starting off a new study in the new year...
18 January 2008
11.30am @ Top Floor

The Birth of Jesus Christ

And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. - Luke 2:7

We remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world. He being in the form of God, yet humbled himself to take the form of man. There is only one reason why He left His home above. His divine form to take on the sinful and corrupt nature of man. You and me.

1 Peter 2:22-24 says of Him, "who had no sin neither was guile found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously; who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes you were healed."

To have the righteous life you have to believe on the Lord Jesus. The Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." No matter what your background is, what kind of life you have lived so long, the nature of your job, or the manner of life-style, what you have gained in your life in terms of riches or profit, if you want to saved you must believe on the Lord Jesus, you must call upon His name. Romans 10:13 says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," Acts 4:12 tells us.

Jesus is the Son of God and beloved, His love knows no bounds. No one can love you like the way He does. In spite of the worst in you, He is the only One who is willing to extend His hands to raise your fallen shameful self unto Himself and hold you in His loving embrace. He is the only one who accepts you and loves you for who you are. He gave His life on the cross so that you can live. He gave Himself as an offering so that you would be acceptable before God. There is nothing that He does not know about you.

Come to Him today, call upon His name, confess the sinful deeds in your life and be set free. Only He is the answer to all the questions in your life. Only He can give you the peace that you have been seeking at all the wrong places. Only He can satisfy the cravings of your heart with His love and presence. He will fill all athe emptiness and give you true meaning to life today.

Consider yours ways. How unfruitful they have been! Don't you wish that you could live life all over again. Take courage and have hope, for now you can have a new life witout the remembrance of all the wicked past. You can have a new life without the guilt and shame because of what the Lord has done for you. All you have to do is confess, believe and pray in faith.

- Daniel O.C

4 JANUARY 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!
~~~
Liong KC
Peggy Tan
Terry C., Hong Lu, Foong Yee
-
Jessica Lee
Jocelyn Lee
-
Anna Sim
Jaemy Choong
-
Tian Sia
Manjit Singh, Hiew FF

CHRISTMAS 2008

28 DECEMBER 2008

Caleb R.
Kai Yew
Shankar R., Phoebe Sim
-
Grace Lee
Joseph Yap
-
Terry Choong
Anna Sim
-
Richard
Tom C., Tommy Quek

25 DECEMBER 2008

CHRISTMAS DAY!!
Thursday
~~~
Barnabas P.
Shankar R.
Jaemy C., Richard, Foong Yee
-
Jun Fhui
Meng Fhui
-
Anna Sim
Kai Yew
-
Siew Pin
Hiew FF, Manjit Singh

Who Is Jesus Christ To You?

Therefore God also had highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, ... and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11

Christmas is the time you can get so busy shopping, decorating, planning, packing etc. You may be so involved doing a lot that you lose focus of the main reason for the event: Jesus. When the season is over you might find yourself tired and dry after all the excitement that seemed to keep you happy. It might hit you hard only then, that during Christmas you never spend any time with Lord Jesus.

He is Prince of Peace who came to bring peace to your heart in the midst of your circumstances. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." Have you experienced that peace in Christ Jesus today?

He is the Redeemer. "But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His son ... that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us. And because you are His sons, God has sent the (Holy) Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father!" He redeemed us so that we can be sons! Are you a son of God? (Galations 4:4-6,9)

He is the Saviour. "... for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) He is your Saviour who saved you from sins. No animal offerings can take the place of the only Son of God through whom we have forgiveness of sins. He came to deliver us from darkness and bondage of the enemy. He paid the price of His own life that we might have fullness of life. Having turned away from your past dead way of human being" (Philippians 2:7)

Martha occupied herself and was busy and distracted with much serving when Jesus came to their house but Mary seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching. Jesus said that Mary had chosen the good portion which would not be taken away from her.

Who is Jesus to you? This is a question that you should sincerely ask yourself and only you can answer it yourself. Do not let Christmas be an event of celebration where Christ is not the centre and where you are distraceted with the fun of it, but like Mary have chosen the good portion of being found in the presence of the Lord?

Have you received Him today to make a fresh start for your life and a meaningful Christmas?

There can be no Christmas celebration without Christ.

21 DECEMBER 2008

Dr. Siow KW
Peter Long
Jocelyn Lee, Peggy Tan
-
Lydia Sim
Jonathan Long
-
Terry Choong
Nicholas
-
Meng Fhui
Tommy Quek, Tom C.

Place Christ Before All Else

But indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. - Philippians 3:8

Have you been wanting to serve the Lord and do His work but have always felt hindered by your own inadequacies? Do you always keep your eyes on others or compare your abilities to others and think that you will never be able to be used for the Lord because of so many disadvantages in you?

You may be lacking in the outward advantages that you see in those around you. But the Lord determines each one to be used uniquely.

Peter and John were going to the temple to pray, when a man crippled from his birth was being carries to be laid at the gated called Beautiful to get for alms. Seeing Peter and John the man asked them to give him a gift. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk," Peter said and took him by his right hand and lifted him up. He began to walk and leap and praise God. They were arrested and the next day stood before the council of magistrates, elders and Council. Peter spoke up with boldness and confidence for he was filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8). Verse 13 of the same chapter says, "Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools (common men with no educational advantages), they marveled; and they recognised that they had been with Jesus."

"... they recognised that they have been with Jesus," that was it! Being with Jesus made the big difference in the life of these disciples and the council members recognised it. It was not the learning in the school or any other training that they had received that enabled them to stand up and speak the word of God with freedom, boldness and courage.

Beloved child of God, what you need in your life is to spend time with the Lord Jesus. In His presence you will be transformed. In His presence you will be equipped. In His presence you will be endued with power. The world will recognise the difference in you because they will see that you spend time with Jesus. Your disadvantages will be transformed to God's advantaes. You will be a mighty instrument in the hands of the Lord.

True disciples of Christ are those who consistently follow the footsteps of Christ our Master.

-Daniel O.C

14 DECEMBER 2008

Liong KC
Terry Choong
Tian Sia, Lydia Sim
-
Jessica Lee

-
Anna Sim
Jaemy Choong
-
Jocelyn Lee
Manjit Singh, Hiew FF

God Will Guide You

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. - Acts 1:8

Does the way ahead of you look blocked? Have you come to a point here before you only see a sea, like the Red Sea, or a closed door, and there is no way for you to go through to make progress, to go ahead? Have you lost all hope that you will never make it?

Can you rejoice in a time like this knowing that the Lord your God is your Helper? Can you like the psalmist raise up your voice and say, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am greatly helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoice; and with my song will I praise Him" (Psalm 28:7).

Every way that is blocked ahead of you will be removed and a straight way made for you to pass through just like He did for the people of Israel across the Red Sea and River Jordan. If He is your help and shield and you trust do not lose hope for He who delivered His people, will deliver those whose eyes are upon Him. For He says in Isaiah 45:2, "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break on pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron."

The Lord, He is still the God of miracles and there you will see His hand in your situation, dividing your Red Sea to make a path, opening a closed door, making a way in your wilderness, if you will hold on and keep your trust in Him. When you have cast your burden onto the Lord, you need not worry about how the circumstances are going to fall into place to make a way for you through the wilderness. Or the sea, where naturally you cannot see some way.

Peter was held in prison by Herod who had earlier killed James. Four squads of soldiers kept watch over him. But prayer was made for him. Acts 12:5 says "The night before Herod was about to bring him forth, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison." No human barrier can stop the Lord from doing His miracle.

Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, awakened Peter and told him to get up. And the chains fell off. Following the instructions of the angel, Peter followed him thinking that he was seeing a vision. They passed through the first guard and the second and the iron gate opened of its own accord and they walked on the street where the angel left him. Acts 12:11 says, "Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I really know and am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod..."

Rejoice and praise the name of the Lord as you believe and look for your way, made straight through the sea, the wilderness and prison doors!

- Daniel O.C

7 DECEMBER 2008

Caleb R.
Peggy Tan
Hong Lu, Richard, Gigi Lim
-
Grace Lee
Joseph Yap
-
Terry Choong
Anna Sim
-
Moses Tan
Tom C., Tommy Quek

Time To Choose

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15.

Where are you going? Can you hear the still small voice? You can pretend you never heard and walk right into the jaws of sin. Turn back before it is too late. The Word of God says in James 1:14, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." And "the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death stands before you with this mouth wide open and would you even without blinking your eyes walk right into its jaws?

Do not waver between good and evil, between sin and holiness, between light and darkness, between belonging to the Lord and Satan. You cannot stand with one foot on one side and one the other. For they are worlds apart. One is life and the other death. None of them merges into the other. There is a clear and distinct line drawn between them.

Do you remember the first time you were so nervous and afraid to do wrong? You wanted to hide from everyone, to be in the dark. You did not heed to the still small voice telling you to flee - to flee from lusts, feel from unrighteousness, flee from the works of the flesh, flee from the wickedness and bad company. You could see well that it would all bring ruin and destruction to your life. Still you went ahead. But now it has become so much a part of you that do those things which ought not to be done as if there were the right thing to do, because you have hardened your heart. You chose death instead of life, bondage to sin instead of being free in Christ.

Now however much you try to hide the wretchedness within you and act as if all is normal, you know very well that you are rotten on the inside. You are dying because of your sin, wrong choices, pursuing fleshy desires, giving in to wilful pleasures. You want to be free but you are not willing to give up your sinful ways of life.

Beloved, now is the time to decide. Do not say, "Let me hang in there a little longer just once more". Each time hell is closing up on you and it may be too late.

Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Come to Him with all your hopelessness, and wretchedness like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24) and say, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee". Seek forgiveness from the Lord and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Do not look back or go to your old ways but walk in the newness of life that He gives you. Be a changed human being in Christ Jesus today.

Anyone who finds God finds life.

- Daniel O.C

30 NOVEMBER 2008

Barnabas P.
Foong Yee
Terry Choong, Jocelyn Choong
-
Lydia Sim
Joseph Yap
-
Anna Sim
Kai Yew
-
Tian Sia
Manjit Sing. Hiew FF

Blessings of Obedience

Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. - Deuteronomy 7:9

Is your heart grieving over something which has happened in your life quite unexpectedly? Do you wish this accident which has been affecting you so much had never happened? Are you still battling with the reality of a painful incident?

Joseph's life was full of incidents which seemed more like accidents but through it all, the word of God says that, " ... the Lord was with him and made whatever he did to prosper" (Genesis 39:23). Joseph was loved more than all the other children which Jacod had and he gave him a special tunic. One day Jacob sent Joseph to see whether everything was all right with his brothers who were taking care of the flock at Shechem. Joseph's brothers who were jealous of him and envied him took this opportunity and conspired to kill him. However Rueben tried to deliver him and suggested that he be put in a pit which was empty. Later he was sold to the Ishmaelites while his tunic was dipped in the blood of a young goat. Jacob who saw this mourned his son for many days thinking that his son Joseph was dead. Though it seemed everything was against him, the  Lord was preparing Joseph for something good.

Joseph sold to Potiphar found favour in his sight and was made supervisor over his house but soon he was accused by his master's wife which landed him in prison. "The Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave favour in the sight of the warden in the prison. And the warden of the prison committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners.." says the word of God in Genesis 39:21.

The butler who had forgetten Joseph now remembered him to Pharoah and through the wisdom of God he interpreted the dream which none of Pharoah's magicians could interpret. Pharoah recognised that in Joseph was the spirit of God (Genesis 41:38-39). He said to Joseph, "For as much as (your) God has shown you all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding and wise as you are." Joseph was set over all the land of Egypt.

The Lord had chosen circumstances of his life and ordered his footsteps to work good both for himself, his whole family who later came and bowed before him and over the land of Egypt. If your likfe is surrendered into the hands of the Lord even the unexpected painful events, situations which shake you will all turn out to be those which mould you to be ready for something greater.

No destruction of the enemy can stop the good plans of God in your life!

As yourself: what kind of church would mine be if everyone is like me? 

- Daniel O.C

By Grace Through Faith

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God - Ephesians 2:8

"Why are you so fearful? Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me - in My veracity and My integrity) ?" Jesus asked his disciples when they awakend Him in the midst of the storm in the lake of Galilee (Luke 8:25). And that is exactly how most of us behave when the storm winds and the raging waves surround us. We panic, runhere and there, call up the Pastor and every prayer warrior we konw, worry unceasingly about ourselves, instead of exercising our faith.

If you think to yourself that it's alright with you to be just an ordinary Christian attending church every Sunday and going about your way, then you are wrong. The Lord wants you to exercise your faith, to be an extraordinary person and live at a higher spiritual level each day. To every man is given a measure of faith and the Lord desires of you to daily increase your faith.

The Lord is looking for hearts who will step out in faith, believe Him and operate in His power. Sometimes people have so much faith in their prayerful Pastor, but make no effort to grow in their spiritual lives. Today the Lord is calling you to step out from your ordinary way of living, into the extraordinary, from the natural to the supernatural, from living by sight to living by faith.

The ten spies who went by sight and 'saw' the land, said. "we are not able", "they are stronger than we are". "all the people we saw in it are men of great stature (giants)", and "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers". But Caleb and Joshua who walked in faith said, ?we are well able to conquer it", "the Lord is with us", "they are bread for us", "their defense and the shadow (of protection) is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us", "fear them not". And the result was that only Caleb and Joshua who walked in faith entered the promised land (Numbers 13 & 14). 

"For truly I say to you, if you have faith (that is living) like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to yonder place and it will move, and nothing will be impossible to you." Jesus said in Matthew 17:20. Desire to be mountain movers and have faith like some of those found in Hebrews 1:1. Let your life be known as a man of great faith and a woman of great faith.

Love restrains you from doing evil and reaches out in selfless service to all. 

- Daniel O.C

23 NOVEMBER 2008

Dr. Siow KW
Kai Yew
Shankar R., Peggy Tan
-
Jun Fhui
Meng Fhui
-
Terry Choong
Nicholas
-
Richard
Tom C., Tommy Quek

WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN (Maya Angelou)

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!
-
Maya Angelou is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature and as a remarkable Renaissance woman. Being a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, Dr. Angelou continues to travel the world making appearances, spreading her legendary wisdom.

A mesmerizing vision of grace, swaying and stirring when she moves, Dr. Angelou captivates her audiences lyrically with vigor, fire and perception. She has the unique ability to shatter the opaque prisms of race and class between reader and subject throughout her books of poetry and her autobiographies.

Dr. Angelou has authored twelve best-selling books including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, A Song Flung Up to Heaven and Even the Stars Look Lonesome

In 1981, Dr. Angelou was appointed to a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

In January 1993, she became only the second poet in U.S. History to have the honor of writing and reciting original work at the Presidential Inauguration.

Dr. Angelou has been nominated for two Grammy Awards for "Best Spoken Word or Non Musical Album" for On The Pulse Of Morning (1993) and Phenomenal Woman (1995). In 2004, she received a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Spoken Word Album" category for Hallelujah! The Welcome Table. Dr. Angelou has garnered over 50 honorary degrees from colleges and universities worldwide.

WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN (Maya Angelou)

-
WHEN I SAY I AM A CHRISTIAN
by Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

16 NOVEMBER 2008

Liong KC
Shankar R.
Hong Lu, Foong Yee
-
Jessica Lee
Joseph Yap
-
Anna Sim
Jaemy Choong
-
Siew Pin
Tommy Quek, Manjit Singh