Are you really a CHRISTian?

Are you really a CHRISTian?

How many of you want to grow spiritually in this new year? To grow in Christ
you must first be in Christ. In other words, you must be a Christian. This first sermon
helps you know whether you are a Christian or not and how to become one if you
are not. Knowing Christ is the most important matter in all of life. Rejecting Christ
would be the most harmful. If you are sure you are a Christian, this sermon will be a
helpful review. The apostles Paul and Peter considered it their duty to remind
Christians of the basics.(1 Cor 15:1-5,2 Peter 1:12-15)

Now who is Jesus?

Phil 2:6-11

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit as the only
true and living God. They are 3 distinct persons, equal in power and glory. The
father is not the Son, The Son is not the Spirit yet they are not 3 gods but one God.
We call this mystery the Trinity.

God’s Son became a human and went in his humiliation and obedience to God the
Father until the point of death on the cross. In response to that, God exalted Him to
the highest place and gave Him the name above every name. Eventually, everyone
will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

1 Cor 15:3-7

Since Jesus is the Son of God, for what did he die? He died for our sins. The good
news is, He did not remain in the grave but he was raised on the third day! Who can
testify that? Peter first saw Him, and then the twelve apostles.

Jesus is no ordinary man. He is true God who became true man. In one person
Jesus is both God and man. As a man, Jesus came to save His people by doing for
them what they could not do for themselves. We had disobeyed God, broken His law
and earned His punishment. Jesus, however, perfectly obeyed His father. He never
sinned. Moreover, He willingly endured the punishment we deserved for our sin. As
our substitute, He satisfied God’s just requirement that sin be punished by taking
our punishment on Himself. In this way God is both just, because sin is punished,
and merciful, because He forgives our sins.

Why do you need Christ?

Romans 3:23

Everyone on this earth has sinned and fall shorts the glory of God. This includes you
and me. Is sin serious? The answer is yes for the wage of sin is death but the gift of
God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 2:6-11

It’s ok if nobody sees your good deeds or the bad people go free for God will judge
us one day according to what each of us has done. There will be trouble & distress
for evil people. According to these verses, people who are self-seeking, rejecting
truth and follow evil will be punished. Do you have these characteristics?

In fact, we are all sinners as we rebel against God. It’s natural for us to commit
wrong deeds but we struggle to do good. Perhaps you don’t think you’re a sinner.
Try reading the Ten Commandments.(Ex 20:1-17) How many have you broken
outwardly or in your thoughts? If you’re honest, you will have to admit you’ve broken
either by actions or thoughts. Now do you see why God takes your sin so seriously?
God will punish us for our sin with the troubles of this life, with physical death and
sufferings of hell forever. That’s why we need Jesus.

God’s Promises and Your Response

Jesus promises to raise up those who believe in Him at the last day. You must
believe in Jesus (put your faith in Him) in order to be saved. There are 2 things you
must do: Confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ with your mouth and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead. What’s next? You’ll be justified and saved. For everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom 10:13)

Faith in Christ means you trust Him to save you and you submit to Him as Lord.
If you just want forgiveness but do not want Christ as your Lord, then you do not
have real faith. The person who says he believes in Christ but does not begin to
obey Christ (stop sinning) is fooling himself. (1 John 2:3-6) Faith always has with it a
desire to turn from sin and to serve Christ. True faith brings true repentance. You
must rely on Christ to forgive you and to change you.

The Gratitude We Owe to God for Salvation

How many of you here love Jesus? If you just raise your hands, you just mean you
do obey His commandments for those who love Him will obey His commandments.

Matthew 22:37-39

How much should we love God? We should love Him with all our heart, soul and
mind. Besides, we should also love our neighbours as ourselves. (Surrounding
people)

Eph 2:8-10

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are
God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do”

It’s by the grace of Jesus Christ, through the faith we put in Him that we are saved.
It’s a common mistake that the world believes they can be saved by good works.
Doing good works are our duty as human, not to be seen as merit. Imagine you’re
looking at a baby crawling at the edge of a drain. Saving him from danger is our
duty. If we just let him be and falls, we would be sinning by not doing the right thing.
Rather, the bible says we are saved to do good works! If you’re not doing any good
work, the purpose of your salvation is not fulfilled.

The good works that we do are possible only because God has saved us. Initially our
good work themselves are sufficiently tainted by our sin that they are not acceptable
by God but He is pleased to accept and reward them for the sake of Jesus Christ
and His perfect righteousness.(1 Peter 2:5)

Conclusion

Our good works cannot save us from God’s punishment and the fire of hell. Only
through believing in Jesus Christ that you can be saved and have everlasting life
with Him.

Prophetic Messages by RLS Intercessors.

For year 2011

To the churches: HAVE REVERENCE for God. FEAR HIM. Do not treat His house like a market. Honour and worship Him. Repent and turn back to your FIRST LOVE.

Release of Demonic spirits: The enemy is pouring dark spirits of death, mammon, strife and sexual sins upon the earth. Year 2011 will see more death occur worldwide. Hunger will be no.2 reason, wiping another 1/6 of the world population.

Youth and children-the target of the enemy: Be aware of the media! Music videos that are satanic must be avoided because they contain symbols of the dark kingdom. They are empowered with MIND CONTROL spirits that will take over the mind so that you can no longer hear the Word of God nor make moral distinction between right and wrong! Take heed!

Let us pray against the powers of hypnosis or mind control through the modern influences such as the internet, television and modern technologies used by the enemy.

Abortion of babies: I saw rows and rows of baby cots in heaven. Babies kept coming in boxes! A spirit of murder has been poured out by the enemy, resulting in many abortions and killing of babies. It will double in 2011 and many youths will be used by the enemy to fall into this sin. As the babies cry, God's Hand slowly moves away from the earth. Abortion and baby-gendered killing will increase. God will strike many lands for this great sin. (more than 50 million babies will die this way)

Families under attack: Divorce rates around the world among Christians will escalate. Get serious, guard your homes and families from demonic influence through mass media and entertainment.

Many Christians not saved: I saw many Christians walking with chains tied to them. Chains of pride, arrogance, strife and the Lord says to them, "Go away, I do not know you, this celebration is not for you.' He closes the door to them. The people kept on knocking but the door remained closed. Then swarms of black locusts came upon them and they disappeared!

The Word of God is our sword. Many are without it and easily fall, defeated when attacked by the enemy. They retreat in fear and are easily destroyed by darkness. (Eph 6:10-18)

Choose your master! Do not please two masters. You will be destroyed in the end. (Luke 16:13)

Remember not to be lukewarm. (Rev 3:15-16) Do not delay, time is running out. The horn is ready to sound the start of war.

To be continued...

Check out: http://www.rls.com.my/index.cfm?&menuid=118

Wise Stewardship-Money

Click HERE to get the wisest investment tips!

The Two Shall Become One

You can download our CG sermon HERE.

What is the Church?

The Treasure of Life

The treasure of heaven is comprised of Sun, Moon and Stars;
The treasure of earth consists of crops, gold and silver.
The treasure of a kingdom is to have righteous officials;
The treasure of a family is to have descendents with piety.
Yet, Gold, silver and jade are not as precious as one's life.
Hundred years of age is nothing compared to eternity.
Coming and going in life is like a dream.
The best food and clothing don't mean a thing.
It's no exception for someone born in a royal family.
The most important thing in the world is life.
Something that white jade, gold and silver can't buy.
Even plain porridge can be satisfying;
No cloth is fit to wear for a thousand years.
The heaven's gate was closed due to the first man's sin;
The path to salvation is through the Son only.
I would like to accept God, the Son and the Holy Spirit;
And receive from thee my free gift of eternity.

Emperor KANGXI of Qing Dynasty

CG sermon-Enduring Hardship

Missed out our CG? Download our sermon HERE.

Love One Another

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 22:37-40)

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." ( John 13:34-35)

"Whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." ( Matthew 7:12)

"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward in heaven will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." ( Luke 6:35)

"Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many." ( Mark 10:43-45)

"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you." ( John 13:14-15)

What is sin?

Sin is the breaking of God's law. If God says "Do not lie" and you lie, then you have broken His law and sinned. When you sin, you offend God because it is His law that you have broken. Also, the reason God says to not lie, not cheat, etc., is because these laws reflect the moral purity of His nature. Therefore, the Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because God cannot lie. It is wrong to steal because God cannot steal, etc. The moral law is not arbitrary. It is based on God's holiness.

The law, then, is a standard of moral purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is a perfect standard because it is God's standard. When we fail to keep the law, we sin. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God results in a judgment. Laws are laws because they have penalties. There is no law without a penalty. Therefore, breaking God's law brings judgment which is separation from God. "But your sins have made a separation between you and your God," (Isaiah 59:2). And, "the wages of sin is death..." (Rom. 6:23). So, to sin, to break God's law, results in judgment. The judgment is known as damnation which is the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. If God did not judge the sinner, then He is not upholding His holiness and he would be allowing sinners to go unpunished.

Of course, Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and paid for them. He took the judgment upon himself. This further means that anyone who trusts in what Jesus did on the cross will have his sins removed; he will be saved from God's future judgment.

So, replying to the question "What is sin?" is best answered by saying that it is breaking God's law. All people have sinned. Therefore, all people are under God's judgment -- except for those who've trusted in God's provision to escape that judgment.

Where are you? Are you in the place of God's judgment or of salvation in Christ?

Matt Slick

Time-saving tips in a busy world

Greetings!

I came across this useful website giving time-saving tips. Some are useful while others are funny. Here's one of them:

Check out www.timesavers.sg

Come and join us this Saturday @ GEPC !

Encouragement by Dr.A.R. Bernard

But encourage each other every day while it is "today." Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.

Hebrews 3:13

This world can be a difficult place, a place where many of our friends and family members are troubled by the challenges of everyday life. And since we cannot always be certain who needs our help, we should strive to speak helpful words to all who cross our paths.

Genuine encouragement should never be confused with pity. God intends for His children to lead lives of abundance, joy, celebration, and praise-not lives of self-pity or regret. So we must guard ourselves against hosting (or joining) the "pity parties" that so often accompany difficult times. Instead, we must encourage each other to have faith-first in God and His only begotten Son-and then in our own abilities to use the talents God has given us for the furtherance of His kingdom and for the betterment of our own lives.

When you think about it, with God on your side you have every reason to be hopeful, and you have every reason to share your hopes with others. When you do, you will discover that hope, like other human emotions, is contagious. So do the world (and yourself) a favor: Look for the good in others and celebrate the good that you find. When you do, you'll be a powerful force of encouragement to your friends and family…and a worthy servant to your Creator.

2nd Street Cleaning Campaign

Greetings in the name of Jesus!

Please be informed that we'll carry out our 2nd street cleaning campaign this Saturday (23 Oct)on Jalan Menara Gading 1.

Date: 23 Oct 2010

Time: 8.30am

Rendezvous: Taizi cafe, Taman Connaught

Things to bring: brooms, dust pans, cap, sunglasses, gloves.

Let's love our community in a practical way! God bless you!

Street Cleaning Campaign

Dear GEPCians,

It's time for us to walk our talk and be a blessing to our community!
Get ready your brooms and dust pan, mask and gloves to clean our neighbourhood! All are welcome to join us!

Rendezvous: GEPC

Date: 25 Sept 2010 (Sat)

Time: 8-11am
Things to bring: brooms, dust pans, masks, gloves.

Areas covered: UCSI South Wing's entrance to Angkasa condo's entrance

Who can join? Everyone!

Please reply in this thread: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=126811544038430

what are the things you can bring so we know whether it's enough. Thanks!

5 Loaves and 2 Fish by Corrinne May

John 6:8-9

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

The disciples are contrasted with the youngster who brought what he had. They certainly had more resources than the boy, but they knew they didn't have enough, so they didn't give anything at all. The boy gave what little he had, and it made all the difference. If we offer nothing to God, He will have nothing to use. But He can take what little we have and turn it into something great.

In performing His miracles, Jesus usually preferred to work through people. Here He took what a young child offered and used it to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the Gospels. Age is no barrier to Christ. Never think you are too young or old to be of service to Him.

adapted from Life Application Study Bible

Love by Jaeson Ma

Great contemporary song by Jaeson Ma. Check out www.jaesonma.com for more of his details.

He shared that 3 decades ago, his mother was about to make a decision in the hospital to abort him as she was unstable financially and emotionally. A nurse who attended the same church walked passed and saw her, greeted her and blessed her before she left. Ms.Ma took that blessing as a sign from God to give up abortion, thus giving birth to such a talented artist, God-fearing pastor who has planted 200 churches presently.

Psalm 22:10

From birth I was cast upon you;

from my mother's womb you have been my God.

True Prosperity by Joe Stowell

A few years ago, the banking empire Citicorp ran a series of billboards about money: “Money changes hands—just be sure it doesn’t change the rest of you!” and “If people say you’re made of money, you should work on your personality!” These ads gave a refreshingly new perspective on riches.

God also has a surprising spin on wealth. From His perspective, you can be “well off” when it comes to worldly treasures and yet be in dire poverty in your soul. Or you can be poor in terms of earthside stuff and be lavishly rich by God’s standards.

The distorting power of wealth reminds me of the story of the rich young ruler. After a discussion about eternal life, Jesus asked him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. Unfortunately, the man “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). This prompted Jesus’ lesson to the disciples: “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (v.23).

It’s not that Jesus is against wealth. It’s just that He is grieved by anything that we value more than Him. We can work hard and make money, but when those things are the main pursuit of life, then Jesus isn’t. Placing Him first and foremost in our lives is the key to true prosperity.

He possessed all the world had to give him,
He had reached every coveted goal;
But, alas, his life was a failure,
For he had forgotten his soul. —Denison

Don’t let riches—or the pursuit of riches— derail your pursuit of Jesus.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our UM graduates!

From left: Clarence and Eliana