Take The City Walk Video

Check out this video clip on the TCS Walkathon at the NDP main website. Or just watch it here. Ha ha.



Joshua Teo

THE FLOWERS ARE SLEEPING IN THEIR BEDS

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But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, - Ephesians 5:13

do not hide sin. expose it.
the more paiseh the better for eradicating it.


it has been 01 day of purity.

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE SIXTY-SIX

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While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. - 1 Thessalonians 5:3

this talks about the end times.
we know that it will come suddenly, when people least expect it.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. - 1 Thessalonians 5:4

believers in the light should be expecting it.
SO WHAT should we do?

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

be ALERT and SELF-CONTROLLED.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SPACESHIPS OR ANYTHING EXCEPT YOU AND ME OKAY

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"They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in prostitution but not increase, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselves to prostitution, to old wine and new, which take away the understanding of my people. - Hosea 4:10-11

true satisfaction and fruitfulness comes only from God.

old wine and new wine causes a lack of understanding.

NO WONDER YOU HAVE NICE EYES

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second day of school.

He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. - Leviticus 16:19

the Israelites, like any human, sinned, and someone had to make atonement for them.

HAVE YOU EVER felt unclean or unworthy of God?
well, someone has already made atonement for us - Jesus Christ!

blood has to be shed for atonement, and it was Jesus' blood on the cross that made us clean again! therefore, we can now come before God with boldness, unlike the early days where anyone unclean would be struck down.

so don't let your sin burden you any longer.
understand that you are FORGIVEN.

CREATIVITY IS A LIKENESS OF GOD

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Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? - Isaiah 2:22

HAVE YOU EVER been awed by great inventions, or marvelous technology, or splendid contraptions, or just awesome feats performed by man? Then stop awhile and ponder, how little man is compared to our infinite God.

DO WE TRUST in man? We certainly do - We use their contraptions everyday; even live by them.
BUT DO WE TRUST in God? Hrmm..
If we truly believe in a God that is real and big, we won't have trouble trusting in Him.
Therefore, the problem lies with our unbelief. We do not truly believe.

You will not see things you have never seen before until you have done things you have never done before.

Application: Ask God for something unbelievable, and trust that He will bring it to fruition.

TARDINESS IS AN EPIDEMIC

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That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. - Joshua 7:12

1. disobedience/sin makes us liable to destruction.
2. God is the only one who can deliver us from destruction.
3. we need to destroy whatever sin that is in our lives.

IS THERE a sin, or a remnant of it, in your life?
stop holding on to it. give it up to the Lord.
and then you will be on the run no more.

if there is something that causes you, or makes you liable, to sin, then get rid of it!
we need to deal with sin completely; destroy it entirely. leave no trace of it; give no chance for the devil to gain a foothold.

be free!

Yolanda Adams - Be Blessed

If there was ever song for 100k of blessing... I guess it would be this song. Lets not stop praying for the people that God has given us... Someone asked me 'what do i pray for them? Is standard or the deep kind' But after watching this song - My answer would be that I would cry for them.

Yes, i believe they really do need a miracle. 'Open heavens'.

WHAT IF TELEVISION WERE NEVER INVENTED?

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And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. - Malachi 2:18

it is not futile to serve God.

IS anyone saying, "Why are we doing so much? What have we to gain by obeying all these commands?"

take heart, for the Lord sees, and the servants of God who fear Him will be treated as His sons.

CITY OF HIM-POSSIBILITIES

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"Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!" - Jeremiah 4:18

How often we put the blame on God.
But have we ever considered that we in fact deserved none of His blessings?

Someone asked me, "If there is a God, why does he allow so much suffering in this world?"
Answer: He left the world to our own conduct and actions.
Someone asked me again, "You mean my actions could cause someone else to suffer? Where is the justice?"
Answer: The justice was paid 2000 years ago now. All the bad stuff were paid for through one man.

The moral of the story is: Our actions have consequences, and it is not because there is no God. Even though there is absence of judgement thanks to His mercy, we cannot escape the fact that the devil wishes to destroy us. But through it all, we must remember that before Jesus, they had it much, much worse. So give thanks for all the blessings that you did not deserve, instead of blaming God for every nitty-gritty inconvenience.

100 000

The 100k i believe has caused a positive change in the lives of many. I for one testify to that. When Pastor Ed Silvoso shared about the 4 levels of christians in the marketplace i knew i would have fallen into the 1 - 2 maybe 1/2 level category. 100k has caused us to rise the levels to be one that is involved in the transformation of the marketplace.
Another wonderful thing it has done is that it subtly molds us to know what it means to be a salt and light of the world full of darkness. When we take effort to go to our colleagues/classmates/army mates to bless them we inevitably become conscious of our behavior and the way we portray ourselves as marketplace ministers. So it changes us for the better even in our character to an extent.

Today i completed blessing my entire platoon in army with the 100k. Though it may sound easy but to me i never ever tot i'll be able to do that. i thank God.
I thank God for the times i went out in search of people to bless and got rejected countless times and how at the end of the day when we do our count we still meet our targets..

I realized that when we go in the name of Jesus, He will never fail us. Somehow. As one of my favorite verses clearly expresses in Isaiah 55:5 that His ways are always higher than ours. We just have to step out on the water and WALK.

I am very encouraged also to know how God really remembers our faithfulness in the small things we do. Maybe some of us ponder at times if 100k is making any changes in the lives of those we blessed.
Its too early to tell. Lets be patient and see how God turn the tides for us.

Meanwhile we just have to...

"Hi have you heard of the hundred K k k challenge? *wink wink*"


Proud of you guys! Kudos!

Be Impressed with God of the How Much More!

192 BLESSINGS since Saturday night.

580 BLESSINGS since 8 July 2007.

Am I impressed by the numbers? No. It was never just about the numbers. What am I impressed by? When I saw us coming together on Sunday helping each other out to be a blessing to people in Singapore. When i witnessed each other fumble a little as some of us approached strangers for the first time, yet we pressed on, not giving up, knowing that in the security of God's family, we can be bold to try again. When we hung in there, making sure that each of us were able to bless 5 before we called it a day. When we allowed ourselves to be a fool for Christ, pressing on even though we experienced many rejections.

I believe our faith has been built up. Not just personally and individually, but as JT tribe. I believe that God has enlarged our capacity to love the people around us. I have heard many of you share about how each time you go out, you are more aware of the people around you who need God and how you went forth in boldness to help and be a blessing to them. I believe that we have understood a little more what it means to make blessing our lifestyle and that God has engineered this little exercise to soften our hearts to give us new freedom to go forth and bless.

I believe too that God has used the 100k Campaign to soften the ground in Singapore and caused many to be drawn to Him.

That's what I am impressed about. That's WHO I am impressed with - God.
I'm reminded again about the 2 verses that have guided us through this campaign and this Year of Victory.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

I believe these 2 verses clearly exemplified our experiences during the 100K. Truly the Lord has remained faithful to His word. Truly He is God who is real and who desires to bless His people. Let us take a minute to praise Him for give honour to Him. Amen.


Joshua Teo

WHAT CAUSES MOLECULES TO PRODUCE SMELL AND VIBRATIONS TO PRODUCE SOUND AND ENERGY TO PRODUCE LIGHT?

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wah, seriously we have all lost the habit of blogging our devotions..
i think the struggle is uphill, i can't imagine what will happen when i start school.

oskay, for now a devotion i had,

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. - Philemon 1:4-5

whenever Paul thinks of Philemon, he will give thanks to God for such a faithful disciple.
Philemon lived in a way that brought joy to Paul. he was a blessing, not a burden.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. - Philemon 1:6

Paul was thankful for Philemon. however, he still indicated his desire for him to progress one level higher - to be ACTIVE IN SHARING HIS FAITH. it was just satisfactory that Philemon was faithful and demonstrated love for all the saints, but Jesus has demonstrated that love was meant to be shared with everyone, including non-saints. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, His greatest miracles were performed for the pre-believers in the marketplace.
it is good to love our spiritual family, it is better to love the unlovable.

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. - Philemon 1:7

love has a multiplier effect, one's faith can encourage many others to follow suit.
the importance of community - one's simple faith benefits all.


the crux of the matter is to be ACTIVE IN SHARING YOUR FAITH.
WHY? u ask.
3 reasons to share your faith actively:

1. the lost need it - we are called to reap the harvest.
   
2. the believers need it - we are to spur on one another.
   
3. you need it - we are promised a full understanding of every good thing in Christ.

the 100K campaign is pushing us to BE ACTIVE, and that is precisely how we are supposed to be!
it's grrreat!

Fun time at Sentosa

From a short while back. Pics of our sand castle building. Enjoy.

Click here for Flickr slide show (above photos are all cropped to landscape. See the originals here.)


Joshua Teo

IF WE HAVE TEACHER'S DAY WE SHOULD HAVE A RUBBISH-COLLECTOR'S DAY

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BLOG AHHH..!
fight the monsters called procrastination and laziness!

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. - John 15:1-2

we are called to bear fruit!
HOW?

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. - John 15:5

to bear fruit, we must remain in him!
that means to be in constant, healthy, growing relationship with the Lord.
then WHAT?

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. - John 15:7-8

once we are in deep relationship with God, he can trust us enough to give us whatever we ask, because he knows we can handle it as good faithful stewards.
the focus isn't on being fruitful, it is primarily on our relationship with God. the fruit is a given once we are in healthy relationship with God.

before Ed Silvoso, I used to over-spiritualise 'being fruitful', limiting it to just winning lives for the Lord. I thought in order to 'be fruitful', I had to lead many souls to Christ. however, that was only but one aspect.
after Ed Silvoso, my mind has been broadened to realise that 'being fruitful' also pertains to being fruitful in the marketplace, meaning being successful in your career, schools, families, and social life. we were called to be achievers! this is to our Father's glory. ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.

but first, for all this to be possible, we have to have a healthy, growing relationship with God. we cannot be fruitful working on our own capacity! we need to be rooted in God, and God to be in us, with us, working through us.

Warriors, let us press on, but DO NOT forget to remain in healthy relationship with God! it is of utmost importance! the fruits are a given.

back back back

want to share a passage that i've been meditating over:

"Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted in prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality."

Romans 12:9-12

indeed winners are people who live in community. some of us maybe doing well. some others may be going through a trying time. others a time of stress and anxiety.
the bible says be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

not lagging in DILIGENCE (quiet time? on the word.)
fervent in SPIRIT
serve the LORD (in our cell groups? 100k blessing?)

application: Be praying for you guys.

can we all pray together? that none of us will lack in diligence or lose steam even though we may not be going thru the best of times. persevere and see God come thru for all of us.

cheers!

Pride must die

Isaiah 6: 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

Isaiah sees angles. And he heard them calling ‘holy holy holy’ In Hebrew language, when they want to emphasize they would stated it twice. In this passage, it shows the highest degree of emphasis. It has been only used in this manner twice. Once in Isaiah another in Rev 4: 8. When they were crying the inner parts of the door which is stable and throne room of God shook. Wah how loud would that have been.

Isaiah Saw. Isaiah6 :5- He realizes who he is in the glimpse of the Glory of God. Angles bring cleansing. Then God speaks. Just like Isaiah all of us need a fresh vision of Jesus. But Stop how was it possible. Lets go back into how this passage started. King Uzziah died. 2Chron 26:1-5 – So long he sought after the Lord he prospered. He restores Judah (2Chron 26:16-19). PRIDE enters Uzziah. A spirit of pride and a spirit of religion comes along hand in hand. They strengthen ach other.

Pride keeps you from admitting you have become religious and religion covers up your pride by spiritual behaviour.
Leprosy – A type of judgement for an outward manifestation of a inward problem. Usually sexual sin is Pride (inward) problem. Pride must die. To the degree PRIDE dies will be the degree you will see God.

Paul in Phil 3:4-6 says that whatever Doctorate in theology (Hebrew of Hebrews) or a Pharisee (Spiritual and Political leader), he counts it to be dung (Phil 3:8). And he would press on meaning there are oppression and resistance to achieve the high goal. What is the Goal of our High Call? (Phil 3:10) So that we might know Him. Primarily it is not to cast out demons or heal the sick or preach the gospel to the nations (although these are good). “ But one thing I do, and forgetting these things behind.

Ed Young- You are creative

"You are Creative genius". Creativity -You've got it Now use it!
Creativity is from God. Being Creative means being Comfortably Uncomfortable.

Why must we be Creative?

Gen 1:1 - Father created/invented it
Eph 5:1 - We are called to imitate the Father

If you wont be you there will be a gap in God's Creative order.

Matt 13:34 - Son modeled it (The creative way he taught the gospel, only now we are discovering it)
2Cor 3:17- Holy spirit empowers creativity

How do we do it in a whole another level?
We have to ride on the raggard edge of creativity IN THE LOCAL CHURCH.
like in Act 2.

John 6:35 - Church is like the table on which the Bread is served.
What must a church look like?
1/3 of those who are hell bound
1/3 of those new believers
1/3 of those who are mature and fired-up

Its about being Consistently inconsistent.
So that we can be comfortably uncomfortable.
Comforted by Christ Uncomfortable for Christ

But Every time you hit a whole new level- you will meet a whole new Devil.
Because change is involved.

Change - Conflict - Growth

Story of the biggest flea market in Kent, taxes
They are eating in a picnic table and there was a lady giving them a sample
of what they were already eating. And she went to the other people who were
already having their lunch. Instead of just going out of the shaded area to give
the sample to those who haven't eaten yet. Ironically its the church today.
we should be feeding the hungry outside.

Jesus said "Go" - sending us in twos as sheep among the wolfs.
He said "go" and It is not to be comfortable.

HOW to apply creativity?

1. Prayer
"God unleash the creativity".

2. Be willing to go through labour and delivery

3. Make time for the faded waves
We are busy. Over-committed. Over the top.
Dive into things that match God's rhythm. "Breaks" our schedule that
is important.

4. Install the confusion principle
Change your workout every month - with that principal it confuses the muscle so that it grows.
Same way. Creatively pray, do QT, do something else.


Application: To be creative in the way I run cell. How?

Eternal rewards

2John1: 8Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

This talks about a full reward. And rewards has to be earned. 'Rewarded fully' the word fully highlights to us that there must also be a NO and PARTIAL reward.

In 2Cor 5: 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Jesus will judge us. Yes, our sins wont be judged. Rather how we live our Christian lives would be judged.

Judgment- A decision resulting from an investigation.
Decision - outcome would be Reward/ Loss

Hebrews 6: 1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[a] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Eternal Judgments or Decisions will stand forever. The way we live as believe determines how we will spend eternity.

Believers are judged based on
1. Our involvement in building the kingdom of God
2. How we built individual lives

John 4: 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true.

God wants to reward us. The only thing we can take is people and not material things.

Matt 25: 14- 28 ~ 5 talent multiplied into 10 talents, 2 talents into 4 talents and nothing more for the one with 1talent. Both of them doubled what they had. Therefore they were equally rewarded. Talents are 'gifts'.

Luke19: 11-26 ~ Each one given One mina. One with 10 minas was given 10 cities, 5 minas with 5 cities.

They were not equally rewarded.
Minas are associated with "annointing ".

2Peter 1: 2Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Wrong way of understanding God's grace. Grace- God empowered us to do beyond what we can do. More Grace, More you can do.
'in the knowledge'- relational knowledge. That is why we pray and Do QT.
Prov 9: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

Mulitply ourselves through the Grace of God.
3 ways we can multiply ourselves.

1. Through giving - my offering
2Cor 8 :1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,
2Cor 9: 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
Poor - those who are desperate for the Kingdom of God.

Luke 16: 9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. ~ How do we do this?
Through partership. Phil 4: 15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.
'credited to your account' means we can impact more lives by partnership.

2. Through prayer. By praying for Leaders, organization, ministries, movements.

3. Through serving Ministries. 1Sam 30: 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
Acts 1 -5 ~ More were added but from 6 onwards they were multiplied on.

MAGICIANS MUST BE THE SADDEST PEOPLE ON EARTH

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Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed; - Psalm 21:11

victory is the Lord's. no evil plan will succeed against Him.
may we be assured that we are on the winning side.

if the Lord is for us, then who can be against us?

LIFE MUST HAVE BEEN EASIER WITHOUT CARS

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When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water." - Exodus 2:10

everyone knows the story of Moses and how he was found by Pharoah's daughter. but I am again reminded through this story of how God works.

to Moses' Mother, the world was seemingly crashing down on her. it was probably the last time she was going to see her son. she was saying her last goodbyes. the situation was hopeless.

to Pharoah's daughter, the discovery of the child in the basket was purely coincidental - why, she was just going for a bath. the meeting with the Hewbrew girl (Moses' sister) was probably by chance, too.

to Moses' Sister, she was in hiding; watching; waiting; hoping. her Mum had gone back, but she was curious, possibly praying for a miracle to happen, on the outcome of her baby brother. she wanted to see what would happen. she was clinging on to any glimmer of hope.

and it came.

here we see three situations in life. no matter where we may be - no matter how grim the circumstance, no matter how mundane or coincidental life may be - we know one thing for sure: God is in control. Therefore, we have reason to hope.

God orchestrated the series of events - as dismayed as the Mother may have been, as coincidental as finding something in the river, even softening the heart of Pharoah's daughter to have compassion on the baby boy - to bring about His plan. God is the mastermind. God is the scriptwriter. the director. the producer. the wonderful Creator. He is everything. God is in control.

amen.

THERE IS SO MUCH GOODNESS IN THE WORLD THAT THERE HAS TO BE A GOD

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Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6:17

salvation is a helmet. a helmet protects the head. protection of the head saves lives in times of mishap. use your salvation as a helmet to guard against Satan's knowledge-based attacks to our head. be assured! that our salvation is with the Lord!

the word of God is a Christian's weapon. a weapon repels another's attack, and also has the capability to wound the opponent. the weapon is the offensive piece of armour. it is the weapon that gives us the victory. don't just sit there defending Satan's attack; resist! fight back! with Biblical wisdom and application!

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. .. - Ephesians 6:18

the succeeding verse to v.17 starts with an 'And' - indicating a continuity.
we don't just wear the armour and sit there. we go to battle - we pray!


MY APPLICATION: to pray every night during this campaign for my contacts. we are at war, after all.

WHO INVENTED BALLOONS?

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Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? - Matthew 16:9

memory may not be the enemy of faith, after all.

HAS God left a mark in your life before?
if you have, praise God, may it stir up your faith for more.
if not, may you cry out for that first time.

may God be real in our lives.

Lord, give me my fiveloavesforthefivethousand experience!

THIS WINTER IS LASTING FOREVER, AT LEAST FOR TONIGHT

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When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. - 2 Samuel 8:5

the Lord gave David victory wherever he went. David was a victorious man.
even when the enemy's reinforcements came and the situation looked set to turn for the worse, the Lord delivered them into David's hands. and victory was given to David wherever he went.

o, let us believe and trust in a victorious God. a God that overcomes alll odds. a God that turns impossibilities into reality. a God that blows our mind. let us believe that nothing is too difficult for Thee. anything is possible, with God.

CharlieBird's journey

I want to share today how God use me to share His love with a platoon mate of mine and end of with a bit of reflections of today's marketplace transformation conference.
On wed night i was feeling kinda drained out after a long day in camp. i was feeling a spiritual dry. disappointed that i let myself showcase my weaknesses by getting angry and frustrated over silly things that goes around in army. well so i was reclining against the wall in the staircase landing, and a friend of mine came to sit behind me while chatting on the phone with his girlfriend.

Basically, he was going thru some problems outside of camp with some other ah bengs. after the finished i asked if things were alright with him. so he sat down beside me at that staircase and we started to chat. somehow or rather i shared with him about my God. that whenever i have problems He will answer my prayers and gave him some instances where God broke through for me in army.
i plucked up my courage told him that God loves him. and i think for him, and his religious background it was hard to understand that.
So he replied: "are you sure?"
and i turned to john 3:16 and shared with him about the love of God and how Jesus came down to die for him.
I ended off by boldly asking him whether i could pray for him. and he gladly accepted.

Two days later while booking out of camp, down that staircase, he thanked me for praying for him and he said that, that night he slept very well! I really thank God for that because i know he has alot of strongholds and tends to "see" things around.

Thank God for that breakthru in the marketplace. Indeed like Rev Ed Silvoso mentioned - memories are the enemy of faith! our past failures, the things we struggle with (not that we dont do drastic measures to counter them), what people think of us, the personal comfort we have to forgo...
and we just need to let go and let God take control.

there is alot of takeaways for me today at the conference. i really sense the Lord speaking to me about certain things and also affirming issues that i've been thinking about and i felt it was divinely timely.
during the altar call i stood directly in front of him and for a substantial amount of time i was just looking up and staring into the eyes of Rev Ed. as i did that i felt in my spirit that "this man really knows the heartbeat of God for the nations" that fire and passion and sharpness for the things of God resides in him.
i saw a vision. as he was praying for singapore, i saw a picture of the singapore city view lighting up from darkness with a giant cross in the centre of the landscape. then i remember my blog posting a few hours ago that had a banner. yes something like that!
may we take up the challenge and be that warrior for God!

WHITE LIES FALL OFF MY YELLOW TEETH I DIDN'T CONVINCE YOU BUT I BELIEVED

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Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." - 2 Timothy 2:19

the Lord knows those who are his.
do we know? nope.
what can we do? we, who confess the name of the Lord and claim to be Christians, can only do one thing - turn away from wickedness.
Christianity and wickedness do not mix.

everyone who confesses - absolute. all. believing.
we must turn away - it is a conscious effort on our part.
believing must lead to a changed life.

IS your life a transformed one?
transform it today! - watch Transformers.

Be Excellent in Christ!

Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up with a very wise man whom I consider one of my mentors (indirectly). We were talking about my school life and projects and I was sharing how after many disappointments in school, I had grown to be become accustomed to average results. I shared that I had come to a point where results did not matter to me anymore. All I wanted was to pass. My rationale was this: Each time I scrapped through, I asked myself if I was capable of doing better. I was not satisfied with scrapping though but each time, I was not able to do better. So, instead of feeling lousy all the time, I convinced myself that results didn't matter.

I was right. Results did not determine my worth in God or to the family. I was still loved and treasured and valued. However, my understanding was only one side of the coin. That very wise man said to me (paraphrased), "Joshua, I have a problem with that statement. While results do not determine your worth in God, they MATTER because they are a reflection of how much you have learnt and do show your understanding and skill level in the subject." He went on to encourage me to aim for excellence in my studies.

Yes, results DO matter! As Christians, we need to be good stewards of the giftings and talents that God has given us and shine for Him in every possible situation! I like very much this quote from Nelson Mandela.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Let's be spurred on to be excellent for God in all we do. Our God is a God not just over our ministry but over out entire life and our entire being. And as 2 Cor 2:14 so boldly pronounces, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."

Can we not trust God that victory will be granted even in our work and school and family life? Yes we can! Pray that into your life today!

Do you know your purpose?

I was looking through my old emails and came upon this. I was reminded again the purpose of why we were created and how we should live our lives.

> In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose
> Driven Life, Rick Warren said:
>
> People ask me. What is the purpose of life? And I respond, In a nutshell,
> life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God
> wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and
> that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to
> 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillion of years in eternity.
> This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on
> earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God,
> and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
>
> Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just
> coming out of one or you're getting ready to go into another one. The
> reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your
> comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in
> making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but
> that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in
> Christ-likeness.
>
> This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest,
> with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and
> valleys - you go through a dark time, then you got to the mountaintop, back
> and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and
> valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track,
> and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No
> matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that
> needs to be worked on.
>
> And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something
> good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can
> focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into
> self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain."
>
> But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off
> yourself and onto God and others.
>
> We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands
> of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has
> been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character,
> given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn
> her closer to Him and to people...You have to learn to deal with both the
> good and the bad of life.
>
> Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance,
> this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it
> made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I
> had never had to deal with before.
>
> I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for you to own ego or for
> you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do
> with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages
> that helped me decide what to do, Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
>
> First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our
> lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through
> last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up
> foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan - to plant
> churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate
> the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in
> the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was
> liberating to be able to serve God for free.
>
> We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
> Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am
> I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
>
> When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if
> I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You
> better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more
> interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human
> beings, not human doings.

Recently I was reflecting about my own life, thinking about what to make of it. I thought back about how I had lived so far and what I had accomplished. Then I ventured into the future and wondered about the things that I would do and accomplish. Yet at the end of the day, I still felt a sense of dissatisfaction. What is life about? Why do we bother to chase so hard after our dreams? Why do we bother to persevere on? Do we feel any more satisfied after accomplishing all that we want to?

As I read the interview, I was reminded of a few things.

1. Life is not about myself. It is about God.
If we spend our whole life trying to please ourselves and the people around us, we will probably become disillusioned and disheartened. It is so easy sometimes to think and focus on me me me me me me. What I want, how I feel, my struggles, my pain, my loss, my sickness, my dissatisfaction etc. It gets us no where but the deserted island of self-centredness.

Psalm 37:4 lets us in on a secret, "Delight yourself it the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." True fulfillment can only be found in pleasing the Lord. Be faithful to His calling, to the giftings and talents that He has given you. Do it in a way that will help usher in the kingdom of God. Do it in a way that will influence the people around you to know that precious truth of His salvation gospel and that of Psalm 37:4 too. Do what will bring a smile to His face.

2. Life is not about the doing, it is about the being
What does Rick Warren mean when he says that life is about preparation for eternity? Is it about how much we do? Or perhaps what we do? Maybe it's about how we do it. Not really. To borrow a quote from a wise man, it is about WHO WE BECOME. Our time on the earth is about becoming as Christ-like as possible. And God will allow situations and difficult trials to come our way so that we can be moulded into the person He wants us to be. It is His way of teaching us how to depend on Him. It is His way of drawing us close to Him.

Which brings us all to a very interesting question. If there is not temptation in heaven, and we will all naturally worship God and live a life of holiness since there is the absence of sin, what is all this preparation for? Why does God need to prepare us for eternity? Don't we automatically become Christ-like when we enter heaven? Hmm.... seriously, I don't quite know. But my guess is that God might have roles for us to take up in heaven. And who we have become at the end of our lives have implications on that. What do you think?

I THINK YOU LOST WHAT YOU LOVED IN THE MESS OF DETAILS

theFIFTHofjulytwoohohseven

the troops were all lined up for battle facing the enemy. tension was in the air - the clash was about to begin. and

Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight." - 1 Chronicles 19:12-13

i think this is motivationally beautiful; beautifully motivational.
as we gear up for battle, let us be strong and fight bravely.
and let us help each other out when our brother is down. for we fight together as a family.
and lastly, we fight knowing that the Lord will do what is good in his sight.

our God is the Lord of the battle.
amen.

STANDING SO CLOSE KNOWING THAT IT KILLS ME TO BREATHE YOU IN

theFOURTHofjulytwoohohseven

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. - 1 Thessalonians 5:8

HOW to be self-controlled?
these 2 pieces of armour will help us: the breastplate and the helmet.

the devil is the antagonist of our self-control. he wants to deceive us so that we will sin. he tells us lies like, "..we are only human.." or, "..i need a break.." or "..just one more time..". however the Bible tells us that if we resist the devil, he will flee!

we need to resist with our heart (the breastplate) and our mind (the helmet). guard our heart with faith and love, and our mind with the hope of salvation. always have them on, 24/7. in a paraphrase, both our will power and Godly knowledge will help us resist the devil.

arm yourselves, warriors! and be self-controlled in preparation for battle!

Let our 'ACT' bless

My friends, I hope we are faithfully fasting and earnestly laying hold of GOD for the 100k blessing!

As I was praying yesterday, I felt GOD impress upon my heart a group of people that he wants us to be praying for.

In participating for the campaign, some of us may be turned down and we would be short of the opportunity to bless that person.

God wants you to know that his heart goes out to that person as well, even if he has rejected him.
So what can we do?
I pray that our ACT of wanting to be a blessing, the ACT itself of choosing to bless and the ACT of our commitment to GOD will itself move these people who reject us. That beyond the offering of blessing, the ACT of wanting to be a blessing will be a blessing to them and through that, may this ACT of ours reflect JESUS.

I HOPE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU WELL

theTHIRDofjulytwoohohseven

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, - Galatians 4:19

child-bearing is painful. fact.
but that is our goal, until Christ is formed in them.


i need to do something about Tristan!

CAN'T ESCAPE THIS LINE OF BEST FIT

theSECONDofjulytwoohohseven

holla!
it's been a long time since i last posted.

today i was reading

"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. - Hebrews 12:13

and i found it somewhat weird; out of place; incongruent.
the passages before that was talking about God disciplining his children to produce a harvest of righteousness and peace. and now in the concluding verses it instructs to strengthen our feeble arms and knees, and to make level paths so that the lame may be healed?
if you ask me, the healing of the lame part comes from a higher level of perspective.

the earlier verses mention that God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness, and also that discipline reaps righteousness. now, the connection between holiness/righteousness and healing may be a bit weak, but i'm guessing 'the lame' may be referring to those who are crippled in their walk with God, as with the need to correct their thinking that Godly discipline is in fact beneficial for them. as such, people who are physically and/or spiritually crippled need one thing - discipline, and keeping their paths level, or straight.

what is the point, you ask?
the passage started off with the talk of striving against sin, therefore, in that light, some learning points are:

• God disciplines us as children toward holiness - accept it! - he loves us.
  
• we also need to be disciplined to keep our walk right - apply it! - we love him.
  
• the physically(?) and spiritually lame are healed via righteousness via discipline. - account it! - we love each other.
  

oskay..
ARE you striving against sin?
ARE you resisting to the point of shedding blood?
maybe we need some DISCIPLINE.

Tribe Camp Learnings

1. The need to listen to the voice of GOD and the consequences of wanting your own way.

Remember the game we played in the field when all of us were blindfolded and had to run from one end to the other end of the field? The only thing that guides our way is the voice of the partner, that’s all we have, nothing less, nothing more.
I witness a very interesting learning that happened to Wei Peng, it was kind of hilarious, but beyond that it lies a vitally important truth.

Wei Peng was running faster then his ‘Voice’ and the ‘Voice’ was chasing after him shouting ‘STOP! STOP! STOP!’ somehow, I’m not sure if he chose to ignore it or he couldn’t hear the ‘Voice,’ He kept running and running and BANG! He hit his head right on the grill of the gate!!! Ouch!

My friends, lets learn to listen and follow the voice of GOD. Wanting things our way hurts GOD because that’s sin, and more than that, it hurts us when we are left to face the consequences of our ‘Own ways’

2. The family is around when someone falls

The campfire finale when one spark was passed on to light up the whole tribe’s individual candle was a magnificent sight wasn’t it? Somehow, the strong winds were blowing and hard as we try to guard the flame from being extinguished, some of our flames did. . The moment when mine went off, I felt as if my effectiveness of shining was gone. But thank GOD for the many lights from my family members, they re-kindled the candle light by passing their flame to me. Yes my family will be there to pick me up when I fall.

3. Our pastors Up lah!

As we were approaching the closure of the camp, I was like ‘huh’ and ‘How does celebrating Ps Joe’s dad’s birthday got to do with us?’ But when I finally saw how far our pastors went to bring across the message to us about honoring and respecting our parents, I was like “Respect and salutes.” They don’t have to do that, but they leave aside any reasons of trouble or fear that we will make noise to show us how we should respect our parents. That really showed me to go all the way to seize the opportunity to want to impart my lives to others. Thank GOD for our pastors who seize every opportunity to want to teach us!

The Prayer

hey brothers.. just wanted to share this with u guys... on my way back from Taiwan on Monday, God put me in between two interesting characters on my return flight to Singapore. Initially I was disappointed to not be able to sit with either Joshua Lau/Chong or Angus and Camy.. but I believe God put them next to me for a reason.. the man on my left was a taoist "Tao Zhang".. not exactly sure what role that is.. but he's someone who does work in the temple.. and on my right was an old retired doctor from Taiwan.. a Christian man with lots to say! I was intending to just sleep my flight home but Doctor Lee wouldn't stop chatting with me.. which was good as well... because amongst other trivial things, we talked about the churches, Christians in our countries, and God.. Along the way, we talked about a verse in 1 Chronicles and discussed about it and he shared some interesting views on it and so i went back to read and pray about it... We were talking about the prayer of Jabez..

1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

I believe all of us have come across this verse because it has been preached on at service but having come to read it again.. along with Dr. Lee's comments on it... I have renewed thoughts about it and how to apply it to my life. Dr. Lee suggested I try drawing the meaning of Jabez's prayer to God from the last words to the first... so reading first that..

I will be free from pain
I do not believe God ever intended to tell his people that believing in Jesus would mean a life without pain.. However, although we will feel the pain that is caused by the injustice of this human world, it is only short-lived. Because we have a God that is above all the struggles that we will face.. and therefore, we can ask God to..

keep me from harm
God's love and grace for us has often shielded us from the disasters that our sin and pain would've caused us.. Being children of God, we pray for covering from Jesus, that the pain in this world will not lead to our disaster and our downfall... How is this possible? In order to be free from the devil's schemes to destroy us, we must pray...

Let your hand be with me
That God's hand will be with us to shield us and to cover us with his anointing. This part of Jabez's prayer is pivotal, in the sense that it is so important, that we pray for God's presence and action to be asserted and displayed in our lives. Often we view God's hand only as a source of provision... but it is so much more than that! It covers us from the harshness of the penalties of our sins... yes it provides bountifully... and it also desires to discipline us into being more and more like Jesus Christ..

enlarge my territory!
The Christian soldier would take on this war cry with much vigor and fervor.. taking this request for a bigger ministry and bigger influence to touch the world to God as very much an outward bound prayer.. However, I believe that God also wants us to enlarge the territory for God not only in the market place.. or where we are planted or sent or commissioned.. but also to enlarge the boundaries we have set for God in our own hearts.. No matter how much of "God's work" you do, it is more important that as you do all these, God's territory is not only expanded around you, but within you... allowing more of Jesus into every area of our lives, that we will be fully summited unto Him.

bless me
These words would then speak for themselves. If we can endure the pain in our lives because of God's love... and avert the disasters of our sins because of His Grace.. Keeping God close to us and enlarging God's territory in our hearts and around us... we would surely be able to proclaim God's blessings in our lives!

Nong Nong Ago

This is a long overdue post. I had a cell outing 2 weeks back and the mighty warriors, Nathan, Jonboy, Timothy, Daniel Lee and Angus Sham headed for the East coast Bike rental shop and challenged their physical limits towards Old Changi Hospital at Changi Village. Upon completion of the Nongest Bike Journey in the world, they were presented with the Red beret at Hendon camp just down the road of Old Changi Hospital where CPL(NS)Hailer Chong rewarded them by sending them back to the bike rental shop in his seafood van.

I had a great day out with you! It was great to get to know the guys in a way I have never expected. Never did I expect Timothy to be so lame and crazy. I was worried that Jonboy would throw a tantrum and get emo pissed off when fatigue sets in but he proved me totally wrong and was joking and chatting with me throughout the journey!and never will I know that Nathan will stay so cool and composed when he flew off the bike when he rode right into the lamppost!!!!

We opened the outing with a word of prayer. “God, show us your reality in our time together”And he did. When we reach our destination @ OCH, all of us know that it would be too tiring and taxing to go back the same way we have came from. I remember Jonboy shouting, “God please help us!!” And HE did. God sent Joshua Chong to call me while he was at Pasir ris delivering some seafood and he offered to send us back to East Coast in his lorry. At this moment, I paused and turned to our guys, 'This is not a coincidence, but this is God’s blessing, and his love to us so real and tangible.' Yes, my friends, carry on looking out for GOD. There is no such thing as an accident or a coincidence if you’re a child of GOD!

STYROFOAM PLATES CAFETERIA TABLES

theTWENTIETHofjunetwoohohseven

I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings will shudder with horror because of you when I brandish my sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life. - Ezekiel 32:10

sometimes we are so used to the image of our loving God that we forget how fearsome our God can be. woe is he who is the object of God's wrath.

and what does God hate? sin. he loves us, but hates the sin; loathes it, abhors it - God cannot tolerate sin. God and sin are polar opposites.

these post-resurrection days, sin almost seems to bear no consequence. we are now objects of his grace, spared by God's mercy, yet we don't seem to appreciate it. if only we knew better God's intolerance to sin and his powerful wrath - i doubt there'd be as much sinners then. it is because we have taken his grace for granted.

fear of the Lord - is it still relevant? yes, i think it still is. i would suggest that it is exactly due the lack of it which is why people go on sinning so freely these days. if sin had warranted an instant death penalty, i don't think any of us would dare to sin. BUT, obedience out of fear should not be our focus.

we are privelleged to be living in post-resurrection days - we now revel in God's grace given so freely. but it is the terrifying severity of his wrath which magnifies his grace. he did not just forgive us a few petty sins. he has forgiven us countless death penalties, over and over and over and over again. what remarkable mercy. we cannot choose to ignore it.

the absolutely terrifying wrathful God, versus the infinitely wonderfully graceful God. they are the one and the same. to fully appreciate the graceful God, we need to fully comprehend the wrathful God. if only we fully understood the stark contrast, we would never live the same way again.


MY APPLICATION: to instill a Godly fear inside me. not to cripple, but to empower me to be holy for God. for it is only through this fear that i understand his grace.

His grace

2Cor 12: 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What a powerful mindset? "I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties". I want to learn what it means to live out this truth. This morning I heard the Lord saying, "My grace is more than sufficient for you". I guess I have not learnt to lean on God's strength for me. I dont delight. I actually suffer through it. Its painful, defensive and sorrowful at times.

"For Christ's sake" - what does this mean?
To spread the gospel with my life in everyTHING that i go through every weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, difficulty. I must spread the gospel because God's love for me is so real. His love for me is so so amazing. What can i say? I must be like paul - delight in all of that. I guess as i delight- He's power will rest on me.


Yea, I must pray that I'll delight in the things like Paul.


Happy birthday - Kong Meng... May the Lord bless you to be strong in Lord and give you good gifts.

DREAM DREAM DREAM CAUSE I WANT YOU

theNINETEENTHofjunetwoohohseven

oh no, i've become lazy to post my devotions..
argh.. FIGHT ON!

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." - Matthew 2:13

the Lord speaks to us in dreams, as with Joseph.
and Joseph was obedient to the Lord's voice.

imagine if Joseph had dismissed that dream;
then baby Jesus and his mother would have been in peril.
it took one man's obedience to instruction to fulfill God's plan.

Lord, give me a dream.
I want to hear your voice.
I want to be used by you.
I will be obedient.
so give me a dream, Lord.

^ Brokeness

James 1:4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I guess today I felt God was telling me that He is developing perseverance in me. Trials after trials. My heart is weak. My emotions run wild. God is strong. His love for me never fails. Isnt that simple. Although it hurts, I need to mature and be complete, no lacking in anything... I must be Christlike.

My prayer: Lord, strengthen my feeble knees and arms. Give me wisdom, and faith that i can keep on running the race you set for me.

Narash (Lion of God)

TRIBE CAMP 2007

TRIBE CAMP DETAILS
Date: 15-17 June 2007
Venue: Northbrooks Sec School
(Take Bus 804 from Yishun Interchange - beside Yishun MRT)
Reporting time: Friday, 9 am Sharp
End of Camp: Sunday, 5pm

Are you ready to become a Warrior of Light...
Sign up for Tribe Camp immediately!

Download your Tribe Camp Package now for more info!
(List of things to bring and map included!)
pdf version | word version

See you at Tribe Camp!


Joshua Teo
Tribe Camp PC

HOLD YOURSELF UP TO THE LIGHT AND SEE WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF

theELEVENTHofjunetwoohohseven

was just having a conversation with someone when we lamented on the fact that none of us drove. we were sour over the numerous missed opportunities of fun - with a car and a licence we could watch dvds till way past 12, then drive out for supper before heading home. each new opportunity of convenient late night entertainment seemed to mock us about not having a licence to drive.

alot of what if's flew about our head:
what if we could drive..
what if we had a car..
what if we could drive over to so-and-so's place for a late night dvd...
what if after that we could head for supper..
what if what if what if..

Sunday's sermon then reminded me:
God has a place and purpose for us.
we are exactly where God has intended us to be.
God has intended things to happen for a purpose.
why are we complaining? why are we grumbling? why are we regretting?
we are missing God in the picture.

God let me see your purpose in my life.
let me live a life of no regrets.
where i know your purpose is directing my life.
where i know there is only good, better, or best.

amen.

THE SKY MEETS THE HORIZON SOMEWHERE

theFIRSTofjunetwoohohseven

imma doing backdated entries.

" though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: " - Philippians 3:4

we should put no confidence in the flesh.
for anyway the flesh is sinful, and
salvation comes NOT from the circumcision of the flesh,
but the circumcision of the heart.

men may look at the flesh but the Lord looks at the heart.

when people ask me, "do u think so-and-so is saved?"
i will tell them that i really don't know.
who are we to judge men's deeds?
i cannot give a definite answer except to reply, "i hope so."
because only the Lord knows.
salvation is a heart issue.

we do not become 'holier' when we do good things and we do not become 'unholier' when we do evil things - they do NOT fluctuate in the measure of eternity.
what really matters is: do our hearts belong to Jesus?
if we say yes, it calls for a CHANGED LIFE -
a circumcised person cannot live the same way again!

circumcise your heart today.
you will never be the same again.

A Pure Heart

"Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave." (Ps 86:11-13)

This is my personal verse that im thinking about. Indeed i pray that the Lord will teach me his way.

Cheers.

IT'S HOLDING THE LOVED ONES.. ONE LAST TIME

theNINTHofjunetwoohohseven

ok! i'm back from Hong Kong.
'twas a very blessed trip indeed it was.

" You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors. ... But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. " - Psalms 5:6/10-11

for surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous. as surely as you destroy the wicked.

righteous men are blessed with favour.
refugees in the Lord find joy.

but do we forget the Lord?
do we take our favour and joy for granted?
no. we shall thank the Lord. with our lives.
cuz that's the greatest gift we can offer him. our full-fledged gift of sacrifice and offering.

here is my life, Lord. it is my gift to you. use it as you desire. may i be a vessel to carry out your good work.

and what to do with all the wicked men?
we offer them refuge in the Lord. that they may find joy unspeakable, too.

Unfamiliar grounds

I had tuition with George today. Towards the last 20 minutes of our lesson, I’ll sometimes teach him some guitar techniques. What I observed was, whenever I get him to do some new ‘boring guitar drills,’ he would first attempt to do it, after a few minutes, he’ll go back to play stuff he already mastered which I taught him previously.

This was very similar to my own journey. I felt that I stagnate in my guitar playing for the past few years. It is because every time when I attempt to play new and more difficult stuff, I get bored and go back to playing things I already know or am comfortable with. Thus, the rate of improvement is ground zero.

How does that relate to our spiritual journey? Sometimes, we get so good at doing things we’re good at, even the previously uncomfortable become comfortable. The danger is as we get familiar, we get complacent, and we begin to consciously or unconsciously do everything thinking that its by our own might, by our own strength.

It is only when we have the ‘spirit of excellence’ to want to break out, put in sweat and blood to improve, throw ourselves in unfamiliar ground that we are able to progress. As you are faced with challenges, things that are unfamiliar to you, you’ll learn to depend on God, and the more you depend on him, the closer you are to him only if you choose to rely on him.

My friends, my prayer is that you’ll get off your familiar warm seat and throw yourself to somewhere new, somewhere where you know you would be desperate to call for help, and there you’ll find God as you seek him. But I’m not advocating you to throw yourselves in areas of temptation!

Good Catch?

I was having lunch with Joshua Lau and Joshua Chong this afternoon when hailer told us an interesting conversation between his mother and him early this morning.
I’ll attempt to put it in a speech format.

Mama Chong: Joshua Lau and Angus are very good catches, why you never introduce
them to Joy (Joshua Chong’s sister)?

Hailer Chong: Eh… But Angus got girlfriend already…

Mama Chong: Camy is also a good girl, why didn’t you ‘Jio’ her earlier????

Hailer Chong: Huh????

What I was happy about is NOT the fact that all of us are good catches. But it’s the fact that Mama Chong saw Jesus reflected in our lives. My friends, continue to reflect Jesus in your lives. When the world see Jesus alive through your very own life, that’s the very best testimony to point people to Jesus.

Want to be a good catch? The more you reflect Jesus, the better catch you are! That’s why Peter and James caught so many fishes!!!- Okay.. Not funny…

WHERE DOES HAIR GO WHEN THEY FALL TO THE GROUND?

theFOURTHofjunetwoohohseven

" But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. " - Ephesians 2:13

thank you, God.

1. we were all by nature far away.
2. we have been brought near by Jesus' sacrifice.
3. DO we believe it?

we were all the same, living in far far away land.
there is no 'i am holier than thou'.
there is no 'great sinners'.
self righteousness is nought.
we are all the same.
we were all far away from God.

Jesus died for one and all. sinners and 'holy' people. Jew and Gentile.
redemption. one way. Jesus.
by no other way can we attain holiness, or nearness, or closeness.
nearness cannot be attained. it is a given.
when we sin, we do not become far from God.
do not let Satan deceive you that you are a miserable loser whom God hates.
do not let your 'far-ness' cripple you from doing big things for God.
yes, God hates sin. but he has already forgotten them all, because Jesus has paid the price.
therefore, we will always and forever be near to God.
hurray for Jesus!

all it takes is for us to BELIEVE.
DO we believe it?

believing calls for a changed life.

A Call to 'Intentional Living'

I used to think that the phrase ‘Intentional living’ is overused and ‘da pai’
But today, I lift both my hands to promote you this phrase
‘Live your life intentionally!!!!’

I’m very thankful for what Joshua shared with us after service today.
In fact, it was so divine that I shared it 2 days before on Friday when I met my G-12.

I told my guys that every Friday when we meet, I’ll ask them a ‘forever question’
‘In your journey in school, at work, at play, in relationships and in everything, what is God teaching you?’ ‘What is something new you learn about God this week?’And how do you do that? Only by living your life intentionally.
What I meant by living your life intentionally is, you live everyday in such a way that you look out for God in every journey, in every happening and in every moment.
Its not that God wants to purposely hide from us, but it’s the ATTITUDE of telling God, I’m serious in seeking you, I’m serious in wanting to find you.

That’s what God take delight in, so make him smile ok!
Don’t retire the day and missed out on finding God today, it was a wasted day.

The Race

As i get ready to head back to camp. I go back knowing that I am different. I no longer want to conform to the patterns of the world but i want to be transformed by the renewal of my mind. Thank God for the word today.
Its really heartening to know that each of us have a race marked out for us. Special race. just for us. A race planned divinely. I have to run mine well. No matter what it costs. Maybe its some low profile task i have to do, maybe otherwise but what does it matter.
See all you soon!

WHY DO COWS JUMP OVER MOONS?

theTHIRDofjunetwoohohseven

" No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. " - 1 John 3:6

strong words..

i had an interesting conversation with Tristan yesterday.
and this verse sums up one of the points i was telling him about.
about what it means to truly believe in Jesus.

if we truly really believe that he has died for our sins and has totally forgiven us,
i don't think we can have the heart to continue living in sin.
if we only realised the true greatness of his love for us, we would be touched beyond measure. we would be touched to change for the better.

sometimes it is too abstract to believe, so we need an example, like
if u were on a death penalty waiting to be hanged, and someone innocent came along and took ur place, and then u suddenly find urself free to go, while that innocent man dies in ur place. i think when given a new lease of life, we won't have the heart to dwell in sin anymore.

yes, we will inevitably continue to sin,
but we recognise that there was a Saviour,
who while we were yet sinners, took all our sins away.
and now we are free. if we believe.


MY APPLICATION: i believe i can and will be free from the bondage of sin. i have already been redeemed. i am set free. to sin no more under bondage.

Walking through Matthew

i was taking time to read thru matthew. and i think i havent read thru in one reading for a very long time. its interesting how things and new insights that will unfold if you do that!
its like revisiting your old textbook, now that we have grown up more both spiritually and intellectually. it does make that difference.
new questions popped into my mind. like why Jesus always talked in parables. he explained why one of the verses too. reading and reminding myself of the journey that He took, the miracles that he did, the way he challenged the Pharisees in such wit and power!

one of the chapters i am thinking about is in chapter 18 where Jesus met the canaanite woman (woman of great faith)
i felt it was quite controversial at first. how He said he was "sent only to the lost sheeps of ISRAEL" and all. maybe someone could discuss that with me. i have some theological conclusions but i think its interesting to talk about these stuff and then finally conclude that our God is a God of wonder and love and ....


point is. revisit your bible. read it like you would to a nice storybook once in a while. you'll definitely see new things!


cheers bros