I Can't Run From It!

Today's leaders' meeting with Pst. Tan was phenomenal! Went slightly early to meet Willie and I thought he was gonna give me BS or discuss some other stuff. But NO!! To my surprise, it was about me. He was planning for the year ahead and I suddenly came to his mind. And why? Hmm..maybe I can't deny the fact that this is the path I'm gonna take already. Doesn't make sense here?? It's going to at the end. YQ is going army soon and Willie's intern in the States is around August. SO worst case scenario, YQ's in army, Willie away, cell group how?! So I come into the picture. Willie challenged me to take up the role as a leader from like now onwards? And start really have people under me and after my 'O's..to be a cell leader. This is the fourth time he's talking to me about me being a cell leader. Then Pst. Tan's message just went through straight into my heart, like the whole message is staring at me, telling me that there's no running away from God's Calling anymore. After the message ended, we worshipped quite a bit and tears just rolled down my eyes. God was just so real and I knew and I knew that it's my time already. Time to step up and stand in the gap. Here's the overview of the message:

Servanthood. It was a power-packed message and this few points just caught me - the Children of Israel were delivered out of slavery (led to freedom) but they were led again back into a system of slavery. What does that mean? Moses taught them responsibility in 6 years and on the 7th, rested. But they still did not enter the Promise Land. On the other hand, Paul, James and Simon Peter served Jesus for 6 years and after that Jesus said they were free to go. But what was their response? They said no, and they wanted to continue serving Him because He has tremendously shaped their lives and they were now not just servants, they were BOND servants, not just bond servant, but Jesus called them FRIENDS (to love one another and continue to produce fruit like how Jesus did). Put into context, take an ordinary member as a prospect. He starts out getting to know more of Jesus, becomes more committed and after a while, he is given a chance to serve. However, when there's people, there's always problems. Frustration, tiredness, doubts of not being able to do it and failure sets in. He's thinking about giving up. At this point what separates him from another person who is not a Christian is that he has God to lean on spiritually and hopefully there's one person he knows that he shares his problems with and this person constantly lifts him up, constantly encouraging him. To add on, after hearing today's message, he wants to be like his cell leader who against all odds still continued serving. And it's not the outcome that matters, it's the effort put in, not just for that lost person, that member in the cell group but for God. And God sees effort put in and "He shall not let the work done be done without the fruit of the work." So no matter what, it's part of God's plan, to see how willing is one to serve Him all the way, serve his cell leader all the way and one day when we meet God. He'll say you are free my FRIEND. And our response will be, where can I go? All I have and need is you. Back to me, though only 16 this year, I've decided tonight that IT'S NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE, and You shall provide for Your purpose in my life. Now I know why in AC '08, Marie, the wife of the tall Swedish guy, felt in her heart to prophesy over me at the end of one of the sessions, and she quoted from 1 Tim 4:12, Let no one despise your youth. You might only be 14? 15? 16? But God can use the youngest of all people to fulfill His purposes.

To this special friend of mine, well, although you missed today's meeting which I felt is also really for you, continue to serve, continue to grow from strength to strength and always remember don't let downfalls, disappointment get into you, walk through them knowing you have God by your side! and whoever you might be looking after to get them back on track, always know that you have this guy who is dedicating this post to you, to share your troubles with and he'll be giving you all the support you need to carry on. :)