Singapore Protestant Christianity in 'Crisis', Declares Evangelical Pastor

Some excerpts from an email of a sermon. Singapore Protestant Christianity in 'Crisis', Declares Evangelical Pastor Friday, Jul. 9, 2010 Posted: 6:00:13AM HKT 1) "The all-too-familiar evangelical message is that the world is in trouble and churches need help. Singapore pastor Tony Yeo, however, thinks it is the reverse that is true. Many Protestants here lack sincerity in faith, he said Tuesday in a sermon with many points yet one emphasis. The solution the pastor proposed: to live life from the inside out and to embrace the call to radical discipleship in our lives. And it is to go back to the basics, to come back to the Word of the living God." 2)Using the World Cup as an example, the Rev. Yeo noted that many people take pains to catch the early morning telecast of the games. Nonetheless Christians tend to complain when it comes to dawn prayer or early morning service. “It is not an issue of time,” said the youthful pastor. “It is an issue of heart.” 3) Churches could also tend to emphasise participation in their programmes, their range of programmes and size of their facilities to the neglect of real life transformation. 4)  Two role models he mentioned were Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and well-known late British evangelist Alan Redpath.

When asked what the key to his successful political leadership was, Mr Lee had simply said: sacrifice.

Asked for the secret in life in ministry, Redpath replied, “Bent knees, wet eyes and a broken heart.”


5)The evangelical pastor also corrected misconceptions about the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

Christians tend to view the Great Commission as focusing on the church and attendance of its activities rather than Christ and resembling the life of love He modelled.

Churches tend to view the Gospel as a message to broadcast rather than a life to live, the pastor told hundreds of music missionaries.

“You and I are the main delivery systems of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

There is also a tendency to see the Great Commission as solely the task of pastors, ministry leaders and missionaries.

All Christians, however, are in fulltime service ‘disguised’ as working people and homemakers, Yeo emphasised.

In addition, the Great Commission is primarily a call to make disciples of Jesus Christ, rather than travel to far-off lands or make converts, and of all nations, he highlighted.