My God Story: Part 4 - In Nineveh (Spiritual Growth)
I was in Kerteh from 2011 to 2018, a long 7 years.
In this 7 years, you won't believe it, but I was with a church that does not have a full time resident pastor or an administrative team. Or a fixed number of congregation. Things that one would usually expect to find in a typical church.
Ours was a small church, where the congregation was made up of mostly non-locals who were working in Kerteh. Much like T and I. At a time, although there were (and still are) a few families in the church, a majority of the congregation were young working single adults (like how I would be, had I went to Kerteh in 2005 - fresh out of uni and single).
We were blessed to have godly brothers and sisters who faithfully served in church - preaching the word, leading praise & worship, prayer meetings, Bible Study and carrying out administrative work.
We have pastors from neighboring towns over periodically as invited speaker to preach on Fridays (Yup, Fridays are our Sundays. In Terengganu, weekend is Friday and Saturday). And I still remember how 1 pastor often referred to us (Christians in Terengganu) as the remnant. 😂
Churches normally grow or reduce in number when people come or leave. Ours does too. The only difference is that our number fluctuates depending on the people who get posted to Kerteh or transferred out of Kerteh, for work. And on any given Fridays (more so on a long weekend), some will not be around, whether because they went back home town or went traveling or for any other reasons. Often times, we could count the number of church members attending Friday service on 2 hands.
Yes, that was how small the church was. But in spite of our size, we gathered.
And it was also precisely because of our size, that most of us (including T and I) took turn serving in the church. To put it bluntly, we had no choice. Hahaha!
A beloved brother in Christ had much confidence and hope in me. Haha! Not long after I was in Kerteh, I was asked to share a short message from a Psalm, any Psalm. I didn't have to preach a sermon, just a short 5 min sharing from any Psalm.
I didn't show it (or maybe I did 😂) but I was terrified of the idea of having to say something in front of everyone. Let alone sharing from the Bible! But I did it, nonetheless. I remember praying to God like this - "God, I don't know how to do this. Please help me! Please choose the Psalm I'll share from. And please give me revelation."
And so, when I opened up my Bible to Psalm 55, I was flustered and literally asked God, "How do I share from this Psalm? What could I possibly share from this Psalm? Maybe I'll close and open my Bible again, Lord?". (Psalm 55 tells of David's distress in the midst of a companion's betrayal.) But as I read it over again, God showed me things I have never seen before in the Psalm.
So, a week after that, on Friday, before the preaching, I obediently shared what God taught me through Psalm 55. It was awkward, talking about betrayal of friends (Psalm 55:12-14, 20-21) in church and David's change from being distraught in the beginning (Psalm 55:1-8) to being steadfast in the Lord (Psalm 55:16-19, 22-23). But I pushed my hesitance aside and just shared.
And that was literally the first time I read the Bible seeking for a revelation. Not just merely reading it because, well, Christians need to read the Bible.
While in my wilderness, I was quenched of the Word. So when I came to Kerteh, I felt as though I have found a fountain, from which I couldn't stopped drinking. Taking it all in.
I met beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who showed me, taught me, prayed over me, prayed with me and propelled me forward.
I was given the opportunity to serve, to share the Word, the lead worship, to help in any areas of need. (I doubt I'll be able to do any of this in other church where there are others who are more gifted than I am) And through my serving, I also grew.
I read books which opened my eyes to spiritual truths which were rarely taught in church during Sunday sermons.
One Bible teacher who has impacted me much during my years in Kerteh was Derek Prince, whose teachings are easy to understand and expounded on the basic principles of the Bible. Back then, I relied heavily on books. I read his books, was blessed and in turn, gave the books away to those whom I think would benefit from them.
But now, with technology, you can easily access the late Derek Prince's teachings online (which I still do). Here is his ministry link where his teachings are available both in written format and podcast. You can also watch him on YouTube. Be blessed as you go through his teaching material.
In short, over time, I grew. Although much work still needs to be done in me, I did grow. A foundation has been laid.
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One thing God has revealed to me during my Nineveh season in Kerteh was the importance of having a right and firm foundation in our Christian life.
This past week as I reflected on my years in Kerteh, I was reminded of articles I've read about building a right foundation, in particularly these 2:
No one would argue the validity of this statement - a house built on rock will stand while a house built on sand will fall. Jesus taught this too, didn't He?
I came to learn that there are a lot of revelations which I cannot receive (or appropriate in full) when I still lack certain parts in my foundation. It is as though there is a veil that is hindering the full revelation.
But once the foundation is correct and the veil removed, there is then no more hindrance to my receiving.
Having said that, there is no need to rush the process. I like what Ps Rick Renner said in his devotional article, A Self Image Booster, A building must be constructed correctly and with good materials and it requires time, energy, patience, and careful planning.
Beloved in Christ, would you today...
Pour time and effort into building a strong foundation in the Lord?
At the same time, thank those who have poured themselves into your life, helping you to build a godly foundation? (I have so many of these blessed saints in my life.)
And in turn, pour into the lives of others, helping them to build a godly foundation?
