Evangelism, bringing our loved ones to Christ during this Chinese celebration.

永生。
I recently attended Pastor Chandran's sermon yesterday, and I was intrigued on his sermon, simple yet awesomely appropriate at this very period of time, especially we'll be seeing hundreds of people over a week. And the title of his sermon was 'Evangelism'. And I shall share a little about his sermon.

In the chinese characters, Pastor found that (since this was the year of the ox) the chinese charater '牛', if you add a line to it in becomes, '生' which means life. And somehow the beer company, 'Carlsberg' has adopted this word to their logo, but in the bible it says that if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord your saviour, He will give you ‘永生’ which means Eternal life, far better what Carlsberg can give you, and far better than eternal burning.

And check what does John 3:16 say in mandarin, ‘神爱世人甚至将他的独身子赐给他们叫一切信他的不知滅忙反得永生’～强尼3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16

And a little mandarin class for you,
神：God
爱：Love
世人：the People of the Earth
他的：His
独身子：Begotten Son
给他们叫一切信：Believe in Him
不知：Not
滅忙：Perish
反得：But
永生：Eternal Life

So what is a personal testimony?

It is personal.
It is a brief story of how you came to Christ… unique to you and your experience with Him.

It is identifiable.
It includes an appropriate part of your past that your non-Christian friend can identify.

It is factual.
It centers on the fact of the substitutionary death and resurrection of Christ.

It is unarguable.
They cannot argue with your experience, or the death and resurrection of Christ on their behalf.

It is engaging.
It draws them in and enables them to engage with you about Christ and their need for a Savior.

SIBKL members are trained by using a systematic method when sharing our testimony. An acronym, S.M.I.L.E.

S: Scan

M: Move

I: Intro

L: Linger

E: Exit

(An awesome method to use for Evangelism during this CNY)

So then, we'll be meeting most of out relatives all over Msia, aren't we? And we want to bring those loss souls to Christ, that is our duty, and God's duty is to bring Christ to those lost souls.

Few things are more distressing to a Christian than the realization that, unless something happens, those who are part of their family on earth will not be part of their family in heaven. Out of concern and compassion and often with discouragement, people ask, “How do I reach my own relatives with the Gospel?” Several things must be kept in mind. First and foremost recognize that you, in and of yourself, cannot bring your relatives to Christ. Christians often take responsibility upon their shoulders in this area. This concern for their salvation is healthy, but the inner frustration is not there! You must recognize that unless the Spirit of God dispels the darkness from their minds and eyes and causes them to see their need, they will never come to Christ.

Another thing to consider is that relatives who will not listen to what you have to say may instead look at the way you live. Live the kind of consistent Christian life that attracts non-Christian family members to the Savior. The God who brought you to Christ can save any non-Christian relative. God has never met a person His heart did not love or His arm could not reach. If you do your part, God will do His.

In fact, Romans 21:17 says "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody." ~ Romans 21:17

This way, people will look up to us, and respect us for our faith, and whenever they get caught in bad situations, or depressed, or feel lost and in need of a Saviour, they'll think of YOU! and only you. Because, of your wonderful love for God and His people, whenever they see you, they feel comfortable, enough for them to share their past, or you're a easy person to socialize with. You see, awesome Christians are never introverts, they're people that are very sociable and approachable. So dear reader, whenever you will not right, or shaken deep down, we are here for you. :)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought lay down our lives for our brothers." ~1 John 3:16

John 4 reveals that three people are involved in evangelism… the non-believer, the believer, and God. Let’s look at the third of these roles – You, the believer:

God has given us the privilege of partnering with Him in His eternal work.

The Scriptures describe us this way:

Saints – Colossians 1:2 - We are saints - set apart for His specific work
“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:”

Servants – Acts 16: 17 – sent by God to proclaim the good news
“This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”

Planter – 1 Corinthians 3:5 – you are called to plant the seed
“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?”

Waterer – 1 Corinthians 3:6 – you are to water the seed
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”

Laborer – Luke 10:2 – you are to labor in His field
“Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Witness – Acts 1:8 – you are to tell your story – your eyewitness account
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Discerning – Colossians 4: 5 – using wisdom to take advantage of the opportunities to share Christ.
“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”

Dependent – John 6:44 – we bring Christ to the lost – He brings the lost to Christ
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”

Remember:
We bring Christ to the lost
He brings the lost to Christ

Can you think of anything more exciting than being a partner with Jesus Christ in populating heaven? He wants to use you. The question is, “Are you willing to be used?” He’s ready if you are. And as I watch the amazing fireworks shake the earth outside my window, I'm proud to say that his year 2009, will be an awesome year for God, and this year will be filled with evangelism, and I feel that this year will be a movement of increasin capacity for all of us. Let's take up our cross and stand for God's word, because He is the all mighty and with amazing grace, He deserves to be praised to the end of time and forever more, to God be the glory!

So let's bring lost souls to Christ, so that'll be given eternal life or '永生', and they'll also be used for the furtherens of God's kingdom. We're about to find one, don't let fear overcome you when evangelising, for God will be be with you, and will give you the confidence you need.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."~ Isaiah 41:10

Before I end, I'll like to say a prayer,

Dear Lord, we commit this time into your hands, Lord. I pray that you'll bless the readers of this blog, that you'll lay your hands upon their hearts, and open their eyes to your glory. I pray that lives will be saved during this Chinese New Year, and the glory of your name will be spread to near and far. I pray that you'll set a mission for each and every christian that is commited to You, that'll they evengelise when the oppurtunity arises, no matter if it is in KL, South peninsular, or up north, or east Malaysia or any part of the world during this festive season your name will be heard. And we will not apologize because of God, we are not ashamed of the gospel. Amen!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

恭喜发财，新年快乐！年年有余！万事如意！

Godspeed.

credits to Ps.Chandran and evengelism.net

Sincerely,

Leon Lim Jake-Li

LOVE=GOD

LOVE 爱


Everyone knows whats 'Love', many have felt it, many have experienced it, but what is TRUE LOVE?

People claim that love has many forms, and could just simply be mistaken by lust. Which is something that is self-centered, instead of loving concern for others. Love is somewhat senses of affection or sexual attraction to another person.

I believe that Love comes from God, thus God created Love, and God is Love itself and Love is God. The power of true love is an extremely powerful feeling that we have or will encounter eventually in our wonderful lives. I believe in loving God in all our heart, mind and strength and we should always love our neighbours as we love yourselves, these are one of the most important things in life. (Mark)

As also found in 1 John 4:7-12 : "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete is us." And this is God's love for us all. But its not finished.

This is what true love really means : "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 God is good. :)

Only the righteous and pure can only enter Heaven, but since this applies, then none of us can enter, because we all have sinned, thus we are sinners, and sinners would not enter heaven. So we are condemned to go to the "Lake of Fire"? Listen to what John 3:16 says: "For GOD so loved the world he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE" Many have heard the cruxifiction of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But Jesus Christ did not die in vain. God, the creator of Love, sacrificed his only begotten Son, for us ALL sinners, so that our Salvation would not be taken away from us, so if we believe in Jesus Christ and follow the Truth, he have the 'ticket' to God's Kingdom, Heaven. GOD IS GREAT, ISN'T HE?

How Great is Our God. Imagine yourself have a son, your only Son, and you had to sacrifice him just because you had too, for a much greater reason. Now, try to imagine how you will feel...

We loved, because God first loved us. So in return, we have to love our neighbours, which means: friends, enemies, family, strangers etc. Yes. As part of the Ten Commandments, we should love our neighbours as yourselves. And in 1 John 3:16 says that "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers".

God's Love is just simply indescribable. Think through what you have read from this blog, for God is Love and Love is God. By the way, Jesus rose from the dead, soon later, amazing isn't it?

adopted from one of my previous posts. God Bless. :)

Day 6: Feeling Discouraged?

Too often in our lives we experience the hurt of discouragement and rejection. So often we feel as though nothing else could possibly go wrong, and then it does.... You fight with a friend, you fail a test, you get fired from a job, you get cut from the sports team, you loose an important relationship, and your dreams and plans fall apart before your eyes.

It is so common to encounter painful times in our lives where God feels distant. It feels as though we walk the hard road alone, and no one understands the struggles we are going through. When disappointment comes, it floods our lives all at once, and defeat slowly creeps in until we feel like giving up.

Personally, I have struggled with discouragement in my life a lot lately. Every time I turn the corner I face more rejection, or someone telling me I'm not quite good enough. At least so it seems, I know people don't intend to make me feel that way, but the reality of it is, I just can't help feeling discarded and worthless. I catch myself buying into the lies that Satan desperately wants me to believe. He wants me to give up and throw in the towel. He wants me to think there is no hope for my life. Yet God's word tells me otherwise. He desires to build character within my life, and mature me, so I can be more available to do His work.

"More than that, we rejoice in our suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~ Romans 5:3-5

Even during the hardest and most disappointing times in our lives, God is creating Christ-like character among us.  Suffering is a part of God's plan to make us more compassionate and loving. However, He does not make us go through the struggles alone, but walks with us every step of the way, and gives us strength  to keep moving forward despite opposition. In fact, in Deuteronomy 31:8, we learn, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."

God also tells us not to give up because His plan is far beyond our comprehension; If something doesn't work out the way we expect it to, we must recognize God's sovereignty, knowing He never shuts one door without opening another, which is far better according to His plan for each of us!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 " So we do not lose heart. Though, out outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Be encouraged, my dear readers! Jesus will never forsake you in no matter what trials you go to. Jesus is like your best friend, the first person to go to, when you're down and depressed, Jesus will be there to give you a hug and lend you a hand. God will let you be tempted, but He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. Rejection is part of life,so what if your friends think negative stuff about you? Keep walking in faith in Christ, and they're the uncool ones. You know, Jesus knows rejection better than anyone else in the world, he was rejected countless times, when he went around to preach, and people thought he was crazy and did not deserve to call himself the Son of Man. Ultimately, he wants to mend your heart and restore you, so He can use you for something awesome, something amazing. Let him use your talents to build His kingdom. Keep your faith and just wait and see. :)

Sincerely,

Leon Lim.

Day 1: A New Year's Prayer Solution

*I thank you Pastor Daniel for compiling articles from resources into a booklet, so that this booklet will change the lives of people, and be used for the expansion of God's wonderful Kingdom. It was not by coincidence that was presented with this wonderful booklet, "21". Following is the first article in the book written by Lane Palmer. "Day 1: New Year's Prayer Solution"


"Teach us to make the most of out time, so that we may grow in wisdom.' (Psalms 90:12)



Are you two-faced? Maybe we all are at some point. But did you know that the word 'January' refers to a two-faced Roman deity; one face looking back at the past and one face looking towards the future.


This would be a great time to be doing the same....looking back at the previous year and looking forward to the year ahead.


The past...to many that is a scary phrase. This year in review brings back guilt anew. The sorrows, sins and silly slip-ups get in your face and haunt you like a re-occurring nightmare. So looking back over 2008 would be about as fun as being dragged over wounded scorpions. Yet I would still encourage you to do so for this reason: grace. If you peer hard enough into your accumulated memories, you will find the fnger-prints of God over all your botches and blunders-and the finger that left the prints is pointing towards forgiveness and restoration. Remember that Jesus is the God of secong chances (and third, fourth, fifth, etc.) Learn from your mistakes and move on- that's what the Apostle Paul did:

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." ~ Phillipians 3:13-14


Paul was a lot like us. He looked back and saw things he was proud of, and things he was ashamed of. Yet rather than revel and grovel in obsessive observations, he made a decision to employ a wonderful technique for dealing with the past: forgetting.

Remember the other face? It looks towards the future. Not in a ridiculous and useless resolution sort of way, but in a dedicated and determined fashion that takes seriously the high calling of being a believer left on this planet to advance God's Kingdom one day and one life at a time- because each day is a gift.

Here is the prayer of an African pastor who was later killed for his faith. May Christ give you the grace to have it profoundly affect the way 2009 unfolds:

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or tops, or recognize, or praise, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear!!


Wow! Isn't this just wonderful? A determined and passionate pastor that is determined to go all out for God. We should be like him, and take up the buffalo spirit and unite against Satan for the safetyness of the rising up for our generation. It is our job to keep sending Satan back to Hell!

Stand for the world or Fall for the world.

Thank you, Lord.

Sincerely,
Leon Lim Jake-Li.

We Are That Light. (Repost)

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2

At these times, peer pressure is everywhere, they're are totally unavoidable. Most of the time, just the sake of impressing our friends, we follow what they say and what they do. Sometimes, they're even teenagers that get into drugs, alcohol, pornography, smoking, masturbating, pre-marital sex etc. Just because their friends are doing it. As simple as this, this way, teenager's lives are being destroyed. This is how Satan is trying to destroy us, he's preventing us from rising for our generation.

The Lord said,"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by man.''~ Matthew 5:13

We are the salt of the world, Satan is right now, using everything and anything that means neccesary to damage thrising generation. But, nevertheless, the prophecy of God ruling over all things is going to be fulfilled. Satan is working harder than ever to stop us, and are we just going to let Lucifer poison our minds, and just lead us to eternal burning in Hell?

Stop being deceived! You see, whatever it maybe, Satan's strongest in his arsenal, is actually 'deception'. Even from the time of man, we were already deceived by Satan. Remember, how Satan lied to Eve so she'll eat the fruit? and then later giving it to Adam so their purity will be compromised? You see, even teenagers these days, are just full with life responsibilities. And some teenagers, even resort to suicide to solve their problems. Believe me, everyone who commits suicide will go to hell.

This is because, by simply taking out our own lives away, we're rejecting the salvation that our wonderful God has given to us. When someone commits suicide, he's also 'expediting' his journey to Hell. I'll give an example, your examination is coming, and you did not study, and when exam time came, you simply gave up, not even trying, thus the result would mean that you'll fail, no? If we look it at a different way, it'll mean exactly as not putting up our armor of God which is God's word, and then later in life, we reject the "exam", and we'll go to Hell. Life is like an exam(well sort of), if we reject the exam, it'll also mean that we're rejecting life and God's salvation. Then, we'll be more than worthy to go to Hell.

Stop being decieved! in Romans 12:2, it also tells us that our mind CAN be disciplined. Negative thoughts can be changed to positive thoughts, and tempting thoughts can be erased. Now, that'll make life so much better, isn't it? We should be the trendsetter in living for Jesus, instead of a follower who lives like the world.

We are the rising generation of this world, we are the salt of the world, we are the light of the world, the Rising generation WILL rise up to stand up for God and his word. When the world perishes, only 2 things will remain, the souls of men and God's word.



Let me tell you the story of Gideon.....



The land of Israel was full of sinful and cowardice people, and God allowed Israel to be conquered by the Midianites for 7 years. And then there was a famer by the name of Gideon, one day, while he was beating wheats, an angel of God suddenly, appeared to him and said : "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Gideon was a weak and poor farmer nevertheless, and his clan is the weakest in Mannesseh, therefore it'll be natural for him to think that God choose the wrong person, and he did. But God said: "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." and please note that Gideon from there on, became a one-man army. "strike down all the Midianites TOGETHER.".....



"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him." ~ Judges 6:34


When the Lord fills us with the Holy Spirit, we can do many wonderful and great things. For instance, just as the Lord commanded Gideon, he commanded Martin Luther King Jr. to lead the black people in America to demand equal civil rights in the country. And so he did....



Gideon was ready of the uprising against the Midianites... And then God commanded Gideon to gather 22,000 men (for the army), but God felt that was too many, and so God commanded Gideon to tell the men which were scared, uninterested and unwilling to lay down their lives to leave.

And 2,000 men were left. And God still felt unsatisfied with the number, so he told Gideon to command the soldiers to go to the lake to drink water, then God kept an watchful eye, many soldiers put down their swords and spears and many were lapping water like a dog at the creek, while a small number knelt down while holding their spears and gently cupping the water into their mouths like civilized men. And these men, came up to the number of 300, and God choose these men for the war, and the rest packed up their bags, and went home to drink tea.

When the time of war came (night), Gideon gave every each of the 300 men, a torch to put inside a pitcher, and a trumpet. And in the middle of the war, God commanded Gideon to tell the soldiers to shatter the pitcher, and then blow the trumpet. And then shouting: "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!". And as the uncountable amounts of bright light suddenly emerging from the battlefield, and the very powerful power of the sound of the trumpets. Then, all the Midianites ran to and forth, crying out in confusion, and killed each other with their swords in the turmoil. And the vast number of the Midianites warriors was reduced to almost nil, and they fled far away.


You see, my friends, that light emerging from the darkness, that light that suddenly caused all the Midianites to kill themselves is our faith for our God, and that powerful power of the trumpet is our will to Stand up for God's word, and rise up against Satan.

We're the rising generation of this world, and our sole duty is to obey God and stand up for God and fight against sin. That light can be also imagined as our faith in the middle of darkness, which is sin.

Imagine a gargantuan crowd of mixed people from all sorts of nations, and every faithful Christian were to be given a torch, and when you turn off the 'lights', suddenly there's darkness, but out of nowhere a vast number of lights suddenly emerge from the darkness, and then slowly the darkness itself is being consumed by the blinding light. And then the darkness is no more, but what remains is just the Word of God and the souls of Men.

Are we going to let the greater future, be endangered by Satan's pathetic lies? Are we just going to sit on our arses, while the world is being engulfed over sin and poverty? Are we going to let Satan rule over the world?

Then let's together, as the rising generation of this world, stand up for God's word and send Satan back to HELL! Let's do our part to welcome Jesus back, lay out the red carpet for Jesus!

Leon Lim

p.s. This is a repost.