Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the Word become flesh (John 1:1-3).
So every Christmas is a must for us to reconsidering whether the Word has become flesh in our selves, i.e. whether we have truly lived in His way.
If yes, then our Christmas celebration is perfect already even without Christmas tree, decorations etc.
Everyday can be Christmas.....
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
In His time He makes everything beautiful
Those words are some of what the reverend lady mentioned today.
As written in Ecclesiastes 3:11, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I like those words. If He made everything beautiful in my time right when I want it, then there won’t be so much thrill, less excitement. And life should be of excitement.
We may have had bread of adversity and water of affliction, but.....as taken from Psalm 199:
That’s all for now, the rest I forgot.
As written in Ecclesiastes 3:11, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I like those words. If He made everything beautiful in my time right when I want it, then there won’t be so much thrill, less excitement. And life should be of excitement.
We may have had bread of adversity and water of affliction, but.....as taken from Psalm 199:
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
That’s all for now, the rest I forgot.
Friday, November 07, 2003
Again...Endurance
Was on 2 November
Yes I went to Church this day and the menu was nearly the same with what I had in the previous week sermon (at different Church). It’s about Endurance and even mentioned one same verse, that of Revelation 14:12. But the previous week one (different Church) was more absorbable. Maybe it’s the art of communicating the words. Though I know the gist is the same, but the other (the latter one) made me want to say to the priest....well..talk is always easy! It did make myself grumble :-P
Yes I went to Church this day and the menu was nearly the same with what I had in the previous week sermon (at different Church). It’s about Endurance and even mentioned one same verse, that of Revelation 14:12. But the previous week one (different Church) was more absorbable. Maybe it’s the art of communicating the words. Though I know the gist is the same, but the other (the latter one) made me want to say to the priest....well..talk is always easy! It did make myself grumble :-P
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Endurance
I don't have it yet, but.....
This morning sermon has nudged myself with these:
- Revelation 14:12, Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and hold on to the faithfulness of Jesus.
- James 1:4, But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
I was also reminded:
- To give thanks to God for the lungs, eyes, heart, ears, etc..etc.. that God has trusted me and for the breath that I still have.
- to be continued.....
This morning sermon has nudged myself with these:
- Revelation 14:12, Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and hold on to the faithfulness of Jesus.
- James 1:4, But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
I was also reminded:
- To give thanks to God for the lungs, eyes, heart, ears, etc..etc.. that God has trusted me and for the breath that I still have.
- to be continued.....
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
1, 2, 3 are equal
I joined the first service today; it's 07.30 in the morning.
The preacher was a lady from Aussie who seems well known in the church-hood there. So, my today's breakfast was Matthew 25:14-30.
Here's the incomplete version of the sermon that I heard today that is very useful for me (myself….!! pleaseee..listen to me now!!):
- God knows my personal capacity
- He gave me talent in accordance with my personal capacity
- Eph 2:10, I was created for good works.
- No matter how many talent that I have or even only one, I must do my best to increase it or else I will have none.
- Destiny is about how I deal with the resources God has given to me.
- God set a beautiful destiny for me, it depends on me whether I get it or not.
- Faithful = Fruitful, means to be proactive, to multiply what God has given me and be a living proof of His words
- God has infinite resources and He is so generous, but first I must multiply my talents and then enlarge my personal capacity.
therefore........
1. I must identify my personal capacity
2. Manage the talent/s that God has given to me, if not, then why He wants to give more only for a mismanagement
3. Understand my limitation
then….
[she said] buy my books!
[the local pastor said] buy her books!
The preacher was a lady from Aussie who seems well known in the church-hood there. So, my today's breakfast was Matthew 25:14-30.
Here's the incomplete version of the sermon that I heard today that is very useful for me (myself….!! pleaseee..listen to me now!!):
- God knows my personal capacity
- He gave me talent in accordance with my personal capacity
- Eph 2:10, I was created for good works.
- No matter how many talent that I have or even only one, I must do my best to increase it or else I will have none.
- Destiny is about how I deal with the resources God has given to me.
- God set a beautiful destiny for me, it depends on me whether I get it or not.
- Faithful = Fruitful, means to be proactive, to multiply what God has given me and be a living proof of His words
- God has infinite resources and He is so generous, but first I must multiply my talents and then enlarge my personal capacity.
therefore........
1. I must identify my personal capacity
2. Manage the talent/s that God has given to me, if not, then why He wants to give more only for a mismanagement
3. Understand my limitation
then….
[she said] buy my books!
[the local pastor said] buy her books!
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Vainglory
was on 28 September 2003
I decided to go to Church today, after feeling so reluctant at first. I went to a conservative church. Conservative, compared to today's roaring church here. This is my first time visit for this year, almost a year from my last visit there.
The reverend lady sermonized about Galatia 2:15-21
As usual I lost my concentration a lot of time at church. This time I was craving for potato chips and thinking about it almost constantly (later on I rushed to Carrefour for some potatoes and made yummy flavoured chips and eat them with my favourite chilli sauce! hmmm…). So, I felt lost at first when she talked about "Feng Shui." What's the telling? Later on I understood the relation between those verses and Feng Shui.
The people of Galatia and many Christians these days don't really depend their selves on God. They believed by giving offerings to Church and doing all good things that are mentioned in the Book would make them always right, but that belief directed them into misdeeds. Their prides make them to forgive wrong things that they might or have done. That's why there are some Christians who still go searching for something else, and Feng Shui is just one and popular choice.
Of course to do what the Bible wants us to do is right, but we must not doing it because we want ourselves to be righted. That's not a faith in God at all, that's a way into vanity. Christ has righted us; it's our payback time to thank Him by doing good deeds. That's a faith in God.
so…
I guess that's the most I could get for free :-P
Oh well…I can still have alternative free tips on how to doing best from the net.
Distraction
Wow! I was and am still amazed by her talent!
She is the interpreter girl, an Indonesian. It's like, the English words enter her ears, got processed by her brains less than a blink of an eye, then instantly exit as Indonesian words through her mouth. Her words choice is almost flawless or 99% perfect! My concentration on the sermon was breach because I was busy matching my words choice with hers! I know, silly me. Her tone was also very well in control.
Hoo-Ha
Before the sermon began, the local pastor that still seemed a little bit pissed-off (well…otherwise, why need to tell everybody about it anyway?) told us about his preaching experience in one of West European countries. He told us that he said to the congregation there (more or less of course): "here you have euros, but you give in rupiahs. In Indonesia we have rupiahs but we give in euros"
I didn't get it until he explained that the congregation there only gives a dime (or what is it called for Euro?), unlike the people of his congregation! Lol.
He said he doesn't mind if what his saying irritates them, because they only gave small money there.
I hope soon he will remember: 1 Sam 15:22 or Hebrew 13:16 so next time, he can have diplomacy ability like Paul in 2 Cor 8:1-15
I decided to go to Church today, after feeling so reluctant at first. I went to a conservative church. Conservative, compared to today's roaring church here. This is my first time visit for this year, almost a year from my last visit there.
The reverend lady sermonized about Galatia 2:15-21
As usual I lost my concentration a lot of time at church. This time I was craving for potato chips and thinking about it almost constantly (later on I rushed to Carrefour for some potatoes and made yummy flavoured chips and eat them with my favourite chilli sauce! hmmm…). So, I felt lost at first when she talked about "Feng Shui." What's the telling? Later on I understood the relation between those verses and Feng Shui.
The people of Galatia and many Christians these days don't really depend their selves on God. They believed by giving offerings to Church and doing all good things that are mentioned in the Book would make them always right, but that belief directed them into misdeeds. Their prides make them to forgive wrong things that they might or have done. That's why there are some Christians who still go searching for something else, and Feng Shui is just one and popular choice.
Of course to do what the Bible wants us to do is right, but we must not doing it because we want ourselves to be righted. That's not a faith in God at all, that's a way into vanity. Christ has righted us; it's our payback time to thank Him by doing good deeds. That's a faith in God.
so…
I guess that's the most I could get for free :-P
Oh well…I can still have alternative free tips on how to doing best from the net.
Distraction
Wow! I was and am still amazed by her talent!
She is the interpreter girl, an Indonesian. It's like, the English words enter her ears, got processed by her brains less than a blink of an eye, then instantly exit as Indonesian words through her mouth. Her words choice is almost flawless or 99% perfect! My concentration on the sermon was breach because I was busy matching my words choice with hers! I know, silly me. Her tone was also very well in control.
Hoo-Ha
Before the sermon began, the local pastor that still seemed a little bit pissed-off (well…otherwise, why need to tell everybody about it anyway?) told us about his preaching experience in one of West European countries. He told us that he said to the congregation there (more or less of course): "here you have euros, but you give in rupiahs. In Indonesia we have rupiahs but we give in euros"
I didn't get it until he explained that the congregation there only gives a dime (or what is it called for Euro?), unlike the people of his congregation! Lol.
He said he doesn't mind if what his saying irritates them, because they only gave small money there.
I hope soon he will remember: 1 Sam 15:22 or Hebrew 13:16 so next time, he can have diplomacy ability like Paul in 2 Cor 8:1-15
Monday, September 29, 2003
Speaking in Tongues
(not yet today's chlog, but from my previous chlog experience)
I'd been so curious about Tongue Speaking ever since I become an almost regular visitor of one Church in my city. Almost every week I can hear a sort of...shirarabasherabarabasherabarabarababashakurashirarabashe....
They said it is tongue speaking, but I have so many doubts about it. How can it be so easy? Just like.....ok, I want to speak in tongues, then.....I speak.
I was even told that at one workshop arranged by that church, a preacher lady from Aussie (?) taught the participants to speak in tongue! And at this church, sometimes the preacher will say, "c'mon people.....speak in the Holy Spirit!" then people will start to speak in tongues as soon as the pastor or preacher talks in tongues! And stop whenever the preacher stops. Speaking in tongues is likely to be contagious.
Not that I don't believe in Speaking in Tongues, I do believe:
I'd been so curious about Tongue Speaking ever since I become an almost regular visitor of one Church in my city. Almost every week I can hear a sort of...shirarabasherabarabasherabarabarababashakurashirarabashe....
They said it is tongue speaking, but I have so many doubts about it. How can it be so easy? Just like.....ok, I want to speak in tongues, then.....I speak.
I was even told that at one workshop arranged by that church, a preacher lady from Aussie (?) taught the participants to speak in tongue! And at this church, sometimes the preacher will say, "c'mon people.....speak in the Holy Spirit!" then people will start to speak in tongues as soon as the pastor or preacher talks in tongues! And stop whenever the preacher stops. Speaking in tongues is likely to be contagious.
Not that I don't believe in Speaking in Tongues, I do believe:
- It's the authority of Holy Spirit, not humanReferences for reading are available from the net in Indonesian Tongue and English Tongue. However must not forget that speaking in tongues is fun!
- Not every Christian must speak in tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28-30
- There are rather 2 kind of tongues, the one that once took place at Pentecost day in Jerusalem i.e. foreign tongues and the one stated by 1 Corinthians 14 i.e. utterance tongue (although some believe they are actually identical)
- 1 Corinthians 14:9 "So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into air"
- If there is speaking in tongues practise (the utterance one), then shall it be based on 1 Corinthians 14:27-28
- What happens in some of today's churches in Jakarta more or less is just like that of Corinthian Assembly.
- Tongue speaking gives edification and instruction not only to the speaker but also the audiences i.e. not to leave the audiences blank. 1 Corinthians 14:16-19
- If no one can give the explanation about the tongues, then one should remain silent. 1 Corinthians 14:27-28
Monday, September 22, 2003
Listening is the Beginning
This time sermon is a real cappuccino! It’s awakening.
The speaker spoke about how can good and bad things absorbed by us.
It all begins by this activity: listening!
So many voices and sounds get in to and out of our ears. We hear the good and the bad things every day. But if we can only listen to the good ones, then we will learn only good things that will provide knowledge for us so we could have better understandings to finally gain wisdom. More or less like that. Of course he provided some verses, but I don't always prepare myself with a notebook and a pen. I just remember one verse about how man got into sin. It’s because Eve listened to the snake, and Adam listened to Eve. They did get wisdom about the good and the bad, but not God's wisdom.
These are the points from the lecture that have inspired him:
Listen-learn-knowledge-understand-Wisdom
So, listening is the beginning.
The speaker spoke about how can good and bad things absorbed by us.
It all begins by this activity: listening!
So many voices and sounds get in to and out of our ears. We hear the good and the bad things every day. But if we can only listen to the good ones, then we will learn only good things that will provide knowledge for us so we could have better understandings to finally gain wisdom. More or less like that. Of course he provided some verses, but I don't always prepare myself with a notebook and a pen. I just remember one verse about how man got into sin. It’s because Eve listened to the snake, and Adam listened to Eve. They did get wisdom about the good and the bad, but not God's wisdom.
These are the points from the lecture that have inspired him:
Listen-learn-knowledge-understand-Wisdom
So, listening is the beginning.
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