We are pleased to announce that every 1st Thursday of the month from 8:00PM-8:15PM we will be having Prayer for Missions. This will be prior to the regular weekly Thursday Prayer Meeting starting at 8:00PM.
A New Humanity
Introduction:
The Bible (and the world) begins with the unity of mankind (Adam & Eve) but division when mankind sinned. Likewise Jews & Gentiles are separated. In fact, Gentiles have double alienation – from God & God’s people.
Theme: Christ had destroyed both enmities & has created A New Humanity
- From Alienation to Reconciliation
- From Hostility to Peace
3 Stages of God’s Plan
Stage 1. What we once were (v11-12)
- Separated from Christ
- Alienated from Israel & strangers of the covenant of promise
- We had no hope & without God in the world
Stage 2. What Christ has done (v13-18)
What did He achieve when He died on the cross?
- The abolition if the law of commandments (15a)
Law has 2 aspects (moral law: 10 commandments & ceremonial law: circumcision, sacrifice, washing, etc). Ceremonial law set aside when Christ died on the cross. Yet moral law cannot save us as we cannot follow it perfectly. - The creation of a single new humanity (15b).
“There is neither Jew not Greek…”
New identity & new unity in Jesus Christ - The reconciliation of Jew & Gentile to God (v16)
Not just one people but reconcile both Jews & Gentiles. God forgives us through Jesus’ death on the cross.
Does this mean the entire world is united & reconciled?
No! Not yet. Every time we share the Gospel & proclaim the peace of God in our heart, it is The Lord speaking through us.
What have we now become?
- God’s kingdom (v19a)
God ruling His people - God’s family (v19b)
Closeness & intimacy with God. Children in God’s family. Brethren = brothers & sisters in Christ expressing close affection & care supporting one another irrespective of colour, race & position.
Do you profess to love Christ but cannot stand someone in your church? If you love God, you cannot be hating God’s children! - God’s temple (v20-22)
Jesus as cornerstone. A dwelling place of God in the spirit.
Jews have Jerusalem
Muslims have Mecca
Roman Catholics have Rome
Do we Christians need a temple?
No, do not need a temple, land or place to call holy land. But yes we have one (v20) which is built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets with Christ as the cornerstone.
Previously, cornerstone very important to support entire building. Even today’s apartment construction, there will be a large stone placed after clearing.
We are living stone = part of the temple
Every time new believer = add new stone
What is the purpose of the New Temple?
In principle had the same purpose as old temple. It is the dwelling place of God.
The entire universe cannot contain God as He is infinite. The New Temple is a spiritual building where God lives in – in His people, individually & corporately.
“Behold, the dwelling of God is within men.” (Rev 21:1-5)
The church today is what the temple was in the Old Testament. The place where God & His glory are manifested. A New Community
Concern in today’s church: divisions, unforgiving spirit. This prevents the world from seeing the church.
It is important that the church should be what God has purposed – a family reconciled in Christ loving the Father & each other.
I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:23 NIV)
Download slides (1MB): United in Christ
What is HOPE?
We hear the words “hope” being used often. We hope for this. We hope for that. But what is HOPE really?
Hope is “An Anchor for our Souls”
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, (Hebrews 6:18-19 NIV)
Jer 29:11 Also talks of HOPE being a help through difficult years
What hope is NOT
There is a Chinese parable of man in boat accidentally drop sword in water. Marked spot where sword dropped… on the side of the boat. Needless to say it is a silly action & the sword was lost forever.
Likewise, many Christians put their hope on own works – like the parable above.
Cliches sounds nice, but it is not real hope.
Hope is not flimsy.
The Bible IS a book of HOPE
- Abraham – hope of descendants
- Exodus – hope of freedom
- David – hope of kingship
- Prophets – hope of a Messiah
- Jesus – hope of glory
- Apostles – hope of resurrection
- Church (Epistles) – hope of Christ’s return
- Israel – hope of Christ’s rule on earth
Q: Which book has the most reference of hope?
A: Job, a book on suffering
Our past & sorry state
“… remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12 NIV)
Our state in HOPE
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13 NIV)
REAL HOPE is built on nothing less… than Jesus’ blood & righteousness.
Jesus is the anchor for your soul.
The DANGER of losing Hope
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. (Hebrews 2:1 NIV)
Hold on to the Word of God, hold on to Jesus. Whatever people say, do not let go.
Put on hope as a helmet.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV)
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. From Lamentations, the saddest book in the bible written by Jeremiah who wrote the book with tears.
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; (Lamentations 3:25 NIV)
Christ in you = Our hope in glory
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 NIV)
“With Christ in the vessel as the Anchor, we can smile at the storm…”
Christ the first fruit (like a tree with first fruits blooming for the very 1st time with only a few fruits… Then suddenly the entire orchard blooms with a great harvest of fruits)
Video: In Christ Alone by Owl City
Till He returns
Or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand…
Download slides (498kb): What is Hope
God’s Communicable & Incommunicable Attributes
God’s Attributes (Source: ODB)
We cannot know God unless He reveals Himself to us. An attribute of God is a characteristic that God has chosen to reveal about Himself through His Word. Incommunicable attributes are those that belong to God alone (e.g., omniscience [all-knowing]; omnipotence [all-powerful]; omnipresence [present everywhere]; immutability [unchangeable]; infinite [having no limits]; transcendence [beyond comprehension]).
Communicable attributes are those that human beings can also possess (e.g., compassion, love, mercy, goodness). In Isaiah 55:8-9, God reveals that He is unlike any other being and our finite minds can never fully understand Him (see Job 11:7-9; Ps. 131:1; Rom. 11:33). Throughout Scripture we are told that there is no one like God (see Ex. 15:11; Ps. 35:10; 89:6-8; Isa. 40:25).
The Unexamined Life
Jesus is our perfect example & our ultimate goal is not to be found wanting.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)
God knows & reads our heart. We cannot depend on our works which are like filthy rags.
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10 NIV)
It all comes down to 3 things – Joy, Humility, & Faith.
The Tenth Commandment
On the Tenth commandment – Ex 20:17
Exodus 20:17 (NIV)
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The Ten commandments are for Israelites (believers). You need to make changes to align to Gods will. The 1st to 9th commandment are actions & easily visible. But the tenth commandment is a matter of heart & attitude. Breaking the tenth commandment can easily lead to breaking the other commandments.
Covetousness destroys our lives
- We can covet people, properties, possessions, etc
- Desire is not necessarily sinful BUT if take sinful/unethical actions to fulfill the desire
- “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” -Psalm 23
- Even when spending our own money, we need to examine its usage
Covetousness disregards/denies Gods laws
- Many put money before / instead of God
- Humans can kill for financial gains, humans can long for something so much until we steal
- We blaspheme God if believer lives life not doing what he/she says
- We are not to neglect parents as financial/physical burden
- We need to put God & Sunday worship 1st
No short cuts/avoiding responsibility/idolatry
- We are guilty of idolatry if we put other things 1st before God
- People want things easy & to work as little as possible without (more) responsibilities
Conclusion
We need to trust The Lord & turn our eyes into Jesus.
A rich person depends not on how much he/she has but how little he/she needs.
Carpe Diem!
Is everything futile? Will things never change?
Or the more things change, the more they stay the same?
Que sera sera? – whatever will be will be?!
The Lord says no!
“…What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.” (Revelation 3:7 NIV)
Carpe diem – seize the day!
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(Revelation 3:8 NIV)
We are not to have a mindset on what could have been.
We are not to always look back.
But you are to continue to do what The Lord wants you to do.
IGGC Missions Ministry
IGGC Missions Ministry was launched on Dec 31, 2014 during the watch night service.
Mission Statement:
To invite others to come unto Christ by serving & supporting Christian missions.
Committee:
- Chairperson
Oversees the missions ministry, supports committee & keeps minutes - Coordinator
Maintain regular communication with the missionary for a strong link with the field & regularly share on missionary & field’s situation. - Treasurer
Maintains missions budget, produces financial statements & processes disbursements - Committee Members & Project Leads
Handles projects & other missions related work.
– Arts, Crafts & Music
– Prayer, Publicity & Communication
– Young People Mission Discipleship
Objectives
- To support work (starting with Suong) & other missions work approved by church leadership
- To increase assembly awareness of missions work & encourage direct/indirect participation
- To encourage participation & seek church leadership approval for STM teams
Missions Committee Guideline
Committee members need to have heart to invite others to Christ and joy to serve missions in any capacity. The missions committee will have a wide variety of responsibilities and thus require a diverse set of skills, gifts and experience.
Committee members should:-
- Practice a faithful, personal relationship with Christ & committed to prayer
- Consider missions as important & desire to serve in missions
- Be willing & able to serve as a missions project leader or subcommittee as called
- Understand & support the policies of the church’s missions ministry
- Commit to meet & participate on missions committee meetings & prayer meetings
STM Members Guideline
Short Term Missions (STM) members grow personally & through sharing challenge those at home to grow. A STM would be from a minimum of 1 week with possibility of longer term missions. A STM member does not need to have previous mission experience but have a desire to learn more about missions & undergo training.
STM members should:-
- Be a believer aged 18 above, mature in thinking & in good standing with the local church
- Be in overall good health condition & able to withstand harsh weather & living conditions
- Be willing to serve humbly in any capacity required by the mission
- Be willing to pray for the mission before, during and after
- Understand & agree to abide by policies set by church, missionaries, GOWW, STM team
Resources
- STM Team Members
- Missions Volunteer Partners
– Projects partners
– Prayer partners
– Love givers to Missions Fund - Funds Allocation
– Books, stationary & teaching materials
– Supporting equipment
– Travelling expenses (full/partial)
– Other necessary items required by missionaries/mission
Key Roles & Projects
- Arts, Crafts & Music Compilation Reference
- Arts & crafts selling to support local believers
- Games, Sports & Teambuilding Compilation Reference
- Prayer, Publicity & Communication with Congregation
- Young People Mission Discipleship
IA Games 2014
The bright and sunny morning at the Christian Convention Centre, Batu Ferringgi (CCC), on the 19th of July 2014 saw the gathering of the youths from the Penang Assemblies for the annual Inter-Assembly Games (IA Games). The annual event is one of the major occasions for the Penang Assemblies to build bonds, link faith, share encouragement and spur love for one another as they gather in the name of Christ.
This year’s theme for the Games – The Gathering in Fellowship (T.G.I.F), magnified the importance of the gathering of Christians, with the theme verse Hebrews 10:25 emphasizing such gatherings are vital for Christians to ‘spur’ one another towards love and good deeds, all the more when Christ’s return is more imminent than ever in these last days.
The participating assemblies were Island Glades Gospel Centre (IGGC, the organizing assembly), Burma Road Gospel Hall (BRGH), Sungai Nibong Gospel Hall (SNGH), Sungai Ara Gospel Centre (SAGC) and Taiping Gospel Hall (TGH). When the SNGH and SAGC joined teams as usual in occasions like this, the BRGH was split into two teams due to their large and encouraging number of participants. On the other hand, the brothers and sisters from over the mainland was divided and assimilated into the four teams to make the teams more balanced in all aspects.
After the commencement by the heart-warming singpiration and the “Get-to-know-each-other’ ice breaker, the Games was kicked into high gear when the old favorite Captain Ball and the new welcomed Sit Down Volleyball were introduced. All the four teams competed vibrantly in the field and in the hall of the CCC, each striving to get more points in healthy competing spirits. Although as almost always expected, both the BRGH teams were the leading teams and IGGC ended up being the last, however, with the aid of Taiping people and some brothers from SNGH/SAGC IGGC managed to put up a good fight against the other teams, making themselves a proud number four. SNGH/SAGC strived hardly to climbed to the top of the ladder but alas was still unable to match with the BRGHs, ended up being sandwiched between the BRGHs on the top and IGGC on the bottom.
After a hearty chicken rice lunch the teams were recharged and ready for a second round. At 2pm sharply, the bell was rang and the teams were sent to their respective stations to complete their task. The second round was undoubted the familiar station games, with each team being further split into two teams, going into various stations to complete the task assigned. There were interesting tasks such as hidden Bible, the Transporter awaiting the participants. Each task requires teamwork, good organization and coordination, and even sacrificial spirit from the teams, taxing the mental and physical capacity of the members. The result was less predictable as the first round, with BRGH team 1 on the top, IGGC the second, SNGH/SAGC the third and BRGH team 2 the last. Thus IGGC and SNGH/SAGC showed that not only were they catching up with the BRGHs in sports, they were capable of outperforming them in other games that tax not only the physical and strategy but also the mental and determination.
Finally, after a long and exciting day, it was the time for the prize-giving ceremony. BRGH team 1 was crowned champion, defending the no.1 title from last year, BRGH team 2 was placed no.2, with SNGH/SAGC and IGGC at the third and fourth respectively. One thing worth noting is that SNGH/SAGC were just behind the tail of BRGH team 2 by 2 points and IGGC had the same points with SNGH/SAGC, being ranked the last only due to the weightage of the morning and afternoon games.
After the prize-giving, Youth Leader from IGGC Mr. Lim Sey Yen exhorted the believers to spur one another into great deeds and love for Christ, reminding each and every one that, just like a football team, we have a Coach. But unlike them, our Coach is incapable of making any mistake, by following His lead, we are bound on achieving much, though for Him and not for ourselves. The event was then closed with a word of prayer by the IGGC deacon, Mr. Chen Choon See.
Post written by Wei Sheng
IGGC Family Day 2014
