Stronger When It Should Have Grown Weaker

16 Oct 2013
Through the pages of history, it has clearly shown that the church when persecuted, gets stronger when it should have grown weaker, grows bigger when it should have grown smaller, continues loving when it should have been crushed by hatred.

This is the genius of God - the life of Jesus flowing in the church. His life is unstoppable. After all, the enemies of God killed and buried Jesus, but He conquered death with resurrection power. They tried to stop his ministry, but his teachings covered the earth as the waters cover the seas. They cursed and blasphemed him, but today, Jesus is worshipped and adored by more in every generation and nation.

Philippians 2:10,11 will happen one day, as prophesied.

It is good to hurt yourself with this.

10 Oct 2013

Hurting oneself is not recommended in almost all cases. We question a persons psyche when he/ she enjoys being afflicted with pain. It is abnormal to hurt yourself except in this one area. You can and should hurt yourself when it comes to this!

Truth. Truth is powerful. Speak and act in truth even when it hurts you. Confess the truth when you make a blunder. Own up to your mistake and take the heat like a man. Act in truth even when it disadvantages you.

Losers are born when they stray from truth or add a spin to it. They open the doors for darkness to invade. Darkness is always destructive, never constructive.

The disadvantage of truth is temporal, but the disadvantage of falsehood is permanent.

When you speak the truth, truth itself will be your best ally. It will then promote you, win the respect of even your enemies and multiply your influence. When a person of truth speaks, it thunders with heaven's authority. It has the power to move armies, break steel walls and silence the most convincing of arguments . 

Hope can shine brightly in every institution and nations can be healed when truth is spoken and held up high. 

What's Holding You From An Incredible Life? It's Not What You Think!

7 Oct. 2013

Everyone wants to move ahead and accomplish something with their lives.

They want to be somebody, be at some place better, feel happier or change some part of the world. Live an incredible life! Unknown to many, the 'D' factor is holding them back.

The 'D' factor is the 'Defilement' factor.

To defile means to make unclean, a corrupting element. Many things can cause defilement, but the chief cause of defilement is that little muscle in our body called the tongue. All muscle and all mischief. It sets the direction of one's life. It is like the rudder of a ship. Small but huge in influence. 

James the brother of Jesus describes it as untamable. Yes, we are dealing with the untamable beast. It has held back success, damaged lives, divided partnerships and murdered dreams.

The tongue is naturally negative. The tongue cuts, curses and condemns. It releases a toxin that poisons and imprisons the hearer and the speaker. 

Do a check up on your words......I cannot make it; I am not good enough; I can't do it; life is not fair; he is *#+?; she is *#+?; it is her fault; I want to punch ........ - if these words and other negatives make up the major portion of your communication, your tongue is defiling you, damaging you and destroying you. Your tongue is making you sick and weak. A negative tongue is stealing your success right under your nose.

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart,* and these make a man ‘unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean';* but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.'”  - Jesus in  Matthew 15:18-20

Stop right now and reverse the damage.

Command your tongue before it commands you.

Change your words to change your life.

Words have creative power.

Positive words creates positive environments and positive feelings.

Positive words give out energy and life.

Positive words invigorates, sparks enthusiasm and releases strength.
God spoke this world into being. He spoke and it was created.

Speak words of faith, blessings, encouragement, hope, possibilities and power.

Confess the word of God. Measure your words with His word.

With God's help, God's Word and following God's pattern of speech, you can tame the untamable beast to serve you to live an incredible life.

Your rise in life is determined by your level of praise you release into life.

You Cannot Climb Mt Everest Alone.

We can do some things well; but we cannot do all things well and great things by ourselves. On our own, we can conquer some hills, but we cannot climb Mt Everest alone. Regardless of how committed and talented a leader is, he can only do so much as he is limited by his own mind, ability, strength, resources and time itself.

To go beyond some small achievements and increase one's influence, he needs the help of others. A team is required to accomplish mega things. Without a team, a leader is resigned to small wins. The bigger the vision, the better a team is required.

Moses was bogged down by settling all the disputes of all his countrymen. He had no private time and family time. He was close to a classic burn out. His father in law insightfully saw Moses problem and gave him a timely advice. I call it the 'Jethro Files'.

In Moses' situation he was to...

A. Identify what his role as a leader was. 

1. He is the priest of God to intercede for the people.

2. Teach them the decrees and laws.

3. Show them the way to live and their duties to perform

B. Identify other leaders to assist him.

1. Select and train capable leaders.

2. Appoint and commission them to serve as judges.

3. The leaders handle all the cases and only the difficult cases come to Moses.

The results were that - Moses enjoyed his family, kept the sanity of his mind and led well throughout his lifetime.

Other leaders were raised up and their giftings utilised. They found their place in the community.

The people were satisfied cause their problem were addressed and  their needs were met.

To apply the Jethro Files to your situation, ask and do the following.

1. What are the things that only you can and must do personally. You do the leading. 

2. Select and raise up other leaders to do the other tasks, things that you do poorly, and things

you don't know how to do but are essential to the organization. Find leaders that complement you. 

3. Teach them values of the organization and imprint the vision into their hearts,

4. Choose capable, teachable and trustworthy persons to represent and serve with you.

5. Empower and trust them to make decisions and run their ministries and projects.

With a good team you can do many things.
With a great team you can do amazing things - even conquer Mt Everest.

Don't Keep Your Promises

25 Sept 2013
A promise gives hope and makes people excited. The promise-maker can become popular very fast and receive the support from the people he made the promises to - a deal, a favor, a commitment. His ratings go up. Because he is reaping the initial rewards, he is tempted to walk away and not do the hard work on delivering his promises. He goes to another group and makes new promises and start taking the benefits again. Making promises and not keeping them is very common.

It is effortless to break a promise. Many people are doing it regularly. However, consider some results a promise-breaker will get.

1. Make a lot of people angry.
2. Make people distrust him. His bad reputation will catch up very soon and start to precede him. 
3. Frustrate people and make them feel betrayed .
4. Kill team spirit.
5. Invite loads of criticisms.
6. Sabotage his own dreams and ambitions and then wonder why he failed.
8. Live like a hermit, for the people close to him will leave him. Families fall apart.
9. Be his own worst enemy.
10. Endure an unfulfilled life.

There will be a immediate cost to pay when you keep your promises but to break them incurs a much much higher price tag over a much much longer period of time.

Stop Breaking and Start Honoring your promises.
DONT JUST BE A PROMISE-MAKER; BE A PROMISE KEEPER!

'Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?...He...who keeps his oath even when it hurts…He who does these things will never be shaken.' Ps.15:1,4,5

Who is Doing the Watching?

14 Sept 2013

Tough times are intent to stay. Darkness is gathering for one final onslaught. The future is uncertain, but certainly unstable. Before one crisis subsides, another and another and another emerges. Even strong men falter in their steps. Look outward and there is chaos. Look inward and there is confusion.  It's time to look upward to Christ and you are certain to find calmness, confidence and courage.

The Psalmist pens this song ' I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.' (Psalms 121:1)  Trusting in the Rock of Ages will see you through tumultuous times. God is unchanging. He is immovable. He is the Strong Tower. He is the Resurrection and the Life.

"God watches over you, yes ordinary you.

He will not sleep or slumber and neglect you.

He is your shade to protect you every second of every 24 hours.

He will keep you from all types of harm.

He watches over your every movement.

He watches over you now and in the future."

(My version of Ps.121:3-8)

God is watching over us, paying meticulous attention on us.

Let's be watching Him....and peace will never be far away.

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween

Halloween

Background

“The celebration of Halloween, also known as the witches' new year, is rooted in the ancient pagan calendar which divided the year into Summer and Winter by two fire festivals. Before the birth of Christ, the day we know as Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain (sah-ween). This feast was a celebration of Druid priests from Britain and France and commemorated the beginning of Winter.

It was a night on which the veil between the present world and the world beyond was pierced. The festivals were marked by animal sacrifices, offerings to the dead, and bonfires in recognition of departed souls. It was believed that on this night demons, witches, hobgoblins, and elves were released en masse to harass and to oppress the living. For self-preservation many Druids would dress up as witches, devils, and ghouls, and would even involve themselves in demonic activities and thus make themselves immune from attack.” - Hank Hanegraaff

Activities they do on Halloween

Dress up like demons, witches, skeletons and monsters…

Attend parties in such demonic costumes.

Tell ghost stories or watch ghost movies.

Visit haunted or spooky places

Children – trick or treat – going from house to house asking for candy, guising

Carve and light up potatoes and pumpkins, place it in front of the house to ward off evil spirits.

Should Christians be involved in Halloween and Halloween parties?

What Christians should not do.

1. The Chinese celebrate the ghost festival – would you dress up like a ghost or demon and organize parties during that festival? I guess not. We should respond the same to the Western version of the ghost festival.

2. The power of darkness is glorified. There are those who invoke spirits and offer sacrifices to the dead and spirits, celebrating Halloween is a channel to invoke the powers of evil– Do not participate in it. Christians should exalt the Lord and worship him only.

3. Christians should dress up to reflect the beauty and light of God and not disguise themselves as evil beings. Avoid every appearance of evil.

What Christians can do?

1. Engage those who celebrate Halloween and tell them the background and spiritual significance of this practice. An opportunity to declare the truth.

2. Do not be afraid of the powers of darkness and know that they are defeated by the resurrected Christ who lives in us. We do not disguise ourselves to look like evil to escape evil but live in the light to defeat evil. Declare the power of the Lord to those who fear.

3. A time to remember our departed loved ones and the departed saints for all the good that they have done and give thanks to the Lord for the impact they have made.

Rev. Aris Siew

The Missing Youths

In my recent trip to the UK in the month of April/May which is the beginnning of spring, one of the obvious things I noticed was that many of the churches have congregations made up of predominantly elderly members. The UK church has lost its impact on the youth. The youths consider the church as irrelevant to their lives and their world. Church leaders are now working hard to win this generation back to the Lord and to the path of righteousness.

In Malaysia, the task of reaching the youths is increasingly challenging. To avoid losing the Malaysian youths, the church needs to....
1. Attempt new ways to communicate with and to the youth. Remove 'white elephant' programs.
2. Put a priority on the youth ministry. Release top leaders to minister to them and the necessary funds to have creative programs.
3. Build the youth ministry on the strong foundation of the Word of God and of prayer. The methods and stlyes of communication needs to be contemporary but the message is non-negotiable.
4. Teach them how to live out/ apply the principles of God to lead successful and influential lives for God. Blessings and godliness can dwell together.
5. Provide them with encounters with God so that they can experience Him personally. Faith must be personally experience.
6. Challenge them to biblical, radical discipleship. Equip and release them for works of service and ministry. If they are simply sitting in church, they will end leaving the church to join any organization that calls them to sacrifice for a cause[noble and sadly the ignoble too].

The youths face many challenges in their lives. May we come alongside and mentor them. Its time for us to raise up the Joshua's, David's, Timothy's of our generation. Neglect the youth and the future of the church will simply be reduced to a weak and uninspiring instituition which the world gladly ignores.