Monday, July 27, 2009
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"I Don't Want To Be A Fanatic!"
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YF: Sermon Series - Letter of James
"I Don't Want to Be a Fanatic!" by Rev Leslie Lim
James 1:19-22
[Listening and Doing
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. -James 1:19-22 (NIV)]
-Everyone is a fanatic of something like soccer or heroes (not me!), but no one wants to be a Spiritual Fanatic, especially after knowing of bad incidents like the KKK and the Northern Iceland “war”.
-definition of a HS fan: One filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit (HS) to lead him or her to knowledge of the truth about God and to a lifestyle in accordance with that truth --> a HS fan!
-how?? As much as it is a cliche, it is by reading and DOING the word (there is a reason why cliche are cliches) - simple things like controlling our speech, being slow to anger, caring for the orphans & widows and personal righteousness
3 pratical steps!
#1: Control of tongues
(According to an accordance, as Rev Leslie Lim said, being loose with our tongues Includes the following:
-interrupting & dominating conversation
-being easily provoked & lashed at others
-criticising and murmuring (?!)
-judging & condemning others
-cursing
-engaging in suggestive and off-coloured talk
-talking about and looking down on others
-gossiping and telling tales)
Our anger and our speech is a reflection of our inner heart, therefore it is a good indicator whether how much you are willing to love God. Anger cannot bring about righteousness. ("In your anger do not sin"[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold." Eph 4:26-27)Our words and speech can hurt the people around us, like a knife stabbing.
#2: Personal Righteousness
(v21) Therefore, get rid of all moral filth.
The word "filth" is "rupania" in greek, the root word is "rupos" (greek) and it literally means "wax in the ear". This show that moral filth inside us hinders our listening to God's word.
#3: Care for the unfortunate
Care of orphans, widows & other acts of social concerns
=\= content of Christianity (aka not what's Christianity all about)
== EXPRESSION of it
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
Religion is a practice of one's faith. Re (agian) - ligion (to bind together)=> Reliigon is the beginning to make things work together properly again, as they SHOULD work (ie according to God's standards.)
QuEsTiOn: Why should we concerned about them?
4 reasons:
#1: Self-knowledge - only after practising by then do we know the weaknesses of ourselves
#2: Acceptance to God - Looking at James 1:27 (above) again, it implies that there is a religion NOT acceptable to God. (ie faith without works is dead)
Responsibility: TO FIND OUT what is pleasing to God
how?
(cliche moment)by Checking with the Bible. =D
danger: we must take the Bible as an entire-ity and not practise selective listening.
(simplest eg: thou shall not steal is the least impt in the 10 commandments so can forget about it)
danger 2: there is a tendency for us to do the superficial things but not the important things.
(ie "but ONLY ONE THING IS NEEDED. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)
(eg going through the Holy Communion will be of no imptance if we dont appreciate and understand the significance of it)
#3: Personal Blessings
"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25
Though it shouldn't be our main purpose of pleasing God, but it should keep us assured and motivates us that God is a fair God and we are storing our treasures in Heaven.
#4: A blessing for other people
We are not meant to live alone, we are meant as a brotherhood, to build each other up, and to bring more people to Christ. Our lives affects, like a ripple, others, no matter you like it or not. What if someone junior comes up to you and ask you why you christian but you like this and like that?
"I like my way of doing it better than your way of NOT DOING IT." -D.L. Moody
aaron chua thanked jesus at9:44 PM
Sunday, July 5, 2009
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hey what do you think is the GOSPEL?
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full version pls) lol.
the importantance of it is that if we are not even sure of this, how can we live out God's life in us and live for God?
another qn to ponder: what does it take to gain eternal life? *aka whats the criteria to go heaven?* lol. (is beliving enough?)
aaron chua thanked jesus at1:03 AM