Wednesday 5 September 2018

Teaching One Another

Day 30 (5 September 2018, Wednesday)


Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

While the Lord has established a teaching ministry in the church, and while we are thankful for faithful pastors, elders and teachers, Paul reminds us that we have a “teaching” responsibility towards one another.

While we should refrain from judging one another, and not be busybodies, we need to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.  The church cannot be just a place where individual Christians come for one or two hours a week just to worship, sing, listen to a sermon and afterwards, say a few polite “hellos” to a few people and go back to our own lives.  We should not treat the church as a concert or lecture event; we don’t go to church the way people go to temples.

The church is a family and a community.  We are a body, Christ’s body, and we are members of the Body.  When one suffers, all suffer; when one rejoices, we all share in that joy.

Singing in church should be and is, a wonderful family and communal activity.  Our songs and hymns should not just be directed to God.  There should also be occasions of teaching and admonishing, which include encouraging and warning, for one another.  A more contemporary sitting arrangement in church that have worshippers seeing one another’s faces rather than the backs of their heads is worth considering.


Pray for the Church of Selangor & Federal Territories


Fear God & Know Him

Isaiah 33:5 - 6 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with  justive and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.

Love the Word and be Word-centred

2 Timothy 3:16- 17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.


Bible Reading:        2 Corinthians 1 - 5                   Isaiah 41 - 45



Tuesday 4 September 2018

Teaching or Instructing our Children

Day 29 (4 September 2018, Tuesday)


Psalm 78:5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children.

Psalm 78 is an important and long psalm that merits prayerful meditation.  It is the will, command and even a law that fathers (and mothers) passed on their traditions of faith to the next generation.  We need to be reminded that the primary duty of teaching our children the things of God falls on the parents – not the Sunday school teacher, the Children Church’s pastor, the Youth leader or Senior Pastor.  It is rather, Father and Mother. 

We can’t expect to raise godly children when we send our children to a non-religious school five days a week, 5 hours a day and only once a week for one hour of godly instruction in church.  That instruction in church.  That is unreasonable.

Teaching or instructing our children in homes takes place all the time, whether you intend it or not.  How do you expect your children to pray if you don’t pray for yourself?  How you expect your children to read the Bible if you don’t read it yourself?  How do you expect your children, to be honest, to be kind to others, to be unselfish, etc., if you don’t teach them by words and example?

Parents, don’t outsource the primary responsibility that God has given you.  Your children do not belong to you.  They are God’s gifts to you and you have a responsibility to bring them up in the fear of the Lord.  What profits a parent if they gain the whole world but lose their son or daughter?



Pray for the Families of Selangor & Federal Territories


Positive Atmosphere in Family Communication

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.  Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

Build their Houses/Homes with the Presence & Wisdom of God

Psalm 127:1 – 2 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it in labour in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.


Bible Reading:        1 Corinthians 11 - 16       Isaiah 37 - 40


SOURCES


Monday 3 September 2018

Disciple with Love

Day 28 (3 September 2018, Monday)


Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission is not just about evangelism and making converts and making new believers.
It is about making disciples. Disciple-making involves not just leading a person to Christ. It involves
teaching them all the things that will make a good disciple.

It might surprise many that the word “Christian(s)” is found only three times in the New Testament:
Acts 11:26, 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:16. The most common word for Christians is “disciple.” It is used
261 times in the Gospels and Acts. Interestingly enough, it is not used elsewhere in the New
Testament. Literally, “disciple” means “learner”. Learners must have teachers, which is the gift that
Jesus gave to the church.

Just before Jesus returned to his Father, he instructed his disciples to make disciples and to teach
them to keep all his commandments – the primary commandment is that of love. Love God and
love people. Love one another.

It is important to remind ourselves of the theme of love in all our ministry, service and teaching. The
apostle Paul himself declared that it is the love of Christ that controlled him and his colleagues in their
ministry (2 Cor 5:14). To the Romans, he also wrote, “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom 13:10).
Love ought to be the motivation, spirit, content and goal of the Christian teaching ministry.

Pray for the People of Selangor and Federal Territories

 Minority People Group: Mah Meri

Psalm 68:4 – 6 Sing to God, sing praise to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
(Mah Meri: An aboriginal tribe in Selangor. While some have improved their living standards, others remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and social vices.)

 People with a Sense of Social Responsibility

Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his
own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.


Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 6 - 10 Isaiah 32 - 36



SOURCES


Sunday 2 September 2018

Jesus, Our Teacher And Example

Day 27 (2 September 2018, Sunday)

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone, when he is fully trained, will be like his
teacher.

Some people see Jesus merely as a Teacher, or an Example to follow. This view of Jesus is sorely
inadequate. Jesus is the Saviour who gave his life to save us from our sins. He is the Lord and
Master, whom we pledge to obey. He is the Judge who will come one day to judge all peoples, all
nations and to right all wrongs. He is the Son of the Living God. That being said, Jesus is also our
Teacher and Example – an important truth to bear in mind.

This verse is part of a series of sayings about spiritual sight: “Can the blind lead the blind?” Jesus by
using humour, talked about a person trying to correct a minor fault of another while not seeing his own major fault.

Not everyone is a teacher in church but more often than not, we are tempted to teach others when we see something wrong in their lives. When we do that, we tend to be judgmental.

It is more important to have a humble teachable spirit than to have an arrogant, better-than-you, teaching attitude. The one who is fully trained will be like his teacher, Jesus, who is kind and compassionate, and who teaches to heal and not to hurt.

Pray for the Land of Selangor and Federal Territories

 Show Kindness and Hospitality to the Aliens

Leviticus 19:33 – 34 When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you, were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

 Declaring God’s Promises of Blessings Over the Land

Isaiah 55:10 – 11 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bright forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.


Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1 - 5 Isaiah 27 - 31



SOURCES


A Time for Everything

Today's Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3 (KJV)


Ecclesiastes 3 (KJV)
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Scripture Meaning


The changes of human affairs. (1-10) The Divine counsels unchangeable. (11-15) The vanity of worldly power. (16-22)

Verses 1-10 
To expect unchanging happiness in a changing world, must end in disappointment. To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altogether wise, just, and good. Then let us seize the favourable opportunity for every good purpose and work. The time to die is fast approaching. Thus labour and sorrow fill the world. This is given us, that we may always have something to do; none were sent into the world to be idle.

Verses 11-15
Every thing is as God made it; not as it appears to us. We have the world so much in our hearts, are so taken up with thoughts and cares of worldly things, that we have neither time nor spirit to see God's hand in them. The world has not only gained possession of the heart, but has formed thoughts against the beauty of God's works. We mistake if we think we were born for ourselves; no, it is our business to do good in this life, which is short and uncertain; we have but little time to be doing good, therefore we should redeem time. Satisfaction with Divine Providence, is having faith that all things work together for good to them that love him. God doeth all, that men should fear before him. The world, as it has been, is, and will be. There has no change befallen us, nor has any temptation by it taken us, but such as is common to men.

Verses 16-22 
Without the fear of the Lord, man is but vanity; set that aside, and judges will not use their power well. And there is another Judge that stands before the door. With God there is a time for the redressing of grievances, though as yet we see it not. Solomon seems to express his wish that men might perceive, that by choosing this world as their portion, they brought themselves to a level with the beasts, without being free, as they are, from present vexations and a future account. Both return to the dust from whence they were taken.

What little reason have we to be proud of our bodies, or bodily accomplishments! But as none can fully comprehend, so few consider properly, the difference between the rational soul of man, and the spirit or life of the beast. The spirit of man goes upward, to be judged, and is then fixed in an unchangeable state of happiness or misery. It is as certain that the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earth; it perishes at death.
Surely their case is lamentable, the height of whose hopes and wishes is, that they may die like beasts. Let our inquiry be, how an eternity of existence may be to us an eternity of enjoyment? To answer this, is the grand design of revelation. Jesus is revealed as the Son of God, and the Hope of sinners.

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 start the Book of Ecclesiastes with Chapter 3.
In our text today we look at the this text as a book of time and how there is a time for everything. I use this passage during funerals to point out that life is just a vapor. In making application we see that our life is just a few days. We dont live forever on this earth but if we are saved we will live with the Lord . How about you? Do you see that our life on Earth is just a few days? Let us learn from our text today to remember that life is just a vapor a we have a time for everthing, even death.




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Saturday 1 September 2018

Prioritizing Teaching in the Church

Day 26 (1 September 2018, Saturday)


Matthew 9:36 “…teaching in their synagogues…”

There were three essential things Jesus did throughout his earthly ministry – teaching, preaching and healing.  His preaching and healing were usually done whenever He met people in ordinary places, like marketplace, fields, streets in the towns and villages, or roads in the countryside that connected to the cities, or even in homes, wherever and whenever he was welcomed.  He did his teaching whenever an opportunity arose.

But there was one place where the people of God would come to worship and learn from God’s holy Word on the Sabbath at least – the synagogues.  The synagogue served as a template for our Sunday church services.

Since the earliest days of the church, Christians have gathered together to worship the Lord and to study the Word.  It is important to give primary importance to the teaching ministry in the life of the church.  Each week, we come together to worship and to listen to the preaching and teaching of the Word.  Pastors, leaders, elders who preach and teach regularly must follow the example of Jesus, who taught faithfully the whole counsel of God.  This involves prayerful preparation and careful study of the Word themselves.  The preaching and teaching is a holy ministry, through which a minister offers the bread of life, not his opinions, thoughts, or even the vision for his church.

Christians, it is our privilege to come to the Sunday service to hear the Word – in effect to hear Jesus teach.



Pray for the Heads & Governments of Selangor & Federal Territories


Tongues that Lift Up the Nation

Psalm 37:30 – 31 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.  The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

Flee from Greed and Be Contented in Everything

1 Timothy 6:6-9 But godliness with contentment is a great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.


Bible Reading:        Roman 11 - 16                    Isaiah 23 - 26



SOURCES




Faith that Proclaims (the Whole Counsel of God)

Preface for Day 26 – 30: Harvest and the Word



The Lord of the harvest is building His Bride who will take root in the Word of God

1.  Focusing on West Coast  (Selangor & Federal Territories)

Selangor: 5,041,321 (Malay:  55.8%; Chinese: 28.6%; Indian: 13.6%; Others: 2%.  Selangor is the most developed and populated state in Malaysia.  The sub-districts (mukim) in Petaling, which include Bandar Petaling Jaya, Damansara, Petaling, and Sungai Buloh, has a population of 1.66 million people.  It is the most urbanized and commercial city in Malaysia, Shah Alam, the state capital of Selangor, a well-planned modern Islamic city, is located here.

Gombak which is located in the north of Kuala Lumpur is the home to an aboriginal Orang Asli settlement and Batu Caves, a popular tourist attraction during Thaipusam, is the temple cave.  It has erected an enormous golden statue of Muruga, to whom the cave is dedicated to the deities.


Federal Territories (Wilayah Persekutuan):  Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan are the three territories governed by the Federal Government of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is the national capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya is the administrative capital and Labuan is an offshore international financial centre.  The population of Kuala Lumpur is 1.674,621, comprising of 44.7% of Malay, 43% of Chinese, 10.3% of Indians, and 2% of others.

It was established in 1857 and began as a trading post of the tin industry, during which the Chinese miners and traders made up most of the major population, governed by a Kapitan China, Kapitan Yap Ah Loy was the contributor for the KL’s early growth.  In 1896, KL became the capital of Federated Malay States, and the multiracial population began to settle here till today.  On 31 August 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Malaya as an independent country in Dataran Merdeka, KL.  The darkest hour came on 13 May 1969, when race riots – mainly between Malays and Chinese, claimed hundreds of lives.  In 1974, KL became a Federal Territory.  In 1999, Putrajaya became the new administrative capital, but KL remains as the country’s financial and commercial center.

2.    Focusing on Prayer Altar Covenant to know God.

       A covenant made is a sacred agreement between God and you to fulfil His Plan.  To what
       extent will you offer your time and commitment to know God better through the Bible
       Reading Challenge?


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