Five New Things in 2024

This has been the most fascinating year for me. When many of my friends retire from active work, I feel my life work is just beginning. Not only did I take up a new pastoral appointment at the other side of town, though it is only 14 kms away, but this is the farthest church I had had to pastor. My first church rented a house for me, 3kms away, my second church house in Ranau was only 1km from the church, my third church was 9kms away but basically one way northward from my home but my current one, I had to make several turns across the city before reaching the church building. 

Christmas in Keningau

After preaching twice on 24th Dec night and 25th morning I slept for 2 hours from 2.30-4.30pm. Then we had dinner in a nice restaurant at 6.30pm and the portions were so big that we had do take away for one dish. But 10.30pm I fell asleep again. Later today I will drive back to Tambunan, my wife’s village. If I don’t attend a relative’s wedding, then I will return to Kota Kinabalu on Friday to prepare for my Sunday sermon.

Three and a half Weeks

In less than 24 days into the last month of the year, I had an amazing introduction to the church. I did not preach yesterday and also on the eighth but I preached twice on my first day at work (1st Dec 2024) which was a double blessings for me, in fact thrice blessed as the night service was held to welcome its new pastor, my 30th anniversary of full time ministry and the launch of my 7th book, the fourth in Malay.

Full-Time

I am a full-time person in almost every way. I work full-time. When I studied in the academia, I studied full-time. Never part time in anything, whether in ministry or theological study. I can't see it any other way. Full time which you are totally committed to one thing at a time. Not divided either in ministry or study. Even when I wrote my books, it is all full-time. My books were all written when I was out of active ministry, waiting for my next appointment. While waiting, I am unpaid and everything is by faith, writing, publishing, printing my books all out of my own pocket, no sponsors and no benefactors. I received a couple of monetary gifts during my 30th anniversary thanksgiving service in full-time ministry.

Obedience to God's Word (Proverbs 24:27 LXX)

This time it was simply obedience to God's Word. I did not hear any voice, internal or external. I did not see any visions except in the last days of my leaving when everything was decided months before. But it was purely God's Word that spoke to my spirit several times. The verse in Proverbs in ch. 24,27 of the LXX reads thus: "Prepare your work for your departure". The Lord gave me eight months to prepare for my eventual departure from the Seminary where I served for one year. For 8 months after giving my notice of resignation I was preparing for my departure. The second part of the verse reads, "Be fully prepared for the field. Come behind Me and follow Me."

"He rejoices over you in love" (Zephaniah 3:17)

This is surely one of my favourite verses in the Bible, that God himself rejoices over His people with love. One translation has the last clause of the verse as "he shouts over you with you" CJB. This has been happening over the year especially in the past two weeks. The Lord knows how to celebrate over His servants who serve Him faithfully. Sometimes He makes the stars align even as Scripture says, "all the days are ordained for me before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139). How remarkable. I have passed several milestones this year. The Lord seems to know and He celebrates. On my birthday I attended a church meeting at night in our HQ's main hall and when I gave two of my books to one pastor who had requested for me to bring them several times, they broke out in song, singing Happy Birthday to their colleague and friend! Surely I did not plan or anticipate that but when she wanted to pay me for the books, somewhat I told her, "this time is free as it is my birthday!" My 60th birthday coincides with the start of the Olympics in Paris and even the love song sung by Celine Dion at the end has the word, "God" in it, over all the secular and irreligious parts of the opening ceremony. Then, in the past fortnight, it has been a whirlwind.

New Beginning

The church is still getting used to their new pastor. As much as it is a new beginning for me, starting my 31st year in full time ministry as a pastor for the 4th time, it is also a new beginning for the church as they never had a full time pastor in the past 9 years. We must adapt quickly and I was touched yesterday as not only the MC welcomed me once more but a deaconess who prayed before the collection mentioned that a number of her friends had told her that their churches also wanted me as pastor but how blessed the church was for me to accept the call. It seems a good start sweetened by what happened yesterday.

Preaching is my main gift

Why was it so tough to preach last Sunday’s anniversary thanksgiving service? It was because I had to balance between self-deprecation and testimony of God’s power in my life. I told the 70 plus adults present that my main gift in Christ was preaching and I could see a few of my guests nodding their heads agreeing with me as these leaders invited me to preach in the past couple of years. But preaching is a rare gift. It involves body mind soul and spirit. After more than 3 days I still feel tired due to the exertions of the weekend.

Toughest Message

It was one of the toughest messages that I preached in my 30 years in full-time ministry. In a welcoming service of the church pastor and my own 30th anniversary in full-time service coupled with the launch of my 7th book, I faced one of the most critical junctures of my ministry to date. My new church was three-quarters full with about 50 church members and 25 of my guests being present in our little one shop-lot church hall. The church leaders told me that they were prepared for 30 of my guests but by the time that I went down to the fellowship hall after 20 minutes engaging with buyers of my books and autographing them (20 books were sold on that night), the food was almost gone until I sat at the table reserved for guests but the table only had 18 chairs and all of them were taken. I felt sorry for a few of my guests who left early as they could not find a comfortable place to sit and dine. But it was part of the celebration of a small little church at the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, about 13 kms from my home. One guest told me how much "Kampung" (Village) atmosphere she felt.