9 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-

Jeffrey Rachmat牧师于6月7日在DUMC Lead Conference分享了我们该如何在神的灵和同在里变得有创意。

在圣经旧约中，神以不同的名字来向祂的百姓显明，其中包括耶和华以勒（创世记 22:14）、耶和华拉法（出埃及记 15:26）、耶和华伊利沙代 （创世记 17:1），按照我们的需要（缺乏经验、疾病或是焦虑）来回应我们。

Jeffrey牧师分享到，在人还未堕落之前，当时亚当只知道神的一个名字而已，就是以罗欣（宇宙万物的创造主）。创造是神的本性，因为祂创造了太阳、月亮、地上以及其中所充满的。

Jeffrey Rachmat牧师

因此，若我们那满有创意的创造主将一口气吹进了亚当里时，我们岂不也应该拥有同样的创意吗？

Jeffrey牧师继续分享到，当上帝创造了伊甸园，就是世界上最美的花园之后，祂便创造了亚当，并将他安置在伊甸园中。而这其中最奇妙之处就是上帝吩咐亚当要耕种和看守伊甸园（创世记 2:15）。

耶和华神把那人安置在伊甸园里，叫他耕种和看守那院子。（创世记 2：15）

Jeffrey牧师也提到，在这经文中让他感到好奇的是，为什么上帝要吩咐亚当去耕种那院子呢？耕种，带有发展并将事物提升变得更美好的意思。上帝是这院子的创造者，然而祂却吩咐亚当去发展并将祂已创造的一切提升变得更美好。这任务对亚当而言或许沉重，因为在他领受到这吩咐以前，亚当从未见过院子，也还未曾在这院子中工作过。

但是，Jeffrey牧师也分享了另一个启示：上帝是不会吩咐亚当去承担他无法完成的事情的。换言之，上帝吩咐亚当去耕种那院子，因为祂清楚知道亚当有能力完成这事。

Sidney Mohede, Network Pastor of JPCC in Indonesia and international worship artiste, leading worship

同样的，当神吩咐我们去做某些事情时，透过完成那些事情，我们内在的潜能也能够被发掘。上帝早就已经知道我们能够做到。Jeffrey继续分享到，我们一直持有错误的谜思，就是我们无法去‘耕种’或是发展神所赐给我们的事物，因为我们都相信祂所赐的已经是完美的了。

但事实上，当我们愿意花时间和心思在我们生命各个领域时，无论是工作、婚姻、事工等，我们都能使上帝所托付给我们的每件事都得更美好。

维持我们生命最美好的方法就是付出努力和耕种。如果我们渴望一段美好的婚姻，我们就需要付出努力去发展我们的婚姻。如果我们渴望拥有一个健康强壮的身体，我们就需要运动。我们想要维持的事物都无法停滞不前。

这也告诉了我们，为什么圣经中圣灵的‘能力’的原文是‘dunamis’，亦就是动态的意思。每当我们提到圣灵充满的时候，我们都较多重视於口说方言的事上，但其实圣灵的‘能力’也指动态。

若我们与神同行，祂的灵在我们的里面，我们不会安静停滞，反而我们都会很踊跃地不断有新的尝试，让事物变得更美好。这就是与神同工！这是永远都不会乏味的。举例来说，当上帝吩咐亚当为所有的动物命名时，你是否能想象到当时的亚当是有多创意吗？因为他需要在没有任何事先认识和知识的环境下，为动物一一命名。

上帝按照祂的形象和创意的本质创造了我们。创意，并不只是单单给艺术家而已，其实我们每个人在我们的热忱、风格、领导能力，甚至是婚姻上都能够成为有创意的人。创意，只不过是神的一种特质，就像祂随时随地都能够有新的理念一样。

试想想，若教会开始在创意上花更多心思，相信没有人想要错过主日崇拜；年轻的一代也不会想要离开教会。沉闷、乏味只是缺乏创意的讯号。

所以，身为在圣灵里满有创意的人，我们不应该只是单纯地‘抄袭’别人所做的，反而我们应该想办法如何改进那些理念。这是因为当我们忙着‘抄袭’时，我们并不是忙着创造。更何况，我们是按照上帝，那伟大的创造主的形象所造的，并不是“复印器”的神的形象。

DUMC主理牧师，Daniel Ho牧师

Jeffrey牧师也提到，尽管在人堕落了以后，上帝仍没有将创意从人的身上拿走。这也正是为什么尽管人活在黑暗中，仍能生产出富有创意作为的缘故。若是这样，更何况是神的百姓呢？

不是所有满有创意的人，都是被圣灵充满的；但是，所有被圣灵充满的人，都是满有创意的。

有一天，世界将会向教会学习有关创意这事，全因为教会有一位有创造能力的神。

有关讲员: Pastor Jeffrey Rachmat is the founding and senior pastor of Jakarta Praise Community Church (JPCC). He has a passion to help people fulfill God’s vision for their lives by communicating insights from the Word of God in a practical and relevant way, and inspire people to live extraordinary lives especially in the areas of leadership, relationship, marriage, and business. Jeffrey is happily married to Angela, and has three children.

欲知更多有关详情，请浏览： http://dumc.my/

Address | Dream Centre, 2 Jalan 13/1, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

English Celebrations @ Auditorium | SAT 5.00 PM | SUN 10.00 AM

Chinese Celebration | SAT 8 PM @ HALL 3 | SUN 9:30 AM @ HALL 1

Bahasa Malaysia Celebration | SUN 10 AM HALL 2

Tamil Celebration | SUN 2 PM HALL 1

Myanmar Celebration | TUE 11:45 PM @ HALL 3 | SUN 3:30 PM @ ROOM 103

Nepalese Celebration | SAT 8:30 PM @ ROOM 102

注脚：  This article is written from the perspective and interpretation of the writer, to condense and accentuate the ideas of the pastor in a more understandable and readable way.

Note: This article was translated by Joycelyn Loh in Christianity Malaysia (CM).Amen.

10 July 2014-

Come for a worship in synchronization with heaven. See the unveiling of Jesus in His magnificent and resplendent glory! Join the heavenly hosts, angels, and the redeemed, in an out of this world experience that will touch and change your life!

FGF is a ministry with the vision to bring the worship in heaven down to earth and the people on earth brough up to heaven. The worship conducted in FGF is characterized by spontaneity, liberty, intimacy, intensity, and continuity.

Regular Heavenly Worship | Every Friday 9 PM and Sunday 10:30 AM

Ministers | Pastor Daniel Leong (Worship Ministry), Pastor Timothy (Prophetic Ministry)

Email | Do connect with us at heavenlyworship7@gmail.com for updates and events.

Venue | FGF, 36 1st Floor, Jalan Semangat, Section 14, Petaling Jaya (opposite Jaya 33, above Pet Shop)

Tel Contact | Marianne 012-6277-611 | Pr Daniel 017-367-1137

| Share the Good News |

10 July 2014 by Natasha Kim CM-

Reggie Lee preached at Faith Oasis Fellowship, Subang, recently on the 21^st of June.

“The Church today is asleep, they really don’t know or understand the signs of the time and they’re still talking about financial success and the blessings of the Lord (going to their next big business etc). When the flood and storm come, they are not prepared,” said Reggie.

Pr Reggie Lee

In 2011, a huge earthquake hit Christchurch in New Zealand, subsequently a huge earthquake hit Japan and triggered nuclear reactors. Today there are news that many of these places have been contaminated in terms of their water. When comparing the early century to the present day, the number of earthquakes have sky-rocketed.

And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. (Luke 21:25)

Through the verse above in Luke, the Lord has already told us in advance where the distress signals would be foretold. There have been signs of solar eruption, comets raining down to earth, and blood moons.

Ref : api.ning

“On April 15^th this year, the moon turned red because of the eclipse and this coming October, on the 8th, there will be another time that the moon turns red followed by an eclipse of the sun (where the sun will be totally darkened). Next year in 2015, there will be another eclipse on the 4^th of April and another that will follow soon in the month September. I am telling you this because these are some of the signs that the Lord is showing us. Blood moons are signs of terrible things to come and this will be the first time in hundreds of years that it has happened. This time, it will simultaneously have four blood moons together. These are the things that the Lord is trying to tell us Christians first, that we are living in the last days,” shared Reggie.

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. (Revelations 16:4)

In the recent past, the river in Lebanon and the Yangtze river turned blood-red; that was part of the signs too that the Lord foretold would happen.

“What more signs do you want before the Lord tells you He is returning?” said Reggie.

The Lord has told us that we need to be watchman hence we need to always be alert and not asleep so that we are not caught by surprise. The baton of salvation has been passed to us and we need to run the last race.

Ref : statfaking3

“The people running the last race need to run the hardest. When Jesus returns, He will go to the east and then to the west and we are living in the pathway of God’s return. We all have a role to play and we need the salvation of souls,” he shared.

⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; and they have no more reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶ Their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished; neither have they any more a share in anything that is done under the sun.

⁷ Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God], for God has already accepted your works.

⁸ Let your garments be always white [with purity], and let your head not lack [the] oil [of gladness].

⁹ Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun—all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun.

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the place of the dead), where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:5-10)

All of us want a quick fix to our problems but life doesn’t work that way. Everything happens in God’s time and in God’s measurement not according to your own.

Ref : ytimg

“Know that when you deny yourself, the enemy cannot touch you. When people see you, they need to see Jesus,” shared Reggie.

Be strong and do not succumb to the enemy, for once you are perfected by God, the enemy will not be able to test you.  

“I pray that all of you will get it right. It is important to get it right because life is short.” shared Reggie in encouragement.

Let the Word be deposited firmly in your hearts. If you are not right with God, make it right. Do not forfeit heaven!

Ref : kzlam36

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8)

Ref : tumblr

| Share the Good News |

10 July 2014-

Speaker | 

Rev Carlos Socobos

Ref : soaringeagleglobalmissions

Purpose | 

There are men and women that were used by God to many great things. These people being passionate about God, encountered supernatural experiences with God in signs and wonders, angelic visitations, healings, prophecies, revelations, knowledge and wisdom that were extraordinary. 

What made them special? What are their revelations? What can we learn from them and how to achieve what they have?

So, in this seminar is to study and learn from these people of God to achieve what they have done.

SEGM ministry

Vision & Missions 2014 |

Soaring Eagle Global Ministries (SEGM) is a non-profit apostolic and prophetic training and equipping centre purposed to raise up, train, activate, and equip believers for the End Time Kingdom of God movement by transforming the hearts and minds to fullfil the call of God in their lives fully.

The ministry’s passion is to equip the Body of Christ with prophetic anointing to be effective in the ministry for the Kingdom of God in the marketplace. Our heart is for real live transformation, renewed mind and godly passion to embrace the call of God to reach and touch precious lives.

Ref : vineyardchurch

The missions of 2014 are |

• Teaching and Encouraging Praise & Worship to build strong presence of God and strong atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to minister to people.
• Raise up businessmen and businesswomen to believe God for great transfer of wealth by participating and committing to support the Kingdom evangelism works for Christ.
• Conducting schools and seminars to make disciples with leadership qualities and to be effective working for God’s Kingdom.

All are welcome to learn to move into prophetic in dreams, visions, prophecies, revelations, discernment and etc that are needed to move in this end time.

Ref : catholicgarden

Fee is only RM30 per Seminar Class inclusive of dinner, tea breaks and seminar material. 

Venue | SEGM Revival Centre 100-3B, Jalan PJU 1/3B, Sunwaymas Commercial Centre 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (Near to St Ignatious Catholic Church, Kelana Jaya LRT Station) 

Click HERE for Map Fee per seat : RM 30 per Class Lunch and tea breaks included. 

Optional offering collection exercise.

Contact the following for detail:

Hotline +603 2302 2980

Emmanuel Leung +6012 922 2073

Dinesh Mathew +6010 429 8201

Caylene Ng +6012 763 7066

Please state your registered name (s) contact number and which night attended to conference@soaringeagleglobalmissions.org or Click HERE to register or fax to 04-530 8915 but notify by email too or register at the seminar.

Kindly issue your payment to CIMB Bank Account No: 0733 0000 1211 08 Make all cheques to PERSATUAN PENGANUT KRISTIAN EAGLE’S WINGS TABERNACLE and email bank in slip to conference@soaringeagleglobalmissions.org or fax to +604 530 8915 or bring the slip to the seminar

10 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-

On 1^st of July, Life Tree cafe officially opens in Taman Connaught (near the South Wing of UCSI), welcoming a stream of students and young working adults who are looking for a cozy and comfortable place to sip aromatic coffee, chocolate, tea, and enjoy a delectable array of muffins and cakes, at affordable prices.

Co-director Winson Phuah (1st from right) and Peter Tan (2nd from right) officially launching LIFE TREE with associates of the Business and Professional ministry

Patrons immediately feel a sense of warmth when they step into Life Tree.

Soft lighting fills the room and the lounge area has a wood-panel feature wall, wooden furniture, fabric-covered sofas and bean bags that make the place really warm and cozy.  The café also has an inner room with a small library, serving as a quiet reading area.  This inner room can be closed off from the main lounge for private meetings.

“I love the coffee smell here and the wooden décor!  It feels very cozy and comfortable like home. I would say this is definitely a place I would come in the future to study,” said 18-year-old Teik Wei, a first-time visitor in Life Tree.

Financial consultant Vivien Chong agreed by quipping, “I have been here four times already before this and I think it gives a cozy and homely feeling. Every time I come, I bring new friends here because the café is so cozy and comfortable, so as you chat with your friend, it feels like your house.”

Vivien Chong (4th from left) lounging at the inner room of LIFE TREE for a private space

Peter Tan, co-director of Life Tree with Winson Phuah, shared how Life Tree is designed to offer a safe and conducive place for young people to socialize and build lifelong friendships.

“Like a tree, we name this place Life Tree because it’s like a big shade, providing people a place to come to rest from the heat of the day. Here, we can talk about light-hearted things to serious topics like the deep meaning of God,” said Peter.

LIFE TREE

Dahrmen B. Nair, a team leader for ALPHA course in UCSI, shared how they enjoyed having ALPHA meet-ups here with the college students.

“Before this, we had been doing ALPHA in the university, but Life Tree provides an opportunity to learn in a more comfortable and attractive environment unlike being in a classroom, “ said Dahrmen.

Dahrmen Nair, sharing how he enjoyed having meetings in LIFE TREE

Built with the social business concept, the profit made at Life Tree will be directed back to the community through community events, development programs, and also training opportunities for their staffs to increase their competency level.

“As a business, it needs to be self-financing and maintained at a high standard. We want to make a positive difference in this community; it is a place that welcomes everyone no matter what background they come from.

“Some of us are more experienced in our professions. So, we want to encourage the young people and impart to them our experiences here at Life Coffee.  For example, in the near future, we plan to hold financial literacy program, entrepreneurship programs, some practical soft skill enhancement programs to help the young adults be better prepared when they join the marketplace” said Peter Tan.

Peter Tan, co-director of Life Tree with Winson Phuah, sharing the concept of the cafe

Winson Phuah added, “The heart of Life Tree is young people. We want to know more about them. We want to know their past, present, and their future dream. We want to see life through coffee.”

When asked about Life Tree’s passion for people especially the young, Winson explained, “We love the young people because they are our future.  Also, personally, it is God’s calling for me to reach out to them.”

The visitors of LIFE TREE listening to the sharing by Winson Phuah

Spinning off the original idea of building a youth centre, Life Tree Coffee is managed under the leadership of Business and Professional Ministries to provide a safe and conducive place for young people to socialize, learn, and grow in the love of God. And yes, the love of God welcomes everyone regardless of background, race, and religion.

Visit LIFE TREE COFFEE at

https://www.facebook.com/lifetreecoffee/timeline

| Share the Good News |

10 July 2014 by Joycelyn Loh CM –

一位会拉小提琴的大马女创作歌手，样子长得有点像许茹芸，声音有点像梁静茹的饶燕婷。或许许多人对她的认识和印象都不是很深刻，然而，在上帝的眼中，她就是那独一无二的宝贝。

一再搬迁的童年，有幸与耶稣相遇

饶燕婷

出生于小康之家，也是家中独女的饶燕婷，看来生活什么都不缺，然而在记忆中，她的童年少了父母的陪伴。自从在新加坡出生，就由外婆照顾，直到念幼儿园时，因父母工作的关系，从新加坡搬迁到柔佛新山。当时燕婷的父亲与外婆的关系欠佳，不久后就被父亲带到吉隆坡生活。在吉隆坡亲戚家，他们对她非常好。后来，因故一再搬迁到吉打去。

“我对那一次的搬迁有蛮深刻的印象。当时的情景是因我的姑姑被姑丈殴打，因而连夜逃难似搬到吉打。”在那里，燕婷有两个星期没有上学，只是上补习班。而她的母亲知道后，就特地从新加坡来吉打带她回新山照顾。由于当时燕婷的外婆已经老迈，没办法照顾她，就住进另一位亲戚的家。还在念小学二年级的燕婷，从那时起，就过着寄人篱下、被虐待和殴打的日子。母亲因工作忙碌，也无法每个周末到柔佛新山探望她。

燕婷忆起当年，有一件非常值得感恩的事。当时邻居的小孩去教会，而她也跟着他们一起去。在教会，她认识了耶稣，知道原来上帝爱世上所有的小孩。

戴着面具的成长岁月

然而在这段日子，燕婷持续被虐打。

“那个时候，我常常问上帝一个问题，我说，‘上帝，为什么在我被殴打、被虐待的时候，你没有来救我？我在那4至5年之间，没有一个夜晚能够睡得好，因为我很担心，不知道表哥会什么时候突然间跑进房间来殴打我。所以，我就常常对主耶稣说，‘你可不可以睡在我的旁边来保护我，因为我真的需要你的保护。’然后，每次妈妈来看望我的时候，我都不敢告诉妈妈我被虐待这件事，因为当时表哥恐吓我。”燕婷说才8岁的她，因害怕而不敢告诉妈妈实情，当妈妈看见她身上的伤，她就说是自己在学校不小心撞到的。

一直到燕婷念中学时，她终于鼓起勇气告诉妈妈这件事。当下妈妈非常心痛，决定把她从亲戚家带走。“那一次的搬迁对我而言，也是印象非常深刻的一次，因为就像电影一样，在风雨交加的夜晚两母女收拾行李，然后站在门口，不知该往哪去才好。最后决定往外婆家去，直到抵达外婆家，我心里才觉得有安全感。”燕婷说道。

因多年遭受虐待，上帝也仿佛没有回应，让燕婷开始对耶稣感到失望。即使家距离教会只有5分钟路程，燕婷都选择不上教会，因为她觉得耶稣不爱她，所以她也不要祂。

而此时，燕婷的家却一再发生状况。

“在我14岁那年，我发现爸爸有外遇。我告诉妈妈，她却在我面前假装镇定，要我专心学业，这件事让他们去处理就好。但是我知道妈妈很伤心，而我也一直用功课来麻醉自己，妈妈就用工作来麻醉自己。”当时已有忧郁症症状而不自知的燕婷，说道当时“走在学校，就只觉得全世界就只有我一个人而已。”

“有一次，当时父母正在办离婚手续，我第二天要考试，便决定要‘开夜车’复习。当时课本可能没有放好，妈妈回来看见，就骂了我一顿，再上楼睡觉。”在客厅无端受骂的燕婷，忽然萌生一种念头，觉得这世界上没有人爱她，根本没有任何留在世上的意义。“我突然好想要了结自己的生命，因为我想到自己没有钱，离家出走也去不了什么地方，而且也会很快被妈妈找到。所以，我唯一想到的方法，就是离开这世界。”

燕婷写好遗书，想要自寻短见，忽有一把声音对她说：“孩子，你的生命是我给你的，没有经过我的同意，你不可以自己拿走。”听到这把声音后，燕婷觉得好害怕，赶快把遗书撕掉，假装没有想要自杀这回事。

此事过后，她没有把它放在心上，也没有告诉母亲潜伏许久的忧郁想法，甚至还在妈妈面前假装没事，同时用功课、课外活动、名次来证明自己存在的价值。她说：“那个时候很多亲戚朋友都看不起我们，一个是没有爸爸的孩子、一个是没有老公的女人，家里也不富有。所以，我就认为这些身份地位都是我努力所应得的结果。可是我当时并没有发现，其实这些都是因自己的自卑而产生的自大。”

人们眼光背后的自己

中学毕业后，燕婷就误打误撞进了娱乐圈。曾想过若当上明星，知名度渐增的话，就能够让妈妈更有面子。但万万没想到，发了第一张专辑后，却是歌红，人不红。“大家知道马来西亚有一个会拉小提琴的女创作歌手，样子长得有点像许茹芸，声音有点像梁静茹，就只有这样罢了。我那时候非常难过。就在筹备第二张专辑的时候，我的忧郁症复发。当时妈妈已经搬到新加坡，住在14楼。我到了那里，往下一看，突然很想往下跳。可是那把声音又出现，是一把很温柔的声音。那时候，就像卡通一样，一边是天使，另一边是魔鬼在开战。但是感谢上帝，我靠着祂而没有跳楼。”她语气淡定，却难掩当时千钧一发的挣扎。

Wei薇薇和Yen饶燕婷

就如港星郑秀文，她患上忧郁症，曾经7天没洗澡。燕婷后来回到吉隆坡，把自己关在房间，3天没洗澡。她说：“那时就是会觉得很想封闭自己，每天只喝水。3天后，我的理智告诉我一定要开手机，因为经纪公司会找我。”

果然，燕婷的前经纪人，是一名基督徒，看见她的情况，就对她说：“燕婷，你这样子下去不是办法。不如我们去教会吧！”对于这看似自然合理的建议，燕婷却心想“我一听到教会，真的有很想杀人的感觉。但是碍于他是老板，我没办法拒绝他。”结果，就很勉强地去了。

那是2004年，燕婷去了教会，躲在两根柱子的后面，以为自己看不到牧师，牧师也看不到她。可是上帝很奇妙，透过牧师讲的道对燕婷说话。牧师分享腓立比书4:13“我靠着那加给我能力的，凡事都能作。”就是这一句经文，再一次开启燕婷寻求上帝的旅程。

“我觉得自己一无四处，索性将自己的生命全部交给上帝，让祂来教我应该要怎么做。”嬿婷分享说她后来发现，当她真的将所有交给上帝，事情都变得不一样。

因此，她的第二张专辑就为上帝而做。她对于这一张专辑的创作感到惊讶，因为那是从来没试过的顺利和迅速。她回忆说：“我在录制这张专辑的时候，一直在哭。那时每个人都说我疯的。因为我专辑里的序，名为《赞美》，而我的主打歌就叫《伊甸园》。《伊甸园》里的歌词，我也用到了弥赛亚、阿拉法、俄梅戛，而这些字眼在马来西亚都是禁播的。可是，感谢上帝！还有一家电台一直强打这首歌。”

因着上帝的恩典和奇妙的带领，让燕婷有机会站在中国的四面台表演，成为马来西亚第一位，到目前为止也是唯一一位站在中国的四面台表演的歌手。她感恩地说道：“我还记得那时第一个访问，是连线访问。心里很害怕和紧张，因为想到要在中国公开自己是基督徒，害怕被公安逮捕。但是，靠着那加给我力量的，我最后还是告诉他们自己是一名基督徒，因着自己领受了上帝的这一份爱，所以决定要把这一份爱化为歌词与更多人分享。当时，电话的另一端，忽然间什么声音都没有了，当下心想，惨了，等下一挂电话，可能就会被对付了。不久，又传来对方的声音，又恢复通话了，结果整个访问都在谈信仰。”

7979《谢谢你在乎我》爱心大使

其实要一位艺人公开分享自己的过去，就像在伤口撒盐。但是燕婷发现，即使自己曾经承受许多的伤害，如今也可以很坦然地面对，因为她知道上帝已经医治她。同时，也以自己的经历去鼓励现在有同样经历的人。

在燕婷发行了《True Love》这张专辑后发现，对于所发生的一切事，上帝有祂美好的旨意。她从小对上帝的埋怨、所受的创伤，如今上帝都让她用歌词和歌曲到更多的地方向更多人分享。“记得有一次，我在一间教会分享见证后，有一位单亲妈妈带着孩子来向我道谢，说‘燕婷，谢谢你。你鼓励了我和孩子。今天，看到你可以靠着上帝坚强地站起来，我的孩子也行。’”

燕婷认为，“每个小孩子都是一张白纸，而这些白纸上的东西，大部分是有父母画上的。就像我一样，如果你问我是否拥有童年？我会回答你，我觉得自己是没有童年的。我的童年就是住在亲戚家被虐待，什么事情都得靠自己。书读得好，是一种错，因为长辈会拿来作比较。所以，当我的成绩比其他人好的时候，譬如我的表哥、表姐，我就会被表哥、表姐打。因为他们的父母会在人前称赞我，而不是称赞自己的孩子。所以说，我的童年就只有这样的经历。”

她继续说到:“我心里不禁会想，为什么其他小朋友受到委屈，能够往母亲的怀里哭，而我不能呢？那亲戚毕竟不是我妈，让我觉得自己没有这种特权。所以，当我看到7979救助计划的见证录影片段，有非常多的感触。我会想，为什么在我小的时候没有像7979这样的团体来帮助我？也没有关怀单亲家庭的团体。”

“因此，当我听闻这个计划，特别是与弱势家庭和单亲家庭有关的救助计划，我就觉得要当爱心大使，因为我本身出身于单亲家庭。所以我对弱势家庭特别有感触。”

燕婷很感恩能够拥有这样的机会，借着她的经历去帮助更多有需要的人和家庭。对她而言，7979不单只是公益活动团体而已，更是能够将上帝的爱分享给有需要的人，而这种爱是金钱无法取代的。她说：“金钱的资助的确会为急难家庭带来很大的帮助。然而，金钱是否真的能够让他们感受到我们所要给予的爱呢？我觉得7979不同之处就是在于他们将上帝的爱和盼望分享给有需要的人。”

透过与7979计划的合作，让饶燕婷可以更多地将上帝的爱分享出去，“我相信7979需要更多的志工，特别是年轻人。虽然时下的年轻人已经拥有了许多的‘爱’，例如iPad、iPhone等等，可是心里却缺乏真正的爱。我想呼吁更多的年轻人更多地关心身边有需要的人。我们每个人心中的那份爱已经被功课、工作和压力隐藏起来了。所以，希望年轻人可以更多参与爱心活动去体验生活，同时在金钱上帮助弱势家庭及单亲家庭。”

更多有关饶燕婷的更新与动向，请浏览 https://www.facebook.com/raoyanting/info 或 http://www.weibo.com/yenraoyanting

注脚： 此见证篇已被刊登于《7979杂志》。

注脚： 部分照片源自于 Starpark Malaysia 众星园。

11 July 2014 by Jason Law CM -

On the 29^th of June, 2014, Pr Derek Hong shared in KAOG about the Covenant with God. Besides that, he also talked about the power of having knowledge from God and carrying it to the world. Among some of the things was on how our minds gain knowledge.

ref : http://cdn.theatlantic.com/

Do you know that there are actually 3 types of knowledge in the world today? Firstly, there is what is known as Cognitive Knowledge. To put in simple terms, Cognitive Knowledge is when our minds process the things we read or learn in classes, seminars, and so on. Some examples are science, math, languages, and technical skills.

Then there is also the Relational Skill, which is also known as EQ (Emotional Quotient). This knowledge helps us to understand ourselves and other people better. Pr Derek ascribes success to this kind of knowledge more than to IQ.

ref : http://shouttothelordcanada.com

But beyond these two types of skills, there is also Revelational Knowledge, and this can only come from God. It cannot be acquired through study, research or even our relationship with others. This type of knowledge come direct from God and opens our eyes to see issues in a brand new way. It enriches our lives, help us to deal better with issues, and grow in a way that is impossible otherwise. The Bible is full of them and many of us have gone through the experience while doing our devotions.

Revelational Knowledge is knowledge that God Himself gives us so that we know the secrets to success in our business, relationships, and every aspect of our life. This success goes beyond the physical into the spiritual parts of our being. Relationships with others improve, we have peace and contentment, and we are always aware of God’s presence in our lives. The richness of life becomes a reality and we struggle less with it. It makes us proactive and excited about being Christians.

Pr Derek Hong

‘Christianity is a proactive faith. Just by taking one example, we often hear the saying; ‘Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do to you’. Jesus went one step further. In Matthew 7:12, He taught us to do unto others in a way that we would have them to do unto us. Some of us may not realize the difference but it is an immense one. This is a very proactive statement; it is not passive, and we do not just sit around thinking of ourselves.

It teaches us to actively seek for the good of others. Can you imagine the impact on the world if everyone would know and obey this golden rule? The impact on families, our workplace, our churches, and our nation would be tremendous. It has the power to bring remarkable blessing and revival to nations, and change the world,’ Pr Derek shared.

ref : http://www.colindye.com

Numerous verses in the Bible (eg Mark 1:15; Matthew 6:9-10) speaks about God’s Kingdom, not in Heaven, but on Earth. In fact, the New Heaven and New Earth speak about this. God’s revelational knowledge does not just bring us to Heaven while we sit around waiting for our time. What Jesus did on Calvary have made it possible for us to download His Kingdom on Earth, and Christians must rise up to their roles.

ref : www.ethz.ch

Pr Derek shared that in Singapore, the shipping ports are very active and there is much salvaging of ships. The ships then go out to bring goods and supplies to other countries. This is very similar to God’s Kingdom.

Every Christian has a responsibility and a role to play. The church serves as the port where we download God’s Word every Sunday into our lives, and then, with this knowledge, we’re supposed to go out and salvage Earth for His glory. ‘Every Christian regardless of who you are is like an Ocean Carrier. And some of us are even Battleships,’ Pr Derek illustrated.

ref : pauladavispeace.files.wordpress.co

He shared that in Heaven, there is infinite beauty and creativity, and Heaven is primarily about the abundance of good things. ‘Many people don’t understand poverty. They see it as an absence of things, but it is not. Poverty is a mind-set. Some rich people have everything in the world but they are spiritually empty and they never have enough. That is poverty.

‘It is possible to bring a reality of Heaven about on Earth. We may not have a lot, but we can still be generous. Just like the carriers at the port, we’re vessels carrying God’s reality into our places. Start by learning to see yourselves and the world differently. We can download the goodness of Heaven into our lives and to the people surrounding us. Go forth and bless others just as Jesus taught us.’           

|Share The Good News|

11 July 2014-

With the theme “Let His Light Shine!,” Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship Malaysia looks forward to welcoming more than 600 participants at its bi-annual National Convention on 7-9 August 2014 at Hotel Pullman KL.

Ref : vincentloy

This convention is endorsed by NECF and brings men (and some women) to two days of life-enriching seminars and workshops through the powerful testimonies and teachings of eight regional marketplace ministry leaders.

These include Rev Dr Peter Chu, Senior Pastor of Taipei Truth Church, Taiwan, Mr Zheng Sheng Tao, President of Shenli Group, China, Mr Tony Tseng, Founder of Good TV, Taiwan, and Dr Hugo Chan, National Director of FGBMFI Hong Kong. For more information about the speakers, please refer to http://bit.ly/1n62rsD

Registration for the convention is open to all at RM180/pax and is available with very attractive rates at the 5-star Pullman. Bookings are pouring in from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar and even Australia.

In conjunction with the convention, an evangelistic banquet will be held on 7 August evening with Mr Alex Kurniawan and Mr Zheng Sheng Tao as guest speakers. Banquet tickets are sold separately at RM100/seat. Christians are encouraged to invite friends to this evangelistic banquet.

To book your place at this convention or to purchase banquet tickets, kindly contact:

FGBMF MALAYSIA

Tel.: 03-78057185 / 6

Email: admin@fgb.com.my

| Share the Good News |

11 July 2014 - 

继续阅读

References for pictures:

http://www.gretchenrubin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/fork-in-the-road-300×224.jpg

http://nivasblog4her.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/sn1.jpg

http://divineexperience.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/be-joyful.jpg

http://ministry-to-children.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/child-praying.jpg

11 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM -

It doesn’t take one long to realize that believing in Christ does not guarantee a smooth ride in this life. But Jesus told us before that we will have troubles in this world. (1 Peter 4:12, John 16:33)

Sometimes even, the life of a believer appears to be harder than pre-believers due to the different Christ-like lifestyles, whereby some of us are undergoing persecution. (2 Tim 3:12, John 15:18)

Therefore, to put it simply, while we are not exempted from troubles in life, we are called to always rejoice in the Lord. (Phil 4:4)

Ref : christianpost

With that said, the false assumption which hinder our joy as believers in Christ is that we will only experience joy in a trouble-free life.

This is an impractical belief because most of us can agree that this kind of trouble-free period usually does not last very long… before another problem pops up. With that said, it is not very wise to wait for a problem to be over before one decides to become joyful.

So, how do we always rejoice?

BEING JOYFUL IS A CHOICE

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

The NIV version uses the word ‘consider’, while the KJV and most other versions use the word ‘count.’

The meaning of ‘consider’ according to Merriam-Webster is to think about (something or someone) carefully especially in order to make a choice or decision.

The meaning of ‘count’ according to Merriam-Webster is to record as of an opinion or persuasion.

Both words suggest a deliberate choice of a person to consider or count trials as all joy.

Ref : huffpost

Before I continue; my apologies and empathy for brothers and sisters-in-Christ who are currently undergoing severe trials and challenges; this article is not written to sugarcoat or undermine your pain, but to really point out that we do have POWER of choice over our emotions.

And this power of choice is powerful, especially when we continue to choose to believe that what the Bible says about God is true, despite our trials in life! God is good. He loves us. And He is faithful in walking with us through this.

WE HAVE REASONS TO BE JOYFUL

A baseless optimism may also be misunderstood as naivety. But as believers in Christ, we have all the reasons to be joyful.

In James 1:2-4, we are joyous because we know that troubles and trials produces endurance. And when the work of endurance is finished, we will be perfect and complete. In other words, through troubles, we end up lacking nothing!

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

Ref : tumblr

Hence, like the muscles that go through wear and tear during endurance exercise, our faith in God grows bigger and stronger every time we go through a trials or troubles. We begin to see our circumstances based on God, not God based on our circumstances. This renewed perspective gives us strength.

1 Peter 1:3-6 also tells us another reason to rejoice.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. IN ALL THIS you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Pet 1:3-6)

So, here’s another reason to rejoice. We have a REAL, living hope to look forward to at the end of life, which is meeting the person Jesus Christ face-to-face. Because of our belief in Him, we have an eternal inheritance kept in Heaven for us!

Ref : tumblr

This concept of eternity is hard to grasp especially for those of us who are still young. In our instantaneous culture, eternity or even seeing ourselves in grey hair can be far, far away.

But don’t be mistaken.

To the young people: your years ahead are not a reason to waste your life away on things that do not matter. Make the right choice so that you will not regret in the future. Every choice we make now affect your future and even your eternal destiny.

Hence, think for a moment.

What is the one thing you can take away from this world when you die? Can we leave this world with the monuments, statues, awards, properties, cars, and toys? When did we last glance at the name carved at the bottom of a monument in a park or anywhere in this world?

The answer is we can bring nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (1 Tim 6:7)

Ref : bestfunnychannel

Hence, do not be unwise. Everything in this world perishes over time. It is a passing world. (1 John 2:17)

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

The things that matter in this world are only three imperishable, unchanging, and hidden things that remain even when this world passes away. They are: God, the Word of God, and the souls of people.

Ref : tumblr

Hence, while we are in this world, it makes sense to equip ourselves with God’s everlasting word and win souls for the Kingdom of God. ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.’ (Prov 11:30)

But to balance this worldview, we are called to be stewards of our resources (i.e., time, money) for God’s Kingdom. Hence, be wise—don’t get too attached to the things of this world that you are afraid of losing them, but be good managers of everything you have.

HOW TO HAVE JOY IN CHRIST?

Now that we know we have reasons and can choose to be joyful, how do we keep ourselves in the joy in the Lord? Let us look at the three passages below.

We can keep ourselves in the joy by trusting in the hope offered by God. (Romans 15:13)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7)

These passages are very interesting because Paul has coupled ‘joy’ with ‘peace’ together. If we look at Phil 4:4-7, we can also see that Paul spoke about ‘joy’ and ‘peace’ in the same line of thought.

What does this tell us? We cannot have a joyful person who has anxiety in his or her heart. In other words, anxiety is the biggest thief of the joy we could have in the Lord.

Ref : citizenmag

Phil 4 tells us to ward off anxiety through prayer and petition for every situation with thanksgiving.

Another way to attain peace is to focus our thoughts on whatever that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, to find peace. (Phil 4:8-9)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:8-9)

It’s also interesting to ponder what we should focus our thoughts to, if there’s really nothing in our situation to be joyful about. When I look at all these characteristics in Phil 4 above—true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy—I find myself looking at our beautiful Jesus because He has all these qualities!

Ref : tumblr

Hence, when we direct our attention to Jesus instead of our problem, we focus on looking upward instead of looking downward at our problem. We look at how big Jesus is instead of how big our problem is. And slowly, our hearts will be changed from one that mourns and complains to one that sings praises and harvests joy in our Lord Jesus Christ. There are always reasons to rejoice when we turn our eyes to Jesus.

Also, the good news is that we are able to be JOYFUL all the time because we have the Holy Spirit in us that will help guide us through all trials and troubles in life. This is something all of us as believers in Christ can feel, every moment, and every day of our life. Isn’t that wonderful?

Ref : lifebibleverses

This is because when we walk with the Spirit, we would reap the benefits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

In conclusion, as we look through the Scripture, we discover God desires for us to be joyful in Him. In fact, we bring the greatest glory to God when we show the highest satisfaction in Him.

Be joyful. 

| Share the Good News |

12 July 2014-

Come and experience A Day of Praise and Worship (ADOP) non-stop for 12 Hours, in conjunction with the Global Day of Worship (GDOW)!

ABOUT

ADOP is a combined effort of the Klang Valley churches coming in unity of hearts to lift up the name of Jesus in a 12-hour non-stop worship. This day is set aside to honor God and magnify Him through songs, music, dance, and creative arts.

It is a time to experience unity in praising God with various churches and lifting up prayers for our family, churches, and nation. You will receive a fresh anointing of His presence; experience his forgiveness, healing, comfort, and love.

As King David says, “One day in the house of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10)

So, set aside your time and hearts as you come and anticipates God’s touch in your lives. Comes join us anytime in this exciting event!

Date | 16 August, 2014 | SAT

Venue | Bible College of Malaysia Auditorium, 99 Jalan Gasing, Section 10, 46000 PJ

Time | 9 AM – 9 PM

Admission | Free

HOW

How do you usually worship God? As part of our celebration for this day, we do welcome other expressions of your worship to God, i.e., through dance, prophetic dance, drama, prophetic art, painting, drawing, and sketching. This is the time to glorify Him through your talents and also capture and relate the heart of God to His people.

If you would like to worship through dance, please bring your own flags, ribbons, banners, etc.

If you love to worship through art and prophetic art, ADOP is inviting people to express worship through painting, drawing, and sketching! Please bring your own art materials and equipment, though easel stands will be provided.

Call 012-675-7312 or 012-297-2945 to give your name and details for worship through art.

PLAN

A total of 14 teams from various churches have registered for participation this year. ADOP has 13 slots for praise and worship with prayers, one slot for skit, one slot for interpretive dance, and three short messages or exhortations. Refer to the program below.

The ADOP’s vision is towards a 24 hours worship, which will be increased the following year.

Working towards bringing various denominations together for ADOP, we are beginning to see this vision coming to pass step-by-step.

Participating churches are World Harvest Church (Bandar Sunway), Kajang AOG (Kajang, First Baptist Church (Subang Jaya), New Life Restoration Centre (PJ), Oops!Asia (Independent Ministry), Antioch Ministries (Catholic), Grace Assembly (Klang), New Creation Revival Centre (KL), Cross Culture Community Centre (Shah Alam), Alpha Colors Church (Shah Alam), Breakthrough Worship Community Centre (KL), Good Tidings Assembly (Shah Alam), Christian Life Gospel Centre (Damansara Perdana), and River of Christ (Kota Damansara).

| Share the Good News |

12 July 2014 by Mindy Oon CM-

The word ‘love’ has come to mean a lot of things. Some people refer to a feeling, a theory, or a nice word when they say ‘love’. Other phrases such as ‘fall in love’ depicts love as something that ‘just happens’. Love however, is so much more – it is an action. Real love involves the way we treat others and the things we do to positively affect people’s lives.

Ref : lovethispic

Many people are looking for love and searching for something that is real. As Christians, we need to represent Jesus and display His love everywhere we go. Jesus was asked, what the most important commandment was; His answer is in Matthew 22:37-39 which says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Often times, we think we need someone to love us – many people search for love, and many are disappointed. However, what we really need to do is firstly, love God, and secondly, love the people around us. As we begin to place our focus on other people, a shift happens. True fulfillment happens when we start giving our lives away – when we start giving love to the people around us. As Christians, we have been called to help people who are hurting, and we may be the only people who will show them what love truly means.

Ref : gadel

1 Corinthians 16:14 says, "Let all that you do be done in love." And 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” We need to make love a priority, consciously making it a goal to pursue God’s love and then to give it away. One of the things with love is that we need to receive His love before we can share it with those who are around us. And when we ourselves are filled with God’s love, we will naturally become a blessing to those who are around us.

It was because of God’s love for us that He sent His son to die for us (John 3:16). Many look for fulfilment in material things, but it is only when God’s love and grace is experienced that change and fulfilment can happen. Many are looking for answers and searching for something that will give them meaning. And the answer to their question is Love – God’s love, demonstrated by those who know and have experienced God’s love; demonstrated by us. 

Ref : crosscards

| Share the Good News |

12 July 2014 by Adeliyn Lim-

"He stole my heart and shattered it."

"She took with her a piece of my heart."

"I gave her my heart and got it back in shards."

Listening to the others, I look at my own heart. I don’t remember a time it was ever whole. I suspect it was made broken at the very start of its existence.

Sure, it did looked whole at the start. When the pieces were large and gluing them together to simulate the look of being whole was easy. But it stopped looking whole after a while.

Ref : fanpop

——

The situation where my mom scolded me for something someone else did. My heart was dropped. A chip fell away. My mom found out and apologized. That piece of my heart was glued back, but it was not where it was supposed to be. A jagged piece stuck out at an odd angle.

Grandpa died. I won’t be able to sit at the kitchen table making pork dumplings with him, watch him fry them, and share the bowl just for the both of us. The pieces were gathered but some tiny pieces got stuck to grandpa when he moved on to the next world.

Dad and mom were going through a rough time. My sister and brother were in charge of the house. I got slapped for something I said, and my glasses flew across the room. Along with my glasses, my heart scraped across the floor. No idea how to get the scratches out of it.

The girl I thought was my friend, who used me then framed me and got me into trouble with my favorite teacher. I got angry and flung it unto her body. It bounced off, but got chipped anyway.

Ref : staticflickr

Dad called me by my sister’s name. After living apart for nearly 4 years, he keeps calling me by her name, but never makes a mistake when it comes to her. Deeper and deeper, it drove the chisel to the very core of my heart. It drove home, and broke it in halves the day he denied loving her more than me – and tells me it doesn’t matter, as long we both knew whom he was talking to – that I was too sensitive.

This one took a long while for the glue to set.

Mom’s dying. I cried, pleaded and begged. I bargained, raged, and then cried some more. When I finally accepted and let go all decisions to God, I also gave Him a bag of everything I could find.

My heart came back, almost as it was before a long time ago, but the many of the pieces were not of the same color. I struggled to hold it. The glue was still quite wet.

The boy who came with flowers, poetry and heart of his sleeve to a girl who couldn’t believe in love. In my haste, I dropped it before it was fully dry.

It was the third time she totally dropped it. I picked the pieces and sent it for repairs again. When I got my heart back, she asked for it and immediately proceeded to take aims at it. I snatched it back and walked away.

Ref : brokenheartsanonymous

——

I looked at my shattered, torn apart, pieced again, and mosaicked heart. I will have to put it on display, and am contemplating to put it in the hands of another again.

For the Heart is a curious thing. It needs to be held lightly, but firmly. It can nurture other hearts; repel many distasteful things, but breaks at a whisper of another heart. It can turn bitter, it can turn hard; it can be sweet, light and soft to the touch. Its weight, size and texture, varies from time to time.

But even more curious, is the fact that the heart needs to be held by another.

I look at Him, my ever-trustworthy Fixer. He gives my heart back to me, glue still not set, as usual. He pats me on the head, and sends me on my way.

Ref : staticflickr

I wonder about the next person who I will allow to hold my heart. I wonder if that person would take care to not drop it. I look at my hands and wondered if I could be entrusted to not drop his heart as well. I wondered if I would be strong enough to hold it, but not too hard that I create cracks in his heart.

I turned and looked my Fixer. I gestured for Him to take it back. He frowns and shakes His head. He opens up and shows me His heart. I recognize some pieces: My missing pieces. Wide-eyed, I looked at Him. He smiles, pats my head again, and walks me to the door.

Feeling a little dazed and amazed, I walk back to wherever I came from, broken but pieced-together-again heart in my hands.

Ref : susangaddis

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:14-18)

Adeliyn Lim has oscillated between Kuantan, Penang and KL, currently working as a human resources specialist in a telecommunications company. She admits that the walk with God is at times like a walk on the beach in sunny weather and at times like stumbling on cobbled alleys on dark, stormy days. Her philosophy in life is, “Life is a bed of roses. Thorns included.”

| Share the Good News |

13 July 2014 by Natasha Kim CM-

God speaks to us through a community and there is a need for all of us to minister to one another because Christ understands our temptations.

“We are where we are today because we stand on the shoulders of others and others have built into our lives. That’s why it is important that we learn to build into each other’s lives. Part of our weaknesses is that all of us are susceptible to temptations at different points of life” said Pastor Ooi Chin Aik (Founder and President of Ministries for Asia Pacific (MAP) as he preached at Acts Central on the 22nd of June 2014.

Pr Ooi Chin Aik preaching

While we are busy working on establishing our lives and establishing our family, there are times when we place God on the peripheral and it’s sad because one then questions, “Where is God in all this?” We should always place Him first in our lives.

"Christ is the best Evangelist, and any fruitful or breakthrough evangelism cannot happen without the leading of the Holy Spirit!" shared Ooi.

Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4: 15-16)

Ref : childrendesiringgod

According the Bible verse above in Hebrews 4:15-16, all of us are susceptible to temptations at different points of our lives. But like us, Jesus has also been through temptations and He provides us with mercy and grace especially during times when we feel vulnerable and not in control. We all need character and character only comes through the valley experiences in our lives.

“Don’t have the perception that God is only there when you’re crying, or feel cornered. I can share with you that God is especially there when I feel vulnerable,” said Ooi.

Ref : faith1stministries

As humans we have the tendency to often feel vulnerable, and it’s perfectly fine to feel that way sometimes. In life, we are often told that we need to be strong and be in control all the time. That’s not true because we need to know that God is the one that is in control no matter what circumstances we face. Once people believe that they are the ones who are in control, they tend to forget God.

“If God is in charge, life will be exciting although a bit scary. So you should learn to live a scary life and faith would live all the days of your life. Don’t be tempted to make the world revolve around you because that is not the way to live. It’s all about Him. As we focus on Him the promise of God is automatic delivery,” he shared.

Ref : scottstrissel

Focus on God’s kingdom and righteousness. What we do must be done from an inward principle that we may be approved by God, not that we may be praised by men.

Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 3"Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill." (Psalms 2:1-6)

God is sovereign and we need to catch hold of the sovereignty of God!

“Let us draw near to the throne of grace with confidence,” shared Ooi.

No earthly power can frustrate the redemptive plan of God! So let us be ready to pray, listen, and respond at all times. Remember too that we are a Church for the underdogs because it is for such people that Christ died! However, embed in your hearts and know that Jesus has already defeated the principalities and powers. Hence, as believers, we are fighting from the position of the victor. We do not win the world through doctrines but rather through Love. Thus, may God give us compassionate hearts. It is the love of Christ that compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14). And even though we may have to go through persecution, we rest in the sovereignty of God.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)
 

Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days. (Matthew 28:19-20)

After stating the verse above according to Matthew 28:19-20, Ooi pointed out that Jesus’ last command contained three key words or phrases, which include “go”, which involves getting out of our comfort zones; “make disciples”; and “all nations”. 

“Satan is a defeated foe, the only problem is although he is a chained beast, his chain is very long,” said Ooi.

Ref : bangordailynews

In 2 Timothy 2:3-7, Paul’s instructions to Timothy contained three images: firstly, to be a good soldier who endures hardships and does not engage in civilian affairs; secondly, an athlete who follows the rules in order to win the prize; and thirdly, a hardworking farmer who does spiritual ploughing and takes up the weapons of prayer and the Word of God. These are good guidelines for us as believers to live by if we want to fulfill Jesus’ last command to us.
 

| Share the Good News |

13 July 2014 by Adeline Lum CM-

On 29^th of June, evangelist Rev Johan Van der Westhuysen from the South African Assemblies of God shared the message of what happens when Jesus passes through our lives at Oasis Church in Ara Damansara, led by the late Pr Alex Yang and Pr Happy.

Pr Happy of Oasis Church

When Jesus passed by a blind man near the pool of Siloam, He gave him sight. (John 9:1-7) And when another blind man Bartimaeus heard Jesus passing by, he cried out aloud and Jesus healed him. (Mark 10:46-52) Also, when Jesus passed by and invited the tax collector Zacchaeus to have a meal together, Zacchaeus was so overjoyed that he paid back all the money he cheated. (Luke 19:1-10)

This shows us that every time when Jesus passes by, a transformation should happen!

The question we have for ourselves is: has Jesus pass by in our lives? If He has, our life should see transformation!

Rev Johan Van der Westhuysen

Rev Johan shared how Jesus passed by his and his wife’s lives many years ago. Married for 17 years, they nearly separated due to Johan’s busy work the director of an established advertizing company. But when he prayed the sinner’s prayer accepting Christ into his life, Rev Johan radically transformed—he quit his job and joined Bible school to be a minister. Today, Rev Johan and his wife are traveling the world to minister!

Our life would inevitably change when Jesus Christ passes by in our life because Christ is the light of the world (John 9:5), making all sins plain at sight in comparison to His purity and perfection. The Bible says, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Rom 3:10) In other words, everyone without Jesus Christ in his or her life is spiritually blind.

Ref : deaconbrianwentz

But thank God, Christ died for us while we are still sinners. (Rom 5:8) And because Christ died for us on the cross, it is the no longer us who live, but Christ lives within us. (Gal 2:20) With Christ now inside of us, we should emanate His radiant light into this world, which explains why the Bible says, “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14a), not you can be or will be but you are. This verse talks about us being the light of the world—not because we have any skills, talents, or achievements—but because Christ is living in us.

How our light should shine is best explained by a well-known writer named Robert Louis Stevenson. As a young boy, Robert was fascinated watching old lamplighters climbing ladders to set the street lamps ablaze. In excitement, he exclaimed to his parents, “Look at the man! He’s punching holes in the darkness!” Hence, that is how we as believers should live our life, in a way that our actions punch holes in darkness. All we need to do is to let our light shine before others through good deeds. (Matt 5:16)

Ref : e-manonline

Also, Rev Johan shared that this appearance of this light can cause irritation. Like how we are awakened from our sleep in a dark room by a bright source of light, our eyes are irritated with the sudden burst of light because they have already grown so accustomed to darkness. Rev Johan also shared how Jesus placing the mud on the blind man’s eyes may have caused irritation. (John 9:6) 

This analogy explains why believers-in-Christ tend to irritate people who are living in darkness. The Bible says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)

Ref : deviantart

Indeed, the light from Jesus may not only be irritating to other people but also to ourselves because it reveals to us who we are, shared Rev Johan. That is why the Bible says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) Also, ‘there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Lk 8:17) In light of Christ, who we truly are lies bare before Him and ourselves.

Lastly, like a diamond that emanates lights at different angles, each of us emanates Christ light differently in unique ways. In other words, although all of us are heading towards the same direction of becoming more Christ-like, how we walk our journeys of faith is different. With that said, Rev Johan shared that we should not be too caught up with the unique ‘spiritual actions’ that people do or the ‘material’ they use (i.e., holy water, oil, etc) that we forget our faith with God is all about our relationship with Him.

Ref : ncmochildren

For example, Rev Johan shared that prophet Elijah asked Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan River for seven times to heal from leprosy. And again, the man who was blind in the book of John, was asked to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. Does that mean that every leper and blind man should wash themselves in the Jordan River and pool of Siloam respectively to be healed? The answer is no.

But Rev Johan shared how many of us have busily built a religion, instead of a relationship with God? In other words, have we place more faith and trust in our religious practices and things than Jesus Christ Himself?

Indeed, in the Bible, we can see how the Lord asked different people perform different actions to accomplish His Plan and to bring Him glory. But all of them have one common denominator; that is all of them have a relationship with God. 

Pr Johan leading the people to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior

Simply put, another person’s faith story might not be your story, be it in work, providence or finding a life partner, etc. 

All we need to do is to focus in building a relationship with God through knowing Him more through the Bible and also communicating with Him everyday. And when we have a close relationship with God, we would be able to hear and discern His Voice on what to do in our lives.

And yes, lastly if we can communicate with the Living God everyday, that would be the brightest light to our family and friends who have yet to know Christ!

Ina, wife of Pr Johan, praying for the body of Christ

Rev Johan ended his message by praying the sinner’s prayer with the congregation of Oasis Church at Ara Damansara, led by the late Pr Alex Yang and his wife, Pr Happy.

NOTE: This article is written from the perspective and interpretation of the writer, to condense and accentuate the ideas of the pastor in a more understandable and readable way.

ABOUT SPEAKER: Rev Johan responded to the call of world evangelism in year 2001, having ministered in the UK, Netherlands, France, India, Nepal, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, Malawi, Botswana, Swaziland, Mozambique, and South Africa. They are presently ministering under the umbrella of the South African Assemblies of God and they are both members of the South African Association of Evangelists. They have three sons and two daughters. Visit http://www.wtwministries.co.za for more information.

| Share the Good News |

12 July 2014-

Come and experience A Day of Praise and Worship (ADOP) non-stop for 12 Hours on 16 AUG at Bible College of Malaysia (BCM)!

Ref : theriversedgechurch

ABOUT

ADOP is a combined effort of the Klang Valley churches coming in unity of hearts to lift up the name of Jesus in a 12-hour non-stop worship. This day is set aside to honor God and magnify Him through songs, music, dance, and creative arts.

It is a time to experience unity in praising God with various churches and lifting up prayers for our family, churches, and nation. You will receive a fresh anointing of His presence; experience his forgiveness, healing, comfort, and love.

As King David says, “One day in the house of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10)

So, set aside your time and hearts as you come and anticipates God’s touch in your lives. Comes join us anytime in this exciting event!

Date | 16 August, 2014 | SAT

Venue | Bible College of Malaysia Auditorium, 99 Jalan Gasing, Section 10, 46000 PJ

Time | 9 AM – 9 PM

Admission | Free

HOW

How do you usually worship God? As part of our celebration for this day, we do welcome other expressions of your worship to God, i.e., through dance, prophetic dance, drama, prophetic art, painting, drawing, and sketching. This is the time to glorify Him through your talents and also capture and relate the heart of God to His people.

If you would like to worship through dance, please bring your own flags, ribbons, banners, etc.

If you love to worship through art and prophetic art, ADOP is inviting people to express worship through painting, drawing, and sketching! Please bring your own art materials and equipment, though easel stands will be provided.

Call 012-675-7312 or 012-297-2945 to give your name and details for worship through art.

PLAN

A total of 14 teams from various churches have registered for participation this year. ADOP has 13 slots for praise and worship with prayers, one slot for skit, one slot for interpretive dance, and three short messages or exhortations. Refer to the program below.

The ADOP’s vision is towards a 24 hours worship, which will be increased the following year.

Working towards bringing various denominations together for ADOP, we are beginning to see this vision coming to pass step-by-step.

Participating churches are World Harvest Church (Bandar Sunway), Kajang AOG (Kajang, First Baptist Church (Subang Jaya), New Life Restoration Centre (PJ) MANDARIN, Oops!Asia (Independent Ministry), Antioch Ministries (Catholic), Grace Assembly (Klang), New Creation Revival Centre (KL) TAMIL, Cross Culture Community Centre (Shah Alam), Alpha Colors Church (Shah Alam), Breakthrough Worship Community Centre (KL) BAHASA MELAYU, Good Tidings Assembly (Shah Alam), Christian Life Gospel Centre (Damansara Perdana), and River of Christ (Kota Damansara).

| Share the Good News |

14 July 2014 by Rev Dr Jai Kumar -

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Are you struggling with the pressures of life and is it draining you out?  Your hopes and dreams never seem to give birth. Instead there seems to be one problem after another.  You have been praying for a healing in your life and God seems to be not acting so far. You know what? Throughout our life we will always have forces opposing us, trying to prevent us from reaching our God-given destiny.

ref : https://c1.staticflickr.com

The enemy is attacking us on the one hand and on the other the pressures of life draining us out. Before long we realize our faith in God is falling apart and we are discouraged tremendously. And eventually we find ourselves in the enemy's trap of deception. Have you reached a cross road in your life?

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 Hebrews 13:8 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Matt. 8:17

He took our infirmities and carried our diseases

He still opens blind eyes and deaf ears, makes the crippled to walk again, and the dumb to talk again. Jesus also heals all the modern dally sickness and diseases such as depression, pain, cancer etc the devil tries to bring upon you.

Listen! It is not God’s will for you to be sick either physically or emotionally. Neither is His will for you to live far below the standard of life and suffer under the clutches of the enemy.

ONLY YOUR FAITH CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS FOR YOU

 I have good news for you today But Jesus heals ONLY those who will believe Him for a miracle irrespective of who you are. All the people who came to Jesus during his ministry for healing received a breakthrough because of their FAITH.

ref : http://plantingthegospel.org

The question is you ready to believe Jesus for a miracle at the cross roads of your life right now? Can you believe that your FAITH is the KEY to your healing? If you can, you will receive your miracle from the Lord today

In Mark 9:23 the father of the epileptic boy begged Jesus in his desperate need to have pity on his boy.  He said to Jesus" if He can please have pity on my boy ".And Jesus said to him, “What do you mean if I can?  "If you can only believe!" All things are possible, If you believe” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief”

In other words the father was saying "I believe but because of my circumstances which have made me so tired, which has drained me out I am compelled to give in to doubt, nevertheless help me to reverse this lack of faith in me right now.

The word of God says in John 3;16   “For God so love the world so much that he gave is only begotten son ……………

He wants to give eternal life to everyone who will turn to Him in faith, and believe the gospel. Jesus loves you very much and He wants to breakthrough with miracles in your life to express His great love for you today. If you trust in Jesus, and believe in your heart despite your struggles, He only wants to help you, and give you life more abundantly. (John 10:10b). Jesus came to give you a good life! Jesus came to bless you! Jesus came to heal you! Jesus came to deliver you from all satanic bondage and curses. The devil is a liar! Do not believe him! He is a father of lies! He will tell you all the negatives things to paralyze you from moving into the blessings of God.

THE INVALID AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA

There was in Jerusalem near the sheep-gate a pool surrounded by five arches, which has the Hebrew name of Bethzatha (the Pool of Bethesda). Under these arches a great many sick people were in the habit of lying; some of them were blind, some lame, and some had withered limbs. (They used to wait there for the "moving of the water", for at certain times an angel used to come down into the pool and disturb the water, and then the first person who stepped into the water after the disturbance would be healed of whatever he was suffering from –

One particular man had been there ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there on his back – knowing that he had been like that for a long time, he asked him,

"Do you want to get well again?"

"Sir," replied the sick man, "I just haven’t got anybody to put me into the pool when the water is all stirred up. While I’m trying to get there somebody else gets down into it first."

Jesus asked him a direct and simple question. Instead the man was giving excuses to cover up why he was not healed. Have you ever noticed human nature has a tendency of blaming somebody for their problems? We refuse to look inside us! We refuse to take responsibility for our problems. But we like to keep blaming others, blaming circumstances and sometimes we even blame God for our condition! 

ref : http://images.fineartamerica.com

Listen to me! God can never move! God can never perform a miracle in your life as long as you are staying in a place of self-pity and put the blame of all that is outside of you.. You will never get any breakthrough, believe me!

Let’s see what is happening here? Jesus completely ignores the excuses of this man.

"Get up," said Jesus, "pick up your bed and walk!" Jesus gives a command with an authority. In other words, Jesus is telling this sick man; enough of all your excuses of blaming others. This is the moment for you to change your thinking! Change your mind-set, move into your FAITH in God. At once the man recovered, picked up his bed and walked.

Can you see something awesome here? The moment he moves his focus from his excuse to God’s command he receives his healing.

Some of you are sitting in the same place for 38 years. God is telling you at this moment. Today is your appointed time to change your thinking. If you want a miracle in your life, you got to change your mind-set of blaming others! And take responsibility and listen to what God is saying to today.

Jesus is commanding you with authority to GET UP! STOP BLAMING OTHERS! IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO MOVE ON! REMEMBER GOD CANNOT WORK IN YOUR LIFE AS LONG AS YOU SIT THERE BLAMING EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF YOU. IF YOU WANT GOD TO MOVE YOU ON! IF YOU WANT GOD TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE! IF YOU WANT GOD TO HEAL YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU GOT TO “GET UP AND PICK UP YOUR BED AND WALK” 

THE ROMAN CENTURION’S SERVANT

FAITH THAT WAS SO GREAT (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10)

Matthew 8:5-13 –

Then as he was coming into Capernaum (after healing the leper) a centurion approached. "Sir," he implored him, "my servant is in bed at home paralysed and in dreadful pain."

"I will come and heal him," said Jesus to him.

"Sir," replied the centurion, "I’m not important enough for you to come under my roof. Just give the order, please, and my servant will recover. I’m a man under authority myself, and I have soldiers under me. I can say to one man ‘Go’ and I know he’ll go, or I can say ‘Come here’ to another and I know he’ll come – or I can say to my slave ‘Do this’ and he will always do it."

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished. "Believe me," he said to those who were following him, "I have never found faith like this, even in Israel!

Then he said to the centurion, "Go home now, and everything will happen as you have believed it will."And his servant was healed at that actual moment. What is this? FAITH! That is mountain-moving!! It’s not ordinary faith! It’s not lukewarm faith! It’s radical faith!!

ref : 2.bp.blogspot.co

When you have faith like the Roman Centurion, you bet your healings and breakthrough will come through for you.  You know what? You can sit at the same place for the rest of your life and compromise your condition by all your excuses OR you can readily exercise your faith and move forward with God. God will surely meet you at the level of your faith.  Faith is the key to your healing! God will move in your life when He sees such faith in you. You have faith all things are possible for you! Do you expect a miracle in your life?

HEALING OF THE TEN LEPER'S

ref : http://www.gettingthroughthis.com

The ten leper's Jesus healed were told to go and show themselves to the priest. Luke records;  "As they went, they were healed" ( Luke 17:14). You know what? If they had waited to see results first, they would have never been healed. The healing only began as they started to move forward. If you wait for God to show up first before you are willing to move, you will keep waiting in vain all through your life.

 A PRAYER OF FAITH CAN MAKE A GREAT DIFFERENCE

If you are moved by this message, just say a simple prayer from the bottom of your heart, looking up to Heaven and say with me:

God I have faith in you. I want to receive your healing touch in my life! I want to receive a breakthrough in my life right now. I am tired of this kind of life. I want a change even at this moment as I pray.

How many of you believe that our God is a miracle-working God?

ref : http://www.empowermentepilepsyandelephants.com

Start to pray in tongues! God is going to touch you. The Holy Spirit is going to pour out His fire of healing in your life. Every person who has said this prayer is going to receive a miracle today. God is breaking some of the bondages in your life. I say this prophetically. God is setting free some of the captives right now! God is healing some of the diseases and sickness. God is bringing joy to some of those who are hurting. Your sorrows and pain is over right now. Keep praying! Stay in the spirit of prayer! God is doing mighty exploits in your life.

GOD BLESS YOU RICHLY

Rev Jai

Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Full Gospel Christian Church KL. Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, 'God's Time Clock.'

|Share The Good News|

14 July 2014 by Dr Yeo Teck Thiam -

We usually use the word ‘angels’ to encompass spiritual beings that are with God in heaven. This is the heavenly host that we rejoice to hear, for they help us or bring good tidings, when they come as commanded by God.

Our ideas about angels, of course, have areas in similarity, but differ also because we are impacted in different ways by our culture, philosophy and spiritual perceptions. Other differences also arise when words that we use may not precisely mean the same things in another language.

ref : http://www.imgion.com

As a result, we often complain about problems like, “We are not talking on the same frequency” or “That is not what I mean!” Thus we are painfully aware that we may use the same words, but these communicate different things to another person.  

This is particularly exasperating when a word has several meanings, or are some subjects like angels, faith, or love which no one can actually see, yet experience in life. Hence, on a subject such as angelic beings, I think it is helpful to clarify some ideas.

About Angels

The word ‘angel’ corresponds to the Greek ‘angelos’ that is used in the New Testament. The Greek word commonly means ‘messenger’ in general content. This is, in general, the picture we have of “angels” who bring God’s message to us.

This Greek meaning in the New Testament has some divergence from Hebrew words used in the Old Testament. It is important to note the differences, as Hebrew words for angelic beings relate more clearly with cherubim and seraphim.

ref : http://payingattentiontothesky.files.wordpress.com

Thus in the Old Testament, we read more of ‘cherubim’ and twice of ‘seraphim’. These are about celestial beings that we commonly associate with angels.

Nevertheless, angels are God’s ministers and they perform many works besides being God’s messengers to us, as we generally perceive. For we also know many angelic beings have tasks in ministering to us, and be our guardian angels.

Malak Yahweh

The equivalent of ‘messenger’ in Old Testament is the Hebrew word ‘malak’ and its plural ‘malakim’. This Hebrew word is, of course, translated into English as “angel” and as “messenger” as well.

In the Old Testament, ‘malak’ and ’malakim’ are easily understood when it refers to human messengers. This is because a messenger can be human or angelic. This is clear, even for Haggai 1:13 when the prophet was described as ‘malak’.

ref : http://1.bp.blogspot.com

“Malak’, of course, does mean ‘angel’, and we see this meaning in passages such as Psalm 91:11, Zechariah 6:5, and Genesis 19:1. So, we realize Hebrew words’ meaning often depend on the passage. However, this word is surprisingly not commonly used to describe angels.

Instead, in the Old Testament, ‘malak’ is used specifically to refer to a particular person known as ‘Malak Yahweh’ in Scripture. ‘Malak Yahweh’ as many know, is the title for “the angel of the LORD”, and is the angel of God’s Presence with us.

God’s name is in Him, as given in Exodus 23:21. So, Scripture shows that Malak Yahweh is God. This needs to be discussed separately, so I will pass by this, here.

Seraphim

This word is used only on two occasions in Scripture. It has reference to the meaning of ‘burning’ in Hebrew. It occurs in Isaiah 6:2,6. Thus Isaiah is the only place in the Bible that specifically mentions seraphim.

These seraphim were in God’s Presence, and Isaiah saw them around the throne of God, and calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

 the whole earth is full of his glory.”

One of them flew to Isaiah with a live coal from the altar. The coal touched Isaiah’s lips to cleanse him because he was in God’s Presence. We see that this meaning of ‘burning’ is in some relation to holiness and worship. The need for Isaiah to be blameless before God was clearly necessary. This was symbolically enacted by the burning coal to cleanse Isaiah of his sinfulness.

ref : http://anthonyuu.files.wordpress.com

In the New Testament, John was taken up in the Spirit to the throne of God in Revelation 4:1. In this vision, John saw four living creatures and twenty-four elders in God’s Presence. The living creatures sang a similar song:

 “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

 who was, and is, and is to come.”

Since this scene is similar to the one that Isaiah saw, I think the nondescript living creatures are seraphim, for they were doing identical duties. We shall seek confirmation for this thought from other Scripture passages.

In this context, the seraph angels were singing, for they would hardly be just calling out to pass a message to one another. Rather, it makes better sense that they were singing the praises of God, and to proclaim the beauty of the LORD. Hence, we have a description of seraphim leading in the worship and praise of God.

A Heavenly Choir

ref : http://anthonyuu.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/angel-coal.jpg

The heavenly choir was seen and describe by John in Revelation 5:11, where a great company of angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, encircled the throne and sang in a loud voice. Thus we must not confine angelic singing only to seraphim.  

To this end, when Jesus was born, the heavenly host that appeared to the shepherds was a heavenly choir that includes seraphim. For the heavenly host that appeared with the angel announcing the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:13 were praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace and goodwill to men

with whom God is pleased.”

The three fold proclamation of praise is similar to “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD Almighty” that we read in Isaiah 6:2. In Revelation 5:12, this also has a seven attribute of perfection in Jesus.

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

So I think of angels singing and praising God in heaven and the heavenly choir included the lead of seraphim in worshipping God. Likewise, we think of other instances where angelic singing is mentioned in Scripture, and ask God to open our eyes to see.

Cherubim

Seraphim may be a specific class of angels, while cherubim are the general description for a group of angelic beings. We will see this when we consider what Ezekiel wrote.

The word ‘cherubim’ occurs frequently in the Old Testament. It is the description most frequently used in the Old Testament for angels. Cherubim seem to be entrusted with various important functions.

ref : http://files.abovetopsecret.com

In Ezekiel 10:1-3, these angelic beings were also around the throne in God’s Presence. Ezekiel referred to them as cherubim, yet they were among the fire of burning coals. Ezekiel also said these were the living creatures he saw by the Kebar River in Ezekiel 10:15.

Thus, Ezekiel said that he realised the living creatures were cherubim whom he saw in God’s Presence in Ezekiel 10:20. They have duties in the worship of God, as we understand. So, I consider this together with what John and Isaiah saw in their visions.  So I think it is clear that “seraphim” mean a specific group of cherubim.

NOTE: This is the first part in an article on angels by Dr Yeo. Mr Yeo Teck Thiam is a retireer who used to work as a chemical engineer, specializing in food and perfume chemistry for an international food company and perfumer. His other main interest is astronomy and other mathematical matters, relating to the Biblical passages.

|Share The Good News|

14 July 2014 by Mindy Oon CM-

‘爱’，这个字能够带出许多层面的意义。对某些人而言，爱是一种感受；一种理论;或是一句悦耳的话语。其他例如‘恋爱了’，就将‘爱’变成了‘进行式的事情’。无论如何，爱更是一种行动。真正的爱包括了我们如何处事待人，以及为他人生命所带来正面积极的影响。

许多人都不停地寻找真爱。身为基督徒的我们，本该成为耶稣的代言人，无论到哪里去都要分享神的爱。有人问耶稣，诫命中最重的是哪一条？耶稣回到说，“你要全心、全性、全意爱主你的神。这是最重要的第一条诫命。第二条也和它相似，就是要爱人如己。”（马太福音 22:37-39）

很多时候，我们都在想自己应该是被爱的那一位。因此，许多人在寻找真爱意义的过程中，都经历失落。不管怎样，我们真正需要做的是，首先要爱神；其次是爱人如己。当我们将焦点转移到人的身上时，事情就会有不一样的变化。唯有当我们开始给予爱的时候，爱才能真正的产生。身为基督徒的我们，岂不是被呼召去帮助那些受伤的人吗？要知道，我们或许就是唯一向他们显出爱真正意义的人。

哥林多前书 16:14提到，“都要凭爱心去作。”约翰一书4:7-8也一样说到，“亲爱的，我们应当彼此相爱，因为爱是从神那里来的。凡事爱人的，都是从神生的，并且认识神。不爱人的，就不认识神，因为神就是爱。”我们需要将爱放在一个不可或缺的优先次序中，好使我们将这事看为我们的目标，竭力追求从神而来的爱，继而将这爱分享出去。我们需要首先领受从神而来的爱，方能与我们身边的人分享。当我们被神的爱充满时，就会自然地成为身边人的祝福。

因着神对我们的爱，祂差他的独生子为我们被钉死在十字架上（约翰福音 3:16）。许多人都在追求物质上的享受和满足感，但唯有被神的爱和恩典充满才能使我们得着真正的满足。也有许多人不断地寻找生命中具意义的事物，而他们的答案是，爱，就是我们这些已领受并与他人分享的神的爱。

Note: This article was translated by Joycelyn Loh in Christianity Malaysia (CM).Amen.

References for pictures:

http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/59077-God-Is-Love.-Love-Is-Real.jpg

http://www.crosscards.com/cards/scripture-cards/john-3-16-2.html

15 July 2014 - 

我愿意爱神爱人。这是我生命中每天的目标。每当有人问我“你的梦想是什么？你的目标是什么？”时，我只有一个答案：我希望能够帮助别人。

如果有人需要神的话语，我会用神的话语教导他们。如果有人需要拥抱，我会拥抱他们。如果有人需要付房租，我会在金钱上帮助他们。如果印度的人需要神的爱，我就会去印度。

这就是活出爱的含义：实践神的爱。做神希望我们做的任何事，并确信一切都是为了他的荣耀。活出神的爱应该是每个基督徒的首要目标。

骄傲会使你跌倒

有一种罪会阻止我们活出神的爱：骄傲。它会迷惑我们，因为当你骄傲的时候，你会洋洋得意，忘乎所以。我了解这一点，是因为我写过关于教导人们得胜骄傲的书，但销售得并不理想。但我以《怎样成功》为标题的书却非常受欢迎。

我们需要严肃地对待骄傲。箴言16章5节说：“心里骄傲的，为耶和华所憎恶，虽然连手，他必不免受罚。”

骄傲是一种以自我为中心的属灵境况。它会使人自高自大、粗鲁无礼、难以相处。当我们内心充满骄傲的时候，我们就不能荣耀神，并且容易猜疑别人，轻视别人，患得患失。可悲的是，许多领袖的内心都骄傲了。

继续阅读

References for pictures:

http://www.theologicalperspectives.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Falling-Apart.jpg

http://www.beliefnet.com/~/media/E53D20297D1D40D38CB149708B55D65D.ashx?w=389&h=289&bg=00000000&f=png&c=1

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/days/images/photos/valentine.jpg