Lifegame.
Just came back from Cherith Church Camp 2011: Lifegame! :) It has been a great life-changing experience, but unfortunately I can't describe what happened during the Lifegame here because then it wouldn't have such a great impact on other people who may have yet go for the camp. But I'll share my insights:
#1 Hell is real. Good news: Heaven is real too!
Through Lifegame, I realised how much the game applies to our real life. But at the end of the whole programme, the reality of hell really hit me. Hell isn't a place where you'll simply go to if you don't get into heaven. If your name isn't recorded in the Book of Life, instead of being able to worship God eternally in heaven, you will SUFFER eternally in hell - the Lake of Fire. Getting burnt isn't exactly a good feeling - just a small little burn may set one tearing. But what if your whole soul were to burn in the hottest fire possible, and for eternity? Eternity literally means "forever", and an eternity in hell means that you're burning forever.
Just imagine, everyone who hasn't accepted Christ as their Saviour - some of your closest friends, family members, people you see everyday, your enemies, countless strangers you walk past everyday - WILL go to hell when they die, because their names aren't recorded in the Book of Life. Would you want to watch your closest friend from heaven, burning in hell, screaming in agony, shouting to you, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"
But hell aside, heaven is real too! Instead of just sitting around, we can spread the good news of Jesus Christ and bring people to Him. But simply spreading isn't enough. Jesus said to "go out and make disciples". Evangalism is something which cannot be done in heaven with all the other believers. That's different from worshipping, which can be done both on earth and in heaven. Evangalism has to be done right here, right now. When we die and go to heaven, we'll have no more chance of gathering disciples for God anymore. So we have to start NOW.
#2 We are ignorant
From Lifegame I realised that we as Christians often get so caught up in everyday life that we do not realise how ignorant we are in realising the signs that God is sending in all the parts of the earth. Natural disasters, wars, conflicts, disorder - all these are signs of Jesus' second coming, and yet some of us think that, hey, it's normal to have these things going on, it's just another phase. Well the reality is that JESUS IS COMING, and He is coming SOON. We need to be alert at all times, because no one knows when God is coming again, not even Jesus. God will come unexpectedly, and we have to be ready.
If God suddenly comes today, are you ready to be judged? Are you absolutely sure that your name has been recorded in the Book of Life? Have you fulfilled your duty as a Christian on earth? Have you managed to change the lives of people to become disciples of God? When God calls you to come forward to be judged, will you tremble in fear? Or will you go with confidence knowing that you have glorified Him all your life? Get ready.
These are my two greatest takeaways from this year's camp, and my resolution after this camp is to make sure that I put God as my first priority at all times, to spread His word even though it may cause pain and suffering, and to maintain a good, close relationship with Him always. I hope that at the end of the year when I look back, I'll be able to say that I've become a better person, in Christ.
Lifegame.
Just came back from Cherith Church Camp 2011: Lifegame! :) It has been a great life-changing experience, but unfortunately I can't describe what happened during the Lifegame here because then it wouldn't have such a great impact on other people who may have yet go for the camp. But I'll share my insights:
#1 Hell is real. Good news: Heaven is real too!
Through Lifegame, I realised how much the game applies to our real life. But at the end of the whole programme, the reality of hell really hit me. Hell isn't a place where you'll simply go to if you don't get into heaven. If your name isn't recorded in the Book of Life, instead of being able to worship God eternally in heaven, you will SUFFER eternally in hell - the Lake of Fire. Getting burnt isn't exactly a good feeling - just a small little burn may set one tearing. But what if your whole soul were to burn in the hottest fire possible, and for eternity? Eternity literally means "forever", and an eternity in hell means that you're burning forever.
Just imagine, everyone who hasn't accepted Christ as their Saviour - some of your closest friends, family members, people you see everyday, your enemies, countless strangers you walk past everyday - WILL go to hell when they die, because their names aren't recorded in the Book of Life. Would you want to watch your closest friend from heaven, burning in hell, screaming in agony, shouting to you, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"
But hell aside, heaven is real too! Instead of just sitting around, we can spread the good news of Jesus Christ and bring people to Him. But simply spreading isn't enough. Jesus said to "go out and make disciples". Evangalism is something which cannot be done in heaven with all the other believers. That's different from worshipping, which can be done both on earth and in heaven. Evangalism has to be done right here, right now. When we die and go to heaven, we'll have no more chance of gathering disciples for God anymore. So we have to start NOW.
#2 We are ignorant
From Lifegame I realised that we as Christians often get so caught up in everyday life that we do not realise how ignorant we are in realising the signs that God is sending in all the parts of the earth. Natural disasters, wars, conflicts, disorder - all these are signs of Jesus' second coming, and yet some of us think that, hey, it's normal to have these things going on, it's just another phase. Well the reality is that JESUS IS COMING, and He is coming SOON. We need to be alert at all times, because no one knows when God is coming again, not even Jesus. God will come unexpectedly, and we have to be ready.
If God suddenly comes today, are you ready to be judged? Are you absolutely sure that your name has been recorded in the Book of Life? Have you fulfilled your duty as a Christian on earth? Have you managed to change the lives of people to become disciples of God? When God calls you to come forward to be judged, will you tremble in fear? Or will you go with confidence knowing that you have glorified Him all your life? Get ready.
These are my two greatest takeaways from this year's camp, and my resolution after this camp is to make sure that I put God as my first priority at all times, to spread His word even though it may cause pain and suffering, and to maintain a good, close relationship with Him always. I hope that at the end of the year when I look back, I'll be able to say that I've become a better person, in Christ.
Follow me on Instagram