#everyoneanamb

[tjcknows]

Ambs Meeting 2016 #OpenJio Edition Numero Uno: Let There Be Light

3/12/16

We had a warm and open sharing during dinner before Thanksgiving Cluster (LAST YEAR HAHAHA)! :)) here’s a lil brief summary of some of the things that was shared! really good stuff man :’) strong and spiritual people you all are :)) have some fun and spot your own answers yeah (if you were not there, see you next open jio!!) ;D

For the question: “What does being an ambassador mean?” we opened it to the floor and got some cool answers :) 

Glorifying Jesus and making Him known (telling ppl about Jesus and all He has done in our lives) 

Sowing into people’s lives: by being a friend we are actually showing them a picture of Jesus and His unceasing love for us, because we are all made in the image of Christ, and by that definition, are made to love by being loved. :) 

Ensuring no one is left out in the House (the Church).

Reaching out to people who are near to us, in our sphere of influence, and really, personally caring for them. 

So, how does the Living Word of God (the Bible) define an ambassador? We take a look at 2 Corinthains 5:19-21 to glean more insight. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)

From this verse, we see that anybody can be/are called to be ambassadors, representatives of His kingdom, to be a bearer of good news (that we are made new creations in Christ) and light as His emissary, the moment you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior :) and what more being an ambassador means being about the business of reconcilation, which in greek is (from Strong’s Concordance) katallagḗ – reconciliation (restoration) as the resulting of Christ exactly (precisely) exchanging His righteousness (blood) for our guilt. Simply put, all ambassadoring means is that as we have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness in our lives, as Christ has so divnely exhanged his beauty for ashes, for Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we can become the righteousness of God in Christ. And I love how natural it is because it’s so simple, just as we have received His deep and immeasurable love, it becomes so irresistable, so natural to let your mouth tell of His love too! :)

We then moved on to talk about how a CG Ambs looks like practically, which involved everyone thinking back to their first meeting of the CG, and who was their first friend/ person they talked to and how did these friends make them feel. We then noticed that while the people were all different, the feelings of warmth, friendliness, and sincerity in heart to get to know them was what made everyone feel loved. :) As Jesus saw us on Earth, as sheep without a shepherd and His heart was moved with compassion, we are called to be vessels of His relentless love, to love as He loves, as He first loved us. 

Some practical tips we gleaned from thinking about these memories, from our friends who took that step of boldness to talk to us include: 

Asking questions about our lives (”being kaypoh” as lu yao puts it ;) ) but with a genuine interest to get to know us.

Sitting with me, and connecting with me about common pasts. 

Just talking and being friendly and warm!

Wow and I personally thought it was cool that really these moments in our lives are just so everyday, and we won’t typically give these actions a secondary thought, BUT, every moment makes an impact, no matter how small you may think your actions may be, and it really reminded me of this verse: Romans 12:1 (MSG) “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” that when you do things unto the Lord, the Lord takes your two loaves and five fishes and multiplies them :)) 

We also bible studied: Isaiah 60:1-8 (NKJV)

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, And I will glorify the house of My glory. 

Here’s what people caught from this verse:

You don’t have to try to be an ambassador, it’s simply God using you as a vessel of His light, to radiate and emanate His love through you. And it doesn’t even have to be words, or actions, but even just your face radiating the glory of the Lord. That as your heart is full of His joy, it would naturally spark a thought in people’s minds like “hey, that girl/boy is different, how can she be so happy/cool/at peace etc?” and then you can say “only jesus.” :) 

It’s the Jesus in you that is so attractive, that makes you a testimony of His grace, and all people will see what a joyous heart you have, and say “hey, i want that too.” #hisyokeiseasy #andhisburdenislight 

Verse 4 is a picture of growth, and this growth is a manisfestation of His glory and grace in our lives, and in comes from a place of personal spiritual growth as well! that as we behold Him and are transformed into His image of greater glory, as our inner man walks with God, the glory of God is risen upon us, and we step up to receive. And not one fruit (growth of the ministry) will we attribute to the work of our hands. Rather, “we glorify the house of my glory”, we give God all the glory, because it has all been Him and the deep and good works He has done in our lives. 

The world is so dark and may be getting darker, but you stand out, like a magnet, they are drawn to the Jesus in you, and all it takes is for you to lift up your eyes and see the people the Lord has put in your spehere of influence, to look out and reach out, that as you give people your time, you will also be given the spirit of wisdom and discernment, to see as He sees, and “ Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,” loving people doesn’t become a work, but a joy, and you will not see lack but see the Lord’s provision instead (be it in an enlarged heart, right words at the right time, equipped hands etc!) It is with this joy that we can be ambassadors, as Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitude :)

It is the Lord who arises over you, and not your own contrived glory but reflecting Jesus’ light!

Finally, we wrote on a piece of paper about the vision we had for the CG in 2017 :) 

what a beautiful picture of family :’) and now we are finally in 2017 HAHAHAH and all that you have so preciously sown and declared, the Lord is faithful to fulfill :) I’ll just leave this verse here: 

“But in My favor I have had mercy on you.Therefore your gates shall be open continually;They shall not be shut day or night,” (Isa 60:11) 

May TJ always be a CG with open gates, so ready to embrace and love the oppressed, the broken-hearted, the captive, but at our roots, at our core, knowing it is Jesus in the centre, holding us together. A CG where evey individual has a personal walk with Jesus and a grows in a greater revelation of his love, a CG that rest, listens, and flows, a CG that sharpens one another as iron sharpens one another, that builds each other, a CG that stands back to back and conquer, a CG like ravenous wolves so hungry for the word of God and on fire for His kingdom, a CG that lets one name and one name be lifted up. AMEN. and daddy God pours His irresistable favor on all your lives, that all may see the fruits of your hands and roots of your walk and know that it can only be the Jesus in your lives! and grant you open doors to love the people around you too! :)) 

 Looking forward to the rest of 2017 with you all precious kingdom friends and for the new and exciting season ahead!! And look out for another very exciting Ambs meeting coming up! ;)

With love and blessings, 

Rox

[tjcknows]

Servers’ Session 271016 Pt. 2 Jesus, our Servant King

Pt 2 Here's the sermon notes from what Alvin preached!! hope it blesses y'all :) even though it may feel like such a time of heat, your heart is planted in His refreshing word friends!! Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. :)) 

Breakout of the Blahness! sometimes, we may not be conscious that the fatigue and monotony we feel is spiritual warfare. Nothing's gonna stop you with the Lord on your side, live the abundant life (#soulcondition), as children of God we fight the good fight of faith 😃 

More productivity doesn't equals to godliness, but where there is godliness, when Jesus is at the center of our lives, there will be productivity! it's not about activity or "how much we do" but spirit-directed activity! 

1 Corinthians 15:10  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me :)) 

Such a privilege that "we get to" serve, to receive the word of the Lord. Recognize and embrace the grace of God in your life friends, not by your own labor but Christ abiding in you as you abide in Him and His word 😃

Take time with God as priority, as your spirit man is filled, you can't help but impact that friend who needs a word, whose heart is troubled, because it ain't striving but the grace of God working in you!!

1 Tim 4:12-16 

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Let no one despise (think little) your youth ... in 1) word 2) conduct 3) love 4) faith 5) purity, spirit was not in the original greek script, so actually as you all know the number 5 represents grace so you can be an example in your life BY the grace of God!! how sweet is that?

If you want to boast in anything, boast in the grace of God! That you live by more grace and more grace in every area of your life, even when you all you see is lack, boast in that you have received grace for your every need :)

"Till I come give attention to reading" Reading also means be acquainted as one!! (wow) Let the word=Jesus abide in you and spend time walking in ever-increasing intimacy with your heavenly Abba :)

Where you are the Lord wants to minister to you, more than you want to be ministered by Him! He knows every detail of you life, every situation you are in 😃 

For leaders (which we believe you all are and are growing in#everyyouthaleader) : 'to the doctrine' : teach, share and speak to your people 😃 even if you don't know about the word, Jesus will come, and when you teach His word, the Holy Spirit draws near :)

Don't forget the gift of praying in tongues! As you meditate on all these things, you grow in the Lord 😃

Take heed to yourself.. save both yourself and those who hear you. Don't give up when reading devotionals, it may seem like so obscure to understand or you may feel tired, BUT as you read, something IS happening, your spirit is receiving. And as the word takes deep roots in your life, not only will His word and hope be a firm unshakable foundation for you in times of night seasons and trials, it will also bless and minister to the people around you :)

Alvin then shared his testimony about how when he shared at Arrow a few months ago that he was feeling disappointed about how all his friends were becoming fathers but he wasn't seeing the breakthrough yet but he held onto hope!! and Daddy God is so amazing because 8 days later, his wife told him they were going to have a child!! 8 Days!! He encouraged us to don't give up on believing 😃 You can look to no where else but to the Lord :)) your breakthrough is coming even though you don't see it yet because He is faithful, and He gives in perfect timing 😃 

And this was his core message for the day!:

You are a WINNER, not a whiner! Don't complain, be content!

As servers, it's so easy to analyse which part of the service went wrong but have you encountered Jesus in the service? In every service, CG, Cluster, every chance we get to be here is to encounter Jesus our Lord 😃 To pour out our every burdens to meet the Lord himself. There's a God right here, with arms open loving you. Let's never close our eyes to that. 

A whiner is someone who lets his circumstances rule over him, a winner is someone who lets his spirit rule over his circumstances. Who do you want to be? 

Alvin then drew a comparison with the complainers in the bible and Jesus.

The Complainers in the bible:

Children of Israel (an entire generation did not enter the promise land 😔) 

Brother of the prodigal son (didnt step into the party or witness God transforming his brother)

John the disciple whom Jesus loves (when the samarians rejected Jesus, asked Jesus to call down thunder on them)

The Disciples (when feeding the 5,000, "what are they (5 loaves, 2 fishes) among so many?")

Pharisees

Yet every time there is a fresh complaint, it is over compensated by the grace of God. Look at feeding the 5000, it was the grace of the Lord that allowed them to see His sure goodness and mercy 😃

Now, let's look at Jesus and his responses 😃 He ignored the complaints and focused on meeting the needs of the people. 

Man with the withered hand

Woman with the issue of blood: in the middle of chaos, she was focused on one person, Jesus and reached out to touch his garments, and Jesus stopped to meet her at her need.

Daughter of Jesse: He chased out all the unbelieving people in the room, and resurrected her to life!

Blind Man (when all his friends told the blind man to shut up, Jesus stopped, turned around and ministered to Him.)

The Disciples (John 13: 1-5, the disciples were all discussing "who will wash each other's feet?" but as the people were busy and complaining, Jesus is a #ManofAction,   "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." 7 actions! which also means rest :)

Jesus wants to wash your feet, to minister rest into your heart, to love you where you're at. Put aside all that you have to do, and let's rest at the feet of Jesus, as he came not to be served, but serve :'))

[tjcknows]

Servers’ Session 271016 Pt. 1 The Word Became Flesh

For this session we did sth cool, we had a bible study session led by Jaslene (TPJ) and Justin (yay!!!) with the DHS and MJ servers who came today 😃 we were given options for scriptures about serving, and we chose to do David the Delivery Boy (1 Samuel 17) and Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:1-15), although we only ended up sharing w each other abt John cos no time (lol) but super encourage y'all to read these passages and glean too :))

So here's some highlights that were shared about Feeding the 5,000:

 5-6 "But this He said to test [Philip] for He Himself knew what He would do." The Father's heart is so good y'know :'), you see He knew that He was going to multiply the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, but He asked this question cos He wanted to test and grow Philip's faith perspective. Later we read that the disciples complained about the lack they perceived, but I really believe that seeing such a miracle before their own eyes really enlarged the disciples' heart to see the ever-abundant supply of their Savior. Jesus won't force revelations upon you, but His heart is for you to see Him in all truth!

10 "Make the people sit down" Now there was much grass in the place. Why did this phrase say grass and not soil? It could have been so many other things, but this picture of the Lord leading you to green pastures, caring for you even in the littlest details, giving you a soft place to rest (imagine how tired the 5000+ legs were) before you feed, is beautiful.

12 "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost" In the context of serving, the little that you give to the Lord, He not only uses it mightily, but He'll multiply the anointing and equip you with all you need and more!! And nothing is lost, your entire being is a vessel for Him to pour into you :))

13 Why 12 baskets full? Remember there are 12 disciples! Whatever you give to the Lord, He rewards and He has a sure portion of overabundant blessings for you!! (COOL REVELATION YALL)

15 Jesus' heart of serving as our servant king is so evident here!! After such a BIG miracle, the people wanted to make Him king, but it was at this point Jesus departed to the mountains to spend time with the Lord alone. He's not in it for earthly glory or to be lifted up in the world's ways, but look at his humility!! and after coming down to feed, He retreats to the mountain, to His secret place of communion with the Lord and it's really a reminder that our service comes from a place of fellowship with the Lord, that our first priority ain't serving, but like Jesus is to spend time with our heavenly Father :')

[tjcknows]

The Breadth, the Depth, the Height- Why Love?

“We love because He first loved us.”

Hello beloved (ah I love this word because it simply constitutes this: be loved. friend, you don’t have to be anything, you just need to be/are loved)!

Today I’ll be talking about love, the greatest love of all, the person that is Jesus. We’ve heard this phrase over and over “We love because He first loved us.” But what does it mean to be loved? What is this love this verse speaks of? What does it mean to be a vessel of God’s love? It is my prayer that these words written will reveal Him a little more to you, that when we speak these words (“We love because He first loved us”), it comes from a place of fresh revelation about the lover of your soul, your first love. 

Have you ever been in the company of someone who so brilliantly and dazzling carried so much love with their life and being? Whose very words and life revealed Jesus? (Cos I know I did!!) It could be that CGL who took the time to meet and catch up with you, that kingdom friend who took the step of boldness to pray for you, the teacher who encouraged you to press on, the stranger who smiled at you while you had a bad day and so on and so forth... I have been so dearly blessed by the people around me and whenever I encountered such love, I am at once grateful and at awe, and I catch myself thinking; “How?” Because I myself know the limitations of self, that on the very flipside, there are people who (gasp) I find difficult to love, it could be the friend who gossiped about me, the stranger who cursed at me when I accidentally bumped into him, the parental figure who turned his back away, or it could even be… myself. So, what then? How do you even begin loving others when you are unsure or feel incapable to love? Then friend, this is where I turn your eyes (and mine) to the greatest love of all.

See this: arms stretched open, head bowed down, body beaten and scourged.  Gentle eyes full of loving-kindness, of mercy, of compassion, whispering: “You are all fair, my love there is no spot in you.” (Songs of Solomon 4:17) and “I will gladly give my life for yours.” In Luke 22:41-42, it writes that before Jesus died on the cross, in His quiet time before the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, “He knelt down and prayed, saying “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me, nevertheless not my will but Yours be done.’” 

Since we became a believer, since we’ve called on the name of the Lord, we’ve drunk from this cup, this Victor’s Cup of sacrificial love, His blood poured out for us. And I think that is such a beautiful picture of Jesus’ love for us, and it blows my mind each time I think of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. Because He knew the pain, the cost, the agony, the stripes, the lashings, the rejection of His own people. That in spite of all our failings, all our shortcomings, all our shame, He chose you and I. What could we ever give Him? Yet He chose to wear the crown of thorns so we could wear the victor’s crown. Because He loved (loves) us. Because He loves you. Let that sink into your heart today. He didn’t want heaven without us, so He brought heaven down (what beautiful song lyrics by Hillsong). There is no greater love than this, a love that expects absolutely nothing in return. That’s what the picture of the cross is, love.

This is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians: “And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of His love, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19) The length, the width, the height, the depth, this is Jesus’ finished work at the cross friends! You see, because you’ve received that touch of His love, love becomes irresistible to you. The more you see Jesus and your Father’s love for you, the more you want to love others. That is the mystery and beauty of His love, that we are emptied to be filled. That the more you pour out your life in love, daddy God’s love fills your cup over and over again, with His steadfast, unceasing, unshakeable love. That as we behold Him, we are transformed, that we may have walked into His presence one way, but walk out another, unshackled from the ways of the world that knows not love, into His will (His love).

“By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.” (1 John 3:16-18)

The root of loving others is a love beyond compare, a love beyond our own mortal selves, a love that is a person Jesus. That this is the second Great Commandment in John 15:12-15, “Love each other as I have loved you.” And you know what I love love love about this love, see the above verse, ‘God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things’, that this love is not a work of our own, but the Lord loving you, working in you and through you!!

This is what characterised Jesus’s ministry on His time on Earth, He came for the last, the lost, and the least. From the woman at the well, to the woman with the issue of blood, the lepers, the insane, the tax collector, the fisherman, Jesus always always went out His way to minister to them, to heal them, to love on them, to restore their hearts fully. He came for you and me. I don’t know about you, but this love for the lowest of the low, the broken-hearted, the contrite, the disgraced, this heart to serve the lowest of the low arrests my heart each time, and it just ignites my heart to love like Jesus y’know? With the same compassionate eyes that loved on me first, the same love with open arms, arms that were stretched wide on the cross for humanity.

That this is my heart’s cry, (and my prayer for you all as well), to live a life beyond ourselves, to surrender my life wholly to Jesus (as He has laid down his life for mine), to let my life tell the wonders of His never-ending love, to be fully enraptured in His presence, to rest in the bosom of His love, to know Him and His heart more and more, to enlarge my heart for His people, for my heart to break for what breaks His, that in my time on Earth, to let His will be done on Earth as it is on Heaven.

Let this time on Earth be a life led in His love. Be loved, friends, and the love will come in that overflow. You can and you are that brilliant and dazzling someone for another’s life. For this hurting, lost and dying world. For that one person, for that one life (and I do not say this lightly here, you never know what someone is struggling with, and you are called to be about your Father’s business, to the business of saving lives) even in just a smile they will see the Father’s love.

This is the verse that the phrase originated from, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Beloved, Be loved, be love.

“Everyone who is love, is born of God and knows God... In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:7,10-11).

-Rox

[tjcknows]

“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!” Romans 13:11-14 (MSG) Pastor Carl Lentz from Hillsong NYC insipres us to maximise our moments, and talks about your life being about the mission: to live like Jesus and to lead people to Jesus. If you need a word today, listen to this message and be greatly blessed by the word. Daddy God loves you fiercely where you’re at, and He can use you where you’re at. Yes, even amidst the daily grind of school, it will not be a grind because Love burns brighter still. 

[tjcknows]

How To Be An Ambassador, Part 1

In the recent months, we praise the Lord for divine growth in our CG. We have seen an unprecedented number of newcomers, new believers and returning irregulars, and I attribute this to His grace ostensibly operating in all of your lives. Roxanne and I are proud to be involved in His movement in our CG.

What does it mean to be an ambassador in TJC? I personally believe that one does not need a title to reach out to someone new—as long as you are at service and are willing, welcome to the Ambassadors team! For the coming evangelistic service, I am proud to call all of you ambassadors of TJC. How do I be an ambassador, you ask?

Recently, a few of you had challenged our team to better connect with our newcomers, because they come and end up feeling left out and awkward. So I started to think about what we need to do to be better ambassadors. I even jogged my memories back to the time I first joined Arrow. It was long after JC East A had first met, but I came out from my first service already feeling part of the CG. A guy named Liangjie was the first guy CG friend I had, and we are friends up till this day. The space on my right was left for Queenie, the first girl CG friend I had (note the spaces and ‘CG’)

It struck me, however, that I could not find any part in the Bible in which teaches us to be good ambassadors of Christ specifically in the House of God. Ambassadors of Christ, yes. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells us to let our light shine through before others, that they may see your good deeds (fruit-based) and glorify your Father in Heaven. But in church..? All I see are verses after verses talking about how "the Lord added, the Lord grew"—isn’t this grace-based church life, to begin with? Then it struck me.

1 Corinthians 3 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Yes, God grows and God adds, but God first requires us to plant and water. In doing so we don’t amount to anything compared to what God can and is doing. But like any tree that God grows in your life, we must first plant the seed.

Don’t worry, I’m not asking us to quit school and become farmers. Planting and watering, in our context of ambassadorship, is quite simple, and I’ll share with you how to do it in a practical way.

Plant: The First Encounter

Tip #1: Be intentional when asking their name, and remember it.

Seeds are planted in soil. Basically, they are surrounded completely by other different things. When newcomers first come for service, they are surrounded by strangers (aside from the one who brought them). Whether they feel welcome or not depends on whether they feel their presence is acknowledged. Most newcomers feel like they’re just a face in the crowd, when in fact, God knows them personally and calls them by name. But will they know that? No. It’s on us to demonstrate that.

Tip #2: Let the Lord shine through you.

We all also know that seeds begin to grow when there is warmth. God’s presence is felt when our hearts are warmed. Remember the couple on the road to Emmaus? “Did not our hearts burn while He talked to us?” (Luke 24:32) The defining features of the newcomer’s experience are your smile, listening ear and open heart, the same things that God does to you when His presence is near. That is all. You don’t need to open your life and share with them the challenges that you have encountered up to that day (you can if you want to, but you don’t have to if you can’t) Sometimes all it takes to welcome someone is to show them who the Lord is in you.

Tip #3: There is a story behind that façade.

Where did the seed come from? What did it go through? Where was it originally planted? These are questions that are seemingly irrelevant in the grand scheme of things (after all, it’s the harvest that matters right?) But we should ask ourselves a few questions: Is there a reason why they came today? What could it be that they are going through in their life right now? Sheep without a shepherd have problems just like any other human being, even sheep with a shepherd do. The best form of evangelism is, in my opinion, not about selling them what they could want, but offering them what they could need. Be bold about Christ in you. We talked about letting our light shine through us as His ambassadors in Matthew 5:16—this is the perfect moment to apply it in. Our lives are His stories. Our tests are our testimonies. Break down the common notion that church is for perfect people. We are, in fact, not, and that’s why we need God. That’s why we need Christ-centered community. That’s why we welcome you.

These are tips that have been shared to help you connect with our newcomers practically. It’s so easy to get carried away in the practicalities of it all and if in any case, you find yourself striving to remember what you have to do, or just not feeling at rest doing it, stop. What is most important is that we should allow the Lord to work into us and through us for His good purpose. (Philippians 2:13) I want you all to flow in the spirit and by led by Him when reaching out to somebody. Things may not go according to our plan, but it does go according to His. (Romans 8:28)

To be continued… Water

—Justin