Peace, a Fruit of Our Hope in God

Day 9 (15 Aug 2017, Tuesday)

Besides joy, another hallmark of us truly trusting in our God is peace. This is very significant especially when we consider that Jerusalem means the City of Peace, and that Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. It is through the shedding blood of Christ Jesus on the Cross, that we then have peace with God!

God’s peace in us is a peace beyond what the world can ever offer to us. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Paul wrote about such a peace to the church in Philippi, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6-7).

As we pray for our nation and Church in Malaysia, let us turn over every conceivable anxiety that we might have about our nation and our churches to God in the form of prayers and intercession.

This is the recommended spiritual prescription and practice for all believers in Christ. We may not understand everything, but God does. It is not for us to understand everything, but it is God’s desire to fill us with His peace when we pray and trust in His perfect will to be done.

A praying Church will discover God’s peace to be very real, even in the midst of many perplexing national challenges and calamities. May God’s peace be ours this very day, as we pray! Amen.

Pray for the States of Malaysia : Negeri Sembilan

Pray for emotional healing upon the aging survivors of the Jelulung massacres during the World War II, where more than 1,400 villagers were killed in the atrocities committed by the Japanese troops against the local Chinese in 1942.

Pray for effective rehabilitation programs to be offered to the drug addicts and proper measures to be in place to suppress drug-related crimes which has become a pressing problem for the local communities.

Pray for God’s hand to be upon the thousands of military men and women serving in the several key Malaysian military camps located in Port Dickson, in that they will be guided by the righteousness of God as they serve the nation.



 Necf Malaysia

Download 2017 NECF Malaysia  40Days Fast & Prayer (Prayer Booklet)

Britain’s first Anglican same-sex marriage in Scottish

Britain’s first Anglican same-sex marriage celebrated in a Scottish church

LONDON - The first gay marriage in an Anglican church in Britain took place this week, a day after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described the continuing squabbles over same-sex marriage in the worldwide Anglican Communion as “intractable.”

The gay couple, known as “Mark and Rick,” had their order of service posted on Facebook, which told people that they were married on Tuesday (Aug. 1) at a service that included the Eucharist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in the center of Edinburgh. The Rev. Markus Dünzkofer, rector of St. John’s, a church of the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, officiated.

The wedding was “a small intimate occasion,” said Dünzkofer. The couple, he said, were Americans with Scottish connections who had been together 24 years.
“This was not some pretty, fancy occasion,” he said. “They wanted a religious ceremony and they wanted it to be a nuptial Mass.”

In June, the Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, announced that it was allowing gay weddings after its synod voted to amend its canon law on marriage. The change was made when the synod agreed the law stating that marriage was between one man and one woman should be removed.

Anglican national churches in Brazil, South Africa, South India, New Zealand and Canada have taken steps toward approving and celebrating same-sex relationships amid strong resistance among other national churches within the 80 million-member global body. The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has allowed gay marriage since 2015.

The Scottish vote sparked a backlash from traditionalists in the Global Anglican Future Conference, or GAFCON. The group responded by announcing it had appointed a missionary bishop to Scotland to offer alternative leadership for traditionalist Anglicans opposed to the synod’s decision.
Welby, speaking to the BBC from Africa where he has been traveling, was asked if the Anglican Communion’s rift over homosexuality might worsen, given that the communion’s center of growth is on that continent, where traditional views on marriage hold sway.

The archbishop answered: “It’s an intractable problem. This is more complex than having a binary approach. There is not an easy fix, but the primates (of the Anglican Communion) have said that they will work together.”
But the situation in Scotland will make the archbishop of Canterbury’s task in keeping the Anglican Communion together much more difficult.

Since the vote in June, at least nine Scottish Episcopal Church clergy have registered to officiate at same-sex weddings. The first to sign up was the Rev. Kelvin Holdsworth, the provost of St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow.

Holdsworth, a leading figure in the Changing Attitude Scotland campaign, said that people in Scotland have changed their minds on gay marriage and now support it.

archbishop canterbury justin welby

“The congregation has been hugely supportive. There were loud cheers in church when I announced that bookings for weddings were now open to all couples, when I received permission to do this a couple of weeks ago,” Holdsworth said. “Several members of the congregation were wearing badges saying, ‘The Archbishop of Canterbury has no jurisdiction in this realm of Scotland.’”

St. John’s Church in Edinburgh first announced that it would offer the rite of marriage beginning in July. Dünzkofer said that there had been dialogue throughout the Scottish Episcopal Church about human sexuality and same-sex marriage.

“It has been easier than in the Church of England,” he said. “We are a smaller church, we are not the established church and there is less of an evangelical voice. But we heard different perspectives and heard very different voices.”

Dünzkofer estimated about 80 percent of his congregation approved the change in doctrine. St John’s website reflects these varying opinions, with an apology “for the deep pain” the church caused to LGBTQ people and their families. “(W)e asked for forgiveness for our resistance to proclaiming the love of God more courageously. We have failed.”

But it also says that it “recognizes that the radical move by the Scottish Episcopal Church will be difficult for some people. We also have failed in loving more generously and embracing more compassionately those who disagree with recent developments in church and state. For this we are sorry, too.”

The proximity of Scotland to the Church of England will make the situation particularly difficult for Welby. Although they have only an estimated 100,000 members, the impact of gay weddings in its Scottish Episcopal churches will be significant, according to Simon Sarmiento, of the website, Thinking Anglicans.

“Gay Anglicans in England will be able to travel to Scotland to get married, putting more pressure on the Church of England,” he said.

Within the Church of England there are deeply divergent views on gays, and at the most recent General Synod, a bishops’ report advocating no change in the church’s stance on the blessing of gay partnerships or the conducting of gay marriages was narrowly rejected.

Since then a Pastoral Advisory Group has been set up and chaired by Bishop of Newcastle Christine Hardman to support and advise dioceses on pastoral approaches to human sexuality.
Holdsworth said Welby is wrong to say the problem is intractable and urged him to speak to gay people who want to help come up with solutions.

“If Justin Welby wants to hear from passionate Anglicans with lots of ideas about how to solve these troubles then one of the things he needs to do is to speak to the people concerned. LGBT people from around the communion would be willing to meet him to help find solutions,” Holdsworth said. “The last time an international meeting of LGBT activists was invited to meet with a senior leader from the Anglican Communion was in 2005.”




Religion News Service

New Jersey town approves mosque after $3.25M settlement

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey town has approved construction of a mosque after years of debate and a $3.25 million settlement in a lawsuit.

The Bernards Township committee approved the plan Tuesday night (Aug. 8).

The Islamic Society of Basking Ridge had sued the township last year, claiming the town changed its zoning ordinances in order to deny the group’s plans. The Justice Department also sued, alleging the town treated the group differently than it treated other religious groups.

Under terms of the settlement, the township will pay the settlement figure and allow the mosque to be built. The town also agreed to limit the zoning restrictions placed on houses of worship.

Some residents insisted that their opposition to the mosque was about the location and not religious intolerance. They said they were concerned with traffic and preserving the historic nature of Liberty Corner, a community in the township. They said the society should find another location.

But others disagreed, saying efforts to block Muslims from building the mosque were “bogus.”
Among other arguments, Justice Department officials said the town discriminated against the Islamic Society based on religion.
A similar lawsuit cost Bridgewater Township almost $8 million in a 2014 settlement.






Cred; Religion News Service

Joy, a Fruit of Our Hope in God

Day 8 (14 Aug 2017, Monday)

You can tell when a Christian has settled the issue of trusting God, he puts his hope in God alone.
That believer has joy written all over his face and in his entire demeanour.  It’s easy for us to tell between a joyful Christian and a joyless Christian.

The Bible tells us that when we believe in God, God will fill us with all joy!  Not a little bit of joy, but all joy!  This was Apostle Paul’s prayer for the believers in Rome, and it is still valid for the Malaysian Church today!  A joyous Malaysian Church in the midst of all the social, political and economic challenges will most certainly be a resounding witness and testimony to a nation steeped in darkness!

The Church that has a song of joy to sing in dark times is going to get the attention of unbelievers!  The light shines brightest in times when it is the darkest!

Can we make it a point in our lives to continue looking to God and God alone?  For in Him we find joy, and through Him we are filled with joy.  Please join us to pray for a joyous and triumphant Church in Malaysia!  Our happiness may depend on the outwards circumstances but joy takes place inside of us.  It happens within our heart.  So come, let us pray with joy today and may our Church in Malaysia be a joyful Church! Amen.

Pray for the States of Malaysia  :  Selangor

Pray for adequate measures to be adopted by the state government for the upkeep of the Public Housing programme, in order to provide affordable accommodation that will cater to the needs of the many urban poor in the state.

Pray for the thousands of legal and illegal foreign workers in Selangor to experience an encounter with Jesus Christ personally.  Many of them suffer at the hands of dishonest agents or merciless employers.  Pray that their cries to God will be heard and that their rights will be respected.

Pray for God’s wisdom and revelation to shine in the hearts of the tens of thousands of local and foreign tertiary students here.  Pray that they will become men and women of purpose, integrity and purity who will bring positive change to society.



Necf Malaysia


Download 2017 NECF Malaysia  40Days Fast & Prayer (Prayer Booklet)

Mormon church leader excommunicated for first time in decades

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Mormon church leader was removed from his post and kicked out of the religion Tuesday (Aug. 8) for the first time in nearly three decades.

James J. Hamula was released from a midlevel leadership council based on disciplinary action by the religion’s highest leaders, said Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hawkins didn’t say why Hamula was ousted, but the Utah-based church said it was not for apostasy, which refers to teaching inaccurate doctrine or publicly defying guidance from church leaders.
Efforts to reach Hamula at listed phone numbers were not successful.

The last leader to be excommunicated was the late George P. Lee in 1989 after Lee, an American Indian, called Mormon leaders racist. The church said then that Lee was removed for “apostasy and other conduct unbecoming a member of the church.”

The last church leader removed before Lee was Richard R. Lyman, who was excommunicated in 1943 for adultery but baptized again 11 years later.

James J. Hamula

Hamula became a member of a group called the “General Authority Seventy” in 2008. It is a group of nearly 90 leaders who sit below the church president, his two counselors and two other levels of leaders.

They help run church operations by serving as a bridge between local lay leaders in Mormon congregations around the world and the top leaders working at church headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Hamula’s removal is surprising because he was well-regarded and was even considered by some outside Mormon scholars as a possible candidate to join the high-level Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when the church was filling three vacancies in 2015, said Matthew Bowman, a Mormon scholar and history professor at Henderson State University.

Hamula was not chosen, but he was still considered an up-and-comer destined for more important assignments, Bowman said. In recent years, Hamula served in important roles as assistant executive director of church history and executive director of a department that reviews all documents published by the church.

“He had a promising future,” Bowman said.
His removal will likely be talked about among some of the nearly 16 million worldwide members of the Mormon religion, but it may not cause a huge stir because it may be the first time many have heard of Hamula, Bowman said.

Hamula was born in Long Beach, Calif., and is married with six children, according to his church biography. He was a lawyer until joining the leadership council in 2008.
That year, he gave a speech at a Mormon conference watched by millions about choosing good over evil.

“Satan is marshaling every resource at his disposal to entice you into transgression,” Hamula said. “He knows that if he can draw you into transgression, he may prevent you from serving a full-time mission, marrying in the temple and securing your future children in the faith, all of which weakens not only you but the church.”



Religion News Service

North Korea releases Canadian pastor Rev. Rim Hyon Su, also known as Hyeon Soo Lim

North Korea releases Canadian pastor sentenced to life in prison

(RNS) - North Korea has released a Canadian pastor who was convicted of attempting to undermine the regime of Kim Jong Un.

The pastor was freed on humanitarian grounds, state media reported Wednesday (Aug. 9).
The Rev. Rim Hyon Su, also known as Hyeon Soo Lim, was accused by the state of using religion as a ruse to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2015.

Lim, who is in his 60s, had written to his family members about stomach pains and high blood pressure, according to CNN. In an interview with the network in 2016, he said he prayed daily and was the sole prisoner in his camp, where he was forced to dig holes eight hours a day, six days a week. He asked for a Bible but did not receive one.

The South Korean-born pastor of Toronto’s Light Korean Presbyterian Church had pleaded guilty to trying to undermine the worship of Kim, which is required of all North Koreans.

The state is officially atheist, with a constitution that guarantees freedom of religious belief. In practice, it has one of the bleakest human rights records in the world and harshly persecutes the religious, according to Human Rights Watch.

Lim’s family said he had traveled to North Korea more than 100 times since 1997, where his church ran missions to support an orphanage and to distribute food.

The pastor’s release came a day after Canadian officials confirmed that a delegation had traveled to North Korea to discuss his imprisonment. Concern over his fate increased after North Korea released an American student in a coma in June.
Otto Warmbier, 22, who had suffered brain damage, died six days later.

Rev. Rim Hyon Su

In response, the U.S. State Department announced a ban on Americans’ travel to North Korea. That ban, which goes into effect on Sept. 1, allows those who want to participate in humanitarian missions to North Korea to apply for a special passport to do so.

President Trump and North Korean officials this week are exchanging bellicose words over the regime’s nuclear missile program. Last month North Korea announced the successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach California.

At least three Americans remain in North Korean custody: businessman Kim Dong-chul, academic Kim Sang-duk and self-described Christian missionary Kim Hak-song.

Hak-song, who was taken into custody in May, taught at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology. The university, founded in 2010 with donations from South Korean and American Christians, including the Illinois-based Church of the Brethren, remains the only private university in the country.

The American nonprofit Open Doors, which advocates for persecuted Christians worldwide, lists North Korea as the most oppressive nation for Christians in the world. It estimates that there are 300,000 Christians in the nation of 25 million.






Religion News Service

His Best for Our Life

Today's Scripture: Proverbs 16 (KJV)

1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

10 A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

11 A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.

12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Scripture Meaning

Verses
1: The renewing grace of God alone prepares the heart for every good work. This teaches us that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think or speak any thing wise and good.
(2). Ignorance, pride, and self-flattery render us partial judges respecting our own conduct.
(3). Roll the burden of thy care upon God, and leave it with him, by faith and dependence on him.
(4). God makes use of the wicked to execute righteous vengeance on each other; and he will be glorified by their destruction at last.
(5). Though sinners strengthen themselves and one another, they shall not escape God's judgments. (6). By the mercy and truth of God in Christ Jesus, the sins of believers are taken away, and the power of sin is broken.
(7). He that has all hearts in his hand, can make a man's enemies to be at peace with him.
(8). A small estate, honestly come by, will turn to better account than a great estate ill-gotten.
(9). If men make God's glory their end, and his will their rule, he will direct their steps by his Spirit and grace. 10. Let kings and judges of the earth be just, and rule in the fear of God.
(11). To observe justice in dealings between man and man is God's appointment.
(12). The ruler that uses his power aright, will find that to be his best security.
(13). Put those in power who know how to speak to the purpose.
(14,15). Those are fools, who, to obtain the favour of an earthly prince, throw themselves out of God's favour.
(16). There is joy and satisfaction of spirit, only in getting wisdom.
(17). A sincerely religious man keeps at a distance from every appearance of evil. Happy is the man that walks in Christ, and is led by the Spirit of Christ.
(18). When men defy God's judgments, and think themselves far from them, it is a sign they are at the door. Let us not fear the pride of others, but fear pride in ourselves.
(19). Humility, though it exposes to contempt in the world, is much better than high-spiritedness, which makes God an enemy. He that understands God's word shall find good.
(21). The man whose wisdom dwells in his heart, will be found more truly prudent than many who possess shining talents.
(22). As waters to a thirsty land, so is a wise man to his friends and neighbours.
(23). The wise man's self-knowledge, always suggests something proper to be spoken to others.
(24). The word of God cures the diseases that weaken our souls.
(25). This is caution to all, to take heed of deceiving themselves as to their souls.
(26). We must labour for the meat which endureth to everlasting life, or we must perish.
(27,28). Ungodly men bestow more pains to do mischief than would be needful to do good. The whisperer separates friends: what a hateful, but how common a character!
(29,30). Some do all the mischief they can by force and violence, and are blind to the result.
(31). Old people especially should be found in the way of religion and godliness.
(32). To overcome our own passions, requires more steady management, than obtaining victory over an enemy.
(33). All the disposal of Providence concerning our affairs, we must look upon to be the determining what we referred to God; and we must be reconciled to them accordingly. Blessed are those that give themselves up to the will of God; for he knows what is good for them.

Scripture Application

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue with the Book of Proverbs with Chapter 16.

In our text today we see more wisdom for daily living as our text advises us to put the Lord first in all we do. In making application we see how pride cometh before a fall and when we put ourselves before the Lord we are is really performing self worship which ends in failure. How about you? Do you put yourself before the Lord? Let us learn from our test today to remember to put the Lord first so we will experience His best for our Lives.