Dear Brothers and Sisters, Shalom.

I am Won KIM, voicing Pastor Caleb SOO Lee Chong to speak on the last book of his Life Discipleship Series -- “Values for the Modern Disciples”.

You will recall that I have shared with you the first book “Where the New Heart Begins” which takes up the topic of relationships. We followed up with the second book, “The Gospel of the Modern Man”, when I spoke on the nature of faith as postulated in the Gospels. Then came the third book, “Faith of the Modern Believer” that lays down the firm foundations of our faith. Today, we proceed with the fourth and final book, “Values for the Modern Disciple.”

It is crystal clear that one’s behaviour is directed by one’s values. When we hold dear our faith in God close to our hearts, the Triune God -- the object of our very faith -- would show up in how we go about our daily lives. A life thus solidly grounded would enable us to undergo a process of transformation; we would no longer be carrying over our old selves, for instance, as a miser from the past, to the present and even the future. No, we would undergo a transformation, and armed with a clear understanding of money, we would give up the old stingy person in us and become generous.  Not that this means we shift into spendthrift mode, or behave in a wasteful manner, either. Conversely, a frugal person is not necessarily one who holds his money closely to his chest. There is not even a shade of doubt on the concept of generosity in us; indeed, there is thorough understanding on this score. The process of ingesting this value so that it becomes part of our DNA is something every Christian would have to go through.

With this in mind, let us dive straight into Lesson One in the book “Values of the Disciple”.

What is Value?

What is success? Or for that matter, failure? What counts as happiness, and what doesn’t? Why are we seeing some people feeling happy when they appear to be just getting by, while others swear that amassing great wealth is a must to achieving happiness? Why do some people perceive their current frustrations as providing them with learning opportunities, while others fret and scold, blaming everything in sight just because they have run into some setbacks? Obviously, the roots of these divergent responses can be traced to the values within these individuals in question.

So, what constitutes values, then? It is a standard by which one evaluates the gravity of a matter at hand, its significance and relevance to one’s life. Deep within us there is a yardstick that we reference whenever we find ourselves at a fork in the road. The question that comes to mind is this: how does it relate to my life? For instance, one may be mulling around his head whether it is important for him to attend church, or should his morning be spent teeing off at the golf course? I am pretty sure that he would be skipping church if putting around the green could curry favour with his business associates. On the other hand, he would not skip the church for the world if he sees the church as an expression of how Man relates himself to God, a gathering of His children to praise and honour Him, and thus being present in person is the only natural thing to do on Sundays. When he holds these right values, they will lead him to experience the transformation in progress within him. May the yardstick within us be that given by God, so that we can follow His Word. We would then be moving towards the right path, because it is God who is showing the way, and not human constructs resulting from influences within our social system.

How one’s values work on his mind set

Dear brothers and sisters, do you know how one’s values work on your mindset? Firstly, let me make no bones about this: it affects how they see themselves or others and their attitudes towards them. For instance, values influence one’s fashion preferences, possessions, and social or professional position achieving the mark as someone who “has arrived”. It would influence how she picks her circle of friends, too.

Thus, if I am obsessed with how to get rich, I would want to hob-nob with those from wealthy or influential backgrounds or who can help to stack up my odds towards my dreams of a brighter future. Needless to say, the “future” I am talking about orbits around wealth and worldly possessions. In other words, I have become hopelessly chained to all these desires!

Next, we see how his values are holding him captive over the choice of courses and career after graduation from school. These days, few are those who pick a career out of sheer interest. Most people are training their cross-hairs on becoming what is known as “a high net-worth individual” with five-figure paychecks credited into his banking account every month, living a comfortable life in an upmarket residential area to match. This is the “bright future” that he is gunning for.

Thirdly, is there any surprise that a person’s choice of a spouse to start a family with would go the same way too? Consider this: if a young lady is courted by two young men, one rich, but ethically found wanting, while the other one ethically better, but comes from a humbler background, there is reason to believe that her decision would be synced to what her yardstick stipulates. It would not be too far from the truth to surmise that one’s desires work like a powerful magnet in that it attracts as well as repels, at will, along the trajectory of his life.

Fourthly, what marches to the fore when it comes to executing one’s agenda. Someone whose decisions dance to the tune of “Money, money, money!” will obviously make his plans and activities to chime in accordingly. Meanwhile, matters such as family get-togethers, church services, having a meal with friends and so on can wait, or are relegated to play the second if not third or fourth fiddle. He does not so much as bat an eyelid as he mutters, “I can’t find the time” – which is true, as his time has been abducted by his frantic pursuit on the treadmill with a sticker shouting, “RUN, MORE $$$ AHEAD!!!”

Finally, and the most tragic of it all -- the long-standing impact that this mindset would have on future generations. You see, these values have been filtering downwards in a subtle but sure manner all this while. I recall a story about some parents in China bringing their kids to view luxurious mansions during the school holidays. On the way home, the kids were told with a straight face: “If you desire to own one of these properties when you grow up, you better study hard!” Dear brothers and sisters, what a mercenary thought that is! Since when did the purpose of receiving an education get entangled with the desire to chase after a property of that calibre? When I first heard this, it struck me like a clap of thunder. I called upon God to show His great mercy and wisdom, in order that no decision be made without His Counsel. I now understand why there is a need for God’s Way to guide us throughout our sojourn on this planet.

Factors that will influence your values

Generally speaking, the closer you are to your most frequent contacts, the higher your chance to get heavily influenced by them, be these your parents or for that matter, anyone around you. Such influence takes place through an iterative process and as they say, dripping water wears away the rock. Long shadows are inevitably cast in their psyches especially during the formative years, and the effects will last for as long as they live; it does not matter whether you like them or not. Because of the repetitive nature of these encounters, the values inculcated will eventually get embedded under your skin without anyone being aware of it. That is why we find children from money-loving parents share the same traits, just as penny-pinching parents having children who are similarly inclined, if not more so. No prizes for guessing how the saying, “Like father, like son” came about!

The second group of influencers are the leaders, teachers and elders, especially those whom we respect most. Every word rolling out from their tongues would be taken as carrying authority, and leave deep imprints on these impressionable minds. Everything being taught are hot-branded into inner selves, nudging them to follow their footsteps in good faith thereafter. Next come our circle of friends. It is only human for one to go along with people within our social circles when it comes to habits, activities, beliefs and mores. Oftentimes, peer pressure, herd acceptance and fear of being left out weigh in as well. All of us are familiar with this scenario: A child comes home from school and tells Mom, “Teacher said something different from what you have taught me before.” There you go. We are seeing the teacher questioning what the mother had put into her child’s cognitive references earlier. In time, the child’s social network widens as she grows up, and she would be impinged by more challenges from multiple fronts down the road. Each one would leave something behind along the way. No wonder the wise one from Africa sighs, “It takes a village to raise a child!”

Up to now, we have yet to mention another group of people popularly known as ‘idols’ -- celebrities, political heavy-weights, movie or sports stars or for that matter, some poster guy/girl who has attracted attention as icons of ‘success'. Whatever he/she does, say, wears, talks about would grab the eyeballs of thousands of fans and followers who imitate and adopt their yardsticks as their own.

Lastly, l will say a few words about religions and beliefs, or as some would call it, faith. Different belief systems expound dissimilar views and their respective understanding of the world around us, leading to divergent conclusions and how to go about one’s life.  Some religions postulate that the world around us is evil by nature; as such their followers are taught to see through the vanity of the material world, or distance themselves away from it.  Another belief system starts off by declaring that it is God, our Heavenly Father, who created all that we are seeing and enjoying around us. Those who become His children, therefore, have a duty to cherish, take part in, take charge of, or even to change it for the better, as stewards of this wonderful creation of His. By doing so, they are directing these reinstatement efforts to reflect His intention at the time of Creation.

The influence and impact of faith or religion is as indelible as it is long lasting. The teachings of God taught by His loyal servants on the pulpit each week will be seeded through your ears, sink in their roots and send up new shoots and eventually become a mature tree bearing fruits within you. These fruits are His yardstick, the Way that leads to true values which will enrich your life, even as it enriches others.

Case One: What Course to Take up After High School

Let us look into this case. Say your child has completed high school and is planning to further her education. What comes to your mind as you make your decision? What would you decide on: (A) A course that promises a bright future or: (B) A course that falls in line with their interest and talents?

As parents, you know well where their interests lie, what they’re good at and where they can maximize their fullest potential. How would you help them make their decision in this case? If your answer is (A), they would likely to be rewarded with a good income. Yes, we are talking about money here, of course! If you were to answer (B), you would have encouraged them to take up a course that answers to their interests and inclinations. Either way, it displays the values, or yardstick, of the parents for everyone to see.

Many parents want their kids to become high flyers and look forward to them taking up a course that promises a bright future. For example, Medicine, Engineering, Electronics, Life Sciences and so on. Little, if any, attention is focused on the child’s interests and inclinations, and this may result in situations that bring about undue pressure on the part of the child, even tragic endings in some cases. We have heard of medical students who end up in hospitals during their final year in hospital – not as interns, but as patients. Yes, their failure in handling stresses have thrown them into this condition, with some extreme cases even ending in suicides. How gut-wrenching indeed!

Case Two: Choice of Career

What are the factors that come to your mind when choosing your career path? Is it (1) Rewards and chances for promotion?  (2) The size of the company or whether you are up to what the position demands? (3) How it aligns with your interest or the working environment? (4) Does it get in the way of your family life and your services to the church? Where are your priorities leading you to?

We are, overall, a society that focuses on the accumulation of wealth and climbing up the proverbial ladder. These societal values will have an influence on our choices, on our occupation, or type of work. Everybody seems to be jostling for senior positions with fat paychecks, with nary a thought on his/her interest, ability and needs of the family at home. As a result, the worker is transformed into a human robot, ever feeling bone-weary after a long day at the work place. At the same time, there is the danger of the family falling apart, with Dad being absent from family functions most of the time, while the neglected wife is left to hold the fort at home -- all by herself. Do you think this is healthy? Do you go through this thoroughly before you make up your minds? Begin by accepting God and the values that come with His message. Yes, let His Word take root in your heart right away!

Let us pray

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you for giving us your Word, because it leads us to know who You are, and enables us to inculcate the right values within our midst. You have taught us to identify the correct values to adopt. O God, Your Way has shown us what is important and what isn’t, tell trash apart from treasure. Indeed, we are truly thankful to You for making this clear to us. We praise Thee!

O God, may you empower Christians like ourselves and through Your Word, transform our lives and shout from hilltops the changes that have taken place in our lives because of You. Your correct values have enabled us to bring blessings and happiness into our lives and those of others. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Recommendations by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong are worthy books to edify disciples. In order to minimize differences in the qualities amongst Christians, our churches need to set up basic courses to address these issues. In turn, this will enable all disciples to incorporate their faith into their lives and allow changes to take place through renewal of minds. May God make use of these basic courses to edify more disciples to strengthen His soldiers and claim victory on His battle-ground!

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciples” are suitable course materials for anyone who wish to acquire understanding of the Christian faith in a more comprehensive manner. The contents are easy to grasp and relate to the real world that we are living in. They are written with an eye for the man-in-the-street and explore how to make our faith come alive in our daily social scenarios.

In particular, these are suitable if you  

1. are someone who wants to understand the Christian faith or

2. are someone who has just accepted the Christian faith or

3. have been a Christian for many years but still hungering for a firmer grounding in the faith or

4. are a pastor or co-worker who plans to use these materials for teaching purposes.

If you need to take up learning or use these materials in a systematic manner, please us contact at this email address：[email protected]