What Man Could Not Do, Jesus Did

What Man Could Not Do, Jesus Did
By Victor King

A story of how the amazing grace of God changes everything
You are about to read the Great manifestation Works of Jesus Christ………
From a gangster to an ambassador of the gospel.

I just want to share with you what the grace of God has done for me in my life.
I was a born in a Christian family. Despite hating to go to church, I was forced to by my parents. They sent me to a Christian school but that didn’t help. When I reached secondary school, that’s when I was influenced by my friends and got myself involved in gangsterism, smoking and skipping school. Things were turning from bad to worse as it became a lifestyle and a bondage to me.

I started stealing, vandalizing, drinking and getting into fights. My folks got to know about it and tried to talk me out of it but it didn’t work as I was very rude, hot-tempered and vulgar. My teachers, the school staff, my relatives, good friends and even counselors tried talking to me but none of them got through me.
My parents wanted to send me to the boys’ home but I was expelled from school because of my attitude and attendance. I became a school dropout at the age of 17.

Being a dropout did not really matter to me. Rather, it gave me more reasons to become a ‘full time’ gangster. I frequented pubs with my gang members daily. I became a heavy smoker and I got hooked on alcohol. I was full of obscenities and I got addicted to pornography. I started womanizing and stayed away from home most of the time.

There were times I got involved in armed robberies. Most of my friends were drug addicts and ex-convicts. It became a bondage to me as I started living this ‘troubled life’. Sometimes, I would worship idols and visit temples to pray with my friends. I was so lost. I became the worst guy in my family. Nobody could change me not even the army.

Many of them thought that I would change for the better when I was drafted into the Singapore Armed Forces but unfortunately, no. I managed to get myself into the army prison (detention barracks) for going A.W.O.L and my bad attitude. I was also brought back to the police station a couple times and my parents had to come and bail me out. I was a burden to them but I didn’t care!

But during those moments, there was a cry within. My lifestyle headed me to the prison many times, but I would always escape without getting caught. I believe God preserved me.

This whole bondage of the devil came to an end just few years ago. I had quite a number of girlfriends in the past and most of them were unbelievers. 5 years ago, I got to know this girl who was a Christian and she brought me to her church at Suntec City called the New Creation Church. It was the third time I felt Jesus touched me in a church, and this time I felt warmth all over me and I started crying. I felt so in love and loved but I didn’t know with whom. All I knew was that it was a love beyond a human’s love. That day, I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Life Transformation
One thing I know, that my life was not the same after that. As time went on, Jesus delivered me from so many bondages. Nine years of heavy smoking was gone, six years of alcoholism was gone and as time went by, God supernaturally took me out of the gang, delivered me from vulgarities, anger, womanizing and many more bad habits like pornography and lust. The Lord made me see women in a different way.

I became a new creation. I was also healed of a 10 year urinary bladder problem. Before this, I would go to the toilet for as many as five to seven times in the night, but by the grace the God, I don’t have this problem today. Now, I can just sleep through the night. Amazing grace! The people around me were shocked. With man it may seem impossible but with God, all things are possible.

For sin shall has no dominion over us for we are not under law but under grace.

I believe that God blessed me to be a blessing. I want to spread this Good News that only Jesus can make a difference in our lives and Jesus died for all our sins. He is merciful to our unrighteousness, sin and lawlessness. He remembers no more and there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

People are going to the world and things for answers but truth is, Jesus is the answer.

Not only has the grace of God transformed my life, I now have a great relationship with Jesus. Whenever I’m going through problems, the grace of God makes me run to Him. He has delivered and carried me through and from all my problems.

There were times when I felt like giving up and the problems were too big and overtaking me (even to the point of suicide) but He carried me through my storms. Even when I fell in my failures and sin, the Holy Spirit in me Always reminds and convicts me how Righteous I am in Christ and that my sins and lawless deeds GOD does not remember anymore because of the Finished Work of Jesus.

What Jesus did for me is priceless and beyond human strength. Jesus loves you too much and what He did for me by His Grace, He can do the same for you.

Now, I have a good problem, I can’t stop talking and preaching about Jesus. Jesus is so real.

Thank you so much for reading the wonderful Works of Jesus Christ.

Shalom

What Passion Litmus Test?

What Passion Litmus Test?
By Rachel Chew

Can we ever measure passion or put a finger on what passion looks or sounds like?

They say that if you’re not loud, you’re probably dead. They say that if you’re not giving your loudest shout, you’re not passionate. They say our King deserves it. Our King also, most probably, deserves a lot more things. Yet we find people who have either left or changed churches because of it. Some get disappointed and confused. They’re left speechless, literally.

We hear from friends coming back from a megachurch in a neighbouring (almost) country. We’ve heard it from the pulpit, even lead worshippers (the worship leader is ultimately the Holy Spirit); if it’s loud, bright, and can be seen and heard from a mile away, it’s definitely passion.

What’s that? I can’t hear you. Oh, you’re probably not passionate or *cough* Christian.

Extreme? Maybe. Out of context? Possibly. But haven’t we felt more ’alive’ when everyone sings their heart out and give their all in worship? Haven’t we felt as though we wanted to grow up and be just like them?

We talk about passion and equate it with how much time we do ‘quiet time’ or how many praise and worship songs we know. Lifting our hands at the right climaxes, clapping in beat and jumping all describe a ‘passionate’ person. It’s all rage and hype. Stepping out of our comfort zone means leaving our seats/pews and going upfront to um, rave… or whatever you call it. While we debate over worship styles and congregation enthusiasm in their responses, people’s needs are still not met and the poor are still poor.

True, passion starts with the individual, but it doesn’t have to end there. True passion always flows out, not clogging up within the four walls of ‘church’. Jesus was (and is) passionate. In fact, the word ‘passion’ came from the Latin word passi?, referring to the sufferings of Jesus or a martyr. He gave passion meaning. Today, being that passionate would be masochism. And no, black leather and whips will never be popular within ’churchy’ circles and neither was that what Jesus meant.

Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt 16:24). He calls us to passion, not merely to a passionate worship service, but to a life that follows after Him. It is a life that is uncomfortable, one that shakes us from our little boats and into the water. It means laying down our rights (to a home, money, fame or getting even) and picking up our cross. It’s a divine exchange of your life for His. And it happens daily.

Passion is not passive. Unfortunately, while we are passionate about the idea of passion, Jesus was (and is) passionate because He is compassionate*. We talk about following Jesus, but most of the time, we only follow Him to church and after service, we follow our stomachs. Jesus’ mission on earth was to the oppressed, poor, blind and the prisoners. God is always near the widows and fatherless. We can either take it metaphorically or literally—or better, both. There was a trend back in the 90s when the Christian subculture was famous for the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets, way before the current silicon bracelet fad. Catchy phrase, but if we really want to take it further, we should be asking what is Jesus doing and where is Jesus now. The present tense makes more sense because He is already here and all we need to do is join Him.

So where is Jesus? Where is He working? You say you have passion, live it. Leave the warm pews and go somewhere your butt will freeze because you have just given your coat to a beggar. Some may say you should start with the ‘small’ things first, i.e. taking out the trash in church or arranging seats before service, but truthfully, do we all think that God sees these acts as small? If all sin is sin to God, then all ’noble’ acts are equal because it is the Christian way of life. A life of love requires some form of self-giving and no service is smaller or more noble than another. Start with something immediate, do something you’d least likely do; whether it’s cleaning up your colleagues used cups and dishes or arming yourself with plastic bags to clean up your town. (Yes, we pay taxes for a reason. But it’s easier for us to give money than time and effort.)

Living selflessly is not easy, neither is it comfortable or ’natural’ in the worldly sense, but it is Christ’s passion, isn’t it? Having nails driven into His body was definitely not comfortable. Worship styles don’t even begin to describe it. Let’s not just talk about passion, let’s live a passion-filled life. Don’t just preach the gospel, be the gospel—the good news—to the poor, the oppressed and the needy. We’re the Church, the body of Christ, not a building. Jesus is all about the people and we should be too. If Jesus never changed His mission, why should we? It’s time we take the backseat, put the needs of others first and break down the walls that separate us from ’them’.

If it’s comfortable, it’s not passion.

*Compassion comes from the Late Latin word, compati; com (together) + pati (to suffer). Look up ‘passion’.

One Stormy Night

One Stormy Night
By Sandra Chin

The love bug sometimes hits you at the oddest times. But hey, you don't have to place yourself on the hit list especially when you aren't looking.
Ever had a one stormy night episode before? That day when everything seems to go wrong, you feel depressed, handling the situation all alone. It’s at that very lowest point of your day or life, and in walks… a guy or girl into your “moment” and offers a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear. Wham! Bam! Right there and then you get hit by the love bug! A blinding moment of mixed emotions! Especially, when the other party has been secretly interested in you for a while now(or vice versa).

Well, my one episode happened some eons ago when I had a bad week with my immediate supervisor. Everything I did was wrong, she was losing patience and I was losing confidence every time she gave the “look”. Well, the final straw broke my day and I was left moping in the office wondering how to clear up the mistakes. Right then a call came from a guy colleague who worked at the bank on the ground floor (I was on the 14th floor) who was trying so hard to get my attention and take me on a date. I had on several occasions turned him down saying I was not into any relationships at that time. But on that “one stormy night”, he walked into my “moment” with a listening ear and a packet of  “tong sui”(sweet dessert)!! Oh dear!! I went for it as I just needed to pour my heart out! Looking back, (What was I thinking!), there could have been some other girlfriend, friend or even my mom, to talk to than to talk to an almost stranger.

That “moment” turned into a two year relationship that had its ups and downs and a very controlling boyfriend! As much as he was a nice person, there were several times I asked myself, why am I dating this guy? We were not compatible, and I think most days I was just settling for a man for fear I may not meet another guy! Sound Familiar? That is so not right! Well, the relationship finally ended on note that I had my “calling” to pursue and he was not comfortable to flow with it, so we broke up. Phew! That was a God moment that has brought me years later, to today, happily married to an awesome man and a colorful story to tell!!

My two cents worth of advice for those who may fall into a “one stormy night” moment:
    * never pour your heart to a stranger, especially the opposite sex
    * don’t start any romantic relationship at your lowest point of emotions even if that “someone” is a good friend who has been secretly admiring you
    * don’t allow yourself to think that no one cares because there will be someone in your circle of friends with a listening ear
    * if there is this nice person who just takes your breath away, do give yourself time to recover from your state of lowness, get back to the place of confidence, feel great about things around you then perhaps have that lunch with him or her. Get to know each other better instead of being swept up by both the high and low emotions.
    * if you happen to fall into a romantic relationship that’s not working out, do the right thing, get out of it!
    * don’t SETTLE for any relationship, you are much more valuable and precious than you know. You are worth the wait!