First Sunday Service of year 2010

Sunday Service
Communion
Today is our monthly holy communion.
Pastor Kai shared Deuteronomy 6:4-6 to us.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

It is okay to be honest with God that we do not love God as much as we want to. But pray to God to help us to love Him.

Communion is not about how much we love God, but reminds us, our God loves us so much.
Communion Song: Wonderful merciful Saviour

Membership Acceptance session
Today is a joy for me to see my good friend become a member of our church.
She grows progressively from a new believer 2 years ago, faithfully went through her new believer lessons, water baptism, involve in a CG, and now commit herself as a member of our church. Her life is a constant encouragement to me that it is all worth it to share Jesus with others. And to walk through the journey with them.

Pastor Kai shared that Covenant is not a perfect church. But he encouraged us to consider the 3 “C”s on whether to join the church as members:
1. C - Is Christ preached / exalted in the church?
2. C - Is there a Community that will love me and I can love
3. C - Is there a Calling for me to come to this church

Testimony
We heard an amazing testimony today shared by a pair of married couples.
They have 2 lovely children.

Husband story
The husband shared that he went for 8 Break through weekends (BTW) conducted by our church.
For the last Men BTW, God touched him and he cried everyday. God revealed to him that he had made his wife an idol in his heart. He seek the decisions of his wife instead of God. As God works in his life, God raise him up as the head of his house. Now, he will discuss with his wife, they will pray, and he decides.

For a man who willing to take leave and time off to go for so many BTW, to some degree, he is a man after God's own heart. This is admirable.

Wife story
His wife is a woman of courage to shared her story in order to give glory to God. In the last Marriage BTW, God convicted her heart when Pastor Edmund Chan post the question “Can a man loves two women at the same time?”.
She broke down and cried. In her 11 years of marriage, she had another man in her heart. Before her husband, she had an ex-boyfriend. That man meets all her requirements. But they did not proceed to marriage because that man cannot accept this woman’s mother. She constantly had this thinking, if that man come back to her, she will leave her husband for that man. God knows. And she repented. She kneeled before Pastor Edmund and her husband. She seek forgiveness from her husband and he forgave her. Now, he is the only man in her heart.

From the wife testimony, again we learn that the Lord knows the condition of our heart. The testimony is to encourage us; especially for those who need it. We can have 30+ of written and unwritten requirements of what we look for in a husband. And when we found such a man, everything we see in him is such a delight. But it is not God’s will! Oh, this truth may be like a sword that pierce your soul (idea from Luke 2:35) but nevertheless, it is still the truth.

To understand the heartbeat of God, God does not condemn the sin of this woman, but that the Lord has compassion for her. (John 3:17) Can you image the pain that she carry all this years? To hear the truth that is being preached so often on being faithful to your spouse, and yet inside her heart, she loves another man. When we know God and love God, we will know what is in our heart is wrong. So she is carrying at least two pains. One pain of not being with the man she loves. Another pain of the guilt of being unfaithful in her thoughts towards her husband.

The Lord has compassion for her, when the Lord convicted her of her sin, it is to deliver (save) her from her pains. That she can move on with her life, to do what is right, and to fully embrace the love that her husband is shower upon her.

God loves us and know what is best for us. Her husband may not meet all her requirements, but as shared during our lunch time by one sister, it is obvious that her husband really loves her.

In an “ideal” situation, a woman would marry because she loves the man. Correct? Why does she marry someone when her heart still love another man? So I seek the counsel of a wise mature lady that is in the HD (Healing and Deliverance) ministry. She would have see many cases and have some insights.

After talking to her, I learn 3 points:
1. Yes, the woman may have decided to move on and thus she married her husband.
2. And yes, it is wrong for her to have two men in her heart. Thus God deals with her on the issue.
3. And yes, for women in the similar situation, when you decided to have a relationship with another man that lead to marriage, when you decided to marry this man, you also decided to love and respect him (Ephesians 5:33). And let him be the head of you (Ephesians 5:23).

I feedback to Pastor Tony that the few testimonies that our church started to have during Sunday Service is encouraging. He said yes, every week, we will have testimony to give glory to God. So do send in your testimony to church if you have any.

Bulletin
This week bulletin has some great stuff and information.
In the section “Heartbeat this week”, Pastor Kai wrote “3 Questions For Personal Revival”. It is link to the Psalm 84 that he shared on dawn prayer.

Sermon
Hee… no sermon being shared in here. Buy or borrow the Sermon CD.
$5 per CD from the Resource center.

Lunch – catch a fish?
We had a great time laughing and sharing during our lunch in Causeway point.
Ms Sanguine said to one of the brothers that he is a good catch.
She said it is not a joke, it is a fact.

The brother said he is a Melancholy-Phlegmatic. I think he is a spirit-filled one. So he has the good sides of the temperaments and less of the bad sides of the temperaments.

As CGL is not in town, I have to submit to our ACGL. I can’t tell you which brother is Ms Sanguine refer to. Come to CG this Friday to check it out.

My Thanksgiving
IDT daily devotion has trained me in writing to God.
But I don’t write as often for others to read.
First, I don’t see myself good in writing.
And it takes time to write for others; with concern in language structure, formatting of the words. And to ensure the readers know what you are writing. I don’t have an editor to help me.

Thus it is a challenge for me to be a CG Scribe.
When sister S told me it is my turn to be CG Scribe on Jan 2010.
I asked what am I suppose to do.
I am thinking how much time am I suppose to put in to do this writing stuff.
If people miss the happening in the CG events, is that an issue?
Without knowing much in details, Holy Spirit told me, “Just say yes.”.

Lately, I start to realize one aspect of the heart of God. He brought events to happen in my life to reveal the condition of my heart. And yet He knows ultimately I will still say “yes” to Him.

Whatever God asks us to do, He will also provide the resources.
I thank God for providing me a helpful part-time maid. While I am writing, she is cleaning.

A lot of us are busy people.
We don’t have time to read long writing.
Holiday is over. At least for me…

I thank God for my busy and yet fulfilling job.
As I start work on Monday (4 Jan 2010), I will try to provide short, sweet and to the point summary for CG.

By the way, for those that is better in writing, feel free to give me pointers to improve my writing. To make it better for others to read

Easy reference
John 3:17 (NIV)
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Ephesians 5:33 (NIV)
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:23 (NIV)
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.