'tis the season to be jolly

i realize that people are starting to crack under exam pressures. just rmb that the Lord taught us to surrender all things to Him and trust Him.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7

keep the joy and do all things for His glory :)

in His love,
dan

Keeping Focus

If there's anyone who hasn't started studying already, now would be a great time to start. Like I suppose a few of you out there, I've had the misconception that if we're going to get our priorities right, there's nothing wrong with putting God first and all, even if it means compromising on our academic performance. If we're devoting ourselves so faithfully to the Lord, surely He'll reward in kind, even if its not in terms of examination results?

I guess to some extent that's a flawed belief. As Rev Kenneth Huang reminded Kenneth and I a couple of weeks back, our primary purpose for being here in school is to study. There's nothing wrong with coming for FireAC, or keeping our focus on God. But here we are in school, being testimonies to our classmates, our teachers and our friends. Does it not reflect badly on ourselves as Christians? Who can proclaim to be close followers of God and yet flunk our exams. If you know me I'm guilty of this on all counts, with a less than average mark record to show for it, so this year I'm already working harder than I used to.

An analogy is always nice, and since we could all use some stress relief: -

Torrential rains were swiftly flooding the town's streets. A preacher
sat on his porch watching the deluge. As the rising water approached his front
steps, a rescue squad boat motored by. "Come aboard, Preacher!" shouted one of
the officials. "We'll carry you to safety."

"I'm safe enough," the preacher replied. "I'm trusting the Lord to
protect me and my home."

Half an hour later the water was up to the porch floor. Another boat
glided past. "Jump aboard, Preacher! It's going to get worse!"

"I'm not afraid, friends. The Lord will deliver me from
drowning."

Late in the day, the flood had almost engulfed the town's buildings.
The preacher was on the roof, clinging to the chimney, when a helicopter hovered
overhead. A rope was cranked down to the pitiful victim - and astonishingly, the
preacher waved the crew away. "The Lord Himself will save me," he
declared.

And as darkness descended, the preacher was swept to his
death.

The next thing he knew, he was at heaven's gate, waiting at the desk of
St. Peter. The venerable saint looked up from his wrigin. "You!" he exclaimed.
"What are you doing here already?"

"Well, the preacher stammered, "I was down there in the flood, waiting
for the Lord to rescue me, and finally the water just got too high
and..."

"Saints, man! We sent you two boats and a helicopter!"

Which brings us all back down to earth with the common saying: "God helps those who help themselves." Are we hoping for a miracle, that by fervent prayer and dedication to God for these few weeks, He will grant us good grades for the end years? The best way to ensure that happens is probably to dig in ourselves and make the effort to study. It isn't easy to juggle both commitments sometimes, but I'm quite sure the results are a surer bet with that formula. And perhaps this has been overused too, but just look at Tim.

There's also a sad lesson in this. Sometimes we're so caught up in our own way of how God should be doing things, that we fail to recognise His hand working in other ways. Usually in those ways we can't see. Most of us are stressed. Worried. The other extreme doesn't work either; totally forsaking God for our studies ("but God wants us to do well!") might backfire as well. In fact, as I've mentioned before, its when we're lacking time and feeling tired that, all the more we should be coming to God and seeking His help, because He's the one who can comfort and restore, who can grant peace and rest, who can pull us through.

And like Kenneth mentioned this morning, don't neglect your QT. Along with keeping our focus on our studies, let's not forget to keep God in our sights as well. And with Him in the centre of our lives, and with us striving to work for His glory, doing things with Him in control, we'll all find all the strength, the joy, the peace and the resolve to do whatever has been set out for us, and do it well, at that.

So with that weighing on your minds, keep close to Him, and go pwn those exams.

In His Love,
- Fabriz

Salvation- a sermon worth listening to

Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)

A powerful sermon

58 minutes long , but its worth a watch/listen if you have the time

it's really touching to see how much love Paul has... 

there is a point around 9-10 minutes when the youth start cheering and claping, but he makes a statement that shocks them

and the message he delivers is quite eye opening ... 

Excerpts(paraphrases):

we are saved not by 1 "sinner's prayer" we make, but by Faith alone, and faith that is preceeded and followed by reptentance

reptentance, hating your sin

a hatred for the things that God hates

there is no such thing as a carnal christian

God Bless

Emil

There are too many bold-worthy phrases in here, so I shan't bother

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a great German (and rather unorthodox) theologian who was martyed for defending the Christian faith during Hitler’s rule over Germany, once wrote these inspiring words in his book “The Cost of Discipleship”

Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that everything has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Since the cost was infinite, the possibilities of using and spending it are infinite. What would grace be if it were not cheap?

Cheap grace means the justification of the sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as before. “All for sin could not atone.” The world goes on the same old way, and we are still sinners “even in the best life” as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin. That was the heresy of the enthusiasts, the Anabaptists, and their kind. Let the Christian beware of rebelling against the free and boundless grace of God and desecrating it. Let him not attempt to erecy a new religion of the letter by endeavouring to live a life of obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ! The world has been justified by grace. The Christians knows that, and takes it seriously. He knows he must not strive against this indispensable grace. Therefore - let him live like the rest of the world!

[he goes on to say]

This is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. Cheap grace is not the forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son; “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Have we cheapened the grace we Christians (should) hold so dearly in our hearts?

Some food for thought really

After a rather prolonged hiatus,
K