Matthew 16:24

Good day! :)

I was just thinking of this verse:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24

Clarke's commentary on this verse:

Will come after me - i.e. to be my disciple. This discourse was intended to show Peter and the rest of the disciples the nature of his kingdom; and that the honor that cometh from the world was not to be expected by those who followed Christ.

The principles of the Christian life are:
1. To have a sincere desire to belong to Christ - If any man be willing to be my disciple, etc.
2. To renounce self-dependence, and selfish pursuits - Let him deny himself.
3. To embrace the condition which God has appointed, and bear the troubles and difficulties he may meet with in walking the Christian road - Let him take up His Cross.
4. To imitate Jesus, and do and suffer all in his spirit - Let him follow Me.

"The honour that comes from the world was not to be expected by those who followed Christ."

I think sometimes we (or at least myself) can get too caught up in trying to find approval from the world.
We want to have people like us, we want to be "accepted" by society, etc.
And sometimes we tend to rely too much on what other people think, but ultimately the "honour" that comes from the world is absolutely, 100%, worthless compared to the honour we'll receive on Judgment Day for living the Christian life, and living it well.

Yes, it's so easy to value the world's opinion because gratification is immediate.
If we behave a certain way (despite the fact that it may not be pleasing to God), we get acceptance from certain groups of people.

As much as acceptance by the world feels good, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and to follow Him.

On Judgment Day we're going to have to account for all our actions, and all of us stumble at some point, but do we really want to tell God that we behaved a certain way because we valued the world's opinion over God's opinion?

Ultimately (as hard as it is to practise), Christianity isn't about ourselves, it's about God's will, plan and purpose for the world.

Hope you guys have a good week ahead!
Let's all make a conscious effort to choose what God desires over what our sinful nature may desire sometimes, shall we? :)

Love,
Nadia

(If you guys want to read more I got the commentary from here!)

Prayers

Dear all,

I am posting this on behalf of Wee Theng, its a list of friends and relatives that people in the cg today wrote down whose salvation they would like to pray for. I guess as a cg we should and can help each other to pray for these people, who we hold close to our hearts:

Su

Ying Jie

Wang Shen

Jun Yong

Jun Quan

Manfred

Ben

Giem Teck

Syaza

Li Ying

Khoon Hwee

Hanyu

Terence

Michelle

Zann

You Kuan

Zoey

Ming Jie

Shrey

Shadman

Jovi

Soham

Jun An

Hui Yi

Naowed

Daryl

Chandra

Momo

Kuan Wei

Jing Wen

Ci Hui

Mich

Leen

Saman

Sean

Also family members:

Wee Theng's mother - Lim Soo Khim

father - Tan Kee Chai

and brother - Tan Wee Seng

My very own father - Terence Teoh

And also mentioned but not in name, but no less important, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunties and cousins of various people in the cg.

I am so terribly sorry if I have made any errors in the list above. Feel free to edit and add any names that you wish if I, or you have missed any out.

May we never forget these people and never give up on them, no matter how tough it may get. I pray that we will keep praying for them, and that God will give us the strength, wisdom and courage to do what we need in order to win them for Christ.

Amen.

-Ian

Card Design

The evangelistic message

1. God

- Who He is, His standards
- God created us and has an absolute claim on us

2. Sin

- Man's rebellion (Our rejection of Him as God)
- We sin continually and are sinners by nature
- Sin is an offence against God and has disrupted our relationship with Him
- Nothing we do ourselves can put us right with God again
- We will have to face judgement and punishment for sin
- The emphasis of the gospel is not about making one's life better, but rather, restoring our relationship with God

3. Christ

A. The person of Christ
- Jesus was the son of God, risen Lord and perfect saviour

B. The work of Christ
- Jesus became man
- Lived a blameless life
- Died on the cross as an atonement for the sins of those who receive Him
- Raised and ascended to heaven

We must be careful to present BOTH the person of Jesus Christ as well as his work. Man is called to believe both upon Him and His work.

4. A summons to faith and repentance

- Both faith and repentance are acts, not just feelings
- Faith: casting oneself completely on Christ and the promise of mercy he gives to believers
- Repentance: A change of mind and heart with a new life of denying self and serving God instead
- Conversion can be called a turning: away from sin and to Christ
- We must accept Christ as both saviour and Lord

5 Things We Can Mistake for Evangelism

1) Imposition

We mistakenly take evangelism to be manipulation. But that's what the world says. In truth, we're not trying to impose our beliefs on anybody. Biblically, we can't impose our beliefs on anybody. Force and coercion cannot finally bring about the change that God demands. You can't expand Christianity by the sword. Evangelism is not some sort of intellectual imposition.

To believe that something is true and to share that with others is not coercion. We don't impose when we evangelize. We freely offer it to all and do not, cannot, force it on anybody.

2) Personal Testimony

A personal testimony is a wonderful thing. The Bible is full of examples of it, and we should testify to the wonderful experience of receiving God's mercy.

But consider John 9 and the man born blind. He gives his testimony but doesn't even know who Jesus is. His words glorify God, but they don't present the gospel. This is not evangelism.

Unless you're explicit about Jesus Christ and the cross then it is not the gospel.

3) Social Action / Public Involvement

Mercy ministries display God's kindness, and they are good and appropriate for the Christian to do. But such actions are not evangelism. They may commend the gospel to others, but only if someone has told them the gospel. They need to have the gospel added to them. Helping others or doing our jobs well, whatever they are, in and of themselves are not evangelism.

4) Apologetics

Apologetics are valuable, but they have their own set of dangers. You can get bogged down in talking about purely intellectual or peripheral matters and never get to the gospel.

It's fine for us to talk with unbelieving friends about questions that they have, but our attempts to try and answer them without setting the gospel as the foundation does no good. Jesus must set the agenda for evangelism.

5) The Results of Evangelism

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

Note that the same ministry has two different effects. It's like the parable of the soil: same seed, different results.

We cannot finally judge the correctness of what we do by the immediate response that we get. The need for numbers puts an unnecessary stress on pastors and misunderstands the way that God saves.

We must practice our ministries realizing that some of us will be like Adoniram Judson or William Carey, who had no converts until after seven years of faithful gospel ministry. It's a fact that most people don't believe the gospel the first time they hear it.

Don't let the gospel that you preach be molded by what it is that gets an immediate response. Preach the gospel, trying to persuade--pleading for your hearers to believe--but knowing that you cannot convert a person. And then let God do with it what he will. He alone can call the dead to life. The gospel is powerful, and God is committed to using us to spread this good news.

Source: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/5-things-that-arent-evangelism

Lady Gaga - Judas

I had the great misfortune of hearing of the song Judas from Lloyd, who told me he was horrified at the lyrics. I went to search for it myself and yep... I see why he had that reaction to the song. So Gaga basically sings about how in love with Judas she is and wants to do things like washing his feet with her hair. See the reference?

I think we really need to be careful about the kind of things we listen to, and even associate ourselves with. I know it may seem a bit extreme to avoid a certain artist just because of 1 song which mocks our faith, but really... how can you allow a saviour who gave his life for you be "cheapened and degraded" in such a way? I cannot stomach it.

I hope we can all start to be more discerning about the kind of artistes we admire. What sort of associations do they bear? What kind of values do they promote? What sort of songs do they sing? Remember our call to be "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation". Our friends are watching us closely. Are we being witnesses and testimonies of Christ?

I think it's time to take a stand for our God.

Wefc toilets

Being totally random here, but these are out new church toilets (:

Psalm 139

There are days when I just feel too tired or too ashamed to face God. So I try to put off making things right with Him; I try to hide. Well, of course we know we can't actually hide from God. It's kinda like the ostrich with the head in the sand. We think that just because we don't see Him, He's not there. Doesn't quite work like that.

A while back, I was trying to avoid God yet again, when this psalm came to mind. And I just prayed for forgiveness immediately. So now, I'm trying to memorise this Psalm in case my unfaithful heart ever decides to go into hiding again. It's a beautiful Psalm, a reminder that we can never flee from God...

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Feedback about CG

Yesterday we spent sometime reflecting on the things that we liked about CG, and the areas we felt we really needed to work on. Below is the list we came up with. I'm glad everyone shared honestly. Hopefully now that we've laid them out, we can really keep ourselves (and each other) in check, and really strive to improve things. As I mentioned, coming for Cg is not just about receiving but giving as well. We come to learn and teach, to be cared for and to encourage. I've been praying for us, that God will reveal our weaknesses and give us the power to improve on them. Do pray along with me. 

Things we like about CG:

The fellowship, dinners, outings and games

Being able to share with one another

Bible study is deeper, more meaningful, applicable and there's always something new to learn

Worship sessions

Members are fun and interesting

Things we dislike about CG:

Cliques (though slightly better now)

Noise at inappropriate times

The irregular attendance

Spiritual state of the CG doesn't seem as good as it should be for long-term Christians as ourselves

How we place other things before Christ

Lack of heart for evangelism

We are not serious enough about God

We don't approach other people (people outside our cliques or new people) and talk to them more

Bible Study can sometimes be dry

Our attitude towards God (like our conduct)

Our attitude towards Bible study

Evangelism

I'm reading this amazing book. It's basically talking about our responsibility as Christians to share the gospel even though it is God who does the work of converting the people we're sharing with. The danger for us is either to assume that we are the ones doing all the work, or take the other extreme, which is to assume God does everything and we needn't do anything. The book teaches us where our human responsibilty lies in light of God's ultimate sovereignty.

Evangelism is something that I'm starting to feel more and more strongly about. I wish I had caught the passion earlier, in my secondary school days. There's so much I would have done differently then. I would have tried to be a better example of Christ, to care more for those who were the "outcasts". I wish I could have been a better instrument for God in winning souls to Him.

How can we not care about the souls beside us that are perishing? We need to reflect on how we've been living our lives. Are all our ambition and goals worldly ones? We need to realise how temporal everything is and learn to refocus everything on God. A real Christian dies to himself the moment he receives Christ. This is what it means for us to carry our cross. We die to self-centredness.

I am excited for youth alpha and the potential that it has. But there's no point in me being excited if no one is going to do anything. Everyone needs to catch the passion for the lost. I am really hoping and praying that as a CG, we can humbly come before God and present ourselves to be used by Him in evangelism.

So the quetion is: have you been praying for the friends you're thinking of inviting?

Answers book

Anyone wants to borrow this? Chim and sciency answers to questions about Christianity. David?

A date by the reservoir

It was nice. Can we do it again sometime? Oh yea. I'm sentimental like that.

 

Thanks for the photos Marcus. I absolutely love them. You shall be our designated CG photographer. Says I.

Chee ko peh cookies

Thank you for coming over, Kai Li, Grace and Nadia! I had fun baking the rather fail Chee ko peh cookies. It's a long story... Ask Grace. Anyway, if ever we do try again, it's gonna taste a whole load better...

Sharing

Hi Cg...I just wanna share dis wit all of u tho it's really late...but can't wait for tml:):) hee...I m attending dis ltp every tue...but dis afternoon I don't feel like gg due to e overwhelming stress I'm facing in sch. Had so many project till I'm so confuse abt all my project mates...but just right after I msg my fren dat I'm not gg ltp...this Christian sitting next to me suddenly, out of e blue, shared wit me abt the church camp she served in last weekend...she told me she was so stressed den cos she haven't finished her assignment...but God assured her that he will be her shelter and be there for her. She then took out her bible and shared dis verse wit me. Right at that moment I suddenly felt like crying...not cos I'm sad or guilty, but I felt the warmt of God and how he gently correct me...I truly thank God...I'll describe that moment wit all of u when I c ur again...SMS cannot explain it all:) so in e end I decided to go for ltp:) I'm still really stress but I'm assured God is wit me...He is Dere for all of u too...enjoy ur hols

Love,

Wee Theng 

The Big Picture Conference - Uncovering The Bible's Big Picture

Hi everyone,

 

The author of one of my favourite Christian Books is coming to Singapore for a conference! Vaughan Roberts wrote the book: God's Big Picture and it puts the whole Bible into perspective and helps you see the old and new testament in one storyline. The book helped me a great deal. I'll be going for it and I really recommend you guys to sign up if you're free! Details below:

 

Uncovering The Bible's Big Picture - Evening Talks for All
Speaker: Vaughan Roberts
12 & 13 April, 7-10pm
Orchard Road Presbyterian Church
$20 Early Bird / $30. ($15 for 1 evening

 

Ever wondered how the Old Testament temple is relevant to worship in the New Testament age? Or how stories about Israel, her kings, priests and prophets are related to Jesus, the Messiah for all nations? What are the links between Abraham and David, Moses and Malachi or Adam and Jesus? The BPC aims to help all Christians understand the one storyline of the Bible from creation to new creation. This storyline makes us better bible readers by challenging us to read the various parts of the Bible in the light of the Bible's big picture. The bottom line is a more coherent understanding and deeper appreciation for what God has done, is doing and will do in history.

Whether you are a seasoned pastor-teacher, a sunday school teacher, a parent wanting to teach the Bible to your children or simply a Christian who longs to know God and his purposes from the Bible, BPC is for you.

 

)

Church building

Pastors at work

Ever wondered what the pastors do at work?

Gig

Hello people, thanks so much for coming for the gig with me. And, ahem, I'm really sorry I got the time wrong. I'm a real failure at leadership... But I enjoyed the conversation!!! (minus David's dreadfully long movie synopsis)

Jie's Gig next sat evening?

Jie will be playing a short outdoor gig next sat at the Esplanade. Free! I'll be going and I think some of you are interested. Its around 6-7pm. Let me know if you can come. It'll be fun. You're 16 (almost), live a little!

Germs

Roles in CG

Secretary: Xin Ting
Bible Study: Nadia, Grace
Birthdays: Patrizha, Brandon
Worship: Ian, JC
Evangelism: Zenas, Ryan
Girls IC: Celestine
Boys IC: David
Events/wellfare: Marcus, Amanda (team: Eve, Joshua, Hao Jie, Kai Li)

For those who are not sure what your role involves, please ask me or Wee Theng!

Germs