Friday, July 31, 2009

Weekend Event


Most of you would have known by now that Brother Alfred and a few of us will be driving up country to Sri Aman to meet up with Guruka Ita a widow we are going to help. Her husband passed away recently, and she is too sick to work. She has three children in form3,4, and 5. For her immediate needs we are buying her some provisions from the kind donation of our members. Here is a picture of the purchases so far, these are not all we will see whether we need to get some more things.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Must See - Inspiring story



Many of us, including myself complaint so much when we faced a little difficulties. However, there are so many people who are worst off than us. We are a blessed lot. See how this blind man lead a fulfilled life. A true inspiration to us!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

There is none like you



John Piper on prosperity Gospel

Sunday, July 26, 2009

FBC - Business Meeting


After Church service this morning, the business meeting started. The minutes of the previous meeting was confirmed. Praise God that the tithes of the past quarter as compared to the same period last year was about the same.
The next important message was about our new Church building. According to brother Simon Lau, the piling works should start by Aug or Sept. The target completion date of the Church is end 2011.
All Church members are encouraged to give suggestions about the usage of the Church's space. After all the Church service only happen on Sunday, the rest of the time is left idle. If any one has any good suggestion please forward to the Church Office. Brother Albert Law is suppose to be in charge of space usage, mean time you can send suggestions to the Church Office until further announcements.
Personally I feel that there is insufficient information to make concrete suggetions. Question like,"How much space there are for rent?" "How many rooms are there, and how big is each room? "can the sanctuary be rented out?" "What kind of amendities available to support tenants?" Questions like these have not be answered.
Anywhere, we should try our best to come up with useful suggestions. Well, let put on our thinking cap and get cracking!

Habitat for Humanity





At our cell meeting last week, brother Chiew shared about his meeting with Habitat national office in KL last week. Praise God that the meeting went well! Just to share some pictures of our visit to Mongolia under Habitat in 2005. Brother Chiew, Sister Lee Nah,Brother Ronnie, Sister Yonna,Brother Tim & his wife,myself and several others were in Mongolia for the built. It was very interesting and encouraging. Just to give a little of ourselves to help others.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Tapioca Cake


In case, some of you are wandering why food receipe is also featured in our blog. Well, last night after our cell meeting we had our usual makan. Some of you like he tapioca cake made by me. Sister Sarah suggested I put the receipe on our blog.

Receipe:

1. About 500 gms of grated tapioca.( Cost RM1 at Stutong Market )
2. About 250 gms grated white coconut ( do not buy the dark ones with a some brown hask of the coconut. Cost RM0.50 )
3. 4-5 table spoons of suger ( reduce if you wish )
4. 2 table spoons of butter

Method:

Mix the tapioca with the coconut mix them well, add in the sugar continu to stir, add in butter and continue to mix until all ingredients are well done.

Put all the mixture in a oven proof container e.g Corning ware, or aluminum can ware. For good result the mixture should be about 4-5 cm deep )

Set oven at 180 degrees, time it for 1 hour 5 minutes.

TIMES UP!!!!!!!!!

Wow! your tapioca cake is ready to eat! May look ugly ( dark colour after baking) but taste heavenly!

Praise God for this simple receipe, and yet tasting heavenly!

Sisters and Brothers ( cos ladies usually make cakes mah!) after you have tested this receipe don't forget to share with all of us!

Alwin

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Colourful Holy Communion


Last Sunday 19th July our Church had a colourful Holy Communion as the members of Brother Bernard's are from Africa. They came in their national costume and it really brightened up our Church, as well as adding a special touch to communion. It was a joining of people and spirit from all over the places. Praise God!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Gold Investment Company


Be careful with gold investment company. Bank Negara is investigating some of these ompanies. Read the story below:
Bank Negara Malaysia Investigates Genneva Sdn Bhd and Etika Emas Estet Sdn Bhd

Bank Negara Malaysia has commenced investigations into Genneva Sdn Bhd and Etika Emas Estet Sdn Bhd under suspicion of conducting illegal deposit taking activities in breach of subsection 25(1) of the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 (BAFIA).

The raids on Genneva Sdn Bhd and Etika Emas Estet Sdn Bhd were conducted today at their premises in Klang Valley following information received from members of the public.

Members of the public are reminded to be cautious of deposit taking schemes and investment schemes offered through various channels such as the internet, phone calls, or seminars conducted by individuals or companies that are not licensed or approved by the relevant authorities.

Members of the public may refer to the list of licensed institutions authorized to accept deposits which is available on Bank Negara Malaysia's website

Monday, July 20, 2009

Angry in Malaysia

Commentary: Angry in Malaysia
By Soo-Inn Tan



"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow
to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about
the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and
the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,
which can save you." (James 1:19-21 TNIV)



If you are a follower of Jesus in Malaysia, you are probably angry. Consider
the following.

1. Two Muslim journalists infiltrate a Catholic church incognito. They had
heard that a number of Muslims had been converted to Christianity through
this church. They found no evidence of such conversions. During mass they
come forward to take the communion wafer. They did not swallow and held
the wafer in their mouths till they had left the church building. They then
spitted out the wafer and took pictures. They then published an article about
their "adventure" together with pictures of the spitted out communion wafer.
To date there is no reprimand from any official government body. Police
reports have been made.

I come from a free church tradition. I believe the communion bread remains
bread though I believe the Spirit of Christ is at the Lord's Supper. This is
besides the point. Malaysia is a multi racial, multi religious country where the
constitution protects the dignity of all religions. The silence from the
government is deafening. Imagine if some Christian journalists had thrown
the Koran on the floor, took pictures, and published the story. Of course we
should forgive our enemies. But there are other issues involved, including
holding the government responsible to its call to protect the dignity of all
religions.

2. In recent times the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has
been aggressively investigating public servants from opposition parties. (Of
course whether a party is considered an opposition party depends on your
perspective. In truth the "opposition" parties form the duly elected
governments in a number of states.) Christians should be at the forefront of
any fight against corruption. But when politicians from the governing party
are rarely investigated while so many politicians from "opposition" parties
are investigated, something is seriously wrong.

The glaring double standard gives lie to the fact that the Anti Corruption
Commission is a non partisan body committed to eradicate corruption
wherever it is found. It seems that the Commission is but a political tool of
the ruling party.

3. And now we learn that a political aide, who was interrogated by the
Commission, has fallen to his death from the 14th floor of the Anti
Corruption Headquarters. He had been taken to the MACC office at 6pm on
Wednesday (July 15th) to assist in the Commission's investigation into the
alleged abuse of constituency development funds by several state
assemblymen. Did he jump? Was he pushed? We do not know.

What we know is this. He was interrogated till 3.45am in the morning. In the
words of Goh Keat Peng:

[Why was a witness being held for questioning for ten hours and only
released at 3.45am? What kind of case is it and what is the urgency of the
case in question that the witness had to be deprived of sleep and forcibly
kept awake till 3.45am? Was the nation deemed to be in grave danger had
the witness in question been sent home at a respectable time and asked to
report again for questioning the next morning?

The nation could endure long years of waiting over so many other much
longer pending cases involving so much more public money and have much
greater weight in public interest but this particular case could not wait for
the next morning when the witness in question would have been fresher and
better rested?
(http://www.themicahmandate.org/2009/07/i-cannot-remain-neutral-about-i
ssues-of-morality/)]

Like I said if you are a follower of Jesus in Malaysia you should be angry. I
am. Which is why I remember James 1:19-21. I know righteous anger can
quickly become unrighteous. I know that when I get angry my discernment
is compromised. I am more vulnerable to manipulation. I become rash and
speak and act prematurely. When I am angry, I need to bear in mind at least
two things:

1. Unrighteous anger will not accomplish God's purposes. If our concern is to
be agents of God's work, unrighteous anger is out.

2. When we are consumed by anger we only see the evil "out there." We
stop working at the evil inside us. We forget the ongoing call to "get rid of all
moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent" in our own lives.

However fear of unrighteous anger should not paralyse us from doing what
is right. Followers of Jesus are called to speak up against injustice.

["Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."
(Proverbs 31:8-9 TNIV)]

And as John the Baptist discovered, "speaking truth to power" may demand
the highest price (Matthew 14:1-12). There is a time to speak up. There is a
time to act. There is a time for righteous anger. But we must guard our
hearts and ensure that all we say and do flow out of the twin loves for God
and neighbour (Mark 12:28-31).

Whatever righteous anger may look like, it must come from a heart that has
such a deep passion for God that we are deeply pained that His ways are
violated. It must come from a heart with such a deep compassion for human
beings (of whatever race or religious background) that we are roused when
human life is violated. And it must come from a heart that is always
suspicious of its own righteousness.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Financial Article written by Nicholas Ong


Our brother Nicholas has written a financial article in Borneo Post dated 5th July 2009. This is indeed a good way to contribute to the community. Thank you Nicholas!

The title of the article is "Expert:Diversity Portfolios for a Smoother Ride in Downturn".

You can read this on-line at :
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=54302

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Cell Meeting Friday 17.7.09


On Friday our Cell had out meeting at Brother Chiew's and Sister Lee Nah"s home. Sister Lee Nah led the worship on piano. We all had a prayerful worship interceded with speaking in tongues.

Pastor John was on his round to our Cell to see how we have been progressing with our domain of - Education. Basically our group have two sub groups, one on "Family" and the other on "finance". Pastor shared about the progress of the Church, and what some of the things the others are doing. He just wanted to see where we are and how we are progressing further. He shared his ideas as to how the GAMES domains can be carried out.

After talking to the whole Cell, each group had their own discussion. The "finance" group had the privilege of Pastor John sharing about how we should progress so that we do not waste too much time on Biblical studies. The studies had been done last year, and our group need to get going to practical stuffs. One of the ways of going forward is starting from the experiences of our members, where we can share the "good, the bad and ugly" of finance with the youth. Most of us are already in the 50s therefore, we have a lot of experiences to impart to the young people. While this is good, some members felt that it is necessary to set some financial standards in order that the youths have practical examples. The other thing is to use role play to leave lasting memories of financial matters to our young people.

Pastor John gave some market talk, that is "knowing what your customers want". He suggested a survey be conducted amongst the youth to check on what exactly they want to know about finance.

All in all it was a good sharing, and this sharing allows us to re-evaluate how we want to take this project forward. Many thanks to Pastor John.

At the same time we thank Brother Chiew and Sister Lee Nah for opening their home for our cell meeting.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Violence Against Children


More article from Unicef Malaysia.

Violence against children includes physical and mental abuse as well as injury, neglect, exploitation and sexual abuse.

Tragically, violence occurs in all spaces most familiar to children : in homes, schools, parks and communities they live in. Children also suffer abuse and exploitation in orphanages, on streets, in the workplace, in cyberspace as well as in prisons and in places of detention.

Violence affects children’s physical and mental health, impairs their ability to learn and socialise, and undermines their development as functional adults and good parents later in life. In the most severe cases, violence against children can also lead to death.

As in most other countries, violence against children in Malaysia remains mainly hidden behind closed doors making it difficult for an accurate determination of its prevalence. Only the most extreme child abuse and neglect stories are reported, often involving tragic elements of disturbing injuries, sexual abuse or even death.

The causes of violence against children are complex. Family breakdown, stress, chronic poverty, unemployment, mental health disorders, substance abuse, homelessness, community violence as well as lack of quality parental time are some of the significant factors contributing to cases of abuse and neglect of children.

In 2007, Malaysia’s Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development reported 1,494 child abuse cases, with neglect and child sexual abuse cases being the highest. Nearly all the cases reported took place in the home, with abuse mainly committed by male relatives.

International experience however suggests that reported cases are likely to represent only 10 per cent of total cases perpetrated as most victims and their families remain too ashamed or unable to report the violations against them.

God of this city

Blue tree is the original band singing this song.
Pray for our city, indeed for our nation - 1Malaysia!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thought Provoking

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big
advice on the door on which it was written:
"Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this
company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room
that has been prepared in the gym".
In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their
colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know
who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the
company itself.
The excitement in the gym was such that security agents were ordered
to control the crowd within the room.
The more people reached the coffin, the more the excitement heated
up.
Everyone thought: "Who is this guy who was hindering my progress?
Well, at least he died!".
One by one the thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when
they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood
nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched
the deepest part of their soul.
There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it
could see himself.
There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:
"There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: IT IS YOU.
You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the
only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and
your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends
change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when
your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go
beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only
one responsible for your life.
"The most important relationship you can have, is the one you have
with yourself"
Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties,
impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your
reality.
The world is like a mirror: it gives back to anyone the reflection
of the thoughts in which one has strongly believed.
The world and your reality are like mirrors laying in a coffin,
which show to any individual the death of his divine capability to
imagine and create his happiness and his success.
It's the way you face Life that makes the difference!
- If an egg is broken from outside force .. life ends. If an egg is broken from inside force , life begins.

Great things always begin from our inside.

Source: Sister Laffy. Thank you for this inspiring story.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

After All These Years

Song about strong loving marriage.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Losing all in get rich schemes

Last cell meeting brother Nicholas spoke about get rich schemes and how many people especially senior who have been conned. Here are stories from Star newspaper dated 13.7.09:

Monday July 13, 2009
Losing all in get-rich schemes

PETALING JAYA: The lure of making a fast buck or easy money has opened up opportunities for various organisations to come up with ingenious ways to attract the public to invest.

Such schemes, known locally as “skim cepat kaya”, have made Malaysians lose millions of ringgit.

According to the police’s Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department, there were 17,311 cases opened for investigation last year, a massive jump of 26.6% from 2007.

The department said that one bright spot in all these cases was that actual financial losses were down to RM845mil last year, compared with RM1.9bil in 2007.

Most of these schemes thrived in “grey areas” which can only be loosely regulated despite the best efforts of the authorities to clamp down on culprits.

Many of them operate under the guise of multi-level marketing operations which blur into pyramid schemes, which are illegal.

A market observer pointed out that these establishments would promise returns that even top fund managers found hard to attain in good economic times.

Many of them operate like Ponzi schemes which made no or little actual investments from money collected from the public.

Often in such schemes, the earlier investors would usually get some returns, compared with those who join later.

Surprisingly, many of those who are employed as agents with these businesses do not think such schemes are illegal.

“How can it be a scam when I can make money?” an agent attached to an established restaurant chain said.

The restaurant has half a dozen outlets in the Klang Valley and offers the public membership for a fee which entitles them to make money from eating at the outlets and through referrals.

What makes it interesting is that several of these establishments found taking deposits or cash from the public have been operating for a number of years without ever being questioned by the authorities if their operations are legal.

In the past one-and-a-half years, there has been a significant rise in such operations.

Their aggressive and “successful” marketing approach has even become somewhat of a trend, and has been adopted by many other restaurants to boost sales.

If one were to google the term “scams in Malaysia”, one would find a slew of businesses which concerned citizens have exposed as a “bit dodgy”.

However, the people who run such operations appear nonchalant about the amount of media and Internet attention on their businesses.

They are able to navigate their way around existing laws and capitalise on their marketing strategies before the law catches up with them.

Starprobe decided to investigate a number of these business operations to find out their modus operandi following a number of helpful suggestions from concerned readers and members of the public, especially cases which relate to non-financial institutions.

The response from an official of the Registrar of Companies (ROC) was that it had no jurisdiction to control the activities of such companies.

“If the company is registered with an identifiable business, how they market their products or services is not within our purview,” the official said.

But with regards to companies illegally taking deposits without having an investment licence, Bank Negara has the right to investigate and prosecute them. In fact, from last year until now, 19 companies have been under investigation and raided.

While the authorities are trying their best to enforce the laws, the sheer number of these operations make it an uphill task.

The situation is compounded by having different agencies with different jurisdictions conducting investigations independently, thus not giving a clearer picture.

For example, Consumer Claims Tribunal chairman Rungit Singh said his tribunal has jurisdiction only over consumer complaints and concerns. The tribunal is under the purview of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

“Once a person invests in a scheme, that person is not protected under the consumer laws,” Rungit Singh said.

According to him, consumer laws only cover complaints regarding goods and services and do not have jurisdiction over investors.

And on multi-level marketing, an official from the Consumers Association of Penang said such companies were perfectly legal as long as they were licensed by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

“However, some multi-level marketing operations get into grey areas when the bulk of their sales are not derived from products or services but rather from other forms of collections,” she said over the phone.

She added that a sign of a possible scam was when most of the earnings of the company is derived from activities unrelated to the sale of goods or services.

According to a commercial crime lawyer who did not wish to be named, the law regarding legal and illegal activities was clear.

“However, access to critical information may be time-consuming and the prosecution of those who deliberately go against the law will require substantial evidence,” he said.

The lawyer said there was a need for easier and quicker access to information on registered businesses, possibly delivered via a centralised system and an oversight board with experts for the public to turn to for complaints, advice and information on confirmed scams.

“There is a need for a quicker mechanism to identify and respond to scams before more people lose their money,” he said, adding that many of the scams had invested little in their marketing strategies and did not have a business continuity plan.

The lawyer said it should be noted that there were also a number of people who were either gullible or prepared to take higher investment risks driven purely by greed, despite the best of advice.

A source who tracked such scams said it was near impossible to keep tabs efficiently on them.

“That’s the biggest problem, there are thousands of such scams involving hundreds of millions of ringgit out there that the relevant agencies are not able to track all of them. They’re only able to pursue the ones that have been brought to their attention,” she said.

She added that the answer was not more regulation but more awareness of such scams.

“Awareness is better now than before, we have more inquiries coming in on various businesses,” she said.

A golden investment that sounds too good to be true

WHEN times are volatile and the economic cycle erratic, investors often turn to gold as a safe investment.

However, unscrupulous companies have now come up with very attractive ways to market gold in the form of coins or bars.

What makes this type of investment attractive or seem safe is not just the returns but the fact that investors are holding on to gold.

Agents for this type of investment would point out that if or should the company go belly-up, the investors would still have their gold coins or bars in hand.

According to a source familiar with such schemes, the gold that was offered to investors was usually lower in value than claimed. He said most goldsmiths would not buy this gold as the purity of the metal was in question.

He added that this was akin to Ponzi schemes as the earlier investors would have a better deal than the ones who come in later.

Starprobe was alerted to a “gold investment scheme” operated by Genneva Sdn Bhd, which was offering investors 50gm gold coins at RM6,500.

A member of the public said the company would pay investors 2.5% of the price of the gold coin and guarantee to buy back the coin at market value after a minimum holding time of one month.

“Initially investors were paid the 2.5% investment on a monthly basis but now it’s every three months because the company claimed the amount of paperwork generated was a hassle,” she said.

“I was approached by one of their agents who claimed to have sold 3kg worth of coins for RM300,000. This was ‘authenticated’ by various photocopied documents,” she added.

Additionally, the company said the coins could be authenticated by Bank Rakyat and that investors could even pawn the coins to the bank at 65% of the value of the coin.

She also said an agent of the company had sent out an SMS with the message that the company was safe in the wake of the Bank Negara investigation into Bestino Group Bhd, a company dealing in gold bars that was being probed for illegal deposit-taking and issuance of redeemable preference shares.

“A check with the central bank’s website did not reveal any information relating to the company,” she said.

A Bank Negara official however told Starprobe that Genneva was not licensed. He could not comment further as no complaint had been lodged against the company.

Bank Rakyat, when contacted, said it was not aware of the scheme.

“We’ve posted notices at all our branches and Ar-Rahnu X’Change that the bank is not involved,” said a Bank Rakyat official.

When contacted, a Genneva official questioned our reporter’s credentials. The official also considered the complaints as not legitimate because they did not come from their clients.

“You’re fishing in very deep waters,” he said before hanging up.

Memorizing Scriptures

Recently Pastor John encouraged our congregation to memorize scriptures. Here is what Pastor John Piper said:

July 6

Why Memorize Scripture?
John Piper

First, a few testimonies: I have it third hand, that Dr. Howard Hendricks (of Dallas Seminary) once made the statement (and I paraphrase) that if it were his decision, every student graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect before they graduated.

Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, "Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That's where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization" ("Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person" in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7).

Chuck Swindoll wrote, "I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture... No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified" (Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 61).

One of the reasons Martin Luther came to his great discovery in the Bible of justification by faith alone was that in his early years in the Augustinian monastery he was influenced to love Scripture by Johann Staupitz. Luther devoured the Bible in a day when people earned doctorates in theology without even reading the Bible. Luther said that his fellow professor, Andreas Karlstadt, did not even own a Bible when he earned his doctor of theology degree, nor did he until many years later (www.orlutheran.com/html/luthbibl.html). Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, "Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory," in order to confirm what he had found.

So here are a few reasons why so many have viewed Scripture memorization as so essential to the Christian life.

1. Conformity to Christ
Paul wrote that "we all... beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." If we would be changed into Christ likeness we must steadily see him. This happens in the word. "The LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD" (1 Samuel 3:21). Bible memorization has the effect of making our gaze on Jesus to be steadier and clearer.

2. Daily Triumph over Sin
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word... I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:9, 11). Paul said that we must "by the Spirit... put to death the [sinful] deeds of the body" (Romans 8:13). The one piece of armor used to kill is the "sword of the Spirit," which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). As sin lures the body into sinful action, we call to mind a Christ-revealing word of Scripture and slay the temptation with the superior worth and beauty of Christ over what sin offers.

3. Daily Triumph over Satan
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness he recited Scripture from memory and put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11).

4. Comfort and Counsel for People You Love
The times when people need you to give them comfort and counsel do not always coincide with the times you have your Bible handy. Not only that, the very word of God spoken spontaneously from your heart has unusual power. Proverbs 25:11 says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." That is a beautiful way of saying, When the heart full of God's love can draw on the mind full of God's word, timely blessings flow from the mouth.

5. Communicating the Gospel to Unbelievers
Opportunities to share the gospel come when we do not have the Bible in hand. Actual verses of the Bible have their own penetrating power. And when they come from our heart, as well as from the Book, the witness is given that they are precious enough to learn. We should all be able to sum up the gospel under four main headings (1) God's holiness/law/glory; 2) man's sin/rebellion/disobedience; 3) Christ's death for sinners; 4) the free gift of life by faith. Learn a verse or two relating to each of these, and be ready in season and out of season to share them.

6. Communion with God in the Enjoyment of His Person and Ways
The way we commune with (that is, fellowship with) God is by meditating on his attributes and expressing to him our thanks and admiration and love, and seeking his help in living a life that reflects the value of these attributes. Therefore, storing texts in our minds about God helps us relate to him as he really is. For example, imagine being able to call this to mind through the day:

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8-14)

I used the word "enjoyment" intentionally when I said, "communion with God in the enjoyment of his person and ways." Most of us are emotionally crippled -- all of us really. We do not experience God in the fullness of our emotional potential. How will that change? One way is to memorize the emotional expressions of the Bible and speak them to the Lord and to each other until they become part of who we are. For example, in Psalm 103:1, we say, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" That is not a natural expression for many people. But if we memorize this and other emotional expressions from the Bible, and say them often, asking the Lord to make the emotion real in our hearts, we can actually grow into that emotion and expression. It will become part of who we are. We will be less crippled emotionally and more able to render proper praise and thanks to God.

There are other reasons for memorizing Scripture. I hope you find them in the actual practice.

Still learning with you,

Pastor John

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Reported abuse cases just tip of iceberg:Expert

During our last cell meeting Brother Chiew was talking about child abuse. Here is a story from Borneo Post, 13.7.09

PETALING JAYA: Only one in 10 cases of child and maid abuse were reported because of the society’s apathy and bureaucratic red tapes, an expert said.

Universiti of Malaya Psychiatry Department head Prof Mohamad Hussain Habil said studies had shown that modern-day nucleus family system, where people gave priority to “privacy”, prevented them from mixing with their neighbours and enquiring if they suspected abuse.

“Even if they are certain that an abuse is being committed, they are reluctant to assist for fear of infringing on the privacy of their neighbours,” he said.

On top of that, he said, the relevant agencies that were supposed to keep tab of abuses were bogged down with bureaucratic red tapes which discouraged the people from reporting such cases.

For example, he said, it was found that police were too “obsessed” with recording reports of abuse but did not address the emotional needs of the victims.

“This does not help the situation because the people needing assistance should be given appropriate support and consideration rather than being subjected to long and lengthy interviews for the purpose of recording evidence,” Mohamad Hussain told Bernama.

In view of the increasing number of abuse cases, he said, there was an urgent need to train sufficient personnel to handle such cases.

For instance, in child abuse cases, he said it was important for the government to train teachers in identifying such cases among students and helping them go through the reporting process with least red tapes.

“Teachers can be gatekeepers to identify such cases early so that remedial action could be taken before it is too late,” he said.

As for maid abuse, it was essential to put in place a system where the maids themselves could acquire fast assistance with least hassles, Mohamad Hussain said.

He said the Human Resources Ministry’s proposal to provide maids with telephone numbers and addresses of labour officers was one such initiative.

On the mushrooming of old folks nursing home, Mohamad Hussain said it was “unfortunate that these homes were not administered by qualified personnel.”

He added that the Health Ministry had sought the inputs from various stakeholders in drawing up a mental health regulation which included the do’s and don’ts when setting up such homes and orphanages.

“However, it is unfortunate that it has been almost eight years now since the regulations were completed but they have yet to be sanctioned by the ministry,” said Mohamad Hussain who was one of the experts on the drafting committee.

He called on the ministry to expedite the implementation of the regulations so as to regulate orphanages and nursing homes which were gaining popularity especially in urban areas.

— Bernama

Pastor John's sermon on 12.7.09

7 things we need to know about God :

1. God Knows - He created everything in the universe, and He knows.

2. God Wills - He is willing for us to fulfill His purposes.

3. God Says - He spoke the universe into existence.

4. God Builds - He is the chief architect, He builds into our lives.

5. God fills - He fills us with good.

6. God Reveals - He reveals Himself through our lives.

7. God fulfills - He fulfills His promises to us.

The Real Prosperity Gospel

Has the so-called prosperity gospel turned its followers into some of the most willing participants—and hence, victims—of the current financial crisis?
David Van Biema, "Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess," Time magazine, October 3, 2008
It is not just those enamored with the prosperity gospel who have pursued health, wealth, and happiness as if they were divine rights and signs of God's blessing. Or who have avoided adversity and poverty as if they were curses. But God's ways are more mysterious than we perceive.

God so governs the universe by his secret providence that while nothing happens apart from God's decree, his hand remains largely hidden from us. What could be more natural than the changing seasons? Yet there remains such unevenness and diversity that every year, month, and day is seen to be governed by a new providence of God.

Read more at Christianitytoday.com

Friday, July 10, 2009

Crown Financial Ministries

Who We Are from Crown Financial Ministries on Vimeo.



as we are prpearing our cell in the area of finance, here is a video for our cell member's information. Finance according to God's principles

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Breakforth Night 8 th July 2009

Last night mainly the English congregation attended the Breakforth Night conducted by Pastor John.Basically he went through the 9 perspectives / levels of the gospel. There are :
1. Gospel of the salvation
2. Gospel of victorious life
3. Gospel of prosperity
4. Gospel of corporate life
5. Gospel of high calling
6. Gospel of stature in leadership
7. Gospel of the Kingdom
8. Gospel of grace
9. Gospel of glory of God

After Pastor John explanation, members were gathered into group to discussed about our understanding of these principles. Many in our group felt that it was no quite about going from one level to the next. It was more like a total experience, each is in level at different time, some also experience different perspective at the same time with different degree of each perspective. Later Pastor John confirmed the understanding of our group.

Personally I felt that these perspective given me better understanding of my walk with Jesus, and that I need to grow in my spiritual walk and not be stagnant.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Psalm 91 - Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High

Source: e mail from Sister Mary ( read details in the attachment of your email)

Dear All,
I know that Psalm 91 is not new to many of us. But please take time to read through the attachment on Psalm 91 explained. I came across it and I thought it will help some of use to really appreciate the contents of the psalm. Meditate on it, memorize it, let it sink deep into your being, walk in it - we need supernatural protection in these troubled times.
God bless, mary

P/s: please check your email for details of the explanation.

Sister Lina said in her email

Hi Mary,
Thanks for the Ps 91 explained. It's really a Ps for troubled times. You reminded me of a time when I even have one credit-card-size, courtesy of a church.
Shalom,
Lina

Sister Sarah's email on Powerful Prayers


Hi brother Alwin,
To God be the glory, honour, power and praise !!! He's an amazing, miracle-working, powerful, magnificent God that we serve. When we joined our hearts and appeared before His throne of grace as ONE man, calling upon His wondrous Name, He heard our prayers from heaven and the elements were subdued immediately!!! I believe greater things are in store for our cell as we continue to hunger and thirst for His Holy Presence. Besides, God takes delight in us when we are united in love and we desire to do His Will.May He continue to guide, teach and counsel us as we meet weekly!!!

God bless you richly, the Barnabas in our group.

Sarah

World's Oldest Bible Published on line

July 7th 2009
LONDON (AFP) - - About 800 pages of the world's oldest surviving Bible have been pieced together and published on the Internet for the first time, experts said on Monday.

The Codex Sinaiticus, written in Greek on parchment leaves in the fourth century, is available online in a project involving institutions in Britain, Germany, Egypt and Russia which held different parts of the ancient book.

As part of the four-year joint project, digital photographs have been taken of the reunited manuscript, allowing scholars worldwide to research in-depth the Greek text, the British Library in London said.

The library, which holds a large chunk of the Bible, also opened an exhibit Monday that includes artefacts linked to the manuscript to coincide with its online launch.

"The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's greatest written treasures," said Scot McKendrick, head of Western manuscripts at the British Library.

"This 1600-year-old manuscript offers a window into the development of early Christianity and first-hand evidence of how the text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation," he said.

Originally 1,460 pages long and measuring 16 inches (40 centimetres) by 14 inches, the manuscript was handwritten by a number of scribes around the time of Constantine the Great who died in 337, experts said.

The manuscript, which was revised and corrected over the centuries, lay undisturbed in a monastery in Sinai in Egypt until it was found by a German professor in the mid-1800s and handed to Russia's Tsar Alexander II.

Britain later bought most of the book from the Soviet Union in the 1930s, while Egypt kept still more pages found in the monastery in 1975.

Professor David Parker, whose team made the electronic transcription of the manuscript, said the Internet project proved challenging with some of the pages in poor condition.

"The process of deciphering and transcribing the fragile pages of an ancient text containing over 650,000 words is a huge challenge, which has taken nearly four years," said Parker from the University of Birmingham.

"The digital images of the virtual manuscript show the beauty of the original and readers are even able to see the difference in handwriting between the different scribes who copied the text," he said.

The manuscript is available at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Goliath

Goliath & the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament -- at BibleStudyMagazine.com

Interesting facts about Goliath...read details from the link, crick on picture above.

First Class

" DO NOT LOOK BACK AND ASK WHY, LOOK FORWARD AND ASK WHY NOT"

A very valuable lesson to learn...

Interesting quote from the movie "Why did I get married?"

In most cases, especially in relationships, you will only get 80% of what you NEED and you will hardly get the other 20% that you WANT in your relationship. There is always another person (man or women) that you will meet and that will offer you the other 20% which is lacking in your relationship that you WANT. And believe me, 20% looks really good when you are not getting it at all in your current relationship.

But the problem is that you will always be tempted to leave that good 80% that you know you have, thinking that you will get something better with the other 20% that you WANT. But as reality has proven, in most cases, you will always end up with having the 20% that you WANT and loosing the 80% that you really NEED and that you already had.

Be careful in deciding between what you WANT and NEED in your life.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. "Wow, this girl in my office is a real looker. But it's not her Wynona Rider features that got me. I'm crazy about her because she's also understanding, intelligent, tender - so many things that my spouse is not"

Somewhere along the way, you'll find a woman or a man who will be more charming or sensitive. More alluring. More thoughtful. Richer. Have greater sex appeal. And you will find a woman or man who will need you and pursue you and go loco over you more than your spouse ever did.

Because no wife or husband is perfect. Because a spouse will only have 80% of what you're looking for. So adultery takes place when a husband or wife looks for the missing 20%. Let's say your wife is melancholic by nature.

You may find yourself drawn to the pretty clerk who has a cherry laugh no matter what she says: "I broke my arm yesterday, Hahahaha . . .

Or because your wife is a homebody in slippers and pajamas, smelling of garlic and fish oil, you may fall for a fresh-smelling young sales representative that visits your office in a sharp black blazer, high heels, and a red pencil-cut skirt Or because your husband is the quiet type, your heart may skip a beat when you meet an old college flame who has the makings of a talk show host.

But wait! That's only 20% of what you don't have.

Don't throw away the 80% that you already have!

That's not all. Add to your spouse's 80% the 100% that represents all the years that you have been with each other. The storms you have weathered together. The unforgettable moments of sadness and joy as a couple. The many adjustments you have made to love the other. The wealth of memories that you've accumulated as lovers.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have.

But faithfulness happens when you start thanking God for what you already have.

But I'm not just talking about marriage. I'm talking about life!

About your jobs.
About your friends.
About your children.
About your lifestyles.


Are you like the economy airline passenger that perennially peeks through the door of the first class cabin, obsessed with what he's missing?
"They have got more leg room! Oh my, their food is served in porcelain! Wow, their seats recline at an 80% angle and they've got personal videos!"

I guarantee you'll be miserable for the entire trip! Don't live your life like that. Forget about what the world says is first class. Do you know that there are many first class passengers who are miserable in first class -- because they are not riding in a private Lear Jet?

The main message???
If you start appreciating what you have right now, wherever you are, you are first class!

Source: from Dr.Wong Howe Tung & Chuei Lian

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Powerful Prayer

Last night we had our cell meeting at Nicholas's place, it was raining heavily and the lightning caused many electricity trips resulting in darkness. We were unable to start the worship, nevertheless Sister Sarah stepped forward to pray, and called upon the Lord to stop the lightning. Lo and behold, Praise God, the lightning stop! After that there was no electricity trip! Hallelujah! We were able to continue in song worship and praise our Lord not only with songs but in tongues! Praise the Lord! Thank you Sister Sarah. God bless everyone. Our God works in amazing ways!

Comment by Nicholas - 5.7.09
This is an extremely good testimony of the wonders of our great God.

"Indeed everything that Alwin shared is true. I had to walk back and forth no less than 4 times to turn on the switch after each electricity trip until sister Sarah came forth and pray for divine intervention and everyone saw God's power at work in our midst.

Alleluia and Praise be to our Great God."

Friday, July 3, 2009

Beware of this book !

Conversation with God - Neale Walsch

BEWARE OF THIS BOOK THAT OPRAH IS PUSHING!

If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this book to children through the Scholastic Book Club.

The name of the book is Conversations with God... James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to church/e-mail addresses, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends.

Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read.

Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch. They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, "Don't judge a book by its cover or title."

The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the "voice of God".. However, the "answers" that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God. For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question "Why am I a lesbian?" His answer is that she was 'born that way' because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and "celebrate" her differences.

Another girls poses the question "I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?"

His reply is, "Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong...."

Another question asks about God's forgiveness of sin. His reply "I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is "'judge not lest ye be judged."

Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote (in error) the Word of God.

And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to school children through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.

Our children are under attack.. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.

Pass this on to every Believer you know. God bless! And, if you are in doubt, check out the books yourself.

Source: contributed by Laffy. Thanks Sister!

Jesus is everything !

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

St.Paul's remains found


30 th June 2009
Basilica bones are St Paul's, Pope declares after carbon dating tests
The tomb of St Paul in Rome

Pope Benedict XVI said last night that bone fragments found inside the tomb of St Paul in Rome had been carbon dated for the first time, "confirming the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul".

He said that archaeologists had inserted a probe into the white marble sarcophagus under the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls which has been revered for centuries as the tomb of St Paul.

The pontiff said: "Small fragments of bone were carbon dated by experts who knew nothing about their provenance and results showed they were from someone who lived between the 1st and 2nd century. This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that these are the mortal remains of Paul the Apostle."

The Pope, who said the discovery "fills our souls with great emotion", made the unexpected announcement during Vespers at St Paul's Basilica last night, marking the end of the Pauline year held in honour of the apostle. He said that as well as bone fragments, archaeologists had found grains of red incense, a piece of purple linen with gold sequins and a blue fabric with linen filaments in the tomb.

Valuable Lessons from Bill Gates

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get use to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Source: Contributed by Laffy