Sunday Service 28.2.10

Prior to the Sunday service, our Church had our usual morning prayer, and it was very encouraging to see many members turning up. In fact, the room was almost filled up! Praise God! We pray that many will come to join the prayer meeting. Next Sunday evening we are going to have our monthly prayer service, again we pray many will turn up too.

Brother Ho shared on Titus chapter 3, which was about doing good. He helped the congregation to go through each verse and explained in more details behind each verse. However, the main point of his sharing was about doing good. He said there were two kinds of doing good, one you do go to humbly help people in need, and two you help because you have self-interest motives. The second one is not godly and we should not do it. In doing good, Jesus looks inside the person and He does not look at the outside.

Another point is about foolish controversies. There is no point in arguing about such things. As Christians we should not be involved in such controversies.

Pot Bless 26.2.10

Yesterday evening our Life Group had our Pot bless at Dr.Wong's residence. Song worship followed by dinner, after that more songs worship followed by testimonies by three of our LG members.

Three Batu Lintang trainees were invited as well as cousin of Sister Jenny.

Present Surprise - Dr.Ray Pritchard

Last week our Life Group discused about releasing the past, and about forgiving others to release the past. I used Dr.Ray Pritchard's article on "25 Affirmations about forgiveness" to share with our readers. And to my surprise, Dr.Ray Pritchard commented that he appreciated us using his article! Wow! That's a present surprise for me.( quote "Glad you were able to use my affirmations on forgiveness. Blessing to your Life Group. Cordially, Ray Pritchard" )

Some information about Dr.Ray Pritchard

Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries. He has ministered extensively overseas and is a frequent conference speaker and guest on Christian radio and television talk shows. He is the author of 27 books, including Credo, The Healing Power of Forgiveness, An Anchor for the Soul and Why Did This Happen to Me? Ray and Marlene, his wife of 35 years, have three sons-Josh, Mark and Nick. His hobbies include biking, surfing the Internet, and anything related to the Civil War.

By the way, the above information is obtained from Christianity.com , I read this often there are many helpful Biblical materials.

God bless.

I Love You Lord

Praise God! Let this be our prayer "I Love You Lord" Hallelujah!

25 Affirmations about Forgiveness

Last Friday in our Life Group meeting we discussed about releasing the past as taught by Pastor Paul Ang and we also talked about forgiveness. Here is an article that give some more ideas about forgiveness. We can learn from this article.

Dr. Ray Pritchard
Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries

A friend who has gone through a hard time sent me a list of things he has learned about forgiveness. Most of what follows comes from my friend, but I have rephrased a few things and added a few items of my own. This is obviously not a comprehensive statement about forgiveness—just a place to begin. What would you add to this list?
1. If you wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving, you will never forgive.
2. Without God’s grace, we will never forgive.
3. Forgiveness is necessary but it isn’t easy.
4. Forgiveness is first of all between us and God.
5. God does not intend that all of life should be pleasant.
6. Nothing gets rid of pride like adversity.
7. Nobody understands the art of revenge like the Lord.
8. There is coming a day when every dispute will be resolved. When you understand this, you are freed from feeling like you have to personally solve every issue here on this earth.
9. Good theology is imperative. What you think about God determines how you respond in the hard times.
10. God is good. If you don’t believe that, it will be next to impossible to forgive others.
11. God is sovereign. There are no mistakes in God’s economy, and no detail, no matter how small, goes unnoticed by Him.
12. God’s grace is always sufficient.
13. There is an old saying: "Time heals all.” That isn’t always true.
14. Forgiving and forgetting are not the same thing.
15. Nothing makes a person more aware of other people’s feelings than a broken heart.
16. When you have been wronged, there is nothing worse than feeling like you have been abandoned.
17. Forgiveness is a gift I give to someone who doesn’t deserve it. If they deserved forgiveness, they wouldn’t need it.
18. True forgiveness costs a great deal, but unforgiveness costs much more.
19. Bitterness poisons everything.
20. I don’t see myself the way I really am.
21. I am more like my enemies than I like to admit.
22. If I have trouble loving my enemies, I should remember that I am someone else’s enemy.
23. God uses our enemies to make us more like Jesus.
24. You are never more like Jesus than when you forgive.
25. We never come to the end of needing forgiveness or needing to forgive.

source:christianity.com

April 2010 Kuching Alpha Conference Nicky Gumbel Invitation

As many of our Church members are going to the Alpha course here is an introduction video by pioneer of Alpha course Nicky Gumbel.

World's Oldest Pastor Dies at 101 in Japan

The world’s oldest actively serving pastor died this past weekend in Japan. He was 101 years old.

The funeral service of the Rev. Tsuneharu Oshima was held Monday at Mikage Shinai Church in Kobe city, Nagoya, Japan.
During his funeral, held at the Japan Assemblies of God-affiliated church, attendees watched a video of Oshima’s speech in July 2009 during the 150th anniversary of Japan’s Protestant Mission. The audience was deeply touched as he spoke about the past, present and the spirit-filled vision for the future.
Oshima passed away on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. (local time) at a hospital in Kobe. Up until his last few days, Oshima spoke the words, “peace, gratitude, victory, hope.” He passed away in peace.

His memorial service was held on Sunday and attended by some 250 people from throughout Japan.
The pastor’s eldest son, the Rev. Yoshinao Oshima, shared that his father continued to work as a pastor even after he turned 100 years old.
“He gave us hope for heaven, served as a path for Lord Jesus Christ, and became a blessing and hope to many people,” the younger Oshima said, according to Christian Today Japan.
The older Oshima had served as an active pastor for 74 years. He was senior pastor at Kobe Philadelphia Church, part of the Free Christian Missionary Fellowship. His son, meanwhile, is serving as assistant pastor at the same church.
Last year, Oshima celebrated his 101st birthday on Oct. 5. But on the eve of his birthday he was hospitalized with pneumonia. He was released after a month, but was repeatedly hospitalized for various illnesses. His fourth visit was his final.
Christians make up two percent of Japan’s population, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Source:christianpost.com

99 Balloons

A touching video.

Fulfilling Your Purpose

Many of us wonder what God's purpose is for our lives. Here is an article that gives us some ideas.

By Os Hillman

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD" (Ps 139:1-4).
Your purpose in life is chosen by God. It is not negotiable. It is like calling water wet-there is no changing that fact, and there's no changing God's purpose for your life. While you may not fulfill the purpose for which you were made, you still have a purpose that God intends for you to fulfill. This is your blueprint from God. In the same way that He had a specific purpose in mind for Jesus when He sent Him to the earth, He has a specific purpose in mind for your life.
This doesn't mean, however, that there is one highly specific niche for you to fill and that if you miss it, too bad. It is my belief that you can achieve your purpose in many different and creative ways. This should take the pressure off. You won't throw your entire life off course by choosing the wrong college, job or mate. God is much bigger than any miscalculation or disobedience on your part. "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me" (Ps. 138:8). Isn't that comforting to know?
Defining your purpose will help you to determine the activities that you should be involved in. Like Jesus, you should not involve yourself in activities that contradict His purpose for your existence. Jesus' purpose was to do the will of the Father and become the salvation for mankind.
Each of us must ask why we are involved in an activity. Is it a God-activity, or just a good activity? Remember, Jesus only did something if He saw the Father doing it, and He was able to see what His Father was doing because of His intimate relationship with Him.
Today, take steps to insure you are aligned with your purpose.

Source:christianity.com

You Are God Alone

Are You Amazed ?

Sunday Service 7th Feb 2010

On Sunday our Church had the privilege to hear from Dr.Paul Ang from SIB, KL. He is no stranger to many in Kuching as he has preached many times in EBC.

Our Church is going through a transition and there are many issues to be sorted out. He came at the right time to share with us, how as a Church and also individual can move forward.

The title of his sermon was:

How to response during transition

Time such as this can be difficult in passing from one season to another. This transition may happen to Church, individual in their work life, private life etc. The important thing is how we respond to it, either positively or negatively.

Dr.Ang provided the following solutions:

1. Release your past – we have to release our past, and do not let the past hold us. 1Sam 16:1 Samuel mourned for Saul, and God asked him how long he mourned as God has rejected Saul and anointed David. Joshua 1:1 God told the Israelites that Moses was dead because they did not release from the past.
2. Hear from God – enquire from the Lord 1 King 19:12 and Vs 15. Know what God has installed for us the next season.
3. Response in the correct way- we are to leave our comfort zones. Ruth Ch 1. Dr. Ang related the story of his wife, and how his mother in law prayed for her when she was young. Prayer is important. No one can run from prayers.
4. Window of opportunity – can bring greater blessings
5. Persevere – do not give up. John 2:1

After his sermon he asked those who wanted to be prayed step up front, and almost the whole congregation stepped forward. Hallelujah! Praise God!

Note: you can log into Dr.Paul Ang's website from the link on the left side bar of this website.

Before The Throne of God

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong, a perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is "Love,"
He ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is writen on His heart;
I know that while in heav'n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me.
to look on him and pardon me.

Behold him there! the risen Lamb,
my perfect, spotless Righteousness,
the great unchangeable I AM,
the King of glory and of grace!
One with Himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high,
with Christ, my Savior and my God

Our Amazing God!

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned... But I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being.... Then He went on to speak of how this universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.)... And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking.. 'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart..how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!! It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.' You see... Laminins are what hold us together.. LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE.

But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already).. Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing. The glue that holds us together..... ALL of us.... Is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things HOLD TOGETHER. ' (Colossians 1:15-17)
Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another... By the cross. You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything Other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

Grace and Faith

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading.— Oswald Chambers

The words “faith” and “grace” are frequently used when discussing Christianity. What do they mean?

Grace Defined: The common definition is “unmerited favor,” referring to God’s mercy and compassion for mankind.

For by grace You have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) (NAS)

Have you ever heard, “life’s not fair!” Well, that’s true. If life were fair, we would be condemned to death as a result of our sin. We don’t deserve the love and compassion of our Creator, but as this verse explains, God wanted to give us the gift of salvation. He created us, He loves us, and He has saved us!
Faith Defined: Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1-2) (NIV). Faith is the assurance that God will do what He said He would do.

The Bible is filled with God’s promises; both promises fulfilled, and promises yet to be completed. God never breaks a promise and that means we never have to doubt His love for us.
When we choose to believe, we apply our faith by living a life in accordance to this assurance and following His instructions as described in His Word.

Source:christianity.com

Hundreds Report Healing, Restoration Through Lighthouse Evangelism

This is the testimony of the power of prayers and also the power of Holy Spirit. To read more check Lighthouse website: www.lighthouse.org.sg/miracle-testimonies.asp

Does God heal today?

It is hard to remain sceptical in the face of personal testimonies, especially when they are specific and come in the truckload, complete with claims of medical documentation.

Lighthouse Evangelism, an 11,500-strong megachurch known for its weekly miracle services, has posted over 200 detailed testimonies of named individuals and families who through attending its service have found healing and restoration of some kind on its website.

These testimonies report healing from various kinds of sicknesses, diseases and life-threatening afflictions including depression, panic attacks, slipped disc, bodily tumours, stroke, paralysis, blindness, dumbness, deafness, horizontal bending of the spine, barrenness; harmful habits like bad temper, watching pornographic films, compulsive nail-biting, smoking, gambling; and restoration of aspects of life including healthy family ties and economic stability.

Source:sg.christianpost.com