Enlarge the Place of Your Tent

(Note written by Ps Eugene, dated 7th May 2009)

Dear Youthnet Family,

Currently I am on a flight from Singapore to Chengdu and have been thinking and praying (not sure which is which but I know the Lord hears my thoughts) about where the Lord has led us thus far, in this year of Loving our Neighbour. Probably many of us will say that where we are today is not exactly what we had in mind when we first began the year (this call of faith and the way of the cross for transformation). When we began the year, we did put down some plans and the Lord did show us some key strategies for this year. Therefore are these 2 streams and thoughts come together, what I felt the Lord put in my heart was a reminder to “stay on the course that I have set for you, do not get distracted or derailed, because this journey of faith is exactly what I have prepared and set up for you to work out your salvation and to see the coming day of the Lord”.

This strong impression came with a reminder again to “Enlarge the Place of your tent” (Isaiah 54:2).

I sense that the Lord is saying to many of us, at least in this immediate few months ahead, it is not about “planting and setting up new tents” it is about doing everything we can (with all the resources, blessings, open doors, opportunities) to step out in fresh faith and just “enlarge it”. It just calls for a diligent heart and enthusiastic spirit to “just do it” and see His hand move as He brings them in. I felt the Lord say that it is not going to be another added burden but in fact many of you will experience a new refreshment that you have missed for quite some time already and it will surprise you how energize and refresh you and your cell will feel by just “enlarging your tent”.

So what are some primers that will get us going?

1. “Stay on the course” – we have put down in our plans this month of May to be fully engage with the Blessing Campaign and as we sought the Lord for “My Perfect 10” we must enter wholeheartedly into this phase of Blessing and Fellowship. So do get fully into gear and start Blessing.

However as I was praying about this, I felt the Lord impress on me a new perspective to this call to bless and that is we must not just think that this is just about blessing “new people” or “people juts off the streets” (which of course does include these too). But how about thinking and reaching out to “all those who have come to our TGIF parties” what it means is that as long as these friends that we have, are not yet in any of our cells or been to any encounter, they are a group of people that we need to specifically make a strong effort to go out to bless and fellowship. Especially those who have indicated their desire to know Jesus or have even said the sinner’s prayer at our TGIF mtgs but have yet to make a public declaration of their faith. We can also include the many on our “consolidation list” too.

Now let me come back to this note again, I am now checked in at Chengdu Sunshine Hotel, have met up with the team that is already here.

2. “Think Relationally” – The Lord then reminded me again that this is indeed a very strategic key that He has revealed to us and that sometimes we have this misconception that we think it is just about relationships, we think it would just happen. But I sense the Holy Spirit’s prompting that “just happen” relationships needs a lot of “intentional hard work”. As we all know, relationships can be most rewarding and at the same time most frustrating too. We often think we know all about relationships but the Lord was saying again that “good relationships” is something that we must all “go after” or “pursue”.

So the key thrust of this prompting is that, in this faith journey, we must not get caught up (sometimes even before we start) with the “end results” and we forget to give heart and hard focus to “on going relationships” in fact, the word was “make relationship your goal and not just the channel” and by relationship, I was reminded again that it is not about relating with someone just to get a “conversion goal” but really to value relationships as long term friendships that will last the test of time and place too. I felt the Lord say, seek out, catalyst and build up fresh new communities (small groups) committed to each other and the rest the Holy Spirit will take care. We must understand that we must love the messenger before we love the message.

Just finished morning breakfast and have some time in between before we go down to ChongZhou city where the awards ceremony and show will be held this evening. Final pointer…

3. “Love One Another” – by this will all men know that you are my disciples. As I was on the flight, I was reading John 13 and it begins with the story of Jesus washing His disciples feet. As I read this familiar story again and with the key lessons from G12 and Transformation Conference ringing in my mind, I saw an interesting new angle to verse 14 “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should washed one another’s feet”.

Often when I read this story and be reminded that this is key to servant leadership we often feel either guilty and judged when we as leaders feel that we have not done enough washing of feet and often too, we read it too as a place to “judge our leaders” and say, hey why “nobody has come to washed my feet”. But today as I read this scripture again, the key word “washed one another’s feet” seem to catch my attention. And the interpretation that I got today was that, if Jesus being of a “higher” level can wash his disciple feet of the “lower level” then surely we can washed “each other’s feet” at the same level, that should be the first given default level.

What I felt the Holy Spirit wanting to grab my attention to is that it is NOT about levels of leadership but a loving spirit towards each other. So it is not about what I do “down” or what I expect from “up” but what I am doing towards my fellow brothers and sisters because Jesus has set an example to break the ultimate status barrier – God to Man.

I trust that this short sharing is helpful to you and I pray that it will encourage you to press on and pursue God’s Perfect 10 for you – bless and fellowship, bless and fellowship. This is a promise that we can claim, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things that these because I am going to the Father.” (John14:12) Yes, we can do even greater and more because “Jesus is going to the Father” or in other words – “He has given us the Holy Spirit”.

God Bless, have faith, live faith, build faith and let’s Pull Together in Love.

Ps Eugene