My Thoughts After Last Nite..

This is how I feel right now.

My community gives me great strength to be the person I am wherever I am at anytime of the day - authenticity is a rare jewel. Do you share my sentiments?

Lately, I've had many deep conversations with people revolving around the theme of "being real". Tell me, has our society and culture really changed mankind so much that each of us struggle to be ourselves? Our culture is starting to dictate and paint how we should live, how we should dress and how we should think. Slowly, this culture has unknowingly sieved its way into the CHURCH. How do I know? Because I am apart of it. Because I see it unfolding before my very eyes. Because my closest friends feel it and see it. Our conclusion : church culture does not define christianity and a christian life! In fact, it dilutes our christian faith.

Church culture - talking the talk, singing the songs, attending the meetings & trainings, giving of tithes, looking spiritual..

Behind the layers of all that lie an empty soul....the soul of a Christian. We need to be authentic. We need to be real. We need to learn to be transparent. We need to be honest. Christianity needs to re-lived in the way we live our lives. Advancing the kingdom doesn't just involve fishing. Building the kingdom includes building the lives in the kingdom. People need to see "true" Christianity not a "hollywood" Christianity.

I find that authenticity works for me. Facades kill me. Most times, it is the facades that make me fed up of Christianity. Church culture which emphasises on what is thought to be proper somehow robs our eyes from seeing that Christianity is about following "the Man" Jesus.

It breaks my heart when my closest friends feel that the church has failed them. The problem isn't the preaching. It isn't the pastor either. Christianity is meant to be portrayed by the church. Where else can one find how and what this Christian walk we talk about really is? My friends are fed up with the facades....they are fed up with the lip service of christian church culture...

How about me?

I share their heartache. I share their disappointments. I agree that there is a problem. But I also know that we all need to be gracious and that our God is the reason for our living.

Conversations with them always teach me lessons about God. It shows me just how much God adores me and them. You see, they are people who really love God wholeheartedly and are very serious about Him. Pain they feel is not with themselves but what they see the Christian faith is slowly becoming if we are not careful...See, it is not the frustrations with Christianity.

But rather, it is the love we share for Jesus.

Why do I say this?? Well, if these guys are anything like me, we will come to the same conclusion.

Yes, there are days we struggle. There are "dry" seasons in our lives. There are even days where we want to give up on our Christian faith.

But it also takes us a step further.

One word -Courage. I am developing my courage. Courage for what? Courage to fight this war!

It takes courage to live a bold, passionate life for Christ in today's world. In our gut, we know nothing less will do.

I am like anyone of you.

At the end of the day, I only have one question for myself. Daily, I keep asking over and over again "How can I consistently live what I believe?"

"How can I consistently live what I believe?"
By looking to the Author and the Finisher of MY FAITH, and everything else in between!

I hope you all don't mind me for being truthful in my thoughts.

For those of you who have bad days like me, when our faith wavers or discouragement files up on us and when we in a dry season, I encourage you to go read Psalm 71 =)

Psalm 71 is God's word for you!

I am shooting off to my church's 10th Anniversary Dinner in thanksgiving of God's faithfulness. Pray for us in SIB KL this month as we enter into a month of harvest and renewal. A passion for souls is the heart of the church ....and tonight we make our mark...