Sunday Recap (27th August 2006)

Tending Our Garden
By Ps Samuel Hari

Text:

^NLT Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

1. HEART

Definition:

1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding (Note: SOUL-emotions, mind, will)

• most times we guard our spirit man by prayer, word, etc. but not much time is spent in guarding our hearts (heart and soul are interchangeable as seen in definition above).
• we need to realize that when we are saved, our spirit man is born again and then The Holy Spirit begins the process of renewing our souls. God breathed his Spirit and then told us to look after the garden.(Gen 2.15)
• What is the condition of this garden? (Pro 24:30-34).
• it requires our attention, no one can do it for us.

Mat 9:16 -17

• The wineskin is speaking about our hearts-soul. The soul (wineskin) is the container for the spirit (wine).
• most times we are patched up souls in the church. A little bit of the old and a little bit of the new i.e. a new creation but can get angry, lie every once in a while…forgive most people, tending our garden is a practical exercise and requires….

2. GUARD/DILIGENCE

Definition:

1) place of confinement, prison, guard, jail, guard post, watch, observance

1a) jail, prison, guard-house

1b) guard, guard post, act of guarding

• the act of guarding is not just casual guarding. That’s sometimes the reason it gets broken into many times! IT IS AN ACT OF MILITARY PROPORTIONS!
• It is the wellspring of life; affects everything you do! Business, family, finances, HEALTH etc.
• In the natural we guard our physical hearts. If the heart breaks down ALL our wealth, fame, fortune means nothing. People who are depending on us are left abandoned; Is GOD using this to speak to us about our spiritual heart which is our soul? If our spiritual heart breaks down……
• attending a good seminar, listening to a good teaching tape or letting the words of a Christian song minister to us?
• what about our friends? We need friends to help us guard our hearts. Wrong friends means garden is neglected or in a total mess!

3. ABOVE ALL ELSE!

God says ABOVE ALL ELSE! Put it at the top of the list of things in the morning. I AM GOING TO GUARD MY HEART TODAY, every moment, every day, every word, every thought.

Mat 5:29-30

• Is it eyes and hands that the LORD is talking about? He’s talking about costing us something to keep our gardens in order. If we need to stop associating with someone ungodly, even if its painful do it! If you’re going to be ridiculed for following HIM, do it! If you have to give up your girlfriend, boyfriend, even if means having no life partner, so be it!
• It’s a matter of life and death.
• No wonder the Bible says it is the wellspring of life and it affects everything we do!

Sunday Re-Cap (20th Aug 2006)

Knowing the Seasons of God
by Ps Donnaven Teoh

Introduction
Mark 1:14-15: We are here for a definite reason and a definite season for a divine purpose. We don’t have to wait for the upper room experience, but we can have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. E.g. Billy Graham knew when the season ended for him and made a graceful exit.

Two Types of Time:

1. Chronos – Natural time


2. Kairos – God’s Time: The time is fulfilled. It has come to a maturity and a time to accomplishment. An opportune moment or season where a foreordained event is going to take place.

Jesus was about 30, when he left the house. When he was baptized, the carpenter disappeared but the Son of Man appeared (new mandate). God gave him open recognition “This is my beloved son…” the new season/office as the Son of man has begun. When he died and resurrected he became the Son of God.

30 in Hebrew signifies maturity. Jesus was waiting for the mandate from heaven and was launched into a new season.

God is ready to do something new. The season has come, let God be God. When Kairos comes, we ought to repent and belief. Repentance – change of heart and be more passionate to reach out; wanting to know what the Father says.

Luke 19:41-44 – Jesus wept because the people we ignorant of what was happening in the season.

In the Flood, Noah took 120 years to build the ark; God’s judgement was upon them who were ignorant.

Lk 19:42 – You miss the Kairos of your visitation. There is a season coming very quickly and God is gathering the hearts of His people.

John 7:5-8 – Jesus knows God’s Season and timing. Jesus knows what and when He is supposed to do. We ought to be walking the walk of Jesus on earth.

Mark 6 – The disciples feed the 5000. As they fed or gave out a miracle happened.

We ought to be walking the walk of Jesus on earth. The Holy Spirit is available all the time but do we have it in our hearts the fullness of God? Know the Kairos time and move with God.

Special Meeting-19th August

Merdeka Prayer Rally

Combined Churches Youth Camp (22-24 Aug)

Rapha Healing Service

Sunday Re-cap (13th August 2006)

Being Renewed In God
By: Sis. Ann Low (NECF)

Text: Isaiah 40:28 -31

We have our hope in the Lord, our Everlasting God.
Eph 1:3 God has blessed us with Blessings. “GROWBM” = God Reaches Out With Blessings Marvelously.
Renew means spring up in our walk with the Lord; being renewed in our spirit man, soul and physical realm.

Why God renews us

1. To be a Strong Christian so that we have the abundance of power to help the weaker ones. Become a blessing to more people. (Eph 3:16-18)

2. God strengthens us so that we can be victorious and rise above the storms of life. Jesus restores and redeems us no matter how many times we fall. Peter denied Jesus, yet was redeemed. Paul was in so much trouble but not defeated.

Rom 8:11 – “God gives life to your mortal bodies through the Holy Spirit.”
Matt 16:18 - The Church shall be strong and the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it.

3. God renews us so that we will not grow weary but He shall be our strength to move fast. Nehemiah with God strength was able to build the wall and to complete it fast.

4. God wants us to persevere and run with endurance and be not weary or wear out. He wants us to walk and not faint.
2 Tim 2:3 - Endure perseverance. Endure the cross, carry the cross endure persecution.

So don’t be a “Yo-yo Christian” but WAIT upon the LORD; be renewed, grow in the Lord and be a blessing to others around you!

Sunday Re-cap (6th Aug 2006)

First Love by Pastor Samuel Hari

Our THEME scripture: Eph 3:10

What does it mean to be a SAINT?

Rev 2:1-5

1. Ephesians Church-good works, good programs, persevered, not weary.
2. However, ONE thing God had against them; they had a lost their first love.
3. We can have EVERYTHING without having that ONE thing. Without that ONE thing we can lose EVERYTHING!
4. There must be intensity, extreme passion for Christ.
5. Do we have our first love? If not, where has it gone?
6. We cannot serve without our first love; next to impossible.
7. No amount of motivation gets us to serve unless we have our first love.
8. We will get tired and eventually die down. We need an encounter with God.
9. Before we can repent and submit and obey, we need to have our first love.
10. We are caught up doing instead of being. We are human BEINGS and not DOINGS.
11. When someone has an encounter with God ie. First Love, we don’t need to keep convincing them i.e. about tithing and giving, doing evangelism, prayer.
12. No 1 priority, get our first love BACK!

How do we lose our first love?

1. After too much of doing and doing, we cross that line and find that our first love is missing.
2. Some never had an encounter with God. Symptom-they need to be prodded and prodded. They cannot understand those who are passionate with God.
3. Cares of this life, deceitfulness of riches, etc. (Matt 13:18-23: Read parable of sower).
4. Disappointments, offenses, unforgiveness, bitterness, discouragement. We need to guard our hearts with ALL DILIGENCE (Prov 4:23)

Let’s reestablish our covenant with God.

1. How? Go back to the places of remembrance. Remember the times God met us in the past. As the patriarchs set up altars. Remember the altars. They constantly reminded themselves and their children about God’s testimonies.
2. Don’t look for excuses and don’t blame anyone.
3. What kind of environment have we set up around us, in our home and church.
4. Keep confessing the word until we get a revelation. Fast and pray and read the Word.
   Let’s devour the WORD.
   
   Do not try to serve God any longer without that First Love!
   
   A saint is not just one who has life but also has life more abundantly! Jn 10:10
   
   It’s not our service that makes us get our first love BUT it’s our FIRST LOVE that makes us and KEEPS US wanting to SERVE!
   

Prayer
LORD, I need an encounter with you again. My family needs an encounter with you again. I need that excitement that I had when I first met you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Do Your Best

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

"When Leonardo da Vinci was still a pupil, his elderly, well-known teacher asked him to finish a painting he, the teacher, had begun.

"Young da Vinci stood in such awe of his master's skill that at first he respectfully declined. But his teacher would accept no excuse. He simply said, 'Do your best.' Trembling, da Vinci took his brush and began. With each stroke, his hand grew more steady as the genius within him awoke. Soon he was so caught up in his work that he forgot his timidity. When the painting was finished, the frail and weak master was carried into the studio to see it. Embracing his student, he exclaimed, 'My son, I paint no more!'"2

Not everyone has the kind of talent and genius that Leonardo da Vinci had, but every one of us has God-given talents that he wants us to develop and use for his glory. He never expects from us what he hasn't gifted us to do. And he has already equipped us to do what he wants us to do. So use what talents you possess. Do your best and leave the rest to God. As Henry van Dyke said, "The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the talents you have given to me. Please help me to see what they are, develop them fully, and use them to the best of my ability for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

The Church: The Cure for Difficulties

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused im. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
--1 Samuel 16:7

Indeed it may be truthfully said that everything of lasting value in the Christian life is unseen and eternal. things seen are of little real significance in the light of God's presence. He pays small attention to the beauty of a woman or the strength of a man. With Him the heart is all that matters. The rest of the life comes into notice only because it represents the dwelling place of the eternal being. The solution to life's problems is spiritual because the essence of life is spiritual. It is astonishing how many difficulties clear up without any effort when the inner life gets straightened out....

Church difficulties are spiritual also and admit of a spiritual answer. Whatever may be wrong in the life of any church may be cleared up by recognizing the quality of the trouble and dealing with it at the root. Prayer, humility and a generous application of the Spirit of Christ will cure just about any disease in the body of believers. Yet this is usually the last thing we think about when difficulties arise. We often attempt to cure spiritual ills with carnal medicines, and the results are more than disappointing. The Next Chapter After the Last, 82-83.

"Problems loom so large, Lord, because they seem so prevalent. Help our church to focus on 'prayer, humility and a generous application of the Spirit of Christ.' Amen."

Respect for Life

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder.

Respect for Life
Every 22 seconds someone in the United States is
beaten, stabbed, shot, robbed, raped or killed.
The average American citizen has a 1 in 153
chance of being murdered. Intentional
killings-murders and suicides-rank fourth among
causes of U.S. deaths, after heart disease,
cancer and accidents. Obviously, such a low
regard for human life is appalling and reflects
how far America has strayed from the principles
of the Ten Commandments.
But Jesus broadened the "You shall not murder"
commandment even more. He said, "You have heard
that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not
murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of
the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment" (Matt. 5:21-22).
While Christians are unlikely to murder someone
physically, they can easily be murderers in their
heart. Perhaps you can identify with Clarence
Darrow, the famous criminal lawyer, who said,
"Everyone is a potential murderer. I have not
killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction
out of obituary notices."
When we have hatred in our hearts toward someone
or we nurse an angry attitude toward a person who
has offended us, we qualify under Jesus'
guidelines as murderers. That may be shocking,
but it's true. If you fall into this category,
ask God to forgive you and to replace your anger
and bitterness with an unconditional love for the
one you previously hated. Go to that person and
seek reconciliation. Ask for forgiveness because
of your inappropriate attitudes. Reach out to her
and try to make your one-time enemy your friend.
It's the only way to remove murderous attitudes
from your heart. Since your attitudes are just as
important as your actions, don't dismiss too
quickly what the Lord Jesus said. Take an
attitude check today and see if there is murder
in your heart, even if it is not in your head.

An attitude can murder just as easily as an ax.
_________________________________________________

The Church: 100 Pianos

..that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You,
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me.
--John 17:21

Someone may fear that we are magnifying private religion out of all
proportion, that the "us" of the New Testament is being displaced by
a selfish "I." Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos
all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?
They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to
another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one
hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ,
are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were
they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to
strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when
private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its
members become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the
members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life.
The Pursuit of God, 90.

"Lord, let this start with me. Give me a closer walk with You today.
Then as a leader enable me to encourage others as well, individually,
so that all to whom I minister might be in harmony as we individually
are close to You. Amen."

It's Time for a Change (Fasting)

Fasting is a knife that cuts away superficiality, getting to the bone. Effective, because it is able to break up daily patterns upon which you have become so dependent. When those patterns of pleasure are removed, you are left with your own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt, then during fasting, you will come face to face with a vacuum that only God can fill.

Fasting also applies pressure to the flesh, and, you may be appalled at how much the flesh will squirm. But it is high time that the flesh is removed from the role of God, dethroned and placed under the foot of your will. It is the creativity of a freed will which lifts us above animal instincts and releases us from the cages of empty routine.

Fasting accomplishes two purposes. First, it will reveal how much the flesh has taken control of your emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the flesh’s hold upon the will.
Fasting will invariably bring to the surface deep seated fears which affect thinking and decision-making. It does this by challenging that complex human instinct called self-preservation. This instinct has been created in every living thing on earth, including man. But you are a New Creation in Christ, recreated not to be controlled by instincts. Because of your rebirth, you have been recreated into a creature of a higher and more grand design than that of your former life.
Fasting forces us to face the chaos of addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we are.

Want to get off the conveyer belt of life? Smash those meaningless patterns—the ones you hated in your youth when you had passion, a sparkle for living, when you really believed in something—promising never to get trapped in the horrible mundane in which mom and dad lived as you grew up. Do you want to live a life with meaning, driven by conviction, even willing to take a chance—becoming the best you can before God? Do you want to be empowered by the Master of your destiny? His desire is for you to be decisive, powerful, self-controlled and free.
But first we must come to grips with those hidden, subtle demons of our character: fear, hopelessness, worry, doubt and selfishness. Beat the bushes, flush them out, expose them for what they are and destroy them with the power of the Word.

They don’t die quietly, because their tentacles can reach into your emotions. They taint everything they touch, no matter how pure. Their presence will rise up against you with great force when you try to fast before the Lord.

When you begin to face them, you set yourself up for failure. There is a risk of pain, especially if you are willing to go deep. It takes courage to go down to the bottom. Who knows what you may find? Faces from the past. Forgotten horrors in the root cellar of your soul. But God is there too. There is no part of you which He does not see, no matter how well you hide. And He loves you and longs to see you set free.

During fasting, patterns of living are broken. Fasting can be an oasis of spiritual refreshment in a life that has become a desert of uselessness. A spiritual desert that has been left in the wake of selfish materialism.

We have been warned not to conform to the patterns of this world, but if you are honest, very little of your lifestyle is different from that of your neighbor’s.
Quite frankly, for Christ to become front-and-center in your life, things will have to be sacrificed. And at the start, it is going to hurt.

True, spiritual fasting smashes religion and draws a distinguishable line in the sand. It is a magnifying glass that allows us to examine our unconscious patterns of living. The driving force of where our life is going. That is why Satan has invested so much energy towards controlling the subconscious patterns of mankind. He will be appalled if you attempt a fast because fasting exposes how much he has been able to infiltrate the destiny of your life.
Ron Lagerquist

Priority One

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Exodus 20:1-3And God spoke all these words, saying: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
John Wanamaker was a man who had his priorities straight. In the late 19th century he opened a department store in Philadelphia. Within a few years the enterprise became one of the most successful businesses in the country. But operating his store wasn't Wanamaker's only responsibility. He was also named Postmaster General of the United States and served as the superintendent for what was then the largest Sunday school in the world at Bethany Presbyterian Church. When someone asked him how he could hold all these positions at once, he explained, "Early in life I read, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you' [Matt. 6:33].That's what I've done." In the midst of a busy life, Mr. Wanamaker made God his number-one priority and the results speak for themselves. As the Israelites began their new life of freedom, God instructed them to "have no othergods before Me." This was not for His benefit,but for theirs. To live life successfully, we must know what's most important. All of our other priorities will be out of kilter until we get our first priority straight. When we know what comes first, the rest will fall into place. God must always come first in our lives, in our daily schedules, our checkbooks, our estate plans, our thoughts and our actions. He is priority one.If your life is chaotic, it may indicate your priorities are jumbled. Make God priority one in your life and you may be surprised at how easily everything else comes together. Only by starting your priorities right can you hope to end them right.Everything begins with the right priorities, and right priorities begin with God.

Never Soar as High Again?

By Selwyn Hughes

For reading & meditation - 1 Peter 1:3-9"These have come so that your faith ... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (v. 7)

We turn now to examine some of the ways in which our lives become fractured, and what we can do to become "strong at the broken places." We begin by looking at the brokenness which comes about through failure. Probably someone reading these words is caught up in a vortex of gloom due to a failure. You may be feeling like the man who said to me: "I am stunned by my failure. My life is shattered into smithereens. I read somewhere that 'the bird with the broken wing will never soar as high again.' Does that mean I can never rise to the heights in God which once I knew?"
I reminded him of Simon Peter - a man with one of the worst track records in the New Testament. He was prejudiced, bigoted, stubborn, and spiritually insensitive. Again and again he got his wires crossed, such as the time when he attempted to divert Christ from going to His death in Jerusalem (Matt. 16:22), or his insistence that they should stay on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:4). Then, on the eve of Christ's crucifixion, he denied and even cursed his Lord. I can imagine Satan whispering in his ear: "Now you're finished. Burned out. A failure. You'll be forgotten ... replaced."
But by God's grace, Peter rose from failure to success. He became "strong at the broken places." Because he refused to live in the shadow of his bad track record, his two letters are enshrined forever in the Scriptures. Failures, you see, are only temporary tests to prepare us for more permanent triumphs.

Prayer:
O Father, I see so clearly that no failure is a failure if it succeeds in driving me to Your side. All things serve me - when I serve You. Amen.

Discipline vs. Punishment

God said, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline."1

Nine-year-old Al had disobeyed his father who, as a strict disciplinarian, sent him with a note to a police station in London. When Al came in late after curfew, his father met him at the door and handed him a note and said, "Take it to the jail house."Al was terrified. "The officer, a friend of his father, opens the note, reads it, and nods. 'Follow me.' He leads the wide-eyed youngster to a jail cell, opens the door, and tells him to enter. The officer clangs the door shut. 'This is what we do to naughty boys,' he explains and walks away.... The jail sentence lasts only five minutes. But those five minutes felt like five months. Al never forgot that day. The sound of the clanging door, he often told people, stayed with him the rest of his life."The fear of losing a father's love exacts a high toll. Al spent the rest of his life hearing the clanging door. That early taste of terror contributed to his lifelong devotion to creating the same in others. For Al--Alfred Hitchcock--made a career out of scaring people."2
True, discipline is important but the "punishment"always needs to fit the crime. Some children are impaired for life because of severe punishment as achild. Others are left terrified if they were beaten severely or abused. It is imperative that parents never discipline out of anger because that is punishment, not discipline. Discipline always needs to be in love. Those whom God loves, he disciplines in love--not punishes in anger. We need to do the same with our children.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when you discipline me it is always out of your love for me and for my good. Help me to do the same when disciplining my children. May it always be in love and never out of anger. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

Sunday Re-Cap 30th July 2006

LESSONS FROM SOLOMON
By Pastor Samuel Hari

Background:
Ecc 1: Solomon towards the end of his life is seen as a totally frustrated man, complaining about life. What made him this way? Are many of us in the same predicament? Frustrated and complaining about everything even though we’ve been Christians for years and know the bible cover to cover? Is more PRAYER and more WORD the answer?

Solomon’s life
1 Kgs 3: Solomon’s early life was full of great promises and answers from God. He had all the wisdom and all the knowledge and honor and riches. He even had a great manifestation of God (1 Kgs 8:10-11). Were all this enough to sustain his walk with God? Sometimes we think that all this is the purpose of our Christian walk. But what did it to do Solomon?

1 Kgs 11: 1-13: Solomon walked away from God in spite of all the great things he had and in spite of everything going great for him.

What keeps us “fresh” and excited about God? Is it more knowledge and more prayer? All these are extremely important foundations for our Christian walk but what keeps us going can be found in the life (and heart) of David.

Ps 51: Gives us a great glimpse into the heart of David. Some of these characteristics are:

1. Submission-“who am I submitted to?” It’s not about the one we’re submitted to but it’s about our own heart attitude.


2. Conviction-no amount of reading and praying the word will change us unless we have conviction. Too many times we read the pages without allowing the WORD to read us.


3. Repentance is a natural flow over from conviction. It’s no use repenting for the sake of repenting if there’s no conviction. FIRST conviction THEN repentance. Repentance is a total overhaul of the mindset. A renewing of the mind.


4. Obedience must follow repentance. Otherwise all we’ll be doing is repenting day in and day out.


5. This will lead to humility before God and one another.

The Conclusion of the Matter
We must be careful not to do the above in our own strength. Solomon gives us instruction in Ecc 12:9-14.
The Fear of God is essential in our walk with God. Without it, all of the above will make us not unlike any other religions in the world which is man’s attempt to please God. Let us FEAR GOD and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS though the strength of the HOLY SPIRIT.