We all go through difficulties, whether health crises, financial crises, broken relationships with family or friends, personal failures and weaknesses or in general – experiences of deep pain and suffering. And we will continue to do so throughout our lives. Our faith is not “escapist.” A false promise that things will be just fine, if you have enough faith. No. This life is full of trials and God doesn’t just step in and take them all away.

And as we go through these hardships we can become overwhelmed, discouraged and faint. And even though we know that God has a purpose for each one of us, and that God has given us “His precious and very great promises” as 2 Peter 1:4 says; promises to help us, to save us and to bring us into His eternal kingdom – we too still doubt at times. We become fearful and exhausted. And in our despair we ask: Can God’s promises really be true? Is God really able to come through on them? And will God come through for me? We are tempted to give up, “to faint,” to give in to our weariness.

We need to hear and know that God is able to come through for us. For you and for me!

We may be overwhelmed by our circumstances, but God is not. Isaiah 40: 28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.” God is able to help us. God is able to keep His promises to us.

And we also need to hear and know that the Lord can strengthen us. We are to “wait for the Lord” – Isaiah 40: 31, knowing that He hears us and knows our situation. And we are to put our hope and trust in God and rely on Him. And when we do this God gives us of His strength. As Isaiah 40: 29 says, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength.”

We tap into the strength of the Everlasting God Himself; we lean on Him, the One who never grows weary or faints. In this way, despite our troubles, our strength is renewed. As Isaiah 40:31 says, “the Lord shall renew their strength.” And through this strength we are empowered to move forward in our times of difficulty, because we hope in the Lord; because we know that He will fulfill His promises to us.

We can move forward. As Isaiah 40: 31 says, “They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” In the midst of our problems we will walk and not faint, we will run and not be weary, we will mount up with wings like eagles.

Are you weary today? Do you feel overwhelmed? God invites you to come to Him and find hope and strength.

(WILLIAM HIGGINS)

Sunday, (August 22) – Methodist Women Sunday – We praise God for the ministry of Methodist Women (MW) in Klang Wesley. We pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in this ministry. We pray for God’s divine protection to be upon all members of MW who are actively serving the needs of the community in the midst of this raging pandemic. Pray that through the ministry of MW, the love of Christ may be shared to all people in and out of the church.

Monday, (August 23) – Praise God that through Him we can rise above all the difficulties of life. Pray that by His grace we will mount up with wings like eagles and nothing can bring us down. Pray that He will help us to walk according to His commands for by them we will not be weary. Pray that we will learn to wait upon the Lord when we are weary and our energy is low, so that we will be renewed and gain new strength to conquer obstacles that stand in our way. Pray also for those we personally know who are facing trying times, that they will turn to the Lord and find strength and hope in Him to meet their most pressing needs.

Tuesday, (August 24) – Pray for the World: The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan and many people, both foreigners and locals, have fled, or are trying to flee for their lives. Pray that God will protect the lives of these people. Pray for the common people who are living under stress, fear and uncertainties, that their lives and possessions will be secured and protected and be kept from all evil threats, harassments or dangers. Pray for the women and children who are the weakest groups that their civil rights will be preserved and upheld by the new government as promised. Pray for the small group of Christians in the country that they will find strength, wisdom and supernatural peace in God’s promises. Pray for God’s protection upon them.

Wednesday, (August 25) – Pray for the Nation: Trusting in God’s sovereignty and wisdom, pray for the newly appointed Prime Minister and government, that these political leaders will be righteous and God-fearing statesmen whose top priority is always needs the nation and not the obsession for power. Pray for godly wisdom, integrity, effectiveness and efficiency upon them in our nation’s governance as we navigate the pandemic and its many challenges. Pray that the government will embrace justice and righteousness, social concerns for the poor and those afflicted financially by the health crisis as this kind of righteous leadership is the wisest and the best for any nation.

Thursday, (August 26) – The COVID-19 situation shows no sign of abating. Uphold children who have become orphans overnight, having lost one or both of their parents to the COVID-19 virus. Pray for God’s comfort upon them, and for relatives and friends to step up in such a traumatic time. Pray for those with mental health challenges who are depressed, isolated, anxious and helpless for compassionate friends and relatives to support them. Pray for wisdom for the authorities as they continue to lift more restrictions for those who are fully vaccinated in this next phase of the National Recovery Plan for the sake of the economy. Pray also for the rakyat to stay vigilant and be self-controlled even as more of the economic sectors open up.

Friday, (August 27) – Pray for TRAC: Pray for God’s guidance to be upon all Boards in the Trinity Annual Conference. Pray that as board members meet together to plan out their respective programmes for the coming year, they will be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and promptings. Pray for wisdom as we seek to do ministry in the new norm. Pray for TRAC Bishop, Bishop Joshua Khong, as he leads the conference in accordance to God’s will.

Saturday, (August 28) – Pray for Klang Wesley’s mission work in the long houses of Sarawak. Pray for the situation in Sarawak to improve so that our people will be able to visit the long houses again, and the local pastors will also be able to freely travel. Pray for God’s protection upon all the pastors. Due to SOP requirements, churches in the long houses are not fully opened and internet connectivity is not available. Pray that normalcy will soon return and churches can fully reopen. As COVID-19 has badly affected the livelihoods of many villagers because they are unable to sell their produce, pray that God will bring down the infections in Sarawak so that the financial situation of the villagers will improve.

CHURCH & CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED

The Church and church office will be closed during the National Recovery Plan Phase 1. All staff will be working from home. If you need assistance, kindly call or whatsapp any one of them::

Pastor Gaurri @ 012-5594537
Chee Kai @ 012-2360457
Taeko @ 012-2360458
Pelita @ 016-6256188
Jane @ 017-6227226

WORSHIP SERVICE

Please log on to klangwesley.online.church to follow the weekend services.

2nd OFFERING

The 2nd Offering for the month on Aug will go to Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM), an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian Organisations in Malaysia. You may give through online banking to Wesley Methodist Church Klang, Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1

NEXT WEEKEND SERVICE
(Aug 28 & 29, 2021)

Sermon Title: The Importance & Benefits of Breaking Bread
Scripture Text: Acts 2: 42
Speaker: Rev Jerry Eng

HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATION IN SEPTEMBER

The Holy Communion for the month of September will be celebrated on September 4 & 5, 2021.

SPECIAL PRAYER MEETING
(via ZOOM)

Date : August 31, 2021
Time : 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

This special morning prayer will focus on praying for Malaysia in line with NECF 40 Days Fast & Prayer. All are encouraged to attend.
Meeting ID: 868 7905 5124
Password: 763853

NECF 40 DAYS FAST & PRAYER 2021

Date : until September 15, 2021
Theme : Be Still, and Know that I am God (Psalm 46: 10)

The NECF encourage you to set aside these 40 days to fast and pray for our nation. The 40 Days ebook is available at the NECF website (necf.org.my).

THURSDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETINGS
(via ZOOM)

The topics for the Thursday Evening Prayer Meetings at 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. will be as follows:

• Aug 26: Youth Ministry

Meeting ID: 868 7905 5124
Password: 763853

METHODIST WOMEN WEEK OF PRAYER & SELF-DENIAL

Theme: Join together in One Body
Scripture: Ephesians 4: 16
Date : August 22-28, 2021

Please take note of the following:

• Klang Wesley ladies are encouraged to observe the devotional material adapted from the United Methodist Women programme
• The material will be broadcasted to the ladies via church mobile phone
• An offering will be collected to be channeled to the General Conference Methodist Women for Sarawak Iban Annual Conference (SIAC) Pastors’ Salary Support and GCMW General Fund.
• You may bank-in your offering to Wesley Methodist Church Klang UOB 171-315-561-1 with reference ‘Self-Denial‘

The Methodist Women would like to thank all for the kind contributions and for coming alongside them in various needs.

TITHES & OFFERING

While we acknowledge that many people are affected by the current pandemic situation, we encourage you to continue giving your tithes/offering during this time through online banking. The details are below:

Pledge Payment can be done via Online to Wesley Methodist Church Klang Bank Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1

The foundation of a house tells you how big the house can get. You can’t put a big house on a small or faulty foundation. It’ll collapse every time.

The same is true for our lives. You can’t become what God wants you to be on a faulty foundation. We’re given a lot of different options for what will be the foundation of our lives:

• Popular culture. Some people think they’ll simply do what every other person is doing. If it’s popular, that’s what they do, too. Yet what’s popular today won’t be popular tomorrow. Basing your life on popular culture is like building a house on a constantly moving foundation. It doesn’t work!

• Tradition. Other people build their lives on what has always been done or how their parents did it. That does make a little sense. Tradition becomes tradition because it works. But no tradition lasts forever. It eventually wears out, becomes obsolete, and is invalid. In Mark 7:8 Jesus tells the Pharisees never to put tradition before truth. It’s a good reminder for all of us.

• Reason. God gave us the ability to reason; we need to use it. But our reason isn’t infallible. Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”. The smartest among us will falter at times; it’s to be expected. Only God can be trusted all the time.

• Emotions. Some build their lives on a feeling. If it feels right, they do it. But feelings lie — they lie all the time! You lie to yourself more than anyone else. If you live by your feelings, you’ll spend your life manipulated by your moods.

If it doesn’t work to build your life on popular culture, tradition, reason, or emotion, what should you build your life upon? GOD’S WORD.

Jesus says this in Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock”.

Popular culture changes, traditions grow stale, reason can be faulty, and emotions lie. Yet God’s Word never changes. You may not always understand His Word. You may not always like it. It won’t always be politically correct. But it’s the only thing stable enough to build our lives upon.

For Your Reflection

• On what have you built the foundation of your life? How is it holding up?

• What distractions in your life keep you from fully building your foundation on God’s Word?

• Why is it difficult sometimes to put God’s truth before tradition?

(RICK WARREN)

Sunday, (August 15) – Sunday School Ministry – We praise and thank God for the opportunity to reach out to the children through the Sunday School Ministry. Pray for the love of Christ to be shared to all children. Pray that our children will indeed grow up to be men and women after God’s own heart. Pray that God would draw more children from the neighborhood into His Kingdom through the Sunday School Ministry. Pray for God’s wisdom, strength and favour to be upon all Sunday School teachers as they persistently serve the Lord in this Ministry.

Monday, (August 16) – Pray for God’s forgiveness for the many times when we have cheapened His grace through our disobedience and blatant disregard for His commands. Praise God for His Word that is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. Pray that we will treasure it not only with our mouths but in our hearts and through the way we live our lives by choosing to hide His Word in our hearts and to meditate on His promises. Pray that the Holy Spirit will fill our minds with the knowledge of His Word and help us apply it to our lives so that we can make better choices and devote ourselves to tasks that will further God’s Kingdom. Pray that as we keep our hearts and minds focused on the Lord and His Word, our faith will be rock-solid.

Tuesday, (August 17) – The COVID-19 daily cases reached new heights in the past week, with increasing number of deaths and brought-in-dead cases, and several northern states in the peninsular are experiencing surges in the daily cases. Pray for wisdom for the authorities to make right decisions that will not compromise the safety of people as they continue easing curbs in the next phase of the National Recovery Plan for fully vaccinated people where dine-ins, outdoor sports and interstate tourism are being allowed. Pray that the rakyat will exercise patience and self-control as the government is hard pressed, and pressure mounts ever increasingly to open up the economy and to also curb the rising daily cases of COVID-19 infections.

Wednesday, (August 18) – Pray for the Nation: The parliamentary majority of the Prime Minister will be determined during the Dewan Rakyat meeting scheduled for September 7, 2021. Pray that the nation’s politicians will focus on the needs of the rakyat with regards to the pandemic, the weakened financial situation and many job losses rather than scrambling to collect as many MPs as possible for their respective parties for this sitting of the parliament. Pray that the politicians will put the needs of the nation above their own political ambitions at this crucial time. Pray that the political situation will stabilise so that the nation will be spared the potential of Parliament’s dissolution and a general election during a pandemic.

Thursday, (August 19) – With slightly over two weeks to go before schools reopen, parents and teachers want the Ministry of Education (MoE) to reconsider the September 1, 2021 reopening date as the new daily COVID-19 cases show no sign of declining. Pray for wisdom for the MoE, and that in making a decision, the ministry will give special consideration for the safety and health of the students and teachers, If the reopening of schools has to be postponed to a later date, pray that the MoE will smoothen the home-based teaching and learning processes by providing fast and affordable Internet access, and free Internet packages to students from lower-income families.

Friday, (August 20) – Pray for TRAC: We praise God for the recently concluded one-day Pastors’ Retreat on Loss, Grief, Faith & Healing. Pray that pastors will continue to take time to reflect on the topic and be ministered to by the Lord. Pray for God’s wisdom to be upon all pastors and leaders as they lead their respective churches in this challenging season. Pray for all Local Church Executive Committees to be able to discern God’s movement in their respective churches. Pray for a good working relationship between the pastors and the leaders.

Saturday, (August 21) – Pray for the World: New cases of the coronavirus continue to surge across the United States, driven by the fast-spreading and highly contagious Delta variant that now makes up the majority of COVID-19 infections in the country. More than 99 percent of hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 in the nation are people who are not fully vaccinated. Pray that more people will seek to be vaccinated against the virus. Pray also that fully vaccinated people will continue to wear masks in public indoor locations in areas of high transmission.

CHURCH & CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED

The Church and church office will be closed during the National Recovery Plan Phase 1. All staff will be working from home. If you need assistance, kindly call or whatsapp any one of them::

Pastor Gaurri @ 012-5594537
Chee Kai @ 012-2360457
Taeko @ 012-2360458
Pelita @ 016-6256188
Jane @ 017-6227226

PROTECT YOURSELF DURING THE PANDEMIC

The Covid-19 cases have been rising daily. Please be reminded to stay safe by following the SOPs:

• avoid crowded places
• keep a physical distance
• wear double face masks and face shield when going out
• wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer
• get vaccinated if you are eligible.

WORSHIP SERVICE

Please log on to klangwesley.online.church to follow the weekend services.

2nd OFFERING

The 2nd Offering for the month on Aug will go to Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM), an ecumenical fellowship of Churches and Christian Organisations in Malaysia. You may give through online banking to Wesley Methodist Church Klang, Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1

NEXT WEEKEND SERVICE
(METHODIST WOMEN SUNDAY)
(Aug 21 & 22, 2021)

Sermon Title: Here is your God
Scripture Text: Isaiah 40: 1 – 11, 31
Speaker: Dr Elaine Goh (STM Lecturer)

NECF 40 DAYS FAST & PRAYER 2021

Date : until September 15, 2021
Theme : Be Still, and Know that I am God (Psalm 46: 10)

The NECF encourage you to set aside these 40 days to fast and pray for our nation. The 40 Days ebook is available at the NECF website (necf.org.my).

THURSDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETINGS
(via ZOOM)

The topics for the Thursday Evening Prayer Meetings at 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. will be as follows:

• Aug 19: Missions & Evangelism
• Aug 26: Youth Ministry

Meeting ID: 868 7905 5124
Password: 763853

THE RELIGION & CULTURE CENTRE (RCC) PUBLIC LECTURE
(WEBINAR)

Theme : Love Our Indigenous People
Speaker : Rev Dr Mark Durie
Date : August, 21st & 22nd, 2021
Time : August 21st – 8:00am – 9:00pm
Time : August 22nd – 2:00pm – 5.30pm
Fees : RM15 per person (please bank-in the Fee to Wesley Methodist Church Klang, UOB 171-315-561-1

Closing Date: August 17, 2021

Registration by WhatApp to: Dr Lim Ee Sze at 012-233 1545 or Jesse Teh at 012-200 3981

TITHES & OFFERING

While we acknowledge that many people are affected by the current pandemic situation, we encourage you to continue giving your tithes/offering during this time through online banking. The details are below:

Pledge Payment can be done via Online to Wesley Methodist Church Klang Bank Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1