Preaching & Rest

Yesterday when I stopped preaching I looked at my watch and it was 11.10am after ascended to the pulpit at 10.30am with 30 minutes for praise and worship as the service started at 10am. As I knew I was going to conduct a seminar in the afternoon, I would not preach more than 45 minutes as I needed to conserve my energy. The Seminar started at 12.40pm after an hour plus lunch break and it went until 2.45pm before we ended. We had afternoon tea and by 3.30pm I left the church filled with joy on my way back, only about 10kms away. So Monday is a day of rest for me and last night's sleep was intermittent, perhaps due to the exertions and exhaustion of the day. But I saw the joy in the faces of many church members.

Big Milestone

For the past week, I have been going through my guest list for my 30th anniversary in full-time service. By God's grace, I am still standing and serving the Lord full-time. It is no mean achievement, seeing in my denomination I am the most senior member holding a membership card no. 4. My former President had passed away 7 years ago (no. 1), the Vice-President (no.2 ) had left the denomination and started his own church, the third, Secretary-General (no. 3) after many years of service chose to stand as a candidate in the State's general election 4 years ago and no longer serves full-time. So I am only one standing from the old batch of veterans. For sure, they are those who have served 40 years and above but they are now fewer and fewer, perhaps only 20 or 30 pastors out of about 400 full-time workers.

48 hours

After 48 hours since my ministry in Miri, I really felt the weariness this evening. I only spoke for 25 minutes but it could be the 90 minutes waiting in the changing room for the service to start that took a lot of my energy. I purposely brought my legal gown instead of my PhD gown as the latter is unwieldy and rather cumbersome with hood and stuff. But the events were packed and that added to the lack of rest throughout my 36 hours in Miri. After the convocation started we had refreshments and I spoke with about 10 people for about 45 minutes. A number of people asked to take photos with me which I duly obliged. With about one hour back in the hotel, I was taken to the convocation dinner at 6.30pm and it ended just before 10pm. When I arrived back at the hotel at 10.30pm, I checked a few emails and texts on my phone and went to bed by 11pm. Then I got up at 5am to pack my stuff and went for the hotel's complimentary breakfast at 6am. I had a 30-minute breakfast and by 6.45am I headed to the airport for my 8.55am flight back to Kota Kinabalu. But the joy was palpable.

My Miri Trip

This is a flying visit. I arrive on Saturday night at 9pm taken for supper at 10pm and slept close to midnight at the hotel near the Seminary and the church where the convocation was held. I woke up as usual at 4.30am and prepared for Sunday service though I was not preaching. Last minute I received a text that they would be taking me to BEM Canada Hill for the 8am service, a church I visited back in 1997. That's more than a quarter of a century ago. As it is one of the largest BEM churches in Miri, I brought about 12 of my books (5 titles) and I was surprised that the MC took the books from the lady that I gave a set of books, and the MC introduced me to the congregation and one by one mentioned my books from the pulpit. I listened to one of the BM pastors preached as being a large church there have three pastors for the BM and three pastors for the English service as well.

Hidden in a Corner

Isaiah, the prophet either speaking of himself or of another prophet says that "The Lord has hidden me in a quiver" (Isaiah 49) and the prophet is like an arrow ready to be used by the Lord. Last night I spoke with about 7 pastors gathered around me. There were 14 pastors in all but you can only speak such a number with four or five people engaged in a conversation. We were discussing about doing post graduate study in theology. There are so many courses around that I lost count offered by various Seminaries in Malaysia. I told my fellow pastors to consider carefully when going for a Masters or doctoral study programme in theology. What are the motivations for study?

"I withheld my tongue even from good"

The Psalmist says that he withheld his tongue even from good. Today I did just that. I had a wonderful church service. Six days ago I asked my good friend, an elder in the church that I wanted to be prayed for by the leaders towards the end of the service. It happened that the church was holding its AGM today and most leaders were present. I saw about 15 people came out to the front and prayed for me. I was asked by the presiding elder to say a few words and I spent perhaps 3 minutes to say thanks and explained how it was exactly a year ago I announced my resignation from the Seminary (I was there for one year) and my application to serve again my church, SIB. It looks like I had waited 11 months before I accepted a call from a local church to be their pastor. After the church service, we went for a refreshment about 30 minutes before the AGM started at 11.30am. The senior pastor who is an old friend I know him in 1997 or 1998 during my time as the Treasurer-General and the pastor has always be friendly with me.

Preaching is War

Preaching is warring against the forces of darkness and winning souls for the Lord. At the end time it is even a tougher ask as many people turn cold towards spiritual things. As a preacher there is running away from a life of denial and dedication to the task and mission. I surprised myself getting up at 3.30am last Sunday and spent more than 4 hours waiting on the Lord and sharpening my sword, not mine by the Spirit’s sword that is the Word of God.

Church Anniversary Preaching

Yesterday I preached in a church as an invited speaker for the last time before becoming its church pastor in December 2024. I asked the Chairman during lunch about how I should answer those who may ask me when I preach in Miri in two weeks' time? Yesterday's service was packed with 140 adults with about 20 guests joining the anniversary's service. It was easy for me as I only got up just after 3am in the morning. With speeches and presentations, I got up to preach at 10am after a 8.40am start. I did not look at my watch even once, but shortened my sermons with a few more verses listed in my notes untouched. But for about 50 minutes, I felt the anointing strong, as if born by the wind of the Holy Spirit. I preached from Matthew 6:25-34 on the theme "count your blessings" and I started by asking the members to trust in a loving Father who provides all our needs but not our wants.

Discerning the Lord's Will

It's time for me to reflect on the year, normally come November which is less than a week away. When I submitted my "Anak Panah" for publication last week, I listed all my speaking engagements from July 2023 to Dec 2024 which encompasses a 18-month period. There are 38 separate invitations and a few invitations involved speaking two or three times like Christmas in Papar last year where I spoke 3 times over 2 nights and a full day in church. So altogether I had spoken more than 40 times within 18 months making it at least once a fortnight and for about 10 months from July 2023 to May 2024 I taught 7 courses that ran 15 weeks, three hours of lectures per subject per week.

Writing my Memoirs @60

When I wrote "Departure Points" some people called it a memoirs,  but it was not as there was no childhood, teenage or University years. Straight up the first chapter has me going to Auckland University for theological education in preparation of ministry. But "Anak Panah" is a memoirs, but somewhat truncated as many things are not told therein, but I hope to have included all the significant events of my life and ministry. Why write a memoirs at 60? It is a bit early for some, normally reserved for those who have long retired perhaps in their late sixties or even seventies. But I wrote Anak Panah for two main reasons.

The Weariness of the Preacher

Preaching is tiring work. You plough the hearts of men with God's Word, sharpened by the Holy Spirit cutting deep into the hearts and it accomplishes the work of God in men's lives and hearts. But the preacher is often wasted. I did not preach a long message barely 40 minutes, but throughout yesterday I felt like a boxer knocked out cold and slept for hours during the day. Maybe I did not sleep well on Sunday night which is normal as the anointing is still strong and effect of the preaching is still wearing off but it hits you early Monday morning and only until this morning I was awakened afresh like one raised from the dead.