Trinitarian Magazine Issue 4/2012

Issue 04/2012

www.trinity.net

Up Close

Night Life?

No Life?

New Life!

Pulse

Israel Tour Envision

Ideas to Invite

Transforming Power of God’s Presence

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Contents 32

Transforming Power of God’s Presence

Issue 04/2012

SPECIAL FOCUS Transforming power of god’s presence

34 Meekness and Majesty

The Transforming Glory of God’s Presence

42 Transformed

God’s presence at work

45 Recommended Books Grow deeper in Him

13 What a Year it has been

12 things we thank God for in Trinity

20 Building god’s house

Dr Mark Conner’s seven power tools

24 Courageous Living Living out PARC with faith

66 Joy of Christmas Past

Touched by past Christmas presentations

67 Ideas to Invite

Be creative, invite ten loved ones

68 Taking the LEAD

Shared experiences and upcoming courses

72 Ohayo-gozaimasu!

Launch of Japanese Ministry

74 Missions at a glance

Overview of Missions for Jan-Sep 2012

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Issue 04/2012

Contents

46

58 Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God’s Family

Real Life Miracle

16 Take Courage!

Grow a Lasting Legacy Vision Month Report

76 Love God, Love People Local MIT with CCSS

46 Nightlife? No Life?

New Life!

Real Life Miracle

98 Trinitarian Hero Care and Connect

78 Share the Joy

CCSS Rations Distribution

80 Impact the Globe

TCA 23rd Graduation Ceremony

84 THE BIBLE COMES TO LIFE Trinity’s first Israel Tour

90 B.I.G.

DiscoveryLand Celebrate Children’s Day

92 A Place of Encounter IGNYTE Worship Experience

96 Grace Behind the Sand

An exclusive interview with Amy Sand

100 Caught on Trinity’s Camera 6

Trinity Moments

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Advisor Chief Editor

Reading the Real Life Miracle article ‘Life is “Perfect” Do I Need God?’ last issue sparked me to reflect upon my own life. It made me realized that life is not about what you have but who you have in it. Loving the Lord, loving your neighbor, reaching out to people who need to know Him and leaving a legacy are what count. No matter how “perfect” my life may be I still need God. It was a good reminder for me.

Pastor Dominic Yeo Pastor Janice Chng

Editor

Kevin Kwang Diana Lim Miranda Zhang

Editorial Team

Carol Lim Chen Xiufang Chia Ban Seng Elaine Cheah Elane Luo Gabriel Chu Han Mei Zhen Ivan Koh Lye Hui Xian Moo Yubin Sharon Lim Will Yong

Contributing Photographers

Eldon Lim Contributing Designers Editorial Support

Aram Pan Danny Leong Dennis Thong IGNYTE Photography Team Jason Tan Josias Teo Pastor Beatrice Kang Titus Thevathasan Twenty4Frames Faith Koh Sarah Lau Woo May Yin

Advertising Sales & Admin

Sarah Lau For ad sales enquiries, Tel: 6304 7718 Email: sarahlau@trinity.org.sg

The last Real Life Miracle story in the Trinitarian was really encouraging. As a business owner myself, I needed to be reminded that life isn't just about successes but finding purpose and meaning in God's will. The 30 ways to Care and Connect was simple, refreshingly practical and jolted me to start inviting people to church again. Thank you, Trinitarian for encouraging me in my journey of faith.

Catherine Lim

Mailing Address

Singapore Post Centre Post Office PO Box 616 Singapore 914021 Website

www.trinity.net Email

admin@trinity.org.sg ISSUE 4/2012

The Trinitarian is published quarterly by Trinity Christian Centre.

Company registration number 197802911H MICA (P) 102/03/2011 Designed by Cicada Design Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Refine Printing Pte Ltd License number L004/06/2012 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without express written permission is prohibited. Opinions and views expressed do not necessarily constitute the official stand of the church.

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ENGLISH SERVICES Weekend Services, Nursery & Discoveryland* Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am & 11am Pre-Teens Services (ages 10-12) Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am IGNYTE Services (ages 13-20) Sat 5pm • Sun 11am CHINESE SERVICES Sat 8.30am & 11am

We see our worship services,

We see Trinity Christian

prayer meetings and carecells

Centre as a church living

as places where people hunger

together in covenantal

for the presence of God

relationships; where

and where God delights to

carecells, ministries,

inhabit and dwell. In a vibrant

families and individuals

atmosphere of worship, prayer

are flowing in corporate

and discipleship, we see people

unity to fulfill God’s

encountering God and the

purpose and plan for the

manifestation of signs, wonders

church for that hour.

and miracles.

ENGLISH SERVICES Weekend Services, Nursery & Discoveryland* Sat 5pm • Sun 10am Pre-Teens Services (ages 10-12) Sat 5pm • Sun 8.30am IGNYTE Services (ages 13-20) Sat 5pm • Sun 10am CHINESE SERVICES Sat 5pm • Sun 10am** FILIPINO SERVICE Sun 10am INDONESIAN SERVICE Sun 10am JAPANESE SERVICE 2nd & 3rd Sun of the month 10am

We see a people consumed

We see the church

with a vision to touch the

as a place for the

world for Jesus Christ and

empowerment and

to see His glory displayed

development of Spirit-filled

throughout the world. We see

leaders who will be

a church with a passionate

strategically positioned

heartbeat to fulfill God’s global

and deployed within

agenda through sending men

the Body of Christ. Every

and women of faith to equip

Trinitarian a leader with

and empower churches and

a ministry.

the body of Christ.

THAI SERVICES Sun 1pm & 6pm

Passionate Honor Passion to love and honor God

Audacious Fervor Boldness and zeal to believe and ask largely for the impossible

Relentless Belief Unwavering belief in people and their God-g¡ven dest¡ny

Contagious Faith Authentic and infectious faith that reaches out to the lost

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Time really flies, we are approaching the end of 2012, I just came back from our first Israel tour with about 80 other Trinitarians. It was my 25th wedding anniversary present to my wife, Chin Inn. We visited Cana, the Sea of Galilee and literally walked in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. For many of us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage.

Read all about it on p86.

This issue is about being transformed by God’s presence. In our Special Focus, p34-47, we explore the topic on the glory of His presence and speak to Trinitarians whose lives had been transformed by Him.Also, see how God turns Peggy’s life around in our Real Life Miracle, Nightlife? No Life? New Life! p48-57.

As we approach Christmas, we can be very pre-occupied with holidaying, shopping and feasting. But let us not forget what truly matters to God – for people to know Him. This Christmas, invite your friends to experience God’s love at Home For Christmas.

Read Ideas to Invite, p69 and get creative!

So Trinitarians, let us arise in apostolic faith to believe for an unprecedented harvest this Christmas. Join me to see your families and friends celebrating Christmas together in the house of God. May you and your family be blessed!

God’s presence is truly amazing. But beyond enjoying Him in our lives, I believe that He wants our loved ones and friends to encounter His love as well.

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Trinitarians express thanks to those who have served courageously and been a blessing to others.

Dear Pastors of the Chinese Ministry, Thank you for organizing the Mooncake Festival Celebration on Sun, Sep 30. It was entertaining and also educational. I know better now how mooncakes came about!

I sincerely thank Pastor Kelvin for taking the initiative to connect with my parents and also to pray for my mother. My parents have many good things to say about the pastors of Trinity! Your kindness touched my parents' hearts and gave them an experience of Christ's love and goodness.

Lily Koh

I would like to extend my appreciation to the Traffic Marshall named Chee Seng. I was directed to park my car at the far end of B2 on one of the Sunday services. Chee Seng walked over to my car when he saw that I was trying to get my 5-year-old boy and 13-month-old baby out from the car on my own. He kept a lookout for oncoming cars and even helped to escort us all the way to the lift lobby. Chee Seng was perspiring a lot in the car park, but nevertheless, he kept a warm smile on his face that really made us feel welcomed.

Serin Tan

I am grateful to the pastors and teachers serving at Sun, 8.30am DiscoveryLand!

I asked my son whether he remembers what he learnt yesterday so he can apply it and he promptly replied, “Proverbs 20:4 – If you are too lazy to plough, don’t expect a harvest.”

Charmaine Khaw

Rui-En sat in the adult service last Sunday as her tummy was unwell. We were starting a series on the ‘Amor of God’. And she went, “Oh, I learnt this in DiscoveryLand.

Breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel…” She also remembers that the teacher was wearing the armor on stage in a hilarious way. Thank God for our dedicated and talented Children’s Ministry team.

June Tan

Do you have someone to thank? Send your appreciation notes to connect@trinity.org.sg.

What a Year it has been

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Things we thank god

for in 2012

1 2

LEAD Launched

Every Trinitarian a Strategic Leader

Our Senior Pastor’S first book Potential to Fulfillment

PASSOVER

THE

EXPERIENCE AN EASTER PRESENTATION

逾越节之体验 THU, APR 5 FRI, APR 6

2 MILLION OPPRESSED SLAVES. THEIR ONLY HOPE WAS IN GOD.

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Pastors’ Conference 483 leaders and pastors from 27 nations

4 The Passover First Experiential Easter

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5 6

The First Foray

Missions to Vietnam

First Pastors’ Conference in Vietnam

7 8 14

MIT Trip to Mongolia

Japanese ministry Launched in July

Spanish Interpretation For our main services

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Prayer Meetings Upsize From Theatrette to Chapel

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First Campus Evangelistic Event More Than This

11 12

ISRAEL TOUR

Trinity’s Maiden Voyage

Home For Christmas An Unprecedented Scale

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September is a time where Trinitarians gather to celebrate our vision and identity. Han Mei Zhen reports.

“Just imagine. If every one of us can bring a pre-believer to Jesus Christ this year, we would have run out of space by this time next year.�

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Senior Pastor Dominic Yeo posed the challenge to Trinitarians at this year’s Vision Rally. If every one of the 7,000 Trinitarians across all languages and locations is committed to win one person for Christ, our current facilities at Trinity@Paya Lebar and Trinity@Adam would not be able to hold all the people.

Looking back over the years, Trinity tore down the old bungalow house at 21 Adam Road to build an auditorium when the congregation was just numbering hundreds. The building was then extended during Phase Two of the development and we kept growing. God gave us the opportunity to purchase Trinity@Lavendar and eventually, we purchased and built Trinity@Paya Lebar.

As we continued building, more and more people came to know God. Every step of the way, Trinitarians took courage to give to our vision. Today, we can look back to see that our faith in the past has led to a lasting legacy for our children, and their children.

Should we sit on our laurels now? After all, God spoke clearly during a pastors’ summit years ago that

He will bless us with five centers. The Vision Faith Promises we received this year from Trinitarians of all ages – all S$16,492,687.67 of it – will go toward fulfilling God’s vision. Rev Alton Garrison encouraged us to trust God with our giving because really, all we have is His. September is traditionally Trinity’s Vision Month where Trinitarians come together to celebrate our vision and identity. Young and old alike enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere in the carnival festivities of games, ice-cream, juices and most of all, fellowship with one another.

A church is not just a building built with iron, bricks and glass. Rev Mark Connor reminded us that a church is not great because of its numbers. A wonderful church is one that is made up of believers who love our Lord Jesus Christ and who love one another.

Let us do our part to make Trinity a place of Vibrant Atmosphere, Incredible Unity, Passionate Heartbeat and Strategic Leadership!

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Courageous Giving

God invites us to take courage, trust Him and step out into the deep end of the waters. Two Trinitarians arose in faith and God helped them to fulfill their faith promises.

I have been giving faithfully to both Missions and Vision faith promises.

Just last year God challenged me to move to another level of faith. I was really not sure how that was going to be possible as I have not been getting any pay increment or promotions for a really long time. God must have heard my thoughts as I received an update from my boss through SMS that I would be receiving a 20% increment in my pay while on MIT! Then came Vision Month, I decided to take courage and doubled the amount of my faith promise. Thinking that the 20% increment was provision from God, I really wasn’t expecting anything more. However, God surprised me again at the year-end bonus. I received more bonus than I had ever received in the 17 years I have worked for the company. We can truly never out-give God. I did not have to save over the months from my 20% increment, God gave the whole figure through my bonus.

Through obeying and taking courage for breakthrough, God ushered in a breakthrough in my finances as well.

I have learnt we can be a cheerful giver because He is my provider.

Lily Lim, regional accountant 18

I always trusted God to be my provider since I became a Christian.

It was easy to give when I was a single young adult.

However, as life progressed and God blessed me with a family, my paternal instincts and calculations came into the picture. My wife had stopped working for more than a year to look after our two children. And I became the sole income source for the family.

With the rising costs of living and demands of a family, I decided to stop filling in the faith promise cards for some time. However, early this year, I felt God challenged my heart to give again. I told God I did not have a lot to give but I will obey Him. I had no idea where the money was going to come from every month but I wrote the figure down in faith for both the Missions and Vision faith promise cards.

God never fails to provide. Within a short span of time, God blessed me many folds for the amount I wrote on the faith promise card. He even included a promotion which came as a surprise. I felt God reminding me that in my lack, His power is made strong. His desire is to bless us, even though giving in my lack was beyond human comprehension, but He is more than able to provide and bless abundantly. I am glad I have left a lasting legacy for my family to trust God in our finances. To God be the glory.

Tan Choon Shing, educator

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What is a Faith Promise?

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Rather it is made by faith, believing that God will somehow provide the amount through you.

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Through offering envelopes: Pick up a tithing envelope from the Celebration Hosts and drop it into the offering bag.

What about Tithe and Offering?

We acknowledge that everything that we have belongs to God through our tithing. We are merely stewards and tithing is returning onetenth of our resources to God. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Malachi 3:10 Offering is giving over and above our tithes, trusting that God will provide for our every need.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38

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Through AXS Stations: Click ‘Community’ and you will find the Trinity logo.

Check out the AXS Station at Trinity@Paya Lebar, located at Level 1 (below Han’s café).

Through DBS ATMs: • Select IBANKING > BILL PAYMENT • Select TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE LTD under the list of corporations • Enter Bill Reference No. 1. Tithe/Offering 2. Missions Faith Promise 3. Vision Faith Promise (Building) Through DBS Internet Banking: • Apply for ibanking at any DBS/POSBank ATM or do so online • Logon to DBS Internet Banking at https:// internet-banking.dbs.com.sg • Select PAYMENT SERVICES > ADD NEW BILLING ARRANGEMENT • Select TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTRE • Enter Consumer Reference No. 1. Tithe/Offering 2. Missions Faith Promise 3. Vision Faith Promise (Building) 19

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Building God’s House Dr Mark Conner, senior minister of Melbourne’s CityLife Church, Australia, serves up a comprehensive tool kit to build up a dynamic church.

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A Great Promise During the iconic Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the attentive crowd not to worry about their life. He did quite the contrary, in Matthew 6:33, He instructed them: “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Jesus essentially meant that there are many things we can worry and get stressed about, but when you put God’s Kingdom; the church; the House of God as the number one priority in your lives, He comes along and takes care of everything else. Isn’t that a great promise for us?

The book of Haggai tells of a time when the Israelites have just returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. They had eagerly laid the foundation to build a temple for God but for the next 16 years, they stopped construction works, saying to themselves: “The time has not yet come to build the Lord’s House.” (Haggai 1:2)

They had started building God’s house then stopped as it got difficult. But in stopping they were missing out on the blessings that God had intended for them if they had put God’s house first.

The promise from God’s Word is this: As we put building God’s house first, God will bless us in every area of our life.

Seven Power Tools to Build God’s House I have seven Power Tools for building God’s house. It is not enough just to leave them in the tool box, the challenge is to use them.

Love (1 Peter 4:8-9)

A simple act of love – kindness and friendliness – is a powerful tool to build the church.

God then spoke to the people Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers through the prophet Haggai, “Is it a over a multitude of sins. The measure of a great church time for you yourselves to be living in your is not its size or how many members it has; it is the love paneled houses, while this house remains and friendliness between its members that matter. a ruin? Give careful thought to your Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ways.You have planted much, but have Let us extend this love to newcomers and visitors. Put on a smile and learn someone’s name, make them feel harvested little.You eat, but never have enough.You drink, but never have your fill. welcome in your church today.

You put on clothes, but are not warm.You Service (1 Peter 4:10) earn wages, only to put them in a purse Discover and develop your gifts for the benefit of with holes in it.” (Haggai 1:4-5) The moment the people responded and put God’s house first, God promised that He would bless them.

He said. “From this day on, I will bless you.” (Haggai 2:19)

others. We all have different gifts and abilities, so not everyone will be prominently up on the stage serving, but everybody’s service is significant. Let us play our part to serve the church.

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Prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-4) Pray for everyone, especially those in authority.

When Moses sent Joshua to fight the war against the Amalekites, he stayed on the top of the hill to pray.

(Exodus 17) As long as Moses’s hands were held up, the Israelites were winning but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites would overtake. In the end, Joshua won the war – but it was the intercessory prayer that had been going on atop the hill.

Aaron and Hur came to support Moses and held his hands up, one on each side.

Let us pray and intercede for God’s grace, wisdom and blessings to be upon our leadership.

Be someone who prays and intercedes for God’s blessings to be upon the church.

Worship (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Don’t let division or hurt tear the church apart.

We are bound to get offended some time. It is what we do about the offence that build the church or tears it apart.

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Giving (Proverbs 3:9-10)

Let’s honor the Lord with our wealth by giving to build God’s house. Does it take a paradigm shift for us to view our resources? If everything we have comes from God, then let us show generosity because of love and gratitude.

I encourage you to meet together on a regular basis because something dynamic happens when believers gather. Contribute to the worship atmosphere in your church. Worship isn’t just about how anointed the worship leaders or the band on the stage are. We all contribute by coming together with expectation and responsiveness - this builds up the atmosphere. Our singing, worship and thanksgiving are for Jesus and no one else. Come ready with your heart of thanksgiving.

Protect the Unity (Ephesians 4:3)

Reaching Out (Matthew 28: 9 – 20)

There are three reasons why a church exists: (i) (ii) (iii)

to love God to love each other to reach out to people in Singapore and beyond who don’t know Jesus

We are called with a purpose to reach people with God’s love. Heaven’s priority is reaching out to lost people and evangelism is for all of us. Evangelism is a process of coming to know God so let us be part of somebody’s link to God. T

All of us can use these tools they are simple and they are already there.

We must use them on a regular basis.

As a Trinitarian, I can use these seven tools to: 1. Love – Care and connect with a visitor to the carecell 2. Service – Serve in a Ministry Expression like Traffic Marshall 3. Prayer – Come for upcoming Prayer Meetings 4. Worship – Come earlier for service 5. Protect the Unity – Honor our spiritual leaders and treasure my carecell 6. Giving – Give cheerfully to God’s purposes 7. Reaching Out – Invite someone to upcoming preaching series, events etc.

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LIVING OUT OUR CORE VALUES WITH

COURAGE

by Pastor Dominic Yeo

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W

hen was the last time that you got into an argument with somebody? If you are married, do you remember why you argued with your spouse? Parents, why did you argue with your children? Quite often, relationships clash and break down not because of a lack of communication, but because of differences in values. Perspectives are underpinned by values, and that is why Trinity embraces certain core values to build a common perspective in the church.

Trinity has four core values: Passionate Honor, Audacious Fervor, Relentless Belief and Contagious Faith. To live out these values requires courage. Why? Because courage is faith in action; it requires that we live and behave differently in a world with values that are constantly shifting and eroding.

Our Core Values Passionate Honor Passion to love and honor God Audacious Fervor Boldness and zeal to believe and ask largely for the impossible Relentless Belief Unwavering belief in people and their God-given destiny Contagious Faith Authentic and infectious faith that reaches out to the lost

To illustrate how we can live out these values, let’s take a look at the story of Paul and Silas in Philippi found in Acts 16:16-40.

What happened in Acts 16:16-40?

In Acts 16, Paul and his companions were in Philippi where they came across a demon-possessed slave girl who was able to tell the future. When she kept following Paul and his companions around, Paul was so annoyed that he turned around and delivered her. The owner of the slave girl was very upset as he had lost his revenue stream, and demanded that Paul and Silas be flogged and thrown into prison. In prison, Paul and Silas continued to worship God until He delivered them with a mighty earthquake. Seeing this, the jailer was about to

kill himself as he thought all the prisoners had run away, but Paul announced that he and the other prisoners had not escaped. Paul then shared the gospel with the jailer and his household who then came to believe in God. The next day, after the magistrate realized that Paul and Silas were actually Roman citizens, he ordered that they be released as free men.

Passionate Honor Passionate Honor is defined as the passion to love and honor God regardless of the situation. When we exhibit passionate honor, we have the courage to love and honor the Lord in both good and bad times, and it brings about God’s favor in our lives.

It is usually easy to love and honor God when things are going well. It is far more challenging to love God when times are rough. This is why we need to display courage like Paul and Silas did; instead of giving up on their faith and mission, they chose to put God first.

The Bible tells us that Paul and Silas were severely flogged and thrown into prison by the magistrates.

They were placed in the inner cell and their feet were fastened in stocks. Amidst their predicament, Paul and Silas did something quite remarkable – they were praying and singing hymns to God! Paul and Silas were putting the value of passionate honor in action – they had the courage to honor God not just in the good times, but also in times of difficulty and suffering. We learn that God eventually vindicated Paul and Silas when the magistrate set them free from prison.

I have also experienced the fruit of demonstrating passionate honor in my own life. Many years ago, it came time for me to make a personal faith pledge to the church building fund. I had come to the service with a figure in mind but I hesitated to write it down because it was just too big. Even if I were to divide it over 12 months, it would take a great miracle for me to fulfill it. In my doubt, I even held on to the pledge card for an extra day just to contemplate how I would fulfill that pledge amount.

As I struggled with God, He kept on repeating the same message to me, “Honor me.” The day after the rally, I decided that if I was going to honor God, 27

I would do it properly – I wrote an amount on the card which was double of the original pledge I had in mind and submitted the card to the church Finance department.

Not long after that, I received a phone call from a church member who wanted to meet me for lunch.

Over lunch, he explained to me that he was relocating to Hong Kong and therefore he and his family would no longer be worshipping at Trinity. He handed me an envelope and said, “Pastor, could you hand this to the Finance Department for me? My tithe is inside.”

I did as he requested and handed the envelope in.

Later on, I received a phone call from the Finance department and they asked me down to their office.

Derek, our finance manager then told me that he had received the tithe but there was another check in the envelope for me. As I looked at the check, I realized that God had just helped me fulfill my faith promise – the amount on the check was sufficient to cover the faith promise I made just hours ago!

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Passionate honor says that we will worship and love God despite how difficult our situations may seem. A very important principle we must learn is that when you honor God, God honors you! Eventually, we will see God’s blessing come upon our lives when His favor shines on us.

Audacious Fervor Audacious Fervor is defined as the boldness and zeal to believe and ask largely for the impossible. God is the God of the impossible – Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Courageous, audacious fervor says, “I want to believe.

Even if I don’t know what is on the other end of it all, I will believe God for breakthrough and fulfillment.”

So, what does audacious fervor actually look like? Let us look at the story Paul and Silas again.

Back in those days, imprisonment meant that you would either die in jail or you are vindicated by the

magistrate and released – there was no parole or early release. Paul and Silas had no inkling of when or whether they would be released. However, not only did they passionately honor God, they truly believed that God would deliver them.

I received Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior on Jun 9, 1980. About three to four months after I had received Christ, I began losing a great deal of weight.

By the end of the year, I had lost over 20kg and was passing blood in my stool and urine. I was getting so concerned that I checked myself into Singapore General Hospital and had a scope done.

The doctor said that there was growth in my intestine and that it was likely to be cancer. For as long as I can remember, I have always been someone who embraces and lives life to the fullest, so the news was a great blow to me. The doctor wanted to ward me to take a biopsy of the growth. However, I could not stand the thought of being in hospital, so I declined and left the hospital. At that time, even as a young Christian, the first thing on my mind was to head straight to church to receive prayer.

When I got to church, the pastor who was there asked me how I wanted to be prayed for. I said, “Pray for my life. I just came from the hospital and I probably have cancer.”

After she prayed for me, I said a personal prayer to God as well. Keeping in mind that I was still a very young Christian, I prayed, “Lord, let my life be worship unto you.” God has since healed me of my affliction, and today I am totally cancer free!

I had such audacious fervor to believe that God would do a miracle in and through my life. How He would do it, I did not know, but all I knew was that He would.

Similarly for Paul and Silas, they did not know how they would escape, but I believe they too trusted God with their lives. That is what believing God largely is like. Even though you do not know if you will live or die, you put your life entirely and totally into the hands of an awesome loving Father and say, “Come what may,

may my life be worship unto you. I am going to believe You for breakthrough.”

It is like the man in Mark 9 whose child would keep falling into the fire when the demon manifested. The disciples could not cast the demon out, and Jesus called them a “faithless generation”. When the father of the possessed child believed, he saw Jesus perform a miracle. If you need a breakthrough, choose to live courageously and believe in God.

Relentless Belief We can also live courageously by demonstrating relentless belief, defined as the unwavering belief in people and their God-given destiny. In our Christian journey, we will always encounter people who will reject us and let us down when we try to nurture or evangelize them. Courageous living through relentless belief is expressed when we are patient in mentoring people even when they fail us.

To illustrate, I want to bring your attention to Acts 16:17, where it says, “She [the demon-possessed girl] followed Paul and the rest of us.”

Who were the people that the Bible described as “the rest of us”? The Bible says that Paul was not travelling alone but that his party included people such as Timothy and Luke the physician. However, the Bible records that only Paul and Silas were thrown in prison while Luke and Timothy were nowhere to be found! Nonetheless, Paul did not hold this abandonment against them. Instead, he demonstrated courage in loving them and believing in them. In fact, Acts 16:40 tells us that Paul went back to Lydia’s house to meet with and encourage the brothers and sisters there, including Luke and Timothy.

Relentless belief is a two-way street. At times, we may need to demonstrate relentless belief with respect to our leaders, just like they did in the early church. Before Paul’s conversion at Damascus, he was known as Saul, persecutor and murderer of Christians.Yet when he was saved, Barnabas stood up for him and believed in him. He convinced the rest to accept him as one of their own.

Even after his conversion, Paul’s disciples had to continue trusting that he had a God-given destiny to speak into their lives as their mentor.

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When you believe in a person’s God-given destiny and not give up on them, that person will be blessed by you, and he or she might even become the next senior pastor of Trinity!

Contagious Faith Our last core value is Contagious Faith, and it is an authentic and infectious faith that reaches out to the lost.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into jail, their faith was not confined to just encouraging themselves.

In fact, they were singing audibly and all the other prisoners were listening to them. The Bible tells us that as they were singing, there was a violent earthquake and everyone’s chains fell loose. The jailer was mortified and tried to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had all escaped. However, Paul and Silas demonstrated Contagious Faith; instead of running away, they stayed behind to explain the steps of salvation to the jailer so that he and his household would be saved.

Likewise, for us to live courageously, we must have the courage to not only do the work of God, but also to share the story of God with others authentically and infectiously.

After I came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I experienced a dramatic, radical change in my life – I was healed from my drug addiction and I immediately found freedom and wholeness in Jesus.

However, when I was in the Air Force, believe it or not, I was actually quite timid. I did not dare to express my faith openly. This was because before I was saved, I always thought religion was for wimps! Even when I had to go for Wednesday prayer meetings in church, I would even stuff my Bible in a plastic bag so that no one would see me carrying one around.

God nonetheless began to convict my heart: I had always seen Christians as being all ‘holy-moly’ but I could not reconcile that standard to the wild lifestyle I was living. I felt like I could not share my faith with others because I felt like I did not live an authentic Christian life.

Courageous, contagious faith says that you must begin somewhere and trust God with your brokenness. Even 30

if you feel that your Christian walk is dysfunctional, take a step of faith and begin sharing God’s story with others. When we stand up and say that we want to tell the story of God, God will begin to work in us, calibrate our “non-authentic” faith and make it genuine for His glory. It is a gradual process, and you must be patient.

The first time I decided to take that step of faith, I was actually out drinking with a few buddies when one of them used God’s name in vain and said, “Jesus!”

My response to him was. “Oh, so you know my Jesus too?” I never heard him swear that way again.

Some of us may feel like we have “broken wings” and hold back when we feel convicted to share more with our friends and colleagues. I encourage you to step up with courage and start speaking up – the moment you do so, God will slowly work in you and in turn make your Christian life authentic and genuine.

Live courageously to experience God’s blessings for your life Courage is really another way to spell F-A-I-T-H, and it is an essential ingredient for how we live for God and also to receive His blessing. I have laid out four key principles for you to experience favor, breakthrough, destiny and authenticity in your life.

Do you need favor? Favor comes from living courageously with passionate honor.

Do you need breakthrough or a miracle in your life?

Then ask God for one with audacious fervor!

Do you want to see a person reach their God-given destiny? Then live courageously with relentless belief, do not give up on them and you will have an imprint in their lives. Finally, if you truly want an authentic Christian life, live contagious faith, and keep on telling others about the story of God. T

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Transforming Power of God’s Presence

God’s presence. The two words, used in the right setting and context, evoke reverence and awe among us Christians. Joy follows, because we know we are communing with our King.

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into His presence during our Time Alone With God and growing in the necessary spiritual disciplines to communicate with God during these times.

On the flip side, It might also bring up confusion and, because of this, stress, frustration and sometimes even guilt and fear among less mature Christians and even prebelievers. What if I have never entered into God’s presence?

What do I do to get there? Am I irrevocably a sinner beyond redemption if I don’t?

We have all gone through seasons of grappling with God’s presence. Many of us still are. In hope of shedding some light on the topic, this quarter’s Trinitarian will find out what God’s presence means to different ones, why it is important to constantly enter into His environment and cultivate the right spiritual habits to more easily engage with God and listen to His voice.

Then for those who have tasted of God’s goodness, the struggle would be how to consistently enter

Press in and be transformed by God’s presence today.

34 Meekness and Majesty

The Transforming Glory of God

42 Transformed by God’s Presence

Three Trinitarians share their real-life experiences

45 Recommended Books Great reads to deepen your walk in God’s Presence

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Meekness and Majesty – The Transforming Glory of God

By Pastor Dr Philip Lyn

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At Life Conference 2012, Pastor Dr Philip Lyn shared a powerful sermon on the glory of God. In it he shared with us what the glory of God is, what it is attracted to, how to cultivate it and how it transforms our lives.

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n 1928, a young English doctor named Alexander Fleming came back from his summer holidays. He was a bacteriologist – one who specializes in the study of bacteria. To his horror, he found that the culture plates he had left sitting on his shelf had been overgrown and taken over by a profusion of bacteria. As a result, he had to throw these culture plates away since they were absolutely useless.

As he was discarding them, he came across this particular culture plate which was actually free from bacteria growth. Turning aside for a closer look, he noticed a mold in the middle of that culture plate.

Somehow, this mold was producing a substance that made it impossible for the bacteria to grow, and it belonged to a species of mold

called “penicillin”. Unknown to him, Alexander Fleming had accidentally stumbled upon one of the greatest discoveries in medicine in the 20th century. He had discovered the world’s first antibiotic. He stumbled onto a glory that was far greater than himself.

3,500 years before Fleming, another person stumbled upon a glory which was far greater than himself. And his name was Moses.

We are told that he was working at the Sinai desert tending sheep for 40 years. It was a mundane, humdrum job performed by a no-name, agrarian peasant tending sheep, and without any sense of destiny.

One day, when he was tending sheep as usual, Moses saw a burning bush. Burning bushes in the

deserts are a common affair, and as he was about to pass it aside just like Fleming did when he was throwing all the plates away, he noticed something strange. And just like Fleming, he turned aside and stopped and had a look.

He noticed that although the bush was burning, it was not consumed.

As he came nearer, he heard a voice say to him, “Moses, Moses, take off your shoes. For the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

And like Fleming, Moses stumbled onto a glory, except that this glory is far greater than the glory that Fleming discovered in Penicillin – Moses had stumbled on the glory of God. In all our lives, we must center back on the glory of God, where it all must begin – the indwelling, transforming glory of God in our lives.

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SPECIAL FOCUS The Oxford English dictionary defines ‘glory’ as ‘exalted’, ‘renown’, ‘splendor’, ‘majesty’, and ‘honorable fame’.

When we go to the New Testament and we look at the word ‘glory’ in Greek, we find that it is actually spelt as ‘doxa’ and it means ‘reputation’ or ‘fame’. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for glory is ‘kabod’, which simply means heaviness or weightiness. The glory of God according to Scripture is the overwhelming, awesome weight of God’s renown, His fame, and His reputation seen in magnificent majesty, beauty and splendor. That weight prevented the Levites and the priests from going into the temple of Solomon at its completion.

The center of God’s glory is not an “atomic bomb” or some explosive power. While we imagine the glory of God to be fire, wind, clouds, lightning, earthquakes, smoke, thunder, these are just limited human assessments of the glory of God. The glory of God is in fact His moral otherness and holiness. This moral holiness of God must keep its distance from us because we are sinful people; just like how we cannot draw close to the surface of the sun without being consumed by its heat, no one can see the glory of God in its fullness and still live.

In spite of this immense power, an even greater truth exists: this great glory of God – ‘kabod’ – seeks to become Emmanuel, or “God with us.” From the time of the Old Testament, when God commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle, God has always longed to meet with His people. This is why Jesus came – He died for us on the cross so that our sins would be taken away and the Holy Spirit can come and live in the heart of every believer.

Principle 1: God’s glory is attracted to “dead” people What attracts God’s glory?

“Dead” people People hungry for His presence Obedience 36

Attracting the glory of God The glory of God is an incredible thing – when the presence of God has come into your life, the spirit of the living God now lives in you. How can we grow in the presence of God such that it leads us and becomes the center of our very existence?

Firstly, the glory is attracted to “dead” people, people who have died to themselves. Moses was such a man. Before he went to Pharaoh, he was nothing more than an agrarian peasant in the Sinai desert – a fugitive trying to put his past behind him. One day, when he was tending sheep as usual, he saw a bush that was burning, and he noticed that although it was burning, it wasn’t consumed. As he came nearer, he heard a voice say to him, “Moses, Moses, take off your shoes. For the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

Other Bible characters who have said, “Here I am.”

Jacob – Genesis 31:11, Genesis 46:2 Samuel – 1 Samuel 3 Isaiah – Isaiah 6 Before he was a shepherd, Moses was an arrogant and impulsive prince of Egypt who took things into his own hands by killing an Egyptian slave driver. After he fled into the desert, God took the next 40 years to extract the self-centeredness out of Moses. Moses had to learn to die to himself before God finally called him at the burning bush. How do we know he had died to himself?

The proof that I have is in Moses’ response: “Here I am.”

In the Old Testament, “Here I am” is a “dead” man’s cry. Take Genesis 22 for example. God had commanded Abraham to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. Abraham obeyed instantly, took the boy up to the altar and bound him. Just as he was about to plunge his dagger into his son, he heard a loud voice from the angels saying “Abraham, Abraham.”

Immediately, he dropped his dagger and replied, “Here I am”. This is a “dead” man’s cry.

The more we are broken and “dead” before God, the more we are willing to allow Him [to work in us], the easier it is for Him to fill us [with His presence].

Pause and Re flect:

Am I “dead” to myself?

Do I seek God ’s presence or just seek God to an swer my needs?

Principle 2: God’s glory is attracted to hungry people The second thing that attracts the glory of God is people who value God’s presence more than anything else. They hunger after God. Apostle Paul says in

Philippians 3:10, that he may “know Christ and the power of His resurrection”. He wanted to know God, and it was the same with Moses.

In Exodus 33:1-15, God had become frustrated with His people and He said to them that He will not go with them into the Promised Land. However, God assured Moses that He would send His angels to go with him.

Now, when the angel goes with them, what would the Israelites see? Firstly, they would see signs and wonders. In Exodus 14, when the angel came between the Israelites and the red sea and the Egyptians, there was a pillar of fire. If the people cannot distinguish the Presence of God, they would think that as long as they saw miracles or signs and wonders, God is there. However, one person would know that God was not there – Moses. Moses had always met God face to face and he knew what the real thing was.Therefore, Moses insisted that if God was not going with them, he was not going to the Promised Land either.

One day I brought a stack of bank notes to my bank teller and she was counting the notes in the bank and talking to me at the same time. She was very fast and as she talked to me, she would just pull out a note and tell me that it is counterfeit. She would continues counting again and before long, she would be pulling out another one and telling me that it was counterfeit. I was shocked! I asked her how she knew it was counterfeit without even looking at it. She said, “I don’t have to know the counterfeit, I just have to know what the real one feels like”. When you know and cultivate the presence of God, you will not be so easily fooled by counterfeits.

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SPECIAL FOCUS At a large meeting, we may think the presence of God is there because miracles take place and demons get cast out. Even if there is prosperity and the land is flowing with milk and honey, God may still not be there. I’ve been to places, where the external, superficial expressions are present, but God’s presence may not be there. As Charismatic Pentecostal Christians of the 21st century, we should not be seduced by such expressions of power, but to center back on the presence and the glory of God.

flect: Pause and Re r God’s

ngry fo Have I been hu ough? seek His face en presence? Do I

Principle 3: God’s glory is attracted to obedient people

We need to be hungry for His presence, not just the blessings of God.There is an old song that goes “Lord,You’re beautiful,Your face is all I seek. And when Your eyes are on this child,Your grace abounds to me”. Let us make room for God’s presence to fill us every day.

The third principle is obedience. Moses, Abraham, Jacob and all the people who were friends with God walked in obedience with God, sometimes at great inconvenience, sacrifice and pain. When God gave the direction, they would follow.

In 1972, Karl Von Frisch won the Nobel Prize for deciphering the dance of the honeybee. When a bee finds honey in a particular group of flowers, how does it come back and let the hive know where the honey is?

Von Frisch found that bees would dance and draw lines 38

and circles with their bodies to represent the direction and distance of the flowers so that all the bees in the hive would know where to go. The bees simply get out of the hive, obey the instructions and they get their honey. This is much like the way we ought to obey God. Pastor Yonggi Cho, Senior Pastor of one of the world’s largest church congregations situated in Korea, was once asked, how do you grow a church so big? No one has ever reached church numbers of 750,000. So how do you know what to do when you are 100,000, 150,000, 200,000 etc. These are stratospheric numbers.

He simply said these words “I hear, and I obey.” When obedience comes in, the glory of God comes, and you begin to grow and cultivate the presence of God. Obedience through action is what attracts the glory, not decisions.

Cultivating the glory of God’s presence There is a difference between the anointing of God and the glory of His presence.

The Glory

The Anointing

Manifest presence of God

Supernatural enabling for ministry

May operate without His presence (Exodus Always comes with His presence 33:1-3, 1 Samuel 16:14, Judges 16:20-22, 2 Kings 13:21) Gives rest

May be restless

Life success

Ministry Success

End in itself

Means to an end

The glory of God is the awesome presence of God manifested, whereas the anointing is the supernatural empowerment and enabling that comes from the Spirit to do God’s work. The glory of God always comes with His presence.

Here are some examples in the Bible where the presence of God and the anointing of God are separate:

Who?

Saul

Samson

Elisha

Where?

How?

1 Samuel 18:12

Although Saul retained the anointing of kingship till the day he died, he had lost the presence of God because of his sin. In its place, a distressing spirit came upon Saul which would go away only when David played his harp.

Judges 16:20

The glory of God departed from Samson when his hair was cut off. Although he eventually regained his strength at the end of his life when his hair grew again, we are not told if the presence of God returned to him.

2 Kings 13:21

While some Israelites were burying a man, they threw his body into Elisha’s tomb when they saw a band of raiders coming. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. Elisha’s bones did not carry the presence of God, but the anointing to bring life remained.

We must always understand that the glory of God always gives us rest. If you truly want to be rested in ministry and in life, you must cultivate the presence of God above all else. The anointing can be restless. For example, in 2 Kings 3:15, when Elisha was asked to give a prophecy to Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel on whether they would win the battle, Elisha was very restless. He then asked for a musician who played for him before he calmed down and allowed the prophetic anointing to come forth.

The next difference is that the presence of God will result in life success. If you want to have success in your life, cultivate the presence of God. If you want to

have ministry success, you need to cultivate the anointing.

Many people chase the anointing alone to the detriment of the presence of God. They may attain ministry success, but suddenly their family breaks up or their marriages fail – they have not attained life success.

Finally, the anointing is never an end in itself, but the glory of God is. The anointing is the supernatural enablement of God to do His ministry. So the anointing will always be a means to an end. That is why as we grow in anointing and moving in the spirit, we must never sacrifice the presence of the glory of God. As you grow in that, the anointing will come and grow in your life.

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The transforming glory of God How does glory transform us?

It changes our life direction and values It transforms our character to be like Christ It transforms our ministry We take on what burdens God’s heart It turns our desires heavenward

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

God’s presence transforms us from the inside out gradually towards heaven. How does it do so?

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Firstly, it will change our life’s direction and values. Take Moses for example: He was trying to forget about his past in the desert of Sinai but in one meeting, the glory of God came and changed his life direction and values. When you encounter the glory of God, something will change. Moses did not regain the swagger that he used to have 40 years ago when he was the prince of Egypt. We are told that he was not eloquent of speech and when he went up to Pharaoh, he was 80 years old and stuttering, but his life direction had changed.

Secondly, the glory of God transforms your character. We are transformed to have courage and boldness built by love and humility. Some dub it as meekness, for Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 (KJV), “Take my yoke and learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart.” Meekness is almost contradictory in nature: Jesus showed love but he was bold and scathing towards the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He was not afraid when confronted with death, but he stood before Pilate humble and broken. When you encounter the glory of God, meekness becomes your character. You become

broken before God, you love people because you love God, and there is boldness because you hear God and you dare to do what God tells you to do.

couple, who were by then in their 70s, just stood there with their jaws open. They had worked in the village over 50 years ago and were now witnessing the fruit of their labor.

Thirdly, the glory transforms our burdens and ministry. As a shepherd, Moses’ burden was simply to ensure that his sheep were doing fine. Yet, after meeting with God, he took on the heartbeat of God and he had a burden for all 3 million of his countrymen. When God begins to touch you with this glory, he will give you the capacity to take His burden.

Finally, they turned to me with tears in their eyes, and said “Philip, we can go home now.We can go back to heaven now.”They lived on the edge of heaven. From wanting to stay on earth to wanting to go to heaven, the glory of God transformed their direction, character, ministry, burdens and desires.

Perhaps your burden now is to find a partner and get married, or your burden may be to find enough money to finance your mortgage. But when the power and the glory of God touch you, Singapore suddenly becomes your burden. You begin to pray and cry for Singapore in a way that you have never seen it before. Prayer becomes part and parcel of your life and you begin to carry the burden of God. God’s glory transforms your burdens in that sense.

Finally, the glory transforms our desires and we are drawn heavenward towards God’s glory. Most of us want to stay on earth but we are willing to go to heaven. When the glory touches us, it reverses this. We become people who are willing to stay on earth but we want to go to heaven.

One of the reasons why I came back from the UK to go to Borneo was because of some missionaries whom I met in the UK who had become my spiritual parents.

Together, they had spent almost about 25 years of their lives translating the Bible in the jungles of West Borneo in Sabah. About 10 years ago, they came back to visit one of the villages. As we approached, the whole village began coming out to greet them.

On the grave of Martin Lloyd Jones is a quote from 1 Corinthians 2:2 – For I am determined not to know anything amongst you, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

What about you today?

Friends, we need to attract the glory of God’s presence into our lives, grow in it and allow it to transform our lives. How hungry are you for God’s glory? Have you given room for God’s transforming presence to dwell daily? Let us be people who pursue the presence of God. Let us lay aside every distraction, everything that keeps us too busy, and just seek Him. Like King David who proclaimed in Psalm 27:4, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”

Pastor Dr Philip Lyn is the Senior Pastor of Skyline SIB in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. T

As far as the eye could see, people came to shake their hands; they met grandmothers stooping over introducing their grandchildren, asking them if they remembered them from Sunday School and so on. This 41

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d e m r o f Trans

by God's Presence

God’s presence is powerful. It can shift your life direction, mold your character and even transform your ministry. Miranda Zhang speaks to three Trinitarians who have seen the impact God’s presence have made in their lives.

SHANNON LEE

“God’s presence is more than a feeling,” said 26-year-old IGNYTE worship team leader, Shannon Lee. “To me, it is where I can be near Him, where I can be who God wants me to be and not what the world depicts I should be.”

These sentiments come from a man who had left church for a year when he was 18, after he decided he wanted to do things his way.

He recalled: “It seemed like a good decision at the time but, after a while, I realized I could not continue my life without God. I could do things my way, sure, but I still felt empty and unfulfilled on the inside. I needed God’s presence to fill me. I wanted to be near God again, to seek His sovereign will for my life. So I came back to church.

“Entering into God’s presence starts with the attitude of your heart. Just like coming to church every week to serve reflects your heart’s attitude toward God, entering into His presence also begins with your heart. When you open your heart to God and invite His presence into your life, He will surely come.”

Another incident which reflected the importance of God’s transforming presence stuck in Shannon’s memory. He had been working for many months on a business venture but, at the last minute, the investor decided to pull out of the project.

“I went straight home and worshiped God. Frustrated as I was, I just wanted to seek God’s presence. Instantly, I felt His peace and within the week, God blessed me with another job as a designer.”

Through these incidents, Shannon said he has learnt how to “die” to his own desires on a daily basis and now actively seeks God’s presence when things do not go the way he expects. He admitted it remains a struggle at times, but it does get better day by day.

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CHIN CHUNG KIT Chin Chung Kit was once asked to lead a carecell where members were largely irregular in attendance, and he was usually left with just his two spiritual parents (SPs) during cell meetings.

“Morale was very low. I had doubts over my leadership abilities and whether I was doing things right. But instead of trudging along, this time I felt led by the Holy Spirit to pray with my core group to change our cell situation,” the 32-year-old senior associate engineer recounted.

The group, led by Chung Kit, focused on fasting and praying.

“For about one month, we asked God for help and invited Him to intervene and strengthen us as the core group.”

It was during these moments of surrendering his situation to God and freely worshiping in His presence that he felt God speak to him “God showed me two visions – one was of me leading a carecell of more than 10 people, like a bird leading its flock. The other was me holding on to His hand as He leads me. I felt these visions were God’s way of encouraging and assuring me that He’s in control of the situation and He wants to bless me in this ministry.”

And God kept His word. Some 8 months later, people new to the cell were streaming in and Chung Kit’s carecell grew to 18 members.

He said, “I thank God for His presence that spurred me to press on in the face of trials and discouragement. I no longer give in to negative thoughts and doubts as a leader. Entering into His amazing presence has developed tenacity in both me and my core team and strengthened the way we approach ministry.”

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FIONA WEI “I am a very impatient person by nature,” according to 32-year-old IT specialist Fiona Wei. Even though she has been a Christian for some time, she had always been self-reliant and gets things done at her pace. God’s presence was kept separate from her career, and any decisions made were done without being dependent on God’s promptings, she said.

This mindset changed when Fiona had to quit her job, though.

She wasn’t usually the type to quit without having another job on standby but, having struggled with it for a while, she resigned. Being jobless left her feeling lost and discouraged.

“It was then that I started seeking God every day and I felt Him bringing me back into His presence. Day after day I yearned for His presence more and more, and I felt filled again. He lifted my spirits and gave me new drive in life.”

During this time, God also corrected Fiona in terms of being more reliant on Him. “I did all the right things as a Christian – went to church and carecell, prayed and worshiped Him regularly – but when it came to living my life and making decisions, I never really depended on Him. I never sought God or really trusted Him to steer my life. I was too used to being independent.”

Eventually, Fiona went for a job interview but the manager told her she had failed on the spot. “The amazing thing was, she asked me to go back to prepare and come back again when I had gained more product knowledge. Two weeks later I did, and she offered me the job on the spot. I knew that it was God’s intervention.

“Since then, I seek His presence whenever I need to make a decision--no matter how big or small it is. Through seeking His presence daily, I have grown in my relationship with Him and be more confident. I can now face anything with Him leading me!” T 44

Feeling dry or stagnant in your Christian walk? We’ve assembled a list of great reads for you to deepen your experience of God’s presence in your daily life.

For the growing Christian

Experiencing God: How to Live the Full Adventure of Knowing and Doing the Will of God

by Henry T Blackaby and Claude V. King

Knowing God comes not from study, but from relationship. Step-bystep, the authors explain how to discover your special place in God’s Kingdom and experience Him in a personal way every day. This book is straightforward and inspiring and leads you to experience the fullness of a life in fellowship with God.

For the mature Christian Reaching for the Invisible God

by Philip Yancey

Philip Yancey tackles yet another difficult question about God with his signature wisdom and wit. In this book, he explores the mysteries of trusting and worshipping a God who cannot be seen and deals with the fears of Christians who believe that something is wrong with them if they do not feel close to God. He addresses the myths of building a relationship with God based on emotions. In its place, he presents a walk with God that is both genuine and faithful.

The Classics

The Practice of the Presence of God

by Brother Lawrence

In this classic volume, Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French monk shares with us how to dwell in God presence everywhere we go. As the book’s title implies, the Presence of God requires practice. While it may not be easy at first, the book teaches us how one’s life can be turned into a consistent and continuous prayer to God, all the while representing the common struggles that Christians face.

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NIGHT LIFE? NO LIFE? NEW Life !

Clocking long hours at work, pubbing and vices was Peggy’s life before God. It was shaky and meaningless. See how God’s presence pulled her out of her temporary joys and filled her with a steadfast, unconditional acceptance and love. Carol Lim reports.

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Feeding but not Fulfilled

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t had been a hard day’s work. Looking at my watch, I realized I had worked 12 hours straight. Today was not too bad. But tomorrow would be harder. I had to cover someone’s shift. That meant that I had to work two shifts! I groaned but I shouldn’t complain, right? I have a job…

My train of thought was interrupted. The thought of meeting my friends at my favourite pub brought the zest and spring back into my steps. As I worked shifts, I was in a different “time zone” with my family and other friends. So once my shift was over, I would skip down to the pubs and night spots which were still open to de-stress. Over time, the pub owners and people I met at the pubs became my only friends because they shared my “time zone” and seemingly understood all my woes. Like birds of the same feathers, we flocked together. Drinking sessions like these filled the emptiness in my life.

Drinking became my only way to get away from the hectic schedule. Eventually, I became addicted to alcohol.

I had to drink before and after work. Alcohol made me sleep faster. I would just drown myself in alcohol, go to sleep and the next day, the cycle would repeat itself.

In addition to alcohol, I smoked a lot. Back then, I could not remember how many cigarettes I smoked a day. But who cares? I needed cigarettes to sooth my tired soul and body. I started smoking when I was 16. Friends all around me smoked, so, it was natural that I did.

This was my life – I fed myself with work, alcohol and tobacco. These were what kept me alive – I was surviving but had no real joy or satisfaction. The relief that I got from these vices went as quickly as it came. As soon as I stopped, I would feel empty again, so I had to keep doing them.

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“

This was my life – I fed myself with work, alcohol and tobacco. These were what kept me alive – I was surviving but had no real joy or satisfaction.

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I earned a big salary at work and crafted plans to achieve my career goals. My career ambition made me feel like I was worthy. Friends of my age were not on par with me then and I swelled with pride and ego.

Suddenly, one day, a voice inside me asked, “So what’s next?” I began to realize I have been slogging so hard to achieve my goals that I have clean forgotten about the people around me. I had no true friends, no family and the home my mother had provided for me I treated like a hotel. It dawned on me that I may have achieved much in my career but nothing in my personal life.

I turned to relationships to fill that void in my life, but these relationships did not work out. When I thought I found the one, it failed too. I was hurting terribly on the inside. I felt that I had achieved nothing, lost purpose and failed in my relationships. In my attempt to relieve the pain inside, I resorted to biting myself. Heartaches, pain and grudges, they became familiar to me. They became such a part of me that I became used to it. Every night, I drank, smoked, bit myself and cried to sleep. All the time I was asking, “Why did these things happen to me?”

“

Suddenly, one day, a voice inside me asked, “So what’s next?”

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”

As if I wasn’t miserable enough, another heartbreaking setback hit me. My company decided to retrench me. I was baffled but had no choice but to accept it. But because I had to bring home the bacon, I found another job in which I tried even harder to achieve success. I had to climb higher in this job than the previous one. This was my conclusion.

Little did I know, the higher I climbed, the harder I fell.

I worked harder to prove myself and was rewarded with a higher position than the previous job. Things seemed to be improving but like a brick to the head the worst happened. I was retrenched again!

I couldn’t believe it, this destroyed everything I had built. I fell harder than my previous retrenchment. A career was what I found meaning in but now, my one and only lifeline was cruelly taken away from me. My whole world plunged into darkness and needless to say, I spiralled into depression.

In God’s Cocoon of Love One day, as I stared blankly at my ceiling, sitting on the sofa wasting, the mobile phone rang. My neighbor asked me to have coffee with him. Then, he invited me to visit his group of Christian friends who meet regularly for prayer and Bible reading (carecell).

Without much thought, I agreed. Friday came and

he extended the invitation again. I cooked up some excuses to reject him. The next Friday arrived and he patiently asked me again. This time, I felt a strong urge to accept the invitation. I thought, “Since I am wasting away at home, maybe I could waste some time there?”

When I first visited the carecell, I felt weird because I thought I was not good enough to fit into the group.

As weeks past, I began to feel accepted. The members were very loving and hospitable to me. They were encouraging toward one another, supportive of the carecell and a sense of community was found among them. In this carecell, members felt accepted, not judged but were encouraged to change for the better.

Their amazing love for God was another reason that attracted me to carecell. The way they worshipped God was something I had not seen before. They worshipped Him because they loved and wanted to know Him. God was so close to them. I could sense their sincerity, love and a true heart of worship to God. Testimonies of how God had blessed each one

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in the carecell were shared and that wow-ed me over. Their love for God made them want to gather week after week in the carecell to worship God and I wanted that too.

In retrospect, I believe that God was starting to draw me into His embrace. He was using Christians around me to connect with me. God was stretching His arms wide to embrace me in the cocoon of His love.

I decided to attend one of Trinity’s worship services. It was a Saturday evening nearing Christmas. The preacher was preaching about having faith in God and that He will lead us out into a better life. I was not convinced.

The following Saturday, I went to the service again. This time the preacher was talking about how God loved the world and He sent His only son to die on the cross for us; Jesus died and rose again so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16). God touched me with His love and I cried so badly. I had a warm feeling welling up inside of me.

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When I walked out of the auditorium, I asked my Spiritual Parent, Huini, to explain this feeling. She was certain it was God and she asked if I wanted to receive Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I nodded.

Immediately, I felt a “stone” lifted from me. A sense of God’s peace, love and warmth touched me. Saying the sinner’s prayer was just the first step towards the transformation God has in stored for me. This was the beginning of God’s restoration work in me.

Like being in a cocoon where a major irreversible change – metamorphosis – takes place, God kept me in His cocoon of love, gently shedding away the unwanted past that did not glorify Him. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I felt a sense of shame for my sins like never before.

Huini, with great patience, explained to me those areas that I needed to shed away as a Christian. One of the areas that God spoke to me about was my smoking habit. But I secretly hid my drinking habit from her.

With God’s wisdom, Huini began working with me on my smoking

habit. She strongly encouraged me to give it up.

Defiant as I was, I tried to humor her by cutting down a little. But she was so persistent that I could not handle it anymore. She would call me every day to find out how many sticks I had smoked and even started counting them.

A few weeks later, her perseverance paid off. I was smoking only one or two sticks per day then. She was so determined that I should give it up totally. I tried but failed many times. The hook was still there.

All these times, Huini did not give up on me and continued to pray for me and encourage me without me feeling being judged. She helped me along slowly but steadfastly. I felt God’s presence touch me whenever she prayed with me. Finally, God broke my chains to smoking and I succeeded in quitting.

Gradually, I stopped drinking too.

Now, alcohol has lost its power to entice me.

Cigarettes have lost their grip on me. God had freed me and I no longer craved for these things to feed my soul. Through these times, I was very touched by Huini’s relentless belief in me. She held on to me and persevered on in nurturing me. She kept reminding me about God’s power to transform. I thank God for sending Huini as a vessel for this breakthrough. But God did not stop here.

Transformation Begins God continued to encase me in His arms of love as He molded my character.

Before knowing God, every little thing would irk me. I would flare up easily and get angry over the slightest thing. I was also a jealous and envious person.

Whenever I saw someone having something I wanted or had more than me, I would get jealous and that would turn into anger toward the person. My mind was also filled with negative thinking and thoughts.

But God, through His teachings, taught me that these were bad attitudes that I had to strip away. The Holy

Spirit convicted my heart to change for the better.

He renewed my mind with His Word. Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Little by little, God worked in me and removed these ungodly traits.

Besides molding me to become a better person, God also worked in my relationships. My relationship with my mother was superficial all this while. All I knew was to earn and bring money home for her. That was it. Whenever she asked me about the slightest thing, I wouldn’t like it. I would flare up at her and walk away.

After God came into my life, and through His teachings, I was reminded to keep my anger in check. Whenever I felt anger overwhelm me, the Holy Spirit would put a song of love in my mind and I would let it minister to me till my anger was extinguished.

Now, my mother and I enjoy a better relationship. I feel and care for her more. I also try to make an effort to spend my time with her.

The wonderful restorative work in my family did not just stop there. God also healed a sore relationship I had with my brother and my father. My brother and I were not on talking terms. Even if he were to talk to me, his sentences were always filled with anger toward me. But now, this has changed.

My father and I hadn’t spoken for about 10 years even though we stay under the same roof. Recently, God taught me to forgive my father and gave me the courage to face my problems with my father. Our relationship as a family has improved tremendously.

Now, we can finally dine together after ten years of broken relationships. Indeed, God is our Healer, even in these broken relationships. All glory to Him! 53

God’s work in me has become more and more apparent. My close friend, Felisia, commented on the significant changes in me before and after I knew Christ. She added that I was hot-tempered and gloomy but after my salvation and baptism, I changed for the better. I am a much calmer person compared to last time. I would think more before I act. I am more positive in my thinking and outlook of life. She is so delighted now as she sees a more cheerful, joyful and hopeful person in me. Jesus has changed me for the better.

New Beginnings As I allowed God to chisel away the rough edges in me, new and exciting things began to happen.Things were beginning to fall nicely in place for me.

Firstly, God blessed me with a new job. A company called to apologize that they had rejected me previously and that

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they would offer me a job instead. It was unbelievable! I even asked if they got the right person. Surely, our God is a good God who provides for all our needs.

Enclosed to Hear His voice Another marvelous thing happened. I began to have an insatiable hunger for God and His Word. I am excited about knowing God through His Word. As a new Christian, I had a great desire to read the Bible.

I found reading the Bible a lot easier when I yearned more of Him. In studying the Bible, I read about the Promised Land.

I discovered that God always fulfilled His promises to His people and that included me too. His promise to me was that He would lead me towards MY Promised Land!

In another time of study, God spoke and gave me a word “covenant”. As I seeked and asked Him what this word meant for me, He revealed to me that He was making a covenant with me to help restore my life. I know that God is a God who keeps His word.

When He makes a covenant with you, it means that He will remain true to His promises and He will keep His side of the bargain.

I have been clinging on to this promise ever since. It gives me strength to carry on when things got tough.

God is great!

Metamorphosis After all the beautiful things God has done in my life – He brought me out of my vices, restored my life, helped me get rid of my old sinful self – I felt that I wanted to do something for Him in return. So, I decided to take a big step of faith to honor God in an act of obedience – water baptism.

I can still remember that day vividly. In front of the congregation, with butterflies in my stomach, I was about to give my water baptism testimony in front of these witnesses. My ears heard the claps, chatter and cheers from the audience, but I was not paying attention to those. Instead, my mind was replaying the threats my mother hurled at me, “If you were to be water baptized, you are no longer my daughter… it is a taboo in this family…anything but water baptism…” Despite her threats, I went ahead. I wanted to make a stand for my faith.

Being submerged in the water, I was reminded of 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The water symbolically washed me of my sins and shame. As I came out of the water, a sense of newness sprung up within me. I knew I was ready for this abundant life He promised in His word - John 10:10 (NKJV) says, The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Coming out of the baptism water symbolized me breaking out of my old cocoon – my meaningless past and the old, sinful self. God enabled me to break out from my lifeless past and has given me a whole new life of abundance in Him. I am ready to enter MY Promised Land.

It takes an incredible amount of determination, grit and dying to self to follow Christ. No one said it is easy. I do not regret that I have chosen the narrow path. There are still things in me which I struggle with. But through these struggles, it just tells me I need God more. I am willing to let Him do what is good for my restoration. Armed with God’s strength and love, I know I can stay close to Him and He will protect me no matter what.

As I reflected upon this wonderful journey with God, I could not help but give thanks to Him for all the remarkable work He has done. I have found my Lord and Savior which is my most precious gift. With His help, I have walked out of my past vices, changed for the better in my character, found a loving carecell where I can grow in the Lord, mended my broken relationship with my family, and most importantly, my entire life was restored in God. Take flight, my faith. This is my heart’s desire. I am filled with God’s joy, peace and having a renewed sense of purpose in my life to face each and every day. With my hands lifting to heaven to worship Him, here is my promise to God - I will follow Him all the days of my life. T

ife, than l r e t t e is b ise ur love ou. I will pra o y e s yy ur Becau l glorif e, and in yo ll l i w s p my li s. I wi as I liv d n g a n h o l t up my riches you as t f e i l h t l l i h it th Iw name satisfied as w lips my mou y ging be full ith sin w ; s d of foo se you. ai will pr 3:3-5 s6 Psalm

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Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God's Family Rushing off to work. Coming home tired. Paying the bills. Fixing the car. Raising the kids. Doing your taxes. Have you ever wondered, “Is that all there is? Is life just an endless cycle of eating, sleeping, buying, selling, getting, losing and growing older? ”Does your heart ever long for something more?

If so, we’re here to help. We want to show you how a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can lead you home, bring you into God’s eternal family, and introduce you to life on a whole new level.

Sound interesting? Then read on…

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T

om was headed home.

He’d been away nearly three years, and it had been a very long drive — almost two days and nights behind the wheel. Now, with just a mile left to go, he could already hear the squeak of Dad’s chair, the clang of pots and pans in the kitchen and the voice of his Mother calling him to dinner. He could smell the sweet aroma of hot food on the table.

Home. It was where he came from.

It was where he wanted to be.

And yet, somehow, Tom couldn’t help feeling anxious. Had things changed? Was he still wanted?

Would they smile when they saw him? Would he still belong?

Familiar sights and sounds greeted him as he turned into the lane. He parked in the driveway, stepped out of the car and walked up the creaky old steps to the front door.

Biting his lip and swallowing hard, he raised a hand to ring the bell.

And then, in an instant, all his doubts and fears melted away. The door swung open. Loving arms pulled him close. Caring voices called him by name.

"Tom! It’s Tom! Welcome home, son! Welcome home!"

Tom had come home at last.

Less Than Perfect Everyone longs for a place where they are welcomed, accepted, loved.

Where they don't have to pretend or be on their guard. Where just being there is reason enough to celebrate. But not all homecomings are as picture-perfect as Tom's.

Sometimes there are thorns among the roses.

Sometimes cousin Cheryl is late and the turkey dries out. Sometimes nephew Norbert gets sick at the table. Uncle Art and brother Bob argue about foreign policy. Sister Samantha hints that her kids are better behaved than yours. People disagree and get on each other's nerves. And that's how it is in the best of families.

It can be much worse, of course. In some households the imperfections are far more serious — even dangerous — in nature. As in the home where a frightened boy hides under the covers listening to the shouting of his angry parents. Or where a young girl returns from school only to find her mom drunk for the hundredth time. Or where a soldier, back in the States after a 10-month tour of duty, discovers that his wife has been unfaithful during his absence.

Far From Home It may sound harsh, but it's true.

Under the best of circumstances, under the worst of circumstances, and everywhere in between, our human homes and families hardly ever live up to our dreams and expectations. They almost always let us down.

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What happens then? What do we do when the relationships, connections and understanding we long for simply aren't there?

Everybody knows the answer. We lose hope. We feel isolated and lonely. We become restless. We go looking for something to fill the gap.

And sometimes we go looking in all the wrong places.

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. A lot of people today feel far from home. They may be divorced or widowed. They may live hundreds of miles from parents, siblings and cousins. They may be so busy working, commuting and running errands that they have little time to spend with the people they love.

They long for home and family, a place to be and become. But the kind of home they crave seems like an impossible dream.

Restless Hearts St. Augustine, one of the early fathers of the Christian church, knew what it was like to feel this way. More than 1,500 years ago he summed up the situation of hurting and searching people in the words of a simple prayer.

Speaking to God, he said, "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You." Was Augustine right? If he was, we should sit up and take notice.

Because if rest and satisfaction are found in God alone, then even the best of human homes can never bring peace to our restless hearts.

The love of father, mother, brother,

sister, husband or wife, wonderful as they are, can never completely fill the bill.

We need something deeper, broader and stronger — something perfect and unchanging. We need Someone who can provide for us, listen to us, care for us, counsel us, discipline us, protect us and enjoy us forever — Someone who knows us inside and out, who loves us all the same, who gives unselfishly, keeps all His promises and never gets sick or dies.

The Ideal Father Sound impossible? Humanly speaking, it is. But God can do all of this and more. He strongly desires to make all people part of His family — a family that will one day be perfect and last forever.

In many respects, God is like a 61

good human father. He loves His children and is pleased when they love Him in return. He provides for them and protects them. He gives them guidance and, when necessary, punishment. He understands their limitations and is quick to forgive. Above all, He is generous and kind. The Bible calls this kindness and generosity grace.

In other ways, God is far greater than any human father could ever be. For one thing, He is all-powerful. Nothing can keep Him from helping His children. For another, He is all-loving. In God there is no selfishness or pride to interfere with His relationship with His children. God is also all-knowing, so His guidance is completely worthy of trust. Since God is present everywhere at once, His children never have to strike out on their own. Because He is eternal, they never have to fear being abandoned.

Why Do People Suffer?

At this point you may feel like asking, "If this perfect heavenly Father really exists, and if He really satisfies people's deepest longings, why is the world full of unhappy people? What kind of father would let his children get hurt, suffer, and die? How can anyone watch the evening news and seriously say that the universe is run by a kind, generous and gracious Father? If He's so powerful and loving, why doesn't He do something about the mess on earth?"

As a matter of fact, He has done something: when the world was spinning out of control and the people in it were lost and dying as a result of their own sins and bad choices, He sent His only Son to save Creation by

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suffering and dying in our place. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).

God, Love, and Relationship The real question is not "Why doesn't God do something?" It's "How did the world get into such a mess in the first place?" The answer is that creation has fallen because of human sin. In other words, the world as we see it today is not the world as the Creator made it in the beginning. That's because mankind has deliberately turned away from God (for more details, read Genesis Chapter 3). Ever since Adam and Eve made this terrible choice in the Garden of Eden, the world has existed in an abnormal state. That's why we have disease and disasters, hatred and war, birth defects and broken relationships.

It's also the reason God had to send His Son into the world to save it. He has a better plan, and He's in the process of working it out. But why does the process have to be so slow? Why doesn't God put a stop to all these problems now?

One answer is that God is love and love pursues relationship. Relationship is central to all of His dealings with mankind. And real relationship is impossible unless both parties enter into it freely and willingly. It implies the possibility of brokenness and pain. As in any meaningful human relationship, so in our relationship with the Creator, genuine love takes time and can't be forced.

Choose Life

Believe

The Bible tells this story of God's love for His children.

In the New Testament — especially in the four Gospel narratives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — we read that God sent His Son to earth as a human being to undo Adam's tragic mistake – to choose life for the human race where Adam chose death.

What does it mean to "believe" or to have this kind of "faith?" Stated simply, it means reaching out to Jesus. It means trusting in His love. It means making a decision to follow in His footsteps and to love other people through the power of His love.

If you aren't familiar with this story, its outline is pretty simple. Jesus, who was at the same time completely God and man, was born to the virgin Mary, worked quietly in a carpenter's shop until He turned 30, and then began a three-year career of teaching and healing.The crowds loved Him, but the religious and political leaders were afraid of His growing influence. As a result, they conspired to have Him executed and Jesus died one Friday afternoon on a cross just outside the city of Jerusalem.

The religious and political leaders would have been happy if the story had ended there, but it didn't. Early Sunday morning, Jesus burst back into life and walked out of the tomb, right past the soldiers posted by the entrance to prevent His friends from stealing His body (See Matthew 28:1-7).

He appeared to His closest friends, to His family, to several groups of awestruck followers — in all, to hundreds of people who were well aware that He had died a horrible death only days before.

Christians understand that Jesus died in their place — that, in some indescribable way, He took the sins of the world on His shoulders and suffered for us. Jesus died the death that Adam and Eve and all of their descendants deserve.

And when He rose from the dead, He broke the power of sin and brought us life. He offers that life to anyone who has faith in Him: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

"Eternal life" — that means two things: 1) life in all its fullness here and now (John 10:10); and 2) the unending joy of life in direct, personal fellowship with our Savior and Creator in the world to come. "As it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'" (1 Corinthians 2:9).That's what we have to look forward to if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's important to add that faith isn't just something that exists in your mind.To believe is to embrace the truth with mind, heart, and will.You express this faith both by what you do (James 2:17, 18) and by what you say: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

(Romans 10: 9) In 1892 a daredevil named Clifford Calverly astounded his audience by pushing a wheelbarrow over a tightrope stretched across Niagara Falls. After performing this feat, he turned to the people and asked, "Now that you've seen what I can do, do you believe I can repeat the stunt, this time with a person in the wheelbarrow?"

"Yes!" answered the enthusiastic crowd. "Well, then," said Calverly, "who wants to climb in?" Genuine biblical faith means getting in the wheelbarrow and letting Jesus push you across the tightrope — not just standing on the sidelines and saying, "I believe."

What Must I Do? A person who has this kind of faith in Jesus is a Christian.

And a Christian is simply an individual who has felt the need to come home.You can come home, too, if you're ready to make that commitment.You can become a Christ follower right now simply by opening the door to Jesus and trusting Him as Lord and Savior. It's so easy a child can do it. But it's also hard because we first have to realize that we cannot do it on our own.

Once you've counted the cost and decided that you're ready to give your heart to Jesus, you can do so by following these three simple steps: 63

Admit you're a helpless sinner (a person who has chosen his own way rather than God's) and that you can't come home without God's gracious help. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

is rebirth. New Christians become part of God's family in the same way they became part of their earthly parents' family – they're born into it. God is their Father, and they are His children (see John 3:3-8).

Believe that Jesus Christ has come to be your Savior — in other words, that He died on the cross for your sins and wants to take you home to be part of God's family. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).

The other term used to describe this relationship is adoption. Christians are adopted into God's family and given all the inheritance rights of God's Son. Because Jesus rose from the dead, those who trust in Him will also rise again. Because they are now officially part of God's family, they can feel completely secure. Their Father will not disown them or rewrite His will. He has promised to be faithful to His children, and God always keeps His promises.

Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and ask Him to come into your heart. Turn from self to God (repentance) and trust Christ to come into your life and make you the kind of person He wants you to be.You can receive Jesus by faith through prayer, as an act of the will. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart; but if you honestly don't know what to say, you might try praying a simple prayer such as this: Lord Jesus Christ, I need You. I agree that I am a sinner and have sinned in my thinking and speaking and acting. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I have counted the cost of following You. I repent and turn away from my past sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Amen.

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now, and Christ will come into your life, just as He promised:

What Next?

The Bible uses two terms to describe what happens when people say yes to God and join His family. The first

“

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

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As children of God, Christians can have power — power to follow Jesus even when the way is hard, power to make Jesus known to others, power to love and to serve. They also have hope, confidence, and freedom from fear. They know that death can never ruin their plans or destroy their relationships.

Time to Grow People begin life in God's family just as they began it in their parents' family — as babies. Baby Christians need to be nurtured, protected, taught and loved. Here are a few suggestions that will help you get the care and guidance you need as you begin to grow in your faith: Tell a friend. Do you know someone who might get excited about the decision you've made — a pastor, maybe, or Christian friend? Tell him or her. Share the joy of your new commitment with someone else!

Read the Bible. Baby Christians need rich nourishment, and no source is better than God's Word. The Bible is God's message to mankind, so it's vital for young believers to know what it says. You can get started by looking up and reading the verses listed in this article.

You will still have many questions as you begin your new life with God and His family of believers, but you've already taken the most important step toward getting them resolved – you've met the One who has all the answers.

After that, we'd suggest that you make a habit of reading a chapter a day, beginning with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — they'll help you get better acquainted with Jesus).

Next you could take a look at Paul's letter to the Philippians and the letters of James and I John. To understand more about how Jesus’ death means life for you, read Paul’s letter to the Romans.

If you have questions, a pastor or Christian friend will be able to help you in your Bible study. If you don’t have a Bible, please contact us and we’ll be happy to send you one.

Talk to God regularly. Make prayer a daily habit. This means talking to God about anything, at any time of the day or night. It can also mean spending a special "quiet" time with Him where you meditate on His Word, tell Him of your love and devotion, and talk to Him about others and their needs.

Get involved in a church. When you open the door to Christ and come home to God, you acquire a new set of spiritual brothers and sisters. God has many other children on the earth, and it's important that they meet together regularly as a family. That's what church is all about. The church is the best place for infant Christians to find the support they need to grow strong. Churches are where God's people gather to worship, learn from the Bible, encourage each other and welcome new believers into God's family. Find a church near you that does these things, and get involved. Your church should believe that the Bible is the accurate Word of God, that Jesus Christ is God's Son, that He is fully God and man, and that only through faith in Jesus Christ can a person have eternal life.

The Ideal Family Homecoming can be a joyous time, even if the pumpkin pie crust is soggy and Uncle Joe has forgotten his table manners. But no earthly homecoming, no matter how memorable, can compare with the joy of coming home to God. God's love, after all, is the source of all earthly love.

It's stronger and more enduring than love between husband and wife, parent and child, brothers and sisters.

At the same time, God's love strengthens our human ties and increases our love for those dear to us.

We've tried to explain why people need God's love.

We've told you how to respond to His invitation and become part of His family. But there's one thing we can't do for you – we can't say yes to God on your behalf. If your heart is restless; if you find yourself longing for a home you've never known; if you would like eternal life with Jesus that begins now and continues in heaven where there is no suffering, sin, or death — say yes to Jesus.

Join the family. Come home.

There's no better time than now. T

Used by permission of Focus on the Family Singapore (www.family.org.sg), a local charity dedicated to helping families thrive through differentiated programs, trusted resources and family counseling. © 2012 Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

Join a Carecell Experience God’s love among His family of believer s.

Discover His purpose for your life!

Leave your contact at Level 2, Information Counter or email cod@trinity.org.sg 65

Joy of Christmas Past Trinitarians stepped out in faith to invite their loved ones and friends to our past Christmas events. They came and God met them in a special way. Let their testimonies encourage you to make a difference in someone’s life this Christmas. Diana Lim reports.

From the inviters:

From those invited:

God’s message of love is for all ages. I invited my neighbor’s 12-year-old son. He came and rededicated his life to God. - Desmond Choo , medical doctor

I tried searching for answers to my problems through different avenues but I still could not find peace. At the last Christmas presentation, I found God’s peace, hope and love. I know I can trust God for every situation in my life.

- Jennifer Chow , site admin assistant

My colleague Joyce had repeatedly rejected my invitations to the Christmas presentation.

However she came in the end and was touched by the story. Joyce received Christ a week later at our Family Christmas Service!

- Iris Lam , senior service coordinator

We watched the Christmas production from the overflow room. Though it was not as exciting as watching it in the Sanctuary, God’s presence touched my friend and her son, they both responded to the altar call that evening.

- Tan Chian Wah , director

Though I had been diagnosed with cancer, I felt peace and assurance as I watched the presentation and heard the message. I then committed my life to Jesus at the Christmas presentation in Trinity.

- Jessie Tan , HR executive My friend invited me and my daughter for the Christmas presentation last year. We came and I remember how the presence of God and the message of His great love impacted us. That night we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior.

- Vivian Yu , self-employed

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Dec 21 - 24

More information, please refer to the back of the magazine.

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ssful e c c u S 0 1 r Ideas fo tmas! s i r h C s i h t s Invite

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“Log-in and share” • Buy a Log Cake for an oiko s’ family. Give it with an invitatio together n card.

• Buy a Log Cake and put it in the office pa Don’t forget th ntry. e invitation card s.

“Bundle of Jo y” • Give Christ mas Gifts early this year. Bundle an invitation ca it with rd .

• Give Breakf ast Bundle to co lleagues – includ coffee, muffin an e d invitation card s.

“Eat and be Mer • Have a mea ry” l before/after th e presentation with your oikos and invite them to presentation as part of the mee attend the • Have a Chr t up. istmas Party – Invite your oiko and fun, and ge s for food t your carecell members to in their oikos too. vite

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• Invite a clas smate è Invite the entire class • Invite an oi kos è Invite th e oikos’ entire fa • Invite a co mily lleague è Invite the entire depa • Invite a ne rt ment ighbor è Invite the neighbor’s household

“Meet their Needs” • Invite pare nts with dinner engagem young children and those with ents to the Afte • Invite the of rnoon Matinee fice to church – s. for business ow – end early on ners one of the pres entation days, it’ Christmas after s all!

Circulate!

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Share event pa ge from www.tr inity friends on Face book, Twitter, W .net on for • Share the ha tsApp. Christmas Video from YouTube on Facebook, Twitt er, WhatsApp. • Add video link and inform ation of event in signature of yo to the ur email.

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Taking The

SEE

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DEV ENTIAL, E POT LOP ENT

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Trinity beli eves in dev eloping lea strategic le ders. But t ader, your o be a potential n We asked eeds to be five studen developed ts who hav share with . e attended us what th LEAD to e new ‘lear means and ner focuse what goes d’ teaching on in class . By Gabr iel Chu

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How are the LEAD classes different from those of TENet? Faith: In the new LEAD, classes have 3 focuses: Developing the Person, Perspective and Practice. Through LEAD, I can learn about the whole Bible in 3 years.

Johnnie: Previously, classes were more didactic, with the teacher imparting knowledge to students. The new classes are more dynamic, participative and activity filled. There is greater engagement between teachers and students.

Jamine: LEAD is focused more on applying this knowledge, and sharing it.

What do you think of the new ‘learner focused’ learning style?

Jamine: The classes are more interactive and fun! The skit allowed me to think and feel from the perspectives of Biblical characters. I could understand and remember the facts better.

Mei Zhen: The new style is more experiential, engaging and fun! Deepens the take-home message.

Johnnie: I applaud the Pastors and LEAD team for the new bold approach to learning. Classes are active, creative and light-hearted. The variety allows students with different learning preferences to benefit immensely.

How did you participate more?

Sharon: I drew and participated in skits. The Q&A section was good in addressing burning questions.

Faith: I got to discuss the class notes with my team mates.

What’s your biggest takeaway lesson?

Jamine: I learnt the Bible is not just a historical textbook. It is alive, and still relevant to our times. God speaks to each of us differently, and that is truly amazing.

Johnnie: Through the new activities and pastor-student interactions, I re-learned and re-experienced the Bible with the Pentateuch and Panorama classes. I also gained a new Biblical perspective.

Faith: I like how the facilitators gave insights into the Bible with interesting methods. This makes the lesson more meaningful. Wish the Pentateuch class can extend for another four hours. I am inspired to read the whole Bible again with my new perspectives.

What would you like to say to others who have yet to attend the LEAD classes?

Sharon: You will be inspired to read the whole Bible again. With LEAD, you can finish the entire Bible in 3 years. How cool is that?

Faith: The variety of courses will empower you to learn and grow in a holistic way.

Johnnie: Go to LEAD with an open mind. Expect the Spirit to speak to you through the activities and self-reflections.

Jamine: Expect the unexpected!

Mei Zhen: Go for it! In LEAD, learning is lively and fun!

Johnnie: Drawing, photo-taking, visualizing.

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Take the lead, take LEAD!

Are you equipped with the right tools or knowledge to live an abundant, effective Christian life? How do I become more Christ-like?

Find out how. By Gabriel Chu Does the following speak what’s in your heart?

• • I want to grow in my passion for praying • • I want to tap on the power of the Holy Spirit • • I want to pray more effectively and see my prayers answered • • I want to rise to a new level of authority in my prayer life

Growing in Prayer (PC01) Do you desire to pray effectively? Do you want to experience the power of prayer? This course will empower you with the basic principles of prayer.

Learn the different types of prayer, arm yourselves with the Word of God, partner with the Holy Spirit and rise to a new level of authority in prayer.

Sat, Mar 9, 10.00am-1.00pm

If you said ‘Yes’ to any of the statements, sign up for

• • I want to learn how to share my faith with my loved ones and friends • • I want to be able to nurture someone new in the faith to grow in God • • I want to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-19 • • I want to have a greater sense of ownership and serve in a bigger capacity in this church

If you said ‘Yes’ to any of the statements, sign up for 70

Spiritual Parenting course (TLC02)!

Embark on the exciting adventure of Spiritual Parenting! Enrich your life and increase your faith through a lifestyle of praying for, winning and nurturing your family and friends for Jesus Christ.

Sat, Mar 9, 9.00am-4.00pm Sun, Mar 10, 24, 2.30pm-5.30pm Sat, Mar 16, 23, 12.30pm-3.30pm

ooks b e h t w you kno o d ll e w How amuel?

S 2 d n a of 1 1.Why did Hannah name her son Samuel? a Because she asked the Lord for him b Because that was her husband's name c Because he was a godly child d Because he was to be a Nazarite 2.Other than a priest and judge, what else did Samuel become? a A prophet b A scribe c A king of Israel d A father of many 3.What did the people demand from Samuel? a Lower taxes b A king c More Psalms to be written d A better army 4.What musical instrument would soothe King Saul's spirit? a guitar b saxophone c harp d flute

5.When Samuel went to anoint David as king, what did he take with him? a Lamb b Dove c Pigeon d Heifer 6.While Saul was pursuing David, David managed to cut off a portion of Saul's robe without him knowing. What was Saul doing at the time? a Sleeping b Going to the bathroom c In a trance d Drunk 7.How many times was David anointed with oil? a 1 b 3 c 5 d 7 8.What gift did Solomon ask God for? a wealth b honor c the life of his enemies d wisdom

Ans: 1. a 2. a 3. b 4. c 5. d 6. b 7. b 8. d

How many did you get right?

More than Bible knowledge, the class will teach you valuable Bible truths that you can apply in your daily lives.

Learn how to honor, trust and walk in the ways of the Lord. Sign up for the LEAD course Bible series: 1&2 Samuel, Kings and Chronicles!

To find out more, visit www.trinity.net or get a copy of the latest LEAD course schedule from the Level 2 Information Counter.

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Ohayo-gozaimasu! おはようございます!

Trinity’s Japanese Ministry was launched on Sun, 15 July, 2012 this year with services held every 2nd and 3rd Sunday of the month. Pastor Toyomi Sanga shares with Ivan Koh God’s heart for the Japanese community in Singapore and His powerful work here locally and in Japan.

What made you come to Trinity to set up the Japanese Ministry?

It was quite a journey! In 1999, I made my first visit to Singapore and my friend brought me to the service at Trinity. At that service, I saw a felt need for a local ministry to connect with the Japanese community here.

Japanese families often relocate to Singapore due to a husband, father’s work commitments. The rest of the family then has to adjust to this new environment which can be difficult and stressful, even more so because of the language and cultural barrier. Since that first visit, God had placed in my heart a burden for the Japanese community in Singapore.

In 2008, Pastor Dominic approached me at a cell conference in Japan with the view of setting up a Japanese ministry in Singapore. Initially, I felt inadequate to lead such a ministry. However, over years of praying and interactions with both Pastor Dominic and Pastor Jeffrey, God started to change my heart The tipping point only came in 2011, during Trinity’s church camp in Thailand. After much counseling, prayer and support from my family in Japan, I finally decided to obey God and step up to lead the Japanese Ministry in Trinity.

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What challenges do you face when reaching out to the Japanese here?

Japanese people tend to be more reserved and passive.

Hence, when approached directly by others about the Christian faith, they tend to become very defensive and shy away from making critical decisions.

Additionally, we are seeing that women are more inclined toward matters of faith compared to the men.

Japanese men seldom get directly involved in church activities or step up to leadership positions. Here in the Japanese ministry, we also notice that our core team is made up of largely women. So my prayer is for God to bring more male leaders into the ministry.

Can you share with us what God has been doing in the Japanese Ministry since its launch?

God has really been working powerfully both here and in Japan. In one instance, during the very first service, I met a pre-believing Japanese pilot who visited the Japanese service here in Trinity. After the service, he came to me and explained that his mother who lived in Japan was ill and asked if I could visit her and pray for her. When I returned to Japan in August, I met the pilot’s mother and prayed for her. Subsequently, after more interactions and visits, she and her daughter got saved and underwent water baptism!

In another event, I spoke with an elderly Japanese lady that resides here in Singapore. She was initially contacted by some people from Trinity but could not really communicate because of the language barrier.

During our meet-ups, I managed to explain many Christian concepts to her in Japanese and prayed for her to give her an assurance of her salvation. More importantly, she understood the significance of water baptism and chose to be water baptized as well. I believe that God has His ways of working and I’m excited to see what He has in store for His ministry here and in Japan.

What are the plans ahead for the Japanese Ministry?

The Japanese community here in Singapore numbers over twenty thousand and has its own unique cultures and customs. Given our more passive culture, I hope to be able to start some programs to connect and bring the community here to Trinity. Programs such as a gospel choir that has been very successful in connecting pre-believers to my church back in Japan.

At the same time, we hope to care and connect with individual families, to find their needs and meet their needs. To show them God’s love through being in a community of believers. T

Invite your Japanese friends and colleagues to our Japanese Services Japanese Service is held every 2nd and 3rd Sunday of the month, 10am at Trinity@Paya Lebar, Level 1, Hostel Block, Classroom H1.

For more information relating to the Japanese Ministry, email us at admin@trinity.org.sg.

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Love Love

God, People.

11 Trinitarians were part of this Local Missions Impact Team (MIT) with Care Community Services Society (CCSS).

Their love for God enabled them to be a blessing through the community outreach to the elderly and children in August and September 2012. Sharon Lim reports.

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T

he elderly of CCSS showed the team from Trinity that they were not too young to have fun.

From playing ‘A-Minute-to-Win-It’ games at the Seniors Activity Centre to an outing to the SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands, smiles were seen on everyone’s faces.

Emily Goh, self-employed and first time on an MIT, was so blessed by the smiles of the elderly. She shares, “We may not fully understand the heartaches or loneliness that they experience but I am glad we were able to bring joy and companionship to them.”

Another team member, Belinda Ho, manager, recalls, “There was bitter-sweetness when an elderly woman told me she was really thankful that she was able to visit the SkyPark. Without us bringing them out she would probably not have a chance to see the beautiful and magnificent views from there. This really wrenched my heart and it caused me to be thankful for this opportunity to spend quality time with them.”

The team also took time to help CCSS’s CareHut children with their homework. They also did arts and crafts and had lots of fun together. Some children were not easy to get along with and some needed more help with their schoolwork, but this did not discourage Gigi Kuwan, a physiotherapist. In fact, she was thankful for this opportunity to instill good values among the children, building hope and confidence in them to face their future.

The active partnership between CCSS and Trinity in this Local MIT sparked off awareness in every team member on reaching out to the needy in our own backyard of Singapore. In fact many of them signed up with CCSS as volunteers after this partnership. Derek Liang, branch manager, is looking forward to participating in another Local MIT next year. T

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Share the Joy 250 volunteers gathered on Sep 8, 2012 to pack and distribute rations to 1,900 households. Sharon Lim reports how this annual event has brought joy to volunteers and beneficiaries alike.

The annual Care Community Services Society (CCSS) Rations Distribution is in its fifth year running, and has been benefitting needy families in the Circuit Road, MacPherson and Balam Estates.

The 250 volunteers came early on the morning of Sat, Sep 8 to pack food items such as rice, sugar, noodles and oil and they distributed these packs to 1,900 households. Faces of gratitude greeted the families as the volunteers delivered the rations packs right to their 78

doorsteps. The food items worth $50,000 were kindly sponsored by Dairy Farm Singapore.

Many of the CCSS volunteers have also become closer while serving together at this annual event. For thirdtime volunteer June Chan, one highlight for her is seeing volunteers both young and old working together. Each gave four hours of their time and energy to this worthy cause. Smiles were seen both from the beneficiaries as well as the givers themselves. T

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Impact the Globe Years of hard work culminated in one momentous evening, on Oct 7, 2012 for the 53 local and overseas graduates of TCA College.

Chia Ban Seng shares his first-time experience as one of the 600 attendees at TCA’s 23rd graduation ceremony.

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buzz of anticipation filled the Chapel at Trinity@Paya Lebar almost like a huge wedding ceremony attended by over 600 friends and family. Although I was here as an observer, the atmosphere was so infectious, I started to feel excited as I looked for a seat.

TCA’s 23rd graduation ceremony commenced with a series of exhortations by distinguished members and guests of TCA College and eventually peaked with the graduates receiving their certificates on stage. The scene was picture-perfect, peppered with loud cheers from the audience and bright smiles from the graduates.

Zechariah Zhuang, the Best Student award-winner shared in his Valedictorian speech that TCA College had left in him a deep passion for God. He encouraged his cohort to continue upholding God’s truths as they move on to pursue their ministries.

Ruby Pai, the Best International Student award-winner shared her joy on gaining fresh perspectives of God. She also emphasized that through TCA College, she had gained knowledge that was life-changing and handy in her current ministry.

There was great pride in President of TCA College Rev Dr Wilson Teo’s exhortation to the graduates. He talked about how many of the college’s alumni were holding key roles in various ministries and that it was literally “education in practice”. He also shared how he was heartened that TCA College had been able to provide a platform for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

To continue this heart to reach out and equip ministers of God, he highlighted the college’s new “Bless the Pastor” initiative. Its purpose includes making continuous learning more accessible to full-time ministers in terms of learning resources and free audit courses. Donors wishing to support full-time ministers and international students to study in TCA can make contributions designated to TCA Scholarship Fund.

The smiles of local and overseas graduates on stage that evening showed a glimpse of the greater things to come and even as an observer, I felt proud and excited for TCA College.

May God enable TCA College to impact the world for Christ in greater measures through its graduates! T 81

Mystery

The

OF

G RAC E 23 Feb 2013 (Sat), 1pm - 4pm, TCA College

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TCA College is an accredited multi-disciplinary Christian college founded by Trinity Christian Centre in 1979. The College trains and releases

all-rounded leaders to make a fresh impact in the church and marketplace.

OUR FOCUS

Life Transforming We are transformed in our thinking, values and ministry approach.

God Centred God is the centre of all that we are and everything we do.

Culturally Relevant We are positioned on the cutting edge of what God is doing.

Global Recognition, Global Partnerships • • •

Asia Theological Association Azusa Pacific University, USA Singapore Association for Counselling

Exceptional Schools, Exceptional Programmes School of Counselling Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (Recognised by Singapore Association for Counselling) Master of Arts in Counselling School of Creative Arts Continuous Learning Programme

*Specific Creative Arts Courses can be taken as part of School of Theology Bachelor & Master programmes.

Creative Arts Workshops Trainings and Consultations School of Theology 神学系 English Department Certificate in Ministry Diploma in Theology Bachelor of Theology Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies Master of Arts in Ministry Master of Divinity

中文部 Chinese Department 圣工证书科 Certificate in Ministry 神学文凭科 Diploma in Theology 神学学士 Bachelor of Theology 圣工硕士Master of Arts in Ministry 道学硕士 Master of Divinity 神学硕士 Master of Theology

School of Leadership Master of Arts in Global Leadership 249 Paya Lebar Road #03-11 Trinity@Paya Lebar Singapore 409046 Tel:6304 7602 • admin@tca.edu.sg • www.tca.edu.sg 83

THE BIBLE COMES TO

LIFE

Oct 29 to Nov 9 marked our very first Israel tour. A group of about 80 Trinitarians entered into the land Jesus walked in and saw the Bible come to life. Miranda Zhang reports.

Jane Ng

Baptism at River Jordan

Wedding renewal of vows

When I walked down to the River Jordan, I felt blessed to be baptized in the same river where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. I will never forget this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Veronica Jaw

The words of the vows were particularly meaningful. It was not like the vows made when we got married but a continuation of how we can live out the rest of our lives together.

Hector Charles and Belinda Loke

I was very cold when I stepped into the water. But as Pastor Dominic prayed for me, I felt warmth coming up from my feet to my head. There was such an anointing! I was so touched that I cried. I hadn’t experienced this in my first baptism, so this one was really special.

Valerie Tan

We thank God for this opportunity to renew our marriage vows after 40 years of marriage. It was very touching as we were reminded to re-dedicate ourselves to each other as husband and wife, whom God has given.

Ken Lim and Aileen Ang

Pastor Beatrice and Pastor Johnathan baptized and prayed for me. As I was immersed in the water, I felt the Lord saying to me, “Relax Nellie.Your problems are gone. I’ve baptized you and you are my daughter now. I felt so happy to be a daughter of God. Nellie Wong

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This trip is different from my previous two Israel trips. I thank God for the pastors who prepared notes before the tour.

They preached about the spiritual significance of the events that happened at each site which made the whole journey more meaningful.

This trip is awesome!

Our first marriage vow, made 30 years ago, was rather hazy. But the vow we recited here brought to life what marriage is and how to live it out in a godly way. It gave meaning to the marriage life that we have lived and are called to continue to live.

We look forward to leave a legacy for our children and their children. Strong family has always been on our hearts and I felt God telling me that the next part of our marriage will be even richer.

Lawrence Yeo and Wang Look Keah

Baptism at River Jordan Garden Tomb At the Garden Tomb, I felt really connected with God. The Baptist Pastor who was our guide, talked about his conversion experience which reminded me of my own born-again experience.

Agnes Yeo

Garden Tomb

I felt peace entering the Garden Tomb. The guide brought realness to the sacrifice of Jesus in his sharing.

There were many groups worshipping there. We were worshipping too and something special touched me about the realness of His grace and His love.

Stacy Seah Via Dolorosa I felt a great emotion as I walked along Via Dolorosa and visualized how Jesus carried the cross. I could feel His pain. He didn’t have to go to the cross but still obeyed and even carried the cross for us. He did this because He saw through the corridors of time, He saw me, my wife and the people He had to die for whom He loved.

Roland Soh

Via Dolorosa

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Gethsemane I saw the steps which are believed to be along the trail that Jesus took after the Lord’s Supper to Gethsemane. I fully realized how much pain and loneliness He must’ve felt. It must’ve been a lot worse than what I imagined reading the Bible.

Also, the height of the olive tree isn’t very tall, so He must’ve seen the soldiers coming with torches from a distance. Having to wait for them to arrest Him must’ve been torture! The Lord really went through a lot before He went to the cross.

Lee Kum Hing Hezekiah Garden of Gethsemane

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

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As I entered the Hezekiah tunnel, I was excited. But halfway through it, I thought: What if an earthquake happened now and the tunnel collapsed? The space is so confined and there is no way to escape. I started feeling scared knowing I couldn’t turn back. All sorts of thoughts came to mind and I was sure I would die. I started to pray and the Lord said to me, “If you have faith in Me, not only in this tunnel but in whatever situation you may go through, even with uncertainties or hopelessness, I can save you.”

As soon as I received this message, I began to relax and the fear went away. I began to join the team in worshipping the Lord while walking. As we exited the tunnel, all I could remember was the message. Sometimes we want to give up when we meet challenges in life. But God brought me to a new level of faith in this tunnel.

What a wonderful experience!

Mahendran

Pool of Bethesda Pastor Dominic shared with us about the person who was waiting to be helped into the pool to be healed. Instead, Jesus came and told him to stand up and walk. I felt the Lord say to me then to get into the flow of action just like Jesus did. This was very meaningful to me.

Samuel Chau

Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee The boat ride in the Sea of Galilee was an awesome experience. As we worshipped in the boat, we could feel God all over! The sea breeze was cool and the scenic view was stunning.

Lai Wee Mein While worshipping on the boat, I thought about how a storm could’ve come, how Peter could’ve walked on water – putting together what I’ve read in the Bible with what I saw. It was amazing!

Megan Lee 87

PRAYER TRANSFORMS Would you wake up early and travel to church by 7am for five days of morning prayer? What about sacrificing a precious Friday night for a night out with friends and family? In November, Trinitarians defied the norm to come together to connect with God and pray for their loved ones.

Diana Lim shares how God met with them powerfully as a result.

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Good Morning Jesus!

Morning Prayer, Nov 12-16

Christmas Combined Prayer Meetings, Nov 16, 23, 30 & Dec 7

Morning prayers are always awesome! Seeking God during such intense moments over five mornings refreshes and recharges me spiritually. God has reminded me to be bold and courageous while focusing on Him. Eileen Low, senior wealth planner

When I saw the crowd praying with me in the Chapel, I was touched by how so many Trinitarians could’ve been anywhere on the Friday night but chose to be here to pray for their loved ones instead. It encouraged me to pray and believe for my loved ones’ salvations.

Zhang Mingzhen, corporate communications executive

The presence of God was awesome. I enjoyed the times of reaching out to the ONE – our God! Through the sessions of prayer led by Pastor Dominic, I’ve grown to have a greater desire to reach out to my friends.

Sarah Ann, junior college student

My friend, who had yet to accept Christ, came for this prayer meeting with me. When Pastor Kenny got everyone to practice the bridge illustration with one another, I shared it with her and she decided to accept Christ there and then! God really works in wondrous ways! We must continue to believe in Him for the rest of our loved ones’ salvations.

Jenny Toh, finance manager

Through all five mornings, God continuously impressed upon me the need to put Him first in every aspect of my life. The morning prayer sessions have given me strength to face my workload and challenges each day.

David Ang, preschool director My pre-believing 80-year-old mother was hospitalized on the first day of morning prayer. My wife and I received new strength, courage and hope during the remaining four days. We were able to minister to my mum as well and she felt peace in place of fear. We believe for her to receive salvation soon!

Alex Loo, business owner

After the prayer meeting, my family took a cab home.

My Dad shared Christ with the taxi driver uncle and her accepted Christ. When we pray, God is already working behind-the-scenes. Praise God for the divine opportunity!

Joy Khor, secondary school student

Though I’ve been a Trinitarian for many years, this is the first time I’ve attended a morning prayer meeting here. It was a good experience and I felt very fresh and spirit-filled after the meeting. Will definitely try to make an effort to attend the morning prayer meetings in the future.

Irene Yen, secretary

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On Oct 6, 201 2, 1,124 childre n celebrated C way in Trinity. K hildren’s Day in nowing that ev a BIG ery event is an friends to expe opportunity fo rience and lear r their n about God,, a total of 93 fr the children in iends who were vi ted first time visito were taught on rs.. Powerful tr how they were uths BIG in God. W and 60 assuran e saw 27 salvat ce-of-salvation ions s. Elane Luo reports.

Remember, you are BIG In God too!

The children were asked this question (see if you get it right): Why are children BIG in God? Children are BIG in God because‌ 1.

2.

3.

4.

most of them are big-size and tall.

God only loves young people. they like to play with big toys. they are important to Him and He loves them.

Ans: 4.

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I am BIG in God’s eyes because…

He created me – G abriel, 12

I am beautiful – Joan, 11 (ftv) God loves me – Yi Xin, 8

I am important to God – Kai Jie, 7 (ftv)

sen I a m c hon, 12 – Christe

I have a good fu t – Victoria, 10 ure

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A

PLACE of

Encounter

As worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience.

1,152 youths united in worship at IGNYTE’s recent worship experience over two weekends, Oct 6 and 13. It was a heaven-on-earth encounter. IGNYTErs were challenged to live committed to pleasing and glorifying God. Many fell to their knees in tears, surrendering their lives to God and were left renewed in the spirit. Chen Xiufang reports.

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The worship experience has really moved me in a spiritual way. Worship over the past two weeks has been awesome! I was touched during the time of altar ministry and felt God's love for me. I know He will always forgive and accept me despite the wrong things that I have done. God’s love for me is real!

Abigail Leong, 13 The worship experience showed how amazing and magnificent God can be in my life!

God’s presence was so real and it made me realize that He really listens and answers my prayers.

Zaneta Goh, 14 I experienced the Father's loving embrace and found that all I need is Him. It was also encouraging to see IGNYTErs exalt our great God and hunger for more of Him. Deborah Chiang, 16 I encountered Him in worship in a way that I have not been able to in a long time.

Ong Huien, 15 I felt that the fire within me was re-ignited!

Nicholas Tan, 16 I was quite stressed up and worried because of my exams this period. However, during the worship experience, God told me that I should trust Him and not be worried.

Vanessa Tan, 15 I felt off-track in my relationship with God. But in service, I felt God speaking to me and bringing me back to my first love.

Shairel Foo, 17 I received a breakthrough in relation to having a heart of service.

Lee Yijie, 18 I received a revival of my heart for God during the worship!

Andrew Ng, 18

Find out what keeps our worship ministry youths serving despite their busy schedules and challenges they face.

A typical weekend for those in IGNYTE’s worship ministry: SATURDAY 8-11am CCA Training 11-1pm Lunch/travel to church 1-3pm EQ & Jam 3-430pm Study/Homework 4.30-4.45pm Report back and pray 5-6.30pm Service

7.30am 7.30-8.30am 8.30-9.30am 9.30-9.45am 10-11.30am

SUNDAY Report EQ & Jam DefinYtion Report back & pray Service

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I struggled to serve with the right motives when I first started out in the worship ministry. God spoke to me using the Parable of the Talents. Though I’m spiritually weak, God does not expect me to bury my talents, but He gave me these talents to be used.

I also realized that ‘God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the called’. God uses us despite our weaknesses and sins.

Sarah-Ann Moh, 17, keyboardist

Knowing that the Lord will give me strength to pull through each time that I’m tired keeps me pressing on. It is such a joy to serve the Lord because I’ve grown so much and despite all the challenges that I‘ve faced, I enjoy basking in His presence while serving Him and glorifying His name.

Tashia Yang, 14, vocalist

Seeing the joy on the other Levites' faces while worshipping is really what keeps me going every week. Also, serving has brought me to a new level of worship.

Megumi Chua, 14, vocalist

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I have faith that God will take care of my concerns in life, like my studies.

Zerline Lee, 18, keyboardist

What keeps me serving is simply my love for God. I feel happy when I serve because I know that this pleases Him. Darren Lee, 17, bassist

The feeling of growth keeps me going. And because I honor God with my time in serving Him, He blesses me with more time to finish my homework. I also feel very blessed and very honored to be able to serve in His household.

Charlene Tan, 16, vocalist

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Grace

Behind The Sand

Los Angeles-based Chinese Christian singer and songwriter Amy Sand came to Trinity again for a two-night concert on Oct 26 and 27, 2012.

The concert, organized in collaboration with the Singapore Assemblies of God churches, attracted over 3,000 who were serenaded in a powerful atmosphere of God’s presence. At the end, many flooded the altars for a deeper encounter with God. More than a sweet voice, Amy says it is God’s leading and a prayerful posture that keeps her going. Chia Ban Seng reports.

This is your third visit to Trinity. What is in your heart as you prepare for tonight’s concert?

I am very honored to have the opportunity to serve God in Trinity once again.

My prayer and hope for every concert is that people will experience God’s love and receive Jesus Christ into their lives.

It’s been quite a hectic schedule for you, having done some 400 concerts around the world, share with us how do you cope?

Sometimes, I feel God has a sense of humor, because He chose someone like me for a ministry that requires frequent travelling! I’m not strong physically and don’t adapt well to new surroundings. I’ve often 96

felt unwell due to changes in weather and food, and the constant checking in and out of hotels is very draining. The journey has not been easy but I have learnt to trust God and rest in Him. Through the years I’ve come to realize that it’s God’s ministry and the outcome isn’t dependent on how well I can perform but God being present at every concert. I’ve learnt to let go, do what I can to stay healthy and leave the rest to Him. What keeps you going in the ministry?

I feel most importantly that it’s to depend on God through times of prayer and intimacy. The challenges in my ministry have grown my faith and reminded me that I need God more than ever before.

Also, seeing people receive Christ and experience God’s love through the concerts make the struggles worthwhile. I met a few people at the concert yesterday who shared how they were ministered by the songs during their troubled times. God is really amazing and I’m encouraged by how He is touching lives through this ministry.

What's next for you? Can we expect a new album on the horizon?

Given the commitments next year, it will be challenging but I will let God be the Potter and lead me on as He desires.

Finally, would you have any advice for those who have a heart for singing/songwriting for God? Keep seeking His will, be sensitive to His leading and remember, it’s not about you, it’s about Him. In the music ministry you need to be humble, as being in the “spotlight” makes one prone to pride.

If God’s grace enables you to serve Him in the musical arena, you need to exercise that anointing and grow in it. Be faithful in the small things you do for God! In my earlier days, the heart and effort I put in to prepare leading worship in a small setting is quite similar to the preparation for a big setting in later years. T

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Since Takeshi Moriyama, 28 year-old urban designer, came to Trinity, he has invited 13 of his friends to church and carecell and saw some of them accept Christ. Sharon Lim finds out more about why he does what he does.

Takeshi Moriyama What made you start inviting people?

Although I came from a Christian family, I never really had a personal relationship with God. While studying in Singapore, I attended Trinity and my life started to change. I realized how real God was and I received new meaning and purpose in my life. My life has been enriched so much by truly knowing God that I wanted to do something for Him. I saw how my carecell mates were inviting people and I thought to myself ‘That’s a start!’ So I asked God to give me a heart to love people, and my journey of inviting people began.

What challenges did you face at first?

Being a typical Japanese, it was hard to step out to tell people about this God that I have experienced. I had to overcome my own fears of rejection. Yet, God repeatedly gave me many opportunities to reach out to them. I prayed really hard for myself and I guess the best way to overcome it was simply to “Just do it!”

My first breakthrough came when one of my friends came over a period and accepted Christ. The joy was Nominate your Trinitarian Hero!

Mail connect@trinity.org.sg to tell us why you think this person best espouses the vision and values of Trinity.

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overwhelming. It gave me greater motivation and courage to invite more friends to the House of God. From then on, I knew my part was to pray, invite my friends and ultimately to trust God to work in their lives.

Are there any tips on inviting friends?

I believe the best tip is to focus on building a good relationship with them through caring and connecting.

People see God in us, so we need to respect and care for them in a way that they can see God in us.

Trust that God will give you the opportunity and favor to successfully invite them to church. Be sure to take that step of faith and seize the opportunity to invite them when God presents it to you.

In my case, God does most of the work. I simply do my part by praying for the names that God brings to mind, and grasping the opportunities He presents right before me. Let us remember Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. T

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