AZ Leaders' Retreat

Just came back from Leaders' Retreat!!
Went Batam on 20/09 Sunday noon, back on 22/09 Tuesday afternoon..
From Waterfront Ferry Terminal to Harris Resort to Room 213..

Shop, eat, massage, play, fellowship...

Best of all, to spend time with Pst Aries... :)

I wonder how he does it... The following is his itinery from Sunday to Tuesday while I'm on retreat relaxing myself..

Sunday
Sunday interpreted for Pst Kong in Indonesian service 3pm to 5+pm,
leave Singapore for Batam at 630pm,
reached Batam at 830pm,
dinner (first and only meal of his day),
held a 915pm to 11+pm session of sharing and worshipping and praying,
finally... sleep.

Monday
Got up at 6+am,
held a 7am worship and prayer,
breakfast at 830am,
left for Singapore at 10am,
officiated a wedding in Singapore,

went for a funeral in Singapore,
returned to Batam and reached at 830pm,
seafood dinner at 9pm and communion,
back to hotel at 11+pm,
waited for repairman to fix room lights that cannot on,

conference call for work purposes till 3+am,

slept at 4am.

Tuesday
Breakfast at 830am,
left Batam for Singapore at 10am,

reach Singapore at 1pm,
go office for work and meetings.

I wonder which part of the retreat can he really relax????
It's a retreat for us leaders, but not really a retreat for him our leader..

But I'm inspired!
By his sacrifice and commitment!
Willingness to inconvenience himself, to stay committed to his calling as a Pastor, committed to spending time with us his zone leaders.
Inspired by that passion for what he does, that unending energy he possesses, that commitment to his leaders Pst Kong and Sun his leaders.

Amazing!

LOYALTY -- Simple yet BIG

LOYALTY -- A simple Word, A BIG Commitment

It is so easy to say that we are with you all the way;
It is so easy to say that we are behind you supporting you;
It is so easy to say that we will will work together and stay loyal;
Loyalty sounds SIMPLE...

But...
Loyalty is when you keep going all the way when all has left, even when your closest friend chooses not to go on;
Loyalty is when you keep on believing when you are disappointed with the lack of results;
Loyalty is to go ahead with the plans and visions despite the inconveniences.

Loyalty is TOTAL COMMITMENT.

Total Commitment to God. Never leaving your walk with God, never giving up on your faith.
Total Commitment to your Leaders. Fulfilling their dreams and visions.
*When I fulfill my leader's visions, God will fulfill my own visions too*
Total Commitment to the people around you. To your family, fellow believers, cell group mates.

When I was younger.... Words of Wisdom that I've heard.... I Love them...
> The way up is the way down. Serve willingly.
> It is not your leaders knowing what you know that matters, it is you knowing what your leaders know that will make the difference.
> When I fulfill someone else's visions, God will fulfill my own visions too.
> Press in to your leaders' life, spend time with them, search them out, "pester" them, not just your leaders pressing in to you.
> The best discipleship is when it takes place in the most natural circumstances, when you are spending time with your leaders.

It is time to put these words of wisdom into practice!
It is time to rise up and run with our Pastors and leaders!
To fulfill the visions of our church, to be loyal and committed to our leaders, to carry the burden for souls together.
It is time to make a difference in our world today!!

Let's do it!! :)

Create in me a clean heart...

It's been so long since I posted anything..

Indeed it is not easy to post regularly.. Hmmm...

Past two weeks it's been so hard to get to sleep, so much on my mind..
Yesterday was not easy either.. So burdened..
Last night before I slept, i decided to pick up my Bible and pray a little and worship a little... Fantastic!! Felt so much better!!

Just felt like reading about King David, and went to my favourite Psalms that He wrote..

Psalms 51

"Create in me a clean heart O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me"

Indeed my prayer.. Right spirit, right heart, right motivation..
Steadfast spirit that keeps going on..

"Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation" And renew a right spirit within me...

Really cannot live without the presence of God, cannot live without God Himself... Need the Holy Spirit sooooooo much so much...

Worshipped and entered the holy of holies...

It's good! I Love my God!!

Psalms 51 - Written by a man that is not perfect,
but loved by an all perfect God..

Sounds like all our life stories...

Keep on Keeping On!! The First shall be the Last, and the Last First...

Heard Pst Tan share a Word on Tuesday... Felt so encouraged...

Mt 22:14 "For many are called, few are chosen."

3 things Christians ought to do constantly:

1) Repentance

Pst Tan shared that very often we are not the first choice (certainly not me!) in God's plans, we are in actual fact the fifth choice, the tenth choice, or even the twentieth choice in God's plans.
Then how did we end up being the one God chose in the end?

Because we chose to keep repenting (of our sins, our wrong mindsets, our bad attitudes). When we are rebuked and corrected and discipled, rather than feel depressed and give up, we kept on going. We kept on trying to be better people. That is why we are still where we are today.

The first choice, the second choice, the third choice, the fourth choice may have become disappointed and given up. But because we kept on going, we kept renewing our old mindsets, we kept fine-tuning our attitudes, we kept repenting of the things we do wrong, that is how we now become the first choice. The Last shall become First!

2) Believe (Have Faith)

Believing and having faith is the same as repenting... We need to keep on doing!

We simply stubbornly keep on believing till we see what we're hoping for!

When things don't go right, we keep on having faith in God and His Promises. When people and leaders and friends discourage us, we keep on believing. Even if we have believed for the past 10 years and nothing happens, we still keep on believing, we still keep on having faith that what God has promised He will bring to pass, to have faith that what we have sown we will surely reap. This is what persevering faith is all about. This kind of faith and believing is what will help you endure and hold on till the day that Jesus comes back again. Persevering faith is the kind of faith that will lets you see that breakthrough in your family that you've been praying for, the kind of faith that lets you experience that financial breakthrough that you've been waiting for, the kind of faith that lets you see the fruits in your ministry that you've been hoping for, the kind of faith that brings the revival that you've been praying for!! A person who can last this race is the one who can keep on believing. If you can do this, you will be the one that being the Last, you can become the First!

The third thing Christians ought to do constantly......

3) Bear Fruits

This is what sets many Christians apart from each other--the ability to bear fruits. This is what sets leaders apart from each other--the desire and the love to keep bearing fruits. This is what sets YOU apart when you get to heaven and you see the eternal inheritance and reward that you will receive from God for eternity. So we need to reach out to the lost, help the younger ones in God grow, help grow the church and CG, to run with Pst Kong in His God-given vision, to support Pst Aries in his visions for our zone (800 members for CG, 1000 members for Svc by the end of 2009), to build up the Kingdom of God. Bear fruits!!

Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

The moment you are born, God starts to call you from the world into the Kingdom of God.
But the moment you enter the church, the Kingdom of God, God Himself begins His SELECTION PROCESS.

What is God looking for during the Selection Process?
Are you someone who keeps repenting (in your mindsets, thinkings, attitudes) and keeps changing?
Are you someone who will keep on believing in Him and His Word, to keep the perserving faith in Him?
Are you someone who bears fruit for Him? How much is your fruit?

The Last can become the First in the Kingdom of God, but there are requirements when we want to move up in God's eye. Let's be faithful! Let's not be conformed to the world in the way we think, speak or act. Let's be transformed by the Word of God. Let's do these 3 things (Repent, Believe, Bear Fruits) that every Christians ought to do!!

Let's be the Best Christian that we can ever be! Because WE LOVE GOD! That's what I (Dorcas Xu Yiwen) wants to do!!

Jiayou N161!! :)