Reflections

This morning’s biblical references were taken from Mark 8:22-26 and the lead-in was an anecdote about a pilot who mistook lights from fishing vessels as runway lights thus crashing into the sea and all lives onboard as well as those belonging to some fishermen were gone without them knowing why.

That anecdote of wrong vision set the stage for Ps Brenda to delve into the subject matter of her message which was on having a clear vision. She also shared how Jesus healed the sight of a blind man and then told him to go home straight away. Perhaps Jesus’s vision was for the once blind man to give a testimony of his healing to those who knew him in his community. 

Ps Brenda shared that to continue the work of Jesus, we must be clear of the vision and mission of the cross. This is because clear vision comes from clear understanding and clear understanding gives us the motivation to reach out. 

What is the main mission of Jesus? It is found in Mark 10:45: “He came to seek and saved the lost.”

So what clarity of vision are we after? She advocated three points which she elaborated with such anointing that only God could have done better.

The first is Abiding in Christ. Here she left no doubt in the mind of the congregation how important it is to have a personal relationship with God for Christ’s work flows from our connection with Christ and we do not serve for Jesus before we learn to be with Jesus. Here she also highlighted Mary’s better posture than Martha’s by sitting in front of Jesus than to be busy with chores to serve Jesus. Ps Brenda shared that our relationship with God need not be life-changing experiences but can be reflected by merely talking and sharing with him as we get on with the day.

The next point is to meet people where they are. Here Ps Brenda concedes that while not all of us are called to full-time work, we all have something in common, and that is we meet people in the course of our day. She shared 2 experiences of hers that she was able to play her part to renew the faith of an elderly 87 year-old man and also to bring a Hindu woman to believe in God by being present and listening to others.

The third point is to live a spirit-filled life. Ps Brenda was very clear that we just cannot continue the work of Jesus without the Holy Spirit in us. Here she asked the congregation when it was when we had a fresh encounter with God and whether we had done our part to continue the work of Jesus.

She then summarised the three key points and did it so well, it was like some revelation too. 

For me, I take away that a transformed life will attract people to Jesus. I pray then for a transformed life.