Friday Night Meeting

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Editorial Team

geoff-freindThis reference for Major Geoff Freind’s ministry is given by
Captain Ebbenish Kabula, The Territorial Youth Secretary of
The Salvation Army Zambia Territory)

July 18, 2014 @ 8:30 p.m. at Wesley Methodist Church Klang with Major Geoff & Lyn Freind

In January 2009 while holidaying in Busselton, Western Australia Geoff
was prompted by God to start writing the stories that had impacted his life and ministry. His first book “Enjoy the Journey” has become a best seller and has raised more than $100,000.00 to support The Salvation Army Chikankata hospital in Zambia and The Salvation Army Howard hospital in Zimbabwe. His second book, “A Great Journey” has also impacted thousands of readers and continues to impact around the world.

Geoff has recently published his new book which he has called “Thank
you for the Journey” and this book will definitely become a best seller.
God’s anointing is on Geoff’s ministry and in his new book he writes about his amazing journey to Zambia when he went to work at the Chikankata Hospital in Zambia.

Hundreds of people around the world have been impacted by Geoff’s
books and many have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Geoff will share some of these amazing stories when he delivers a powerful message of how God has blessed his ministry.

The first time I met Major Geoff Freind, I came to see that he is a true man of God and his messages were a must hear for anyone who wanted to be an agent of change and bring revival into their own personal life. Listening to him speak gave me the enthusiasm to want to read his books and as you read page after page from his inspiring books they become a great stimulus to help you to move from where you are to where you want to be in your relationship with God. His books have brought light to hundreds of people in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe who had lived their lives in darkness. The pages of his books have brought hope to the hopeless, encouragement to the discouraged and salvation to the lost.

Recently, I was honoured to be part of a mission team which had travelled to Zambia from Australia under the leadership of Major Freind. It was my privileged to transport the mission team from one place to another as Major Freind ministered the Good News of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to many different places in the Zambia Territory. Major Freind would speak at Lusaka, Chikankata and Livingstone. His preaching and teaching was very powerful and many souls were won to Jesus Christ. Many patients at Chikankata mission hospital were healed with the power of the Holy Spirit and broken marriages were restored. His visit brought revival to The Salvation Army in Zambia and all those people he spoke to will never be the same again.

Personally, I have been encouraged through reading his book A Great Journey which has been a great encouragement in my own journey. I really did love every bit of this book. I learnt from the pages of this book to rely on the sovereignty of God in everything that I do. I was reminded again that it is important for every believer to seek the Kingdom of God first and the rest of the things in life will follow. The chapter in this book on When God Waters the Seed, Amazing Things Happen rekindled my trust in God in a very powerful way at a time when I needed.

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The Generosity Of The Early Church

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Editorial Team

1. The Early Church joyfully and generously gave despite their being poor. Generosity in the midst of poverty! Though being poor is often the reason why many of God’s people hold on   to   what  they   have  and  excuse
themselves from giving, we ought to realize that it is possible for one to be poor and still be generous in giving.

2. The Early Church willingly gave as much as they were able.  Generosity is best measured not by the sum of what was given but by the sacrifice that comes with it. The Macedonian Christians were willing to forego of that little that they had for the sake of others, trusting the Lord to provide for them.

3. The Early Church was determined to give to help meet the needs of others.  Generosity comes from a sincere and a pure desire of the heart to give. When you have that genuine concern for the brethren, as constrained by the love of Christ, you will naturally want to give and to give generously.

4. The Early Church first gave their own selves to the Lord.  Learn that he that does not totally yield himself to the Lord will neither yield his possessions to Him. But he that joyfully gives himself will keep back nothing that the Lord requires from him. And it is only when we give ourselves wholly to God that we are able to sincerely give ourselves and our possessions to others.

5. The Early Church generously gave to support the work of the Lord.  Generosity knows no boundaries. The church at Philippi generously gave to the poor brethren in Jerusalem and went out of their way to send Epaphroditus to bring their gift to Paul who was then inside the cold prison in Rome. This is far beyond today’s “Out of sight, out of mind” attitude pertaining to the manner of giving to support the workers of the Gospel in missions.

Learning of the generosity of the early church, it would be well to examine ourselves. Have we been generous in our giving?

Generosity is a wonderful blessing, which when acquired, could lead to the receiving of other blessings. “After all, God can give you everything that you need, so that you may always have sufficient both for yourselves and for giving away to other people.” (2 Corinthians 9:8, J.B. Philips).

Remember, God loves a cheerful giver!         (REGGOR BARAZON GALARPE)

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Family Day 2014

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Editorial Team

family-day-2014It’s that time of the year again! Join us for loads and loads of fun, food and fellowship! Bring along your friends and family! It’s going to be a huge BLAST!

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True Love

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Editorial Team

One day two disciples were walking with their Teacher, and the conversation turned toward marriage, and how the only enduring foundation for marriage is true love. “Teacher,” one of them asked, “please tell us, what is true love?”

And the Teacher said, “If a man and a woman find joy in one another’s presence, if they can scarcely keep themselves apart, if they love to laugh together, sing together, dance together, cry together— this is a gift from God, it is good. But, I tell you solemnly, this is not true love; it is changeable, and you cannot rely on it.”

The disciples were amazed that so beautiful a love still fell short of true love. After a while, he spoke again.…“Ah, but if a man and a woman appreciate and respect one another, if they talk about everything and learn to listen to one another, if they dream the same dreams, pursue the same goals, and hope the same hopes, yes, even if they share as much as any two people on earth— and such communion is rare and very good— still, I tell you, this also would not be true love.

By now the disciples were very amazed and perplexed. After a while the Teacher spoke again, “Ah, if a young man and a young woman have a common vision, if they pray together, if they serve the poor and homeless, if they work side by side, if together they share what they have, indeed, if they are willing to pour out their very lives in service to others, no, I tell you, even that is not true love, and in the long run, it could fail them utterly.”

At this the disciples were completely astounded.  They young man and the young woman implored him:  Tell us then, what is true love?”

He said, “If a man chooses to love his wife as Christ loves his Church, if like Christ, he lays aside his pride and sacrifices himself for her— putting her needs before his needs, her happiness before his happiness, if he will care for her and take thought for her, if he chooses to keep loving her when their interests diverge, when her youthful beauty fades, when she doesn’t speak sweetly and when he doesn’t feel ‘loving’…
“And if a woman chooses to put her husband first, to follow his lead as the true Church defers to her heavenly Bridegroom, if she is patient with his failings (those he sees and those he does not), if she encourages him and forgives him, if she respects him even when his faults are obvious or she must pay the price for his mistakes, if she has the courage to tell him the truth in love, yet stand by him through it all…
“And if neither wife nor husband will let the sun go down on their anger, but if each will race to repent and reconcile, and if both determine to let nothing on earth divide them as long as they both shall live, there, I tell you, is true love, and that marriage shall never be shaken.”                       (PETER S. WILLIAMSON)

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A Parable Of Three Fathers

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Editorial Team

A parable is told about three fathers who each felt the soft hand of his child in his own hand and realized the responsibility of teaching his child about God.

One felt the awesome responsibility that was his, so he taught the child about the power and might of God.
As they walked down the pathway of life and came to the tall trees in the forest, the father pointed to them and said, “God made them and God can cause them to come crashing down anytime He wants to.” As they walked in the hot sun he said, “This is God’s sun. He made it and He can cause it to be so hot and so intense that the plants in the field will wither and die.” Again and again the father hammered home the power of God and how the child must be obedient to God.

Then one day they came face to face with God, and the child hid behind his father, afraid even to look, refusing to put his hand into the hand of God.

The second father also realized his responsibility to teach his child about God. Hurriedly, he tried to teach all the important lessons he knew. As they looked at the trees they only stopped for a moment to gaze at them. As they looked at the flowers of the field they hurried on by. The father told stories, but they were hurried and crammed together. He filled the child full of facts, but he never taught him how to live, or to love God.

Finally, one day, at twilight they came face to face with God, but the child only gave God a casual glance and then turned away.

The third father felt the touch of a tender hand in his and adjusted his steps to the tiny steps of the child. They walked along, stopping to look at all of God’s beauty and grandeur. They walked in the fields and picked the flowers.  They felt the delicate petals and smelled their fragrance. They watched a bird in flight, and another building her nest, laying her eggs and sitting on them until they hatched. They watched all of the beauties of nature while the father told his child stories about God over and over again.

Finally, one day in the twilight they saw the face of God, and without hesitation, the child placed his hand trustingly into the hand of His heavenly Father.                                                                                    (MELVIN NEWLAND)

One winter day a man found it necessary to go see a neighbor who lived beyond a steep and rugged mountain. He had climbed the dangerous trail for some time through the drifted snow when suddenly he heard a voice behind him call out, “BE CAREFUL, DADDY, I’M WALKING IN YOUR STEPS.”

God bless you on this Father’s Day, Fathers! Bless you in your fathering. Bless you in your walk through life.

(STEVE SHEPHERD)

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A Spirit Filled Church

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Editorial Team

A church will never be a Spirit filled church until it is filled with individuals who are Spirit filled people. The following five marks will be the evidence of the church, or the person that is filled with the Holy Spirit.

1) A Spirit filled person is a person of Power. They get things done for the Lord because they are energized and powered by the Holy Spirit who gives them strength and courage for the tasks ahead.

2) A Spirit filled person is a person of Purity. They have a level of personal integrity that is unmatched in the world around them. There is honesty in all that they do. They have a clean thought life. Purity is a sorely missing ingredient in Christians today. But the Spirit filled person has the purity of the Spirit and can overcome the temptations of the world around.

3) The Spirit filled person is a person of Passion. They are a person who is telling the world about the best thing that ever happened to them. They are a person who is willing to put aside style and cultural preferences and take the message to the lost where they are.

4) The Spirit filled person is a person of Peace. So far as it is possible for them they live a peace with everyone. They forgive before they are asked to, they seek the common good among believers. They are unified in their church and with other churches in the body of Christ.

5) The Spirit filled person is a person of Persuasion. They know the Gospel and when they tell it others are persuaded to believe. They are in the trenches building tomorrow’s church by winning today’s converts.

We want to be a Spirit filled church, but we must begin by being Spirit filled individuals. Today I challenge you to investigate your life. Are the marks of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on your life? Are you the Spirit filled person that is needed to make your church a Spirit filled Church?

(STEPHEN COLAW)

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Sibling Rivalry In The Bible

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Editorial Team

We will take a look at three cases in the Bible and seek to draw some lessons from them.

CAIN & ABEL
The reason why Cain killed Abel was sin.
Sibling rivalry is inevitable because all men inherited a corrupt sin nature (Psa. 51: 5). Our sin nature shows up early in life … young children are capable of experiencing anger and jealousy and may vent their feelings through unkind words and acts. As parents, we have the task of smoothing jealous feelings among our children and promoting sibling harmony.

JACOB & ESAU
The “silent” conflict between Rebekah and Isaac was compounded by parental favouritism (Gen. 25:27-28). Esau was a skilful hunter and could satisfy Isaac’s love for wild game. It was natural that Isaac loved Esau more. Jacob was a homely boy … staying among the tents … always with his mother. It was natural that Rebekah loved Jacob more. There was a kind of compatibility or matching … Isaac with Esau; Rebekah with Jacob.

There was nothing wrong with this drawing together of parent and child. What was wrong was that Rebekah and Isaac drew their sons into their conflict. It was a sad day when one parent unites with a child to deceive the other parent. This case of sibling rivalry has its roots in marital disharmony. Some 20 years later and after their parents had passed away, Esau and Jacob had a happy reunion (Gen. 33:4-11).

JOSEPH & HIS BROTHERS
Jacob (who should know the dangers of parental favouritism) made the mistake of openly showing his favouritism towards Joseph. It would be good if Jacob had made all his children feel special in some ways. No two children are the same. Each child is unique. The challenge for parents is to recognise and treasure each child’s special qualities and abilities.

The following suggest that Joseph may have played a contributing part in aggravating his brothers’ anger and jealousy:
    emphasis on Joseph’s youth of “17 years of age … still a youth” (Gen. 37:2) suggested that Joseph lacked the maturity and tact in his relationship with his brothers as supported by subsequent events

  •    the apparent willingness (“I will go”) to see how his brothers and the flocks were faring (Gen. 37:13-14)
  •    the bad report about his brothers that he brought back to his father (Gen. 37:2)
  •     his recounting of his dream to his brothers … “your sheaves … bowed down to my sheaf” (Gen. 37:5-7)

As a result, they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words (Gen. 37:8). The above do not justify the brothers’ actions. But it does help parents to remember that it takes two to quarrel.

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Jesus: Our Thirst-Quencher

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Editorial Team

“Mommy I’m so thirsty. I want a drink.” Susanna Petroysan heard her daughter’s pleas, but there was nothing she  could  do.  She and four-
year-old Gayaney were trapped beneath tons of collapsed concrete and steel. Beside them in the darkness lay the body of Susanna’s sister-in-law,  Karine, who was one of fifty-five thousand victims of the worst earthquake in the history of Armenia. It was December 7, 1988, at 11:41 A.M. Her fifth-floor apartment had begun to shake. Susanna grabbed her daughter but had taken only a few steps before the floor opened up and they tumbled in. Susanna, Gayaney, and Karine all fell into the basement with the nine-story apartment building crumbling around them.

“Mommy, I need a drink. Please give me something.” There was nothing for Susanna to give. She was trapped flat on her back. Feeling around in the darkness, she found a jar of blackberry jam that had fallen into the basement. She gave the entire jar to her daughter to eat. It was gone by the second day. “Mommy, I’m so thirsty.” Susanna knew she would die, but she wanted her daughter to live. The two were trapped for eight whole days.

“Mommy, I’m thirsty.” Susanna remembered a television program about an explorer in the Arctic who was dying of thirst. His friend actually slashed open his own hand and gave him his own blood to drink. Susanna found a piece of shattered glass. She sliced open her left index finger and gave it to her daughter to suck. The drops of blood weren’t enough. “Please Mommy, some more. Cut another finger.” Susanna has no idea how many times she cut herself. She only knows that if she hadn’t, Gayaney would have died. Her blood was her daughter’s only hope to quench her thirst.

Beneath the rubble of this fallen world, Jesus pierced His hands. In the wreckage of a collapsed humanity, He ripped open His side. You see, His children were trapped in sin and thirst, so He gave His blood. With His blood, and by His Spirit, He quenches the thirst of all who come to Him and believe in Him.

“He who is a believer in Jesus finds enough in his Lord to satisfy him now, and to content him for evermore, for he finds in Jesus such a spring of joy, such a fountain of consolation, that he is content and happy. Put him in a dungeon and he will find good company; place him in a barren wilderness, he will eat the bread of heaven; drive him away from friendship, he will meet the “friend that sticks closer than a brother.” The heart is as insatiable as the grave until Jesus enters it, and then it is a cup full to overflowing. Only Jesus can quench our thirst.”                                                          (MIKE CLEVELAND)

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