Day-Trip to Balik Pulau

Labour Day was spend on a journey to Balik Pulau town at the south west district of Penang Island.

We visited the Hakka cultural museum showcasing the history of  Balik Pulau in general and the Hakka community in particular.  We then help our selves to delicious Hakka delicacies that go nicely with locally brew nutmeg juice drinks. The trip ended with the town famous laksa and ice kacang.

Purposes of sharing real life

The life that is real begins with sonship and continues in fellowship.  First, we are born of God, then we walk (live) with God.  Real life is to have a genuine fellowship with God and with one another.  It is a life of victory.  And once we have experienced this exciting life that is real, we will want to share it with other people.

Witnessing is not wrangling but sharing our spiritual experiences with others - both by the lives that we live and by the words that we speak.  The purposes for sharing is :-

a) that we may have fellowship (1 John 1:3)

    Fellowship is Christ's answer to the loneliness of life. 

b) that we may have joy (1 John 1:4)

    Joy is Jesus Christ's answer to the emptiness of life.  David said, " ...  in Thy presence
    is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11 KJV) 

c) that we may not sin (1 John 2:1)

    As we walk in fellowship with God and in obedience  to  His  Word,  He gives us ability
    to resist and to have victory over temptation.

d) that we may not be deceived (1 John 2:26)

    We need ability to distinguish between right and wrong, between truth and error.

e) that we may know we are saved (1 John 5:13)
    The life that is real is based on knowledge of solid facts.  

A visit to Macallum

A visit to a newly open coffee & snack cafe in Macallum Street, Penang

Berry & Yoghurt Creepe Cake

Cell Gathering - Chap Goh Meh Celebration

Adult fellowships and small groups are not miniature church services.  They are pockets of people who love Christ and believe in helping one another.  They do not point fingers or preach or compare.  They are your brothers and sisters in Christ. - Charles Swindoll

Cell gathering is a place where lasting Christian friendships can be made.  It is also a place where the gifts and ministries of the Spirit can be exercised in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, where people are free to risk making mistakes.  It is a place where individual can learn, for example, to lead worship, pray for the sick, develop the gift of prophecy and share the Words of God.

Martin Luther  "At home in my house there is no warmth or vigour in me, but in the church when the multitude is gathered together, a fire is kindled in my heart and it breaks its way through."

Oyster Sauce Prawn

'Too Kar Chow'

Chinese Sausage Mushroom

'Jiew Hoo Char'

Indian Curry Prawn

Some of the home cooked food served during the gathering.

Mixed Vegetables

Otak Otak

Bubur Cha Cha

Chinese New Year gathering 2015

A long awaited Chinese New Year family reunion dinner at Evergreen Laurel Hotel Penang.

Why 'angpow'

In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope, red packet, 'lai see' or 'hongbao' is a monetary gift which is given during auspicious or special occasions, such as New Year celebration, weddings, graduation, or birth of a baby.

A hongbao (in Mandarin or Cantonese) or ang pow (in Hokkien) is a gift of money inserted into a red packet.

Red is considered a symbol of luck, life and happiness, and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.

Over 1,000 years ago in China during the Qin dynasty, parents gave their children 100 coins called yasuiqian in the belief that they would live up to the age of 100. The money was referred to as 'money warding off evil spirits' and was believed to protect the person of younger generation from sickness and death.

The angpow is more than a tradition of red packets or money changing hands, it is an exchange of auspicious well wishes mutually given to both the givers and the receivers which brings family and friends together.

So please do not stop giving for its more blessed to give then to receive.
" GONG XI FA CAI "

Why tribulations?

Are you passing through the deep waters of trials and disappointment?

Does everything seem to be going against you?

These apparent misfortunes are not accidents. The Lord Jesus allows such things for a blessed purposes.

John 16:33 tells us, "In the world you will have tribulation."  Even God's children are not promised a life of ease, of prosperity, nor of good health.  Yet we are never alone in our trouble.  Isaiah 43:2 reminds us that when we pass through deep waters, God is with us.

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without adversity.

The Bible tells us that tribulation produces perseverance, character, hope and confidence by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-5)

In Psalm 119:71, David wrote, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes." And Hebrews 12:11 says that chastening "yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness."

There are no mountain top that we can climb to, no crevice we can hide in, or deserted island to flee to, that can keep pain, death, hardship, and suffering away from us.  These are all the natural consequences of sin.

Why CHURCH ?

Is it just another day or another Sunday ??

For the believers in the early church [Acts 2:41-47], joining with fellow believers was a source of excitement.

The joy of gathering with others who love to praise God for His greatness (Psalm 122:1) and the encouragement, care, and unity that occurs when believers meet together (1 Cor. 12:25) are why we should gather and fellowship with one another.

The writer of Hebrews reminded us to be obedience to God's command to meet together regularly. (Hebrew 10:25-26)

Church is the best place to find Christian companionship.

 

It is a place where there is person-to-person caring and the opportunity for authentic sharing.  A place where the person will feel free, without embarrassment or shame, to tell his secret or state his struggle, where someone will listen, help him unload, and give him fresh strength.

GO with the anticipation of meeting with God [Hebrew 13:5]

GO to learn about God [Psalms 119:105]

GO to fellowship with others [Hebrew 10:24-25]

We do not become a Christian by joining a church or even being christened or baptized.  The only way you can become a Christian is by meeting Jesus personally.

Jesus said, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." (John 10:9)

Our relationship with God must go far beyond church attendance and regular devotions.  It should affect our relationship (Neh.10:30),  our time (Neh.10:31) and our material resources .(Neh.10:32-33)

Christianity is a relationship not a religion

CHRISTIANS ARE LIKE COALS OF FIRE - TOGETHER THEY GLOW; APART THEY GROW COLD.

Praises

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul; and forget not all His benefits - who forgives all my sins and heals all your diseases.  Psalms 103: 1-3 (NIV)

Praise is expressing to God our appreciation and understanding of His worth.  It is saying thank you for each aspect of His divine nature.  Our inward altitude becomes outward expression.

When we praise God, we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who He is.
1)  we may be falsely accused and misunderstood by friends and enemies.
2)  we may not be truly appreciated by others for the love we show.
3)  the true value of our work and service may not be duly rewarded or
4)  our ideas may be ignored.

Our praises should focus on Gods glorious deeds

1)  He forgives our sins

2)  He heals our diseases

3)  He redeems us from death

4)  He crowns us with love and compassion

5)  He satisfies our desires

6)  He gives righteousness and justice

Dinner at Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant

Dinner at Hai Boey Seafood Restaurant, Gertak Sanggul with Olugboyega Folorunso and family.

Embracing God's love for us is the key to loving others.