New Paths

To the graduating batch and the generations to come ;):

As one chapter of life ends, I've somewhat lost the stability of an already established ministry to come to everyday in school, to serve in and feel the Lord's presence. Yet the Lord is faithful, and has led me to discover new ministries to serve in, new challenges and opportunities, ones I may have overlooked because I was already engaged in another one. And one of these ministries was here all along; my family and friends. So to all who are or may have been wandering lost for the past months or so, as graduation approaches, continue to seek after the Lord, listen to His still, small voice, and be amazed at the new doors He opens for you everyday =)

so and here's something I read recently, to exhort and encourage you all to strive onwards in sharing the gospel everyday =) (sorry it's a little long, but I promise the end is worth it ^^ and anyway it's holiday, so no rush right? =D)

Robins, Anna. Sharing the Feast: Recipes for Evangelism and Discipleship for today's church. United Kingdom: Spring Harvest Publishing Division and Authentic Media, 2005. Print. p. 142-146

Two dinner parties, two different situations. At the first table, you're the guest of a work colleague whom you don't really know very well. As it turns out, you don't know any of the other guests very well either. You feel awkward and uncomfortable. You make a few false starts of conversation, but it's tough. Getting anything more than a grunt out of the guy slurping his soup is a Herculean task. The woman on the other side is talkative, but in fact, she won't shut up. She's been going on and on, giving you every sordid detail of her cat's killing escapades. If you had the feline within reach, you fear you might have one yourself. She seems not to care or even notice that you have glazed over ages ago, and have contented yourself with making designs in the breadcrumbs that fell between you bowl and the edge of the table. The evening won’t end soon enough for you.

At the second table, you’re with your best and oldest friends, all gathered in one place. There’s much noise and laughter, as you tease and insult each other, and share stories from work and home. You are so comfortable here that you don’t think about conversation as an effort. It flows freely, naturally. You know you’re accepted here, even when you say outrageous things, or when somebody else insists you’ll be fired for the practical joke you played on your boss at work. You’re very contented here, and so enjoy the communication, the food, and the company, that you wish it never had to end.

In the first situation, you wonder why you accepted the invitation in the first place. You have little in common with the people there, and yet, you want to connect with them, on some level. You know you’ll probably never be best friends, but still, it’s an opportunity, isn’t it? You try and make the best of it, because you never know when there might be an open door to say something good about Jesus. You never know when people are quietly watching you because they know you’re Christian. In the second - you’re comfortable and accepted but less likely to say anything about your faith because some of them are not Christians. They’re your good friends, so they know that Jesus is important to you, but you respect them and don’t want to push your beliefs on them.

This is the paradox of much of our evangelism today. We are surrounded by people we love, and who love us, but who do not know Christ. These are the people who accept us no matter what. The ones we’re related to haven’t any choice! And yet, we’ll struggle and strain to witness for Christ with those we hardly know, while ignoring the fact that we’re surrounded by opportunity in the faces and hearts of those we know best.

We can learn to let Christ flow naturally into the conversation; he’s not an agenda we’re pushing, just the way we see the world. If you’re skipping church to do something for your brother-in-law, don’t leave him with the impression that your religious life is expendable whenever something better comes along. Either tell him you’ll help him after church because that’s important to you, which will witness to your level of commitment to Christ, or if you do decide to spend time with him instead, make sure he knows why. ‘You know I normally would be at church this morning, but I decided it was important to be here for you as part of my commitment to Christ.’ So what if he thinks you’re a freak? At least he’ll know the Jesus freak will be there for him.

To skip an important community vision day at church to play a round of golf with non-Christian friends is justifiable only if you actually introduce Jesus into the conversation. Otherwise they see you only as a guy like them who would rather play golf and have a round at the clubhouse than hang out with a bunch of religious weirdos. It doesn’t necessarily bring them closer to the kingdom.

If we are going to have a real conversation with our culture about Jesus, we have to surrender the desire to be ‘normal’. I recently heard a group of young Christians bemoan the fact that they just want to be normal, live normal lives, go out on a Saturday night like normal people, dance on the table, like normal people do. I felt their longing for acceptance, but I believe they will have to give up the illusion of normalcy. To be a Christian in today’s world is not normal. The things that define a Christian and Christian belief, themselves are enough to set us apart as abnormal. If our dearest desire is to be ‘normal’, we have to give up being Christians.

This is what integrity as disciples require, and it spills over to our evangelism. What’s attractive about a faith you’re embarrassed to own? What’s enticing about something that doesn’t make you any different from those around you? If you’re just like them, why should they want to be jut like you? For one thing how do they know you’re a Christian, and why should they want to be Christian if it doesn’t make their lives any different? If we are normal, we are to be pitied. Our Christian discipleship is nothing but a waste of time, energy, and money. Or if discipleship is simply about doing good work, why not join Oxfam instead? You have your charity work and I have mine. If your Jesus is not worth introducing to all your friends, then he’s not the real thing.

The apostle Paul was willing time and again to encourage believers to follow is example, as he followed Christ’s. He further exhorted the members of the church to be examples to one another, and to those in their culture. In other words, to put it very basically, we are to let our light shine in this world. Since the world is often dark, the light is going to stand out. It will draw attention. Some will complain about it, because it will illumine the nature of their ill behaviour. Some will try to extinguish it. A few will ignore it. If we are human beings, living in this world, then we are as normal as we’re going to be. Being a Christian makes us abnormal. And we should be willing to acknowledge that in our living and in our conversations.

For example, the call to renounce worldly success and to seek after justice, to identify with the marginalized of our society, is not normal. To be a humble community of service is not normal. To welcome strangers, give sacrificially, to serve Christ and not consumerism, is not normal. To embark on initiatives that address the core issues in our neighbourhoods and communities is not normal. The call to discipleship is radical enough to reshape our lives so that we find ourselves so completely out of step with those around us. We need to see this as a good sign of Christ’s life at work in us. And we need to acknowledge that we cannot be a mission-shaped church without being first a disciple-shaped church.

Just some food for thought ;) happy new year in advance!

love,

pet

prayer

sometimes when i encourage friends to start spending time with God regularly or pray more, they shake their heads and start gently explaining to me how much they have to do, how unbelievably busy they are.. i'm sure the story isn't an unfamiliar one, for sometimes we face that same battle within ourselves. it is a human tendency, because what we are thinking of at that moment is that prayer is going to cost us something - some time which we could have otherwise spent perfecting our world lit draft, or catching up with someone we haven't seen in ages, or getting some sleep. the very word spend indicates the nature of the activity; some sort of sacrifice on our part. and we begrudge it! as a result either spend that time with God unwillingly or decide not to spend it at all.

allow me to share something from a wonderful book:

"Oswald Chambers' godly reflection on prayer points us in the right direction:

Beware of placing the emphasis on prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray.

This truth exposes our fundamental problem. We are too man-centered (and therefore self-centered) in our basic orientation to life. We have not learnt to be God-centered. Thus, we sometimes begrudge what prayer costs us - and forget what it cost God!"

- Growing Deep in God, Edmund Chan

as the song lyric goes, we need to pray like never before!
so let's pray, people.

What Would He Say?

What Would He Say?

If He should come today

And find my hands so full

Of future plans, however fair,

In which my Saviour had no share,

What would He say?

If He should come today

And find I had not told

One soul about my heavenly Friend

Whose blessings all my way attend,

What would He say?

If He should come today,

Would I be glad, quite glad?
Remembering He had died for all,

And none through me had heard His call,
What would He say?

Got it from my daily words of inspiration :D

we serve God by serving others

Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Mark 10:43 (MSG)


The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you've arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.

Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you.

This is so contrary to the world's idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it. The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.

Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be "servant-leaders," not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That's what he called himself.

While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important. Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant's heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.

God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we're not shaped. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say, "I don't have the gift of mercy or service."

While you may not be gifted a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one who is gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment.

Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity. No special talent or gift is required to stay after a meeting to pick up trash or stack chairs. Anyone can be a servant. All it requires is character.

It is possible to serve in church for a lifetime without ever being a servant. You must have a servant's heart.

How can you know if you have the heart of a servant?

Jesus said, "You can tell what they are by what they do" (Matthew 7:16 CEV).

- Rick Warren

Hmm, this is what i feel. So often we say we don't feel a certain calling, no conviction, no direction from God to do a certain something. Do you think many of these are just excuses? We have to draw a very distinct line between the two.

Seeing the unseen

Hi guys,

Just reposting this from my daily online devotionals:

Listen to this majestic picture of God in Job 26:14. “These are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” And 1 Peter 1:8. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

I bless your softness in the hands of your Father when you don’t understand what he’s doing. I bless your surrendered heart to look for him when he’s not doing what you wanted or expected. Every season has its beauty and is preparation for the next season. In this time of the hiding of his power, take faithful steps of faith and obedience, faith and obedience. Beyond obedience, even when you don’t see him, be blessed to love him with joy. Although you don’t see him now, be blessed to believe in him and be filled with glorious inexpressible joy… his joy.

Be blessed with eyes to see the fingerprints of his ways in your ordinary days, knowing that he says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

When you know you don’t understand and when you think you do, the earth keeps shouting to you that he is completely faithful. He is as faithful as the rain and snow that water the earth and make it bud and flourish and yield seed for the sower and bread for the eater. That’s the law of the harvest. He promises that his word to you is like that. “It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).

As you see seed time and harvest in the natural realm yield its return every year, come into his courts with praise that you will reap a spiritual harvest as you sow in faith and joy. Worship leads you to rest and trust in his faithfulness, his sovereignty, and his love. Be blessed to see that God is there, increasing your knowledge and experience of himself. Know this: with each place he takes you in those sometimes not-your-first-choice circumstances, he draws you deeper into himself.

Even when you see only the edges of his ways, hear only his small whispers, and cannot understand him, he is the best. Even when he seems to have withdrawn from you, he promises that “you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12). Remember that in the spring time when the trees are in blossom and in the autumn time when the leaves are turning brilliant colors. You can celebrate him in the growth points of your journey, even in his faintest whispers. Remember Elijah. God was not in the violent wind, or the fire, or the earthquake, but in the gentle blowing of the still small voice. Be blessed to line up with his still small voice practically and in prayer. Be blessed with an “upgrade” of your image of God, because what you think about him, who he is to you, is the single most important element in trusting him and bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:9-13).

God bless for the IB examinations/A levels (if any stumble upon this blog :P) and in everything to come in the next month

x Jayce!

Notice

Hello all! Hope you've all had a good rest over the past few days :)

This is just to let you all know that FireAC will still be going on every morning, starting this Thursday. Do bring a bible and a willing heart, and see you there!

(:

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

--

Dear friends, press on (: Trust wholly in Him, keep your mind steadfastly on Him, and He will grant you perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) May this exam season be one of drawing nearer to the Father by delighting, resting and trusting Him more and more and by marveling at His creation (we study His work!). In everything, let us do it in Christ alone, by Christ alone, and for Christ alone (:

Take care, and do pray for each other!

God is faithful

My dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings to you!

As we are in the midst of or preparing for our examinations, let us remember that our God is faithful in every season of our lives, and that He is forever worthy to be praised.

Here is a song that i would like to share with you, may your mind & spirit be renewed in Christ as you worship Him in spirit, in truth and with joy:

Desert Song (This is Our God)

This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve recieved I will sow

God bless for the challenges ahead!

philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

As we enter into the week before final examinations (or the final week of prelims), let's meditate upon this peace which is above and beyond our understanding! Amidst our internal/external/otherwise assessments which continuously test understanding (Criterion A anyone?), rejoice in the fact that we can, and should, delight in God's peace which we don't have to puzzle over but simply accept as a gift from God after having brought all our worries to Him :)

Praying for you all,
rachelmiao!

(PS if you remember, a couple of weeks ago the leaders mentioned that anyone needing prayer could contact us - the offer still (and always) stands! Or you could leave a tag over there ---> :D)

Hi! :)

Been dead here for ages, but anyway hello again! I recently came across this article (as follows, click on the link cos it's really long... What I've posted beneath is only one paragraph from the middle to give you an idea of what it's about. Not the first paragraph cos it's rather morbid, as you'll find)

Not sure what y'all think of it - but I believed it brilliantly written. So yup, wanted to share it w you guys - esp considering the school's evangelistic movement. E.g. reviving the FireAC FB group or something (we have one right...? I think :P My FB is locked down so I can't check). Like it says, alot of the rationale is that social media reaches out to sooooo many people - and guaranteed not all will truly respond to all the 'Newsflashes', but perhaps an unsuspecting soul might one day. And one person is better than nothing, as we've always believed in ;)

So anyway, here you go -

What Would Jesus Tweet

...

Just when many of us who have been around the proverbial block a few times have made our peace with so many changes in how ministry is done, now along comes a whole new genre of technology and practice to sweep the world and invade our parishes and pews.
I mean, seriously, didn't we just get Power Point, like, last month? Now we are being told something about our face needing to be booked and some kid is asking us if we are on Twitter?

...

... And all the best for exams! God bless

Jayne

Coming Alongside =)

Let's never forget the great work He has called all of us, His children, to strive towards... =)

Coming Alongside

by John Fischer
__________________________________________________________

I am normally not a fan of ten steps to this or five ways to do that. But for one of my recent talks I came up with these six things to remember about being around those who may not yet be Christians, and thought some of you might find it useful.

1) Assume everyone is searching for God. Why? Because everyone is. We were created this way. God has purposely frustrated humanity by creating us with eternity in our hearts, yet with an inability to fathom what that is or what it means (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11). He has done this so that we might reach out for him and find him though He is not far from any of us for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:27-28).

2) Come alongside. This is really the crux of it all. Just walk alongside people and enter into their lives. Listen. Talk. Laugh. Cry. Find out where you can contribute and what you can learn. There’s something to give and something to receive in every relationship.

3) Point. You don’t tell someone what the truth is; you point to it. “There it is over there,” or “Here it is in my life.” This is why we need to learn to identify truth in the context of the world around us. Truth isn’t religious. You don’t have to get into a certain posture to see it. It’s not something that hasn’t been there all along.

4) Find out what people already know before you set out to tell them anything. Don’t ever think you have to clear the table and start over. This is why it’s so important to listen first. Find out what’s already on the table that you can use.

5) You don’t have to tell everything you know. Just the next thing.

6) You don’t have to correct everything someone says that is wrong. You are not the protector and defender of truth. You don’t have to decide where to draw the line. You don’t even have to be concerned if someone may be walking away with the wrong idea. You are not that smart anyway because you don’t know what’s in someone’s head. As long as they have something to think about, that’s a good thing.

And now here’s the one final thing that makes all this possible. It is the most important of all. (This is the one thing that makes all six of these make sense.) We don’t save anybody, convince anybody, “win” anybody to Christ or close the deal. All that is God’s business. The Holy Spirit is doing this all on His own terms and timetable. We are not salesmen, marketing reps, counselors or prosecutors. We are just friends who come alongside.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/09/19/jf_alongside/

Sent to me by Jayne =)

The Vulgarities in Life

maybe it has been quite a while since someone actually sat down and talked to you face-to-face about the values that you must hold on to. or probably you have already heard it a thousand times, for example during p.c lessons. then, you must be wondering "oh my, what is this post trying to say? why would i want to know what this is all about?"

wells, yes, sometimes it's hard and difficult to always hearing the same old things again and again. but if we don't remind ourselves about bad habits, we'll never kick out of it. instead, we will continue to go on and on, becoming more brave each time. an example we can relate to is stealing - first time, it might be just a small item. the subsequent times, the item might be more expensive and then this "thrill" that one has will become harder to satisfy each time one steals. the same thing goes for vulgarities.

if you consider yourself a christian, and have been saying vulgarities like the f-word, then you should start to make a u-turn, immediately. many non-christians look up to christians as role model. yes, maybe you don't realise it now or you never will, but the fact is, many people out there do make a comparison to us christians. similarly, many non-christians also do not need timely reminders to tell them what is right and what is wrong, neither do they get influenced by their peers. if we want to spread the Word and continue to glorify God, it's never too late to make the change before changing others as well.

i myself am proud to say that i've never said the f-word in my whole life, and probably you too, but if you spot people around you, why not make them change? maybe not almost immediately, but make an impact on them, and hopefully, one day they will say less and less ... before finally, poof! wouldn't it be nice to hear someone you know years ago who regularly say "f" this "f" that, and then after sometime, he/she just admits "yes, i've kicked the habit. and this is really by the chance of meeting _______ that i'm able to be a new person. refreshed and never regretting the change."

let today be the day where you make a promise to be a new you. it's never too late to change, but it will be too late if you procrastinate.

c'mon brothers & sisters in Christ,
michael

wrap-up: term 4 week 1

Hello people!

If you've been coming down you'll know that in the past week we've been talking about Focus, or where we fix our eyes upon (what constantly occupies your attention or what drives you; the first thing you find yourself thinking about every morning, perhaps). To put it briefly, you heard about: 1. Not focussing on what we aren't supposed to focus on (earthly treasures, man/people/self, etc.) and 2. Focussing on, of course, God. Well these are all things we all pretty much know (though still need to be constantly reminded of). But to wrap up I thought I'd talk about the link between these two points.

Think of the lyrics of the hymn: "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." What struck me was that it's a cause-effect relationship: only when we turn our eyes upon the Lord and focus on Him, then everything else we've ever desired will pale ridiculously in comparison! I think that often we overdo the not-focussing-on-ungodly-things part, berating ourselves for being worldly, trying desperately to control our thoughts and desires, and in the process fail to simply abide in the Lord (1 John 2:28) and be with Him. And when that happens, we often end up miserable and exhausted, wondering what went wrong. So dear friend, if you find that you're wrestling to let go of worldly things, or not to place so much worth in things you know you shouldn't, don't simply struggle to suppress it; allow God, a powerful, supernatural and loving God, to overwhelm it! The things of the world don't fade simply because we try and shut our eyes our purify our own thoughts; they disappear when we experience God more and more.

Another thing is that too often there is this mistaken underlying feeling or notion that choosing to focus and place our worth in God is the less enjoyable thing, a "sacrifice" that we dutifully make only because we are good and obedient. Yet quite the opposite is true:

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory.

I'll just end off with Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore, 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.

Have a blessed long weekend ahead :)

Making God our best.

Well it’s been a while I guess, since I last posted on this blog.

Whilst hearing much about focusing on God in the past week, I couldn’t help but realize the focus on the theme of putting God first in everything. This is undoubtedly important, and could be said to be one of the marks of a Christian. But it begs the question, how? To what effect? And Why? I remember Michael saying: “You just feel better that you have spent time with God over doing well for that subject”. That essentially summarizes the whole feeling of what we’re supposed to feel when we have spent time with him.

What I want to say today would be one of another perspective and things to keep in mind. Around a week ago, a friend had mentioned to a few of my friends and I saying “I see a growing rift in how I behave as a Christian in front of Christians and in front of non-Christians.” No doubt, her intentions to better herself were virtuous, in hope that she would be good enough to be a Christian for the world to see, if not, why be a Christian, it would be very hypocritical don’t you think?

I often hear this statement resonating in my mind from time to time – He or she is a Christian why is he or she like this? Then looking back into my own life I see all the flaws that would make me so awfully sinful, then I wonder – In that case, are all Christians hypocrites? In a simple definition of ‘hypocrites’ we would see one who does not practice what we preach. We see Christians telling each other off and telling one another what the word of God says, and in the end not living up to it. Then we would end up coming back to the question – I can’t live up to being a Christian, so hypocrite? So why be a Christian and end up getting judged by people around and spoil the image of a Christian?

Well my answer to this is Grace & Love. How often have we forgotten the basis of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How much have we forgotten “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” – 1 Corinthians 9:14

So what does that all mean? Let me give a simple analogy that the Holy Spirit had helped me draw out through several months of qt. Imagine the relationship as that of a father and child, (as we always were taught about in Romans 8:15 “Spirit of sonship, and by whom we cry Abba, Father”.) Draw the parallel between the relationship of a child and father and that of God and us. Imagine a familiar scenario. Daddy says “Don’t touch the iron, it’s hot”, and by a child’s inquisitive nature we go touch it when he’s not looking and get burnt. Then Dad returns and goes, “sigh. I told you so”. Or what about this, Daddy says “Don’t cram so many things in your day”, and you thinking “hey I’m a teenager, so full of energy, I think I can do it.” And at the end of the day, you didn’t do your best for anything because you were so tired, you end up making things worse. Then we cry out to daddy and say “why? Why!?”

I guess in the same way, we could relate that to sin, God telling us don’t do this don’t do that, it’s bad for you. But we in our happy-go-lucky-smart-aleck self decide that we know what’s best and do it, reaping sad consequences. But in the end of it all, God is always there to pick us up. It is in these failings that we would learn to trust in Him and listen to what He says to us. It is also in this we learn of His ways, His will for us and His will for the people around us – Knowing the Father’s heart. How you may ask? Let’s take another analogy, something probably closer to heart of teenagers (maybe a BGR or just a BFF [best friend forever *as girls like to call it*]), when we spend time with these special people in our lives, we would learn of their likes and dislikes as we invest into these relationships with them. And extrapolating as such to a relationship with God, we would know what he dislikes and likes, we would know of his nature and with that knowledge we could become what He desires us to become – More Like Christ.

In the same way that we would learn about Him, and possibly experience what He experiences as we learn of His heart, we realize sometimes much of this is just head knowledge, stuff we would know is right, stuff we know he dislikes, stuff that we know would please him, stuff that sometimes we feel we cannot live up to. What I always liked to call it, Head Knowledge vs Heart Knowledge, doing something because we know it’s right vs doing something naturally because we feel and know without uncertainty that it’s right. It’s often a hard and arduous process , but FEAR NOT! Jesus said in John 16:13 “But when the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” He will guide us INTO ALL TRUTH, He will let us experience it and live by it. Sharings at FireAC, devotions, Sermons, Teachings can only bring you unto truth, not into it to experience and live by it.

It is the Holy Spirit that will be with us and change us in the process of Sanctification into becoming perfect as we enter into His presence in heaven forever. So going back to the point of feeling hypocritical, I would say this –The start of any change and possibly another mark of a Christian is how much we are willing to change, for as long as we are willing, God will do the rest.

In the same way about changes, I would say this about the relationship we have with God our father because of the wonderful sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a 2 way relationship, God will do His best for us (as seen on the cross) and he will continue to, and in the hope that we ourselves will give our best to God, and make God our best. For “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17.

There’s a common misconception that God is only willing to gives us what we need, not what we want, well, I doubt that’s a father. "Which of you fathers if a son asks for for a fish will give him a snake? If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will our Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" Matthew 7:19-11

We see Dr Ong always quoting this verse from the Psalms, “Delight yourself in the Lord, God will grant us the desires of our heart.” Psalms 37:4. So if we delight in the relationship, we would learn his thoughts and change to become more like him as established earlier, making His desires our desires, and God will grant us the desires of our hearts. So is that just the need? I doubt it. To make someone happy, we would often times give them something they want, not just what they need. More so our Father in heaven who gives us the very best, for “Our God will meet all our needs according to his riches in glory” Philippians 4:19, not from his riches, but according to what he has, so as a measure of what he has is a measure of what he will give to us. An overflowing and far surpassing providence over that of need!

With respect to exams, just an observation (you could call it an epiphany) of sorts. Always remembered when we used to say we do our best and let God do the rest, (though not Biblical) we realize that God doing the rest is like 99.999999999% where our best is a mere 0.00000000001%. So why not, we let God be our best, instead of asking God to help us do our best, we let God work through us in everything, and hence, he becomes our best as his Best is brought out in us.

So what are you waiting for? God will carry you through and He is just waiting for you to say Yes. Yes to His blessings and his calling. Give God your best and make him your best!

Second Chance by Hillsong

You called my name, reached out your hand,
Restored my life, and I was redeemed,
The moment you entered my life,
Amazing grace, Christ gave that day,
My life was changed,
Went from my shoulders, fell the weight of my sin

Chorus

So it's with everything I am,
I reach out for your hand,
The hope that changed a second chance I've gained,
On you I throw my life, casting all my fears aside,
How could greater love then this, ever possibly exist

Consume my thoughts, as I rest in you,
I'm now in love, with a Saviour,
Bearing the marks of his love

Chorus x2

Bridge

So I wait upon you now,
With my hands released to you,
Where a little faiths enough,
To see mountains lift and move,
Yeah and I wait upon you now,
Dedicated to your will,
To this love that will remain,
A love that never fails

it's so amazing how God always gives us second chances, even when we fail, He is always there to pick us up. We just have to surrender all our fears and failures to Him and allow Him to change your life and remove your burdens (:

Hope everyone has a good day at school tomorrow as the holidays draw to a close!

We Fall Down..

You, O Lord, are a holy God
Your ways are perfect and just
Slow to anger and abounding in love
You have shown us your Father's heart

But we your people have turned from You
Resisting Your power and grace
Taking our lives into our hands 
We have stumbled and lost our way

CHORUS:

So we humble ourselves before you
And confess our unfaithfulness toward you
Forgive our sins, remove our shame
Restore the church that bears your name
That revival may come to this land once again.

-So how far have we gone?

What do you spend your time on?

I'm sure everybody knows that the exams are coming up. But are you the sort that spends hours pouring over your books, refusing to eat, drink or sleep? If you are, then I suggest you watch out. Are the examinations taking over your time, taking over your brain, taking over God's position in your life?

It is okay to study, but if you obsess, then it's not so good.

Here's a small reminder, to remember God, don't forget Him in this busy time of examination preparation. We'll be talking more about this topic this coming week.

See you all in school on Monday! :D

with much much love,
Eunice

psalm 23

Last night (or this morning) as I was lying in bed, Psalm 23:1 came to mind. I'm sure it's a verse you're all very familiar with - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want." Undoubtedly, psalm 23 is a beautiful psalm of praise and it always brings great encouragement. But last night/this morning, those last six words really tugged at me and made me ask myself, "Am I in want?" (The answer: Yes, I am, and terribly often.)

Firstly to clarify, to be "in want" isn't the same as "to have a desire" (which can be a good thing if from God); it refers to being deficient, or needing something. The Message translates this verse as "God, my Shepherd! I don't need a thing." (apart from the Shepherd la). Yet we always find ourselves needing things. Perhaps not just material things, but consider these: recognition/approval, opportunities, civil treatment, satisfactory grades (even ones we "deserve"), human love?

Many of us are so blessed (good friends, good education, etc.) that sometimes we don't realize we depend on these things until they are taken from us and we find ourselves dissatisfied, disgruntled and feeling wronged (as if we had a right to them). But that simply doesn't make sense- if the Lord is our shepherd, we have no reason at all to be in want! If God is our All in All, what deficiency can we complain of? What a wonderful thought.

So the next time you find yourself "needing" something, I encourage you to remember this verse, consider that God knows our needs far better than we know our own, will meet them far better than we can think of (see Philippians 4:19) and thank Him for His gracious provision in our lives :)

Also, have a wonderful September holiday! :D I pray that it will be an opportunity to catch up on sleep, with people and your work. Five (free-er) days can be a great chance to spend more time immersing yourself in God's word :)

In love,
rachelmiao

A look into the past

Hey homies,

There have been no updates for quite some time and I don't exactly have any input but let me copy some of the posts from the past...

:)

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day;
I don't borrow from it's sunshine, For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future, For I know what Jesus said;
And today I'll walk beside Him, For He knows what lies ahead

Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand

Ev'ry step is getting brighter, As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter, Ev'ry cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining, There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow, Where the mountains touch the sky

Begin Living

For those who are weary, He will give you rest.
For those who are anxious, He will grant you peace of mind.
For those who are sick, He will heal.
Just trust in Him with all your heart, for there is nothing that the Creator of this world cannot do.

We neglect God all too often in our daily hustle and bustle, trying to get things done by our own strength, and forgetting that He is the one who provides the strength for us to get by each day. As we now face our different trials and tribulations, it is always a great reminder to know that Jesus will give us the strength to get by. And Gerald just gave these words of encouragement to me yesterday. If there's any obstacle we're facing, no matter how big, God will always grant us the strength and grace to get through it. He's bigger.

And no matter how much we've pushed Him away from us, He's always there when we need Him. Life seems unfair doesn't it? Yet we're being the unfair ones when we leave God so often and expect Him to be there for us when we're down. But yet, thanks to His undying love and mercy, He'll never fail. He wants more than anything for us to be reunited with Him, to draw close to Him and just revel in His presence. Surely such a great God shouldn't be underestimated and taken for granted?

So let us always turn to Him first whenever we face our problems. Let us always praise Him in good times and in bad. We tend to only praise God when things are going well, and curse Him when life is rough. Or we cry out to Him for help in times of trial, but ignore Him when we're doing all fine. Worship should be a lifestyle, a 24 hour thing. Devoting our lives as living sacrifices.

An issue I'd like to bring up. I know we have our detractors. Those who view us as some cult of sorts. Just a reminder not to be discouraged. Even as we embark on our task to save our 50 souls, pray for wisdom, pray for patience, pray for guidance. God never said it would be easy. Those who chose to follow Him would have to lay down everything, and undergo great suffering. Are we prepared to do that? Some of you might have heard, that if we don't know what we'd be willing to die for, we haven't begun living. Are we willing to die for the Lord?

This post is meant to be more of an encouragement to those who are in need of it. Its something to spur us all on, that despite our worldly troubles, we'll eventually win the prize we have waiting for us in heaven. And to help all our unsaved friends, get to know this wonderful God, and share our joy.

Maybe this post didn't capture what I wanted to say very well. I'm tired, we're all stressed. But in the end, its all just human failings. Only God can show you the way, and only He can help you through all your problems. Lean on Him.

Proclaiming God's grace,
- Fabriz

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

what are we waiting for?

In church today, the pastor asked the question,

"Do you know Jesus?"

He said, all those who know Jesus please stand up.
As expected, almost the entire church stood up. There was no doubt, no denial. It was clear - everyone of us knew Jesus and placed Him as the King of our lives. Then the pastor asked,

"If you know Jesus, why aren't you doing anything about it?"

This question left me pondering and reflecting about myself as I realized I did not have enough urgency in my heart to share the word of Christ with the world. God gave us 24 hours a day, yet sometimes we just let the days slip past. Jesus commanded us "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation". Jesus is our saviour and He exists in our lives...is that a good news to us? Everyday as we pray, we get to meet the most awesome wonderful amazingggggggg God...is that a good news to us?

Let's say one day, you suddenly meet hmmmm.. TOM CRUISE. or JOHNNY DEPP! (i guess this applies more to girls ^_^ ) Not only that, guess what?! You talked to him for a loooong time. WOW. I think I would be calling all my friends and sharing with them my excitement. "Oh my gosh, I talked to TOM CRUISE today!" You get the picture.

Well then, compared to this, what a great joy and excitement do we have in having Jesus as our Lord! Jesus, the King of the entire universe. King of you and me and Tom Cruise and everyone else in the planet. Shouldn't we be sharing with the world our joy of knowing Him personally?



In FireAC, we always ask God to give us a revival, that He would set as on fire for Him.
But the thing is, this fire starts from..... *drum roll*...... YOU. It starts from ME. from each one of us. This revival doesn't just happen one day when we keep waiting, doing nothing about it, and not answering His call to each one of us.

Are we placing God as the most important part of our lives right now? If not, what are we waiting for? Why not start devoting more time with Him and letting Him be the number one in our lives?

Are we sharing the word of Christ to others? If not, what are we waiting for? Why not start now?


Time is running out.
What are we waiting for?
Why not start now?
Right now.
Let us all let God move in us.
Right now.

Reflect

I've been thinking again, about how one year has passed by so fast. Even though it's only september, maybe it's time we should all sit back and reflect. Reflect on what has happened these past 8 months, reflect on how God was worked in your life. Think about whether your actions have glorified God's name, think about the people you have met, and whether you have influenced them in a positive way, or they have influenced you.

Maybe we should all take a break from our busy lives, from studies, from IP, from IB, from friends, even from the computer. You never know what you might get out from it.

I doubt the word "reflection" is appealing to anybody, but take it as a time of relaxation, daydream, think. Just be quiet and be still, for that is the time when God can talk to you. I know for a fact, if we're so noisy, throwing everything at God then running off, there's no way that conversation is going to go more than a mere monologue. So dear brothers and sisters, take this teacher's day holiday, put down your work for maybe just half an hour. Listen to God.

Believe me, you'll benefit.




Once again, if there is anything you want to talk about, anything you need praying or caring for, the year five leaders are always open. Be it a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or just a comforting presence, God will give us time to give it to you. :D

With much much love,
Eunice <3

PR.

Prayer works wonders, and we [the year five leaders] want to pray for you. On behalf of you, with you, anything. If there is anything troubling you and you don't know who to share it with, you can drop anyone of us an email. Ben Sim, Zacary, Rachel, Liana and myself. Our numbers are at the side, but if you want it to be anonymous, I'm sure you'll figure a way out. Maybe you could put your request at the fountain before fireac starts in the morning. :D

Basically, feel free to share your burden(s) with us.

<3
Eunice

hmm, i'm not sure if any of you have heard about danza! 2009. I just wanted to share a testimony about how good God has been and His grace really is amazing. Danza!2009 is a dance concert that sandra, gracefong, larisa and i are organising. we felt called by God to do something life changing, not for any CAS project or to boost our resume, that's just quite.. superficial. We wanted to do something bold, something brave for His glory. so this is an excerpt of the email i sent to the committee of danza. i really feel so encouraged and blessed by the holy spirit. we are nothing, and He's everything.

so anyway here goes, i was just thinking about how incredible God has been to us. He has blessed us so richly and plentifully. We should really be giving thanks to Him, who is above all things (:

We were really struggling to find groups to perform, as you all know, everyone's busy with schoolwork and other commitments and they just aren't prepared to set aside time. We tried all ways and means to get participants but at the end of our "deadline", we had ZERO groups. imagine how disappointed and stressed out we were. Honestly, so many people were telling me to just drop the project and give up. But no, we persisted and God saw how hard we had worked and granted us the desires of our heart. After exhausting every single contact, we still had no participants. haha, at one point in time, i was just scrolling through my phone contact list to see who could possibly be able to put up an item. it's now 2 weeks after our deadline and we have a whooping TEN groups, see why i say God is so gracious to us? RJC, Hwa Chong, ACSI, PJC, RP, MGS are some of the groups just to name a few.

I was praying with sandra that morning and i realised that before the deadline loomed, i never really prayed and committed this whole event to God. Possibly because we were overconfident and felt that we could do this without His intervention and help since we had experience in this anyway. But He has shown us mercy, we prayed hard after our deadline and i realised that this whole event hadn't been centred around God at all. We didn't seek His will in our planning process and we just relied on our own strength, which was clearly lacking and insufficient.

Today was a really awesome day and i just wanted to share it with all of you. First, we got confirmation from mg that they would participate, it came as a shock to us because we tried so hard to persuade them but to no avail. Suddenly, we receive a call from mrs grace poh confirming that they would be keen. haha, the joy of it all (: then we met these 2 production directors who are normally so busy they don't even have time to respond to emails. but by the grace of God, they just appeared right smack in front of our face because our meeting today coincided with another dance showcase that they were doing (: so praise the Lord (: Also, we managed to get the sponsorship of tote board so that should increase our revenue slightly. God really performs miracles. just a few weeks ago, we were all so downcast and like, unprepared to give up but the situation was giving us no other way out. indeed, laying our burdens down at the feet of the Lord is really a foolproof way because God's love transcends all understanding and it's beyond anything we can fathom (:

okay i love all of you very much!! keep up with your studies!! danza is in a weeks' time! let's strive to glorify God through this and let us not get carried away by the ways of the world and focus on the wrong things. let's just remember today that we set out to do this to spread awareness more than anything else. raising funds is just a secondary aim so we'll just try our best to minimise the cost and maximise our outreach (:

let's not be disillusioned by the numerous problems we're facing now but give thanks to God for all the blessings He has granted us (: 1 tim 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain"

In His name,
liana!

Psalm 18: 28-36

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help i can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.
You broaden the path beneath me,
so that my ankles do not turn."

love,
liana!

sharing on worship

Sharing by Shaun Lim on 19th August 2009 on the nature of worship:

Can our worship ever be ‘bad’ and unpleasing to God? Yes; 1 Samuel 15:22 says “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as obeying the voice of the Lord?" Saul disobeyed what God told him to do, and kept the best Amalekite cattle and sheep to sacrifice to God instead of destroying them. The sacrifices offered by Saul in this case were unpleasing to God because he was just sacrificing for the sake of it and for getting the approval of Samuel, without the true intention to glorify God. Worship offered to the Almighty that is half-hearted or hypocritical is worse than not worshipping at all. Revelation 3:16 – Because you are lukewarm – neither cold nor hot – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Hindrances to worship today:

1. Lackadaisical approach to worshipping
o Blessed environment in ACS(I) – worship sessions held weekly at Chapel, FireAC daily worship, other instances – worship becomes very “normal” and not exciting and refreshing each time
o God being omnipresent and with us always, at our beck and call, so to speak
+ He has offered us this privilege, but we as puny humans end up treating him and time with him lightly
o When we worship, we meet God! Yet we sing for the sake of singing and repeat some memorized words to a memorized tune – not transformed by it!
o Worship is praise and honour offered to the Almighty, to worship lightly and mechanically borders on blaspheming His Name
o Ancient times – only the High Priest allowed to enter the Holy of Holies – awesome glory of his presence
o God is the same yesterday and today – He is still the same God who struck 70 people down at Beth Shemesh in 1Samuel 16:19 for looking into the ark of God
+ God is Love but He is also Holy – if we don’t feel humbled by his presence, we have not come into the holiness of God

2. Peer Pressure within the ACS(I) Community
o Irony – often the peer pressure is more to appear holy and Christian, rather than to be persecuted for Him
o Within Christian communities of FireAC, BB or CF, pressure to worship and be Christ-like just because the rest of the community is doing so
o Usually a positive effect because there is accountability in Christ as a group
+ but may lead to people being coated in a “shiny plastic shrink wrap” of holiness, covering an inside decaying Christian soul
o Worship Him for the true intention of doing so and for Him instead of for your peers to see

3. Emotionalism in worship
o Lack of faith in worship – lack of faith that God will come, that God will be in our presence, that God will touch our hearts
o Resultant attempt to engineer ‘holy feelings’ by increasing the volume of the music, singing more emotionally stimulating songs like Power of Your Love, arranging different songs to configure the atmosphere
+ Feebly plays on emotions to take the place of God in our worship
o Often confusing emotions with the Holy Spirit – worship then becomes events of secular high rather than communion with God
o Worship should just be about you and God, not about anything else – music and songs are an aid to an end, not an end unto itself
o Very important because it is very easy to lapse into this – both are intangible feelings which we may often mix up whether deliberately or accidentally
+ Worship is not about the music or the quality of the singing etc – have faith that when you worship, God is there – and He will be there.

4. John 4:24 – God is Spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth
o Worship in spirit, not in our physical senses and body
o Sense God and worship him in the Spirit man, to sense him in the Spirit rather than to worship with merely our tongues and music, or seek to hear, see, feel or touch God tangibly
o Body as three parts – body soul and spirit. Worship through our mind, emotions and body, but it is our spirit that worships Him and communicates with the Holy Spirit
o Worship near him, not from afar – in times past, Jews worshipped through their High Priest and as sinful man as holy God, separated by sin
o Jesus’ death tore the veil and has He has become our High Priest forever, and we may enter into his presence – enter into his presence and delight in his love each time we worship!

He does not seek worship as such. God is not so insecure that he requires worship in itself, but He desires worshippers whose hearts are surrendered to Him. The reason that he desires this is so that He can have the relationship with us that He has always wanted; an intimate relationship.

the world vs GOD

Hello all you lovely people out there,

Today I was doing my mock TOK essay and I suddenly thought of this just now. You know how we say that religion, our religious believes and values affect the way we think? But have you stopped to consider that the world has also influenced the way we think?

The first part of Ephesians 2 says
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature.

Yeah, sure. You may be thinking. Maybe you don't believe that this applies to you. Maybe you don't believe that you have ever followed the ways of the world. Then how about the time you lied? How about the time you cheated? How about the time you laughed when someone bullied someone else? How about the time you didn't feel disgusted at the conversations dripping with sexual innuendos? How about the time you sweared? How about turning away from God?

Have you ever thought about the day when someone comes up to you and asks "Do you love God?" and points a gun at your head. What would you react. The other day in the car, I was just thinking about how our government is starting to tighten their control over religious activities taking place in schools. And it just felt like one day, someone might point a gun at my head and kill me for being a Christian. But this is reality, guys. This kind of things are taking place in the world.

-I've digressed-

I was talking about following the world and being influenced by it. The world has changed by so much, and now the thin lines between right and wrong are smudged. We are no longer sure of what is right in God's eyes. PMS (pre-marital sex) is rampant, and so is abortion, affairs, porn, drugs, vulgarities, tattoos, blasphemy, and disobedience. But we always have to turn back to the bible.

25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness. -Deuteronomy 6.

We proclaim God's words with our mouths, so we ought to turn back to Him. I want you to ponder in your hearts today. Ask yourself whether you have put God first in your lives. Whether you have listened to Him more than the advise of the world. Ask God to give you wisdom to perceive what is right or wrong.

Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

God loves you,
eunice

hearT

Dear friends,

As we conclude the one-week prayer movement, hearT, let's make a commitment to pray consistently for the school. There may be no more event in the chapel for now, but don't stop seeking Him! Also, if God has revealed anything to you during the week, or if you had an epiphany or a realization, I urge you to write it down and ACT on it!

Let's not allow the weariness of the upcoming school week to overcome us, or the routine of moving from class to class every day make us apathetic and self-absorbed. May we be active hearers and doers of God's word, spurring each other on in love and humility :)

Reminder: Normal FireAC meetings will resume from tomorrow onwards! :D See you there.

In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.

Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It's genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation. People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.

It's only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, "If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other...If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves" (1 John 1:7-8 NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it's the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16 MSG).

What does it mean to be a child of God? =)

If someone asked you now, 'Who are you?', what would you say?

Perhaps we might say our name, maybe even add our surname, or go "I'm so-and-so's son/daughter/brother/sister/cousin/friendetc."

And if that person asked again, 'But really, who are you?'

Other than thinking this person was rather nosy (haha), possibly this time we might elaborate to say "I'm a student of XYZ school/ member of XYZ church etcetc."

But have we ever considered ourselves, a child of God?

Do we know what it means to be a child of God?

Oftentimes what stops us from sharing the gospel, ministering, reaching out to others in our classes, homes, ccas... From doing something "so-called" radical for God, is the simple excuse; "I'm just a normal girl/guy trying to live a normal life."

"I'm not good enough"

"I don't know how to start"

"I just want to be a normal person like everyone else"

But where do all these perceptions come from?

From the narrow-minded, closed view of ourselves as being just 'the son/daughter of so-and-so' or 'a student of XYZ school'.

Let's start realizing what it means to be a child of God today. You're not just a student, not just any other normal teenager.

Rather, you're His precious child, His little warrior in this spiritual battle on earth (guerilla warfare if you might call it ;] ) against the evil one, working to win souls for Christ's kingdom. And where-ever you are, at home, in school, outside, that's just one of the battlegrounds our Heavenly Father has placed you in with a very special purpose and plan for your life.

So, start listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit today, that special 'inbuilt transceiver for battle commands' ;) It could be praying for a troubled friend today, or inviting someone to church, sharing the gospel with a non-believer, and even organizing a class prayer group! =)

Claim the victory in Christ today!

Keeping you all in prayer,

pet

¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Yes, these verses may not make much sense to you, but the background is not what I'm focusing on today. If you are interested in reading up, read Acts 19. These few verses are Acts 19:17-20.

You may wonder what God is trying to say from these verses. If I read this verses like last month, maybe I wouldn't have realised the importance. But see, they openly confessed their evil deeds (v.18) and some of them practiced sorcery (v.19). Sorcery is like black magic, evil. It's the opposite of what God is, God does not accept this kind of behaviour.

But again, this is not what I want to say. Maybe this might not have much connection to what the verses say, but I want all of you to remember today that God is forgiving God. Verse 18 said that many who believed came and openly declared their evil deeds. Not all accepted by God were righteous, none of them were in the first place. Moreover, EVIL deeds. Why is evil is emphasised?

I remember that day clearly in my head, the day I read this passage. And that night, I knew that God was a forgiving God, and if we just turned to Him, begging and asking for forgiveness, He will grant it. Because He loves us.