Theme 主题:起垒!Launched! Tagline 标记线:受装备！为主收割职场！Be equipped to harvest in the marketplace!
Event Date 日期: Saturday, February 4, 2012 Time 时间 : 8:30am until 9:30pm
Venue 地点: Good Hope Hotel
No.1, Jalan Ronggeng 5, Taman Skudai Baru,
81300 Skudai, Johor Darul Ta’zim. Main Language 主要语言: Mandarin 华语
Speaker主讲: 郑明贤长老 Elder Tony Tay
Contact 联络人: Bro. Desmond Lee 012-7764212, Bro. Tan Boon Ping 012-7572761, Bro.Carter Lee 016-7054754 Note: Admission by ticket 凭票入场
Speaker profile 讲者简介: Tony Tay is the Group CEO and President of one of the largest business group in New Zealand covers property developments and construction, tourism and hospitality, filming industries, media & newspaper, education and health care etc. 2008 world financial crisis plunged his group into the greatest survival test. He experienced many miracle and spiritual blessings as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death. By God's grace, he has successfully restructured his group of businesses and passed on the legacy so that he can serve the Lord full time in the marketplace ministry.
Tony pioneered ans pastors a city chinese church reaching out thousands of intellectuals, industrialists, students and businessmen from China.He has touched many others in the workplace with the genuineness of a Christ-controlled life - giving selflessly, with compassion, conviction and his faithfulness to the Lord. He is happily married to Selina and they have 3 godly and beautiful daughters. His family motto is"...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.": Joshua 24:15
As I was reading the Gospel of Mark this morning, I paused and pondered upon Mark 16:15-18 "He [Jesus] said to them, "Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Followed by v. 20 "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."
I was previously taught of this passage that it is not just the apostles (12 disciples) that were given this promise, nor was it just for a gifted few, or super-spiritual giants like Billy Graham etc. but the promise was given to "those who believe", that means it is a promise that God has given to you and I, and the verse "they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" captured my attention particularly. That means when we share the Gospel, and place our hands on sick people, they will get well (God promised!).
Why so? Because just by preaching the good news alone, people might not be receptive to it. That is why the Lord "confirmed his word by the signs". The visible signs show the non-Christians that what we preach is true, that God is powerful and he has the power to save and to heal.
With that promise at hand and renewed sense of mission (sharing the Gospel), I left the house for work. I went to buy (bungkus) my breakfast. While waiting, I casually chat with the uncle at the stall. I just casually asked "Auntie not around?" to just initiate a discussion. But he then shouted to her, and she popped out of nowhere. She then said she was talking to some others about her finger which she finds it difficult to move. As she shared about the alternative options that are available to her (Chinese medicine, operation at GH etc.), I remember the promise I learned this morning, and I told God, "God, if I take the courage to ask to pray for her finger right now, Lord you must heal her." So I requested to pray for her. She said OK. After praying, I asked, "Better?" She tried to move her finger but did not say anything. So we went on chatting about her life story. After some time, she said, "I think it's better now. Eh, it's really better now!" Praise God! I thank God, There and then, I knew that the promise is true, when we preach the Gospel and we pray for the person to be healed, "they will get well'. After a while, she had to get back to work. I decided that tomorrow I will go and eat at her stall again and share the Gospel with her. I am determined to see salvation come upon her.
Try it for yourself: If someone shares with you that he or she is sick, trust God with that promise and pray for the person. When you act by faith, you will see God's tremendous power at work. Your life will be changed!
Hebronites, Jesus is coming soon. And we have no time to lose in bringing the Gospel to our loved ones and friends. Every morning, ask God to give you the names of the people you will bring the Gospel to that day. Go to work, school or outside with a sense of mission. Wouldn't it be great to come back from home every day knowing that you have done your best in fulfilling God's will and mission for you that day? You will surely live an abundant and fruitful life if you do so.
Vision 2011: 'Every Hebronite to lead others a step closer to Christ through Christlike character, care and conversation." “每位希伯仑成员通过基督的品格，关怀和谈话带领他人更认识基督。”
"Who are you leading a step closer to Christ today?" Take a step of faith to share.
I am grateful to God and glad to see each and every one of you who attended the Sunday service this morning. It is my prayer that God will use the message today to stir your hearts to continue to serve him and love him with all your heart.
A reminder of our Vision for 2011: 'Every Hebronite to lead others a step closer to Christ through Christlike character, care and conversation." “每位希伯仑成员通过基督的品格，关怀和谈话带领他人更认识基督。”
I hope as Hebronites, we can remember this by heart, and remind ourselves each day that God has given us the mission of leading our colleagues, friends, classmates and family members a step closer to Christ, be it through showing of concern, praying for a friend, discussing on religious matters etc. A step closer each day, lama-lama jadi Christian :)
To make your goal clearer, may I suggest you to think of 3 persons that you believe are open to know more about Jesus. After writing down, put the names somewhere you can see every day, and whenever you see the names, pray a simple prayer, "Lord, work in their hearts so that they may accept Jesus." A simple prayer will do, cos' God listens to each word that you say, and as you pray, God works powerfully.
Also, is there any Hebronite that you know of that have not been coming to church for some time? Pray for them, that the Lord will give them the desire once again to come back to the Lord and follow him.
Praying is such a wonderful action, because through talking with God, you can personally experience the sweetness of fellowship with God. Try it, don't lose out on the privilege to talk to him just because you are busy or lazy..Satan likes it.
Know that each and every one of you is in my prayer each day, and it is my sincere prayer that God will continue to bless you abundantly and to lead you in living a life that pleases and glorify God. Let us keep on sowing seeds of the Gospel for God.
Gentle reminder - Join us this coming Tues (public holiday in Johor, but praying knows no holiday), 8.30pm at Hebron for prayer meeting. Let us worship and pray to the Lord together, see you then.
Victory or Defeat As you open your eyes each morning, the war has already started. Satan is already at work with his minions providing you with distractions to prevent you from spending time with God. Just when you want to spend time in prayer or Bible, there will certainly be something more 'urgent' that will crop up to postpone your time with God. And when you know it, you have already reached the end of the day and you still have not found time to spend with God. You lost the war.
Morning is crucial. We need to come to God in prayer and Bible studying/reading every morning before we leave the house for school or work. We need strength for the day to flee from temptations. We need courage for the day to make the right decisions rather than following the world's values. We need joy and peace for the day to face challenges and trials with the right attitude. Without plugging in to God each day to recharge our spiritual batteries, we are as good as dead even before we step out of the house.
So before you step out into the spiritual war zone in the world, prepare yourself. Victory or defeat throughout the day is determined by the choice you make in the morning - to spend or not to spend time with God. Period.
Simple Strategy: Spend 15 minutes in prayer + 1 chapter of the Bible before leaving the house.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 NIV)
A blessed new year - 2011- to all of you! It is my prayer and desire to see all of us continue to walk closely with the Lord, and serve him with all our hearts in our family, school, workplace etc. Remember Hebron's Vision 2011:
"Every Hebronite to lead others a step closer to Christ through Christlike character, care and conversation." “每位希伯仑成员通过基督的品格，关怀和谈话带领他人更认识基督。”
Question for reflection from last Sunday's sermon: "Which virtue (of the fruit of the Holy Spirit) are you allowing God to work in your life in the month of January?" Shine for Jesus :)
An exciting week ahead for Hebronites, here are the important reminders:
1. Prayer Meeting: From now onwards, church prayer meetings will be held on every Tuesday, 8.30pm at Hebron. However, do take note that on the last week of every month, prayer meetings will be held on Saturday, 8.30pm at Hebron. [If you are confused, the dates will be displayed on the notice board (downstairs) soon, do check out the notice board regularly] Come join us tomorrow for our first prayer meeting of the year at 8.30pm, see you there! Experience God's power and peace together with us.
2. Ladies Fellowship: Ladies Fellowship will be held this coming Friday, 8pm at KBM Hall. All ladies are strongly encouraged to join the fellowship.
3. Youth Aflame Nite: Youth Aflame Nite will be held this coming Friday, 8.30pm SHARP at Main Sanctuary (upstairs). Youth CG leaders please inform your CG members and arrange for their transport too. It will be a wonderful night of fellowship and fun with God and with one another. Youths, bring your friends along too!
Hope that you had a fruitful and meaningful Christmas. Christmas has passed, but the message of Christmas should continue to be lived out in our lives and proclaimed in our conversation with our friends. Remember the command that our master Jesus gave to us before he left for heaven:
Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Go and scatter the seeds of the Gospel through our lives and our mouths into the hearts of our family members and friends. Much sowing needs to be done before reaping can take place. Remember - As you scatter the seeds, Jesus is with you always, empowering you to do what he has entrusted to you to do so.
Two announcements: 1. Some commented that the main sanctuary is too cold (during Sunday Service), some commented that it is too hot, thus resulting in some of you adjusting the fan speed during the service. Do take note that each week, we will adjust the air-con temperature and fan speed to an optimum temperature, thus please leave the adjustment of fan and air-con to the persons in charge. If you find it too cold, may we suggest to you to: a. Bring a sweater/jacket; b. Come earlier to find seats that are 'hot spots', where the temperature is higher.
2. You are strongly encouraged to come and join the Hebron family for our Covenant Renewal service on this coming Friday, 31st December 2010, 9.30pm. There will be a time of fun, sharing, worship, prayer, fellowship as we enter the new year together with one another and with the Lord.
I would like to highly recommend this book - Revolution in World Missions. You will be inspired and challenged greatly about your Christian journey as you read this book. I can guarantee you that! Perhaps you are tired about your Christian walk, coming to church week after week, but somehow, you feel that you cannot experience God anymore, you cannot find back that first love towards God anymore, you feel that there must be more to life than this...This book would certainly rekindle your love and fire once again. Don't miss this opportunity. It's not like any other book you read before!
The good thing is that you can get the book for free. They will post it to you for free. Get it at http://www.gfa.org/offer/freebook/ (Note: Choose "Singapore" at the Country column cos' there is no "Malaysia', but at the city column, write "Johor Bahru, Malaysia". You can even get 5 copies at one row, if you get your free copy and re-enter the website address. Give to your friends after you read the book, I am certain God will use it to change your life and worldview.
If you prefer to read it on your screen, I have attached the soft copy in PDF format in this email, enjoy!
I pray and hope that all of you have been faithful in having fellowship with God DAILY, enjoying his sweet presence and being guided by him in everything that you do. PsD
R. C. Sproul Here, then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. Dwight L Moody The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.
Dear Hebronites,
16 days to go before we enter into this new year.
A new year always gives us a sense of new beginnings, to try out new things, meet new challenges, acquire new skills etc.
Remember in 2009 we went through 1 Year Bible reading, while some of us went through 1 year Bible Reading 2.0 using Barclay commentaries in 2010?
It is my earnest prayer that all of us will continue to enjoy a daily fellowship with God through prayer and bible reading in this coming year.
You might have realised that the bible is not actually arranged totally in chronological order (arranged according to time). Thus, may I suggest to you in this coming new year to embark on 1 Year Bible Reading in its chronological order? It means you read the Bible according to the sequence of the time the events took place. Perhaps reading in this manner might give you a new perspective of the Word of God.
I have attached the Bible Reading plan for your reference. You can receive more info from http://www.chronologicalbibleblog.com/ Note: If you already have your bible reading plan for 2011, go ahead with it. If not, do consider this plan.
For accountability purpose, if you would like to commit to this plan (or any other Bible Reading plan you have), do drop me an email to let me know, so I can drop you periodical reminders to encourage you to persevere towards the end.
This is an evangelistic musical event (in Chinese) organised by a Taiwan musical group (consist of blind people). The location of the musical tour is as listed below, and admission is FREE. The nearest location is at Hope church at Skudai Parade on this coming Sunday, 7.45pm at Skudai Parade. It would be a golden opportunity for you to bring your loved ones or friends who have not yet received Jesus to go and listen to their presentation and testimonies. Don't miss out on the opportunity.
International Christian Missionary (ICM Malaysia) has been organising a spiritual revival tour concert throughout Malaysia and will be coming to JB on this coming Saturday, 2.30pm-5.30pm at Southern College. The concert will be filled with dance, drama, worship and a powerful sharing. Don't miss it in order to experience a spiritual breakthrough in your life!
Free entrance, nevertheless, you need to obtain ticket to enter. Do contact me ASAP and I will try to obtain the tickets for you, but please inform me ASAP. Some of us from Hebron will be going.
A very good Tuesday morning to all of you. God is good, isn't he? Granting us the breath of life to continue to live for him on planet Earth. Give thanks to God for giving us energy, hands and feet to work, study, play and worship him.
If you have not connect with him this morning, why not just spend 5 to 10 minutes to talk to him, thanking him for this morning, and asking God to use you to be his agent of joy and transformation to the people in your school, home or workplace. Ask him to direct you to the person he wants you to bless or share the Gospel with today. Pray and you will see a big difference in your life today :) Try and see.
It would be appropriate for me to share a short reflection from Genesis 1 as we BEGIN the new day :)
a. Genesis 1:24 "And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds; livestock, creatures...." Can you imagine the land being empty and by just saying something, animals suddenly appear on the land, crawling, walking, moving, hopping..animals of all kinds? Only God can do that, creating something out of nothing, nowhere. We cannot comprehend how powerful and awesome our God is, and isn't that great? To know that God is almighty and powerful, and to know that this powerful God loves us and takes care of our every need? If that is the case, there is no need for us to worry at all, no need! For he says in 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Question: What is causing you to worry and anxious today, yesterday or the past one week? Give them to God, for this powerful God who can do anything he wants to, will take care of your worries. Pray a short prayer, surrendering your troubles to him now. Trust him.
b. Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." In a world where everyone is desperate for the acceptance and recognition of others, we need to be reminded once again how valuable we are, because we are created in God's image. Yes! As one pastor puts it, "We have God's DNA!" When you realise that you are the representative of God, reflecting his goodness and character in you, you suddenly realise that you are indeed priceless, valuable, whether or not others recognise or say otherwise does not matter, the fact is that all of us have God's DNA, we are so priceless that God was willing to let his only begotten son, Jesus, to suffer humiliation and torture and death, in order to redeem us. You and I, we are priceless! So live up to your worth! Cherish each second of your life to represent God's love and sacrifice to others around you.
Thank God for his Word, remember that it is a blessing and privilege to read God's Word, for it is our only manual on how to live on earth in the midst of the evil temptations and influence in the world.
Remember not to skip CG, Prayer meeting and most importantly, SUNDAY SERVICE! Skip them at all your own spiritual risk!
John 15:1-17 is such an important passage that it is my prayer that it will be engraved in your heart daily.
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
Reflection STAY CONNECTED Many of us wonder why our spiritual life is so dry, why we are not able to experience God even though we come regularly for Sunday services, prayer meetings, cell group meetings etc. Jesus gives us the answer in v. 6 "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers..." Jesus describes himself as the vine while we are the branches who are connected to the vine. In the same way that our physical body needs food and water to maintain good health, our spirit also needs spiritual food to maintain good health. Again, just as we need food DAILY, we also need spiritual food DAILY to prevent us as branches from withering and eventually, being thrown away due to uselessness.
Why we do feel such dryness in our spiritual life? Because we do not remain in Jesus (meaning - an intimate relationship with God through fellowship with him) on a daily basis. We do not spend time to draw spiritual food and nutrient from the vine on a daily basis. Try not eating and drinking for 6 days and then eat on Sunday, how long can you survive? In the same way, try not spending time in prayer and bible reading for 6 days and only come to listen to God's Word on Sunday, how long can you survive? Stop deceiving ourselves and think we can survive in this way! Stop telling ourselves that we are took weak and lazy to commit to this spiritual discipline. Start praying and ask God to give you the strength and desire to do so. Start doing it, now!
Let not the busyness of life rob away the wonderful privilege of intimacy with God daily. Let not Satan deceive you into thinking "it is OK" to remain as who you are right now, to go through the Christian walk in a lukewarm, ineffective manner. Start cultivating a quiet time with God daily, and you will see God working wonders in your life. Once you taste that sweetness of fellowship with him, nothing in this world can stop you from fellowshipping with him daily.
Have a fruitful day today in being God's agent of love and transformation to the people around you. Do an act of love to someone today :) Ps Dan
Dearest brothers and sisters, I hope that the reading this week will remind you of the Lord's sovereignty, grace and wisdom in ALL that we go through. Take heart, whatever comes our way. A quick quote from the reading below says a lot: "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Creator calls a butterfly."
May the week ahead brings with it tremendous joy and refreshing thoughts surrounding our precious Lord Jesus :)
There are no accidents by Elisabeth Elliot
My friend Judy Squier of Portola Valley, California, is one of the most cheerful and radiant women I know. I met her first in a prayer meeting at the beginning of a conference. She was sitting in a wheel chair, and I noticed something funny about her legs. Later that day I saw her with no legs at all. In the evening she was walking around with crutches. Of course I had to ask her some questions. She was born with no legs; she had artificial ones which she used sometimes, but they were tiresome, she said (laughing) and she often left them behind. When I heard of a little baby boy named Brandon Scott, born without arms or legs, I asked if she would write to his parents. She did:
"The first thing I would say is that all that this entails is at least one hundred times harder on the parents than the child. A birth defect by God's grace does not rob childhood of its wonder, nor is a child burdened by high expectations. Given a supportive, creative, and loving family, I know personally that I enjoyed not a less-than-average life nor an average life, but as I've told many, my life has been not ordinary but extra-ordinary.
"I am convinced without a doubt that a loving Heavenly Father oversees the creative miracles in the inner sanctum of each mother's womb (Psalm 139), and that in His sovereignty there are no accidents.
"'What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Creator calls a butterfly.' As humanity we see only the imperfect, underside of God's tapestry of our lives. What we judge to be 'tragic--the most dreaded thing that could happen,' I expect we'll one day see as the awesome reason for the beauty and uniqueness of our life and our family. I think that's why James 1:2 is a favorite verse of mine. Phillips' translation put it this way: 'When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't resent them as intruders but welcome them as friends.'
"I love Joni Eareckson Tada's quote. When I saw it on the front of Moody Monthly, October 1982, I was convinced she'd penned the words for my epitaph. Now my husband David is aghast to hear me say I want it on my tombstone! Glory be!
People with disabilities are God's best visual aids to demonstrate who He really is. His power shows up best in weakness. And who by the world's standards is weaker than the mentally or physically disabled? As the world watches, these people persevere. They live, love, trust and obey Him. Eventually the world is forced to say, "How great their God must be to inspire this kind of loyalty."
"Being Christian didn't shield my family from the pain and tears that came with my birth defect. In fact, ten years ago when David and I interviewed our parents for a Keepsake Tape, I was stunned to hear my mother's true feelings. I asked her to tell the hardest thing in her life. Her response: 'the day Judy Ann was born and it still is....' And yet when we as a family look back over the years, our reflections are invariably silenced by the wonder of God's handiwork. Someday I hope to put it in a book and I know it will be to the glory of God.
"Getting married and becoming a mother were dreams I never dared to dream, but God, the doer of all miracles intended that my life be blessed with an incredible husband and three daughters. Emily is nine, Betsy will soon be seven, and Naphtalie Joy is four. I've decided that every handicapped person needs at least one child. They are fantastic helpers and so willing to let me 'borrow their legs' when I need help.
"You as a family have been chosen in a special way to display His unique Masterwork. I pray that your roots of faith will grow deep down into the faithfulness of God's Loving Plan, that you will exchange your inadequacy for the Adequacy of Jesus' resurrection power, and that you will be awed as you witness the fruits of the Spirit manifested in your family."
Good morning to you, my beloved brother/sister in the family of God.
Reminders:
1. What is better than starting the day in sweet fellowship with our Creator, connecting with God to gain for spiritual resource before entering into the world ruled by the prince of darkness? If you have not done so, perhaps 15 minutes right now praying to God (while you are doing house chores/driving/working) would be a good way to start the day. I always remember Martin Luther's saying "Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." The more things you need to do for the day, the more crucial your need to spend time in prayer FIRST.
2. Still joining us in 40 day fast and pray? Of course, only those who are fighting against your natural desire of hunger and other temptations will be able to testify of the goodness of this discipline to your soul. Self-control is a rare virtue, thus, there is a need for us to learn to fast and surrender our natural desires to the Lord, in the mean time spending that time to stand in the gap for the nation. Join us, if you have not started.
3. Those of you who have come across this devotional classic My Utmost for His Highest" would have known of Oswald Chambers, the author. I believe those who have been reading his writings would have been truly blessed by his direct and sharp thoughts. I am now reading his biography to understand the person behind the writing. I will quote some of his writings followed by my reflection in the coming weeks, read on if you are patient enough to receive the blessings.
Oswald Chambers was a great thinker. He believed that a full-orbed Christian life involved not only living as a Christian but thinking as a Christian. He advocated wide reading as a basis for wise thinking. Here we quote from Dr. Coggan: "When that wise leader of men, Oswald Chambers, was seeking to help a man who found himself in a mental cul-de-sac (meaning: dead end), Chambers asked him what he read. The man replied that he read nothing but the Bible and books directly associated with it. Chambers replied, "The trouble is you have allowed part of your brain to stagnate for want of use," and forthwith proceeded to give his friend a list of over fifty books - philosophical, psychological, theological - covering almost every phase of current thought. The result was a revolution that could only be described as a mental new birth...The man who reads only the Bible does not as a rule know it - or human life."
Reflection: Make no mistake, Chambers was not saying that the Bible was not important, in fact, to him, Bible was of the highest priority in his life. But he suggests that to understand human life, we should also read books of other fields. To make it simple, you need to keep reading various books in order to grow and develop as a person. Read books not only enable you to absorb knowledge, but also to think and reflect. Much of our un-Christian way of thinking and lifestyle comes from our carelessness and laziness to think and guard ourselves from such temptations. Q: When was the last time you read a book? (not talking about novels, but books that really added godly wisdom to your life) Rediscover the habit of reading. If you need recommendation, do email or approach me, I will recommend and even lend you some books if I have them with me. You will see that constant reading will make a world of difference in your life. Don't think that reading is only for leisure - as if this can only be done if you are really free. If you want to grow as a Christian, you have to MAKE TIME to read. Period.
Have a fruitful and joy-contagious day at wherever you are, Ps Dan
Good morning and I pray that God will grant you a fruitful and joyful day in the Lord, that you will be an agent of blessing, change and impact to the people around you today - classmates, colleagues, family members and friends.
1. I hope that you are still faithfully fasting and praying together with us. Fasting is such a good spiritual exercise of learning self-control and to add fuel to our prayers to God. If you are not yet joining us in 40 days fast and pray, do consider so. As I always say, what can you lose other than your weight?
2. I hope that we are faithful in spending at least 15 minutes each morning to surrender our day to God, admitting that this is the day that God has made, and we shall not waste it in self pleasure and idleness, but rather in being the salt and light for him in our sphere of influence.
3. Let us continue to pray for the church camp, that God will prepare our hearts and minds to be challenged, inspired and impacted by God's Word through the messages and be encouraged, supported and comforted by our fellowship with our fellow siblings in Christ.
May I leave you with this passage and a short meditation: Hebrews 10:24-31 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d] and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
-- 1. Let us continue to meet up with one another and spur/encourage one another to towards love and good deeds. Think of a brother or sister in Christ that you have not met or talk to for a long time, perhaps someone who has not been coming to church for a long time now. Why not pick up the phone to call to express your concern or meet up with him/her? A simple call/meet makes a world of difference.
2. From the passage, the author writes that when we continue to deliberately do/say/think of things that is against God's law, we are trampling Jesus under our foot (wah, that serious), and we deserve severe punishment. Thus, pray to God to give you the strength and power to overcome a habitual sin that you are struggling with in recent times. God will give you the strength to overcome the temptation. Just draw strength from him.
That's all for now! By the way, it's Jun Hao's birthday today! Happy birthday to Jun Hao! Ps Dan
Blessed day to all Hebronites! Thank God for a fruitful and blessed trip last weekend at Port Dickson Presbyterian Church. Thank you for your prayer and support too.
What is better than to start the day with at least 15 minutes of time in prayer with God, to surrender this new day that God has given to us to him, asking God to use you to bless those around you today!
Today I would like to bless you with a devotion from Streams in the Desert, of a story that describes how simple faith actually can be, a childlike faith without doubt in God's love and grace.
Also I attached a good powerpoint presentation on 'the Law of the Seed' so that we can learn not to take too 'seriously' and learn to be contented and joyful in all circumstances.
God bless you a fruitful day to glorify his name (not yours). Ps Dan
From Streams in the Desert, August 17
“I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. (Acts 27:25)
A number of years ago I went to America with a steamship captain who was a very devoted Christian. When we were off the coast of Newfoundland, he said to me, “The last time I sailed here, which was five weeks ago, something happened that revolutionized my entire Christian life. I had been on the bridge for twenty-four straight hours when George Mueller of Bristol, England, who was a passenger on board, came to me and said, ‘Captain, I need to tell you that I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.’ ‘That is impossible,’ I replied. ‘Very well,’ Mueller responded, ‘if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way, for I have never missed an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let’s go down to the chartroom to pray.’
“I looked at this man of God and thought to myself, ‘What lunatic asylum did he escape from?’ I had never encountered someone like this. ‘Mr. Mueller,’ I said, ‘do you realize how dense the fog is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘My eye is not on the dense fog but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.’
“He then knelt down and prayed one of the most simple prayers I’ve ever heard. When he had finished, I started to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. He said, ‘First, you do not believe God will answer, and second, I BELIEVE HE HAS. Consequently, there is no need whatsoever for you to pray about it.’
“As I looked at him, he said, ‘Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been even a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door, and you will see that the fog is gone’ I got up, and indeed the fog was gone. And on Saturday afternoon George Mueller was in Quebec for his meeting.”
If our love were just more simple, We would take Him at His word; And our lives would be all sunshine, In the sweetness of our Lord.“”
Have you fellowship-ped with God this morning (at least 15 min)? If not, do it now as you read this email. What are you waiting for? Don't keep God waiting. Surrender the day to God and just enjoy the sweetness of his presence.
2 Timothy 3:5 writes about many people having "a form of godliness but denying its power." May we not be the people as described by this verse, outwardly looking LIKE a Christian (fulfilling the outward duties of a Christian - giving offering, going church on Sundays etc.), but denying the power of God to transform us, not willing to submit to the will of God and thus resulting in being a powerless Christian. We must be powerful Christians, not powerless Christians, and the fundamental thing we need to do is to be with the Lord every morning to receive the power and peace from God in a quiet time with God. The more time we connect to our Main Source, the more power we have to overcome temptations and distractions, to love and to preach the Gospel, to be the light and salt amidst wickedness in this world.
Dear siblings, pray also to God daily that he will lead you to the person(s) that he wants you to share the Gospel with and show care to TODAY. Pray this prayer every day. He will lead you to him/her.
Lastly, I leave you with 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. Don't think of 'preach' as just a pastor preaching over the pulpit, but 'preach' means 'proclaim', let the Word of God and the Gospel be always flowing out of our mouth, to whoever that God has lead us to meet daily, for the Word of God is both powerful and comforting at the same time.
May God grant you a blessed and fruitful day fulfilling God's mission for you today! Be diligent in God's business, not Satan's one. Ps Dan
Hey all, I just came back from this years Fast Wait Pray (FWP) at the Glory Prayer House at Seremban, and man was it something else. I'm just going to try and pen down a few things I've learned throughout the whole 3 days 2 nights.
We had no agenda to base the FWP on. Yoshua (director of the MYPG) decided that we should all pray about it and let God decide the course of the two days. So we prayed, from 12 to 2 that night.
Slowly, we managed to piece together the visions recieved by the rest of the leaders.The message though was as clear as day: We had ALL lost our first love of Christ. Huh? But we were all leaders weren't we? All of us were taking care of various LYPG related things. Then the cold hard reality struck us; We all were praying for revival in Malaysia, but for what? To see more people come to the LYPG? To make Malaysia a better place? WE were supposed to preach the gospel to bring people to Christ!
Also, God told us that we were not broken enough, and that if we took away God from our lives it wouldn't have impacted us much. I was shocked, cause this was true. We pray for desperation, but we're not nearly as desperate as we should be. Take God out of our lives and there wouldn't be any difference!
I came to the FWP looking for solace, a peace of mind. What I got instead was such deep sorrow, sorrow at how superficial our christianity is today. We claim to be christians but all we have is a form of Godliness without its power, we are defeated christians!
The reoccuring verse throughout all the sessions was Hosea 6: 1-2
Come, let us return to the LORD. He hastorn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
After two days[HE] will revive us; on the third day[HE] will restore us, that we may live in his presence. [emphasis mine]
I was so shocked. All this while we were looking for Revival, but did we miss out on theGOD of the revival? We are not broken enough, we have pride, we have lust. The day we think we can do anything by ourselves is the day we fall. As I've shared in my previous post, We say we are desperate for God, but are we willing to carry our crosses? Are we willing to risk giving everything we've got to God, our total effort, who we are, what defines us to God and having all of that FAILfor Gods purposes?
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away - Isaiah 64:6
We think we are so holy, but are we any different from any smoker on the side of the street? Don't our minds move towards sin at every single chance we get? We are ALL SINNERS and by Gods grace we are saved.
So the agenda for the FWP was repentance, a time of regaining our lost first love and praying for brokennes in our lives. I'd really love to type more, but I just dont think I can put it all into words. You guys can go to this blog for the general proceedings.
Let me just leave you guys with a very challenging statement: We can never say God is everything to us, until God is all we have. Leaders, take up your crosses.
The Kluang church leaders (Pastors Fellowship)decided to make a ‘call for prayer’ on 1st Dec 2007- to call all Christians & churches to join in prayer for Kluang and Malaysia.
They wanted a united voice. SO they asked all who wanted to join to pray in their own homes or church –at an agreed time- 8-9pm on 1st Dec 2007.
They asked the Lord for at least 100 groups of 2-3 people from the churches; and perhaps 250 people to join.
But the Lord gave them 250 groups and about 800 people joined to pray that day. They used a common prayer focus and declaration over Kluang for that 1-hour. It was like ‘lights’ being turned on at the same time that 1st Dec-8-9pm.
What they did not know was that on the same day that they prayed, there was a National gathering of all Majilis Perbandaran Jabatan (Town Councils) -meeting in Kluang to pass a certain policy that will benefit only a certain group of people. After one whole day, they could not pass the policy.
We will not have known of the connection between the church praying and the government meeting, if God did not bring this to the attention of the pastor in charge. The pastor got to talking to some outstation Government delelgates at 4am the next day at a mamak stall.
When he heard that there were 250 Town Councils and 800 Government delegates who met in Kluang that 1st Dec, he suddenly realized the connection with their 250 small prayer groups with 800 Christians praying that day. The Kluang Christians did not know the significance of the day they chose nor when they prayed for justice and righteousness to prevail in Kluang & Malaysia, it actually blocked a policy that was not God’s will from going through.
This same Kluang pastor was asked to share this at the 1st Malaysian National Prayer Consultation(MNPN) in Dec 2007. The leaders there believed that the Lord wants Malaysian Christians to rise and pray with one voice for the nation. That was why the prayer at 12noon started.
If all Christians are willing to stop and pray all over Malaysia, we may not know the details of unholy decisions, plots of evil men, wickedness in high places, God knows.
If my people who are called by my name will HUMBLE THEMSELVES and pray;
and turn from our wicked ways (make intercession and repent on behalf of our nation);
God’s promise is to hear and heal our land.
p/s Kluang churches continued their ‘Light up Kluang’ 4 more times in 2008. They hope to make it more frequent in 2009. We see such a tremendous openness and muhibah in Kluang. But the battle is fierce in the heavenlies.
If the God who can use a David and his 5 stones; a Jonathan and his armour bearer to defeat a whole army, He will surely keep his promise to hear us when 2 are agreed and pray to Him. Yet, how many Christians agree that this is the time to pray that God’s kingdom values will be manifest in Malaysia.
It is time to watch & pray and not sleep lest we enter temptation. Set your alarms at 12 noon. It is a start for Malaysia.
Lucy
Dear Brethren,
Some Stats onNational Service.
140,000 Trainees will undergo National Service in 2009.
37,000 Trainees will start in Jan 2009 in 81 Training Camps all round the country.
The operation will involve 2,806 (1,099-guides); 574 coordinators; 178 police. 355 Rela; 300 Rakan Muda officials; 300Alumni
An average of Rm600mil is spent each year.
Since 2006 there were 16 deaths; rape and sexual harassment, food poisoning, lost in the jungle; unknown fevers & sicknesses.
NECF reports that 50 out of 81centers have Christian trainers going in regularly too take Bible studies.
Youth Alpha will be used as the curriculum in 2009 for NS camps
Training for Youth Alpha trainers starts in Jan 3rd.
(Refer to attach files for fuller info)
For Intercession
Pray for God’s agenda for our next generation and the good objectives of the NS to be achieved
For Excellent, Efficient, Creative, Qualified, and Disciplined Officers, Trainers, Counselors; Jungle Guides.
For Excellent maintenance of facilities and equipment ; living conditions.
For Security and cleanliness and health alertness of trainees.
For protection from evil forces, physical or spiritual.
For enough committed Christian teachers to be trained and sent to ALL 81 camps in 2009.
For churches to cover the camps and 3 batches of trainees in their localities in 2009
For many youth to meet with the Savior especially in their times of need.
For the maturing of our next generation for the Kingdom of God.
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Isa 62:6-7
Just as the Lord placed Watchmen on the Walls of Jerusalem; He has placed each of us over our towns and States in Malaysia- Let us Watch & pray till the Glory of God flood Malaysia.
Lucy
Hi
Please pray for these 16 youths from our ESP churches who has dedicated 3 weeks of their vacation to serve in local missions. They have had one week of training in Kluang and leave on the 9th – 19th Jan to these 6 postings. After which they return to Kluang for 2 days of debriefing. Pray for anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit for ministry. May they be a blessing to those they serve.
1. Hebron (Community Work)- Hui Ying, Jessica Arullapan, Dawson Kumar and Daniel Eh (field coordinator ) 2. Batu Pahat (EIP)- Xue Qi and Hui Woon
3. Beacon (BLTC) - Mei Qi and Marissa Lee 4. Hulu Langat (Orang Asli)- Paulus Lee and Tang Ashriel Brian
5. Bethany Home, Teluk Intan - Hong Yee, Zhi Howe, Celine Woo and Josie Lim
6. Sentul (Refugee)- Gideon Koh and Justin Cha
Thank You for your support in Prayer.
Jit Pang (Agape Kluang)
ESP Youth
Dear Brethren,
From week to week, we will post you immediate Praise & prayer concerns that need your individual prayer or corporate intercession.
PTL. Beacon’s mission partner Koay Chee Hoe received his kidney transplant on 13th Jan. He is recovering in Kwangzhao hospital China. “Docs happy with my progress, thank God. Creatinine level going down daily. BP and urine output excellent. Allowed to walk in 5 days. Do continue to pray for steady recovery and stamina for his wife, as she makes all the arrangements to bring him home.
Remember the ESP EXco meeting today 16th-17th Jan in PD. Please pray for Unity of heart & mind & wisdom to deliberate on Direction, Human resources; BM ministry; Woman’s concerns; Prayer initiatives etc.
ESP Exco line-up for 2009-2010
a)Benedict M (Moderator) -BM
b)Caleb Soon (Vice Moderator)- CS
c)Zadok J (Clerk) - ZJ
d)Raymond H (Asst clerk) – RH
e)Teo Cheng Hua (HonTreasurer) - TCH
f)Johnson C (missions) - JC
g)Chew Ser Kheng(BM) - CSK
h)Julie Sim (Woman) - JS
i)Jordan Tang (Community) - JT
(By Invitation)
j)Venu Nair (Youth) - VN
k)Lucy Chua(Prayer) – LC
Please continue to cover the 6 Youth Mission Imitative (YMI) teams (until 19th Jan) especially the Hulu Langat team among the OAs.
“ Things here are rather complicated. We’r village hopping, sharing as best as we can…. Realy need a lot of prayer.’
Pray that God’s love will be poured out dispelling fear among the people and miracles and signs to follow the sharing of the Word. Pray for the joy of the Lord to touch the people wherever the team goes.
Lucy Chua
ESP Prayer
3-09
Wow Brethren!
Lo , the conflict of the Ages,
Is upon us today,
And the armies are assembling
All in battle array.
Are you numbered with the faithful
One of God’s loyal few?
Who have sworn Him full allegiance
Can He count upon you?
Have your eyes caught the vision
Have your hearts felt the thrill?
To the call of the Master
Will you answer. “I will’?
For the conflict of the ages
Told by prophets and by sages,
In its fury is upon us
Is upon us today!
I came back from the KV GDOP launching yesterday so excited.
It is like the truth of this song is going to happen 31st May 2009 GDOP in Hong Kong (the East). All the leaders involved in Prayer and Missions are gathering for the biggest Congress from 31st May to 7th June. They are realizing that the Great Commission with so many unreached people groups can be reached at last. It takes prayer as well as Mission and Unity of the body to do together. Check out call2all.org website. And internationalorality.org
In Malaysia, we are seeing the coming together of more and more prayer networks & denominations. GDOP next year has been granted a stadium of 15,000 capacity. The organizers have been challenged to consider a bigger stadium because leaders are anticipating more if all tribes and tongues of Malaysia gather.
This year’s theme of ‘Thy Kingdom come’ –Repentence, Forgiveness, Reconciliation will prepare the Malaysian church for the big gathering next year. (If you are still clinging to your grievances and complains, DROP THEM!)
A group called ‘Run Nat’ will be organizing 5 km relay run to pray and run the 14 states of Malaysia starting Oct. 2009 till next May GDOP that can involve all 3 generations believers- Adults, Youth, Children. It is a simple enough exercise that can involve all believers to bring Malaysia before the Heavenly Father.
Lift Up your Heads, the church is exploding in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran. etc
The Angels have been sent out to gather the end time harvest. The tares are being burnt up.
Hey it's Ezra here again and today I'll be talking about the event organized by the Malaysian Youth Prayer Gathering (MYPG)just yesterday.
Before I start talking about anything I want you guys to watch this video;
So, let me just say that the whole gathering was just an awesome experience, an experience which made me realize many, many things. However, I'll leave that to later.
So, we (hebronites) started off from Hebron at around 6.30 a.m on saturday and arrived at the venue in Kluang. Starting with worship and later a really long session of prayer, we took a break at 2.00 for lunch. We all came back at around 3.30 for another session of prayer and worship before going to the Agape Church for the final part of the gathering.
It truly was amazing. I believe it was God's will to gather all of us youth at Kluang to start off this yearly prayer gathering that will surely change our Nation. I won't go into the details but it's safe to say that God was leading the whole time; people were dedicating themselves to God to be used by him, reconciling themselves with God and seeing visions of the future God has planned out for Malaysia.
As for me, I truly believe that the vision of 100,000 youth gathering at a staduim (only bukit Jalil would be big enough for that) is something jsut waiting to come true. And when it does happen I pray that we all will have a part in it!
So, lets pray for faith, pray for revival, and pray for Gods work in our land. This is Ezra signing out!
