Monday, February 05, 2007

The Lord is Our Banner

New Cell Format

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know about the new cell format that we’ll be having for 2007, and how everyone will be involved, so here goes:

1. New Duty Roster

There will be a new duty roster that will be based on the following components: Welcome, Worship, Word and Blogging

The person who is doing the Welcome will be able to choose either to do sharing, or to play a game for the week that he/she is in-charge of. I would recommend alternate weeks of sharing and games, so as to provide a bit more variety. Furthermore, the person who is in-charge of welcome will also be in-charge of prayer. The prayer pointers have to be clear and precise, and please ensure that you have spent the week seeking the Lord.

The blogging duties will be on a weekly basis, where the person on duty will have to blog one lesson (or multiples if you want) that God has taught you for the week. This is to ensure that we will all get to see how God is moving in each individual’s life.

For the people down for cell duty on that week, you will be meeting 15mins before the cell meeting to gather for a time of prayer, so as to give God the proper respect and to prepare your hearts. Please remember that we are all priests before the Lord, and that we are preparing and bringing the people into the Holy of Holies, so lets accord God the proper respect.

2. Bible Study

In an endeavour not to speed through the Bible Study, and to try to internalize the lessons learnt for our lives, each chapter will be covered over two weeks. The first part of the BS will be covered in the 1st week of the month, followed by the 2nd week of sharing what has really impacted you from the study, and how you have applied it to your life. After that we will then complete the Bible Study in the 3rd week, and it will then be followed by another sharing session in the 4th week (where the sharing will be done in a cell outing)

This is to ensure that we take our time to apply the things that we have learned into our lives. There is no point in doing a “hit and run” study, if the BS does not bring about life change, and we are not becoming more like Jesus.

3. Cell Format

On every 2nd and 4th week of the month, the cell will be engaged in a time of sharing what God has taught us from the BS, as well as taking the time to pray for one another, and to keep one another accountable for how we are going to apply the lessons into our lives.
Furthermore, on every 4th week of the month, we will be having a cell outing, and this is an example of what will take place: For example, for the month of Feb, we will be having an all guys and all girls cell outing, where we will share with one another our lives and what God has been teaching us, and then in March, we will have a combined cell outing altogether on the 4th week. This will depend on whether or not you all will be working, so really pray that God will enable you to meet on that week. This is to enable us to share about our lives and to really keep each other in prayer.

4. Accountability

Remember what we shared about what we wanted each other to keep us accountable to? Well, we are going to share our accountability on week 2 and 4 of every month, during our times of sharing, as well as during our outings. This is to ensure that we are on track, and that we also learn community living by supporting one another in prayer.

5. Thanksgiving Jar

This is just an idea to really learn to thank God in all circumstances. I will be bringing a jar to cell every week, and everybody will get a chance to thank God for one /more things that God has blessed them for that week (whether it is a small blessing or a big blessing). We will then take it out at the end of the year and really see how God has really blessed us.

This is to enable us to to see the tangible Hand of God moving in the midst of our lives.

So, its really going to be an exciting year ahead, and lets really give our utmost for His Highest, and pray for spiritual breakthroughs in our lives, and in the lives of the people that we come into contact with on a weekly basis.

Shalom,
JONATHAN YOONG

Sunday, February 04, 2007

PRAY!!!

Ok here's a quick lesson learnt from sunday sermon by John Loong

What does P-R-A-Y means?

P =Practice
R = Relational
A = Asking God
Y = Yielding To God

We need to practice pray often to b able to use it in good measure. The more we practice the better we get.
Christian walk is not a religion as what others sees it but rather a RELATIONSHIP. If you are in a relationship with someone, you would definately wanna talk to the person you love, and spend a lot of time with the person right? So prayer is about communicating with God. It helps to build up your relationship with Him.
In pray, we often ask of Him. Like Bishop John Tan put it. We often fall in the common prayer of G-M-T (ie Give Me This, Give Me That)
But prayer, if often more than just asking God for our needs and wants. Its about asking for the bigger picture in life and for the salvation of the people around us that we love.
Lastly, in prayer we often humble ourselves before the Lord, letting Him take control of the situation rather than we taking control of things.

So a challenge for all, do PRAY. I know i haven't done so for a long time. But an encouragement, just the past week things are beginning to look better for once since Dec'06. The number of prayers I actually made was perhaps more than what i actually did in the past 4 years.(including grace before meals) I am guilty of ignoring Him many times. Perhaps its time to really get serious with Him. One great friend once told me that why people can move on so easily in life. Its because they have found substitues to fill the void and emptiness in them. But he challenged me to let God fill that void in me. Its not easy, mere words are really hard to swallow. But once I actually decided to make that choice, trust me there's lotsa distractions. Handling such distractions are not easy. But through prayer and reading of His Word and devoting to worshipping Him, has brought a lot of joy and peace of mind. Knowing that whatever happens in the future is in His control, not yours. Like a lot of people, i mean really a lot of people told me this. If its yours is yours. So with God in us, there is always an assurance that He is there. He will have a plan to prosper us not harm us. Of course, the walk will never be an easy one. So let me be an encouragement to anyone that I was down but I am moving on not alone but focused on Him. I really thank that great friend for his little words of wisdom, and to those around me who have to bear my constant whinning. (haha you know who you are) Thanks.

I am Back
Progidal Son