sharing faith

Freakin out!
First up, if the thought of sharing the gospel freaks you out, you’re not alone. Even here at SP we find it tough at times (normally the first 24 hrs of any given day). Sports players get nervous before games, rock stars freak out before concerts, but they don’t let it stop them. Ask God for help – He’s fully there for you! And the good news is, the more you do it, the easier it gets. True!
motivate me
Check your motivations. This isn’t a ‘notch in the belt’ job. There shouldn’t be any double agendas. This isn’t about getting more people in your youth group, getting a new boy/girlfriend or finding someone to swap Supertones CDs with. You should be motivated by love for this person, and what better way to show love than to introduce them to the very source of love – God Himself! This love motivation is why YOU are the perfect person to share with your friends and family. That’s why God chose you. You’ve been commissioned. Congrats.
sharing YOUR faith
Do you know what you believe? You don’t have to know everything, but you do have to know something. Don’t think that evangelism is just for the old crusties. God loves your youthful exuberance, that ‘first love’ enthusiasm.
your best side
Don’t hide your ‘God side’. We shouldn’t be two-faced people. We should be 24 x 7 Christians sold-out for God, after all, God went full out for us. Start by not keeping your Bible turned face down. Don’t turn off your Christian music when friends come around. Write your favourite verse on your letter-box/lunch-box/tool-box.
wanna hear a secret?
The easiest way to share your faith is to not avoid sharing your faith.
Typical Monday morning scenario:Friend: So, what did you get up to this weekend? You: (thinks – don’t mention church!) Uhh, not much. Just watched the rugby.
Better Monday morning scenario:Friend: So, what did you get up to this weekend? You: (thinks – be honest) Watched the rugby Saturday. Went to my church Sunday morning – they had this guy there talking about how he used to be in and out of prison before he met God. Friend: Aah. You: (thinks – a little awkward, but at least I did it!)
Don’t worry – the more you talk about God, the more natural it gets for you.
sky towers for God
Being a witness doesn’t just mean telling people about Christ, it means living Christ. The Bible talks about us being a “city on a hill” whose light can’t be hidden. Be Sky Towers for God.Big responsibility, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you stuff up. Don’t throw in the towel. Nobody expects you to be perfect. People have just as much respect for those who fall flat on their face but then pick themselves up and go hard, as they do for someone who runs a race perfectly.People can spot a phoney a mile away – so don’t be one. Be honest. You don’t have to make out that being a Christian is all roses and bluebirds and tra-la-la happy-clappiness. This is life, not a Disney movie. Share your hurts and hard times, but let people know that you’ve got God to help you through it all.
appetisers
Your testimony. It’s your story, no one can refute that. Don’t embellish it. Don’t dwell on the “old life” stuff (“When I was three, I used to be a homicidal-suicidal druggie nazi gang leader with a bad ‘tude”) Write it down. Practise it. Keep it short and sweet – a couple of minutes. Use it as a starting point, not a three-hour epic. This ain’t “This is your life”, this is “What God did in my life”.
opportunity rocks
Ahhh, Christmas and Easter. Thank God for holidays (literally)! They’re a great opportunity to share something of the gospel. Choose Christmas cards with nativity scenes over those with Frosty the snowman. After all, it’s the middle of summer! The only Frosty ‘round here comes from Mr Whippy. And what about Easter – chocolate is good, but how much more awesome is God dying in our place, then storming back to life for the ultimate comeback! Write a brief note with that Easter egg, explaining how it relates to new life in Christ.‘Seeker’ church services, Alpha courses, etc…Yanno, the reason they have these services is for you to invite your friends to them - it’d just be plain rude not to.How many times have you signed someone’s yearbook, birthday card, broken arm or gerbil? Instead of just writing “Rock on, bro!”, how about asking God for an appropriate verse? (…and then finishing it “Rock on, bro!”)
Some great verses:
Matthew 22:37 - Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”Matthew 28:19-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.2 Peter 3:9 - He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.Romans 1:15 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.Luke 9:26 - If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

ipod cool :D

keke.. tis few days play around wif my ipod and found there is few things tat tis little gadget can do, some of the feature include it can be used for reading text.. i actually try downloaded the bible into to the ipod, the audio and also the text and it can actually be read by scrolling up and down, tho may not be as user friendly but better than nothin.. it also have a stop watch, time, personal screen lock, games also got.. :P not bad.. manage to download songs from the ipod to my PC using an alternative program instead of itunes tat doesn't allow copying of files out of ipod.. check tis software out..its called sharepod, u can download it from this site http://www.sturm.net.nz/website.php?Section=iPod+Programs&Page=SharePod
also manage to manage to convert some video files to mp4 and put into ipod to view it :P loaded in some cool mtv from Hitz Fm site.. its small and bit fuzzy but still okla.. just wan test it out :P keke.. next thing i wan try is hack the screens of the ipod.. customised it wif own theme and name.. tis one need a bit of reading and try n error..

Monday had a good time meeting up wif Liew, he's the insurance guy tat i been tryin to share the gospel and got to catch up wif him. and its jus amazing how God open new opportunities for me when He knows that I'm looking for different contacts to start my own biz.. he's now involved in an unique biz and i hope can also be part of it, at least I can use the knowledge and skills that I have to help improve myself and also make some money in the process.. :P will meet up wif to talk more of details how to partner wif him.. hopefully as we get to know each other in tis partnership, he can continue to be open to hear God's word.. he couldn't come tis join us Friday nit coz have to go back for 'Ching Beng' .. need continue followup wif Jack since he also reaching out to him..

Evangalism on Tuesday at MidValley was very fruitful.. at first dind't manage to meet much open ppl but towards the end God bless us wif a fren tat is open and also wanted to even know more about the bible, Alan immediately make an appointment to have a study wif him next monday since he will be busy tis weekend.. hopefully this bible study will go well :) and also met up wif an Indonesian binesseman. he into some factories and fly back n forth from jakarta, quite a younf and sharp guy.. we need to find a way to raech out to him. he's open to join our church service.. pray tat we can meet up more before he leave back coz his project will be soon over..

24 March Prayer nit

Issue to clear
- Make sure everyone have the same conviction about meeting up as a group,
"meetin as group is time we worship god"
- Its very important to understand this time we meet up as body of Christ, we are here to worship God - NOT another activity, not for own pleasure o enjoyment, its about doing good works for God - come with the right heart, prepare to give, plan ahead so u can give to one another (make sure u done ur quiet time, prayers coz we know will take up some of ur time when meetin up) - when meeting up, its a time to be serious about things, contribute to help one another grow, no mocking or fooling around, have respect for one another, we need to be discipline in tis are - DISCIPLINE Hebrews 12:11-12
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.- learn to have discipline in our life, it's nice n enjoyable to have when we feel like we can anything we please with our time, but the consequences wil be detrimental, when have discipline, lead to a more satisflyin life. Make ur life count! - we want to be discipline -> come on time, start on time and end on time -> start at 8pm and end by 10:30 PM - want apologize for not being effective in organizing time and I do want to repent in this area. - learn to be an effective disciple, we all can do that, make the decision today & repent and change- Everyone agree? If not, why? discuss about it.




Bible Talk Mission Lesson 2
- Lets turn to (2 Timothy 1:8-10)
8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,
10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.
12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Bro and sister, this is one verse that I draw my conviction in when comes to mission, Paul here ask us not to be ashamed to testify about our Lord, we should be proud and be so bold when we preach the words to the people around us. and we are also called to suffer for gospel.. Ask urself this question bro n sis: How much do you really suffer for the gospel? Do u feel that u sacrifice when u go out to share ? What kind attitude do u have? as long I just go do my job? Call 1 or 2 person, is that good enough? do u think this is what God hope to see? I think God expect more than this. God really us to put our best effort in everything especially when it comes to mission, which is the job that was commission by God. after the lesson will go thru wif the guys how they doin in details as wat mention in the SRA and give practicals and address issue about thier hearts. encourage them to continue to find out more of the heart that God..

Qualities of Initiators

So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild [the wall]." Nehemiah 2:4-5

Nehemiah displayed the qualities that make for initiative in leaders:
1.They know what they want - Desire is the starting point of all achievement. Nehemiah knew that he wanted that wall up.
2. They push themselves to act: At first, Nehemiah acted alone. He pushed to get the facts that would move others.
3. They take more risks: Nehemiah took some major risks as he got permission to go, to get wood, and to survey the job.
4. They make more mistakes: Nehemiah wasn't afraid to mobilize men who weren't professional contractors to build or soldiers to fight.
5. They go with their gut: What Nehemiah lacked in experience, he made up for with the passion of his heart.

The Leader and Stress

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1
Have you discovered the differences between problems and facts? Problems are things we can do something about; we can solve problems. Facts are things we can do nothing about; therefore we do well not to worry about them. We should apply energy only to those things we can change. When we do, we can feel peace and act with poise, because we no longer beat our heads against an unbreakable wall.
Psalm 23 reminds us of what God alone can control and what we can control. It distinguishes between problems and facts. It defines God as . . .
Our possession
Our provision
Our peace
Our pardon
Our partner
Our preparation
Our praise
Our paradise


Yesterday wanna apologize coz I kinda snap at u and giving u my 1 words answers when u bring out the concern about the meet up wil be more than 15min if everyone share.. after much thinking I jus wan share my conviction on this matter, for me how much time taken actually does not matter cause we are there to discuss about our mission, about God's work.. I believe that we joyfully sacrifice our time just to talk about it, I want to stress one thing about meeting up as group, when we meet up we are meetin up as a body of Christ, I hope everyone have the mindset how important it is when come to meet up, we are suppose talk and discuss about our Xtian life, how we can grow in our convictions and to be ready to give and not having attitudes because minor things such as taking too long time.. well if anyone have a problem with the time, I am open to hear thier feedback and why they cannot spare some time to talk about things that matter most in our life than to go home early, etc..

Even the bible say how much we have to suffer for the gospel in 2 Timothy 1:8 ..
How much do we really suffer for the gospel? this is a question u can ask urself,
Does everyone think that meeting up just another gathering, activity or it's time to worship God? I hope that everyone have the right conviction when it come to group meeting..its also worshiping God! I hope u as a leader also have the right conviction about tis so can help me share to the rest so they also have the same convictions. well, i don't see they is any problem from yesterday sharing if it goes on more than 15 min, my goal is that everyone can share thier good news as already mentioned to them earlier in their sms..Everyone should be prepared for it and there is no excuse why they should have any reason to want to go home early unless they got somethin really urgent to attend to. Nothing should be more important than doing God's work! so since everyone had oledi shared thier part, which I'm glad to hear the good news so far and also the condition of everyone in term of mission, then this Friday would be time where we can discuss more about why the results that we expect and further action that we can take to improve in our mission so can be more effective in reaching out to the lost. those wif Heart problem also need to be addressed, Friday nit, my plan is let everyone share thier conviction in mission, then I will share a short lesson based on 2Tim 1:8 and then to go thru the mission steps in SRA and feedback and discussion what we can do for the rest of the week. After when everyone understand wat they are expected to do, then we can proceed to prayers nit. tat is my plan for 2molo..jus to let u know my goal for tis month is that everyone in the group will grow in their conviction about mission and learn to put priority in doing God's work.. to continue to have faith in God that he will blessed us as we continue to pesevere and work on our spiritual growth.. if u got any feedback just let me know, i would like to hear wt u gonna say too..


Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive he crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
Only Christians win at life. That's because none of us have the power to hold back our greatest enemy, death. But when we have persevered, we are given the ultimate victory, LIFE that will not end. Thank You, Father, for giving me the assurance that when all is said and done, I will share in your life and your victory forever. Help me this day to live confidently, knowing that I have your life. Through Jesus, my conquering King, I pray. Amen.

The Training Ground of God

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. - Psalm 144:1

David was a man skilled in war. From his days as a shepherd boy to the days of serving in Saul's army to leading his own army, David learned to be a skillful warrior. How does one become a skillful warrior?The only way one can become a skillful warrior is to be trained and placed in the middle of the battle. It is only when we are placed in the furnace of battle that we truly learn to fight the real battles. Practice doesn't make you battle ready. War games won't prepare you for facing your real enemy in the battlefield. The stark reality of being in the midst of the battle makes us effective warriors.Simply reading your Bible will not make you a warrior for the Kingdom. Knowledge without experience is mere folly. Only when you are placed in situations where there is nothing or no one who can save you but God will you learn the lessons of warrior faith. This is the training ground of God, which will make you into a soldier for Christ in the workplace. Consider it to be suicidal faith - faith that says I want to be dead to anything that keeps me from fulfilling God's purposes for my life. It is when your efforts can do nothing to change your circumstance and you are at the mercy of God. These are the real training grounds of God. Do not shrink back from the battle that God may be leading you to today. It may be a training ground that is necessary for the calling He has on your life.If you can trust Him in these times, you'll know that you have gained a faith that will move mountains and will sustain you in the most difficult of circumstances. "Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle."

My Testimony

How’s my life b4 I became a Christian?

The first encounter with Jesus that I remember was when I was in college time, there was this college librarian that always shared the bible and talk about Jesus whenever when I was in my college library. She always mention about Christ and God but that time I didn’t care much about who Jesus or God is caused my priority that time was on my studies. My life used to be care-free, I don’t need to make any decision, my parent make most of decision for me even when it comes to education and what I suppose to be in the future and I always obey whatever they told me to do. I don’t really think much and have not much worries in life, having a comfortable life, I don’t need to go through struggles in life and live life as it goes by everyday, happy go lucky kind of attitude. I always feel that friends around me always have more interesting life when they share to me about their family problems.

How did I understand my need for God?

Fast forward 3 years later after college, I came back from overseas and started working in KL. After working for almost a year, One question that comes into my mind, I start to ask myself about my life and what’s the meaning of life, why am I here on earth for? I felt life seems to meaningless and very routine, everyday work and work till the weekend and then have a rest. Is that all my life about? Is it just about making more money, partying, working to survive, get married and have children and then die? I thinking life should have more meaning than this. I was looking for an answer which I don’t know who can give the answer. I didn’t know who to turn to for the answer that I am seeking.

How did I become Christian?

One day while I attended a seminar, I met with a friend who invited to join some church activities and invited me to study bible. I was impressed to see so many people and can feel their warmth and friendliness, even though I am a stranger to them. They shared about bible and this make me feel very curious about the bible and wanting to know more, I agreed to study the bible and that was the time my life begin to changed. I start to understand who Jesus and God is. I also found out that answer that I’ve been looking for, my purpose I here on earth! I was amazed to know that there is a God who is willing to forgive me for all the bad things that I’ve ever done in my life, it can be small things like telling lies, stealing to having hate towards people. My heart was moved when I got to know Jesus sacrificed himself to hang on the cross for the wrong doings that I’ve commited. God is willing to forgive me and giving me another chance in life to lead a new life and also to have a purpose for me in life.

How does my life change from that point onwards?
Studying bible was the time that I got to know myself more and also the time I begin to really think and make decisions in my life. I had to decide and choose if I want to follow Jesus’ way and leave the past life. No more partying all night, no more sleeping whole day on Sunday. I had to struggle even to go church on sunday morning at first :P I learn to forgive people that I have hated and bitterness towards them, I had to make a radical decision. All these things I had to give up and I really had a hard time at first cause too used to that kind of lifestyle. I begin to slowly change my life and let Jesus lead my life. Life begin to have meaning to me and I learn to look forward to experience life. I started to change my characters as I go through different challenges in my life. I was glad that when I going through these different phase, God was always there to help me overcome it!

I believe that God had great plans for me, to give the best in life to me and to help me go through life. I am glad that God had chosen me to help lead other people and it’s great to be able to be involved in other people’s life and learn to love other people like how God first loved me. I experienced sadness, pain and joy that I never felt before when I started to love others. Felt the joy when I know that there are friends who will be there by my side no matter how bad my condition is and sadness and pain when losing a friend. I feel blessed by God to have friends that are always there for me during good and bad times and yet would dare to speak the truth to me about my weakness. As time goes by I got to understand, think more for myself about life and learning to go through struggles and challenges. But knowing that God is always by my side, it gives me great strength to carry on no matter how big the challenge might be!

Never Give Up

Galatians 6:7-9

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Beauty of Time

To realize
The value of a sister
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident...

To! realize
The value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when

you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend:
Lose one.

What do you mean by submission

What do you mean by submission
Submission refers to a wife's divine calling to honor and affirm her husband's leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts. It is not an absolute surrender of her will. Rather, we speak of her disposition to yield to her husband's guidance and her inclination to follow his leadership. Christ is her absolute authority, not the husband. She submits "out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). The supreme authority of Christ qualifies the authority of her husband. She should never follow her husband into sin. Nevertheless, even when she may have to stand with Christ against the sinful will of her husband (e.g., 1 Peter 3:1, where she does not yield to her husband's unbelief), she can still have a spirit of submission - a disposition to yield. She can show by her attitude and behavior that she does not like resisting his will and that she longs for him to forsake sin and lead in righteousness so that her disposition to honor him as head can again produce harmony.

When you say a wife should not follow her husband into sin, what's left of headship? Who is to say what act of his leadership is sinful enough to justify her refusal to follow?
We are not claiming to live without ambiguities. Neither are we saying that headship consists in a series of directives to the wife. Leadership is not synonymous with unilateral decision making. In fact, in a good marriage, leadership consists mainly in taking responsibility to establish a pattern of interaction that honors both husband and wife (and children) as a store of varied wisdom for family life. Headship bears the primary responsibility for the moral design and planning in the home, but the development of that design and plan will include the wife (who may be wiser and more intelligent). None of this is nullified by some ambiguities in the borderline cases of conflict.
The leadership structures of state, church, and home do not become meaningless even though Christ alone is the absolute authority over each one. The New Testament command for us to submit to church leaders (Hebrews 13:17) is not meaningless even though we are told that elders will arise speaking perverse things (Acts 20:30) and should be rebuked (1 Timothy 5:20) rather than followed when they do so. The command to submit to civil authorities (Romans 13:1) is not meaningless, even though there is such a thing as conscientious objection (Acts 5:29). Nor is the reality of a man's gentle, strong leadership at home nullified just because his authority is not above Christ's in the heart of his wife. In the cases where his leadership fails to win her glad response, we will entrust ourselves to the grace of God and seek the path of Biblical wisdom through prayer and counsel. None of us escapes the (sometimes agonizing) ambiguities of real life.


But don't you believe in "mutual submission" the way Paul teaches in Ephesians 5:21, "Submit to one another"?
Yes, we do. But "the way Paul teaches" mutual submission is not the way everyone today teaches it. Everything depends on what you mean by "mutual submission." Some of us put more stress on reciprocity here than others. But even if Paul means complete reciprocity (wives submit to husbands and husbands submit to wives), this does not mean that husbands and wives should submit to each other in the same way. The key is to remember that the relationship between Christ and the church is the pattern for the relationship between husband and wife. Are Christ and the church mutually submitted? They aren't if submission means Christ yields to the authority of the church. But they are if submission means that Christ submitted Himself to suffering and death for the good of the church. That, however, is not how the church submits to Christ. The church submits to Christ by affirming His authority and following His lead. So mutual submission does not mean submitting to each other in the same ways. Therefore, mutual submission does not compromise Christ's headship over the church and it should not compromise the headship of a godly husband.

If the husband is to treat his wife as Christ does the church, does that mean he should govern all the details of her life and that she should clear all her actions with him?
No. We may not press the analogy between Christ and the husband that far. Unlike Christ, all husbands sin. They are finite and fallible in their wisdom. Not only that, but also, unlike Christ, a husband is not preparing a bride merely for himself, but also for another, namely, Christ. He does not merely act as Christ, he also acts for Christ. At this point he must not be Christ to his wife, lest he be a traitor to Christ. He must lead in such a way that his wife is encouraged to depend on Christ and not on himself. Practically, that rules out belittling supervision and fastidious oversight. Even when acting as Christ, the husband must remember that Christ does not lead the church as His daughter, but as His wife. He is preparing her to be a "fellow-heir," not a servant girl (Romans 8:17). Any kind of leadership that, in the name of Christlike headship, tends to foster in a wife personal immaturity or spiritual weakness or insecurity through excessive control, picky supervision, or oppressive domination has missed the point of the analogy in Ephesians 5. Christ does not create that kind of wife.

Communicate the Game Plan

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
Every good coach I've watched has worked from a game plan. He's got one not only for each individual game, but a plan for the development of the whole team over the course of the current and upcoming seasons. Once the game plan has been drawn up, he then communicates it to his team on an almost continual basis.Paul "Bear" Bryant, the late Alabama football coach, had five points that explained what he believed a coach should do:
1. Tell players what you expect of them.
2. Give players an opportunity to perform.
3. Let players know how they're getting along.
4. Instruct and empower players when they need it.
5. Reward players according to their contribution.
The process must begin with communicating the game plan. That is the key to productivity. But it must continue with the exchange of information. As Sydney J. Harris said, information is "giving out" while communication is "getting through." When there is interactive communication between the team leader and his people, it empowers them to succeed.

why ppl hear but never follow

ppl just hear but never listen and carefully and try to understand what is it they are suppose to do and also because of their own strong opinion they are right, they will definitely will not follow or even give in to the idea what others is tryin to say..
but there is also other reason that a person does not follow what that is told because they haven't reach to the stage where they can do the specific things that was told, they are still in the process of doing it.. so sometimes it's important to be able to take time to understand what other ppl are going thru and different factors can contribute why a person was not able to to do what that was instructed.

Preparation to Lead
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20
Like most great leaders, Joseph of the Old Testament labored in obscurity before he became qualified to lead others. Nearly twenty-three years passed from the pit to the palace before Joseph was reunited with his brothers and his vision was fulfilled.
But by then, he had come to learn that true progress occurs only when God orchestrates it. He understood that self-promotion can never replace divine promotion. His self-promotion with his brothers failed miserably. Only when he finally became submissive-as a slave-and chose to work faithfully for Potiphar, did it become evident that "the Lord was with him" (Genesis 39:3 nkjv).
In prison, he served the jail's keeper, and again God showed him favor and mercy. But when Joseph tried to take self-promotion back into his own hands-by recommending himself to Pharaoh's chief butler-God again made him wait. Two years passed before Joseph got an audience with the monarch. By then, Joseph had learned his lesson. He was content to recognize that God was in charge . . . and that he was being grown as a leader for a much greater purpose than he could have imagined.

S14 March D-group

March 6th S14 D-group #1 Theme : Fishers of Men

After finish explaining to whole group of the March calendar only realise that its actually very plain, in term of the things that is plan out for the month in term of mission, activities could be stressed to more focus on mission and can contribute towards bible study.. and building convictions on mission..so more focus is put into SRA to work on mission..
then go to SRA where I see that there is somethin I learn is to think fast and response to what other ppl saying and asking.. it seem that I keep repeating the same thing and ppl still dun get what I mean, perhaps I need to learn to give more example and illustration to help them understand my point. also other things that I realise is that I there are ppl who feel like dunno where the discussion is heading towards, not able to know what we are trying to acheive from the discussion on the SRA and take some time to 'buy-in' thier commitment too.. I think I not that confident enough to make ppl wanting to follow me.. should had put more focus that what we are doing is following what Christ want us to do.. to assure them that they can do it for God and believe and have the faith in being fruitful in mission. so I have the idea to wanting to teach everyone lesson from bible on mission, to build our conviction and be so motivated, passionate about our mission.. lots of homework to do! will gonna have sleepless nit just to think, read, listening to tapes so I myself will have the same convictions from the bible..

jus glad tat u also help to clear things up and put things into pespective for the group, I know I am very lacking in tis coz I never take time to think deep and have the kind of wisdom and skill to be analytical and come up wif a conclusion in short time.. my bren is stil Pentium II compare to yours which is Pentium IV oledi.. can process faster and give better output.. from now on, I hope I can alwiz share from the bible my convictions to the group so my conviction can also be pass to the group.. to continue to teach, and rebuke when necessary like wat bible say Titus 2:15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. I have to learn to be so confident because this is the authority that God given to me as a leader and have the strength to fight for God's glory! as I go thru bible, i starting to pick up more and more convictions bout my mission and would love to share, so that others also will be so fired up in term of thier mission and spiritual life.. Its been the longest time that I share any of my conviction to anyone.. will learn to prepare ahead in the future so I can be more effective and take control of the time, coz things will just keep on draging especialy in the meetin yest, till so late.. maybe for me still ok coz I still physically strong.. but I have to consider others too..they might have a rough day and also tired.. but my conviction is when come to group meet up, its time to worship God too.. so better come prepared with ur hearts and mind to serve God, it's not easy and need to deny ourself but it also show how much effort and sacrifice that u would do in order to love God!

jus hope tat my short sharing yest can at least help some of u guys to put into pespective on how much we really love God and one thing that we do that God know we really loves Him. As wat the bible say in John 14:15 : If you love me, you will obey what I command. If we really love God, we will obey what God command us to to, that is when God know that we really Him
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
we have God's command in us, remembering what he told us, we need to obeys by putting it into practice and when God see us obeying Him, he will be so proud of us and feel so much connected (show myself) and fill with pride, and when God is so connected with us, we will sure grow spiritually
John 14:23-24 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. Here, bible say when we don't love God, we will not obey him.. not puting into practice the things what we already know and all this command that we know, remember is all from God. John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
We need to stay connected to God and when we are alwiz in tune wif God, God promises that we will surely bear fruits. God says that our believe and conviction have to come from God because we are branches and in order to be fruitful, we need to rely back to the vine, which is the source each and every branch come out from..we need to alwiz check out hearts so that we are still remain in the vine! without that, we can do nothing!
John 15:9 - 11 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Finally God promises the eternal joy for us when we obey his command,we have to continue to obey God show that we are here to love God because God first love us! and question to ask urself today
Do you love God so much that you will obey the command that He given to you?
Am I obeying God's command to make disciples of all nations? Matthew 28:19

KK Communion

Good morning bro & sis,

First of all want to thank you bro and sis for giving me an opportunity to share communion this morning. Today I would to share about Jesus sacrifice, his body and his blood means to me, let's turn to 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper
he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." - 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

The communion meal recalls the table fellowship Jesus shared with his disciples, and in particular the Last Supper on the night before his death as well as his appearances to the disciples during meals following his resurrection.

In this memorial meal, we partake first of the bread. The bread is symbolic of Christ's body broken for us. When I behold the bread, I can see 2 things that speak to me, both of Christ's suffering and His sufficiency. Jesus is both the Savior who suffered for me and who Himself is sufficient to meet my every need.

When I behold the bread, I also see Christ's suffering. This, of course, is a central message of
this memorial meal. Christ's death was a painful death. It was a death full of the suffering, which
paid for our sins. What does that suffering reveal? For one thing, it reveals the gravity of sin in my life. Just how serious does God consider sin, if Jesus had to die for God to forgive sin? The fact that Jesus had to die for my sins to be forgiven indicates that God hates sin. I still remember the day I study bible 3 years ago, I was very amazed and touched by God's grace and forgiveness. It was the first time in my life that I heard about a God that would even
considering going through suffering and to forgive me for all the sins that I committed in the past by sacrificing another person for the sins I done! Even no one knows about this sins I committed, God still want to give me another chance to change and repent of my sins in my life like deceitfulness, laziness, lying and stealing and of course lust. All this sins in my life leads me to not where and I even start wondering what my purpose here on earth. It was because of this
forgiveness that God given to me, I'm given also a new life and I found out what life that God want me to live and changing to become a more Christ -like person. I learn to change in my
characters as time goes by when I learn to be more open to bro and sister in my life which God put around me.

Our God is a holy God. He is too pure to condone sin. Indeed, He hates sin because sin destroys His work. But more than that, sin is a moral plight which nothing less than the suffering of Christ could cure. The sacrifice of Christ speaks loudly of the gravity of our sin. But the suffering of Christ also reveals the love of God. We are all familiar with the passage in John 3:16 which reads, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." It was because of the love of God that Jesus suffered and died on the Cross. This is why He came. This is why He died. When Jesus died on that Cross, it was the greatest expression of God's love that could ever be given. Finally, His suffering reveals the provision of God. It reveals that Christ's death is sufficient for our every need.

Romans 8:32 says, He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

When Jesus allowed His body to be broken (to be tortured, scourge) He was doing so for our sake. Because Christ's body was broken for us, we can now experience the provision of God. Our needs can be met through the Lord Jesus. So, today as you partake of this broken bread, understand that it symbolizes both the suffering and the sufficiency of Christ.

I think about my life and I ask myself do I need His sufficiency? I believe that Jesus is what I need. He called Himself "the Bread of Life." He is the Living Bread which meets the deepest needs of our spiritual hunger. I learn to feed upon His words, practicing and living the life that Christ preached 2000 years ago. I remember I used to use my own wisdom in dealing with
life problem, choosing to do things my own way always ended with either disappointment or unhappiness but when I learn to follow God's way, it never fail to end with a good result, walking away with heart full of joy and contentment. His bread is always fulfilling and feast upon His sufficiency.

The second part of the communion of which we partake is the cup. The cup is filled with the fruit of the vine, which symbolizes the blood of Christ. The blood itself is symbolic of life. So when we speak of Christ's blood poured out, we are speaking of His life being poured out. And when His life was poured out, it was poured out as a payment for our sins. His blood was shed for us. Christ's blood poured out speaks of the forgiveness for sins. Because of His shed blood,
we can now be fully and freely forgiven by God. We are kept through Christ's blood poured out. So, when we partake of the cup today, understand that Christ's blood poured out has purchased our salvation. His blood requires us to be serious about the salvation we received; be willing to trust Him alone for salvation. But if you are, then receive the cup with gladness! When you receive the cup, by faith drink deeply of His Spirit as well. By an act of surrender, commit
yourself fully to Christ. Confess your sins to Him. Receive His grace.

Let's us take this time to reflect on our life and remember Christ's sacrifice means to us and do we really take into our heart His love and forgiveness the day He died on the cross.

tq 4 d tapes

Thanks for the tapes as encouragment gift.. those tapes are really inspiring, and guess wat.. it give me the motivation to want to change my communication skills, i going to try immitate John's way of speakin.. loud and xciting and yet full of convictions.. manage to listen both the tapes and I love both the lessons, I also learn a lot from there and build a stronger conviction about having a good foundations, I'm sure that u also have very strong conviction in this are about having a strong xtian foundation.. I am glad tat I got to hear tis and reflect more on my life and start making some changes so can have the right foundations in my life.. no matter how awesome things u do and build on, without the correct and strong foundation, it will surely collapse in matter of time.. more to come, have to start learnin to lead the group more effectiively and passing my convictions to them.. still struggling in this area but with help of the bible, can really make a lot of difference :) ok.. stop here first.. today the new database server got problem after lunch, down oledi so kenot do much work, now onli up can get back to my migration works.. blog more laters..

Stay the Course

Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.Joshua 1:7

To be intentional means working with purpose making every action count. Successful leaders are intentional. They know what they're doing and why they're doing it. To become more intentional, do the following:

1. Have a purpose worth living for: Willis R. Whitney, the first director of General Electric's research laboratory, observed, "Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can."

2. Know your strengths and weaknesses: Playing to your strengths rekindles your passions and renews your energy.

3. Prioritize your responsibilities: Once you know the "why" of your life, it becomes much easier to figure out the "what" and "when."

4. Learn to say no: You can't accomplish much without focus. If you try to do every good thing that comes your way, you won't excel at what you were made to do.

5. Commit yourself to long-term achievement: Most victories in life are achieved through small incremental wins sustained over time.