The disciples of Jesus prayed earnestly for the will of God to be accomplished as they waited in expectancy for the coming of the Holy Spirit.?On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. From a group of timid and fearful men, they went about boldly proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God! They faced great opposition but each time, they prayed and worshipped the Lord Christ. This would become part of their lifestyle.
For the past month?it was a joy to pray together with several alumni, online. We prayed specifically for God’s will to be accomplished in our world, our Church and in the lives of His people, during this Covid-19 pandemic. It was great to connect with alumni across the schools, across nations and across time zones.?Rev Hengky Chiok?upon his graduation in 1997, went to the US to study and has since been serving the Lord faithfully.?Zhihong?from Mongolia, continues to serve the Lord with courage in that difficult land.?Ngo Chi-Meei?and?Rev Daniel Yaw?from Malaysia, amidst challenges in ministry are experiencing the continued grace of God.?Julia Sigalaki?from Indonesia serves in the seniors and women ministries, while?Rachel Rajagopal?is a missionary in Mexico, and travels extensively to Asia, Africa and the Middle East for training and?discipleship!?Elsie Puah, while receiving treatment in a hospital in Malaysia, joined us in the midst of her chemo treatment for Leukemia! These, together with several Singaporeans, met for 5 consecutive weeks to pray and plead for God’s intervention.?We prayed for God to pour out His Spirit upon the nations and bring about revival.
What are some lessons I have learnt from this involvement?
First, I?thank God for modern technology! This enabled us to meet because of the lockdown/circuit breaker, to pray as a body of His people. We were able to see each other face to face, across time zones, and to fellowship through prayer!
Second,?the need for prayer was the focal point of this meeting. One alumnus asked if I could organize a prayer meeting! So the Community Relations Department organized, not just one prayer meeting but five! The Lord reminded us of the importance of praying earnestly and unceasingly. We attempted to do just that.
Third, despite the adverse circumstances and because of this,?we were able to rejoice and bring our petitions to the King of kings!
Fourth,?we had opportunities to pray?for alumni – pastors, missionaries, those serving in the marketplace, counselors, home-makers, the sick, the retirees and the aging. Our united prayers bonded us in Christ Jesus!
Finally,?God was exalted, and we were strengthened.
It took a pandemic to bring us together in this amazing fashion! The Lord be praised!
May this become the?new normal?for us at SBC! Like the early Christians, may we continue to make prayer a vital part of our very being. May we pray for one another, for ourselves and for the work that God has entrusted to us!
We take this opportunity to also congratulate and welcome our 99 new graduates into the alumni body!
God bless and keep each of you in the palm of His hand and grant you much joy and peace in all your undertakings.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.?
(Philippians 4:4)
