|
Our
Weekly Bulletin |
Article, Announcements, Praise
& Prayer |
7th December,
2008
|
Article The handmaiden of my Lord She
was a teenager. She was beautiful. She was also in love. Only a few days ago
she had been betrothed to the young man she adored. Years ago, in her early childhood, this young
woman's parents had moved from their home in Judea and resettled in Galilee.
Her fiance, a carpenter by trade, had recently
moved from the village of Bethlehem to Nazareth, to open a carpentry shop. These two young people, Mary and Joseph by
name, had met at one of the local festivals and had fallen in love. Soon
thereafter, Joseph had gone to both their parents asking for permission to
marry. The two families decided that a marriage was permissible, but the date
decided upon was nearly a year away. Joseph was poor, they had agreed, his
carpentry business just beginning; therefore, wisdom dictated that the two
should wait at least a year before marrying. Now, on this very ordinary day, it was
destined that an archangel would pay a visit to this young maiden. "Mary," came
a voice from behind her. Having never heard a voice quite so
commanding, Mary turned quickly about. What she saw caused her to fall to her
knees. There was no question in her mind that the creature standing before
her belonged to the citizenship of the other realm. Mary could not imagine what to expect from
the mouth of this strange being. Some terrible command? Some awful rebuke?
Some prophecy of doom? Perhaps he would smite her with some horrible disease.
His words could not have held a more astounding surprise. "Mary,
you are a very blessed young woman. The Lord Himself is with you." Mary's eyes darted about as she tried to
grasp what these words might mean. "You
do not need to be afraid. Among all the women who have dwelt upon this earth
since Eve, you are the most favored. You are going to conceive a child in
your womb. You will bring forth a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be called
the son of the most high God, and He will be great. "The
throne of His ancestor, David, will be given to your son by the Lord God
Himself. He will reign forever and forever. The kingdom of your son will
never end." "I... I..." Mary stammered. "I
do not understand! I am a virgin! I have never touched a man, nor has any man
touched me. And my betrothed, it will be a long time before we shall
marry." Mary's words met with a long silence, and
Mary did not like that. She dared, therefore, to lift her head and look up at
this fearsome-looking creature standing before her. To her surprise, what she
saw on his face was kindness and gentleness. But more. He seemed to be
somewhat awe-struck himself. For one fleeting moment she sensed that the
angel beheld her with as much wonder as she did him. Seeing the gentleness upon the face of this
unearthly being, Mary began to feel a deep sense of courage
fill her heart. Drawing upon that courage, she dared rise to her feet
and look directly into the eyes of the archangel. She waited. At last Gabriel spoke. "It
will be no man; it will be the Holy Spirit. He will come upon you. The power
of the most high God will overshadow you. That which
will be conceived in you, the holy thing that will be born from you, will be
called the Son of God. Even now your cousin, Elizabeth, though she is old and
past the age of motherhood, has, nonetheless, conceived a son. Elizabeth, who
was barren, is now already six months with child." Mary's eyes widened. What she had heard
concerning herself was beyond all understanding, but hearing that Elizabeth
was also about to bear a child seemed even more astounding. Gabriel turned to go, as is the way of angels
when they have finished their task. But on this occasion he paused for a
moment to stand once more in awe of the young woman chosen to bring Almighty
God into humanity's realm. "A mere woman," he mused,
incredulous. "A human being." Aloud, he said, "It seems that there is
absolutely nothing impossible with our God." Stepping back toward the Door, Gabriel was
stopped short as Mary boldly advanced toward him. He could not recall having
ever seen such a show of human boldness in the presence of an angel.
Furthermore, this time it was Mary who had a pronouncement to make. She spoke
with such passion that Gabriel was, for an instant, taken aback. "Behold, I stand here, the handmaiden of
my Lord. The words that you have spoken I receive. Let what you have said be
done unto me." Within the glow of that angelic presence Mary
thought she might have seen a soft smile cross Gabriel's face. With this mutually unprecedented encounter, Gabriel
stepped onto the threshold of the Door. As he did, he whispered to himself,
"Truly, our God has chosen well." [Extracted
rom "The Birth" by Gene Edwards, pg.
25-29]
Do check out this power-point presentation for Elim future direction Year End Challenge 2007.pps by
Jimmy Ho 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. |
|
Announcements 1.
Today's
topic & speaker: "How Reading Enriches Our Spiritual Life" by
Cheong Yew Weng. 2.
Next
Sun's topic & speaker: "Finding God's Will" by Pastor Johnny 3. Baptism
Service on tonight, December 7 at 8 pm. Come
support this meeting which is also an outreach occasion. 4.
Our
Elim carollers
will be singing from home to home on Dec. 21 & 22 starting from 8 pm. If
you would like them to sing at your home, please inform Wan Li or the EY
committee. 5.
We
meet for Prayer Meeting on
Wednesday at 8.00 pm. 6. Christmas
Service is on Thurs., Dec. 25 at 10 am. (No
refreshments served.) 7.
Calendars
are for a church fundraising: RM 10 for 4 calendars. 8.
W2W
has organised a One Day Women Conference on January 3, 2009 (8.45 am. - 5.00 pm.)
in Elim Gospel Hall. Conference theme: "Designed to Shine" with speaker
Mrs. Ellen Yoong. Cost: RM 15 (inclusive of notes,
teas & lunch). Get a form from our sisters & apply, latest by Dec.
15, 2008. 9.
We
rejoice with these whose birthdays fall in December: Andrew Chun, Chong Hoe
Mun, Chan Wai Keong, Wong
Kim Siong, Devakaran, Loke Li Mun, Jennifer Chang, Wong Yoke Mui, Chan Lai Peng, Jimmy Ho,
Tracy Cheam and Michelle Cheam. 10. Our Christian Brethren Secretariat Malaysia has organised an international mission conference for
Brethren assemblies in Asia-Oceania entitled Partners in the Harvest (PITH 2009) on April 29 to May 2, 2009 at
Petaling Jaya Gospel Hall. Theme: "Count me
In" Speakers: Dr. Alastair McGregor, Australia; George Dawson, India
(with AMT, Australia; Loh Ah Asiau;
Ronnie Magpayo, Philippines; Yeoh
Seng Eng, Singapore). Conference fee: RM 250 for
Malaysians. (Accommodations not included.) Application forms are available
from our office. 11. Those on breakfast duty next Sunday: Mr. & Mrs. Wong Chee Ming, Mrs. Cheong Nyok Seng, Honey Chew, Yeoh Poh See. 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. |
|
Praise & Prayer q Pray for those who are getting baptised tonight.: Kent Lee
Hong Ken, Augustin Chan Chee
Leong, Samuel Zane Soogan, Goh
Yan Hoe, Gan Xue Yuan,
Chong Yi Zhen, Gan Hui
Xian, Chow Li Qi, Santheraraj
R, Arikuar R, M. Segaran,
Michael S, Liew Chee Ho,
Sri Anantha Raaj Y, Ng Tiuang Kiang, Jayakumar P, Nandakumar S, Panirselvam S, Aruputharaj T, Darnesh P, Charanjit Singh, Jerry B, Jeyaprakash
M, Yeoh Chin Chew, Sivanesan
S, Subramaniam M, Saravanan
R, Fabian Felix V, Chanorashankar N, Muniswaran A, Shabastin P, Jezreel P, Jerusah P, Susan Viagulamary G, Nagaletchumi M
and Visalachi A. q Pray for Alan Wong
who is on a Mission Trip with YWAM to Macau in now. q Pray for protection & safety during the construction
of the new multipurpose hall. Pray
also for the Lord's provision & blessing. q Pray for Ung Kim Cheng
& his team as they prepare to go on a Mission Trip to South India from
Christmas to January 2009. q Remember our missionaries:
Richard & Stephanie Chin, Ronny & Sharon Low, John & Wan Yi Yip, Seng Hock & Luba Yeoh, Steven & Janet Ang, Siew Meng & Shalom Chai, Loh Lai Keng, Steven & Tessie Low. q Uphold the ministry of the Vineyard Keepers. Pray for Jeremiah, the year-end student
graduation and the needs of the centre. Over 100 boys are in there. q Pray for God to work through His church in our town and
country, particularly during the Christmas
outreach & witness. Pray for our carollers
singing for Him. q Pray for 21 of our Elim
Youth going for YW@P Camp 2008 in Jeram Besu, Pahang on Dec. 11-14, 2008. |
30th November,
2008
|
Article Foxes in the
Vineyard Much
is said in the Song of Songs about how to "do" romance. It's all
good. But I want to pick up on a challenge regarding passion that concerned
Solomon and his bride. We need to heed the same warning today: "Catch
the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our
vineyards are in blossom" (Song 2:15, NASB). What is this talk about fox hunting in the
midst of a book on romantic passion in marriage? In Solomon's day rock fences surrounded
vineyards. These were built as high as possible so that foxes, the predators
of greatest threat to these vineyards, could not jump over them. But many
times the foxes did slither through holes in the fence. The crafty critters
came into the vineyard at the time of year when the flowers were budding. The
little foxes loved the buds because they were so tasty. But the loss of the
buds meant there would be no flowers, no grapes, no
wine from the vineyard. It's in this context that we find Solomon and
his beloved Shulammite woman talking about their
love and romance. They are comparing the foxes' snacking on flowers to their
romance being nipped in the bud. We need to share this awesome word picture
with those we lead and teach. Every
married couple must catch the little foxes that roam about nipping romance in
the bud. Here are the five little foxes that I think do the most damage
to romance in the vineyards of contemporary marriages. Fox 1: Apathy Marriage
has robbed many a relationship of its romance! Oh, I hate to say that, but
it's true. The mundaneness of daily life, if it's
allowed to define how we live, leads to stifling boredom. Two people may have
been married awhile and are locked into a comfortable but predictable
routine. They may not notice it, but the light bulbs are slowly dimming.
Excitement has left the house. Life is filled up with good tasks and pleasant
interests, but the foxes are chomping down the romantic buds of passion. Both husband and wife think the courtship is
long over. The husband is like a hunter sitting in his den admiring the
stuffed trophies hanging on the wall. But he's not hunting anymore! He's
gotten lazy. He thinks the prize is won -- forever. Big mistake. In the marriage relationship, for the man the hunt
is never over. I'll never forget the day when I realized
that I still must compete for Barbara's affection. I wasn't competing for her
with other men, but I was competing with a host of good things like kids,
hobbies and interests, church work, friends -- the list is endless in our
complex society. And God forbid, what if I became lazy and did not work --
yes, work -- to connect with her soul? What if some other guy did come along
who was so satisfying that she found something emotionally with him that I
was not providing? That would be sin on her part, but I still must face the
challenge to hang onto the beautiful relationship God gave me so many years
ago. When I realized this, I didn't wring my hands
with insecurity. But I did soberly realize that I must never stop courting my
wife, never stop competing for her affection, never
stop pursuing her relationship with me. For this situation a little piece of advice
that God gives us about our love relationship with Him definitely applies! If
you fall out of love with God, "do the deeds you did at first"
(Revelation 2:5, NASB). If you have fallen out of romance with your spouse,
do the things you did at first. Fox 2: Children This
little fox is predictable. And the older the children get, the more obstacles
they erect to romance. Teenagers roam the house until all hours of the night,
and it seems impossible for them to believe their parents could have any
interest in sexual intimacy. At least when children are little you can put
them in bed and close their door. But when the little foxes grow up and
become teenagers, it's a different story. They get excited and forget to
knock on your door and burst in. That does not do a lot for spontaneity in
your love life. A marriage must be built to outlast the children. If not, the
children suddenly are gone, and a wife and husband wake up looking at a wall
with a stranger on the other side. Sadly, too many people never figure out
how to scale that wall. Fox 3: A Mistress And
you thought this was a Christian book? It is. I'm not talking about other lovers, although
that can happen too, of course. I am speaking of the mistress idea --
anything, even a good thing, that can enter a
person's life to lead away, seduce, and destroy. This is the crafty
seductress spoken of in the book of Proverbs (chapters 5 and 7) who lures
with smooth words and alluring eyes. People need to understand the ways of
mistresses that appear when life is out of balance related to work, children,
community service, hobbies, sports, church work -- the list seems endless. Ironically, a mistress that entices those of
us in "full-time" Christian service is named "ministry."
We can give our heart, soul, and mind to ministry and come home nearly
brain-dead and exhausted. What husband or wife receiving such treatment
repeatedly could not help but conclude, I'm just not that important to this
person. Then comes trouble. Let me say something
pointed: There is no better way for the
devil to ruin a ministry, discredit Jesus Christ, and wound the church than
to have a pastor or Christian leader's marriage wrecked. I'll never forget my own flirtation with the
ministry mistress. FamilyLife was growing 40
percent a year. We'd had six children in ten years. They had needs. Barbara
had needs. I had needs. We were both exhausted at the end of the day. If we
had not gotten out of the marital doldrums and gotten away to focus on one
another, to reconnect emotionally, romantically, passionately, I'm not sure I
would be writing this chapter. Those times were like an oasis in the desert
for us where we could drink deeply from one another. The ministry mistress many times also sets up
the introduction of an opposite-sex mistress. Every adulterous affair begins
with an emotional attachment. Two people find a spark with each other;
there's a new twinkle in the soul for another person. For people who spend a
lot of time around the church or other ministry, guess what -- it usually
happens in those settings. Warn your people about this. Warn yourself.
Keep the mistress fox from ravaging the vineyard. Fox 4: Unresolved Conflict One
of the things we do at our FamilyLife Weekend to
Remember marriage conference is to explain, based on Ephesians 6, how the
struggle as a Christian is not against flesh and blood but against the dark
forces and powers of wickedness. We have the couples turn and face one
another and say, "My mate is not my enemy." Satan slips into the vineyard looking like a
fox, but he's really a roaring lion. He wants to convince every husband and
wife that his or her mate is the enemy. When spouses feel misunderstood,
taken for granted, abused, or demeaned, the next steps down the conflict
spiral are an embittered spirit, resentment, anger, isolation -- and then
worse. Couples must be taught how to deal with
conflict. These are learned skills that in the context of the Christian life
are aided incredibly by grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I love what Ruth Bell
Graham says: "Marriage is the union of two forgivers." Romance and
resentment will not find harbor in the same heart; conflict can and must be
resolved. Fox 5: Differences This
is not a profound statement, but in our day it sounds like one: Men and women
are different. Our magnificent Creator made us that way, so it is good. But
differences ignored or misunderstood cause vineyard chaos. I will not expand here on this idea, because
many have written at length on this topic. I will say that as you teach,
preach, and counsel, always keep a tight focus on this truth about people:
Women and men are different. In significant ways they think, speak, listen,
feel, act, and react differently. Their expectations about marriage are
different. How they want to receive and give affection is different. Their
patterns as lovers are different. The key word is different. [Extracted from "Pastoral Leadership for Manhood and Womanhood" by Wayne Grudem & Dennis Rainey, pg. 42-45] Undergirded
by God’s grace |