“
Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy,
to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—
this is
your spiritual act of worship.
Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is—
His good,
pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom 12:1-2, NIV)
Dear Partner-in-Missions, Nov/Dec ’98
by Patrick – SURRENDERING
This issue about surrendering seems to be an all-time favorite.
Just recently, one of my contacts from my recent Tokyo Mission Trip, Oki
Iwasaki, came to Singapore for a 5 days’ trip. During one of those sharing
time, we were examining Romans 12:1-2.
As much as I was trying to bring across the sound mind principle in the
decision making process, it seems like the issue that hit him most, is to offer
ourselves as a living sacrifice to the living God. On the final night when we
were on the way to the airport, we continued our conversation about what it
means to surrender our lives to God. I began to say, "If I'm so special to
you, are you ready to give me your life? (pause.......) What I meant by your life- all that is yours will be mine."
At that point of time, he was holding on to his branded wallet and then we
found ourselves looking at each other. The attention was shifted and focused on
the wallet. He got the hint and turned in the wallet. I could sense a slight
tension, but he did it anyway. I held on to the wallet for quite a while and
finally we've reached the airport. Quietly, before we alighted the bus, I
passed him the wallet. Then I spoke again, "Isn't it true with God many a
time? We surrender to Him all that we have to find that at the right time, He
might give it back to us. In a way, He owns all that we have. All that He wants
of us is that we do not hold back anything. Truly, He is never a tyrant just to
stripe off of all the good things in our lives. We need not fear. He is all for
us.” Oki responded with a resounding
‘Yes!’
Well, I’m not sure whether Oki fully understood the lesson. At
least for myself, I knew that God has been reinforcing this lesson to me time
and again over for the last few months, such the coming of the baby, my driving
test, our future direction, etc. As a couple, we want to be able not only to
say that our lives belong to God, but through our lives, to demonstrate a
surrendered life. We know it will be easier for us if we know who our God is. He
is truly a God that will never fail ………..
What about you ? What is one thing you are finding it hard to let
go ?
¬
14 Aug (Fri), Love NUS Concert
Thank God for the 800 people who attended the concert held at the
Multi-Purpose Sports Hall 1 in NUS. It was indeed a great time of just waiting
upon the Lord and praising Him. We trust that this event will be instrumental
in changing the spiritual climate of NUS as the people of God stand united as
ONE! Thank God for His provision in partnership with several churches. We want
to trust God for UNITY in His body in NUS.
5 to 8 Sep, Leadership Training Camp (LTC) , "Every Stride Counts"
Thank God for the 105 NUS undergraduates that attended the camp at
S’pore Christian Conference Center and were trained in basic skills of
evangelism and discipleship. On the 3rd day of the training camp, all
participants went to different allocated areas such as Bedok Town Center,
Orchard Road, etc to share Christ with passer-by. We managed to present the 4
Spiritual Laws booklet (4SL) to 228 people with 44 of them responded to Christ.
As a follow-through action of the camp, students are encouraged to employ the
‘1 to 1’ strategy- Jesus Video CD loan- to reach NUS for Christ. The respond
has been very encouraging thus far. We are still in the process of
consolidation and evaluation.
1.
Protection for
Estella and the baby. Thus far, Estella has fallen twice. 1st time- at our
house's toilet when the floor was wet. 2nd time- early in the morning after a
heavy night pour, while on the way to work. Despite the fall, we thank God that
both mother and child are still in good condition. We covet your prayer for our
family.
2.
Our
hearts' preparation as newly parents-to-be. The expected date of delivery is 2nd of Jan'99. We
will be spending the 1st month after the birth of our baby at Patrick's mum's
place at Clementi. She will help look into Estella's meals.
3.
Our next
annual Leadership Training Institute (LTI), “My Father’s Heart”. It will be from the 23rd to 28th
of Nov at Temasek Hall, NUS. We are trusting God for 180 undergraduates from
NUS to attend. Besides been equipped in the basic skills of evangelism and discipleship,
participants will be challenged to apply all that they have acquired and make
their lives count for God for a life-time. Pray for life changing
experiences for all the participants. (NB. If you are keen to know
more about the camp, feel free to contact us so that we can furnish you with
more details. We would encourage you to join us in the evening sessions…..)
4.
Preparation
for Mission Trip Teams in Dec.
Immediately after the training camp, NUS-KR ministry will be sending out 3
Mission Teams. 1 team will be going to a city in North India and 2 teams will
be heading towards Malaysia. Pray for safety for all team members and also as
they are in the process of raising their financial support. What’s more,
changed lives not just for those we minister to, more so for the
participants.
In our last newsletter, we expressed our financial needs and we
are so thankful for those who responded. (Pause…. We are still in deficit. Would you
consider to be the person God can use to bless us?) We do want to take this opportunity to thank
those who have given so faithfully and sacrificially to our ministry over these
years. Without people like you, we would not be able to experience what the
Lord has blessed us with thus far. We trust that your giving has also made a
difference in many others’ lives. And of course, it is our prayers that our
Lord's goodness will overflow you and your household. May our good God continue
to bless you richly.
PS : Just
a thought, what will you be doing this coming Christmas? How would you like to
bring the gospel message to your loved ones?
Patrick
& Estella Low
Staff members of Singapore Campus Crusade for
Christ
Address
: Blk 317, Jurong East St 31 #02-22 S(600317)
Telephone : 5648582
(Home) 97099734 (Patrick’s pager) 92619962 (Estella’s pager)
Email
: lowlim@mbox2.singnet.com.sg
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