yo yo,
the announcement girl here to bring you guys great news!
what? WORSHIP CUM QT RETREAT
where? OUR CHURCH! (Church Of Christ Of Malaya)
when? 6TH SEPT, THURSDAY OF THE SEPT SCHOL HOLIDAY
who? COMMITTEE MEMBERS, NEW BELIEVERS, SEC 3 AND BELOW ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED. ALL ARE WELCOME! (:
time? FROM NOON TO NIGHT (to be confirmed. lastest will be 9pm )
activities?
* ZHONG MING DAO SHI WILL BE LEADING THE QT PART. HE'LL BE TEACHING HOW TO DO QT EFFECTIVELY.
* ZI XU DAO SHI WILL BE LEADING THE WORSHIP PART ABOTU HOW TO BE A WORSHIP LEADER.
* DINNER WILL BE SERVED - BBQ!!
fee? FREE OF CHARGED! WOO~!
things to bring? A HEART THAT WANTS TO DRAW CLOSER TO GOD AND TO SERVE HIM.
========================================================
* This time round, there will not be stayover for retreat ):
*Please inform me if you're interested to go and tell me if the date is suitable for you. We will try to go with the majority.
*The purpose of this retreat is to help the younger ones in Christ to know the meaning of QT and to teach them how to do QT to hear the voice of the Lord. The worship part is to train us to be future worship leadership to be able to lead the crowd to sing praises to His name.
*Please help to pass this message around because this retreat will really benefit you. (:
========================================================
*A gentle reminder, next week will be the first week of the month. Lunch will be provided at the back of 2nd Sevice hall after service. The food will be much nicer and cheaper from AHEM! *coughcough* So, DO stay behind and have lunch with fellow brothers and sisters! :)
Sister-in-Christ,
Yvonne
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
ANNOUNCEMENTS
hello people,
really sorry. cuz i really dunno what to blog or post about. so here i am, bringing you guys the NEWS..
1) Sunday school as usual for Pastor Kelly's class. Same time, same place! (:
2) There will be 迎新 and usher meeting this coming sunday (19th aug), 1pm at meeting room 2. After this meeting, the next following meeting will be in 2 to 3 months time. For those who're not able to attend, please inform your respective leaders.
3) This year's annual Anshao camp will be held at Pasir Ris Holiday Point Camp. The facilities will be the same as the Punggol Camp site but I'm sure we'll have different kind of fun. It will be a great time to bond with fellow brothers and sister and to bring new comers. (:
The camp leader will be Sarah and it'll be on the 3rd week of Dec, 4days 3 night. From 17 to 21 Dec (exact date not confirm). Make yourself available! :)
4) Please be praying for the O'level students. Namely, Benjamin, Hengyue, Lihao, Yeechuan, Crosby, Samantha, Rebecca, Julia, Jenalyn, Darrell and Zhiyang. (tell me if i missed out any one)
- They have gotten back their O's Mt results and they have done well. Thank God for that. But some of them are hesitating to retake. Pray that they'll be able to make the right decision with the help of the Lord.
- Most of them are preparing for their upcoming prelims. Pray that they'll have the motivation to study hard and do well.
- And not forgetting the 3Ds towards God - Desire, Determination and Drive. When they are preparing for their exams, let them not forget about the Lord. Have the Desire to want to talk to God, Determination to do QT and the Drive to yearn for the Lord.
[Keep them in your prayer list, they really need it.]
5) Something to keep you guys excited and going - THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING REEEEEEEAAALL SOON!! (: and and, after O's Darrell will be coming back, Fiona and Doreen will be joining us!!
really sorry. cuz i really dunno what to blog or post about. so here i am, bringing you guys the NEWS..
1) Sunday school as usual for Pastor Kelly's class. Same time, same place! (:
2) There will be 迎新 and usher meeting this coming sunday (19th aug), 1pm at meeting room 2. After this meeting, the next following meeting will be in 2 to 3 months time. For those who're not able to attend, please inform your respective leaders.
3) This year's annual Anshao camp will be held at Pasir Ris Holiday Point Camp. The facilities will be the same as the Punggol Camp site but I'm sure we'll have different kind of fun. It will be a great time to bond with fellow brothers and sister and to bring new comers. (:
The camp leader will be Sarah and it'll be on the 3rd week of Dec, 4days 3 night. From 17 to 21 Dec (exact date not confirm). Make yourself available! :)
4) Please be praying for the O'level students. Namely, Benjamin, Hengyue, Lihao, Yeechuan, Crosby, Samantha, Rebecca, Julia, Jenalyn, Darrell and Zhiyang. (tell me if i missed out any one)
- They have gotten back their O's Mt results and they have done well. Thank God for that. But some of them are hesitating to retake. Pray that they'll be able to make the right decision with the help of the Lord.
- Most of them are preparing for their upcoming prelims. Pray that they'll have the motivation to study hard and do well.
- And not forgetting the 3Ds towards God - Desire, Determination and Drive. When they are preparing for their exams, let them not forget about the Lord. Have the Desire to want to talk to God, Determination to do QT and the Drive to yearn for the Lord.
[Keep them in your prayer list, they really need it.]
5) Something to keep you guys excited and going - THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING REEEEEEEAAALL SOON!! (: and and, after O's Darrell will be coming back, Fiona and Doreen will be joining us!!
What is wrong is wrong even if no one is doing it. What is right is right even if not one is doing it! :)
love,
Yvonne
Friday, August 10, 2007
Is it right for a Christian to pray that God avenge him and give his enemies what they deserve?
Jesus brought a deeper spiritual principle to bear upon the attitude of people towards revenge and retribution. In Matthew 5:38-42, He made three radical statements. First, He said that a person should turn the other cheek when someone strikes him. Second, He declared that His followers should give those who sue them more than they are asking. Third, He said that a person who is conscripted by a Roman officer to carry a load for one mile should offer to go two.
Does this mean that we cannot resist when somebody attacks us? Should we let everyone take advantage of us? This can’t be what Jesus meant. After all, Jesus denounced the Pharisees who attacked Him (Matthew 23) and objected when He was struck by one of the officers of the high priest (John 18:22). Further, He advised His disciples to take measures to defend themselves (Matthew 10:16), and He declared that they shouldn’t “meditate beforehand on what you will answer” to an enemy’s charges because He “will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist” (Luke 21:14-15 NKJV). Similarly, the apostle Paul aggressively defended himself against his enemies on occasion (Acts 23:1-3), asserting his rights as a Roman citizen and making it clear to his attackers that there could be consequences if he were unlawfully harmed (Acts 25:14-27).
What Jesus asks of His followers is not passivity but surrender of the right to personal revenge. His three radical examples make His point about the attitude we should have toward those who wrong us. Rather than getting even, we should be willing to go to the opposite extreme. We need to be ready to humble ourselves for the kingdom of God. We need to understand that vengeance isn’t ours, but the Lord’s (Romans 12:19).
The natural human tendency has been to seek the emotional satisfaction of revenge for perceived injury (Genesis 4:8). Our instinctive response to any kind of injury is hatred and desire for vengeance. This is why Jesus made it so clear in His Sermon on the Mount that not only outward murder, but also inward hatred is subject to God’s judgment (Matthew 5:22-23). Consequently, the Old Testament Law placed limitations on vengeance (Exodus 21:23-25). Although the “eye for an eye” provision of the Mosaic Law has often been misunderstood as requiring vengeance, its actual purpose was to place limitations upon it. The law wouldn’t permit murder out of revenge for an insult or a minor injury. If an eye were put out, only an eye could be taken; if a tooth, only a tooth.
Jesus went much farther than the law, making it clear that He wasn’t merely calling for more limitations on vengeance. In Matthew 5:38-39, He implies that we must give up personal vengeance altogether. But as illustrated above by Jesus and Paul’s examples, there is a difference between confronting evil and seeking personal revenge. It is possible to confront evil with a desire for the redemption of its perpetrator. We can love a sinner while confronting his sin, but when we seek vengeance we are (always) motivated by hatred.
If Matthew 5:38-42 were taken literally at all times, we would have to let everyone take advantage of us. Turning the other cheek would become an encouragement for evil. This isn’t what Jesus had in mind. His vivid examples illustrate His disciples’ need to give up any sense of entitlement to personal revenge, to be purged of the motivation of personal vengeance. By asking them to “turn the other cheek,” Jesus meant that His disciples should be motivated by love and a desire for the redemption and forgiveness of offenders—even when opposing their actions.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
What Do You Believe?
What Do You Believe?
READ: Isaiah 50:4-10
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. —Isaiah 50:4
Francis Collins earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Yale University and then entered medical school. During his training at a North Carolina hospital, a dying woman often talked to him about her faith in Christ. He rejected the existence of God, but he couldn’t ignore the woman’s serenity. One day she asked, “What do you believe?” Caught off guard, Collins’ face turned red as he stammered, “I’m not really sure.” A few days later the woman died.
Curious and uneasy, the young doctor realized that he had rejected God without adequately examining the evidence. He began to read the Bible and the writings of C. S. Lewis. A year later he fell to his knees and gave his life to Jesus Christ. The catalyst? A sincere question from an elderly woman whose physical heart was failing but whose concern for others was strong.
In a prophetic picture of the Messiah, Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
May we be ready with a timely word or a caring question to point others toward our Savior who offers life and peace to all. —David C. McCasland—David C. McCasland-->
Lord, let me be a shining lightIn all I say and do,That Your great love displayed in meMay lead someone to You. —Sper
The next person you meet may need to meet Christ.
love,
jen
READ: Isaiah 50:4-10
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. —Isaiah 50:4
Francis Collins earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Yale University and then entered medical school. During his training at a North Carolina hospital, a dying woman often talked to him about her faith in Christ. He rejected the existence of God, but he couldn’t ignore the woman’s serenity. One day she asked, “What do you believe?” Caught off guard, Collins’ face turned red as he stammered, “I’m not really sure.” A few days later the woman died.
Curious and uneasy, the young doctor realized that he had rejected God without adequately examining the evidence. He began to read the Bible and the writings of C. S. Lewis. A year later he fell to his knees and gave his life to Jesus Christ. The catalyst? A sincere question from an elderly woman whose physical heart was failing but whose concern for others was strong.
In a prophetic picture of the Messiah, Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.”
May we be ready with a timely word or a caring question to point others toward our Savior who offers life and peace to all. —David C. McCasland—David C. McCasland-->
Lord, let me be a shining lightIn all I say and do,That Your great love displayed in meMay lead someone to You. —Sper
The next person you meet may need to meet Christ.
love,
jen
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
SHE LOVES ME . . . LOVES ME NOT
SHE LOVES ME . . . LOVES ME NOT
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 1 John 2:15
Did you ever try to figure out whether or not someone you loved, loved you in return? Who knows when, but a long time ago some romantic had the idea that you could solve the dilemma by pulling petals off of a daisy. Remember how it works? “She loves me, she loves me not . . .” When you got to the last petal, you’d have it figured out. And, the beauty of it was, if you didn’t like the outcome, you could grab another flower and start over!
Sometimes I wonder if that’s how God feels about our love for Him. We know from Scripture that God’s love toward us is faithful, undaunted, and unchanging (Lamentations 3:22-23). But, quite frankly, our love for Him is often fickle and erratic. One day it’s “we love Him,” and a couple of days later it looks like “we love him not.” And while we would never say it that way, sometimes that’s really what it is! One day we resonate with intimacy toward God, and the next, we feel distant and disconnected.
I suspect that part of the problem is our understanding of the word love. We use the same English word to speak about so many things. I could say, “I love the Chicago Cubs; I love deep-dish pizza; I love the family dog; and I love my wife” using the same word for all, but meaning dramatically different things. Then we take that same word and say, “I love God.” No wonder the meaning gets lost!
That’s why I’m thankful for the writings of the apostle John. He moves the discussion about our love for God from the realm of our fickle feelings to tangible, practical ways that we can express our love to God regardless of how we feel. John tells us that God feels loved by us when we surrender to Him and obey (1 John 5:3). He also tells us that loving God is expressed to Him by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 4:21). And in today’s verse we see that our love for God is also proven when we choose to love God more than the world! “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
So, thankfully, our love for God doesn’t need to rise and fall on how we feel on a given day. Loving Him is about our choice to put Him first and care about the things He cares about! And that is something we can do on a regular basis regardless.
If you’ve been caught in a “petal-pulling” love relationship with Jesus, set yourself free by choosing to express your love to Him in concrete ways every day. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the good feelings follow your good choices!
YOUR JOURNEY…
-Take some time to evaluate your love for God. Is it based on your feelings or on the facts you know to be true about Him? In what ways do you express your love for Him?
-How are you doing in terms of not loving the world? What are some things in the world that attract your attention, distracting you from your relationship with God?
-According to 1 John 2:17, what will happen to the world? Can you be described as a person “who does the will of God”? Take some time to prayerfully ask the Lord to anchor your heart with this desire.
this is a cool article. haha.
love,
jen
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 1 John 2:15
Did you ever try to figure out whether or not someone you loved, loved you in return? Who knows when, but a long time ago some romantic had the idea that you could solve the dilemma by pulling petals off of a daisy. Remember how it works? “She loves me, she loves me not . . .” When you got to the last petal, you’d have it figured out. And, the beauty of it was, if you didn’t like the outcome, you could grab another flower and start over!
Sometimes I wonder if that’s how God feels about our love for Him. We know from Scripture that God’s love toward us is faithful, undaunted, and unchanging (Lamentations 3:22-23). But, quite frankly, our love for Him is often fickle and erratic. One day it’s “we love Him,” and a couple of days later it looks like “we love him not.” And while we would never say it that way, sometimes that’s really what it is! One day we resonate with intimacy toward God, and the next, we feel distant and disconnected.
I suspect that part of the problem is our understanding of the word love. We use the same English word to speak about so many things. I could say, “I love the Chicago Cubs; I love deep-dish pizza; I love the family dog; and I love my wife” using the same word for all, but meaning dramatically different things. Then we take that same word and say, “I love God.” No wonder the meaning gets lost!
That’s why I’m thankful for the writings of the apostle John. He moves the discussion about our love for God from the realm of our fickle feelings to tangible, practical ways that we can express our love to God regardless of how we feel. John tells us that God feels loved by us when we surrender to Him and obey (1 John 5:3). He also tells us that loving God is expressed to Him by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 4:21). And in today’s verse we see that our love for God is also proven when we choose to love God more than the world! “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
So, thankfully, our love for God doesn’t need to rise and fall on how we feel on a given day. Loving Him is about our choice to put Him first and care about the things He cares about! And that is something we can do on a regular basis regardless.
If you’ve been caught in a “petal-pulling” love relationship with Jesus, set yourself free by choosing to express your love to Him in concrete ways every day. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the good feelings follow your good choices!
YOUR JOURNEY…
-Take some time to evaluate your love for God. Is it based on your feelings or on the facts you know to be true about Him? In what ways do you express your love for Him?
-How are you doing in terms of not loving the world? What are some things in the world that attract your attention, distracting you from your relationship with God?
-According to 1 John 2:17, what will happen to the world? Can you be described as a person “who does the will of God”? Take some time to prayerfully ask the Lord to anchor your heart with this desire.
this is a cool article. haha.
love,
jen
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