Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Sunday Re Cap (28th Oct 2007)

GODLY WISDOM – HOW TO GET IT AND HOW TO USE IT!
By Don Boots

Click here to listen to this message

If our Father God offered you anything in the world that you wanted, what would you ask for?

  • King Solomon asked for wisdom – Wisdom to discern good from evil, so that he could lead God’s people wisely.
  • However, the attraction of wealth and possessions, plus, the foreign women he married eventually pulled his heart away from serving God, and caused Solomon, and the nation of Israel, to fall into idolatry.
  • The lesson is clear. Keep our love for the Lord, and His Wisdom, as the number one primary objective in our lives – all our lives.

Godly Wisdom – How to get it and How to keep it.

(I) – What is Godly Wisdom?

Proverbs 1:1-7 (NLT) Psalms 14, 53 & Psalm 119:99

“Wisdom is Knowledge, and the power of applying it – or common sense.” Oxford Dictionary

(II) – What does Godly Wisdom do for us?

Proverbs 2: 1-12 (NLT)

People with Godly Wisdom are generally Faithful Available Submissive Teachable

Proverbs 2: 6-8 Who gives wisdom?

(III) How do we get this Godly Wisdom?

We learn it! (Proverbs 1: 2 NLT) We learn it by listening to God’s Holy Spirit and keep His advice – not man’s, and following what God’s Word says.

Proverbs 8:12-17 (NLT), Proverbs 8: 32-33 (NLT)

(IV) How do we keep Godly Wisdom?

Joshua 1:8 (NLT)

  1. STUDY God’s Word
  2. MEDITATE on it
  3. TWICE a Day – morning and night
  4. OBEY what is written in it
  5. Stay HUMBLE

James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5 say “God Resists the proud and gives Grace to the Humble.

Our actions often have repercussions our children feel. I Chronicles 12: 1

  • Having Godly Wisdom requires work and diligent effort.
  • The rewards are so much more beneficial than the effort it takes.
  • God’s Wisdom is for EVERYONE
  • Keep your heart in tune with God’s Wisdom and obey His Voice. James 3: 13-18
  • People become lazy and neglect reading the Word and spending time in God.

CHOOSE TODAY – not to be one of those who get lazy – CHOOSE TODAY – Godly Wisdom and a Godly Lifestyle (Deuteronomy 30: 15-19)

TODAY – CHOOSE LIFE! YOU MAKE THE CHOICE!

Letter From YWAM

Dear Pastor Sam
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to share about YWAM in your churches. We had a great time and excited to see the respond of your church members. That was very encouraging.
We do have 2 fun and short ministries about to start in November and December'07.
1. King's kids in Ipoh -
It will be running from Dec 2nd until 18th. It will be in 2 phrase.
  • Dec 2nd - 7th is the lecture phrase - kids will get to learn to dance, about God characters, hearing God's voice, presenting the gospel, etc.
  • Dec 8th - 18th is the outreach phrase. The outreach location is the Philippines.
  • School fee - it is RM700/- ground fee (excluding flight ticket)
  • Who can get involve: children who are below 12 years old need to be accompany by their parents throughout the school and outreach. While children above 12 years old, they can come by themselves.
  • One of the goals for this fun and exciting ministry is not only for children only but the ultimate aim is family value. It would be great for the parents to get involve with their children in thier process. It is a journey for parents and children grow together in their spiritual journey with the Lord.
2. MAC (Mission Adventure Camp) in Sabah
  • Date: Nov 19 - Dec 8th
  • school fee: RM200/- ( food and accommodation, including to and fro from the airport to the camp site)
  • Outreach location - difference villages in Sabah
  • topics: very basic teaching on: who God is; hearing God voice; spiritual warfare = approximately 10 topics
  • classroom hours: teaching will be few hours in the morning, then follow by few hours of outreach prep.
3. DTS (Disciple Training School) in Sabah
  • Date: Jan 19th - June 28th
  • Fee : RM1,500/- only for 3 months lecture phrase, exclude outreach fee. Outreach fee is depending on location that choosen by the team(s).
  • 3 months lecture phrase 2 months outreach
  • outreach locations will probably be Indonesia, interior Sabah, Sawarak or East Malaysia
  • Who can be involve: it can be a bilingual school (bahasa Malaysia and English). Mostly the school will be using Bahasa Malaysia as their main language.
If any of your church members are keen to join us. Please do not hesitate to write or call us. We will be pleased to assist them.
Thank you and blessings.
In Him
Nora Kua
YWAM Malaysia

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Sunday Re Cap (21st Oct 2007)

Why we should give our lives to share the Gospel.
by Dr Peter Chin

We are in the business of ‘making disciples’ - Great Commission

1. God did not call the angels to preach the Gospel. God has given us this awesome privilege to witness for Him.

2. The modern church has many sins. Ranking high in the sins of the modern church is the sin that we would not dream of as a sin – the sin of silence. – failing to witness JC to this dying world.

Why we as Christians should be giving our lives to share the Gospel of JC?

A. COMMISSION OF JESUS 2 COR. 5:17-20

Command

the supreme duty

the supreme command.

B. COMPASSION OF JESUS - Jonah; Jude 21-23;Ps 126:5-6


OUR TEARS -
Missing element in our life. Ps. 126:5-6, Matt. 9:36, Rom 9:2

PEOPLE DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

  • Romans 8:9
  • Going – Sowing – Weeping - Reaping
  • If we want to grow in our spiritual life, the answer is share the Gospel to others.
  • If you want your Christian life to be exciting, you must continue to share the Gospel
  • I pray that you will dare enough and care enough to share the Gospel. To say, Lord, any time, anywhere, any cost, I will go.
  • God has put feet on our faith to take the Gospel everywhere. Start where you are!

C. COMPETENCY IN JESUS Act 1:8; 2 Cor. 3:5

- Jesus has called us to a life of faithfulness not success. On the contrary, He has also called us to a life of fruitfulness. John 15

The COMPETENCE / adequacy of Jesus in us through the HS – will overcome our fears and reluctances to share the Gospel.

We must know who we are in Christ to begin with to be effective in sharing the Gospel. Then to know that He has deposited the HS power in every child of God to make contagious and mighty witnesses in this land.

He will make you able and adequate to accomplish His task.

Sunday Re Cap (21st Oct 2007)

Why we should give our lives to share the Gospel
by Dr Peter Chin

Click here to listen to this message

We are in the business of ‘making disciples’ - Great Commission

1. God did not call the angels to preach the Gospel. God has given us this awesome privilege to witness for Him.

2. The modern church has many sins. Ranking high in the sins of the modern church is the sin that we would not dream of as a sin – the sin of silence. – failing to witness JC to this dying world.

Why we as Christians should be giving our lives to share the Gospel of JC?

A. COMMISSION OF JESUS 2 COR. 5:17-20

Command

the supreme duty

the supreme command.


B.
COMPASSION OF JESUS - Jonah; Jude 21-23;Ps 126:5-6


OUR TEARS -
Missing element in our life.
Ps. 126:5-6, Matt. 9:36, Rom 9:2

PEOPLE DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

  • Romans 8:9
  • Going – Sowing – Weeping - Reaping
  • If we want to grow in our spiritual life, the answer is share the Gospel to others.
  • If you want your Christian life to be exciting, you must continue to share the Gospel
  • I pray that you will dare enough and care enough to share the Gospel. To say, Lord, any time, anywhere, any cost, I will go.
  • God has put feet on our faith to take the Gospel everywhere. Start where you are!

C. COMPETENCY IN JESUS Act 1:8; 2 Cor. 3:5

- Jesus has called us to a life of faithfulness not success. On the contrary, He has also called us to a life of fruitfulness. John 15

The COMPETENCE / adequacy of Jesus in us through the HS – will overcome our fears and reluctances to share the Gospel.

We must know who we are in Christ to begin with to be effective in sharing the Gospel. Then to know that He has deposited the HS power in every child of God to make contagious and mighty witnesses in this land.

He will make you able and adequate to accomplish His task.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Monday, October 22, 2007

Rugby and Grace

This is one of the best commentaries on grace that I've read. Moved me to tears...

Click the link to read. Amazing Grace How Sweet The Sound...

LookSmart's FindArticles - Parable of the kingdom: rugby and grace - South Africa

Christian Century, Jan 17, 1996, by Robin Petersen

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

God, the Internet, and life

God, the Internet, and life
by John Fischer

The Internet is a huge shared resource that is serviced and provided for by many. It is also used (and abused) by normal (whatever that is) people and many a nefarious character. It is a wonder that things work most of the time." Does it surprise you that when it comes to the Internet, no one seems to fully know what is going on? This huge web we have come to rely upon for everything from our bank accounts to our transportation, to our gas and electricity is no more reliable than this? Doesn't that make you feel real secure? One nefarious character out there could mess it up for all of us.

You know, I don't think life is much different. I think my webmaster has come up with a pretty good explanation of life, at least from a human perspective. Life is a huge shared resource that is serviced and provided for by many. It is also used (and abused) by normal (whatever that is) people and many a nefarious character. It is a wonder that things work most of the time.

Given this, it is an even bigger wonder that God is overseeing all of this, and what looks to us like uncontrollable chaos, to him is totally under control. Nothing escapes his watchful eye. Even the head nefarious character on the planet has to check in with God first before he can do anything. That should give you some security. The Internet is not secure, but God is. We need to be sure and pin our hopes on the right thing. So to all nefarious characters within the sound of this email, don't think you can get away with something God has not already allowed.

Friday, October 12, 2007

A JUST IN TIME WORD

"A JUST IN TIME WORD: Many Are Facing Problems that Only God Can Fix"

So Don't Believe the Devil's Lies....
...that you have to be perfect. That you can't be happy unless things go your way. That your worth is determined by your performance. That God only loves you when you do everything right.
Although Jesus has saved us, we are in the process of being repaired. This is called sanctification (Ephesians 5:26). When you allow the devil to tell you lies about yourself, you shipwreck your emotional and spiritual life. You will never be perfect in this life and you will never measure up to God's standards in your own power. This is one of the primary weapons of the devil--getting you to believe a lie.
God did not destine you to be a failure. Years ago, Ray Charles sang a song: Born to Lose. Not one of God's children was born to lose. You've got it all wrong. You were born to win! (Romans 8:37). The devil is the loser. Get that through your head.

Don't Ever Consider Quitting Because You Are Not Good Enough
Listen, God uses weak vessels (1 Corinthians 1:27). This immediately qualifies you and me. God uses the unsophisticated. He chose losers (1 Corinthians 1:28), sinners and disheveled people. God uses the rejected. He chose prostitutes (Luke 7:37) and the "down and outers." God loves to use the unlovely to confound the prideful. God uses the common people (Mark 12:37), not the rich, famous and beautiful. This is not Hollywood. He's the Holy Spirit not the Hollywood Spirit. Don't quit, instead spit--at the devil!

You Are Not A Failure, So Don't Act Like One
Don't repeat what the devil says. That's like telling God HE is a liar. God never lies (Numbers 23:19). You are so very precious to your Heavenly Father. You are not a failure. The devil is the failure. God doesn't birth losers. He takes what used to be a loser and makes them winners.
Agree with God, resist the devil (and he will flee from you) and stand up straight. Shake off doubt and embrace faith. You used to be part of the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13), but are now in the Kingdom of Light (1 Peter 2:9). Shine, child of God and resist the darkness (1 John 2:8). You are very, very special to God. He loves you.
Failures whine. They complain, they moan, they snivel. They feel sorry for themselves. They have a "woe is me attitude." They throw massive pity parties. Listen, when you do those things, you are doing exactly what the devil wants you to do. The devil knows that when you do these things, you lose all interest in living the Victorious Kingdom life God has designed for you.
That's the life that cares more about others than itself. The life that is interested in spreading the good news of the Gospel and reaching a lost world for Christ. The life of joy is in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
You are not a failure, so don't act like one. Period.

Aggressively Dismiss the Negative Thoughts
If you lose the battle in your mind, you lose the battle completely. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Practice thinking positively (until that's all you do). God is the ultimate "Norman Vincent Peale" type (champion of positive thinking). We are not to think evil or negatively (I Corinthians 13:5). When you think negative thoughts, you are ignoring the love God has for you.
Renew your mind (Romans 12:2) with God's Word. Yes, the Bible tells us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3), but many people have the opposite problem--thinking lower than they ought. Snap out of it. What should you be thinking? The Bible is very clear: true things, honest things, just things, pure things, lovely things, good things, virtuous things and all things worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). When we do this, we get the peace of God in our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).

Discover What the Word Says About You
You are greatly loved (Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 3:1). Not just accepted; not just barely making it into Heaven. No, you are the object of His affection (Ephesians 3:17-20). You are being held in His arms (Deuteronomy 33:27). You are in God's thoughts now. God has plans for you. "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).
Imagine that. God is thinking about you. This all powerful, loving God is thinking about you. Stop thinking negatively and start thinking what God thinks about you. When should you do this? Not tomorrow, not next week, not next year. Not when things get better. Not when the money rolls in. Do it NOW.

Declare What the Word Says About You...While God Works on Your Problem
Personalize Jeremiah 29:11 by saying, "I know that God has plans to prosper me. I know that God has a hope and a future for me and I know those plans are good and I know that they will come to pass because God said they would."
We are commanded to sing and rejoice in the Lord (Colossians 3:16). Do it by faith. I don't care how you feel. Faith your way out of those feelings by declaring who you are in Christ. Shout against every doubt and lie that the devil would throw at you. Declare it and do it. God is the ultimate authority on all truth and He says you are not a failure. Always look for the good (Philippians 4:8).
Get up and God will strengthen you. Get up and get moving. Get up and stay up. When you get up, the devil will stay down. He knows that when you take your rightful place, he has to stay in his (Luke 10:19). He's the loser. You are the winner. Get the picture?

Al Thomas
Celebrating His Life Ministries
Email: a.thomas@myactv.net

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Sunday Re Cap (7th Oct 2007)

GODISNOWHERE
by Rev George Butron

Clearing the confusion about God’s presence and finding Him everywhere you turn.

2 Chron 2:6; Ps 139:7-10

I. GOD IS NEAR, RIGHT HERE!

Deut 4:7 Acts 17:26-28

II. WE DO NOT ALWAYS SEE THINGS CLEARLY

He is closer than you think

III. GOD COMES CLOSE AND SHOWS HIMSELF

  • In Creation
  • In the Garden
  • Through events: Flood, Babel
  • Through a Promise and a Covenant
  • Through Dreams, Visions, Voices
  • Through Circumstances (Joseph)
  • In a burning bush
  • Plagues, miracles, wonders
  • A pillar of cloud and fire

Gen 28:10-13 and verse 16

IV. WE ARE OFTEN SLOW TO RECOGNIZE HIM

  • Jacob at Bethel (Gen 28:10-17)
  • Samuel being called (I Sam 3:1-10)
  • The servant of Elisha (II Kings 6:16-17)
  • The disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32)

“God has various was of drawing us to him, but sometimes he hides himself”

-Brother Lawrence

V. PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE, LOOKING FOR HIS HAND

  • The central promise of the Bible
  • Discovering how near He really is
  • God’s persistent pursuit of us means we must learn to recognize and respond to:
    • Divine Appointments
    • Activity of the Holy Spirit
    • God’s Word/Prayer/Worship
    • Circumstances both good and bad

Ps 16:5-8

Making Points With God

Making Points With God
by Jon Walker

“For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.” (Romans 3:20-21 NLT)

Brett Favre, the lion-hearted quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, is one of my favorite players in the National Football League. He’s courageous and tough-minded, showing a rare grace under pressure, yet his boyish enthusiasm for the game is infectious as he celebrates each Packer success. A couple of Sundays ago (Sept. 30), Brett threw a pass that set a new record: the most touchdown passes by an NFL quarterback – 421.
Although the Pack was playing in Minnesota , the officials temporarily stopped the game in order to honor Brett’s achievement. And Brett, in his customary humility, later said he was more interested in a team win than an individual record.
In surprising contrast, the very next week (Oct. 8) Brett tied another record: the most interceptions thrown by an NFL quarterback – 277. This game also was stopped after this record was achieved, but only because the interception ended the Packer’s last-second attempt to win the game.
The most touchdown passes and the most interceptions! It reminds me that there was a time when Babe Ruth, the baseball player who was one of the greatest hitters in the game, owned two records simultaneously: the most home runs hit in a career as well as the most strike-outs in a career.

Here’s the thing: We tend to think of life as a balance sheet that we’ll eventually present to God. As long as the number of our touchdown passes exceed the number of our interceptions, then we’re cool with God, right? To echo the Apostle Paul, God forbid this to be true!

“For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.” (Romans 3:20 NLT)

In other words, we can never be made right by throwing touchdown passes – because the more we learn about the Law, the more obvious it is we can never throw enough touchdown passes to make things right with God.

“But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.” (Romans 3:21 NLT)

In his own geek-Greek way, Paul is saying we should forget the balance sheet – ignore the scoreboard, give up on tracking good and bad statistics. Listen, there is good news! There’s another way to get right in God’s sight, and it has nothing to do with your own achievements. It’s based on a promise made by God long ago – a promise is fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

Can I get an amen?

We are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift from God, not by our own works, so that none of us can boast of the ability to tip the balance sheet in our own favor. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
No doubt you’ve heard this over and over again, including many times in these devotionals. Yet many of us still live as if we get right in God’s sight by what we do – by our works, our achievements, the records we set.
We do this because it is, as Paul says, an offense to think of the Gospel as so simple and, therefore, it becomes a stumbling block to our pride. Getting right in God’s sight by what we do appeals to our human pride, or as the poet-king James would say, it appeals to our “flesh.”
It makes us feel good, as if we’re doing something to earn our way into heaven. If we cling to the idea that we can, even in some small way, contribute toward our salvation, then we also can cling to the idea that maybe we’re not that bad – maybe we aren’t included in the “all” of “all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.”
Put that behind you and get on with the truth: You, my friend, can never be made right in God's sight by doing what is right – because the closer you get to God, the more you’ll realize you’re not even close to getting it right (see Isaiah 6 and Romans 3:20).
The one thing you can do is to move in loving obedience to your gracious heavenly Father, doing and saying whatever he tells you to do and say; allowing your life to be energized by God’s Spirit within you.
What now?
· “Balance sheet” fear – Good news! You are free to follow the Father instead of living in “balance sheet” fear. You can be who you were meant to be and you can live how you were meant to live. You don’t have to be good enough – you just have to trust in the redemptive power of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. And you don’t have to fear if you hold both the record for most touchdown passes and the record for most interceptions – love God and live accordingly!
· Record of faith – A record of your faith in Jesus is more important than any record of your wrongs or resume of your achievements. If you haven’t already done this, set a spiritual marker as a reminder that you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Write it down – or establish some other kind of tangible memorial for this event – and every time the devil tells you you’ll never be good enough for God, or that you’re so good you can remain independent of God, take him to that marker and remind him that you are right in God’s sight because of Jesus.
· Big play – Next time you’re watching a sporting event and one of the players makes the big play, turn to the person next to you and say, “That was a great play, but it won’t make him right in God’s sight.”
· Huge error – Likewise, next time you’re watching a sporting event and one of the players makes a huge erro, turn to the person next to you and say, “That was a huge error, but the good news is it won’t keep him from getting right in God’s sight.”
· Pray for others – Ask God to show you who to pray for, related to getting right in God’s sight. It may be a non-believer or someone who believes but struggles in this area. Pray that this person will know God’s “different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago (Romans 3:21 NLT) And pray that Brett Favre and his family will come to know this truth, so that when he retires from football he can spend the rest of his life preaching how to be right in God’s sight.

© 2007 Jon Walker . All rights reserved.

SPM-Bible Knowledge

Please help to circulate to all Christian parents to share with their children.

Indranee Liew wrote:

Dear friends

Pls promote Bible Knowledge as an SPM subject....Ministry of Education will abolish it unless a minimum of 3000 students take it as a subject for the 2008 SPM exam. Malaysia is the only Muslim country with Bible Knowledge as an official subject in a public exam so let's work towards getting churches to promote it. The Bible Knowledge syllabus is very easy....students are examined on

· the life and ministry of Jesus - Gospel of Luke
· the early church - Acts of the Apostles

Form 5 students can cover the materials in one year, i.e. start in December/January and complete the syllabus by September. Please contact me at meiranee@yahoo.com for details of the exam and teachers who teach this subject.

Indranee Liew
Island Glades Gospel CentrePenang

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Sunday Re Cap (30th Sept 2007)

The Essence Of Love

Text: 1 Cor 13

Paraphrased version
  1. Though I can speak with 5 languages and talk intelligently on dozens of subjects, if I don’t have enough love to keep from gossiping or putting down others, I’m not just making so much useless noise, I’m being downright destructive.
  2. And though I read the Bible regularly and even know parts of it by heart, and though I pray daily and have a lot of faith and other spiritual gifts, if I don’t have enough love to sometimes sacrifice some of my personal desires for others’ sake, then all my spirituality amounts to nothing.
  3. And though I work two jobs to provide for my family, and though I give to charity and volunteer for every community project that comes up, if I don’t show love and kindness to those I live and work with, all my hard work and self sacrifice are worthless.
  4. Love has a long hard frustrating day at the office, yet doesn’t get snappy and short tempered. Love is happy for the other guy when he gets all the breaks. Love doesn’t have to drive the flashiest car, live in the biggest house, or have all the latest gadgets. Love doesn’t always have to be the boss or have the last word.
  5. Love isn’t rude or crude, isn’t selfish, and doesn’t gripe, guilt trip, or pressure others to get what it wants. Love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own. Love doesn’t freak out when things don’t go its way. Love is quick to believe the best about people and slow to believe the rest.
  6. Love hates to hear gossip and instead wants to only talk about others’ good qualities and the good that they’ve done. Love knows that what it listens to, watches, or reads will affect its attitudes and actions and thereby have an effect on others, so it’s careful about how it spends its time.
  7. Love is flexible, takes everything in stride, and can handle whatever comes its way. Love is always ready to give others the benefit of doubt and looks for the best in them. Love wants to see others reach their full potential and does all it can to make that happen. Love never runs out of patience, even with those who are slow to get with the program nor do their share. Love does not keep looking at the watch when others are.
  8. Love never fails. I fail others and others can fail me. We all can be mistaken, misguided, or confused at times. Our words and deeds often fall short, and our bright ideas don’t always play out the way we want or expect them to.
  9. We’re frail fallible, and often foolish, and our understanding of the world we live in, not to mention the world to come, is only partial at best.
  10. But when God’s spirit of love lives in us; that changes everything.
  11. We’re really just children when it comes to practicing real love, but God can help us outgrow our childish ways.
  12. Without Him we are clueless when it comes to love and the other things that matter most in life, but when we live in His Kingdom-the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus said is now within us-we can see things as He does, get our priorities straight, pull out the stops, and live and love to the full.
  13. There are a lot of nice things in life and lots of good things, but none are as good of as important as love!

Let's live to love!