thankGod for the wonderful weather for the 2 days. and also for the time that we spent together :) i believe that most of us had fun though it's only 2 days & 1 night... :)
Have you heard of the University of the Nations (UofN) ?
I attended the GoFest conference last week...and really, it was a marvellous conference. It was a breath-taking sight with hundreds of missionaries from all around the globe gathering for the 3-day missions conference.
I was totally blessed and privileged to be with them, soaking with them in the presence of God, enjoying power-packed worship sessions and undeniably impactful sharings from great men and women of God from around the world.
I must however, share with you, the greatest discovery I made.
I have been asking God to show me a school which allows me to be trained in Christian studies, yet at the same time, not too academic nor theoretical. I want a school that offers a balanced training in the theoretical aspects and the practical aspects of the ministry of a worker of God.
There, to my delight, I saw an exhibition about a university which fits this bill totally well: The University of the Nations!
Alright, allow me to indulge a little as I share why I'm so impressed by it!
This university was founded by the legendary missionary, Loren Cunningham, and its sole purpose is to equip men and women around the world with skills and knowledge in a wide spectrum of fields, to allow them to work in countries which they want to be missionaries in.
The university consists of several campuses, including the 3 main ones in Hawaii, Switzerland, and India. Together, they house the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Mass Communication, Faculty of Christian Ministries, etc.
Do you ever feel you are studying something just for the sake of studying it?
Do you ever feel you want to step out of the confinements of Singapore and do something to the millions out there, for God?
Do you have a desire to bring the message of Jesus Christ to nations which have many who still do not know Jesus?
Do you want to study for a skill which can allow you to use in a specific country, and then through that, reach out to the lost in that land?
Greetings to all! This week, we see 3 new faces in Youth Fusion!
Let us welcome firstly,
1. Ryan - Another Hunkin Tertiary Cell
- He was invited to Youth Fusion by Hunky Jie Wei - He's 20 years old this year - Just graduated from Ngee Ann(Multimedia Computing) & waiting for enlistment in Sept - Absolute World Cup Fan
2. Pei Ling - Working Youth Cell
- She's invited to church by our big sister, Tina. - Working in KK Hospital
3. Eric - Secondary School Cell
- Parents brought him to WAC, they were from JCC formerly.
Let us welcome these new friends with our warmest Youth Fusion-ist Spirit!!!!
12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness - Hebrew 3:12-13 I believe that if my title was, "When was the last time you made fun of a friend", many of us would be able to actually say, " Hey yesterday I .... ". Words are a very powerful tool. Whatever we say can actually make a difference in people's life both positively and negatively. The bible tells us to encourage one another. What's the meaning of encourage?
To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. To give support to; foster. To stimulate; spur.
I believe that in our christian lives, the fact that we live in a sinful world like ours, we constantly need each other's encouragement and edification. We dont need to see our friends fall into a pit or make a mistake before we encourage them. Sometimes, perhaps if we encourage them enough, we can actually prevent them from falling into that pit or making that mistake...so the next time you see a fellow brother/sister in Christ.... give them a smile and encourge them along their daily walk with God. We'll never know what impact we have on their lives!
Some of tertiary cell members would like to share with you all what God spoke to them after they have attended this fantastic event!
Steven:
"It was wonderful! I sensed God's presence!"
Rhys: "It is a privilege to worship Him under the skies! i think there's a need for the youths to do something..and i guess, tats God's will for this generation of youths..to go out, and spread His words!"
Calvin: "I could really feel the presence of the Lord in our midst. About the prayer for the Lord's forgiveness on our doublemindedness, I really felt what the pastor said was true. We should really repent of that sin. Overall, I felt that it was a very meaningful event indeed!"
Celine: "I felt really blessed to be able to be at G DOP, witnessing together of the greatness of God with many brothers and sisters in Christ all over in Singapore. It was definitely encouraging to know that there is INDEED NO DISCRIMINATION IN CHRIST. It is really amazing to know that those who were there at the national stadium come from different background, and speak different languages. But we all have ONE thing in COMMON: WE SERVE A GLORIOUS AND LIVING GOD WHO TRULY REIGNS AND IS CROWNED AS LORD, KING AND SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH! God has spoken and touched my hearts that no matter what happens, His love is enough to see all of us through ALL difficulties! There is going to be a great awakening in this nation as God's people press on together to seek His holy face and to seek His will be done in our lives!" Caroline: "It was fantastic! To see so many Christians gathered to pray and praise him! It's really wonderful! The whole world was praying! God is really Great and He is in control and He is also burden for the lost!"
Si'er: "GDOP'06 was a historical moment in time. The mere fact of 24,000 Christians gathering in one place, giving God their relentless worship, is enough a sight to behold. For me, the climax of the night came when the leaders of the Pentecostal Charismatic and Conservative Evangelicals came together and ask for forgiveness for their misgivings towards each other. The historical moment ended with..the leader from both sides coming together, hugging one another, and washing each others' feet. I was reminded once again, that UNITY in the house of God is precious in the eyes of God. And when we have that, the fire of God will fall, inevitably, when we pray."
Joanie: "God is truly present with us on the Global day of Prayer at the National Stadium last Sunday 4Th June. I am sure many of my fellow brothers and sisters had felt His touch, and received his breath of life that re-charged our soul and body for the battleground ahead of us. Truly we can do all things through Him who gives us strength!
I went to the National Stadium feeling really burdened initially. I was worried by the many tasked assigned to me to give God glory. Dances that are to be performed but yet are unable to find time to practice for; Duties in church that has to be looked upon every week; Problems at home that needed to be solved. When things started to pile up, I became unwilling and my heart turned cold. "How can I handle all these by myself? It's unfair man!" This is the thought that kept appearing in my mind. Nevertheless, I was at the event with a heart of expectancy, that God would pour forth His power and show His glory to the people who have gathered in His name. True enough I felt His touch once again. As we went deeper into worship that day, God spoke to me, or rather to us. I was reminded that I have the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who have conquered death and gained victory for us all who believe in Him! I should stay focused on Him, not on the amount of work! I should not undermine His power to do the impossible!
I was immediately re-energized as God spoke to us through the speaker, prayer and worship. I immediately comprehend where the source of heaviness came from. It was from my self-reliance and lost of focus! I was looking at the task rather than the maker! As the realization dawned on me, peace engulfed my soul and my burdens delivered. Praise God for the wonderful experience and encounter!"
"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Hebrews 3:15
Sharing by Jasmine Pang
A bit of background before I really start, Friday was the first time i picked up my QT material in three weeks, mainly because I've been distracted by my Theatre Studies 'A' levels (they're in June, I just finished half of my exam on Thurs!) No excuse, really, I just put it off because I felt way too tired everyday when I came back from school. So anyway, after my Thursday exam I figured I'd start again, but I was too lazy again, so... you get the picture.
When I finally forced myself to get off the computer and flipped my devotional to the 1st June entry, my eyes nearly popped out. Not because I was tired but because of its title, "don't put it off." Argh! Guilty, guilty, guilty.
The verse I've quoted is repeated in Hebrew three times, first in 3:7-8, then 3:15, then 4:7, as a warning to those who had responded to God's call of salvation, but I feel it's also a verse that can be applied to us in terms of our obedience to God and his calling. If God tells you something, then do something about it, if God shows you something, then do something about it. It doesn't have to be monumental; it could be as simple as turning off your TV to do your QT, or something like that.
The word that jumped out at me, though, was "today." Deciding to do something isn't enough, we have to put it into action right away! Putting off something, and thinking that it'll get done eventually isn't a good thing, because most of time we'd end up not doing it at all. Like us and our tutorials. More importantly, we'll never know how long the oppurtunity to do something will be ours, so we should get down to it while the chance lasts - what are we waiting for?
Heh, thank goodness I read this verse, or I'd probably still be waiting. (And worse, keeping God waiting.)
Last Sat...from Tertiary Cell: "THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TALE" movie cum workshop!
Tertiary Cell conducted an evangelistic workshop last Saturday, and praise God! It was a great time of friends, facts and fun!
We invited some of our seeker friends to a screening of "The Da Vinci Code" together with us, and right after that, we headed down to Youth Fusion for a time of fellowship and uncovering the facts from the fiction!
Our cell mentor, Raymond, treated us to a thorough session of discovery through facinating pictures and astounding facts as we unravel the truth of the claims of the movie...and as the session came to a close, all of us were utterly convinced by the phenomenal claims of Jesus Christ as words which none of us can can take lightly!
There was also much thought-provoking dialogues within ourselves, as we broke into smaller groups to hear and share our personal thoughts...
Most of all, we got to know many new friends in our midst; Jack, Jiewei, Sidney, Zihui, Geraldine, Jiaxuan, Junyuan, Doreen and Leah spent the afternoon with us and...what can we say...We TOTALLY enjoyed their company! ;D
(We played a game at the end of the session and discovered many deep...dark secrets unknown to most others, about our fellow friends! We had a good time rolling around in laughter and fits!)
Indeed, praise God for all He has done through and in us! Don't forget to join us again this coming Saturday cos...SABRINA is gonna wrap up some absolutely exciting stuff in the final instalment of Chapter 4: God's Gifts to Us! You wouldn't want to miss it...!
