Friday, April 29, 2005

Go Wif Da Flow!

Insp: Ps Prince

Sometimes we complained complained and complained why things does not go as we want. Why things must HAPpened for us to be HAPpy? HAPpenning Has to HAPpenned for us to be HAPPY. WOI!!!!WAKE UP! Not everything can go as our plan.

Why A hasn't arrived yet ar? He/She told me that she'll arrive at 3 how come 3.30 still hasn't come one ar? why ? how come? walau...cia lat ar like this...ble bla ble bla...so what?

---OK! RUINING YOUR DAY YO!---

so, why don't we just gooooo wiffffffff daaaaaaaa flowwwwww. ok, if things does not go as you plan, go with the flow. see what you can do with your time lho. sing song, enjoy your surrounding, talk to Daddy God, look up the sky, see the blue sky, play with the cloud. Relive your childhood.

Oi! There's nothing wrong to relapse to a child-mind again because children are always joyful and everything is beautiful! ENJOY God's creation and u might notice chirping birds you haven't notice for a long time. Just relax lho. Don't think too much. Don't worry too much. Relax! Regard the waiting time as your resting time :)

This is not only about time delays but also about anything that go astray from your plan. Hey! you never know because a lot of time, good things occurs during that detour you are experiencing.

I learnt a long time ago to relax when things did not go as my plan. Sometimes when i am running late because of the bus, the mere act of ignoring my watch will subside all panic inside and let myself enjoy the presence of my surrounding. Then the Spirit is able to reveal a lot of things that i have forgotten or taken for granted during my usual on-time bus trip.

I need to be grateful about the sunshine, the beautiful color of the spring, and the fact that i am healthy n able to appreciate everything God has given me to enjoy.

Oh.. when major plans did not go according to your plan, don't worry. take small steps at a time and keep your priorities in mind. More often than not, this step-by-step approach is a much better way of achieving your goal.

Anyway, whenever things doesn't go as planned, RELAX! GOD'S CRUISING! Go With His Flow!

Monday, April 25, 2005

First Love

by Kofu

Confession that Jesus Christ is the son of God:

External:
Luke 4:41 - Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

Internal:
Matt 16:16 - Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The greatest verse ever:
John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

For God = The greatest being in the universe
So Loved = The greatest feeling
The world = The greatest number -> number of stars and sand
That He gave = The greatest act -> sacrifice
His only son = Give up being a father
Whoever = infinite number of person
Believe in Him = The greatest thought
Will not perish = The greatest fear
And have everlasting life = The greatest hope

---
It takes a person who has been forgiven to talk about forgiveness.
It takes a person who is saved to talk about the saviour
It takes a person who is loved to talk about love

Be Fruitful!

by Ps. Henry Jones

Hebrews 3:18 - And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed

Hebrews 4:1 - Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

First hindrance from being fruitful and fulfill God's rhema for you: UNBELIEVE
Heard but did not believe it will happens. Freely receive and you can give it to others. Give the bless away and you will be bless in your life. Believe and have faith that you will receive what you ask and told to you

Number 13:26-30 - They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan." Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Quit looking at the problem and look at God's promise on your life. Take the word and believe.

The way you see yourself is what others will see you. You have to see yourself in Christ so that you are not crushed by the enemy.

When fear is in your life, Faith is not present.....COURAGE! Although it might look hopeless...be courageous and God will make a way.

Overcoming the hindrance:
Revelation 12:11 - They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

1. By the Blood of the Lamb
2. Giving testimony -> Testify
3. Love not your life even death.

Sometimes human reasongin and scientific finding hinders us from God's destiny of our lives. (ie. Moses and red sea). Human reasoning try to take God's miracles away from us and hinder us from being fruitful like what God wants us to be.

Like the example of Joshua. Though Israelites are did not believe that the Wall of Jericho will come rumbling down, the key is still........OBEDIENCE

The Character of David

by Ps Chris

Act 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

How happy are we if we are in David's position. How wonderful it is to be a man after God's own heart.

David is a man after God's own heart, but What did he do to deserve such title?
1 Samual 16:7-8 - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either."

David is a man after God's own heart because he patiently await for the time for his reigning. He conquer his waiting time because he was anointed by Samuel at the age of 17 but he has to wait for 13 years to become king. Of course, he had chances to become king much sooner because God did not find favor in Saul anymore but David still patiently wait for God's time to promote him as the king of Israel.

1 Samuel 1:13-14 - So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

David realized that promotion only comes from God. God did not find favor in Saul anymore and God's spirit departed from Saul because he took over Samuel's responsibility as a high priest. David had a lot of chances to have early promotion using his own effort but he did not take that chance because he knows only God can promote and demote someone.

1 Samuel 17:40 - Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

David won over worries. He was the most courageous to face Goliath and He picked up 5 stones because he wanted to make sure he aimed and hit on the target. When we try to compare all attire from both sides, it was very obvious that David is the underdog of the match but analyze what he said to Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:45-46 - David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

He believed that God will fight in his place and he has nothing to worry about.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Altar of Offering

by Ps Chris

2 Chronicle 1:7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

All of us always dream to receive this verse. But before verse 7, there are a few step to go through. We will take example from Solomon. (No greater king before and after him, he was the richest, the wisest and the greatest).

2 Step to go through to receive God's grace upon us:
1. verse 1 - Solomon always remember to the Tent of meeting even in his Golden years. Riches and position did not cause Solomon to forget God's Offering altar. What is Altar of offering? It's the cross that we have to carry every day. Offering altar is our response towards what God allows to happen in our lives. God demand that we carry our cross. Pay what has becomes our responsibility. God has given the best for us when we cry out to receive something but when we receive something, we act as if we've paid the price to receive what God has given to us.

We have to remember His kindness when He answers our prayers. When we forget to give thanks and pay the glory, something that has been given unto you will be taken away because we are not worthy to receive the glory. It is not hard for God to make us great but are we going to carry our cross?

I pray that we will receive riches, position and everything will be successful. And we did not forget to come to the mount of Gibeon and we did not make the first as the last and make the last as our first. Check yourself when God is preparing you.

2. verse 5-6 - Solomon is able to bring down God's presence. Life in this world will be very enjoyable and joyful for people who can bring down God's presense in this tough life.

2 Cor 4:7-8 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed"

What's the best way to bring down God's presence? GIVE YOUR BEST
-- Solomon give to offering altar and give sacrifice. To give God the maximum we can give. What is integrity? Integrity = You did not sin when there is a chance for you to sin.
What is sacrifice? Sacrifice = Something we hold dear to us that we ive to God and it hurts.
So why are we scared to give the maximum we could give? we are afraid to give God our time, our riches when our God is the powerful God?

Humble yourself so God will give you everything that you need.
When you give the best, You'll feel God's presence everyday

Blessed are those who listen to the word of God and do it in their lives.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Listen!

by: Ps Chris

Mark 7:16 "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear"

One of the most important thing in this life is how we listen because what we listen influence what we do. Another point is that there's never a day without listening.

Do you know the difference between hearing and listening?
Hear: hear something but forget its existence right away.
Listen: hear something often with attention. This is the most important!

If you listen wrongly, you'll do wrong stuff. You'll produce wrong reaction. For example, i was assigned a reading for a small quiz back in my bible college. But i memorized the wrong book of the bible and the consequences was i got my first and last zero in my entire school history.

Pay attention to what you listen because that determine what you'll do next.

James 1:19 " My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry"

The problem appear when we are too slow to listen and too quick to talk. Problem emerges when we spoke up before gathering enough data to back up our words.

Matthew 7:24-26 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

This contrast the one who really listen and do God's word and another one who only appear to listen but in the end did not do God's word. Two same house, exact and precisely the same as each other. But what differentiates the two? The QUALITY. The quality which will be tested in its perseverence when problem arises.

Our quality is tested when the storm of life emerges and differentiates between the ones who really did listen to what has been said from the ones who just hear what was said and pass it on to the air.

What's the benefit of listening?
Isaiah 48:18 "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

1. Peace like a river
2. Righteousness like the waves of the sea

Endless righteousness and peace will be bestowed upon you if you listen carefully to God's command.

EPIC created by God

by: Sherwood Oaks production based on book by John Eldredge

Epic...Once upon a time....a story full of battles and beautiful promises. There are heroes and villains, counterfeits and kings. The world is submerged in a hidden reality that can only be unlocked by a powerful unseen truth. this is the EPIC.

Everything seems to be perfect in a story but everything is not what it seems. There's darkness underneath that perfectness. There's villain and heroes. More often than not, the hero must die for the beloved to live for example, Jack in the titanic. Though we must endure tragedy but as long as it is a happy ending at the end, we are willing to endure tragedy in the middle.

Question: why do we always long for a happy ending story? is it prewired in ourselves to long for that such ending ? if you think about it, this is why hollywood's productions are selling like popcorn. they are basically using our longing for beautiful ending as their core business. When we are left hanging in a storyline, we feel unsatisfied and we are curious to know the ending to the story we are watching. what do we usually see in a story? usually the first setting will skim ove a very perfect setting.
Answer: We are genetically designed by God for eternity, we are designed for heaven. That's why we always long for more of this world. We long to know our own happy ending, we long to know what will happened in our live next.

In the world where everything is so wrong, we long for the peace. We believe that there's still good in this world and we become more focus on the good side and deny the evil aspect. We are very focused on the heroes and all the happy ending stories but are we denying the existence of evil? The consequences it brings in our lives? Do evil exist in a much more subtle than we want to think? Do we take evil to lightly? we even make them into cartoon just for the fun of it. Evil takes on various shapes. Sometimes it is just a new object that trigger jealousy and the urge to possess within a peaceful community. But we rarely contributes these negativeness to the work of evil. We should know that evil is closer than we think. It is constantly battling the good in us. In our 24 hours, devil never cease or rest to taunt and tempt us into what he wants us to do. To drive us further away from our Beloved but remember that God is our 24 hours hotline counseling we can rely to always be there when we need encouragement, to be our shoulder to cry on and someone to rely on.

The battle between good and evil is not an easy conflict within. It is a raging war inside of you and this following story will tell a story about the consequences of our decision. A naughty child has been warned by his teacher that he's not to take out a plastic hammer around the class because of its sharp end. But during recess, he take a position on the top of the spin and he ask this question which is the same question eve asked in the garden of eden. "Can i trust my teacher?" "Can i trust God?" Evil won and Eve bit in the fruit of knowledge. Evil won and this child took the hammer out while standing on the top of a spin. Lo and behold, after several spin, the hammer slipped out of his hand and knock the eye of another kid. Blood spill over the playground and his teacher took him to another teacher to wait for her while she mended the wounded child. This guilty boy start sobbing and asking for his teacher though he know he's guilty. When he see his teacher, the teacher kneel down and open her arms wide to received the sobbing child with hammer on his hand. God long for us to come back to him though we have done so many things that shows our distrust to him. When we finally choose to come back home, He's always there arms wide open to receive and love us.

At the end we always long for a happy ending. When Gladiator ends with Maximus' death, we sigh happily when we finally saw his wife and son coming towards him because we believe that there's more to the story than what is portrayed in the movie. When Jack in titanic died for Rose to live, we know what Rose will forever treasure her life and Jack's love. What about us? we long for eternity. We long for heaven. At the end we long for the happy ending with the One who created us. This is our own journey. This is our story. This is our own Epic created by God. And we have a role to play ..............play it right!

Friday, April 08, 2005

Ministry of Love

by: Ps Chris Mesach

The moment human fall into sin, they'd lost a patron figure til the arrival of Jesus Christ. We should reflect upon the Macedonian community. Though they endure hardship and severe suffereing, their joy is still overflowing. No hardship, no suffering is hard enough to hinder their joy.

What is the characteristic of the community in Macedonia?
1. In everything, every situation, they are able to maintain their joy. Be joyful in every given situation.

-- I pray that the spiritual condition in the community of Macedonia will be our own condition --


2. Eventhough they are very pour, they are rich in generosity. It's not about money but about your time for God, your time to care for each other.


-- I pray that you will be rich in financial and also rich in generosity --


3. Push themselves to be in a ministry. They long to be in the ministry.
God wants you to be a leader. Do you believe it? Think about this. Do you want to be a parent? If yes, God has put a leadership seeds in you to lead and teach your children.


-- I pray that we become ministere not because of the leaders but because of a push from longing to serve God that drive us to minister --

Until now we always mention about the strength of an eagle but we did not discuss much about the weakness of an eagle. The weakness of an eagle is that it cannot bear pain. But when they are sick, they fly and stay in a nest and let the sun heal them completely.