Mark your calendars - Nick is coming to town!

"If God is a God of Love, then why would He let something this happen?"

When Nick was born, the whole church mourned over his birth and his parents were absolutely devastated. Nick was born without limbs. It was a trying time for his parents. His father, a pastor of a local church, and mother asked all the 'why' and 'how' questions possible, in particular, they questioned why such a thing would happen to them, people who loved the Lord. Understandably, they thought the child would not survive long. But God's miracle had just begun - Nick was a healthy baby even though he was without limbs.

In God's grace, Nick and his parents gradually overcame the fear and frustration in their lives. Today, Nick has shared his life testimony to millions around the world, to Christians and non-Christians alike.

I was struck by his testimony. If I be in his position (he is my age!), what would my story be like? We all have our struggles, and our share of challenges. And so often, I end up grumbling and complaining, wishing that I had more, could do more... So often I get caught up with the difficulties in front of me and fail to understand God's hand and heart - that if He allowed something to happen, it is because He has something in store. As I read his testimony,I was stirred my heart to again believe and hold onto who God is - a God who truly loves us and will use us just as we are, if only we are available.

May this portion of his testimony ring in your heart as well:

I had that wake up call around the age of twelve and realised just how much I was blessed with. I take my foot for granted, my family and all blessings that God had freely given and I still complain? I came across;

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the best for those who love Him."

That verse spoke to my heart and convicted me to the point where that I know that there is no such thing as luck, chance or coincidence that these "bad" things happen in our life. In;

James 1:3&4 - "...know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I had complete peace knowing that God won't let anything happen to us in our life unless He has a good purpose for it all. I completely gave my life to Christ at the age of fifteen after reading John 9. Jesus said that the reason the man was born blind was "so that the works of God may be revealed through Him." I truly believed that God would heal me so I could be a great testimony of His Awesome Power. Later on I was given the wisdom to understand that if we pray for something, if it's God's will, it'll happen in His time. If it's not God's will for it to happen, then I know that He has something better. I now see that Glory revealed as He is using me just the way I am and in ways others can't be used.

Nick will be coming to our Youth service to speak on 2 Dec 07. Take this opportunity to invite all your friends. I believe his sharing is going to touch many lives for God. Get the word out so they have a chance to hear God's goodness through him!

May this video of his testimony minister to your heart.

Tribe T-shirt

Curious what the t-shirt really looks like after last sunday's shirt-sizing frenzy? It will of course be red and on a polo t-shirt. We don't have to go red-shirt hunting just for Youthnet events anymore, yippee! Well, the design is below, copyright of Yoznet and Denise Lim - enjoy and rejoice that the shirt has come into being :)

God-given opportunities

This is what Mel Choo shared at the dinner:

Firstly, I want to thank God for the many opportunities to serve in both gkids, young arrows and GCYC. I really learnt alot from Him and learnt more of depending on Him for every of my needs. He taught me the importance of always coming back to Him to refresh my spirit and to spend time with Him. He really blessed me alot this year, for example, giving me strength when I really need it. I really didn't think I could handle kids well. But through gkids and YA, I really understand why God has such a big heart for the young children. He also taught and blessed me with patience and His love, especially during gkids and YA. He helped me to understand what it means to give out of my heart, and not expecting anything in return. There are many trying times in gkids and YA, but that's when His love and patience came through for me and this allowed me to hang in there. I may not be able to see the fruits of my labour now, but I believe that God has already planted the seeds of His love and kindnes in the lives of the kids.

Secondly, I want to thank God for answering my prayer for GCYC. Last year during GCYC, I thought to myself how great it would be for me to serve more in GCYC by hosting someone. But I thought that it would be impossible because I don't have my own big house to host the delegates. So when I heard Ps Yo asking us during the leaders' meeting before GCYC to help host the delegates in GBC this year, I was really pleasantly surprised! God really is good.

Thirdly, I want to thank God for giving me a few opportunities to step out of my comfort zone for Him. I remembered that during the gkids' encounter, I wasn't sure what to do as this was my first encounter as a leader and I wasn't able to attend the briefing before the encounter. But the Holy Spirit really guided me throughout the camp and used me to minister to the children.

Year of Victory in Yoznet II

Jia Hui shared her testimony that day during dinner too. If you missed it, this is from Jia Hui herself:

I thank God for the platform to rise up as a Gkidz leader. Indeed, The Lord has used Gkidz to mould my character and to build me up as a leader and spiritual mother. I have learnt to not fear rejection but to speak the truth in love, I have learnt to be firm with them, I have learnt to minister with excellence and pray for the needs of my girls, I have learnt to give up my personal desires and dedicate my time to them, I learn to grow in love and see them as my spiritual daughters… You know, I believe that as I ministered to these girls, the Lord was beginning to heal my fears and past hurts that I had.

Rising up as a leader made me begin to understand the heart of the church leadership. I learn to be good soil for my spiritual mother to sow on - to be accountable, to support her in whatever way, to be honest and open, to understand her heart behind the things she does…

I thank God for my spiritual daughters… 2 of my girls wished me “Happy Mothers’ Day” as well! Indeed it made me start to see myself as a spiritual mother. I thank God for the paradigm shift… indeed G12 is not just a system for multiplication, but it is truly about family.

As part of the year of victory, one of my ASK BIGS is that I’ll have 12 by September 2007, and I thank God that indeed He has given me 12 girls in my open cell! God is a God who answers prayer!

GCYC! :D

I thank God for being able to serve the nations by hosting the Vietnamese delegates for GCYC! Indeed it has been a time where I receive much much more than I gave. =)

I thank God for opening my eyes and my heart to love the nations with action. I learnt to go the extra mile just like Jesus went the extra mile to die on The cross for us that we may have eternal life =) (Matthew 5:41-42)
On the last day, I was really tired after 6 days of running on little sleep and hectic and demanding schedules at school and GCYC. And after we came back from the dinner at expo, they asked to go shopping at Kovan! Wah, we had to walk a fair bit from GB campsite to heartland mall… And it really took all the perseverance and strength that I had left to walk there with them – because I know that that is what Jesus would have done!

I thank God for the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone to lead a group for the blessing of the families at Bukit Merah. Haha. I have never done anything like that before, but I believe that my excitement in blessing the families has indeed rubbed of on my group members and they begin to see that it’s actually very easy to be a blessing! Haha.

I thank God for using the nations to continue His healing work in me. I have been struggling to receive the truth that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Amazingly during the conference, He used 3 different people to tell me three times that I am beautiful – on the very first encounter that I had with Vy, she said sincerely to me, “you’re very beautiful and kind”… I’m really touched by the love of God that He would bring people from overseas just to bring that Rhema word to me.

Indeed, I will continue the year with the 3 victorious attitudes – always thankful, always victorious in Christ, always a blessing to all… and with the 3 key strategies of going deep, looking far and asking BIG! =) We’re all warriors of light who will stand and fight, guarding my heart, mind and emotions at all times in this warfare! All glory to GOD! :D

Year of Victory for Yoznet

Yoznet had a family dinner for tribe members who had served in ministry in some way or another this year. It was a short but good time. Through the worship and the testimonies we could see God working in our midst - speaking to us, teaching us, growing us. Denise, who leaves this week, shares her journey with God this year below:

Serving this year as a cell leader and in Young Arrows has been very exciting. Through it all God has shown me that the 3 attitudes: always thankful, always victorious in Christ, and always a blessing to all are really choices that I have to make daily.

Serving hasn't always been easy. Working with the kids in YA can be quite hard because you don't see the fruit of your labour immediately. I also felt that I wasn't making a lot of difference since I will be leaving for the UK soon and it felt like I was leaving behind unfinished work. However, upon reflection about the 3 attitudes, I realised that it's simply my job to have the attitude of a winner, and God will give the victory.

In cell group, it was also quite hard because a lot of my girls can't come for church due to parental objection. So I ended up having to meet them separately because trying to find a common time for cell group was impossible. As a result this was very time consuming. At times, I was very tired and felt like giving up.

But God reminded me of Exodus 14:14 - The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still and 2 Chronicles 20:15 and 17 - 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. ... You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'

God reminded me that the battle belongs to him. So when I felt like giving up, God helped me to remember that I was not alone but that he was fighting for me and with me. He reminded me not to try to fight the battle with my own strength but to just maintain an attitude of victory and the victory would come.

After the last Encounter, God showed me this about the 3 attitudes and I wrote it down: “I think I'm beginning to see everyday that the 3 attitudes that Ps Khong keeps talking about are really choices. Attitudes don't depend on circumstances or feelings, they're just difficult choices that deny our flesh and call upon the most painful, inertia-laden parts of the spirit. Attitudes that force us to commit our burdens to God. Attitudes that force us to push the extra mile on faith in God's word, even when we don't see. But ultimately they are the attitudes that bring victory, that bring us back to the cross, that apart from him we can do nothing, apart from him there is no choice, apart from him that life is really not worth living.”

Now, God has shown me that an attitude of victory really does bring victory. When we make the choice to be winners, God makes us winners.

Tribe Dinner at TC

Hmm. Why has Yanying been called out?




Because it's her birthday!











Praying for Yanying:







Time for icebreakers! (led by JIARONG)




Happy Yoznet People:

Thanking God for the 100K

When I first started this 100k challenge, I thought it was easy, hence I didn’t think much on praying really hard for myself in terms of protection, fear etc. However, during the first week of this challenge, I didn’t do very well. It was then that I realized that i was actually afraid of approaching others, which is not right. If you know me, I’m quite an easy-going and friendly person, hence with this “not right” feeling, God showed me that I must really start praying for myself and I really need to pray for protection and against fear etc. I thank God that God heard my prayer and forgave me for not taking prayer before that.

After I came back from Shanghai, I fell even further behind in my 100k and did not reach the number of people that I should have, and I started to pray really hard again.. Thank God, on 28^th July, I’ve invited a number of my tuition kids (ranging from primary 4- sec 1) to come for the walkathon, but in the end only 1 student turn up. I wanted it to cancel at first, but somehow I just felt God prompting me not to as I can include Joanne into my 100k blessings after the walk. After the walk, I brought her for lunch and after lunch I immediately share the 100k blessings with her. As I was explaining each blessing to her, I came across forgiveness and eternal life, hence I took the opportunity to share the gospel with her. After sharing the gospel, I asked her this question, “Joanne, now you know that Jesus is God and He is a God who can help you to solve all problems, He is a God who loves you so much that He is willing to die for you on the cross. Do you believe this Jesus?” To my surprise and great delight, she said “Yes!” I was super happy.

In the evening after the walkathon, I went to give private tuition and I took the opportunity to talk to this Primary 6 boy call Hong Xun. I wanted to bless him with 100k blessings too, again when I reached forgiveness and eternal life option, I took some time to share the gospel to him.. In the end, I asked him if he believe in this Jesus who died for his sins and want to accept Him as his God? He said, “Yes”. We then say the sinners' prayer together. I was really blessed that Saturday. 2 salvations in one day.. I then sensed that God wanted me to do a follow-up with these 2 students and not just these 2 students but believing that more will come to know the Lord.

The best thing that came out of this campaign is the possibility of using my tuition centre as a means to reach the Bukit Merah community. After sharing with Pastor about the open doors I had at the tuition centre, I’ve decided to take it further by opening a club called Issac Club for the children to have free tuition. The first hour will be used for tuition, and the next half an hour will be a time of worship, bible story telling and games time for the children. God had in fact even pre-planned the tuition schedule for me. Three months ago, I restructured the tuition timetable and left a slot for any activity that the Lord may lay on my heart to conduct without any clear idea of what I will be doing.. I’m really excited to see what God is going to do when this club is open. I believe God can transform Bukit Merah.

Ps. After seeing the 2 salvations, my faith increased and begins to pray for all my students. On Monday when I went back for tuition, I’ve blessed whoever came for my class that day. A P3 student even asked me, “Miss Ng, can you bless my friends, my papa, my mama, my grandparents and my brother?” of course I say yes! And I asked him to invited them to come down and I’ll bless them.

To God be the glory!

God uses the small things!

It is the the period of the 100K has gone full steam ahead and truly I am so much more sensitive to people now, what kind of people are around, what needs they have and how open they are. It is a matter of blessing and knowing them, and from there to pray with them that the gates of heaven will open and they cannot help but be drawn to our God! Here is a testimony from Nicole, from Jiarong's cell as an encouragement for us all.

I prayed for my friend, like Jiarong challenged us, on sunday morning, before I came to church. At first I was quite nervous, because I don't know how to get around to asking the person if I can pray for them. so I prayed before I called my friend. For wisdom to know what to say and so on. Then when I called I didn't straight away ask if I could pray for him. We just started talking about everyday things. One reason why I had decided to call this friend particularly is because his relationship with his mother is very bad. In fact, she sort of kicked him out of her house and told him to go back to live with his grandmother. His grandfather, whom he was very close to, passed away last year and he was really very grieved. So I wanted to bless him. anyway, he is one of my quite close friends.
So I called him, and only at the end when he needed to hang up, then I told him I wanted to pray for him. It was very rushed, because he needed to go help his aunt with something. So I just said, dear God, bless Zhong Han. help him and his mom not to fight. Give him a good day. In Jesus' name, amen.

After that I felt that it was a bit wasted. to say such a short prayer. I didn't think it made much impact. and when you asked me if I had anything to share during the combined cell, I said no, because I really didn't have anything to share.

But when i reached home my friend smsed me and said he wanted to ask me a question. He asked, 'Why must you pray for people before you go to cell?' I think that's a misunderstanding. :) anyway I told him, it's not a must. but we wanted to call someone to bless them. And then he said, 'I want to understand more about being a Christian'. And so I asked him what he wanted to know and he said 'everything'. although he hasn't accepted Christ yet, I believe this is really a miracle because although he knew I was a christian for quite long, he never asked about christianity. So I hope that God will continue to work in his heart and so on. One thing to pray is that his grandmother is a very strong Buddhist and won't allow him to go to church even though he wants to go.

So I just want to testify that God sometimes works when we think we have failed or disappointed him or ourself. yeah. I think God is really building my faith, even in the first few days of the 100K campaign. :)

As we seek to bless the people around us, let us trust that every blessing will spoken will not return void!

Found by His love! - Xiuting's Testimony

My mum brought me to church since I was a little kid and I received Christ when I was 8. I had attended church regularly until Secondary 1 when I started to walk away from God. I came back to Him in Secondary 3 when Yoke Yeong brought me to FCBC in 1999. I persisted in Him until 2001 when I backslid.

But praise the Lord! For I have a friend like Yoke Yeong, who never gave up on me. In October last year, she asked me to return to FCBC. I obliged and I am so happy that I did. I needed a breakthrough in my life and felt that it was time for me to return to God. That I had enough fun and it is time for me to do the things that God wants me to. Yoke Yeong introduced me to Sharon, my funny and funky spiritual mother, and my fellow sisters-in-Christ, who treated me with such warmth and love on the very first day I got to know them. From Jia Hui and Joanna, I learned that chronological age does not translate into one’s spiritual maturity. I was so surprised by the steadfastness of their faith in God, despite their youth. Jia Hui, especially, showed much leadership and maturity in quite a few situations. Through Jingyi, I’ve learned that I could be freely open about my opinions and experiences with God.

These few months have been exciting for me because I've attended quite a few church activities in which God had shown His purpose & love for me.

During our network retreat, through Mabel, God pointed out to me and reminded me that before I was even born, He was already thinking of me, knew and understood who I was. That I was chosen (along with many others) and He is confident that I would be a good warrior of His light. He touched me so much with Jeremiah 1:1-10. How amazing is His love that even before I was born, He already knew me and had me in His mind?

During Encounter Weekend, God showed His immense love for me. The Holy Spirit revealed to me the anger that I had been accumulating because of my earthly father. He gave me this vision through which I was brought back to my grandfather's house where I spent most of my childhood. It was a very warm and touching scene. I saw myself as a small tiny baby wrapped in cloth as my earthly father gently picked me up from my pram and cradled me in his arms. Then he put my body to his shoulders and patted my back. It was a heart-wrenching moment for me. All these years I've been building a pile of anger because I felt that my father was very useless in contributing to the family. I've failed to see that he has been working so hard for us, I had never been there to see how difficult it is for him. All these years I've never told my father that I felt that he was useless. But God knew that I had to resolve my anger toward my dad. I believe He gave me this vision to remind me of my dad's love for me. So I'm really thankful for that.

The Holy Spirit also reminded me of the unkind things that people said to me. He also reminded me of times when I said to myself that I was ugly and fat and times when I didn't even dare to face the mirror for fear that other girls in the toilet would say things like "So fat and yet she wants to look at herself in the mirror”. It was a very painful process for me as I recalled these things. I just wept and released all of my hurt, pain and anger when my encounter guide ministered to me. Through her, God told me that I am beautiful and precious and He created me to be so, right from the start, in my mother's womb. That I am the apple of His eye. That He was always there for me by my side when I was hurt by other people even though I didn’t realize. That I no longer need to be afraid and no longer can be hurt by the words of man for what matters is what God thinks of me. I broke down even further when I heard these because I was touched through and through by His gentle words.

Now I know that I have a purpose in life because of God’s plans for me. Upon reflecting on all of these, I know I am so blessed because I can never ever escape God’s long long arms because of His deep deep love for me.

More than just pull-ups

MY STUDENTS were posed a challenge by their coach the other day. They had been working on their pull-ups at a pair of pull up bars for some time already and had been pushing themselves a bit already. What the coach challenged them to do then was considered almost laughable; only one of thirteen people dared to try it at first. His challenge for them was to cross from one pull up bar to the other. The bars were about 50-80cm away from each other. He showed them it was possible: positioning your hands right, kicking of the wall, then transferring hands from one bar to the next.

One by one they tried, some more than once. They learnt from each other and some of them managed to do it. One guy in particular, had tried, but could not reach the other bar because he was afraid to let go of the bar he was holding onto and as a result of the reluctance and split second delay, he fell onto the mat. But he fell reluctantly letting go of the bar he was holding onto. He was afraid to let go and and trust himself to move. Yet at the same time, he did not want to give up, he did not want to fall. I related so much to that boy. So many times my heart is there wanting to do something, and I am not wanting to give that up, but at the same time, I do not give my all and have faith to move out. My coach used the word, comfortable. We get to comfortable with where we are; we know we must move, so we try, but our hearts are too used to the comfort and find the risk to big to overcome.

It was all in the mind, the coach said. How you tell your body to go on that is important - whatever skills needed, that will come later if your mind is set on it. The coach posed a final challenge to them: to move from one bar to the other by letting go of the bar completely; it meant that one literally had to jump from one bar to the other. He showed it could be done and after that told us he had never done it before.

The battle first starts with the heart of the mind - not the knowledge part, but the part of the mind that echoes what our hearts think.

Lord, help our unbelief. We want to see the victory; we want to see the multitudes.

Depending on God

This is something I have always wondered about: how will I know that I'm trusting God? How will I know that I'm relying on him and not my own strength? Will it feel any different?

There's no easy answer, but there are several symptoms of a dependent heart that we can look out for:

(from dictionary.com, one of my favourite websites! Haha)

To rely, especially for support or maintenance: Children must depend on their parents.

We Don't Worry
This means that we depend on God the same way we depend on our parents. We depend on our parents (ok, at least I do) to provide and for guidance. When I depend on my parents, I mean that everyday when I come home from school I expect my key to still fit in the lock and my bed to still be in my bedroom etc. I don't think twice about it. I don't worry that my house will have disappeared, or that my electricity will be cut off. I don't worry because I rely on my parents to take care of these things.

In the same way, when I rely on God it means that I don't worry about the things he has promised to provide. I don't worry that my sin is too big for God to forgive:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

I don't worry that I won't have enough sleep for tomorrow (something I have been feeling very passionate about lately, hahahaha)

In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves. (Psalm 127:2)

I don't worry that God will forget about me and leave me alone

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

We're Always Thankful

(okok but it's true!)

If you trust someone to do something for you, the natural response is to thank them, right? So one of the symptoms of depending on God is a thankful heart.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. - 1 Chronicles 16:23

The alternative is pretty gruesome:

Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. - Acts 12:23

Like Job, we ought to give thanks whether in good or in bad:

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised." - Job 1:21

We Pray!

We pray because (not as if) our lives depend on God.

Look at the example of Hezekiah:

Hezekiah trusted God. We know because God says so:

Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. - 2 Kings 18:5 (It doesn't get much plainer than this)

In chapter 19, we see what Hezekiah did in the face of opposition: he prayed! If we depend on God, we would cast all our cares on him. We would trust him with all our problems and pour out our concerns to him, and plead with him to deliver us. This is because we know that our lives depend on him!

In the same way you plead with your teachers to extend deadlines (haha I'm a teacher now so I get a lot of it!) because they have the power to (ok not always), if you trust that your lives and family situations depend on God, you will plead with him to deliver you.

- Denise -

Friends or Family in Christ?

Pastor Yeang Cherng shared at our last leaders' meeting a question which I am sure would have crossed the minds of many in our church. One of my friends who joined our church in the last year framed the issue nicely: Why is it that even though we meet at least once a week in church, that we do not get as close to each other as we would with other friends outside of church? The question was simple but cut straight to the heart.

In his sharing, Pastor Yeang Cherng compared how the differences between the role of the family and that of the friend affected the way we related to our friends and our family. Friends are formed based on common grounds - it can be hobbies, interests, lifestyles, age group - and are often to our choosing. Family is given to us. We had no choice, but because of the commitment and responsibility that we have towards each other in the family, the environment is stable and secure and we grow as a result.

Our relationship with Jesus is, in fact, based on similar concepts. Jesus calls us His sons and daughters because before we even knew him, before we were born, He made a deliberate decision to die for our sins. As Eph 1:4-8 says,

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

He did not even have an emotional bond with us and was not even be able to have shared experiences with us since we did not even exist then. But He chose to redeem us still, regardless of how we responded to Him. For Him, commitment came first. Getting to know us and for us to know Him would come later.

He shows he expects the same of us too. We might first be drawn to Him because He understood what we went through, because He delivered us from difficult circumstances or simply because we are 'wowed' by His work on the cross. But He tells us in the bible that we would only be considered His friends if we do what He commands. Sounds absurd to associate friendship with obedience eh? But that is what it says in John 15:14,

"You are my friends if you do what I command."

God wants to test our commitment to Him. It is like the way we test to see if friends are worth keeping, in the effort they put in to keep in contact especially if the common grounds are lost. God does it by testing our obedience, because our response to that test would show Him if we trusted Him and believed that He will fulfill His promises and has our best interest at heart.

Christianity has always been different from all other religions in the sense that being part of a Christian community is one of our key principles. We meet each week in church because we have a common belief in God. Very often, we would not know many people well enough before we enter church and interests, hobbies, things which would bind others together in the secular context take a back seat as we focus on activities that is meant to stimulate our spiritual growth or church/tribe events. Is closeness sacrificed as a result? I would think it sometimes is. But does the lack of feeling mean that there is a lack of love? Perhaps love is better felt in actions than in feeling, in commitment rather than common grounds. Maybe the question to ask is whether we have been the friends that Jesus has called us to be - committed, tested and centred on the development of the other.


karen :)

Yoznet Tribe Meeting - Not Just Knowing the Armor, It's WEARING the Armor

I thought what Ps Yo shared during tribe meeting was very applicable to what was preached on sunday about the armor of God. I thought of some application to what was preached. Indeed, lets' learn to wear the armor, not just know the armor.

I was mediating on God's Word in Ephesians 6 when God brought my attention to the word, "FULL armor". The word "full" was repeated 2 times from Ephesians 6:10-13. The Lord reminded me that we must remember not just to put on selective parts of the armor, but the FULL armor!

The 5 strategies of the evil one in attacking God's people and how we can WEAR the FULL armor of God to fight against the attacks:

1) Deception
Thus we buckle the belt of truth: A COMMITMENT TO KNOW THE TRUTH

Application: Am I reading God's Word consistently and memorizing Bible verses so that you know God's Word?

2) Corruption (causing one to sin)
Thus we put on the breastplate of righteousnes: TO LIVE OUT THE TRUTH

Application: Am I obeying and doing God's Word?

3) Opposition
Thus we put on the sandals of the Gospel of peace: TO ADVANCE THE TRUTH

Application: Am I sharing God's message and the Gospel?

4) Intimidation
Thus we take up the shield of faith: TO BELIEVE IN THE TRUTH

Application: Am I putiing my trust in God's promises and not entertaining doubts?

5) Discouragement (which bring forth helplessness)
Thus we put on the helmet of salvation: To HOLD FAST AND REMAIN IN THE TRUTH

Application: Am I following Jesus faithfully and claiming the power of His Word steadfastly?


- Mabel-

Happy Chinese New Year!

This year's Chinese New Year is more festive than the previous years with Valentine's and Chinese New Year falling on the same week. It also meant that the week was a more hectic one. Pastor's 12 met up for a gathering at Mabel's house (it was quite an experience to have 5-6 people preparing for dinner in a small a kitchen! The other 5--6 people were shaking leg, keke...) and had a time of gift exchange. It was fun we had enough spaghetti to feed two football teams (Lijun had 3 servings in valiant attempt to help finish! We managed to only finish half heh...), soup and our homemade fondue which was really really yummy. The food was definitely good, which was not surprising since we had a good cook (our dearest Pastor Yo!). But more than that, it was the fact that we took time out out to spend with each other and to show each other that we were thinking about each other that made the night special. There was of course the fact that we were spending what most people would see as a romantic night with the spiritual family that made it unique too.

Even though Valentine's is originally a festival that celebrates sex and fertility, I think in choosing to celebrate it the way we did was gave the day a new and different meaning and added value to ourselves by celebrating it. We went beyond just gift-giving or romance, but expressed love that was deliberate, committed and sisterly.

Chinese New Year too is rooted in myth and originated because of the need to chase away a fearsome beast called 'Nian'. But even just like we celebrate Valentine's in a positive way, let's do the same for Chinese New Year. This festival has become for us an important day for families and friends to visit and bless each other. May you think of your families, and ask for a blessing for them and commit to be a blessing to them as well.

Happy and Victorious Chinese New Year people!

Sanctification

We had our yearly sanctification in this month. It was different from the previous years in that it was surprisingly simple. There were some big terms we had to grapple with at times, but in the end the call for all three days had been simple: God was and is inviting us back to the altar to meet with His grace, His love and the truth of His word. It sounds so simple eh, well it was. Perhaps it is because God could speak so much in simple words. No difficult words or complex ideas is needed. He is God and because He is God He hated sin, but He loved us and gave us grace so that we can come before Him with no fear. I was so humbled by all that He showed me that day and could not help but receive His words.

We were challenged at the end of the three days to commit to read His word each day before food. It was a challenge and still is. I am an early bird, but I would always need food to get myself awake first before I can do anything else. To do something else before food usually meant that I would be falling asleep as I tried doing any kind of work. I agreed to do it by faith and it has been rather amazing. Every time I read before I ate, I feel so refreshed and energised for the day even though I had to wake up earlier. Of course there were times when I was late and read at the breakfast table, but the deliberate effort to put God first has become a form of worship in itself.

I am thankful that even as we set apart time to honour God during those three days, He aligned my heart to His, and blessed me more than I could ever bless Him.

An outward declaration of an inward change! - RuoCheng's testimony

I was born into a family that was very deeply rooted in idolatry. From young, I would follow my parents and extended family members to temples everywhere and was, myself, very devoted to Buddhism.

When I was in Primary 6, my father got involved in an industrial accident and broke both legs. This had a very great impact on my family. My mother had to go out to work as a result, and my father was hit by depression. All of a sudden, my parents were taken away from me; my mother by work and my father by depression. As a growing teen, it meant a lot to me that I had people to share my life and my problems, but I could not burden my father with anymore of my troubles and I did not want to add on to my mother’s fatigue after she had had a hard day at work. I had nobody to share my joy and troubles with. I started staying out late because I had lost all reasons to be home early. Even when I had nothing on, I would just stay in school or go out with friends, just so I did not have to go home to packed lunches or dinners. I started spending a lot of time with my friends, for I would always be able to find a listening ear among them, and they were interested in my life. I would spend all day hanging out with them, and even neglected my studies. My parents, especially my mother, saw me as a child turned bad and rebellious, and we were eventually on very bad terms. It became a vicious cycle that I could not see its end.

Our family sought a number of people and religions for the solution to my father’s illness, but our cries went unanswered. Finally last year, my mom met a colleague who is in FCBC, and she brought all of us to church. Within 3 months, my father gave his life to Christ and was cured of depression! We were all very happy for him, but I still did not know personally who this God is. My mother forced me to attend service with them every week, and though I obliged, I was very reluctant.

Until one day in June last year, I heard a voice telling me how foolish I had been to be living my life in such a manner. Then, I just knew it was God talking to me. He surfaced all my feelings of loneliness and showed me what I was doing to my life. He told me He loves me, and He will give me a new life, if I would just believe in Him. That very moment, I gave my life to Him.

Now, I am a child of God, no longer a slave of the evil one! And by His grace, loneliness no longer has any hold over me. Today, my whole family has given our lives to the Lord, and in just a short period of less than 9 months, the Lord has worked miracles in my family. With this common conviction and faith, my parents and I now have many common topics to talk about, and we can just share everything with one another. Through the love of the Lord, I now feel even more deeply the love my parents have for me. They, too, seem to understand me more. We now support and cover each other with prayers and the love of Christ has given our family a new sense of intimacy with each other.

It is a miracle how God can change my family in just 9 months! Praise the Lord!

Sermon by Doug Lambert, 28 Jan

Sermon by Doug Lambert

This week’s sermon is about fear and faith.

“If Jesus said that we can hear the voice of God, why can’t we?”

This is cause, we are scared. Actually, fear is nothing more than faith in the wrong way.
We get to choose whether to believe a lie or the word of God

Romans 8: 14 -17
“.. 14because those who are led by the spirit of God, are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry “Abba father”. 16The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are heirs – heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share his sufferings in order that we may also share his glory.

Isaiah 7:12
“But Ahaz said: “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Faith establishes a man and allows his to make decisions. Fear keeps us from getting what God wants to give us. God wants to speak to a heart that is ready to listen. We must be ready to listen to God’s voice and obey. Many a times, we are afraid that God wants us to do something we don’t want to do. But we must obey and miracles can take place.

“Man does not live by bread alone, but by the word of God.”

After we carry out God’s will, we would like to do it again and again. However, when we posses things, we prevent God from doing what he wants to. As you answer to God’s voice each time you hear it, faith will begin to rise up in you.
You will never know until you try it!

Are you ready to listen to God’s voice and obey him?”


Amanda

Surrender is the key to victory( Sermon on 21 Jan by ps Melyvn)

Sermon by Pastor Melvyn Mak

Title: Surrender is the key to victory

Scripture reading: Phil 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5-11
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”


How can we experience this kind of victory?

1. SONSHIP - encounter God's love as a son/daughter

Philippians 2:5-6
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped


God himself portrayed this sonship through his own son, Jesus Christ while he was baptized by John the Baptist

In Luke 3:22,
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

At that point of time Jesus was only 30 years old and had yet to start his ministry. Although he did nothing to serve God or his ministry, but yet God affirmed him as his son and confirmed his identity and sonship in him. This phrase gave him the endurance and security which brought him right up to the cross.

We shouldn’t seek the approval of our parents/teachers/bosses to feel loved and accepted. Instead, we should place our sense of identity and security in God’s unconditional love. Our worth is not dependent on our performance, rather, we are all precious in God’s sight regardless of our achievements as we are his sons/daughters.

Luke 15 talks about the Prodigal Son.
The father looked out everyday for his son, waiting for him to come home, and when he did, ran out all the way to embrace him. The son himself did not run to the father, but the father to the son. Just like God running towards us, if we repent he will accept us no matter what we have done.

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

The love of God gives us a position of freedom.

John called himself “the disciple Jesus loved” and really believed it with all his heart. John was the only disciple who had the courage to witness Jesus’ death on the cross, and so Jesus assigned him to take care of his mother, Mary. While the rest of the disciples fled, John believed that “perfect love drives out all fear” and he was secure enough in that love to stay on.


Numbers 13:33
We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

______ (fill in your name), the disciple whom Jesus loves!

We will have victory over the inheritance!

2. SURRENDER - Enthrone God's right over your life

Philippians 2: 7- 8
7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[a] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Adam never took ownership of his sin. The devil stirred up the desire within Adam to lead his own life. Adam never repented, but God forgave him. However, the intimacy was broken, and they left the Garden of Eden.

The tower of Babel.

Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Their motivation was to make a name for themselves, not for God.

Although we don’t surrender, God still loves us. But we can never enter into the victory of God.

2 Chronicles 20:33
The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

Does God have a monopoly over your life?

Joyce :D

Warriors of Light - Soldiers of the Cross (sermon by Ps Eugene, 14 Jan)

Sermon today by Pastor Eugene.
Warriors of Light - Soldiers of the Cross
Scripture reading: 2 Timothy 2:3-4

-Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer.

Firstly, let's be reminded of our promise for this year! =)

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.-

So back to the sermon. What does it take to rise up as a warrior of light? Or what is the call of warrior?

-Place your confidence in God, like Paul did.
2 Timothy 1:12 - That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced he is able to guard what I ave entrusted to him for that day.

-Be prepared to be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:10-12 -You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings-what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the LORD rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

-Fight the good fight.
2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Three Aspects of the Warrior's Call

It is a Call To Fight - Going deep in prayer

Our basic duty as a soldier of Christ is SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

2 Timothy 1:6-7 - For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of GOD, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For GOD did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Ephesians 6:12-13 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

P.U.S.H!
Pray Until Something Happens!

Don't quench the Holy Spirit.

It is a Call To Fight Together - Going deep in purpose and patience

The word 'soldier' gives the idea that he/she is part of a larger and greater army, which is the army of GOD. We need a new level of unity, agreement and discipline.

Matthew 18:19-20 - Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

Psalms 133 - How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Deuteronomy 32:30 - How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?

2 Timothy 2:23-25 - Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the LORD's servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

P.U.L.L!
Pursue Unity - Live Love!

Don't quarrel.

A Call to Fight Together to Win - Going deep in passion

2 Timothy 4:6-8 - For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Endurance is a weapon. With endurance we can win.

Revelations 12:11 - They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Always have the end in mind and be driven by eternity!

Romans 5:15 - Therefore, since we have been justified though faith, we have peace with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in whch we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of GOD. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perserverance; character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because GOD has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

P.R.E.S.S
Praise, Rejoice, Endure - Salvation is Sure

Don't Quit.




Finally,

2 Timothy 4:1-2, 5. - In the presence of GOD and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

DON'T QUIT! THE LORD KNOWS WHO ARE HIS! =)


nicole :D

Enter the Year of Victory - Be a warrior of light (Sermon by Ps Khong, 7th Jan)

Theme for 2007: Enter the Year of Victory - Be a Warrior of Light
2 Corinthians 2:12-17

We have just ended the Year of Celebration and now, we enter into the Year of Victory and it's time to rise up and be a Warrior of Light. Basically, that's what Ps Khong talked about during service today; about how we should take a different view of life, and attitudes that
we should have, challenges that we have to take up and arenas where we are given to win people for the Lord. Also, on how we shouldn't just be a Sunday Christian where you act all 'holy' on Sundays and submerge underwater the remaining 6 days of the week. I recall him saying, "Church beings on Monday". So everyday, before you step out of the house, put on the Lord Jesus Christ and show the world who you are because you know a King that's awesome, spread the word and let people know what a wonderful God you have.

The Apostolic Call:
1. God is pleased with the church and I am pleased with the church.
2. God has given us spiritual breakthroughs
3. We will be warriors of God as we enter into the Year of Victory.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place"
- 2 Corinthians 2:14

Let's Enter the Year of Victory - The Spiritual Atmosphere

Three Attitudes:
1. Always thankful (Chang chang gan en) 常常感恩
In everything, be it good or bad, we should give thanks. God has his plans for us, and perhaps maybe something happened because of lessons that we need to learn or to connect us to what would happen in the future. I personally believe that everything happens for a reason, somewhere, somehow. In everything, we should give thanks.

2. Always victorious in Christ (Chang chang kua sheng) 常常夸胜
Claim victory over sin, in healing and that miracles will happen.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall directyour paths."
- Proverbs 3:5-6

Place your confidence in Him, and proclaim it by faith that you will always be victorious in Christ.

3. Always a blessing to all (Chang Chang Zhu Fu) 常常祝福

Let's Become Warriors Of Light - The Personal Challenge
You're a star & I'm a star :D

1. Be Light

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
- Daniel 12:3

" 'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.' You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
- Matthew 5:13-16

2. From Salt

- Matthew 5:13
` Penetration to Presence (Awareness)
` Viablity to Visibility (Acknowledgement)
` Salt to Light (Attractiveness)

3. Be a Warrior

"Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldeir gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer."
- 2 Timothy 2:3-4

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
- 1 Timothy 6:12

Ps Khong made a reference to the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese soldiers were able to defeat the strong army of the Americans because they had the characteristics of a good soldier - endurance. We, as warriors, also have to endure whatever that we may face, and to see that in the end, good will triumph over evil.

Three Arenas:
1. Personal life
2. Family
3. Marketplace

Be the Pastor of your marketplace and win people for the Lord, as well as in your personal/family life.

Key Strategies:
1. Go Deep.. In Christ
2. Look Far.. In vision
3. Ask Big.. In faith

Using the matrix that came together with the bulletin during Sunday's service, to plan out your goals for the year.

It is the Year of Victory, and it's another year where you don't know what to expect. Everyday forms a new chapter/phase in your life, and certain events may just turn your life into topsy turvy town or maybe give it a 180 degree change for the better. Your path ahead for you may be unclear, but have the faith to believe God for opportunities that He'll place in front of You. The year has been lined up with numerous church events so grab hold of the opportunities and share your own personal testimony to your friends and relatives in your arenas to bring them to the Lord.

So be Warriors of light, and shine for God (:


yijing

Expecting the unexpected!

"Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty.
[Zechariah 4:6]

Indeed, it was only last Sunday that I truly understood what this verse means. You know, I have been praying for my cousin Eric to receive Christ for 4 years. That might not seem very long, but that is more than one fifth of my life! Haha. The truth is, i almost gave up praying for him already... I didn't even invite him for Magic of Love (MOL) because every MOL that he came for, he always gave the 'sian' look or was just too sleepy to care about the show.

But last Sunday, when i was waiting to go in front to be prayed for by Ps Khong, I suddenly saw a familiar figure walk pass me. He looked just like my cousin Eric and I found out from my friend Keng San, that it really was Eric and he had received Christ! I was in utter shock. I just cannot stop thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness. Indeed, as the Holy Spirit comes in power, the world will turn to Jesus.

The Lord then brought me back to the very first service we had at Expo in 2006. Pastor Eugene had asked us to ask God for a person's name, whose salvation we were going to trust God for in 2006, and I remember asking God for my cousin's salvation. He had worked beyond my expectations and was faithful in spite of my lapse in prayer. Indeed, my God is a God of EXTRAORDINARY POSSIBILITIES! That is why, i will never stop trusting Him. I am now believing Him for my best friend's salvation, for my extended family's salvations because He is an almighty faithful God.

This year 2007 is indeed a year of victory! I want to prepare myself for that one day when The Lord "will remove the sin of this land in a single day." [Zechariah 3:9-10]. My friends, let us press on to run the race with excellence!

Jiahui
5 Jan 2007

Yoznet 144 Retreat

From the 30th to the 31st of December 2006, we had a retreat at Salvation Army Praisehaven.

Although I was not present for most of the night activities, what I will remember most clearly from the retreat are the goals that Pastor's 12 are setting for the new year, to draw closer to God.

They have inspired me by their example what it really means to go deep in God's word, by each studying 2 books from the Bible - one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. Because of that, one thing I know I will pray for in the coming year is that God will give me a greater desire to really know His word better. I don't want to just read the Bible because I should, but because I really want to.

Of course I will remember how so many of our leaders (like Pastor and Jiarong) were sick, but still tirelessly serving God. They have really shown us what it means to serve God with commitment and dedication!

At the retreat, I also had the chance to get to know a lot more people in yoznet. It's really amazing to be in a family where everybody loves God and loves one another :) I know that in the coming year, God will continue to bless these friendships we've started to build at the retreat.

-Denise :D

changes!

As you noticed, there have been some changes! I'm sorry that some of the posts were changed slightly! This is because some of the picture links were broken, and when I changed them, I think some other stuff got changed along the way!

Anyway, we will be posting more stuff soon, so please wait in great suspense and anticipation :D watch this space!