Christian Leadership

Hellos, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,

Notably our theme for this week is Christian Leadership. Moreover, many of you may have heard the testimonies from some Christian leaders and their roles in the school, how it has affected them and changed them. 

So you may think, what's the purpose of this theme this week? Random?

I assure you not ;D! If the message hasn't been put across already, FireAC wants people who are willing to serve the school in her ministry! It was also strong conviction for us during our most recent retreat in the school holidays to bring our personal testimony (as we see in first thessalonians), into everything. Hence, the style of sharings as well as the purpose of it.

But anyways, just to share a few things. As one of the longest serving leaders of FireAC, I've seen the ups and downs of the leadership. It is truly by God's grace that we are still a group that meets today. If you would hear of our struggles (haha become a leader and we'll share with ya), as a leadership and as individuals with one another, I assure you that you would've thought that we would've 'disbanded' a long time ago. 

Thing about becoming a leader, it is a stronger emphasis on who you are, it comes with the responsibility that you are representing Christ in the school ministries and in the school itself. Some of you may have noticed that I wear a BB tie pin. That is to no coincidence or role of a fashion accessory. Moreover, it is a symbol that I wear on my body to represent that I am a BB Boy and am proud to be one. My actions and my conduct in school shows precisely how BB has actually brought me up to be, the tie pin is a mere reminder that in everything I do I am representing the BB. In the same way, as we live our lives in school, people are inevitably watching us, and as leaders of FireAC in my case, you represent Christ and what a Christian is.

Sounds like a heavy burden on your shoulder, however, we have Christ helping us :P don't forget that! He tells us in Matthew to take His yoke upon ourselves for His burden is easy and light, essentially, meaning to rely on his strength. It is in things that YOU CANNOT DO YOURSELF, that CHRIST REIGNS SUPREME!

Leadership in FireAC started for me two years ago in a retreat organised by the current year 7s. I was then inspired to serve (it started with a willingness to serve) the school in this way. I served with whatever giftings I possessed at that time (using your gifts for God), and was constantly asking for His purpose for me in the leadership. That was when I found my purpose in the FireAC leadership, and in that have I gained many giftings. 

One of which is that of leading worship. As a person who learnt guitar in June of 2007, it was a struggle to dare to sing in front of a group of people, let alone play this 6 stringed instrument at a constant pace. But essentially, as the only guitarist to possibly take over from the year 7 guitarists, God showered his blessings bountifully with me and made me who I am today. Still remember the prayer of prophesy that Tim Lim prayed upon me at the FireAC leaders 2008 initiation meeting: to lead a group of people into worship.

Just in the same way, let me encourage all of you to serve in God's ministry, be it in school and in Church, find God's purpose for you, and let him truly take over and let Him use it for his glory. It may be in sharing in the morning, it may be in planning events like 24-7 Prayer, or even in encouraging all the leaders, it does not matter at this point. All that matters is the heart of willingness. Just as Isaiah spoke of "Here I am, send me", I pray that each of you will experience God in a special way, and telling Him to send you. 

So will you take up leadership in FireAC? You are never too young to. Be it a year 3 or 5 or even year 1. If you think that you want to serve/ God is calling you. Do contact me, my number (Caleb) is on the left side of the blog. If you're a girl and you want a girl to talk to, you can contact Nicole, Petrina or Zhuo'er.

Cheers,

Your Servant in Christ,

Caleb

Just something for all of us to cool off with :D

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY
 
In  Florida , an atheist created a case against the Upcoming Easter and Passover days.  He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge.  After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,"Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood up objecting to the Ruling; "Your honor,how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others.  The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and  Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do.  Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."
 
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day.  Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in  his heart, there is no God.'    Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool.  Therefore, April 1st is his day.  Court is adjourned..
You gotta love a Judge that knows his scripture! 

24/7 Prayer Day 7

Hello prayer warriors!

We are approaching the final stretch of the March 24/7 Prayer Movement, congratulations for making your way through the course of this week. May God reward you as you diligently and faithfully seek Him and intercede for your loved ones and the rest in this fallen world in which we live. For some who did not manage to committee to the prayer slots consistently, please do not give up, continue to seek and pray likewise even when this prayer movement is over. Let us be reminded that prayer is beyond a mere movement. It is a lifestyle.

As the last day of this movement is dawning, let us redirect our focus back to what God has set before us – the coming Term 2 as well as our personal calling within ACS(I).

The approaching Term is not going to be smooth sailing, to say the very least. It will surely be tougher and more challenging than the one that has passed; the workload is going to be heavier, deadlines will be more pressing etc, so we really need God’s empowerment and strengthening to survive and thrive in this trying environment. We have faith that God is faithful, when he has carried us to the challenges ahead, He will surely carry us through them. Let us therefore come boldly before His throne of Grace and seek for His blessings and guidance so that we may boast in Him and glorify Him through our work. Yes, begin to commit the days ahead into His loving and mighty hands and work hard with what He has graciously allotted to us (our energy, mind and material resources etc), so that we may be found faithful, multiplying the talents He has given to us. Even as we endeavor to multiply the talents given, let us not forget to pray for a heart of sensitivity and genuine kindness, to encourage, comfort and help those who are in need.

Above and beyond school work and CCA duties, let us not neglect and disregard God’s calling to advance His kingdom within the walls of ACS(I), the school founded by God’s will to be His Beacon of Truth and Light in a dark and depraved world. While we strive and fight for academic excellence and non-academic achievements, let us never lose sight of eternity, of the kingdom of God, of Christ’s righteousness, which are much more significant in the long run. Pray first for a heart of trust and faith in God so that we will not compromise our spirituality in the quest for earthly attainments, because it is not worth it. Pray also for God to open up our spiritual eyes and ears to perceive what He wants us to do for Him in school, be it stepping up in faith to become leaders of Christian ministries in school, be it ministering to a friend, be it evangelizing (roundabout evangelism and beyond), be it praying regularly for God to move within the heart of all ACSians… There are many things we can do.

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Will you take up the challenge and the calling to be God’s laborer to administer to the harvest? i sincerely hope that as you seek God in prayer, He will enable you to experience His compassion and yearning for His lost sheep who are around us as we go to school everyday. May we align ourselves with the will of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord, and be His mouthpiece, hands and feet.

If you feel called to join the leadership of FireAC and/or CF, please contact any of the leaders whose names are found in black on the right side of this blog. You are warmly welcomed (:

May God’s presence guide us into the upcoming Term and empower us to glorify Him in every way.

Blessings and love,
Zhuo’er

p.s. a verse to mediate on:
Proverbs 4:18 (NKJV) But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Day 6

My apologies for the late post, fell asleep at 7 pm and woke up at 6.30 am today but back to the topic lest we digress. Today’s prayer focus will be on the world as a whole.

One click on the latest news and one will not find it hard to see that the world is in trouble, from the war in Afghanistan to the Israeli abuse issues during the Gaza conflict; from US-Iranian tension to rejected leadership in Madagascar. The news just seems to be depressing no matter how we look at it. Some may argue that the media have a tendency to exaggerate issues and make things look worse than they are, but face it guys, we live in trouble times.

As Disciples of Christ, our job is not to mop around whining and worrying about how bad the times are but to accept all these issues and God’s supreme authority over such issues. While such issues seem to be so far away in the other side of the world, while we lack the maturity to empathize with such situations, I urge you, brothers and sisters, to pray for them. Pray for peaceful resolutions, for soothing to go to the wounded etc.

With that being said, even as I look at such news going around the world, it is painful to see how desensitized we have become. Bogged down by our own troubles with workload, personal issues, we like to very much careless about the world when our own little worlds are in trouble too. More often than not, we wonder what ourselves, as individuals; can do to such a large world. Distracted by our own issues, hindered by our own weaknesses, blinded by our ignorance, we tend to just not want to care about the world.

Recently, as I was discussing about the issues regarding the school, I was reminded once again by God, that we need more than just awareness to these troubling issues or sympathy for the suffering that goes around, but empathy for the pain that they go through. Loving thy neighbour as thyself starts with understanding the pains and troubles that our neighbours goes through. We are truly blessed as we live in a peaceful country, enrolled ourselves in a beautiful school, but let’s not be distracted by our own lives to care about the suffering that is happening around the world.

I apologize once again, for the lateness of this post and thank you again for praying. So go pray, for there’s much to pray about……

The retard that sleeps too much,
Zhan Feng

Day 5

Well I guess today's Day 5 of the 24-7 Prayer. And today the theme is praying for our churches and country. 

Many a times we realise that we fail to pray for our government leaders i.e. our prime minister whose health is rapidly deteoriating. And we complain about our situation, why we have to study Chinese why we have to do this and that. Why MOE forces us to do stupid NE quizzes and all. But let us not forget that God has elected authority above us and he has handpicked each and every leader especially in our country to be in charge. Let's commit Singapore, her leaders, her future and her people in prayer. Pray about the things that may seem bad to you, the bad environment, the deteoriating moral values or just anything, anything that God may have revealed to you or maybe something that has been on your heart. There is much to change and improve in Singapore, and one way to do that is prayer. So let's commit Singapore in prayer today.

As for our churches, we realise that the leaders are under a lot of stress. There have been times where we have become down and dejected and many times we have had the church leaders stand behind us and support us. In the same way, let us support them in prayer in everything. Instead of criticising the sermons and actually looking at everything in a negative sense, let us just look at them as human, tools for God that need mantainence as well. Pray for them, Pray for the pastors, Pray for the Admin Workers, Pray for the Caretakers, Pray for the cleaners, Pray for the guy who opens the door for you to go to church or keeps watch. Pray and uplift them and everything'll be alright for them and us likewise in the church.

Finally, though the theme for today is country and churches, Don't forget the school ministries. Although they may not really play the role of a church in your life, commit the Christian Fellowship, commit FireAC into God's hands. Pray for the leaders, pray for them to walk close and follow God's will. Pray also for yourselves if God is calling you to lead in these ministries.  Like many churches, the school ministries were founded on prayer, so let us continue in prayer for these school ministries, knowing well that God will carry us through. 

The school ministries would be largely involved in the coming Religious Emphasis Week where the gospel is shared openly to the whole school, please do keep that in prayer as well.  More details can be found from any FireAC leader.

I guess that's all for today. Thank you all for praying.

Your Humble Servant,

Caleb

24/7 Prayer Day 4

Hey everyone!

The days have passed very quickly and its day 4 already!

For day 4, the prayer items should be more focused on our school's senior administration.

As we all know, these people run the school , hence it is very important that we pray that God will give them the wisdom to run the school well.

I'm sure most of us know about the many things ACS needs and maybe lacks. Hence, we can take this time to pray that God will be able to work his miracles through the senior administration . We can also pray for their health and well being, so that they will be able to lead the school well. Being a Christian school, we probably should also pray that the school will be run in a manner that pleases God rather than Man.

Many things have taken place since 2009 and God has always been there for me , comforting me , no matter what happens. Hence, maybe all of us should just sit back , think and reflect about how God has blessed us this year. Maybe we have managed to pass a test we thought we would failed, maybe we have managed to meet the most impossible deadlines, maybe we have managed to recover from a broken relationship- there are so many things to thank God for. The fact that we still stand, stronger than ever- the fact that we were are all in this amazing school- the fact that even though we are sinners , we are still loved.

As Nicole said- I don't mean to sound hypocritical when I type that. I have been through so much this year that I keep forgetting to thank the Lord every time works out. Yet I rant and tell all my grievances to God, hoping that he would heal and comfort. I have to admit that I have failed to be thankful to God all the time, and I really hope that all you guys will pray for a heart of thankfulness, not just in you but in all those around you. Because, having a heart of thankfulness will truly turn your life around. Hence, for today, pray for a heart thankfulness.
And pray for forgiveness that He might forgive you for forgetting him sometimes.

I think what matters most is our walk with God, hence pray for that too- and pray that your friends will have a wonderful walk with God. Pray that they will know what matters most in their lives. (:

I hope you will have / had an awesome hour of prayer! <3>

24/7 Prayer Day Three

hey guys (:

For those of you who have been committing to the 24/7 prayer, I hope it has been a fulfilling time for you!

We'll be focusing on our fellow schoolmates in ACS (I) for tomorrow's prayer, and I'm sure most of us would have many things to pray about.

Perhaps you would like to start praying for the school as a whole, starting with the pre-believers. There are many of our schoolmates who are lost and weary, and it is our duty as Christians to pray for them and reach out to them. Let's pray for God to move in our school, and for Him to open up the hearts and minds of our pre-believing friends and schoolmates to the gospel.

Matthew 28:19 tells us to "go and make disciples of all nations...", and for us to fulfil the Great commission, it is imperative for us to pray that the Christians in our school would rise up and claim this purpose that God has given us. Let's pray for God to place people in our lives whom we can reach out to; and that we, as well as our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ would have the active obedience to follow God's will for us in our friends' lives. Lastly, let's also commit ourselves and our friends to God, praying that there would be divine intervention when we broach the subject with our friends, or even better, for God to reveal Himself to them.

What saddens me most of the time, is when I pray for believers who have pulled away from God or lost their hope in Him. Most of the time, it happens when there are setbacks or crazy amounts of assignments and datelines. As friends, we can only encourage them to press on in their relationship with Him, to always draw strength from God and most importantly, to keep them in our prayers. Asking God to help us to be good friends and a source of encouragement to them is one thing, but praying for God to reveal Himself to them once again is also equally, or much more important. Personally, throughout the course of a few months, I've had strained relationships with believers. It may seem hypocritical for me to type out all the above, but I'm trusting in Him to heal these relationships, and through prayer and petition to God, I'm sure that everything will be made well in His time.

Having said all that, let's also pray for good time-management, discipline and self-control as our schoolmates deal with the demands of schoolwork, CCAs and other committments. It's not easy juggling all these plus maintaining a strong and consistent relationship with God, so we have to entrust God with all these priorities, remembering that He'll never forsake us if we are faithful and continue to trust in the plans and future He has for us.

Other things you might want to pray for:
- For people to serve in the ministry
- Individual people and their needs.
- People whom we find hard to love (as Pet mentioned in the earlier post)
- Love for all our friends

It's really up to you!

Our schoolmates are the people we see every school day, and they're the people we're most accessible to. Commiting them in prayer is one of the best things we can do with our time, so let's take time off to do so daily as well. Like Pet mentioned in the previous post, prayer is accompanied by action, so let's be good living testimonies to our friends and may love and faithfulness be written on the tablet of our hearts.

God bless and have a fruitful week ahead!

24/7 Day Two

24/7 Prayer Day Two

Psalms 92:1-5

It is good to praise the Lord

and make music to our name,

Oh Most High.

to proclaim your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, 

O Lord;

I sing for joy at the works of your 

hands.

How great are your works, O Lord,

how profound your thoughts!

If there's one thing I've realized in prayer, is that prayer really teaches you how to love.

I read somewhere once about a little boy who went to bed without praying, and when questioned by his parents, said, "Because I didn't need anything from God today." How often are we similarly mistaken even today, treating prayer as a time in which we ask for things from God. However, see John 17 as to how Jesus prayed.

John 17:16 "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

As Jesus did, and as God's children and fellow heirs in Christ, we are also called to intercede for our loved ones in prayer. 

So as you come before the Lord in prayer today, think about your immediate loved ones, friends and family. It can just be a simple prayer, asking for the Lord's blessing and guidance over your parents as they shuttle to and fro from work everyday, to even about that classmate who has seemed troubled and stressed out lately. Once you start going down the list, you'll find a plentiful number of loved ones in need of prayer! I've experienced this personally, and many a time prayer has become that first step and reminder to approach a troubled friend and just ask them simply how they are doing. Think about if someone asked you how you were feeling on an especially crappy day; you'd immediately feel loved and cared for, just knowing someone was looking out for and concerned about you! Even to non-believers, I've realized that just a simple, "If you like, I can keep you in my prayers." still manages to touch their hearts.

What about those who aren't "lovable" at all? Pray for wisdom in your actions and speech around them, and most importantly for courage and God's unconditional love to look past your differences and truly love them. Remember, true love isn't an emotion, it's a commitment. Oftentimes we can't get along with people, either because one side has been wronged, or maybe even just due to a simple clash of personalities. Pray for discernment and a teaching, humble spirit to accept criticism (whether be it from classmates or especially, our teachers), and that God's love will truly be able to act through you and transform hearts on both sides. Prayer is always accompanied with action.

And don't forget our teachers too! They need lots of prayer as well, and like us students, are just like any other human being, struggling with fears, stress and temptations. Let's keep them,  our school admin and our nation's leaders in our prayers as well, that they may continue to persevere in faith, be it in the classroom, in the school or throughout the nation. 

Pray in faith, knowing that our heavenly Father cares for us and for our loved ones too! In fact, in being there for our friends and helping them carry their burdens, we can avoid getting 'burnt out' and stressed by others problems by always first just bringing them all to Jesus,

Alrights, always keeping you all in my prayers! =)

God bless,

Petrina

24/7 Prayer for the March Holidays [Day One]

Hello people!

For those who have stepped up in faith to participate in the movement, thank you and welcome! =)

I sincerely hope that the following week [begins at 0000 hour later] will be a spiritually enriching and fruitful one, one that allows us to draw closer to the heart & mind of God as we earnestly seek Him, and to perceive our personal calling from Him, so that His will for and through our lives may come to pass in the near future. (:

No matter which hour in the day/ night your prayer slot is, how intense your prayers are, rest assured that the God who keeps us and watches over us in Truth & Love hears them all and will answer them all (according to His way and timing).

As the first day is approaching, many of us may be a somewhat uncertain as to how to pray and what to pray for an entire hour. If you have this sense of apprehension, just think of it as a heart-to-heart chatting with someone you trust and love, a very close friend for example (after all, God is our Best Friend!), and the hour will be over before we realize.

For the first day, let us focus on setting our heart right before Him in prayer:

- To the best of your abilities, set aside a quiet place each day for prayer, a place where you’re unlikely to be interrupted or distracted.

- Fix your thoughts on Christ Jesus; meditate on His life and teaching, His death for us on the Cross, and His guidance and provision in our lives etc.

- Be patiently still and try to hear His small still voice (you can also read the Bible to be more in tune with God).

Here are some of the prayer items you can focus on for the first day, on the first day of 24/7 Movement:

1. Thanksgiving – Thank God for His redeeming grace; the Ultimate Sacrifice He has made for you and i on the Cross, so that we may have eternal life in Heaven and abundant life in His presence on Earth. Thank God for bringing us to ACS(I), where He is, where amazing friends are found, where we can receive world-class education. Thank Him also for carrying us through this Term, through all the trials and tribulations, which can build up our character and serve to strengthen our faith in Him (provided we remain faithful in Him).

2. Seek for forgiveness and empowerment – Many of us stumbled and fell for the past days, we need to humble ourselves before God to confess our sins, seek for His forgiveness and empowerment to turn away from us sins, and He will!

3. Ask the Lord to search our hearts and provide guidance– Many of us were so caught up with work that we have been neglecting our spiritual conditions, it’s a good time to turn back to God and allow Him to reveal to us the state of our souls so that we have a clear perception of our spiritual states. This must also be coupled seeking God’s guidance as to what to work on and how to work on our spiritual weaknesses. Remember the training of the soul is profitable for all things!

4. Submit ourselves to God – For some of us, it may be a time to recommit our lives into God’s loving and mighty hands in trust and humility. (: Do so with joy, for He is good and His love for each of us endures forever!

5. Wait on Him – Let us also learn to be still and be ready to hear Him speak through the Bible (you may combine this prayer slot with your usual QT if you’re pressed for time), thoughts, mental images etc

(: If you have any doubts to clarify, any prayer requests, or testimonies to share, feel free to leave a comment! It will be greatly appreciated. 

As different members of the Christian body within the walls of ACS (I), we are always encouraged to know how the Lord has been working among us. Should there be any struggles and prayer requests, we can commit to the Lord in prayer together. You can contact any of the leaders whose contact numbers are on the left-hand side of this blog. We’re all nice and friendly people whom you can trust. =)

Lastly, if you have just discovered this prayer movement and would like to join in, it’s not too late! Leave a comment or email xu.zhuoer@gmail.com your full name, contact details, and preferred hour of prayer. 

Thank you, and may God richly bless your 24/7 experience! =D

24/7 Prayer for the March Holidays!

Dearest brothers and sisters

Term One has finally come to a close. How have you been so far?

i'm sure it has not been an easy ride. For Year 5s, it may have been a trying time of adjustment and a period of tumultuous befuddlement. For Year 6s, it certainly has been a time of sleepless insanity. For our brothers from Year 1-4, i'm pretty sure that it has also been hectic with assignments, common tests and the like.

This March holiday is hence a much-needed break for us to catch up on our work, to spend more time with our loved ones, and most importantly, to spend more time with our First Love – God! Therefore, amidst all the work and a bit of play, let us spend some time to rest our weary souls in our Heavenly Father through Jesus our Lord, to earnestly seek Him for who He is, to ask Him to bless the works He has called us to do, and to make us channels of blessings to the people around us.

The 24/7prayer movement is established with the aim of seeking and glorifying God in prayer. It is a cooperative movement where 24 Christians (or more!) each dedicate just one hour a day to pray, making it a wonderful and heartening phenomenon where every moment of the day is ignited by prayers which advance our Heavenly Kingdom.

Indeed, ACS(I) is “a great parish with many many opportunities” to win souls for Christ. It is our hope and desire that through this prayer movement, we will encounter God intimately, and that He will open our spiritual eyes and ears to perceive the need for God around us and to hear His directive voice so that we can truly be beacons of truth and light within the school, guiding the lost to the Almighty.

(= Thanks to those who have responded enthusiastically, please remember to
1) look out for prayer updates here in the upcoming days
2) SMS the person down the relay system when your slot is just about to end (you will know who's after you before Monday)

If you'd have yet to volunteer for this movement but would like to take up the challenge and devote one hour a day for a week of the March holidays to pray, please do email or SMS me. Thank you!

Have a restful and fruitful holiday up ahead!
May God add all good things unto you as you seek first His kingdom and righteousness!!

Your sister in Christ,
Zhuo’er
92997826
xu.zhuoer@gmail.com

ACS(I) - A Great Parish

Hey all (: Some of you may not know me, but I'm also one of them oldies from Y7 who was there from the beginning where FireAC began. I really pray and hope that the ministry in ACS(I) has been thriving and not merely surviving - it's encouraging to see how this blog is being periodically updated with encouragements for those who believe in Christ! To the Y6s who know me, continue to endure and serve Jesus passionately even in the midst of your heavy school commitments!

Anyway, as my dear brother Emil has posted, I also hope to provide a little encouragement for you all even as you continue in your labor of love.

ACS(I) really is a blessed place - it's a great parish with many many opportunities. The harvest is great, and there are many prebelievers out there who need to hear the gospel. The Methodist roots of the school means that you're free to share the gospel without fear of persecution. The daily devotions and weekly chapel and verses along the hallways are great starting points for the sharing of the gospel!

I only fear that you all will stop sharing the gospel in your business with schoolwork and CCA commitments. I also fear that you will begin to lose your heart for the lost, and begin to forget the compassion for prebelievers which you may have once possessed.

ACS(I) is full of people who are helpless and harassed by the many concerns and problems in life. Everywhere you go, even beyond ACS(I), there will always be people who are troubled and in need of God's peace and saving grace. There will always be lost sheep out there. But in ACS(I) especially, there are many people with many needs - maybe recovering from a broken relationship, or struggling with unrequited love, or crushed by the insurmountable pressures of schoolwork.

Pray that God will grant you a tender heart, a compassionate heart, so that you may see the many needs around you. If you just open your eyes, you'll see a world full of worry, sin, and darkness, that needs Jesus so so much. The opportunities are plenty, it's just whether you want to make the extra effort to reach out.

I heard the roundabout evangelism ministry has gone cold, and that no one stays back nowadays to spread the gospel. It's ok, as long as you guys have been sharing the gospel through other means. But if you guys have not - then maybe it's time to think about how you can start sharing the good news again!

---

Where does the passion for sharing the gospel arise from???

I think, firstly, you must experience God for yourself. You must see that God is the Gospel - God is the good news!

The good news is that through Jesus, we can spend life forever WITH GOD! And with God there is peace, joy, hope and love. And the world lacks so much of these - ACS(I) lacks so much of these, ACS(I) lacks peace (all the exam anxiety!), lacks joy (all the emo and brokenhearted), lacks hope (the person in the corridor who feels all alone), lacks love (the anger between classmates; the poor person without a friend).

Once you understand the goodness of the good news, you'll want to share it with all who are in need!

And secondly, you must look around you and really feel sad for the state of things around you. Feel sad for the lost and harassed, for those who live life without any purpose more than to pass the next exam..lfor those who live life chasing the wrong things...for those stuck in sins they can't get out of...

Only then, will you feel this strong urge...to share with them the good news, so that they may live the life they were made to live, not a life of purposelessness and misery.

---

and to all Y6 guys out there...build the foundations of the faith while in ACS. Make sure you establish the foundations strong and firm! Make sure you establish the habit of QT and constant prayer, discipline yourself! Because army isn't an easy place to grow in - you'll struggle with lack of time and energy, and the temptation to compromise.

---

so yes. i hope to see you all soon (: be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Amen.


In His Love,
timlim

Light and Salt

Hey all:
Its seems like a long time since we , now Y7s, had our thanksgiving as a closure to our 2 years serving in this ministry...
I remember the first meeting we ever had, the many obstacles we had to overcome, but God had been faithful to us throughout...

Anyway since I was requested to contribute, I could share a bit of the experiences I had... out of the environment of the school; i.e. the army, where the y6 guys soon will get to enjoy.

Many a time we're placed in a comfortable environment where we can choose who we want to mix with, and how we want to do our life.... I guess many a time we tend to stick to each other and not really talk to people we don't really talk with. But in that case, it leads to the problem, we don't talk to people when they need us to show the love of Christ, we have so to speak, "hidden the light under a bowl", since Jesus did call us to be the light of the world(Matt 5:13-16) .

In the army, its a different ball game all together. One will get thrown into an environment, where we do not choose who we want to work with, we simply are made to be with people we might not want to work with or be with. I have met smokers, atheists who really hate God, and much more. But I guess as a Christian , we still need to learn to love them the way Christ did. I must confess that it is something i find it really hard to do... especially when I met people who did nothing but try to agitate me, swear at me, and people who cursed at God.

Another calling we have as Christians, is to be the salt of the earth. I have met countless number of people professing to be Christians/Catholics etc. Yet when you look at them, you see no difference between them and the world. They swear, they engage in idle immoral talk, they make lewd jokes... Even more so in the army, where there is a pressure to follow the crowd, where it is considered weird, even to the extent of "not being man" if you don't laugh at the lewd jokes, sing the vulgar songs, and 'join the crowd' basically... In time to come, many of us would be placed in a situation where we will be under pressure to do what is not correct in the sight of God.

I also remember a time where I trying to talk about God, and the reaction from most (even the 'Christians') was this:

Don't talk about religion, its taboo, let people be what they want to be.

Many of you might have also heard something like this:

I love my friend, I don't want to make him uncomfortable, so I wont talk to him about God...

But if the person really did love his friend, he would want to make sure he was saved...

Essentially, I guess you'll get the gist of it, as Christians we need to be different. We cannot 'lose our saltiness' under pressure. Just because the whole world does something immoral, doesn't we should follow. Just because by sharing the gospel, we're seen as freaks, doesn't mean we should stop sharing the gospel.

Finally I have one other thing to share... John Wesley once said something like this:

I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.

I guess, no matter where we maybe, we must always be ministers for God. For me in the army BMT, I managed to find a group of Christian brothers to meet every night to share and pray for one another. I've also managed to talk to a friend and encourage him in his walk for God. I have also been ministered to by other brothers who sat down to talk and pray for me when i was feeling down and upset in camp. I guess, I thank God for providing all these for me and being so faithful. And I also believe that "God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."(Phil 4:19), as long as we remain faithful in our walk in Him, no matter what the circumstances.

In His Love
Emil

Life in 2009

Life this year has been really different from what I expected it to be. Yes, life is hard, life is busy, and I often find myself trying to finish what seems to be an insurmountable pile of work. Yet, this year, I also came to realise that life is beautiful.

Before 2009 begun, (end of 2008) I was not looking forward to 2009 at all. To me, 2009 just meant more work,more troubles and less sleep. Well, now that its already March of 2009, I can safely say that - I wasn't wrong! Haha.

--I don't know how to say this, but 2009 has been a wonderful year so far. Yes. Work has almost caused me to go insane, my sleep cycle is ruined ,I'm not exactly doing well for all my tests and I have been really distracted :/. Yet- this year has been really, really special.

On Thursday morning, I woke up with an overwhelming feeling of happiness. Happiness was just overflowing, and I was convinced, very convinced that it would be a very good day. The happiness I felt that morning, cannot be put into words at all...I knew deep down in my heart that a large part of the happiness came from God's love,the knowledge that God loves me, for who I am, the knowledge that life has a meaning--

Just a few nights ago, I read this Bible verse-

Love is patient,love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude , it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

This passage describes how God's love is like.
Of course- his love is greater than this, and language alone cannot convey his great and amazing love.

I urge you guys to stop and calm down to think about how 2009 has been for you so far-
For we can only learn something new if we stop and think-
For we can only appreciate and love this life if we stop and pray-
Life is a gift from God,
it's something we should treasure.
Its not easy to do that all the time
and I'm still learning how to.

Tina

Rest

Many of us find that we really lack this: sleep. Whether we are working adults, or students, or in any other vocation, work sometimes calls for us beyond our sleeping time. Many of us find our sleeping time slowly becoming later and our waking times earlier; our sleep and rest becomes more irregular. Our lack of rest, as most of us have suffered by now, causes us to feel sleepy during the day as we go about our activities and adversely affects our ability to focus.

So why am I talking about rest. First and foremost, we need that 27 hours a day, so that we can afford to sleep more and not compromise on our work. Or, we could manage our time and complete our tasks more efficiently and effectively so that we can afford to sleep more. I agree it is easier said than done, work is tough; I’m also suffering from a lack of sleep that causes me to be lethargic at times during lessons. Stay strong and keep hoping in the Lord! God is the God of all things, include our rest. His blessings sometimes come in the form of a good night’s sleep or some free time to relax. These help our bodies to have physical rest. Indeed, since God is the God of rest, let us commit, apart from our work, our times of rest to him as well.

Since we’ve mentioned physical rest, next up, we have relational rest. Our relationships can be tense, and sometimes even sour. These have negative effects not only on us, but also the people around. As we begin to centre our life, our relationships on God, we will begin to realise that we will start to commit more of our relationships to God. Gradually, regardless of the state of our relationships with others, we can allow God to have his way in us. Emotionally and relationally, there will be less tension on our part, which hopefully would also diffuse to the other parties. Surrendering our relationships to God is something that we all have to learn on our own, throughout the duration of our lives. Let us continue to seek God and allow him to take the reins of our relationships, that we may find rest in him.

Spiritual rest is also part and parcel of, and I feel that it is foundational in, finding rest in God. Whether we suffer physically or emotionally or relationally, if we continue to focus on God, by the grace and timing of God, we will be able to overcome. Physical and relational difficulties can and may distract us, although there are times when God chooses to use these difficulties to turn our eyes upon him. Thus, having physical and relational rest can also help us to focus on God and find spiritual rest in him, vice versa.

All in all, let us centre our rest on God, and through and by the grace and power of the Lord, we will experience rest in him.

Ted

Doubt

Hello guys! This year has been quite trying in many ways and I came dangerously close to falling away. But after thinking through it, there have been certain occasions I cannot ignore or attribute to just mere coincidence. It’s good to know that God will always watch out for me even though I always fall to “necessary” distractions such as schoolwork, and that He shows me His love in little ways, which I treasure.

In the second week of school this year, there was one day I was feeling rather down for no particular reason. Although work had hit already, it wasn’t about that or holiday homework I hadn’t completed or that school was tough because lessons were quite enjoyable that day. I suddenly felt alone, but I also didn’t want to talk to anyone that day either. However, God reminded me to turn to Him and of His love through a verse shared by an almost stranger –

Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you, you only need to be still.

Do you believe in coincidences? That reminder came at a rather appropriate time, cheered me up a little and I didn’t need to ask for it.

I see a relationship between QT and feeling better in the sense of having a better attitude = less upset / not worrying (yes, how useless and tiring!! it is to worry) / having faith that it will be okay. Still at my most down moments I find it difficult to turn to Him and let go even though I know I’ll be better after calming down and praying. Why? I think it’s because I’m still clinging to what I want not what He wants, be it things I cannot get or by choosing to brood over things rather than handing my problems to Him. In Mark 14, Jesus was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”. He prayed: 1) everything is possible for you 2) take this cup from me 3) yet not what I will but what you will. It’s not easy to completely leave it in God’s hands and move on, knowing that difficult times happen because God lets them happen while trusting that it’s for the best. However, it is through these that 1) I realized how much I need God 2) started noticing and appreciating the little things 3) am learning to have faith in Him 4) God reminds us of His love. Admittedly, I still find myself wanting support/approval from people rather than from God, but I am learning to trust God for whatever He has in store for me.

I also thought about how I only really got to know God after I stopped going to church regularly which, if you think about it, doesn’t really make sense. I’m not suggesting that you should stop going to church (!!) but I think it is a good reminder that God will always love us and call us back to Him.

Lastly, I pray that you’re all well with school/life and that you’ll let God fight your battles for you when they come.

(:

love,

Eugenia