It's all about JESUS

Man, i guess things are easier when you trust God. I'm suppose to select a song for the next life group meeting and I was wondering what to choose from because i dont really have tons of worship songs in my library. Was hoping that God would speak to me about what song to choose as i read and did week 2 day 1 of Experiencing God Together. Ehh God spoke but not related to this so yea never mind because i still have 1 week more to pray.

Hmmm i dont know but as i woke up the next day i just started to remember a song.

It's all about Jesus
It's all about the way he changed our lives
It's all about Jesus
The power of his blood can't be denied
It's all about Jesus
It's all about the convenant he made
It's all about Jesus
Victorious he rose up from the grave

We lift our hearts to him
He is the reason that we sing
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
We praise your name

It's all about Jesus
It's all about the way he set us free
It's all about Jesus
Bearing all our sins at Calvary
It's all about Jesus
It's all about the gift of love he gave
It's all about Jesus
The precious lamb of God was slain

Okay. I didn't remember the whole song i just remembered the starting tune and the verse "It's all about Jesus" (which was only the first verse. lol). Thank God the song title was just that and i found out it was sung by Planet Shakers. I think we sung this once during a Saturday service and i guess i'm really glad that God made a impression in me of that song. Since i dont have this song i have to check it out in imeen (or was it imeem?) and managed to hear the whole song =D

Now to the next step: Why this song? Well at least no worries that i cant find a song in my pathetic library (yes. i ought to start buying more CDs) =D

What's worship about?

Was listening to the K-Love Christian radio station ( klove.com) and came across this song which kinda answered my question.

Just a part of the chorus:

i'm going back to a heart of worship,
it's all about you,
it's all about you, Jesus

simple as that. From Him which all goodness derives from. I guess i really must get a heart of worship. Where can i buy one? How much does it cost? Thank God it's all free from the Lord Himself.

I'm quite excited at what i'm gonna learn from the Lord as i get to serve as worship leader for one of life group sessions in November. It's always like that, God always prepares you in some way before you do something new. Like when i fasted for the first few times, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." kept popping out of my head and taught me that God's word is above hunger.

I must really say that klove really rocks and i guess i've just found a new music player apart from itunes when i'm doing my work on my lappy. Wow if only i can tune in to the radio station using a local radio. How great would that be?

faith now.

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 21:25

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

I guess that is why we've been called to live by faith and not by sight. Have i seen Jesus in real person? Nope but i know i've encountered Him and i believe that He's seated at the right hand of God right now. Why do i believe? Because i've read it in the Word of God:

"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But i say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matt 26:64

So thats the truth right there, in the Word of God. I'm really glad that the Lord has placed so much emphasis on the Word in my heart and made my faith based on it. I guess the verse: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"Rom 10:17(KJV) really applies.

So just like the wise man who built his house on solid rock, we should build our hopes on the solid Word of God with stones of faith.

faith then.

2 men were talking outside of their houses in the city of Galilee.
Man A: "Hey, I heard that the man called Jesus of Nazareth is here in our town. I heard from my sister that he healed a woman with leprosy down the 8th street!"

Man B: "You heard? I saw the whole thing! He just told the woman that her faith had healed her and off she went well!"

Man A:"WOW then surely i must bring my son who has been sick for days to Him!"

(this is just something that i've imagined up. nope not from the Bible =p)

As i was reading the gospels, i was wondering what faith was like during the days when Jesus walked on earth. I guess it's something like that. The people were able to experience first hand the awesome power and glory of God and His works. What gave them the faith to know that those they brought to Jesus would be healed? Was it something they heard from one another? Was it because of their first hand witness to a healing? Or was it plainly because they believed that Jesus was really the Messiah and that He came as a Prince of Peace to restore and heal?
__________________________________

2 man were standing outside their houses talking..

Man A: "Yesterday my church prayed for a blind believer and he received His sight! Praise the Lord!"

Man B: "Ha! You expect me to believe? Trying to bring me to church arh?" *shuts gate*

Back to school!

Ended my last day of work yesterday morning. Totaled up my pay and was really happy to see that everything's according to plan. Enough for a guitar, parents, family dinner and a couple more hundreds to go and i'll have enough for development fund! The fund raising project is indeed a faith raising project. I remembered what i wrote on my pledge card: "No fear =D" (inclusive of smiley face. I can't believe they pinned my pledge card to the notice board =0). Though it wasn't "No fear =D" all the way but in the end i've come to realize that there is indeed nothing to fear when God is involved in it. *Congratulations! Your faith has risen by 1 level!* *New skill learned: No-Fear-Next-Time*

Really excited to go back to school. I've been thinking about something. What am i gonna be when i grow up? I felt that i might not want to do what i'm studying right now because i do not want to be part of something that makes things that stumbles others. Probably i can create educational games or Christian themed games otherwise i'll probably go a different career path. Well, the future's all in the Lord's hands. Who knows? i might become a missionary or something. lol. But one thing i know, it is to continue to work hard in school to glorify God.

Our course manager spoke to us today bout how students should be. We should have 3 learning skills, listen, seeing and psychomoto. We listen and we see and then we practice or do what we have learned from what we have heard or saw. How similar it is to the attitude we should adopt with the Word of God! We are hearers and readers (it's really a privilege because people in the olden days do not have the canonized bible so they could only hear.) of the Word of God and we must also be do-ers of it.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matt 7:24-27.

Although it's certainly not easy, but one thing i'm sure of, God is with us in the Spirit and He will enable us to be like that wise man whose foundation was rock steady!

Pride.

"Pride is the bane of God's work" -personal revelation

I guess this is really true and I think God is working on this part of my life now. I don't think i'm arrogant of any sort but recently God made me realize that I am prideful in some ways. Like once, one of my fellow senior CLT (Lydia) told me that i had pride and i didn't understand why. I guess pride comes in alot of ways. I was organising a camp and i was really exhausted and wanted to give up planning it because there's just so much trouble to go thru and the IC was a busy person and often asked me to do most of the stuff. Struggled with stress alot and i confided in her. She told me i have pride because even when i have so much work to do i still accepted to help. I was like huh? But i finally understood what it meant. It was all to maintain an image and impression.

Once i told a friend that i preached to a group of strangers and he told me that he felt shameful. Then i decided to not tell anyone at all because i was afraid that it would be like show-off to them. But sometimes it's really hard to keep all this to myself, you preached the Gospel and 3 souls accepted Christ, how can you not burst out with joy? I guess i really came under the deception of the enemy this time because i didn't tell this testimony out so that it will not become a pride. But it became one because i was holding this back to be humble. I didn't realise what a testimony could do until a friend explained to me just now and it sorta like a ending school bell to this part of lesson.

I guess i understand now, surely God always teaches us in some way or another. It's just if we have noticed His work or not. Same goes to my name Benedict (blessed). I can never call myself blessed until i sit down at the end of the day and think of what God did in my lives, the goodness and blessings. It is until then i come to realize that every single day is a blessing from God.

Parents.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise." Ephsians 6:1 & 2

I really must thank God for His Word. Thanks to these verses i find my relationship with my parents becoming better. I guess theres really power of transformation in His Word. I used to disrespect them alot and some parts of my mind jus didnt really liked them.

They used to look down on me a couple years back calling me useless and all that because every time they see me, they see me on the computer and the times that i studied they did not see. Haha thinking back it's so foolish of me, remembering once i contemplated suicide because my dad called me a useless son. Thanks to someone i manage to come out of that. I was more determined to show them that i ain't useless and studied really hard for my Os. Managed to get a score which was as good as my sis and i guess that kinda shut them and my relatives up. However i was still rebellious and not hesitate to talk back or even shout back. I guess it's all in the past instances that made me this way.

But thank God i'm convicted and now i hold them in reverence. I'm beginning to see that they are changing too, letting me come to church and being so good to me (which i need some time to get used to). I begin to see much more of how they cared for me and their love for me. Praise the Lord for opening my eyes.

I treated my family to Cafe Cartel last night and it was great! Haha i guess it's been quite long since we've been out as a family and i just loved the funny bones we all shared (as in humor, u wont find this dish in their menu =p). I kinda think that dinner signify growth and maturity of me to them and i hope our relationships keep growing. But then again, i'll be earth's most unfilial son if i don't preach the gospel to them, and i hope God will continue to open up opportunities for me to share = D

"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, He said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son." and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." John 26 & 27

Even near His time of death, amidst all His suffering and pain on the cross, He cared for His earthly mother....

Kids.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such of these" Matthew 19:14

I think Sunday's service will be going deep down into my head as one of the best service ever. Worship was awesome, not because all the songs we sang were great but because there was a total uplifting of spirits in the church. It's just like living rivers of spirits flowing thru the whole sanctuary. I guess thats the real power of communal worship. You can never experience this torrential feeling worshipping the Lord all by yourself. The worship topped off with "I could sing of Your love forever" and everyone was worshipping like we're all worshipping in heaven, right before the Lord himself! POWER~!

Thinking back that song just held so much truth. If the world has seen the light they will surely be rejoicing like us! For some reason it made me wondered what will it be like when a island wide revival happens in Singapore. Miracles, healings, people turning away from religions, healing of wounded hearts, casting out of demons. Wow. Crusades, evangelistic outreaches, Gospel being preached everywhere. Is this what a revival is like? I dont really know until it really happens here.

Okay going back to Sunday's service. It was a kid's celebration. Seeing the kids worship really encouraged me a lot and it was also great fun. I guess this is what child-liked faith is all about, everything at it's most basic, humblest, plainest, purest and simplest. "Verily i say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt 18:3( KJV. I wondered why they removed the word "verily" in NIVs, probably old english?) . The truth just came alive during Sunday's service.

"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" Matt 18:4

GO!

"Go! It will be done just as you believed it would" Matthew 8:13

By that one word his servant was healed. Just by one word? No! It is the FAITH of the Centurion. The story of the faith of the Centurion is an interesting one. Something which i can somehow relate to. A servant of the Centurion was terribly sick and bed-ridden. A centurion was a man of authority, a man of professional officer status in the Roman army. Yet, he is a good master, one who cares of his servants, this is evident when Jesus came to the town of Capernaum and the Centurion asked of Him to heal his servant.

He is also humble something which most men of authority are not. "I do not deserve to have You come under my roof." This clearly shows the submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. Not only he was a humble man, he was also a firm believer, "But say the word, and my servant will be healed." I read on about the authority he held as a centurion, ordering "Go" and his soldiers will go, "Come" and his men will come.

I could some how relate to this because i do have a little authority over the cadets i'm in charge of in NCC. But the faith that he had was something i yet have. Praise the Lord for this story for it spurred me on to be one of firm faith. Not only that it taught me how exactly a leader should be like. A master yet also a servant.

Jesus Wept.

I really must thank God for the journey so far thru His word. It's been quite a change ever since i started reading the Word of God with expectations. Just finished the gospel of John and getting on with Matthew and so far it's been great! It's so much different from the last couple of times i've read the gospel. But then again i guess it is different every time you read the Word of God over and over again. You'll always learn something new.

In John what probably struck me the most this time round was just this 2 words. Jesus wept. Its in John 11:35. Just by this 2 words many questions popped out of my mind. I've always imagined weeping as crying bitterly and now if i imagine Jesus crying bitterly, i cant help but to realize how soft and full of compassion He is. At the first glance, I was like wow, you mean Jesus cried? The more i look at those 2 words the more thoughts came to my mind. Thank God for a couple of personal revelations too.

The second main question was, "Who was Lazarus to Jesus?", "is he just a friend?". In the whole of John 11, all i can see is that Jesus loved them, Mary, her sister, Martha and their brother Lazarus who died. In John 11:36, the Jews said, "See how He loved him!". So this tells me there was much love(agapei) in it.

We were once enemies of God but by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we've become friends of God. Friends that He loves. Will Jesus cry for us? I certainly think so! Every time we walk out on Him, I guess He sheds a tear for us, not a tear of disappointment, nor a tear of hurt but a tear of love.