Pastor Kong's sermon over five days in court deserved
an Oscar award. He blamed everyone even the Commercial Affairs
Department for Sun Ho's album failure. The audacity was amazing when it
was clear that Sun Ho was not made out to be a pop star and much of her
success was apparently bought with church funds.
Love Singapore and the National Council of Churches
seems awfully quiet. Where are the moral defenders of Singapore wearing
white? China Wine was pure heterosexual exuberance.
Former CHC investment manager, Chew Eng Han made the
CHC Pastors very uncomfortable. With decade old emails, he proved to the
court that it was the Senior Pastor who had resisted direct funding by
the church of Sun Ho's secular pop career.
In the court case, the mega church pastor had
described himself as a rancher parachuting himself in and out of the
church in regular visits to the US in order to distance himself from the
board's complex financial bond dealings. But wasn't he the chairman of
the board? City Harvest has a very hierachal structure where the leaders
knows and controls everything very tightly.
The reality was that the bonds were to finance the
very projects that Pastor Kong was running in the US to promote Sun Ho's
secular Hollywood career.
The rancher fattens and then kill and eat the sheep
and the cow. But the good shepherd takes care of the sheep. The good
shepherd would even die defending the sheep from the foxes. There is no
self interest, no self promotion nor conflict of interest. The focus is
on the sheep and not the welfare of the sheperd. Jesus is the good
shepherd who died for the sheep.
The rancher milks the cow. The church is not supposed
to agressively milk the church members for the benefit of the church
leaders. This would be an abuse of spiritual authority. The church
leaders are there for the members. The members are not there to be used
by the church leaders to promote their own aggenda and fame.
This is about integrity and honour. Your word is your
bond. The sheep has been betrayed and eaten whole. If there has been
Christian honour, the Senior Pastor, the chairman of the board would
have accepted responsibility.
The bible talks about not giving a false witness to
the detriment of the other party. Would church members have given less
tithes and building fund if they had known that a large amount would be
used for a purely secular pop career of Sun Ho? Would Sun have succeeded
without church support?
It is hard to imagine China Wine and Fancy Free being
legitimate church evangelistic activities. Where was the altar call? How
many people were saved in the US with the tens of millions put in? They
appear to have tried to buy their way to success forgetting that it was
ultimately church charity funds.
It does not become legitimate even if the funding was
openly advised to the church because the church does not have legitimate
interest in promoting the secular pop singing career of the pastor's
wife using charitable funds.
China Wine doesn't save but the Wine representing
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour saves. It was no music video but the
blood drenched naked body of Jesus Christ hanging at the Cross of
Calvary.
Jesus is about saving the individual and not the
entire nation. Nor is it about establishing our own kingdoms and kindoms
on earth. It relates to an individual decision of faith, salvation and
relationship with Jesus as God, Lord, and Saviour.
The people of the nations have to come individually to
the desert to seek God, to see Jesus. They were baptised individually by
Jesus. They had to make the decision to come out of the City, to come
out of the world culture, to enter the kingdom of God. The glamour and
riches of the City is contrasted to the emptiness and quietness of the
desert where Jesus had His ministry.
I rather have Jesus, His precious blood, for the blood
of Jesus cleanses my sins. As Christ is so am I. Jesus is my
rghteousness, my holiness, my grace and favor from God.
The greatest sin of the church leaders is not actually
any financial mis-handling which the court will soon pass judgment, but
to bring the world into the church.
The kindom and kingdoms of this world have nothing to
do with the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. For in this kingdom, the
master is the least, the King is the servant. It is the servant who
flies the first class and not the master. The least shall be the first,
and the first shall be the last.
Would the pastors do the honourable duty of integrity
and righteousness of taking responsibility and accepting the blame
rather than bringing the church into disrepute. It has to start with the
kingpin, the Senior pastor.
Brother, let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant, too
We are pilgrims on a journey
We are brothers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load
I will hold the Christlight for you
In the night-time of your fear
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear
I will weep when you are weeping
When you laugh I'll laugh with you
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through
When we sing to God in heaven
We shall find such harmony
Born of all we've known together
Of Christ's love and agony
Brother, let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant, too
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