In the fifth Chronicle of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund, Lucy, and their spoiled cousin Eustace are summoned to help on a quest in the Eastern Sea. Along the way, Eustace is tempted by an enchanted treasure and turned into a dragon. The desperate dragon accepts the help of the great lion Aslan, king of Narnia. But Eustace can only be freed be allowing Aslan's claws to painfully tear off the dragon's fresh. Grateful for his deliverance, Eustace chooses to become a better boy.
Receiving God's gift of salvation through Christ is a one-time event, but to become like Him often requires suffering and struggle. It involves putting off old sinful habits and replacing them with new godly ones.
"Put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."
Eph 4:24
God may be using the kind rebuke of a friend or a painful trial to prompt you to get rid of a sinful habit and to replace it with godly character. Do not see the trials as obstacles but see it as a stepping stone, where you can stand higher, to see further. The process of becoming like Christ is sometimes painful, but it's always worth it.
Look forward to!:
Our first evangelisticoutreach coming up on April 19th! We really wanna believe that God will change lives and Detonate(: More will be revealed this Saturday during service. Would you be part of this great Detonatemovement?
This Week @ Detonate:
We are back for service after a great week of rest and play! Expect something different that will challenge our lives! Come expecting at 4.45pm for an intimate time of praise and worship to our God, our Redeemer(:
NOTEThere will be an urshering workshop going on between 2pm-4pm in church level 3 by a fellow servant from Heart of God church! All leaders, ushers and class reps are required to attend while all Detons are encouraged to join in too!
Prayers from the Body:
Let's start praying for the work we will be doing these few weeks to prepare for the evangelistic outreach on April 29th! Not only for God to strengthen us in inviting our friends, but also in the follow-up and in dedicating our time investing into the lives of our new friends amongst us. Let's make a difference by standing in the gap, to love others like Jesus do.
Beyond ourselves.
This Friday marks a history changing moment. The death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, in place for our wages of sins. Have we sometimes regard the sacrifice that Jesus made as a religious concept? I guess some of us do take it for granted.
'Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends.'
John 15:13
Many times I wondered and imagined the scene at Calvary, where Jesus was being crucified by the crowd. How did Jesus' mother felt? How did the people who love Jesus felt? How did God felt when He witnessed the death of His only Son? It must had been painful at the moment of physical separation and suffering.
Jesus' feelings prior to His crucifixion are very vividly described in Matthew 26:36-46 (Go read now!). The journey wasn't easy, though Jesus knew it very well that it was to fulfill the will of God. I believe it hurt God a great deal when people take Jesus' sacrifice so lightly. So take a few moments now to thank God for what He has allowed to happen.
Can we make time to thank God for everything that we have, did and went through? A thankful heart is a form of worhsip unto God. Let's not just be passionate in worshipping and praising God, but also not be hesitant to give thanks to God.Always.
Look forward to!:
Youth camp 2008!! We thank God for that awesome time together last year and this year, we believe it will be a greater experience of fellowship, spiritual development and fun as we overcome our differences and fears! So book the dates now on your schedule: 9th to 12th June!
This Week @ Detonate:
There will beNO Detonate service this week. However, we are meeting for our anticipated outing for this month: Baptism 2008! Yeap, we are called not to give up meeting one another(: So cya at East Coast Park BBQ Pit 32 (Carpark C4 near McDonalds') at 10am. It's optional for you to bring an extra set of attire as our games coordinators say that it will be a time of burning calories! Woo! So come expected, together with your friends! Please be very very kind to let your class reps know of any updates regarding your friends who are coming(:
Prayers from the Body:
We thank God for using our fellow mission trippers in investing their time over in Cebu, Philippines. Let's also continue to keep all of them in prayers that God will honour them with good health. We pray that whatever virus that is running through their bodies, that each and every one of our dear members will be healed! We pray all in and by faith!
Do remember Brother Zen in prayers with his recent knee injury. He will be baptised this Friday and we pray that nothing will deter him from taking this step of faith into God's kingdom. That through this incident, that it will be a victorious testimony and glorify God(: We believe in the power of the cross!
Will you win your battle?
We always, at some point or another, reminisce on our childhood days. It seems like we are separated from carefree and leisure ever since we began to comprehend things and make our own decisions. but hope is here(: We don't necessarily have to lament on those foregone days anymore!
Nope. I'm not saying that I have a formula to anti-age you nor a time machine to teleport you back into the good old days. We can't change the fact that we have to grow, but we can change our attitudes and our situations around.
'But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.' 1 Timothy 6:11-12
There is a greater purpose in your life. You probably been thinking, 'Yeah, I know that way long ago. All preachers say that don't they?' Throw that thought away. Read it anew and aloud from the Bible in John 10:10 (Yes, now! Go take your Bible out!).
This abundant life that you've just read out loud is the ETERNAL LIFE that is recorded in 1 Timothy. Many of us have the misconception that the glorious eternal life comes true only after we die to our physical body and proceed to heaven. Get rid of that thought too. Eternal life starts when you receive Jesus into your heart. If you are a believer, you're already living the eternal life that God has promised.
Then how come it doesn't seem to be as glorious as how God described? You got to understand that we are still in the world. The world itself is a battle. Hence Paul asked us to take hold of the eternal life and fight the good fight of faith. We need to fight against what seems to go against us claiming the full glory of eternal life.
One outstanding quality of a mighty warrior is the ability toendure. So many times I witnessed young people giving up too easily whenever they face a dead end by ending their lives. Yes, I don't deny that problems and obstacles can be so overwhelming that we can hardly breathe. But we are given a betterchoice. That is to overcome, and not to be 'overcomed'. Someone once encouraged me with this phrase, and till now it has been my guiding step to develop the spirit of endurance: 'Don't lose heart. Take another step. You never know the next step is the winning line'.
If today, you are facing a tough journey, I want to encourage you to endure. It's not just for your ownspritual development, but giving God that opportunity to work miracles in your life. It is a spiritual breakthrough. Take hold, with God.
Look forward to!:
Our Baptism '08 coming really soon! We are going to witness the history-changing moment for Brother Zen together with other brave brothers and sisters in Christ! Nope we are neither battered by the recent rainy season nor the early morning blues because our God is in ultimate control! So, gather yourfriends and khakis to join us in this time of celebration, hope and fellowship(: It's really not just the fun, it's sharing the true meaning of Good Friday. March 21st. Have you set aside that day already?
This Week @ Detonate:
It's'FIRE' time! You've guessed it! Pastor James Singh is here to inspire us and spur us on through the word of God:) And let's not miss a time of intimate worship with God as a whole body of Christ! Yeap so c'mon down at 4.45pm to prepare yourselves spiritually for a overflow of blessings! Come expecting something unexpected!
Prayers from the Body:
We want to keep the Missions team (ChenQiaolin ChanJialing EricChua BernardTay IanChew JoshuaTay IvyYeo KenChew) in prayers as they go up to Cebu, Philippines to do the work of our Lord. We thank God for their willing hearts and this opportunity to be available. May their hearts and eyes be open to the needs of the local people, that true compassion and love will fill them. Yeap, we look forward to your return and testimonies! Do keep the Baptism cum BBQ committee in prayers and they work heart and soul for this event on March 21! We trust that God will use them to bring about much joy and courage in doing what they are doing. Let's be encouraging by rendering our support to them:) Keep up the good spirit guys! We also want to pray in faith for a good sunny and breezy weather despite the flunctuations in weather recently. We know when we pray, we move the hands of God to do the things that we cannot do(:
March'08 It's out!
New! Theme for Detonate till April: Growth in Character:)
Here's a story that I read recently which is very meaningful and can be very true at times. It may take you some time to understand so do read it carefully. Once there is a lady who is going to be late for work. Being stressed-out, she tailgates a man, hoping to overtake him after the next junction. As they approach the traffic lights, the man slowed to a stop at a yellow light. Being frustrated, the woman hit the horn, cussing and screaming and gesturing angrily. As she was still in midrant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face, exiting the car with her hands up. He took her to the police station and placed her in a holding cell.
An hour later, the officer returned and said, "I'm sorry, Madam. This has been a big mistake. When I pulled up behind you, I noticed your "What Would Jesus Do?"license plate holder and your "Follow Me to Sunday School" bumper sticker. I assumed the car is stolen!"
Many a times we have Christian stickers all over our books, goes for Sunday service, wear a cross upon our neck and many other things to tell people that we are christians. However, our behaviour shows otherwise. People don't care whether we are christians or not, what they really see is what we do. These are the things that can really impact them.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"
Matthew 5:16
Let us strive to have a christlike character. Let people see that we, as God's children, are different from the world. Let us reflect Jesus in whatever we do. Let the fruit of the Spirit be shown in our lives.
Look forward to!:
`Our first Baptism in 2008! We wanna be there to celebrate with Brother Zen in this history-making moment:) Start inviting your friends to our BBQ night that very same day! There will be a one-way shuttle bus from church to ECP so be there in the morning for a whole day of fun! Let's not just come during the evening to satisfy our own physical hunger, but be part of the Detonate movement to satisfy the desires of the Body of Christ:)
This Week @ Detonate:
Yes! We are back for a session of building disciples! DG is on for this Saturday, after a great time of praise and worship:) Do remember to bring your respective worksheets for your various topical classes and oh! There is a quiz for each class at the end of the session! Let's do it wholeheartedly, in the spirit of being more Christ-like. So cya at 4.45pm!
Prayers from the Body:
We want to keep the Missions team (ChenQiaolin ChanJialing EricChua BernardTay IanChew JoshuaTay IvyYeo KenChew) in prayers as they go up to Cebu, Philippines to do the work of our Lord. We thank God for their willing hearts and this opportunity to be available. May their hearts be filled with unceasing compassion and joy that will be a blessing to those who are distant from God. All the way brothers and sisters!
Do keep the Baptism cum BBQ committee in prayers and they work heart and soul for this event on March 21! We trust that God will use them to bring about much joy and courage in doing what they are doing. Let's be encouraging by rendering our support to them:) Keep up the good spirit guys!
