Details:
Date: Saturday, 31 March 2007
Venue: Sports Plaza in Jln 13/4 (Behind Indian Restaurant)
Time: 8am - 2pm
Fees: RM40 per team of 8 persons
Closing date: 25 March 2007

I guess, “waiting” should be one huge concern we all are struggling with, these days. Even when we see the value and benefits of waiting, well, I guess, we all are struggling particularly with the vicinity of patience. (Correct me if I am wrong) 

To certain extent, I am certain we all are men of action. Yeap, when we carry out some thing, we do it now and for sure, we would like to see the results at this moment too. Ok, now, now we do not want to wait until the Kingdom comes, do we? 

Well, impatience to me is like caffeine, making my heart pulsative. And I know this is unbiblical. From time to time, I do every now and then end up creating some mess on a possibly somewhat perfect outcome with an unpleasantly unsatisfactory timing as a result of being impatient. 

Nevertheless, I would here, like to express special thanks to God for being gracious. Yeap, He is the one who is all this while, continuously working patiently in us, also He work things out for the good of us, as we love Him. Moreover, we are all called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) 

Below are some excellent quotes about patience and waiting: 

Lewis Smedes writes:  Waiting is our destiny as creatures who cannot by themselves bring about what they hope for,We wait in the darkness for a flame we cannot light, We wait in fear for a happy ending we cannot write,  We wait for a not yet that feels like a not ever, Waiting is the hardest work of hope.    

M. Scott Peck writes: Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting and experiencing the pain first and getting it over with. It is the only decent way to live.

Daniel Goleman writes: At the heart of emotional intelligence is the ability to delay gratification and not live at the mercy of impulse.    

24/3 to 25/3

Sex in the City 2

Last week we had a semi-icebreaking session on what our ALL TIME favourite movies are and why. Now all time here means ALL TIME. For me, I’ve got a whole bunch of movies I would watch like a thousand times: Indiana Jones (any of them), the old Star Wars, Spiderman, Xmen, A Few Good Men, any Lord of The Rings…any Diane Lane movie, any Zhang ZiYi movie…so in the spirit of what we did before for love stories, here are the all time lists, without going into the whys, but going into the ‘what he/she may be’:

Movie: Sound of Music

Favourite of: Nick

He may be: A sentimental fellow, don’t let his size fool you! Likely: an aspiring singer and a little shy to admit his favourite song is My Favourite Things.

Movie: Sleepless in Seattle

Favourite of: Angie

She may be:Extremely mushy, despite her tough exterior. Likely: watch movies with a box of Kleenex next to her.

Movie: Ghost

Favourite of: Hilda

She may be: A thoroughbred romanticist. Likely: captivated by the pottery scene…hmm.

Movie: Pretty Woman

Favorite of: Sue

She may be: Infatuated with men in white hair. Likely: to also be similarly inclined to Taylor Hicks, Sean Connery, Ian Mckellan and the bad kung fu master in Jackie Chan movies.

Movie:Star Trek Nemesis

Favourite of: Tiang

He may be: A big fan of sci-fi flicks, a big big fan of Star Trek, or a Vulcan in disguise. Likely: a Vulcan in disguise.

Movie: Doraemon

Favourite of: Siew Inn

She may be: Forever young. Likely: she (like us) is probably waiting for the Doraemon movie starring Danny DeVito to come out.

Movie: Any Comedy (Zoolander??)
Favourite of: Mel

She may be: Not in need of further comedies, given her penchant to laugh at anything. Likely: she is laughing even now.

Movie: One Fine Day

Favourite of: Sarah

She may be: Like Angie, more on the mushy side, but unlike Sue, not attracted to white haired men (Clooney still had dark hair then). Likely: would be sharing Angie’s Kleenex.

Movie: Red Violin, Schlinder’s List

Favourite of: Johann

He may be: Arty and historic in some ways. Likely: terribly indecisive, since he picked two all time favourites when specifically told to pick One.

Movie: The Usual Suspects

Favourite of: Allan

He may be: Only liking manly movies (see his favourite love story). Likely: A closet sentimentalist who will share Angie’s Kleenex as well.

Movie: Gone With the Wind

Favourite of: MINE!

I may be: Drunk or hypnotised to sit through 16 hours of a movie made in 1939. Likely: Need to be more macho, less girly, in my selections from here on.

Movie: Braveheart

Favourite of: Gary

He may be: An aficionado of historic epics. Likely: He likes to paint his face blue as well.

Movie: 8 Below

Favourite of: Celia

She may be: Well, definitely, an animal lover. Likely: Happy Feet’s biggest fan as well.

All done in fun, ya…of course, we are all not like that one…..!!

Against the Tide

One of the first Bible stories I read as a young Christian was Noah’s Ark. The fascination I had for this story, at times bordered on incredulity. When you are 13, anything beyond the age of 50 is ancient in my mind. Serious. So there I was reading about this Noah dude who was 480 years old being summoned by God to build an Ark greater than the length of football field and taller than the clock tower on the main thoroughfare of Sungei Petani, a small obscure town where I spent the better part of my primary school days. Noah had no modern tools to aid in the building of the Ark but God gave him specific instructions on just how to do so down to water proofing the Ark with pitch – a tar like substance. Into this Ark, once it’s finished, Noah was to house a pair of all animals on the earth – for breeding purposes, animals for consumption, animals for offerings plus Noah’s wife and his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives. I am reading all this in Genesis, and I remember actually saying out loud, “Whoa, this can’t be right!” The guy is 480 years old and he is supposed to run around chasing all kinds of animals into the Ark and then keep them under lock and key for the next one year while the Ark supposedly floats above the floods? And before Noah even gets to chase the animals into the Ark, I find out that it took him 120 years to actually build the Ark! So that makes Noah 600 years old when he finished building the Ark. Noah’s story was beginning to read like one mega fantasy.

But fantasy it was not. If anything, Noah and his Ark show just how far God was willing to go to purge the sins that were corrupting the earth at the time and to cleanse mankind of the wickedness that prevailled every corners of the earth. God chose Noah because he was righteous and blameless in God’s eyes and while the task of building the Ark was by far easy, God knew Noah would not let him down. As a young Christian, I was caught up with the fact that it took Noah 120 years to build the Ark and failed to see that during those 120 years when Noah laboured and toiled, God was also giving men and women of the earth a chance to repent of their sins. But they never did so God caused rain to fall upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights and it was close to one year before Noah and his family were able to step onto dry grounds again.

Noah’s story is all about living for God in a godless world. It’s about obeying God’s command without questioning and seeing the whole project through (Gen 6:22). It’s about persevering and not allowing mockery, temptation or judgement clouding the bigger picture at hand. It’s about living and acknowledging that God’s plan and purpose for your life will never harm you (Jer 11 refers). It’s about faith, in believing what to hope for and being certain of what has not yet been seen (Hebrews 11). It’s about going against the tide and walking with God when the rest of the world is walking out.

Have you ever seen a documentary on the life cycle of Pacific salmon? The young salmon spend the first part of their lives in the streams where they hatched, moving to salt water some months later. They then spend a period of several years growing to adulthood in the food-rich waters of the Pacific Ocean. When their time comes, they are called back to the streams where they were born. Their voyage home is nothing less than epic, across thousands of kilometres of ocean. Guided largely by smell, they return to their natal streams, some along the coast, and some far inland along major river systems.

Their bodies now brightly coloured and distorted as they prepare for spawning, they battle their way past riffles and chutes, until they arrive at a familiar stretch of riverbed. Here, the males battle for the right to fertilize the females, and the females batter their bodies as they dig redds in the gravel in preparation for egg-laying. When they are spent, their carcasses lie rotting along the riverbanks, providing food for scavenging birds and mammals, and cycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. In time, the eggs hatch, and a new generation of tiny salmon begins the cycle again.

Salmon is derived from a Latin word “salmo” meaning leaper. Salmon swims upstream towards shallow waters in order to spawn and in the course of doing so, they must at times, jump or leap over small waterfall. When salmon are ready to spawn, their eating quality has severely degraded and yet their bodies undergo remArkable physical endurance in going against the tide in propagating their own species. They know what the end result is and they know what needs to be done in order for the end result to be achieved.

True Christians living a God filled life is not that much different from that of salmon spawning for the next generation. The current of temptation and sin is a strong one and once succumbed, we are pushed further along the river than where we should really be. Living a Christian life is never a straight road; it’s a path strewn of hurdles unimaginable and it is through God’s grace and strength that we pull through. At times, it requires us to embrace a leap of faith and boldness even when we do not know whether the road ahead is better traveled. The thing is God doesn’t tell us directly how long we have to live on earth but He demands that however long we call earth our home is the length of time we are to faithfully obey and serve Him. We are to help “spawn” for the next generation by fulfilling the Great Commission but our treasures are not here on earth rather they are stored up in heavens above. It’s a simple commandment but one which is fraught with practical difficulties that the secular world throws at us and which we can only overcome if we call on to God in obedience and faith. I will be the first to admit just how hard it truly is.

Noah’s story is an encouragement to us that God will not forsake us and that His way is the truth, the way and the life. The lessons from his story can be summarized as follows:

1. Do not miss the boat (ie. God’s calling upon your life);
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat (obstacles are there to ground us in our faith);
3. Plan ahead (know God’s desired outcome);
4. Stay fit (When you are 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big;
5. Do not listen to critics, just get the job done (the favour you seek is from God, and God alone);
6. Build your future on high ground;
7. For safety sake - travel in pairs (be accountable to one another);
8. Speed is not always an advantage, the snails were on board with the cheetahs (all in God’s timing, not ours – re: Ecc 3);
9. When you are stressed, float a while. If you cannot fight or flee……float! (sometimes you need to be like Mary and just wait upon the Lord);
10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was built by professionals. (God will give you the right tools in order for you to live in accordance to His will and purpose for your life)
11. No matter what the storm is, when you are with God there is always a rainbow waiting;
12. Be nice to each other….we may end up in the same boat!

Obedience in God is a life long commitment. Be still and listen to the voice of God. Seek Him first and all things will be added unto you. Honour Him and granted, your life will be a powerful testimony to all those around you. We are all on this journey together and be assured God sees when you labour, toil and serve His people. So continue pushing on and be open to what God has in store for you.

Water Baptism 1

Ps Lee Kuan Ming and Lim Boon Thai

Venue: Zoe House, Blue Room

Mar 11, 18, 25

Apr 1, 8, 15

12.45pm - 1.30pm
Enquiries: Ps Raymond Pu at 79582777 ext 205

email: raymond@gladtidings.org.my

Cleaning the House

One of the things done in CNY is cleaning. I actually enjoy this part because I clean my room like only a couple of times a year, as in really structuring all the books, computer stuff, magazines. Its amazing what can be found during these searches:- I found 6 -7 guitar picks all strewn around the room!

Its also a reminder to us to get our lives in order.

Matthew 12:43 onwards paints a grim picture before us. When someone is freed from bondages and oppression it’s a wonderful, joyous occasion.

What is the point of Jesus’ grim story about a vacant house being occupied by an evil force? It is not enough to banish evil thoughts and habits. We must also fill the void with God who is the source of all that is good and upright.

Augustine said that our lives have a God-shaped void which only God can fill satisfactory. If we attempt to leave it vacant or to fill it with something else, we will be worse in the end. What do you fill the void in your life with? Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it.

There are two kingdoms in opposition to one another— the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God’s word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan. If we want to live in freedom from sin and Satan, then our house must be occupied by Jesus where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior. Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to God and his word?

Freedom from sin is one of the longest journey we can ever embark on. In Phil 1:6, it talks about this long journey. It starts with

Realisation that we’ve been Justified

One of the hardest things for people to accept is that we’ve been justified by faith in Christ Jesus. (Gal 2:16). It really does not measure up to what we understand of the world and how it works. You do something, you get rewarded. How on earth is that we don’t do anything and we get rewarded? This only occurs in 2 concepts: Christianity and Ang Pow Giving in Chinese New Year. And that too, you have to do something. You have to NOT get married. Everything apparently needs a condition. But God’s love has no conditions.

Confession

Admit that we are sinners and that without Him, our lives are actually running in Cycles. You break free from an addiction, only to fall back again. A pastor from Singapore compared himself to a pig, that whenever clean, he would go back to his old ways. It’s in our sinful nature that we want to return to sin. One might ask, if we’re free, if we’ve put on the new man, and all is faded away, why do we still have a sinful nature?

Repentance is not the end of the process. In fact it is the beginning. What follows after that is the sanctification.

Sanctification

Romans 6:22 talks about being FREE from sin and slaves to righteousness. Sanctification is a process with the final end of eternal life.

This is the most crucial part of our walk with Christ. Justification has already happened. Check! The eventual glorification is assured for those who walk, it is the promised consequence of what? The middle process: Sanctification. It’s a whole process that can take another topic, but realize that as Christians, we are not immune to sin, but rather, we are FREE. Being free is a process; we can still fall back into bondage and this is what is addressed in the parable of the empty house.

Unless we fill ourselves with the spirit, that vacancy will yet again be filled with your desires: lust, addiction, greed, pride, anger, hate.

Part of sanctification is accountability. That means to let people know. The problems we face are hardly something uncommon. It’s not that people would understand, but people can pray together and be accountable to each other, upholding each other in prayer.

Some good statements:

Does the Bible speak of Christian accountability? First of all, the Bible says that God holds us accountable. Romans 14:12 says, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” This is personal accountability.
Christians are also accountable to one another. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we read that Christians are all part of the same body - the body of Christ - and each member needs or belongs to the other. This Scripture suggests the importance of strong accountability between Believers. It is important for every Believer to have at least one other person in which to confide, pray with, listen to, and encourage.

Galatians 6:1-2 gives a helpful principle, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” If your accountability friend has done something contrary to the Bible, you are called to confront him gently, forgive him, and comfort him. It also admonishes you to consider yourself because no one is above temptation.

Another aspect of Christian accountability is encouraging each other to grow in their spiritual maturity. Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says to, “…encourage one another and build each other up…”

Galatians 6:1-5:

In many ways, each of us are made to bear our load—here meaning our personal responsibility to God, our time, money, gifting,our life on earth. This will be accountable to us on the day of judgement. Yet in the same breath, Paul has told us to carry each other’s burdens. Our concerns, problems, struggles with sins, struggles with spirituality…these are burdens that accountability group can help. It only takes the person to allow his burden to be carried.

Many people wonder why does the process of sanctification entails so much suffering or sacrifices. Why must the affliction of this stronghold be upon me? Among the reasons can be found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

We go through circumstances because there is another person who will go through that same issue, and we are called to comfort and bear his burden.

Glorification

Glorification is the eventual destination of all believers. This is not the same glorification of that of Christ, but rather, a glorified body, free from pain and once and for all no longer subject to the reaches of SIN.

So between Justification and Glorification, this is where we’re at. Repentance or Sanctification.

If we’ve cleaned our home, are we filling it up with the good things, or leaving it empty and susceptible to be once again inhabited by the same strongholds that have taken us.