Luahan seorang ahli GYB
Dear S.Y,
It is true that our church, the True Jesus Church is running short of workers. It is true that our church need more workers. Not just workers but dedicated & motivated workers, the kind that will perform their duties own their own without being asked. Now, why are there so little workers? Where has the all those other workers gone to? Is it true that they just don’t bother about the church’s well being?
Put aside all bias thoughts about our church. Just look at the church as “a church”, an organization. What’s happening to the members of this organization? To be honest, I wouldn’t blame those member’s who are not doing their part in church. This is how the machinery of True Jesus Church is running. We’ve got leaders (some of them youth leaders & some of them deacons) who are pulling the church down. We’ve got politics like any worldly organization. We’ve got back stabbing, bad mouthing, … you can figure out the rest.
Our church is trying to grow, move forward. Unfortunately good ideas are constantly being shot down as leaders hold on to tradition (TJC K.L.’s culture). People who are creative & filled with ideas simply have no say when it comes to making decisions & people with the power to make decisions are not as creative instead they shoot down creative ideas. With the head going one way & the body moving the other, how do we expect to grow?
Our church preach a lot of great teachings. Let’s take love for example, do we practice it? No. We have allowed our ego to control our emotions & many decisions are based on this egoistic emotions. Many younger members with ideas, want to share their ideas but there is that fear. Fear of hurting the elders’ feelings. Fear of hurting the leader’s feelings. Fear of being shot at & belittled. You see, even our leaders are not showing love. They are not showing understanding. They are not really being patient. What happened to these values?
One example I would like to share is the case of Sis Shirley’s mom whom has past away. They’ve been attending church services for so long. For some reason they’ve not been coming to church. Sis. Shirley her self has committed sin. When her mom past away, they came to TJC K.L. to ask for a proper burial service by our deacons. They were promptly turned down. Why? Because they’ve not been attending Church services here in K.L.? Of course our deacons have their reasons.
S.Y., what do you think of this? Are we showing love & care? Who are we to judge them anyway, when we know that God is the only one with the right to judge? Who are we not to forgive a person when God Can forgive & give a person a clean slate to start from again? How are we to bring these members back to church when we’ve already cast them out? What happened to those sermons we’ve been hearing about loving one another, forgiving one another, helping one another, etc.? Why are we criticizing the Pharisees & Hypocrites while acting just the same?
Dn P.Y.’s church did the burial. We can call him power crazy. We can say that they have deviated from the truth. We can call him a false prophet. We can call him anything we want to but we cannot deny the fact that we’ve proven ourselves to be none better. At least he showed some love & care (don’t just think that it’s because of the step daughter. Again, don’t judge).
I have been to other churches & see how things are. My close friend is a pastor of a church. I’ve attended a few of their services. Although the way they worship is different (they practice half an hour to one hour of praise & worship before commencing the service proper. They use drums, guitars, pianos & keyboards; a no no in TJC) you can see unity, people are willing to help, there is the feeling of togetherness, happiness. The members are focused on worshiping God. People don’t sleep during the sermon (I must admit, my friend has this ability to keep people tuned in & alert).
Their church is a small church. They started in Klang many years ago. My friend started his church (a branch) in Subang with a handful of members. Within a few months, the amount has tripled. They are now buying their own building to build a church in Klang with living quarters & training centre to train new pastors to go out & preach. They are also looking towards opening a shelter home for orphans.
I actually helped them out once on their church camp. I helped them organized some games & treasure hunt in Port Dickson. I practically just offered my help (without pay). You want to know why? Because they actually shower you with gratitude & treat you as one of their own. I woke up early in the morning, rushed to P.D. Set up treasure hunt routes, & scavenger hunt for the kids. Had dinner with them & returned home (they gave Ann & myself a room to stay the night but we decided not to) feeling happy & appreciated. Next camp, I am more than willing to help.
You see what I am trying to say? Attitude of leaders will make a big difference in the attitude of the members. When leaders show appreciation, members feel appreciated & are more than willing to work. When leaders show love, understanding & patience, members feel loved, wanted & happy. Honestly, a good Christian always have God in his or her heart. I do. If they don’t attend church services regularly or are not willing to help in the church, it doesn’t mean that they have put God second & the world first. It could mean that they feel unappreciated, unmotivated, unwanted, used, burn out. I am sure they pray daily, maybe even while driving there is still communication with God. Even at work they are communicating.
If you don’t see them in church, it’s not always the fault of the member, something could be wrong with the church environment. Ever thought of it that way? I am not saying that the church is wrong. I believe that God is always within us & the church. Remember, Satan too is constantly looking for ways to destroy the church. It is when we close our eyes & refuse to see what the actual scenario is, we destroy our own. Shallow mindedness, tunnel vision causes many unfortunate circumstances. It allows many opening for the devil to do his evil deeds.
S.Y, I urge you to be humble & truly open your eyes & mind to see what actually is happening in the True Jesus Church. As a leader, you have the ability to change the attitudes of the members (start with choir) & I can tell you it isn’t easy. A lot of hard work is needed. Lead by example & shower all members with love & appreciation. Make them feel wanted. Make them feel happy. Make them feel like they are one.
How you can do this? For one, allow your choir members to contribute ideas. Collect all these ideas & discuss amongst yourselves (the choir group). Give everybody a chance to state their case. Get feedback from all members. Evaluate these ideas & see where you can fit or slot them in into the choir program. Remember to thank everyone for their wonderful ideas & see to it that the program kicks off. When the program becomes a success, invite all to your place for dinner or BBQ to celebrate the entire group’s achievement. Another tip, don’t force. Don’t show the “I’m the boss or who’s the boss” attitude. A small spark could start a fire. Be that spark. I guarantee you’ll start seeing changes in your choir group.
A ruler with an iron fist cannot bring success to his country. Same goes for the church. For the church to move forward & grow, we have to move with the times. We have to look for more options. Can’t find more, create some. Show love even to an outsider. Make an outsider feel comforted & wanted in the church & you’ll save a new soul. There were a few cases of outsiders being shot (belittled) in church by leaders, of course the deacon didn’t know about the outsider sitting in church. But there’s no harm watching our tongue at all times. We can say things that do not hurt a person’s feelings but will be strong enough to make them realize some wrong things that they’ve been doing, etc.
Well, is time to change. The church has to change. Our leaders must change. Attitudes must change. Only then can we truly say that we are The One True Church, & that True Jesus Church is the most appropriate name for our church. Until that day comes, we are no better than other churches (so called worldly churches).
I hope you understand what my point of view is. To prevent division, we must start to cement the many cracks in our church especially within the Chinese & English youth groups. We must unify & become one. There is no “I” in team. To win the unseen battle between good & evil, we must stand together, fight together, encourage each other, walk together & win together. Satan has already been judged. He has already been condemned. We have power over him. Let’s not let our weaknesses destroy our soul, our church. This war is still being fought & no one can win it alone.
P
