Dear Ministry Partner,
Staying fresh, green and fruitful in every season
Throughout the Bible, we can find many vivid imagery depicting God and His people in agricultural metaphors. These include familiar passages like:
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” – Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:1-5 (NIV)
Christian maturity is not measured by how long we have been a Christian, but how deep our relationship is, as evidenced by the spiritual fruit we bear. Let us draw encouragement from knowing that God is committed to our growth and maturity in Christ-likeness. By His love, God calls us first to Himself, to abide in Him, and as we do, He enables us to bear much fruit. In the refining process, we can expect pruning and the cutting off of whatever that is unfruitful. We can trust that as we faithfully sow the small mustard seeds of faith we have been entrusted with, God will honour our obedience and bring about the growth in our knowledge and love of Him, in His perfect time.
In Psalm 92:12-15, the psalmist similarly paints a picture of what we can aspire to be as we mature in our faith and in age. He uses the palm and cedar trees to illustrate how we can stay fresh, green and fruitful in every season of our lives.
The evergreen palm tree stands straight and tall, and can withstand the harsh weather conditions. Its root system reaches deep into the soil for water and nutrients, enabling it to thrive even in the desert area.
Cedar trees grow in the mountainous areas, and flourish even in snowy and stormy conditions. Their roots spread out wide, entwining rocks, crevices and anything along their way. With its sweet fragrance and rich grain, cedar was the wood of choice in the construction of Solomon’s Temple.
Staying fresh, green and fruitful requires discipline in cultivating and nurturing our inner life. If we want to still bear fruit and stay fresh and green in our old age, we must be diligent in cultivating the depth and breadth of the following today:
Our Spiritual Life. We keep our spiritual life fresh by going deep in our walk with God. This requires us to be consistent in spending time with the Lord and growing in our knowledge of His Word. We must not neglect the foundation of prayer, worship, service and solitude.
Our Soul Life. We must tend to our emotional and mental health, by holding onto God’s peace and joy regardless of our circumstances. We should choose to keep short accounts of offenses and be generous in forgiving those who have wronged us. We can be proactive to seek the help of counsellors or inner healers to restore our emotional health.
Our Social Life. Friends are God’s gifts to us, and we need them as we mature in our faith journey. We need not be or feel alone in this journey of life. Cultivating friendships take intentionality and effort. Invest in friendships. Take the initiative to reach out to others and offer your gift of friendship to others.
Spend a few moments to evaluate your current spiritual, soul and social life. Where would you like to be in 5, 10 or 20 years’ time? What do you need to put in place today to remain fruitful for God’s kingdom?
Grace and Peace be yours in abundance,
Lam Kok Hiang
Leadership Mentor
By Jael Eu, 4th Year Sociology major at NTU,
Student Leader of NTU Cru Campus Ministry
Each of my four years being involved with Cru at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has been a fulfilling faith journey filled with anticipation and gratitude, as our community follows God’s lead and witnesses His faithfulness. At NTU Cru, our desire is for every student on our campus to experience the love of Christ and to know Him. This can be encapsulated in four words: to Know, Grow, Show, and Sow.
NTU Cru has been intentional in multiplying Christcentered lifelong labourers, through studying the Word of God together in discipleship groups, weekly prayer meetings and equipping sessions during our weekly meetings, known as Crossroads. Throughout the academic year, we hold other key events such as prayer walks and Worship & Prayer Night. Through these events, we hope to equip one another so that every individual may be called to and be part of a community that stays united in the faith and growing in maturity in Christ.
We also want to help lead in the fulfillment of the Great Commission by demonstrating the love of Christ and sharing the Good News with those in our sphere of influence. Each semester, we have our NTU Cru Family Day, where we get together to fellowship and know one another better. These activities have also seen pre-believing friends join us regularly, because of the love and warmth they experienced in our Cru-mmunity.
NTU Cru encourages and supports student-initiated outreaches. Over the past three semesters, we have anchored Alpha in both English and Mandarin, and Hope Explored, a program from Christianity Explored Ministries. With the support of the NTU Cru staff, we took a leap of faith to convert all Discipleship Groups to Hope Explored for the first seven weeks of school. Through these steps of faith, we have seen students coming to know Christ and many more expressing interests in wanting to learn more about Christ.
God is truly at work in our campus, and none of this is possible without Him. Find out how you can be a part of Know, Grow, Show and Sow on your campus today!
Contact https://instagram.com/ntucru for more information.
亲爱的事工伙伴，
历久常青多结善果
成熟基督徒的生命不是按信主的年日衡 量，而是关乎我们是否与主亲近、以及 从我们所结的果子显示出来。我们既知 道 神愿意祂的儿女效法基督长成的身 量，就得着激励。神爱世人，先是呼召 我们归于自己，又使我们住在祂里面； 我们若住在祂里面，祂就使我们多结好 果子。
圣经说:“义人必像棕树一样繁茂，像 黎巴嫩的香柏树一样高耸。他们栽在 耶和华的殿中，在我们 神的院子里繁 茂生长。他们年老的时候仍要结果子， 经常保持茂盛青翠，好显明耶和华是正 直的；祂是我的盘石，在祂里面没有不 义”(诗篇92:12-15，新译本)
诗人篇章里描述一幅景象，让我们憧憬 能像义人，生命和年岁一起增长。他把 义人的生命比作棕树，又好比香柏树， 茂盛常青且多结果实
棕树是常绿乔木，主茎直立不分枝，能 耐恶劣天气。其根系深入土壤寻求水源 养分，因此棕树甚至能适应沙漠地带
香柏树出自高海拔山脉地区，能迎风雪 生长。其树根往四方八面伸延，缠绕沿 途的岩石、裂缝及各种地形。黎巴嫩的 香柏木自带芬芳、材质密而坚硬，曾经 是所罗门建造圣殿的首选木材
要在主里常常更新、保持活力和多结果 子，我们就须持之以恒地造就与滋养内 在的生命。人若向往年老时仍得实在的 果效、生意盎然，就应当从今天起殷勤地深化及拓展下列数方面
我们的属灵生命。我们藉着与 神亲 近，使灵命常常更新。亲近 神在于 持续地分别时间给主耶稣，并且在祂话 语的知识上长进。我们不可忽略祷告、 敬拜、服事及灵修等基础操练。
我们的身心。我们应该注意自己的 情绪及心理健康状况，不论环境 如何，总要紧紧抓住 神所赐的平安和喜 乐。少些计较别人的过失，多些饶恕得 罪我们的人。我们或可寻求辅导者或医 者的帮助来恢复我们的身心健康。
我们的社交圈子。益友是 神的礼 物；我们在信仰的旅途里得益于伙 伴们同行成长。人的一生没必要孤单。 友谊需要积极培养，并且刻意经营。不 妨主动地接触志同道合的人们，率先释 出您的友情和善意。
敬请您稍稍省视自己现在的灵命、身心 以及社交圈子。往后五年、十年或廿 年，您将会身处何方？今天的您能为明 天的自己作哪些准备，以便能持续为 神 的国度多结果子？
愿 神多多赐您恩惠与平安，
蓝国贤
会务导师
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