Prior to my participation in STEP, the little knowledge I had about Singapore and the region caused me to have minimal appreciation of the presence of Christianity in our small island. Dr Lee Soo Ann gave a brief introduction to the history of Colonial Singapore and how Christianity entered the region, while Dr Violet James gave a deeper analysis of how the colonial powers have brought their religions into Southeast Asia and impacted the countries even until today.
A revelation that I had was about the impacts of the Spanish and Dutch colonial powers on their colonies Philippines and Indonesia respectively. The Spanish enforced Roman Catholicism onto the Philippinos and restricted the Muslim community to Mindanao, which continues to be the hub of Islamic activity today. Whereas the Dutch were focused on their trading businesses and neglected the evangelism of Reformed Protestantism in Indonesia. These moves may have significant contribution to the national religion of Philippines and Indonesia today, with Philippines being the only Catholic country in the region and Indonesia becoming the largest Muslim country in the world.
Despite the ‘mistakes’ made by past colonial powers, I believe that Christianity still has a place in Indonesia and other areas where Christianity remains to be a minor religion. God is working in places with Islam as major religions, sending great missionaries and pastors to minister to His people and strengthen their faith in tough times. I feel that one of the great missionaries of our times is Dr Stephen Tong who has converted millions of Christians in our region including Indonesia. I remembered how amazed I was when I learnt about his missionary work and it only reminded me that my God is even greater because of how He sends and equips His people who participate in His mission.
I hope that the youths of my generation may serve God willingly and joyfully and may the words of Jesus Christ be remembered in our hearts. “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send our labourers into the harvest.” (Matthew 9: 37-38) These verses shared during one of the morning devotions left a deep impression on me and reminded me that there are many times when we may be stuck in our comfort zone, being ignorant of the needs of the people around us and not pointing them to God. Hence, the sharings by Dr. Simon Chan and Dr. Violet James were good wake up calls to be sensitive to the needs of others in local and overseas missions and also appreciate the history of Christianity in our region.
A revelation that I had was about the impacts of the Spanish and Dutch colonial powers on their colonies Philippines and Indonesia respectively. The Spanish enforced Roman Catholicism onto the Philippinos and restricted the Muslim community to Mindanao, which continues to be the hub of Islamic activity today. Whereas the Dutch were focused on their trading businesses and neglected the evangelism of Reformed Protestantism in Indonesia. These moves may have significant contribution to the national religion of Philippines and Indonesia today, with Philippines being the only Catholic country in the region and Indonesia becoming the largest Muslim country in the world.
Despite the ‘mistakes’ made by past colonial powers, I believe that Christianity still has a place in Indonesia and other areas where Christianity remains to be a minor religion. God is working in places with Islam as major religions, sending great missionaries and pastors to minister to His people and strengthen their faith in tough times. I feel that one of the great missionaries of our times is Dr Stephen Tong who has converted millions of Christians in our region including Indonesia. I remembered how amazed I was when I learnt about his missionary work and it only reminded me that my God is even greater because of how He sends and equips His people who participate in His mission.
I hope that the youths of my generation may serve God willingly and joyfully and may the words of Jesus Christ be remembered in our hearts. “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send our labourers into the harvest.” (Matthew 9: 37-38) These verses shared during one of the morning devotions left a deep impression on me and reminded me that there are many times when we may be stuck in our comfort zone, being ignorant of the needs of the people around us and not pointing them to God. Hence, the sharings by Dr. Simon Chan and Dr. Violet James were good wake up calls to be sensitive to the needs of others in local and overseas missions and also appreciate the history of Christianity in our region.
Lim Min
No comments:
Post a Comment