Love

Hi guys! :)

To start the week off, I'd just like to share with all of you a passage that really spoke to me during my quiet time today :)

Ephesians 3: 17-19

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all of God's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled with the measure of all fullness of God"

I was sitting on the swing in my garden reading my bible in the evening and when I read this verse and the paradoxical phrase of knowing God's love which surpasses all knowledge, there was a sudden rush of air around me and the cool breeze swept across my face in a gentle, reassuring way which reminded me wonderfully of the miracle of God's love :)

We are so vastly, immensely, irrefutably loved by God our Father :) His love for us knows no limits, no boundaries and cannot be tainted by anything in this world- be it sin, doubt, bondage, pain or fear. So many times we hear how amazing God's love is for us, it enters our brains, we process and understand the informatoin and go "Ok that's great! I know that now!"

But the concept that Paul presents to us here in Ephesians is something more abstract, profound. The concept that Paul presents to us is that this love the Father has for us, can only be fully understood by us by the experential aspect of our spiritual lives. We cannot completely understand this love by dissection or analysis of bible verses, nor can we claim to know this love fully just because we possess knowledge of the details of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us. We can only truly know what the love of God encapsulates, when we experience this love for ourselves, in a tangible way that goes beyond the understanding, logic and rationale of our human minds, and dives right into our hearts, to touch us in a way that we cannot explain or condense coherently into words. The love of God is transcendental, and it is impossible to be captured in a sentence or even distilled into an EE essay. It exceeds our comprehension, our reasoning, our thoughts, our understanding and the only way to fully embrace this love is to open our hearts to God and ask with earnestness that He bless us by sprinkling dew drops of this great love on us more and more each day, that we may experience it to understand it more and more and more and MORE! :)

Let's make it the earnest prayer of our heart, to cry out to the Father everyday that He may give us a little experience of His love, be it through people or situaitons around us, that we may begin to know this love that surpasses all knowledge. And when we finally begin to know this love more, in ways than surpass knowledge, that is when our lives truly begin to be saturated with fullness; purpose.

This wonderful, heart-warming verse will rest in my heart for the rest of the week, and hopefully for the rest of my life. I hope that it will in yours too :)


In His love,
Soph :)

Good Friday & Easter(:

Hi everyone!

Hope you're having a meaningful Good Friday and Easter(:

I'm not sure how you feel about Good Friday and Easter. In the recent years, I've felt some sort of indifference towards these days. Like not feeling so thankful for what He did on the cross for us. I knew I was taking His sacrifice for granted, but I didn't know what to do about it. Maybe some of you have felt this way too.

But yesterday, my brother brought up this interesting point. Remember Barrabas?

Now it was the governor’s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

- Matthew 27:15-17

And the people asked for Barabbas. Barabbas was involved in a rebellion against the Romans, and he was a murderer too. Instead of being punished for his crimes, Barabbas was set free. Instead of Barabbas, Jesus was punished. And ironically, Jesus was crucified for what Barabbas was guilty of (being involved in a rebellion against the Romans).

So in many ways, we're like Barabbas. We didn't lead a rebellion, we didn't murder, but we're still sinners. And instead of bearing the punishment of our sins, Christ took our place. He took our place!

So let's not forget that we are set free because of His love that He showed on the cross. Let's remember that we don't deserve this grace. We've been set free from darkness, and let's live a life worthy for Him in gratitude(:

See you on tuesday!

- ding

Woot! Blogpost! again.

Hello people!

Once again, the amazing blog of the fireac of the of the. Okay i lost my train of thought. Oh wells.

But hey people who read this blog, and are actually taking time to read it! heh. Okayzzz. Me turn to share this week.

Its been a crazy week for me, as a year 6, and in the middle of the week i decided, well, since im down and rostered to write i might as well write now.

EASTER IS COMING! ARE YOU EXCITED!!! :DDDDDD. Cause I am.

Funny how we all seem to trivalise these events. Like me. Oh easter, another holiday, another presbyterian convention, etc. etc. For crying out loud, Hop is in cinemas! The easter bunny on a big screen! Delivering eggs. (Don't get me wrong, the movie was quite cute).

HELLO! JESUS ROSE FROM THE GRAVE PEOPLE! THATS WHAT EASTER IS ABOUT!!!

Rose from the grave! Rose from the grave! Not from his bed leh, From the Grave! Why arent we on our knees giving thanks! Easter is the ultimate proof of God's power, and his sovereignty in our lives.

Ephesians 2: 1-10

Made Alive in Christ

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in 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. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Don't you see! Don't you realise! God has a MASTERPLAN! Because of Easter, we are alive in christ! Because, we were all dead once, in our sin, in our sinful nature, but now we live! Forever!!!!!!

Grace. Faith. Love. Such amazing words. But they simply represent what God has done for us, in our lives!

Grace - an unmerited favour

Faith - Belief in what we cannot see

Love - God.

Love, in his Grace, came down for us, and died to remove our sins, so that by faith all who believe shall not perish but have eternal life. AMEN.

And so how. Because of Easter, because we are safe, what do we do????? Sit back and relax?

NO! MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS NO! CANNOT!

Look at verse 10! We are created to do good works! (c.f. James: Faith without deeds is useless) Because of easter, we are saved, and hence, are called to do good works in our LORD Jesus Christ. To go out, to spread his love, and to preach to the masses.

Well, FireAC, how can we do this? Very easy.

REW is coming. We can encourage others, and we can pray for them.

Therefore, if you are convicted, i invite you to pray. Pray for the speaker, pray for the people serving in the REW itself and the followup. And more importantly, PRAY FOR A NON-CHRISTIAN FRIEND TO BE IMPACTED. We never know how God will move. But, we can always pray.

SO IN SUMMARY:

JESUS LOVES YOU. ME. AND EVERYONE. EVEN THE VILEST SINNER. SO LETS PRAY FOR THEM.

kthxbai.

God Bless

-

Jon Wong!

IT'S FRIDAY FRIDAY

GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY
EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND, WEEKEND

okay hello anyone who reads this blog!

Yes, it's Friday, and (although I wasn't in school today to see all the crazy fun ><) I'm sure you all got down. Whatever that means.

The purpose of this post is just to discuss the weekend (which EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FORWARD TO), because YESTERDAY WAS THURSDAY THURSDAY and TOMORROW IS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY COMES AFTERWARD which means that TODAY IS FRIDAY FRIDAY but anyway. I'm convinced that there is something to learn in everything. To quote Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, "There are certain things which enter the minds of even people without one." Of course, he doesn't say whether these things are right or wrong.

To illustrate this, today's (and this week's) post will examine a song. A popular, popular song.

I'm sure everyone treats the weekend as a haven from school, or at least from schoolwork. For (the vast majority of) the BB people, Saturdays are something to look forward to; in some cases, the prospect of parade and its crazy fun are all that sustain us through the week. For other people, however, weekends are meant for introspection and for scholarly pursuits, like catching up on all the work one has accumulated over the week. Whatever the case, everyone looks forward to the weekend. The question I'll ask today is this:

why?

In the example of the incomparable weekend anthem Friday, the truly estimable singer goes "PARTYING PARTYING YEAH/PARTYING PARTYING YEAH/FUN FUN FUN FUN/LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEEKEND". Why does the speaker "[look] forward" to the weekend? Simply because of the promise of "partying"; of social interaction and of merriment. Compare that to our sad, socially-dead IB lives, where the weekend exists for work (or is that just me?). In this regard, I would go so far as to admit that we should perhaps take a lesson from the incredible enthusiasm and high-spiritedness in the song -- were it not that the song is nothing if not trivial and contrived. If the bolding hasn't made it obvious, triviality and contrivance of enthusiasm are the two points I'll address in this post.

Firstly, our enthusiasm cannot be trivial, or for trivial things. It is no doubt that enthusiasm is ruled by a concupiscible desire (a yearning to gain), but whether this passion is directed towards the world or towards God is the true determinant of enthusiasm. Here is where Ionesco's wisdom comes into play. While it is certainly important to possess enthusiasm, and Ms Black has certainly demonstrated that quality remarkably, what she has is an excitement over such ephemeral things as parties. (See? Even those so completely incapable of intelligent thought may be correct about the fundamental facts of life.) However, she gets the specifics wrong. Simply put, the song shows a correct attitude in the anticipation of things to come, but focuses on the wrong things. Instead of yearning after the approval of, and stature among, men and the things of this world, we should set our sights on greater things; things the greatness of which we cannot comprehend. What use is partying for one weekend in the greater scheme of just this world? (the answer is: not very much.) If such frivolity -- fleeting in all its glitz and glamour -- is of no use even in this physical realm, and certainly far less so in Christian terms, are there not better things to yearn for?

Secondly, the song is so relentless in its pursuit that it sounds contrived and artificial. This is another area in which Friday gets things both right and wrong. Certainly, the singer's (or at least the speaker's -- it is important to differentiate the two, especially in English A1) dedication to partying must be commended, but whether it is right is another matter entirely. There is a lesson to learn here; that perseverance in pursuit of a goal is only truly, righteously correct when the object is the very opposite of trivial. This is linked quite clearly to the earlier point. When we yearn after Christ and our citizenship in His kingdom, then the effort we put into the pursuit is justified by His love. When we chase after the things of this world, well -- let's just say that everything in this world fades away, and nothing but God is worthy of our dedication.

Consider then Matthew 6:33, which reads "but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." While it might seem a bit daunting to run after Him with all our hearts -- to "pick up [our crosses] daily and follow [Him]" (Luke 9:23) -- we are given assurance that we are provided for simply because He watches over those who see His love and return it.

I'm sure you're all asking yourselves: what does this have to do with this week's theme of unity, or even with the weekend? I'm about to get to that.

Over the weekend, we're free of the social constraints which are an integral part of our identity as students. We can interact with other people not as students -- subconsciously seen as inferior, naive or immature -- but as equals. While it may be tempting to use the freedom from such pseudo-disdain to indulge in some PARTYING PARTYING, don't. At least, such thoughts should be far from the forefront of your mind. It's understandable to feel like a full member of society -- and hence somewhat more liberated -- when out of school, and of uniform, but the greater identity we should revert to on the weekend isn't one of a fully matured individual, but is one of an insignificant part of the body of Christ.

As a small cell in one of the tissues in one of the organs of one of the systems in the body of Christ, our thoughts should be focused on God, and not on this world. If we yearn after God, and those who are with us in God, as much as Rebecca Black yearns after partying, then our enthusiasm will be far contagious than hers.

Over this weekend, and indeed for the rest of your lives, I challenge you to live not for partying, not for work -- not even for yourself. My challenge to you is to live putting God at the forefront, and others close behind. When it comes to other Christians, remember that all your differences -- you might not even speak the same language -- are only things of this world, and that there is something greater that binds you like spiritual Superglue: the love that we all share in Christ. With non-Christians, have faith that the enthusiasm you show for God, and for the glory of His kingdom, will be far easier to relate to than Rebecca Black's enthusiasm for Fridays and the weekend.

Fridays (and weekends) will come and go, but God remains forever. It isn't hard to decide which we should show our utmost devotion to.

What say you?

-mong.

Coming to a realisation(:

Hi everyone!

This week's the first week of term 2, and hope you all are excited for this new term! And I hope your week has been good so far!

Anyway, here's something:

When I was doing my qt earlier, I couldn't really focus because I kept thinking about a problem I was facing. It really burdened me and made me feel so weak, even literally, I think. So I began to pray, to lift it up to God, and that was when I realised how weak and needy i was, and how much I had to rely on God.

It struck me how much we need to cling onto God and to depend on Him. Even though the problem's not resolved, I'm thankful for this sense of peace. That even though there may be many uncertainties in life, we can be certain that we have a God who cares for us and hears our cries to Him(:

Looking back, perhaps God placed the problem in my life so that I would turn to Him and realise how much I needed to depend on Him. To come to that realisation, even if it meant going through the problem, it was worth it(: If things were always going smoothly, it would have been much harder to realise how much we need to rely on God.

So if you're going through anything right now, I hope you'll remember that we can lay all our burdens at His feet, and that when we rely on Him, His power is greatly seen in our weakness(: He may or may not solve your problems, but trust that He knows best!

So have a super splendid special superb second term everyone!

And see you tomorrow morning!

-ding!

hello there.

Good -- uh -- morning, everyone.

As you probably can tell from Jonwong's post, FireAC is still very much alive. In case you haven't yet noticed, there are 5 leaders: Michael and Sophia from Year 5, and Jonwong, Ding and myself (Mark) from Year 6. If you have anything at all that you need to talk about, we're always there, and although we might not be the least busy people around, feel free to approach any of us if you have prayer requests, things to share, or even if you feel like a chat.

Honestly, I'm still quite amazed at how FireAC has grown since it re-opened. Going from 4 people to 7 or 8, then to 18 (yes, I counted) is truly incredible. It really is heartening to see so many people coming down and taking some time out to start the day with Him. Each one of us goes for FireAC for a different reason, and I'm thankful that you've decided to dedicate your mornings to God, and be part of this ministry -- for whatever reason God has given you.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 reads: "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." In that light, I urge you to not confine the Gospel to Tuesday to Friday mornings, or to Sundays (and Saturdays in the case of the BB people). We should not hide God's presence in us from the world. As tomorrow (rather, later today) we celebrate the ACS spirit, whatever that is, and our subsumation in it, I urge you to remember that, above all that, we have not just the ACS spirit but the Holy Spirit in us. If we can celebrate and be joyful in a sense of belonging to a school, how much more, then, shall we rejoice at our being found in Christ? (:

Just something to think about, yeah? Enjoy your Founder's Day, everyone!

-mong.

Eh, we're not dead. Sorry to Disappoint.

OEEEEEEIIIIIII!

Peeps! Hello wowowowowowowowow. This account is like so old man. And i feel old.

OK if you haven't guessed who this is, its Jon Wong!! Yay!
Alright I'll give you the extreme condensed version of why we are aliveeeeeeee!

Right, Beginning of year, 4 people decided fireAC cannot die. They prayed, got a sorta vision, but no mission. So they went by faith and opened it up again. By faith, the first week was small. Then it grew, and grew, until I dunno how many people. I never did count. But at least 15 I guess.

So now, the 4, now becoming 5 with a hyper girl, are praying about this ministry once again. And we invite you to pray alongside with us.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

So thats what we're gonna do. We're gonna pray. And seek him.

Alright thats all from the Year 6 half mad boy / CF pres.
Rights! I'm off to add myself as a contributor! Hooray!

More posts coming from more sane people.

--

Jon Wong

Hello!

To those who were involved in FireAC in some way or other:

After discussion and prayer, it has been decided that FireAC should be closed down.
Though there may not be anymore morning activity/scrambling up the stairs to get to assembly on time, let prayer and fellowship always remain.

A few things to pray for:

- The school's leadership and direction
- Year 4s sitting for O level examinations
- Year 6s sitting for IB examinations (help)
- Christian ministry

Lastly, a huge thank you to all who've blessed and been blessed by this ministry in some way or another : )

On behalf of the rest of the leaders (Mike Liana Ben Eunice Zac),
Rachelmiao

Stand firm, hold fast

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph 6:10-13 ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

(Philippians 2:14-16 ESV)

--

Dear brothers & sisters, juniors, batchmates, seniors, others. I don't know where you are in your lives, but God does (Ps 139), and He will never leave nor forsake you (Josh 1:5). Lots of us can claim to know things, what with devotions and chapel and rew and cell groups and sermons. Let's now stand firm and hold fast to our hope, not casting it aside once a church-y activity breaks up for a meal or QT ends. Y6es especially, take heart. We have less than a hundred days here. Let's go forth not in worry or stress but in love for those we find around us, simply because that's what He has commanded.

Here is a song entitled Hold Fast, it's by Mercyme; enjoy (:

the law of the Lord

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes

-Psalm 19:7-8

i don't know if anyone checks back here anymore but if so please feel free to post any verses that may have spoken to you recently or any thoughts :)

hearT

hi (:
this is just a notice that hearT will be conducted next week!
here's a copy of the notice from Ryan (this year's ic)
strongly encourage you all to come down, simply because it's an opportunity to pray & hear Him speak. do also prayerfully invite people to come! see you all, and God bless.

--

HearT is next week! [:

Its from Monday 17 May - Friday 21 May at the ACS Chapel (CPA 1)

every morning starting at 6.45am till assembly.

For those who don't know what HearT is, its bascially a week of prayer,

where we gather in the morning to pray and seek God [:

This time HearT will be in line with the Global Day of Prayer (GDOP), which is on 23 May 2010.

Its very exciting, we'll be praying together with millions of Christians around the world during these 5 days leading to GDOP!

The heart of the matter is that God's called His people to come together to pray, so lets all come down and pray together.

"if My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

And there is great power, God's power, in united prayer.

We'll pray and see chains of deep struggles be broken, hurting hearts healed, and lives be transformed in Christ for God's glory!

Let us also each encourage and invite our friends and classmates to come along with us to pray during HearT, for

This is what the LORD Almightly says:
"Many people and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come,
and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say,
'Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almightly. I myself am going'.
And many peoples and powerful nations will come..."
Zechariah 8:20-21

Do tell your friends this week about HearT, and encourage/invite them to come with you to pray[:

A Simple Thought I Had

Was that even if there seems to be too much stuff
And things seem to be impossible at times,
A simple question, as another once asked me:
“Have you prayed about it yet?”
Because nothing’s impossible for God.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” — Philippians 4:13

/JamesKoh

Love, Life and our Father in Heaven

It's been a while since anyone posted stuff on this blog..

Anyway brother and sisters, stay strong and faithful in Christ for He is our rock and refuge.

Don't really have much to say, but a dear friend of mine introduced me to this song by Tenth Avenue North. Wonderful song I'll say :)

By Your Side Lyrics

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

In His name

-Karlo

Stand Amazed

I don’t really know how long forever is
But that’s how long I’m gonna give my life
Everything I face, it tries to tear me down
No I won’t back away from the sacrifice
I won’t forget what you’re love means to me
You’re always there to light my way

(Chorus)
When all the lights go down and the world is quiet
No one is around
I wanna be the same man that will serve you then
Like I serve you now
That my convictions never change
O let my need for you remain
As real as the moment I was saved
I will always stand amazed

Sometimes my heart desires such selfish things
When the moment comes help me to trust
Something better that you have for me
If I could just hold on to you enough
I won’t forget what you’re love means to me
You’re always there to light my way

Chorus

You will be my strength when I am weak
When I wanna give in and not turn the other cheek
Let this be the prayer that I speak
That I speak


okay oops i hope i'm not bolding the lyrics of the entire song. This song really spoke to me and enlightened me. When the world is all dark, when nobody is watching, it is when we should serve the Lord with more fervor than ever. Col 3:23 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" Just hope this serves as a timely reminder that we do not put on an act or act differently when others are watching because our loving God's always watching, whether in the dark or in the light (:

sorry i don't know how to upload the video! but here's the link (:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WthZaU2PJVE

-edit:
Embed link added below =p:

New Layout

Hi guys, I'm pretty sure you noticed that the blog looks kinda different, kinda darker maybe, kinda smaller. Well, yeah, you guessed it! We changed the layout.

So, how do you go about EDITING certain contents on this blog, things which there doesn't seem to be widgets for? Thanks to the great HTML skills of Emil, we have managed to make the blog user friendly and pretty at the same time. So, here's what you do.

1) Log into your blogger account
2) go to the fireac blog
3) Find the section you want to edit, and click on the small little icon, (yes, the one with a spanner and a screwdriver)

don't hesitate to message me on fb if the layout goes wrong! My FB account details are in the credits section.

Evangelism

something i read recently:

The first requirement of postmodern evangelism is not that you are a good talker but that you are a good listener. In the rush of today's world, the gift of attention is one of the best gifts you can give someone. People don't have time to listen to one another.

- In Real Time, Mike Glenn

this really resonated with me. i don't claim to know much or be well-versed in the principles of evangelism but experience and observation (as well as biblical examples; read around pages 120+ here if you're interested!) cannot help but lead one to believe that we can love people (as we are very explicitly commanded to) by giving them attention instead of demanding it. and really, it's a joy to do so for it helps us further contemplate and understand the giving nature of God's love :)

song :)

hello friends!
the past few weeks haven't been the best (well, for me). sometimes everything is so shaky, we feel so insecure, the future uncertain. emotions rocky and people unreliable. but amidst all this, we will praise God for he is our solid rock! and His holy, perfect and loving character never changes. as psalm 121 goes,

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

amen :) and here's a song that i hope encourages you

enjoy! God bless you all.

Milestone -- January 2010

Hello friends and brothers and sisters in Christ! This is James Koh and I'm making my first (and hopefully not last) post here.

So it's been about a month since the year 2010 started, and I thought it would be nice to have a bit of reflection. January is almost over now, and school is beginning to kick into full swing.

Time's an interesting thing. Sometimes you feel as if the day's never going to end; other times, there seems like there's never enough time. A very paradoxical thing, time is.

Some days you wake up and feel as if there's not enough time in the world, and worry about how you're going to get everything done on time (year 6s especially), and sometimes even lapse into despair.

Yet surely there is a time for everything in the world, as Ecclesiastes states:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain,

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace."

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NIV)

And if there is a time for everything in the world, and the Lord our God is in control of it all, surely there is no cause for concern. For He knows all things, and all will surely work towards whatever His will may be. As Jesus Christ Himself states, in Matthew 6:25-34, Do Not Worry. Our heavenly Father, who takes care of the birds of the air, will surely watch over us as well. For "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27, NIV) (Or "single cubit to his height", for that matter. That certainly applies in my case.)

"For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:32-34, NIV)

What does this tell us? Firstly, that God should be the first thing in our lives that we chase after; all other things, as much as we need them, will be provided unto us by our Father in heaven, and do not merit so much concern. For if we worry too much about these things, we allow them to weigh us down and in doing so, affect our lives as well as our own walks with God.

Secondly, the Lord our God knows what it is that we need. "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." (Philippians 2:16, NIV)

Have you heard of the parable of the persistent widow? (Luke 18:1-8) The woman, who desired "justice against [her] adversary", continuously went up to seek the judge, who cared nothing for men, and did not fear God. The judge ignored her time and again, but still she persisted. Finally, the judge gave up and decided to give her the justice that she so desired, for he was tired of her bothering him.

Why this parable? It was told by Jesus to his disciples, to "show them that they should always pray and not give up". This ties in with what is said in Philippians, regarding the presentation of our requests unto God. If the Lord knows what we need, and we as His children pray to Him and ask Him for those things, surely He will grant them unto us! That is not to say that such things will be provided instantly unto us, though. Still, do not be discouraged.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.... If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-10,13)

Having said all that, however, regarding the matter of worrying, though we are told not to worry, let us not become completely apathetic or indifferent to things. Time is precious, after all.

"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV)

Life is given unto us by the Lord our God. So, then, how we live is a testament of our faith to God, as displayed to others. As the verse states, let us make the most of every opportunity, doing what the Lord's will may be.

Let me try to put this in context a bit. As students, we are given the opportunity to study in this school of ours, and with this opportunity, we should do our best to honour God by glorifying him in all that we do (i.e. results, homework, etc.). In the case of living wisely, let us not do anything that would dishonour God, nor anything that He would not approve of. For those of us in the ministry (or ministries), be it in school or in church, we have been given the opportunity to reach out to others and minister unto them, and to evangelize and spread God's Word as well. Let us to this to the best of our abilities, as well.

This is once again reiterated in Colossians:

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5, NIV)

I will not claim that any of the things I have said above are easy to do, or easy to put into action; far from that, I know as much as anyone else that it is far easier to say these things than it is to actually do them. Nevertheless, as time passes by, let's try our best to do these things, for the sake of the Lord our God.

I'll start to wrap up around here (wow that's one long post!), but let me leave a few things behind for certain groups of people:

To the Year 6s:

Hey. Well, deadlines are popping up all over the place like nobody's business, but keep strong. This is our last year here. Let's make the most of it, for the Lord our God. Support each other, keep on going, and as Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy, let us follow his example, and fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith. Perhaps we too are being poured out like drink offerings, doing our best for the Lord our God, as everything looms ahead. But hey, don't be discouraged. Keep praying, and spending time with God, seek Him in your time(s) of need, and surely He'll help us all make it through to the end.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV)

To the Year 5s:

Welcome back to those of you from ACS(I), and welcome to the newcomers too. Welcome to IB. I'll be honest here, and most of you already know this, but: It's not going to be easy, these next two years. Time, which I've been jabbering on about in the previous hundreds of words for who knows how long, is an important thing here. Manage it well, use it well, don't end up leaving things to the last minute too often (which I have a tendency to do). Like my mum always tells me, you're the stewards of your time. Even if you're not accountable to any man on earth, at the end of the day, you'll be accountable to God for what you've done with your time. So take good care of your time! I won't claim to be a shining example of this (I'm pretty much the exact opposite, in fact), but trust me, you need to manage your time well.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 16:10) (This applies to time as well)

To Everyone Else:
I'm sorry for lumping all of you together in one big group like this, but aside from the above two groups, there's really not much else I can say to the rest of you, aside from what's already been written up there. Just... spend your time in the school well; it'll pass by more quickly than you think.

The End: (Written) Prayer in General

Father, I pray for all those who read this, that You will continue to watch over them and be with them, as You have always done. Father, You who created the Heavens and the Earth, Space and Time, You know how important Time is, and You know that we struggle with it.

So I pray that You will help us not to worry or be overly anxious about how short Time seems to be, Father, be it deadlines or exams or other things. Help us to trust in You, Lord, for through You all things are possible. At the same time, Father, help us to use our Time well, that we may be able to make the most of every opportunity, Father, and live wisely, Father, glorifying You in all that we do.

In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

Amen.

For the glory of God, and the advancement of His will on Earth as it is in Heaven,

/JamesKoh

toil

Dear friends (esp. y6es), I know that it hasn't necessarily been a good start to the year, what with most of us looking half-dead before the end of Term 1 Week 2, facing a hundred impossible deadlines which look ominously close to each other, and feeling much pressure come upon us. It's wearisome, working and working and working late into the night and morning.

But how about a paradigm shift?

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil–this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. -Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. - James 1:2-4, ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. - 1 Thess. 5:16-18, ESV

Take a minute to breathe. Be still before Him; tune out noise and clutter for awhile and immerse yourself in His word, His goodness, His holiness and love. The commandments here might seem crazy and far-fetched and a biiit too extreme but then again, they are - by human effort, that is. Let go, let God (: Praying for you all!

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