01 Mar 2013

March/April 2013 - Moment

An Episcopal Letter by Bishop Dr. Ong Hwai Teik

An Episcopal Letter

To All In The Family Of The Methodist Church
In Malaysia….

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

Warm greetings.

As the 13th General Election is scheduled to take place on the 5 May 2013, please note that the Prayer United movement will soon issue a call for a “3-day National FAST and PRAY” to all in the Church in Malaysia. It will be good for as many as possible in our Methodist Family, to unite and do this together with others in the Body of Christ in Malaysia, although participation is not compulsory.

It is the strategic call to humble ourselves to seek the Lord with one earnest spirit for the welfare and the needed foundational breakthroughs for this beloved nation of ours - at a very historic and crucial time. Some have even termed this GE 13 as the mother of all elections for Malaysia.

I and our leadership in the Methodist Church in Malaysia, call on all in our church family at the ground level, to do all they can to encourage each other

to pray [at all levels - personal, family, workplace, local church and also combined church efforts where possible],

to engage in relevant and helpful roles in the polling/election process [ eg as observers/ “pematau” etc],

• and to ensure that we responsibly cast our votes on the 5 May 2013 with wisdom, discernment and a good conscience. 

Let us heed the words of Paul in Romans 13:4-6 – as we pray for a clean and fair election that will give Malaysia an incoming government that is the “servant of God for your good”; a government that has a genuine fear of God that makes it do all that is good for the people but brings fear to wrongdoers.

Let us pray with fervent and expectant hearts for the GE 13 as we humble ourselves to seek and pursue God.
 

Psalm 123:1-2 says: “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.”

Let us sincerely keep our eyes on the Lord together – and seek His mercy and grace.
 
 

Thank you.

Bishop Ong Hwai Teik
The Methodist Church in Malaysia