Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
How do we "Put God First"?
There was a time, when I thought that most people in Church put God first. I thought this because, in Church we often talked about putting God first, sang about putting God first and we set apart our Sundays to come to Church to worship God because we put God first.
But it came into my heart one day, what it means at the very least, to "Put God First'.
It is no easy task to put God first. While we cannot use time as a measure of high or low priorities, I considered this -->
1. During the weekdays, we can spend 40 full-on hours working for an earthly boss, who we probably don't even like, and whose organizational goal we probably don't even support, yet we can't even spend 1 full-on hour in the presence of God - a God whom we love, a God whose goal we are sold to, and a God who understands better how to pay salary, than any other boss in the world.
2. In our company, we can hold 3 high-level meetings a week to discuss progress and direction (neither of which we should care personally very much about - with exceptions), yet as for our service to God, we can't even hold one prayer meeting a month to pray, discuss and share our progress and direction.
~~~
I closed my eyes, and I saw somebody in front of me. He said to me in response to the previous statement about meeting irregularly as opposed to regularly:
"Well that's because there's nothing to meet about...[Pause] We don't do anything during the week."
And I said to him. "Exactly, and why is that?"
~~~
Such is how we serve God sometimes. At times, it seems like our priority in life is all of these first: education/career, finances, social life, personal development + investment, relationships with family + loved ones, while all of these second: relationship with God, services to God.
At times, it seems like we have to find time to fit God into our busy schedules that revolve around us; it seems like God is only significant enough in our lives to receive our leftovers.
You know it really should be the opposite. That is: fitting our personal agendas around our big GOD*^. I know it sounds like a real bizarre idea, but why not let God show you how it should be done.
A few things are for sure - there is a mindset to break, we need God's Rema revelation to break this mindset, and we ought to place a much higher priority on chasing the things of God (yes that's right, the things of God) and doing His work effectively at least as effective as what we do for our earthly boss**.
** who doesn't love us, whom we don't even like, and who has no idea about paying workers real wages.
*^ topic for another time
But it came into my heart one day, what it means at the very least, to "Put God First'.
It is no easy task to put God first. While we cannot use time as a measure of high or low priorities, I considered this -->
1. During the weekdays, we can spend 40 full-on hours working for an earthly boss, who we probably don't even like, and whose organizational goal we probably don't even support, yet we can't even spend 1 full-on hour in the presence of God - a God whom we love, a God whose goal we are sold to, and a God who understands better how to pay salary, than any other boss in the world.
2. In our company, we can hold 3 high-level meetings a week to discuss progress and direction (neither of which we should care personally very much about - with exceptions), yet as for our service to God, we can't even hold one prayer meeting a month to pray, discuss and share our progress and direction.
~~~
I closed my eyes, and I saw somebody in front of me. He said to me in response to the previous statement about meeting irregularly as opposed to regularly:
"Well that's because there's nothing to meet about...[Pause] We don't do anything during the week."
And I said to him. "Exactly, and why is that?"
~~~
Such is how we serve God sometimes. At times, it seems like our priority in life is all of these first: education/career, finances, social life, personal development + investment, relationships with family + loved ones, while all of these second: relationship with God, services to God.
At times, it seems like we have to find time to fit God into our busy schedules that revolve around us; it seems like God is only significant enough in our lives to receive our leftovers.
You know it really should be the opposite. That is: fitting our personal agendas around our big GOD*^. I know it sounds like a real bizarre idea, but why not let God show you how it should be done.
A few things are for sure - there is a mindset to break, we need God's Rema revelation to break this mindset, and we ought to place a much higher priority on chasing the things of God (yes that's right, the things of God) and doing His work effectively at least as effective as what we do for our earthly boss**.
** who doesn't love us, whom we don't even like, and who has no idea about paying workers real wages.
*^ topic for another time
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Encouragement to the Church - God is Speaking
We believe that God always speaks to those who pursue Him. That the more we pursue, the more He speaks, and the more faith we have in God speaking the next time we cry out to Him to tell us His thoughts.
We have been encouraged. In the last several months on certain weeks, the message from the preacher on the Sunday coincided with what was taught two days before on the Friday. There was a week when Pastor TTQ used frequent reference to a road map, and on the Friday before Abe had done the same thing. There was a week when Pastor Kenneth preached on obedience and the power of God breaking through stagnancy, and on the Friday before it was a very similar message. The week after, Elder Jason did something that was not done for many years at ICC. He asked for the people who were in need to stand up to their feet, and for the people around them to lay hands and pray. This was also done for the first time in Youth on the previous Friday. It came to a point when we, at the Saturday morning meeting, came to conclusions about what was to happen on the coming Sunday.
We are encouraged by the convergence of the Friday and Sunday messages, which shows that God is speaking to both the people who run Fridays and Sundays. God speaks, whether we are conscious of it or not. Now we must learn to recognize His voice with greater accuracy.
We have been encouraged. In the last several months on certain weeks, the message from the preacher on the Sunday coincided with what was taught two days before on the Friday. There was a week when Pastor TTQ used frequent reference to a road map, and on the Friday before Abe had done the same thing. There was a week when Pastor Kenneth preached on obedience and the power of God breaking through stagnancy, and on the Friday before it was a very similar message. The week after, Elder Jason did something that was not done for many years at ICC. He asked for the people who were in need to stand up to their feet, and for the people around them to lay hands and pray. This was also done for the first time in Youth on the previous Friday. It came to a point when we, at the Saturday morning meeting, came to conclusions about what was to happen on the coming Sunday.
We are encouraged by the convergence of the Friday and Sunday messages, which shows that God is speaking to both the people who run Fridays and Sundays. God speaks, whether we are conscious of it or not. Now we must learn to recognize His voice with greater accuracy.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Special Movie Moments 2008
If you think you have a "Movie Moment 2008",
send them in and let our judges decide.
send them in and let our judges decide.
(Certain entries of this blog will be updated regularly. Keep a watch!)
Friday, October 24, 2008
We Will Not Make Excuses for Powerlessness
Note to all editors: it will be difficult to update every week, so posts will not be done according to Fridays, rather according to regular sharing of revelations and new happenings.
The following is a challenging message for people who classify themselves as the ordinary Christian.
1. As a Church, our focus has always been on becoming more like Jesus. Jesus is our role model. We think WWJD - what would Jesus do, and we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give to the homeless, because that is what Jesus would do. At school or university, we find the loneliest guy in the schoolyard to talk to and make friends with, because that is what Jesus would do. Imitating and becoming more like Jesus is the core essence of the encouraged Christian way in the Church today.
2. To be more like Jesus, we must do what he does. So, what does he do? What did he do in his time of ministry on the earth? As we examine the gospels thoroughly, we are able to find the answer. In almost every chapter of the gospels that document the life of Jesus, if he wasn't teaching the truths of God (with the anointing upon Him), he was performing signs and wonders, working miracles and displaying the raw power of the Kingdom of God. Not once in the gospels did we find Jesus doing the work of His Father by handing out leaflets about the Kingdom, holding banquets to attract people to connect and make friends with his disciples, nor did He do charitable services in order to be labeled as a man of good character, which in turn would reflect the nature of God. Instead, he encountered every one of the challenges in His ministry with pure power.
3. If we are the imitators of Jesus, then shouldn't we be imitating the things that he did most? The only reason that Jesus was able to bring the Kingdom of God from heaven to earth was because He saw what the Father was doing. John 5:19 talks about the limitations of Jesus - while Himself was fully God, He was limited by choice to the abilities of an ordinary man. And Jesus said that He could do nothing on His own, but He only did what He saw the Father do through the relationship and revelation of the Holy Spirit. He lived a life full of the Holy Spirit, and that fully equiped Him to do His Father's business (Luke 2:49).
4.
What were the distinctions of Jesus' humanity?
a) He had no sin to separate Him from the Father.
b) He was completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.
What are the distinctions of our humanity?
a) We are sinners cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Through His sacrifice, He has successfully dealt with the power and effect of sin over our life for all who believe. Now nothing separates us from the Father. There remains only one unsettled issue...
b) How dependent on the Holy Spirit are we willing to be? That is the only difference the limited man Jesus and you/i.
5. People raise the question: "Isn't it a little compromising to seek power?" I don't believe so. The apostle Paul said in Romans 15:19 that the gospel is fully preached when mighty signs and wonders and the power of the Spirit of God is demonstrated. He further illustrated this point in 1 Cor 2:4 where he said that he preached "not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that [our] faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Another reference from 1 Cor 4:20 tells us that the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power. The pursuit of power for personal gains is one matter, but the pursuit of power for the cause of the Kingdom of God is another. If it is God's will for us to have power, then shouldn't we chase after it?
6. The majority of the Church today lacks power. We have watered down the Word of God so much that we don't even realize that we are being deceived, and what we see of the deceived are of the term "abnormal Christian living", characterized by a lack of power, a lack of relationship with the Holy Spirit, and worst of all, a lack of motivation to improve their [abnormal Christians] current situation. The normal Christian life is characterized by the book of Acts - signs and wonders, miracles, anointed words of power, and pure displays of the raw power of God on earth as it is in heaven. We will no longer make excuses for powerlessness. Let no one make such excuses, because ALL were called by God to be normal, everyday Christians.
The following is a challenging message for people who classify themselves as the ordinary Christian.
1. As a Church, our focus has always been on becoming more like Jesus. Jesus is our role model. We think WWJD - what would Jesus do, and we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give to the homeless, because that is what Jesus would do. At school or university, we find the loneliest guy in the schoolyard to talk to and make friends with, because that is what Jesus would do. Imitating and becoming more like Jesus is the core essence of the encouraged Christian way in the Church today.
2. To be more like Jesus, we must do what he does. So, what does he do? What did he do in his time of ministry on the earth? As we examine the gospels thoroughly, we are able to find the answer. In almost every chapter of the gospels that document the life of Jesus, if he wasn't teaching the truths of God (with the anointing upon Him), he was performing signs and wonders, working miracles and displaying the raw power of the Kingdom of God. Not once in the gospels did we find Jesus doing the work of His Father by handing out leaflets about the Kingdom, holding banquets to attract people to connect and make friends with his disciples, nor did He do charitable services in order to be labeled as a man of good character, which in turn would reflect the nature of God. Instead, he encountered every one of the challenges in His ministry with pure power.
3. If we are the imitators of Jesus, then shouldn't we be imitating the things that he did most? The only reason that Jesus was able to bring the Kingdom of God from heaven to earth was because He saw what the Father was doing. John 5:19 talks about the limitations of Jesus - while Himself was fully God, He was limited by choice to the abilities of an ordinary man. And Jesus said that He could do nothing on His own, but He only did what He saw the Father do through the relationship and revelation of the Holy Spirit. He lived a life full of the Holy Spirit, and that fully equiped Him to do His Father's business (Luke 2:49).
4.
What were the distinctions of Jesus' humanity?
a) He had no sin to separate Him from the Father.
b) He was completely dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him.
What are the distinctions of our humanity?
a) We are sinners cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Through His sacrifice, He has successfully dealt with the power and effect of sin over our life for all who believe. Now nothing separates us from the Father. There remains only one unsettled issue...
b) How dependent on the Holy Spirit are we willing to be? That is the only difference the limited man Jesus and you/i.
5. People raise the question: "Isn't it a little compromising to seek power?" I don't believe so. The apostle Paul said in Romans 15:19 that the gospel is fully preached when mighty signs and wonders and the power of the Spirit of God is demonstrated. He further illustrated this point in 1 Cor 2:4 where he said that he preached "not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that [our] faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Another reference from 1 Cor 4:20 tells us that the Kingdom of God is not in word but in power. The pursuit of power for personal gains is one matter, but the pursuit of power for the cause of the Kingdom of God is another. If it is God's will for us to have power, then shouldn't we chase after it?
6. The majority of the Church today lacks power. We have watered down the Word of God so much that we don't even realize that we are being deceived, and what we see of the deceived are of the term "abnormal Christian living", characterized by a lack of power, a lack of relationship with the Holy Spirit, and worst of all, a lack of motivation to improve their [abnormal Christians] current situation. The normal Christian life is characterized by the book of Acts - signs and wonders, miracles, anointed words of power, and pure displays of the raw power of God on earth as it is in heaven. We will no longer make excuses for powerlessness. Let no one make such excuses, because ALL were called by God to be normal, everyday Christians.
Friday, October 10, 2008
ICC Youth Insider News
ICC Youth Insider News is here!
Find out what we do, have done and will do, what we believe in and what we strive towards.
--> Our desire, our cry, our prayer - from the heart of an Insider <--
So, welcome to ICC Youth Insider!
May your visit be blessed.
P.S. You'd do well to keep Insider News a secret =]
Find out what we do, have done and will do, what we believe in and what we strive towards.
--> Our desire, our cry, our prayer - from the heart of an Insider <--
So, welcome to ICC Youth Insider!
May your visit be blessed.
P.S. You'd do well to keep Insider News a secret =]
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