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Our
Weekly Bulletin |
Article, Announcements, Praise
& Prayer |
25th July, 2010
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Article “A Daily Talk For The Upward Walk” by
Bert Clendennen and Z. E., June 19-21 June 19 If a man therefore
purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
-2 Tim. 2:21. God is looking for workers who have cast
their own burdens upon the Lord and have taken His burdens upon them. He is
looking for those who can burn with the passions of God, and break with the
breakings of God. The most wonderful verse in the whole Bible, I think, is
that one in Isaiah, where it says, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, "It
pleased the Lord to bruise Him." Not to bless Him, but to bruise Him.
The delight of the Father's heart is to find someone who is willing to be one
with his Lord and be bruised unto death, that the
life of Christ might flow out through that one. It is still pleasing to the
Lord to find souls He can bruise. You know a soldier has to be trained. He is
taken out of ordinary civilian life, given a special uniform, and must learn
how to live anywhere, eat anything, sleep anywhere. He expects the end of his
soldiering to be a life laid down for his cause. It is a complete dedication. I do not believe any one
can be an entirely consecrated and fully obedient disciple of our Lord Jesus
Christ until nails have gone through his human affections, and he has been
crucified, and then resurrected—so that the center
of his affections is Christ Himself, and he is consumed with a passion to be
poured out for Him ... Paul, that holy and mighty man of God knew what this
meant ... He looked on the things of time in the light of eternity ... The natural desire of all of us is to have
better clothes, better food, better homes, more gadgets, more THINGS; but
when we become a new creature in Christ our desires are reversed. Our passion
then is to serve Christ, and to use as little of the things of this world as
we can in order that God may have the more. That is when God will be able to
evangelise the world—when His people will say, "I don't want to have
more furniture, more money, more of this and that; I just want what I need.
I'll spend as little as I can even on food, so that I can give. as much as I can to God. I have only one life to live-I
must give all of it to God for His work." -Norman P. Grubb. "Only one life, 'Twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ Will last." -Author Unknown June 20 Knowing this, that our old man is
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth
we should not serve sin. -Rom. 6:6 Dear fellow pilgrims, will you go with me
this morning to the “clinic” for a spiritual “check-up”? Will you examine
yourself with the following questions, as if in the immediate presence of
God? 1. Do
you ever feel a secret sense of pride; an exalted feeling in view of your
success or your position; because of your good training and appearance;
because of your natural gifts and abilities? 2. Do
you ever feel a love of human praise; a secret fondness to be noticed; love
of supremacy; drawing attention to self in conversation? 3. Do
you ever feel the stirrings of anger or impatience—but worst of all you call
it nervousness or holy indignation; a touchy, sensitive spirit; a disposition
to resent and retaliate when reproved or contradicted; sharp, heated flings
at another? 4. A
stubborn, unteachable spirit; an arguing, talkative
spirit; harsh, sarcastic expressions; an unyielding, headstrong attitude; a
driving, commanding spirit; a disposition that loves to be coaxed and humored? 5. A
secret spirit of envy shut up in your heart; an unpleasant sensation in view
of the great prosperity and success of another; a disposition to speak of the
faults and failings rather than the gifts and virtues of those more talented
and appreciated than yourself? 6. Do
I get provoked over the car that won't start, or the fire that won't burn, or
the calf that won't drink, or the cow that kicks, or the neighbors'
stock in my field, or flower garden? If my car, or mule, or cow, or calf, or
stove, could testify for me at church, would I welcome their testimony? 7. Do
I go up the miff tree when slighted, imposed upon, or rebuked? When taken to
task by one in authority? When not put first? When not appreciated? When
others are advanced over me? 8. Is
the praise of man sweet to my taste? Do I enjoy being flattered? Being at the
head of things? Am I gentle toward all men? 9. Down
in the depths of my heart do I feel the stirrings of envy? Of jealousy? Of
revenge? Of bitterness? Do I enjoy having the best chair, the best apple in
the dish, the best piece of pie on the plate—when others have what is left?
Do I seek the easiest and most congenial tasks?--E. E. Shelhamer. Thy slaying power in me display, let me die! I must be dead from day to day, let me die! Dead to the world and its applause, To all the fashions, customs, laws, Of those who hate the humbling cross; let me
die. Oh, I must die to scoffs and sneers, let me
die! I must be free from slavish fears, let me
die! So dead that no desire will rise To appear good or great or wise In any but my Saviour's eyes; let me die! -Janette Palmiter
June 21 For both He that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause He is not ashamed
to call them brethren. -Heb. 2:11. As
I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured
direct into my soul! How great seemed my mistake in having wished to get the
sap, the fullness out of Him. I saw not only that Jesus would never leave
me, but that I was a member of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. The
vine now I see is not the root merely, but all—root, stem, branches, twigs,
leaves, flowers, fruit; and Jesus is not only that: He is soil and sunshine,
air and showers, and ten thousand times more than we have ever dreamed,
wished for, or needed. Oh, the joy of seeing this truth! It Is a wonderful thing to be really one with
a risen and exalted Saviour; to be a member of Christ! Think what it
involves. Can Christ be rich and I poor? Can your right hand be rich and left
poor? or your head be well fed while your body
starves? The sweetest part, if one may speak of one
part being sweeter than another, is the rest which full identification with
Christ brings. I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is
mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him
to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His
grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient. It little matters
to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the
most expensive article. In either case he looks to me for the money, and
brings me his purchases. So if God places me in great perplexity, must He not
give me more guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in
circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? No fear that His
resources will be unequal to the emergency! And His resources am mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.
All this springs from the believer's oneness with Christ. -J. Hudson Taylor. "Near, so very near to God, nearer I
cannot be, For in the person of His Son, I am just as
near as He; Dear, so very dear to God, dearer I cannot
be. For in the person of His Son, I’m just as
dear as He," -Author Unknown
Our
Elim Youth has a blog (constantly updated) at: www.ipohelimyouth.blogspot.com
Sports Ministry at Ipoh BUG: www.ipohbug.blogspot.com
Do visit these blog. |
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Announcements 1. Today’s
topic: “Galatians 4” by Steven Low. 2. Next
Sun's topic: “Galatians 5” by Kevin Ho. 3. Our Elim Sunday School Food & Fun Fair
is on after worship
(10am.-1.30pm.) 4.
Young
Working Adults meets tomorrow, July 26 at 8.30 pm.
for Bible Study. 5. Our
Prayer Meeting is on Wednesday at
8 pm. 6.
Elim
Youth will be visiting Bandar Sunway Gospel Centre on Sat.,
July 31. 7. The
Ladies Prayer Meeting is on Sat.,
Aug. 7 at 4.30 pm. Speaker: Dr. Then Than Hwe. 8. If
you are interested to take up the NECF
40-Day Fast & Prayer 2010, collect a copy of the prayer booklet from
Celine Liew. We also have a Children’s version. 9. Breakfast
duty next Sunday: Mrs. Lenore Labrooy,
Hor Sau Yee, Mr. &
Mrs. Jerry Tan, Esther Chun, Leong Peak Lin and Ann
Chan. All visitors are welcome in our
worship. Born again Christians are also invited to participate fully with us,
including sharing in the breaking of bread and the cup. We encourage sisters
to cover their heads. If you do not partake of the emblems in your home
church, please refrain from taking the Bread and Cup. We would not like you
to partake while ignorant of the biblical injunctions involved. We love to meet you at our
breakfast fellowship afterwards. |
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Praise & Prayer q
Pray for good teacher-student bonding
& safety at our Food & Fun
Fair today. Pray for the entire body of Christ to experience joy and have
no misunderstanding as we work and fellowship together. q
Pray for safety while traveling as Elim Youth visit
the Bandar Sunway Gospel Centre. Pray that they will be a good testimony of
being our young people. q
The theological training by Tung Ling Bible Seminary in continues
till Aug. 13. Pray for endurance & joy in learning as students study,
relate & sit for exams. Pray for Jimmy Ho, Ah
Kim, Choy Kuan & Wan
Chin to be blessed & refreshed. q
Continue to uphold our budding Myanmar Service on Sundays. q
Remember in prayer our missionaries, local and abroad.
Focus on Steven & Janet Ang as they spend their
time this month sharing their ministry with Malaysian churches to raise
support & awareness. q
Pray for those preparing for
examinations: PMR Lau Yee Shuen, Samuel Zane & Koon Wai
Kit; SPM Shawn Tan & Shannon
Tan. |
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18TH jUly,
2010
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Article PARADIGM 29 Discipleship and Absolute Surrender: Commitment vs.
Surrender A
Christian leader from Romania was once asked a thought-provoking question: "Why is it that the Church in the
Western world has lost its power with God and man?" The answer this Romanian Christian leader
gave was profoundly insightful. He said, "The Church in the Western
world has lost its power with God and man because it has substituted commitment for surrender." This is a challenging thought. It goes right
to the root of the problem. There is a great difference between a surrendered
life and a committed life. It is as great a difference as that between
bleeding and blood transfusion! Commitment
or Surrender? What's the
difference? The committed life emphasises what we must do
for Christ; the surrendered life embraces what Christ has done for us. Christianity
is not essentially DO but DONE. It is not TRY but TRUST. The committed life
relies on one's ability to perform: the surrendered life realises that we can
do nothing apart from God. To state
it in conventional terms, the committed life centres on our Doing while the surrendered life
centres on our Being. In other words, the committed life exalts our
competence; the surrendered life examines our character. The committed life
emphasises the outward; the surrendered life emphasises the inward. More significantly, the committed life
centres on operations; the surrendered life centres on obedience. Thus, the
committed life issues out of good intentions while the surrendered life
issues out of God's intention. A man may be outwardly committed to the work
of Christ but may not have been inwardly consecrated and surrendered to the
will of Christ! Are you walking in commitment or surrender? J. Hampton Keathley
III, Th.M. was a 1966 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and a pastor of
28 years. In August 2002, he died of lung cancer. One of the legacies Keathley left behind is a notable commentary on
Colossians. In it, he affirmed the work of grace: We
are a society that worships at the feet of a god called activism. Activism
comes from a misplaced sense of responsibility and trust. Ours is a world
that has lost its sense of responsibility and trust in the Lord, placing it
instead in what we do, in what we have accomplished, and in how busy we are. These
values have become the measure of success, and it indicates a wrong focus,
one on doing rather than on being. Ultimately, we must learn that it is not
we who work for God; it is God who works in us... (emphasis
mine). Not we who work for God but more importantly,
God who works in us. We must be weaned from our well-intentioned but
ill-informed activism. It is not mere commitment that God is looking for.
What then does He seek? God is looking for absolute surrender! Absolute surrender. There is no substitute
for it! Questions for Reflection 1. What's
the most important distinction between commitment and surrender to you? Why? 2. Why
is absolute surrender essential to discipleship? 3. How
can we be tutored to walk in absolute surrender? PARADIGM 30
Discipleship and sacred Trust: Into Thy Hands They were caught by surprise. Jesus cried out. Aloud. The Scriptures
captured that dramatic moment with these striking words: "Jesus cried
out to His Father with a loud voice"
(emphasis mine). Some of the eyewitnesses must have been momentarily stunned.
It was totally unexpected. Jesus the young rabbi was hardly known to
shout. He taught with grace. He ministered with
love. He spoke with gentleness. The times he spoke out strongly were when He
rebuked what needed rebuke. Hypocrisy especially. But this time, He was not
raising His voice to hypocrites. He was addressing His heavenly Father.
Aloud. Into Thy hands I commit My spirit. Sacred trust. It is a rare and holy thing.
With His last breath, Jesus was declaring aloud a sacred trust. Most sadly,
the (compulsive neurosis of our age militates against such a blessed posture
of the surrendered soul. We are compelled to be in control. Of everything.
Every time. Our anxious soul is compulsively driven. Such a compulsive drive makes it harder for
us to really commit ourselves to God. To be rested in Him is deemed a
spiritual luxury that many impoverished souls have abandoned. We have sold
our birthrights. No surrender. No peace. No rest of
spirit. Into Thy hands I commit My spirit. C. H. Spurgeon said, "Our spirit is the
noblest part of our being; our body is only the husk, our spirit is the
living kernel, so let us put it into God's keeping." Indeed, God is
faithful. We can likewise trust Him with our education, health, marriage,
career advancement, financial security, and so many other legitimate needs in
life. But friends, our greatest need is to know
God. And such a sacred trust ushers the way to
know Him. It is thus wise that we commit our very lives to our heavenly
Father. Jesus in His final word on the cross has shown us the way. Aloud. In
case we miss it. Jesus showed us who we can ultimately trust. Into Thy hands I commit My spirit. If Jesus could offer up His spirit in a
sacred trust to God Almighty, why can't we trust God with our education, or
our health, or our marriage, or our career advancements, or our financial
security? And whatever our anxious thoughts are — trust
in Him. Whatever our troubled soul holds back — release to Him. That's the
path of true discipleship. It's a pilgrimage of trust. God is faithfully faithful. Always. Indeed,
into His hands we commit our spirit. That's the key to true discipleship.
A sacred trust in the One who is completely
trustworthy. For absolute surrender begins with, is sustained by and is
completed with sacred trust. We cannot surrender if we don't trust. And we
are not fully trusting if we don't surrender. That's what true discipleship is all about. A
sacred trust! Questions for
Reflection 1. Why
is such sacred trust so important in discipleship today? 2. Why
is God the One we can ultimately trust? 3. What
is the area in your life that God is calling you to offer to Him in sacred
trust? What would this entail? [Extracted
from "Mentoring Paradigms" by Edmund Chan, pg. 143-149] Undergirded
by God’s grace |