I am just a simple Christian. I love the Lord and want to do His will and be like Him. However, I have been following some blogs on the Internet for some time (almost 2 years to be exact), and I had no idea that Christians do warfare with each other like this! Aren't we supposed to fight the devil instead of one another?? Maybe I am naive, but wow! we are worse than the American presidential campaigns! Anything we can say and dig out, whether it is true or not, is just put out there in your face! To be honest, I don’t know if Pastor Prince Guneratnam is right, or this teh tarik group is right, but one thing I know, hitting below the belt is WRONG!
I used to think that Christians had this great promise from God, that our minds could be renewed, our lives transformed, so that we would be just like our Lord Jesus Christ. I thought Romans 12: 1-2 was like God’s treasure given to us so that we could be salt and light to this world. I didn’t realise that this “transformation” of standing for “truth, transparency and good governance” could also mean dragging someone’s reputation through the mud, calling deacons liars, and pastors worse names even than liars ... I didn’t know being salt and light to the world meant going to the newspapers (who just want a sensational story to increase their sales) with a nice banner that would shame Jesus’ church and His reputation, either. Worse still, I didn’t even consider, at one time that suing deacons, pastors, and the church of Jesus Christ was standing up for truth and transparency. Wow! So this is christianity today!
My dear brothers and sisters through Jesus’ precious blood, I know that history and the bible teach us different stories about how to overcome conflict and disagreement. Jesus may have whipped the moneylenders from the temple area, but you know, he showed deep respect for the priestly and temple office. He told the ordinary people that even the Pharisees taught the right thing to do. He said, “Do what they tell you; just don’t do what they do.” If we really think that the pastors and deacons of any church are not being fair or pastoral enough, Jesus comforts us with good advice, “Hey, guys, do the good things they teach you...just don’t do what they do.” We can also add—“and don’t you rebel against them by going to the newspapers...!”
When Paul came before the Sanhedrin for preaching Jesus and hanging out with Gentiles, the high priest Ananias told those around Paul to smack his face! And Paul got really mad, so he said: “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!” (Acts 23: 3) But when Paul realized this was the high priest, you know what he said?? Read verse 5: “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people’.”
You know, the bible is still true even today. We cannot fight spiritual battles using worldly weapons. If the pastors and deacons are so bad as some people say, then do what Jesus did with his enemies: leave them to God. God alone will vindicate His cause of transparency and truth ... using the weapon of the cross. We cannot win souls by using the latest sophisticated method or gadget. We cannot grow a church by using marketing strategies and branding a product, we cannot solve conflicts and quarrels by shouting matches, propaganda, demonstrations, signing memorandums etc etc. This is not the way of the cross.
I’m not even sure about all the quarrelling that has been going on in Calvary Church. But your name should tell you how you should behave. You are called by the name of Jesus’ dying place...Calvary is the place of the cross. All who come in must “take up his cross, deny himself, and follow me”. I’m not even sure who is right or wrong, whether the pastors and deacons are such terrible people as some say. (Wow, they sound worse than the crooks in Pudu Jail!—Oh, no more Pudu Jail now!—Are you very, very, very sure they are like this?) But I cannot agree with the way that some sheep have chosen to express their unhappiness. Brothers and sisters, this is not the way. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14: 12).
You want to demonstrate? Then demonstrate love. Never mind your enemy’s response. You demonstrate the life of the cross. God will win your battle for you if your cause is right and just. But make very sure of this: do not ask God to stand on your side, because you are just a little human being. Make sure you are found on God’s side... The cross is always the winning side.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Our Beloved Pastor Prince Guneratnam
He is born of the seed of Adam, full of sins and full of flaws. He is a human being with feelings and emotions just like us. He eats, sleeps, takes a good shower when the humidity gets the better of us, and he watches American Idol on TV too! He has angered some people and pleased some people, made some people cringe and cry, while others smile and laugh.
That is also the kind of person for whom Jesus dies on the cross for. Does Jesus love him? Has God forgiven his sins and his flaws? Is God at work in his life?
The answer; an astounding YES!
From the testimony of a widow, Rev Prince Guneratnam dropped all his formal appointments, got his wife and his daughter together to his office, and the three of them prayed for the widow and offered words of encouragement to the widow. The widow was touched because he is such a busy man, yet he made time to attend to her immediate needs. Otherwise, she would not know how she could have cope with life without her husband.
From the testimony of a woman whose husband has been unfaithful, Rev Prince Guneratnam called the woman’s husband, scolded him, and told him to be faithful to his marriage. He prayed for the couple, sent them for counseling and followed up with calls to ensure that their marriage is still strong today.
From the testimony of a man who is down and out, without a job, and without any big credentials to his name, he walked in to Calvary Church one day, and Rev Prince Guneratnam was preaching on that day. He expounded from the Word of God so accurately and God spoke loud and clear, encouraged this man to continue to trust God for provision. Towards the end of the message, Rev Prince Guneratnam was persistent to wait for “that man whom God wants to touch” to walk down towards the altar. The man finally gave in. Tears filled his eyes, God’s love has touched his heart. He recognize the voice of God calling him. He learned to trust God. The next day, he was offered a job with a pay beyond his expectations.
From the testimony of one who has left Calvary Church and just came back recently… “I came back to hear his messages and how he could still preach from the pulpilt. Doesn’t this man have a conscience? But I was surprised that his message is still as solid as ever. I cannot deny, God did speak to me and to my situation. I am surprised God can still use him.”
From the testimony of one who lives in Bangsar…. “I saw Senior Pastor taking his evening walk in Bangsar. He saw me, smile at me, and came up to me to talk to me! I was surprised because I thought he was an arrogant man… untouchable. It was nice to talk to him definitely. I was encouraged!”
To cut the story short, he has attended weddings, funerals, visited some homes and has NEVER turn down any request for him to pray for his church members.
This post is not intended to praise and exalt a man, but to show you the other side of the coin, since he has a badly damaged reputation online.
To many Calvarites we spoke to, he is still their dearly beloved pastor. Of course they said there are certain things which he could have done better and improve on, but they know he is just a human like all of us. Does he deserve our forgiveness and prayer? Absolutely.
Does he deserve to be called a snake, or a dog? Not at all. Jesus would definitely not call him that because God has made him a man, and the power of the Resurrection of the Cross has all it takes to forgive him and to love him, and to fill him and empower him.
Does he have any areas that he needs to improve on as a pastor of Calvary Church? Absolutely. This guy is not perfect!
Do we have the moral right to judge him? We do, only if we are perfect.
A truth which we found out recently:-
We visited Calvary Church last weekend and we saw how tired he looked. His tired demeanour showed much discouragement and much struggle he is going through. In times like these, we could understand why.
And it is in times like these, when a pastor looks so defeated, that we all as Christians, are duty-bound to pray even harder for the church of God to move forward victoriously in this land.
We invite anyone with any good things to say about Rev Prince Guneratnam to share them, so that the world would get to understand and read the other side of the coin too.
More to come.
That is also the kind of person for whom Jesus dies on the cross for. Does Jesus love him? Has God forgiven his sins and his flaws? Is God at work in his life?
The answer; an astounding YES!
From the testimony of a widow, Rev Prince Guneratnam dropped all his formal appointments, got his wife and his daughter together to his office, and the three of them prayed for the widow and offered words of encouragement to the widow. The widow was touched because he is such a busy man, yet he made time to attend to her immediate needs. Otherwise, she would not know how she could have cope with life without her husband.
From the testimony of a woman whose husband has been unfaithful, Rev Prince Guneratnam called the woman’s husband, scolded him, and told him to be faithful to his marriage. He prayed for the couple, sent them for counseling and followed up with calls to ensure that their marriage is still strong today.
From the testimony of a man who is down and out, without a job, and without any big credentials to his name, he walked in to Calvary Church one day, and Rev Prince Guneratnam was preaching on that day. He expounded from the Word of God so accurately and God spoke loud and clear, encouraged this man to continue to trust God for provision. Towards the end of the message, Rev Prince Guneratnam was persistent to wait for “that man whom God wants to touch” to walk down towards the altar. The man finally gave in. Tears filled his eyes, God’s love has touched his heart. He recognize the voice of God calling him. He learned to trust God. The next day, he was offered a job with a pay beyond his expectations.
From the testimony of one who has left Calvary Church and just came back recently… “I came back to hear his messages and how he could still preach from the pulpilt. Doesn’t this man have a conscience? But I was surprised that his message is still as solid as ever. I cannot deny, God did speak to me and to my situation. I am surprised God can still use him.”
From the testimony of one who lives in Bangsar…. “I saw Senior Pastor taking his evening walk in Bangsar. He saw me, smile at me, and came up to me to talk to me! I was surprised because I thought he was an arrogant man… untouchable. It was nice to talk to him definitely. I was encouraged!”
To cut the story short, he has attended weddings, funerals, visited some homes and has NEVER turn down any request for him to pray for his church members.
This post is not intended to praise and exalt a man, but to show you the other side of the coin, since he has a badly damaged reputation online.
To many Calvarites we spoke to, he is still their dearly beloved pastor. Of course they said there are certain things which he could have done better and improve on, but they know he is just a human like all of us. Does he deserve our forgiveness and prayer? Absolutely.
Does he deserve to be called a snake, or a dog? Not at all. Jesus would definitely not call him that because God has made him a man, and the power of the Resurrection of the Cross has all it takes to forgive him and to love him, and to fill him and empower him.
Does he have any areas that he needs to improve on as a pastor of Calvary Church? Absolutely. This guy is not perfect!
Do we have the moral right to judge him? We do, only if we are perfect.
A truth which we found out recently:-
We visited Calvary Church last weekend and we saw how tired he looked. His tired demeanour showed much discouragement and much struggle he is going through. In times like these, we could understand why.
And it is in times like these, when a pastor looks so defeated, that we all as Christians, are duty-bound to pray even harder for the church of God to move forward victoriously in this land.
We invite anyone with any good things to say about Rev Prince Guneratnam to share them, so that the world would get to understand and read the other side of the coin too.
More to come.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Truth Behind the Membership Roll
In Acts 3, we read of the account of Peter and John healing the crippled beggar at Beautiful Gate and on that day, the membership of the new Christian believers grew to about 5000 men, excluding women and children. Then we read of the arrest of Peter and John for their act and how the Sanhedrin endeavoured to silent the new movement.
We can clearly see the schemes or designs of Satan, working through the Sanhedrin to frustrate and thwart the expansion of the church and to drain the spiritual vitality of the disciples.
From Acts 4, we saw Satan employing a few strategies against the church, Peter and John.
Get rid of the key leaders and block the church’s forward motion. Satan did it here through the arrest of Pete and John. We need to pray for those in places of spiritual authority.
Tempt by blaming God. Wonder what run through the minds of Peter and John that night when they were arrested? “Is this how God rewards me for being faithful?”, “what is going to happen to us? To the new 5000 converts?”. Most of us would be able to relate to this almost on a daily basis.
Tempt with worry and discouragement. Most of them in Calvary Church would definitely be able to relate to this. Disheartened, discouraged and often times, disturbed.
Tempt with feelings of inferiority.
Intimidate and threaten.
Satan is predictable. God is not! The strategies Satan employs against the church in Acts stays exactly the same today. His 3 strategies are:-
- defeat the church (or the individual) by causing it to doubt, fear, despair, blame others, blame God, or sin. It is an attack against the spirit of the church or individual.
- defeat by the church by promoting division. Often this is done through the functioning of selfishness. Many times it is doctrinal.
- defeat the church or individual through persecution or seduction. Actually persecution and seduction are two sides of the same coin. A torturer is often more successful with a captive when he lures him with advantages rather than persecution. In Acts, we do not see Satan using seduction to any degree. That comes later in church history.
Can you identify the above strategies used by Satan against Calvary Church? We cannot accuse our Christian brothers and sisters who support the TTG cause for having malicious and evil intention. Their hurts and disappointments are genuine, (although misplaced and not well-informed), but we need to pray and intercede for them as well. It is equally difficult for them to oppose their church in such fashion.
However, after making a few phone calls and spoke to a few persons, we would like to draw your attention to some facts we have found out recently.
- There were less than 200 members of Calvary Church who had been removed from the “Voting Members” and “Associate Members” list.
- The 200 names had been DOWNGRADED and MOVED to a list called “Inactive Members”.
- There are also some who have passed away, and there are also some who have transferred membership to other churches.
Without publishing this fact, some of our brothers and sisters of a differing view may think otherwise. You may choose to call Calvary Church or email them to verify. Their contact details is at their church website at http://www.calvary.org.my
So, for those who saw photos of their friends smiling behind the “We love Calvary Church” banner in the newspaper last week, good news is, their names are still on the membership roll of their church.
More to come...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
