The 4 Fs of Adult Life

by Rev. James Wong

Wisdom comes with age although age does not necessarily mean wisdom. Success is always dependent on the priorities you set in your life. If you do not think about your priorities you are just like a captain in a ship that allows the wind to decide on your destination.

Having goals is just one side of the coin. How you prioritize your goals will decide on the level of your success. A lot of possibilities of success become mere failures because of wrong priority.

Young working adults have many goals such as starting a family, having a good career, saving enough money for a house, having good fun and meaningful friendship, living with clear purpose, continuing education, owning a sport car, going for an annual holiday and etc. But wrong priority will get the person into trouble. If a young man spends all the money he has on an expensive sport car and exotic holidays he will deny himself the opportunity of owning a house. The house comes before the sport car unless he can afford both. Priority helps us to know what is truly important.

What is the right priority? I believe the following priorities should not be mixed up to live a successful and meaningful life. In each of the following areas we need to sow enough to reap the results.

1. Faith
The Greatest Commandment is to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). We owe our existence to the creator God. It is grace to be alive. Our daily devotion, reading the Bible, attending worship services and serving in ministries are ways to keep ourselves growing strong in our faith and in our relationships with God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor of our soul.

2. Family
“The man who brings trouble on his family will have nothing at the end” (Proverbs 11:29 TEV). Many families fall apart because of pure neglect or irresponsible dads and mums. The family is the greatest gift that God has given to us and we have the responsibility of spending enough meaningful time with the family members.

3. Finance
Money is a science and also an art. It is irresponsible to say that “I trust God and I don’t need to know anything about money.” “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.” (Prov 13:11 NLT). We need to grow in our wisdom with money by getting financial education so that we will always be master over our money.

4. Friendship
“… A real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NLT). Jesus called his disciples his friends because the time had come for him to relate to them on the same level: he told them everything (John 15:15) he received from God. Lives become meaningful and colorful when we have good friends with whom we can serve and share our lives.

Priorities That Make A Difference

The 4Fs of Adult Life

1. FAITH
Putting God first will put order to the rest of your life. Nothing will pull you down when you have faith in God.
37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ~Matt 22:37-39 (NIV)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” ~Heb 11:6 (NIV)

2. FAMILY
Many people bring trouble on their families by sheer neglect or abuse. You sow what you reap. Nothing is automatic.
“The man who brings trouble on his family will have nothing at the end” ~Proverbs 11:29 (TEV).

“Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” ~Eph 4:29 (NLT)

3. FINANCE
It is important to be financially sound. You need wisdom about money to manage the wealth that God has given you.
“Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.” ~Prov 13:11 (NLT)

“Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” ~Prov 17:16 (NIV)

4. FRIENDSHIP
Good friendship enrich and bring colors to your life. Invest your time in building meaningful friendship.
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” ~Prov 18:24 (NIV)

“Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” ~2 Tim 4:12-13 (NIV)

What Is Success?

Guard Your Children's Spiritual Growth (5)

The Alpha Course

The BB & GB Anniversary Celebration

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

Digital Infidelity

by Rev. James Wong

She was in the toilet for a long time with the door closely shut. Something was amiss. He heard her speaking softly on her phone. When he questioned her later she became very defensive and overtly protective over her phone. She was constantly on the phone and texting repeatedly but always away from the view of her husband. But when her husband suddenly came from the back and snatched away her phone, she went berserk and then pleaded to have her phone back because the memory on her phone would betray her secret relationship. Yes, she was having a secret boy friend.

Many men and women keep secret relationships today. In the digital world, it is so easy to make friends around the office, neighborhood and also around the globe through chat rooms and dating sites and other channels. We can become unfaithful without appearing unfaithful.

John (not his real name) was on the computer and when his wife walked near him he fumbled and switch off his computer by the main switch. This raised the suspicion of his wife. She didn't raise the alarm but she went on a quiet investigation spree. When John was not aware, she looked at the call records in his phone and also read the text messages he received and sent. To her horror, she found that many of those messages contain sexual overtones written to a lady. She searched his computer and read his emails and found that her husband exchanged very intimate bedroom information with a number of women and there was this proposed meeting coming up. She confronted her husband but he insisted that those communications was just for fun ‘play play only.’ But no woman in her right mind would believe in such impropriety and lies.

The modern technology of communication has given us new avenues of connecting with other people with the same sex or opposite sex. Even healthy marriages is not immune to the temptation of being unfaithful to one’s spouse digitally. Physically, there might not be any intimacy but emotionally an improper relationship might be brewing when there is intimate communication and feelings involved in the friendship that warrants secrecy. ‘Sexting’ (sending nude pictures of oneself) to another person is common and the web-cam can be used to see each other in nude, an activity our spouse will never approve of. Men and women live with secret lies, hiding from their spouses.

How do you know whether you are becoming unfaithful to your spouse? When you need to hide your phone or your online activities from your spouse. Jesus says that as far as adultery is concerned in a marriage, “looking at a woman lustfully” is already committing the sin of adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). This is the reason the Bible says in Hebrews 13:44 (MSG) “Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex.” You can be digitally unfaithful to your spouse.

Don't Quit During Training...

Protect Your Children's Minds (4)

The Alpha Course

God Is Calling

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

Signs of the New Generation

by Rev. James Wong

There are many Christians who don’t bring their Bibles to Church. Not because they do not have the habit to do so, they have their bibles in their mobile phones or PDA (Personal digital assistant).

The electronic Bible is so convenient that you can easily download them from the internet free of charge and store them in your hand phone for ease of carrying and reading. In my PDA phone I carry 9 bibles of various versions, two study Bibles, two Bible dictionaries, a theological dictionary, a topical Bible, commentaries and many others. In their physical form, it will be impossible to bring all these books with me wherever I go but in their electronic format they cause no physical weight except to take up some space in my SD Card (Secure Digital memory card).

Few months ago I met this lady pastor from Korea and she was using an iPhone and our conversation touched on that remarkable devise. She said the iPhone changed her life literally. She could connect with her office in Korea wherever she wants and she could receive mails while on the move. Her pictures, video clips, church music, reading and reference materials were in her phone. She went on to show me the other numerous functions of that phone that could help her to be efficient. She is tech-savvy and she has caught up with the Generation Z & A. what is this Generation Z & A?

Probably you have heard about the baby Boomers Generation, Generation X or Generation Y and now the Generation Z & A. There are different characteristics about each of these generations. Their needs are diverse and their mindset and outlook of life are quite different too. Understanding these different generations will enable us to relate well with them.

Often parents complain that their children are addicted to the computer. In fact the computer or the laptop computer has become a centre piece of equipment in their lives. It is their music centre, their connection center to all their friends, learning centre, game centre, enjoyment centre and also their study centre. A lot of parents have found out that the effective way for them to communicate with their children is learning the modern way of communication, speaking to them through free skype video calls, sms, emails or most importantly, facebook.

Jesus taught about the importance of reading and understanding the signs of the times in Matthew 16:3. We must learn to read the signs of the new generation to communicate with them effectively. Let us learn to read the signs. (Please see page 9 for more detail)

"Reading the Signs." Understanding the Different Generations

When You Get Kicked in the Rear, You Know You're Out in Front

Pray continually for your children (3)

Exercising Spiritual Authority Through Prayer

The Council of Churches of Malaysia

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

Discipleship Making Series

by Rev. James Wong

The vision of the English General Council (EGC) is ‘Advancing the Gospel through Leadership and Discipleship.’

Leadership: One of the functions of the English General Council (EGC) is to promote spiritual leadership development among all the churches by organizing leadership seminars and encourage our pastors to emphasize the importance of this aspect of development in the church. We strive to impress upon our council members and all those who are serving in ministries or life groups to look upon themselves as leaders of the church on whom the task of leadership has been entrusted to them, first of all by God and secondly, also by the church.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church (Acts 14:23) to provide leadership and those who are serving in leadership must take the responsibility seriously (Rom 12:8). The reason is obvious; leadership determines the success or failure of the church, or for any church ministry for that matter. The greatest asset in any organization is the people, especially key people. In the church, the pastoral team, council members and all those who are serving in the ministries of the church are the key people to serve the rest.

Discipleship: The other aspect of our vision is in the area of discipleship. EGC has organized the T-Net Discipleship Training (Intentional Discipleship Network) for our pastors and church leaders. We have also invited other churches to join us on a three year journey to help our churches to become intentional in discipleship making. The course is substantial in terms of content.

According to a survey, 70% of believers who went to KL backslide in their faith. Could it be that they were not discipled properly in the faith? There was no depth in their faith.

Discipleship is the primary work of the church. Bill Hull who wrote the book Jesus Christ Disciple Maker says: “Making disciples is indeed the primary and exclusive work of the church.” The mandate of the church is “Go and make disciples of all nation” (Matthew 28:19). The purpose of evangelism is to make disciples not just to get people into the church to attend church services.

Jesus led his followers through four phases: (1) Come and see (2) Come and follow me (3) Come and be with me and (4) Remain in me. Each phase has its own characteristics and it is also sequential. A person can move through the phases starting as a new believer and eventually becoming a leader. So, starting this week I still start a Discipleship Making series and we will begin by taking a closer look at the Great Commission.

In-Depth Look at the Great Commission

Teach Your Children God's Word (2)

Exercising Spiritual Authority Through Prayer

Smart Hero - Children Holiday Camp

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

Uniting With Other Churches

by Rev. James Wong

When Jesus prayed for his 12 disciples he said:
“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:11 NIV).

When Jesus prayed for all the believers he said:
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23 NIV).

Some of these elements in our lives have set us apart even within our own Christian circles; language, education, culture, race, religious exposures, expectations, experiences, perspectives, lack of compassion and respect, or pure ignorance of the central themes of the biblical teaching. Yet according to the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ, the power of our witness for Him lies in the unity of the Christian community, which of course include the unity in the local church. When there is no unity there is no more witness. God can bless a church with a lot of diversities but He cannot bless a church that is divided. It is against his will. This is the reason why ecumenism (the unity between Christian churches) is a foundation of our Christian existence in witnessing for Christ.

I attended the 13th Triennial General Assembly of the Council of churches of Malaysia in beautiful Sibu, Sarawak by the banks of the mighty Rejang river from 22-24 June.. Together with me were Bishop Dr. Thomas Tsen, our President Datuk Peter Lee, Dean of the BM General council Rev. William Lo and Dean of the Chinese General Council Rev, Chung Hee Ming. There were altogether 94 delegates representing diverse churches and a few Christian organizations all over Malaysia.

Under the theme, “Upholding the Truth in Love,” the delegates worshipped, prayed and reflected on what it means to live in bold witness in our country of Malaysia. Bishop Rt. Rev. Kumara B.S. Illangasinghe of Sri Lanka led in a series of bible studies. In the plenary discussion on the state of Malaysian society today, the two invited distinguished speakers were Dr. Farish Noor, (a Muslim Malaysian political scientist and historian) and Dr. Patricia Nartinez whose specialization is in Islam in Malaysia and SEAsia.

Their views on the pluralistic Malaysian society was enlightening. If we think of ourselves as Christians, we are in the minority but if we think of ourselves as Malaysians, we are in the majority. The approach to issues that affect our lives, rights or discrimination, should be deliberated from the perspective of a Malaysian citizen.

The Council of Churches of Malaysia plays a major role in promoting ecumenism among the Malaysia churches and it has become an official voice of the Churches in the country. The council was formed in 1948 and today it is the focal point of ecumenical cooperation and commitment and the instrument of common witness of its member churches and associate organizations.

Our heartiest congratulations to our Bishop Dr. Thomas Tsen for being elected the President of the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM). This is the first time in the history of CCM that the president post goes to BCCM. This position comes with a lot of important responsibilities, not only in the area of church leadership but also in the area of presenting the concerns and needs of the Christian churches to the government at the highest level. Further, the Council has embarked on a 12 million CCM Headquarters project. This is a dream of a decent place to where leaders of Christian faith could meet and dialogue comfortably on matters of faith, harmony and national issues. The building will be a symbol of unity and solidarity among the churches in Malaysia.

To be united takes a lot of understanding, recognizing that every church tradition, church government, style of worship, emphasis, practices and theology are relevant in the context of each church. Therefore, we need to respect and support each other. Never criticize or speak negatively about another church. God needs all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.

Leadership in the Home

Help your children know God (1)

Allah row: Court puts off SIB hearing again

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

The Pastor Who Almost Failed As A Father

by Rev. James Wong

This pastor was so busy. He came home very late in the evening, not just for one week but consistently for months. He was working on a very important project—writing and editing Sunday School materials for publication. When he arrived home his two daughters were asleep. Whey they woke up for school the next day he was still in bed. His two daughters could hardly see his face.

Every evening when he arrived home he would quietly go into his daughters’ room and lightly give each of them a kiss. He missed them too. The church work load was great and urgent and he struggled within between getting the work done and spending time with his family. All through his regular absence from home, his wife was understanding otherwise his marriage would have fallen apart. It is so easy to think that serving God takes priority over one’s family. In fact, this is the way most pastors would quiet the voice of conscience within them when they are unable to cope with the demands of the job and not much result to be seen in their efforts.

One evening, as usual, he kissed his daughters and as he was about to leave the room, the younger daughter called “Daddy.” He was surprised. He returned and sat beside her. “You are not asleep yet?” asked the father. “No” replied her daughter. “I am waiting for you tonight because I want to take a look at your face. All my friends has a father, but I only have half a father.”

He knew where he had failed and he decided never to be the same again. The pay that he brought home meant very little to the children. His presence was the most precious gift he could give to them. He shed his tears that night and repented from his way of living. He decided to be a good father.

Many years later while his children were celebrating his birthday, they publicly announced that they had the best father in their lives. He made it to be a good father.

When I heard the confession of this pastor, it touched me very much. There is always a danger for us men to be so engrossed in our work that we neglect the most precious gift in our life - the family that God has given to us.

I did not see the value of spending time with children during their significant moments in their lives until it was too late in my life. My children are grown up now and how would they rate me one day. Will I be the best father in their lives? It is a soul searching time for me. I am reminded that “The man who brings trouble on his family will have nothing at the end. …” Proverbs 11:29 (TEV).

Failed Fatherhood

“The man who brings trouble on his family will have nothing at the end…” ~Proverbs 11:29 (TEV)

Great fathers of the Bible …

1. Favoritism—Jacob
3 “Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.” ~Gen 37:3-4 (TEV)

2. Lazy Spiritually—Eli
“Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ...” ~1 Sam 2:22 (NLT)

“I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them.” ~1 Sam 3:13-14

3. Busyness—Samuel
“When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel. 2 The older son was named Joel and the younger one Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But they did not follow their father's example; they were interested only in making money, so they accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly.” ~1 Sam 8:1-3 (TEV)

4. Authoritarian & Insecure—Saul
(After David defeated Goliath) “Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him go back home.” ~1 Sam 18:2 (TEV)

“In their celebration the women sang, "Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands." 8 Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, "For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!" 9 And so he was jealous and suspicious of David from that day on.” ~1 Sam 18:7-9 (TEV)

Saul said to himself, "I'll give Michal to David; I will use her to trap him, and he will be killed by the Philistines." ~1 Sam 18:21 (TEV)

Tips on Being a Good Christian Father

(edited from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/238172/) By Allen Bell

1. Give the television a rest and reconnect with the kids. Get to know your kids and what they are up to. You will find playing games and other non-television related activities will develop a closer personal relationship with your kids.

2. Discipline with love and not with anger." My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." - Proverbs 3: 11-12. Discipline is no doubt the hardest thing in parenting for a father. Work with your children to establish boundaries and appropriate punishments for crossing the line. Consistency is the key to discipline.

3. Make a good impression - lead by example. Your children whether you realize it or not observe your daily behavior. Before you expect godly behavior from your children you have to set an example yourself.

4. Teach your children the ways of the Lord. As a father and head of the family, it is your responsibility to make sure your family is God-centered. Children need to learn to apply godly principles to their lives at an early age. This is not only in church-related matters, but also in every aspect of daily life.

5. Treat your children's mother with respect. Your relationship with your wife is where children first learn about relationships between men and women. When your son sees how you treat your wife with respect, it sets the tone in how he will treat women in the future. For your daughters it will set the standard for future relationships with men and will settle for nothing less than respect in a relationship.

6. Do not be afraid to show affection. Your kids need a hug and an "I love you" just as your wife does. "Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." - Luke 15: 17-24

7. Learn patience and forgiveness. Despite your love and guidance, your children will make mistakes. Your children need to know that you will be patient and forgiving. " The mark of a loving parent is the willingness to forgive." - Luke 15: 17-24

8. When your children speak, make sure you listen. You need to understand before trying to be understood. Many fathers do the wrong thing by laying down the law before listening to their children and trying to understand why their child is acting up. You need to carefully listen to your children to understand from their point of view.

9. The most important thing is to love your children. Make sure you tell your children you love them and show them through your godly character (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

As it has been said before, "anyone can be a father, it takes a special person to be a daddy."

Father's Day

Importance of Father's Day
Father's Day Festival is considered extremely important as it helps to acknowledge the contribution of fathers to individual families and to societies at large. Besides observance of Father's Day provides children an opportunity to express love and respect for their fathers. The sentiment goes a long way in strengthening father-child relationship and consequently in the emotional development of a child.

History of Father's Day
The idea of celebrating Father's Day Festival was given by Ms Sonora Dodd, a loving daughter from Spokane. Her father Henry Jackson Smart single-handedly raised Sonora and five of her siblings after the death of her mother during childbirth. When Sonora attended a Mother's Day Sermon in 1909, she thought that if there is the day to honor mother then there should also be a corresponding day to honor fathers. Sonora worked relentlessly for years to ensure that the idea of Father's Day becomes a reality. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge first recognized Father's Day. In view of the massive popularity of the festival, in 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June.

Over the years, the concept of celebrating Father's Day spread beyond geographical boundaries. Today, millions of children across the world express gratitude for their dads as they celebrate Father's Day festival.

Significance of Father in our Lives
Many people laughed at Sonora Dodd when she gave the concept of having a Father's Day, as traditionally, only mother is regarded as the sole nurturer of a child. The role of father is often relegated to a secondary status as compared to a mother. But all of us know that father is just as important for a child as the mother is. If mothers are the heroes of child rearing, significance of father in the development and emotional well being of a child is no less. Children depend on their father for their spiritual, emotional, physical, financial and social well being. For daughters, father is the ideal man in the world and also the first man they adore, while for sons, father is an idol and the strongest man they aspire to emulate.

Though traditionally father is seen more as a provider and guide for children, the scenario appears significantly changed in nuclear family culture of today. With most husband and wife working, fathers in present times are as involved in the child rearing job as the mothers are. Today, most fathers do not shy away from changing nappy or taking the difficult task of putting the baby to sleep. This cultural change is helping in strengthening father-child relationship and consequently in emotional development of a child and building of stronger family bonds.

Significance of Father's Day Festival
Father's Day Festival gives us the opportunity to express thanks to our Daddy for all their unconditional love and affection. Observance of Father's Day makes fathers feel that their contributions are acknowledged in the society and also by their children. They feel proud of themselves ! Besides by celebrating Father's Day, children come closer to their father. Most often, children take love of their parents for granted. Celebration of Father's Day makes them ponder for a while on the important role their father plays in their life. This helps them appreciate the selfless care and protection provided by their father and hence they come emotionally closer to their dad.

Children must therefore take full opportunity of the day and express their gratitude for fathers with all their heart. The best way to do so is to do small things that daddy appreciates and by saying “I love you, Papa” with a gift of beautiful flower.

(http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/importance-of-fathers-day.html)

Failed Fatherhood

1. What are the 3 positive traits that your father has?

2. Read Gen 37: 3 - 4, what was the result of Jacob’s favoritism towards Joseph? How do we avoid favoritism today?

3. Read 1 Sam 2: 22 & 3: 13 - 14, what is the reason for God’s punishment on his family? What could he has done to avoid judgment?

4. From the study of the life of Samuel, he failed because of his busyness in the Lord’s business. How can we avoid the same trap?

5. Why being authoritarian is not good for a family? Discuss

NCO & YLS Retreat

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week

What Defines Your Life?

by Rev. James Wong

“Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life.” ~Matthew 20:28 (LB)

What defines your life? I like to think of Christian living based on what Jesus said about himself. He said: "Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life" (Matthew 20:28 LB). ‘To serve’; and ‘to give’ defined the life of Jesus Christ.

To serve and to give is at the heart of our Christian life. The goal of Christian maturity is to be in service. We grow up in order to give out. A lot of Bible study without service leads to spiritual stagnation. Christian maturity is for ministry! We move from a consumer to a contributor, from being served to serving and from receiving to giving.

Our daily life should be defined by these two verbs; ‘serving’; and ‘giving’. This means we will inculcate a mentality of serving and giving in the following areas of our life.

1. Church life. Instead of looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me, I am looking for a church where I can serve and be a blessing to others. Most people expect others to serve them. Serving and giving is against our natural inclination. But when we allow serving and giving to define our lives, we go out and seek to serve and give to others. We shift the focus of our lives to living a life of service and giving. If we follow Christ’s example we will not ask “who is going to meet my needs?” but we will ask “whose needs can I meet?”.

2. Work life. In the world of business ‘customer service’ is the key to success. Would your service be the key to your company’s success? If we go to work with the attitude of serving and giving our best to the company that we work for, our job performance will improve by leaps and bounds. Is your work characterized by a spirit of serving and giving? We should get rid of the lassitude at work and seeks to serve and give our best.

3. Family life. We have many expectations in our family or in our marriage. We expect our spouse to treat us in a certain way or do certain things for us to make us happy. Stop that for a moment. To live a life that is defined by serving and giving, ask, “What can I do to serve my family members and what can I give to them to make them feel the love of Christ and experience the beauty and happiness of life?” How can I serve and give to the other members in the family. How can I serve and give to my spouse?

There is a life and death difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated. If you always seek to serve and to give, you are like the Sea of Galilee. What defines your life?

To Be Filled with The Holy Spirit

1. The importance of understanding the Holy Spirit
2. Who is the Holy Spirit?
3. The functions of the Holy Spirit

a. The beginning of the Christian life
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ~ John 3: 3

b. Empowering the Christian
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ~ John 14: 12

c. To illuminate and to teach the Christian
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ~ John 14: 16-17

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ~ John 14: 26

d. The intercessory work of the Holy Spirit
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. ~ Romans 8: 26-27

e. Sanctification in the life of the Christian
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ~ Romans 8: 5-9

f. The holy Spirit bestows gifts to Christian
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. ~ Romans 12: 6-8

4. Implications of a correct understanding of the Holy Spirit.
a. The Holy Spirit is fully divine and is one with God the father and God the Son.

b. Let the Holy Spirit works in and through you.

What Excuse Have You Been Using?

To Be Filled with The Holy Spirit

Pick Your Battles

Kudat Discovery Trip

Church Concerns

Church Activities For This Week