Hey crazy cows and peculiar peanuts people! :)
How's everyone been huhhh? well, i'm here to update the blog :) haha, and of course write some of the thoughts that have been on my mind recently especially after easter and good friday :)

so, just yesterday i was reading this section of a book, and it was abt the great commision and making disciples.

Matthew28:18-20
¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

then it goes on to say (notice the words in italics?) :

1) we have made "go" optional.
and there and then, i was reminded of the fact that it was a commandment to make disciples, to spread the gospel. it isn't an "add-on" thing in our faith.

2) we have changed "all" to "some".
haha, admit it! i'm guilty too of choosing people easier to talk to, to minister God's word. sometimes, we even judge people according to their appearances, according to whether they have the same interests as us...

3)we have changed "teaching them to obey" to "suggesting that they obey"
ever tried to reach out to your friend with the gospel, trying to put everything nicely, say everything in the nicest way possible so that they will be more willing/ receptive yet losing the absolute truth in it?

so at the end of the day, i related this back to our recent Good friday and Easter outreach in church/ in Bay... and i reflected upon my actions as well on whether I have gone all out to reach out to the many non-believers who were in our midst, and well, i may not have done so, still hiding in my comfort zone...

how about you guys? have we been actively mixing around with our guests or even amongst ourselves? have we been sticking too much with people whom we're more comfortable with? (i'm sooooo guiltyyyyyy of that!)

the great commission is meant for all of us too! and you know what? it doesn't even have to take place in church, sometimes we make it seem as though we can only reach out to people in an evangelistic event in church aka. easter, gd friday, christmas...

my challenge and encouragement to you all is that as you all grow in God's word, let's make it an effort to get to know each other, get to know our other brothers and sisters in Christ, and to actively reach out to our guests :)

one practical thing we can do: let's try to find someone whom you won't ususally stand next to/ sit next to during the opening session for Bay, and think about one thing you can encourage them with this week. :)
or, try to ask someone what they think about God... :)

God's grace be upon you guys even as you seek to deepen your relationship with him by obeying his word. :) cheerios!

love you all!
cheriechong!

and this was how the chapter ended:
" we must chosoe the life, the life of discipleship as taught and practiced by Jesus and lived out by the 1st century followers. we must COURAGEOUSLY cast aside our non-discipleship Christianity and submit ourselves to a life of ACCOUNTABILITY, PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION AND MAKING DISCIPLES AMONG THE UNBELIEVING. this is our primary and exclusive work. this is the FAITH as Jesus taught it. to do anything less is failure."

-quoted from Choose The Life by Bill Hull