... And She Falls

It's Called A Relationship

When I'm on the bus home, listening to worship songs, a message came into my mind. I'm going to write it down. I believe God will give me the right words to say.

Boy meets Girl. Boy falls in love with Girl. Boy tries to get closer to Girl. Girl falls in love with Boy. Boy and Girl got together.

Typical love story? It's because all relationships works the same way. You'll find ways trying to get close to the person you're in love with, trying to know more - if not everything - about the person. No matter what happens, not matter how bad the situation is, you still keep trying to get close.

God is trying to get close to you. He knows everything about you. No matter how many times you rejected Him, the Mighty One stills tries his best to get close. Are you trying to get close to Him?

We're all believers, which means we're now in a relationship with Him. Yes, we may attend service and cell every week without fail, but is that enough in a relationship? That's the same as telling your partner that you love him/her but only communicate every Thursday and Saturday. Think about it, are you in this relationship?

Technology helps us to learn more about our partners. Talking to your partner is just a phone call away. Reading about your partner's day is just a simple click on the blog away.

God's technology is even better, but we aren't using it often even though it's free. Talking to Him is so simple - you just have to pray. Reading his blog doesn't requires you to have a computer and internet connection - it comes in the form of a Bible, which I'm sure all of us have.

What're you going to do with this wonderful relationship with the Greatest? Are you going to make it an intimate relationship or are you just going to make it a "Thursday and Saturday" relationship? The choice's in your hands.

- Joseph

Thank God for helping me in writing this. Hope that you guys are not just going to be a reader but a doer as well. Hope that the next two verses will be a great help to you in whatever you do.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. - Ephesians 4:29

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. - James 1:22

cell outing!!!!! yea!!

Dear Kairolites!!

firstly, God bless to rp n ben for O's Chinese exam! do ur best =) secondly, i like the shrek ears! haha....so random passerby, i'm getting the ears too! why don;t u join us and get one for urself!

remember the street-E we did? maybe, maybe we will play a game during our outing....and the game is too...........approach a stranger n do street-E hehe! how's that sound? those who managed to do it are SAFE, those who couldn't find someone then they treat us something? what you think?

anyway to remind you of the purpose of the outing, its for us to enjoy a time out as a cell and 2 celebrate the end of the Living Your New Life series as well as the end of the mid-year exams! the 2nd and very important purpose is to invite a pre-believer friend along. we call them pre-believers cos we want to pray for them to become believers through our personal testimony and thru the fellowship of the cell.... REMEMBER - Evangelism is a cell-Effort+a personal-effort+Holy Spirit-effort =)

doing street-E is meant to build up our courage and get us familiar with sharing the Gospel (the Good News of Jesus) with our friends in our oikios (Household/Network of family & friends)...............so u may want to bring along the 4 Spiritual Law booklet or the G127 postcard ;-)

so comes the important question..........WHO's Bringing Friends? if you are bringing friends, do let everyone know so that we can be prepared to take care of them.

we're having a few outreach events this month:

10 june - possible sentosa outing
15 june - planetshaker's concert (who wants to go? Deming, can you be the IC for this. If all want to go, can go to Suntec to get tix@$5)
22 june - CAMP (by the way....i only received Ben's Consent Form!!!!!!!!!!)

so make use of every opportunity to bring your friend to Know the Truth of Life. Remember you are God's agent of change, a History-Maker and PlanetShaker!

WOW !

Learnt a lot at Saturate today. The speaker at the morning worship session was great too. Deming and I will share with you all at the next cell gathering. I saw something on Ruo Ping's blog which I strongly discourage from doing.

She wants us to buy this funny green thing from Mac at a huge cost of $2! She wants us to wear this during the cell outing. In buying this, we're acting against God's will. Imagine this situation...
We're singing worship songs at East Coast Park and some passer-by felt touched by God's songs. He/She wants to join our cell group.

10 minutes later, he/she saw us wearing this green funny thing walking around in the park. What will this person think of us? We're God's people and we shouldn't be seen wearing this. What if God decides to come back on that day and sees us wearing this? He gave us 2 ears and why are we making another 2 green ones?

Set aside that $2 and donate it to church, rather than buying 2 green ugly ears. Why are we spending money to make ourselves look like fools? Just like how Sheena and Ruoping girls spend money on makeup which makes them look ugly.

Please, don't buy the ears. Amen!

encouraged!

yesterday's cell time was very encouraging personally for me! to hear all the wonderful testimonies (Sheena, Ben, Kw, Joseph) of how God has been moving and been so real in your lives! I hope that you will remember the good things God has done for you and when the time comes, use these examples to challenge and encourage each other!

From Finances, to Friendships, God care about us cos He loves us so deeply =) Remember friends, the wisdom of Romans 8:28.

We have completed a another chapter in the life of Kairos, from the 1st day when you all came, before you were even Christians, through completing your Beginning Your New Life and getting your Genesis Youth Membership, and now completing the Living Your New Life series! Can't wait to see what God wants us to do after this!

i'm excited about next thursday's outing! Yea! rollerblading! haha =) invite your friends and make use of what you learnt yesterday from Street-E to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with your friends. haha hmm.... maybe we should try another Street-E at East Coast? =)

I'll be away on holiday from Monday till Wed. but i'll be back to join u guys for the outing, so Ben & KW~ we are all waiting for a good outing yea!!!

Rp & Ben, please study hard for your O-level Chinese. Colossians 3:17, Philippians 4:13 =)

You guys learn something at Saturate and come back and teach me! blog about it here too, so we all can learn from each other's experience =)

The battle belongs to our Lord!

 26 Look up into the heavens.
      Who created all the stars?
   He brings them out like an army, one after another,
      calling each by its name.
   Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
      not a single one is missing.
 27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
      O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
 28 Have you never heard?
      Have you never understood?
   The Lord is the everlasting God,
      the Creator of all the earth.
   He never grows weak or weary.
      No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
 29 He gives power to the weak
      and strength to the powerless.
  30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
      and young men will fall in exhaustion.
 31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
      They will soar high on wings like eagles.
   They will run and not grow weary.
      They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:26-31

Dearest Kairolites,

no matter what is happening to you out there, remember that God who created the heavens and earth is fighting the battle for us!

1 Samuel 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

today i just want to thank God for bringing me into the next round of interviews. I have been through 3 rounds of interviews, and if it is God's will, there will be 2 more. even as I was thinking about the interview this morning, and what to say, I felt these words "Just speak the truth" Just be honest and truthful, don't try to impress by spinning words, but just speak from my own experience and heart.

The Holy Spirit is speaking to each one of us, and we must listen out. Ask the Holy Spirit, Dear Spirit of Jesus, Holy Spirit, what do you want to tell me? what do you want me to do? what is your direction for me. I remember Joseph sharing with me that after praying, that the Scriptures, the Word of God became clearer and he could understand it more now. The Holy Spirit is our teacher as well, sharing us the things of God to us as we study the Words of Life.

my prayer for us all is that the Words of God come alive to us. it is the source of life to us, encouragement to our souls and words to strengthen us thru' our troubles! Ask the Holy Spirit to burn within you a deeper love for the Word of God. Remember it is God's love letter to us =) God loves us and wants us to know Him deeper, so that the Word of God will transform us from struggling tired youths, to Warriors, Conquerors, Princes and Princess, with strengths renewed and restored to fight the battle of our souls! Amen?

Pray friends, pray for one another. Ephesians 6:18. Pray for the Holy Spirit to overflow in your life!

After Death part 2

so just hold on to these important points:

when we die, we will go Home to the Lord Jesus. our true home, its like that feeling of having spent a long time in a foreign land and finally going on that journey back to where we really belong! I encourage you to read the Chronicles of Narnia book 3, the Horse and His Boy, i can lend it to you if you want to read =) see 2 Corinthians 5:8

when those who don't accept Jesus into their hearts, they stay in Hades (or Gehenna), awaiting the final judgement.

God desires that all men be saved (1 Time 2:3-5)

there will be a final judgement (called the great white throne judgement) at the end of time, when the devil and his angels are cast into the lake of fire (see revelation 20:11-15), this is called the second death for those who refuse 2 believe in Jesus. Believe me, God will let all hear His Word and we are the ones who make the decision.

God will create a new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1-7)
read Chronicles of Narnia book 7 :)

Hope that this clarifies some things for you and also shows you the urgency and reality that is to come.

please be a good disciple and check these verses out for yourself. see it for yourself, because in the last days of the world, many will come to deceive and preach falsely and distort the truth of God.

where we go after dead? - Part 1

Firstly, sorry to deming, told him i'll do it last night, but i didn't get the research done yet.

so the question is where do people go after they die? this is a challenging question.

first things first, where do Christians, those who have Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour go to?

see Luke 23 and verse 43: the righteous dead will be with Jesus in Paradise.

read luke 16:19-31 on the rich man and lazarus.

the rich man went down to a place of suffering and across a great chasm (gap) he saw lazarus with Abraham, in a place of comfort. But take note (this is very important), Luke 16 was before Jesus died on the Cross and descended into the lower regions (Hades) and ascended to our Heavenly Father's side in Heaven.

so take note of these terms.

Heaven
Hell
Hades
Paradise (before Jesus sacrifice)
Paradise (After Jesus' sacrifice)

by the way, Hell was created to punish the devil and his angels, not for humans. all the dead go to this place in the bible called Hades or Sheol, as in the story in Luke 16. but after the final judgement of Jesus Christ as in the book of Revelation, those unbeliever who refuse Christ will go with the devil to the final place of judgement; hell.

The most important thing is to realise that Hell is real, but the Love of Chris has set us free from this punishment.....BUT! how about our friends and family out there? keep praying friends, Pray Until Something Happens = (P.U.S.H)

well done! part 2

what did you guys feel about the worship today at service? personally
i tot it was great! i really enjoyed myself. i'm especially proud of
sheena, well done! you've really improved alot since the 1st time you
played for service!

as i closed my eyes and began to praise & worship, i couldn't even
tell that our dear drummer was only playing for the second time! i
would have tot it was leroy or nic playing drums; well done sheena!

keep it up people! i'm so proud of the way that you all are growing n
rising up as you serve God! :)

also very happy 2 see ruoping back at service yay! let's all keep
praying for her & her family! Amen?

you all have been an encouragement n blessing to me. thank u all :)

well done!

thanks joe for organising the team. you really did a good job :) i saw
you trying to make sure that everyone had their fair chance to play,
even sacrificing your own time on the court! this is a measure of
serving & putting others before yourself, just like Jesus came 2 serve
others and give Himself up for us.

fantastic! :) well done!

You are Royalty!

Hey guys!

do you know that God calls us to be Royal Priests for Him?

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
- 1 Peter 2:9

God calls us & chose us, not by accident, not by mistake! But HE chose you!

What does a Priest do? (Hebrew kohen; Greek hiereus)

There are four characteristics of the priest. He was
(1) chosen of God;
(2) the property of God;
(3) holy to God;
(4) he offered gifts to God, and took back gifts from God (Heb_5:1-4).

All true believers are now "kings and priests unto God." As priests they have free and direct access to God, through Jesus Christ, and they offer up the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and the sacrifices of grateful service to God from day to day.

look at (4), We offer gifts to God and bring back gifts from God for others as well! God calls us to speak His praise, to tell our friends and family of His goodness and how He has cared and loved us =)

So remember, we are priest, we are royalty! serve others around you in love, you are bringing gifts from God to those around you! Amen?

Interesting article

Greetings Children of the Most High God!

here's an interesting article to deepen your understanding of God's healing =)

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/003/9.12.html

do feel free to post up stuff that will encourage us and challenge us
to grow! Amen?
hope to see more contributions from all of you!

Love Everyone

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." - Galatians 5:14 (New International Version).

But, things are different when gay approaches you asking if you're interested. Don't go crazy and shout at them because they have feelings too. Just smile and say "No".

movie outing anyone?

anyone interested in a movie outing? was thinking of watching this
show. opportunity to bring a friend along & we'll go 4 dinner after
the show?

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/terabithia/

also for this week cell, let's all make it a point to be on time@6pm,
church on thursda! come early infact. we'll start exactly at 6pm & end
at 730pm sharp, so ben n rp can continue studying.

serving for this week
deming - worship
sheena - icebreaker/welcome

this week we'll do something different. instead of me praying for u
guys, you will pray for each other to receive the prayer language of
the Holy Spirit, the gift of tongues. do pray and prepare yourself
spiritually.

remember 3 things we need to watch for:
Sin blocks our prayers from God
Doubt stops us from receiving what we pray for
In God's Kairos Time, we will receive what we pray for in His will

think about 2 specific friends that you want 2 reach out to & make it
a point 2 pray for them everyday! =)

memory verse

I'm testing how many of us visit this blog =)

here's a memory verse challenge for next week - Colossians 3:17

internalising God's Word is important because...............
(WHY do you think its important? - share your thoughts)

Heya !

Thanks Kum Weng for opening your house today for our cell group. We enjoyed it! Let's all get rid of all the things that are holding us back from walking closer to God. I managed to overcome my urge to peek at your papers so I can't really say what are your strongholds. All I know that you guys can do it.

Sheena and I were thinking of getting everyone of us to buy this (For Guys & For Girls) shirt. Is everyone of you interested? Please let me know.

Update: Isaiah has checked. It'll cost SG$44 per shirt.

- Joseph

W0W!!

Praise God! how did u guys feel about service today? i tot it was
excellent man =) seeing all u jumping up & down n praising God! WOW!

and well done 4 bringing friends down, ben! as for the rest, the main
thing is that we make the effort to first PRAY & then ask. i know that
you all have been praying for ur friends, so keep it up! sheena will
be sharing with us about how 2 reach out 2 our friends once she
finishes with the book on evangelism ;) so keep praying, every week,
ask God who can u invite down, ask Him and receive!

sonic edge was great & ps Glenn was great - GOd has a plan for all of
us! Amen? next week ps gary will be sharing about Honouring our
Parents!

prepare for Mother's Day! this week cell we will be at kumweng's
place! so pls come early k? 550pm? i've 2 leave at 730pm 2 go 4
worship practice in church!

the other thing - OUTING!!! ben n kw, pls plan one for after the exams
=) everyone, pls post up some ideas for it!

keep each other in prayer k =)

God bless!

prayer request

• ruoping and her family
• ben is down with flu
• exams for ben n rp
• isaiah job interview next thursday 10th may
• Joseph - dad recovery
• sheena - peace in the family

Keep on praying! Ephesians 6:18

ps: check out 1 Kings 19 in the OT

remember!

• Dwell
• Deepen
• Delight

Kairos

so what's in a name anyway? A name is important because it communicates an identity, a sense of who a person is. same with a cell name or even a ministry name.

why Kairos, what you all have decided on, and why "More than Conquerors"? both have special meaning to me, and they contain truths that i hope all of you will always keep close 2 ur hearts and let it transform the way you look at life and the way you live as well!

Kairos* ="the appointed time in the purpose of God" all things happen in God's own choosing and His own timing! sometimes we will wonder when will God move and when will He act. As i was praying for ruoping, i wonder this as well, that when would God act.

i attended service on sunday at Matilda's church and during the worship, they sang a beautiful song Still, which reminded me that God is in control, in His own time and pleasure He will act, all we need to believe is that when we pray, things are already immediately changing in the spiritual realm!

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

all i needed to do was to be still i.e. not worry, not try in my own strength, but just to pray and worship and stand still, and know that God is God of all; He is in control, ALWAYS! even when we think otherwise!

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still - Exodus 14:14
(read also Psalm 46)

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah was in trouble and seeking God. so God told him that His Presence would come, but it didn't come in the way Elijah or most of us would expect, not in the Big earthquakes or Fires, but in a gentle whisper, God speaks. so listen out for that still small voice of God as He speaks to u!

Kairos, God's time. remember the promise of Romans 8:28, that all things happen for the good of those who love the Lord! all things= all things = everything! Amen! (this is one verse u must memorise!)

As i read ruoping's blog, i was truly blessed and encouraged by the faith that u showed and by the words u wrote about how u trusted God to help you through this and truly, in God's Kairos Time, it will happen! Amen!

i'll share another time about being "More than Conquerors" but do post up and share your comments and thoughts =)

* I couldn't get a better reference than wiki, some of the stuff written there may be confusing and some not very correct as well, so be discerning as u read!

Thank You!

Thanks Joseph for setting this up! wow...our own cell blog! =)
i really hope 2 see everyone come in and contribute to this. what really prompted me to want to have this blog sooner was seeing the desire of all of you guys to help out ruoping during her time of trouble. it was a truly encouraging and faith-building time for me as well, to see your faith shine in this test and more importantly to see that love that you all have for one another, nothing could be more important than that.

i truly believe that you all brought a great big smile to our Father in heaven as He saw your love, hope and faith! my hope is that this blog be a platform for us to encourage and learn from one another and be a place where we can share our prayer needs as well. the Bible encourages to keep on praying in the Spirit for all the saints! - thats u, me and our fellow bros n sisters out there! post up your questions here as well, any doubts, any wonders - just put it up so that we can help each other learn and grow deeper in our walk with God! this is also a place where your friends can see what a growing and passionate Christian community of youths should be like!

we are transformed and changed by the renewing of our minds, as God's Word and the Holy Spirit change us from the inside out! remember, Changed live; change lives!

first things, i must say sorry if its hard to read what i sometimes post cos i like to post ALOT! if its too long, i'm sorry! i will keep it shorter in the future, if i ever have 2 say anything =0 (hopefully, most of it will be from all of you!)