Stinging words indeed, but too true to be shrugged off. This was the observation of Rev. Datuk Dr Prince Guneratnam who has been in full-time ministry for 38 years now.

The NECF Malaysia Chairman was speaking at the Quest for Spiritual Perfection seminar organised by NECF Malaysia in conjunction with its 20th anniversary. In his message The EDGE: Towards Spiritual Perfection – Persistency, he said persistency is one of the reasons for his continual success in ministry.

He urged the 170 participants to imitate and fix their eyes on Jesus who, despite the untold hardship He suffered, persevered to the end.

Quoting Jesus’ remark that "he that puts his hand to the plough and looks back is not worthy of the Kingdom", he stressed: "Persistency looks ahead and causes one to keep moving. It does not look back at the past or play the blaming game."

Rev. Guneratnam was the first of four speakers – with a combined spiritual age of 120 years – who shared the ‘secrets’ of their longevity in ministry at the seminar.

The EXPERIENCE: The Mark of Spiritual Preservation – Unity was the next topic and who better to speak about unity than NECF founding chairman Mr David Boler. For many years, the highly-regarded 83-year-old patriarch of the Malaysian Evangelical community has been relentlessly calling Evangelicals to "forget our differences and emphasise what we have in common."

He said unity in the Church was critical to establish "the credibility and uniqueness of Jesus as the One sent from and by God ‘to be the Saviour of the world’ and ‘as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.’" Unity is, therefore, the evidence that "He (God) loved us" (1 John 4:9-14).

Mr Boler urged Christians to make every effort to preserve the unity – which we already have in the Spirit – by being humble, gentle, patient and gracious with one another according to Ephesians 4:1–16. Our effort on unity is also evidence that we are committed to renewal in the Church.

He concluded his message with his oft-given counsel: "The important working principle to follow is that Christians emphasise and act on what they have in common, never on distinctives that may divide. Only then can the Malaysian Church establish a credible witness among the multi-religious people of Malaysia."

For Pr Phua Seng Tiong, the quest for spiritual perfection begins with living holy lives that are entirely aligned with God. In his message The EXAMPLE: Preservation of Spiritual Perfection – Integrity, he said that to preserve spiritual perfection, we need integrity – a quality that is like light in the sea of darkness, he said.

The highly-respected former headmaster of a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, who retired recently and is now Senior Pastor of SSMC Petaling Jaya, brought home this point by sharing some hilarious accounts of his teaching experience. (Pr Phua was presented the Master Principal award by the Government for his contribution to the teaching profession.)

"You are a letter of Christ. Stand and reflect His character," he urged, adding that God would preserve us as a community if we have integrity of heart.

Rev. Canon James Wong, currently the Director of Anglican Schools in Singapore, concluded the seminar by sharing the prerequisites for revival in his message The ESSENTIAL: Towards Revival and Renewal.

Observing the pattern of church growth and God’s moving in Singapore and Malaysia, he believed that, though Christianity has grown in both countries, the churches have not experienced genuine revival apart from what had taken place in parts of East Malaysia some years ago.

He explained his view by clarifying the difference between revival and renewal. "In renewal, the church is touched and refreshed but it makes little impact on the world. In genuine revival, there is a tremendous transformation of the community where the revival is located. Indeed, the community becomes saturated with the heavy weight of God’s glorious presence," he said.

He quoted South Korea as a country where genuine revival took place; today, Christians form one-third of the population. "In times of revival, people in large number will be converted without much human effort."

So, how can revival come? Rev. Canon Wong said that from a study of past revivals, God will sweep the nation when Christians are praying fervently for: God’s visitation; a restoration of Christ-centred worship; a passion and hunger for God’s presence and glory; a deep brokenness and repentance; a new commitment to unity within and between churches; an openness to the Holy Spirit’s working; and a manifestation of His power in our midst.