church_matters_article001

Articles on Church Matters:

Christianity Summed Up in 30 Minutes

Heaven is Real, Hell is also Real
Jesus is the answer, it is not a cliché.
Christianity is a Relationship, a relationship with Jesus.
Christianity is also having brotherly Relationship with fellow Christians.
Christianity is also having brotherly Relationship with fellow non-Christians.
Christianity is not all about sacrifices, but sacrifice is a strong Christian virtue.
Sacrifice is about giving up the things we would like to do or have or say, all for the sake of the gospel.
When we move in the Spirit, we don’t succumb to our naturally inclinations.
He hates sins but love the sinner.
Our Lord is slow to anger, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get angry.
To those He loves He prunes.
To those who do not fear the lord, he strikes with vengeance.
He forgives sins readily and expects the same of us.
We must forgive unconditionally, as He loves and forgives us unconditionally.
He provides us from the bounty of his plenty. Do you believe?
He still heals today? Do you have the Faith?
Faith is what He asked of you, faith opens the floodgates of heaven.
Prayer is the breath of the faith. When prayer ceases the Spiritual heart stops pumping.
Prayer is about speaking to our Lord but Prayer is mainly listening.
The lord continues to speak to us and is eager to let His will be known.
We say we cannot hear Him but He has spoken richly in His bible did you not realized?
We want the Lord to speak to us personally, but will we listen when He does?
The Sabbath is to be kept holy? What really does that mean?
To go to church? To be in church? To be in church with the full being?
Christianity is about searching for the Lord, He says “You will find me if you search for me and search with all your heart.”
Do not be contented because you know about God, happy are you when you know God.
To be called a Christian, you simply need to accept Jesus as your saviour. To be God’s children, you go the distance for the Father.
Someone said, “When you say you have no time, it means you do have time, but something else is more important.”
Is it more important to gain the world and lose your soul?
A Christian knows his life on earth is temporary and is just a passing journey.
Anyone who stores his barns and neglects the Lord will lose it all.
Anyone who places his trust in himself rather than places his trust in the Lord is courting for endless trouble.
What is the purpose of our temporary lives on this earth?
The most important thing in a Christian’s life is to know the will of God and to obey it.
“Love one another as I have loved you” says the Lord.? Often we are Christians trying too hard to perform the duties for the Kingdom of God. To build his church and we become task oriented. When we say building the church, the church is the people of God. Are we building them? “Love one another|” says the Lord, do we love them?”
The Lord says “Go out to the world and make disciples of the entire world” Therefore evangelization is the duty of all Christians. May I say it again; I think the Lord would want me to. Evangelization is the duty of all Christians.
Christians don’t worry because the Lord told us we don’t need to. If we do worry, we need to ask the Lord to increase our faith.
We can’t serve God and to serve anything else that would anger our Lord; and angry is not what you want Him to be.
We have secrets and He knows it all, He reads our thoughts so allow Him to help us.
Fortunately the Devil cannot read our thoughts but he will tell you he can.
He tells you all kind of lies and we believe some of them. We believe that maybe hell isn’t that hot and heaven is no big deal. If we really believe that Heaven and hell are real, we wouldn’t live our lives the way we are. We will have a sense of urgency to strive for holiness and obey all of God’s will.
We trust our doctors, who are human and can err, rather trust the Lord who is almighty and who is perfect.
God heals today and we seek many healings for our sicknesses.
The greatest healing we need is for our spiritual sickness.
Holiness is not about the good you do, those are call ‘good works’. Only God is holy, we become Holy when we have God in our lives. Invite God in Today.
It is easier to do the Impossible with God than the impossible without God.
Christianity isn’t about a fight, the fight is over; Christ has won.
We have victory but some choose not to believe it. The devil is a prowling lion seeking those he can devour, those who live a defected life is lunch for him.
Good works doesn’t get us to heaven but believing in Jesus does. But believing in Jesus should results in the explosion of good works.
The Door to heaven is narrow but heaven is large enough for everyone. You need not rush to get to heaven that’s not why you are here, bring as many people along with you that would make our Lord smile.
Then when your time comes and surely it will, the Lord will put His arms around you and say ‘you good and worthy servant, you have done well”

Brother Christian Chua
Singapore
06 Dec 2006
www.renosis.com.sg

The "7-Ups" For The New Year

No - this has nothing to do with toasting the New Year with a soft drink. It has everything to do with attitudes and actions that help each of us live out the abundant life Jesus promises us. The 7-Ups are a good set of resolutions that the Holy Spirit can help us live by so that we maximise the potential of every moment:-

1. Wake up - Begin each day with the Lord. Decide to have a good day - rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).

2. Dress Up - Put on a smile. It improves your looks and says something about your attitude.

3. Shut Up - Watch your tongue (Proverbs 13:3). Don't gossip; avoid men who talk too much (Proverbs 20:19). Say nice things that build others up. Learn to listen - to the needs of others as well as their godly counsel (Proverbs 19:20).

4. Stand Up - For what you believe in so you will not fall for anything. Resist evil; do good. Remember the Golden Rule, "Do for others as you would like them to do unto you" (Luke 6:31).

5. Look Up - To the Lord. After all, He is your Saviour and Helper.

6. Reach Up - For something higher, bigger than you. Align with God, and flow with His Spirit. With God, we can dream big and work to make them become realities.

7. Lift Up - Your petitions to the Lord (Philippians 4:6). Also, offer your life as God's channel of blessing; be available to help those in need - serving, supporting and sharing.

Determine to live by the 7-Ups everyday, and you will discover and enjoy the richest blessings that are yours in Christ! Blessed New Year, everyone!

With love & prayers,
Pastors, Deacons & Staff of Elim Church
Singapore
31 Dec 2006

This article is an abstract of the weekly bulletin message from Elim Church, Singapore.

Will The Angels Abandon Us?

If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine, will our guardian angels turn their backs on us? If we are struggling with our overall belief in God or we're questioning the validity of the holy books, will the angels abandon us? What if we believe in God and in the Bible, but we just feel like screwing off for awhile? Will they desert us? Do we have to be good and pure and perfect in order for angels to look after us?

I can only speak from my own experience. I was not raised in a church because my father is an atheist and my stepmother just didn't care either way. I have always had a few paranormal gifts that would come and go without warning. In my studies and research to figure out the scientific understanding of the paranormal, I found my own connection with the spirit world. I did not go out searching for guardian angels. They found me. They helped me with my studies and as a very skeptical person they've had to work very hard to prove to me that they were real and that they had my best interests in mind.

They have never left me. I have come to find signs over the years that long before they ever made their presence known to me, they were there looking over me. I had a rather wild and rebellious time during my late teens and early twenties. I absolutely did not believe in any kind of a god and I did not believe that the Bible was anything more than a bunch of greedy power-hungry men's rules for keeping the rest of humanity under wraps. Nevertheless, for all my negative beliefs, the angels watched over me. There are too many really stupid dangerous things that I did that should have killed me, too many times there is no other answer other than someone was looking over me and saving me from my own youthful choices. It wasn't until long after I'd calmed down and was behaving myself that they made themselves known.

I have spent a lifetime questioning the various religions, their churches, their leaders, their rules, and their lifestyles. I have never come to a rock solid conclusion that any of them are completely right or completely wrong. I may never know without a doubt that any one holy book is the one and only holy book. I personally have found a peace in knowing that all religions root in love. Love one another. Love yourself. Love your journey no matter where you are. My religious beliefs are a bit eclectic and I sort of like it that way. It works for me. I have no need to recruit anyone over to my beliefs because I can't even prove that what I believe is how it really is. My guardian angels have never ever left me because I question these things. They have never tried to convert me to any one religion. I get the sense that they know me well enough to know that it's the nature of me to question and explore.

Some say God created us in His own image. Then God must be an intelligent independent explorer. Some say we create God in our own image. Then God must be an intelligent independent explorer. Either way, wouldn't it make sense that if each of us is a unique and different person that each of us is going to have a unique and different version of what defines God? My angels never get angry or threaten to abandon me when I ask these kinds of questions. Instead, they beam out love and light and smile lovingly like proud grandparents watching their favorite grandchild explore the wonders of the earth. I only feel loved and blessed. Never have I sensed that they would ever leave me. They have promised that they won't.

I have had some very dark times since finding out that they are with me. I've gotten really angry at them. I've screamed at the heavens shaking my fist and cussing. They agreed to leave me alone for awhile but assured me that when I was ready, they'd be back. I was still protected but we didn't have the close chats about life that I'd come to love. Once, I wanted to do incredible harm to someone who had hurt me and my children. I was in the darkest ugliest most un-Christ-like place a person can be. Even through my angels refused to help me carry out my dark plots against this person, they never left me. When I was sorry for being so dark and was ready to heal and be happy again, they were right there to help me. Angels won't help you do bad deeds no matter how righteous you may feel, but they'll help you when you're ready to shift away from those dark desires.

From my own personal relationship with my own angels, I have to say no. No they won't leave you. They will always love you and will do everything they can to keep you on a good path, but if you want to screw up your life, they will stick by you but you won't get that loving beam of warmth. No matter who you are or what you've done, your angel is still there waiting to connect with you. If you don't want to connect they won't force you. If you're life is going fairly well, they may not even need to tell you that they're there. They aren't pushy. Others are more needy of that spiritual connection and need to feel the comforting and loving energy from them. Perhaps the reason mine have been so vocal is because I am such a brat at times? Some of us need to hear it loud and clear in order to believe it. Blind faith is a bizarre and twisted lesson, but I'm working on it.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

Skye Thomas
05 May 2007

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow's Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books, articles, and astrological forecasts have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. To read more of her articles and to sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net. To download free previews of her books, go to www.SkyeThomas.com. Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net