Hope – Kallos

Finding Hope

Alina Teo — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 21:46:00 +0000

THE BENCH

Recently, I came across the phrase, ‘HOPE IS EVERYTHING’. It was engraved on a park bench, which seemed as if it was proclaiming this truth to those walking by. But even the people coming to sit on it might not have noticed these faint words.

As I watched people walk by the bench, I wondered …

What does hope look like for them?
What does hope look like to me?
What does hope look like in the Bible?

In our broken world, we might feel there isn’t much hope. For the person who is dying of a terminal illness, or one who has just lost someone dear, or a patient finding out that one has a life-crippling disease to be endured for the rest of one’s life, or a refugee in a country where they can’t even understand the language, or a soldier caught in the crossfire of a raging war, what hope can be seen in their situations?

When I look at Vincent van Gogh’s famous paintings of sunflowers, I see hope. The sunflowers are dying, with their petals drooping slightly with brown discolouration. Yet, the many seeds that are in the middle of the flowers contain so much hope for the future. New beginnings await. Are we looking at the dying petals or the spring of hope that is to come?

WHAT DOES HOPE MEAN TO YOU?

Is hope some sort of wishful thinking? Perhaps it’s something as consequential as, “I hope to get good grades in school without working hard,” or something as simple as, “I hope tomorrow will be a sunny day even though the weather forecast says it’ll rain.” This is one sense of hoping, but thankfully, God’s hope isn’t as uncertain and unreasonable as that.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HOPE?

When Paul and Silas were in jail, chained up to the wall, what was their song of hope then (Acts 16)? They were singing praises to God while in their chains before any quiver of the earthquake that broke their chains had begun. Yet, their hearts were hopeful in the One who could save them.

Paul declared, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Hope of eternity with the One he loved was the hope that kept Paul going and pursuing after Christ. In all he did and had to endure, Paul professed this hope of glory that awaited him (Col 1:27). In the same way, we have that same hope of glory in Christ.

I like the way John Piper puts it in his sermon series on hope to his church in Bethlehem. He preached that “biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future, but rather, biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.”

Even if at this moment, things are not going well, there is still something good in the future we can look forward to. There is a hope we can cling on to. And cling on tight we must.

Jesus Christ came to earth, died on the cross and rose again so that we now have the assured hope of being reconciled with God when we believe in Him (1 Pet 1:3). Jesus, having walked this earth as a human, understands our pain, our hurt, our insecurity. On this side of eternity, life does get tough, but we are not alone. God knows each of our journeys and He is with us through it all.

Christ is the steadfast, never-changing hope that we can cling onto and trust, because He is faithful and He loves us so deeply. Only because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8), and what He promises He will do, we can then stand upon His assured hope.

Biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future,
but rather, biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire
for something good in the future.

WHY HOPE?

Although hope is there for our taking, we often forget. When life gets hard and we look around us, we despair. When our school grades don’t match up to our expectations, or when our friends talk behind our backs, making us feel excluded and alone, or when we are not good enough in our own eyes compared to others, or when we have no solution for our family which is breaking apart, we despair. The psalmist knew the tendency for humans to despair, especially when the going gets tough, thus the intentional proclamation in Psalm 42:5,

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Saviour and my God.

God is our help. He is our unshakeable rock (2 Sam 22:32, Ps 18:31, Is 26:4) in whom we can trust. Listen to how the psalmist puts it. “Hope in God!” he says, almost like a command, asking you to choose hope. It isn’t just a passive sit-back-and-let-me-be-filled-with-hope. It is an active, intentional action. Choose to hope. Tell yourself to hope. Because in our fallenness, with the brokenness of our world and the pain we experience in life, hoping does not come naturally. If we don’t preach hope to ourselves, despair may give way to discouragement and a disturbed spirit.

When the Israelites were stuck in between the Red Sea and the Egyptian Army that was in hot pursuit of them, terror met them face to face. Hope was not a close friend. But Moses stood firm and declared, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today … The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exod 14:13‭–14). In essence, what Moses was saying to them was, in the missionary William Carey’s words, “Expect great things from God!”

Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Saviour and my God.

HOPE AMID DESPAIR

Don’t despair! Hope in God and see Him work for your good as He did for Israel in and out of Egypt. God delivered His people from the hands of their oppressors and He is more than able to deliver you from oppression.

When we look at hope, we can see it as a “reservoir of emotional strength”, as preached by John Piper. People will fail us and we will encounter situations that look bleak and we will at times feel helpless. But in those moments, let the emotional reservoir of hope in God lift you up. When things do not go the way you imagined, let your hope in God push you on to keep trying. When you encounter temptations to step away from the right path, let the emotional reservoir of hope in God give you strength to stick to the path of righteousness and deny yourself temporary, short-lived pleasures.

Remember that biblical hope is ours to hold onto and be assured that we can expect good in the future because of Christ in our story. And as we walk this journey, our hearts can be lifted to know that God does not leave us to ourselves. He holds our hand and walks alongside us.

God delivered the Israelites from the hands of their oppressors
and He is more than able to deliver you from oppression.

AN ONGOING STORY OF HOPE

Katherine and Jay Wolf from Hope Heals share their stories of hope amid the deep suffering they have been through and are still working through. Hope Heals was set up to share Katherine and Jay’s story through books, podcasts and camps to challenge the myth that joy is only found in a pain-free life. Rather, they are stating that joy can be found in a good/hard story that God is writing in each of our lives.

Katherine was only 26 years old when she was struck with a near-fatal brain-stem stroke caused by a congenital brain defect that she was entirely unaware of. She had given birth to her baby boy just six months earlier. Their world came crashing down and their lives were flooded with too many questions they had no answers to. But God planted in them hope that did not disappoint. The emotional reservoir of hope they had been building kept them going.

One 16-hour brain surgery, 40 days in the Intensive Care Unit, 11 surgeries, and one year in a neuro-rehabilitation centre later, Katherine and Jay’s faith in God has only deepened. Katherine shared, “You have a stunning capacity to endure incredibly hard things because of Jesus in your story …. May you see your life as a good/hard story that God Himself is writing.”

What does hope look like to you?
Who do you get your hope from?

Let that hope be Jesus.
He gives us hope in this life that nothing and no one else ever can.
JESUS IS EVERYTHING.

In Acceptance Lieth Peace

Alina Teo — Tue, 30 May 2023 12:10:00 +0000

IN ACCEPTANCE LIETH PEACE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Elisabeth Elliot (1926–2015) was the widow of a martyred missionary, Jim Elliot. With her very young daughter, Valerie, she eventually returned to the Waodani in Ecuador, the very people group who killed her husband, and continued the work of bringing the gospel that he had begun. Hers is a story of forgiveness, hope, and acceptance of the will of God, knowing He is a good and trustworthy God.

She writes in Be Still My Soul: Reflections on Living the Christian Life about six choices that lead to acceptance of the will of God, bringing peace. Elisabeth tells us, “[God] didn’t give me a bridge over troubled waters, but [God] kept the promise that when I passed through the waters, He would be with me …. The one thing that [God] requires of us in response to deep waters is acceptance.”

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE

Christ’s work on the cross made way for a continual exchange of the new for the old. You may not like this current season or circumstance you are facing, but you can choose your heart posture. God exchanges our weakness for His strength. He takes our sins and covers us with His righteousness. He gives us joy in place of sorrow. If you make that choice to trust God’s faithfulness in the joys and pains that happen through life, God can bring you delight even in the darkest moments.

CHOOSE TO OFFER YOUR PAIN TO GOD

Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28–30, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” God wants to share in our pain if we do choose to offer it to Him.

Whether it is pain from a broken relationship, death of someone dear, a disaster that seems totally unfair, or any other pains that you can think of: our God is one who, in Elisabeth’s words, “knows how to bring good out of evil”. We can trust Him with our pain.

If you make that choice to trust God’s faithfulness
in the joys and pains that happen through life,
God can bring you delight even in the darkest moments.

This offering of our pain may have to be done over and over again till we sense that lifting of pain. It is not easy and it may be a slow process. Yet, you are not alone. God can take our rants, frustrations, and laments along the way, and He is in the midst of continually refining us. That is how loving and patient God is with us. Choose to offer your pain to God, that you would find peace.

CHOOSE TO RECEIVE WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN WITH OPEN HANDS

There are things that we cannot change. We can sulk about it, live in regret, and beat ourselves up, or perhaps even do nothing about it. But perhaps, another alternative we can consider is to receive what God has given us with a surrendered heart. As Elisabeth puts it, “It is a willed choice”. With this surrender, we are letting God work in our lives for our good.

CHOOSE TO RENEW YOUR COMMITMENT TO HIM

For one who knew pain, bereavement, and loneliness, Elisabeth encourages us to choose Christ once again, in spite of the emotional state we may be in. Just like the psalmist declares in Psalm 56:3, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” The negative emotions may be present, but we can choose to renew our commitment to Christ and trust in Him.

This offering of our pain may have to be done over and over again
till we sense that lifting of pain.
It is not easy and it may be a slow process. Yet, you are not alone.

CHOOSE TO PRAISE HIM

One of the hardest things to do is to praise when there seems nothing to give thanks for. But we can look at the example of the prophet Habakkuk and how he praised God and rejoiced in Him even when he saw no fruit, no crop and no cattle. Habakkuk declared, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour” (Hab 3:18).

Habakkuk declares God’s awesomeness and glory, reminding himself that God is the sovereign God who is his strength (Hab 3:19). It is not a pretense that we put up, but a quiet confidence and trust, when we know and rejoice that God is who He says He is — our faithful promise keeper.

CHOOSE TO DO THE NEXT THING

In her book, Elisabeth shares a poem by an unknown author that became one of the “mottoes of [her] life”. It goes like this:

From an old English parsonage, down by the sea
There came in the twilight a message to me;
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
Hath, as it seems to me, teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring
Like a low inspiration — “DO THE NEXT THING.”

Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt, hath its quieting here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance, are given.
Fear not tomorrows, Child of the King,
Trust them with Jesus.
“DO THE NEXT THING.”

Do it immediately; do it with prayer;
Do it reliantly, casting all care;
Do it with reverence, tracing His Hand
Who placed it before thee with earnest command.
Stayed on Omnipotence, safe ’neath His wing,
Leave all resultings, “DO THE NEXT THING.”

Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
(Working or suffering) be thy demeanour,
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
The light of His countenance be thy psalm,
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing,
Then, as He beckons thee
“DO THE NEXT THING.”

When we accept God’s will for our lives and continue to take the next step, do the next thing we know to do, we can be assured that He is with us. The next thing may be to send a text message to a friend where reconciliation needs to take place, or it may be to turn up for church service this Sunday. For others, it may mean choosing not to lie to your parents the next time they ask you something. Whatever the next thing might mean to you, do it as a worship unto God and know that God sees you.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE TODAY?

“In Acceptance Lieth Peace.” This was the title of a poem by the missionary Amy Carmichael, and a phrase that Elisabeth relied on as well.

Perhaps just as Elisabeth did so many years ago, we too, can make these six choices in our daily life to walk with God, trusting in His faithfulness to be with us in the darkest of times.

Finding a Safe Place – you’re not alone in an unsupported pregnancy

Alina Teo — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:02:00 +0000

HOPE FOUND

Treading new waters of becoming a mother with an unsupported pregnancy is no easy feat. It is often lonely and frightening. Yet, some walk this path alone; afraid of the shame or the hurtful words or stares that may come if others knew the truth.

When Jennifer Heng (Director of Safe Place) was a teenager, this became her reality and she was lost and desperate. Wanting to offer hope and practical help to girls and women going through the same crisis, Safe Place was born. The mission of Safe Place is to help expectant mothers make life-giving choices within a caring community. Empowered and supported, they do not need to face such difficult times alone.

With permission from Safe Place, here is an article of a social worker reflecting on the experience of being part of the journey with a teenage couple through parenthood.

REFLECTIONS OF A SOCIAL WORKER

It is my first time meeting this teenage couple, Nurul* and Petro*, and I am late. I brisk walk into the gynae clinic, craning my neck to find them.

They look like the most unlikely candidates for parenthood. In a room full of well-dressed women and their husbands, one would wonder if this young pair had somehow wandered into the wrong clinic.

Her dark hair, in two braided ponytails, is streaked in magenta and the orange-gold of faded bleach. She is wearing a short baby-doll dress two sizes too small. I train my gaze on her downcast and teary eyes. Concealed beneath heavy black winged eyeliner and metal facial piercings, there is a quiet beauty in this young woman that my heart aches to connect with.

A young man in ripped jeans sits beside her, gripping her trembling hand. His body is tattooed with expletives, and profanities are scrawled all over his black, baggy shirt. The permanency of tattoos suggest a cry for the eternal. The vulgarities… a need for self-protection and belonging?

I linger for a moment on the spiked leather chains on their necks and wrists. It strikes me that this couple may feel very unsafe inside themselves. Outcast, misunderstood and alone – “it’s us against the world”. Beneath Nurul and Petro’s armoured exterior, I wonder if I will find two small children crying out for love and safe embrace.

Nurul begins to share her story. Coming from a fragmented and abusive family, she felt helpless and lost after finding out she was pregnant. Deliberating hard with Petro, they decided to give parenthood a shot, and somehow got linked up with Safe Place.

Today, the parents hear their baby’s heartbeat for the first time. The doctor happily announces, “You’re expecting a baby boy!” Both of them leave the room in awe, shivering, joyful and terrified at the confirmation of the new life unfolding in Nurul’s womb.

They look like the most unlikely candidates for parenthood, and yet this baby has chosen them all the same.

I speak to Petro’s mother after the gynae appointment, and she muses that something in her son has changed in the wake of his fatherhood. The walls of his bedroom, previously black and littered with verses of death and darkness, are now due for a fresh coat of white paint. As she speaks, I hear hope for the future, I see possibilities, and I marvel at the courage to begin again. Perhaps this baby is a herald for something new. Perhaps this baby has brought new life not just in himself but for his entire family too.

This is the work of Safe Place. Together with our families, we find hope in impossible places. We forge new paths in places where many may dismiss as dead ends. We love, hope, cry and dream, believing with courage that life always prevails. Always!

*Names have been changed

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

If you are in such a situation yourself, don’t be afraid to seek help. Don’t walk alone.
There are people here to care for you and walk this journey with you.

If you know someone in this crisis, share this valuable resource with them.

Watch the video below and hear the stories of mothers who are the true heroes.

To find out more, visit https://safeplace.org.sg

Life and Hope in War

Kallos Team — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 04:29:00 +0000

Ukrainian Christian ANASTACIA NEVMYVAKA reflects on how she can have hope and joy as she surrenders to God her life disrupted by war.

Traveling the world has always been my biggest dream. Given a chance, I would have become a photographer or maybe an artist to be able to go places and take pictures of magnificent clouds all over the globe. Growing older, one stops anticipating Christmas celebrations or counting off days before yet another birthday party. Still the moment I book a ticket to a new destination point, the moment the realisation of “It is happening! I am going there!” hits never ceases to make me feel so full of joy; it feels like my heart is doing a proverbial somersault in my chest. Endless discoveries, cultural heritage explorations, meeting new people, trying out new things, expanding my music playlist, seeing the shades and the hues of foreign skies under the same sun — nothing could ever be better than that for me.

I have always been up for a good challenge, therefore, spending about ten years working and studying in various regions of Asia had seemed like a perfect one for me. I even studied in Singapore Bible College for a few years. It never ceases to impress me how unique every world community is and, at the same time, how much we all have in common. At the end of the day, our core values are pretty much the same: kindness, honesty, gratitude, open-mindedness, love, and respect when it comes to diversity.

LIFE, INTERRUPTED

On 23 February 2022, I did my first stand-up monologue while still celebrating my birthday. It seemed like another cool challenge, yet another skill to master, another fear to overcome. The day was hectic and exhilarating; I had been looking forward to it literally for months. I was still running high on adrenaline when the first news of attacks on Ukraine popped up on some social media dashboards.

Exactly 24 hours later, my sister and I were sitting at a random Kyiv metro station after yet another warning of a possible missile attack.

I REMEMBER STAYING AWAKE ALL NIGHT THINKING ABOUT THIS IN THE UNEASY DARKNESS OF A DISTURBED, FEVERISH CITY.

Earlier that day, we were on our way to the airport to finally go on a well-deserved vacation and birthday celebration trip when we heard the first sirens and found out that the transportation system had been blocked all over the country.

Now, I just did not get it. Why did some people believe that they have got a right to control my life, cancel my plans, make me stay up and flee from home in the middle of the night? Were our lives of any lesser value than theirs? I remember staying awake all night thinking about this in the uneasy darkness of a disturbed, feverish city, full of sound and fury, and could not come up with even a single reason to justify what was happening in Ukraine at the moment. What is still happening there now. Because there is none.

About two months before, I had been in Auschwitz for a day tour. What I saw there in the Nazi concentration camp, what I felt there, literally shook me to the very core. It shocks me that there are still people around who remember the horrors of WWII, and yet we find ourselves in the midst of another brutal war. Was that not enough?

KNOWING HE’S IN CONTROL

I am in Germany at the moment. The rest of my family made a decision to stay back in Ukraine, and as much as I wish it was otherwise, I really cannot do anything about that. However, eventually accepting their choice has become the most liberating spiritual experience of the past months. Acknowledging that their lives are in God’s hands, that He is the only one calling the shots now, originally prompted a tsunami of what seemed like righteous anger, uncontrollable fear, deep resentment, and utter frustration within me. And then it dawned on me that it has always been this way. God has always been in control; I simply refused to accept that truth in my stubborn, self-assured ignorance of a sinful foolish human. As it goes in one of my favourite songs, “and I discovered that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.”

Apparently, the biggest challenge is to let go of one’s worries, of this incessant need to always seem in control. Deep inside we know who is, in fact, in control — God always has been and always will be. I have learned to be happy even amidst the chaos and pain of everyday news reports and scarce messages from loved ones whose trust in Him appears to be way more solid than mine.

GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN CONTROL; I SIMPLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT THAT TRUTH.

In retrospect, I realise that each and every nation has had a history of tragic losses, and the present as well as the future belongs to God. It’s a humbling thought yet a great reminder that even bad things are finite, and there is always hope amidst suffering.

BUT WITH GOD THERE IS LIFE AND THERE IS HOPE.

The world is still fuelled by the kindness of strangers, by the honesty of friends and neighbours, by the gratitude of those blessed by others’ virtues, by the open-mindedness of colleagues and allies, and by the love and respect within the world community.

I have learned to finally enjoy my life as it is, to experience it without postponing till better days, as they may never come. I cannot stop the war, neither can I change the world. But with God there is life and there is hope. It is tough some days, yet there are times I feel so exuberantly, gloriously happy and blessed despite all the sorrow. Looking back at one gloomy day back in December 2009, when a sad, depressed, and disappointed girl dared to accept a challenge of going on a lifelong journey with the Lord, I know that it has been totally worth it.

Navigating Through the Storms of Life

Aarksara Foo — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 15:03:00 +0000

Over the years, I have learned that just because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour doesn’t mean that we are exempt from the fires and storms of this life. As John 16:33 shows us, Jesus has already given us a heads-up — in this world we will experience trouble, but take heart for He has overcome it all. What good news!

How do I keep breathing when everything around me seems chaotic and unresolvable? How can there be any good that comes out of horrible situations?

I have had these questions circulate in my mind when the gap between my expectations of how things should be and my current reality seemed far too wide for God to rescue me out of my disappointments.

But God has always rescued me. Failed relationships, broken promises, unpredictable circumstances in business, problems that arise within the ministry … when the gap between my expectations and my reality is large, Jesus has always come to fill that gap with His grace, love, and peace.

We all have experienced disappointment. I fell very ill in my final year of university. I had hopes and dreams to get a graduate job and start earning a stable income. But I became too unwell to even go for any job interviews. I started questioning why God would allow me to go through this. All the years of hard work to finally graduate came to a halt. I was deeply disappointed that my life felt like it had come to a dead end.

Little did I know, God was actually birthing something far greater than I could have ever imagined. I started writing songs and gaining more skills and knowledge in the area of vocals and songwriting. From there, doors to opportunities flung open and I was catapulted into God’s purposes for my life.

So how do we respond when the expectation and reality gap is far too big for us to comprehend? How do we make it through these storms of life? I have learned that the first thing to do is to run to Jesus. How? Pray. Talk to Him. Cry out to Him, plainly and simply, just as you are. He listens. Prayer is like a phone call to God; the line is always open. Tell Him how you’re feeling, and let out the confusion, the hurt, and the pain that seems unbearable.

Secondly, worship. Wherever you are, whatever worship looks like to you, worship! I found that switching on worship music in the background helped me. I felt like I was having a church service right in my bedroom. The presence of God calmed my spirit and helped me see the situation through His eyes instead of through the lens of bitterness.

The third step is to talk to people you trust. I talked to people I love and I know love me back. I spoke as honestly as I could about the struggles going on in my life, my mind, and my heart. Such clarity and revelation were brought forth when I was honest with my inner circle.

My friend, whatever you’re going through right now, whether it be good or bad, I encourage you to cling on to Jesus with everything you have. Allow Him to be your anchor as you weather the storms in your life. His plans are far better than we could ever imagine, pray or hope for. His heart for us is to be whole and healthy — physically, emotionally and spiritually.

PRAYER
Father God, please help me to walk through every season of life with You. Help me to trust that You know far better than I do. Lord, may You hold my hand every step of the way. Amen.

REFLECTION TIME
1. What storms are you currently walking through? How have you been responding to them?
2. Who can you call today to be completely honest with your feelings?

DELVE DEEPER
Read these passages to dive deeper into ‘Navigating Through the Storms of Life’:
o Romans 8:28
o Isaiah 55:8–9

SONGSPO:
‘Battle Belongs’ by Phil Wickham

Beautiful Feet

Jiamin Choo — Sat, 01 May 2021 03:35:00 +0000

“Is there really a God? What is love? And why would God love me?” Kazuma, a fourth-year engineering student, asked me, with a look of curiosity and a tinge of sadness in his voice. I wasn’t expecting these questions to come at one go, but something in my heart broke and I understood why God had brought me from Singapore to this university in Japan to meet Kazuma.

It was my first mission trip to Japan as a freshman, in partnership with a local Christian student ministry. I had gone there as part of a Singapore team during my university holidays, because of what Sophie, my discipleship group leader, had shared about her mission trip to Japan previously.

Many know Japan for its amazing nature, technology, culture, and cuisine. It’s also one of the world’s most populous nations with 127 million people, and is one of the world’s richest and safest countries. Yet many may not know that Japan’s suicide rate is alarmingly one of the world’s highest, with over 20,000 Japanese ending their lives every year, with all hope lost. Most Japanese wouldn’t know Jesus, as they haven’t even heard of His name. With less than one percent Jesus-followers in Japan, and with the majority of worshippers and pastors being in their old age and passing on, many churches are struggling to survive, especially in rural areas where many churches have less than ten worshippers.

Impacted by what Sophie had shared, I signed up for the next trip to Japan, desiring to support the Japanese Christian students in their campus ministry. And that was how I ended up meeting Kazuma at a university’s English club gathering.

That day, together with my Singapore teammates, we sat down with Kazuma. We opened the Bible and searched for the answers he was looking for together. It was the first time Kazuma heard the good news of God’s kingdom and Jesus, and I was thankful to be part of the team that brought it to him. I realised this all happened because of Sophie, who encouraged me to go to Japan, and I could only have gone because my home church gave their blessings and supported me prayerfully and financially. And I could only share the gospel with Kazuma because others had shared that same good news with me in the past, such that I too had become a Jesus-follower.

It was like Paul’s words in Romans 10:11–15 coming alive:

As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

In writing this letter to the church in Rome almost 2,000 years ago, Paul was reminding them that the good news of Jesus is for all, not only for a privileged few. God has made a way for every tribe, tongue, and people group to be reconciled to Him when they respond in faith through Jesus. But for this message to be made known, someone needs to bring it. Someone with beautiful feet because they are willing to go. Today, according to the Joshua Project, an organisation that highlights the ethnic groups of the world with the fewest followers of Christ, the Japanese remain the second-largest unreached people group in the world. There are various ways we can be a part of bringing this good news to the nations. We can pray for these countries. We can give financially to support mission workers and send them out. We can also go, and be part of the next generation of workers with beautiful feet who will bring this good news to all people. What will be your response?

PRAYER

God, Your name is great and worthy to be praised. I long to see the good news of Your kingdom and Jesus made known in every place, so that all people will worship You. Give me a heart for the nations, that I may bring Your good news to others in this generation. Amen.

REFLECTION TIME!

1. Who first shared the good news of God’s kingdom and Jesus with you?
2. To what extent are you willing to pray, give, send, or go, for the purpose of bringing the good news to the nations?

DELVE DEEPER

Read and reflect on these passages on “Bringers of Good News”:
o Isaiah 6:1–13
o Luke 4:14–30
o Acts 8:26–40

HANDLES

To help process what you learn through your Bible reading, try journalling your thoughts, feelings and questions. It can also provide clarity when you re-read your journal entries and trace the growth in your faith journey.

Living Hope

Jiamin Choo — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 07:50:00 +0000

Come with me to the place where it all happened. Imagine the dark before the dawn, the heavy footsteps and tear-filled eyes. Two days before, the Jesus whom Mary Magdalene loved had died. Betrayed by a disciple and put on an illegal and unjust trial, Jesus was sentenced to die on a cross at Calvary outside the walls of Jerusalem. He was abandoned by His followers and scorned by the soldiers. Jesus was no more, buried in a tomb. All of Mary’s hope was gone.

Mary had been saved by Jesus. He had cast out seven demons from her and restored her life (Luke 8:2). But that’s not all. This was Jesus, the promised Saviour of the world. The Son of God, whose birth was sung over by angels and witnessed by shepherds. The Miracle Healer who touched the leper and made the blind see. The Teacher who preached God’s kingdom with such authority that many repented of their sins and believed. The Son of Man, who said He is the only way to come to the Heavenly Father. Many rejected Him. Yet many loved and followed Him, including Mary.

Walking toward the tomb where Jesus lay, Mary was in for a surprise. A violent earthquake hit as an angel came down from heaven. He rolled back the stone of the tomb and sat on it saying, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee’” (Matt 28:2, 5–7).

Entrusted with this good news, her grief turning into great joy, Mary started running off to tell the other disciples when suddenly, Jesus appeared before her and called her by name. Little did Mary know that she would be the first person to see Jesus alive. Little did she know that she would be the first witness to testify that Jesus had risen from the dead. “I have seen the Lord!” Mary told the disciples, but they did not believe her (Mark 16:11). They only believed after seeing Jesus themselves (e.g., John 20:24–29), and then they gave their lives to share this news because Jesus had become their Living Hope.

These historical accounts have been recorded in Scripture so that we too may believe that Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of God, and that by believing, we may have life in His name (John 20:31). Although I have not witnessed these events with my own eyes and they may seem like foolish made-up stories in the eyes of the world, I do believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. He is my Living Hope, having triumphed over sin and death. And because I believe, I desire to share this good news with others who have yet to know it, especially those who live in communities where there are few Jesus-followers.

This Good Friday and Easter, may you be encouraged to reflect on Jesus’ life and death, know the power of His resurrection, and like Mary, who was filled with joy, share this good news of our Saviour with those around you: “Jesus has risen, just as He said!”

PRAYER
God, how great is Your mercy and love, that through faith in the risen Christ, our sins are forgiven and we can enter Your kingdom and be called Your children. Empower us by Your Spirit to share this good news about Jesus with others. Amen.

REFLECTION TIME!
1. To what extent is Jesus your Living Hope?
2. Who is one person you can share with about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus?

DELVE DEEPER
Read and reflect on these passages on “The Risen Christ”:
o John 11:21–27
o Acts 13:26–48
o 1 Corinthians 15:1–22

HANDLES
To discover what the Bible says about life’s big questions, consider asking yourself, “What does this Bible passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan? What does this say about humans? What am I doing well, and what do I need to change?”

*Check out the Discovery Bible Study method at www.dbsguide.org to find out more.