Random photos of first CA for this sem...
Luke 12:34
Not-an-intec-student-anymore Eujeen posing wif his new henna design... hehe
Girl Power!!! yea!!! once again the girls dominate CA...
F4.. er.. F5 from CA... modelling the new CA shirt... Malaysia Next Top Model... (kononnya lah...)
The famous Arsenal guy from one of the games during ice-breakers...
During games and ice-breakers...
Behold.. the giant cake enough to feed 80 ppl..
The July babies celebrating their birthdays during refreshment time...
Complaining yet eat the most...
35 comments:
I see quite a lot of CA shirt. Perhaps it's time we dissect the true meaning of the art embedded on the shirt. What say you, papaya?
Good job on the uploading. I know it takes hours especially with a poor wireless connection.
And Happy Birthday from your retired CA member to all July babies. Another year older, another year wiser, and another year closer to the Lord. *mimics Pastor Alex*
haha... btw, someone did volunteer to serve in the IT field of CA... so u got ur successor liaw...
I need to contact that fellow. Give me his/her contact.
"Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." Revelation 3:17-18
I can only imagine the tears He sheds seeing His once-pure bride with one foot in the world. I feel His pain as one who claims to be His child goes around bearing the image of the Enemy, be it a dragon or serpent. Far worse still is to glorify it explicitly in a “Christian” gathering.
You guys wear your shirts so proudly around INTEC, Cemara and Akasia but how many of you in reality bear His image? I have heard some people say several weeks ago, “That guy wears that Christian shirt and yet he is like this-and-that!” I have witnessed with my own eyes how someone wearing that shirt waved “the finger” out in public grounds. Guys, if you want to proclaim openly that you are Christians, then you must project His image! Else you invite judgement upon yourself for soiling His Holy Name.
Jesus Christ died for our sins.... We are called into His grace to do His will. No placing one foot in heaven, the other on earth.
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."
Ephesians 4:1
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2
I will be observing so long I remain in INTEC.
God Bless.
*adds oil to fire*
The bosses and committee worked hard *seriously*... brilliant sermon too... well done to all and PTL!
The scholars are not perfect but they are trying their best. I am sinful and guilty too. Can agree with several of your points... supported by quoting Scripture sumore... but perhaps no need to use such a strong tone.
Thanz for ur reminder... i can only say tat we, the comittee is trying hard to be the image of Christ...
but juz wan to tel u tat some of the regulars of CA are not christians YET... and i believe God is not finish with them YET so please giv them some time... everyone deserve a second chance...
Thanks for keeping an eye on as long as you are still in INTEC. Too bad I left that place long time ago.
Also, instead of looking at a black dot on a piece of white paper, shouldn't we look at the paper as a whole and not just the black dot?
Of course I'm not justifying his/her/their behaviors but I'm just asking for you to try and forgive him/her/them and give him/her/them another chance.
If you have any names you want to share, you can certainly email me(because I don't have your contact. I assure you that everything will be P&C.
Thanks again for your keen eye. My deepest apologies if any of their actions do not speak of what they are wearing on their back. It's my idea to have the shirt after all. Sorry.
P/S: Don't take this hard, but I have a feeling that you recently signed up just to post a comment here, Ichabod. Did you take that name off 1Samuel 4:21? =D
It’s nothing personal; I’m appalled by the amount of secularism that has crept into a Christian body. I am not alone on this, as several other Christians in INTEC concur with me on this issue. Ok, I’ll admit that I was a little harsh earlier, but to see a photo of someone with a tattoo, what more that of a dragon being posted up on a Christian site, is shocking. If you don’t see the severity of it, let’s put it this way. If a preacher comes one night with an image of some god on his forehead, are you going to put a photo up with a caption “Great preacher with a tattoo to match!”? I know this example is extreme, but the principle is the same. If some of you still don’t think it’s a big deal, then my statement stands: secularism has crept in.
As for your statement, Leen,
“Also, instead of looking at a black dot on a piece of white paper, shouldn't we look at the paper as a whole and not just the black dot?”
It is an error to leave things the way it is simply because it appears “trivial”. Do you recall God’s standards? Will those who enter His kingdom have even a sprinkling of uncleanliness? Be aware that even the “little” sins are enough to hinder a Christian’s walk with Christ, if not dealt with. Suddenly the dot on the paper doesn’t seem so harmless anymore does it?
Yes, of course we are all sinners. But what is it that distinguishes a Christian from the rest? It is not that the Christian is sinless.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!” Romans 6:14-15
The difference is that the person has turned his life over to Christ and abandoned his sinful past. On the other hand, there are Christians who revel in their sinful nature, justifying it because “we are sinful by nature”. Yes, there are CA members, including that within the community who are guilty of this. Pat, I am aware that there are non-Christians attending CA but those that I am referring to are supposed to be the “solid” believers. It truly irks me that some of these people go around INTEC passing out CA fliers and promoting the CA, and putting up a “holy façade” then. On the other hand, I have heard of the obscenities and foul language uttered during other times. Not once or twice but habitually. Behind closed doors, I have heard of their true colours being revealed. I have heard of reports that some are very worldly, conceited and even judgmental. Mind you, these terms have been used against committee members and even the musicians. You guys know who you are. I don’t have to name names.
“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” James 3:10-11
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:16
And lastly Leen, it is not for you to apologize on their behalf, nor for me to accept it. They answer personally to Him. I am not posting here for any other motive other than to correct what I view as errors. I apologize if I have sounded too harsh, but I will not budge on my stand. As a matter of fact, no one from the CA has wronged me. In fact, I will concede that there are quite a few faithful ones attending.
Btw, what is it to you if this account was created recently or a decade ago? It doesn’t affect the content of my message whatsoever, does it? I go by many pseudonyms, and thus my identity is irrelevant. And yes, it is based on Samuel.
I went to church one Sunday.
I had no money with me to go home. A church member offered to drive me home. I waited until 5pm but she never came. A brother called her and she denied that she offered to drive me home. It was a miscommunication.
At last, another sister drove me home. The brother who made that call apologized to me and the sister who drove me home.
We said, "This is no one's fault. It's a miscommunication."
He replied, "Well, yeah. But someone has to say sorry."
Moral of the story?
I may/may not be involved in anything. Maybe this is a no man's fault. But someone has to say sorry. So, sorry.
Lastly, have you ever attended CA service, Sichabod? If yes, how many times? If no, maybe you could try to attend once? ^___^
One day, there was a bunch of teens who tried to build a treehouse by the edge of the woods. They did a messy job in the process and in the end built a somewhat precarious structure.
Someone passing by pointed out that their structure was unsafe and suggested how they could improve it. One of the girls said, “Sorry for building it so.”
The person replied, “Why are you apologizing? I’m just passing through. I thought I should mention it before one of you guys get hurt.”
Did so in the distant past. Else I wouldn’t have drawn up such conclusions from thin air.
All right, I think enough has been said then. I’m aware that much of what I’ve said is unacceptable to some of you CA members. I apologize to you, Leen for making you bear the brunt of it. I shall fade into the background once more. I'm just passing through.
God bless.
hmmmm...ichabod/sichabod....can understand how you must be burning inside,or were....i too had a fiery temper about how the CA or in general,christians in my time of study in intec acted(lived)..well..i hope God will give you peace and the lessening of your fiery temper:D calm down..maybe you are not used to seeing sooo much secularism at once in the christian comunity....and now that you have sort of exploded...i congratulate you..welcome to the real world..i just pray that God will teach you how to live correctly less you fall to the jaws of secularism as well...intec is still protected...where you are heading after intec will be even worse in terms of secularism in christianity..but is good that you brought up this issue...sometimes ppl need to be woken up to see that God is calling us to be holy. So, God bless you and keep you and maybe one day we will know who this fiery young man/woman is..haha God Bless:D
the wisest comment by far... CA member forever pls continue to keep watch at this blog and guide us with your words of wisdom *seriously*...
Interesting. I didn't know the church of Jesus Christ promotes, give in to, invites or think its okay towards secularism.
I wonder if in heaven there would be tattoos and the "real world".
I didnt know too that the church of Jesus Christ welcomes the ways of the world.
Well, this must be the "real world" then.
Thank you ichabod for bringing up this issue. It is not that we or any church "promotes, give in to, invites or think its okay towards secularism", but as frail, weak and imperfect as we are, we tend to forget God's standards, and that we are to live holy lives as a testimony to others who have not known the Lord. Thus I am grateful that God has used you ichabod to open our eyes and realise that we need to constantly watch our behaviour/attitude/tongue/actions so that we do not have to put on a mask to hide our true self during church/CA/cell, but live a holy life at all times. Lets encourage/remind/pray/help one another on this issue, and pray that God will guide us out of secularism. With God's help all things are possible.
God bless.
yes... let us all make peace now and reveal ourselves... pat, leen, not a scholar and ca member forever are obvious enough so who is ichabod, sichabod, ca member and anonymous?
*ice-breaker*
haha..anonymous...hillsong is secular (for example).i don't think tattoo is the only thing we consider secular.maybe you could expand your view of secular to include comics movies and pop music..and the fact that many christian songs today are secular.ever thought of that,city kid?
Firstly, I am not from a rural religious commune living out an ascetic lifestyle. I am a city kid. A thoroughbred big city kid, living in an urban area ever since I was born. I have seen staggering magnitude of secularism within the church itself and it never fails to arouse my anger.
And thank you Annyms so much for getting me started. I was actually searching for an opening to begin with, and you provided me with just that. You are spot on man, Hillsong is secular. I have to say this; your CA worship is secular too. Think about it, how many of you musicians are up there glorifying yourself rather than God? Don’t you feel the adrenaline rush, the hype of the moment, the awesome display of your skills, the raw jamming and the rest of the excitement. Don’t you just love basking in the spotlight, feeling your heart and emotions run wild as you indulge in your God-given talent. I’m gonna give you guys a chance to prove me wrong. CA musicians, if EACH and EVERY ONE of you can say honestly before God that you are playing solely for His pleasure, you see His glory and you don’t see yourself, and ultimately your pride while you are running that whole show, then I will gladly retract that statement that your worship is secular. If, however, it is secular, do you think your worship truly reaches the ears of God?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against music. The problem at hand is that if the music substitutes true worship, then it is wrong. The music becomes the object of worship, and that constitutes idolatry. Furthermore, taking secular music and “christianizing” it is plain wrong. Many modern churches, Hillsong included, run concerts all in the name of worship. Just delete the few doctrinally-shallow words in those “Christian” songs, then we shall play the “spot the difference” game between a church and a rock concert. No prize for the winners though. Still don’t see the problem? Then one day I shall deliver a carton of “Christian weed” and “Christian abortion pills” to one of your CA meetings; compliments of SichaboD.
Well, so all that I’ve said begs the ultimate question, which I shall answer it before it is asked anyway. If I am so strongly opposed to secularism, I should pack up and move into a cave in somewhere right? Wrong, it violates God’s commands to preach the Gospel to the world. Jesus ate with the sinners, but He never stooped down morally to their level. So how do you possibly deal with this secularism without “defiling” yourself? Simple. As you have said, Annyms, comics, books, movies are secular. But if their content does not violate God’s values, then it is ok. However, if it promotes witchcraft, demonry or other such evil, then no no. This statement applies as well as to the hottest bestseller Harry Potter. You wouldn’t let a bomoh or chinese medium join the CA and give a live demonstration of their “magical” powers by levitating items or divining the future, would you? So why permit such evil to levitate around in your mind?
Think about it.
hey sichabod..haha...thanks:D the part about musicians is true,but hmm...you focusing on worshiping God or looking at other ppl's faults???sorry,just wondering.i know how you feel,smtms you see the worship leader jumping and shouting,you got to wonder if it's real.but then after seeing this act so many times,you got to realise if this continues ..doesn't it defeat the purpose of worship together with the congregation i am in.oh yeah,mentioning that you are from the city..maybe you should look at the small towns and what kind of people their youth is composed of.just a suggestion.definately won't match up to your ideal model of a christian i must say and misses by i should say 'alot alot alot'.don't worry so much how ppl live their lives,not that i am not concerned,but our papers will never be spot free and many small dots will be here and there.i realised,make sure that while looking at other people's spots,we begin to becme too cynical and isolate ourselves form them.paul said that to the layman,he became the layman.if ppl want to act on stage let them.if ppl use foul words let them.you show the world instead how a christian should live like.sorry,starting to sound like a piece of ancient material.btw,how long more in intec?haha..just curious.(if you have more than 6 mths to go,better dont get so worked up over things,live as God commanded and be prepared :D God Bless
wow. christians arguing among themselves. wonder how does God feel. perhaps we should all ask God to search our hearts.surely He is more than willing to show us where we have gone astray n all.and surely He will be ever so willing to teach us yet again to set our sights on Him and run the race He has for our lives. each person has a different calling, all have been given various talents.but all for the Glory of God.yes,we abuse our talents at times and sometimes we do not use them as God intends.but surely if we ask Him to, He will show us the desires of His heart-for our lives. maybe,just maybe,we should stop this bickering (strong word,i know.but isn't it true?) or arguing, come back to God and ask Him to teach us to draw near to Him, forgive whoever we have grudges against, and live our lives so He would be proud of each of us. maybe it's time to step back and let God be the Judge.for only He is worthy and able to judge fairly. God Bless. =)
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will also be.
Luke 12:34
Even if I might have a Mehndi art(not tattoo) on my arm bearing the image of a dragon, if my treasure is Jesus Christ, my heart will still be at Jesus and not the dragon.
Even if I read Harry Potter for the one thousandth time, if my treasure is the Father, my heart will still be at the father, not at Harry Potter.
Even if Hillsong is indeed a secular band, if my treasure is the holy spirit, my heart will still be at the holy spirit, not Hillsong.
Even if we have an Indian art on our arm, even if we read Harry Potter and even if we listen to Hillsong, it doesn't matter if we know where our treasure is.
Because for where our treasure is, there our heart will also be. =D
I might not be the wisest person around nor am I the most knowledgable(typo?) with bible knowledge, but I pray that with my limited wisdom and bible knowledge, I will be able to speak the truth and the truth only. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. We should always have a teachable heart, I believe.
And to the one still learning from the savior, instead of looking this as an argument, perhaps we can look at this as an opportunity for everyone to exchange thoughts and to discuss on Christianity issue.
For me, I see it as a good thing. ^____^ It helps me grow and it sure helps a lot of people to learn to listen to other's views without getting agitated or angry.
God bless you all. =D
Yes, God does feel sad when He sees His own children “bickering”. On the other hand, His heart is torn seeing His children dancing with the devil. Yes, even if the image in question is not a tattoo, but a henna, mamee mee stick-on-tattoo, an artistic sketch, or whatever else, the image of a dragon is the embodiment of Satan. In the bible, two creatures are used explicitly to depict Satan, the serpent and the dragon.
“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:2
Pat, I would have still said what I said even if you put up the captions properly in the first place. So you shouldn’t feel bad that you made the mistake of putting the wrong captions. Rather, it should be that you even put up the picture in the first place.
The initial issue was not one but two. The first was a tattoo, which has proved to be a miscommunication. The second issue, that a Christian, what more a CA committee member should proudly wear the mark of Satan to a gathering conducted in His name. But it is no big surprise as that photo is a perfect analogy of the true situation going on in your CA. Allowing secularism to dwell within the church. You openly invite the devil to stand behind you as you worship God. How can you raise hands marked for Satan in worship before God?
Still learning from the Saviour, I believe that the crux of the issue is secularism within the church, and I have not yet received any concrete evidence from them indicating otherwise. Instead, all I get are answers attempting to deflect or justify secularism within the church. Hence, I do not view it as “bickering”, since they have not been able to argue successfully BIBLICALLY that my statements are incorrect. Furthermore, to just ask everyone to go their own way and let God just “deal with them” is not biblical. Did God ever ask Israel to “go home and let me teach you individually”? No, He sent prophets after prophets to deliver their warnings. Why did Paul have to write several epistles to the churches to rebuke them on their false doctrines and practices? Why did Paul rebuke Peter and Barnabas over their hypocrisy? Were not all these people sent by God to admonish those whose hearts are too hardened by the world to allow Him to work in their lives? Ok, I’m definitely not placing myself on par with those people, but I feel I have the responsibility to point out your errors.
Annyms, you misunderstand me on the issue of big city or small town. I’m not implying that big city kids end up bad and vice versa for small towns. I was just saying that I know what the real world is. As I mentioned in my previous post, Jesus ate with the sinners, but he never became one of them. When Paul said become like the layman, he never meant sin like the layman. He meant that you have to learn to communicate with them to reach out to them, instead of being high and mighty and play the religious hypocrite by occasionally parading around in the “holy mask”. And no, I do not isolate myself from society. As a matter of fact, I spend more time with unbelievers around campus than with believers. Yet that does not mean I behave like them. For whatever twisted reason in the world, I actually find that some non-Christians are more humble, less judgmental and hypocritical and are generally more pleasant than many of the Christians around. How can we ever stand up as a testimony of Christ if it goes on like this? If you people just keep saying, yes we are sinners, just give us a second chance, but continue indulging in the world, then we are handing over the keys to those humanists and atheists out there to tear apart our beliefs. By the way I am pretty much aware that this blog has come under heavy fire by an INTEC atheist recently.
No, you do not sound like “ancient material”. Quite on the contrary, you are advocating secularism. You imply secular liberalism, which basically says this “let people do what they like as long as it doesn’t harm others”. It is such secular thinking that has infiltrated the modern church; the body of Christ sanctified and set apart from the world. It is such thinking that is responsible for teenage pregnancies, ordination of homosexual ministers, and addiction to pornography, etc in the church. Your mentality has changed the message of “hate the sin but love the sinner” into “love the sinner and his sinful ways, or at least close one eye” within the church. It is the duty of every Christian to correct their brother if they stumble. It would be a sin to know that your brother is doing something wrong, but do nothing to admonish him. I am not being judgmental for admonishing you guys. If I were judgmental, I would have just declared “God shall burn your souls in hell for your iniquities” or “Your secular ways will bring God’s wrath on you” and just left it there. Instead, I am trying to open your eyes to your errors by telling you where you guys have gone astray, but whether you choose to accept it or not and its consequences, I leave it to God.
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Luke 17:3.
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20.
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15
Leen, now to your points. Why don’t you fill your home, and also the NLRC with idols and all sorts of abhorrent objects before God? Fill it to the brim with satanic images, satanic animal sacrifices, and play satanic music. Bring in 7 feet idols of Hindu gods such as Kali, Shiva; Buddhist and Taoist idols of Buddha, Guan Yin, and other deities. Bring in the ancient biblical abominations of Baal and Chemosh. Bring in the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods too. Lastly, throw in occultic items such as Ouija boards, Satanists bibles, and religious talismans for a good measure. No, Leen, I’m not asking you to bow or worship before them. Just keep them and occasionally admire and toy around with them. And have occasional fun with the Ouija board to divine your future in the USA, nevermind that it invokes demons.
It wouldn’t matter at all right, since “Jesus Christ is your treasure and not those cursed items. I do not worship them and therefore it will not affect me in any way. Church services will run perfectly fine since everyone has Jesus in their heart”? If by that reasoning, it is OK to indulge in sin as long as “Jesus is our treasure”. Point is, if you will reject such overwhelming unholiness, why do you tolerate some in your life then? Do remember that God’s moral standards are black and white, not in shades of gray.
“Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” Acts 19:19
In Ephesus, the new converts burned all their books of magic and sorcery. They didn’t say “We have Jesus in our hearts and the books are not our treasures anymore. Therefore it is fine to keep them.”
“But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” Matthew 13:25
The seeds sown may have been so small and insignificant, but they potentially affected the harvest of the wheat. The devil operates in such a manner, he courts a Christian by telling him “its ok, its just a little sin, we are all sinners after all, God will forgive you, go on”. The end does not need to be explained. Do I have to repeat the well-known story of how to boil a frog in a pot of water?
And the tattoo/henna/whatever issue must arise again. Look at it from God’s perspective. How do you think He feels looking at His child wearing a symbol of His enemy? And furthermore, why do you think God has condemned those who bear the mark of the enemy mentioned in the book of Revelation to eternal damnation? He doesn’t say what or why, He just says those who have the mark will be condemned, not whether they have Jesus in their hearts. They are condemned because they are identified to be a part of Satan’s kingdom. And if Jesus was truly in your heart, you will know how much He hates sin. You will know that He does not compromise with the devil.
Ok, so far I’ve noted that you guys have resorted to attacking my person, character rather than my points I raised since the first. Some of you try to imply that I’m a peace-breaker; I don’t know the “real-world”, “anonymous spammers talk big only but do not serve like Pat and Eunice” and even slap the label of being “cynical” on me. For your information scholars, that is known as an ad hominem argument, which is a logical fallacy of trying to discredit the person’s message indirectly by discrediting the person in question. Some of try to play the role of “appeasers”, that is deflecting my objections about your CA by saying “We are just sinners, we can’t help it” and apologizing hoping I will just disappear.
I sense that most of you acknowledge the truth of my message, since I’m sure many of you committee members and members have read it and yet you remain silent, but yet you find yourself resisting it immediately. Why don’t you ponder over what I’ve said instead of aligning yourself against me? Try surrendering your pride before God and see if all that I’ve said is line with His word. If you find yourself realizing that all of what I am saying is true, but resist what I am saying without concrete reasons from scripture to oppose me, don’t you think that you are opposing the truth somehow? So please, if you think that I am totally wrong and crazy, tear apart every point that I’ve raised against the CA BIBLICALLY. You see, the only reason why I can still argue on here is because my objections against the CA remain unrefuted. Resorting to logical reasoning that has no biblical basis will only prove my point that you are secular. Resorting to ad hominem arguments only indicate that you are picking at the fringes, and this shows that you are opposing me because you are inwardly resisting what I have said. However, if you guys cannot tear all of those objections down, then my point stands: your CA is secular and you have welcomed the world into the holy body of Christ. Come on guys, it’s a whole committee with present and former members versus one person.
wow, i'm surprised! Sure we all try to aim for a perfect christian world, where everything will be perfect once we profess to be a christian. Is that the truth?
Rom 12:1-2 "... present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God"
i don't the want to add oil to the fire. But i do want to remind, if we go to church or attend CA meetings or even being be a member of CA, ,but it doesn't mean we are christians honoured by God. If so, going to Mc Donalds will make us a hamburger!
Everything comes with time and by the blessing of the Lord and in His time, everything will be perfect. Don't you think God wants us to be perfect too? I'm sure God is hurting this very moment. But to those who ask with the correct heart, He will give - perfection and answers.
We cannot expect answers from others. We are to only expect answers from God. Why? solely because we are not responsible for other's actions, but we are of our own. When we give our accounts to God in the Great White Throne, we must explain ourselves, not others' actions. Wherever we fail, God has a back-up plan. He never fails! Even when the world looks as if it is falling apart, God is still Lord of the Universe!
Amen. You are so right on the statement “if we go to church or attend CA meetings or even being be a member of CA, it doesn't mean we are christians honoured by God” which sums up what I’ve been trying to say over the past week!
Most of you have a twisted perception of God. Somehow you think of Him as your celestial boyfriend/girlfriend, who will just tolerate what you are doing and let you off the hook by apologizing. And you think that He will just keep loving and blessing you continuously regardless of what you do. You guys think you can manufacture whatever worldly filth and stick a “Made in Heaven” label on it, assuming that it has been sanctified. You guys think whatever secularism you bring into the church will be purified and approved by God. You mix and match the only sugary sweet scriptures to your fancy to promote a doctrine of a “love-struck and pushover God”, when He is truly so much more than that. Your “Christian” pop songs glorify this theme of a lover God whom you can twist around as you will. I will present here His other characteristics which are so deprived of in churches nowadays:
“For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” Hebrews 12:6-7
““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:47-50
And also, you think that if you have the self-placed label of a Christian, that counts as an automatic entry into Heaven. You may have recited the Sinner’s pray once, twice or how many times, proclaimed publicly that you have turned over your life to Christ, you may not have lived a life of His calling by allowing secularism into your church and life. Scripture indicates otherwise.
I’m not saying that you guys will not enter the kingdom of Heaven, but I’m reminding you guys that you MUST be sure that at the end of the day as you stand before the Great White Throne you WILL NOT receive such condemnation. Look, even those who have done miracles in His name will by modern standards be considered saints right? The bible indicates otherwise, as He accused them of practicing lawlessness. He didn’t say, “Oh, its ok, the whiteness of your sheet of paper is more than the blots.Welcome in my sons.” And the kingdom of heaven refers to the church in the world, and yet there will be a separation of the good and bad fishes at the end of the day.
God is not your celestial lover please! He is your celestial Father. Yes, He is loving but remember that Righteousness is one of His primary attributes as well. He does not like to see His children flirting with the world. Remember that sin is 100% abhorrent to Him. He withholds from pouring out His full judgment on the world only because of the blood of the Lamb.
SichaboD
Amen to "still learning from the savior." It is true that we all have different callings, and we should ask God to search our hearts.
Hallelujah anyhow! Praise God that Sichabod pointed out something that we can all think about and pray over. After all, the whole purpose of having CA is for God Himself. Thank God that He uses an eye of an outsider to point out some of the areas where we need to watch out. But do remember that CA is not the responsibility of the committee members; neither is it the responsibility of the worship team. It is the responsibility of ALL members to keep CA holy and upright before God. Those who have seen weaknesses in CA, do pray to God to open the eyes of those who have not seen and the ears of those who have not heard. Don't just talk and argue about it. Pray and ask God if you can be a vessel for Him to help in this body of Christ.
There are many out there who call themselves christians but do not live out a life of Christ. I am in no position to judge these people and call them unholy because I myself have not yet attained God's standard - to be perfect and holy as He is. They sin; so do I. Many times, I tend to see the speck in my brother's eye but fail to see the plank in my own eye. "If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7) Let us not judge others lest we be judged. Only God can see the hearts of men.
Romans 14
V.1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. v.2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. v.3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. v.4 who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
v.12 so then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. v.13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
v.19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. v.20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
I believe that the committee who did henna art on his arm did it without any evil purposes. I believe he didn't know the seriousness of it all, that it would be a stumbling block to some. I'm sure he wouldn't have done it if he knew. I'd have to learn of his thoughts first before jumping to conclusions.
Romans 15: 5-7
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
May CA remain a place where brothers and sisters can be separated unto the Lord to worship Him and to fellowship with one another.
2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight. Have faith that God's hands are in control of everything!
God bless all of you. Love you all :)
wow! some controversy over my henna design eh? i got to find out that there was this discussion a lil bit too late i guess..
so here goes. firstly, i got the henna design to complete the image i was about to portray the next night in my idiosyncrasy exhibition. a play in which i act as a deluded, hopeless, middle-aged man desperately trying to prove his masculinity. I was first thinking about getting one of a horse which sorts of symbolizes virility but i guessed that not many would understand. so the dragon would do well in portraying a guy tyring to show off his manhood! i was supposed to even drink and smoke during the play but i refused. so i ended up just holding the wine bottle and pretending to light up a cigarette..
as for the part where the serpent symbolises satan? well yeah i guess everyone knows that. i myself was in unease during CA because of the henna design on my arm and i washed away the hardprint which is WAYYYY CLEARER and darker because of that unease and i even prayed that people would not misjudge me that night especially when i was asked to go out and introduce FGT church to the juniors.
what i would like to say now is that symbolism is something that is way too subjective. you see, the serpent has also been used to symbolize the coming of Jesus when God showed the way of redemption to the israelites. They had to look up at the bronze snake on a pole (as opposed to Jesus on the cross) as they were travelling along the route to the Red Sea. numbers21:4-9
number two, but what people think matters because we are all indeed family. so i guess whatever i say, the fact that it caused a misunderstanding and the fact that i was convicted of the design during the meeting shows that the Holy Spirit is working to help build all of us up together..
what i see now is sichabods inmost passion in which is to wash secularism out from the church. its great that u have this purpose in life. Do continue on but do not get a dogmatic or pride filled argument into your way because the cause u are fighting for might blind your eyes.
for example,
"In fact, I will concede that there are quite a few faithful ones attending."
(wow so condescending.. a few faithful ones? let me just say that you do not judge a brother or sister like that and lets leave it at there caz im sure with your understanding of the bible, u can prove this statement right)
"He meant that you have to learn to communicate with them to reach out to them, instead of being high and mighty"
(these two lines, were by you, sachibod and u did a bad job in communicating. did you look for me when the problem arised? and remember those lines.. "instead of being high and mighty")
so my sincerest apologies to anyone who was offended by the dragon henna design on my arm! (it faded away after the play itself)
we are all learning anyway!
lets see... since im goin over to the US soon like many other CA scholars, pls do pray that we dont do anything stupid there k? like getting a dragon tatoo on our butt or watever.
seeya around!
oh yeah.. for the bronze snake thingie, just so that noone flames me(because someone just did via sms sobs sobs), i was taught that by a pastor who was on a crusade to show people how the old testament and the new testament share a lot of similarities.. this is one of em.. and as ive said earlier, yes i know that the bible uses the serpent and the dragon to represent the devil or satan! hehe..
cheers,
ej
Dear guys and girls
Well, lots of stuff going on here huh? No point fighting and arguing... personally, if there is anything that you might not be happy with, i encourage you to meet with the committee members and discuss the issue, not condamning. We would be more than happy to change and improve. After, we are brothers and sisters in Christ =) aren't we?
Each of us have their own struggles in life. Some just cant stop swearing, some just have filthy attitudes. But we are christians and the reason for us being christians is to be Christ like.. well, i guess most of us are in the process. Dear bro n sis, when we sin, God doesn't condamn us by saying "u unworthy being", a matter of fact, he is cheering for us to get up n run the race. To repent. To finish the race well. Some of you might not have struggles, but i tell you bro, its a hard winding jurney. But i dont give up cause God's with me.
I dont think christianity as a religion, but rather a relationship with God,who is our saviour, our friend, our buddy... It's hard to define how you worship God as different people have different emotions feeling and ways when praising and worship God. Therefore we can't (mustn't) judge people by their way of praising God, for you do not know their hearts.
Finally,
I pray that all of you will come to thursday's CA and to worship God once again. God's Blessings be with all of you...
You have been expected…. Eujeen. Me do a bad job in communicating? Is that another ad hominem attack? I may be around INTEC, but that does not mean that I have every CA member’s contact. And with you out of INTEC, where and how on earth am I supposed to find you? Furthermore, you can’t expect everyone who was offended by your picture to find you for further clarification.
As I have mentioned before, I have noticed that many of the CA members going around behaving worse than non-Christians. Do you know how painful it is to hear non-Christians utter the phrase “He is a Christian but yet he behaves like that?” Not just once, but many a times. Don’t give me the “We are sinners” crap and just continue on. Yes, I may have been overly judgmental when I said that there are “a few faithful ones”, and I apologize for that. It is not for me to judge your hearts. Rather, I should have said “a few of you who appear faithful”. Who knows, perhaps you guys prefer to hide your faith and put on a worldly mask instead on normal days? I am viewing you guys from an outsider’s point of view, with occasional glimpses within. However, while you can tell me to not be judgmental because I am a fellow Christian, and I am subject to Him as well; you cannot do the same to an unbeliever who comes along and judges you harshly. If an unbeliever thinks you are unfaithful, it is probably because you people made him think so!
I’m trying to hold my temper in check yet again. I know of another “negative” incident with the CA which occurred today. Apparently, this CA musician belittled this young Christian today for going to the CA for little more than the food offered there, while proclaiming that he has the grand ministry of serving God as a musician. I truly feel like posting out his full name here, if only to strip him of his holy façade. The audacity to mock God in the day and yet pretend to be holy at the worship practice at night? Yes, this person in question is at the practice right now. How many times have you posted up public declaration of repentance on your blog, as recent as last Saturday, and yet you still continue in your worldly ways? How many times have you repented, but never truly gave up your ways? How dare you speak of God and yet camouflage your filthy words in white behind the same blog? Has God not entrusted you with this young sheep this year, but yet you impose your worldliness on him daily, not only in your class but your rooms? How dare you belittle him simply because you are a somebody in the CA? How dare you exalt yourself in the body of Christ, when Christ Himself washed the feet of His disciples? How many of your corrupted words have influenced him? Repent and turn away from your ways quickly for God is not mocked.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
Eujeen, it is great that you know that wearing that image is wrong. Many a times I’ve heard of pastors saying its ok to pierce every inch of your body or tattoo whatever you like. But still, for the sake of reminding everyone, putting on such an image is wrong, for whatever purpose. I would never allow such an image to be on me, despite the circumstances. Why? Not only for my sake, but for the sake of others. I wouldn’t want to wear the mark of Satan, not even for one moment. And it could stumble others too. Being a Christian means standing up for your beliefs, we do not compromise with the world.
Well, I disagree that it is a miscommunication, as it is still wrong. Furthermore, you can’t accuse me of jumping to conclusions, as the picture placed up there with its captions would NATURALLY lead anyone to thinking that way. Furthermore, it still has the potential to stumble others as it still remains STUBBORNLY up there for over a week. What is the harm in taking it down, if in doubt? Pat, Leen, why don’t you just remove it? Look, if even Eujeen says that he was trying to hide his henna throughout the fellowship, why do you girls INSIST on putting and leaving it for the world to gawk at it?
“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:13
It should not only be just Sichabod’s mission to drive secularism out of the church. It should be every Christian’s job. Jesus drove the market out of the temple. Not because it was wrong to buy and sell, but because it was worldly. And the temple is a hallowed place reserved for His glory. Jesus did not “pujuk” the merchants nicely to leave, but he fashioned a whip and drove them out. Likewise, we Christians must keep the church pure. And this temple is no longer a building, but is our very own selves. We do not coax Satan to leave, we cast him out. Your boot to his butt.
Leon, leon leon…. How goes your eggs and oat diet? Anyway, please read again from the top if you think I am here to condemn you guys. I am asking you guys to re-examine your hearts and see if you people have been pure before God. I am just saying that you guys have gone astray, and likewise I am trying to tell you guys that you must go back onto the narrow path. Go ask your fellow musicians the question that I have posed to CA musicians earlier up there. If I were here to condemn you people, I wouls have just said, “God’s judgment be upon you for your sins!” and left. Why should I stick around to try and point out where you guys have gone wrong???
I will still not budge on my stand that secularism has crept into your CA. My points still stand against you people in the many post before this despite the ad hominem arguments. I would only be to glad to point out many others, but I will refrain from doing so, when your fundamentals are still not in place. However, I do apologize for the offense caused by being too harsh. I have realized that being overly passionate can blind at times, but I am doing all this for your sakes, not mine. No sane scholar would squander so much precious time on “bickering” here simply for the fun of it. I will attempt to finetune my diplomacy skills as I go along, but I will not water down or compromise on His word.
God bless,
SichaboD
ichabodeli@gmail.com
hi sichabod!
friends were merely coming to my defense. i mean.. thats what friends are for right? what you do not see are the messages they sent me to watch my step more carefully in times to come so please do not take it out on the committee just because of what i have done. yes actually u could just ask leen or pat to contact me.
you are the one resorting to personal attacks sichabod, i do not like seeing you slander whoever you're talking about. what i was saying (regarding your communication) is that you should know the right channel to express your regret or anger at how the way things are going on right now. why dont you face the person and tell him or her in a nice manner to change if u see fault in him or her? why do u resort to venting your frustrations here?
see when i got to know about you feeling uneasy/angry/apalled about my tattoo, i apologized and i promised not to do it again right?(im not sure whether its here or in my own blog) we're all family so just go up to the person and talk it out. im sure it would work out fine if we work things out in transparency. ^^!
You sure do think so much of yourself. If you think I came here just because of you, then you are severely mistaken and have not been reading at all that I have said. Your “tattoo” may have provided the impetus for all this, but it never revolved around that. It was just a side issue, besides the more critical issues that I raised above.
I have not attacked anyone, I am pointing out what I feel are errors on your part. It is you that interpret it as an attack on yourself, as I have proved all my points biblically, while you have not done so when you try to counter me. If you sin, and I inform you that you sin based on the bible, does that constitute an attack on you? And you accuse me of slander without verifying my claims. That is slander by itself. If I am indeed slandering, I am sure the person in question will have no qualms in pointing it out here. Furthermore, I have not named anyone specifically. So how can it be slander? And if it were really so, I would have shot myself in my foot and given you guys a bonanza of ad hominem ammunition.
As I see that my points raised against the CA still go unanswered, I see no further reason to remain around. I see that if I were to remain around, I will just be subjected to a barrage of ad hominem attacks which I find redundant as it deviates from the reason I came here in the first place. If nothing else is to be said, then I’ll go back into the sidelines as I have always been. Eujeen, God bless you and I’m sure this whole incident has its purpose that we still have not realized of its true significance.
I will not be replying here for now. Partly due to the unstable internet connection here and my hectic schedule. Do email me if any of you wish to contact me.
God bless,
Sichabod
ichabodeli@gmail.com
hey sichabod,
i did not say the whole thing is about me -_-! but i do feel bad for the committee because im a part of it.
anyways, youre not listening.. thats not the way in which you want to point out other peoples faults.. u dont just go online and start ranting about peoples problems and go along quoting the bible like that.. you meet them up front! why dont you do that?
number two, have u ever thought that the reason people dont reply to your points is because the people involved find them to be true? i mean why not? whats your point? i dont know what you want? an apology? if you want them to change their ways, are u sure theyre not trying to change them now?
anyways, if you did pray about this whole matter and the answer was to tackle this problem solo and annonymously, then i shall take back all that i have said save for the apology.
good day!
i have been following the conversations here and i find it very intresting. :P for all ur info, i am an outsider and i am not in INTEC.
ej, u said, "anyways, youre not listening.. thats not the way in which you want to point out other peoples faults.. u dont just go online and start ranting about peoples problems and go along quoting the bible like that.. you meet them up front! why dont you do that?"
there are many ways it can be done. and posting online is one of the ways. so what if sichabod chooses this method? it won't only benefit the one individual but others (like me) who come and read. Since it is all written, we can take time and allow the words to sink it..it won't disappear as fast as spoken words do.
about quoting the bible...it is God's written Word by which He conveys His will and desire for us. What does 2 Timothy 3:16 say?
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"
what has been said here is the Word of God being used mainly to correct.
well..this is juz an outsiders view of what you hv said. i m not judging anyone but merely pointing out what i think is error. continue in your walk with God though it may seem tough at times but ask God to give you strength for he gives it in proportion to the needs u r facing.
God bless.
unknown
uuuu... nvr thought of it in that way before..
thanks a bunch!
Well, my temporal absense from the net has proved to be a blessing indeed for many reaosns. Well, in hindsight coming here has proven to be the most effective way to deliver my message. Eujeen, you attempt to appease me by raising the possibility that they acknowledge their errors, but I know otherwise. I thank God that some of you have seen the truth of my message and are willing to return to the narrow path by which God has called you to walk on. However, I have noted that some of you still resist the truth and I pray that God will open your eyes. You dare not disclaim the truth but instead you harden your hearts. Come on guys, if you guys have gone astray as I have claimed, you have nothing to lose by turning back to the narrow path except a dented pride. Even then, I will not be rubbing my hands in a gleeful victory. Rather, I will thank God that He has used me to bear His message.
Well, I know that all of you reading this despite your silence. I’m guessing that SMSes will be flying all over the minute one of you reads this. So I shall just speak up anyway. Mr Big boss aka Joash, I am amazed as to how you dare to command your sheep to rebuke me without giving them any solid reasons to do so. If you gave them reasons that you yourself are convinced of its truth, then it wouldn’t be as bad. However, the fact that you ask them to “rebuke these attacks” without any reasons behind it indicate that you are resisting the truth despite acknowledging it in your heart. It is one thing to reject the truth in ignorance; it is another thing altogether to CONSCIOUSLY reject it. Remember, if you are leading your sheep astray,
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” James 3:1
Repent, it is not too late. His grace is always there.
God bless,
SichaboD
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