was why Israel was precious to God - He made them for Himself.

But this doesn't just apply to Israel, it applies to all of God's Creation. Including you and me. It's all about Him. God created everything for His Glory.

Now, I don't know about you. But that is hard to shallow.

I think one of the reasons it is hard to accept this Biblical reality for us modern, secular people is that the Biblical mindset and the secular mindset move from radically different starting points.

What I mean by the secular mindset is not necessarily a mindset that rules God out or denies in principle that the Bible is true. It's a mindset that begins with man as the basic given reality in the universe. All of its thinking starts with the assumption that man has basic rights and basic needs and basic expectations. Then the secular mind moves out from this center and interprets the world, with man and his rights and needs as the measure of all things.

What the secular mindset sees as problems are seen as problems because of how things fit or don't fit with the center – man and his rights and needs and expectations. And what this mindset sees as successes are seen as successes because they fit with man and his rights and needs and expectations.

This is the mindset we were born with and that our secular society reinforces virtually every hour of the day in our lives. The Apostle Paul calls this mindset "the mind that is set on the flesh" (Romans. 8:6-7), and says that it is the way the "natural person" thinks (1 Corinthians 2:14, literal translation). It is so much a part of us that we hardly even know it's there. We just take it for granted – until it collides with another mindset, namely the one in the Bible.

The Biblical mindset is not simply one that includes God somewhere in the universe and says that the Bible is true. The Biblical mindset begins with a radically different starting point, namely, God. God is the basic given reality in the universe. He was there before we were in existence – or before anything was in existence. He is simply the most absolute reality.
And so the Biblical mindset starts with the assumption that God is the center of reality. All thinking starts with the assumption that God has basic rights as the Creator of all things. He has goals that fit with his nature and perfect character. Then the Biblical mindset moves out from this center and interprets the world, with God and his rights and goals as the measure of all things.

What the Biblical mindset sees as basic problems in the universe are usually not the same problems that the secular mindset sees. The reason for this is that what makes a problem is not, first, that something doesn't fit the rights and needs of man, but that it doesn't fit the rights and goals of God. If you start with man and his rights and wants, rather than starting with the Creator and his rights and goals, the problems you see in the universe will be very different.

Is the basic riddle of the universe how to preserve man's rights and solve his problems (say, the right of self-determination, and the problem of suffering)? Or is the basic riddle of the universe how an infinitely worthy God in complete freedom can display the full range of his perfections – what Paul calls the "riches of his glory" (Romans 9:23) – his holiness and power and wisdom and justice and wrath and goodness and truth and grace?

How you answer that question will profoundly affect the way you understand the central event of human history – the death of Jesus, the Son of God. It will affect your view of Life and all human events around us.

In fact, it will turn your entire world on its head.

There is still much to say about this. But I'll just end here for this entry. If you are reading this, I want to encourage you to think about. I will be giving a session tonight, 13 oct at Amplify Fridays about this. Do come down or leave a comment and join in the conversation.

God Bless,

Leo