Message Out 27th Nov 2005

SLIDE 1

Discerning the Times

Text : 1 Chronicles 12:32


SLIDE 2
Be decerning like the Sons of Issachar
•1 Chron 12:32 “ of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;


SLIDE 3
Wars and calamity prophesied in Matthew 24:4-14
•But an “End Time” harvest is also predicted before the end….
•Becoming a “Character church” is to “become like Christ” ààin His fighting spirit, wisdom & foresight


SLIDE 4
Wake up to the War Mode
•Willing to sacrifice comfort and put aside selfishness in war times
•Examples
–Cruise liner Queen Mary 1940 – stripped bare to fit multilevel bunk beds
–Operation Moses in 1991 – jumbo jets stripped of seats to take 3000 people per load


SLIDE 5
Dangers of the Passive Spirit
•Remember David & Beersheba?
•Are you content to be just a sleeping dog?


SLIDE 6
Kingdom of God belongs to the “forceful ones”
•What does Matthew 11:12 says?
•“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”


SLIDE 7
Victory assured in Final Conflict!
•Daniel 7:25; 12:1-3 –even the devil frustrate the saints by delays and compromises
•Revelation 12:7-12 – the “ancient serpent” is hurled down to the pit
•There is no dualism here – good and evil do not co-exist forever!
•Ying and Yang is only temporal
•The devil will be hurl down into the pit!
•Signs of a desperado….


SLIDE 8 - CONCLUSION

Wrapping it up – be Discerning
•Discern like the sons of Issachar – Don’t sleep through this End Times harvest!
•Don’t you know that you are in a Cosmic War! Whose side are you on?
•Don’t embrace the passive spirit! The kingdom belongs to the forceful ones
•Don’t cease from praying, seeking and hunger for more of the reality and presence of God
•Don’t live for a lesser course & miss the opportunity to live for God’s Higher purposes

Sunday 20th Nov 2005 Message

Sunday 20/11/2005 – Message outline and Cell Discussion Questions

Fashion Week - What are you wearing? Motifs of Garments & Clothing in the Scripture

Point No 1. Fashion statements of the Patriarchs
•Fig leaves & leather (Adam & Eve) (Gen 3:7 & 21)
•Birthday suite (Noah, drunk & naked – (Gen 9:22)
•Joseph and his fashion parade- what he wears is symbolic of his fortune
•Coloured coat (Gen 37:23)
•Servant clothes
•Prison clothes
•Finally - Fine linen provided by Pharaoh

Question 1.
What are some of the encouragement you can glean from Joseph life? What do you think is the main ingredient for his unwavering faith?


Point No. 2. Clothing was precious in ancient times
•Eg. In Judges 17 – a Levite served for 10 shekels of silver and a shirt!
•Chinese mother – cut her weaving as a teaching tool for her son not to quit.
•Metaphors of garments

Question 2
The tragedy in Judges 17 is that a Levite, called by God to serve His higher purpose has succumbed to being an idolatrous priest for the wages of 10 shekels of silver and a shirt!

Have you missed God’s higher calling for you to serve Him in your live? Have you made any adjustments in your life purposes since knowing Christ?


Point No. 3. What you wear on the outside matters, but what you are on the inside matters even more!
•Naaman – armour on the outside but leprous on the inside ( 2 Kings 5)
•Joseph – the man who was not affected by what he wears on the outside

Question 3
Why we are so concerned about what we wear on the outside?


Point No 4. What should we wear?
•Garment of Salvation – Matthew 22, Zech 3:4
•Garment of Praise and Worship
•Clothe with power from on high - the Holy Spirit
•Learn to “put off” before you “put on” (Eph 4:22-24)
•Sinful thoughts leads to sinful actions (Phil 4:8)
•Full armour of God (Eph 6:10-20)

Question 4
The parable of the “Wedding Banquet” in Matthew 22 tells us that we have the garment of salvation and righteousness freely given to us by God;

How does this truth make you feel? - more grateful to God and the Lord Jesus who died for our sin?

Why is praise such a powerful expression of our faith? Why is praise considered as a form of defiance?

How do we fill our minds with good things as listed in Phil 4:8?


CONCLUSION - WHY bother with what we wear? Because it determines your destiny!
•A. White robe/wedding gown – the gift of salvation through Christ’s blood
•B. Determine not to play according the rules of the enemy!!!
à Defiantly joyful instead of sorrow
à Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit instead of self-righteousness
à God’s rule.....give instead of take, forgive instead of revenge, love instead of hate, hope instead of despair etc.

Question 5
How does satan try to get us to play by his rules? How do you ensure yourself will NOT play by the rules of the enemy?

Can you list any other effective ways to ensure that we remain victorious and steadfast in our faith?

Sunday Message 13th Nov 2005

By Pastor Michael Sim

Texts:

Genesis 50:24 "Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Hebrews 11:22
"By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones."

The above passages speak about Joseph's faith in God's promise to the Patriarchs. He had a firm believe that God's promise will come true even if he did not live to see it being fulfilled.

So he gave instructions about his bones. Of all the notable deeds of Joseph, this single act has been singled out by the writer of the Hebrews. Joseph was noted for his wisdom and ability to interpret dreams, his pure life; his forgiving his brothers who tried to kill him. Who rose the second highest office in Egypt. But none of these compared to his faith in God's promise to his people.

The key to our faith is that we do not see the temporal but the eternal.

Sunday Message 6th Nov 2005

Sunday Message 6th Nov 2005 - ps Jeremy Wong

Title: Sowing in faith -信心的栽種
Text: Galatians 6:7-10 - 加拉太書6章7-10節

A. Unchanging Covenant & Principle "如果" 和 "因果"
•Genesis 8:22 – The principle of sowing and reaping will never cease …..
•創世紀8章22 "地還存留的時候,稼穡,寒暑,冬夏,晝夜就永不停息了。"
• “因果”乃是創照天地的上帝所定下的律法和原則

B. Sowing wisely 智慧的撒種
• “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The 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. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:7-10)

•“ 不要自欺, 神是輕慢不得的。人種的是甚麼, 收的也是甚麼。8 順著情慾撒種的, 必從情慾收敗壞; 順著聖靈撒種的,必從聖靈收永生。
•9 我們行善，不可喪志；若不灰心，到了時候就要收成。10 所以，有了機會就當向眾人行善，向信徒一家的人更當這樣。(加拉太書6章7-10節)

C. 2 Kinds of sowing 順著聖靈撒種
• 1. What is sowing in the flesh? 什麼是順情慾撒種?
To allow our natural fallen & sinful nature to take control.(Gal 5:19-21)
–順著我們墮落的罪性, 不加限制的為所欲為
• 2. How to sow in the spirit? 如何"順著聖靈撒種"呢?
–Seek to be filled by the spirit so that the fruit of the Spirit shows..
–Philippians 4:8 腓立比書4章8節
–“Positive peer pressure” - culture conducive for growth. 近珠者赤 , 近墨者黑

D. FAITH is required for sowing 生命的投資 需要 憑信心
“Faith is 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrew 11:1)
•Ecclesiastes 11:1-5 “ Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. 2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land……….. 4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap………..6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
•傳道書11章1-5
• 1 當將你的糧食撒在水面, 因為日久必能得著 。
• 2 你要分給七人, 或分給八人, 因為你不知道將來有甚麼災禍 臨 到 地 上 ………4 看風的，必不撒種；望雲的，必不收割…. 6早晨要撒你的種，晚上也不要歇你的手，因為你不知道哪一樣發旺；或是早撒的，或是晚撒的，或是兩樣都好。
•àà Life is full of choices 人 生 是 充 滿 取 捨 的 決 擇

E. The ground you sow in is important!
We must also pay attention to the ground before we sow. “Break up your fallow ground!” (Hosea 10:12). Jesus taught in Mark 4 that some ground is hard, some is full of weeds and thistles. But, He mentions the good ground that will yield some 30, some 60, and some 100 fold! When I go out to share the gospel, I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to where the good ground is. There are some individuals who are ready to receive the Word of grace and truth and others who are not. If I plant a seed in good soil (a heart that is hungry and desperate), that seed will give the Lord a good return.
Keep sowing lots of good kingdom seeds today, It's always the season to sow!

F. Conclusion & Application
•You only have One life, One go, and no rehearsal !
•So sow wisely ….. in the Spirit
•Sow in faith – for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)
•Prepare the ground – Break-up your farrowed ground (Hosea 10:
•Those who sow in tears will reap with Joy (Psalms 126:5,6)

Sunday Message, Exam Fever etc...

View from The Allambee Camp - Easter Camp 2006


Sunday Message 30th Oct 05 -By Ps Peter Misso

Text Matthew 25:1-13 the wise and foolish Virgins

A Parable of Jesus about the end times. Jesus promised that He will come again to receive His bride - the Church.

Jewish weddings in ancient times would normally last for about a week. Unlike our present times, the focus is on the groom rather than the bride!

Many natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, wars and terrorism etc in recent times are sure signs of His impending second coming.

Yet often we get accustomed to waiting and a seemingly indefinite delay that we are ill prepared or allow our lives to be complacent. Delays are acts of God mercies as he wanted more souls to be saved.

We are encouraged to maintain a "present state of love and freshness in our relationship with him". So when His comes, we are ever ready and our lamps are shining bright.

We must not be misled like the foolish virgins, with their casual attitude with unpreparedness. At the least expected moment, the Bridegroom arrives......


Exam Fever

Let us pray for the VCE and Uni students who are facing their examinations in these few weeks. A time table has been circulated among the Tertiary Cell members- remember to pray for each other.

Don't forget to seek the Lord and maintain our regular devotional time, church worship service, cell meetings etc during these stressful times. The real test of our faith is in our persistence and consistency. If you are a student and shy away from regular meetings with our brothers and sisters in regular worship and activities during these times, it shows that we have not been prioritising our lives.
It also signals to us that when we enter the work force, we will face even greater pressure to abandon our walk of faith.

Hmmm..treasure your uni days and use this time to build a robust devotional live and commitment to the Lord. Let us determine to be a overcomer and not be a victim of cricumstances.
Our faith journey, would really come to a stage where "the rubber hits the road" so to speak, when we enter full time employment. Compromise and falling away from the faith are quite a common reality. But the ones who perseveres with a passionate love for the Saviour and Redeemer will lead a purposeful and fulfilled lives.

Uncle J.