Do we sometimes get excited when our best friends or close ones say the same thing or think in similar directions? Somehow we never doubt their intentions but believe you share the same thoughts and think alike.
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers (and sisters) live together in unity.
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows His blessing,
even life forevermore.
Psalms 133
Thank God He did not create us all the same. Imagine a world full of yourselves (hilarous hurhur)! But He made us diversified, yet by the same Spirit. Indeed, it is an awesome feeling when we have a group of friends who think in the same direction as us. And God rejoices as well, when His church comes together in one unified voice. We may not have to agree with every single thing that the ministry decides on, but it touches God so much when we put aside our differences in views and rights and come together to believe and work towards an unified goal.
As Detonate comes together to see a need to pray for a spiritual ministry breakthrough, we know we may not be comfortable to do so. But if we choose today, to put aside our likes and dislikes and join hearts and hands to this unified goal, won't just God so freely pour out His Spirit and heavens into our midst? Won't His sweet Presence just surround us, in our services and in our lives? He promised that when we come together in unity, there He will command His blessings, and even giving eternal life to us and those who hasn't known the Lord!
And this one unified goal I pray you will catch it and take your portion of the burden: We are going to pray till there is breakthrough.Would you be partnering?
Look forward to!:
a spiritual breakthrough.
NATIONAL DAY PRAYER DRIVE! It will be on Friday 8th August and we will be out to 3 significant locations in Singapore to pray for our nation. Do be part of this prayer army as we go forth to ask God to bless and protect the nation:)) Do sign up for your seat on the bus on the church noticeboard (beside coffee area)! Last call this Sunday!!!
This Week @ Detonate:
We admire his courage and love for God and we have once been inspired by this servant. Catch Brother Isaiah Fazilin this Saturday as he shares from the heart of God and be such an encouragement in our midst:) We always trust God that He has something awesome prepared for us! Cya all at 4.30pm for an hour's time of intense worship and prayer as we seek God as one ministry, as one Body. The power of unity. Don't undermine it:)
Prayers from the Body:
Do remember our NS brothers (Joshua, Yu Po, Matthew, Ziyao, Josiah) who are undergoing their basic training. May the presence of God oversee and protect them as they go through the various trainings. Pray also that they will stand strong on God's promises for them and be a living testimony that draws men to Jesus! Strive on brothers!
Our final year poly students are on their FYPs and they do appreciate every prayer from you guys! May God give them wisdom, strength and joy to work through this entire period, from the beginning to the end. We also pray for patience as they work with their project mates to deliver the work that they will be satisfied with. Keep pressing on peeps!
Have you ever encountered someone who has hurt you deeply or perhaps had done things that irritate or disappoint you? I believe all of us (including myself) have encountered such person and would find a really hard to forgive him/her. However deep down in our hearts we know that God wants us to forgive but our human nature seems to have taken control of our minds and bodies. We ended up wasting our time and energy grumbling about that person. Sounds familiar? The process of forgiving is never easy and it's a hurdle that all of us have to overcome. It takes time to forgive someone but if we managed to leave our past and move on, we will be able to build strong relationships and grow the ministry.
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:37
Here's a story that can really helps us to understand forgiveness better.
One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job. His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had, that no one could help him and his soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration.
Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there.
And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:
"Lord You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot, I don't know how. It is not fair Lord, I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray you teach me to do the one thing I cannot do: Teach me to forgive."
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.
He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus >hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.
"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked?
The man answered - "Yes, Lord."
"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"
The man answered - "Yes. Lord." And the man sobbed more and more.
"Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked.
And the man answered, "Yes, Lord."
"Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?"
The man, crying now, answered - "Yes, Lord."
As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever"? The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer - "Yes, Lord".
Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, >and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, "I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you."
Are u finding it hard to forgive someone? See it through the eyes of Jesus.
Look forward to!:
a spiritual breakthrough.
NATIONAL DAY PRAYER DRIVE! It will be on Friday 8th August and we will be out to 3 significant locations in Singapore to pray for our nation. Do be part of this prayer army as we go forth to ask God to bless and protect the nation:)) Do sign up for your seat on the bus on the church noticeboard (beside coffee area)!
This Week @ Detonate:
Discipleship Group Session:):) we are into our part 2 of our 5th quality of learning the Fruit of the Spirit, and we do hope you have been more developed and shaped by the Holy Spirit! Keep persevering as you allow God to strengthen the quality that He has given to everyone of you:):) Cya all at 4.30pm for an hour's time of intense worship and prayer as we seek God as one ministry, as one Body. The power of unity. Don't undermine it:)
Prayers from the Body:
Do remember our NS brothers (Joshua, Yu Po, Matthew, Ziyao, Josiah) who are undergoing their basic training. May the presence of God oversee and protect them as they go through the various trainings. Pray also that they will stand strong on God's promises for them and be a living testimony that draws men to Jesus! Strive on brothers!
Our final year poly students are on their FYPs and they do appreciate every prayer from you guys! May God give them wisdom, strength and joy to work through this entire period, from the beginning to the end. We also pray for patience as they work with their project mates to deliver the work that they will be satisfied with. Keep pressing on peeps!
Have we ever called someone on the phone and get a voice mail message or an end dial tone? Do we just forget about that person who is unreachable or do we wonder what happen to that person?
'Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths you are there.'
Psalms 139: 7-8
But when you call upon God, I wanna encourage you that you will never hear a voice mail message, or an end dial tone. He is always with you, no matter if you realise or not. He is there with you when you are sleeping; with you when you are trying to concentrate in your revision; with you when you are overwhelmed with projects; with you when you are boiling mad at someone. He is with you always. This is the very nature of our Lover. It is not He has nothing better to do so He tags along with you, but because He loves you and He wants to be with you.
You may ask, then why sometimes when I call upon God, I feel like He isn't there? Do you really think He isn't? Or were you more overwhelmed by the voices of others that are screaming for your attention? Or you expect God to be instantly replying you, else He is not there? Or are you disconnected on the line? Sometimes, we get so angry and frustrated at God because when we call on Him, He didn't answer us at that moment.
Stand on this promise that He is always there with you. Take faith. Faith is the opposite of sight and fear. It may seem very daunting to some of you, but trust God would you?
Look forward to!:
a spiritual breakthrough.
This Week @ Detonate:
Pastor Rachel Ong is not new to most sisters:):) We heard her a couple of times encouraging the sisters to grow to be a woman of God. And we believe God is gonna use His servant to encourage all of us! Cya all at 4.30pm for an hour's time of intense worship and prayer as we seek God as one ministry, as one Body. The power of unity. Don't undermine it:)
Prayers from the Body:
Do remember our NS brothers (Joshua, Yu Po, Matthew, Ziyao, Josiah) who are undergoing their basic training. May the presence of God oversee and protect them as they go through the various trainings. Pray also that they will stand strong on God's promises for them and be a living testimony that draws men to Jesus! Strive on brothers! Our final year poly students are on their FYPs and they do appreciate every prayer from you guys! May God give them wisdom, strength and joy to work through this entire period, from the beginning to the end. We also pray for patience as they work with their project mates to deliver the work that they will be satisfied with. Keep pressing on peeps!
As we talked about relationships, we can't help but to let the word love comes into our mind. As we move aside from the love between couples, the agape love among us is very vital in building strong and lasting relationships. If we do not have love for one another, we can never develop the kind of relationship that God wants us to have, no matter how hard we try.
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 29-31
Indeed the best way start loving others is by loving Jesus. Below is an entry I read in the daily bread recently that relates to this topic.
Just before Jesus left this earth, He instructed Simon Peter to care for the dearest object of Hs love---His sheep. How could anyone care for them as Jesus cares? Only out of love for Him. There is no other way. Three times Jesus asked Peter, ''Do you love Me?'' Peter answered, ''Yes, Lord; You know I love you.'' Each time, Jesus answered, ''Feed My sheep.''
Was Jesus unaware of Peter's love? Of course not. His threefold question was not for himself, but for Peter. He asked His questions to underscore the essential truth that only love for Christ would sustain Peter in the work that lay ahead---that aeduous, demanding work of caring for people's souls---perhaps the hardest work of all.
Jesus did not ask Peter If he loved His sheep, but if he loved Him. Affection for God's people in itself will not sustain us. His sheep can be unresponsive, unappreciative, and harshly critical of our efforts to love and to serve them. In the end, we will find ourselves defeated and discouraged.
The ''love of Christ---our love for Him---is the only sufficient motivation that will enable us to stay the course. To continue to feed the flock of God. Thus Jesus asked you and me, ''Do you love Me? Feed my sheep.''
Are you having problems loving others? Start by loving Jesus.
Look forward to!:
a spiritual breakthrough.
This Week @ Detonate:
Discipleship Group Session:):) we are into our 5th quality of learning the Fruit of the Spirit, and we do hope you have been more developed and shaped by the Holy Spirit! Do come and be blessed as you come with an expectant heart! NOTE Our service timing will be officially changed to 4.30pm at the same place. It will be a whole one hour of pure prayer and worship for a time of intimacy with our God. No fanciful stuff, no pharisee mindset. Just a heart hungry for God's heart. Join the whole ministry in this time of breaking through. Will you be part of the army? Or a spectator?
Prayers from the Body:
Do remember our NS brothers (Joshua, Yu Po, Matthew, Ziyao, Josiah) who are undergoing their basic training. May the presence of God oversee and protect them as they go through the various trainings. Pray also that they will stand strong on God's promises for them and be a living testimony that draws men to Jesus! Strive on brothers!
Our final year poly students are on their FYPs and they do appreciate every prayer from you guys! May God give them wisdom, strength and joy to work through this entire period, from the beginning to the end. We also pray for patience as they work with their project mates to deliver the work that they will be satisfied with. Keep pressing on peeps!
Do remember our One-Bring-One service on this coming sunday! Let's unite our hearts as one as we join our vision for the church in being active in evangelism:) Yes, in every opportunity this week invite your loved ones, dear friends and unsaved friends to come to know God!! We trust that it will be an awesome service with God moving so vividly through the entire theatre! amen:)
Indeed, relationships is part and parcels of our everyday lives. And as we venture into this quarter theme of relationships, we first wanna encourage you on our relationship with God, our Father.
If you have ever read on Song of Songs, it is a beautiful literature of the lover and the beloved. It's about us and God, and this marvellous relationship He has drawn us into. Being in love with God is so overwhelming that noone can describe it to you until you taste and see for yourself.
This week I urge you to take an evaluation of this love relationship between you and God alone. With no man and issues being an hindrance, purely consider the intimacy you have with God.
Perhaps some of you are madly in this love pursuit with God, keep on with the chase! Some of you are enjoying His sweet Presence, keep on with the romance! Some of you are giving your all to Him, keep on with the fervour! Some of you are just getting to know God, keep on with the exploration! And perhaps some of you had upset your Lover, or turn your face and heart away from this relationship, or not been contacting Him. Don't feel like its too late nor be ashamed to come back to Him. He welcomes His beloved with open arms, and He will go all out for you who calls His sweet name, Jesus.
Look forward to!:
a spiritual breakthrough.
This Week @ Detonate:
If you have noticed, Pastor Bryan Tan is of no passerby:) He has been a mentor and guide to the Young Adults' Elisha Ministry ever since the first day! And as God's servant bring the message from the heart of God, you bring your expectant heart too! NOTE Our service timing will be officially changed to 4.30pm at the same place. It will be a whole one hour of pure prayer and worship for a time of intimacy with our God. No fanciful stuff, no pharisee mindset. Just a heart hungry for God's heart. Join the whole ministry in this time of breaking through. Will you be part of the army? Or a spectator?
Prayers from the Body:
Do remember our NS brothers (Yu Po and Matthew) who are undergoing their basic training. May the presence of God oversee and protect them as they go through the various trainings. Pray also that they will stand strong on God's promises for them and be a living testimony that draws men to Jesus! Strive on brothers!
Our final year poly students are on their FYPs and they do appreciate every prayer from you guys! May God give them wisdom, strength and joy to work through this entire period, from the beginning to the end. We also pray for patience as they work with their project mates to deliver the work that they will be satisfied with. Keep pressing on peeps!
