Where Are You?

This was the first question God asked. (Genesis 3:9).

Did God not know where Adam was? It was a searching question for Adam who was faced with the first impact of sin and disobedience. Adam was hiding from the Lord and was soon to be expelled from the place of paradise.

In the Old Testament, much of God's blessings for His people are tied to the place they were to be in or to go to. Three blessings follow us when we are in the place where God has called us to be.

Firstly, it will be a place of Faith. You will find faith and you will be able to exercise your faith. Faith is what helps us to activate the promises of God for our life.

Secondly, It will be a place of Freedom. You will be able to grow with God's purposes for your life and be released to use your talents and your giftings to be a blessing to others. You will enjoy the anointing, authority and the resources to do your work well.

Thirdly, it will be a place of Fruitfulness. You will be like a "tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:3)

So... Where are you ?

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU JESUS

"When the music fades, all is stripped away, and You simply come
Longing just to bring, something that's of worth, that will bless your heart
I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself it's not what You have required
You search much deeper within, through the way things appear,
You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship when it's all about You
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it, when it's all about You
All about You, Jesus"

This song was penned by accomplished song writer and worship leader, Matt Redman, after a season of deep reflection about his heart and attitude each time he leads worship. He was convicted that because of his musicianship and competency in "doing" a good worship, his heart and spirit were sometimes not in the right place and he did not experience his worship as a true encounter with the presence of Almighty God.

I sensed the Lord also wants to hit the pause button with us in our worship here at The MAX Pavilion. We need to take a moment to reflect on, where our heart and spirit is as we come into our time of celebration and worship. I pray that our #1 concern each Sunday is not just that we got the sound right, or the lights synchronised, or that the songs were good and the beat was cool; but really, what kind of heart are we presenting to the Lord?

Worship is not just another experience. We must come with a sacrifice, "something that's of worth". I believe this is a key attitude that will keep our hearts and spirit at the right place.

It's all about you JESUS.

What is your boast?

It's that time of year when budgets, plans, reviews and appraisals fill my thoughts.

I certainly need wisdom and strength to go through this yearly exercise. And I also need riches... (actual and projected ) to try and balance my income and expense budget!

I was glad the Lord brought me to this passage of Scripture in Jeremiah 9:23-24,

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches, but
let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,
declares the Lord."

I don't want to wait till the Year of Sabbath to find my joy and delight in the Lord.

Let's take a little pause right now to focus our thoughts on what we must finally account for and to pray that we may grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Lord our God.

"A Fresh Touch from the Lord"

The Re-encounter Weekends on 22nd and 29th September brought a fresh touch from the Lord to the 203 participants. Spiritual Warfare is an integral part of the life of a believer. Participants were taught through practical sessions on moving in the Holy Spirit, discovering their spiritual gifts, praying in tongues, releasing of prophecies and praying for healing. Here are some exciting testimonies...

Joshua Chong (Chua Seng Lee Network)

"God reminded me of how much he loves me and wants me to spend more time with him. I thank God for setting me free and taking away my chest pain and the tightness of chest."

Karen Woo (Ps Debra Toh's Tribe)

"I have been ministered to and I was given the chance to minister to others. Many testimonies were shared during the training and I could witness God's power first hand. I have been given opportunities to practice speaking out in faith during the sessions on Prophesy and Healing."

Cynthia Odelia Ho (Ps Lily Chu's Tribe)

"My faith had increased. I learn how to partner with the Holy Spirit and looking forward to learn how to minister. I have stepped out of my comfort zone to release words & visions."

Charles Wong (Ps Poh Yeang Cherng's Tribe)

"It made me eager to use all the gifts of healing and prophecy to bless others. It humbled me that I need to rely on God and surrender more to Him. My faith has grown!"

Cheryl Tan (Ps Evelyn Lee's Tribe)

"Through this training, a new faith was released unto me. There was renewal in my spirit. Each time I came into the worship, there was a strong touch from the Lord. I thank God for the prophecy that was given to my life. It brought new hope and encouragement to me."

Who Do You Run To?

This series of sermon messages based on "Blessings For Your Life" provide us with a great opportunity to check our knowledge of God. To the extent that you know who God is and what He has said, will be the extent you will be able to appropriate God's promise of blessings for your life.

Where do you run to in time of need? When troubles, worries and fears threaten you, who will be the first person you turn to? Is God your first recourse or your last resort? Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe."

Last week, Pastor Melvyn Mak mentioned four names of the Lord found in Psalm 91 alone when he preached about God's Blessing of Protection.

God Most High - "El Elyon";
God Almighty - "El Shaddai";
God Our Provider - "Jehovah Jireh";
God My Refuge - "Elohim".

Do you know any other names of the Lord in the bible?

More often than not, I find myself reacting to the circumstances of life rather than responding to the knowledge of God. Like Paul, I want to know God more (Philippians 3:10) so that I can run to Him more and more and the run becomes easier and easier each time. Run with me?

Storehouse of Blessings

Do you find it hard to believe God wants to bless you ?

Whenever I feel doubt creeping in on me, I would read again Deuteronomy 28. It's the storehouse of blessings which the Lord promised the Israelites through Moses. Just savour some of them :

"The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you." ( v 8 )

"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands." ( v 12 )

"The Lord will make you the head, not the tail." ( v 13)

God's blessing is complete. He wants to bless you spiritually, physically, financially and in every area of your life. God will answer any prayer for blessing asked in faith. But the fullness of His blessing is enjoyed "if you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands..." ( v 1 )

Would it make a difference to you this week if you take God at His Word and claim these promises for yourself ?

ASK BIG....IN FAITH !

Wonder how many of you still remember the Warrior of Light matrix? Huh??

Personally for us, it's been an exciting Year of Victory thus far. The 3 attitudes, "Always Thankful, Always victorious in Christ and Always a Blessing to all" have kept us on the winning side of life. Amidst all the busyness in the ministry and serving the community, we did our major house renovation project. It was a venture to "look far in vision" for our family. Seven months in a rented apartment and now, we're ready to go home...hurray!

So, we're taking this chance to remind everyone of the 3rd action goal for this last 4 months of 2007 - Ask Big ... in Faith ! Yes, the Year of Victory is not over yet ... have you experienced breakthrough in your personal life, in your family and in your marketplace? This is the time of preparation for exams and end of year job reviews and appraisals. It is also a time where many of us are starting to plan for 2008. If you feel just a bit out of focus, may we remind you to take out your Warrior of Light Matrix, reflect on all that has happened in your life this year and after you've given thanks, accept God's precious invitation to come to Him and in great faith ... ASK ... SEEK ... KNOCK ( Matthew 7:7,8 )

Testimonies from Gateway Cities Youth Convention 2007

Emelia Wilinda - Indonesia

“I have gained a lot from GCYC. God changed my mindset. He taught me not to focus on myself. He reminded me to pray for the nations, especially for my nation.”

Armando Da Silva - East Timor

“It is a great time for the nations to come together in unity to worship God. As a new nation, we know that we have a lot of problems. But I am proud to be from East Timor and I am very happy because many nations wanted to pray for my country and bless us. This is the greatest time of my life.”

Cildo C. Algabis – Philippines

“My eyes were opened and I’m so amazed to see what God is doing. God has put a passion in me to love and pray for my nation, more than ever before. And I believe God will bring restoration and revival to my nation.”

Ho Lien An – Vietnam

“On the way home, a Vietnamese lady sat next to me on the plane. I wanted to share about Jesus with her and took out the ‘100k Blessing’ pamphlet and prayed to bless her. This is the first time I am speaking to another person about Jesus and prayed to bless her. Now, I want to start talking about Jesus to other people.”

Paul Wu – FCBC (YouthNet)

“When people from different tribes & tongues come together for God’s work, there is so much synergy and power. This is powerfully demonstrated when we blessed the families in Bukit Merah.”

Light To the Nations

The blessing flows. The ‘100K Blessing’ campaign is over but what a privilege for FCBC YouthNet to host the 3rd Gateway Cities Youth Convention and to see the blessing flow to the nations. It is God's desire that the nations be blessed. GCYC is our way of involving FCBC youths and the youths from gateway cities in the region to serve and be a blessing to the nations. We thank God for each of the 123 foreign delegates from 12 countries all over Asia. What thrills us greatly is to have close to 1000 of our FCBC youth sign up for this convention. This is a tremendous encouragement to us.

We want to see a generation of youth who are not just passionate to see God's destiny fulfilled in their lives but who want to be part of God's destiny for the nations. God saves individuals but He wants to reach nations and each one of us can be a part of God's kingdom strategy.

As we catch a glimpse of the nations worshipping together in our 3 services today, let us release a mighty chorus of prayer that each of them will rise up to be a Warrior, bringing light to the nations they come from.

Happy Birthday, FCBC!

Today, you must be interested in History.

FCBC celebrates its 21st Birthday! It is a marker of growth, of maturity.

FCBC began as a result of the faith of one man, our Senior Pastor, Apostle Lawrence Khong and his wife, Pastor Nina. God richly blessed us and made us a faith community of believers. He blessed the church with great leaders, many of whom are your pastors today, who built on this foundation of faith.

You have a rich heritage. You have inherited a legacy of faith. From generation to generation, we will be blessed.

Our prayer for FCBC :

May we grow from faith to faith,
from strength to strength,
From victory to victory,
As we continue to look to our Lord, Jesus Christ,
"the Author and Finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12:2)