• SEE PAGE 3

http://www.necf.org.my/html/berita_f.htm P P 5 8 7 2 / 1 2 / 2 0 0 5 MARCH – APRIL 2005

E D I T O R I A L

Islam Hadhari. We read it in the papers,hear it on the news. The term hasbecome increasingly popular ever

since our fifth Prime Minister took thehelm of the nation. But how many of usactually know its contents, much less talkabout it? We may think it does notconcern us, since we are not adherentsof Islam, but it is crucial for MalaysianChristians to grasp the concept. IslamHadhari is a new paradigm – it signals anew partnership and resurrects an oldparadox.

A New ParadigmWhat is Islam Hadhari? In a phrase, it is‘progressive Islam’. As the Prime Ministersaid, it is not a new sect, new religion ornew ideology. It is just a new approachto Islam that seeks to balance man’sresponsibility in the here and the hereafter(this life and the next). Work is seen as acalling, and emphasis is placed ondiligence and mastery of knowledge.

As always, this new approach is aresponse to a ‘problem’ – the so-calledbackwardness of the Malays in general.It is hoped that, through this approach,the Malays will be propelled, over time,to share equally in our nation’s expandingeconomic pie. It is also hoped thatMalaysia will rise as a model Islamicnation that will then lead other Islamicnations to become competitive globalplayers. The glorious Islamic civilisationof the past serves as a reference pointfor this endeavour.

Naturally, Islam Hadhari also focuseson a just and trustworthy government,protection of the rights of minority

Islam HadhariA Christian Reflection

groups and women, and working togetherwith non-Muslims. Peace and harmonyin a multi-racial and multi-religiouscontext is another grand vision for ournation on the path towards ‘excellence,glory and distinction’ (Barisan Nasional2004 election tagline).

A little comparison will serve to clarifythe concept further. The Protestant workethic, propounded during theReformation, is a parallel idea in theChristian context. Work was a service toGod and society, and all jobs wereaccorded equal spiritual dignity.According to Max Weber who coined thephrase (Protestant work ethic),encouragement of high productivity and

discouragement of lavish spending ledto massive reinvestment of profits. Therise of capitalism was then attributed notto greed but to thrift (the opposite).

Whatever you do, work at it with all yourheart, as working for the Lord, not for men,since you know that you will receive an inheritancefrom the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christyou are serving. (Col. 3:23–24)

The Protestant work ethic representeda paradigm shift for Europe in those days.Likewise, Islam Hadhari could lead to a

paradigm shift for the Malays in Malaysiatoday, reminding them to practise theirfaith in their work and the marketplace.

A New PartnershipRacial polarisation has plagued our nation

for a long time. The government has timeand again introduced racial integrationschemes and nation-building plans, suchas the Vision School project, only to findthem stalled on the ground.

We speak of creating a BangsaMalaysia, but this can never happen untilthe majority race is willing to open upand work alongside the others. IslamHadhari is a big step in this direction.

“We speak of creating a Bangsa Malaysia,but this can never happen until the

majority race is willing to open up andwork alongside the others. Islam Hadhari

is a big step in this direction.”

NECF MALAYSIA COUNCILChairman

Rev. Datuk Dr Prince GuneratnamVice-Chairman

Rev. Dr Eu Hong SengHonorary Secretary

Elder Kong Yeng PhooiHonorary Treasurer

Mr Samuel AngCommittee Members

Rev. Justin WanRev. Ng Kok Kee

Rev. Dr Dexter LowRev. Foo Moy Ping

Rev. Lim Soon HockPr Tay Wah SengDr Khoo Kay HupMrs Grace Hee

Mr Chua Keng SengAdvisor

Mr David Boler, K.M.N.

NECF MALAYSIA STAFFSecretary-General

Rev. Wong Kim Kong, J.M.N.Executive Secretaries

Ann Low (Prayer)Kathryn Tan (Finance)

Lim Siew Foong (Research)Ngeh Hoong Eng (Chinese)

Alfred Tais (Bahasa Malaysia)Patrick Cheng (Administration

& Church Relations)Ong Juat Heng (Communications)

Rev. Lai Moo Him (Special Projects &Church Relations – North)

Sandy Tan (Secretary-General’s Office)Confidential Secretary

Ching Bee GaikAdministrative Secretaries

Adeline KohMaggie Teoh

Sangan MutangAdministrative Assistants

Yvonne ChinJouslly Buaya

EDITORIALEditor

Rev. Wong Kim KongAssistant Editor & Writer

Ong Juat Heng

ADDRESS32, Jalan SS2/103,

47300 Petaling JayaSelangor, Malaysia

Tel: 603-7727 8227Fax: 603-7729 1139

E-mail: editor@necf.org.my

On Jan 11, our PrimeMinister launchedthe five-year Courtesy

and Noble Values Campaignaimed at transformingMalaysia into a more caring,responsible and moral society.Crash courses on positive values will beconducted for all government servants.

For some time now there has beenpublic apathy. For example, newspaperscarried reports recently that a pregnantwoman and her unborn twins died afterher husband tried unsuccessfully for 20minutes to flag down a motorist to takethem to the hospital after they were

knocked off the motorcycle by anirresponsible driver. Someone finallystopped to help but it was too late.

The call of the Prime Minister for acaring and compassionate society is onethat we can be thankful for and support.

The Bible teaches that we as believersshould be clothed with compassion. Inso doing, we will not only please ourFather in Heaven but also be a witness inour society.

Paul says, “ Therefore, as God’schosen people, holy and dearly loved,clothe yourselves with compassion,kindness, humility, gentleness and

patience. Bear with each otherand forgive whatevergrievances you may haveagainst one another. Forgiveas the Lord forgave you. Andover all these virtues put onlove, which binds them all

together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12–14).

The command to “clothe” or “puton” indicates that believers must willfullychoose to live according to this “code ofconduct” or manner of life. Believersmust put on:

• The garment of mercy andcompassion, demonstrating concern and

tender heartedness. Just as God hasshown us mercy, this mercymust be seen anddemonstrated to others(Isaiah 58:7, Luke 6:35–36);

• The garment ofkindness, shown by awillingness to help those

in need (1 Thess. 5:15);• The garment of humility,

demonstrating a servant attitude in ourservice to others (Philipians 2:3);

• The garment of meekness,expressing gentleness which means tohave a “humble and yet strong state ofmind” as we seek to be a blessing(Galatians 6:1);

• The garment of patience whichis longsuffering (1 Thessalonians 5:14);

• The garment of forbearance(Romans 15:1, Ephesians 4:1–2,Galatians 6:2);

• The garment of forgiveness(Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:32); and

• The garment of love – “the bondof perfection” which binds all thesequalities together. It is a fruit of the Spirit.(Galatians 5:22–23) and fulfills orcompletes us in Christ (Mark 12:29–31,1 Corinthians 13:13).

May the Lord help us to be modelcitizens so that we may lead others tobecome citizens of His HeavenlyKingdom!

Clothed With Compassion

ByRev. DatukDr Prince

Guneratnam

NECF FOUNDATION has adopted aninsurance scheme to enhance its ministryin improving the welfare of full-timeworkers. Provided by Great Eastern LifeInsurance (GE), the scheme providescoverage on injuries or death due toaccidents, and medical ailments.

It is offered to NECF members(churches and organisations) andassociate members (individuals). Besidesthe staff workers of NECF members,Christians worshipping at NECFmember-churches are also eligible to thescheme.

Under the scheme, called the GroupMultiple Benefits scheme, members aregiven an automatic lump-sum payoutshould they suffer injuries, or death,resulting from an accident or an illnessspecified in the scheme.

At a premium of RM50 per month,the insured member is covered by benefitsincluding natural death and permanentdisability. (See inset for details.) If noclaim is made at the retirement age of 65years, the company will refund theaggregated amount of contribution madeplus interest.

The Foundation’s Welfare CommitteeChairman, Steven Wong, said the schemewould provide valuable benefits to

Insurance Scheme To Aid Ministers

pastors and full-time workers.“We have studied several schemes

from various insurance companies andthis is the best plan. No other plans couldmatch it. The snag is that we need aminimum number of 500 people for thescheme to take off. As such we encourageindividual Christians to sign up as a wayto help full-time workers,” he urged.

He added that GE has a policyof returning a two percent rebateo f a l l p r emiums to theproposer – in this case, NECFFoundation. The Foundation hasagreed to plough back the rebatesto help full-time workers whocannot afford to pay the premium.

NECF will be sending the planand forms to its members. Thosewho wish to participate are todirectly contact GE, who isprepared to set up booth at thechurch premises to facilitate theirapplications.

Medical PanelMeanwhile the Foundation isestablishing medical panelscomprising doctors and specialistswho will give special rates to full-time workers to lessen their

Steven: “...weencourageChristians tosign up as a wayto help full-timeworkers.”

No medical check-up required

financial burden. The Foundation plansto set up the panel in all major townsthroughout Malaysia and is now seekingChristian doctors to participate in thisministry.

Natural Death : RM 50,000Critical Illness* : RM 50,000(36 illnesses specified)Total Permanent Disability : RM 50,000(due to illness)Personal Accident (death) : RM 100,000Total Permanent Disability : RM 100,000(due to accident)Bereavement : RM 5,000Maturity Benefit : Accumulated Fund

*Under the Critical Illness provision, the insuredmember diagnosed with any of the 36 critical illnessesafter the purchase of the insurance cover shall bepaid RM50,000.00 plus Accumulated Fund (if any)subject to the following terms and conditions:

(i) 60 days waiting period from the date of thecoverage being in-force

(ii) exclusion of all pre-existing conditions

Benefits and Payouts

We welcome this new partnership.We also welcome the new sharing ofwealth that will accompany it. We wantto see the Malays rise to the level of theother races without depending ongovernment assistance. We believe theycan do it given time and the rightmotivation.

An Old ParadoxWhat then is the paradox? The paradoxis that ‘political favour’ may lead tocomplacency and cause us to forget Jesus’Great Commission command. Indeed,the Bible teaches us to be good citizens(Rom. 13:1–7, etc.), to live at peace witheveryone (Rom. 12:18, Heb. 12:14), andto partake in nation building. At the same

time, the Bible teaches that salvation is foundin no one else, for there is no other name underheaven given to men by which we must be saved(Rom. 4:12). Jesus’ Last Commission isstill our First Concern.

Of course, we must respect otherreligions. We must never force the Gospeldown people’s throat, but trying to pleasemen often makes us forget to please God.This has happened over and over inhistory, when Christians were no longerpersecuted. Someone said, “Persecute theChristians, and they grow. Leave themalone, and they die.”

Of course, we can shine for Christin our good works. However, we haveto go beyond good deeds – we need tobalance our good works (social work)with preaching the Gospel(evangelism).

• FROM FRONT COVER:ISLAM HADHARI ConclusionBe very careful, then, how you live – not as unwisebut as wise, making the most of everyopportunity, because the days are evil. Thereforedo not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’swill is. (Eph. 5:15–17)

Let us endorse the noble principle ofwork as a calling, embrace all Malaysiansas we work towards the common good,and continue to evangelise the lost worldfor God’s glory.

whom Christ died. (Rom. 14:15)Be careful, however, that the exercise of yourfreedom does not become a stumbling block to

the weak. For if anyone with a weakconscience sees you who have this knowledge

eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he beemboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to

idols? So this weak brother, for whomChrist died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

(1 Cor. 8:9–11)Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know

that we all possess knowledge. Knowledgepuffs up, but love builds up. The man who

thinks he knows something does not yet knowas he ought to know. (1 Cor. 8:1–2)

Allow for differences of opinion; do notjudge each other.

All of us who are mature should take sucha view of things. And if on some point youthink differently, that too God will make

clear to you. (Phil. 3:15)The man who eats everything must not look

down on him who does not, and the man whodoes not eat everything must not condemn the

man who does, for God has accepted him.(Rom. 14:3)

PERSONAL WRONGSChristians are still sinners and they dowrong from time to time, even to fellowChristians.

What to doIf one party feels strongly that he/she has been seriously wronged, hemay seek redress through themediation of other Christians. Takingthe matter to court is stronglydiscouraged as this would dishonourChrist.

“If your brother sins against you, goand show him his fault, just between the two

of you. If he listens to you, you have won yourbrother over. But if he will not listen, take

one or two others along, so that ‘every mattermay be established by the testimony of two orthree witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them,tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen

Conflicts between Christians arenothing new. But today, theproblem appears to have

escalated, resulting in numerous churchsplits and other unhappy events. Here aresome guidelines from the Word of Godto help us prevent or resolve theseconflicts. The conflicts can be divided intothree categories.

DOCTRINAL CONFLICTSChristians down the centuries have placedstrong emphasis on correct doctrine.Even though modern Christians are moreopen-minded and tolerant, seriousdoctrinal issues still surface from time totime.

What to doDetermine whether the issue is a primaryone (dealing with salvation, etc.) on whichthe overall biblical testimony is very clear,or a secondary one to which no clear-cutanswer is given. If an issue is secondary,it may not be worth arguing and splittingover it.

Accept him whose faith is weak, withoutpassing judgment on disputable matters.

(Rom. 14:1)But avoid foolish controversies and

genealogies and arguments and quarrelsabout the law, because these are

unprofitable and useless. (Titus 3:9)

If a secondary issue involves one partyholding to a “stricter” standard thananother party (Paul calls them “theweak” and “the strong” respectively),Paul (surprisingly) asks the strong tomake adjustments for the sake of theweak. After all, even the strong cannotclaim to possess complete knowledge. Onthe issue of food sacrificed to idols, forexample, Paul goes on to highlight thesubtle dangers involved in eating suchfood.

If your brother is distressed because ofwhat you eat, you are no longer acting in love.Do not by your eating destroy your brother for

When Right Is WrongWhy churches split and how to prevent it. Or minimise the effects.

even to the church, treat him as you would apagan or a tax collector.” (Matt. 18:15–17)

If any of you has a dispute with another,dare he take it before the ungodly for

judgment instead of before the saints? …Is it possible that there is nobody among you

wise enough to judge a dispute betweenbelievers? But instead, one brother goes tolaw against another – and this in front of

unbelievers! (1 Cor. 6:1–6)

If the conflict remains unresolved, thewronged party should learn to put mattersto rest and leave things to God.

Why not rather be wronged? Why notrather be cheated? (1 Cor. 7b)

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leaveroom for God’s wrath, for it is written:“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says

the Lord. (Rom. 12:19)

Jesus also has a word for the party whodoes wrong. How harmonious church lifewould be if more Christians obey thiscommand!

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift atthe altar and there remember that your

brother has something against you, leave yourgift there in front of the altar. First go andbe reconciled to your brother; then come and

offer your gift”. (Matt. 5:23–24)

PERSONALITY CLASHESChristians are also human beings whohave their own preferences and ways ofdoing things. Such differences can leadto conflicts.

What to doRecognise that more often than not, it isthe “I” in us that is the culprit.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?Don’t they come from your desires that battle

within you? (James. 4:1)

Submit to each other. The “subordinate”

• SEE PAGE 6

Sifting the SpeakerOne of NECF Malaysia’s main

objectives is to equip localchurches for renewal and

revival. To help fulfil this objective,NECF often organises seminars andconferences that meet the needs for theseason of the Church. As a national bodywith strong international affiliation,NECF often has access to a wide networkof international speakers, includingrenown, sought-after figures that a localchurch may find difficult to engage.

There have also been many occasionswhen foreign ministers, who are new tothe Malaysian Church and trying toestablish their ministries here, approachNECF for speaking engagementopportunities. How does NECF selectits speakers, bearing in mind that itsmembership cuts across denominationswith varied inclination?

NECF Secretary-General Rev. WongKim Kong shares some of the generalguidelines NECF uses when consideringforeign speakers.

Firstly, he/she must be an evangelicalwho is well known as a credible ministerwithin the international evangelical circle.

Secondly, he/she must possess aunique and significant ministry. Thismeans that the ministry has a focussedvision, and has contributed to the spiritualgrowth of its desired group.

Thirdly, he/she is not unreasonablein his/her requirements of the host.Examples of unreasonable demands areexorbitant fees or honorariums, first -classair passages, or six-star hotelaccommodation.

What happens when the potentialspeaker is a controversial figure or whosereputation is riddled with rumours?

“Firstly, we will ascertain whether therumours have any basis, bearing in mindthat in our contemporary context, e-mailsand other forms of media have beenabused by unscrupulous people out tocause mischief and malign others,” Rev.Wong pointed out.

“Character assassination can be dueto many reasons, such as differences inpersonality, doctrines and ministries;ministry rivalry; envy; or just plain

mischief. We Christians are as prone tothese carnal temptations as anyone else,so it’s important to consider whetherthere’s any of these going on betweenthe accusers and the accused,” hecautioned.

The information or accusationsagainst the person concerned must beverified with various sources here andabroad, and not just one source, to ensurea fair hearing. “We will also weigh thegeneral consensus here and abroadtowards the person. For example in thecase of Brother Yun (of The HeavenlyMan), he is highly regarded by DavidPawson and Dennis Balcombe, both whoare respected evangelical leadersworldwide.

“Furthermore, his story in TheHeavenly Man was written by PaulHattaway, a renowned evangelicalmissionary who has a good reputationas a thorough and balanced researcher,”Rev. Wong explained. (For more of theBrother Yun controversy, see BeritaNECF January-February 2005.)

Rev. Wong added that furtherexamination would be conducted on theperson’s doctrine and his/herorganisation’s and personal financialaccountability.

He revealed that NECF had onceturned down a foreign minister’s offer tospeak here because he rejected the Trinitydoctrine. The US minister had authoredseveral books and one of them wascirculating well in Malaysia.

“We were considering organising aseminar for him to speak until we heardthat he rejected the Trinity doctrine. Afterchecking with several credible sources,we found the rumour to be true, that heonly baptised in the name of Jesus, Jesusand Jesus. We decided to drop theseminar,” Rev. Wong said.

Another incident involved a pastorsfellowship which asked NECF to supporta conference they were planning for acertain foreign speaker, who claimed topastor a congregation of 3,000 in the US.“We discerned falsehood and uponchecking, found that he was a fraud. Theconference was called off,” he added.

Then there was the case involvinganother pastors fellowship which hadinvited a renowned US TV evangelist tospeak at their evangelistic and healingmeetings. The meetings were finallycancelled because the speaker wanted onenight’s offerings to be given to him,besides other requirements.

“There are dubious charactersaround, people with impure motives forpersonal monetary gains or self-promotion, so we need to be careful,”Rev. Wong cautioned.

But allowances should be given toforeign ministers who hold differenttheological leanings or interpretations thatare not crucial to our fundamental beliefs.Take for example the rapture theories.Some ministers subscribe to the pre-tribulation interpretation, some push forpost-tribulation while others take themiddle road.

“We’ve had speakers shoving downthe pre-tribulation theory with suchpassion at our conferences that it peevedthose participants who were post- andmid-tribbers. That does not mean weendorse the speakers’ beliefs. But weallow this because it is within ourperimeter. It is tolerable. It is not crucialto our doctrine of salvation,” explainedRev. Wong.

“In the end, don’t be taken in bypeople who come in with all sorts ofclaims. If in doubt and you sensesomething amiss, check with reputablesources here and abroad. But do allowfor differences that are not critical to ourfundamental doctrines,” he concluded.

When charges against Brother Yun was raised,NECF had to weigh his tainted reputution againstthe comments from reputable world evangelicalleaders. The supportive comments, plus the timeNECF staff spent with him travelling on the roadwhile he was in Malaysia recently, helped NECFwith its assessment of his character.

NECF MALAYSIA has identified 25needy schools to benefit from the 2004Charity Fund, a spin-off project from theNational 40-day Fast and Prayer whereparticipants donate monies saved fromfasting.

To date, over half a million ringgithas been collected, and this will be givento schools in Kedah (3 schools), Penang(2), Perak (3), Selangor (6), NegriSembilan (2), Melaka (1), Johor (1),Pahang (4), Kelantan (1), and Sabah (2).Of these, six are Chinese schools, sevenTamil, four Kebangsaan and eightmissions schools.

The money will be used mostly forrenovation and repair work and NECFhopes that this will help to improve the

Schools to Benefit from Charity Fund

teaching environment for the teachers andthe students.

Meanwhile the Tsunami Fund has abalance of RM188,000 after giving aboutRM140,000 to victims in northPeninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri

Lanka.The NECF Council has agreed that

the balance would be reserved forreconstruction efforts in Acheh. NECFwill partner international relief agencyWorld Relief by providing personnel andmaterials for its rebuilding project there.

In addition, NECF collected overRM180,000 (nett) at Brother Yun’sJanuary meetings in Petaling Jaya, KualaLumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Melaka and JohorBaru. NECF will channel RM100,000 tothe Back to Jerusalem organisation, whichis fully supporting Brother Yun and hisfamily.

The balance will be set aside forNECF’s assignments relating to renewaland revival.

To date, over RM520,000 has been collectedfrom last year’s National Fast and Prayer.

Churches and individual Christians are stillsending in their donations.

is to obey his/her overseer. The overseeris to give room for individual expressionto members of his flock so that they toocan develop their talents and grow in theministry.

Submit to one another out of reverence forChrist. (Eph. 5:21)

Obey your leaders and submit to theirauthority. They keep watch over you as menwho must give an account. (Heb. 13:17a)Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under

your care, serving as overseers… not lordingit over those entrusted to you, but beingexamples to the flock. (1 Pet. 5:2–3)

If two parties have genuine dis-agreements over method or strategy, theymay part way amicably. By God’s grace,the ministry can also grow in this way.

TRUE to these words, we through theNECF Foundation want to be a blessingto the Christian community, especiallypastors and full-time workers who are inneed and have no other avenue ofassistance available to them.

The Foundation, which was launchedin a memorable ceremony at the J.W.Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur a yearago, has been able to bless eight suchindividuals. This was given throughoutright gifts and study loans to fund theirchildren’s tertiary education.

Through the generous giving ofconcerned Christians, we have so farraised about RM450,000, out of whichabout RM75,000 has been disbursed orcommitted. We hope to raise at leastanother RM550,000 by the end of 2005to bring the total funds available fordistribution to RM1 million.

God has blessed many MalaysianChristians abundantly, so helping us reachour RM1 million target is not animpossible task. To help us achieve this,we invite you to make a financial

Foundation Seeks Help• FROM PAGE 4: WHEN R IGHT IS WRONG

“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially tothose who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:10

contribution tothe Foundationby using theattached response slip. We are alsoorganising our first anniversary lunch inMalacca on May 7. So if you are in thevicinity, please keep the date free andsupport the function.

While we raise more funds for theFoundation, we would like to see thesefunds distributed to needy cases inaccordance with our objectives. You maybe able to help us in this area bypublicising the Foundation andrecommending suitable candidates for theprogramme. Please also invite us to yourchurch or your organisation so that wecan personally introduce the Foundation.

Our pastors and Christian workers areworthy of double honour and should notsuffer poverty, lest we be accused of“muzzling the ox”.

By Daniel Ebinesen

Daniel Ebinesen is a boardmember of theNECF Foundation. He is also Chairman ofMalaysian CARE.

19 DECEMBER 2004I came back from church.

For some inexplicable reason, I kept recalling three thingsI had seen in church that day. The incidents had somehow caughtmy attention that morning and yes, there had been a momentarysparkle. But I had thought nothing more of them. So I wassurprised that the scenes were somehow etched in my memoryand in the days that followed they insistently surfaced. I finallydecided I had to take time to listen. Had I missed something?YES, I was to discover, they were not entirely insignificant.

SCENE 1What I Saw

Esther, 17 years, came forward to sit in the first row, next toPhilip, her dad. (why did she do that that particular

morning?) Worship was in progress. Esther reached for herfather’s hand and they raised their hands together in praise andworship. It was a good sight for the eyes, daughter and fatherstanding side by side, holding hands and worshipping the Lordtogether.

A teenage girl reaches out for her father’s hand.So why was that significant?Because teenage girls in our churches and our nation are

reaching out for their father’s hands. Whatever outward teenagebravado and sophistication she may parade externally, everyteenage girl needs a father. Many, so many are reaching out forthat parental hand for fatherly love, guidance, correction andinstruction. Teenage daughters and sons are reaching out fortheir fathers and finding only empty space. Fathers, where are

Reaching outfor Dad’s Hand

By Goh Poh Gaik

you? Will your daughter/son find your hand when she/hereaches out for it? Is your hand, are you, there to help themnavigate the turbulent seas of adolescence?

“In contemporary society,” writes Richard Forster inCelebration of Discipline, “our Adversary majors in three things:noise, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in‘muchness’ and ‘manyness,’ he will rest satisfied.” This warningis, of course, for all of us. We are all caught up in noise, hurry,crowds; we are aggressive competitors in the contest for‘muchness’ and ‘manyness.’ How urgently the call rings out forus to pray for fathers in our churches and our nations.

Repent• for fathers who are not there for their children• for fathers whose hands are raised to harm and hurt their

children• for the sin of incest and rape in our nation.Pray• for fathers to be there when their children reach out for

their hands• for fathers whose hands will provide for and protect their

daughters and sons.• for Christian fathers to model godly living

SCENE 2What I Saw

It is time to pray for the children beforethey go downstairs to their classes. The children walk/run

up to the front. This morning my eyes are on Bryan as he leadshis daughter, five-year-old Casandrea, by the hand and thenreleases her to join the other children on stage.

A father leads his little daughter up for prayer.So why was that significant?

Because every young child (a daughter or a son) needs afather to take her by the hand and lead her to faith in the Lordand His word. We are not unaware of this reality in most of

Have you ever had an experience when you sawsomething, or heard something, and you let itpass as something of no consequence? Only

to have it come up in your mind again and again? It’sas if the Lord does not want you to forget what you hadseen or heard! Finally He gets your attention, and yousit and are quiet; you listen, and you discover that whatyou had brushed off as insignificant actually carriedmessages of some portent.

• SEE NEXT PAGE

our churches: mothers are more concerned or at least seem toshow more interest and concern in the area of spiritual matters.

BUT little girls and boys need fathers who have a robustfaith in the Lord and demonstrate it to their young children.David Pawson observes about Christianity, “At the domesticlevel, wives are frequently more religious than their husbands,and mothers rather than fathers pass it on to their children.” Wecannot and must not leave this matter unaddressed. Fathers,your children need you to read the Bible to them, to pray forthem, to guide them in the things of God. We should be crying,“Woe!’ when fathers abscond and leave the mothers to handlethe spiritual nurturing of the children.

Priceless indeed are the lingering memories of having heardDaddy read the Bible and having clasped hands with Daddyand Mummy in prayer before the Lord. It’s worth everything tobe there to pass the faith on to the next generation. It’s worth asmaller pay packet if it means freeing Dad to have time to leadfamily devotions and to come to church to worship as a family.

Repent and Pray• for fathers who have forgotten and overlooked the spiritual

needs of their families• for fathers to take responsibility, together with mothers,

for the spiritual instruction and nurturing of their children.

SCENE 3What I Saw

Iwas talking to Edna after the servicewhen Jimmy came up to ask if there are maps in the devotional

study Bible we were introducing to our members. Jimmy wascarrying 2-year-old Clarisse, younger daughter of Bryan andElaine.

Uncle Jimmy with little Clarisse.So why was that significant?

Because ‘uncles’ and men who are trusted by young girlsand women must return trust with trust and not return trustwith treachery and brutality. Our papers have been reportingtragic incidents of young girls (remember the Chinese girl inSingapore?) and women who have been abused and killed bymen. A few of these men were known and trusted ‘friends’.Brothers, uncles, neighbours and colleagues are to be protectorsof girls and women who trust them. They are to protect andnot to take advantage of their trust, to harm and hurt.

Repent and Pray• for the sins men commit against women• for godly uncles and brothers in our churches who will

protect the children and women who trust them• for God-fearing men in our nation who will be protectors

and not predators.Take time to thank and praise the Lord for the godly men in

your lives. Pray that their tribe will increase. And express yourappreciation in appropriate ways.

• FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

YOUNG people today are growing up in a different environmentfrom the one we older people grew up in. In the past, we wereencouraged to study well and get good results but today, in this ageof super technology and globalisation, the young are challenged notonly to study, but also ‘to explore new ways and new things, to becreative and innovative and to achieve not only excellence but alsogreatness.’ They are challenged to “break the norm” and to possessa passion to compete relentlessly so that they can be “better than therest.’

What do you think will happen to all these youths when they arepushed and challenged to such limits, especially when they lackspiritual fortitude and a sound value system? How can our youngpeople achieve the best when they are not taught to honour God andto value human dignity but only to “break the norm” so that theycan achieve greatness and be one cut above the others?

It is no wonder than that pandemonium reigns and their mindsbreak down! The New Straits Times (NST 18 September, 2004)carried this disturbing headline: ‘’MENTAL ILLNESS AMONGTEENAGERS ON THE RISE.” The newspaper reported, “One infive Malaysian teenagers suffers from some form of mental illness and the figureis rising. If these children and adolescents don’t get help, we are going to beburdened with a generation suffering from serious mental health problems.”

This is truly frightening… is anyone listening out there? What aterrible prophecy of doom over this nation. On top of this, we aretold that there are two new drug addicts every hour. There are nowmore than half a million drug addicts in the country with 47 newaddicts added daily. Multiply this by 365 days! This is why seniorcitizens must rise to pray and break this curse over our young people.They are truly a ‘battered’ generation.

Another headline in The New Straits Times (Oct 12, 2004) reads:“THIRTY MILLION YOUTHS IN CHINA SUFFER FROMMENTAL ILLNESS.” The article says: “At least 30 million Chineseyouths under 17 years of age are suffering from mental or behavioural problemsand the trend is set to rise.”

The advent of globalisation (with its demonic global trends) hasexposed young and impressionable minds today to not only all sortsof abnormal temptations and filth from the media but also to directattacks from demons. Filth and smut flow too freely through themedia. The call for young people to be innovative and creative orthe call for them to “venture into uncharted waters and test theunknown’ is too great a temptation to resist.

Only the worst, not the best can happen when youths who haveno fear of God or a sound value system are told, “There is no limit,no boundaries, just go ahead and be creative: be innovative and breakthe norm! Strive to beat down everyone else so that you can be thebest.” This constant pressure for them to perform, to compete, tobe ‘one cut above the rest’ will be heeded because young people donot want to be irrelevant. They will cave in to the call of the secularworld, to peer pressure and try to catch up with the maddening

We Must Rise to Protect this Battered Younger Generation

By Pastor Susan Tang

Breakthrough at Sunset

We Must Rise to Protect this Battered Younger Generation

crowd.Young people today

are indeed living not only under mental stress; they are alsoexperiencing direct assaults from evil spirits. They desperately needthe prayers of their families, especially their parents, grandparents orelderly mentors. Many behave irresponsibly and are incorrigible intheir repugnant behaviour because they are under bondage. Addedto all their problems are the negative reactions of the older generation,who often judge, criticise, complain, scold, call them names andeven curse them. But they do not pray for them.

What then should their elders (be they parents, mentors,grandparents) do? Shouldn’t they seek God on their behalf? Shouldn’tthey, the elderly or the aged, who have plenty of time on their hands,pray for them? If we have not prayed, blessed nor ministered tothem, then surely we have no right to criticise and judge them.

Unfortunately, we are living in days when most elderly peoplealso do not know how to pray and do not want to pray. They canattend church, seminars, symposiums, go for mission trips, etc butthey just do not want to pray. One hour of prevailing in God’spresence is like being in a torture chamber. – they sigh, they fidget,they look around, and they fall asleep! How to be pitied indeed isthis generation of young people. They have parents and grandparentswho are able to give them everything and anything but do not prayfor them, do not set them free from invaded minds and do notimpart to them the knowledge of God.

O that God will bring back the elderly Isaacs who will layhands on their sons to bless them, the aged Jacobs who willrise up and prophesy over them and the ageing Davids whowill charge their sons to remain faithful to their God.

God will not work deeper into the lives of our children, ourgrandchildren when we do not minister to them . We minister tothem by prayers, by prophecy, by direct counseling, by charging themto keep God’s Word and by spending time with them. As a pastor,an itinerant minister, a writer and an administrator and teacher ofSOL, I definitely do not have the time for all the young people in mychurch. However, I do find time to pray for the youths in my nationand to impact into the lives of the few whom I discern bear the callof God upon their lives.

But what about you? If you are retired, do not just spend yourtime in golfing, rearing birds, swimming, going on vacation aftervacation, gardening, watching TV, going for tea two or three times aday and just sitting and talking and murmuring. Spend time to dothings that have eternal worth.

Do not allow the spirit of prayerlessness to bind you – it will, ifyou allow it to. There is nothing sadder that to see an aged man orwoman who does not know how to connect with God. Learn to sitquietly in His presence with uplifted hands and a spirit of gratitudefor an hour, at least twice a day.– Taken from Breakthrough at Sunsetby Susan Tang. Used with permission.

Breakthrough at Sunset

hat’s really important in life? And, just asimportantly, who are you becoming as a resultof your answer to that question?

FOURTEEN years ago, Anne Moses would have replied,“Getting more As from my students”. It was the kind of answerthat made her school happy, but it didn’t satisfy Anne. In fact itmade her miserable. There had to be a better way to be ateacher but she didn’t know what it was. And so, there came aday when she finally taught her last lesson, and embarked on aquest that took her all the way from her classroom of highachievers to a group of intellectually disabled adults at L’ArcheLambeth in London.

And as this is as much a story of God’s loving guidance asit is of Anne’s quest, you need to know that Anne never intendedto work at L’Arche. She was in England for quite anotherreason. But one day she happened to stop by a charity shopand, idly scanning the noticeboard, noticed that L’ArcheCanterbury needed volunteers.

The foreign-sounding name was instantly familiar. Back inKuala Terengganu, Anne had read about Henri Nouwen’swritings that had stirred her dissatisfaction with her life as anefficient producer of As.

L’Arche, French for ‘The Ark’, is an international family of126 communities in 30 countries in which people with learningdisabilities and their assistants live and work together in a homesetting. Freed from the terrors of institutionalised care, theintellectually disabled a t L’Arche are key members of small,loving communities.

Today, it is easy to forget that L’Arche only exists becauseone man decided to obey God’s call to live with the mentallyhandicapped. In 1964, a philosophy lecturer called Jean Vanierturned his back on academia and invited two mentally andphysically disabled men to live with him.

Where Does aTeacher Go toFind Her Heart?Why Anne Mosesbelieves that thoseshe couldn’t teachtaught her everything.

Based on an interview with Anne Moses,an English Literature teacher at Taylor’s College.

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W

“We did everything together. We cooked, we worked in the gardentogether, we fought together, we prayed together, we forgave each other. Ibegan by thinking that I could do good to them, but then, as the days andmonths moved on, I began to discover, little by little, what they were doingfor me – transforming me, changing me. I thought I was going to teachthem something and suddenly I was discovering that they were teaching mequite a bit.”

Anne’s involvement with L’Arche began as a part-timevolunteer at L’Arche Canterbury. Noticing how much sheenjoyed her time with them, the leader of L’Arche Canterburyinvited Anne to apply for a full-time position with L’ArcheLambeth. Two searching interviews later, and Anne foundherself with the ‘Relaxing Group’ – a small group of intellectuallydisabled older adults.

This is her story.

While the younger members worked at making candles,weaving and producing fruit and vegetables for sale, themembers of the Relaxing Group did light craft work, mainly asa form of occupational therapy.

There was Doreen, who was already quite ill and weak. Shemade cards and found that very therapeutic.

Doris made wonderful shawls. Her colour coordinationwas fantastic. Some of her shawls were sent to the Queen andthe Queen Mother, and she received thank you notes from them.

Primrose enjoyed cross-stitching, and her colours blendedbeautifully.

Philip, who had Downs, was fortunate because his parentshad taught him to read and write. He could even produce hisown newsletter. Philip just loved people, and we began ourfriendship with a big hug from him.

John was crazy about trains. He also loved keeping thecompound absolutely free from leaves. He didn’t like me atfirst, and used to walk out of the room when I entered. I wastheir first ‘coloured’ assistant and I think he found it difficult toadjust to that. I told myself not to take it personally – to let himbe himself – and our relationship gradually improved.

The wonderful thing about them was that they acceptedthemselves as they were – defects and all. There was no mask.There was no denial. There was no shame.

Andrea, our leader, said that when some of them first arrivedat L’Arche they had been very angry about the time they hadspent in mental institutions. Britain, and many other countries,used to place the intellectually handicapped with psychiatriccases. All of them were terrified of hospitals, nurses, andmedicine. If you even mentioned the word ‘hospital’ theybecome very agitated: ‘Don’t say that!’

Once a week we had devotions that began with a reading,followed by sharing from the members. Most of the time, Ididn’t understand what they were saying, but I knew from theirtone that they had a very sincere relationship with God. Whenit came to the hymns, they would join in and sing their ownhymn to their own tune. ‘Yes,’ I thought, ‘we aren’t singing likea choir but so what? All this actually makes our worshipbeautiful.’

This article was first published in In Step, Teachers’ ChristianFellowship Malaysia Vol 16 Issue 4. Used with permission.

It was a liberating experience.Open and VulnerableThe things they felt strongly about were never hidden. Theirjoys and longings were out in the open. They were not ashamed.

Primrose loved babies and her room was full of baby photos.She desperately wanted kids. Sometimes she would get verydepressed about this.

When her feet were swollen, I would take her round theblock in a wheelchair. There was a kindergarten nearby, andshe used to make me stop there. If the children happened to beplaying outside, she would be radiant.

And the slow learner was I.Once a week, Andrew (the other assistant), Andrea (our leader)and I would meet to share what we had learned during theweek. We had to reflect on our relationship with the members.It wasn’t just about being with the members and doing physicalstuff for them.

At L’Arche I finally learned to accept myself. The peoplethere were so open, so comfortable with themselves. Theyweren’t afraid to be judged.

I think we all struggle with the feeling that we are not goodenough. That we’re never going to be good enough.

When it was time to leave, Philip made a little red card forme which they all signed.The picture he drew looksrather like three candles ina boat – or that’s whatsome people have said.But it’s actually theL’Arche logo of threepeople in a boat,journeying togetherthrough dangerous watersto a new beginning and arainbow. Philip wasn’twrong about the candles,though. L’Arche did lightsomething within me. Itgave me a sense of whatit means to be fully human.

As a teacher once again, I allow my students to say whatcomes into their minds. They can be who they are. I am veryaware of them as individuals, and much more sensitive to theirfacial expressions. I am enjoying their individuality.

L’Arche has helped me a lot, especially as a teacher ofliterature. Literature isn’t just about head knowledge; the hearthas to be engaged too.

Academic success isn’t the only way to be fulfilled. Thereare many other ways. And, while I continue to work with mystudents for the best possible results, I believe we are allbenefiting from the lessons my teachers at L’Arche taught meall those years ago.

•FROM PREVIOUS PAGE: WHERE DOES A TEACHER GO TO FIND HER HEART

”

“

Asia is undergoing tremendouschallenges: the challenge ofeconomic and social challenge of

religious resurgence among Asiantraditional religions such as Hinduism,Buddhism and Chinese and Japanesereligions; the growth of Islam and itsIslamisation process in South-East Asia;the challenge of increasing restrictionsfor missionary entry; and the challengeof the maturing churches in Indonesia,China, Korea and the Philippines.

Surely Asia’s diversity and vastnessdefies any sweeping generalisations. Andthere are no easy answers to the challengesfacing evangelical missions. This paperis merely one attempt to reflect on thechallenges facing evangelical missiology.I will begin by first surveying the historyof Christian expansion that gave rise toAsian missionary movements. I will thendiscuss some missiological issues facingAsian missionary movements by way ofasking the following questions: Is AsianChristianity capable of taking on thebaton of mission leadership? If Asianchurches are to be mature and be effectiveinstruments of mission, what are someof the key missiological issues that mustbe addressed today?

History of Christian ExpansionProfessor Andrew Walls of the Universityof Edinburgh, in his recent publication,The Cross-Cultural Process in ChristianHistory (2002) concluded that the 20th

Century has probably been the mostremarkable century of church historysince the first. Certainly the demographicshape of the Church has changed morecompletely, more radically, in the 20t h

Century than it has ever in any previouscentury.

Walls observed that both Islam andChristianity expanded globally to becomeworld religions but Islam is moresuccessful in retaining its converts over aperiod of time. He studied the growthof Christianity in the non-Western worldand commented that Islam expandsprogressively while Christianity expandsserially. Saudi Arabia, as the heartland of

By Dr Tan Kang San

Will Asian Christianity Blossom or Wither?

Islam, had remained Muslim since itsinception.

In contrast, consider how countriessuch as Egypt, Turkey, Yemen, Iraq,Afghanistan and Tajikistan used to beChristian heartlands. They are no longerChristian nations today. In each case, thelampstand was removed. But in none ofthese cases did the dimming or witheringof Christian witness in one of its majorcentres lead to the end of Christianwitness in the world. The very reversetook place. By the time the Jerusalemchurch was scattered in the wind, ashappened in the very first Christiancentury, there were churches of ex-paganGreek Christians right across thisMediterranean area and beyond it. As thechurches in Iraq declined, the churchesin Iran increased. As the great Christiancentres of Egypt, and Syria and NorthAfrica passed under Muslim rule, theBarbarians of northern and westernEurope were gradually coming toappropriate the Christian faith.

In the 20th Century, Walls observedthat two things happened simultaneously.One was the greatest recession that theChristian faith has known since the riseof Islam, and that recession was centredin the West. The second was a hugeaccession to the Christian faith, againprobably the largest that has ever beenknown. There were only about 10 millionprofessing Christians in the whole of theAfrican continent when the 20th Centurybegan. No one knows how many thereare now, but an educated guess would bein the region of 350 million – just in thecourse of a century. Korea had a tiny,tiny church when the century began. Nowit sends over 10,000 missionaries all overthe world.

Over the past century Christianadvance and Christian recession have

gone on simultaneously, recession in theWest, advance in Africa, Asia and LatinAmerica; withering at the centre,blossoming at the edges. Christianadvance in the world is serial and, in theprovidence of God, it is the Christiansof Africa, Asia and Latin America whoare next in the series. Walls noted thatthe great event, the great surprise forChristianity over the past hundred years,has been this shift in the centre of gravityof the Church. This radical change in itsdemographic and cultural composition,by all present indications, appears to becontinuing. It means that the Christiansof the southern continent are now therepresentative Christians, the people bywhom the quality of the 21st and 22nd

Century Christianity will be judged, thepeople who will set the norms, thestandard Christians. And the quality of21st Century Christianity will depend onthem.

How do we explain the growth andwithering of Christianity in salvationhistory? Walls proposed that Christianitylives by crossing cultural frontiers. Thefirst believers in Jesus were Jewish by race.Everything abut Jesus made sense inJewish terms, and for a long time theleaders were very anxious that all otherJews should know about Jesus, but rarelymentioned Him to people who were notJews. From Acts 13, the church at Antiochlaunched the cross-cultural enterprise inmission. Without this cross-culturalprocess the church could wither and die.

So, in the coming century, the newrepresentative Christians of Asia, Africaand Latin America will be required tocross cultural boundaries, possibly evenwestern cultural boundaries, in order toshare their faith. But the church in Asiacan only only cross cultures if they havestrong and contextual missiology thatdoes not export a foreign gospel but seeksto decontextualise the gospel from SouthKorea into Vietnam, from Latin Americainto Mozambique, and from Batakpeoples to the Malays of Sumatra. As wesee emerging churches from Indonesia,Singapore, Philippines cross cultures, we

Is Asian Christianity capable of taking onthe baton of mission leadership?

• SEE NEXT PAGE

need to form an Asian theology ofmission that addresses issues of cross-cultural communication, training,indigenous church multiplication,discipleship in context, mission supportand a theology of the suffering.

The Next Christendom: The Comingof Global ChristianityI would like now to turn to another majorbook recently published by Philip Jenkinsentitled The Next Christendom: The Comingof Global Christianity. Jenkins, who is aprofessor at Penn State University, arguesthat the present global trends ofChristianity will have an impact on theworld similar to major religiousmovements such as the Reformation.

For Jenkins, the 21st Century will beseen as a time in history when religionreplaces the importance once occupiedby ideology. Christianity will have a majorimpact on all of the world’s belief andideological systems. Jenkins points toChristianity as growing with phenomenalspeed in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

• FROM PREVIOUS PAGE: WILL ASIAN

CHRISTIANITY BLO SSOM OR WITHER?years ago, Sabah and Sarawak had lessthan one percent Christians. Today, aconservative estimate puts the Christianspopulation at around 35 percent. Whenmissionaries left China, demographersestimated the Christian population at lessthan one million. Today, the estimateranges from 80 to 100 million!

The growth of Christianity in Asiaand Africa is not only seen numerically,but it is also demonstrable in the spiritualvitality of Korean prayer meetings,dynamism of African evangelists andgrowth of cross-cultural missionarymovements from Latin America.

What distinguishes these southernChristianity exponents from theirnorthern counterparts is their belief inthe Bible as authoritative, theirproclamation of Christ as the only wayfor salvation, and their reliance of thepower of the Holy Spirit to bringrenewal.

This article is an extract and was first publishedin Mission Round Table, a publication of OMFMission Research of which the writer is thedirector. Used with permission. To read the entirearticle, e-mail ihq-research@omf.net

CHRISTIANS generally believe that relationship is importantin any Christian ministry. Even so, conflicts within the church(between the clergy and laity) remain a major issue. NECFMalaysia recently conducted a survey to uncover the dynamicsof the pastor-congregation emotional relationship. The“Emotional Connection between Pastors and CongregationSurvey” intends to measure the emotional connection betweenpastors and their congregations from the pastors’ perspectivebased on the following two hypotheses:

1) Christians put their pastors on a spiritual pedestal, whileat the same time, pastors put up a front to meet members’expectation.

2) In view of the nature of the pastoral ministry, a pastormay consciously or unconsciously feel the need to meet people’sexpectation and ability to handle any situation in order to feeladequate. He must be in control of the church’s direction, itsadministration, the congregation’s welfare, as well as his personallife. In other words, he must portray the image of the manwho’s got it all together. And to achieve this, he mayunintentionally build walls around himself and his world toprotect that image. Consequently, he appears to be strongerthan he really is.

Altogether, 192 pastors responded to the survey, which wasconducted last year from March to December by the NECFResearch Department. The respondents graded statements

Pastors Reveal Feelings according to a scale of strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agreeand strongly agree.

Among the responses are:• 96% agree that congregations have high expectation fromtheir pastors (57% strongly agree, less than 3% neutral)• 87% agree that the ability to handle any situation is important(9.5% neutral)• 83% think that a good pastor is someone who is able to showhis congregation how to bring their lives under control (13%neutral)• 76% say they are satisfied with their relationship with theircongregations (17% neutral).• 66% agree that the lack of recognition and appreciation isone of the greatest discouragements in pastoral ministry• 65% agree irreconciliable differences are a common reasonfor people to discontinue the services of their pastors• 64% agree that disagreement with leadership is often a causefor a pastor to leave the church• 54% feel responsible if there is a high turnover in theirrespective churches• 38% think that people leave the church because they feel thepastor does not care enough for them.• 80% say they would still choose to be a pastor, given a choice• 80% feel that they would rather be transparent with theircongregations rather than build walls.

The complete survey result and analysis will be made availableon the NECF website.

In Africa, according to the World ChristianEncyclopaedia, the present net increase ofChristians on the continent is anastounding 8.4 million a year, or 23,000persons a day. For example, there are 10million African Christians in 1900; in2000 there were 360 million. Jenkinsnotes: “By 2025, 50 percent of theChristian populations will be in Africaand Latin America, and another 17percent in Asia.”

In other words, the centre of gravityof the Christian world will be deep inthe Southern hemisphere, creating newpockets of influence and power. Beforetoo long, the phrase “a white Christian”may be something of an oxymoron.Taking South Korea as an example,Jenkins notes that there were only about300,000 Christians in the whole of Koreain 1920, but that today there are 10 to 12million.

I cannot forget the thrill of visitingChristian villages in East Malaysia(formerly Borneo islands) and listeningto revival stories of the 1960 and 1970s.Village after village experienced thepower of the Holy Spirit. Less than 40

WRITING about the integration ofbusiness and ministry brings us to arelated word: integrity.

The English word integrity is basedon the word “integer” which means awhole number or a complete unit.Integrity means wholeness and theabsence of dichotomy or a doublestandard. A person with integrity is awhole person, an undivided person. Thisis someone who is the same person atthe office and in church; someone whois the same person in private as well asin public.

Jesus the Messiah was a Man withintegrity. He was not two-faced orfragmented while representing bothearthly humanity and His heavenlyFather. When Jesus said, “Therefore youshall be perfect just as your Father inheaven is perfect,” (Matt. 5:48) the Greekword used for perfect, teleios, referred tothe goal of completeness or wholenessdemonstrated by God Himself. It is alsointeresting that the Hebrew word forpeace, shalom, comes from another rootword that means “completeness”.

One other way to view “integrity” isto consider the way a civil engineer wouldwhen speaking of a building with“structural integrity”. This kind ofintegrity keeps the building strong andsafe. Flaws in structural integrity arerevealed under pressure or unusual stress.A few years ago there was a majorearthquake in Taiwan. Many people werekilled and injured when the quake causedhundreds of reinforced concretebuildings to suddenly collapse. Theshattered buildings revealed that somehad been built with large, empty metalcans inserted into columns and beamswhere there should have been solidconcrete. Structural integrity had beensacrificed for profit. How many of ourlives have empty spaces where thereshould be something solid and strong?

When we speak the Word of God,are we building a house of faith that will

Integrity of Heart“Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is crooked thoughhe be rich.” – Proverbs 28.6

stand up under stress? Believers are peopleof truth. We should never fear thatspeaking the truth in love will cause us tofail. The opposite is true. I have foundthat while we often do need wisdomregarding how and when to speak thetruth, God will never forsake the righteousin heart. He is a shield of protection forthe one whose life is committed to theWord of God.

Integrity, however, is more than simple

honesty in business. It is more than “doingthe thing right”. Integrity means keepingour commitments, whether it is a matterbetween us and God (such as tithing) orin relationships with our fellow humanbeings. This extends from the contractswe sign to returning telephone calls andbeing on time for our appointments.

Integrity entails a lifestyle of worshipand prayer that undergirds business andministry activities. Worshiping God drawsus into a place of intimacy with Him.Through genuine worship in God’s Spirit,we are transformed into His image andour own flawed character is healed. In ourinward, personal life with the Lord that iscarried forward by trusting in Him, welearn to stand before God and man inhonesty.

He sends us forth from the holymeeting place of prayer ready forwhatever kind of work our calling entails.Through prayer and the Word of God,we receive wisdom, grace and moralunderstanding to deal with tough

NECF Malaysia is launching acampaign similar to the government’sfive-year Courtesy and Noble ValuesCampaign that was recently launched bythe Prime Minister in the government’sattempt to transform Malaysia into amore caring, responsible and moralsociety. In short, the campaign aims toinstil good moral values in Malaysians.

The NECF campaign, to bespearheaded jointly by the NECFPrayer and Research departments, willmobilise churches and Christians totake the lead in being exemplarycitizens, as ‘salt and light’ to our society.

To achieve its aim, the campaign willheavily rely on the media throughposters, car stickers, booklets, and thewebsite.

Noble ValuesCampaign

“In our inward, personallife with the Lord that is

carried forward bytrusting in Him, we learnto stand before God and

man in honesty.”

decisions, to navigate through humancomplexities, and to avoid moralcompromise.

Through prayer and the wholeness ofintegrity, we receive courage from theSpirit to act on what God has shown usto be the right path for our lives. –Extracted from “My Father’s Business” by PeterTsukahira, who will speak at this year’s NECFNational Prayer Conference for the English-speaking churches (see page 14).

We welcome the following into our Fellowship asOrdinary Members:

• Messiah Revival Assembly, Senai, pastored byJoshua Selvam

• Hosanna Centre, Johor, pastored by Edinbourgha/l Savirimuthu

• Petra Praise Assembly, Penang, represented byElder Chiam Chew Siang

• Christian Praise Centre, Kota Baru, pastored byHenderson Wee Chong Choo

• Bethany Church, Kuching, pastored by EpafrasDjohan Handojo

• Bethany Church, Ipoh, pastored by Epafras DjohanHandojo

• Raphah Ministries/Life Rebuilders (M) Sdn Bhd,Selangor, represented by Mrs Linda Tang

We also welcome six people as Associate Members:Mr Yong Chee Seng, Rev. Colgen Anthony Francis, MrFelix Loh Whey Siong, Rev. Leong Ah Yoke, Pr Jamesa/l Savistian, Pr Murugesh a/l Sandanam Adaickan.

2nd National Prayer ConsultationSOME 100 senior pastors and prayerleaders from all 14 states will meet fromMAY 9 to 11 at SWISS GARDENHOTEL KUALA LUMPUR. They willdiscuss a five-year plan for a strategicprayer movement for the GreatCommission across the nation, and further develop the prayernetworks at the state, regional and national level.

New Members

PETER TSUKAHIRA is an interesting figure– he has an Asian face, an American voiceand an Israeli passport, which came aboutthrough his Japanese parentage, American up-bringing and Jewish wife, Rita. In 1987, heand Rita moved to Haifa, Israel, as immigrantsfrom Tokyo where Peter had been pastoringan international fellowship. Peter is the founder

of Asia Centre, which serves Asian Christians by imparting aprophetic view of Israel and its connection to revival in Asia.He also writes and speaks on the integration of business andministry.

DJOHAN HANDOJO, a musician by training, is thechairman of Transform World Indonesia 2005. He is also thepresident of a music recording company in Indonesia. A

National PrayerConference

REV. DR WAN XIAO YUN is a pastor atTaiwan’s largest congregation, Bread of Life.He heads the church-planting ministry and isalso the dean at his church-run seminary. Rev.Wan will speak at the live-in conference atthe EMPRESS HOTEL, SEPANG (near theKuala Lumpur International Airport) from

AUG 23 to 25. He will share on the theme “Turn to our Fatherin Heaven”. The conference is organised by the NECF ChineseCommission. More details in the next issue of Berita NECF .

ENGLISH

CHINESE

THE NECF BM Commission is kicking off its long-termleadership development programme for local BM churches witha conference themed “Pemimpin, Karakter, Wawasan danPengurusan” (Leadership, Character, Vision and Management).The programme aims to ultimatly build strong BM churchesthat will greatly impact the community.

The three-day conference is also for pastors and leadersfrom Orang Asli churches. It begins APRIL 21 at FULLGOSPEL ASSEMBLY KUALA LUMPUR with speakers Rev.Dr Nus Reimas, who is Secretary-General of the IndonesiaEvangelical Fellowship, and NECF Secretary-General Rev.Wong Kim Kong.

The speakers will share principles on competent leadership,focusing on godly character, vision and leadership style. Inaddition, they will talk about time and human resourcemanagement. The commission encourages all BM and OApastors and leaders to attend the conference. Registration fee isRM75 before April 14 and RM85 thereafter. It covers mealsand conference materials.

BM Leaders Conference

Rev. Wong KimKong (left) and

Rev. Dr NurReimas (right).

composer and singer, he has released a solo album, “Doa Pagi,Jiwaku MerindukanMu.”

Peter and Djohan will speak at the annual conference, heldin conjunction with Merdeka Day, from AUG 25 to 27 atPJEFC, Petaling Jaya.

BAHASA

REV. RACHMAT T. MANULLANG is thevice-coordinator of the National PrayerNetwork in Indonesia, and senior pastor ofTabernacle David Church, Bogor. He alsoserves as chairman of Yayasan BerkatiIndonesia, a foundation for disaster, relief andrefugees. He will speak at the conference from

AUG 29 to 31. Look out for more details in the next BeritaNECF issue.

THE NECF Prayer Commission will in October host the third annual South-eastAsia Prayer Consultation, which will be attended by prayer representatives from 11countries. To prepare the participants for the consultation, the NECF ResearchDepartment is helping to provide country reports – one report for each monthbeginning January – to the prayer networks across the 11 countries.

The country report focuses on urgent issues facing the country and gives prayertips. In cooperation with the initiative, Berita NECF will run summaries of the reportsfrom this issue until the consultation. We hope this will help to raise awareness of ourneighbours and the urgent issues facing them, and may the increased knowledgeenhance our prayers for them. This issue, our prayer focus is on Burma and Vietnam(shaded black left and right respectively on map).

Population: 42,720,196Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%,Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%,Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5% (Chin,Kachin, Karenni, Naga, Rohingya, etc)Religions (estimated): Buddhist 89%,Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, RomanCatholic 1%), Muslim 4%, Animist 1%,Others 2%(Statistics: CIA Factbook, Dec 16, 2004)

BURMA is best known for Aung San SuuKyi, leader of the only opposition party,National League for Democracy (NLD).But, because of the government’s tightgrip on the media, not much is knownabout the appalling human right abusesby the military regime against the ethnicminorities.

A 1998 interim report by JubileeCampaign described the country as a“vast concentration camp”. The ongoingattacks by the Burmese army against theethnic minorities have been characterisedby mass relocation, forced labour, anddestruction of villages. Rape againstethnic women is prevalent. Many hidingin the jungle are in dreadful conditionswithout proper food, shelter and medicalcare. The Asian Human RightsCommission circulated a hunger alert inresponse to the military’s burning of ricefields in the Karen state (Dec 29, 2004).Two other human rights groups – theHumanitarian Aid Relief Trust andChristian Solidarity Worldwide – issueda report last December accusing thegovernment of gross violation of humanrights and said its actions against theethnic groups amounted to genocide.

Burma, world’s second largestproducer of illicit opium, has been ruledby successive military regime sinceGeneral Ne Win seized power in a coupin 1962. The latest military government,now called the State Peace andDevelopment Council, has ruled thecountry without a constitution orlegislature since 1988. The country wasthen renamed Myanmar, but it was notapproved by any sitting legislature inBurma, nor recognised by the USGovernment. Despite the landslidevictory of NLD in the multi-partyelections in 1990, the ruling junta refusedto hand over power.

While there is tendency to viewreligious freedom as a threat to nationalunity, the successive governments andmilitary have to date associatedthemselves with Theravada Buddhism.Buddhist doctrine remains part of thecurriculum in all elementary schools(International Religious Freedom Report2004). Yet, meetings and activities ofBuddhist monks are controlled andrestricted.

The Rohingyan Muslims in ArakanState, who are denied citizenship status,have been experiencing systematic legal,economic, and social discrimination.Christians are periodically coerced toconvert to Buddhism with the intentionof ‘burmanising’ them. All publications,religious and secular, are subject tocontrol and censorship. Bibles inindigenous languages cannot be importedlegally, but can be printed locally withgovernment permission, which is difficultto obtain.

PRAY FOR: A righteous gover-nment that exercises justice, loves mercy

B U R M A / M Y A N M A R and cares for the ethnic minorities andreligious freedom; Courage, strengthand comfort for suffering Christians andthey may be empowered to show loveand bring hope to the oppressed; God’sdeliverance of the children who areforced to be soldiers, orphaned by thefightings, and those kidnapped and soldinto prostitution or forced into labour bythe military regime; The spiritual andphysical needs of over two millionInternally Displaced People (IDPs) bemet; Fair trials for those who have beenunjustly imprisoned; Protection for theethnic women from rape and forcedlabour and murder; and Emotionalhealing for the many millions ofBurmese, especially children, who havebeen traumatised by the brutality of themilitary government.

V I E T N A M

Neighbour F cus

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Population: 82,689,518Ethnic groups: 54 ethnic groups.Vietnamese 85%, Chinese (1.6%),Hmong/Mien (1.6%), Thai (4.8%),Khmer (4.1%), Cham, and mountaingroups [Operation World 2001]Religions (estimated): Buddhists (50%),Roman Catholic (8–10%), Cao Dai (1.5–3%), Hoa Hao (1.5–4%), Protestants(1.5–2%) percent of the population), andMuslims (0.1%).

VIETNAM, a country recently knownfor its battle against a worsening bird fluepidemic, is condemned by severalinternational groups in its reluctance toimprove civil and political rights.

Vietnam is a one-party state, ruled and

I R A Q

THE Jan 30 election was an historicalbreakthrough in Iraq in democraticprogress, despite serious flaws as chargedby critics. The Shiite Muslims won,followed by pro-American Kurds.However, a coalition would have to beestablished, which would mean a power-sharing government. Concern has beenexpressed that the election hasunderstated the diverse ethnic/religiousgroups in the country. The Sunni Muslimsabstained from voting while Christiansclaimed they were prevented from voting.Analysts have also warned that writing aconstitution may tear the country apart,as the leading Shiites have stronglypushed for an Islamic constitution. Itwas reported that some 800,000Christians were marginalised and manyhad fled the country.

Pray for hope, comfort and faith forour brethren; for God’s divineintervention in the forming of a newgovernment and Constitution thatfavours religious freedom; and forChristian representation in the newgovernment.

within the context of state-regulatedreligious groups. The Ordinance onBelief and Religion, which took effectlast November, restates citizens’ right tofreedom of belief, religion, and freedomnot to follow a religion and that violationof these freedoms is prohibited. Itadvises, however, that abuse of suchfreedoms to threaten the country’s unity,harmony and independence is illegal andwarns that religious activities will besuspended if cultural traditions arenegatively affected.

The ordinance also restates theprinciple of government control andoversight of religious organisations,specifying that religious groups must berecognised by the Government and mustseek approval from authorities foractivities, including the training of clergy,construction of religious facilities,preaching outside a recognised facility,and evangelising.

National security and nationalsolidarity override guarantees of religiousfreedom. Protestant evangelical churches(found mainly among ethnic minorities)and other unregulated groups are activelysuppressed on the charge of threateningnational security and unity. Many of themare pressured, tortured and imprisonedin efforts to get them to recant their faith.

Bureaucracy and corruption are twospecial features in the Communistadministration that lead to monopoly ofpower. As a result, the economy isunderdeveloped and weakened despitethe increased number of foreigninvestment.

PRAY: That the government at alllevels, from central to local, will recogniseGod’s sovereignty and will give up theirprejudices towards the ethnic minoritiesand the Church and stop all forms ofpersecution and hindrances to theChurch; for God to raise up reformistsand just leaders, and that religiousfreedom may be realised; for Christianswho are suffering for their faith in prisonsand those who are risking life and libertyto meet for worship and fellowship.

controlled by the Communist Party ofVietnam (CPV). However, ‘obedience’to ideological orthodoxy has become lessimportant than economic developmentas a national priority in recent years. TheCPV has gradually reduced its formalinvolvement in government operationsand allowed the government to exercisediscretion in implementing policy. Theconstitution, however, does not providethe right for citizens to peacefully changeand freely choose their government.

The National Assembly is the highestrepresentative body of the people and theonly organisation with legislative powers.It has become more vocal and assertivein exercising its authority over lawmakingin recent years, but remains subject toCPV direction. About 80 percent of thedeputies in the National Assembly areCPV party members. The government’shuman rights record remains poor to date,and its officials continue to commitserious abuses.

The February International HumanRights Reports recount the widespreadlongstanding societal discriminationagainst ethnic minorities and thecontinuous harassment of some highlandminorities – particularly the Hmong inthe northwest provinces and severalethnic groups in the Central Highlands –for practising their Protestant religionwithout official approval. Several crediblesources report disappearances of personsand incidents of absolute detention ofcitizens for peaceful expression ofpolitical and religious views.

The Government significantlyrestricts freedom of speech, press,assembly, and freedom of association.The lack of judicial independencecontributes to constant denial of fairpublic trial. The CPV practically controlsthe courts closely at all levels, selectingjudges for their political reliability.

The Government does not favour aparticular religion. Although citizens areallowed to practice individual worship inthe religion of their choice, it is tolerated

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Perhaps the most tragic cases of Christianpersecution are when Christians persecutetheir fellow believers, as has beenhappening in Georgia where someOrthodox Christians have been causinggreat difficulties for non-Orthodox,especially Baptists. This has includedburning Bibles and Christian books,beating church leaders and destroyingchurch buildings. But reconciliationstarted last year when a Baptist leader hadto testify in court against nine OrthodoxChristians who were being tried for whatthey had done to him. He asked the judgeto release them. The court could notbelieve it, but eventually accepted thedecision, to great rejoicing from all incourt. Pray that those who call themselvesChristians will live in peace together,however great their differences may be.

G E O R G I A