April 2012 April 2012
9th Edition 9th Edition
Bishop’s Easter Message
The Easter Covenant Mission should prioritise our church lives and mindsets. We must not deny our desire to do mission work. Our active membership initiatives must continue despite the fact that we have celebrated our 110th anniversary as a Church.
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his is the time of the year where we, once again, remember, edify each other, rejoice and recommit our lives to Jesus. He rose from the dead for us to show the world that our God and Creator loves us in wonderful and mysterious ways. This is the time of the year we sing “Halejullah!” and declare that Jesus is Lord! In and through Jesus Christ, God calls us into the very depths of heaven in a rich and special relationship. As Lutheran Christians, we place a special meaning to this aspect of our lives. Since this is the “Year of Outreach” for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia (ELCM), I would like to elaborate the significance of this relationship.
Culture and Character of ELCM It is inevitable that the Jesus we offer to the world will carry with us all our cultural signatures and characteristics peculiar to our heritage. It is not wrong in itself because it helps our fellow men and women of different cultures to do likewise. But our imaginations should not become stumbling blocks to our presentations of Christ. In the same way, our personal habits and values should not become stumbling blocks too! What gain is there in being a querulous church whose members are unconcerned about personal holiness? How do we break free of this bondage? How do we soldier on with our mission to raise Christ for the world to see? When will we mature in our faith? Perhaps we have not understood our faith properly. Perhaps we are only namesake Lutheran Christians. Perhaps our hearts are not circumcised and that is why we are not as dynamic as we should be. I urge all of you to place your humble hands upon your chest this Easter and come into a blessed understanding of our God and Saviour. In Jesus, we do not just come into a generic relationship with God but a biblically
Our Mission Consciousness The numerical growth of our congregations is very important if what we have to offer to the world is something good and valuable. We need to present Jesus in a proper biblical and contextual manner to the world. Some will say that we must pay more attention to the quality of our Christian life. But I must say that it must not be at the expense of mission. It goes hand in hand.
Bishop’s Message Editorial Photo Gallery In Memory of Bishop Bertil Envall ELCM Outreach Ministries
ELCM Events / News Updates ELCM Events / News Updates ELCM Diakonia Ministries Late Bishop Bertil Envall A Vote of Thanks from Family
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