December M Update

Merry Christmas everybody! Sorry for the late update, no excuses but it has been a VERY VERY busy November.

Well the beginning of the month I had an opportunity to help out this English Activity for a family friend. Which ended up being a long bus ride to a place called University “City”. When I got there I met a couple people, but the night ended quickly because lets just say two people from back home weren’t too tactful with their approach to Thanksgiving, and the whole activity (which was just to help the college kids speak English) was shut down early. Ask Alex, sigh…

Continued meeting with Daniel & Trog, who are growing in the knowledge of the good news. Just finished going over the character and work of Christ.

We were also able to spend sometime fellowship with our sister Rita, as she shared with us some things she was struggling with, but it was a time of mutual encouragement. She recently joined a small group at her local body, so pray that she will continual mature and be encouraged by the fellowship. She also helped us cook for our BIG thanksgiving dinner, I realized it takes most guys 4 times the amount of time than a girl to cook something… It was definitely a great night to just catch up and see everyone again as well as thank God for everything. They really enjoyed our English camp and it really shows they appreciate the quality of the service we provided and how nice all the teachers were.

But December was busy because our friend Alex and I met with his friends all over the place saying good byes. It was very encouraging as we got to hear and pray for different Christians, some fellow missionaries, some local and some elders. We also recently met Richard & Tanya’s FOF group, they were very friendly and I will definitely be keeping in contact with the guys. Also some GREAT news, though personally I had no involvement, we were able to meet one of Lynna & Jeni’s FOF group members, Jacob, who just became a Christian. It was good to hear about his desire to grow and mature (that initial zeal and excitement), so pray for him and his growth.

And I saved the best of last. Well Alex and I had the opportunity this past week to meet with Mario and Stanley. We have been just studying through the characteristics of God. God gave us a glimpse of where they actually stand in light of what they are learning. They both were asking very important questions and were really serious, but in the end they needed more time to really count the cost. It was just so eye opening to see how difficult it is for someone to receive because the cost of the decision was clearly before them as they had much to lose.

Requests

Family – If you guys could keep praying for my younger brother. He is actually in a better situation, just hoping that through these circumstances he may be soften instead of hardened (email me for details).

Daniel & Trog – continual growth. Recently I have been gradually challenging them more and more through the Bible trying to get them more involved in their local bodies. Pray that I may speak with much love and they would grow in grace.

Stanley and Mario – to be able to see that J’s worth is so much more than the costs. Also they are both good guys who need to see the reality of their sin.

Myself – I am very thankful for a brother like Alex to really guide me and help me get situated. It will definitely not be the same without him. Pray that I may have strength and energy as I meet with many of the people to encourage and teach. Also for soberness, conviction and wisdom, I will need to learn how to guide as well as Alex guided me here for those that are coming. December will be really busy ☺ HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Plea for Discernment in the Books We Read by Joshua Lim

Before anything else, I’d like to give a brief disclaimer. First, this message is for Christians. Secondly, I approach the topic of discernment in reading with, what may be to some, a bias: I believe that the Bible is inerrant, infallible and authoritative in all matters of life and faith and that its message is just as relevant today as it was in times past.

What I am about to say may come off as arrogant or close-minded to some, but this is because I believe that as Christians we ought to guard our hearts and minds from those things that defile the mind. Scripture itself attests that this is what pure religion in the sight of God is.

Having said that much I would plead with my brothers and sisters in Christ to use greater discernment in the choice of books to read. I am not saying to stop reading secular books, otherwise we’d probably all fail in school. What I am saying is that we ought to read with an eye out for those things contrary to the faith. For some this may mean opening our eyes a little bit more in reading, for others (most, if not all of us) it may require more reading of old, time-tested books that are clearly Biblical and orthodox. The warning is not primarily against secular books (since these are more or less easy to see through, although they are not excluded) but against contemporary Christian books, books that have not been tested by time. It takes time to see what these books are about, and often it is not until several generations later that the implications are carried out to a greater extent and shown to be false or unbiblical.

The books that I have in mind are those books that seek to display Christianity in a manner that is relevant and acceptable while compromising reverence for God and Christ. The message of the cross will always be regarded as foolishness to those who are perishing and I would argue that it is vain to seek to win them over through watering-down the Christian message. We need, more than ever, to regain that message of God’s holiness. Most people today are in danger of hell, not because they think God is too far, but because they think He is their best friend, that He will not condemn them, though they be in danger of His fiery judgment. Paul put it well in Ephesians, “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” The last thing we need today are books propagating a “hip” and irreverent view of God.

Any book, however “hip” or popular, is still prone to the danger of obscuring the pure, historical Christian gospel. It is not often clear, heretical teaching that defiles the true Christian faith, but subtle emphases on one aspect of God to the neglect of balancing aspects. Please use discernment in what you allow into your minds. Most of us do not have sufficient knowledge of Scripture or theology to weed out those things that are unbiblical and/or even heretical.

Here’s a helpful website that can be used as a guide:
http://www.discerningreader.com