Forerunners Retreate 2008 reflection by Xin Hui

Forerunners Retreat 2008 - My Reflections

The message from ‘Driven by Eternity’ is hard and I left the retreat with a heavy heart. But there is no doubt that God spoke to me during this retreat.

Throughout the teaching sessions, there was this nagging sense that I have perhaps grown complacent and have started to neglect God in my daily life. I have become lukewarm. And the more worrying thing was that I somehow found a way to convince myself that being lukewarm is fine as long as I don’t fall away from God totally. Based on what happened to the characters in Affabel, I realized that my thinking was quite dangerous. Yet, my pride and self-righteousness caused my heart to harden against the truth.

During the worship session, when Adrian called for those who needed prayer to step forward, I struggled. Part of me told me that I was alright since I have not been convicted of any serious sin by the teachings. Yet, the other part of me said that I was NOT alright because not being shaken by the teachings probably implied a hardened heart. Thank God, the latter part got the better of me and I went forward.

To cut the long story short, God reminded me of what Jesus did on the cross and of what it truly means to be a Christian. It is not simply about going to church weekly, attending cell group, reading the Bible or even serving Him. The foundation of our faith is the cross and God’s love for us. God also brought to my mind the parable from Luke 18:9-14 –

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Along the way, I have become like the Pharisee. God wanted to humble me. As I knelt there that day, I felt like I was the helpless tax collector, pleading to God for mercy because of all the times I have not put Him first in my life, questioned His goodness and complained against Him.

Adrian asked me to confess each of the things I have not obeyed God in and to ask for God’s forgiveness. After that, he told me that God’s love is not conditional upon the things that we do for Him. Nothing we do can earn us God’s love. It is given freely. Wow. That hit me hard again. God’s ways are sometimes so difficult to comprehend. But I suppose that is how God wanted to assure me of what Jesus said at the end of the above parable. Whenever we humble ourselves before the Lord and surrender to Him, He will justify and exalt us.

Having eternity in mind will definitely help me to keep things in perspective and to persevere through this race which we are running for God. I know that I will need to continually pray against the lukewarm-ness and the self-righteousness, especially once I get catapulted back into the busy-ness at work. I pray the same for all Forerunners.



Xinhui

Prayer Focus 4: A World Evangelised

(Review instructions here)

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
~ Acts 1:8 ~

Pray for greater synergistic partnership among churches, mission agencies, humanitarian networks, international corporations and foundations to transform the nations.

Be bold today and ask the Lord to enlarge your vision and show you a glimpse of His work in the world-at-large. Allow Him to break your comfort walls, enlarge your heart, challenge your mind and stretch your spirit to accommodate the Kingdom He desires to establish in the world, beyond the shores of our home and nation.

Prayer Focus 3: A Nation Transformed

(Review instructions here)

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."
~ Daniel 12:3 ~

Pray for Singapore to be:-

• A bright shining star where Christ is feared and honored in every level of decision making, every expression of society, every arena of national life and influence - Home & Family; Justice & Law; Defence; International Relations; Education; Health care; Life Sciences; Home affairs; Info. Technology; Media & the Arts; Entertainment & Tourism; Environment; National & Community Development; Manpower; Transport; Sports, etc.
• A bright shining star in the arena of public administration, human resource development, economic innovation and entrepreneurship. That Singapore will bless the world in big ways to bring strategic change and practical benefits, with no strings attached.
• A bright shining star in the arena of foreign policy and international affairs. That Singapore will be a peacemaker and a bridge builder, God's ambassador of reconciliation.
• A bright shining star in the arena of humanitarian concerns, servant-leadership and volunteerism.
• A bright shining star in the arena of media and the arts. That Singapore will showcase world-class works that are clean, creative and contemporary to unlock nations of His glory!

Pray for Singapore as the Spirit leads. Pour out your dreams, hopes, desires and burdens for this nation before the throne of grace. Ask the Lord to reveal to you His heart for this nation.

Prayer Focus 2.3 - A Church Revived (GAC)

(Review instructions here)

The General Conference (04th - 07th Dec)

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This year, the Methodist Church of Singapore will be electing a new Bishop at the General Annual Conference (GAC). Pray that all the representatives from the 3 Methodist Conferences (TRAC, CAC & ETAC) will carefully seek the Lord and cast their votes wisely.

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Ask the Lord to prepare the heart of the leader that He has set apart for His purpose in such a time as this. Pray that the Spirit of the Lord will rest mightily upon this person as he takes on the mantle of representing the Methodist churches of Singapore to the world.

Pray also for members of the GAC Executive Board as well as the Finance and Administration Committee that God will grant them wisdom to handle matters pertaining to the work of the Methodist Church in Singapore

Prayer Focus 2.2 - A Church Revived (TRAC)

(Review instructions here)

TRAC 33rd Annual Conference (17th - 20th Nov)

This year, our new TRAC President will be elected. Pray that the hearts and minds of delegates will turn towards the Lord Jesus Christ as they deliberate and decide on matters.

Pray for unity in the Spirit as our leaders discern and elect various office bearers for the next quadrennium.

For the new TRAC president, that God will grant him wisdom, discernment and strength as he leads the TRAC churches with vision and vigour to pursue a collective spiritual breakthrough in the 21st century.

Prayer Focus 2.1 - A Church Revived

(Review instructions here)

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life."
~Philippians 2:14-16~

In this day of revival, ask God to brand your heart with the fire of His holiness. That you will fear Him, love Him and serve Him with singleness of heart, renouncing all other gods and worthless pursuits that drain energy, waste resources, and distract us from our true mission - to be ambassadors of Christ and herald of the Gospel.

Ask God to change you and your church inside out to be His blazing torch to light up the world! To be a people of distinction, a people of destiny: victorious, visionary, visible, vigilant, valiant, vibrant and vocal!

That we would mould and mentor a young generation in the fear of the Lord, passing a legacy of humility, unity, compassion, servanthood, prayer and passion for the lost.

That you and your church will be the compass and conscience of our nation, rightly representing God.

Ask the Lord to speak to you regarding your church. What is His heart for our church? What does He say about her now? What is He saying about your role in our church? Journal your response and act out your obedience where appropriate.

Retreat 2008 - Reflections from Wee Peng

Forerunners’ Zone Retreat 2008

Reflections

1. What God has spoken to you about?

• My family. Why have I not been sharing the word actively with them? My prayers are not consistent and I’m not spending enough time with them. Is it the lack of fear in the Lord or is the lack of love for them?

• My pride. Do I always consider myself better than others? This is an absolutely wrong attitude that I shouldn’t have, but unknowingly have I been adopting that and refusing to be corrected? It took an encounter during retreat for me to realize this.

• 1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

  
  

• Even as I seek to grow in this church, I must not be like “Selfish”, which is the closest I could identify with.

• Relationship with Swee Ching. Are we bearing fruits. Is it honoring to Him and would He use it to speak into other people’s lives?

2. What God has impacted you the most and why?

• Fear of the Lord. My understanding of it is now better and that it has to go hand in hand with Love for Him. For fear keeps us from lawlessness, love keeps us from legalism. I realize that sometimes I have many human fears (especially in my work) but this should never outweigh the fear of the Lord. I asked that God gives me the courage to overcome the human fear for courage is not the absence of fear but the overcoming of it. May I overcome any human fear with Him but may the fear of Him remains in my heart.

3. How has the past 5 sessions changed your view about Christianity and your life from now on?

I’m sure of my salvation but after these 5 sessions, I realized that there is much more to it. It’s not about where, it’s about HOW!

• There is much more to eternity and we need to be really driven by it.



• Relationship with God. Is He please with me, to allow me to spend eternity with
  Him in his kingdom, near to Him and not in the outlands?
  

My Weeping Moment

I wept during worship extravaganza 2. I did not know why I wept when it started. I have written down some thoughts that went through my mind during the time when Adrian is ministering to those who stepped forward but as I walked to the center of the room, it just happened suddenly. First, my face got contorted and then tears started streaming. Incontrollable sobbing followed next. I could not restrain it and I did feel like I want to because it felt really felt good to cry (The last time I cried was when my dad suffered a stroke and I cried with my mother. It was moved by my feeling of overwhelming sadness. This time round it was different. I was not moved by any emotions) There was a sense of relief though I did not know where it came from.

Subsequently, Matthew and Xinglong came to me and prayed for me. I began to realize why I wept. There was joy and fear at the same time. Joy because I am assured of my salvation but fear because I’m afraid I might not see my parents in heaven. As Adrian continued speaking while we have sat down, tears were still streaming. I also had a strange thought: if I have not laughed in 6 years, God would have made me laugh out instead. What an amazing God, He just told me in a most tangible way that He was with me at that very occasion. Never felt that before. Let me work boldly towards my family’s salvation. Praise God.

In Faith and Truth,

Wee Peng

29/10/2008

Prayer focus 1: A life changed.

(Review instructions here)

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
~2 Corinthians 5:17~

Thank the Lord for every person alive in Singapore today!
Stand in agreement with God our Maker that every person matters. Every life is a gift from Him, precious.

Praise Him for the people in your web of relationships. Bless every one of them in Jesus' name. Ask God for His grace to open their eyes and awaken their hearts to experience His love for them.

Praise God for every effort and project in our nation that aids transformation and a renewed life. Bless and pray for these efforts as the Lord leads. Example of projects you can pray for are:

• Yellow ribbon project
• Works done by various rehab centers (eg: The Helping Hand, etc)
• Initiatives by Workforce development agency

Is the Lord speaking to you to respond in any other way? Trust and obey.

Pray-a-thon 2008

Pray-a-thon 2008 has begun.
In case you have not managed to get a copy of the prayer guide, I'll be putting up the prayer focus along the way to help you pray along with us.

But before that, here are the instructions and guide:

1. Begin your devotion thanking the Lord - for His faithfulness: To you, to your family, to your church and to your nation.
2. We encourage you to dedicate at least a good half-hour for the Lord as an offering to Him to this purpose.
3. Meditate upon one of the four prayer focuses. Do not attempt to meditate all four prayer focuses in the same sitting. We want you to really take your time and dig deep as you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to and through you. You may be led to pray on a prayer focus more than once during the course of this pray-a-thon. Obey the leading of the Spirit.
4. Press in deeper as the Spirit leads and reveals. Journal your reflections, thoughts, response and other things that the Lord may be speaking and showing you.
5. (Optional but encouraged) If you receive anything that you feel the prayer leaders of the church should know (visions/encouragement/verse/etc received for the church or nation, etc), please feel free to email your responses to Sue or Serene.

God working in India...

Hi folks, Below is a testimony from Jessica's friend in India. His name is Shital Ramteke. May it encourage you as you see how the Lord is moving amongst the people in India, and the children. =)

As a ministry we have been conducting several Sunday school classes all over Yavatmal. This year we collaborated with other organizations in the area to hold a Sunday School Kid's Games Event. This program was held on Nov 4th and 5th. The event officially began at 11:00 AM on the 4th with speeches made by some local leaders.

Nearly 1,000 children attended the program. They competed in some sport activities. There was ball passing and a game called Snake Tail. The children thoroughly enjoyed these games. However, the highlight of the program was the teaching. With manuals provided by Joyce Meyer's ministry the teachers were able to provide exciting and thought provoking messages for the children. Through the Bible story of 'Jesus feeding the five thousand' children learned that the young boy who provided the loaves and fishes had a very important role to play in the miracle. They came to understand that they too have an important role in God's kingdom purposes. In the story, "The Sowing of Seeds', children learned that they must have a teachable spirit and as players they not only should be hearers of the Word but doers. In the story of the 'Persistent Blind Man', children learned that they too must persevere. We learn in the Bible that Jesus was honest and faithful. The children understood that we all must live in honesty and be faithful in order to be good players. Finally, Jesus was victorious over sin and death. We too can be victorious players.

Also, the film, 'The Hope Giver' was shown. Through that film the children were shown God's abundant love towards them and all peoples of the world. Action songs were also taught. The favourite was one that said,' Somebody wants to be like Sharukh Khan (movie star), some like to become like Sachin Tendulkar(cricket player) but I want to become like Jesus.

Many of the children were deeply moved by these stories and how they can apply them to their own lives. Ten children spontaneously shared their testimonies in this regard. Even the parents were enthusiastic about it. They were so thrilled that they expressed their desire to participate in future similar events.

Each day the children were provided with a meal. At the end of the program each participant was given a gift. Certificates and gold and silver medals were distributed to all participants. It ended at five PM on the 5th.

All in all the program was successful. Many children dedicated their lives to Jesus. The teachers and volunteers all did an excellent job. Our appreciation goes out to them. We also thank Joyce Meyer's Ministry for sponsoring the program and DinBandhu Ministries for hosting it. But most of all we give Glory and Honour to God who blessed the event with the power of The Holy Spirit's presence.

shital

Thoughts from Forerunners Adult Retreat 2008 - Marcus

Marcus’ Thoughts from Forerunners Adult Retreat 2008

“Driven by Eternity” lives up to its name, to wake up Christians all over and challenge all on what it really means to be preparing for eternity with God (and not the devil)

And I’m one such person. It’s good fright to know that Affabel’s characters are some of the traits that surface in my life now and then. What have I been doing about it?

It’s encouraging to know God’s wonderful plan for us and hell was created for the devil and his minions, not us. God has paved the way and sets such high expectations that it can only be fulfilled through Jesus. He has not deserted us (yet), but has shown us the way to live and how we can achieve eternal life with God. The question is “am I living the life that God has intended?” Holy and Righteous, Faithful and Obedient…

Prior to this retreat, I was deep in thoughts on a particular question “What does it mean to be a Christian?” … and I’d say the retreat provided a good and apt answer. I’m very taken aback by my lack of the “Fear of the Lord” in my life, and enlightened just how important it goes hand in hand with Love of God. This is indeed a necessary basic Christian doctrine that must be emphasized. And Spiritual Disciplines are important to develop the Christian fundamentals, developing a healthy thirst for God’s Word and a heart for service. I’m also encouraged to “Believe what I read” rather than “Read what I believe”. All these lessons are beneficial and necessary these days.

I believe we’re living in the end times, and on borrowed Grace. How much longer can I go on testing God’s Grace? I believe many of us can identify with Paul when he “want to do what is right, but don’t do it. Instead, he do what he hates” (Romans 7:14 – 25). In the first morning QT, I’m led to read 1 John 1:5-10. A lack of Christ and His teachings leads us to walk in darkness. The converse is true, to Walk in the Light, we have to fellowship with Jesus. It’s time to stop deceiving ourselves and wise up. And that is so necessary. The Time is Now! We’ll never know when Jesus will come again, so make haste the need to return to the Lord and walk in His Ways.

Let’s press on together, in Christ and with one another. We have to spur one another on. We’re our brothers-keeper. Remember God’s two greatest commands: Love God & Love People.

Living for eternity,
~Marcus