Church Activities For This Week

Doing Something Of Eternal Value

By Rev. James Wong

We all know that we only live once on planet earth. If we ponder on life, none of us want to waste our lives on frivolous things and hope to invest our lives on some endeavors that brings wealth, meaning and most of all, of good value. Ever think of something beyond that. What about doing something of ’Eternal Value’? Yes, not just worldly value but eternal value.

God has given us a task, to be a partner with Him in sharing the Good News of his love, forgiveness, hope and abundant life in following Jesus Christ. This assignment of sharing the gospel is known as our ‘Life Mission’. Jesus said: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18 NIV).

Our Life Vocation
We may have our life vocation as a teacher, doctor, lawyer, homemaker, clerk, engineers, laborer, student, hairdresser, mechanic, nurse, businessman, politician and etc. God has given each one of us special gifts for specific tasks to enable us to make a living and make this world a better place. This is known as our life vocation and it is important that we are successful in this area. On top of our life vocation God has given us a life mission which is the assignment that God has given us to do.

Our Life Mission
This life mission that we receive from God is different from ministry. Our ministry is our service to believers in the body of Christ whereas our mission is our service to the unbelievers of this world. Mission is the assignment that God has given to us to share his message to those who are yet to believe. In fact the word "mission" comes from the Latin word for "sending." Being a Christian includes being sent into the world as a representative of Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18 NIV).

To put it simply, the mission that God has given to us is to introduce people to God. The Bible says, “… God gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making all mankind his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends” (2 Cor 5:18-19
TEV).

The sermon this week will highlight to you the significance of fulfilling this life mission. It is a task that has eternal value. It will impact the eternal destiny of other people. Because of this it is more important than any job, achievement or goal you will reach during your life. Nothing else you do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God. But why are we seldom doing it? Tune to the sermon.

Doing Something Significant With Your Life

Fulfilling Your Life Mission

The Importance of a Life Vocation
The Significance of a Life Mission

“16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.* 17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."* ~Rom 1:16-17 (NLT)

1. IT IS A PRIVILEDGE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ ...” ~Romans 1:16a

“As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” ~John 17:18 (NIV)
“So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" ~2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NLT)

”If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." ~Mark 8:38 (NIV)

2. THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD
“It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” ~Romans 1:16b

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
~Matt 16:18 (NLT)

3. THE GREATEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR SOMEONE
“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." ~Rom 1:17 (NLT)

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” ~Luke 15:7 (NLT)

Lessons On Relationship (Part 8)

Restoring Relationships: Reconciliation, Not Always Resolution
by Rick Warren

"Work hard at living in peace with others" (1 Peter 3:11 NLT).

The seventh biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

It's unrealistic to expect everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant.

We can re-establish a relationship even when we are unable to resolve our differences. Christians often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can disagree without being disagreeable.

The same diamond looks different from different angles. God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm in arm without seeing eye to eye on every issue.

This doesn't mean you give up on finding a solution. You may need to continue discussing and even debating--but you do it in a spirit of harmony. Reconciliation means you bury the hatchet, not necessarily the issue.

With whom do you need to restore fellowship? Pause right now and talk to God about that person. Then pick up the phone and begin the process. The seven steps toward restoring relationships are simple, but they’re not easy. It takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship. That's why Peter urged, "Work hard at living in peace with others" (1 Peter 3:11 NLT).

But when you work for peace, you are doing what God would do. That's why God calls peacemakers his children.

Growing In The Word Series

Word family: Gift, gifted.
_______________________________________
Synonyms: Blessing, talent, ministry, ability, power, endowment, skill. __________________________________________________
Related ideas: Service (ministry), growth and edification, sanctification, God's work, God's providence, the Holy Spirit.
___________________________________________________________________________
Definition: A gift of God is a power or ability bestowed naturally or supernaturally for the purpose of serving God.
___________________________________________________________________________
Greek References: χαρισμα karisma (charisma) 5486 (Strong) cf 5483-5487 δορεα dorea 1431 (Strong) cf 1432-1435
___________________________________________________________________________ Scripture:

The Gift of eternal life
Rom 6:23 “The gift of God is eternal life...”
Rom 11:29 “The gifts and calling of God are unchangeable.”
2Pe 1:3 “...His divine power has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...”

Miraculous and providential gifts
1Co 12:4-11, 28-31 “There are diversities of gifts...”
Jas 1:17 “Every perfect gift is from above... from the Father...”
Eph 4:7 “To each one grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift...”

Using our gifts
1Tm 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift that is in you.”
2Tm 1:6 “Stir up the gift that is in you...”
1Pe 4:10-11 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving...”
___________________________________________________________________________
Comment: Every gift is from God, whether we are born with it or receive it along the way. Therefore we ought to serve God with the gifts he has given us. Our lives have meaning when we endeavour to discover our gifts and to find ways to use them for God's purpose.

How To Explain The Gospel In A Simple Manner

Sometimes we do not know where to start to share the gospel. Here is a simple way to present the gospel truth. It is know as the Romans Road. You need to remember a few verses taken from the book of Romans.

Study the flow and the truth about salvation. When you have committed them to memory, you can share them freely without fear or pressure. It is difficult to share something that you do not know very well. It is important to know the truth about salvation before we can share them with our friends.

Romans 3:23
Man’s Need:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23
Sin’s Penalty:
“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 5:8
God’s Provision
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10
Man’s Response:
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”

Knowing About The Reformation The 95 Thesis

This week we continue to look at the famous 95 Theses that Martin Luther nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg, German in 1517. They are widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Luther used these to display his displeasure with some of the Roman Catholic clergy's abuses, most notably the sale of indulgences; this ultimately gave birth to Protestantism. The following is the continuation of the Theses from last week.

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther
on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.
18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.
19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.
20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of those imposed by himself.
21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;
22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.
24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and high sounding promise of release from penalty.
25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.
27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.
32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.
33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.
35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

Reaching The Easiest To Reach

by Rev. James Wong

As I said last week, we will emphasize the importance of inviting people to church in November and December. This is what Ecclesiastics 10:10 says about the importance of skill: “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.” It takes skill and knowledge to share with people the goodness of following Jesus Christ.

Have you wonder why is it so hard to invite a friend to a church Sunday service or a church event? Why is it so hard to say those few words about the most important person in our life? Why do we hesitate to pass along the best news we have ever heard? Why is it so hard to tell others that we have found a way of surviving death, living forever, being forgiven of our sins, having the word of God for abundant living and tapping into the goodness of God?

1. We must begin with knowing who we can best reach. Who are the people you can best reach? The Gospel is spread primarily through relationships. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). As soon as Andrew followed Jesus he went and told his brother Simon Peter. When Philip believed in Christ he immediately contacted a friend, Nathaniel. Matthew, as we have seen in the past weeks, he invited his ‘kaki’ (tax collectors friends) to an evangelistic dinner party after he decided to follow Jesus. After talking to Christ the woman at the well went back to her village and told the people about Christ.

2. Go after those whom you are most likely to reach. The most effective evangelistic strategy is to reach those whom you have a relationship or you have something in common. They could be your close friends, relatives, business associates, schoolmates, suppliers, customers, neighbors, colleagues, family members and the list goes on. It is easier to talk to a friend than someone who is a stranger.

Very often the fear that we have is a psychological fear—the fear of rejection. How will my friend react and what happen if they reject my invitation? Well, there can only be two answers to an invitation; they either accept your invitation or they reject your invitation. If they accept your invitation—good. If they reject your invitation, they are not rejecting your friendship but just your invitation.

Just remember, how easily we can share the good things we have found in life. For example, we don’t mind sharing with our friends the medicines that are helpful for treating certain diseases. We recommend to friends the type of cars we drive, the good places of dining and etc. What about sharing something interesting you have found in the church service? It could be a verse in the bible that talks about love and why it is important to you. With that you can extend your invitation. Try it.

Salt And Light

Matthew 5: 13-16

Introduction

1. A valuable treasure.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” ~Matthew 13: 45-46

2. The workers are few.
“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’.” ~Matthew 9: 37

3. Jesus challenging us to be the salt and light for Sandakan.
“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.” ~Matthew 5:14-15

Conclusion

Lessons On Relationship (Part 7)

Growing In The Word Series

Word family: Evangelist, evangelism, evangelistic, evangel.
_______________________________________________
Synonyms: Gospel preacher
_______________________________________________
Related ideas: doctrine/teaching, mission, ministry, great commission, word of God.
_____________________________________________________________
Definition: An evangelist is one whose vocation is to preach the gospel or “good message” of Jesus Christ.
_____________________________________________________________
Greek References: ευαγγελιστης euangelistees (evangelist) 2099 (Strong), ευαγγελιζω euangelizo (preaching the gospel) 2097, cf 2095-2099. The word for “gospel” is ευαγγελιον , in which eu=good, and angelion=message. Compare αγγελια angelia (message) 31. Also compare αγγελος angelos (angel) 32.
_____________________________________________________________
Scripture:

The gospel or “evangel” (euangellion)
1Jn 3:11 “This is the message (angelia) which you heard from the beginning...”
Rom 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation...”
Mrk 16:15-16 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation...”
1Co 9:14 “The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”

Preaching the gospel or “evangelism” (euangelizo)
Gal 1:8-9 “If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which [we preached to you and] you received, let him be accursed.”
Rev 14:6 “...an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.”

The gospel preacher or “Evangelist” (euangelistees)
Acts 21:8 “Philip the evangelist”
Eph 4:11-13 “...he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers...”
2Tm 4:5 “Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
___________________________________________________________________

Comment: All who preach the gospel as a vocation are “evangelists” because the word simply means “gospeller” or “goodmessenger”.
(www.simplybible.com)

How To Share The Gospel (Part 1)

Knowing About The Reformation The 95 Thesis

This week we will look at the famous 95 Theses that Martin Luther nailed to the door of a church in Wittenberg, German in 1517. The following is the detail of the Theses.

Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther
on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.

8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.

(Continue next week)

'Allah" ban: Church scores initial victory

Nov 11, 09 7:34pm

Eight parties including seven Islamic religious councils are no longer intervenors in the Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Church's application for a judicial review over the usage of the word "Allah".

High Court judge Lau Bee Lan ruled that based on the Federal Court ruling on Sept 3 in the case of Majlis Agama Islam Selangor vs Bong Boon Chuen & 150 others, the High Court had no jurisdiction to allow intervention in judicial review proceedings under Order 15 Rule 6(2)(b) of the Rules of the High Court 1980.

She then set aside her own order on Aug 3, allowing the eight parties to intervene in the new application by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam for a judicial review over the usage of the word "Allah" in the church's weekly publications of The Herald magazine.

The eight parties are the Islamic religious councils of Perak, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor, Kedah, Johor and Melaka, and the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association. The decision was made in chambers.

Court hearing to kick off on Dec 14

The church's counsel, S Selvarajah, told the media that the court fixed Dec 14 to hear the merits of the case.

Selvarajah said the court should hear the case before Dec 31 as The Herald's publication permit for 2009 would expire on Dec 31.

On Feb 16, Pakiam (right), as the publisher of The Herald, filed a new application for a judicial review after a similar application in 2008 was deemed academic following the expiry of The Herald's publication permit for Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2008.

In the application, naming the Home Ministry and the government as respondents, he is seeking, among others, a declaration that the decision by the respondents on Jan 7, 2009, prohibiting him from using the word "Allah" in the 'Herald-The Catholic Weekly' publication is illegal and that the word "Allah" is not exclusive to the religion of Islam. - Bernama

Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. A warm welcome to all of you. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God in His house this morning.

2. CAROLING PHOTO TAKING
The photo taking for caroling members and church council members will be held on 22nd November after the English service. Please wear our usual caroling uniform of white shirt and dark pants (brothers) and dark skirt (sisters).

3. CHURCH ‘GOTONG-ROYONG’ CLEANING
This afternoon, 2pm, our church will be having a ‘gotong-royong’. All brothers and sisters are encourage to come participate to clean our church. Please bring pails, mops, cloths and other necessary equipments.

4. SUNG SIEW SCHOOLS SPEECH DAY
The Sung Siew Kindergarten and Sung Siew Primary School will have their speech day on the following days. Brothers and sisters are cordially welcome to participate.
18th November, 9:00am. Sung Siew Kindergarten
20th November, 8:30am. Sung Siew Primary School

5. ENGLISH MINISTRY MEETING
All the new English church council members (2010-2011) and the English ministry committee members, please attend the English ministry meeting on 17th November, 7:45pm at Wisma Charis conference room.

6. SANDAKAN INTER-CHURCH CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
This event will be held on 6th December 2009, 7pm at Yu Yuan Hall, mile 4. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Peace, Love And Goodwill Towards All People”. Brothers and sisters are encouraged to join this event to celebrate Christmas with other brothers and sisters in Sandakan.

7. CHRISTMAS AND YEAR END THANKSGIVING OFFERING
Brothers and sisters can hand your Christmas and Year End Thanksgiving Offering to the following persons starting the month of November.
Moo Fah Lin, Lo Lie Meng, Anthony Ying, Elder Lo and Annie Yeo.

8. TALK: SAYING GOODBYE TO THE GENERATION GAP
The Sandakan Parish is organizing a talk “Saying Goodbye To The Generation Gap” on 19th November, 7:30pm at Wisma Basel. The speaker is Dr. Chang Vui Leong, an education professor from Toronto University, Canada. He will deliver a talk on how adults can communicate effectively with youngsters. All brothers and sisters are welcome.

9. BLOOD DONATION CAMPAIGN
The Sandakan Inter Church is organizing a blood donation on 22nd November 2009 at St. Mary’s Parish Hall from 8am - 1pm. Brothers and sisters are welcome to give this precious gift of blood to save lives.

Church Activities For This Week

November & December: Bring A Friend To Church

by Rev. James Wong

The following report gives us a good understanding about ‘How to make a church grow.’

HARTFORD, CT (December 11, 2006) – Contemporary worship, geographic location, a website and the absence of conflict are key factors in why some congregations in America are growing, according to the latest national survey of U.S. faith communities, written by C. Kirk Hadaway, Director of Research at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.

The survey, sponsored by the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, found that wanting to grow is not enough. Congregations that grow must plan for growth: “Congregations that developed a plan to recruit members in the last year were much more likely to grow than congregations that had not.” (Full report can be found in this site: http://fact.hartsem.edu/Press/churchgrowth.htm).

Here are two truths about growing our church today.

(1) Growth must be intentional. This means, we must intentionally plan to make our church grow in terms of numbers. “Go and make disciples of all nations” must be understood in numbers. Without the numbers, which is the quantity, you don’t have the chance of making people into disciples. The rational is simple. If you don’t have the people, you cannot have disciples. The shepherd left the 99 sheep and look for the one lost sheep! Both quantity and quality are equally important. Growth must be intentional. Therefore, we must get into actions, programs, systems, procedures, events, planning, connections and etc. that can bring people to church. We must have intentional action to make it happen. The harvest is plentiful, but the problem is with the shortage of workers; people who work in the field to take in the harvest.

(2) Growth through personal invitation. Most churches rely primarily on people inviting other people. There are still many empty seats in our church today. Imagine, if everyone of us invite a friend, very soon all the empty seats will be taken up. We all have the responsibility to make our church grow, which is, to bring others to Christ for this is our life mission. We must intentionally plan this in our lives and then send out the invitation. I invite you to invite your friend. The naked truth is that people will not come to church without being invited. Matthew invited his friends to meet Jesus after he followed Christ. What about you and me?

Lessons On Relationship (Part 6)

Restoring Relationships:
Fix Problem, Not Blame
by Rick Warren

"A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire" (Proverbs 15:1 Msg).
————————————————————————————————————

The fifth biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to attack the problem, not the person. You cannot fix the problem if you're consumed with fixing the blame. You must choose between the two. The Bible says, "A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire" (Prov. 15:1 Msg).

You will never get your point across by being cross, so choose your words wisely. A soft answer is always better than a sarcastic one.

In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say. If you say it offensively, it will be received defensively. God tells us, "A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is" (Prov. 16:21 TEV).

Nagging never works. You are never persuasive when you're abrasive.

During the Cold War, both sides agreed that some weapons were so destructive they should never be used. For the sake of fellowship, you must destroy your arsenal of relational nuclear weapons, including condemning, belittling, comparing, labeling, insulting, condescending, and being sarcastic.

Paul sums it up this way: "Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you" (Eph. 4:29 TEV).

Growing In The Word Series

Word family: Christ, Christian.
————————————————–————————————

Synonyms: Messiah
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Related ideas: Kingship (combined with priesthood), the church, prophecy, salvation
_____________________________________________________________
Definition: “Christ” and “Christian” are proper names. Christian means one belonging to Christ and a follower of him. Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed” (see Lke 4:18, Acts 4:27, Acts 10:38, Heb 1:8-9). This signifies a very special person, uniquely dedicated to God's purpose, and given pre-eminent power and authority from God.
_____________________________________________________________
Greek References: χριστος Christos Christ 5547 (Strong) cf 5548 [Hebrew Messiah 4899 cf 4886], χριστιανος Christianos Christian 5546.
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Scripture:

Messiah (all occurrences)
Dan 9:25-26 “...Messiah the Prince... Messiah will be cut off...”
Jhn 1:41 “We have found the Messiah (which translated means Christ)”
Jhn 4:25 “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ)...”

Christ (twelve typical statements)
Lke 2:11 “...born to you a Saviour who is Christ the Lord”
Jhn 20:31 “...believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God...”
Acts 2:36 “God has made him both Lord and Christ —this Jesus whom you crucified”
Rom 8:17 “...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...”
1Co 1:13 “Is Christ divided?”
1Co 15:3 “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures... was buried... was raised on the third day according to the scriptures...”
Gal 3:26-29 “All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ... all one in Christ Jesus.”

Knowing About The Reformation Day The Five Solas

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF now has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the world representing 68.5 million Christians.

The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.

We have a long history of association with the Lutheran Church of America who assisted us tremendously in rebuilding our churches destroyed in the Second World War. Because of this unique relationship we submitted our application to be a member of LWF in 1978 and it was approved the following year. Since then, we have been closely linked with the LWF family and this also means that, we are Lutheran theologically. It is a requirement that all our pastors attend a course on Lutheranism. Lutheranism is more than “Justification by faith alone.” Read on ...

October 31 is the Reformation Day in which we remember Martin Luther who was originally a Roman Catholic. In 1517, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. His writings sparked the Reformation Movement throughout Europe. He and the other reformers lifted up five solas that they defined as essentials of Christian belief and practice: (1) sola Scriptura (by Scriptures alone), (2) sola fida (by faith alone), (3) sola gratia (by grace alone), (4) solus Christus (by Christ alone) and (5) soli Deo gloria (by glory to God alone). These are the tenets of our faith as a Lutheran.

The reformers reiterated what Paul wrote 15 centuries earlier:

• 
  Sola Scriptura. ”All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives….God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• 
  Sola fida, sola gracia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The holy Scriptures ”have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus” (v.15). We are justified (made right with God by grace (underserved favor) through faith, without need for good works (Ephesians 2:8-9); for Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). And this is all for God’s glory alone.

Let’s reaffirm the five solas of the Christian faith and think about what they mean

CFM Calls For Immediate Release Of 15,000 Bibles

Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome to God’s house. It is indeed a pleasure that we can worship God in His house this morning. A group of youths from BCCM Tamparuli visiting our church from 7th –9th November. May we extend our warm wishes to them and may God’s word, blessings and peace be with you all.

2. DISCUSSION OF THE CHINESE GENERAL COUNCIL AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MOTIONS.
The church council members will meet on 12th November (Thursday), 7:30pm at the Wisma Charis conference room to discuss the Chinese General Council and the General Assembly motions. All the English church council members are required to attend.

3. BB & GB RECHARGE AND PLANNING SESSION
The BB & GB officers and some senior boys and girls will have a “Recharge And Planning Session” from 14th – 15th November at the Sahabat Resort in Lahad Datu. Please remember them in your prayer.

4. CHURCH CLEANING
On 15th November, 2pm, our church is organizing a ‘gotong-royong’ to clean our church. All brothers and sisters are welcome to join in cleaning our church. Please bring pails, mops, cloths and other necessary equipments.

5. SUNG SIEW SCHOOLS SPEECH DAY
The 3 Sung Siew Schools will have their speech day on the following days. Brothers and sisters are cordially welcome to participate.
13th November, 8:30am. Sung Siew Secondary School
18th November, 9:00am. Sung Siew Kindergarten
20th November, 8:30am. Sung Siew Primary School

6. ENGLISH MINISTRY MEETING
All the new English church council members (2010-2011) and the English ministry committee members, please attend the English ministry meeting on 17th November, 7:45pm at Wisma Charis conference room.

7. ENGLISH SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEEE MEETING
The English Sunday School Committee (2010-2011) will meet on 10th November (Tuesday), 7:45pm in the English church office. Committee members please take note.

8. CHRISTMAS AND YEAR END THANKSGIVING OFFERING
Brothers and sisters can hand your Christmas and Year End Thanksgiving Offering to the following persons starting the month of November.
Moo Fah Lin, Lo Lie Meng, Anthony Ying, Elder Lo and Annie Yeo.

9. TALK: SAYING GOODBYE TO THE GENERATION GAP
The Sandakan Parish is organizing a talk “Saying Goodbye To The Generation Gap” on 19th November, 7:30pm at Wisma Basel. The speaker is Dr. Chang Vui Leong, an education professor from Toronto University, Canada. He will deliver a talk on how adults can communicate effectively with youngsters. All brothers and sisters are welcome.

Church Activities For This Week

Turning Point (2): Invite A friend To Church

by Rev. James Wong

“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him”


(Luke 5:27-28 NIV)

Levi was also known as Matthew the tax collector. Jesus broke all the rules about leadership when he chose Levi to be his follower. The reputation of Matthew was notorious. Imagine tax collectors were not allowed to be witnesses in court, and they were excommunicated from the place of worships and all religious activities. These ‘traitors’ of the Jewish people were the ‘rejects’ of the society. Having such a person in the team would be disastrous. However, Jesus saw beyond the current circumstances of this man. He saw what he could be in the future.

When Levi heard the call of Jesus to follow him, that was the defining moment and the turning point of his life. He did three things: (1) ‘He got up from his tax booth.’ It was a moment of decision; an irrevocable decision. (2) ‘He left everything.’ He left behind opportunities to gain wealth, power and connections with the Roman Government. He left behind a life of sinful living. (3) ‘He followed Christ.’ He remained as one of the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ till the end. There is much we can learn from this man.

Luke 5:29 continues with these words: “Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.”

1. Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house and invited his friends. His friends included ’sinners’ from the society (Matt 9:10). It takes a tax collector to reach a tax collector. It takes a sinner to reach a sinner. It takes a friend to reach a friend. How can we lead more people to Christ? Invite your friends to Church. Overwhelmingly, word of mouth invitation is still the most effective marketing method for bringing new people to church. Page 7 gives you some important tips for inviting a friend.

2. Levi took something from the tax booth. Although the bible says Levi left everything to follow Christ, when he left he took his pen with him. Levi was a man who was proficient with his pen due to the nature of his work. Though he left his work behind, he used his skill of writing to pen what is know as the Gospel of Matthew today. This story about the life of Jesus continue to bring transformation of societies in the world. What has God given you that you can use to reach others for Christ? Your wealth, talents, time? Your specific skills? Think about this.

Turning Point Of Life (Part 2)

Luke 5:27-32, 14:16-24

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

~Luke 5:27-28 (NIV)


1. Levi invited his friends to meet Jesus
“Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.” ~Luke 5:29 (NIV)

Excuses for not coming:
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' "But they all alike began to make excuses….” ~Luke 14:16-18 (NIV)

"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
~Luke 14:23-24 (NIV)

2. Levi enabled his friends to hear the gospel
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
~Luke 5:30-31 (NIV)

3. Levi used his writing skill.
“and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.” ~Luke 5:27-28 (NIV)

Levi did not leave everything to follow Jesus. He took his pen with him.

Lessons On Relationship (Part 5)

Restoring Relationships: Confess
by Rick Warren

"First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye" (Matthew 7:5 NLT).

The fourth biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to confess your part of the conflict.

If you're serious about restoring a relationship, you should begin with admitting your own mistakes or sin. Jesus said it's the way to see things more clearly: "First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye" (Matt. 7:5 NLT).

Since we all have blind spots, you may need to ask a third party to help you evaluate your own actions before meeting with the person with whom you have a conflict.

Also, ask God to show you how much of the problem is your fault. Ask, "Am I the problem? Am I being unrealistic, insensitive, or too sensitive?" The Bible says, "If we claim that we're free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves" (1 John 1:8 Msg).

Confession is a powerful tool for reconciliation. Often the way we handle a conflict creates a bigger hurt than the original problem itself. When you begin by humbly admitting your mistakes, it defuses the other person's anger and disarms their attack because they were probably expecting you to be defensive.

Don't make excuses or shift the blame; just honestly own up to any part you have played in the conflict. Accept responsibility for your mistakes and ask for forgiveness.
———————————————————————————————————-
Pause for a moment and search your heart. Where have you gone wrong? Confess your wrongs in the relationship. Don’t say the other person irritated you. You can chose not to be irritated. Was it your attitude that makes it difficult for the other person to live with you? Very often the way people treat you is the way you have been treating people. You get back what you give away! Smile for smile, love for love.

Growing In The Word Series

Word family: Call, calling, called.
————————————————————————————
Synonyms: urging, pleading, inviting, summoning, vocation
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Related ideas: election, predestination, the Holy Spirit, the church
—————————————————————————————————————
Definition: God through the gospel of Christ invites sinners to come to him for forgiveness, and sinners through prayer plead with God for the same. Thus God calls man, and man calls upon God.
———————————————————————————————-—————
Greek References: καλεω kaleo to call, 2564 (Strong), κλησις kleesis calling, 2821, cf παρακλησις parakleesis 3874 and parakleetos, Paraclete, 3875 cf εκκλησια ekklesia church, 1577
———————————————————————————————-—————
Scripture:
The two callings
*Joel 2:28-32 cf Acts 2:21,39 “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord... whom the LORD calls”
*Acts 10:31-33 [Example of Cornelius, showing prayer and preaching as instruments of the two calls]

People calling upon God
*Acts 9:13-14, 22:16 “All who call on Your name... calling upon the name of the Lord”
*Rom 10:12-13 “...the Lord of all abounding in riches to all who call on him.”
*Psa 99:6 “Samuel was among those who called on his name. They called on the name of the LORD and he answered them.”
*Psa 51, Psa 86 [Examples of David calling on God]

God calling people
*Rom 1:1,6-7 “...the called of Jesus Christ ...called as saints”
*Acts 2:38-39 “...the promise is for you, and your children, and for all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call”
*Rev 17:14 “Those who are with the Lamb are the called and chosen and faithful”
*2Th 2:14 “God called you by our gospel”
*2Pe 1:10 “Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.”

Comment: Calling is an important idea in the scriptures, whether it be God calling people by his word, or people calling on God through prayer. The helper in both these processes is the Holy Spirit, the “Paraclete” (He who is “called alongside” to help).
(www.simplybible.com)

5 Principles of Inviting Someone To Church

Fulfilling Your Life Mission

1. Look Around where you live, work, or go to school—this is your mission field. Make a list of names of individuals you know who need Jesus Christ, and commit to pray for the people on your list regularly.

2. Look Up because God changes people through prayer. Pray each day for those on your list, that God will give you opportunities to share His love with them.

3. Look Out for ways to cultivate friendships with each person on your list. Spend time with them. An invitation to dinner or a sporting event will build friendships, which can open the way to talk about Christ. Remember: don’t preach. Listen and be a good friend. Show acts of kindness, concern and love.

4. Look Forward and begin to talk with each person on your list about going to church, going to a cell group meeting, or share with them the sermon topic you heard on Sunday and how it has helped you think. What about giving away a sermon CD? What about giving away a church bulletin which may contain information or short messages that may be helpful or of interest to your friends? What about a birthday card with a Christian message on it? Then, invite them to attend an event such as a Church Concert, life group meeting or Sunday service with you. Choose a specific date, pray, and invite them.

5. Look After those who respond to Christ or even begin to show interest in the Gospel, for they need your encouragement. Planting and watering is part and parcel of leading others to Christ. Focus on the few people that God has given to you.

The most effective means of bringing people to Christ is still through friendship and invitation. Make this the turning point of your life: Give out the invitation and fulfill your life mission.

'Allah' ban: Herald's application decision on Nov 10

Oct 28, 09 7:03pm
The High Court here today fixed Nov 10 to arrive at a decision on whether to set aside or uphold its own order in allowing eight parties to intervene in the matter relating the use of the word "Allah" in the weekly publications of The Herald magazine.

Justice Lau Bee Lan set the date in chambers after hearing submissions from the contesting parties on the Kuala Lumpur Roman Catholic Church's application to set aside the court's order.

Counsel S Selvarajah, who is representing the church, informed the media that the church had submitted to court that based on the Federal Court ruling on Sept 3 in the case of Majlis Agama Islam Selangor vs Bong Boon Chuen & 150 others, the High Court had no jurisdiction to allow intervention in judicial review proceedings under Order 15 Rule 6(2)(b) of the Rules of the High Court 1980.

In opposing the application, one of the interveners' counsel, Abdul Rahim Sinwah, submitted that the eight parties had legal interest to be interveners in the judicial review proceedings.

On Aug 3, the court allowed eight parties, including Islamic religious councils, to be interveners in the new application by Archbishop Murphy Pakiam for a judicial review over the usage of the word "Allah" in the church's publications. In her ruling, Lau had held that the eight parties - the Islamic religious councils of Perak, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor, Kedah, Johor and Malacca, and the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association - had legal interest in the issue.

On Feb 16, Pakiam, as the publisher of The Herald, filed a new application for a judicial review after a similar application in 2008 was deemed academic following the expiry of The Herald's publication permit for Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2008.

In the application, naming the Home Ministry and the government as respondents, he is seeking, among other things, a declaration that the decision by the respondents on Jan 7, 2009, prohibiting him from using the word "Allah" in the "Herald-The Catholic Weekly" publication was illegal and that the word "Allah" was not exclusive to the religion of Islam. –Bernama

'Allah' ban: 15,000 copies of bible seized

Oct 29, 09 5:16pm

The authorities have seized some 15,000 bibles imported from Indonesia because they use the word "Allah" as a translation for God which is banned here, a church leader said today.

"The church uses the bible and it is part of the worshipper's life. There is no reason why it should be confiscated," said Reverend Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia. "The bibles are used in the church," he said, dismissing suggestions by Islamic officials that they could be used to help convert Muslims who make up some 60 percent of the 27 million population.

Shastri said the latest confiscation happened in September when airport authorities in Sarawak seized 10,000 copies of the Indonesian-language bibles which feature the disputed word "Allah". Another 5,000 copies were confiscated in March, he said. "The reason given for the detention of the Scriptures was because they contain banned words," he said.

'Allah' predates Islam
The Catholic Church has waged a two-year legal battle with Malaysian authorities over the use of the word "Allah" as a translation for "God" in its newspaper published here. The Herald newspaper, circulated among the country's 850,000 Catholics, nearly lost its publishing licence last year for using the disputed word in its Malay-language edition. The government has argued that the word "Allah" should be used only by Muslims, who dominate the population of multicultural Malaysia.

The row is one of a string of religious disputes that have erupted in recent years, straining relations between Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who fear the country is being "Islamised".
Shastri said there was no reason to seize the bibles because the use of the word "Allah" predates Islam.

"The word is not sensitive in Indonesia and the Christians use it in the Middle East. It is mainly driven by other motives ... (to project) the dominance of Islam in Malaysia," he said. Officials at the Home Ministry, which Shastri said was involved in the seizure, were not immediately available for comment.

“Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.”
~Proverbs 29:26 (NIV)

Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to God’s house everyone. May God’s word bring hope, encouragement and transformation to our lives.

2. VISITORS FROM SWITZERLAND
A group of brothers and sisters from Mission 21 will be visiting our church on 2nd November. Our church will host a dinner for them on 2nd November, 7:30pm. Brothers and sisters are welcome to join in. Please pay RM15 to sister Yap Pak Shun at the enquiries desk.

3. CHOIR RECRUITMENT
The English congregation choir is recruiting new members. We hope that brothers and sisters could come and join our choir. It will be fun to sing together in the choir. The practice is on every Thursday, from 8:00pm to 9:30pm. All are welcome. Please inform Pr. Lo if you want to join or just drop in on Thursday night.

4. BCCM SANDAKAN 100TH ANNIVERSARY SOUVENIR MAGAZINE
Praise the Lord! The BCCM Sandakan 100th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine is now ready for distribution. To facilitate distribution, on 1st November 2009, the Souvenir Magazine will first be distributed to the contributors of messages / reflections and congratulatory messages, and also to Church Council members. On 8th November, 15 November, 22nd November and 29th November 2009, the magazine will be distributed to church members (based on households). Each household will receive one free copy. Brothers and sisters who wish to purchase extra copies can do so on or after 29th November 2009 (depending on the stock available). However, you can make the order earlier through the persons in charge: Bro. Wong Vui Min (English Congregation) and bro. Tsen Tze Keong (Chinese Congregation). Freewill offering towards the cost of printing the magazine will be very much appreciated. It is hoped that brothers and sisters will enjoy reading the souvenir Magazine and benefit from it.

5. REV. JAMES WONG’S ITINERARY
On 5th November, Rev. James Wong will attend a Joint Mission Consultation at the central council. He will be sharing God’s word with the Youth Fellowship of BCCM Penampang from 6th - 7th November. On 8th November, Rev. James Wong will preach at BCCM Bundusan.

6. CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
The church council will meet today at Wisma Charis conference room, 11:30am.

7. ENGLISH SUNDAY SCHOOL COMMITTEEE MEETING
The English Sunday School Committee (2010-2011) will meet on 10th November 2009. Committee members please take note.

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The church acknowledges with gratitude to their following for their gifts:
Mr. & Mrs. Wong Phit Choi RM200.00
Mr. Kelvin & Edwin Lo RM100.00
Mr. & Mrs. Voo Heng Tet Rm1,000.00

Church Activities For This Week

How Can We Change To Make It Better?

by Rev. James Wong

Bishop Thomas Tsen and Bro. Fung Yin Khun flew in from KK whereas Bro. Lo Lie Meng and I flew in from Sandakan and we met in the KLIA on last Sunday evening. We were going to Seremban for the Global Leadership Summit (19-20 Oct 2009), held at the Agape Gospel Assembly church. The venue was most appropriate because of its modern facility. Just the LCD projector cost RM50,000! There were more than 500 participants.

What is Global Leadership Submit? Here is a brief write up:

“The Willow Creek Association's vision for The Global Leadership Summit is that every Christ-follower with leadership gifts, skills, or aspirations would gather once each year, dedicating themselves to raising their level of leadership on behalf of the local church and other organizations.

We hold a deep belief that if you change a church leader, you can change a church, and if enough churches start changing, you can change an entire region, country, and eventually the world.

In 1995, this belief gave birth to The Leadership Summit. Now, 14 years later, the Summit in North America has grown from 1 site to over 140 sites linked together via satellite and over 65,000 leaders in 2008. And in 2008, The Global Leadership Summit brought together via video-cast over 46,000 people in 114 cities and 50 countries.”

“The Global Leadership Summit is a trusted, high-caliber event that’s designed to transform Christian leaders on behalf of the local church with an annual injection of vision, skill development and inspiration.

Together with your entire leadership team:

• Explore cutting-edge leadership principles from some of the world's foremost leadership experts and communicators
  
• Engage in live, heartfelt worship that will refresh your soul and draw you closer to our great God
  
• Tackle issues unique to leaders, including casting vision, motivating others, self-management, team building, managing volunteers, problem solving, decision making, and much more.”

The two days of seminar was most revealing and inspiring. We had uninterrupted time to listen to world class leaders who have brought significant changes to the world. After each session we had the opportunity to discuss. Leaders must learn to change and adapt to change to achieve maximum impact and results through the local church. “How can we change to make it better” is a question that a good leader must embrace. Let us aspire to be effective leaders for God.

Lessons On Relationship (Part 4)

Restoring Relationships: Sympathize
by Rick Warren

"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).

The third biblical step toward restoring a relationship is to sympathize with the other person's feelings.

Use your ears more than your mouth. Before attempting to solve any disagreement you must first listen to the other's feelings. Paul advised, "Look out for one another's interests, not just for your own" (Philip. 2:4 TEV). The phrase "look out for" is the Greek word skopos, from which we form our words telescope and microscope. It means pay close attention! Focus on their feelings, not the facts. Begin with sympathy, not solutions.

Don't try to talk people out of how they feel at first. Just listen and let them unload emotionally without being defensive. Nod that you understand even when you don't agree. Feelings are not always true or logical. In fact, resentment makes us act and think in foolish ways. David admitted, "When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal" (Psalm 73:21-22 TEV). We all act beastly when hurt.

In contrast, the Bible says, "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense" (Prov. 19:11 NIV). Patience comes from wisdom, and wisdom comes from hearing the perspective of others.

Listening says, "I value your opinion, I care about our relationship, and you matter to me." The cliché is true: People don't care what we know until they know we care.

To restore fellowship "we must bear the 'burden' of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others . . . Let's please the other fellow, not ourselves, and do what is for his good" (Rom. 15:2 LB). It is a sacrifice to patiently absorb the anger of others, especially if it's unfounded.

But remember, this is what Jesus did for you. He endured unfounded, malicious anger in order to save you. "Christ did not indulge his own feelings . . . as scripture says: The insults of those who insult you fall on me" (Rom. 15:3, NJB

Growing In The Word Series

Word family: boldness, boldly.
————————————————————————
Synonyms: Courage, confidence, fearlessness
————————————————————————
Related ideas: Zeal, strength, fear, David & Goliath, Daniel in prayer
——————————————————————————————————————
Definition: Boldness is an attitude of strong confidence in God, such that godly things are said and done openly without fear of the consequences.
——————————————————————————————————————
Greek References: παρρησια parreesia (literally "all speak") 3954 (Strong) cf 3956 pan, all and 4483 reo, spoken
——————————————————————————————————————
Scripture:

Boldness in prayer
Heb 4:16 “...come boldly to the throne of grace...”
Heb 10:19 “...having boldness to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus...”
1Jn 5:14 “...this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us”

Boldness for the Judgment
1Jn 2:28 “...when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed...”
1Jn 4:17-18 “...boldness in the day of judgment... there is no fear in love...”

Boldness in speaking God's word
1Th 2:2-4 “"...we were bold in our God to speak the gospel to you...”
Act 4:29-30 “...Lord grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word...”
2Co 3:12 “...since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech...”
Jhn 7:13 “...no man spoke openly...”

Boldness in life and death
Php 1:20 “"...with all boldness... Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or death.”
Jsh 1:7 (read vv 1-9) “Only be strong and very courageous.”

————————————————————————————————————————
Comment: Boldness is not arrogance. With arrogance, the trust is in self. With boldness, the trust is in God. (source: simplybible.com)

The Legal Implications Of Conversion To Islam

Boys' Brigade Officers' Equipping Conference (OEC)

16-18 October 2009

I attended the above conference which was held in the Methodist Centennial Park, Sibu Sarawak. The purpose of the conference is “shaping leaders, impacting lives”. A total of 46 officers from different states of Malaysia participated in this conference.

Mr. Steven Low was the invited speaker for the conference. He was in the life and General Insurance industry more than 25 years, then he gave his time to serve the Lord. He ministers widely in evangelistic preaching, Bible teaching and discipleship-making through church camps and retreats, short term Bible schools, Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship chapters, Christian Fellowships of school, colleges and universities. He is also the Training Manager of WorldTech (Walk-Thru the Bible) Ministry.

The courses conducted in the conference are very useful not only for the officers of the Boys’ Brigade, but for Sunday school teachers and all who serve in the church ministries. We were reminded that as a disciple of God we must always be alert of our daily and spiritual life, which is, always keep the fire burning (Lev 6:8-13).

What impacted me was on the subject of a leader’s influence and the importance of leaders having the communication skill who can stand out and talk to influence the followers. Christian leaders must be hungry for God’s words, the Bible, which is the greatest leadership guide book. The temptations of leadership were also covered in the conference. I felt very much blessed by God in this conference. It has helped me to learn to be a leader.

Sabah Theological Seminary's Fund Raising Concert

Report by Pr. Lo Shen Loon

On 17th October, the fund raising concert for Sabah Theological Seminary’s Multi Purpose education Centre was smoothly conducted. About 500 persons attended the concert. A 70 plus strong choir led by Preacher Lo and the tambourine group from BCCM Sandakan presented hymns, anthems and songs. 9 students from STS also presented 2 musical items. The principal of STS, Rev. Datuk Dr. Thu shared about the importance of STS to train pastors and lay leaders. He also shared about the needs o f STS, especially about the building project of the Multi Purpose Education Centre. There is still a deficit of Rm3 million and he urged brothers and sisters to help contribute to this deficit. A total of RM72,290 was raised from this concert. May all glory be unto God.

"In addition, other brothers and sisters have also pledged about RM80,000.00 to the project. May all glory be unto God."

Tambourine Dance From BCCM Sandakan

Presentation of Cheque to Sabah Theological Seminary

Choir Presentation

Church Concerns

1. Words of Welcome
Welcome everyone to God’s house. It is indeed good that we can worship God in His house today. May God’s word bring encouragement, hope and transformation to our lives.

2. VISITATION BY ST. MARK LUTHERAN CHURCH
A group of brothers and sisters from St. Mark Lutheran Church will be visiting our church on 28 October (Wednesday). Our church will host a dinner for them on 28 October, 7pm. Brothers and sisters are welcome to join the dinner and the fellowship after dinner. The deadline is today. If you want to join, please register and pay RM15 per person to brother Wong Vui Min.

3. CHOIR RECRUITMENT
The English congregation choir is recruiting new members. We hope that brothers and sisters could come and join our choir. It will be fun to sing together in the choir. The practice is on every Thursday, from 8:00pm to 9:30pm. All are welcome. Please inform Pr. Lo if you want to join or just drop in on Thursday night.

4. SABAH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY’S FUND RAISING CONCERT
This event was smoothly conducted on 17th October. A total of RM72,290 was raised for STS. Thank you, brothers and sisters for your support.

5. ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD
The Church Welfare Committee will give Academic Excellence Award to children of our congregations (English, Chinese & Indah) studying in kindergarten, primary & secondary school. The qualifying academic standard will be based on last year’s (2008) results. Details are posted at the entrance of the church and are also attached to the application form. Application forms are available from the Enquiries table. Please hand in completed application form to Rev. James Wong by 25 October 2009 (today).

6. SUNG SIEW SCHOOLS ANNUAL DINNER
The Annual Dinner of the Sung Siew Schools will be held this coming Saturday, 31st October, 7:30pm at Sabah Hotel Ballroom. Pastors , church council members, school board members and church staff who have confirmed their attendance, please remember to be there on time.

7. ENGLISH AND CHINESE JOINT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING
The English and Chinese Joint Management committee will meet on 29th October, 7:45pm at Wisma Charis Conference Room.

8. PRAYER MEETING
The monthly church prayer meeting on 28th October (Wednesday) has been cancelled due to our church hosting a dinner that evening for brothers and sisters from Brisbane. There will be morning prayer on 29th October (Thursday), 6:45am