How has STEP deepened my understanding of Christianity in various aspects? - Donavan Tan

Looking back at the past 3 weeks of the Synod Training Exposure Program (STEP), I have decided to reflect on: “How has STEP deepened my understanding of Christianity in various aspects” because it has allowed me to gain deeper exposure and understanding of church history, exploring different denomination of churches and the relevance and importance of what we are learning and doing in church today.

The history of churches had led me to realign my purpose for coming to church and a deeper significance in my faith in Jesus Christ. Before the reformation in the 16^th century (1500 – 1600s), churches governed the people’s social lives, punishing moral wrongdoings and place strong significance on mass and rituals to attain salvation and forgiveness from the Lord. The services and teachings were held in Latin, where most people were unable to understand. They believed blindly, thinking that by attending relics and praying to saints, they would receive miracles and healing, and they can offer monetary gifts to the Lord in exchange for salvation. For instance, sins such as murder can be forgiven when one pays money to the priest and begs for forgiveness, and when you died, the church decides whether you will go to heaven. Gradually, the biblical focus was drifted away into interests in money and power rather than the true purpose of salvation and saving souls.

Today’s Christians, also known as the protestants, were born due to the opposition of the practices and rituals in the past as it does not follow the teachings of the bible. Praying to saints and attending relics would cure illnesses and perform miracle is a form of idolatry, where you are substituting God with an object or a ritual, breaking one of the 10 commandments of praying to idols. Furthermore, salvation is not saved by works or money. In Eph 2:8-9, it is by the grace of Jesus Christ through faith and earnest repentance will we receive the precious gift of salvation, not by ourselves or by works. Learning all these has reassured me of the God whom I am believing in today, as everything I learn and do in church is in line with what the bible says – sincere and penitent heart to seek repentance for the sins we have committed and justification by faith, not by works. God hears our prayers for miracles and healings and everything he does is based on his good and perfect will.

The theology of worship and sacraments have also eased my doubts in various aspects. In the past, I thought of worship solely as singing praises to God through music and voices. However, I learn that worship does not necessarily come in these forms; it can encompass a deeper and wider meaning in the form of conversations, testimonies, songs and scriptures. Worship falls back on God’s nature and sovereignty as omnipotent (infinite power), omniscient (infinite knowledge) and omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time) and our response to him. We worship God, not because of what he can do to meet our needs and our prayers, but rather to invite him into our hearts and to acknowledge him as our personal saviour. Do we stop worshipping God if we see that God’s miraculous signs and wonders were not evident in our lives? Do we only worship God for what he can do for us?

The term ‘Sacrament’ used to be a foreign word to me and holds very little importance in my walk with God. Through the theology of sacraments, it has introduced me to this term that comprises of both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, symbolising God’s acts of sealing the promises of the faith and a sign of grace given by Jesus Christ to mankind. Baptism is instituted by Christ as he was baptised by John the Baptist and it is also a great commission given by Christ to baptise others (Mt 28:19-20). It also marks the entrance into the fellowship of the Church, perform in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism by water ‘re-enacts’ the baptism by the spirit, where we make a public profession of faith and discipleship. It is a turning point for me and it also empowers me to continuously profess my faith in Jesus Christ amidst the struggle against the world.

The second aspect of the sacraments – The Lord’s supper is also another significant aspect of a Christian’s walk with God. Initially, I thought of it as a routine-based ritual to reconcile with Jesus once every month and have the body and blood of Jesus Christ dwell in me through his death and resurrection. In fact, the Lord’s supper also holds other significant meaning besides his remembrance; it also establishes the new covenant we have in Christ, keeping a constant reminder from Gal 2:20 that Christ lives in me and I am a new creation in him; therefore, we share and partake in unity as a church. In addition, it brings joy and celebration for us too, to always look forward to Christ’s returning and coming reign. Regardless of how often and the different ways of celebrating the Lord’s supper, it leads to the fact that God’s love for us is given through Christ’s death on the cross to die for our sins and his resurrection to bring us a new life.

This STEP program has also given me deeper views on God and enabling me to read the bible with deeper understanding, not just to take it on a literal perspective by the introduction to theological studies. To formulate a view of God, we must first have the basis of faith, a belief based on where the heart points towards and not based on proof alone. As we read the bible, many times we read the verses while neglecting the context, and even taking it too literal, which may result in errors and misunderstandings. For instance, when we take this phrase “God is Love” (1 Jn 4:7-12) out of its context, some may think of it as God loves everything and it may lead to a romantic love approach. However, based on the full context, John was addressing to the believers with regards to how God has shown his compassionate and sacrificial love to mankind by sending his one and only son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Some churches even practice ‘snakes handling’, believed to be taken from Mk 16:18, even when they are bitten, they refuse medical treatment as they believe they are worthy of God’s faith and healing, and their fate is in his hands. As we drive deeper into this verse, Jesus is not giving clearance to handle snakes to prove one’s invulnerability. He is bringing across the fact that any ‘powerful and resourceful enemy’, including the force of nature, will not be able to hinder the success of a Christian mission.

Many churches may argue that they are practicing and teaching what is mentioned in the bible, indeed, these churches have the right intention of bringing the gospel to the people, but the approach is wrong. As a cell group leader advocating a group of younger youth, it serves as a reminder for me too, in the way I teach my members, not to misinterpret and teach the wrong thing, but rather to read through the context, cross refer to other verses that mentions about a similar meaning, or approach any senior church leader when in doubt.

The course on ‘Exploring the defence of the Faith’ has built up my faith in my religion, and giving me new perspective on life questions regarding the Christian faith and helps me to think in the non-Christians’ perspective, evaluating their hypotheses and reasons why they do not believe in Jesus. These help us to be clear on how to bring the gospel and our faith to them, and to do this out of love, gentleness and respect for them. Based on the 3 tests of truths: Logical consistency, factuality and viability, Christianity indeed is true and the God we believe exists:

Logical Consistency - A true worldview will not contradict itself

Evil is a reality; suffering occurs in this world. That is why we need Jesus in our lives, to help us fight the evil and bring us comfort amidst this suffering world. (Rev 21:4)

Factuality – A true worldview will fit the facts

God exists because objective moral values and duties do exist. (We can be good without believing in God, but we cannot be good without God.)

God exists because the fine tuning of the universe is designed by him alone.

Viability – One can live with a worldview that is true

What we believe from the scripture comes from our faith, that is from our heart and this reflects how we live our life for Christ, to continuously be assured in our salvation and our walk with God and to bring the gospel to the unbelievers.

The STEP Program also provides talk on Christian Leadership which is relevant to me as the future leader of my church today. It emphasises in the aspects of the desire to grow spiritually and to see others glorify God and to practice servanthood with one another. To be a good Christian leader, we must always ensure these 4 aspects of our health are of the best condition – physical, relational, emotional and spiritual health. Conflicts and quarrelling among Church leaders are inevitable, so we ought to acknowledge our flaws, embrace criticism and strive to change for the better to grow in our spiritual being and our relationship with one another.

As Christian Leaders, we must also be thoroughly equipped and be ready to face challenges faced by our church members. This is when biblical counselling comes in; it serves as a good reminder for us to live a disciplined and obedient life for God, before we can bear the fruits of the spirit, encouraging and helping our Christian church members facing different challenges. In addition, the 8 aspects of biblical counselling – situation, reaction, motivation, result, changes based on the Word, new motivation, bearing good fruits and good results – allows me to dive deep and find out the underlying reason(s) why a person is behaving this way after facing the situation and the motives behind it. This is only possible if we respond to our members’ needs with love and patience and are thoroughly equipped with the gospel.

The STEP Program has also given me opportunities to visit other churches – attending an afternoon Catholic Mass and a Mega Church service and visiting the foreign workers from Health Serve in Geylang and the tours around Bible Colleges (TTC and SBC). There are different points to reflect based on these church services and how it differs from my own Presbyterian church service. The Catholic Mass has a different culture – the congregation were sincere in praying, through kneeling and silent meditation and they were serious in their call to confession and respond together. Based on what Presbyterian churches believe in, we do not need to attend a mass to seek confession and forgiveness from God. The ultimate purpose is to glorify God regardless of the ritual practices.

The Mega Church service in New Creation Church impresses me with the high-energy level of the congregation in their worship and the warm, amiable welcome by the befrienders. The worship in general is very modernised and well-rehearsed, which is an aspect I hope to bring to my church, but I beg to differ in their informal and less emphasis on holy communion, and the sermon was very charismatic, displaying mostly the positive side of Christianity and little mentioning of the other side of Christianity. For instance, by believing in God, he will pave the path of wealth, riches and healing to us and God does not bring diseases. There was a lack of the spiritual aspect of wealth, riches and healing when we believe in God. Regarding the aspect of God not bringing diseases and suffering, these are not directly inflicted by God, but God allows them to happen and use them according to his perfect will and to accomplish his sovereign purpose, as ultimately, his ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:9) and he knows the plans for us. (Jer 29:11)

The visitation to Health Serve has allowed me to see God speaking to us Singapore Christians to reach out to the foreign workers, who left their hometown to make ends meet, taking up harsh and difficult jobs in Singapore. Health Serve has willingly opened themselves up as a Christian association to help these foreign workers with their basic needs. Through the conversations and tour with these foreign workers, I felt God has called me to step out of my comfort zone, to reach out to these workers, where I do not necessarily need to bring the gospel to them, but through simple actions of love that they may see Christ working in me.

In a nutshell, STEP is a program that I certainly do not regret signing up for, as it exposes me to many biblical knowledge, strengthening and realigning my faith in Jesus Christ and even opportunities to fellowship with youth leaders from other churches in the same denomination. It is also relevant to me as a Church worship and cell group leader and I will certainly bring the essence of this program to my church mates and encourage them to sign up for these programs in future.


Reference

The History of Parliament, 2017. KS3 > The Reformation [Online]. Available from: http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/schools/ks3/reformation [Accessed on 29 May 2017].

Delesslyn A. Kennebrew, Christian Bible Studies Transformed By The Truth, 2012. What is true worship? [Online]. Available from: http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies//bible-answers/spirituallife/what-is-true-worship.html [Accessed on 29 May 2017].

The Seven Sacraments [Online]. Available from: http://www.jesuschristsavior.net/Sacraments.html [Accessed on 29 May 2017].

gotQuestions?org, 2017. Why is it important to study the Bible in context? [Online]. Available from: https://www.gotquestions.org/context-Bible.html [Accessed on 29 May 2017].

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch, 2012. Difficult Bible Passages: Mark 16:17-18 [Online]. Available from: http://billmuehlenberg.com/2012/06/02/difficult-bible-passages-mark-1617-18/ [Accessed on 30 May 2017].

gotQuestions?org, 2017. Why does God allow sickness? [Online]. Available from: https://www.gotquestions.org/God-allow-sickness.html [Accessed on 30 May 2017].

What is the purpose of your current generation in building of the church? Name at least one issue. - Isaac Lim

Passing my days as a young adult, I have faced and am still facing many temptations which would and will draw me away from God. Be it friends, advancement of technology (mainly the use of smartphones) or the worldviews we hear and see every day, there’s always this temptation to bring us further away from God. Without a deep foundation in the Word of God, it is very difficult to stay grounded in this end times. The purpose of my current generation would be to stay rooted in the Word and the deed of kingdom reconciliation which is taken from the word, Missio Dei. As the scripture from Matthew 3:2, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is Jesus’s central message.

As youths are often termed to be the future pillars of the Church, they are the ones likely to become future leaders in the Church. But if there are no youths willing to step up, how can there be anyone leading our future Church? Hence, retaining youths and educating them in the Word of God must be one of the key issues that my generation should do in building the church. With a strong grounding in scripture, daily devotions and prayer, we can then have the strength to move forward and reach out to the community. Driven by the purpose – which is the primary mission of the church to do mission in this world that we are living in, we can redirect people back to Jesus Christ.  

Growing up in a Christian family and being a second-generation Christian, I did not truly comprehend the meaning of being a Christian when I was a child. Going to church every Sunday was a must do "activity or program" and unless I fell sick or I was travelling overseas with my family, there was no excuse not to attend church. When I grew older, there were times I wanted to not attend church just so I could spend my Sunday with my friends. My friends often asked me out on Sunday mornings but I had no choice but to turn them down. In truth, it was mostly out of a strong compulsion to obey the “rules”, and not because my faith taught me to keep Sundays for God. CCA involving Sundays, were also out of the question. To non-believers, they have it easy. Being able to spend Sundays freely was a luxury that I could not afford. Going to church on a Sunday had become a 'norm' for me. And without knowing why, I was always feeling guilty if I had to skip a Sunday service, but looking back, it could have been the Holy Spirit guiding me through those difficult times. Nonetheless I am and will be grateful for those feelings that accompanied me through the years. 

Over the years, I slowly grew to understand what the true meaning of being a Christian was. Through God's grace (Sola Gratia) He sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to die for us and through Him, I am saved because I believed in Him and accepted Him as my Saviour and this has got nothing to do with my parents’ faith. Someone once said, 'God only has sons and daughters, but not grandsons or granddaughters.' Salvation is personal and hence that is what makes Christianity so special. Speaking from my own observations, there might be many youths coming to church, attending service but I am guessing that many of these youths are facing the same problem as I did in the past – not knowing the reason why they are going to church and that results in many of them drifting away when they grow older. 

Singapore Buddhist Federation president Seck Kwang Phing believes the youthful face of the non- religious group ties in with a change in attitudes among the young, who have become more independent in their thinking.

He said: "They ask and argue and do not simply allow their parents to select their faiths on their behalf."

Young people today are also exposed to a range of ideologies, which results in a spectrum of views within the non-religious category. The segment therefore includes atheists and agnostics; humanists and secularists; as well as free-thinkers and other individuals who might not necessarily be anti-religion.

From the article above, it is very likely that Christian youths in Singapore face a very real problem: If they are not rooted to the Word, they might be attracted to the many other secular things that this world has to offer. More often than not, these worldly temptations seem to gain the upper hand, along with their attention, time and money. Sadly, this seems to be the way things are right now. Coupled with the issue of liberal ideology which clashes with religious teachings on topics such as homosexuality, one would be able to accept and even use God's love to interpret homosexuality, but is that really true?

Being in a developed country like Singapore can have its pros and cons. According to Wikipedia, there is a study by a Pew Center about religion and education around the world in 2016. Singapore outranks other nations in terms of Christians who obtain a university degree in institutions of higher education (67%).

It is true that being educated helps us to be able to read and spread God's word. Singapore is one of the many countries that emphasizes on English as well as one's own Mother Tongue. Therefore, a student should be able to at least speak or read more than one language. Taking statistics from Singstat, there are about 97% of residents aged 15 and above being literate. Also, there are almost half the population which have post-secondary qualifications. This is the most updated data by far and this percentage shows that almost all the Singaporeans are literate. However, the percentage of Christians in Singapore constitute only 18%. Of course, this is not to affiliate literacy with number of Christians but more of making use of this knowledge to spread the Gospel.

As youths, I believe we are an influence and a shining light among our friends and through our actions live out what it means to be a Christian. Just as how King David was described in the bible, he's the man that God said to be "after My own heart" and then he writes and chronicles and details under the inspiration of God's Spirit so that from much of his life we can learn and be inspired. 

One would say that David's greatest service would be the composition of the Psalms. If we were to look at David’s lasting impact and legacy, it was not limited to the life that he led but also what he did during that lifetime, resulting in no less than 73 of the Psalms being ascribed to him. We may not be able to be as good a poet as David, but the attitude towards God is something we as youths can aspire to achieve. With a strong foundation in the Word, we can then help the other youths to grow spiritually and to seek after God. Care and concern for the fellow youths be it the same age group or the younger ones is necessary as well. From there on, we can and should reach out to those around us. We need to bring Gospel to those in need. My church is currently located in the town area and it is populated with youths. There are a few malls including Plaza Sing and the Cathay which attracts many youths. We also have SMU and SOTA. I believe this is a group we can serve and to bring to Christ. It will definitely not be an easy task but it is something we will need to work on. 

Enrolling into STEP has allowed me to deepen my Faith and to learn more about our denomination, the Presbyterian. It is based on the 5 Solas which I feel the Word of God (Sola Scriptura) and the Grace of God (Sola Gratia) struck me with more impact. I truly believe that this is the foundation of all things that we do. Through this program, I also acquired skills on how to spread the gospel and by doing so with gentleness and respect. I also learned to interpret the bible in a more holistic manner which enables me to understand the verses as it should be understood based on the context and not literally. The 3 questions that Rev Tan Tiong Ann always ask is ‘Who is this God? What has he done for us? And how can we respond?’ This faith is not something I would take lightly after knowing how Great our God is and what he has done for a sinner like me. I would highly recommend more youths to join this program to broaden their knowledge about their Faith and to strengthen their Faith. To stay on this path of Faith is not easy, due to the challenges we face as youths. But let us be like Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

References 

http://www.dtbm.org/sermon/davids-purpose--gods-glory/

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/youth-in-singapore-shunning-religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Singapore

http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data#20

Seeing God as God - Ho Qi Heng

The five solas are five Latin phrases that were popularized during the Reformation, both as a corrective to the excesses of the Roman Catholic Church and as a positive biblical declaration. Of the five solas, Sola scriptura (Scripture alone) emphasizes the Bible alone as the source of authority for Christians. This supreme view of scripture lay in its claim that all scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and so gave it divine authority. It can thus be seen that this high view of scripture was derived from a high view of God Himself. Sola Deo gloria (to the glory of God alone) emphasizes the glory of God as the goal of life. The Westminster Catechisms concurs by stating that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Implicit in these is an understanding and acknowledgement that God is deserving of this glory.

I feel that one challenge for the church today is for professing Christians to maintain this exalted view of God – seeing God for who He really is.

“God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection: all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” This is how the Westminster Larger Catechism answers the question “What is God?”, according to who the scriptures present Him to be.

Among other things, a right understanding of who God is greatly affects our worship of Him, our appreciation of His mercy, the extent of His condescension toward us, and how we should view ourselves with respect to Him.

In Jonathan Edwards (probably most famous) sermon “sinners in the hands of an angry God”, he paints a picture of a holy God who is under no obligation to preserve the lives of sinners:

“These natural men have done nothing at all to appease or abate that anger, and God is not in the least bound by any promise to hold them up. The Devil is waiting for them; hell is gaping for them; the flames gather and flash about them, and would prefer to lay hold of them and swallow them up. The fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator. There are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short, they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of. All that preserves them every moment is the sovereign, all-powerful will, the uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance, of an incensed God.”

While many may feel that Edwards is trying to incite fear in the hearts of his audience here, what is painted here is no exaggeration of the power of a fearsome God who is able to “destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). If we as Christians were able to see the wrath towards wickedness which an infinitely holy and just God demands, we would also see the great blessedness we have now received as people of grace, having now received mercy and pardon from our sins through Christ. It is disturbing to consider how perhaps a significant part of our church congregations adopt a flippant attitude towards worship, strolling in late for services, using their phones in the midst of worship and the like. 

The adequacy of our view of God also determines how we (desire to) engage Him through the scriptures and prayer. While we as finite man cannot grasp the fullness of God in our lifetime, a proper sense of His infinite perfection will prompt us towards a lifetime pursuit of Him. A.W. Tozer says in the pursuit of God,

“The moment the Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration our whole being sense its kinship to God and leaps up in joyous recognition. That is the heavenly birth without which we cannot see the kingdom of God. It is, however, not an end but an inception, for now begins the glorious pursuit, the heart’s happy exploration of the infinite riches of the Godhead. That is where we begin, I say, but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end.”

Yet if we are honest with ourselves, it is not often we can say along with the psalmist:

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

              that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

             all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

 and to inquire in his temple.  

Psalm 27:4

I find it sad to see that as Christians progress along in their lives here on earth through various stages of life, the pursuit of God and of knowing Him seems to take a backseat. When a spouse comes along, a family is formed, there is a danger for our faith to be relegated to just a routine and practice of “what a Christian needs to do”.

As mentioned, a right view of God affects how we see ourselves with respect to Him. In our day and age, many professing Christians have been turned away by difficult questions directed against the character of God – “how can a loving God allow evil to exist? How can God condemn sinners to hell for eternity? How can God elect some to be saved over others?” Others try to avoid this dilemma by altogether avoiding any engagement on these subjects, for fear that they might waver in their faith too. In the past, (at least from a personal viewpoint) Arminianism served as an example how men attempted to defend God’s “fairness” at the expense of compromising His sovereignty. However, we need to recognize that in the Creator-creature relationship, God is the Judge – the roles cannot be reversed. If God in His word does not see a need to defend Himself (regarding election for example: But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Romans 9:20-21), we do not need to become flustered trying to defend Him against the skeptics. My point in using this example is this: That God is loving does not negate the fact that God is the Almighty, the great I AM, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That God is loving does not bring Him on equal plane with us such that we can treat Him as equals, even if He calls us friends.

Thus it is when we have a right view of God, then we will have a right view of scripture. A magnified view of God then leads to a magnified view of scripture. It is then that scripture being “God-breathed” means anything to us as Christians. It is then the commands to “Go”, to “Love your enemies”, to “deny yourself” are understood as they really are – commands rather than options.

Yet what can be done for Christians to have a right view of God, to see God as God? For no doubt it is the work of the Holy Spirit that draws us to pursue and thirst after Him. But perhaps for those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), the pursuit of God can be a contagious influence to brothers and sisters around. Tozer describes those who have “found God and still to pursue Him” as “children of the burning heart”, and by much prayer will the flames in these hearts be caught up by others around them.

To conclude: while what has been written may seem disconnected in parts, what I have attempted is to point towards is this: only a proper view of God can accord to the Christian a proper view of scripture (Sola scriptura), and a proper view of his purpose on earth (Soli Deo gloria). I pray that all of us, including myself, will reverently seek to cultivate this proper view of God in our lives =)

References:

1. Edwards, J. (1997). Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Whitaker House.

2. Tozer, A. W. (2014). The pursuit of God. Authentic Media Limited.

3. Vos, J. G. (2002). The Westminster larger catechism: A commentary. G. I. Williamson (Ed.). P & R Pub..

The Church and Youth – bridging the gap for Presbyterian youth in today’s world - Jeremy Tang

Being a young Christian today in our modern world can prove to be increasingly daunting with the challenge of having an intimate relationship with God, being rooted in Scripture while living with the many factors-internal and external- that affect us daily in our spiritual walk with God. Nonetheless, this journey is not meant to be borne by one’s pure human effort alone for one who walks in Christ understands the importance in the reliance of God through His many wondrous ways and lives with the end goal in mind – eternity in His divine kingdom. Moreover, the spiritual journey in Christ is never meant to be undertaken by one alone but rather with a community of people congregated together exalting and glorifying His name, in other words, the church. Throughout history as seen from the life of Paul and his missionary works in Acts, churches are the anchor points for believers in fundamental areas of worship, fellowship and discipleship. Fast forwarding to the present through John Calvin’s legacy, there is still adaptation from the early churches into the Presbyterian denomination today. As the young regardless of origin are first introduced to the concept of church and how it works as they grow in the community, there is always the ever-present need for inculcation of correct theologies and doctrines as they are after all in the early stage of spiritual development where solid foundations must be laid. With a forward-looking mindset, issues of succession, continuity and future leadership come into the picture where youth play a pivotal role as mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:12. Understanding what and why things happen in church is key before matters of leadership and succession even come into discussion.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Hence as a Presbyterian, I go with the stance that the current generation of youth need to have sufficient comprehension in several doctrines and beliefs founded on biblical truths, possessing the necessary skills not excluding character development before having their part in the continual sustenance and reformation of the core pillars of the church –worship, sacraments, Christology and Christian living –whilst not jeopardizing or compromising on the standards founded upon Scripture managing the various issues as potential leaders of the church. In my essay, I will be discussing the topics of worship and leadership structure in church and how they relate to youth.

Firstly, I would like to begin in Worship as it constitutes a major part of church being not only the key introductory tool for evangelism and new believers but rather an essential discipline in the daily lives of believers. As youth in the church, it is imperative that a common understanding on what our aim in worship is be established before bringing in issues of the liturgy and execution. It stems from a two-pronged approach for the individual and congregation. Worship to individuals, in its sole purpose, is to be centred around God and nothing else and serves as a platform for us- through the Holy Spirit -who have been saved from eternal condemnation to express our eternal gratitude to our Father who has sent His Son to save us as we were all dead in our transgressions^[1]. Worship is for us as His believers to engage in a divine human encounter to draw close to Him.^[2] Therefore, it is critical that youth growing in churches internalize this concept for this should be the core of what worship entails: God and God alone. Another area that individuals, especially youths, need to understand is that our true audience is God and we go to church to give, not receive^[3]. Youths, especially the 2^nd

---

[1] Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions.”

[2] “Theology in Worship” by Rev Tan Tiong Ann, STEP 2017

[3] “7 things we regularly get wrong about worship” 3. Self-centredness destroys all worship. http://www.crosswalk.com/home-page/todays-features/7-things-we-regularly-get-wrong-about-worship.html

generation Christians, are in exceptional risk to having gone to church but in some cases personally, there is hardly or no spiritual growth or divine encounter attributed to lack of knowledge and understanding, loss of personal commitment and moral standards or hardness of the heart.^[1] An example to demonstrate my point would be the toxic mindset that is self-centred of how one can benefit in getting their needs met (physical, emotional, relational or spiritual). Thus, the view on what worship is(only one of the many aspects of life as a Christian) at the individual level needs to be theologically sound and rooted in Scripture inculcated by the predominant figures of authority-parents, or leaders in the church^[2] as worship is a fundamental core of the faith. With a correct approach in the heart of worship for the believers across the age spectrum settled, matters of worship en masse can then be brought into discussion.

Congregational worship began since the times of the early churches in Acts 2^[3] where they engaged in many basic acts of worship that still of relevance today^[4]. Moving along the basis of worship to be that we are to be in a continuous divine human encounter with God and is the nursing ground for where the faith grows, it is evident in the Presbyterian style of worship that adopts a traditional liturgy^[5]. Utilising a key Reformation principle Sola Scriptura, this traditional liturgy has kept a constant foothold ensuring that God is in the centre of it all. Some examples from our own local Synod churches to illustrate would be a time of silent meditation before service begins to direct believers to begin their Sunday in pensiveness rather than to chit- chat in the sanctuary about their past week’s highlights. Call to Worship, placed before the actual Praise and Worship segment, serves as an invitation from God through the worship leader, in the narration of Scripture (commonly Psalms) to focus their hearts and minds on Him in preparation for the service. The Corporate Prayer segment, typically led by either an elder or deacon, allows for the congregation to be brought to God united as we pray as a congregation for matters pertaining either within or outside the church walls.^[6] My list of liturgical examples in our current structure can go on and on, but my point here is this: every element in worship stands for the continuous divine human encounter that is experienced not by our own human effort but through the Holy Spirit, from the congregational level down into the heart of the individual. Linking back to my target group, it is crucial youths understand the various elements of worship and see how they interact with the aim of having a deeper engagement with God to give them a sense of purpose and fulfilment into why worship is conducted the way it is rather than just taking things as they are on face value.

Detractors to my argument would claim that the adoption of traditional liturgy in Presbyterian liturgy would create some issues in areas of church growth and attractiveness to non-believers/visitors especially in the age of millennials. In view of the rising explosion of mega churches around the world the past decade especially in the US^[7], it can be deduced that the number of people attending these mega churches- believers or non-believers is nothing short of increasing.

---

[1] “Second generation Christians” His main arguments in the 4 areas mentioned. http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume31/GOT031195.html

[2] http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/how-do-you-minister-to-second-generation-christian-students

[3]

[4] http://www.thetransformedsoul.com/additional-studies/miscellaneous-studies/-worship-in-the-early-church Early churches did basic acts of reading and exposition of Scripture, prayer, the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and the observance of the sacraments

[5] http://www.crisismagazine.com/1992/the-biblical-way-to-worship-a-presbyterian-appreciation-of-liturgy

[6] “Theology in Worship” by Rev Tan Tiong Ann, STEP 2017 The 3 examples used to demonstrate traditional liturgy.

[7] See Figure 1.0  http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2013/february/explosive-growth-of-us-megachurches-even-while-many-say.html

Figure 1.0 – to demonstrate the uprising trend of mega-churches

This trend is not just exclusive to USA and from a local perspective, the statement still holds with the mega church influence in New Creation Church with other churches such as City Harvest Church and Faith Community Baptist Church^[1]. A possible reason for this trend could be attributed to the style of worship adopted which is utilizing contemporary culture. Mega-churches, being independent or without any specific denomination, publicise themselves with the contemporary style of worship. As their services are generally conducted in large auditoriums, they adopt a concert-like approach involving many people from the musical aspect of backup-singers/choral group to the logistics aspect of AV and lighting, not to mention their sheer number of ushers involved in crowd control. Such an approach creates an environment that encourages people to serve with the result being attractive – captivating lights and sounds that make the atmosphere lively- allowing the worship experience to become “holistic”. This is evident in New Creation Church that utilizes the STAR Vista Auditoriums for its Sunday Services with intricate lighting and AV equipment and its leather clad crew of singers that are almost pitch perfect. Contrasting this to the traditional liturgical style which is much more conservative and static, the prospect of new believers opting for the contemporary style becomes more and more distinct as seen in the population spike over the past few years in mega-church demographics as compared to the slower growth seen in our Presbyterian churches where the entire Synod stands at about 24,000. Moreover, this charismatic style adopted is free of denominational ties which is viewed to be simpler to grasp for new believers, creating an “open-door” policy that is more marketable to the masses. Detractors would also claim that the church over time has become inflexible; to be overly rooted in its tradition in Reformation without consideration for change with the modern times to cater to the profiles of pre-believers.

---

[1] http://www.baylorisr.org/2015/07/02/notes-from-the-global-church-megachurches-in-singapore/  NCC- over 30,000 , CHC, over 20,000 and FCBC, 12,000

I concede then, that from the area of church growth, mega churches are leading the forefront with Presbyterian communities behind. Church growth is an important factor in sustenance of the church however there are many other areas that should be considered in worship. Many a time in things that we do for Christ, they are nothing but filled with good intention, but in this context, does the good intention of Man to spread God’s word equate it to being God-centred? From the perspective of a youth in a Presbyterian church, these seemingly multigenerational attractive styles combined with triumphant music can makes us doubt the traditional liturgical style that we have been brought up with. Emerging youth churches, such as the Heart of God and Cornerstone church, follow the similar motivations of the already established in Singapore sowing even more questions in youths today. An example to demonstrate the demographic of Presbyterian churches generally would be the proportion of youth to adults and elderly as compared to the churches mentioned above.

The Bible does not clearly present to us a clear, chronological flow of worship from cover to cover and did not specify that a standard liturgy is to be applied to all believers which is why there have been many interpretations of what worship should be like, some firmly grounded while others seem to be a display of force fit or loose contextualization. There is an unprecedented danger in the contemporary style of worship and the threat lies from within us. That is our pride and self-interests. Linking to my previous point about what constitutes worship as an individual, there is this invisible and often undetected risk that envelops the contemporary style of worship both for the congregation and people in the ministry. I am not implying that the worship ministries in Presbyterian churches are absolutely free of this risk, but rather this contemporary style already predisposes itself to be anthropocentric instead. By utilizing elaborate means in the execution of praise and worship, members in the congregation can possibly get accustomed to this style and start to associate worship as a form of entertainment or “feel-good” session for themselves as much as worship is ultimately for the pleasure and delight of God^[1]New believers in mega-churches could possibly be imbued with a heavy misconception of what worship is due to the over-emphasis on the quality of praise standards done by man. Traditional liturgy strips away the unnecessary and potential distractions, to allow believers to fully focus on God with minimalistic use of theatrics and choreography to prevent believers from equating worship to performance. In view of the mega-church style of worship, it is important for youths to be discerning from what the world feeds us through culture, staying grounded in the Word and keeping worship rooted in God, bearing in mind that worship is not for one’s own self-glorification. Worship is so much more than just a Sunday Service but rather is an essential part for youths to keep in view as they mature. Practically speaking for the worship ministry, there needs to be a fine balance in the devotion of resources to development of hard skills as well as mentoring and guidance in the spiritual aspect for youths as aspiring leaders to have a biblical basis in whatever they intend to implement and review in the future.  Thus, there is basis behind the Presbyterian liturgy and youths in churches should gear to developing a greater appreciation for it while understanding the risks associated with other styles.

Up next, I will be looking at leadership and the Presbyterian polity as it entails how the church is run affecting the congregation under the system. In spite of many churches today including this segment in their discipleship lessons to educate the younger generation of believers, it is clear that youth may underestimate the importance of the structure let alone comprehend the undergirding principles for why the church is managed this way. This is evident in a lackluster attendance or divided attention of youths in Annual General Meetings where key matters relating to the church are discussed and disseminated to the congregation. With understanding that the word Presbyterian comes from the Greek word presbuteros which means elders, it is a structure that has been utilized since John Calvin

---

[1] http://www.crisismagazine.com/1992/the-biblical-way-to-worship-a-presbyterian-appreciation-of-liturgy Points 1 about worship and God being the true audience.

where he was pastoring his own church in Geneva^[1]. The session court consists of elders – leaders who have been elected by the congregation who have at least been members for 3 years in the church- and pastors- people with theological background called by Christ to lead and shepherd the believers as spiritual leaders- who in union come to discuss and settle pertaining matters of the church. What is uniquely strong about the Presbyterian form of ruling is that authority and power is shared between the session court and congregation. The responsibility of the congregation in choosing the right people to be elected as elders and the accountability of the elders to each other as well as to the congregation who have deemed them capable to lead the church under the guidance of God^[2]. This system has its advantages over hierarchical models governed by powerful single individuals^[3] with a greater sense of accountability amidst the Session Court. Moreover, there is inclusiveness where the congregation is involved in significant ministry decisions and there is no level or hierarchy bias between communicant members of the church and that the pool of selection for elders is from the congregation itself, allowing for a larger spectrum of perspectives outside from the theological circles held by pastors and reverends. There are several levels of councils – Session, Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly where each of these are connected to each other. An example would be a local church running under a Session Court with a few Session Courts forming a Presbytery and a few Presbyteries forming a Synod…  Within the Presbyterian community, our denomination reflects the unity of the church universal through a common system of beliefs and a common polity^[4]. To demonstrate my point, it would be oxymoronic in nature to dub a Presbyterian church as independent as connection is of utmost importance.

Critics to my claims would debate that there are weaknesses in such a system of democracy for the fact that the very nature of decision-making at times can prove to be cumbersome and inefficient as compared to a smaller committee that implements policies or decides on behalf of the church. Another reason that they argue is that in the election of elders, they are elected sometimes not on the basis of ministry and character but rather because of their fame, reputation or fortune in the world. The unspoken criteria decided by the masses can be worldly-minded instead of being spiritually focused resulting in the election to be like a popularity contest where using the opinion of the congregation to decide may not be the most optimal as the popular choice may not necessarily be the right choice. The voting and election processes may not be the most credible as there could be many invisible factors that are present that threaten its integrity such as a crowd pressures or growing bias towards certain people.^[5] Even throughout history in the Bible, the decisions made by the majority were often wrong through the lives of key leaders such as Moses, Joshua and Caleb.

However, their criticisms of the Elder ruling system reflect a negativity bias in their thinking with a disregard for the stability and anti- corrupt atmosphere it creates. An example to illustrate my point would be the implementation in the Reformation through the life of John Calvin where he ruled in Geneva for 23 years and where the merits outweighed the problems. John Calvin did not decree that his method of church governance be replicated as a mandatory measure for churches throughout time but rather it worked the other way around. The Presbyterian polity stood out and the legacy left behind by John Calvin is of utmost relevance today as seen throughout the entire Synod in Singapore. From their relatively biased claims opposing the Presbyterian polity, it is an indication the churches they are in adopt the Episcopal or Congregational polities. Till today, these methods of

---

[1] “John Calvin and His Relevance till Today” by Rev Peter Chan, STEP 2017

[2] “ Presbyterianism” by Rev Peter Chan, STEP 2017

[3] http://fredericksburgpc.org/about-us/what-we-believe/presbyterian-polity

[4] Same as footnote 14

[5] https://www.jewishideas.org/majorities-are-often-wrong-thoughts-parashat-shelah-lekha-june-14-2014

church ruling have their own set of issues that could be of a larger magnitude than those experienced under Presbyterian polity. The Episcopal system elevates hierarchy and possesses the clergy- layman distinction which creates power inequalities between the congregation and their leaders. The undergirding principles of Presbyterian polity stand firm and a notable one in this context includes the understanding of our natural inclination as humans to sin, the accountability system of elders serve to restrain the human depravity. Another key principle is that we appreciate the value of order and structure for the furtherance of God’s kingdom (just as He is in His triune nature). Hence, before the topic of succession and church leadership amongst the youth is invited, all that has been mentioned above has to be instilled in them to aid them in their understanding of why the church governance was and still is the way it is today in the Synod.

In a nutshell, worship and leadership styles are only just two of the key pillars of the church that I have chosen to discuss. There are still other areas such as Missiology and Sacraments that are of importance for youths to understand on how we are all Gods ambassadors and the significance of the 2 sacraments: baptism and the Holy Communion. Therefore, as I conclude, to reiterate that it is key for youths in churches to have a solid foundation on biblical truths which aids in understanding and discernment of Christian doctrines culminating to the formation of their Christian worldview and how it affects and has a role to play in the church as potential leaders.