Reflections of a disciple

Uni-YA Ministry Recruitment Drive

2010-05-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

It is indeed a privilege for us to serve our Lord Jesus. Not that He needs our service for He is the creator of heaven and earth and everything in them. Rather God allows us to participate with Him in building His Kingdom together. God urges us to join Him in building the church together with all the skills, gifting and talents that He has first given freely to us. God has never withheld His blessings from us and it is good to bless Him back in service unto Him and His people, with thanksgiving and joy.

Would you volunteer today to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength?

Read on for a list of ministries where you can volunteer your time and resources.

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1. Décor Specialist

Ministry Description:
Be part of a team who hopes to inspire the corporate worship experience through creative and artistic craft works. You will be challenged and expected to be resourceful and creative in coming up with designs and solutions that will communicate service themes and messages clearly with the congregation.

Requirement:
- Member
- Enjoys doing handicraft and has a good aesthetic sense
- Creative or desire to develop in your creativity
- Resourceful
- Willing to work on tight schedules

Estimated Time Involvement:
Project basis

2. MM (Production) Specialist

Ministry Description:
The MM Production Team is looking for volunteers who are keen to contribute their creative talents in MM production in the form of video-editing, photography, animations, filming, etc. The team is responsible for making productions that will form part of the visual and audio learning aids for our people as well as pre-believing friends in their discovering about God. The team shall also provide ad-hoc support to other service production teams during special services.

Requirement:
- Member
- Creative
- Has experience with MM productions such as video-editing, animation, photography and filming.
- Familiar with MM softwares & equipments.
- Keen on impacting lives through MM but has little experience with MM productions are also welcomed.
- Must be a keen learner and able to work as a team
- Willing to work on tight schedules

Estimated Time Involvement:
Project basis

3. Bulletin Writer/Editor

Ministry Description:
You will be part of a team to design, write and edit for our upcoming bulletin and newsletter. Your writing will include sharing and living lives as a community, announcements, publicity of events, testimonies, interviews, etc.

Requirement:
- Member
- Able to write in good English
- Proficient in microsoft office tools
- Proficient in Adobe Photoshop or keen to learn and apply
- Willing to work on tight schedules

Estimated Time Involvement:
Weekly (with rostering)

4. Team Hope Ushering

Ministry Description:
The Team Hope Ushering consist of a group dynamic and helpful young people. They greet visitors/believers to service with a firm handshake and a cheerful smile. Ushers are also expected to be thoughtful and understanding towards the needs of the visitors/believers in service. They also need to be resourceful and confident to respond promptly to situational needs. Besides that, they also assist in the preparation and serving of Holy Communion. This is what they do to translate a bright smile that brings joy and warmth to every visitor and believer entering the house of God!

Requirement:
Committed visitor or member
Willingness in serving others
Observant and enjoys helping people
Never serve in a ministry before and willing to play a part to serve God through simple acts of service

Estimated Time Involvement:
Weekly (with rostering)

5. MM (Live) Specialists

Ministry Description:
MM (Live) volunteers are responsible for supporting the core functions of the service: Multimedia support for Praise & Worship, Sermon and Announcements.

They are also to help people to be ushered into God’s presence and truth through the expert and creative use of audio-visual equipment and multimedia design for the duration of the service.

MM volunteers can be seen coordinating slide presentations and displays behind laptops and manning the cameras and projectors during the service. They help prepare visuals to support praise and worship and sermon times before the service. MM volunteers can expect to learn principles of design and colours, how to design slides, handle cameras, do service recordings, and run other service-related operations which would help create a total worship experience.

Requirement:
- Members
- Willing to learn
- Able to use cameras and projectors
- Basic knowledge in using Microsoft office applications or other MM softwares
- Alert and meticulous

Estimated Time Involvement:
Weekly (with rostering)

6. Sound Specialist

Ministry Description:
Sound volunteers are responsible for supporting the core functions of the service: Setup of sound equipment and instruments and Sound support for all segments of the service.

They are also to ensure sound support, so that Stage Ministers are able to communicate clearly to the audience and thus lead the congregation more confidently during the service.

Sound volunteers can be seen manning the mixer during the service, and are involved in setting up the speakers, laying cables and ensuring good quality sound for the duration of the service. Sound volunteers can expect to learn how the sound system works and how to lay, coil and sort cables. They would also be trained in the art of mixing good quality sound, problem-solving, and supporting the worship team so as to help create a total worship experience.

Requirement:
- Members
- Committed
- Willingness and humility in learning
- Sensitive in hearing
- Able to work well under stress

Estimated Time Involvement:
Weekly (with rostering)

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So How do I sign up?

1. You may fill in the response slip and drop it into the box at the back of HSR Auditorium before you leave the service for the next two weeks. Or,

2. Discuss with your pastoral leaders and pass the response slips to them. Or,

3. Email us directly @ uniya.ministryrecruitment@gmail.com providing the information below:

Name
Subdistrict/ Unit/ CG
Member: Y / N
Ministry of your interest
HP:

Kindly note, you are encouraged to discuss with your pastoral leaders prior to signing up for the above ministries. We will contact you via email or through your pastoral leaders.

2010-03-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

INTERNAL ANARCHY ?!?

– Fasting is the antidote to many evils

Body Parts Drama-Play

Tom Tummy said to Vince Vision, “I gotta have it again man. That Cajun chicken from Botak Jones’ is REALLY good. I could take down 3 portions.. Man, you gotta help me scout for it.”

Vince Vision was distracted running up and down a lady’s physique and did not reply Tom Tummy.

“Oi. U heard me?” Tummy screamed unceremoniously.

Vision’s reply was slurred and piece-meal “I don’t know about you, but I am totally chewing on eye candy.”

Meanwhile, Ernie Ears was taking it all in from a bunch of friends saying all the good things about him…..how he is sensitive, caring, adorable, sincere, able to listen well… totally smothering him about how perfect he is…

---------------------------------------THE END ---------------------------------------

This doesn’t happen in real life of course, and what you just read is about body parts turning bad and running amok. Imagine body parts taking over your body! Now, take a minute to digest that again. It really isn’t too far-fetched to think that if we don’t manage our body parts, we will be ruled by them. Philippians 3:18-20 says “¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ..”

Question: Are we ruled by our appetites? Are we focusing too much on earthly things?

Hopefully not, for if we are, we probably find life easy to live, with little resistance. We are at ‘peace’ with ourselves, complying with the wishes of our body. Then again, it may feel good yet totally wreck our lives if we were to live our lives giving in totally to our appetites. No! We won’t be ruled by our stomachs, our private parts, etc.. And we also won’t be ruled by our appetites for “sweet things” (quoted from Hong Teck’s Sermon), our appetite for sleep, our appetite for sex, our appetite for love, security, affection, food, chatting online, L4D, TV, You-tubing,etc...

Our appetites need training. But often times, we drag our feet in disciplining ourselves to eat right, sleep right, live right.

What we need is to protest! Yes! Protest against yourself!

Well, it does sound weird. Of course it sounds weird. We need to get used to the idea that we are essentially waging war against the sinfulness of our body (See Romans 7:7-25).

But we are creatures of comfort, trained by the excesses of society to go with the flow of things and smother dead our conscience for change and training. Since we do know we need to change and train our appetites, why don't we. Simple, we think it's ok. It's alright.

Here's some lies we need to deal with:-

Myth of Waiting for Change

Time will help, we will grow up. We’ll change, after a while. After all, time heals all wounds. Right. We are all creatures of habit. Supposedly, if we keep doing something and keep that pattern for 21 days, it becomes a part of our lives. So, there you have it. The truth of the matter is that appetites are nurtured, which means that WILL counts for more than simply waiting for divine transformation. Another deception comes in this form: “Whatever can’t kill you will make you stronger.” We are led to believe that bad things are good for us. Go figure.

Myth of Sincerity

The path to hell is paved with good intentions. You can’t take intentions to the bank. Even if you have good intentions but your girlfriend can’t see them…. You get the picture. It ain’t enough. Actions are proof of sincerity. Even God’s word doesn’t mince its words. Faith without deeds is dead. And by the way, we can lose that sincerity down the road too. And then it’ll be completely downhill.

Myth of Nuclear Bomb

Some of us believe in the dramatic. Or at least we hope for it. One ring to rule them all, one crushing victory that would send the enemy scurrying for cover. In my world, there is no such thing as once off victory. Battles are fought daily, hourly. The battlefield of the mind (for guys) is always on. The battlefield of the heart (for the ladies) is also a place that needs to be wrestled back for God. We cannot rely on the illusion that one fine day, God will make it right in our lives. Or worse, that once we have conquered it, we are invincible and we would be able to conquer it anytime later on at will. The fact is God has given us the power to overcome, but we need to continually exercise that power by receiving from Him.

We need humility. An accurate and true assessment of our ability to manage our appetites. Knowing what has gone off-balance.

Our appetites aren’t evil. They just need direction and leadership from us. Imagine we totally conquer the appetite for sex. By the time we reach marriage, our spouses would flip!

So it starts now, we fast. We take responsibility over our lives by properly managing our God-given appetites. We draw near to God and we awaken and stir our spiritual appetite by fasting. We do a spiritual buffet and we want more. That’s the way to go; to be filled with His presence and His Word and increase our desire for good in our lives. Let this habit of fasting help us to weed out things in our lives that hinder us from God and from being a spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally right believer of Christ. We need to be upset enough with things that are wrong in our lives and in the lives of others to say “heck it with food, I’m going to God to work things out”.

I seriously think that we need to plan more hunger strikes (fasting) against evil desires and the lies in our brains. That’s for you and me, as an individual.

Now imagine if we take it to the next level…. Corporate hunger strikes (fasting) to protest at the gates of hell, demanding for the release of souls from hell into heaven, from bondage unto freedom…. Sounds like Isaiah 58 now doesn’t it. Now, that’s what I call fasting.

So, brother, sister, what are you going to fast about? :-)

Economics in the Kingdom of God

2010-02-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

Recently some of the leaders have been discussing and mulling over this issue of being a productive, yet reflective disciple. It is in that vein that we discuss this many-faceted word:

Y I E L D.

In the olden times where agriculture occupies a lot of what people did and where people depended a lot on the extent of harvest at the end of a long season of hard work, watering, fertilizing and hoping, there is that special moment in which everyone is looking forward to: Harvest Day. That day brings with it an entire spectrum of emotions. Some welcome its coming with eager excitement, like a child looking to the dawn of the promise of a present-filled Christmas. Some worry about false dawns, anxious over the yield they would be getting in return for all their perseverance and their back-breaking labour in the fields. What if it was worse than last year? What if pests devour it just as they ripen? Wouldn't that be unfair?

We all worry at the prospect of not being productive in our Christian life. We carry with us the burden of wanting to be fruitful in God's eyes. Some carry this burden secretly. Some wear their emotions on their sleeves, almost allowing the burden to crush the joy of their salvation. Is that works in disguise? Do we really need to prove anything to God? Seriously, can we ever do anything to prove our worth to God anyway? This is not to say that we should discard the notion of productiveness in our life. His word exhorts us to possess certain godly qualities, so that "if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Some farmers cross their fingers, anticipating, waiting with baited breath as the results of their labour for the season unfolds in front of them. The modern equivalent comes in the form of these questions: Did the Word of God bear fruit in my life? Did I make it through the painful trial that God allowed me to go through? Or did I come up short again?

The bible speaks of the person whose heart is fertile and having good soil. It speaks of the abundance of produce that this heartland would produce -- thirty times, sixty times and a hundred times what was sown! In the eyes of the world, such a yield of crop is unimaginable. It would be tantamount to a miracle. But that IS the miracle that God does in our very lives, lives that are yielded wholly to Him. The economics of the kingdom is simple. There are no half-hearted investments. They don't work and never will. But where there are investments, there is incredible yield. Remember about the seed of faith that is ridiculously small (mustard seed) that moved a mountain many times its size? Remember about the 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Remember one life and person called John the baptist that lived his life fully for express purpose of 'preparing the way of the Lord'? Remember the Lord Himself who yielded His life in order to bring salvation to many? For from one man who died for us, all may receive salvation.

It's not easy to picture how it could look like, but in my humble experience, it's strangely painful joy. Oh the joy of knowing the change God will bring as you give up areas of your life to Him, so that he can be that farmer who would plant only the good things in your life. Many times, even as I struggle to give up rights and even lies I've lived with for many years, I realise I miss them. I miss the familiarity of knowing what I'm struggling with... the pain, the torture, the sameness can be strangely reassuring. But in my heart of hearts, I know I need to yield it all to Him. Because I trust Him, completely...

Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies to itself, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Its potential is found, and its power for impact and influence grows exponentially, becoming a blessing far beyond what it was originally capable of. Such is the economics in the kingdom. Yield to Him, the Lord of the Harvest, and you will experience harvest in your life like never before. Blessing, power, annointing and His presence in your life. What a yield we receive as we yield to Him. As we seek the Lord, I encourage all of us to remember one thing : Y I E L D.

Calling for NEW Uni-Ya Banner designs!!!

2010-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

We need you!

If you have the passion and the skills to draw and design, why not do your part for our Uni-Ya Service? We need new designs for our new banners.

This is how you can do your part by following the details below:

Design requirements

a. A total of 3 banners in the following sizes:
i. 1no. of 5m x 1m
ii. 2no. of 1.6m x 0.8m

b. The 5m x 1m banner will bear the Uni-Ya Service Vision Statement.
“To build Credible and Courageous young adults making and living out biblical decisions committed to fulfilling the Great Commission.”

c. The 1.6m x 0.8m pull-up banners must bear the words “Welcome to UNI-YA Service”.

d. The designs for all 3 banners preferably follow a similar theme.
Submission details

a. File specification: 50% of Actual size, 140dpi, cmyk color and save in JPEG file

b. Name your artwork in the following format: ___
Eg. JanOng_YG_C1_5x1, JanOng_YG_C1_16x08A, JanOng_YG_C1_16x08B
(Please indicate clearly your banner size (see bolded))

c. Send your files to godismybanner@gmail.com

d. If your file size is too large, you may upload to www.yousendit.com and submit the URL for download to the abovementioned email address.

e. You are reminded to save your original artwork in photoshop format for easy editing if required.
Closing date for submission is 27 February 2010!

Send Us Your Entries Now!

2010-01-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

STM Cambodia group photos taken at the airport:

(The goers and the senders..with Benaiah taking the shot)

(Serene, Weiling and Joyce with the YG supporters)

-- Photos courtesy of Justin Choo --

happy berthday Uni-YA!

2010-01-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all who played your part in making the event a successful one last saturday...from the planning team to the frontline programmes to the most background work and all, to every audience on the floor, thank you so much =) it was an amazing night of celebration & get-together for the entire uni-ya group, with thanksgiving and appreciation unto God and each other..I believe everyone enjoyed the time very much, that of course including myself.. =)

more than just the day itself or a few hours of celebration, I'm thankful that God brought us to so far..looking back at a year ago, rather, 1.5yrs back..how the leadership team came together...how we seeked God to go ahead with the vision..to the real test of faith as we embark on the service..to execution of the service & our own ESS productions...to the perserverance of the vision as we serve by the grace of God just as we always have been (even though there may be times we are in lack & feeling so weak & inexperienced)..to seeing growth in many aspects of all the different pastoral groups as we walk with God...& here we are! =) not that we've been able to do these by ourselves, definitely not without the presence & reality of God...not that we are "there" yet too (or so we shall ever be near perfection), but the entire journey of growing together has made us stronger in the process.

thank God for every single one of you for pouring forth your life to God..for giving so much, for loving Man, for serving and following God. We've still got a long long way to go..just as we move forward, let's continue keeping in step with the Spirit, contending for the faith and expecting in hope..we shall grow from strength to strength with God!

love,
huili

STM to Cambodia!

2010-01-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

On the morning of 3rd January 2010, we sent off some of our dear brothers and sisters to Cambodia for a Short Term Missions trip. They will be our first mission team in this new year with many more to follow.

(From left, the Missions Team: Guan Rui, Calyn, Wei Ling, Joyce, Serene, Timothy)

Many bros and sis from NYC, NUS and YG arrived at the airport very early to bless the Team with our prayers and wishes. A few pple (I shall not mention names.. hee..) din go home but stayed at airport after the anniversary celebration. Despite of the lack of sleep, everyone was so excited. Taking pictures after pictures.. hmm..for a moment, I felt as if the anniversary celebration the night before had not ended! ! LOL!

I am touched by the Team's desire to want to live out the Great Commission in their lives. Reminded me of the vision of our congregation to build credible and courageous young adults! The amount of work they have to do at Cambodian and the preparation was really a massive project. Numerous workshops (at least 6-10), teachings and sharings as well as conducting an outreach service to about 100 youths. All these to be conducted in just 6 days. (seems like a mini church camp to me but it's by a team of just 6 pple) Sounds crazy. Yeah for the past few weeks, they really had a tough time preparing for it, at the same time to oversee the pastoral needs in their respective groups. Many have been stretched and fallen sick. However God blessed them and they managed to complete most of their preparation on time.

In case you have not known, the team has set up a blog (http://for-god-so-loved-cambodians.blogspot.com/) to share with us all their experiences and reflections first hand while they are on the missions ground. There are updates of prayer requests by them on the blog as well. Please visit the site and keep them in your prayers. May the spirit of God empower and protect them. Through them, may God's love touch the Cambodian youths and changed their lives.

God bless the Team (Joyce, Weiling, Serene, Calyn, Timothy and Guan Rui) and Cambodia!

FIRST UNI-YA ANNIVERSARY !

2009-12-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

Hey brothers and sisters! As we welcome the new year, let us also celebrate our FIRST Uni-YA Anniversary. Join us in a fun-filled night of food and performances as we commemorate our milestones through 2009 with thanksgiving and appreciation. Bring your glamourous self to Love The World Soul Rock Bistro & Bar @ The Singapore Flyer on 02/01/10 (SAT) @ 7pm. You will not be disappointed!! :)

Dress code
Smart Casual

Amount
$15 for working people & $12 for non-working people

Travel Directions
1) After service, quickly make your way out of RELC and take 190 to Plaza Sing.
2) Transfer to bus service 77 or 171 and alight when you see the Singapore Flyer (it's too big to miss!).
3) Love The World Bistro & Bar is located at level 2 of the Flyer!

You can refer to the route suggested by http://gothere.sg/maps#q:relc%20to%20singapore%20flyer

Alternatively, there's a shuttle bus from City Hall MRT that charges $2 for a 2-way ticket to the Flyer.

The shepherd

2009-09-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

just for funz..;p

Sabbath

2009-09-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

It's been quiet here for awhile...Shall post something I've been thinking about recently, triggered from some stuff I read online. For your musing & pondering too! =)

John 5:17 “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

John Piper re-interpreted the meaning of the passage in his own words, of which this caught my attention when he mentioned what Jesus meant:

“My Father and I created a perfect world, a paradise, and then we rested, not that we were tired, but stepped back as it were and enjoy the perfect display of our own glory revealed in our creative handiwork”

That’s what Sabbath is for—the restful, focused, enjoyment of God, not just because I’m tired and that I needed something that I can rely back on at the end of the day.

Another interesting part:

“But then sin entered the world, and through sin came sickness and calamity and death. And from that moment, my Father and I have been working again. We have been working—in many ways that you don’t understand—to restore a Sabbath paradise to the universe. We have been working to overcome sin and sickness and death.”

He never stopped working. Not even today. The only time He ever did was on the 7th day after He created the Earth & everything...just so that we can overcome sin, by the grace and mercy of Him.

Obama's 'change' mantra loses lustre

2009-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

His popularity rating falls below 60% for the first time amid doubts over health-care reform

WASHINGTON: Six months into his historic presidency, Americans are beginning to show the first real signs of doubt that President Barack Obama can deliver on his promise of change.

A new poll out on Monday suggested that amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, rising unemployment and a ballooning deficit, the honeymoon could be waning for Mr Obama.

And his determination to push through a radical reform of the creaky health-care system could come to define the success or failure of his presidency.

He has invested much personally in his high-stakes campaign, a cornerstone of his 2008 White House race which saw him defeat Republican rival John McCain to become America's first African-American president.

But the far-reaching plans to afford health insurance for all Americans have left many worrying about who will end up footing the bill.

Six months after his Jan 20 inauguration attracted record crowds and television audiences, Mr Obama remains popular at home with a 59 per cent approval rating, according to a poll by ABC News television and the Washington Post.

But it is the first time that the rating had slipped below 60 per cent. And it marks a 6 per cent fall since last month.

Mr Obama's detractors have plenty of fodder to fuel their discontent.

Unemployment has hit more than 10 per cent in 15 states and in Washington, the promised economic recovery has still not arrived and the nation's deficit has passed US$1 trillion (S$1.44 trillion).

While 52 per cent of Americans said they still supported the Democratic leader's economic policies, that is down from 56 per cent last month.

And 46 per cent said they did not back his proposals. For the first time, the number who strongly disapprove surpassed those who strongly approve.

Those voicing confidence in his plans to kick-start the ailing economy have also tumbled from 72 per cent before his inauguration to 56 per cent to date.

Despite White House assurances that 'the green shoots' of economic recovery can be seen, many Americans are hurting, rocked by job losses, a credit crunch and seemingly unending home foreclosures.

The administration admitted on Monday that it would delay releasing budget figures for a day, but denied it was to hide the true scale of the deficit.

Mr Obama unveiled in February massive plans to restimulate the world's largest economy and create or save some three million jobs within two years.

He was met by a wave of scepticism, notably among Republicans who have accused him of aggravating the deficit with his US$787 billion stimulus, burdening generations to come with a huge debt.

So, more than anything, it is likely to be the final cost which could scupper his plans to reform the health-care system, one of the most expensive and worst-performing among industrialised nations.

Former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary know too well the political cost of trying - and failing - to find a solution to the problem.

But Mr Obama is determined to get his message across, and this week has a series of media and political events to publicise his case, including a prime-time press conference today.

He has fought back hard to keep his message on track. 'Just the other day, one Republican senator said - and I'm quoting him now - 'If we're able to stop Mr Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him',' he said on Monday.
'Think about that. This isn't about me. This isn't about politics. This is about a health-care system that is breaking America's families, breaking America's businesses, and breaking America's economy.'

Health care is just one issue on Mr Obama's plate. He was also the driving force behind the stimulus plan, has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison by January, and campaigned hard for legislation to limit greenhouse gases.

But health-care reform looks set to be his biggest test yet, with many within his own Democratic party yet to be won over. With an eye on looming mid-term congressional elections next year, some fear they could pay the price at the ballot box.

'The Barack Obama experiment with America is a risk our country can't afford. It's too much, too fast, too soon,' argued Republican Party chairman Michael Steele.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Tribute to God

2009-06-05T11:03:00.001-07:00

A Tribute to Our Lord Jesus Christ

I believe many of you had heard the news about the 4.93 a few weeks ago during a sermon by Wenjiang. Honestly, I did not want it to be announced until I have made sense of it and able to tell of the story that is praise worthy to our Lord Jesus Christ. I would normally procrastinate this sort of testimony and because I am unable to put it across in manner that glorifies God, the testimony to the power of our Lord Jesus goes unseen. Many of you, mostly those I serve closely with, have heard or seen bits and pieces of what I have been through these few months. However, here is a full picture of what the Lord has done in my life: A Tribute to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This was a semester that I was quite worried about because for some factors. This semester’s subjects were tougher than the usual that I have experienced for the past few semesters. This was also a semester that I was adapting to a new role of a Ula, many things that I don’t know and trying to learn and with many heartaches as well. In addition was a role to be the Uni-YA camp head, managing such a big event with many new things like the air-con was quite a challenge to me. In the midst, I was challenged by the devil to doubt God’s calling for my life, to doubt His goodness and His providence and many many times I struggled. However, throughout the entire semester, I had the deep assurance that this is something God called me to do and I will do it uncompromisingly. I do not want to regret not doing what He called me to do just because of a few CAP or GPA points.

Then came the preparation for the exams. The 2 weeks before the exams started was a very crucial one to me, I thought that I could study really hard to catch up with whatever I needed to. (Just like many previous semesters. Please don’t try this, if you can be consistent, do be). One and a half weeks before the exams, I got a fever. I thought that it was a normal fever and that God is going to test me again like the last semester when I had a terrible cold and cough. I continued to study, drinking a lot of water and when it did not subside in 2-3 days, I took some panadol. But the fever and headache got so bad that I could not study anymore but to take more rest. The day after I had shepherded my sheep (he was so afraid that he might get it from me), I woke up with many spots on my body and this really startled me. Is this chicken pox? Is God going to give me this biggest test ever? Am I going to be able to take my exams? Will I need to stay back for one more semester? I was really afraid and did not know what was going to happen. I pray and ask God not to test me.

I went to the doctor and there he told me that I have got Chicken pox! I was still at a loss of what to do, but I was more assured when the doctor told me that I could still take the exams. I went away from the fellowship in school and back home to be isolated. This was the beginning of the 2 day nightmare. The first day was an outbreak of sores and spots. It was all over and was extremely itchy. It was so bad that I could not do anything. I tried everything, calamine lotion, air con, bath, fan, study my notes, reading my Bible, praying. Nothing I can do consistently for more than 5 minutes. I wasn’t even able to sleep and thus stayed up the whole night staring blankly into space. I could even recall the frustration of why I had to go through this and I vent it by punching my pillow I tried to read the book of Job (he was famous for the sores), but it just showed me how far I am away from Job. Job was praising God in the midst of something worse than me, I was almost blaming God for what is happening. It showed me how far I have fallen short of the standard of God.

The next night was a night of high fever reaching 39 degrees for almost 5 hours. An extreme headache accompanied with it. I was just lying on my bed, asking God to take it away. Even in the midst of sleeping, I was dreaming non-stop and constantly waking up. At times I wonder, will this have a permanent impact on my life. To top it up, my mum was frustrated with what happened to me because she was very worried too. Her frustration made her blame what happened to me on being too busy doing church stuff, causing me not to have enough rest. But I thank God for my mum, she made meals for me, brought the meals and water to me, went up and down the stairs to take good care of me, and nursed me back to health. So, there were voices by the devil telling me to doubt God and start cursing Him. Thankfully, with whatever conscious mind I had I that time, I don’t remember saying or thinking anything blasphemous to God. I kept holding onto the promise that God is going to bring me through tonight because He died and rose again and has conquered all illness.

The next morning came where the fever subsided, I was relieved. However, before I rested my mind, I remembered that the next day is my first exam and I have not fully prepared. The anxiousness and fear once again gripped me. I enquired from the school and I must take the paper if not I will have to stay back for one more semester. After some praying and thinking through, I decided to go on with the papers. For the next 3 weeks, I went for papers less adequately prepared as compared to past semesters. Normally, I could study till late and push the limits by my determination, but this time there was no way I could do that. The sickness took the energy and I just could not study and had to restIt was a period of much uncertainty and also many things I have learnt. It was a period of experience His grace and providence to a greater extent, a time where I understood His heart better, and a time that I understood myself better.

My thanksgiving
I thank God for my mum specifically who was suffering from knee problems but made meals and drinks, and brought them to me by climbing up and down the stairs. She is a faithful mother who also took a week’s leave to take care of me and nursed me back to health. For my uncle, a taxi driver who took me to and fro from NTU and back home at a minimal cost. The NYC community: The brothers and sisters who contributed to the blessing box of encouragement and bringing it all the way to my doorstep. The many text messages that came to remind me of the Truth and keep my mind from turning too negative. My dear sheep, Eng Seng who came to pray for me on my first paper and told me that he missed me so dearly.

His grace
I had to go to an isolation room for my papers so that I won’t spread to the others in the main hall. Most of the times I am there early and in another room waiting for the exam to start. The times of waiting can be quite agonizing because I know I have not prepared adequately but I needed to sit for the paper no matter what and there is nothing that I can do at that point. There was one paper, while I was waiting and worrying that I am not prepared, Tim sent me a text message, it was a passage from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul was recounting God’s grace upon His life. Verse 9 really reminded me of God’s grace and His power, that it is sufficient and enough to bring me through anything. I was really clinging onto God’s grace for any outcome of this examination. I held His grace dearly to my heart as I prepare for the next papers, that when I did my best to study but yet not able to adequately prepare, I know His grace will cover me. And indeed, 4.93 or whatever outcome is there is a testimony of His grace that sufficiently covered me. It was then that my determination, perseverance was taken away from me, that I realize how great God’s grace is. It is something that the Lord made me learn through these circumstances.

His timing
Another thing that amazes me is the timing of His blessings. He times His blessing in a way that will bring Him most praise and glory. This was the worst semester for me in terms of the academic preparation under the circumstances of ministry and the illness but is by very far, the best semester in terms of the academic results. If such results were to be given to be in the past few semesters, I would have become proud and claim it as my achievements and not given glory to the Lord. If it was given to me earlier without these circumstances, I would have wanted to do even better and pursue the first class honours in the expense of my calling from God.

Let go, let God
I was quite bent on pursuing my first class and was a bit disappointed when I realize it’s going to be a arduous task as I will have to get 4.9 for the next 2 semesters which I thought was quite impossible. I was beginning to get bitter with God because I thought that if I had spent less time in ministry and more time to study, I would not be risking my first class honours like now. But I made a decision after speaking to my mentor one day that I know that I am pursuing God’s call and purpose in my life and first class or not, it is up to Him. I found confidence in the will of the Lord for my life.

It is through these circumstances that God’s power is shown so magnificently in my weakness. No one including myself can attribute it to myself to get such wonderful results. It is indeed a true tribute to the Lord. It really tells me that God spares no good gift to His child in His timing and in accordance to what He knows is best for His child. He shows me that He really takes care of me and His power is more unimaginable as I obey Him more and more in my life.

Through this testimony, I will like to encourage you to continue to pursue God’s will for your life relentlessly, to be faithful to keep to what He has called you to do and to be, to continue to fulfill the Great Commission. And His assurance is that His grace will cover you and He wants the best for you as you follow His call in obedience.

Enghow

Conclusion of Camp; Commencement of Victorious Living

2009-05-20T10:22:00.001-07:00

Dear Uni-YA people...

This brings us near the conclusion of this month’s die-hard focus on the camp and its theme of Victory in Christ. Have heard many great stories of how God had moved in each and every one of our lives at the camp.

Even as now I am in the Leadership Conference in Kuching, I am still praying and thinking about the camp and also how we can continue to achieve victory in our lives. Indeed victory, a victorious life in Christ, is not a once-off thing but a process of achieving it, actualizing it and maintaining it. In this coming Saturday’s message, I will speak about Hindrances to Victory while in our sub-groups we will explore about how we can all Maintain our Victory.

Was very touched when I see the red-shirts working and playing alongside the green-shirts and blue-shirts, all just wanting to achieve one purpose which was to gather together, praise God’s name, grow in God, fellowship with God. Many sense that we have moved one notch up in our spiritual life, as a group and individually, which indeed is an answer to our prayer that this camp will achieve such an objective. Would like to congratulate one and all once again, the camp comm, sub-comms, volunteers, all the teachers at the workshops and lastly also all you guys for being such supportive and Spirit-filled participants. Special thanks to our HK brothers and sisters as well once again for making the trip down and blessing us so much with your presence and lives.

To a great season of growth and harvest in the coming months, when God’s temple will be further built and that His glory will come down in power...amen!

WJ

p/s: special acknowledgment to Justin and his camera for this shot...cheers

Characteristics of a Victorious Church Part 2

2009-05-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Continuing on our exploration on what are the characteristics of those who are victorious, let’s go back to the scenario of the big all-stars Rugby game we were playing in.

Halfway through the game, you got bumped down by this meaty opponent standing in your way, yet again. You lost the ball but God picks it up and passes to you again. He urges you to continue running, passing the ball forward to your teammates and continue running. But you felt so discouraged and tired as you realized that you are injured on the side. You wondered at the moment why God doesn’t just end the game there and then since His team has already won.

Victorious people, besides giving thanks to God and proclaiming His goodness, will see certain character qualities growing in their life or in the church.

3. Spiritual growth

a) Quality growth

Our life in God grows as we have victories in Him. Having faith fully in Christ’s victory will bring about fruitfulness and quality in our life!

Many times as we walk with God, we often stumble over mistakes and challenges, fall into temptations and sins again, struggle to have breakthrough in our ministry or personal life. Yes no doubt, we may even fall to a certain sin many times. (when the worship song goes, “Oh how many times have I broken Your heart, but still You forgive, if only I come.”) However, let’s not get stuck in the same test that God gave us! He has intended victory for us in the tests that He gave us!
Is it the same commitment issue that we are struggling with again and again?
Not that we are going to be fully committed at the snap of a finger but we need to understand more and love God more so that we will choose to commit more and more.

Is it the same anger or hatred that we are feeling towards certain people (our family, CG members, ourselves) again and again?

We need to be proactive in seeking to experience God’s love and forgiveness more and more so that we can learn to forgive ourselves or others! We can’t be stuck with playing and replaying all the negative things that happened which caused the anger or hatred.

‘But He knows the way I take, when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.’

‘For You, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance.’

‘See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sakem for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.’

‘In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.’ <1 Peter 1:6-7>

God allows temptations to come because He wants to see growth as we overcome them. He wants us to be tested so that our faith can produce fruits that will last when difficult times come! Don’t seek to take shortcuts in our walk with God! If not we will be knocked down again and again by that meaty opponent!

‘When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through and places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left,” When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.’

THINK!
3) We can seek for career advancement, our future, promotion etc. Can we also be proactive in seeking for spiritual growth and fruitfulness in our understanding and maturity in God?

b) Quantity growth

Where there is quality growth, quantity growth will follow naturally.
‘They devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculously signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And you surely will know the end of this part says… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’

I think we do know this whole part well, especially the last line there. We love to have that in our CGs, schools, workplaces, camps! And the point may not be whether we believe in what God says that He will add, but it’s more of whether we are doing what we are supposed to be doing… in the first 7 lines.
Are we growing ourselves and in our CGs qualitatively? Because if we are, quantity growth will follow naturally as well.

And lastly, victorious people or church will have:

4. Developmental growth

Here I want to conclude too with the rugby game. When you were tripped over by the opponent’s tackle, God helped you up once again and He whispered into your ears how to avoid that opponent. You just have to muster up your courage and strength and do what He says! Though for the next few times you may fail to pass through again, but ultimately when you do, you would find that you have just completed another yard!

Have we been moving forward in life as well? Yes, we have grown older in age and moved forward in terms of our life stations. But have we really improved along the way too and developed ourselves in all areas. Have we grown older with maturity or in ignorance?

THINK!
4) As compared to 1 year ago (or any other time frame), are we more matured in our understanding and the way we handled things (our emotions, issues with people, life decisions, choosing to make Kingdom-minded choices at our crossroads)?

Carrie

Characteristics of a Victorious Church Part 1

2009-05-12T01:34:00.000-07:00

‘When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. ² When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³ He shall say: "Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. ⁴ For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." - Deut 20:1-4

³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - 1 John 5:3-5

Let’s pause for a moment and look at the verses bold above. What is the one most important thing that comes to mindbefore we go any further? That with God there is victory? More than this but I believe one very important thing that we need to first recognize and know is that God has INTENDED victory for us. Yes, He has intended victory for us over all the domains that we have previously explored. Whether we know it, feel it, experience it or not.

Now imagine that you are playing in a major all-stars Rugby game. (E.g. the movie ‘The Longest Yard’) The amazing thing here is that, the final score of the game has been flashed on the big billboard already, even though the game is still ongoing. Which means the team that you are in will ultimately win. You wonder why. You look around. Guess who is the Coach and Owner of this team. You might want to stop right now and go for a celebration buffet over the victory. But God says that you still need to finish running the yard, to carry the ball from one end to the other, to pass through that next opponent you see in front of you. But all the time God reminds us to say, “we have already won.”

With this in mind, let us learn the characteristics of those who are victorious in Christ. Remember that it’s the victory that God has intended for us, regardless of whether we have felt or experienced it.

Praise and Thanksgiving

When we experience victory personally or corporately as a church, we will give praise and thanksgiving to God for it because we realize that victory can only come from God, not through any human effort. In fact, when we know that God has intended victory for all His people and His church as a fact, we ought to be praising and giving thanks to God! (Recall the praise song last Sat: ‘The song in my heart, the song in my soul, the song I was born to sing, it’s Your song of freedom, and I am free to dance again’)

A few examples in the Bible where people of God sang and praised God:

Moses and the Israelites –‘But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant. - Exodus 14:29-31

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. - Exodus 15:1

David – ‘David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; - 2 Samuel 22:1-2

Paul and Silas – ‘About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. - Acts 16:25

THINK!

Are we training our hearts to praise God always? (Or just at the times when we feel good or feel like praising God?) If not, we are allowing ourselves to say that: God, You are not worthy to be praised at certain times.

Proclamation of the Greatness of God

One of the worship songs goes: ‘Proclaim Your awesome power, tell of mighty deeds. Declare Your future Kingdom of everlasting peace…All of my days I will sing of Your Greatness, all of my days I will speak of Your Grace, all of my days I will tell of Your wondrous love, Your love in my life, Your love.

Victorious people who know that God has the final victory can’t help but proclaim the goodness and the greatness of God in their lives or to others around them. Once again, as we proclaim God’s goodness and greatness, we also want to acknowledge His leadership over our lives. We are casting down the control that the devil has over our lives. We are casting down the pride that we have held onto.

‘One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your Majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds. They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O Lord; Your saints will extol You.’ - Psalm 145:4-10

Something I learnt recently from the book <>. The Cat says, “Yea God came to earth to save me from all my sins and bringing me into an eternity!” The Dog will instead say, “Yes God praise Your Name for all the wonderful things You have done in my life.” It brings me to realize that it is all about God and not me. It is about glorifying His Name and seeing His will be done in my life. At times, when the ministries we are taking care of or serving in succeed or work out, it is not about what we have done but of what God has done and will do, and we declare just that.

THINK!

Are we making sense of what God is doing in our life, who He is, when things don’t seem to go our way? Are we maturing in our understanding of how God can work in our life? (how He can discipline, teach us, not just bless or comfort us)

Carrie

Domains of Christian Victory - The Spiritual Domain

2009-05-10T20:53:00.001-07:00

Only believers can have victory in the spiritual realm. Mankind has been sinful ever since the first man sinned. Satan had the dominion and authority over mankind. Man’s spirit was dead until Jesus Christ came to restore it and to have victory in the spiritual domain.

1) Sin no longer condemns us

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned

~ Romans 5:12 ~

God made us righteous and holy through Jesus Christ. Thus we should not expect ourselves to sin like before.

I recently read this book by Bill Giovannetti called “How to keep your inner mess from trashing your outer world” and He gave a very fresh insight with respect to sin and I would like to share it here.

Imagine with me that I’m about to steal something from a shop. As I was about to walk out, the term “What would Jesus do? (WWJD) kept ringing in my head.

What would Jesus do if he was in my situation?

He will never steal right?

But I need the food desperately and I have no money!

But Jesus taught me to trust in His providence.

Just this once. Just this once. I’m sure Jesus will forgive me after this.

What would Jesus do? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus do?

The next thing I knew, I was walking out of the shop with the loot in my bag.

Have you heard about the catch line “What would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) before? I always thought people would use it when they are in a certain difficult situation, they would ask themselves “what would Jesus do” and subsequently make that particular God honoring decision. It sounds good doesn’t it?

The problem comes when despite thinking “what would Jesus do?”, many a times we go on to do exact opposite of that.

And that is sin. So what now? We failed the standard of WWJD. Do we stand condemned? Where does this WWJD bring us from here?

The issue with this catch line is the angle to which we look at it. We need to turn around the WWJD question. Instead of asking What Would Jesus Do? with regard to imitation, we need to first ask it with regard to transformation.

What would Jesus do if he was to meet the thief in me? The thief who knew what was right but instead chose to do the wrong thing.

What would Jesus do if he were to meet the Jealous side in you? The side in you who just wishes that your neighbour won’t do so well, so that your grades won’t look so bad. Jesus will forgive you.

What would Jesus do it he were to meet the prideful side of you? The side of you who can’t wait for share all your achievements and hide all your weaknesses. Jesus will forgive you.

Are there any areas of your life that stand condemned today for having failed the standard of God? If you want to be victorious over this area of sin, allow Jesus Christ to say the following to you.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

~ Luke 7:47-48 ~

Allow Jesus to go into your life, and hug each one of your inner thieves, inner pride, inner lust,, inner brat, inner hypocrite, inner lack-of-faith, inner unloving-ness and the list goes on. As he hugs each one of them, he says with the comfort of love yet with the power of authority that “Your sin is forgiven” “Your lack-of-faith is forgiven” “Your lust is forgiven” “Your pride is forgiven”

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

~ Romans 8:1-2 ~

2) Sin no longer control us

Now that our sins have been forgiven, we can take things one step further to overcome the dominion of sin.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

~ Romans 8:9-10 ~

Going back to the “What would Jesus do” catch line, only Jesus can do what Jesus would do. For us to do what Jesus would do, we would have to allow Jesus to take control of us. We would have to allow the Holy Spirit living in us to do a transforming working within us. If Jesus was not ready to relive his life in me and through me, Christianity would be a charade.

Are there any areas of your life to which you need to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ? You’re responded many times during altar calls to change, to break free of this sin and somehow there seems to be no progress.

You see, it is never about trying harder to break free from a certain sin. It is never about trying harder to remember to be more loving. If there is something you need to try harder in, it would have to be to try harder to be persistent in allowing Jesus to do a transforming work in you.

A few things you need to do for this to happen

1) Make a decision to persistently park yourself under the love and authority of Jesus Christ

2) Park yourself under the authority of the bible.

3) Park yourself under the authority of the church and her leaders.

4) Park yourself within the confines of a covenanted family of God, the caregroup.

It is a process. Don’t psycho yourself that with a snap of a finger, you have broken free of this sin. The transforming work is a long drawn process that will carry on for the rest of your time on earth or until Jesus returns to restore us fully. And this transforming work in us will bring us from one victory over the thief in us, to another victory over the lust in us and yet another victory over the pride in us.

3) Sin in others

Having dealt at length with personal sin, it becomes apparent that until and unless we have a correct perspective of our own sins, coming to terms with our own sins and allowing Jesus to speak into this area continually, we will not be able to come to terms with other people’s sins and imperfections.

“How can he do that to me!”

“This is ridiculous, I’ll never imagine myself doing such things”

“Where was the love that a cg member should show to me?”

You see, just as Jesus would embrace each one of your sin and say “Your sins are forgiven,” Jesus would do likewise for the person you’re really pissed off with. Allow the Jesus in you to embrace those ugly things in other’s life. “But I’ll lose face and lose out if I just forgive like that” No dear, you’re not losing out. If you persist, the devil ‘wins’ this time round. If you forgive, the kingdom of God is victorious.

Response time:

1) Are there any sins to which you just can’t forgive yourself for? Are there any sin that seems to come back to haunt you again and again and again. It is not about you forgiving yourself but allow Jesus to come into that area and say “Your sin is forgiven”

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 ~

If Jesus is love, than he would keep no records of your wrong as well and you can truly move on from there.

2) Are there any sins to which you have not persistently parked under the authority of Jesus Christ? You need a breakthrough today, not in effort but where you persistently park yourself under.

3) Is there someone you need to forgive someone today? There are some things that you just cannot stand about this person. There are some imperfections that really put you off. Are you willing to follow the lead of the Jesus living in you to say “In the name of Jesus (the Jesus living in me), you are forgiven?”

After this, it is important to seek reconciliation and break down the walls the devil sought to build between Children of God in the church.

Regards,

Stephen, Jie Hui

Domains of Christian Victory - The Soul Domain

2009-05-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Having discussed about the battle on the outside, in the physical domain, we’re moving into another battlefield today. It’s the battle within– Our soul.

1) Our Mind and Conscience

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

~ Genesis 3:1 ~

There are 3 main voices that you hear within. 1) God’s voice 2) The Devil’s voice 3) Your own Voice. The issue is that your voice has no moral benchmark of its own. It will eventually either align itself with God’s voice or the Devil’s voice. As God’s children, we want to be loyal to God’s voice and God’s voice only.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

~ John 10:27 ~

We can be more attuned to God’s voice and at the same time learn to recognize what is not God’s voice as well. Just like how he deceived Eve into doubting God, he uses this same old trick on us all the time as well.

Let me give a few examples:

My caregroup does not love me. Why in the world would God’s voice tell you this? What does the bible say about this? If it is not God’s voice, then it will have to be the devil’s voice!

My caregroup is boring and not fun. While it may be true that not all CGs are fun, we don’t come to cg to be entertained right? The devil’s voice at times points you to what may be correct facts but wrong focuses.

Keep all your money with you first. After you invest them and earn some money, you can start giving to the church. The devil more often than not will like tell you obvious statements like “God is bad” but will twist something spiritual with a compromised substitute for God’s best.

Learn to recognize God’s voice today if we want to be victorious in the battle of our mind. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, to counsel you and to teach you.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

~ Ephesians 4:22-24 ~

2) Our Emotions

When God created us, He created us with the ability to feel, to have emotions.

In God’s perfect will, He placed this ability to feel in us in order for us to love Him and to fellowship with him. Because of the freewill God gave us, He does not control how we manage these emotions. This is God’s permissible will.

Many end up toying with their own emotions, using their emotions to manipulate themselves and others, going into the state of depression and to even acts of self mutilation.

In emotions, the devil has made what was meant to be beautiful, into something that constantly prowls beside the devil at our doorstep waiting to explode at anytime.

As Christ followers, God has given us an avenue to victory in this. We need to subject our emotions under Christ. We want to honour God in this area as well.

I’ll carry on this discussion to talk about non God honoring emotions and will just refer to them as emotions.

a) Be real to yourself

Never write off emotions within yourself. If you’re angry, you’re angry. If you’re sad, you’re sad. No matter how your write off that emotion, you’re still angry or sad. Come to terms with your own emotions. If you need help, admit you need help and be open about it.

Being real does not give you the license to whack up someone or to do as you please. You don’t need to express your anger in an angry manner. You can always share about how pissed off you are with someone in TCC over a cup of coffee. You can always share about how disappointed with the cg without using all the “#@!%%1@#$@%”

We need to be biblical and loving even as we go about pouring out our emotions. Remember, the greatest commandment is to love God and second, it is to love each other.

b) Bring the battle from the inside to the outside.

After coming to terms with your emotions, don’t fight the battle alone. You’ll lose eventually. Position yourself with healthy outlets to pour out your emotions. Ask your overseers and caregroup members to keep watch over you, to provide support and to guide you in this area.

Allow your overseer to look into your emotional life. Don’t just seek to pour but be open to biblical advice as well.

c) Make sense of your emotions

It is our thoughts which determine our emotions. We would be able to straghten our thinking if we allow them to align with the biblical way.

Why are you feeling this particular emotion now? Is it because of some past scar or experiences you’ve picked up knowingly or unknowingly? Is God trying to tell you something through this situation? Have you allowed your emotions to drive you in circles? Going through this with others will help tremendously.

d) Pray and seek God

Self control is one of the fruits of the spirit. Our emotional well-being does not depend on our circumstances and situations because the Holy Spirit bestows on us what is good and healthy for us emotionally.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

~ Galatians 5:22-23 ~

Reflection Points:

1) Search the different areas of your life. Whose voice are we listening to today?

It may be with regard to a very specific area of your life.

It may be a need to be being obedient to God’s direction or His leaders.

It may be carrying the cross that God has for us.

Are we allowing the devil to ask us the “Did God really…” question?

After answering this question, seek biblical advice and be open about it.

2) How are we handling our emotions as they come about in our daily life?

Are we being real to them? Where did these emotions come from? After coming to terms with our emotions, how can we manage and mature in the way we pour out, express and channel our emotions?

Regards,

Stephen, Jie Hui

Domains of Christian Victory - The Physical Domain

2009-05-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Now that we understand what true victory in Christ looks like as well as what are some Illustrations or forms of Christian victory, it is important for us to take a step back and look at the bigger picture as to how can all these fit into the domains of life.

God wants and desires for us to be victorious in the domains of life. The domains of life can roughly be categorized into 3 main parts in our discussion. They are namely the physical domain, the soul domain and the spiritual domain. Rather than being helpless slaves in these domains, God has empowered Christ followers to be victorious in all these domains.

In 2 Corinthians Paul writes, “but thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal possession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance knowledge of him”.

We'll spend the next 3 days going through each of the 3 domains starting with the physical domain today.

1) Victory over sickness, disease and death

Some people may misunderstand and say that Christians have a way of comforting themselves. When they are miraculously healed from sickness or diseases, they praise God for it. When they are involved in some calamity, they will think that God allowed it. In every way, God seemed to win, they argue.

However, it has to be said that the over arching principle here is not self comfort but rather a simple trust that God is in control of all situations, good or bad, pleasant or nasty, cancer or good health, swine flu or H1N1 etc.

It is because of this simple trust that an all powerful, all knowing and loving God is in control of the situation, that is why Christians can live comforting lives. God always seems to win because it is true that God always wins.

It is a fact that God’s plan will always have the ultimate victory over the devil in whatever circumstances and the bible promises us that this plan is one which will prosper us and not to fail us.

Swine Flu or H1N1, God is in control

However, a simple trust in God does not mean that we are called to sit back and be helpless when it comes to fighting against sickness, diseases and death. Jesus was proactive in fighting sickness and illnesses. Healing was a mainstay in Jesus’ ministry when he walked on Earth. Wherever he went, he cured the sick, healed the lame and revived the dead.

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

~ Matthew 8:16 ~

He later passed on this authority to His disciples.

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

~Matthew 10:1 ~

The healing of the sick need to go hand in hand with the gospel message or showcasing of the glory of God. Jesus healed ten of their leprosy and only one came back to thank Him. Jesus did not take back the healing he gave graciously to the other nine. God loves us enough to want to heal us even though we may not give thanks to Him. However, His will is for us to learn to be thankful and give glory to God as we are healed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

~ Luke 17:15-19 ~

When God open doors in our daily life for us to pray for healing in someone life, do we do it to comfort person, because it is a "christian" thing to do or do we really believe that God can heal. We need to pray with full faith and wait patiently for God's perfect timing and purpose to come to pass.

God's timing: Praying does not magically move God's hands but it God hears all our prayers and understand our faith. We must continually remove the seeds of doubt in us as we wait for God's timing.

God's purpose: When healing does not come for the time being, we must not perceive it as silence or apathy on the part of God. Rather, God is screaming down from heaven that he has a greater mission, greater purpose, greater victory, something beyond physical healing, something beyond the "wow" of get a healing event installed for the person during this time. Nevertheless, God will provide comfort through our relationship with Him and will deliver us eventually.

We have to give an account eventually about how we have used the authority to heal Jesus passed on to us to advance the kingdom of God. Let us ready ourselves to streamline the healing ministry with our pastoral and outreach work such that the kingdom of God will advance through this.

2) Victory over the natural environment

While we are by no means storm manipulators or a certain mutant from X-men, God has given us the victory over the natural environment.

There are many instances in the bible where believers operated out of the natural laws. While God normally work within the confines of natural laws, there are times in which God intervenes with supernatural means and we have to be ready to be used by God in natural or supernatural means.

3) Victory over imperfect situations like poverty, hardship and persecution

Imagine with me that God is an unique jigsaw puzzle artist. He doesn't put a blank puzzle together nicely and start doing His artwork. Instead, he paints each piece of the puzzle individually. Some pieces are white, some blue others green with shades of black. One by one he paints and he puts them in place. The positioning seems random. Eventually, a beautiful picture emerge.

I would imagine having a love hate relationship with those 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle if I were to do this puzzle together with God.

Love:

When God shows me the final design, its nice!! I want that!! I can see the entire picture and that is what we are working towards together. It is the hope that I will have that beautiful picture hanging on my wall one day that gets me started.

Hate:

However, the hate part comes in once we start to try to put things together. Some of the parts just do not make sense at all. (Especially those green and blue ones which give no clue about where does it fit into the big picture)

I thought I signed up for a beautiful picture with a nice castle, clouds and trees? Why am I left staring at a small green piece of cardboard no more than 2 cm by 2cm wide? There are times I feel like I’m lost in the forest.

There seems to be no end to the number of green pieces coming my way. (That forest is pretty big). This just does not make sense if I am just going to stare at the 2 cm by 2 cm cardboard.

Love:

However, something just keeps me going. What awaits me towards the end keeps me going. No matter how unsavory each piece looks or how much it does not make sense, I have the assurance that the picture will be perfect at the end of the day.

As each part is unveiled, as the pieces start to fit together, things start to make sense, slowly but surely. Some parts like the castle parts may make more sense and be more enjoyable to piece together as compared to other parts like the forest and the sky. Nevertheless, they will all come together to form the big picture. It’s the picture I signed up for.

A few things we can learn from this analogy

1) Sometimes the situation we are facing right now is like staring at a 2 cm by 2cm piece of green cardboard. It just does not make sense. Things may not be a bed of roses. We may even be persecuted. We certainly did not ask to be persecuted when we told God we want to be part of His mighty hands. We also do not know what is the next piece going to look like. Will it be a blessing, a trauma or an obstacle?

Do we raise our hands and throw a tantrum and refuse to continue doing the puzzle, or do we keep in mind that be it good or bad times, each step we take with God is another piece onto our life story, our walk with God?

2) Every experience and every part of the puzzle is important. Let's say I look at a piece of green puzzle and it is such an ugly shade of green that I throw this piece of puzzle away. What would I end up with? An even uglier big picture with a missing piece.

You see, the individual pieces may not be attractive just like we may have some really nasty experience but what God is really doing is putting your puzzle together. And a beautiful puzzle it will be.

3) We only know things in part. We need to keep one eye on the current piece of puzzle with another eye on the big picture.

The ship may seem to be sinking now but God is a faithful God and if the ship sink, he'll get us a new ship. If that is not possible, he'll get us a life raft. If not, he'll get us a float and so on... when God is the artist of our life, the big picture is always going to be beautiful.

How is our attitude towards tough times, hardship, persecutions or other imperfect situations today? Demand to know from God or we will not move on? Throw a tantrum? Be stuck and dumbstruck? Or are we going to continue piece things together faithfully and allow God to reveal His plans to us slowly but surely.

4) We need to continually trust God that as the pieces finally come together, God’s ultimate plan for us would be to prosper us and not to fail us, to give us hope and a future.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,

with your right hand you save me.

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;

your love, O LORD, endures forever—

do not abandon the works of your hands.

~ Psalms 138:7-8 ~

In the life of Job, many things that seemed unfair to Job. The devil took away many things from him for no particular reason and inflicted much pain. However, Job eventually emerged victorious through his ordeals and these are His very words:

Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

~ Job 2:10b ~

Looking at the situation of Job. We have the luxury of looking at the entire context of the situation of Job.

When Job was going through the hardship,

No one told him about the conversation between God and the devil.
No one told him about God allowing the devil to test him but only to the extent he can bear.
No one told him that this is a test.
No one even told him that there is actually an end to this hardship ahead.

Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

"Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

~ Job 1:8-12 ~

Job only knew his situation in part. The only thing that was made obvious to Job was his situation of losing everything and being inflicted with much pain.

What was not made obvious to him are things like God’s protection, God’s faithfulness, the devil’s work as well as God’s bailout plan to deliver him. However, Job continued to trust God and that was what gave him the ultimate victory.

However, it is worthy to note that enduring hardships are by no means a way of atoning for our sin. We are saved by our relationship with Jesus Christ alone. It is because of this relationship that we not only emerge from the situation victorious but to go through it in a manner which is victorious as well.

Response time:

1) Have we been faithful in praying persistently for healing around us? Let us pray and prepare ourselves to be ready to operate in the healing ministry from this season onwards.

2a) What are some of the experiences that just do not make sense to us today? It may be a family situation, a school situation, your grades or even in the church etc.

2b) How can we take a step back and view these experiences in the context of a bigger picture? Do we have enough faith to carry on and be patient enough for God to put the different pieces of the puzzle together and for victory to come to pass?

3) No doubt many of us go through tough times (like the exam period) and emerge alive enough to claim “victory” but is the process of reaching the end of the tunnel victorious as well? What are some of the areas to which we can improve on?

Let's continue to pray that God will do a powerful work in each and everyone one of us in the uni-ya camp.

Regards,

Stephen, Jie Hui

Illustrations of Christian Victory - Final

2009-05-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

1) Winning Respect and Appreciation

Victory is also illustrated by the winning of respect and appreciation. God told us to be a influence to the world. God told us to influence people ultimately to know Him. He also told us that by our deeds and actions, people can turn to him.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matt 5:16

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. - 1Thes 4:11-12

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. - Prov 3:3-4

Are we a positive influence to the people around us? Do they feel it at all? We are called the salt of the earth. What use is salt if it is not salty anymore? On the other hand, as I was discussing with a brother recently, what happens if the salt is too salty? Probably it’d give a shock to the tastebuds of the people around us. Whatever we do, let’s do them wisely as well; though we may have the best of intentions, in some cases we may actually be sincerely doing a disservice to God.

We have victory if we influence more and more people for Jesus.

2) Passing Tests

The Bible also illustrates victory in Christ with the passing of tests. There are 2 levels of test, one for everyone in general, and one for the believers.

The first test for everyone is the test of salvation or eternal separation from God. Those who believe and receive Jesus into their lives will pass this test.

For the believers, God brings them through other tests which would help us to be more mature. It is not His intention for us to fail those tests, but rather to pass them. We will be victorious if we can pass those tests.

Job in the Bible went through some severe tests, but when he came out of them victorious, he serves as an encouragement to all of us in going through hardships and difficulties well even though we may not fully understand them yet.

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. - Job 2:7-10

Tests are a necessity to reveal undesirable characteristics in our lives, such as impure motives, half-heartedness, fits of rage, jealousy, factionism etc. God wants us to pass these tests, and not fail miserably. Otherwise God will continually and persistently brings us back to those tests again and again so that we can get through them. We should not be fearful of these tests because we can mature through them.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. - 1Cor 10:13

Contrary to what some may say, our God does set certain standards which He expects His people to meet; He allows certain tests to happen and He expects His people to pass them. It is falsehood that God does not have any expectations of us...that when we fail, God doesn’t mind one bit. It is sometimes attractive to some of us who may be going through a certain tough trial, to hear a message that says that God doesn’t mind, that God actually doesn’t expect anything. When we are under immense pressure, we become very receptive to people who give us a break. These are the things that we really like to hear. But how true is that? Is that God’s word for us at that point in time, truly?

Yes, no doubt, God is definitely a God of grace and mercy, loving and compassionate, absolutely so, if else I will be dead and buried in my sins and carnality. I will be helpless, alone, as I go through life’s challenges.

However it is equally true and biblically sound as well that God will allow certain tests in our lives to mature us, grow us, change us. When God gets down to business to grow us, He is serious about it. He will tell us if we have done well, not so well or otherwise. If we truly want to grow, then the final outcome, the evaluation of our fruits, will be ruthless...will be cold; it will be clinical. Did we make it? Did we pass? Yes, or No. The standards will not change. Just like if you truly want to win a game properly, you want to win according to the rules, you don’t move the goalposts! You don’t press the console and type in some cheat code. No! We will never experience true victory in this way.

Rather, the goalposts remain, the game difficulty remains, no cheat codes, no audience help button; we do our best to pass the tests. If we fail, we fail. We know where we stand. We experience defeat. Deeee-feat. And then, at this point in time, God, as our Master Discipler and King, will decide what to do with this failure standing before Him. Grace, would be, when we fail, that this King will embrace us in His arms and still say “My child, it is ok, try again. This is where you had gone wrong, gone amiss. Don’t do that again. This is what you need to do.” This is grace. Grace is not about lowering the standards, moving the goalposts. God if He wanted to could just ignore us and leave us to be in our inadequacies. Worse, He may let us sign 7 extras or go sweep the school compound for fun. Is this an example of a model concerned and nurturing parent? Say, how did our earthly father or mother deal with us when we returned home with our PSLE/exam results? That then may or may not be grace exemplified (I got a still-disappointed stare from my mum despite topping my primary school, because someone else co-topped it with me =(...).

No, He is concerned with every aspect of our lives and compassionate with our weaknesses. The bottomline still is that He wants to break us out from our mis-guidedness in many things, to become powerful disciplers, influencers in this world. Grace is about what God does with us when the results are revealed. He didn’t throw away the report card.

Let us love the tests that come our way (yes, it is tough, it is crazy to say this), but importantly, know that our Heavenly Father through these is gently coaxing us, first to crawl, then to walk and finally to run. Depending on which school of thought you are subscribing to now, yes, you may fly in the end.

3) Freedom from Bondage

Finally, victory is described as being broken free from bondage. Jesus had set us free from the bondage that mankind was in, the bondage to sin. We became a slave to the devil and to sin when Adam fell. Jesus says that whoever believes in Him will be born again and will be free from slavery to sin to become righteous in Christ.

He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. - Gal 4:2-7

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. - Rom 6:16-18

Some of us, even though we have been positionally freed from being bonded to sin, experientially, we are still living under certain bondage. Bondage is described as repeated patterns of sin and wrongdoing, becoming like a slave who has to do these things, be involved in these things.

We could have bondage in different areas, to various things, like bondage to pride, which sometimes manifests as deep insecurity, resistance to advice/feedback from even trusted people, a cyclical pattern of self-justification but yet having false humility. Or it could be a bondage to a certain pattern of thinking too, refusing to allow God’s word to come in and call the shots in that. Could be bondage also to certain actions or desires, being mastered by them, rather than mastering them.

No matter whether in attitude or action, we must be willing first to submit it to the Lordship of Christ, letting Him have full reign over that area, which includes letting competent brothers and sisters to help you specifically in those areas, whether in feedback or accountability. Though one may fail at times, we must continue to trust and believe that Jesus is helping us to experientially break out from these bondages as well. It is a process, and may take some time, but the intention and belief must be strong to work towards the end goal.

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - Jn 8:34-36

Conclusion

We have gone through a series of lessons on Illustrations of Christian Victory. We have devoted much time to this because each illustration actually relates deeply to different aspects of Christian living. I sincerely hope that we have or will sufficiently ruminate over the significance of each illustration in our lives, and resolve to achieve true victory in Christ in these areas.

Reflection points

Have we deeply evaluated our personal lives to see if we are exerting the right kind of influence to the people around us? They include our family, sowees, sheep, bosses etc. Socrates said before that an unexamined life is not worth living.

What is the current test that God has placed before you? Have you done well for it? Are you ready for the next one?