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Monday, February 16, 2009

Becoming a real man



1 Corinthians 11:3
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

There are many roles in the family but the most important role is the man’s role. The bible tells us that the man is the head of the family or the master of the house. Men should lead the family just like Christ leads the church. The head always directs the body where to go what to do and how to react!

The problem is nowadays men are not interested to be actively involved in church and family. Men are interested in golf, share market, car, property, football or spot and money. The church used to be led by men but now the ladies have to play the role of leader in church because men are lacking in commitment in church. We need our brothers to rise up to take the headship in church, family and in society, in order for us to have a strong influence on the world.

4 problems we will have if we don’t have strong men in church:

1. Evangelistic
• A church full of female and women leadership, it’s hard to attract men to come to church.
• Men don’t like to come to a place where there are lots of women and no men around.
• Our evangelism will suffer because we don’t have strong men in church.

2. Relationship
• If a Christian man marry with a Christian woman, which is a leader in church, usually will find it hard and confuse to relate to his wife.
• The man will tend to listen to the wife most of the time; the man will feel like the wife is like a mum to him.
• The man should be the head of the family but if man is weak the wife has to take the lead and the man will feel lousy about himself.
• The man will try to find a girl who is gentler and more obedient, which is where adultery started.

3. Marriage
• If there is no strong man in church, ladies are hard to find a life partner.
• Girls will think that those guys in church are still childish, not responsible enough and not matured in God.
• Now girls have 2 choices, compromise and accept those guys or continue to stay single.
• Some try to accept the guy but the girl will get frustrated because the guy does not really show and maximize his manhood and the relationship does not work out because the guy is not matured.
• Most of the girls are not looking for romantic and macho guys but a man who is strong in the Lord and responsible in life.

4. Ministry
• It will be good for guys to be the leaders of the church ministry, the reasons is sometimes girls have physical limitation. Eg: menstruation (emotion), giving birth & dangerous to meet members till late night.
• Normally when a girl marries to a guy, it’s expected that she will follow the guy back to the guy hometown.
• When the girl is pregnant and after giving birth, as a mum she needs to spend most of the time to take care of the child, you cannot expect her to continually be committed to church ministry like before.

2 characteristics of a “real man”:

1. Reliable

Deuteronomy 23:21
“When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.”

- Say what you mean and do what you say
- Be punctual, being late is wasting other people's time
- Be responsible, don't put the blame on others.

2. Decisiveness

James 1:6-8
“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

- be decisive, make up your mind and sure of what you need to do.
- make the decision and take up the responsibility of it.

As a man you have to learn from our Savior, Jesus Christ how to be a real man! His words are reliable and He is faithful in His word. He is decisive and firm in His decision.

WE ARE A MALE BY BIRTH BUT A MAN BY CHOICE

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Schmolocks of Coffee by Ashlee Wong


When a person cannot do anything about something, earthly efforts seems futile, thus surrenders it to prayer.

Prayer, I have heard it touted as the most powerful weapon on earth and beyond. I have heard it being a comfort. I have heard it being a solace. I have heard it being a way to communicate with God. I have heard that it moves God’s hands.

Prayer is a real funny thing though. One seemed to think that it works miracles and wonders straightaway and everything gets better, rather like waving a magic wand and putting everything right.

But prayer instead, puts things into perspective, sometimes straightaway, sometimes slowly, like a movie being played in slow motion, and you notice every little action of the actors.

Would you believe that no prayer and miracles wrought through prayer works the same way twice? Just as no anniversary is the same like last year’s.

I could be drinking latte at Secret Recipe on the 27th December last year but I was having a hair cut, attending a church service this year on the same date.


Sometimes it’s just so frustrating to NOT see something work, you know. Take a coffee machine, you know it’s brewing and boiling and making your coffee inside, but how?! It bubbles and whistles occasionally. You want to take off the cap and see that it IS making your coffee for you properly and not just making weird noises. And then, the coffee trickles out, slowly, just letting the aroma fill the kitchen. You inhale it, the smell comforting you and you sit down to enjoy the fragrant cup.

But WAIT, you’ve entirely forgotten about your curiosity of HOW the machine worked that mini miracle. How did the coffee beans, the water, the filter and all those schmolocks in that little machine blend all that and came up with the coffee you’re holding now in your cup, perfectly blended?

I don’t know how accurate that analogy was. But I’ll be the one standing on tiptoes and aiming to peep into the machine. I do know that, somehow, that machine will let me have my coffee.

Just like I know that prayer will work a good thing out in the end. But it’s the process and (all that gurgling around in the coffee machine) the waiting that drives me nuts.

Well now smile, you’re pretty sure you’ll be getting that cup of coffee in the end anyhow.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Post CNY GEPC Leader's Dinner - 2 February 2009

Hello again GEPC! Been about a week since it has been updated. How was CNY this year? Was anyone extremely blessed by the huge amount of "angpau"? ... I'm very shocked at someone's "angpau" this time... really gave me a heart attack lol!

Anyway, with almost (you know who you are ^^) every leader back to KL after the one week break, the CG leaders and assistant leaders had a post CNY gathering at a restaurant. Thanks to bro Jacob who willingly and persistently said he would treat all of us to dinner (THANK YOU!!!), we had a wonderful time eating luxurious food that night.

At about 6.30pm, all of us gathered in church and we were really pleased to see that Open Hands t-shirt is for sale!! With three famous colours (red, blue, black), every GEPC-ian IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to buy one of the t-shirts (if you buy more than one, Jacob will give you a hug!!)

Also, 02/02/2009 is a very special someone's birthday. It's none other than........ Sammi Wong (the girl wearing red)!!!! I can still visualise her red blushing face when everyone went and shook hands with her. At that time, she can rival a tomato lol. (No offense ya? ^^) Then, we went for the long-awaited dinner....

Those who attended the reunion dinner: Jacob, Yap, Aloy, Amanda, Flora, Melissa, Lenny, Wilfred, Amabel, Christina, Sharon, Clarence, Sammi (the birthday girl - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!), Eliana, Zi Xin, Christine, Jasmine, Kah Choon, Ashlee, Suheri (the happiest person 'cause it was his lucky day - eating paradise!) and Zi Hui.

Now, details of the dinner..... 

 

Not to forget, the group picture of our happy faces!

Thank you, bro Jacob!!

PS: We look forward to have more dinners of this sort in the future! ^_^