The Lord's Prayer

A continuation from brother Gabriel & brother Lionel's post.

Translations of The Lord's Prayer

Thanks be to Gab for last week's memory verse!

Here are two different translations for The Lord's Prayer, King James Version first, followed by the Chinese version.

Enjoy! :)

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

马太福音 6：9－13
“所以你们要这样祈祷：

“ ‘我们在天上的父，
愿你的名被尊为圣，
愿你的国降临，
愿你的旨意成就在地上，
如同在天上一样。
我们每天所需的食物，求你今天赐给我们；
赦免我们的罪，
好像我们饶恕了得罪我们的人；
不要让我们陷入试探，
救我们脱离那恶者。
因为国度，权柄，荣耀，全是你的，直到永远。阿们

Are you thirsty for God?

I didn't buy the Rock Foundation book written by Pastor Rony, but I'm blessed in the way that I do get portion of the book from the teaching materials. I found this part particularly interesting and hope to share with any new believers like myself:

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean really thirsty. So thirsty that your whole body seemed to be crying out for a drink;



so thirsty that your throat felt like it had dry dirt balls in it; so thirsty that you would give anything for a drink.





Ahhhh! That was good. I sure like the nice cool water.





Now, Jesus wasn’t talking about being thirsty for H20 – water. He was talking about being thirsty for God.



He said that if we were thirsty, we would have to do the drinking. And He wants us to be so full of Him that rivers will flow out of us.



When we drink, we satisfy our own thirst, but when the rivers of water flow out of us, the people around us will benefit. We won’t have anything for the world unless we are filled with God – His love and power.




That sounds easy, but how do we drink of God? Well, every time we respond to the Holy Spirit, we take a drink of Him.

When the Holy Spirit begins to move in a service, move with Him. Instead of saying, “I’m not going to do anything unless God makes me”, just jump in!



People respond to the moving of the Holy Spirit in different ways; they laugh, shout, jump around, run, dance, etc. By responding to His move, we are taking a drink. And every time we take a drink, we get more and more filled with God.



It is just like every time I take a drink of this water, I get more filled up with it. Every time I move with the Holy Spirit, I get more of God in me.

John 7:38 (NKJV)
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

In courtesy of Pastor Rony, Rock Foundation Series.

26 Aug 2009: Memory Verse - The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
"This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' "

Many a time have I heard of incidents whereby people modify this verse in context and assume that this is how we should pray. It would go something like "....And lead me not into sickness, but deliver me from the [insert ailment here]."

If one is doing this with the right heart and is truely sincere, I believe that it will be a nice prayer that will be received. However, if one does this with the assumption that it will work, and does it out of ignorance or insincerity, well, perhaps it may not be the most effective of prayers.

I would believe that it was not intended for us to use this prayer as a contextual template to pray effectively. Rather, it is Jesus's teaching of the proper way to pray, not constraining us to the words, but rather showing us a good direction of our prayers.

Before I start explaining, do look at the verses that came before this prayer, especially the part on not doing hypocritical acts of righteousness as well as praying like a hypocrite among the masses, as I find that there is great meaning in those passages as well.

From what I have learnt from this prayer, it is one of servitude and reverence unto God, with the knowledge that God knows our desires and needs.

1. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
   This portion recognises God's reverence, the coming of His kingdom onto this world, as well as acknowledging God's will in all things.


2. "Give us this day our daily bread."
   This part refers to the seeking of God's providence for our needs, which in this case a symbol of our most basic need for sustenance. I tend to see it as representation of all needs, whether physical or spiritual.


3. "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."
   Debts in this case refers to sin, as Jews referred sin as debts in those days. Easily, this verse tells of asking for forgiveness from God, as well as letting God know that just as He has forgiven us, so shall we remember to forgive others that have done us wrong. One good reason for this can be seen in verse Matthew 6:14.


4. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
   The final part asks God not to allow us to fall into temptation, and to deliver us from the schemes of the devil.

So lets summarise:

1. Recognise God's reverence and will in our lives


2. Seek God's providence for our needs


3. Seek forgiveness in our sins, as well as acknowledging our forgiving of others


4. Asking for God to help in our resisting of temptations, and if we do fall into temptation, to deliver us from the devil's scheme

Finally let me conclude with my after-thoughts. Flowery language and complexities do not really add value in prayer. Make it simple, sincere, and always in love, be it love for God or in the love for others. Seek the right motives in prayer, and watch as God's faithfulness blossoms in your life :)

A blessed weekend ahead, till next we meet.

In His service,
Gab

Anointing & Baptism

Samuel 16:13 reads,

“Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers.



Immediately the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on.”



While He was praying, Heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him as a dove.



And a voice called from Heaven, ‘You are my dear Son, I am pleased with You.’”



Luke 3:21-22 read,

“After all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized.



After Jesus had gone back to Heaven, His friends waited together for the Holy Spirit to come to them.



But they didn’t know exactly what would happen.

???????????????????????????????????????????????


Suddenly a rushing wind filled the house.



Tiny flames of fire rested on each person, but no one was hurt. Instead they all began to speak in strange tongues.”

Joy vs Happiness

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." -Nehemiah 8:10-

When I read that the joy of the Lord is my strength, I was contemplating the difference between joy and happiness. A check in the dictionary shows the results below:

- HAPPINESS is an emotion usually directly related to circumstances that are currently happening.

- JOY is attitude of the heart. It is not necessarily based on something positive happening.


Difference?

Happiness is an emotion and temporary; joy is an attitude of the heart.

I may feel happy because I won $10 million through lottery. However, the excitement of gaining the wealth wears off after I spent it. Even if I were to invest the money instead of spending it, I will be happy again only if I profit in the market.

Joy, on the other hand, brings peace in the middle of a storm. We may go through hard times, disappointments and times of testing, but God works through all these to bring us joy. God is always there to help us with our problems, and through the process we find joy. We can rejoice through these testings because the joy of the Lord makes us strong.

Initially, I find it confusing. The phrase says "the joy of the Lord gives me strength". Does it mean that the Lord is joyful and hence, it gives me strength? How can His joy contribute to my strength? Then I found out that I can view it in another perspective. If I were to seek him in times of my trials, He will be joyful and help me through my difficult times. This is where I gain my strength. (God is good and hence, he will be joyful to help us. It is similar to the positive feeling we get when we help the needy. The needy draws strength from us and we feel contented from helping them.)

Satan tries everything in his power to steal your joy by tempting you with things that will temporarily give you happiness but at the same time drift you away from God.

So... Hold on tight to your joy!

05 Aug 09: Memory Verse

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

~ Contributor: Lionel

Karaoke Images Uploaded!

Whoohoo! Finally able to upload! My goodness! :D

The cell's inaugural karaoke-cum-buffet!

Stanley and Gabriel bringing in more food!

My attempt to capture everyone in the shot.

Parting shot!

Announcement Widget

It's a bit amazing that I can spend 3 hours just to get this small widget up. But well it's definitely worth it; looks nicer and more integrated than when it once was. :D

If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, do check the top bit, right below our blog header. It's the coloured rectangle with the name "Announcement." Thought it will be a good-to-have so whenever we come to this page, we will know immediately what, when, and where is the next upcoming event.

As such, I've also decided to remove the "Next Cell" widget, which originally resided in the right column. Did not find the need in having two widgets which serve the same purpose. ;)

Thoughts and feedback are most welcome. :)

20090807 Karaoke-cum-Buffet!

I think blogger is screwed up again and refuses to have that normal text editing bar which allows me to upload photos. :S

Shall post up some photos from our outing when it is up again.

In the meanwhile, do check out the photos that I had taken that night. Enjoy! :)

Holy Spirit and baptism

Praise the Lord! The accident passed with little hoo-ha. Eddie's parents did not make a big fuss and my principal have not yet called me to drink 'kopi' with her. Eddie was vomitting and on tube feeding while he was hospitalized. Thank God he is discharged from the hospital and can be fed via the mouth.



In the subsequent weeks, I will be teaching on the topic of Holy Spirit. To tell you the truth, I have zero knowledge. I believe some children will know the topic better than I do (>o<)! Nevertheless, I must fight the battle and equip myself with the knowledge.



Do let me share the little knowledge that I've gathered. I bet most of you know better than me. Let's begin: v(^o^)v (Say 'yay!')

There are 3 distinct types of baptism:

1. Salvation in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is called the baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. This is what happens when a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior, also called the New Birth.



2. Water Baptism in Acts 22:16 is by a pastor (or other church leader) and is a public testimony of how much the Christian wants to obey and follow Jesus Christ. This baptism is by immersion in water and signifies that the person being baptized understands the need for repentance from sin.



3. Holy Spirit Baptism in Acts 1:8 describes when the Christian allows Jesus to immerse him or her in the Holy Spirit's fullness. This type of baptism is also referred to in the Bible as the Spirit "falling upon", "coming upon", or being "poured out upon" the Christian.

Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the second most important gift a Christian will receive. A pre-believer cannot receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Once we know the person is a Christian, it is important to explain that God wants all Christians to experience a deeper work of the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Holy Spirit brings more spiritual power for intensified Christian service (see Acts 1:4,5; 1 Corinthians 6:19).

To sidetrack a little, I came across a medical study that proves Holy Spirit praying:



God bless and may you have a victorious week!

Courage is fear turned into prayer

Yesterday, I was holding on to three children and one ran away. One of the children I was still holding on to was mouthing a blunt metal hook tied to a door using a piece of string. In a hurry to get the runaway child back, I said in a stern voice, "Eddie, don't mouth the hook." Then, I pulled his hand towards the direction of the runaway child. The next thing that happened was that I heard a loud shrill. When I looked at Eddie, I was shocked that the hook pierced through his cheek from inside his mouth. I was screaming in my heart, "No!!! God... Tell me what to do..." I was so afraid that he might pull the hook and tear the side of his mouth that I removed it immediately. As I brought him to the first aid room, I was deeply apologetic for causing pain to him.

As I was feeling sorrowful last night, I chanced upon this passage:

We often think that to have courage means to be unafraid, but the opposite seems to be true: courage is the ability to take action despite our fear. When faced with a seemingly insuperable task or situation, a courageous person realizes the limits of her resources; however, she cannot avoid or escape the overpowering situation. The supremacy of that which she must face forces her to her knees, and although the task seems impossible, something within her senses that it is not. As she tackles the impossible, she falls back on another seeming impossibility: God. Because the task at hand exceeds the limits of her abilities, she must resort to something beyond these limits, and here we have the origin of prayer. Prayer is a courageous stand in the face of an overpowering task. The courageous person prays because she is afraid. Hence, courage is a quality of being humble and understanding the limits of our resources.

After reading that, I fell on my knees and waited upon the Lord. I believe things will soon be fine because God said that all things work together for good to those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.

Moses

Problem? No problem.

I am down with a cold and a slight fever these few days. Would like to praise God for all the caring friends who sent me get well wishes (you know who you are) and a message below (Adapted from "How to be your best when you feel the worst" by Casey Treat) :

The apostle Paul had more than his share of challenges. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, he wrote, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Think for a moment about the kinds of challenges he mentioned in this passage. None of them sounds fun.

“Infirmities” literally means sicknesses, diseases, feebleness, or weakness. We rebuke illness. We pray against it. We believe God to be healed from it. But when we get sick anyway and are forced to deal with our physical infirmity, we may find our greatest strength. We may find our grandest faith. We may find our deepest character. We may find a phenomenal relationship with God that we never knew we could have.



“Reproaches” means insults and injuries. It's no fun when people don't like us – and yet that kind of rejection may cause us to examine what we truly believe in and what we stand for. Does it really matter what someone thinks about us? Are we trying to please people, or please God? Are we here to make people like us, or are we here to obey our Father in heaven? You may find more strength if you quit being a people-pleaser and instead see reproaches for what they are: opportunities to grow stronger.

What did Paul mean by “needs” (or necessities) and “distresses”? Remember, this is the apostle Paul, who had been to the third heaven, to Paradise. This believer had been in the very throne room of God and there saw things he couldn't even tell us about – and yet here he is, back on earth, with needs and distresses.

Just because Paul had needs, however, didn't mean he was outside of God's will. His needs simply gave him an opportunity to get stronger. In the same way, your own needs can help you to find greater strength and a richer relationship with God. Allow your needs to drive you to God, not away from Him. Remember that Jesus told us, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8, NIV). He knows your need. He does not despise you for it. And yet it's still true that “you do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2, NIV). Let your needs help you to find greater strength in God and a deeper relationship with your Father.

Paul also mentioned “persecutions.” Remember that Jesus said we'd receive a hundredfold when we give to the kingdom – but that it would come with persecution (Mark 10:30). We like the hundredfold increase, but not so much the persecution! We want to be filled with the Spirit, but we don't like it when people talk about us because we pray with the Spirit. We want to be a part of something that changes the spiritual landscape of our land, but then we get nervous when people persecute us because of what we believe.



But in the persecution, Paul tells you, you'll find a greater relationship with God. If they hated his Lord, they're going to take a few shots at you – but before you die, you can take a few to heaven with you. You have a decision to make: are you a Christian because it's nice, or because you love God?

The last word Paul mentions here is “distresses”. Paul said that he found his greatest strength in distress and in the pressures of life. Who of us learns much through our victories? We just celebrate, have fun, and think we're cool. But in our hard times? In our losses and in our difficulties? That's where we learn more, we change more, and we become better people. When everything is going well, we don't think much about praying and seeking God and changing. But when things go bad, sometimes we get really spiritual. Let's walk with God all the time – in the good times and the bad.

When you're weak, you'll find your greatest strength. When you're down, you'll find your highest high. When you face your worst battle (and they're never fun), that's when you'll find your greatest victory.

To any Christian who might want to become a teacher

Last week was my first sharing session at sparklight. A few days later, God dropped me a message through swordlight regarding teaching. God's timing is so zun! (timely)

In James 3:1-2, he said that not many should presume to be teachers. Why is that so?

To teach is not to have the freedom to say whatever you want or to enjoy your influence over others. Being a teacher has a price to it. It is precisely because their words have the capacity to have so much influence over others that teachers are more strictly judged by God (Luke 12:48, Hebrews 13:17).

3 specific reasons why not many should be teachers:

1. Teachers have greater accountability. They are supposed to have more knowledge & hence, they would have greater responsibility & accountability.

2. James said that we all stumble in many ways. When that happens, it would cause others to stumble in their relationship with God. A teacher needs to be watchful over their personal life.

3. It is difficult to bridle one's tongue, including the teacher. A controlled tongue is a good reflection of a controlled life & character of a person. However, people do lose control of it every now & then.

In conclusion, it is because of the fact that teachers have great potential & power to influence others, only people with proper motivation should consider to teach.

This might sound weird: I want to thank God for this warning~* d(^0^)b