FCM Newsletter 2006_V1 (Jan-Mar 06)

8/8/2019 FCM Newsletter 2006_V1 (Jan-Mar 06)

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Rev. (Dr) Prabhudas Koshy

This is a topic debated by Christians andnon-Christians alike. Do we have an answer

from the Bible to this question? How aboutthe often cited verse, Matthew 7:1, whichsays, "Judge not?" After citing this verse,many are quick to chide, saying, "Who areyou to judge" "Don't you know that you arenot supposed to judge people?"

But the truth is that Matthew 7:1does not prohibit proper judging.Any verse taken out of context willlead to misinterpretation. So its

necessary that we refer to Matthew7:1-6. If we stop with the first verse,as most people do, it would seem toteach that to judge anyone is totally wrong. .By the time you get to verse 5, it is clear thatJesus is talking to hypocrites (i.e., the Jewishreligious leaders, such as the Pharisees)who are condemning others for not living upto their standards. In Matthew 7:5, we read,"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam outof thine own eye; and then shalt thou see

clearly to cast out the mote out of thybrothers eye."So Jesus message was thatto be proper judges of people and theiractions, every one need to be cleared of hisown sins.

What was the sin of the Pharisees? In anearlier passage, Jesus explicitly said, "For I

say unto you, That except yourrighteousness shall exceed the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom ofheaven" (Matthew 5:20). The Pharisees, whohad the most authoritative voice in Israel inmatters pertaining to religious laws,demanded explicit submission to theirteachings (i.e., the oral traditions). They hadtheir own set of rules other than the divinelaws. If anyone did not live up to their man-made rules, they would condemn them asunrighteous. It is with this in mind that the

Lord told them not to judge. So the point ofthis whole passage was a warning about

judging others based upon their owstandards, which was contrary to the divinestandards.

In fact, Jesus exhorts us in John 7:24 to"judge not according to the appearance, but

judge righteous judgment. " Likewise Paulcautions us, "Therefore thou areinexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that

judgest: for wherein thou judgest another,thou condemnest thyself; for thou that

judgest does the same things" (Romans 2:1).One important step towards makingrighteous judgment is that we examineourselves first, before we make any

judgments on others. If we cleansourselves of besetting sins, then we can

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make better and accurate judgments ofothers.

In John 8:1-11 we read how Jesuscondemned the men, who condemned the

woman taken in adultery, without judgingtheir own sins. Many of them might havebeen guilty of having sex with harlots. Isnt itamazing that they dropped their stones whenHe told them, "He that is without sin amongyou, let him first cast a stone at her"?There is a difference between judging in anunrighteous manner and making righteous

judgment. Jesus once asked His disciples tomake a judgment about two persons whose

debts were forgiven "Tell me therefore,debts were forgiven "Tell me therefore,which of them will love him most?" WhenSimon made the right judgment, Jesuscommended him, saying, "Thou hast rightly

judged" (Luke 7:40-43).

On the other hand, Jesus rebuked those whodid not judge and discern, "Yea, and whyeven of yourselves judge ye not what isright?" (Luke 12:57). To accept evil as goodis not Christs spirit. So the Scriptureadmonishes us, "Abhor that which is evil;cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9)."Prove all things; hold fast that which isgood. Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1Thessalonians 5:21-22).

If we do not make careful judgments ofpersons, we can be easily deceived tobelieve in false doctrines or lured into grosssins. So the Apostle John admonishes us in1 John 4:1-3, "Beloved, believe not every

spirit, but try the spirits whether they are ofGod: because many false prophets are goneout into the world . . . . and this is that spiritof antichrist, whereof ye have heard that itshould come; and even now already is it inthe world." We must "try" or judge everyperson who comes around, to see whetherhe is of the antichrist. We should be vigilanteven in our own church. In Acts 20:28-31,we see the Apostle Paul warning the eldersof the church in Ephesus that "grievous

wolves enter in among you, not sparing theflock. Also of your selves shall men arise,speaking perverse things, to draw awaydisciples after them." We ought to judge andprove all things, whether they are accordingto His truth and holy will, before we acceptthem. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "He thatis spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is

judged of no man" (1 Corinthians 2:15). If wejudge all things and accept only that which isgood in the sight of the Lord, we have noreason to fear any judgment of man. Let allwho desire to live godly, judge all thingsrighteously.

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Chew Yiming Clement (FCM Science)(Devotion delivered on 24 Dec 2005 at YPF

Carolling Session)

Text: Matthew 2:1-15

One day as I was travelling in a bus alongOrchard Road, I came across a sign thatwas hanging on the walls of TangsShopping Centre. The sign boldly declares Even Wise Men Seek Jesus. Thisstatement immediately impressed me. TheChristmas decorations along Orchard Roadare very beautiful, but this statement is a cutabove the rest. It is a statement of truth, andnothing can be more beautiful than the truth.

In todays devotion, we are going to focus onthe men from the East who came toJerusalem to seek Jesus.

1. The Men Who Seek Jesus Were WiseFirstly, the men who came to seek Jesuswere no ordinary men. The Bible describedthem as wise men (v.1). Not foolish men,but wise men. These men were the PhDsand Nobel Prize winners of their time. Inmodern terms, many will call them gurus.Many perhaps would have flocked to hear

the words of wisdom spouted by these wisemen. However, the Bible records for us that

these wise men came to seek Jesus and notthe other way around.

Who is this Jesus? He is 100% man. But Heis also 100% God. Because Jesus is God,He is all-knowing. The Bible records this

O the depth of the riches both of thewisdom and knowledge of God! howunsearchable are his judgments, and hisways past finding out! (Rom 11:33) Asmen, we have finite knowledge. Even thewisest men on earth have to submit toJesus.

In contrast, the world sings to a differenttune. Many acknowledge Jesus as a man,but many reject His deity. For some, Jesus isbut a prophet. He is a good prophet, and agood teacher. Nevertheless, He is animperfect man. Others are more daring,claiming Jesus to be nothing but a myth. Tothe world, you are a fool if you seek Jesus.

What does the Bible say? The foolishness ofGod is wiser than man, and the weakness ofGod is stronger then men (1 Cor 1:25).Jesus Christ is a perfect Saviour. To seekChrist and believe in Him is wisdom. Godsays it. That settles it. I believe it.

2. The Men Who Seek Jesus Came FromAfar

Secondly, the wise men who seek Jesuscame from the east (v.1). Perhaps they weremen from the former regions of Persia and

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Babylon. Whatever their origins, theycame from afar. During the birth ofJesus, there were no cars, trains orairplanes. Such a journey to seeJesus may take days or even weeks.

Jesus must be someone preciousand special to them, or it would nothave been worthwhile for them tomake the journey. In contrast, thechief priests and scribes showed littleinterest in the birth of their Messiahdespite being able to identifycorrectly from the Scriptures that theSaviour will be born in Bethlehem(v.5, 6). This is sad indeed.

How do we regard the Lord Jesus?Do we consider Him as precious?This is a good question for us to

answer this Christmas. Christians haveprayer and Gods Word as means of grace toseek Jesus. Do we neglect these graces?Have our attitude to service gone cold? Dowe serve for selfish motives? Let usseriously examine our ways. If we have gonewrong, we must repent and plead with Godfor forgiveness.

Let us first deal with prayer. Our pastor hasalways urged us to make prayer our firstpriority early in the morning. This is a goodpractice. Did Jesus not say that without Himwe can do nothing (Jn 15:5)? It is recordedfor us that Jesus made it a practice to prayearnestly to the Father every morning. Weshould seek to be like our Master. Let uspray without ceasing (1 Th 5:17). Ere youleft your room this morning, did you think topray?

How about Gods Word? Some of us readthe Bible every day. That is good. We shouldkeep it up. But we must also know why weread the Bible. We read the Bible every daybecause man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that proceeds out of the

mouth of God (Matt 4:4). The Bible is Godsperfect gift to us. How many of us have readthe entire Bible? If we have not done so, thisChristmas is a good time to start.

Paul exhorts Timothy to study the Word ofGod diligently, rightly dividing the Word oftruth (2 Tim 2:15). Let us not be satisfiedwith a peripheral knowledge of Gods Word.Do not just be satisfied with just hearing oneor two sermons on the Lords Day. Due tocertain constraints, the preacher may not beable to cover the whole Bible in-depth.Attend the Sunday School. Get yourself agood study Bible and use it withdiscernment. Attend the FEBC night classes.

If possible, attempt to take credit. However, ifyou are not able to, you should not give upon the chance to learn from Gods Word.Take credit and hear Gods Word beingtaught and preached. It is profitable to learnas much as we can from Gods Word. Let usnot waste such good opportunities to studyGods Word.

Recently, two ladies from the YPF arethinking of taking the day classes in FEBCwhile awaiting entry into university. This isvery commendable. Equally encouraging is abrothers testimony of his wish to be able toattend night classes even while in NationalService. If you honour God, God will honouryou.

Let us echo with the Psalmist How sweetare thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeterthan honey to my mouth! (Ps 119:103).

3. The Men Who Seek JesusAcknowledged Him asKing of the Jews

Thirdly, the menfrom the eastrecognised and

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acknowledged Jesus as King of the Jews(v.2). These men were not Jews. They wereGentiles. Unlike the Jews, the oracles of Godwere not committed to them (Rom 3:2).Despite this, they somehow came to know

about Jesus and acknowledge Him as Kingof the Jews. Perhaps they had receivedsome copies of Scripture and had reachedthe answer by diligently searching the Wordof God.

This was not so for the Jews. In His earthlyministry, Jesus did many miracles and spokeWords of wisdom to the Jews. Yet many didnot acknowledge Him as their Messiah. Hecame unto his own, and his own received

him not (Jn 1:11). What a tragedy! If theworks of Jesus were done in Tyre andSodom, they would have repented insackcloth and ashes.

Perhaps there are some here who haveattended church for some time, but have notcome to acknowledge Jesus to be theSaviour of the world. I pray that you will notdelay but come and fall at the Saviours feet.

4. The Men Who Seek Jesus WorshippedHim

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Fourthly, the men from the east came toJesus to worship Him (v.2). When they sawthe young Jesus, the wise men fell down andworshipped Him (v.11). This shows us thattheir worship was reverential. They had thefear of God in their hearts. The wise menalso gave their best gifts gold,frankincense and myrrh. This shows us thattheir worship was sincere.

How about our worship to God? Is itreverential? Is it sincere? How do weapproach the Lords Day service? Do wecome humbly before Him in prayer withcontrite hearts? It has been observedrecently that there are some who chat

unnecessarily during worship services.There are even some who make signs andgestures to one another across theauditorium. Handphones ring when thepreacher is delivering the sermon. This is not

right. Imagine you are attending the PrimeMinisters National Day Rally. I am sure notmany of us will be chatting or makinggestures to one another during the rally. Wedesire to show respect and courtesy to thespeaker. If we can observe a proper code ofconduct while attending the Prime Ministersfunction, why are we not able to do the samewhen entering Gods house? Remember, weare coming before the King of Kings and theLord of lords! He is the Creator of this world.

Our lives are in His hands. Should we notfear Him and humble ourselves to worshipHim?

Of course, our worship to God should not bejust limited to the worship service. Our wholelife must reflect the fear of God. Let us doour best for God in everything. Let us shineas lights in this ungodly world that othersmay see Christ. We must be a living sacrificeunto the Lord. This is our reasonable service(Rom 12:1-2).

Let us now come back to the text. Notice thatHerod was also actively seeking for Jesus.Like the wise men, he also recognised andacknowledged Jesus as the King of theJews. Herod knew that the Scriptures aretrue. However, unlike the wise men, Heroddid not submit to Jesus Christ. Neither didHerod want to worship Jesus. Herod wantedto kill Jesus for he feared that Jesus would


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take over his position as king. Herod did nothave saving faith.

What is saving faith? According to RichardMuller, it consists of three elements. The first

is knowledge of the actual content of theGospel. The second is an intellectualacknowledgement of the truth withoutinvolving any personal trust in it. The third isfaithful apprehension which involves apersonal trust on the truth. Herod lacked thethird element. He is no different from thedevils that believe and tremble (James 2:19).

Recently, I heard this testimony about abrother of one member in True Life BPC. His

brother frequents many Christian bookstoressuch as Tabernacle Books in CalvaryPandan BPC and the FEBC Bookroom. Hebuys many books to learn more about theChristian faith. However, he does it only toattack Christianity in order to uphold hisRoman Catholic belief. This is certainly notthe right motive. We must pray for him.

Just as atrocious are false teachers whomasquerade as fervent sincere believers.They creep into churches unawares. Theyappear as angels of light. Soon, they poisonthe churches with their nefarious doctrines.Unbelief takes over the churches. Suchteachers are no different from Herod.

Conclusion

In closing, here is a sincere call to everyone.Have you believed in Jesus? That if thoushalt confess with thy mouth the Lord

Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heartthat God hath raised him from the dead,thou shalt be saved (Rom 10:9). Believein Jesus Christ today as Lord and Saviour.Only the Lord Jesus Christ saves. Now is theday of salvation.

How about us who are Christians? Let ustake time to examine our ways thisChristmas. Let us come to Jesus for mercy.Let us pray that we may be reverent andsincere in our worship of God, just like thewise men of old.

Even wise men seek Jesus. How about you?Amen.

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Quiz yourself!!

1. In the parable of the wheat and tares, which of the above (wheat or tares) will be gathered firstin the harvest?

2. At Herod's birthday, he promised "to give her whatsoever she would ask" (Matt 14:7). Who isshe whom Herod had promised?

3. At the feeding of the 5000, how many baskets of fragments were left behind after the multitudehad eaten their fill?

4. A woman who was suffering from an issue of blood was healed when she touched Jesus'garment. For how long did she have the issue of blood?

5. Why did Jesus have compassion on the 4000 and fed them eventually?6. Jesus said He would go before the disciples to a certain place after His resurrection. Where is

this place?7. Fill in the blanks:

"Nowlearn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet _________, and putteth forth__________, ye know that _________ is nigh:" (Matt 24:32).

8. What happened to the veil of the Temple when Jesus "gave up the ghost"? (Mk 15:37).9. What did Moses and Elias (Elijah) speak about at the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ?10. In whose house was Jesus in when He asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal

on the sabbath day?" (Lk 14:3).

[Ans on pg 13]

Lee Yujie (FCM Science)Some trust in chariots, and some inhorses: but we will remember the name ofthe LORD our God. ~ Ps 20:7

It is the beginning of another year. No oneknows what the year ahead will be. Will it bea blessed and peaceful year? 2005 was ayear of many earthquakes. ThoughSingapore was shielded from theseearthquakes we faced a dengue feveroutbreak. Today, the world has to deal withanother epidemic - bird flu. and thereshall be famines, and pestilences, and

earthquakes, in divers places. All theseare the beginning of sorrows. Matt24:7b-8. Truly, the Lords return is nearerthan we think!

Is there hope in the world today? Manypeople of the world resolve to thinking thatthere is no God. Some question how a Godcan exist when there is so much suffering.Others are not even bothered if there is aGod. The attractions of the world are moretempting and pleasurable.

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As Christians, where do we place our trust?Are we like some who place their trust in theriches of this world? Do we place our trust inthe things and circumstances that happenaround us? Are we like Jobs wife who told

Job to curse God and die when things werenot going smoothly? Or are we like thedisciples who lost faith when the ship theywere on tossed in the midst of the sea? Isour trust merely in chariots and horses?

In the past, horses and chariots were themeans of transport when people went tobattle. People were confident that if they had

good horses and chariots, they had a higherchance of winning. David was a smallshepherd boy whenhe fought Goliath. Inthe worlds opinion,David was notphysically able tochallenge hisopponent. But Davidwas not discouragedby thecircumstances hesaw around him. Hetrusted in God andremembered that this God, who deliveredhim from the attacks of the lion and bear, willbe able to deliver him from Israels enemies.And David said to Saul, Let no mans

heart fail because of him; thy servant willgo and fight with this Philistine. Davidsaid moreover, The Lord that deliveredme out of the paw of the lion, and out ofthe paw of the bear, he will deliver me out

of the hand of this Philistine. And Saulsaid unto David, Go, and the Lord be withthee (1 Sam 17:32, 37). David, thepsalmist, truly understood what it means notto trust in chariots and in horses.

Can we be like David who remembered theName of the Lord? Sometimes, as studentswe get discouraged when we have tried ourvery best to prepare well for our tests but stillfail to do well. At times we lose faith even

before an exam when we have so little timeto study. Let us not fear the circumstancesaround us and lose faith. Rather, rememberthe Lords faithfulness. Recall the numeroustimes the Lord has seen us through ourdifficulties in the past. He will likewise do thesame even today.

In the new year ahead, there is hope for us.Hope not in the world, but hope in our LordJesus. May we remember His goodness andblessings from the past year and have faith.TheGod who fought for David, the shepherdboy, is He not the God of our lives? May wenot be stumbled by the circumstances weface but rather cast all our cares upon Jesuswho cares for us (1 Pet 5:7).

Trust not in chariots and horses,

but in the LORD our God.

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Herbert Goh (NTU/NIE FCM)

I know I have to pray but

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I know I need to pray butI know it is important to pray butI know God will bless me if I pray butI know it is Gods will for me to pray but

I just dont do it.

So the next question is: Why? Why wontyou pray? Let us consider some reasons.

(1) Why is there a lack of Motivation inPrayer?

We Dont See the Need to

When life is good and enjoyable andfinances are stable, our hearts will turn cold.When this happens, there is little motivationto pray and the things of God become dull.This is the time when people will say: I dontfeel like praying.

God Doesnt Answer our Prayers the WayWe Want

Wanting God to answer our prayers the waywe desire is like typing a wish-list on a nicepiece of paper and asking God to sign on thedotted line to endorse our wishes. WhenGod does not do so, we feel disillusioned.We feel that God doesnt care about us.Since we cannot get what we want throughHim, we seek to find other means andalternatives to satisfy our lust of the flesh,our lust of the eyes and our pride of life.

Too Busy to PraySingaporeans in general lead a hectic andbusy life-style the demands of school andwork are very high. More often than not, weleave home early in the morning and comehome only late at night. When we reachhome, we would be entirely exhausted fromthe days labour. All we can do is to utter afew words to ask God to bless us at school

or work the next day. Before we know it, wewould be well in our sleep.

(2) Why we have to pray?

Here are some reasons (not exhaustive) whywe must persevere in prayer. In fact, weought to obey Gods injunction: men oughtalways to pray, and not to faint (Lk 18:1).These reasons are simplified in the acronymG-N-C.

Gratitude towards God

Our motivation to pray must most of all beconstrained by the love of God. God gave usHis only, begotten Son, our Lord Jesus


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Christ that we may be rescued from eternaldamnation to eternal gloryin heaven. The LordJesus Christ, who knewno sin, became sin for us

that we can becomeGods children (2 Cor5:21). Can sinful man everunderstand the greatnessof Gods love for us whenHe left heavens glory todie on the cruel tree? Can depraved manever fathom the grace that God the Sonexhibited when He willingly gave Himself tothe Roman soldiers to be mocked, spat atand tortured? As hard as we might try, we

will not be able to comprehend it, at leastwhile we are in this sinful, mortal body.

The Lord has instructed us to pray without

od the Father showed us how serious He

he Lord Jesus said: If ye love me, keep

ceasing. Wont we obey this commandmentto pray whole-heartedly without anycondition? Wont we purpose in our hearts topray because we love God and are soindebted and grateful to Him?

Gwas when He said He loves us He gave usHis best, even the Lord Jesus Christ to diefor us. My friend, how serious are you whenyou say you love God? Are you willing toobey His commandment?

Tmy commandments (Jn 14:15).

The Need to Pray

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirsis the kingdom of heavenMatt 5:3

Why did the Lord Jesus Christ begin His

onsider a person who is so poor that he

ohn Calvin said, He only who is reduced to

y friend, are you poor in spirit? Let us

hrist Set the Example for us

Sermon of the Mount with these words? TheLord wants to remind us of our position andwhere we stand before God. He wants us torealise how small we are, which in truth,

absolutely nothing at all, like the dust on theground. The Lord wants us tounderstand how inadequatewe are and that we need Himevery moment of our lives.

Because He is the One whogives us life, without Him, wecan do absolutely nothing atall (Jn 15:5). We need God tohelp us even in our slightestendeavour.

Chas nothing on his own - neither money norpossession. He has to beg in order to live.He is so dependent on other peoples charity

that without them, it is impossible for him tosurvive. We are like this person. We needGods charity of blessings every moment ofevery day. We need Him in our dailyvocation, at school or at work. We need Himin our trials, temptations and weaknesses.We need Him for wisdom in every decisionwe make to do Gods will. We need Him inour daily dealings with man - for courage tostand up for Christ and grace to be a goodtestimony. Whether in things big or small, weneed the Lord. We need God in everythingthat we do.

Jnothing in himself, and relies on the mercy ofGod is poor in spirit.

Mhumble ourselves and pray ceaselessly thatthe Lord will be merciful and gracious tosustain us with His charity.

C

here were numerous occasions in the

commune alone with His heavenly Father.

TGospels that highlighted the prayers ofChrist. Many a time, our Lord would retreatHimself to the mountains to pray and

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For instance, our Lord prayed all night beforethe choosing of the Twelve. And it came to

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pass in those days, that he went out intoa mountain to pray, and continued allnight in prayer to God. And when it was

day, he called unto him his disciples: andof them he chose twelve, whom also henamed apostles (Lk 6:12-13)

Although He is God and has all wisdom, ourord nevertheless showed us every decision

oal inis life is to be more Christ-like. Our attitude,

) Some Practical Suggestions to Prayeaselessly

Pray for the Desire to Pray

Lwe make must be guided and led by thewisdom of God. Our Master Jesus Christ hadset a pattern of prayer for us to follow.

As Gods blood-bought children, our gthspeech, habits, thoughts and actions mustbe transformed to be more and more likeChrist. The aspect of praying without ceasingis no exception.

(3CPersevere and

leo not pray is because they do not feel like

to pray

hen we do not feel like doing so make us

are numerous times when I do not feelke praying too. When I examined myself, I

As mentioned, one reason why some peopdpraying. When asked if they havepersevered or tried to pray, their response

would usually be: If I pray without feelinglike doing so, I will be no different from ahypocrite. That is why I do not pray.

My friend, is this true? Is persevering

whypocrites? It will seem like we are if we praywithout having Gods Word in mind. Thefocus of attention will be on ourselves. Suchis a self-centred person who will say: Since Ido not feel like it, and I do not want to be ahypocrite, I shall not pray. However, if wefocus on God and understand that it is Hiswill for us to pray without ceasing, we willrealise that persevering to pray is an act ofpersistence and determination. Such is a

God-centred person who will say: Since I donot feel like praying, all the more I must forcemyself to pray because I know God wants usto pray without stopping. I want to pleaseGod. I need to pray for the desire to pray!Note the difference in the focus: the former ison self (full of Is) while the latter is on theLord.

Therelirealised that this feeling is not inaccordance with Gods will because He hascharged us always to pray, and not tofaint (Lk 18:1). I also remembered that Ineed God and His grace to sustain me. Assuch, I know that I have to rise above myfeelings to pray. I struggled to ask the Lordfor strength and grace to commune with Him.Though it is by no means easy, Gods graceis sufficient for us. After the initial hurdle ofgetting started, the Lord gave strength and Iwas in the spirit of prayer. This only goes toshow that when we do not feel like praying,God is testing our perseverance in prayerand wants us to depend on Him.

Remember our hearts are desperatelyicked and deceitful above all things (Jer

17:9) and the devil will stop at nothing tow


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distract us from walking close to God. Wehave to overcome our feelings. Persevereon in prayer and ask the Lord to give you thedesire and burden to pray. Force yourself topray if necessary.

I have heard some Christians say, I do notfeel in a proper frame of mind to pray; My

rother, pray until you do (Spurgeon).b

Develop a Habit of Praying

Let prayer be of

ou; like how

iritually.

us also pray withoutPrayer is the

he that can do without

ranted, not every man whorays is saved. But every man who is saved

Pray

second-nature toy

breathing issecond-nature tous. One who doesnot breathe will diephysically.Similarly, one whodoes not pray willdie spSince we breathewithout ceasing, letceasing. Spurgeon said:breath of the soul andit is dead in sin.

Incidentally, praying is also a sign that weare born again. Gpprays. Prayer is to faith what breath is tolife. How a man can live and not breathe ispast my comprehension, and how a man canbelieve and not pray is past mycomprehension too (J. C. Ryle).

Make Use of Every Opportunity to

ray when we are walking. When we areMRT

tation or taking a stroll in the park, we cancommune with God. Thank Him for all the

ravelling to our destination ine bus or MRT, we can make use of the

ervice!oreover, it is an opportunity to pour out our

Pwalking by ourselves to the bus-stop ors

good things He has done for you. Tell Himhow much you love Him. Share with Himyour joys, burdens, prayer requests and yourneed of grace. Pray that you may live abetter and holier life for Him. Be sure to do

so reverently.

Pray when travelling from place to place.While waiting for the bus or MRT to arrive orwhen we are tthtime to pray. Instead of idling our time awayby looking at other people and what they arewearing, why not spend the time in closecommunion with God? Personally, prayingon my travels has always been fruitful and

blessed. Usually I use this time to intercedefor my fellowship and my loved ones.

Prayer Meeting. Go to your churchs prayermeeting. It is the most important spiritualevent after the Lords Day worship sMardent prayers unto the Lord Most High.

Pray for the Smallest Things

turally

such seemingly major events. We shouldray even for the slightest things and things

When pressing needs, trials, exams andemergencies come our way, we will napray. However, prayer should not be limitedtopwhich seem to be routine. Do we pray firstthing when we awake in the morning and last

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thing before we close our eyes to rest atnight? Do we pray for the Lords blessingsand commit the day to Him before we leavehome each day? Do we pray before we doour homework or meet our friends for project

discussions? Do we pray for a safe journeyto our destination, for the right words to sayto our friends, for the pastor before hepreaches every Lords Day? Do we praybefore and after every sermon, asking Godto give us attentive ears and help us applythe Word into our lives? The list goes on.

The Lord Jesus taught: He that is faithfulin that which is least is faithful also inmuch (Lk 16:10). If you are faithful in

prayer in small and routine things, you cane sure that you will be faithful in prayer inbbig things.

Wake up Early in the Morning to prayMy voice shalt thou hear in the morning,O LORD; in the morning will I direct myprayer unto thee, and will look up.Psalms 5:3

It is always a blessing to start the day rightwith the Lord. Endeavour to wake up an hourearlier to spend time with God. Even if youhave to leave home early for school or work,

iscipline yourself to do so. The Lord is

e have considered some reasons whyt pray, why we ought to pray

nd how we can pray ceaselessly. May the

pleased when we seek Him early and He willbless us throughout the day. The Lord JesusChrist is the most important Person we mustmeet each day. There is no better time to doso than first thing in the morning.

Conclusion

Wpeople do noaLord help us to purpose in our heart today topray without ceasing, for the prayer of theupright is his delight (Pro 15:8).

Pray without ceasing not because the

circumstances which surround you arefavourable, but simply because Jesusbids you to continue in prayer(Spurgeon).

May the Lord help us.

d

Soli Deo Gloria!

Answers:

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(to be burnt) (Matt 13:30)hter of Herodias (Matt 14:6)

" (Mk 8:2)

1. Tares. The daug2

3. Twelve baskets full (Matt 14:20)

4. 12 years (Mk 5:25)de, because they have now been with me5. "I have compassion on the multitu

e nothing to eatthree days, and hav6. Galilee (Matt 26:32)7. "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and

putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:" (Matt 24:32)8. "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (

15:38).Mk

9. Moses and Elias spoke about Christ's death which should be accomplishedat Jerusalem (Lk 9:30-31).

10. Jesus was in one of the chief Pharisee's house (Lk 14:1-3).


14/15

S

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verall FCM Coordinator:lder Boaz Boon (Calvary Tengah BP Church)

OE

Tel: 9824 7681 (HP)

E-mail: [email protected]

Nanyang Technological University/ National Institute of Education

1. NTU/NIE Group

Comprising students in all the faculties of NTU & NIE

E-mail: [email protected] Study Leader : Rev Wee Eng Moh (Pastor of Berith B-P Church)

Student Coordinator : Low Boon Siang [9183 1750 (HP)]E-mail:[email protected]

Meeting Place : North Spine, N3, Level 5, TR 1-10 (any of the rooms)

Meeting Time : Every Wednesday, 6.30pmDinner : Canteen A, 5.30pm
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


15/15

National University of Singapore

2. Science Group

Comprising students of the Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Information & Computer Science Faculties

Bible Study Leader : Bro. Nelson (Gospel Light BP Church)

Student Coordinator : Lee Yujie [9107 7470 (HP)]

E-mail:[email protected] Place : Science Block 13, 5

thFloor, Room 03/04, NUS Science Faculty

Meeting Time : Every Wednesday, 5.00pm

3. Arts/ Engineering GroupComprising students from the Arts, Engineering, Architecture, Building & Real Estate, Law & Business

Administration Faculties

Bible Study Leader : Rev Ronny Khoo [9411 1120 (PG)]

Student Coordinator : Charmaine [9762 2735 (HP)]

E-mail:[email protected]

Meeting Place : Engineering Block 1, 6th

Floor, NUS Eng. Faculty (E1-06 tut room)Meeting Time : Every Friday, 6.00pm 9.00pm

Polytechnics

4. Comprising students from Ngee Ann, Singapore, Nanyang and Temasek Polytechnics

Bible Study Leaders : Pr. Ho Chee Lai (Gospel Light B-P Church)


Dn Peter Phoa (Calvary Tengah B-P Church)


Student Coordinator : Clarice Lim [9363 6276 (HP)]

E-mail: [email protected] Place : Life B-P Church

Meeting Time : Every Thursday, 7.00pm

Dinner : 6.30pm

Singapore Management University

5. Comprising students from Accounting, Business Administration & Arts Faculties

Bible Study Leaders : Bro. Wee Hian Kok (Berean B-P Church)


Student Coordinator : Esther Huang [92383015 (HP)]


Lee Yu Wei [98370607 (HP)]


Meeting Place : Venue to be confirmed though Email

Meeting Time : Every Friday 6.45pm, Supper thereafter

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that

believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to

faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16-17

15
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FCM Newsletter 2006_V1 (Jan-Mar 06)

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