wingsnest

Are you a good Christ?

2010-03-29T12:25:00.003+08:00

Are we good Christians? Sometimes we do ask ourselves that question. Or perhaps we should ask ourselves, ‘What is a good Christian?’ A good Christian goes to church, reads the Bible, prays, does good things, is a good friend and son/daughter to others, etc. Is that only what it really means to be a Christian? Those answers are right and all but it seems to me, we’ve reduced being a Christian to only that.

The Bible says in the book of 1 John in the sixth verse of the second chapter, ‘Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.’

We should be asking ourselves ‘AM I A GOOD CHRIST?’

You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.
In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.

Would our lives significantly change if we would act more like Jesus, or be like how Jesus was to the people he came across with?

This is no means to bash the work of the church because Jesus did all those things - He went to church (synagogue), he read God's word, he prayed, he joined others in fellowship (most of them involved food too!). This post is more of a reminder for ourselves to make a personal conviction to live like Him and to love others the way He loved us.

Let’s live lives that one day any person that we come across in life can say ‘the days I’ve spent with (insert your name) was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus’

G is the letter for this post

2009-08-24T10:51:00.004+08:00

growing deeper in the Word of God.

Delving deeper into some of the reasons for the exodus, the research group found that nearly 40 percent of the surveyed twentysomethings first had doubts about the Bible in middle school. Another 43.7 percent said they first doubted that all of the accounts and stories in the Bible are true during their high school years. Only around 10 percent said they first became doubtful about the Bible accounts during college.

the rest of the post can be found here -
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090629/survey-churches-losing-youths-long-before-college/index.html

these are alarming statistics. and it shows how much we disregard the Word of God as part of our relationship with Jesus when the Bible itself already mentions that "All Scripture is breathed out by God..." (2 Tim 3:16a). John 16:13 states, "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth." The Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin also assures the believer that the Bible is God's Word.

these truths may familiar and we do believe that the Bible is God's Word and its importance. But do we really live it out? do we seek guidance from the Word? do we want to learn more and more about the Bible? do we place it as an authority over our lives? do we really know what the Bible says? (for example, the Bible never mentions 'God only helps those who help themselves')

truth be told, nobody really wants to read the Bible (Psalm 119:36). we have to get down on our knees to plead with God for that desire. “Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.” (1 Chronicles 22:19) and the more we seek, the more we will find out. “If you seek him, he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9) Basically it means - the more you'll understand the Bible if we spend time in it.

just like how we pursue an object of interest, the more we'll find out about that interest. it's the matter of the heart. example, i would want to research on everything that makes up the girl of my interest. i want to know what she likes, what she doesn't like.

there is no possibility of saying you know someone, if you don't know the least about that someone. the same way, the way to know God is to study His Word.

Growing deeper in the Word of God is very important aspect of our WinGS ministry, and we would not abandon the cause to instill Biblical knowledge for the sake of making youth ministry more attractive. there is no a need to dress up God's Word because the Bible stands alone, unchanged throughout the ages, and it is God inspired.

for this i pray, God that You instill in us an understanding of Your beloved words. we acknowledge the need to learn Your Word. we desire to hid Your words in our hearts that we may not sin against You (Psalms 119:11) that we may be a youth ministry that places Your Word above all else, and that it may equip us for every good work that we pursue. (2 Tim 3:17b). in Christ name, Amen.

i found this article really interesting.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061116/23499.htm

the letter G is one of the five purposes that i would like to refresh our memories about the purpose of our WinGS ministry : )

we are wings

2009-08-21T11:58:00.006+08:00

n., pl. youths (yūths, yūTHz).

1. The condition or quality of being young.
2. An early period of development or existence: a nation in its youth.
The time of life between childhood and maturity.
1. A young person, especially a young male in late adolescence.
2. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Young people considered as a group.

WinGS never set out to pigeon-hole any age groups into a ministry. yes, we do cater to a specific age group but there should be a greater view that this ministry exists for more than a social club/babysitting time for the younger age group for our church.

i have seen pretty amazing stuff happen in this ministry but we should never dwell on former glories. i take heart that we should always know of what we are capable of, with a great God over us.

being a youth is a state of mind. there are 28 year olds who act like 12 year olds, and also 13 year olds who act like 28 year olds.

Youth, or immaturity, is an attitude of the heart and will rather than a function of age.

the Bible has examples of many who are considered 'young' and maybe God chooses them because they know that they're young - and by that they know that they are considered 'weak', 'unable', 'don't know anything' or even 'too young' - and once they really grasp the power in being weak but used by a great God, then His glory is so much more amazing.

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:30-31

therefore i would just like to stick my head out and say this, WinGS is more than just a youth group, it's a youth ministry under the church, and it is encompasses the entire body of believers, take for example, we have wonderful adult camp counselors before and we definitely would be welcoming more adults to speak during our meetings. WinGS is involved in reaching out to the children of VBS, and Sunday School. we definitely need young adults who will take up the challenge and be leaders to these youths.

the moment we put WinGS into a box, we render it as just another church ministry that we can pick and choose.

the flight of icarus

2009-02-04T13:11:00.005+08:00

I'm awake as a dream,
lifted off this miry place,
freedom it seems,
breathes like wind to my face,

soaring through clouds,

waxed wings made to fly,

without my share of doubts,

bading the world goodbye,

watch me go

thought that i would find you up in the sky

though i've might have just flown too high

what i find is myself reaching out to the sun

falling back to gravity i succumb

such a beautiful view with a long way to fall

now watch me fall

sleeper

2009-01-21T22:34:00.003+08:00

ever fallen asleep during a sermon? or even in a car driving down to school? sometimes, its all down how we keep ourselves ready and alert, or are we complacent to succumb to sweet sweet sleep = )

the story goes of a young man (just like you and me) named Eutychus. while he was listening to the apostle Paul preach he fell asleep (just like you and me as well). some of us might get away with it by saying we were 'praying' : P but poor Eutychus as he was sleeping at a windowstill and presumably died as he fell off three storeys down.

there's something close to my heart, as i search God's will for our youth group and how will He want WinGS to be this 2009. how tragic would it be if we remained 'complacent' and comfortable in our cosy environment that before we know it - we like Eutychus will fall asleep and be spiritually dead.

the story of Eutychus does not end there, as Paul goes down and 'revives' young Eutychus. to the sleepers out there, there is still time for us to be awaken. let this year be our awakening because i truly believe that there are many amongst us that are sleeping giants. think of how the Lord can use us as a youth group! and we already know what we are capable of as a youth group, a body of Christ. spending time with God through His Word and prayer would keep us from 'sleeping' in.

2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Revelation 3:2 & 3)

Eutychus' story can be found in Acts 20.

Here we are now with the falling sky and the rain,
We're awakening
Here we are now with our desperate youth and the pain,
We're awakening
Maybe it's called ambition, you've been talking in your sleep
About a dream, we're awakening

not turning away

2008-12-13T11:06:00.004+08:00

Dusty roads filled with throngs of sandals. People from the surrounding regions have come to see this Great Healer. Everyone has seen their own fair share of mysticism and doubt its authenticity but this was different. He was driving out demons and making the lame walk. The people needed a break from the harshness of life, and this seemed like the next big thing. The Great Healer was performing miracles. Just an ordinary citizen, with ordinary robes, with an ordinary appearance-commanding such attention.

Crowds grew by the hour, as word spread through the busy lanes . They all wanted a piece of the miracle to touch their worthless lives. It seemed only fair that something good would come out of this for each of them. The Great Healer was not even charging them for anything.

By now, the lakeside was overflowing with curious onlookers, living proofs of the Great Healer's miracles eager for another one, doubtful religious teachers and the followers of the Great Healer. Then the Great Healer retreated to a boat and was pushed offshore.

The Great Healer began speaking. The crowds listened on, to what seemed like simple parables yet it left many puzzled and they could not understand what he meant. This was no signs and wonders nor miracles. One after the other, people started turning away disappointed. With each person leaving, the Great Healer's eyes looked on with a glance of sadness. A sadness that could only be explained by how much He loved them to stay. Even some of the ones that were healed moved on. Then His gentle loving eyes turned to mine to see whether I would be next.

These passages in the Bible about the parable of the Sower always get to me. Jesus was so popular and yet He does not beg for the people to stay. He is the Almighty and not until we realize how inadequate we are and needful of Him to save us, we will never realize what it really means to follow Him.
Matt 13, Mark 4, Luke 8

imitation

2008-11-12T10:19:00.004+08:00

have you ever notice young children? at times, they learn through the process of imitation - following the actions of an adult/parent. spoons go to the mouth, then we open the mouth, chew chew chew.

how about us? we do follow in the footsteps of the people we admire. we imitate actions that resemble our heroes. even when children imitate our actions, we take it as a compliment.

the Christmas season is once again upon us, and let's never forget what it really means to give. to give generously and to live generously. we offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God because we do owe Him so much gratitude. we'll never be able to repay God for His precious gift to us. He came down to earth from His Heavenly throne to save us. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

there is no greater compliment than imitation. God gives to the undeserving, to the ungrateful, to the unsuspecting without condition. God is all about giving, and we can please our Heavenly Father by imitating His nature of giving.

instead of the 'me, me, me' outlook- look around you this Christmas season. you'll be amazed to find so many people in need of God's love. and we are His ambassadors. this also applies to us as Christians, that we also give generously through means of financial faithfulness. it is better to give than to receive :)

silence fools

2008-10-07T00:58:00.006+08:00

whoever came out with the idea of statuses must have been a brilliant mind. im talking about the statements we put up with our names on sites like facebook, myspace or msn messenger. how cool is that to tell the whole world what we're up to. http://ernieis.wordpress.com/ check ernie out, perhaps you can even use some of his ones.

the whole invention of the internet is so liberating, and yes im all for the freedom of speech and thought or action (which means you are also responsible for what you do or the person that you are) but i do believe freedom is not just the 'freedom' to do anything that you would like to do (i.e kill someone, write hate inciting blogs etc) but the freedom to choose the right path, the correct choice which is the one God wants us to take. we don't have to do those sins anymore.

i've heard it from someone that 'a word said is like a hundred racehorses sprinting off, you can never catch it back'. in this case, as responsible children of God - we should all the more watch what we say. im more than guilty of letting slip the wrong words.

the idea im getting at, is the way we assume that we can misuse these statuses to 'send' a message across to someone. or even for anything that we write on our blogs with a hidden agenda in response to anybody. (mind you the internet is a big place still yet we're all connected) i do wonder what goes through our minds when we do that because

a) we gat the message across loud and clear

b) not only the 'person' gets it, but everyone else in the network/circle of friends read about it too

c) at the end of the day, our words have done nothing but damage even if it is with good intentions

::then i also wonder if the initial intention of these 'subtle' messages is really just for that particular person, or we really want other people to find out about it::

many times wisdom is found in what you don't say instead of what you do say. word restraint is a sign of maturity. as christians, we should practice using our words wisely. even a silent fool is considered wise at times.

yes we go through periods of time where we really want to reach out to someone because we have something inside bothering and we really cant think of a way to get it out but to write in on our statuses. *reach out the right way, and even so to the right people*

the right intentions will display the right words. if we have resentment in our hearts, the words that come from our mouths will be hate filled, likewise if we have love in our hearts, the words would be very different.

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless

word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you

will be condemned” (Matt. 12:36-37, NIV).

(1) Every word—whether we think about it or not—is noticed by God and has consequences.

(2) Words are extremely powerful; they are able to give life and healing, and they are

able to hurt and destroy.

(3) Everyone needs God’s help to say good words—so why don’t we ask Him for it?

(4) Words can either calm an angry situation—or make it angrier. Which will you

choose?

(5) Lying is always wrong, and it always hurts someone.

(6) When we talk is sometimes just as important as what we say.

(7) We have the power to help people with our words if we choose to. If we do not

help, we hurt.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14, NIV)

you know i love you guys, and this post is not directed at anyone but to everyone including myself

a noise walk

2008-08-26T16:34:00.002+08:00

i decided to put this talk into words :) just so we wont forget

try watching mtv for a bit (not that im encouraging you to watch it, because most of it is trash). notice that the scenes from every music video does not last for 5 seconds before the frame changes. or if you have seen the Bourne films - notice how frantic the pace of the camera pans around.

our lives are evolving to one that is such of a fast pace - it becomes a distraction. a noise. according to good ol' wikipedia, noise is unwanted sound, and can block, distort, or change the meaning of a message in both human and electronic communication.

many things come in between us and our walk with God. sometimes, we are so distracted, we do not hear God in the midst of all the noise. in our contemporary society, noise is emerging as one of Satan's most effective weapons. noise does not have to just include non-christian distractions, there are many christianized noises in our lives - like a loud christian rock band blaring through our mp3 players - anything that blocks us from a proper communication with God.

this is not to say we should abandon the loud rock songs~ i love rock :) but at times, we need to just be alone with God. have a meaningful conversation with Him, listen, speak, without any distortions. the writer of Psalm 46:10 writes of God "Be still, and know that I am God". Elijah the prophet was in desperation to hear God's voice, but he didnt find God in the violent windstorm, powerful earthquake or even the fire. God was found in a still small voice. the gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12)

we'll never escape the noise, and neither all noise is bad. i wished more youths are loud, loud for the right reasons at the right times - when we have to lift a song of praise to our Lord :)
but i do believe that we also have to create our silent moments, when we come before our Saviour with nothing but ourselves. then it's easier to listen to what He wants to tell us. turn off the music when you read His Word, close the door when you're praying, set aside more time (no other plans) just to be in devotion with Him.

if we have become distracted, let us come back to the heart of worship.

Sufferings

2008-07-07T20:42:00.003+08:00

it is crucial that we realize what we're getting into, when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives.
for most of us who made that decision, it's really just surrendering your life into His hands, placing your faith and trust that He will always be with you.

we cannot escape suffering, it will come even if you are not a Christian. what differs us, is that we know Jesus will be there, and that He'll make all things good at the end. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)
what it means is the end of the story is always good!

a Christian life does not promise a life free of suffering. why even Jesus Christ Himself suffered and died on the cross, and He's the reason why we are Christians.
let's put it this way, C.S Lewis suggests that God in His omniscience (means He knows everything) "saw that from a world of free creatures (that's you and me), even though they fell (sinned), he could work out ... a deeper happiness and a fuller splendor than any world of automata (basically what our world can offer) would admit.
Our present world is full of sickness, suffering, and sin. Christianity never claims our present world is the best of all possible worlds, BUT it is the best way to the best possible world! Heaven!

for those who are possibly going through rough tough times, or even for those who have sufferings yet to come, Jesus Christ should be your anchor during those days. He only can offer peace and joy. Peace is about remaining calm in the midst of storms. Joy is smiling bracing the winds.

Jesus said "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation (suffering), but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

we've discussed about the flower 'Forget-me-not', and just like the flower's name, let's not forget Jesus has already conquered the grave/death, what more our present sufferings? He is God. Sustainer. Redeemer.
so now we can look forward to the brighter days with Him.

i'm looking for the brighter days, when all my hurts seem to fade away,
i'm looking for the brighter days, to come my way.
Brighter Days, (by Leeland)

be God's revolutionaries

2008-06-08T00:37:00.002+08:00

excerpt from 'Living Under God'
(by Toby Mac & Michael Tait)

As strange as it may sound, God is looking for revolutionaries who are not rebellious - He is looking for people who are willing to set our upside down world back upside right.

Rebelliousness is often based in selfishness and anarchy - it certainly attracts those who are against the present norm without really being for anything better. Such 'revolutionaries' often have no vision for anything after the rebellion is over because they were only in it to destroy the status quo, not to build a better future - or to simply be in charge and noticed, not to truly lead for the benefit of others.

God's revolutionaries, however, don't look for opportunities to dominate others, but chances to serve. They are revolutionary because they stand for something better. Are you such a revolutionary, or are you looking for attention by being against whatever is going on now?

**We'll discuss about this more in WinGS as we go along :)

of trains and dwarfs

2008-05-04T23:56:00.003+08:00

as we welcome Narnia back into our conversations, let's take time to draw on some points which C.S Lewis intended to transpire through these story books.

many of you know that i'm on my internships at the moment, and the workplace is quite a distance away so i take the trains. trains have this habit on me, that they will always lead me home! unless you take a wrong train ;) how perfect the story of Prince Caspian that the four Pervensie children are brought back to Narnia, their 'home' through a train station (i don't think there's a physical train that leads to Narnia).

well, we find out that Narnia isn't all it was when they were there. centuries has past, kings rise and fall. and suddenly the people and creatures of Narnia has lost faith in the Deep Magic of Narnia and more importantly, Aslan the Lion whom has not appeared all this while. no one believes in the existence of the Lion anymore.
we can really relate this situation to ours at hand. you do not have to look far at a society which has ignored or doubted the powerful existence of our Lion, the Lion of Judah-Jesus Christ. i see the books like 'The God Delusion' or 'God Is Not So Great' taking place in the eyes of society. these are supposedly solid works of literature, but we all know that they are harmless attempts at feeding their own doubts. to doubt the existence of God, would really mean that God existed in the first place.

sometimes, even we ourselves who believe in Jesus Christ, at times doubt Him with or without intention. do we really believe what we believe, then that faith needs to carry action. in the story of Prince Caspian, Lucy had to act on her belief that Aslan was around, even though nobody believed her, yet her faith was unwavering and she still tried to convince everyone, succeeding with Edmund (my favourite character after Aslan ;) ).

“Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed” Jesus (John 20:29)

there are many lessons more to be learned from this really awesome story and i'm sure that almost everyone already has plans to catch the movie release. do have in mind the lessons in it, if not also bear in mind God teaches us all the time and we learn more about Him each day if we really seek Him.

'Return To Narnia' will be scheduled for our next two saturdays (10/05 & 17/05) before a break saturday (24/05) before 4:12 Revo (27/05). start confirming your places, confirming your friends.

i'm wearing a white gown

2008-02-23T02:00:00.006+08:00

sorry for the long delay on a new post, but there were many circumstances that arose. rest assured, its not that i haven't had anything to say (i have aplenty ;) ) but time just did not permit me to translate it into words.

we just had valentine's day not too long ago and the world celebrated its knowledge on love. i can imagine your reactions by this moment of time oh not another lecture on love. OHOH he didnt mean love love, he meant God's love - ah, but i already know that too.

this post for me is to merely just give you another point of how deep the Father's love for us and how vast beyond all measure.

taking a point of a sermon i heard awhile back, Hosea was a prophet and one day God told him to marry an adulteress, or basically that lady wasn't a faithful lady if you know what i mean. yet Mr. Hosea still married her-Gomer was her name-and he stuck with her even though he knew her unfaithfulness (cue Rihanna's song, NOT the ella ella one, the other one). we can tell from the Scriptures that the first few children conceived was not even Hosea's (Hosea 1:2-11).
Put yourself in Hosea's sandals for a moment, man its tough to love someone like that. yet only marry (lasting commitment) that someone.

i took another piece of puzzle that had me thinking the past week. do you know of anyone else who practically did something like that? i mean like REALLY LOVE someone so unfaithful and really stick out through it all. i can only think of the perfect example of Christ when He declared His love for us by equating it to the bliss of marriage. Jesus is the bridegroom and we the church is His bride in the wedding of the Lamb! (Rev. 19:7).

some guys are moaning now oh we have to wear a dress, a white one. but hey truly understand the passage. the King of kings wants a deep and loving relationship with you and me. now we won't understand how deep our Father's love if we do not realize how fallen we are. we are like Gomer. we have our fair share of unfaithfulness, probably not to the degree of Gomer, but there is no measure to sin. its either you sinned or you didnt. and we all have (Romans 3:23).

Hosea's story doesn't end yet, as God relates to us how much He does love us by asking Hosea, to still love his wife. (Hosea 3:1) to forgive and overlook all the wrongs that Gomer has done. and Hosea did, and so did Gomer and another child was born. this time the baby was Hosea's

so just think it this way. would you be able to love your special someone with the kind of love Hosea showed? im sure Hosea had his fair share of doubts, but i know God can. and He already did : ) thats awesome, Gomers (we) and now we all can wear a beautiful white gown to meet Him.

i would like to thank those who joined us for the orphanage visit the past week, i am inspired by how WinGS can share God's abundant love with children who really need it. and also for getting down and dirty to clean our community even though it may be someone else's property. we appreciate ivan and wilson for organizing both days :)

the basics of service

2007-10-23T13:33:00.000+08:00

as we begin our new topic on the basics of service, i would like to have everyone clear on the direction of our topic. we go deeper understanding about service through asking several questions that would give us insight. make no mistake, service/serving God* is a BIG word. and sometimes it does (1)sound dull, or it requires (2)a whole lot of time, concentration, effort and we usually think that (3)someone else would do it.

just an overview of what we have discussed last week. whom do we serve? yes we are servants of God, and yes we are to serve Him, BUT the key point here is that God wants us to serve others in need of His love. so if you're still with me.
SERVICE = SERVING GOD by SERVING OTHERS*

if you agree on points (2) and (3), you are dead right. service will take up a lot of time, concentration and effort. fulfilling God's ministry on this earth is a big task, and we tend to have the attitude of 'someone else will do it'. well, if there was anything that is so correct but it is still so wrong, this is it. God doesn't need you to go fulfill His will, if you ever think otherwise then God is not a sovereign God anymore because He needs you. if we don't go to this world, He will send forth another group of people, and we would have missed out on the glorious ministry of reconciliation. The God we believe in, breathed the world we live in into existence, is a God that knows all because He is the beginning and the end. we need Him.

the reason He wants us to be His hands and His feet is that He loves us and invites us to be a part of His salvation story. just a tiny part/dot in the unmeasurable eternity. He wants you to share in the joy and rewards of His great great love. therefore the call is to whether to WANT to do it on our part. the journey of a christian is one that is full of sacrifice just like the One who sacrificed all, for you and me on that rugged cross. (John 3:16)

if you still have any doubts about giving your all, perhaps this illustration(#) i heard recently may help you. lets say i ask you to wash my car. i cant pay you much, but would you still be willing? probably some of you guys would do me this service. now lets change it around, if you wash my car, i will give you RM 1000 for every time you wash it. the result of that would be probably more of you would want to wash my car.
this is exactly the point of following Jesus with the life of service. the reward is always GREATER! back to illustration, now don't come to me and tell me that "i have enough money of my own" or "i don't want to receive money, because i willingly want to serve", etc (you can fill in the excuses). i believe in your sincerity BUT there is nothing that we can give that could be ever enough for God because He is the ultimate Giver! we never lose when we give ourselves to God because He blesses us in return. recall the parable of the man who found the treasure in the field and he sold all his possessions with joy to obtain this treasure that he wanted so badly (Matthew 13:44). he never tried to weight whether he was on the profit end of things, he just went for the treasure. Jesus Christ is the treasure my friends and His reward outmatches all the worthless things of this world.

i pray that we would never ever have the guts to come before the Lord of the Universe, Maker of Life and say that we have served God in this way or in that way or just to pour out all the things that we have done for the Lord. no. let me tell you now, it is never enough. to know when to stop is when this race of life ends.
please do not think that i am saying that your services to the Lord are not good. it is good, but we have to have the understanding that it is nothing compared to what Jesus has done for us on the cross. and the worst that can happen would not use our lives fully for God. realise that all we really need is in Jesus already.

sing "Jesus what can i give, what can i bring, to so faithful a Friend, to so loving a King, Saviour what can be said, what can be sung, as a praise for Your Name, for the things You have done, oh my words cannot tell, not even in part, of the debt of love that is owed, by this thankful heart" (I Will Offer Up My Life, Matt Redman)

this week, we will continue in the Lifetrak series and ivan will be leading us in a time of worship (27/11). i would like everyone to pray for specifically two of the youths, rachel cha and liew shan berg who have willingly answered the call to serve God in a mission trip to Thailand this week and the next. pray for the hearts that God will touch through these two youths along with their mission team and also for God's presence to be with them.
invite friends who are interested in joining us for the orphanage visit on the 3rd of Nov. the orphanage is Stepping Stones and is located in Seputeh.

#Lukewarm Christianity, by Francis Chan (dvd available at WinGS)

...then before i die, i want to burn out bright...
Burn Out Bright, Jonathan Foreman of Switchfoot

prodigal we

2007-10-04T01:50:00.000+08:00

we are always familiar with the story of the prodigal son, yet most of us never realize that the story isn't about the son, but the father. the story actually focuses on the forgiveness of the father, the story of the son was only to portray the depths of our failures and how far we go astray. yet because of love, the father wipes away the wrongs of the son and welcomes him to the family once again (Luke 15). to reconcile the relationship between father and son.

the word 'reconcile' implies a relationship that once 'was' but was broken, and to reconcile would mean to restore the relationship that once was (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). the beautiful story of reconciliation and salvation between Divinity and our fragile humanity is unfurled in the Bible.

maybe you may not have heard of Jesus or 'the relationship that once we had', nows a good time to get acquainted. He is the answer/solution to the brokenness of this life - all our failures, where we never measure up, dirty secrets that we keep. sin entered our lives (Romans 3:23) and no one is excluded from doing wrong. and the only thing strong and perfect enough to save us, is for a Divine intervention, Jesus came down from the heavens to die for us, because it can only be a God that saves. neither you or me can climb a stairway to heaven. and to prove that He isn't just a person that claims to die for a 'greater good', Jesus springs alive from the dead *

maybe you know Jesus, accepted Him as your personal Lord and Saviour and Treasure. let those three titles sink in. Lord does not mean just anybody but it means a kingship that presides over your entire life. take as an example, you would probably have to bow before a sultan, what more when we have met the King of the universe. this probably also means that you have to surrender your life and dreams to Him, but why worry when you are laying everything on the King Eternal, who tells you 'I have your back', 'I will carry you'.

Saviour, precious Saviour that washed our sins white as snow. He knew that we were all damned, but yet He still saved us.

Treasure is something we have to come to terms with too. we invited Jesus in our lives, but you don't just say 'Hi Jesus, thanks for saving me. Oh, here take a seat but be patient as i try to manage my life. Oh by the way, could you have made life any harder.' Jesus is the Treasure, when you know of something so wonderful, the cost is probably your life, but keep in mind of the glorious return and just to meet our Saviour (Matthew 13:44). Dig deeper, know this Treasure not just head knowledge, but with all your heart, soul and mind.

we believe in the titles above, but sometimes sin still holds us back, that does not escape me as well. just know Jesus is like the father in the parable of the 'prodigal son', He still takes us in. don't let sin be the hindrance to grow in Jesus.

if you have made it so far reading through, i thank you but as you would know, this is also a call. a call to return to Him. not just to grow deeper, but reach wider. our faith does not only belong to us, but to the lost, to your friends who may not know Him as you do.

we've been called to the ministry of reconciliation, and this is where i get personal with one word, 'metamorphosis'. to some it means a total change, to some just a camp. but what i saw was the beginning of a start. its like a spark that would ignite a total change in the lives of our young people. God uses young people for great things in the Bible (King David, King Josiah, the boy with five fishes and two loaves of bread, etc), if you just let Him - be ready to see God's wonders. our failures pale in comparison with the might of God, be awed and receive and return to the relationship that once was.

there will be a visit to the orphanage in the coming weeks, anyone is invited to join us. lifetrak continues this week with bryan leading us in a time of worship too (06 Oct).

where our depravity meets His Divinity, it is a beautiful collision (David Crowder)

* feel free to ask me any questions, regarding this claim.

come be my light

2007-09-14T13:14:00.000+08:00

"Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself — for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead. It has been like this more or less from the time I started 'the work."
Mother Teresa, 1953 (personal letters)

“Such deep longing for God – and…repulsed – empty – no faith – no love – no zeal. – [The saving of] Souls holds no attraction – Heaven means nothing – pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything.”
Mother Teresa, 1956 (personal letters)

as more is revealed regarding the Mother Teresa letters, we see the glory of God revealed fold and fold. for someone so close to sainthood for all her strives for God, she was only human, going through valleys of shadows, pits of darkness when we feel so far away from God. for everything that she went through, it just eventually deepens our faith in Christ. i like the way Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary puts it - Salvation comes to those who believe in Christ – it is by grace we are saved through faith, but the faith that saves is not faith in faith, nor faith in our ability [to] maintain faith, but faith in Christ.

but like so often in our lives, we wonder if God is ever listening, or whether if He even does exist. King David of Israel who was a man after God's heart had the same prayer as Mother Teresa or maybe the same one that we may find ourselves crying late at night. O God, why have You forsaken me? (Psalm 13)

but for the times of doubt, King David always lifted his head to the heavens, acknowledging that our God is a God that saves. for each forsaken cry, he proclaimed more psalms of the greatness of our God, singing a new song to God (Psalm 40), God sustaining us (Psalm 55:22). King David even goes further to remind us in his songs/psalms to never lose hope in God, praising Him in all circumstances, leading us from the valleys of shadows of death (Psalm 23).

just like in http://www.rescuers.blogspot.com/, the emphasis was on the everlasting God, we are nothing more than never lasting. Isaiah 40:31 tells us to wait/trust/hope on the Lord for strength.

in response to the Mother Teresa letters, Rev. Joseph Neuner gave her three pieces of counsel – first, there was no human cure for what she had, so she shouldn’t feel personally guilty about it; second, feeling Jesus is not the only evidence of His presence, and the fact that she longed for God is a “sure sign” of his “hidden presence” in her life; and last, the feeling of absence was part of the “spiritual side” of her work for Jesus.

i like the phrase "hidden presence". sometimes we are not 'holding' on to Jesus, but He's still holding on to us and we don't realize it if we base the circumstances on our feelings alone.

the Mother Teresa letters shows us the true cost of following Jesus, to embrace the suffering and the Cross. although it is not wrong to go about with our feelings because that is how we are made as emotional humans. However, our faith is not anchored in our feelings (never lasting - observe our swift mood changes) but in the solid truth of the Gospel (a sure way to know Jesus). understand that we are weak, He is strong. we fluctuate in emotional highs and lows; He is constant. Those who come to Christ by faith are not kept unto Him by our faith, but by his faithfulness.

read the Word of God, let the truths flow through our lives. and like many things in life that is unfulfillable, Jesus is the solution. the times of darkness shows the way of a Saviour in our lives.
the shadows prove the sunshine (Jonathan Foreman, 2006).

ivan will be leading us in worship, before joel sharing to us the need of sharing this Good News of Hope of Jesus Christ to a world that needs it (Sept 15).

“I can’t express in words – the gratitude I owe you for your kindness to me – for the first time in ….years – I have come to love the darkness – for I believe now that it is part of a very, very small part of Jesus’ darkness & pain on earth.”
Mother Teresa, 1961 (in response to Neuner's counsel)

the legacy of mcgee

2007-09-07T15:00:00.000+08:00

over the past year, matthew mcgee has shown us what it means to 'live by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:7). WinGS has been blessed by the many activities that we achieved thus far.
a first youth camp. youth outreaches. community service visitations. we have a goal, a vision of Malaysian youths just living for the glory of His renown (Isaiah 26:8). many young lives coming face to face with a Saviour, mighty to save, for the first time. more hearts aligned toward the great Christ's call as His followers, to seek His will in the living Word of God. i, for one, am a life changed.

the term 'crazy fool' does not come up often but when a certain American told me two years ago - December 05 - to come along with him (a person that i just met that very day) thousands of miles away to America for a major Christian conference (Passion 2006), he definitely fitted the bill.

God works in miraculous ways, His wonders to perform.

i was the next 'crazy fool' as i found myself brought to the following year's Passion conferences along with matthew mcgee (the other crazy fool). i would not for once ever thought i could have the opportunity to travel so far to experience Passion. God teaches us lessons in so many different ways, sometimes being so ironical. i was not the first to find that out.
the Bible (Word of God) speaks of many crazy fools. a doubting man with a stuttering pr. prro pp p problem, who ended up leading a massive exodus (found in the book of Exodus). the isolated shepherd boy who defeated a giant (1 Samuel 17). God made a donkey talk to convince another stubborn crazy fool (Numbers 22:22). Hebrews 11 tells of the great heroes of faith that all have traded their own life stories to the sole purpose of Jesus Christ no matter the circumstances. God uses crazy fools like the ones mentioned above and you and me according to His will in order for His Glory to be revealed (Revelation 4:11).
my story in the beginning of this post may never compare, but matt has definitely showed us a true example of submitting to the sovereign will of God. that does not mean that we can never measure up but it is our time to stand and be counted in living our lives for Christ. if you do not gather anything from this post, just know that God can use anything and anyone without any warning. o i pray that we as crazy fools do not turn the other way but we heed our Saviour's calling.
the legacy of mcgee is simple yet as we see the greater legacy of Jesus Christ on this earth for our lives, it is never short of neverending extraordinary and He invites us to be a part of it.

we shall continue with our Lifetrak series for the WinGS fellowship meeting this week. we will be examining a tried and tested life manual.
:) continue to pray for matt as he makes new decisions in the coming months. pray for the WinGS ministry.