John Wesley’s 12 Rules for Leaders

John Wesley believed in empowering lay people for leadership. He empowered those with leadership gifts and preaching abilities to help him in ministry. These are his 12 requirements he expected from his lay preachers:

  1. Be diligent. Never be unemployed a moment. Never be triflingly employed. Never while away time; neither spend any more time at any place than is strictly necessary.
  2. Be serious. Let your motto be, “Holiness to the Lord.” Avoid all lightness, jesting, and foolish talking.
  3. Converse sparingly and cautiously with women; particularly, with young women.
  4. Take no step toward marriage, without first consulting with your brethren.
  5. Believe evil of no one; unless you see it done, take heed how you credit it. Put the best construction on everything. You know the Judge is always supposed to be on the prisoner’s side.
  6. Speak evil of no one; else your word especially would eat as doth a canker. Keep your thoughts within your own breast, till you come to the person concerned.
  7. Tell every one what you think wrong in him, and that plainly, as soon as may be; else it will fester in your heart. Make all haste to cast the fire out of your bosom.
  8. Do not affect the gentleman. You have no more to do with this character than with that of a dancing-master. A Preacher of the gospel is the servant of all.
  9. Be ashamed of nothing but sin: Not of fetching wood (if time permit) or drawing water; not of cleaning your own shoes, or your neighbour’s.
  10. Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time. And in general, do not mend our Rules, but keep them; not for wrath, but for conscience’ sake.
  11. You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go always, not only to those that want you, but to those that want you most.
  12. Act in all things, not according to your own will, but as a son in the Gospel. As such, it is your part to employ your time in the manner which we direct; partly, in preaching and visiting from house to house; partly, in reading, meditation, and prayer. Above all, if you labour with us in our Lord’s vineyard, it is needful that you should do that part of the work which we advise, at those times and places which we judge most for his glory.

You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go always, not only to those who want you, but to those who want you most.

(Minutes of Conference, 29 June 1744, revised 1745)

These 12 rules are about our behaviours, habits and conducts. We are to be mindful that whatever we do, we don’t waste time, we keep watch over our finances as much as we watch over our tongues. We are to be pure in our thoughts and actions so that we glorify God in all that we do, be the big or small things in our daily life.

Blessed Good Friday!

Why is “Good Friday” “Good”?
In older English, “good” could mean “holy.” So, “Good Friday” means “Holy Friday”.

Good Friday is to commemorate Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed Himself willingly and died on the Cross to save humanity from sins. Sins separate us from God.
“Good Friday” is good because through the work of Jesus on the Cross, we are reconciled to God,  the Heavenly Father. We have new life in Him. 🙏🏼

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, offering us the free gift of eternal life. Whoever believes will have Everlasting life with God in Heaven.

Love and Serve One Another – Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is observed on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. It commemorates the Last Supper Jesus Christ shared with His disciples before He was taken and nailed to the cross.

During The Last Supper, Jesus taught His disciples to remember Him through the breaking of bread (as symbol of His body crushed for humanity on the Cross) and taking the wine (as a symbol of His blood poured out for us during His death).

The Gospel of God also records that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. This was to set an example of humility and servanthood in how we should treat one another.

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum”, meaning “command.” It refers to Jesus’ command: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

Let us ponder on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for us and His command to love one another.

Palm Sunday: Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus entering into Jerusalem triumphantly

Jesus rode into the city on a colt and the crowd shouting “Hosanna!” excitedly. They waved palm branches as a symbol of victory and triumph. They laid their clothes on the road as Jesus was passing by, and it was like rolling out the red carpet in the ancient time.

Jesus entered into Jerusalem trumphantly, not as a political leader as the crowd expected Him to be but He came as a King who served others. He came into this world to give us peace and to give hope to a hopeless world. He, the beloved Son of God, suffered and died for us on the Cross so that we can be reconciled to God our Heavenly Father.

Today, Christians celebrate Palm Sunday by holding handmade palm crosses or waving palm leaves in the church.

The crowd was shouting, “Hosanna” meaning, “save us”. Indeed, Jesus Christ had come from Heaven to earth to save us from sin and death 🙏🏼

Deny Ourselves, Take Up Our Cross, and Follow Jesus Christ

Matthew 16:24 — “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'”

Lent is a time we practice stillness before the Lord as we meditate on His love and sacrifice on the Cross for us. We slow down our steps to hear Him speak to us. 

Lent is also a season of surrender. We surrender ourselves, our desires, our dreams, our ambitions and our worries to God to realign to His heart and will for us. 

DENY OURSELVES

To deny ourselves is to remember we belong to the Lord. In surrendering, we say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

TAKE UP OUR CROSS

The Cross is where we see the ultimate love of God the Father for us:His Only Son was nailed on the Cross and died on it for our behalf so that we do not have to die eternally but we are reconciled to God our Heavenly Father. 

To take up our cross is to embrace the sacrificial love of Jesus. It may not be something we want to do in our human nature, but we do so because Jesus has sent an example for us. 

FOLLOW JESUS

To follow Jesus is to walk the path He walked — with love, humility, justice, mercy and obedience to God, the Father.

Let us ask ourselves:

(1) What areas in life am I resisting the call to deny myself?

(2) What cross am I being invited to carry?

(3) In what ways is Jesus calling me to follow Him more closely?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, teach me to deny myself in love,

to take up the cross you’ve entrusted to me to carry,

and to follow you with all my heart.

Take away my pride and selfishness.

May your Spirit give me strength and joy

as I walk this Lenten road with You.

Amen.

The God who cares for me till I am old

“I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is grey. I made you and will care for you; i will give you help and rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4, GNBUK)

Wow, what a comforting verse. God is my Creator and He will take care for me. 

I had lingering dizziness which goes on and off for the last couple of weeks. It has been frustrating because it limits my usual daily activities which i enjoy tremendously. I also need to be careful when taking a shower or bending down to play with my pets. 

Now that the giddiness is gone, one lesson remains: to surrender to God fully.

I was told that one of the reasons for my dizziness might be the stresses that i was carrying in my body. At first, i brushed this “theory” aside: i thought i was eating well and sleeping well. I am generally a happy person, how can i be stressed out?

But over the past couple of days, i examined myself: are there really stresses that i am holding on to and yet i do not realize it? Indeed there. There is the future to worry about, the long list of to-do items and much to think about. I then talk to myself, reassuring myself that i am doing my best for the things i can do and for the things i can not do, i let go and surrender them to God. After all, God cares for me. Time and time again He shows that He is my Heavenly Father who provides for all that i need. He never abandoned me — I can trust completely upon Him. For the things which I can not control, He knows best and He is in control.

This episode of dizziness re-examines my relationship with God, my Heavenly Father. I preach in church and lead prayer meetings, i visit and pray for the sick but do i have an intimate and personal relationship with Him? Or have i been treating Him like my employer (because i am in full-time ministry) instead of my Heavenly Father? I am also learning to take care of my body. It is only when i am getting older that i realise i should take better care of my health. By honouring my body and caring for it, i am honouring God, my creator.

These self-examinations and rest time bring me closer to God: i experienced His healing grace, and experienced the love of my friends who care for me. Life is good. God is good. I can leave my worries and anxieties to God, knowing that He will take care of me and all that i care about.

Treasure in jars of clay

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Cor. 4:7, NIV)

In biblical times, jars of clay were fragile, common and easily breakable. We are like these jars of clay. We human beings are weak. We are imperfect. We are here on earth just for a short while. However, through God’s Grace, we have been entrusted with the Gospel, that is, the Good News of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the treasure we have in us.

We are weak and imperfect yet God chooses us ordinary people to be His partners as He carries out His plan for the human race. God’s power and glory is displayed in us and through us — for His glory. We are limited in many ways but the power of the Gospel is never limited. Let us take heart and be faithful to what God has entrusted us to do.

Happy Valentine’s 2025!

Happy Valentine’s!

Valentine’s Day is celebrated to remember Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who showed Christ-like love. He performed Christian marriages during persecution. He also cared for the sick and those in prison.

Whether we are celebrating with someone special or celebrating with our friends, let’s not forget God loves us! He is love.

God shows us what love is: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, ESV)

Making A Decision to Serve the Lord

Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors serve beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord”.

Joshua was near to the end of his life. He gathered the Israelites together and reminded them what God has done for them.

God has been faithful and good to them. God had delivered them out of slavery in Egypt. On the way to the Promised Land through the wilderness, God was with them. God opened the Red Sea for them to pass through but the Red Sea closed on the Egyptian soldiers who were chasing after them. By day, God was in a pillar of cloud to guide them and by night, He was a pillar of fire to give them light (Ex. 13:21).

They were also not lacking in anything in these 40 years in the wilderness. Their clothing or sandals did not wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5). When they were hungry, God provided for them manna, a bread-like edible substance that tasted like wafer and honey.

Now the Israelites were living comfortably in the Promised Land. Each tribe had received their inheritance. They were enjoying their good life.

Joshua wanted to make sure that God’s people would not forget Him who has been so good and faithful to them. Joshua asked the people to make a conscious decision to be faithful to God — because they wanted to, out of their reverence and love for God. It should not be something that Joshua could force them into.

They had to make a choice for themselves: whether to choose to
continue to worship God, or choose to worship the idols of the nations around them. They had to decide if they would serve God.

“serve” means “being devoted to”. It also means “faithfulness”. Joshua was calling the Israelites to serve God with sincerity of heart and being faithful to Him, and not with an attitude that is half-hearted.


Evangelist and teacher, D.L. Moody, once heard a preacher said, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one person who is completely committed to Him”. And hearing this transformed Moody’s life. Moody set out to be that one person who was committed to God. And God used him greatly to share the Gospel to many others.

What about us today? We are living rather comfortably, we are not lacking in basic necessities. Have you made the decision to serve only the God of Heavens and Earth, and to be faithful to Him?