Sunday, September 30, 2012

30 September 2012 - ENCS

The "In It To Win It" series will be no more
Pastor Larry concluded it after the other four
To convey messages, parables Jesus did use
Psalm 78:2 and Matthew 13:35 provide a view
Per Matthew 13:13, Jesus used parables in large part
To let people understand and thus influence their heart

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure was the focus today
Finding God is the greatest treasure, Pastor Larry did say
Per Matthew 13:44, there were key messages times two
The hidden treasure is God's kingdom, very valuable too

The kingdom of God is being in His presence, Pastor said
To understand, read Matthew 6:10 and Romans 14:17 instead
What we reflect is what is king of our heart
Following the Lord's Prayer is a good start

Pastor then turned to Matthew 5:3 and Matthew 6:33
About how to get to His kingdom we can see
Being hungry for God and avoiding complacency
We seek God's kingdom first and get gifts in eternity

We asked how much we treasure God's kingdom
In Philippians 3:8, about this Paul was not mum
In order to gain Christ, all earthly things he would lose
That same path is one we can follow if we choose
Hebrews 11:6 and of course Matthew 22:36-39
Talk about loving God and letting His light shine

But Pastor said that we are God's treasure too
Jesus gave His life willingly despite what we do
We should not listen to the words of the enemy
For his words are lies, even of told eloquently

We then heard from Joy, who gave a testimony
Changing from self view to God's view set her free
For whatever God is to you, she did then say
He will be through you, each and every day

Pastor referred to the jars of clay in 2 Corinthians 4:7
Our lives can only be changed by our God in heaven
Of one thing Pastor reminded us to be very sure
True love is Jesus, who is our ultimate treasure
And if we love Him, value Him, and live for Him
Our eternity will be very bright, not at all dim

We heard Jaeson Ma sing his "What is Love?" song
The words and the video were both quite strong
True love is selfless not selfish - and involve sacrifice
Look at Jesus who, for us, paid the ultimate price

What God looks at is our heart, Pastor did conclude
For all will be good if our heart has the right attitude

30 September 2012 - Ephesians 2:8-10

We have been saved by His grace
This is on what our faith should base
For this grace is a gift from our God
It is not ourselves that get the nod
About our works we should not boast
They succeed thanks to the Holy Ghost
For we are indeed God's workmanship
To do good works He doth us equip

No, we are not saved by good works
But do them willingly, for they are perks
For what matters is what is in our heart
So that each of us do our God-chosen part

Dear God, please give me unfettered sight
About what to do to show your true light

Sunday, September 23, 2012

23 September 2012 - ENCS

About Luke 19:12-27 Pastor asked me to speak
So into three different translations today we did peek
'Grow by making the right choices' I titled the sermon
The 'In It to Win It' series is therefore almost done

First reading from the traditional NIV
“The parable of the minas” we did see
The literal translation focuses on investment
We should try to generate returns, Jesus meant
Remember the positive effects of compounding
And that the cost of inflation is astounding
This applies to investment, I did sayeth
But is just as relevant for one’s faith
Remember that God is the course of all things
That is something about what Psalm 24 sings
“The love of money” said apostle Paul
Is the root of kinds of evil all
For getting rich is not the objective
Having more allows us more to give
And if we always tithe our ten percent
I am sure we can always pay our rent
For God will reward those who tithe
And will not make us squirm or writhe

But also, if we manage to generate a good return
We can bless others, so about Jesus they can learn
And remember that from God everything does come
So be a good steward every day, not just some

About talents we read from Matthew 24
Versus a mina, a talent is sixty times more
Gifts from God is what our talents are
They can spread the Word both near and far
We must also invest in talents to make them grow
We should not be shy about letting them show
For talents are valuable gifts from God
So many gifts, Paul did give a nod
In regards our talents, if we do not use them
Then rest be assured that we will lose them
I started writing poetry to ensure my eyes did not close
Now this math major finds it easier than writing prose
As with minas, we must be good stewards of our talents
For they are worth more than dollars and cents

In order to put our investments and talents to work
We must seize opportunities, for everywhere they lurk
Our faith must be demonstrated by our good deeds
Maximising our own abilities, make sure nothing impedes
We should try to excel in everything all of the time
If we put in effort, the result will be no crime
Generating returns on opportunities allows them to grow
Helping the church and blessing others are what our actions show

So what stops us from growing in this way?
Three points come to mind this fine Sunday
A poor self-image is point number one
Doubt sets in before he have even begun
But we were made in God’s image and have talents
So trust in God, for He makes the most sense
The second point is that we have fear
About risks, not rewards, we tend to hear
But remember that fear hinders faith, that is dumb
And the other side of fear is actually freedom
Miplaced priorities was point number three
But remember that fear hinders faith, that is dumb

And the other side of fear is actually freedom
Misplaced priorities was point number three
But God is where direction we can really see
There are also consequences of not being stewards good
Using minas, talents, time, and opportunities we should
If the church was a business and I was an employee
Would I keep my job or a year-end bonus ever see?

We need to take our minas, talents, and every opportunity
To generate a return, help grow the church, and bless those we see
GROW stands for Generating Returns on Opportunities Wisely
So we can be good stewards and make the right choices daily

Sunday, September 16, 2012

16 September 2012 - ENCS

The "In It To Win It" series was continued by Rachel Ong
Her observations and points are very rarely wrong
Into Luke 16:10-13 we first took a peek
On "being a faithful steward" she did speak
And then to help us faithful stewards be
She delved into traits numbering three

"Being faithful with our treasure" was number one
We must choose to serve either God or Mammon
Rachel said there are three types of people here on earth
Versus takes and wasters, energy givers have more worth
About Bill Gothard she then did share
About others he obviously does care
She used him as an example of how we should live
We should be frugal in order to generously give
And then into frugal versus stingy she went
The only real difference lies in the intent
We should learn from Jesus, be meek and humble
That will keep us focused, balanced, and humble
Rachel said that money does strange things to people
This is true for some who worship under the steeple
The world says to maximise what we end up keeping
Jesus says to maximise what we give without weeping

"Being faithful with our time" was number two
Colossians 4:5 says to be wise in what we do
We each have twenty four hours each and every day
We must be resourceful, not wasteful she did say
We should be frugal with our time for the days are few
We should be spending on things with eternal value
At the workplace we should our light shine
Idle talk robs our souls and is far from fine
Clocks remind us of the value of every hour
From time, not money, we get the most power

"Being faithful with our talents" was number three
We should seek to excel, using talents skillfully
Because in God's own image He did us create
We should therefore strive to do things great
Paul for instance had certainty in his heart
Reaching out to the Gentiles was his part
Our true credentials are not some fancy degree
It is what we do and what others therefore see

Rachel then made a couple of conclusions
Referring to the first chapter of Colossians
With the knowledge of God's will
We should want our souls to fill
And by reading and studying the Holy Word
We should walk in a way worthy of the Lord

Sunday, September 2, 2012

2 September 2012 - ENCS

Pastor Larry started the "In It To Win It" series
With a sermon filled with facts, not theories
In many areas the enemy tries to attack
Telling us about many things we may lack
Focusing on money is perhaps his main scheme
More than half of Jesus' parables dealt with this theme
Pastor focused on the Parable of the Rich Fool
Looking at Luke 12:13-21 as if we were in school
After reading it all, he zeroed in on verse fifteen
Because in that passage, three key points are seen

The first is to "watch out, be on your guard"
We must be ready to battle the enemy hard
For he tries to rob our inheritance and joy
All sorts of temptations he does employ
And because the enemy wants us to be hurt
Per 1 Peter 5:8, be self-controlled and alert
We then heard a strong testimony from Art
He never quit and then God did His part
So when we feel like we are in a dark hole
Just remember that God is always in control

The second is "against all kinds of greed"
Pastor mentioned things we don't need
The first three that he did then name
Too much money, prestige, and fame
These can lead to gluttony and hoarding
The result of course is far from rewarding
The spirit of greed causes a downfall
For people and nations, one and all
Greed is the desire to have more and more
Which per Exodus 20:17 God does abhor
Money "merely unmasks men" said Henry Ford
That is consistent with the views of our Lord
Instead we should help others in need
Be careful, for pride often leads to greed
Materialism can rob us of blessings from God
To Luke 12:17-19 Pastor then gave a nod
So many "I"s and "my"s, he was so self-centered
Heaven was not a place the rich fool entered
To Colossians 3 verse 5 we did then turn
"Put to death" greed, or idolatry we did learn
For the greedy, Matthew 6 : 24 will hit a nerve
Between God and money, one cannot both serve
If we are generous, per 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
We will be taken care of by God in heaven
He will look after both our desires and needs
If we are not greedy in our thoughts or deeds
This can be seen in Ephesians five verse three
No hint of impurity or greed should others see

What life does not consist of was the third
"An abundance of possessions" we heard
For in Jesus is where real life is found
This is a topic on which to expound
More money and things do not our lives really fulfill
To focus on quality, not quantity, should be our will
Pastor then referred to 1 Timothy 6 : 17-19
"Be rich in good deeds" is there clearly seen

In God, not wealth, we should put our hope
The other way leads to a slippery slope
Doing good creates a strong foundation
Be the opposite of greedy, in summation

In conclusion, a nugget Pastor did us feed
He said "don't feed greed, sow the seed"