Back to blog again. Well, what can i say? last 4 days was AWESOME. EMERGE was AWESOME. Presence of GOD was very strong in the place. I thank God for what i've received in my spirit.
On day 2 of Emerge, Pastor Kong prayed and lay hands on all the JC and ITE students. I really thank God for that. From this laying on of hands, i received a burden and a vision...
Well, there's too many things that i could say about emerge. But well, just want to congratulate my cluster for putting in effort and all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday, when i went back home, my heart is still longing for God's presence. I couldn't stop myself from worshipping Him. When i was showering, i started singing in understanding and in tongues. After i've finished showering, i went to pray. Everyone was asleep, mum is not back yet so the study room is free for me to use[at last!]. And i really really want to thank God for His presence. I prayed, i read the Word. I read the book of James. According to the study bible, the book of James is more practical then theological. And i think this is really true. Well, i've asked God some questions. Even when i was lying down on my bed after prayer, it seems like God is still there. I've asked God some questions. And i've got the answer, "Do not be deceived". Inward change is shown outwardly. It is just like praising God outwardly in comparison to those who praise God in their hearts. My room was very dark, no lights was on at home. But well, i've doubt about it. So i felt in my heart to go and flipped back to James again. "Do not be decieved" came to me many times. Thus, i used my handphone light and flipped the bible to James 1:16 which says "DO NOT BE DECEIVED, MY BELOVED BRETHREN". Wow! Now i know, what is truth and what is not.
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much".~James 5:16. Few days before Emerge, God gave me a challenge. God showed me both sides...one is that of a righteous man, one who is able to stand righteous before Him, obeying His commandments, His Word etc. the other side is that of a Christian, who goes to church every weekend, but does not stand upright towards God, one who sins against his own fellow brethen, behaves like a non-christian during weekdays. So i've made my decision, to stand upright before God. And even in Emerge, i've felt strongly in my heart, that i cannot compromise. I used to compromise to many things, which thus results in many things, which includes negativity in my life. So thus, though i may listen to such that will tempt me to compromise, i will always seek after God to cleanse me of it so it will not stick to my life anymore. Whoa! Praise God!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just wanna share something about Faith and Works, taken from the study bible.
The great reformer Martin Luther, champion of the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, never felt good about the Epistle of James. He called it an "epistle of straw" in the preface to his 1522 edition of the New Testament, and he put the book in the appendix. He preferred Paul's wording of the faith-works equation: "A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law"[Rom 3:28].
In a sense, Luther had little choice. He was surrounded by men who said that good works could save you. He knew that God alone could save through faith alone, and his mission is to tell them.
But Luther went too far when he put James in the appendix to the New Testament. Neither faith nor works can be cut off and thrown away. James was taking aim at freeloaders, those who claimed to have no need for good deeds since they had faith. The reality is that if you have faith, works will naturally be a product. You cannot get rid of works just because they do not save you. You cannot sever the effects from the cause. Just as an apple tree will bear apples, so faith will produce good works.[Luke 6:43-44].
Paul had the opposite problem in view when he wrote Romans. His letter targeted those who placed their faith in the Law of Moses. Their trust was in their own good works, and not in God. That is why Paul wrote a defense of faith, and that is why Luther preferred it to James's defense orf works.
Faith and works are not enemies. True faith and righteous works go hand in hand. They are two parts of God's work in us. Faith brings a person to salvation, and works bring that person to faithfulness. Faith is the cause; works are the effects. James believed it, so did Paul.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Took this from the study bible also. I've typed it out.
The world's view of riches VS The WORD's view of riches
On day 2 of Emerge, Pastor Kong prayed and lay hands on all the JC and ITE students. I really thank God for that. From this laying on of hands, i received a burden and a vision...
Well, there's too many things that i could say about emerge. But well, just want to congratulate my cluster for putting in effort and all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yesterday, when i went back home, my heart is still longing for God's presence. I couldn't stop myself from worshipping Him. When i was showering, i started singing in understanding and in tongues. After i've finished showering, i went to pray. Everyone was asleep, mum is not back yet so the study room is free for me to use[at last!]. And i really really want to thank God for His presence. I prayed, i read the Word. I read the book of James. According to the study bible, the book of James is more practical then theological. And i think this is really true. Well, i've asked God some questions. Even when i was lying down on my bed after prayer, it seems like God is still there. I've asked God some questions. And i've got the answer, "Do not be deceived". Inward change is shown outwardly. It is just like praising God outwardly in comparison to those who praise God in their hearts. My room was very dark, no lights was on at home. But well, i've doubt about it. So i felt in my heart to go and flipped back to James again. "Do not be decieved" came to me many times. Thus, i used my handphone light and flipped the bible to James 1:16 which says "DO NOT BE DECEIVED, MY BELOVED BRETHREN". Wow! Now i know, what is truth and what is not.
"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much".~James 5:16. Few days before Emerge, God gave me a challenge. God showed me both sides...one is that of a righteous man, one who is able to stand righteous before Him, obeying His commandments, His Word etc. the other side is that of a Christian, who goes to church every weekend, but does not stand upright towards God, one who sins against his own fellow brethen, behaves like a non-christian during weekdays. So i've made my decision, to stand upright before God. And even in Emerge, i've felt strongly in my heart, that i cannot compromise. I used to compromise to many things, which thus results in many things, which includes negativity in my life. So thus, though i may listen to such that will tempt me to compromise, i will always seek after God to cleanse me of it so it will not stick to my life anymore. Whoa! Praise God!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just wanna share something about Faith and Works, taken from the study bible.
The great reformer Martin Luther, champion of the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, never felt good about the Epistle of James. He called it an "epistle of straw" in the preface to his 1522 edition of the New Testament, and he put the book in the appendix. He preferred Paul's wording of the faith-works equation: "A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law"[Rom 3:28].
In a sense, Luther had little choice. He was surrounded by men who said that good works could save you. He knew that God alone could save through faith alone, and his mission is to tell them.
But Luther went too far when he put James in the appendix to the New Testament. Neither faith nor works can be cut off and thrown away. James was taking aim at freeloaders, those who claimed to have no need for good deeds since they had faith. The reality is that if you have faith, works will naturally be a product. You cannot get rid of works just because they do not save you. You cannot sever the effects from the cause. Just as an apple tree will bear apples, so faith will produce good works.[Luke 6:43-44].
Paul had the opposite problem in view when he wrote Romans. His letter targeted those who placed their faith in the Law of Moses. Their trust was in their own good works, and not in God. That is why Paul wrote a defense of faith, and that is why Luther preferred it to James's defense orf works.
Faith and works are not enemies. True faith and righteous works go hand in hand. They are two parts of God's work in us. Faith brings a person to salvation, and works bring that person to faithfulness. Faith is the cause; works are the effects. James believed it, so did Paul.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Took this from the study bible also. I've typed it out.
The world's view of riches VS The WORD's view of riches
- Money brings Freedom
- The desire for money can be enslaving and lead to destruction; only Christ brings true freedom[1 Tim 6:7-10]
- Money brings security
- Worldly wealth is very insecure; it will quickly pass away [James
- Money is what matters
- Christ and the
- Money is power
- Power comes from being filled with the spirit [Acts 1:8; 3:1-10]
- Money establishes not only your net worth, but your worth as a person
- Your worth is based on what God says, not what your bank statement says [John
- Money makes you successful
- Success comes from knowing and doing what God says. [Josh 1:8]
- Money gives you options
- God is the One who ultimately gives you options. [Eph 3:20]
- Money brings happiness
- The happiness that money brings is short-lived. And in the long run, money can actually produce “many sorrows” [1 Tim
- Money is your reward. Save it, and spend it on yourself
- Give as much as you can. [Matt
- Money is your possession. Spend it on whatever you want
- All that you have is God’s to do with as He pleases. You are merely a manager of His possessions. [Ps 24:1; Luke 19:11-27; 2 Cor
posted by Abigail @ Monday, June 05, 2006
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