Ungracious Moments

Friday, 3rd August 2007

I suppose all of you would have known by now of my strong convictions about the gospel of grace and the finished work of the cross.

So it will probably be puzzling when a person who subscribes to the doctrine of grace does not himself display "gracious" behaviour.

That is exactly how a dear brother of mine put it to me in an email to me earlier this year :-)

There were 2 incidents where I have been accused of being less than gracious. One relates to an email I sent about "what family means" when I was still part of 3L2. I have blogged about that here.

The other relates to walkathon cards.

I took over the role of Treasurer of my church sometime in August last year.

We had a fund-raising project for PLMGS Secondary School that was held in July, where members would walk from the church to the school. Walkathon cards were distributed via the cell leaders at the start of the year and was supposed to be returned by July.

As at October 2006, there were still some 80 walkathon cards that were not returned to the church office, despite numerous phone call reminders from the church staff. The staff even got scolded by some of the members.

As the Treasurer, I took it upon myself sometime in early December to follow-up with the cell leaders of the members who had not return the cards. Through a series of emails and phone calls, all the cards were finally accounted for (ie. either returned to the church office, or a police report had been filed to declare the card as missing or lost).

Along the way, feathers were ruffled. But I make no apologies for the approach I had to take.

The church office had chosen to take a soft approach. After 5 months, there were still dozens of cards not accounted for.

I took a tougher approach and within a month, all were accounted for.

Where is the grace, you might ask?

I would reply by asking you to read the following passages

Matthew 16

7They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?

Jesus rebuked His disciples because they should have known better. After all they had witnessed with their own very eyes Jesus feeding the multitudes...

9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

Here is another...

Matthew 21

12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

Jesus rebuked the money changers because they should have known better.

13"It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'

Coming back to the walkathon cards. The cell leaders should have known better. The church office had been chasing for the cards for 5 months! If the soft approach had continued to be taken, I can tell you, hand on heart, they would still be chasing for the cards till this very day.

In Dan 5:12, we read that Daniel had a "spirit of excellence", and this is something that my cluster leaders are very strong advocates of. May we likewise be in service to the Lord!