Ok, this is one of the things i just read about 10 minutes ago, and i thought it really is applicable to many of us in the ministry. So here goes.
Our Calling in not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell-it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me..." (Galations 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don't ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes" To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest in merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose- to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
In the Faith of Jesus Christ,
Lin Xunliang
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
God is Good, all the time
Over the span of the last one week, I have lost:
1) GDC
2) spectacles
3) my bag (which contained both my GDC and my spectacles)
..
Can you see the pattern! Because if you can, kindly alert me what number 4 is most probably going to be so I can take extreme special care of it. Haha
But you know what. Despite my super absent mindedness, God has seen me through, each and every single time. (: And I'm really, really thankful to everything He has done - and found for me.
Each time I lost a particular thing, my mental stability went crashing into oblivion and as Tim would know, I would become extremely stressed and my panic would shoot off like a rocket. I suppose this truly is one of my worst weaknesses and you know, after I found my bag and fixed my mental state back to normal, I began to think. And this particular line came to my mind.
"Jesus be strong in my weaknesses,
Empower me."
You know, how often it is we think we are able to deal with everything by our own capabilities.. only to find ourselves being torn and shattered. We all have our weaknesses, and we have to face them no matter how hard we try to overlook them. Ultimately, we are truly nothing without Him. He is the only One that can calm the greatest storm. I know its very easy to say all that but when you are faced with challenges.. its so much harder. Like today, I was positively hysterical and I know for some of you GDC + specs + textbook + math homework + alot more, doesn't mean much, but just imagine losing something you hold really really of value. And losing it. Losing everything that you have, to find yourself with completely nothing. Haha, if that happened to me earlier I think I might have had a minor heart attack but you know.. if you think about it. That will never really happen. Not really.
Because you will never ever have completely nothing. You will always have God. And He provides, He truly, truly provides. (:
This experience also reminded me of when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus, and when there was this huge storm. The disciples went, well, frantic - can you see the uncanny connection between frantic/hysterical, storm/losingbag? Haha.
"He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." - Matthew 8:26
Our God, is one Awesome God indeed. And if you were wondering where I found my bag, I found it in the same place which I had previously checked twice only to find it completely empty. So whenever you feel that all hope is lost, fret not! For hope in Jesus Christ is always there, and nothing, nothing in this world can take that away.
Oh yes. Think about this:
Bile emulsifies fats which is technically, the act of breaking them into smaller pieces. With smaller pieces of fats, the total surface area to volume ratio is then increased.. so that the lipases can digest them at a faster rate, thus this can also be seen as for the greater good.
Look beyond the biologyness of it all.
We are broken, .. so that God can use us for His plan. Every trial that we face, is for a greater purpose even though it might not seem that way. So have faith, for He will deliver and in the process, strengthen us.
(I think I better start losing more stuff!Haha) Aah, so whenever in stress, think of yourself as a little fat globule and smile (:
Okay, I am just going to pretend that you are all going to shout it out with all your heart in front of your desktop, haha. So..
God is good! -- All the time!
And all the time -- GOD IS GOOD! (: (:
In God's Love,
tess
1) GDC
2) spectacles
3) my bag (which contained both my GDC and my spectacles)
..
Can you see the pattern! Because if you can, kindly alert me what number 4 is most probably going to be so I can take extreme special care of it. Haha
But you know what. Despite my super absent mindedness, God has seen me through, each and every single time. (: And I'm really, really thankful to everything He has done - and found for me.
Each time I lost a particular thing, my mental stability went crashing into oblivion and as Tim would know, I would become extremely stressed and my panic would shoot off like a rocket. I suppose this truly is one of my worst weaknesses and you know, after I found my bag and fixed my mental state back to normal, I began to think. And this particular line came to my mind.
"Jesus be strong in my weaknesses,
Empower me."
You know, how often it is we think we are able to deal with everything by our own capabilities.. only to find ourselves being torn and shattered. We all have our weaknesses, and we have to face them no matter how hard we try to overlook them. Ultimately, we are truly nothing without Him. He is the only One that can calm the greatest storm. I know its very easy to say all that but when you are faced with challenges.. its so much harder. Like today, I was positively hysterical and I know for some of you GDC + specs + textbook + math homework + alot more, doesn't mean much, but just imagine losing something you hold really really of value. And losing it. Losing everything that you have, to find yourself with completely nothing. Haha, if that happened to me earlier I think I might have had a minor heart attack but you know.. if you think about it. That will never really happen. Not really.
Because you will never ever have completely nothing. You will always have God. And He provides, He truly, truly provides. (:
This experience also reminded me of when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus, and when there was this huge storm. The disciples went, well, frantic - can you see the uncanny connection between frantic/hysterical, storm/losingbag? Haha.
"He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." - Matthew 8:26
Our God, is one Awesome God indeed. And if you were wondering where I found my bag, I found it in the same place which I had previously checked twice only to find it completely empty. So whenever you feel that all hope is lost, fret not! For hope in Jesus Christ is always there, and nothing, nothing in this world can take that away.
Oh yes. Think about this:
Bile emulsifies fats which is technically, the act of breaking them into smaller pieces. With smaller pieces of fats, the total surface area to volume ratio is then increased.. so that the lipases can digest them at a faster rate, thus this can also be seen as for the greater good.
Look beyond the biologyness of it all.
We are broken, .. so that God can use us for His plan. Every trial that we face, is for a greater purpose even though it might not seem that way. So have faith, for He will deliver and in the process, strengthen us.
(I think I better start losing more stuff!Haha) Aah, so whenever in stress, think of yourself as a little fat globule and smile (:
Okay, I am just going to pretend that you are all going to shout it out with all your heart in front of your desktop, haha. So..
God is good! -- All the time!
And all the time -- GOD IS GOOD! (: (:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
In God's Love,
tess
Sunday, 28 January 2007
Week 5
Goodness it's Wk5 alr :o
I smell the stench of tests coming in Wk7 >.< color="#ff0000">Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Invite someone to the group!
haha yeah it's that simple. Anyone at all. Any level. You can invite someone you know, or if you like a challenge, a total stranger :)
there are many ppl who arrive in school early, who have nothing better to do than bum around, or sleep, in class. or anyone you know that can come early.
good luck! :)
hope your work isnt killing you yet, unlike me. bleah.
I smell the stench of tests coming in Wk7 >.< color="#ff0000">Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Invite someone to the group!
haha yeah it's that simple. Anyone at all. Any level. You can invite someone you know, or if you like a challenge, a total stranger :)
there are many ppl who arrive in school early, who have nothing better to do than bum around, or sleep, in class. or anyone you know that can come early.
good luck! :)
hope your work isnt killing you yet, unlike me. bleah.
Thursday, 25 January 2007
He's able, He's able, I know He is able
I feel terribly lost. And I've been feeling rather ill and tired lately, school must be taking its toll on me -as well as the rest of us, I assume you all feel more physically drained than me- and sometimes I wonder, why it is that the sun is still shining. I mean that figuratively, taking into consideration it is night now.
The answer, is actually very simple. I think.. without it, I would have given up a long time ago.
The world can take away alot of things from us. Blood, sweat and tears - and yes, the memory of O's still haunt me up to this very day (though it was not that long ago, I am simply just trying to emphasize how horrible it was) - schoolwork, homework, pressure, problems .. they are really taxing, aren't they? Yet.. yet we can still rejoice, because we know that the one thing the world cannot take away from us is the one thing that matters -- the love of God.
And it is through His love, that we are able to find everlasting joy. (although, I admit I haven't exactly found it completely there are some days where I fall and feel terribly emo) but you know, whenever you just feel down. He is the greatest comfort of all (: No matter what troubles we face, God is there watching over us.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
There really is not much I can say because . His love for us is simply indescribable. That He is with us, every single step we take.
He is before us - to lead us.
He is behind us - to guide us.
He is above us - to watch us.
He is below us - to catch us, when we fall.
So. (: Haha! Actually I don't really know what the point of my entry is, now that I've come to truly think about it. Hahaha. Oh well.. let us go out there, and truly keeping walking in the light of the Lord (:
In God's love,
tess
The answer, is actually very simple. I think.. without it, I would have given up a long time ago.
The world can take away alot of things from us. Blood, sweat and tears - and yes, the memory of O's still haunt me up to this very day (though it was not that long ago, I am simply just trying to emphasize how horrible it was) - schoolwork, homework, pressure, problems .. they are really taxing, aren't they? Yet.. yet we can still rejoice, because we know that the one thing the world cannot take away from us is the one thing that matters -- the love of God.
And it is through His love, that we are able to find everlasting joy. (although, I admit I haven't exactly found it completely there are some days where I fall and feel terribly emo) but you know, whenever you just feel down. He is the greatest comfort of all (: No matter what troubles we face, God is there watching over us.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray. Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle, the minister frowned as he saw that the man hadn't shaved in awhile. His shirt was kinda' shabby and his coat was worn and frayed. The man knelt, bowed his head, then arose and walked away.
In the days that followed each noontime came this chap and each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap. Well, the minister's suspicions grew, and robbery was his main fear. He decided to stop the man and ask him, "Watcha' doing' here?"
The old man worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour. Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power. "I stay only moments, see, 'cause the factory is so far away; As I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda' what I say: "I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I've been, since we found each other's friendship and You took away my sin. I don't know much of how to pray, but I think about You every day. So, Jesus, this is Jim checking in." The minister feeling foolish told Jim, that was fine. He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just anytime. Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks." He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before. His cold heart melted, warmed with love, met with Jesus there. As the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim's prayer: "I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I've been, since we found each other's friendship and You took away my sin. I don't know much of how to pray, but I think about You every day. So, Jesus, this is me checking in."
It was past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn't come. As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry.
He went to the factory and asked about Jim and found out he was ill. The hospital staff was worried, but he'd given them a thrill. The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward. His smiles, a joy contagious. Changed people, his reward. The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was so glad, When no flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had. The minister stayed by his bed, he voiced the nurse's concern: No friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile; "The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that all the while everyday at noon He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see, He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me: "I just came again to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been, since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin. I always love to hear you pray, I think about you each day, and so Jim, this is Jesus checking in."
There really is not much I can say because . His love for us is simply indescribable. That He is with us, every single step we take.
He is before us - to lead us.
He is behind us - to guide us.
He is above us - to watch us.
He is below us - to catch us, when we fall.
So. (: Haha! Actually I don't really know what the point of my entry is, now that I've come to truly think about it. Hahaha. Oh well.. let us go out there, and truly keeping walking in the light of the Lord (:
In God's love,
tess
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Finding Direction
I've been procrastinating around this post for a couple of days, but that's because I'm loaded with work, so you guys aren't alone. If anyone has noticed, the leaders are all starting to look stressed as well, and depression might be setting in for some, given the burden of maintaining FireAC, keeping one's spiritual life active, and juggling the daily problems of homework and other draining tasks. I guess some of you would have realised that the normally very cheery and upbeat Kenneth, Tim, Alex amongst others have been looking extremely fatigued lately.
This morning it was all the more evident, and as I looked on from the side what I saw was a Ministry of Fire which had lost all semblance of direction. A sadness just overwhelmed me then, because I kept looking at the uphill task we were facing. But the Lord comforts. Those tears might just have been in awe of God's mercy and grace. Sometimes we need to prod ourselves awake and ask if we're doing this for God, or for the Ministry. Are we trying too hard to lead, and forgetting that God should be in control? I pose this question to the committee as well, because they've been really tiring themselves out trying to prepare stuff day after day and go through meetings about what should be done and what can be improved.
Our personal walk with God should not be neglected now that we have FireAC. Rather, our passion for God should be intensified. We can't just create the sparks and let the flame flicker out after just 2 weeks. We'll need to keep the flame burning. And when we're together, there'll be a raging inferno, of hearts worshipping the Lord. Which brings me to the point about our relationships with our friends and classmates, our brothers and sisters.
Some people are feeling down now. What should we be doing? Two days ago Tessa shared about how she was seriously contemplating suicide. And about how a simple note helped to change her life around. Small gestures, little words of encouragement can all go a long way to pulling someone out of his/her depression. We therefore need to be accountable to each other, to care for each other, to love each other. I'm sure many of you have heard the following story, which illustrates how we should really be treating each other. It might be a bit different since I'm trying to recall it from memory, having failed to Google it.
A poor woman was expecting Jesus for dinner. She did her best to look presentable and got the best food her money could buy, which was basically bread and butter. Upon hearing a knock on her door she opened it and found an old man begging for shelter from the cold weather outside. She wasn't sure about what Jesus would say about her guest, but let him in anyway. The hungry man requested for some food. The woman thought, that if he gave her bread away, Jesus would have nothing to eat. Nevertheless her conscience pricked her and she gave the bread to the old man. The old man was thirsty, and asked for drink. The woman gave the rather expensive wine she'd been hoarding all this while, wondering what she'd have left to offer to Jesus. Finally the man asked for clothes before he stood up to leave, for protection from the chilly winds outside. She would look unpresentable now, she thought, but gave the shawl off her back to the man anyway.
Jesus never came, but later that night God spoke to her. "Thank you feeding Me, for sheltering Me, and for clothing Me." The woman was obviously puzzled. "But Lord, You didn't even show up. How could you say I fed You, sheltered You and clothed You?" The reply: "When you fed that old man, sheltered him and clothed him, you did that to Me."
Jesus said, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was
thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited
Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in
prison, and you came to Me...”
Matthew 25:35-36
The second issue would be: Are we willing to be persecuted to follow Christ? It states clearly in the Bible that if we choose to follow Jesus, we will be persecuted for our belief. People will mock us, they will give us a hard time. Will we still stand strong or will we give up? To what extent will we go to follow Him? How much opportunity cost are we willing to incur? (Sorry, just had to do that one.) We have to realise that following God requires a sacrifice on our parts. For me FireAC costs me 1 hour of homework time in the morning. Everyone will have their own sacrifices, but thinking about our ultimate goal; our final reward in heaven, it might just seem worth it. Think about it.
During my QT today I stumbled upon a verse which pretty much summarises everything I've said here.
Hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like
Christ.
Ephesians 4:15
When we're lost and need direction, God will guide us if we go to Him. Hold firmly to the truth, leaning on God's word will never leave you seeking for more, and will never let you astray. The aim of course, is to be more Christlike so as to shine His light and to be a good example to others, Christian or not. And finally, love. Loving our brothers and sisters, showing genuine care and concern for their welfare.
In His Service,
- Fabriz
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Looking to Jesus
Even as school begins to speed up , homework starts piling up, O levels results looming in the not so far future....
Distractions discouragement, sickness, tiredness..... spiritual attacks
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Hebrews 12:1-2Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We need to focus on Jesus and persevere .
Pray unceasingly for God to empower us, and let us not forget to spend quiet time with God
...throw off anything that may drag us down, including sin
.....Even as these distractions come... let us continually Fix our Eyes on Jesus
as this hymn goes
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the Light of His glory and grace
Let us be bold and go forth to do what God has called us to do , to reach out for the lost.
Let us be the light that Shines for Him
In His Love
Emil
Distractions discouragement, sickness, tiredness..... spiritual attacks
Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Hebrews 12:1-2Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We need to focus on Jesus and persevere .
Pray unceasingly for God to empower us, and let us not forget to spend quiet time with God
...throw off anything that may drag us down, including sin
.....Even as these distractions come... let us continually Fix our Eyes on Jesus
as this hymn goes
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the Light of His glory and grace
Let us be bold and go forth to do what God has called us to do , to reach out for the lost.
Let us be the light that Shines for Him
In His Love
Emil
Monday, 22 January 2007
What are you doing now?
Hallo Hallo first time i'm ever posting something, well it's not going to be long so yea... Okay here are my questions to all of you now... Now that you're in this ministry of revival, what are YOU doing to revive this spiritually dead school? Have you been doing anything? Have you attempted to evangelise to some of your closest non-Christian friends? Do you have this passion for lost souls? If you aren't going to start now, then when are you going to start? Tomorrow? Day after tommorrow? Continual procastination will bring you no where. I've been in that stage where i just continually procastinate on work or even on God. I admit i have pushed Him to the very last part of my day when i'm so worn out and i can't even do a decent quiet time properly.
To answer all the questions i asked in the previous paragraph, you have to answer these few questions first.
1. Why are you a Christian?
2. God has blessed you so much, what are you giving in return to Him?
3. If God can love sinner such as us, why can't we go out and love and forgive others?
Question 3. refer to Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Like what chapel said today, do not count the number of times you forgive someone. Just forgive without any conditions.
It's true that even i had people whom i once disliked or to the point hated, but God has opened the eyes of my heart to see the positive side of people and not the negative side of people. Let's all start by forgiving the ones we dislike.
Let me end off with this final question. What is your purpose in life?
In the Lord's service,
Ah Lua
To answer all the questions i asked in the previous paragraph, you have to answer these few questions first.
1. Why are you a Christian?
2. God has blessed you so much, what are you giving in return to Him?
3. If God can love sinner such as us, why can't we go out and love and forgive others?
Question 3. refer to Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Like what chapel said today, do not count the number of times you forgive someone. Just forgive without any conditions.
It's true that even i had people whom i once disliked or to the point hated, but God has opened the eyes of my heart to see the positive side of people and not the negative side of people. Let's all start by forgiving the ones we dislike.
Let me end off with this final question. What is your purpose in life?
In the Lord's service,
Ah Lua
Friday, 19 January 2007
Five Loaves and Two Fishes
(Fab's post below is an encouraging one, please take time to read it as well ^^)
Hello all. I thought I'd share my own experience for the past week, it's really been a trying time for myself and (I trust) for all my friends and brothers/sisters alike.
The week began on a high note, no doubt about that, excitement bubbled through us at the prospect of blessing the teachers, of moving out, and of doing something radical. Revival never felt so close, something big was going to happen, and God would move - hopefully. I remember praying for my Chem teacher (hmmm, those in 5.14 Chem class would know) and feeling great, knowing that I had planted a loving seed within someone. The joy of the Lord overflowed, it was a wonderful sensation.
Things changed on Tuesday. Feedback came, and some felt we were moving too quickly. It was something I pondered over, struggled over, and asked God for the answer. There was a 'crisis meeting' of sorts that afternoon, and as several of us debated over what should be done - slow down? or leave the slow behind? - we realised something - perhaps we had forgotten God. Prayer had been neglected, human strength had been glorified. As for me, I scrutinized myself, and found that I had been seeking revival, not God.
Revival, in all it's goodness and excitment, is perhaps a distracting and stressful word. Focus on God, not on revival. Come to prayer meetings to encounter God, to love Him and love those He has created.
That day on tuesday, as I struggled with this realisation that my focus had gone off tangent, I fell awfully sick. I awoke from a nap to a splitting headache, shivers, and cold. I trembled under the blanket as I asked God for forgiveness and healing. It was a painful night, but God saw me through. And that was the timely reminder - that human strength was frailty, and perhaps we (or at least I) had lost sight of God.
The next day I was well again, miraculously, save for a little dizziness - but still made it on time for the prayer meeting to support Kenneth at the 'thrashing session'. I remember devoting the whole day simply to thanking God for His reminder, and for His grace that was sufficient when I was in my time of need.
Fast forward now. I guess it's a continual growing process, we go astray sometimes, and need to be dragged back on the path by God - and sometimes it takes a little more than a tiny nudge.
So Five Loaves and Two Fishes. It's been circling within my mind for some time - we need to be broken - we need to give our all - and like the bread and two fishes - be broken so the five thousand (or more) can be fed. But are we willing to be broken?
God broke me this week - though I believe He can still break me further. But how broken are you? How much have you been humbled by God? How much have you given up to live a righteous live? Have you repented of everything undesirable?
Be broken. Lest we cannot be fully used by God. Ask some of these questions as all of you move into the next week. I'll make sure to question myself too.
...
and yes. As Tim-the-top-boy-cum-mugger (i shan't hide this identity any longer), I shall give the timely reminder to do your homework :)
Honoring God,
TimLim
Hello all. I thought I'd share my own experience for the past week, it's really been a trying time for myself and (I trust) for all my friends and brothers/sisters alike.
The week began on a high note, no doubt about that, excitement bubbled through us at the prospect of blessing the teachers, of moving out, and of doing something radical. Revival never felt so close, something big was going to happen, and God would move - hopefully. I remember praying for my Chem teacher (hmmm, those in 5.14 Chem class would know) and feeling great, knowing that I had planted a loving seed within someone. The joy of the Lord overflowed, it was a wonderful sensation.
Things changed on Tuesday. Feedback came, and some felt we were moving too quickly. It was something I pondered over, struggled over, and asked God for the answer. There was a 'crisis meeting' of sorts that afternoon, and as several of us debated over what should be done - slow down? or leave the slow behind? - we realised something - perhaps we had forgotten God. Prayer had been neglected, human strength had been glorified. As for me, I scrutinized myself, and found that I had been seeking revival, not God.
Revival, in all it's goodness and excitment, is perhaps a distracting and stressful word. Focus on God, not on revival. Come to prayer meetings to encounter God, to love Him and love those He has created.
That day on tuesday, as I struggled with this realisation that my focus had gone off tangent, I fell awfully sick. I awoke from a nap to a splitting headache, shivers, and cold. I trembled under the blanket as I asked God for forgiveness and healing. It was a painful night, but God saw me through. And that was the timely reminder - that human strength was frailty, and perhaps we (or at least I) had lost sight of God.
The next day I was well again, miraculously, save for a little dizziness - but still made it on time for the prayer meeting to support Kenneth at the 'thrashing session'. I remember devoting the whole day simply to thanking God for His reminder, and for His grace that was sufficient when I was in my time of need.
Fast forward now. I guess it's a continual growing process, we go astray sometimes, and need to be dragged back on the path by God - and sometimes it takes a little more than a tiny nudge.
So Five Loaves and Two Fishes. It's been circling within my mind for some time - we need to be broken - we need to give our all - and like the bread and two fishes - be broken so the five thousand (or more) can be fed. But are we willing to be broken?
God broke me this week - though I believe He can still break me further. But how broken are you? How much have you been humbled by God? How much have you given up to live a righteous live? Have you repented of everything undesirable?
Be broken. Lest we cannot be fully used by God. Ask some of these questions as all of you move into the next week. I'll make sure to question myself too.
...
and yes. As Tim-the-top-boy-cum-mugger (i shan't hide this identity any longer), I shall give the timely reminder to do your homework :)
Honoring God,
TimLim
Christ Our Rock
A week has passed, and one can only marvel at what God has done in such a short period of time. It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; after all, he created the world in a mere 6 days.
I suppose its been a good week for most of you. Finally settling down into classes, getting accustomed to the new environment, and feeling the joys of little or no work. A relaxing pace, so far. When we're stressed and busy, we don't have time for God. We'd think that being free would give us more time to spend with God, but we all know that the more time we have, and the more relaxed we are, we tend to stray further from Him. Such is the paradox. We will never seem to have enough time for God.
This probably means we're relying too much on our own strength, when we should be casting all our cares on Him. No burden too small or too big for Him to handle. He wants us to put our faith in Him, and if we follow in His steps, and commit everything to Him, we'll find life a lot smoother. Its ironic, but the less time we have, the more time we should be spending with the Lord. I guess that's what Kenneth wanted the time of fasting for. Fasting isn't just about, as he said, dieting or even just "not eating because". Its the time we sacrifice (you can fast computer games, watching TV, etc.) to spend with God. When we forego a meal to pray, we're basically putting our trust in the Lord, that ordinary food can satisfy temporarily, but God satisfies eternally. And we should aim to reach a state where we just hunger for Him 24/7.
Some of you might find this approach a bit harsh, how some of us have seemed to go all out to pressure everyone to do this and do that, and just be totally radical in our faith in Christ. Maybe so, since some of us come from charismatic churches or backgrounds. Maybe some of you are finding trouble stepping out of your comfort zones, and are just finding the prayer group to be too unconventional in its ways.
Well, it doesn't really matter which approach you take so long as we remember to seek God in everything we do, as Tessa mentioned. That when we seek Him and Him only, everything else will fall into place. Of course, keeping God at the centre of our lives will be difficult. We always talk about how difficult these things are to do and maintain, but that's human nature for you. Our very flesh betrays us. The point is that we try to rely on the Lord always. We make mistakes, we learn from them and move on. His mercy and grace are new every morning, we just need to accept it.
The whole thing requires a degree of commitment and humility. There will always be people who will go one step further than you do. Its about having the courage and boldness to proclaim that you serve the Lord, and you're willing to go all out for Him. Take your time to think over it. How far will you go for Him? Keeping a close personal relationship with Him is a mountainous task in itself; but will you take that further and reach out to others? Spreading His love and warmth to others in the cold?
Ultimately its up to you to decide. We cannot and will not force anyone to do anything against their will. We're just here to support each other, push each other a bit, and encourage each other onward. This group was built in the hope that it would lay on the foundations of love, care and compassion, and of course, Christ our rock. Let us try to keep that in mind. We too are just like you guys, we totally understand how some of you feel, and we probably make mistakes worse than some of you out there.
So, don't come into the mornings so gloomy and weary. Learn to lean upon the Lord, who gives us strength. Look forward to the day, putting your hopes in the Lord. And fellowship with one another, not just your own cliques, all the brothers and sisters in Christ.
Take care and God bless,
- Fabriz
I suppose its been a good week for most of you. Finally settling down into classes, getting accustomed to the new environment, and feeling the joys of little or no work. A relaxing pace, so far. When we're stressed and busy, we don't have time for God. We'd think that being free would give us more time to spend with God, but we all know that the more time we have, and the more relaxed we are, we tend to stray further from Him. Such is the paradox. We will never seem to have enough time for God.
This probably means we're relying too much on our own strength, when we should be casting all our cares on Him. No burden too small or too big for Him to handle. He wants us to put our faith in Him, and if we follow in His steps, and commit everything to Him, we'll find life a lot smoother. Its ironic, but the less time we have, the more time we should be spending with the Lord. I guess that's what Kenneth wanted the time of fasting for. Fasting isn't just about, as he said, dieting or even just "not eating because". Its the time we sacrifice (you can fast computer games, watching TV, etc.) to spend with God. When we forego a meal to pray, we're basically putting our trust in the Lord, that ordinary food can satisfy temporarily, but God satisfies eternally. And we should aim to reach a state where we just hunger for Him 24/7.
Some of you might find this approach a bit harsh, how some of us have seemed to go all out to pressure everyone to do this and do that, and just be totally radical in our faith in Christ. Maybe so, since some of us come from charismatic churches or backgrounds. Maybe some of you are finding trouble stepping out of your comfort zones, and are just finding the prayer group to be too unconventional in its ways.
Well, it doesn't really matter which approach you take so long as we remember to seek God in everything we do, as Tessa mentioned. That when we seek Him and Him only, everything else will fall into place. Of course, keeping God at the centre of our lives will be difficult. We always talk about how difficult these things are to do and maintain, but that's human nature for you. Our very flesh betrays us. The point is that we try to rely on the Lord always. We make mistakes, we learn from them and move on. His mercy and grace are new every morning, we just need to accept it.
The whole thing requires a degree of commitment and humility. There will always be people who will go one step further than you do. Its about having the courage and boldness to proclaim that you serve the Lord, and you're willing to go all out for Him. Take your time to think over it. How far will you go for Him? Keeping a close personal relationship with Him is a mountainous task in itself; but will you take that further and reach out to others? Spreading His love and warmth to others in the cold?
Ultimately its up to you to decide. We cannot and will not force anyone to do anything against their will. We're just here to support each other, push each other a bit, and encourage each other onward. This group was built in the hope that it would lay on the foundations of love, care and compassion, and of course, Christ our rock. Let us try to keep that in mind. We too are just like you guys, we totally understand how some of you feel, and we probably make mistakes worse than some of you out there.
So, don't come into the mornings so gloomy and weary. Learn to lean upon the Lord, who gives us strength. Look forward to the day, putting your hopes in the Lord. And fellowship with one another, not just your own cliques, all the brothers and sisters in Christ.
Take care and God bless,
- Fabriz
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Looking Forward
You know what? Something's happening in our school. Yes, something really amazing is taking place right here in ACS(I). The Year 6s, Year 5s and 2s are on fire. They're really burning and taking that deep plunge of faith for God.
But do you know what? There are some still left behind and are actually not ready yet. There are some people still not quite ready for such a thing to happen. There are some people who come for FireAC once and don't come again. There are some people that come for FireAC because they are just 'forced' to by peer pressure and friends. And you know what, its because it may be a bit ironic, but its because we're so cold towards the other people in the ministry who we may not know. We're just coming and snuggling in with those we're comfortable with, because we're scared of mingling with the other people whom we may not know yet. So many of us are just not comfortable with what we're doing, we're just looking down and wondering why on earth are we at FireAC in the first place.
So, what can we do to solve this problem which may be hindering the revival in ACS(I)? Perhaps the first thing you could do is try to come earlier so that you will have more time to soak in the presence of the Lord. Its because, if you're filled with the holy spirit, filled with that absolute PASSION for Christ, you would do RADICAL things for him. It could be something like saying a PRAYER for the person next to you whom you may not know, or it could be to really just offer yourself to God. It may seem difficult to do such a thing, it is not the time issue, or the issue of it being a school thing, or it being without a full band, but its because of the faith which we may seem to be lacking. With FAITH, God can fill you with his holy spirit if you EMPTY YOURSELF, if you really just sell yourself out to God.
It was not long ago, about 1 month ago when i had this vision of the school. In the old auditorium having a full out worship session. Everyone was so deep into the worship. Everyone was focused on honouring our Lord Jesus Christ. There were many with hands lifted high in awe, kneeling in surrender, crying in love, shouting out praises with all their heart and just being 100% spirit lead. Do you know what the best worship could be? Its not a perfect guitarist, perfect drummer, perfect sound system, perfect vocalists, perfect location. But it is a spirit lead worship and a broken heart waiting upon the Lord. A worship when its more than singing, when it is all about crying out for the one whom we serve, Jesus Christ.
"Dear Lord, thank you for stirring up the hearts of many. But Lord, thats not enough, we want more. We want more of You, we want everyone to be living for Your name. We do all that we can Lord, but we know we would never succeed without Your grace. We need You to come into all of our lives so that when people see us, they see You. They see your holiness, your glory Lord. I pray that every single one of us would work hard with our walk with You, that we would not fall away from you, that the homework would not overwhelm us beyond what we can bear. Lord I pray for total dependence on You, amongst all my brothers and sisters.
In Jesus' Name. Amen."
In the Faith of Jesus Christ,
Lin Xunliang
But do you know what? There are some still left behind and are actually not ready yet. There are some people still not quite ready for such a thing to happen. There are some people who come for FireAC once and don't come again. There are some people that come for FireAC because they are just 'forced' to by peer pressure and friends. And you know what, its because it may be a bit ironic, but its because we're so cold towards the other people in the ministry who we may not know. We're just coming and snuggling in with those we're comfortable with, because we're scared of mingling with the other people whom we may not know yet. So many of us are just not comfortable with what we're doing, we're just looking down and wondering why on earth are we at FireAC in the first place.
So, what can we do to solve this problem which may be hindering the revival in ACS(I)? Perhaps the first thing you could do is try to come earlier so that you will have more time to soak in the presence of the Lord. Its because, if you're filled with the holy spirit, filled with that absolute PASSION for Christ, you would do RADICAL things for him. It could be something like saying a PRAYER for the person next to you whom you may not know, or it could be to really just offer yourself to God. It may seem difficult to do such a thing, it is not the time issue, or the issue of it being a school thing, or it being without a full band, but its because of the faith which we may seem to be lacking. With FAITH, God can fill you with his holy spirit if you EMPTY YOURSELF, if you really just sell yourself out to God.
It was not long ago, about 1 month ago when i had this vision of the school. In the old auditorium having a full out worship session. Everyone was so deep into the worship. Everyone was focused on honouring our Lord Jesus Christ. There were many with hands lifted high in awe, kneeling in surrender, crying in love, shouting out praises with all their heart and just being 100% spirit lead. Do you know what the best worship could be? Its not a perfect guitarist, perfect drummer, perfect sound system, perfect vocalists, perfect location. But it is a spirit lead worship and a broken heart waiting upon the Lord. A worship when its more than singing, when it is all about crying out for the one whom we serve, Jesus Christ.
"Dear Lord, thank you for stirring up the hearts of many. But Lord, thats not enough, we want more. We want more of You, we want everyone to be living for Your name. We do all that we can Lord, but we know we would never succeed without Your grace. We need You to come into all of our lives so that when people see us, they see You. They see your holiness, your glory Lord. I pray that every single one of us would work hard with our walk with You, that we would not fall away from you, that the homework would not overwhelm us beyond what we can bear. Lord I pray for total dependence on You, amongst all my brothers and sisters.
In Jesus' Name. Amen."
In the Faith of Jesus Christ,
Lin Xunliang
Wednesday, 17 January 2007
Y2 Awakening
Update!
16/1/07 18:40:42
Pray 4 Y2 OEP, a group of boys started an evangelic meeting tonight and they were praying daily. This afternoon they confessed their sins and cried. There is so much restoration among christians and they are reaching out to pre-believers. This has never happened before. Please sms all, revival is at the door step.
Yeah, for those of you who havent already heard, there's been a movement in our very own Year2s. They'll be joining us from tomorrow onwards for a coupla days before they separate to form their own (haha brings back memories?), and we'll get a chance to hear their testimony tomorrow or the day after, i think.
:)
The BB room (at the porta cabins) will be open from 0700-1440 tmr, those who are interested to join us for a time of fasting and prayer, are more than welcome :) notes are available for download at the left hand side of the page too
Mr Jonathan Ng will be sharing about the history of revivals in ACS on friday afternoon, 1315 to about 1500 at Language Room 5, do join us if you're interested
take care and dont die under schoolwork ya'll!
in Christ's <3,
K
16/1/07 18:40:42
Pray 4 Y2 OEP, a group of boys started an evangelic meeting tonight and they were praying daily. This afternoon they confessed their sins and cried. There is so much restoration among christians and they are reaching out to pre-believers. This has never happened before. Please sms all, revival is at the door step.
Yeah, for those of you who havent already heard, there's been a movement in our very own Year2s. They'll be joining us from tomorrow onwards for a coupla days before they separate to form their own (haha brings back memories?), and we'll get a chance to hear their testimony tomorrow or the day after, i think.
:)
The BB room (at the porta cabins) will be open from 0700-1440 tmr, those who are interested to join us for a time of fasting and prayer, are more than welcome :) notes are available for download at the left hand side of the page too
Mr Jonathan Ng will be sharing about the history of revivals in ACS on friday afternoon, 1315 to about 1500 at Language Room 5, do join us if you're interested
take care and dont die under schoolwork ya'll!
in Christ's <3,
K
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Visions
This might turn out to be a long post. I'll try to make it easy on the eyes and at least slightly interesting, but no promises. Also remember these posts are composed by individuals, so there might be differing viewpoints between some of the committee members and whatnot, but we'll settle them.
So, brothers and sisters, we're already getting into the groove of things, as we could put it. These prayer meetings aren't new to us anymore, and we're well past the beginning stages. They say though, that familiarity breeds contempt. We have to remind ourselves of what we're doing this for, and why.
I first have to apologise. Not everyone was present for the initial few meetings, or heard Kenneth's action plan for the year. Some of you might still be kind of unaware of the purposes behind these meetings, and not know what we're striving for, ultimately. There was also feedback that we were moving too fast for comfort. We appreciate the feedback, and we're currently reviewing the system to see how we can improve. For the time being, we might slow things down a bit to give everyone a bit more breathing space.
Lets touch back on the vision. I was priveleged enough to be able to hear of Kenneth's testimony on the first day of school. He shared it with quite a few other people as well, but these being one to one talks, I'm sure not everyone got a chance to hear of it. I'll try to skim through it here, but you must really talk to him if you want the "real" thing. It stirred up in me the passion to serve God for the rest of the year, and hopefully for the rest of my life. I hope it can do the same for you all.
Basically it was about Kenneth having a vision sometime late last year about school being practically a 5 day church, where there would be small groups everywhere just worshipping the Lord of their own accord. How chapel sessions would be filled with heartfelt praise instead of the detached solemnness we have today. Fundamentally, a revival, oft mentioned as one that would sweep the entire school. Seemingly impossible, but we'll work towards that. Kenneth prayed for workers. And here we are. People who would give up everything to serve the Lord. I signed myself up right away.
Its all about coming out of our comfort zones. Its easy to sit back and let everyone else do the work, while we watch on. Revivals don't happen that way. It takes each person to give out of his own heart, to go the extra mile in harvesting souls for the Lord. Of course, we need to look back at our personal lives as well. There's no point trying to save souls if we ourselves have fallen away from the Lord. Back to basics. Improving our own relationships with God first. That, will be the most difficult part.
I acknowledge this won't be easy. Those who know me will know I'm not the sort to stand up and talk amongst the crowd. I think I was prepared to do that this week, but there wasn't a spot available, so I ended up just regurgitating all the stuff I've been thinking about in this post. I guess its a little disorganised. Anyway, I too know the awkwardness of going up to a teacher and praying for him/her, and we're not forcing everyone here to do things they don't want. We need to understand, that though prayer is good, we can't just pray for them this once and let go for the rest of the year. If we make a commitment to bless the teachers, we have to sustain it for the entire year. Simple things like helping the teachers carry stuff, to helping them sort out their admin matters, can bless the teachers as well. Even just completing assignments on time and giving the teachers an easier time are blessings, I'm sure.
Stepping out will take extra courage and effort. But I believe we all can do it, even if it takes some time. We'll need to learn to support and uphold each other in Christ, its what we all are here for. To spur each other onwards to our goal in Christ Jesus. But we have to remember that sitting still and waiting for things to happen, won't make things happen. God helps those who help themselves, so we need to go into action. Start spreading His love and His word in our daily lives. Remember Him in our daily conversations, as John mentioned earlier. So that we may be beacons of Truth and Light, and reflect Christlikeness for the world to see.
I recently read about a missionary in China spreading the gospel. And how he touched the life of a certain man who was fascinated about the stories of Christ, and asked how long the Christians had known this truth. To this the missionary replied: "Pretty much forever." And was taken aback when the man said in amazement: "You mean you've known this truth for so long? We've been searching for this forever; what took you so long to come and tell us this?"
Something along those lines anyway. It just reminds us of how many people out there who do not know the Lord. And they will never know till we tell them. Our mission for the year is to not let a single non-Christian in ACS slip by without hearing about the word of God. And its up to us to fulfill that mission. Remember the vision, hold fast to the Lord, and keep Him at the centre of our lives. Easier said than done, but it is the only way that it will work. I think I won't be able to hold your attentions any longer, well done if you read up to here. I'll just leave a final note.
We need to draw back to the Lord. Back to the heart of worship. To living our lives, as an act of worship.
May the grace of God be with you all,
- Fabriz
So, brothers and sisters, we're already getting into the groove of things, as we could put it. These prayer meetings aren't new to us anymore, and we're well past the beginning stages. They say though, that familiarity breeds contempt. We have to remind ourselves of what we're doing this for, and why.
I first have to apologise. Not everyone was present for the initial few meetings, or heard Kenneth's action plan for the year. Some of you might still be kind of unaware of the purposes behind these meetings, and not know what we're striving for, ultimately. There was also feedback that we were moving too fast for comfort. We appreciate the feedback, and we're currently reviewing the system to see how we can improve. For the time being, we might slow things down a bit to give everyone a bit more breathing space.
Lets touch back on the vision. I was priveleged enough to be able to hear of Kenneth's testimony on the first day of school. He shared it with quite a few other people as well, but these being one to one talks, I'm sure not everyone got a chance to hear of it. I'll try to skim through it here, but you must really talk to him if you want the "real" thing. It stirred up in me the passion to serve God for the rest of the year, and hopefully for the rest of my life. I hope it can do the same for you all.
Basically it was about Kenneth having a vision sometime late last year about school being practically a 5 day church, where there would be small groups everywhere just worshipping the Lord of their own accord. How chapel sessions would be filled with heartfelt praise instead of the detached solemnness we have today. Fundamentally, a revival, oft mentioned as one that would sweep the entire school. Seemingly impossible, but we'll work towards that. Kenneth prayed for workers. And here we are. People who would give up everything to serve the Lord. I signed myself up right away.
Its all about coming out of our comfort zones. Its easy to sit back and let everyone else do the work, while we watch on. Revivals don't happen that way. It takes each person to give out of his own heart, to go the extra mile in harvesting souls for the Lord. Of course, we need to look back at our personal lives as well. There's no point trying to save souls if we ourselves have fallen away from the Lord. Back to basics. Improving our own relationships with God first. That, will be the most difficult part.
I acknowledge this won't be easy. Those who know me will know I'm not the sort to stand up and talk amongst the crowd. I think I was prepared to do that this week, but there wasn't a spot available, so I ended up just regurgitating all the stuff I've been thinking about in this post. I guess its a little disorganised. Anyway, I too know the awkwardness of going up to a teacher and praying for him/her, and we're not forcing everyone here to do things they don't want. We need to understand, that though prayer is good, we can't just pray for them this once and let go for the rest of the year. If we make a commitment to bless the teachers, we have to sustain it for the entire year. Simple things like helping the teachers carry stuff, to helping them sort out their admin matters, can bless the teachers as well. Even just completing assignments on time and giving the teachers an easier time are blessings, I'm sure.
Stepping out will take extra courage and effort. But I believe we all can do it, even if it takes some time. We'll need to learn to support and uphold each other in Christ, its what we all are here for. To spur each other onwards to our goal in Christ Jesus. But we have to remember that sitting still and waiting for things to happen, won't make things happen. God helps those who help themselves, so we need to go into action. Start spreading His love and His word in our daily lives. Remember Him in our daily conversations, as John mentioned earlier. So that we may be beacons of Truth and Light, and reflect Christlikeness for the world to see.
I recently read about a missionary in China spreading the gospel. And how he touched the life of a certain man who was fascinated about the stories of Christ, and asked how long the Christians had known this truth. To this the missionary replied: "Pretty much forever." And was taken aback when the man said in amazement: "You mean you've known this truth for so long? We've been searching for this forever; what took you so long to come and tell us this?"
Something along those lines anyway. It just reminds us of how many people out there who do not know the Lord. And they will never know till we tell them. Our mission for the year is to not let a single non-Christian in ACS slip by without hearing about the word of God. And its up to us to fulfill that mission. Remember the vision, hold fast to the Lord, and keep Him at the centre of our lives. Easier said than done, but it is the only way that it will work. I think I won't be able to hold your attentions any longer, well done if you read up to here. I'll just leave a final note.
We need to draw back to the Lord. Back to the heart of worship. To living our lives, as an act of worship.
May the grace of God be with you all,
- Fabriz
(:
Hey. This feels rather awkward but! Something, has been repeatedly .. repeating.. in my head for these last couple of days. And in the previous entry, I know that it was more than a coincedence that the verse, Psalms 46:8 was where these words of this extremely familiar thing was extracted from. Oh, yes. And it was mentioned at chapel as well, so its definitely, more more than a coincedence, hence further increasing the need for me to write this.
"when the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God."
I know some of you have been feeling, discouraged/stressed/tired/anynegativefeeling lately. Sometimes, we feel like giving up, or sometimes we just feel like we do not have the courage to do what is required of us to do. Sometimes we feel inadquate, we get stressed and our brains feel like exploding. However, remember: everything is in God's plans, and whatever that is done in our lives are in His hands as well.
We try our best, we go all out. But sometimes, our human capabilities.. they're only this much. We can stress, contemplate, labour till every bit of our physical bodies break but God is still the One who lifts us up. At the end of the day, everything is still in His control, even though things may not appear to be so, they still are. So, just fall back into His arms, and completely surrender everything unto Him. Easier said than done, that I know. But remember: with God, all things are possible (: and that includes truly having an everlasting flame burning for God in this school.
" 'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered." - Mark 11:22
And that, is simply what we need to do. To have faith in Him, and everything will just follow. So.. smile! Because every new day is another day to live for God - Who is truly, the Reason for living.
In God's Love,
tessa.
"when the oceans rise and thunders roar,
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God."
I know some of you have been feeling, discouraged/stressed/tired/anynegativefeeling lately. Sometimes, we feel like giving up, or sometimes we just feel like we do not have the courage to do what is required of us to do. Sometimes we feel inadquate, we get stressed and our brains feel like exploding. However, remember: everything is in God's plans, and whatever that is done in our lives are in His hands as well.
We try our best, we go all out. But sometimes, our human capabilities.. they're only this much. We can stress, contemplate, labour till every bit of our physical bodies break but God is still the One who lifts us up. At the end of the day, everything is still in His control, even though things may not appear to be so, they still are. So, just fall back into His arms, and completely surrender everything unto Him. Easier said than done, that I know. But remember: with God, all things are possible (: and that includes truly having an everlasting flame burning for God in this school.
" 'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered." - Mark 11:22
And that, is simply what we need to do. To have faith in Him, and everything will just follow. So.. smile! Because every new day is another day to live for God - Who is truly, the Reason for living.
In God's Love,
tessa.
Monday, 15 January 2007
A Quiet Reminder
(Do remember to view Kenneth's post below!! Sorry kenneth!! How I know you post :P)
And so the new year has finally gone into full swing (albeit the apparent lack of teachers today). Classes have been sorted, the ice has been broken, and hopefully we've all got to know one another better - both within and outside our own classes. The Lecture Theatre today was truly filled with a whole concoction of mixed emotions - joy, disappointment, pleasant surprise, tragic irony. All things aside, we have finally made it past the day we had all eagerly anticipated.
Now that we're in classes, do build up on those classmate to classmate relationships, and spur one another onward to a more fruitful and loving relationship with our God. Fortunately, our prayer group had been scattered rather evenly: look around you and you've probably have one or two from the same prayer group - do uphold each other!
One chopstick breaks easily, but a bundle is tough to crack.
(or if you detest those ancient Chinese proverbs)
We are one in the body of Christ!
Just a quiet reminder here for all of us to be faithful in our quiet time with God. Truly, the best time spent is in quiet solitude with our Father in heaven, in bowing down humbly, and in realising His majesty. In acknowledging that we are nothing, and yet He is everything. In marvelling that in all His greatness He has set His love upon us. In crying out to Him, in praising aloud to Him, in loving and being loved.
Perhaps get a partner to call you up now and then and check with you. Be accountable for one another, and encourage one another when we start to stumble. Keep watching out for each other!
And a reminder to bless a teacher this week. So many teachers out there. May no corner be left untouched!
Honouring God,
LimClanStrummer (Tim, by the way)
And so the new year has finally gone into full swing (albeit the apparent lack of teachers today). Classes have been sorted, the ice has been broken, and hopefully we've all got to know one another better - both within and outside our own classes. The Lecture Theatre today was truly filled with a whole concoction of mixed emotions - joy, disappointment, pleasant surprise, tragic irony. All things aside, we have finally made it past the day we had all eagerly anticipated.
Now that we're in classes, do build up on those classmate to classmate relationships, and spur one another onward to a more fruitful and loving relationship with our God. Fortunately, our prayer group had been scattered rather evenly: look around you and you've probably have one or two from the same prayer group - do uphold each other!
One chopstick breaks easily, but a bundle is tough to crack.
(or if you detest those ancient Chinese proverbs)
We are one in the body of Christ!
Just a quiet reminder here for all of us to be faithful in our quiet time with God. Truly, the best time spent is in quiet solitude with our Father in heaven, in bowing down humbly, and in realising His majesty. In acknowledging that we are nothing, and yet He is everything. In marvelling that in all His greatness He has set His love upon us. In crying out to Him, in praising aloud to Him, in loving and being loved.
Perhaps get a partner to call you up now and then and check with you. Be accountable for one another, and encourage one another when we start to stumble. Keep watching out for each other!
And a reminder to bless a teacher this week. So many teachers out there. May no corner be left untouched!
"Be still and know that I am God,
I will be exalted in all the earth"
Psalms 46:8
Honouring God,
LimClanStrummer (Tim, by the way)
God is moving
Hey guys.
How're you?
I genuinely mean the question. I really wanna know how all of you are doing. I really apologise that i havent had the time to properly talk to everyone, but i truly, sincerely, want to thank everyone for everything that has happened thus far. I thank you all for just responding so readily to the call, for faithfully turning up every morning for the meetings, for sacrificing that precious, precious thirty minutes (which could be spent happily in bed), with God, with us.
You have no idea how much it encourages me, to see all of you each day :)
but that's not the reason for this post.
My heart is stirred. absolutely thrilled, and joyous, to see how God has been moving thus far. He IS moving, you can be 100% sure of that.
We're just into our what. fourth meeting? doesnt sound like much, but it's been amazing, our progress. just take a moment to reflect. In a short 5 days from formation, we've begin reaching out to teachers. We've grown to a group 50 strong. Numbers dont mean a thing, but it cannot be denied that it is immensely encouraging. However, 50 is but a small number. If Revival really comes our way, the figure is going to SOAR. we will then not be looking at a 50 person ministry, but a 500 strong congregation!
haha. grand dreams :)
but snapping back to reality, we still have quite some way to go.
Remember our mission of blessing the teachers. How many of you have already done it? (lol how many of you even remembered to come down after school to give us your particulars?)
Haha but dont get me wrong. I'm not here to condemn. Rather, I'm here to encourage :)
I understand it's difficult for many of us, but we really need to take the step. Please. For the guys, this cant require more courage and shamelessness than hitting on girls right. i KNOW many of us are experienced in that area alr. dont need to pretend. ac guys leh. lol
For the girls, comeonnnnn. Dont tell me you havent done more embarrassing things in your life?I emphasise once again that teachers are really really nice people, not roaring lions that are just waiting to pounce on and devour you :)
We really need to take this step out of our comfort zones, for this will be one of many, i assure you. Feel free to look for me or anyone else if you need samplepick-up lines to use
But do take note:
Are we just seeking revival in ACS, or our Lord God Almighty?
We must always remind ourselves, that we are seeking God, and that revival is but a gift that comes as a by-product of this process. Our focus must always be right; the heart is extremely important. much much more important than numbers, figures and physical appearances.
Let us take great care not to be so caught up in our revival-activities, revival-programmes, rah-rah-ness etc that we forget the very reason why we're doing this.
hmm. that's all for now, see you guys tmr!
In His Service,
K
please remember to download and print a copy of the prayer+fasting notes for wednesday morning's sharing.
It's at the bottom left hand side of the page, below the links.
How're you?
I genuinely mean the question. I really wanna know how all of you are doing. I really apologise that i havent had the time to properly talk to everyone, but i truly, sincerely, want to thank everyone for everything that has happened thus far. I thank you all for just responding so readily to the call, for faithfully turning up every morning for the meetings, for sacrificing that precious, precious thirty minutes (which could be spent happily in bed), with God, with us.
You have no idea how much it encourages me, to see all of you each day :)
but that's not the reason for this post.
My heart is stirred. absolutely thrilled, and joyous, to see how God has been moving thus far. He IS moving, you can be 100% sure of that.
We're just into our what. fourth meeting? doesnt sound like much, but it's been amazing, our progress. just take a moment to reflect. In a short 5 days from formation, we've begin reaching out to teachers. We've grown to a group 50 strong. Numbers dont mean a thing, but it cannot be denied that it is immensely encouraging. However, 50 is but a small number. If Revival really comes our way, the figure is going to SOAR. we will then not be looking at a 50 person ministry, but a 500 strong congregation!
haha. grand dreams :)
but snapping back to reality, we still have quite some way to go.
Remember our mission of blessing the teachers. How many of you have already done it? (lol how many of you even remembered to come down after school to give us your particulars?)
Haha but dont get me wrong. I'm not here to condemn. Rather, I'm here to encourage :)
I understand it's difficult for many of us, but we really need to take the step. Please. For the guys, this cant require more courage and shamelessness than hitting on girls right. i KNOW many of us are experienced in that area alr. dont need to pretend. ac guys leh. lol
For the girls, comeonnnnn. Dont tell me you havent done more embarrassing things in your life?I emphasise once again that teachers are really really nice people, not roaring lions that are just waiting to pounce on and devour you :)
We really need to take this step out of our comfort zones, for this will be one of many, i assure you. Feel free to look for me or anyone else if you need sample
But do take note:
Are we just seeking revival in ACS, or our Lord God Almighty?
We must always remind ourselves, that we are seeking God, and that revival is but a gift that comes as a by-product of this process. Our focus must always be right; the heart is extremely important. much much more important than numbers, figures and physical appearances.
Let us take great care not to be so caught up in our revival-activities, revival-programmes, rah-rah-ness etc that we forget the very reason why we're doing this.
hmm. that's all for now, see you guys tmr!
In His Service,
K
please remember to download and print a copy of the prayer+fasting notes for wednesday morning's sharing.
It's at the bottom left hand side of the page, below the links.
Sunday, 14 January 2007
Week 1
Your first mission, should you choose to accept it:
Mission for this upcoming week:
Bless the Teachers
Rationale/Objectives:
1) Touch their lives
2) Develop guts and a thick skin
3) Begin stepping out of our comfort zones
Other key events:
A day of fasting and prayer on Thursday 18th Jan (Lunchtime)
Guest speaker on Friday 19th Jan - History of Revivals in ACS (After school)
Brace yourselves, this week will be exciting :) More elaboration to come later.
Mission for this upcoming week:
Bless the Teachers
Rationale/Objectives:
1) Touch their lives
2) Develop guts and a thick skin
3) Begin stepping out of our comfort zones
Other key events:
A day of fasting and prayer on Thursday 18th Jan (Lunchtime)
Guest speaker on Friday 19th Jan - History of Revivals in ACS (After school)
Brace yourselves, this week will be exciting :) More elaboration to come later.
FireAC/Ministry of Fire Standard Meetings
FireAC/Ministry of Fire
Weekdays
0700 - 0729hrs
Student Plaza(Outside the SAC)
Bringing a Bible would be good
Contacts : Kenneth Lim - 91052699, Lin Xunliang - 94248043, Alex Lua - 81832266
Hi Everyone, In case you all don't know. Here are the standard details of each meeting we have.
Anyway, it would be good if we can get a logo for this ministry. So if anyone is interested in making one contact one of the leaders. Invite friends to come. It would be awesome to have so many people that we need to book the LT for meetings :)
In the Faith of Jesus Christ, Lin Xunliang
Weekdays
0700 - 0729hrs
Student Plaza(Outside the SAC)
Bringing a Bible would be good
Contacts : Kenneth Lim - 91052699, Lin Xunliang - 94248043, Alex Lua - 81832266
Hi Everyone, In case you all don't know. Here are the standard details of each meeting we have.
Anyway, it would be good if we can get a logo for this ministry. So if anyone is interested in making one contact one of the leaders. Invite friends to come. It would be awesome to have so many people that we need to book the LT for meetings :)
In the Faith of Jesus Christ, Lin Xunliang
Inaugural Post
Welcome all
The template is still being developed, but at least we have an up and running home in cyberspace :)
There will be meeting forecasts here, so you can check back every now and then to see what's coming up.
The tagboard's to allow for any prayer requests, or just to say hi :)
We also have an email address set up: sendyourfirelord@gmail.com,
for anything more than 200 characters, or any issue/need you want to bring up privately
hmm. that's all for now,
see you guys on Monday,
same time, same place
In His Service,
K
The template is still being developed, but at least we have an up and running home in cyberspace :)
There will be meeting forecasts here, so you can check back every now and then to see what's coming up.
The tagboard's to allow for any prayer requests, or just to say hi :)
We also have an email address set up: sendyourfirelord@gmail.com,
for anything more than 200 characters, or any issue/need you want to bring up privately
hmm. that's all for now,
see you guys on Monday,
same time, same place
In His Service,
K
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