Followers

Saturday, May 10, 2008

think think think..

Do all religions lead to God? Actually they do. All but one leads to His judgment, and only one leads to His forgiveness and eternal life—Christianity. No matter what religion one adheres to, everyone will meet God after death (Hebrews 9:27). All religions lead to God, but only one religion will result in God's acceptance, because only through His divine plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone approach Him with confidence. The decision to embrace the truth about God is an important one for a simple reason: eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. This is why right thinking about God is so critical.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

CONFESSION

When should we confess our sins?
A very good question that i am reflecting on tonight...

LEVITICUS 5:5... " `When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned.

Luke 15:18... I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

JAMES 5:16... Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
God always use the feeling of guilt in my conscience to help me know that it is time to apologize or confess my wrongdoing.
Sinning shamelessly, without a sense of guilt, is an abnormal way of shutting God out.
If i don't have the desire to have my sins forgiven, God will not forgive them.
I should ask God to reveal actions and thoughts that i'm not even aware of that displeases Him.
That is why reflecting is very important.
Do i ever feel guilty for the things that i have said or done to other people?
Then, it is time to apologize and seek forgiveness.
Confession is an indication that i desire to have my sins forgiven.
Lord, please remove my guilt, restore my joy and willing obedience, and heal my broken soul.
Amen.

Monday, May 5, 2008

"Communication"


How does God communicate with me?



HEB 1:1...In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
HEB 1:2...but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
JN 16:15 ...All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
PS 19:1...The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
PS 19:2...Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.


God speaks through His Word, so read it daily.

He speaks through His Son, Jesus, so talk to Him daily.

He speaks through His Holy Spirit, so pause to listen as He counsels your heart and mind.

He speaks through His creation, so take time to see Him in it.

and He speaks through othe people, so be fed through the teaching, preaching and advice of other believers.

listening to all the ways God speaks to you is the best way to discover his unchanging qualities and His purposes for your life.


-so start communicating...if u have paused it before, resatrt the connection....-

Routine


How can i make prayer a part of my daily routine?

God's response in the Scripture:

1. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4).

2. The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven (Nehemiah 2:4).

3. They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed." But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands." (Nehemiah 6:9)

The Book of Nehemiah was one of our major text for Homiletics class last year. My favourite chapter is Nehemiah 8:10 but I did not get to preach on it, instead I preached on chapter 4.

I choose to use Nehemiah here because he is one of the best example of man in the Bible to turn to God IN PRAYER whenever things r getting tougher and there were dead ends on every corner of his life.

This is my reflection for today:

Take a lesson from nehemiah. He communicated at length with God through prayer and fasting. At other times, he prayed to God at a moment's notice when he needed God's help in an urgent matter. He prayed for protection and strength.

Making prayer a habit begins with conciously making time for prayer, but after a while it will soon become second nature as you walk and talk with God throughout the day.

Prayer should be as natural as breathing.

Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
(Nehemiah 8:6).


-'7 eleven prayer' with Rod: 7 am and 11 pm daily!-

relationship with JC


One day i am going to be out there in the real ministry.

Things will be very different from my weekend practical or year-end-practical.

I can't afford to make even a simple mistake in my future ministry.

Congregations are getting more and more advance and complicated.

The people who will sit and listen to my preaching IS NOT the same group 20 years ago.

They will not be the same people.

Most of them are highly educated.

Many will possess degree and head-knowledge, perhaps better than mine.

Many will have the access to Chrisitians resources in the net.

So...WHAT can I do to remain as an effective and a non-mantenance priest?

TIME WITH GOD.

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

The diffrerence between Jesus and the Pharisees during His time was 'an intimate and close relationship with The Father'.

The Pharisees are very good in religious issues.

They were the ones who have the head knowledge about God.

But they are far....Pharisee (FAR-u-see?)

Far from God.

Jesus set a good example for His believers.

THE RELATIONSHIP.

It really is important. But to label it as a degree to judge a person's faith, is a sad thing and we should draw a fine line on that.

God sees our hearts.

Therefore, if I am to go out there to work in the field...

The harvest will be a tough thing to harvest and handle.

But again, just like Jesus and the Pharisees, although they have the same head-knowledge about God but they don't have the relationship with The Father like Jesus does.

That will be the difference and the advantage that should keep me revitalized and refreshed to catch up with the new generations of Christians in my future ministry.

I thank You Father for speaking to me about this issue tonight.

Keep on giving me new revelations of my ministry as I journey side by side with You, Father.

I thank You for this calling, for this life and for the Redeemer's blood on the cross.


(John 8:19) Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also."


-Pastor Rock's daily reflection-




Sunday, May 4, 2008

cinta dalam hati

mungkin ini memang jalan takdirku
mengagumi tanpa di cintai
tak mengapa bagiku asal kau pun bahagia
dalam hidupmu
dalam hidupmu
telah lama kupendam perasaan itu
menunggu hatimu menyambut diriku
tak mengapa bagiku cintaimu pun adalah bahagia untukku
bahagia untukku
bahagia untukku....
ku ingin kau tahu
diriku di sini menanti dirimu
meski ku tunggu hingga ujung waktuku
dan berharap rasa ini kan abadi untuk selamanya
dan izinkan aku memeluk dirimu kali ini saja
tuk ucapkan selamat tinggal untuk selamanya
dan biarkan rasa ini bahagia untuk sekejap saja

my harmonicas and my lips....!















When ppl see my lips, they always give me remarks saying that i smoke etc. coz my lips are VERY VERY RED and always easily get cracked if the weather is hot.



To many ppl's dissapointment (failure to find my fault and flaw), i dont smoke. I HATE IT. I dont have to use scriptural defense to discredit smoking, it's just that it is BAD. i hope ppl can see the difference when i use the word 'bad'. There are hundreds of reasons to quit smoking that i can give here but this is not the place. U can verify with my family members or get a copy of my x-ray. it is CLEANnnnn...huhu...


And for the 2nd dissapointment (for my sister Pat), i dont use lipsticks or lips balm just to ensure that my lips look gorgeous LOL...maybe i'm born with it..!






Actually i do rub my lips a lot- against my two harmonicas!



right now i have 'Suzuki Winner' and the legendary 'Hohner Puck' harmonicas.







Named after a mischievous sprite from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nightís Dream," this petite harmonica first produced in the 1920s has stainless steel covers and a plastic comb. Less than three inches long, the bright-sounding Hohner Puck is small enough to tuck into even the smallest shirt pocket! Comes in a sturdy plastic harmonica case.
I love to amaze my friends by playing my guitar and harmonica- both at the same time!
At first, it was hard to play both instruments at the same time for it is very confusing. Later, after trials and errors (mostly errors) i manage to play simple songs with both instruments at the same time.
I have been playing harmonicas since 2001, in fact i think harmonica is the first musical instrument that i seriuosly indulged with then guitars and drums and keyboards.
So, this is my tips for ppl out there: To get a natural red lips, start playing a harmonica, NOW!

communication



What does God desire in my communication with Him?


God’s response:


If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

(Psalm 62:8)


Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)


"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

(Luke 22:42).

God honors the humble and acknowledges their prayers (1 Peter 5:6, Daniel 10: 12). When you come to God in humility, your prayers are more aligned with His plans for you because you recognize that He is sovereign. His will for your life will lead you toward what is good and right and away from sin and harm. Before you step out boldly, fall to your knees humbly.

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:7-8)