Children and Adult

Last 2 weeks, Ps. Stella was preaching about Children Worship in FCC. One thing I discovered and I asked myself why I didn't see this during my research. I keep on finding facts to prove that children can worship. But one question is that whose problem when the child could not worship? Is the adult! not the children. The children are not given the chance to worship together in the service.

I was leading worship in the chapel today. I sang hymns and one song that I've sung during the Children Worship Conference. I arranged the songs in the way the songs would give us the feel. One hymns that I sang is "Joyful Joyful We Adore thee". I find that most of the time when we sing this in chapel, is more solemn or more lamenting. How can we sing Joyful song with lament mode?! The form of the music indeed plays an important part in worship. I'm not saying that I use music to psycho the people to worship, or to stir their feeling, but this is the gift of God that has been given to people and we use it. The modern form of music shows another important thing that playing piano alone will not show us; team work! Why people in STM complain that the worship is so noisy? Obvious reason is that we do not have good sound system!

I've been out of topic now. But that is what I am struggling here too. Back to children and adult. Second song that I sang is "I will offer up my life" by Matt Redman. The struggle when I was leading in STM is almost the same in All Saints' Cathedral, difficult to get the people to sing whereby in Psalms it is a command to worship HIM! I sensed that the atmosphere is so different in chapel just now. Not all, but some are so skeptical while worshiping. When we sang this song in the Children Conference, the atmosphere was so different. I personally cried and was touched by the Spirit. I felt the strong assurance in God while worshiping with the children. But I can't sense it just now. I think is because of the simplicity of the faith.

May the Lord have mercy on us.

Isaac

Learning Theology through Steward Group Duty

Theology that learned through book I think is only stop at head but not hands. Theology, I think, is best learned through the simple thing that we do in our daily lives. I remembered my first day in All Saints' Cathedral for practical, I asked one question "how can I learn theology through folding the bulletins?"

Last week was my steward group's turn to do our duty. I was so encourage by one of the members, saying that she is so happy whenever she saw the forks and spoons are so organized because she said that she knew that this person must have "use his heart" (transliteration from Chinese) or put in effort in doing this, and she said that in STM I'm the only person who does that. Then I gave a reason to her, how can we study Systematic Theology and we do not behave systematically? Through this act, I know that God is an organized God. Just look at how He plans for the Ark. Therefore, I always sigh when I saw the forks and spoons are in a mess!

Second thing that I can put my theology into practice during duty is that God is a God of grace or perhaps He is not a calculative God. If He is calculative, then all of us will live under His wrath! Even single thing that we do will be wrong even though we think that it is right. I say this because every meal in STM we seemed to have only 20mins to eat. After 20mins, second bell will ring and the door will be closed. I've observed that some people really so particular with the time because if many people are still eating then they can wash less. They are so calculative! I think the vision of our student body is not clear to the community here, "Sharing God's grace". I told my group members that they can ring the bell, BUT not close the door. Washing few more plates won't makes any difference after having washed all other plates! Don't be so calculative. Share the grace. I think we have to think like this: we have been served by five different steward groups and we serve for one week only. Compare the 5 times you receive and 1 time you give. Why do we need to be so calculative!

Theology affects methodology. How you treat people or how you behave affect your understanding about God.

James 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

Isaac