KDN:PP3233/01/2010(023235) Volume 34, No. 11 & 12 • November & December 2009 A NewBeginning hristmas season is upon us again. read the portents in the sky. In fact this through her. “May it be to me as you have Most of us look forward to it as the ‘great work of God’s salvation’ was birthed said.” (Luke 1:38) Cend of year celebrations. We enter through the consent of one girl, Mary, to be into its festivities, bright lights, shopping part of this work of God. When we look back on this year or forward and events to draw out the feel good desires to the next, in our personal life or the life before gearing ourselves for a new year. For Mary was a young girl, perhaps sixteen or of the nation, we may wonder if life can some there is much to be happy about the seventeen years, when the angel Gabriel really be different from what we have past year; for others they just want to leave came to her with the news that she will bear experienced, or if God can really bring a it all behind and hope for a better year. this baby who will be given the throne of real change. This advent season reminds us David and a kingdom that will never end. God has given the world the greatest gift Interestingly, in the church calendar the How much did Mary understand the full to meet its deepest longing. But it is also a advent season is the beginning of the extent of what that meant? Certainly she did story of God’s personal mindfulness of each church year. Christmas is celebrated as the not know the pain and sorrow that awaited of us, to whom He shows favor and grace. beginning of God’s blessing to the world her at the foot of the cross. through the giving / coming of His Son Like Mary, we can see what the Lord is Jesus Christ. It is a new beginning such as Yet Mary understood that God had chosen doing in our midst and consent to be part of the world has never known before in all her, shown His favor, was ‘mindful of this and allow Him to work through us. its history. Jesus’ birth was celebrated by her humble state’, and was going to do the company of the heavenly host saying, something that was not impossible with God. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth She realized that God was doing something Christopher Cheah peace to men on whom his favor rests.” tremendous for her people, fulfilling the (Luke 2:13-14) promises, the hopes and longings of the people for His presence and rule. And she But as momentous as Jesus’ birth was for understood that God was asking her to be the future of the world, God did not splash part of that work. it across the skies of Israel for all to see. The host of heaven appeared to shepherds in the Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant.” fields, and the news to wise men who could She consented to what God wanted to do 1 Rev Ting Daik Choung Retired A Faithful Servant of God after 43 Years ev Ting Daik Choung and his wife Pastor Ling Shoung Ing have been Rserving God all their lives. Their faithfulness and their love for the Lord and people are examples to all who are in the ministerial service. On the last day of the 34th Session of SCAC, 20 November, an inspiring and meaningful ceremony was specially held to honour these two faithful servants of God. Rev Ting became a minister-on-trial in 1967. He was ordained as an elder in 1971. Since then he has been serving God faithfully for 43 years. Rev Ting was a District Superintendent for two times (12 years) and served as the President of SCAC for two terms (8 years). He is an author and a poet. He and his wife have one son (also a pastor in USA) and two daughters. President Su (l) giving a token of love to Rev and Mrs Ting Daik Choung. 2 Contents A Gift For Jesus Page 4-6 Whole Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World A Global Conversation of the Lausanne They bowed down and worshipped him. Then they Movement Christopher J. H. Wright opened their treasures and presented him with gifts Page 7 TRAC Young Adults Convention of gold and of incense and of myrrh (Matthew 2:11). Page 8 34th Session SIAC 60 Years of Iban Work Lord Jesus, Page 9 34th Session SCAC I give you my hands to do your work, Page 10 6th Session SPAC I give you my feet to go your way, Page 11 Methodist Theological School Graduation Agape Methodist Church Sabah - 10th Anniversary I give you my eyes to see as you do. Page 12 Awards Aplenty I give you my tongue to speak your words, MCKL students win study awards I give you my mind that you may think in me, Page 14 CFM Press Statement on withheld Bibles Methodist Youth Council AGM I give you my spirit that you may pray in me. Advertise with Pelita Above all, I give you my heart that you may love in Organizations and individuals are welcome to advertise me, your Father, and all mankind. in Pelita Methodist. Businesses, Churches, Conferences, events, personal greetings/messages can be considered. The I give you my whole self that you may grow in me, rates per issue are: so that it is you, Lord Jesus, who live and work and A4 Size Paper B/W Colour Full page RM600 RM1,000 pray in me. Half page RM300 RM600 Quarter page RM150 RM400 A discount of one issue is given for a year’s advertisement. I hand over to your care, Lord my soul and body, my Please contact the Pelita office. Tel: 03-7954 1811 mind and thoughts, my prayers and hopes, my health E-mail: [email protected] and my work, my life and my death, my parents and my family, my friends and my neighbours, my Pelita Methodist All correspondence and enquiries to be directed to: country and all men. Today and always. Publisher / Pelita Methodist Bishop Dr. Hwa Yung 69 Jalan 5/31, 46000 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Chief Editor / Bishop Dr. Hwa Yung E-mail Lancelot Andrewes, Private Prayers • [email protected] Executive Editor Mr Christopher Cheah Website • www.methodistchurch.org.my Editorial Board / Taken from Christian Classics Day By Day, Rev Ling Heu Uh Designed by Creative Thumbprint Sdn. Bhd Rev Steward Damat Mambang compiled by Robert Backhouse (London: Hodder 23, Jalan Radin 2 Rev Khon Weng Joo Bandar Baru Seri Petaling Mr Wong Meng Lei 57000 Kuala Lumpur & Stoughton, 1995), p. 372. Mr Tung Kam Seng Printed by Ms Lily Ung Academe Art & Printing Services Sdn.Bhd. No.7, Jalan Rajawali 1A, Bandar Puchong Jaya, 47100 Selangor Darul Ehsan. Contents 3 Whole Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World Christopher J. H. Wright We must believe, live, and communicate all when much of mainline Protestantism had lost confidence in that makes the Christian message staggeringly biblical faith, while also reclaiming social responsibility when comprehensive good news. many fundamentalists disdained justice as a “liberal” concern. (Read the Lausanne Covenant at Lausanne.org/covenant.) For 35 years one of the simplest ways to define evangelical Christianity has been to refer to the Lausanne Covenant, the In October 2010, the Lausanne Movement will convene document that emerged from the International Congress on World another congress, this time in Cape Town, South Africa. The Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974. Convened majority of participants will be from the Majority World, where by American evangelist (and Christianity Today founder) Billy evangelicalism is now thriving dramatically. For the next year, Graham and British clergyman John R. W. Stott, the congress Christianity Today, in partnership with the Lausanne Movement brought together 2,300 church and missionary leaders from 150 and fellow Christian publications around the world, will address countries, including a substantial number of leaders from the then- some of the principal issues that confront the contemporary nascent evangelical communities of Africa, Latin America, and church as we seek to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel in all Asia. The Lausanne Covenant became a milestone in evangelical its historic depth and breadth. We are calling these articles the history, confidently proclaiming the continued need for evangelism Global Conversation. 4 As someone else has said, “It’s not that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world.” aking the gospel to the ends of the earth, and evil that the Bible in both testaments decidedly secondary one. God’s mission, Tin obedience to the Great Commission, portrays. And we must evangelistically in this view, is simply getting souls to is an inescapable imperative. A definition proclaim the glories of God’s redemptive heaven, not addressing society on earth. of world evangelization that has won achievement in the Cross and resurrection assent from Christians of all stripes was of Jesus of Nazareth—as God’s victory I find such a view of God and of mission memorably summarized in the Lausanne over evil in all its dimensions. There would to be unbiblical and unbelievable, if one Covenant—the document substantially be no gospel without the Cross. Indeed, takes the whole Bible as the trustworthy crafted by John R. W. Stott and affirmed all blessings of the gospel, from personal revelation of the identity, character, and by the Lausanne Congress on World salvation through Christ’s death in our mission of the living God.