ACS(I) - A Great Parish

Hey all (: Some of you may not know me, but I'm also one of them oldies from Y7 who was there from the beginning where FireAC began. I really pray and hope that the ministry in ACS(I) has been thriving and not merely surviving - it's encouraging to see how this blog is being periodically updated with encouragements for those who believe in Christ! To the Y6s who know me, continue to endure and serve Jesus passionately even in the midst of your heavy school commitments!

Anyway, as my dear brother Emil has posted, I also hope to provide a little encouragement for you all even as you continue in your labor of love.

ACS(I) really is a blessed place - it's a great parish with many many opportunities. The harvest is great, and there are many prebelievers out there who need to hear the gospel. The Methodist roots of the school means that you're free to share the gospel without fear of persecution. The daily devotions and weekly chapel and verses along the hallways are great starting points for the sharing of the gospel!

I only fear that you all will stop sharing the gospel in your business with schoolwork and CCA commitments. I also fear that you will begin to lose your heart for the lost, and begin to forget the compassion for prebelievers which you may have once possessed.

ACS(I) is full of people who are helpless and harassed by the many concerns and problems in life. Everywhere you go, even beyond ACS(I), there will always be people who are troubled and in need of God's peace and saving grace. There will always be lost sheep out there. But in ACS(I) especially, there are many people with many needs - maybe recovering from a broken relationship, or struggling with unrequited love, or crushed by the insurmountable pressures of schoolwork.

Pray that God will grant you a tender heart, a compassionate heart, so that you may see the many needs around you. If you just open your eyes, you'll see a world full of worry, sin, and darkness, that needs Jesus so so much. The opportunities are plenty, it's just whether you want to make the extra effort to reach out.

I heard the roundabout evangelism ministry has gone cold, and that no one stays back nowadays to spread the gospel. It's ok, as long as you guys have been sharing the gospel through other means. But if you guys have not - then maybe it's time to think about how you can start sharing the good news again!

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Where does the passion for sharing the gospel arise from???

I think, firstly, you must experience God for yourself. You must see that God is the Gospel - God is the good news!

The good news is that through Jesus, we can spend life forever WITH GOD! And with God there is peace, joy, hope and love. And the world lacks so much of these - ACS(I) lacks so much of these, ACS(I) lacks peace (all the exam anxiety!), lacks joy (all the emo and brokenhearted), lacks hope (the person in the corridor who feels all alone), lacks love (the anger between classmates; the poor person without a friend).

Once you understand the goodness of the good news, you'll want to share it with all who are in need!

And secondly, you must look around you and really feel sad for the state of things around you. Feel sad for the lost and harassed, for those who live life without any purpose more than to pass the next exam..lfor those who live life chasing the wrong things...for those stuck in sins they can't get out of...

Only then, will you feel this strong urge...to share with them the good news, so that they may live the life they were made to live, not a life of purposelessness and misery.

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and to all Y6 guys out there...build the foundations of the faith while in ACS. Make sure you establish the foundations strong and firm! Make sure you establish the habit of QT and constant prayer, discipline yourself! Because army isn't an easy place to grow in - you'll struggle with lack of time and energy, and the temptation to compromise.

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so yes. i hope to see you all soon (: be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Amen.


In His Love,
timlim