Sunday, November 26, 2006
Group leaders, asst group leaders and facilitators
Hello all group leaders, asst group leaders and facilitators, there'll be a briefing for all of you:
Date: 3 December, Sunday
Time: 2pm
Venue: YWCA room 810
See you all then! :)
Group leaders, asst group leaders and facilitators
Hello all group leaders, asst group leaders and facilitators, there'll be a briefing for all of you:
Date: 3 December, Sunday
Time: 2pm
Venue: YWCA room 810
See you all then! :)
Pre-camp devotionals
Hello! These are devotionals you should use before camp which will help prepare you for camp. Whether you're going for camp or not, do read through it thoughtfully and reflect.
PART ONE: ONE
"then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever."
- Jeremiah 32: 39a (NKJV)
For those of you who've signed up, well, camp has a lot to do with fun and games and fellowship. But more than that, it's a time to come before God. To learn more about Him and experience Him while you learn to worship Him in everything you do. This year's theme is on the Fear of the Lord. Not sure what that means? Don't worry- we'll explain it in the later devotion. However, you could start preparing your heart by praying and asking God to reveal Himself to you. It doesn't have to be at the camp that He does that because experiencing God isn't just something that happens only at camps. You can experience God all the time! He could reveal Himself to you at any moment, even while you're playing, eating, sleeping or studying.
Let's take a look at the theme verse for camp, Jeremiah 32: 39a.
"then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever."
What does it mean to have one heart and one way? One refers to single-mindedness. So here, we are looking at having a heart that is devoted to God.
Who does your heart belong to? What do you find when you look deep down in your heart? Distraction? Darkness? Or Jesus? If you can't say for sure that your heart belongs to Jesus, then maybe it is time to do some searching. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters..." (Matthew 6:24). If your heart truly belongs to Jesus and is devoted to Him and Him alone, you will embrace God and love Him. So which "One" would you choose today?
Prayer: Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11) Reveal yourself to me, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
-
PART TWO: THE HEART
What's so important about the heart?
The Word tells us that God dwells in our heart, as such we must be mindful of the condition of our heart as God's glory resides within us.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- Matthew 6:21
Last year's camp was about surrendering our secret places- all that's in our hearts- to God. In the previous week, we talked about having one heart and therefore, one way.
Matthew 6:21 says,
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Last week we responded to the question, to whom or what does our heart belong? Here's an example: If your heart is set on computer games and it becomes your "treasure," then your heart will be for games. The same applies to all the "treasures" in our lives like our grades, our hobbies, our friends and even our families. Therefore if your heart's treasure is God, then He will be your primary focus, and you will desire more and more of God. This doesn't mean that you do nothing else but think about God. Instead, it means that in everything you do, your heart is in the right place, doing what you do, for God.
The heart is so important because the kind of heart you have shows the kind of person you are. Matthew 12:34 says, "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks". Jesus was telling the Pharisees (or the Hebrew teachers of the Law) that He could tell what was in their hearts when they spoke, in that even though they sounded holy, their intentions were evil.
God conditions our hearts, the place within us where He dwells. Ephesians 2:22 says that we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Our hearts continue to be under construction, preparing for His glory.
If we want to see God's glory, see who God really is, our hearts must be in the right order because God dwells in holy places. Therefore start preparing your heart now so that it can in time be a place where God loves to dwell. If God were to look into your heart now, what do you think He will see? Allow Him to look deep within you, to shine His light within. Ask Him to show you what your "treasures" are and to allow Him to repair, restore and revive your heart today.
Prayer: Lord set my heart right with you, so that you can come and dwell in me, and I may be in Your presence always. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
-
PART THREE:PREPARING OUR HEARTS PART 1
Confession, Repentance and Forgiveness
Last week we looked at our hearts being at the core of our being. We also know that once we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, in our hearts. In this sense, our hearts need to be repaired, restored and revived so that God’s dwelling place is holy and set apart for Him and His glory can dwell in us. When we are able to "feel" and "see" God’s glory in our lives, we call this God's "manifested presence".
If we desire God's manifested presence in our lives, there are some things we need to understand. (1) When there is sin in our lives, our heart as the dwelling place of God becomes tainted and we are unable to enjoy the manifested presence of God. (2) To enjoy His manifested presence, the divine pattern and order must be established in our lives. (3) When God's manifested presence is in our lives, judgment comes swiftly when sin is present. (4) With judgment, comes the fear of the Lord. When the fear of the Lord comes upon us, the divine pattern and order is then re-established in our lives. As you can see the above can be represented as a cycle in our lives and in the history of mankind. For example, Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden, the unacceptable offering from Aaron's sons at Moses' tabernacle, Joshua and the sin of Achan, David & Bathsheba etc. We start then with the understanding that we desire God's manifested presence in our lives. Is this you? Do you desire more of God in your life? Do you long to see God work in all the areas of your life? If this is you, read on!
As sinners rescued by God, we know that our sins are forgiven and taken upon the cross of Christ. However, we are also aware that the temptation to sin continues as we live in a sinful world and we still struggle with our sinful desires. If we desire God's manifested presence in our lives, we will become aware of our sins and need to know how to deal with sin. Are you ready to deal with the sin in your life?
To deal adequately with sin, there must first be an acknowledgement that we have sinned, then we need to confess and repent of our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. Confession and repentance is not a mere repetition of words like a ritual, there must be a genuine desire in our hearts to turn away from the sin that is in our lives.
Application
Take some time to be quiet before God. Last week when you prayed and asked God to reveal the sinful areas of your life, surrender these areas to Him. Acknowledge that you have sinned and list these areas one by one, asking God to forgive you for each one.
Sometimes our sin includes bitterness or hatred of others for deeds committed against us by them. In these areas, forgiveness is very important. To be released from bitterness and hatred, we need to forgive. Forgiveness is not excusing the other person but forgiveness releases us from our own sin. God will deal with the other person as He sees fit.
Take sometime as you release forgiveness to each person who has committed any deeds against you. You may want to say “I forgive _(name)_ for _(specific deed)_ and I bless you with the love of Christ."
Once you have dealt with these different areas in your life, thank God for His forgiveness and His love to you. You may feel nothing but that doesn't mean nothing is happening to your heart. As God continues to work in your heart, He is preparing your heart to be His dwelling place.
-
PART THREE: PREPARING OUR HEARTS PART 2
Featuring : Extreme Awe & Reverence
"I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me." -Jeremiah 32:39a(NKJV)
Yesterday, we dealt with the areas of sin in our lives. Once sin is dealt with in our lives, we will become more aware of God in our lives. For some of us, we can sense a greater desire to spend time reading the Word and praying. For some of us, we sense a change in our heart attitude towards God- we are able to sense Him more in our lives and for some of us, we see changes happening in our lives, it seems like our behaviour and attitudes towards issues, people in our lives start to conform to God's standards. Dear friends, these are all signs and signals that God is beginning to establish His divine pattern or order in our lives ie God's manifested presence becomes more real to us.
We also know that when the manifested presence of God is in our lives, judgment comes swiftly. We can see this happening in the Acts Church. In summary, the disciples feared God and waited in obedience in the Upper room – the divine pattern was established. In God’s time and conditional upon obedience of the first church, God's manifested presence came in the visible form of tongues of fire and the people speaking in tongues on Pentecost. Judgment also came swiftly when Ananias & Sapphira told a lie about the funds they gave to the church and they were struck dead instantly. When judgment came, Acts 5:11 tells us that "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these events”.
As you prepare for camp, prepare your heart also for God's manifested presence in your life. We may be fearful that if we displease God, He will punish us. However, that is not the kind of fear that God wishes to instill in us. When the fear of the Lord came upon the Acts Church, they were motivated to grow in their faith and deepen their spiritual walk. This is because the fear that seized them was fear that led to awe and reverence.
In Jeremiah 32:38-41 (NIV), God lovingly tells the Israelites that "they will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul." Today, God says the same things to us, as His children in the new covenant.
Application
Spend a few minutes meditating on Jeremiah 32:38-41. Read the verses aloud twice, slowly, absorbing every word. Read it a third time and as you read, imagine God saying these words to you. Personalise every word. Write down your thoughts or impressions.
God desires to bless us, to do good things to us and he rejoices in doing good and establishing us in our place in this world. In the history of man, God has constantly reached out to us, loved us and gave us life. In fact, His ultimate gift of love was in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. We need not look any further than the cross.
We have freely received from God this gift of love and our response should be a response of fear for a loving God. This is what is meant by fearing Him with awe and reverence. Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above! Come prepared to meet your King!
Hello! These are devotionals you should use before camp which will help prepare you for camp. Whether you're going for camp or not, do read through it thoughtfully and reflect.
PART ONE: ONE
"then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever."
- Jeremiah 32: 39a (NKJV)
For those of you who've signed up, well, camp has a lot to do with fun and games and fellowship. But more than that, it's a time to come before God. To learn more about Him and experience Him while you learn to worship Him in everything you do. This year's theme is on the Fear of the Lord. Not sure what that means? Don't worry- we'll explain it in the later devotion. However, you could start preparing your heart by praying and asking God to reveal Himself to you. It doesn't have to be at the camp that He does that because experiencing God isn't just something that happens only at camps. You can experience God all the time! He could reveal Himself to you at any moment, even while you're playing, eating, sleeping or studying.
Let's take a look at the theme verse for camp, Jeremiah 32: 39a.
"then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever."
What does it mean to have one heart and one way? One refers to single-mindedness. So here, we are looking at having a heart that is devoted to God.
Who does your heart belong to? What do you find when you look deep down in your heart? Distraction? Darkness? Or Jesus? If you can't say for sure that your heart belongs to Jesus, then maybe it is time to do some searching. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters..." (Matthew 6:24). If your heart truly belongs to Jesus and is devoted to Him and Him alone, you will embrace God and love Him. So which "One" would you choose today?
Prayer: Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Psalm 86:11) Reveal yourself to me, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
-
PART TWO: THE HEART
What's so important about the heart?
The Word tells us that God dwells in our heart, as such we must be mindful of the condition of our heart as God's glory resides within us.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
- Matthew 6:21
Last year's camp was about surrendering our secret places- all that's in our hearts- to God. In the previous week, we talked about having one heart and therefore, one way.
Matthew 6:21 says,
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Last week we responded to the question, to whom or what does our heart belong? Here's an example: If your heart is set on computer games and it becomes your "treasure," then your heart will be for games. The same applies to all the "treasures" in our lives like our grades, our hobbies, our friends and even our families. Therefore if your heart's treasure is God, then He will be your primary focus, and you will desire more and more of God. This doesn't mean that you do nothing else but think about God. Instead, it means that in everything you do, your heart is in the right place, doing what you do, for God.
The heart is so important because the kind of heart you have shows the kind of person you are. Matthew 12:34 says, "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks". Jesus was telling the Pharisees (or the Hebrew teachers of the Law) that He could tell what was in their hearts when they spoke, in that even though they sounded holy, their intentions were evil.
God conditions our hearts, the place within us where He dwells. Ephesians 2:22 says that we are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Our hearts continue to be under construction, preparing for His glory.
If we want to see God's glory, see who God really is, our hearts must be in the right order because God dwells in holy places. Therefore start preparing your heart now so that it can in time be a place where God loves to dwell. If God were to look into your heart now, what do you think He will see? Allow Him to look deep within you, to shine His light within. Ask Him to show you what your "treasures" are and to allow Him to repair, restore and revive your heart today.
Prayer: Lord set my heart right with you, so that you can come and dwell in me, and I may be in Your presence always. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
-
PART THREE:PREPARING OUR HEARTS PART 1
Confession, Repentance and Forgiveness
Last week we looked at our hearts being at the core of our being. We also know that once we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, in our hearts. In this sense, our hearts need to be repaired, restored and revived so that God’s dwelling place is holy and set apart for Him and His glory can dwell in us. When we are able to "feel" and "see" God’s glory in our lives, we call this God's "manifested presence".
If we desire God's manifested presence in our lives, there are some things we need to understand. (1) When there is sin in our lives, our heart as the dwelling place of God becomes tainted and we are unable to enjoy the manifested presence of God. (2) To enjoy His manifested presence, the divine pattern and order must be established in our lives. (3) When God's manifested presence is in our lives, judgment comes swiftly when sin is present. (4) With judgment, comes the fear of the Lord. When the fear of the Lord comes upon us, the divine pattern and order is then re-established in our lives. As you can see the above can be represented as a cycle in our lives and in the history of mankind. For example, Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden, the unacceptable offering from Aaron's sons at Moses' tabernacle, Joshua and the sin of Achan, David & Bathsheba etc. We start then with the understanding that we desire God's manifested presence in our lives. Is this you? Do you desire more of God in your life? Do you long to see God work in all the areas of your life? If this is you, read on!
As sinners rescued by God, we know that our sins are forgiven and taken upon the cross of Christ. However, we are also aware that the temptation to sin continues as we live in a sinful world and we still struggle with our sinful desires. If we desire God's manifested presence in our lives, we will become aware of our sins and need to know how to deal with sin. Are you ready to deal with the sin in your life?
To deal adequately with sin, there must first be an acknowledgement that we have sinned, then we need to confess and repent of our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”. Confession and repentance is not a mere repetition of words like a ritual, there must be a genuine desire in our hearts to turn away from the sin that is in our lives.
Application
Take some time to be quiet before God. Last week when you prayed and asked God to reveal the sinful areas of your life, surrender these areas to Him. Acknowledge that you have sinned and list these areas one by one, asking God to forgive you for each one.
Sometimes our sin includes bitterness or hatred of others for deeds committed against us by them. In these areas, forgiveness is very important. To be released from bitterness and hatred, we need to forgive. Forgiveness is not excusing the other person but forgiveness releases us from our own sin. God will deal with the other person as He sees fit.
Take sometime as you release forgiveness to each person who has committed any deeds against you. You may want to say “I forgive _(name)_ for _(specific deed)_ and I bless you with the love of Christ."
Once you have dealt with these different areas in your life, thank God for His forgiveness and His love to you. You may feel nothing but that doesn't mean nothing is happening to your heart. As God continues to work in your heart, He is preparing your heart to be His dwelling place.
-
PART THREE: PREPARING OUR HEARTS PART 2
Featuring : Extreme Awe & Reverence
"I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me." -Jeremiah 32:39a(NKJV)
Yesterday, we dealt with the areas of sin in our lives. Once sin is dealt with in our lives, we will become more aware of God in our lives. For some of us, we can sense a greater desire to spend time reading the Word and praying. For some of us, we sense a change in our heart attitude towards God- we are able to sense Him more in our lives and for some of us, we see changes happening in our lives, it seems like our behaviour and attitudes towards issues, people in our lives start to conform to God's standards. Dear friends, these are all signs and signals that God is beginning to establish His divine pattern or order in our lives ie God's manifested presence becomes more real to us.
We also know that when the manifested presence of God is in our lives, judgment comes swiftly. We can see this happening in the Acts Church. In summary, the disciples feared God and waited in obedience in the Upper room – the divine pattern was established. In God’s time and conditional upon obedience of the first church, God's manifested presence came in the visible form of tongues of fire and the people speaking in tongues on Pentecost. Judgment also came swiftly when Ananias & Sapphira told a lie about the funds they gave to the church and they were struck dead instantly. When judgment came, Acts 5:11 tells us that "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these events”.
As you prepare for camp, prepare your heart also for God's manifested presence in your life. We may be fearful that if we displease God, He will punish us. However, that is not the kind of fear that God wishes to instill in us. When the fear of the Lord came upon the Acts Church, they were motivated to grow in their faith and deepen their spiritual walk. This is because the fear that seized them was fear that led to awe and reverence.
In Jeremiah 32:38-41 (NIV), God lovingly tells the Israelites that "they will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul." Today, God says the same things to us, as His children in the new covenant.
Application
Spend a few minutes meditating on Jeremiah 32:38-41. Read the verses aloud twice, slowly, absorbing every word. Read it a third time and as you read, imagine God saying these words to you. Personalise every word. Write down your thoughts or impressions.
God desires to bless us, to do good things to us and he rejoices in doing good and establishing us in our place in this world. In the history of man, God has constantly reached out to us, loved us and gave us life. In fact, His ultimate gift of love was in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. We need not look any further than the cross.
We have freely received from God this gift of love and our response should be a response of fear for a loving God. This is what is meant by fearing Him with awe and reverence. Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above! Come prepared to meet your King!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Packing List + Prayer Items
Packing list
Hello! Here's the stuff to bring for camp!
- 4 sets of clothes (including 1 dark-coloured set)
- 4 sets of undergarments
- A jacket/ cardigan
- Toiletries (toothbrush/ paste, shampoo, soap, towel etc.)
- Running shoes
- Sandals/ slippers
- 2 to 3 pairs of socks
- Water bottle
- Bible
- Notebook
- Stationery
- Medication (if any)
Note:
Do not bring too much cash along with you ($30 would suffice). For security reasons, you might want to leave your valuables at home (e.g. electronic devices, laptops, expensive jewellery etc.).
Prayer Items
Hello campers! Camp is in just *gasp* 13 days!!!!! We hope you're excited and really looking forward to it! Well, one thing we should do is to pray for camp because if we want to see God moving, we should ask of Him, through prayer! Prayer is power!
Here's a list of things you can pray for:
Speakers
- Speakers: Pastor Dave Reardon the main speaker, and the workshop speakers
- Pray that they will speak words from God, to give the right message at the right time
Campers
- Open, expectant hearts
- To be excited and enthusiastic about camp
- Pray for pre-believers coming for camp (friends of YM-ers, for example)
Weather
It's been raining recently, so let's pray that God will give us good weather for camp so that all outdoor activities and all else will go fine!
Activities
- Worship: will be pleasing to God, that people will freely worship!
- Games: will run smoothly and that no one will get injured
YM
- Since this is a YM camp, let's pray that YM will be united and we will all grow together in this camp. That God will come in a mighty way and that this camp will be one that pleases and glorifies Him.
This list is not exhaustive! There may be other things you think you should pray for. So just pray for whatever God puts on your heart to pray for :) Thank you for praying with us :)
Packing List + Prayer Items
Packing list
Hello! Here's the stuff to bring for camp!
- 4 sets of clothes (including 1 dark-coloured set)
- 4 sets of undergarments
- A jacket/ cardigan
- Toiletries (toothbrush/ paste, shampoo, soap, towel etc.)
- Running shoes
- Sandals/ slippers
- 2 to 3 pairs of socks
- Water bottle
- Bible
- Notebook
- Stationery
- Medication (if any)
Note:
Do not bring too much cash along with you ($30 would suffice). For security reasons, you might want to leave your valuables at home (e.g. electronic devices, laptops, expensive jewellery etc.).
Prayer Items
Hello campers! Camp is in just *gasp* 13 days!!!!! We hope you're excited and really looking forward to it! Well, one thing we should do is to pray for camp because if we want to see God moving, we should ask of Him, through prayer! Prayer is power!
Here's a list of things you can pray for:
Speakers
- Speakers: Pastor Dave Reardon the main speaker, and the workshop speakers
- Pray that they will speak words from God, to give the right message at the right time
Campers
- Open, expectant hearts
- To be excited and enthusiastic about camp
- Pray for pre-believers coming for camp (friends of YM-ers, for example)
Weather
It's been raining recently, so let's pray that God will give us good weather for camp so that all outdoor activities and all else will go fine!
Activities
- Worship: will be pleasing to God, that people will freely worship!
- Games: will run smoothly and that no one will get injured
YM
- Since this is a YM camp, let's pray that YM will be united and we will all grow together in this camp. That God will come in a mighty way and that this camp will be one that pleases and glorifies Him.
This list is not exhaustive! There may be other things you think you should pray for. So just pray for whatever God puts on your heart to pray for :) Thank you for praying with us :)
