“You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

John Calvin once wrote that man is an idol factory. We give our hearts to everything and anything rather than the unseen God. The basis of the first four of the Ten Commandments reflect God’s call to worship Him and Him alone. Why is 40% of the commandments related to this area of our lives? Simple. God knew we would do exactly that. We would run after and prostitute ourselves to everything rather than loving our Creator. Idolatry or the serving of other ‘gods’ has not reduced in two millennia. On the contrary; it has compounded just as sin has.

Worshiping other gods does not relate solely to visiting the nearest temple and bowing down to a brazen image. Idols are far more subtle than that. They are whatever our hearts cling to, and the top 10 includes television (Netflix/YouTube), money, food, sex, sport, technology/internet, drugs & alcohol, self-image, career and fame.

Take a spiritual inventory of your life. Ask yourself truthfully, then ask God – are any of these more important to me than God? Do they fill my thoughts more than God does? Take more of my time? If they do – they are idols. Idols sap your spiritual energy and separate your connection from a God who is spirit.

When you read any of the pillars of the faith you find nothing competing for their love, intellect or dedication. Mother Teresa did not waste her God given time watching Discovery Channel. She had already made the greatest discovery – Jesus. William Carey was not interested in self-image as he tirelessly translated Scripture into the Hindi language. George Muller’s primary concern was for the godly upbringing of two thousand orphans. During such commitment he read the Bible two hundred times (on his knees). God did not have to compete with their Instagram or Facebook accounts.

Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments. The first is Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your body and strength. This command summarizes the first section of the Ten Commandments. No other gods. None. Israel discovered the folly of not obeying this. The genocide wrought by the Babylonians was the direct result of idolatry. Serving other ‘gods’ whilst confessing Jesus is not the Father’s will.

If you want more of God then test yourself against the first commandment. Jesus confronts us; if we loved Him – we would keep His commandments (Jn 14:21).

Ridding ourselves of idols is not easy. King Josiah learnt this – his campaign against idolatry is worthy of study (2 Kings 21-23). Every drug addict who finds freedom in the Lord also experiences the struggle of resisting idols and the temptation to return to them. However, to God, anything our heart clings to – is an idol.

Be as ruthless as Josiah toward your other gods; as you suffer to give them up, remember this – God rewards those who do. The reward is HIM. Not more idols. (THE CHRISTIAN NETWORK)

IMPORTANCE NOTICE DURING CMCO PERIOD
In compliance with the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) directive from the government, the following will be observed by the Church:
1. The church building is closed until further notice.
2. The church office will be opened during this period.
If you need assistance, kindly call or whatsapp any one of them:
Pastor Gaurri @ 012-5594537
Chee Kai @ 012-2360457
Taeko @ 012-2360458
Pelita Chuah @ 016-6256188
Jane @ 017-6227226
Cheng It @ 012-9153640

NEXT WEEKEND SERVICES
Speaker : Rev Gaurri Maniam
Dates : Sat & Sun, March 13 & 14, 2021
Sermon Title: Eternal Life Comes Through Jesus
Scripture Text: John 3: 14-21

21-DAY PRAYER MEETING
MARCH 14-31, 2021
Time : 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Please take note that the prayer meetings are via zoom.
ZOOM MEETING ID: 868 7905 5124 PASSCODE: 763853

FREEDOM IN CHRIST (FIC)
DISCIPLESHIP COURSE
Date : Saturday, March 13, 2021
Time : 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

2ND OFFERING
The 2nd Offering for March goes to Methodist Educational Fund. You may give your donations during the entire month of March via Online to Wesley Methodist Church Klang Bank Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1

SMALL GROUP MINISTRY ONLINE SEMINAR
Facilitator: Rev Andrew Tan
Date : Saturday, March 13, 2021
Time : 8:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
For further enquiries, Email: sg-coordinator@trinitypj.com or seminar@trinitypj.com or Call: 012-278 3378 or 012-3291893

INTERCESSORY PRAYER MEETING
(FOCUS ON PRAYING FOR THE NATION)
On Mondays @ 2pm to 4pm
Person-in-Charge: Sister Su Fing
Those who are interested to join, please request for the zoom link from Sister Su Fing @ 016-6852792.

CORPORATE PRAYER MEETINGS
The Zoom Prayer Meetings are as follows:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
@ 8:00 a.m.-8:30a.m.
Thursday Nights only
@ 9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

ONLINE BANKING
While we acknowledge that many people are affected by the current MCO 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

Sunday, (Mar 7) – Ask God for forgiveness and repent of the many times when we have committed the sin of idolatry by putting other things and people ahead of God. Thank the Lord that He has given to all who trust in Christ new hearts, so that we can choose to have no other gods before Him. Pray that He will keep us from the smallest hint of idolatry and remind us during temptation that to choose an idol is to reject grace and grieve His Spirit. Pray that the Holy Spirit will turn our hearts and our minds away from lesser loves, and turn our hearts and minds toward the Lord continually, to love Him supremely and then as a result to love others in this world rightly.

Monday, (Mar 8) – Praise God that the re-opening of schools for Primary 1 & 2 students last week went off smoothly. As the rest of the primary school students fully return to schools today, pray that the schools, the teachers and parents will work together to ensure that the children are kept safe by following all the SOPs, especially during dispersal at the end of the schooling day. Pray also for students who are in the midst of important government examinations for good health, sound minds and peace of hearts. Pray for God’s protection upon all students and teachers.

Tuesday, (Mar 9) – Pray for families in church. Due to the movement restrictions imposed upon us, many are not able to meet and connect with family members. Many parents are not able to travel overseas to visit their children and likewise children are not able to travel back to visit their parents. Pray that each one of us will have a deep assurance within our hearts that God is watching over our loved ones who are not physically present with us. Pray that we will learn to surrender the well-being of our family members into God’s hand. Pray that we will not grow weary or anxious due to the isolation that we are all currently experiencing. Give thanks for the gift of technology that we are still able to communicate with our loved ones virtually.

Wednesday, (Mar 10) – Praise God that all the states in the nation are now under the conditional MCO or recovery MCO, that the COVID-19 situation is improving, that more businesses are opening, and the country’s immunization is progressing smoothly. As the pandemic is still around, pray that the public will exercise patience and caution, and continue to abide by all the SOPs set by the Health Ministry. Pray for God’s grace upon our nation, that the situation will continue to improve, and the daily new COVID-19 cases will continue to drop.

Thursday, (Mar 11) – Pray for the World: Pray against the spiritual forces of evil and violence over Myanmar as the nation faces an increasingly brutal crackdown by the military authorities against protestors who took to the streets in towns around the country. Even as the people are protesting and crying out for freedom, pray for the Church in Myanmar to arise for such a time as this, and that God will use His people to deliver the nation not only from physical bondage, but also from spiritual bondage.

Friday, (Mar 12) – Pray for TRAC: A Family Discipleship task-force has been set up to look into ways that the church can do family discipleship. Remembering the fact that each one of us are called to be a disciple ourselves, pray that God would grant wisdom and knowledge to this task-force as they work towards crafting out a plan to enable churches within TRAC to do discipleship through families. Pray for Mr Lim Chong Ho and Dr Herbert Tan who are leading this task-force. Pray that God would enable this task-force to work well together.

Saturday, (Mar 13) – Pray for the Nation: Pray that our national leaders will continue to focus on important issues the nation is facing. Pray that the various political parties will work together to rebuild the economy and seek ways to attract more foreign investors. Pray that the government will work together with the Health Ministry to overcome the pandemic. Pray also for wisdom for the government to come up with effective ways to protect the rakyat against widespread COVID-19 vaccine scams.

Have you had people in your life who knew you so well, they knew just what to say when you needed it? Or maybe they could pick out a gift that was especially meaningful, because they knew just what you liked. These personal gestures certainly make us feel special.

Now, think about the personal relationship God offers us. The psalmist David proclaimed, “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD” (Psalm 139:1-4, NLT).

Wow! That’s personal insight at its highest level! God knows everything about us including every word we speak, every thought we think, and even the attitude of our heart. I think it’s very significant that we understand how personally God knows us, because it reveals at least three important characteristics of His nature.

First of all, God offers us personal love. It’s our love for others that moves us to care about them and be interested in their affairs. To think that God is interested in every detail of our lives shows that He deeply loves and cares for us.

Secondly, God offers us personal provision. Problems we face can be very complex whether they are physical, emotional, or relational in nature. But God understands each one completely and can offer the specific help we need.

Finally, God offers us personal guidance. The psalmist David declared, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:16). While our vision is limited, God sees and understands our lives from beginning to end. He can give us better insight, advice, and direction than we could ever get from our own understanding or another person’s opinion.

The famous 23rd Psalm opens with these words: “The LORD is my shepherd.” I love how David refers to the Lord as “my shepherd.” He could have called the Lord “a” shepherd or “the” shepherd, and he certainly would have been true. But David obviously enjoyed a relationship with the Lord that was very personal … to the level that he could call Him “my” shepherd.

You see, if you know God just as “a” shepherd, your knowledge is probably based on what you’ve heard about Him. When you know God as “the” shepherd, your knowledge is based on what you believe about Him. But when you know God as “my” shepherd, you know God because of what He’s done personally for you.

We can all enjoy a close and personal relationship with the Lord. In fact, that’s what He desires. After all, He knows every detail of our lives down to the number of hairs on our head. He understands us better than we understand ourselves!

Yes, one of the wonders of His greatness is that while He is the Creator of the universe, He still knows and cares about each of us on a deeply personal level. Know that you are special to the Lord. When you seek Him, you’ll receive personal love, provision, and guidance you can find nowhere else. Let Him be “your” shepherd today. (EVAN JACKSON)

IMPORTANCE NOTICE DURING MCO PERIOD
In compliance with the Movement Control Order (MCO) directive from the government the following will be observed by the Church:
1. The church building is closed until further notice.
2. The church office is also closed during this period.
If you need assistance, kindly call or whatsapp any one of them:
Pastor Gaurri @ 012-5594537
Chee Kai @ 012-2360457
Taeko @ 012-2360458
Pelita Chuah @ 016-6256188
Jane @ 017-6227226
Cheng It @ 012-9153640

CHURCH STAFF MEETING
Please take note that the church staff meeting is held on every Tuesday at 2:30pm via zoom. Kindly avoid calling the church staff during this time. We seek your kind understanding and cooperation on this matter.

NEXT WEEKEND SERVICES
Speaker : Rev Gaurri Maniam
Dates : Sat & Sun, March 6 & 7, 2021
Sermon Title: God’s People Defined
Scripture Text: Exodus 20: 1-7

LCEC MEETING
Date : Saturday, March 6, 2021
Time : 1:00 p.m.
LCEC members, please take note.
Via zoom

HOLY COMMUNION IN MARCH
Holy Communion in March will be celebrated on March 6 & 7, 2021. Please take note.

21-DAY PRAYER MEETING
MARCH 14-31, 2021
Time : 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m.
Please take note. Via zoom

FINANCIAL PLEDGE FORM 2021
Please be reminded to submit the Financial Pledge Form 2021 through the church website. Click on ‘Giving’, select the correct form, fill-up your details and submit. If you need a copy of the Financial Pledge Form 2021 to be sent to you, please contact Irene Khoo @ 012-7911837 or Pelita @ 016-6256188.

MISSIONS FAITH PLEDGE 2021
Please be reminded to submit your Missions Faith Pledge Form 2021. You may submit the form through the church website. Click on ‘Giving’, select the correct form, fill-up your details and submit.

2ND OFFERING
The 2nd Offering for February goes to Persatuan Daybreak. You may give your donations during the entire month of February via Online to Wesley Methodist Church Klang Bank Account No: UOB 171-315-561-1

FREEDOM IN CHRIST (FIC)
DISCIPLESHIP COURSE
Date : Saturday, March 6, 2021
Time : 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER MEETING
(FOCUS ON PRAYING FOR THE NATION)
On Mondays @ 2pm to 4pm
Person-in-Charge: Sister Su Fing
Those who are interested to join, please request for the zoom link from Sister Su Fing @ 016-6852792.

CORPORATE PRAYER MEETINGS
The Zoom Prayer Meetings are as follows:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
@ 8:00 a.m.-8:30a.m.
Thursday Nights only
@ 9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
Theme : Build On A Strong Foundation
Speaker : Mrs Mary Thomas
Date : Saturday, March 6, 2021
Time : 3:30 p.m.
Worship service via zoom
Meeting ID: 833 9515 9132
Password: CCMWC2021
Organized by Council Churches of Malaysia.

KLANG WESLEY BROADCASTING
016-6182698
Please save this number in your mobile phone so that when the church office broadcasts messages, you will be able to receive the church news.

ONLINE BANKING
While we acknowledge that many people are affected by the current MCO 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

Sunday, (Feb 28) – Praise God that He knows everything about each of us, and that even the things that we do wrong can never separate us from His unfailing love. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to live out this truth in our lives, and that we will aim to do only the things that are pleasing in God’s sight. Thank the Lord that He made each of us fearfully and wonderfully. Pray that we will come into agreement with God’s unconditional love for us, and that we will not despise all our imperfections. Above all, thank the Lord that He is not a God who watches us from a distance, but rather a personal God, who both knows us and desires to be known by each one of us.

Monday, (Mar 1) – Pre-schoolers and Primary 1 and Primary 2 students are scheduled to return to schools today, while the rest of the primary school students will come back to school from March 8, 2021 onwards. Pray that all the preparations for the re-opening of schools will go smoothly: that the teachers will be able to get the children familiarised with the school’s SOPs, and teachers and parents will be able to find the best way to handle dispersal at the end of the schooling day. Pray also for students who are sitting for the SPM and other important exams. Pray against any possible leakage of examination questions in the SPM as the students are already facing a very difficult time, and the prospect of having to re-sit any exam papers will be unnecessary added stress for the students. Pray for God’s protection upon all students and teachers.

Tuesday, (Mar 2) – Pray that our church members will have a deeper and a more intimate relationship with God. Pray especially for all working people that they will be able to persevere under the current difficult situation. As work life has changed tremendously due to the pandemic, pray that our people will have the strength and courage to go through this season of change in their work places. Pray especially for those who are looking for job opportunities during this pandemic, and pray that God will open doors of opportunity for them. Pray that despite such challenging circumstances, we will never take our eyes off Jesus who is our Good Shepherd.

Wednesday, (Mar 3) – Praise God that the health director-general said that the nation’s infection rate of Covid-19 cases had showed a steady decline in recent days. Praise the Lord that the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme has started, and medical frontliners are among the first to be vaccinated. Pray that the vaccine will be effective in protecting people against the Covid-19 virus, and that there will be minimal side effects, if any. Pray that the public will continue to strictly follow the SOPs so that there will not be another spike in the daily Covid-19 infections.

Thursday, (Mar 4) – Pray for the World: Continue to pray for Myanmar. Despite international and internal pressure, the military junta continues to hold firm in power. Pray that God will bring down the regime and restore democracy to the nation. Pray that the detained leaders and the rest of the political prisoners will be released quickly. As Myanmar is very divided with over a hundred ethnicity groups, different religious mindsets and political parties, pray that there will be unity in diversity to fight against a common enemy. With street protests occurring in many cities all over the country, pray against violence and bloodshed from happening.

Friday, (Mar 6) – Pray for TRAC: Pray for the TRAC Board of Chinese Ministry under the leadership of Rev. Lester Lim. Pray that the Chinese Ministry under TRAC will be able to grow and reach out to many Chinese-speaking people. Pray that the Board will be able to provide relevant and sufficient resources to churches who have Chinese Ministry. Pray that each member of this Board will have a closer walk with God. Pray that they will be able to hear and discern God’s way for this ministry and to have the courage to walk in it.

Saturday, (Mar 7) – Pray for the Nation: Pray for God-fearing leaders to arise in the nation, and that God will bless them with wisdom and courage to lead and rule the nation forward as we face this economic, political and health crisis. Pray for leaders of integrity who are hard-working, fair and bravely outspoken, who want to see justice restored and upheld through fair governance at every level of society.