Hall of SMACC

Gospel-centred counselling / How People Change

2011-12-29T18:02:00.000+08:00

Two practical seminars to help you and help others in your ministry develop a biblical understanding of how the gospel can transform us from within and affect our communication and relationships with each other.

The first day will focus on gospel-centred counselling, and is aimed primarily at pastors, elders and church leaders although anyone is welcome. We will think about how whether such a model is possible in the local church, how it influences other areas of church life, and how a church can facilitate such counselling.

The second day will reflect extensively on the question of how people change, and is for everyone. This is especially if we feel stagnant, or tired of the same old problems. This seminar will refocus us back on the gospel, and how the gospel enables us to meet everyday relational challenges such as family conflicts, exasperation with children, past hurts, loneliness and singleness, anger, co-dependency and so on.

These will be led by Timothy Lane, president of the Christian Counselling and Education Foundation in the United States, and Janet Nygren, who also works for CCEF.

You can register here (for one or both days). We look forward to seeing you!

The First Christmas: Myths and Realities

2011-12-20T19:30:00.000+08:00

We know the Christmas story. Or do we? How much of it do we learn from children's book, from songs, from repeated "facts", and how much of it from the Scriptures themselves?

Read about the first Christmas, the surrounding myths, and the realities.

Christmas Eve Guest Service (ACA)

2011-12-16T14:22:00.002+08:00

The Gift: Christmas Guest Night

2011-11-25T12:21:00.000+08:00

Time: 7pm, December 10th
Venue: St. Mary's Cathedral, Multi purpose Hall

Who?
Everyone! Children welcome too!

Come and enjoy good hospitality and food, and learn about the astounding gift God has provided. =)

Steve Jobs, the Silicon Valley, Jesus

2011-10-07T14:02:00.000+08:00

Steve accomplished a staggering amount in 56 years. In my opinion, my life and your life is better because of a man named Steve. And now, Steve is dead. The man who improved our life has lost his life...

Read on...

Why the Trinity is important

2011-09-28T18:27:00.000+08:00

If any doctrine makes Christianity Christian, then surely it is the doctrine of the Trinity. The three great ecumenical creeds—the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed—are all structured around our three in one God, underlying the essential importance of Trinitarian theology...Yet, when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, most Christians are poor in their understanding, poorer in their articulation, and poorest of all in seeing any way in which the doctrine matters in real life.

Read the entire thing.

Doctrine of the Trinity Seminar - venue for Day 1

2011-09-13T10:42:00.000+08:00

NOTE: Just a reminder that Day 1 of the Trinity Seminar (see next post) will be held at Ascended Christ Anglican Church - a map is available here. The change of venue is due to the Malaysia Day Celebrations held at the Dataran Merdeka.

Day 2 of the Trinity Seminar will be held at St. Mary's Cathedral as usual.

Doctrine of the Trinity Seminar

2011-09-09T14:45:00.002+08:00

WHY?
We know that as Christians, we’re meant to believe that the God we worship is the God who is Trinity. Yet often we find it hard to see why this fact is so significant, or what relevance it might actually have on our day-to-day lives. In addition, it can also be confusing to explain – is God one? Is God three?

This two-day seminar is designed to help Christians deepen their understanding of the Trinity. We hope that as we deepen our theological foundations, we will also find our discipleship strengthened and our heart warmed as we explore the very being of our Triune God himself.

WHO?
Rev Dr Andrew Reid will give the 4 main talks. Andrew is currently senior pastor of Holy Trinity Doncaster, Melbourne, Australia. He has extensive teaching and ministry experience, having also served as a lecturer at a Ridley College in Melbourne and as Director of the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES).
We will also have a range of people in various local ministry contexts serve as workshop or small group leaders.

WHERE?
The second day of the seminar will be held at St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral, next to Dataran Merdeka. However, the first day will now be held at Ascended Christ Anglican Church (MAP) as the Dataran Merdeka is being used for Malaysia Day celebrations.

WHEN?
It will be held on Friday 16th September (Malaysia Day) from 9am to 9pm and continuing Saturday 17th September from 9am to 6pm. Accommodation is not provided.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
RM45. You can pay on the day when you register. This covers lunch and dinner on Day 1, lunch on Day 2, refreshments and study materials.
If you would like to attend but cannot afford this, please let us know. If you would like to contribute financially in any way to the costs, please also let us know.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AT THE SEMINAR?
The seminar will be organised around four main talks with further sessions looking at the historical development of this doctrine. In addition, there will be time spent in small groups studying the Bible together to work through the relevant biblical passages. There will also be electives offered to equip Christians to explain the Trinity better, and to explore the application of the doctrine to various aspects of Christian life.

Expect to be stretched, which is a good thing! We are, after all, exploring the deep things of God. Refreshments and lunch will be served on both days, as well as dinner on the Friday, to help keep you going.

HOW TO REGISTER
Email smacc [dot] info [at] gmail [dot] com with your name, email, phone number and church/congregation. If you are at a SMACC service, you can either register at the welcome desk or approach Brian King.

New books in the SMACC Library

2011-09-07T17:44:00.001+08:00

Some new titles in our SMACC Library to be aware of:

Dug Down Deep, Joshua Harris - Is theology irrelevant? Does doctrine just divide? Josh Harris in this memoir cum basic systematic theology explains how he discovered differently in a winsome and conversational way.

Reading the Bible with Heart & Mind, Tremper Longman - Wanting to learn to read your Bible better but wondering how? Here's a book that explains the how and why, without neglecting the devotional aspects that should come whenever we drink of God's Word.

Experiencing the Spirit, Graham Beynon - An immensely readable primer on the Holy Spirit. If you're feeling a bit confused by all the things you've heard on the role of the 3rd person of the Trinity, here is a book for you.

From the Resurrection to his Return, D.A Carson - Don Carson expounds on 2 Timothy 3 to help us see how we should live in light of Jesus 2nd coming.

Listen Up!, Christopher Ash - This unique booklet addresses the question of how we should listen to sermons. Christopher Ash lists the ingredients of healthy listening, and shows how we can be encouraging and growing listeners of the Word.

Some books, new and old, that you might be interested from the cathedral bookshop:

Bringing the Gospel Home, Randy Newman - Randy Newman recognizes it can be more difficult and frustrating to witness to a family member than to nearly anyone else. In Bringing the Gospel Home, he delivers practical and holistic strategies to help ordinary Christians engage family members, and others, on topics of faith.

Cross Examined, Mark Meynell - A brilliant book explaining the significance of the cross, using a wealth of illustrations and anecdotes to help us understand afresh the centre of the Christian faith.

God is Enough, Ray Galea - is God enough? With honesty and humility, Ray Galea reflects on ten psalms that have helped him put God back in the centre of his life.

Maybe not prosperity gospel, but...

2011-08-09T12:31:00.000+08:00

...Does your average church-going, Bible-believing, middle-class, suburbia-bred Christian really believe God wants to give them a million dollars for being good?

In my opinion, no. For the most part we see the crazies on late night “christian” TV stations teaching prosperity theology and are quick to write them off as borderline entertaining, but inherently wrong...

BUT...there is a much more subtle danger.

Read on to find out more...

DUMC Press Statement on JAIS trespass

2011-08-04T18:32:00.000+08:00

For context, see The Malaysian Insider report

John Stott (1921-2011)

2011-07-29T17:33:00.001+08:00

John Stott possibly had more impact than anyone else (except perhaps for Billy Graham) in the 20th century on the Christian world. He was known for his formidable intellect - having gained first class honours at Cambridge University, and for his faithful and crystal, clear expositions. These were especially seen in his New Testament commentaries in The Bible Speaks Today series, which had a huge influence globally. As his biographer, Timothy Dudley-Smith, put it: 'All over the world, as preachers and pastors prepare sermons, they turn to their book shelves and ask, “I wonder what John Stott has to say about this passage.”’

He was a visionary. He was the architect of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974, which was a significant document for evangelicals worldwide. He also recognised the importance of a theologically robust and evangelical education for the Majority World, and founded an initiative, now known as Langham Partnership International, to provide scholarships for the best and brightest Christians to further their studies. Furthermore, he was a shining example in encouraging Christians to engage with society in a biblically faithful way, seen for instance, in his founding of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC). He was passionate about global mission - "We must be global Christians with a global mission, because our God is a global God", he once wrote.

Among his most influential books include The Cross of Christ, which is probably the best book of its kind of the 20th century. He considered The Incomparable Christ his favourite book, which is in keeping with a man who clearly loved the Lord Jesus. Of course, who could forget Basic Christianity, which was a life-changer for so many in its clear and warm-hearted exposition of the basics of the Christian faith.

Finally, what comes across again and again was that he was a man marked by deep humility. He lived in humble surroundings all his life, and was often embarrassed by what he perceived as unwarranted attention and praise. He wasn't just a preacher, but a pastor - often making time just to chat with you and pray with you. This was a man whose public and private life was one and the same.

We praise God for the life of John Stott, and rejoice that he is safely at home with the Lord.

Brian K

Selected writings:
Basic Christianity (1958)
What Christ thinks of the Church: An Exposition of Revelation 2-3 (1958)
Christ the Controversialist (1970)
Understanding the Bible (1972)
Your Mind Matters (1972)
Baptism and Fullness (1975)
The Message of Ephesians (1979)
I Believe in Preaching (1982)
Issues Facing Christians Today (1st edition 1984, now in its 4th edition 2006)
The Cross of Christ (1986)
The Contemporary Christian (1992)
The Incomparable Christ (2001)
The Living Church (2007)
The Radical Disciple (2010)

Obituaries and Tributes
John Stott Memorial
Tribute from All Souls, his home church
A tribute from Dr. David Wells, distinguished senior professor at Gordon-Conwell Seminary
John Stott: An Appreciation
Tributes from Biblemesh
A tribute from John Piper

Christianity Today Obituary
BBC Obituary
NY Times piece
Obituary in the Independent
Obituary in the Telegraph
A Youtube tribute

Biographies of John Stott:
2 volumes - The Making of a leader and A Global Ministry by Timothy Dudley-Smith (available in the SMACC Library)
Inside Story by Roger Steer

First Things First

2011-07-07T17:38:00.000+08:00

What we should do with our money

2011-05-28T10:36:00.000+08:00

Give to relieve the suffering of others, especially of fellow Christians (1 Cor 16:1–4). This “collection” was a special offering in addition to regular giving.

Give to support the work of the gospel (1 Cor 16:5–11).

To unpack these statements more, and to find further resources, go here

Longing for the return of the king

2011-05-28T10:30:00.000+08:00

We may laugh at Harold Camping, but do we long for the return of the King?

Christianity Explored

2011-04-25T18:10:00.000+08:00

One Life. What's it all about?

The -ations of the cross

2011-04-22T12:27:00.000+08:00

From The Gospel Driven Church:

Mediation - There is a gulf between us and God, held in tension by his justified wrath owed to us for our sin. At the cross, the sinless Christ does the work of mediation both necessary and ordinarily impossible.

Condemnation - The mediator must accept the place of the guilty in order to exchange his innocence. Therefore he goes to the cross willingly, because it is the foreordained place of condemnation where we all belong. He becomes the substitute condemned and takes on the condemnation.

Propitiation - A blood debt is owed, legally speaking, because without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. But we cannot make this payment because we have no currency with which to do so. We are morally bankrupt, every last one of us. So at the cross, Christ makes this payment with the riches of himself, supplying his life to take the debt upon himself and thereby satisfying the law's demands. God's wrath is thereby appeased.

Imputation - By propitiating the debt of sin, he takes it off of the condemned onto himself as he becomes the condemned on the cross, but in doing that, he conveys his innocence to those actually guilty. He who knew no sin became sin that we might become the righteousness of God. His righteousness is imputed to us; this means that we are counted righteous despite our sin.

Expiation - But Jesus doesn't stop there. With his life given sacrificially on the cross, he doesn't just take on our debt, he eradicates it completely. He takes it upon himself like the scapegoat to carry our sins into the void. Another way to say this is that Jesus' work on the cross doesn't just reckon us righteous, it actually makes us righteous.

Sanctification - An ongoing work of the Spirit, to be sure, but thanks to Christ's expiating work on the cross, we are also declared sanctified on the cross, which is to say, cleansed by his blood. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

Justification - Nearly all of Christ's crosswork put together merits what we receive through faith: right standing before God. Because of the cross, we for whom there was no justification are now justified.

Reconciliation - And since we are justified before God, we are reconciled to him. The gulf is bridged, the wrath appeased, the debt canceled and cast into the void, the soul cleansed. Christ's wide-open arms at the cross reveal to us the means of the Father embracing his once-lost children. Through the cross, Christ reconciles us to God. (Colossians 1:20)

Nations - Who is Christ's crosswork for, exactly? (1 John 2:2)

Good Friday and Easter Sunday

2011-04-20T20:59:00.000+08:00

Join us on Good Friday (22nd April) at 7pm at St Mary's Cathedral as we remember the death of the Lord Jesus on our behalf.
And come back on Easter Sunday (24th April)at one of our usual gathering times to celebrate his resurrection.

Proselytizing in a multi-faith world

2011-04-04T20:18:00.000+08:00

Why mutual respect and tolerance require us to witness for Christ. An excerpt:

"...Though the imam and I were in a minority in that group of predominantly liberal Protestants, we represented the movements among us that are actually growing in numbers. Both he and I believed in sharing and enlarging our faiths. We did not think we were worshiping the same God or gods, and we were not there under the pretense that we held the same beliefs. In other words, our goal was not merging faiths, combining beliefs, or even interfaith partnership.

The imam and I had a good laugh after the meeting. At the same time, we acknowledged that we were not of the same faith and, honestly, that we would each be overjoyed if we could bring the other to the truth—not just our truth but the truth, as we firmly believed it..."

An excellent article worth reading in its entirety.

Not Lords, stewards

2011-03-09T17:06:00.000+08:00

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” (1 Corinthians 4:1)

The apostle Paul was neither afflicted with false modesty nor with any sort of apostolic pomposity. He understood his role and his office in the household of God. At times we find him needing to assert his apostolic office to the end that his readers would heed him as they would the Lord. On other occasions we find him passionately putting himself in place. He strove valiantly with the Corinthians to maintain their firm grasp of his apostolicity that they might obey his charge to regard him rightly as a man, a servant, and a steward, and most certainly not a king, a deity, or a little messiah.

As we read between the lines of Paul’s letters, attempting to become more intimately acquainted with our beloved older brother in the faith, we come away with the impression that he hated the celebrity that seemed so often to accompany his office, and one thing is abundantly clear from what we read here in chapter four, considering the Corinthians’ borderline deification of the apostles, Paul saw himself as nothing more, and nothing less, than a steward.

Read on

20 things God does in salvation

2011-02-22T18:00:00.000+08:00

A helpful breakdown of 20 things that God does when He saves you, courtesy of Norm Millar, Senior Pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel London.

When God saves you, He…

1. Regenerates you, moving you from spiritual death to life. (John 3:1-8)
2. Redeems you, buying you out of slavery to sin. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
3. Justifies you, declaring you innocent in His sight. (Romans 5:1-9)
4. Sanctifies you, setting you apart as holy. (1 Cor 1:2,30)
5. Forgives you of all your sins. (Ephesians 1:7)
6. Cleanses you, removing from you the stain of sin. (Hebrews 9:14)
7. Reconciles you to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
8. Seals you with His Spirit as a guarantee of your future hope. (Ephesians 1:13)
9. Indwells you, sending the Holy Spirit to live in you. (Romans 8:9)
10. Adopts you, making you His child. (Romans 8:14-17)
11. Baptizes you into Christ’s body, the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:3)
12. Illuminates your mind so you can understand the Scriptures. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
13. Makes you a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
14. Reveals you as one of His elect. (Ephesians 1:4, Romans 8:29-30)
15. Grants you eternal life. (John 11:25-27, 1 John 5:11-13)
16. Names you an heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17)
17. Grants you an inheritance. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
18. Declares you a saint. (Romans 1:7, Colossians 1:2)
19. Grants you new citizenship, making your home heaven rather than this world. (Philippians 3:20)
20. Makes you a slave of Christ, a slave with the greatest, most glorious Master that any could ask for. (1 Corinthians 7:22-23)

(HT: Blogging Theologically)

Why read the Bible? 9 reasons

2011-02-21T17:34:00.003+08:00

1. We need to read the Bible to know the truth. We want to think clearly about what God says is true and valuable (2 Pet. 1:21).

2. We read the Bible to know God in a personal relationship (1 Cor. 1:21; Gal. 4:8-9; 1 Tim. 4:16).

3. We read the Bible to live well for God in this world, and living out his will expresses our love for Him (John 14:23-24; Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

4. We read the Bible to experience God’s freedom, grace, peace, and hope (John 8:32; Rom. 15:4; 2 Pet. 1:2).

5. We read the Bible because it gives us joy (Ps. 119:111).

6. We read the Bible to grow spiritually, as we reject conformity to the world and are changed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:1-2).

7. We read the Bible to minister to other Christ-followers and to those who have yet to respond to the Gospel, experiencing God’s approval for work well done (Josh. 1:8; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

8. We read the Bible to guard ourselves from sin and error (Eph. 6:11-17; 2 Pet. 2:1-2).

9. We read the Bible to be built up as a Christian community with others in the Body of Christ (Acts 20:32; Eph. 4:14-16).

from Read the Bible for Life, George Guthrie

Speak O Lord

2011-02-18T18:19:00.000+08:00

A great song from Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, reminding us to humble ourselves and respond rightly to God's life-giving word.

10 tips for faithful sleep-deprived living

2011-02-10T06:30:00.002+08:00

Sleep is one of God's good gifts. Most of us chug though life without thinking much about it, which is usually a sign that we're getting enough. But for some of us, that blissful enjoyment of the half-regarded treasure we know as a ‘good night's sleep’ is shattered for some reason.

The effects of sleep deprivation are substantial. A lack of sleep overshadows all aspects of our lives, including how we go about seeking to follow and serve Christ Jesus. In order to be prayerful and diligent in serving God, we need to think about how we can ‘manage’ this condition, rather than become overwhelmed by it.

The list:
10. Trust God now
9. Don't resent it
8. Gratitude matters
7. Be godly by God's grace
6. Pray
5. Be governed by Scripture
4. Be wise
3. Be kind
2. Hope in heavenly rest
1. Grace conquers all

Read the whole thing here for an explanation of each of those points.

Redeeming the misses

2011-02-07T19:00:00.000+08:00

If January is the month to set new goals and resolutions for the New Year, February is the month to desert resolutions, like the abandoned cars on D.C. side streets packed tightly under the snow tossed from city plows.

Pastor John Newton (1725–1807) was familiar with this challenge of attaining lofty goals, a topic he discussed in a letter written in February 1772 to one of his friends.

Newton writes, “The Lord has given his people a desire and will aiming at great things; without this they would be unworthy of the name of Christians.”

Continue reading...

Finding Jesus in the Psalms

2011-02-02T17:04:00.000+08:00

As we've been thinking recently about Jesus as true Man and true God, as well as all his titles, here's a little something that touches on all those themes! :)

From the New Testament through the church Fathers (including Tertullian, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Hilary) to interpreters of recent centuries (Luther, Spurgeon, Bonhoeffer), Christians have seen Jesus as one of the chief subjects of the Psalms. Jesus has also been seen as the one who sings the Psalms: he experienced the full range of human emotions and the full, intimate, honest relationship with God depicted in the Psalms.

Read on...

Resolutions

2011-01-01T18:16:00.000+08:00

It's that season once again. It's the fodder for blogs, newspaper articles, TV magazine shows and way too many Twitter posts. It is the time for the annual ritual of dramatic New Year's resolutions fueled by the hope of immediate and significant personal life change.

But the reality is that few smokers actually quit because of a single moment of resolve, few obese people have become slim and healthy because of one dramatic moment of commitment, few people who were deeply in debt have changed their financial lifestyle because they resolved to do so as the old year gave way to the new, and few marriages have been changed by the means of one dramatic resolution.

Is change important? Yes, it is for all of us in some way. Is commitment essential? Of course! There is a way in which all of our lives are shaped by the commitments we make. But biblical Christianity—which has the gospel of Jesus Christ at its heart—simply doesn't rest its hope in big, dramatic moments of change.

Read the entire thing.

SMACC-ACA Christmas

2010-12-20T23:38:00.000+08:00

Please do join us for Christmas at SMACC-ACA:

Christmas Eve - the ACA Christmas celebration 7pm at ACA. You can get the details from our ACA blogsite.

Christmas Day - 10:30am SMACC Family Christmas Celebration - family friendly with something for the kids as well as adults. It's in the Multi-Purpose Hall beside the main building at St. Mary's Cathedral.

Boxing Day - SMACC1 and 2 congregations will meet together at 5pm at the Multi-Purpose Hall (ACA will meet as usual in the Ampang centre).

What You Celebrate as a Church Is Just as Important as What You Believe

2010-12-12T02:17:00.001+08:00

Another great article from the Gospel Coalition website. We must celebrate the Gospel, not our church expressions. Click here for the article.

God is in the manger

2010-12-09T18:20:00.001+08:00

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor who opposed Adolf Hitler and was later martyred. Here he is, writing from prison in 1943 to his fiancee, on how the Christmas message sustained him:

Be brave, my dearest Maria, even if this letter is your only token of my love this Christmas-tide. We shall both experience a few dark hours - why should we disguise that from each other? We shall ponder the incomprehensibility of our lot and be assailed by the question of why, over and above the darkness already enshrouding humanity. We are being subjected to the bitter anguish of a separation whose purpose we fail to understand. And then, just when everything is bearing down on us to such an extent that we can scarcely withstand it, the Christmas message comes to tell us that our ideas are wrong, and that what we take to be evil and dark is really good and light because it comes from God. Our eyes are at fault, that is all. God is in the manger.

SMACC Guest Night: The Gift of Christmas

2010-12-02T16:06:00.000+08:00

Come join us for a fun evening of food, fellowship and the word of God! Feast on delicious yummy food while you hear about the true meaning of Christmas. There will also be games and ice breakers, a Q&A session plus you get to listen to some wonderful Christmas carols! No worries on the parking as it is free and easily available!

We only have 70 seats so hurry and register as it is on a 1st come, 1st served basis! Only RM20 for SMACCers and RM10 per guest and we would appreciate if payment can be made during SMACC services. If you are a non-SMACCer but want to come and bring friends, please drop us an email at smacc.events@gmail.com or call Carol at 017-3337797. Hope to see you there!

Book review: Dug Down Deep

2010-11-29T00:01:00.001+08:00

I sometimes dread telling people that I studied literature at university. Their eyes, formerly blazing with interest (especially if they’re aunties on the lookout for prospective matches for their daughters), now glaze over as they try to process this new piece of information. "So, er, Shakespeare?" is the inevitable response. It doesn’t help that I don’t look like some cool and artsy figure with a goatee – when a friend tells you that you have a "muka A-Maths" you know you’re not the human personification of the iPhone!

I suspect the word ‘theology’ has the same effect. Talk about worship and love and forgiveness and you are (rightly!) bound to get an enthusiastic response. But once ‘theology’ enters the conversation, eyes glaze over. It’s not cool and sexy; on the contrary, theology calls up images of grumpy old men arguing with each other using long and obscure words, before they adjourn for dinner to eat babies or something.

Thankfully, Joshua Harris is cooler than me (known to one entire generation as the guy who wrote the "Christian dating" book), and he’s on a quest to restore theology to its rightful place. That is, theology as necessary to a warm-hearted, compelling vision of who God really is. As he says in his introduction: "We’re either building our life on the reality of what God is truly like and what he’s about, or we’re basing our life on our own imagination and misconceptions. We’re all theologians. The question is whether we will be good theologians or bad theologians, whether what we know about God is true or false." (p.11)

What makes this a unique read is that this is less textbook and more memoir. Reading Josh Harris is like having a conversation with him over a teh tarik. He consistently reflects on stories and events in his own life and the lives of others and then connects them with theological truth. In other words, he doesn’t just tell you about the doctrine of Scripture or how Jesus is fully God and fully man, but he shows you why this matters, and why these doctrines are so dear to him.

Another major strength of the book is the emphasis on what he calls "humble orthodoxy". Josh Harris understands that if he believes the gospel, than "humble orthodoxy" will be its natural outworking. "Orthodoxy" because the gospel has a specific message, filled with specific content. It is to be treasured and guarded (2 Tim. 1:13-14), for this is God’s unchanging truth, and "a distorted gospel rots the soul" (p.220, 2 Tim. 2:17-18). And yet "humble" too, because the gospel reminds us that we are all sinners. We haven’t got it all together. We fall all so easily into pride. We want all so acutely to be right. "The message of Christian orthodoxy isn’t that I’m right and someone else is wrong. It’s that I am wrong and yet God is filled with grace. I am wrong, and yet God has made a way for me to be forgiven and accepted and loved for eternity." (p.231)

I commend this book unreservedly. And I pray that in the Malaysian context, we too will rediscover the big point of this book. We will rediscover that theology and doxology go together. We do theology, not for our own names, but that we might know and love Jesus more and more and be conformed to his image.

Brian K

Note: this book should be placed in the SMACC Library soon.
Preview chapter 1 here.

Two recent Gospel Coalition pieces

2010-11-25T18:34:00.000+08:00

The Gospel Coalition has two insightful articles, one on singleness and one on the glory of the gospel in any church situation.

† Singleness with Purpose
† No Greener Pastures with the Gospel

Workplace Ministry Malaysia

2010-11-17T22:55:00.001+08:00

Evangelism in the Workplace

It is not easy being a Christian at work. Even tougher doing evangelism in the workplace. Join us at our next event as we pray, think and discuss how we can encourage each other to do so. We'll share a meal together, as well as practical tips, examples, scenarios, testimonies and Q+A. There will be resources to help equip us to be better witnesses for God at work.

Date and Time: Saturday, 27 November 2010 @ 6:30pm

Venue: Skewers Bar and Restaurant, SG-01 Subang Avenue, Persiaran Kemajuan SS16 Subang Jaya. (Google Map)

Cost: RM40 full price and RM30 for non wagers. Drinks at own cost.

REGISTER NOW

On evangelism and relationship

2010-11-12T21:34:00.001+08:00

We all know that part of being a Christian is to sharing our faith with others. But we struggle with the tension between simply dumping all that we know unto some unsuspecting person on the one hand, and never getting round to talking about Jesus on the other, hiding behind the curtain marked "Waiting for the right time".

Here's a thoughtful perspective that helps us remember that relational evangelism actually begins with a healthy relationship with Jesus.

Short interview with Piper

2010-11-11T20:54:00.000+08:00

A short interview with John Piper in South Africa on suffering, and passion as a Christian

Here I stand, as it unfolded...

2010-11-01T18:31:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered what it would have been like to have been there when Martin Luther made his stand? (Or maybe, you're not even sure what Luther's stand is?) Then come and watch the scene unfold...

Guest Service this Sunday

2010-10-27T16:42:00.002+08:00

There will be guest services at SMACC1 and SMACC2 this Sunday, where the message of Christianity will be clearly explained. There will be a few people getting baptised (and we get to share in that joy with them!), and there will be food afterwards. Do come along with family and friends! :)

Taking a break from the Lord's Work

2010-10-27T16:38:00.000+08:00

We get our identity and value in what we accomplish in our work (the number of people we serve, the number of things we are responsible for, the number of things we get done) and not from who we are in Jesus. This is a huge and significant issue that no amount of vacation is going to solve. Longevity and health in ministry will be a result of who you are in Jesus, more than what you do for Jesus. 1 John 5:21 warns us about idols. Ministry can and has become an idol for a lot of us...

Might that be you? Then read on...

Thinking Theologically Conference 2010 - The Word of God

2010-10-22T14:05:00.000+08:00

At this year's TTC, we focus on the important evangelical doctrine of Scripture.

As Christians, all that we do in the end must turn on our understanding of this doctrine. Just what does it means when we commit to upholding the Bible’s authority? Can we explain it in the face of multiple other claims to authority that we ourselves acknowledge? Is Scripture unclear in any way? In what way is Scripture authoritative when authorities conflict with what the Bible says on an issue of controversy? Just how far does Scripture’s authority go?

From November 4-6, 2010, at Port Dickson. Click here to register!

Solomon on social media

2010-10-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

If Solomon were alive today and we were to ask him how we are to relate to one another in this digital world, if we were to ask him how we can honor God in our use of all these social media available to us today, here is how he might respond...

Global Gospel, Global Era

2010-09-30T22:35:00.001+08:00

Here is a thoughtful paper from David Wells and Os Guinness on Christian discipleship in a globalised age.

An excerpt:

Christians are by definition great communicators, and the global era is by definition the great age of communication, so the potential for outreach in the global world can hardly be overstated. With the destruction of traditions, the collapse of traditional certainties, and the melting down of traditional roles and allegiances, there is greater political liberty, greater social fluidity, greater religious diversity and greater psychological vulnerability than ever before in history. As a result, human beings in the global era have been described as “conversion prone,” and more open than ever to consider new faiths. We therefore face the prospect of spreading the Gospel in a manner that is “freer, faster, and farther” than ever before in the church’s history, a prospect that must be seized with faith and courage.

At the same time, it would be naïve not to see that the increased challenges to mission and evangelism are equally powerful, and must be faced frankly...

The paper is worth a careful read in its entirety.

Making the most of Sunday mornings

2010-09-28T18:15:00.001+08:00

...There is absolutely nothing like the local church. The church universal is God’s global display of his life transforming grace. The church local is one of the most profound experiences of that grace this side of eternity.

Hebrews 10 informs us of the value of the local church–it is the training ground for the age to come. In the local church, God’s people are to “stir one another up to love and good works . . . all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (vv24-25).

If the local church is the believer’s training ground in which to prepare for the Lord’s return, we ought to think very carefully about how we "do life" together in the church.

How might we do that? 4 suggestions:
1. Come to church
2. Sing, and sing loudly!
3. Talk to people
4. Let your fellowship extend beyong your corporate gatherings

For an expansion of these 4 points, you can read the whole thing here.

Stephen Hawking, God and science

2010-09-22T13:43:00.000+08:00

Here's an article by Alister McGrath on Stephen Hawking, God and the role of science.

Following Jesus

2010-09-16T18:35:00.000+08:00

© Josh Harris 2010. Posted with permission.

Light in the workplace - notes on the launch event

2010-09-15T16:34:00.001+08:00

On the 21st of August, we organised a Christians in the workplace event. "Be a light in the Workplace" was held as a dinner social to get Christians together, and to think through the impact a Christian can have in the workplace. We held it at a neutral venue, MeatWorks, in order to create a relaxed ambience and a conducive environment to look into the Bible to see what God has to say about work. 40 of us from various churches enjoyed a nice 3 course meal and heard a short talk and testimony before grilling a panel with questions over desert and coffee. We hope this launch event will act as a springboard to spawn a network of Christians from different churches, excited about seeing their workplaces as a platform for ministry.

The theme of the evening was based on Matthew 5:14 – 16, where Jesus calls us all to be a light that others may see our good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven. It also serves as our mission statement: Bringing Christ to Work; Pointing Workers to Christ.

Many Bible-believing Christians have 2 common misunderstandings about the workplace. God appears absent and/or disinterested in our Monday mornings; he is there only in church on Sunday. This often translates to a compartmentalised view of life, where God's Lordship is not expressed in every sphere of our life. Our aim, therefore is to be “Bringing Christ to Work”. Secondly, many Christians fail to see the workplace as a place of witness. Yet the workplace is where we spend most of our waking hours. Our colleagues are amongst those we interact with most regularly. It is where a non-Christian will see the way we deal with deadlines, work pressures, difficult colleagues/bosses, tough commitments, even office gossip. Our aim, therefore, is to to be “Pointing Workers to Christ”.

As Christians, we are light (Matthew 5:14). If we are clear that God is working out his purposes even in the workplace, then we would surely want to be working in line with his will, doing good. We would want to point our work colleagues to our Father in heaven with our words and deeds, that they might praise Him rather than ourselves.

There was generally positive and constructive feedback from the evening. We hope future events would be even more helpful to those coming. Even more, our hope is that all of us will be challenged to be a light in the workplace, pointing our work colleagues to Christ.

The next event will explore this theme of evangelism in the workplace in more detail. It will be happening on the 27th of November, 7pm in Skewers Restaurant, Subang. For more information, contact Gary Lee at Gary.Y.Lee at shell dot com

Gary Lee

Koran burning and the Gospel

2010-09-12T00:31:00.001+08:00

Here are a couple of articles to help you think through a Christian response to the threat by Terry Jones to burn Korans. Hope you find them helpful.

http://www.sie.org.au/briefings/the_limits_of_freedom/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2010/09/07/burn-couches-not-the-quran/

Klang Valley Bible Conference 2010

2010-09-06T22:41:00.000+08:00

The Klang Valley Bible Conference (KVBC) is back for its 2010 edition! This year, we welcome back Dr. Don Carson, research professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an active Bible teacher worldwide. He will be preaching on selected parables of Jesus.

Date: September 13th - 15th, 2010
Time: 8.15pm - 10.00pm
Venue:Clubhouse of the Tropicana Golf and Country Resort
Fee : Free!

See you there!

Word Works - Isaiah

2010-08-25T16:38:00.000+08:00

Word Works is 2 days designed to help Christians to learn to read the Bible better. We encourage you to make the effort to be equipped for reading the Bible faithfully, in order to minister to the saints and to the growth of God’s people (Eph 4:11-12).

Isaiah is sometimes called the “Fifth Gospel”. In this work of immense power and breathtaking scope, the God of Israel announces himself as the God of all the world, and reveals his great plans for Israel and the nations. The book of Isaiah deals with themes that are foundational to the gospel by which we are saved: sin, judgment, grace, faith, atonement, salvation, justification and hope. Isaiah contains the clearest indications in the Old Testament of the universal scope of God’s plans for the world. It focusses on a figure called the “servant”, whose sacrificial death will bring justification for many, and will lead to Spirit-empowered evangelists proclaiming the good news to the world.

Here's your chance to get a handle of what can be an intimidating book, as well as an opportunity to grasp more deeply the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lionel Windsor, who is currently working on his PhD at Durham University, will be speaking.

Register here,spaces are limited!

The power of example

2010-08-18T18:04:00.003+08:00

Timothy and Epaphroditus. 2 names, 2 different kind of people. But both commended as examples by Paul to us, encouraging us to live for Christ, and to serve one another. (Phil. 2:19-30)

Peter Sholl, via the Mexican president Avila Camacho, reminds us that the Apostle Paul himself too is commended to us. In him, we see the value of personal example.

One more contemporary example are the Littles. Libby Little reflects on suffering for the sake of the kingdom, an article made more poignant by the fact that her husband, Tom was murdered shortly afterwards, along with 9 others, in Afghanistan.

May we, like them, keep on striving for Christ and his kingdom.

Be a light in the workplace

2010-08-10T09:30:00.002+08:00

How to be a light in the workplace? Come along to think through how we might be "Bringing Christ to Work, and Bring Workers To Christ" as we look at the bible, listen to testimonies, grill a question panel and enjoy a delicious 3-course meal on Sat 21st Aug 7pm. Not to be missed!

Training the next generation to hope in God

2010-08-07T13:01:00.001+08:00

From a Bob Kauflin talk on Psalm 78

The Nowism of the Gospel

2010-08-06T12:48:00.000+08:00

...Jason's problem was that he was lost in the middle of his own faith. It had become harder and harder for him to connect the beauty of what he believed to the gritty and often difficulty realities of his daily life. Jason's problem was that he carried a gospel around with him that had a great big hole in the middle of it.

Jason could explain to you what it meant to say that he had been "saved by grace," and he knew that he was going to spend eternity with his Savior. His problem was in the here and now. Day after day, in situation after situation and relationship after relationship, Jason didn't carry with him a vibrant and practical sense of the nowism of the grace of Jesus Christ. Yes, Jason believed in life after death, but he desperately needed to understand life before death; the kind of radical life you will live when you understand what Christ has given you for the life he has called you to right here, right now....

Read the whole thing.

Checklist for the day

2010-07-13T09:30:00.002+08:00

See how many of these things you have already completed (or can still do later today)...

1. Have you read your Bible and prayed?
2. Have you given God thanks for something?
3. Have you encouraged someone?
4. Have you considered your sin? (and have you repented of it?)
5. Have you told the gospel to anyone?
6. Have you given God praise for his character?
7. Can you think of a way to serve someone you love?
8. Can you write someone a (brief) note/email that might help them through a struggle?
9. Can you protect your eyes and heart from lusting on your way home?
10. Can you remind yourself of the gospel? (it is never a bad time to recount this glorious truth!)

Please don't make this a list for the super-spiritual (if you did a lot of these things) or the spiritually poor (if you didn't do any of these things). Why not simply pick one or two new ones and incorporate them into your day tomorrow?

Deepak Raju, 9Marks

7 suggestions to encourage good preaching

2010-06-22T21:20:00.001+08:00

1. Pray for the preachers. Pray specifically that they will work hard at the Bible passages (1 Tim. 5:17) and preach them faithfully, passionately and in a way that engages with us.

2. From time to time, tell the preachers you are praying for them and looking forward with expectancy to the sermon. That will be a great encouragement and incentive to them to prepare well.

3. Be there. You may be surprised what an encouragement it is just to have you there, and what a discouragement to have you absent.

4. Thank them afterwards for things you learned. Don't flatter or just give them very vague comments about how good it was (if it was). Try to be specific and focus on the biblical content of the sermon, rather than just stories, anecdotes or illustrations. Tell them if there was something in particular you found helpful.

5. Be prepared to be constructively and supportively critical. Ask the preachers to help you see where they got a particular point in this passage; this will sharpen them up if, in fact, it didn't come from the passage, or indeed the Bible. It will encourage them to stick more to the Bible more next time. Be humble and respectful in the way you do this; remember, it is much harder to preach than to criticise preaching.

6. Relate to your preachers as one human being to other human beings. Remember that the best sermon by a remote preaching hero, heard on an MP3 recording, is no substitute for the word of God preached by a human being face to face with other human beings in the context of trust and love.

7. Be on the lookout for gifts of preaching and teaching in the church, and be ready to tap someone on the shoulder and suggest they develop these gifts and get further training. Mention these ideas to the pastoral leadership team in your church.

From Listen Up!, Christopher Ash, Director of Cornhill Training Course, London

Creation to Consummation 2010

2010-06-16T09:00:00.001+08:00

Creation to Consummation 2010 from Steven Lee on Vimeo.

Creation to Consummation 2010
The Temple and God-Pleasing Worship
4 talks examining the Bible's overarching story, especially on the topic of worship
with Dr. David Peterson, former principal of Oak Hill Theological College
Luther Centre, Petaling Jaya
23-26 June 2010

Click here for more info and to sign up!

7 suggestions on reading the Bible

2010-06-14T19:00:00.006+08:00

Seven suggestions for how we should read the Bible:

1) Reverently. Remembering the Bible is the word of God, the revelation of the Creator and Redeemer, means above all reading the Bible reverently.

2) Prayerfully. We have the Spirit to guide us into truth.

3) Collectively. Reading the Bible solely or merely as an individual plays into the notions of modernism. Reading the Bible collectively is a good antidote to such privatized, individual reading....Reading the Bible collectively also puts us in the historical and global community, which means that the Bible is not our individual possession.

4) Humbly. It's helpful to read the Bible humbly, to be careful not to equate our interpretations of the text with the text itself. The Bible is innerant, in other words, but our interpretations are not.

5) Carefully. We also need to read the Bible carefully, which is to say there is a place for hermeneutics and rules of interpretation....Reading the Bible carefully also entails reading the Bible canonically. In previous ages of the church, this was referred to as the "analogy of faith," which amounted to reading particular texts of the Bible in light of the whole Bible.

6) Christologically. The Bible is ultimately the story of Christ. All of it points to or away from him, like spokes from the hub of the wheel. All of the Bible eventually finds its end, its design, its purpose in Christ....It's not too much of a stretch to say that we understand a text fully when we connect it to Christ and his mission.

7) Obediently. Reading and interpreting are first-order activities that lead to the second-order activity of obedience and practice (James 2:22-26). Reading and interpreting the Bible is actually the easy part, compared to taking the Bible seriously enough to act upon it.

From Stephen Nichols and Eric Brandt in Ancient Word, Changing Worlds: The Doctrine of Scripture in a Modern Age

SMACAGOW 2010 talks online

2010-06-08T18:30:00.003+08:00

Book review: The Reason for God

2010-06-01T18:01:00.001+08:00

Those, like me, who find it hard to shy away from “heated discussions” will more than likely be keenly aware of the difference between winning the argument and pointing people to Jesus as Lord. Many times I’ve walked away from a conversation knowing very well that I’ve spent too much time arguing over questions about Christianity, and too little actually explaining the gospel, or for that matter even preparing the ground for the gospel to be proclaimed. It’s a problem, I feel, that is shared by many popular Christian apologetics books. There are some excellent books explaining the gospel, but my non-Christian friends often have so many questions to sort out before they would even begin to read those. On the other hand, the books that do start to answer these questions can be too limiting. They often present themselves as the the be all and end all in the argument over issue X, and are content to leave it at that. It's like my fiery conversations all over again, never pointing people to the next step.

The Reason for God however, is different. It deals with many of the same issues - “How can you say there’s only one way to God?”, “Can the Bible be trusted?”, “Hasn’t Science disproved Christianity?” - and yet there is a difference in the way Tim Keller treats these issues. As you read each chapter, you begin to realise that his focus isn’t on answering the question and winning the argument as such, but to convince the reader that the reasons for rejecting Christ are not as watertight as first thought. From that point, he then argues that faith in Christ is itself an intellectually honest and compelling way of looking at the world. What stops Tim Keller’s book from falling into the same trap as others is his honesty on the limitations of his method. Even when arguing for Christian faith, he is upfront in admitting that his arguments are “rationally avoidable”, ie. there is a way of explaining your way out of any of the arguments without resorting to stubbornness! As a result, his arguments focus as a means to encourage the reader to stop putting up barriers and to engage with the gospel of Jesus Christ, rather than to land the knock out blow in the argument itself.

For the Christian reader, there is much encouragement to be found in reading this book as an intellectual and compelling defence of the faith that we all share. More than that, it provides a useful corrective and exemplifies how to point to the gospel through our discussions for those, like me, who can get lost in the fog of arguments. For the non-Christian, although this may not be the book that helps them make the final connection that Jesus is Lord and King, it may help them reach a position that they would be prepared to begin investigating more closely the claims of Jesus Christ that they may never have thought reasonable before. A recommended read.

Mark Wilson, formerly of SMACC

Notice

2010-05-28T08:44:00.000+08:00

As we are all away on our annual church camp, SMACAGOW this weekend, pleased be informed that SMACC1 and SMACC2 will not be happening in St. Mary's at 10.30 or 5pm. You're always welcome to join us at King's Hotel in Malacca, simply arrive by 10am!

False gods and our Saviour

2010-05-25T11:40:00.001+08:00

We have a great big God. But we do not always live as if this is true. We replace him with something else in our affections. Those are some of the reminders and challenges we were thrown this past Sunday. As we further reflect on Acts 17:16-34, here are some helpful thoughts from Tim Keller in his book Counterfeit Gods.

Keller defines an idol in this way:
"It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give...A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living."

From the Notes section in his book, he lays out a list of potential idols to which we might fall prey:

Theological idols: Doctrinal errors that produce such distorted views of God that we end up worshipping a false god.
Sexual idols: Addictions such as pornography and fetishisms that promise but don’t deliver a sense of intimacy and acceptance; ideals of physical beauty in yourself and/or a partner; romantic idealism.
Magic/ritual idols: Witchcraft and the occult.
Political/economic idols: Ideologies of the left, right, and libertarian that absolutize some aspect of political order and make it the solution, eg, deifying or demonizing free markets. [or in our context, elevating a particular political party to the position of national savior]
Racial/national idols: Racism, militarism, nationalism, or ethnic pride that turns bitter or oppressive
Relational idols: codependency, “fatal attractions,” living your life through your children.
Religious idols: Moralism and legalism, idolatry of success and gifts, religion as a pretext for abuse of power.
Philosophical idols: Systems of thought that make some created thing the problem with life (instead of sin) and some human product or enterprise the solution to our problems (instead of God’s grace).
Cultural idols: Radical individualism (typical in the West, making an idol out of individual happiness at the expense of community); shame cultures that make an idol out of family and clan at the expense of individual rights.
Deep idols: Motivational drives and temperaments made into absolutes
- Power idolatry: “Life only has meaning/I only have worth if I have power and influence over others"
- Approval idolatry: “Life only has meaning/I only have worth if I am loved and respected by _________"
- Comfort idolatry: “Life only has meaning/I only have worth if I have this kind of pleasure experience or a particular quality of life"
- Control idolatry: “Life only has meaning/I only have worth if I am able to get mastery over my life in the area of ___________"

Finally, Keller calls us back to the gospel of grace as the only remedy for our idolatry:

If we are deeply moved by the sight of his love for us, it detaches our hearts from other would-be saviors. We stop trying to redeem ourselves through our pursuits and relationships, because we are already redeemed. We stop trying to make others into saviors, because we have a Savior.

...If you only try to uproot [idols], they grow back; but they can be supplanted. By what? By God himself, of course. But by God we do not mean a general belief in His existence. Most people have that, yet their souls are riddled with idols. What we need is a living encounter with God.

...Jesus must become more beautiful to your imagination, more attractive to your heart, than your idol... We want to love Christ so much more that we are not enslaved by our attachments.

What can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Love in Hard Places - free PDF

2010-05-21T15:20:00.001+08:00

This book by D.A Carson explores the aspects of Christian love that we find hard - loving our enemies, forgiving those who've hurt us, etc. It shows some of the important ways in which the love of Christians is a reflection of the love of God, and enables believers to develop an appropriate understanding of how to love in the hard places of life. It's now available for free as a PDF.

Not always an easy read, but I'm sure there will be much reward from your labours! =)

On my way to heaven

2010-05-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

Mark Ashton was for many years vicar of St. Andrew's the Great in Cambridge. He discovered he had cancer in 2008. In this article, he writes movingly of the prospect of facing death as a Christian.

An excerpt:

While physical things spoil and go dim, spiritual things grow brighter and clearer. I see my sin very clearly. I see how much it still controls my life. I think how little time I have got left to make further progress against my pride, my irritability, my grumpiness, my selfishness. I need to keep short accounts now, because I may never have time to make amends or apology in this life. The Bible speaks to me about this with ever greater authority and relevance. Each day as I open it, God speaks straight into my heart by his Word. And it tells me of what lies beyond this life. I can see the end of life. It looms over the horizon, and I am encouraged to think it will not now be long before I am there. As the distance between me and the finishing line decreases, I am encouraged to believe more strongly that I will make it. I know it is God’s work and not mine that will get me there, but it is still reassuring to know that the time is short and the opportunity to fall into gross sin is diminishing. I have less and less chance to betray our calling in some way, and I am comforted by that thought. I have always been aware of the huge depth of depravity of my own heart and the threat that poses to me every day. Now there are many fewer days left to face that threat than I thought.

Read the whole thing.

Mark Ashton went to be with the Lord this past Resurrection Saturday.

The Prodigal: An Animation

2010-05-16T23:50:00.001+08:00

The Prodigal: An Animation

Song from Sons & Daughters, Sovereign Grace Music

You held out Your arms, I walked away
Insolent, I spurned Your face
Squandering the gifts You gave to me
Holding close forbidden things
Destitute, a rebel still, a fool in all my pride
The world I once enjoyed is death to me
No joy, no hope, no life

Where now are the friends that I had bought
Gone with every penny lost
What hope could there be for such as I
Sold out to a world of lies
Oh to see Your face again, it seems so distant now
Could it be that You would take me back
A servant in Your house

You held out Your arms, I see them still
You never left, You never will
Running to embrace me, now I know
Your cords of love will always hold
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace
Such favor undeserved
You sing over me and celebrate
The rebel now Your child

(HT: Sovereign Grace Music)

SMACAGOW 2010

2010-05-09T23:44:00.001+08:00

SMACAGOW 2010
not long to go!

28th-30th May
Theme: Forgiveness
Speaker: Paul Harrington
King's Hotel, Malacca

Remember, the dateline for signing up is this coming Sunday, 16th May.
For more info, you can always email smacc.info at gmail dot com

Do come, it'll be great fun!

Tracking Paul's missionary journeys

2010-05-04T14:17:00.004+08:00

It can be hard work keeping track of Paul's travels in the book of Acts. So thank God for modern technology. =)

If you have Google Earth or a Google Earth plugin installed on your computer, you can actually trace Paul's first missionary journey on it. There are also short descriptions of each place along with the corresponding Bible verse. You can download the file and/or preview it here!

Alternatively, here are interactive maps of Paul's first, second and third missionary journeys respectively.

Book review: Cross-Examined

2010-04-30T09:00:00.004+08:00

During my days as an A-Level student, I grappled often with my faith. What was being a Christian all about, really? This was further exacerbated by a belligerent friend, a self-described “skeptical Christian” (although I think he was more skeptical than Christian!) who kept hounding me with the question: “Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?” So one Saturday, with nothing better to do, I ended up in a tiny, nondescript Christian bookshop. As I browsed aimlessly, one title caught my eye. The blurb won me over, promising a better understanding of the cross, and I parted with some cash.

Looking back, this was probably all in God's providence. Because years later, I still have that book on my bookshelf, and I still think it's the best introductory book on the cross available today. More importantly, it strengthened my faith. That book is, of course, the book presently under review: Cross-Examined.

Mark Meynell is currently the Senior Associate Minister at All Souls Church, London, having previously served in Uganda. In this book, he explores afresh the meaning and significance of the death of Jesus. For at the cross “we find both God's answer to a suffering world and our own answerability to God”.

This book is divided into four parts. The first part communicates the shock of God on the cross in vivid terms. Meynell then moves on to explaining the reality of sin: its pervasiveness, mastery and consequences under the headings “United Nations”, “Fatal Addiction” and “Divine Justice”. Part 3 reveals God's gracious salvation plan to send Jesus. Meynell draws our attention to the wealth of biblical imagery concerning salvation. Salvation is like a diamond, multi-faceted in nature. When we encounter words such as justification, redemption, reconciliation, cleansing and triumph, we understand a little more what Paul means when he refers to “the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you” (Col. 1:27)! Finally, he brings it all home, relating the cross and resurrection to our experience as Christians. Are we ready to live cross-shaped lives as we follow Christ? Will we recognise Him as the One to whom one day every knee shall bow?

What makes this book especially valuable is how readable and accessible it is. Meynell is a gifted writer, and frequently weaves in striking illustrations, thought-provoking quotes and useful analogies in making his points. It's simply a pleasure to read, something that cannot always be said of Christian books! The structure of the book is another strength. Meynell takes us through the big story of the Bible in a way that is clearly linked, and his emphasis on getting us to read specific Bible passages is helpful. The summaries at the end of each chapter are a great way to review and reflect on what's just been said. The centrality of penal substitution is strongly affirmed, but in a way that doesn't completely overwhelm other metaphors of salvation employed in the Bible.

I was sad to hear recently that this book is now out of print [update 25/5/10: it's back in print!], which indicates to me that the book isn't as well-known or highly rated as it deserves to be. If you ever do stumble across a copy, I recommend you snap it up. It helped open my eyes to the grandeur of God's amazing grace, and I trust it will do the same for you.

Note: This book is in the SMACC Library

Brian K

John Piper in Chinese!

2010-04-28T23:48:00.003+08:00

Here is a resource you might find helpful -

Desiring God, the ministry of John Piper, is now available in Chinese.

Prayer - God and us

2010-04-22T22:58:00.003+08:00

Restraining pray’r, we cease to fight;
Pray’r makes the Christian’s armor bright;
And Satan trembles, when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees

So writes the hymn-writer of yesteryear, William Cowper. All of us, though we know in our heads the value of prayer, often struggle with it. We find ourselves too busy, too tired, perhaps even feeling too guilty. So let's take a moment to consider the very act of prayer.

Prayer, very basically, is talking to God. That's a simple enough definition. Yet sometimes we miss out just how shocking that is. Prayer is talking...to God! The God who made the universe, who has taken the initiative to reveal himself to us, and who has blessed his people with salvation and grace. This is who we are addressing when we pray. But we can pray as the Lord Jesus taught us: “Our Father in heaven...”

Prayer is an expression of dependence. In a world where the strong are applauded and the compulsion to save face very real indeed, to get on our knees is to be counter-cultural. It is hard to admit we are weak, though that is what we are. And so prayer actually exposes our hearts. To wrestle with prayer is to wrestle with truth claims. Do we choose to believe that we are independent, in control of our destinies? Or can we face the truth that we are weak in every way: spiritually, mentally, even physically? When we pray, we acknowledge we're not in control. We are, in one sense, giving expression to the gospel. We are helpless, we need God. So we pray.

And God delights in the prayer of his children! He isn't recording the hours we spend in prayer on a spreadsheet, ready to point the accusing finger at us. He wants us, instead, to exercise the privilege we have in Christ. “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13). He is ready to welcome the desperate and act justly (Luke 18:1-8). He is more than willing to comfort the repentant sinner (Luke 18:9-14).

Moreover, our grasp of the gospel affects the orientation of our prayers. If God is the loving creator and ruler of the universe, if we have rebelled against him, if corruption affects every part of reality, if God in his grace sent the Lord Jesus to take the punishment we deserve, and ultimately to reconcile all of creation as its king (Col. 1:19-20), then the shape of our prayers will reflect these truths. It's no longer about us. It's about God and for his glory. We might pray, then, as Paul does for the Colossians, "asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:9-10)

Prayer isn't just an individual activity, it's corporate too! Paul appeals to his fellow Christians to strive together with him in prayer, “by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit” (Rom. 15:30). We are bound together by the Spirit (Eph 4:3), who unites us to Christ, through whom we have access to the Father. So let's strive together, encouraging each other in the hard but joyful work of praying.

Brian K

Be Thinking.org

2010-04-17T18:30:00.000+08:00

As you can see, there are a host of useful links in our sidebar. I thought I'll draw your attention to one in particular today.

Do you find yourself feeling a little lost whenever your friends bring up objections to the Christian faith? Or do you struggle with doubts of your own? Or are you a non-Christian starting to explore the claims of Christianity? Be Thinking.org is there to help you think through some of the tough questions on faith and reality. It aims to better prepare Christians to communicate the good news about Jesus, and how being a Christian should work itself out in our lives.

Do check it out!

Gospel intentionality and mission

2010-04-13T23:38:00.002+08:00

"Being gospel-centered means we’re word-centered (because the gospel is a message; it is good news), and it means being mission-centered (because the gospel is a message to be proclaimed; it is good news)...

Most gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality. It means doing the chores, having meals, watching sports, and so on with an intention to talk about Jesus, to pastor one another with the gospel, and to share that gospel with unbelievers. It's about a whole life lived in mission and community, in which we're always looking to build relationships and always looking to talk about Jesus. "
— Tim Chester

Doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality is to live, within the rhythms of everyday life, in such a way that opens up opportunities to communicate the truths of the gospel. Jonathan Dodson has 8 suggestions what doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality might look like. In light of the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20), how might we, here in Malaysia, live with gospel intentionality? Feel free to throw in suggestions in the comments!

Resurrection: Not just an afterthought

2010-04-04T19:31:00.001+08:00

“[After] All that stuff about science and physics, and the complications of physics and things, what it really comes down to is the resurrection of Jesus...It’s so petty, it’s so trivial, it’s so local, it’s so earth-bound, it’s so unworthy of the universe.”

So says noted atheist scientist, Richard Dawkins, in a debate. And though we no doubt deeply disagree with him, we sometimes find it harder to explain why, exactly, it's so important. If all our debt has been paid on the cross, why the resurrection? Here, very very briefly, is a non-exhaustive list why resurrection is key.

Firstly, resurrection tells us that the Davidic King is now ruling. King David prophesied that the Messiah would be enthroned when God raised him from the dead (Psalm 110:1, Acts 2:34-35). Here is a King whose reign is all-encompassing and all-conquering. The empty tomb of Jesus testifies to the fact that He is that King! No wonder the disciples were transformed! God raised him, they saw him, they lived for him.

Secondly, resurrection tells us that new life really is found in Christ. Negatively speaking, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17). We know that sin leads to death. Jesus, in dying on the cross, has taken our punishment upon himself. But in rising again, he demonstrates that the cross has done its work. Sin is completely dealt with! We know we are truly justified (Rom 4:25), and death is no longer the end. We can rest, wholly assured.

Thirdly, resurrection tells us that we presently have new power. In Colossians 3:1, Paul can say of Christians, “you have been raised with Christ” (past tense). In one sense, we have been resurrected already. The Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:9-11) is the same Spirit who dwells in all believers. Resurrection gives us a glimpse of life in the future. But that future resurrection life begins to bear fruit in us today as we walk God's way.

Fourthly, resurrection tells us that a new creation is coming. Peter praises God for his great mercy in granting Christians “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus' resurrection will not be the last. His resurrection, instead, guarantees that it will be the first of the many who trust in him (1 Cor. 15:20-21). And through the resurrection of God's children, all of creation groans in hope too, as it awaits complete renewal (Rom. 8:18-23). Far from abandoning the earth, God will one day reshape it.

Resurrection, unworthy of the universe? On the contrary, the universe is unworthy of such a momentous event. Christ is risen, hallelujah!

Brian K

Secured by Christ on the cross!

2010-04-02T23:58:00.001+08:00

Everything that we know and appreciate and praise God for in all Christian experience both in this life and in the life to come springs from this bloody cross.

Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Do we enjoy the fellowship of saints? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Does he give us comfort in life and death? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Do we have hope of a heaven to come? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross!

Do we now enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments to our parents—but deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All this is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him.

- D.A Carson, Scandalous

What's so good about Good Friday?

2010-03-30T18:26:00.000+08:00

If you've ever wondered just what is so good about Good Friday, come along to St. Mary's Cathedral (opposite Dataran Merdeka) this Friday, 7pm to find out!

Introducing Jesus course is still on till the end of february...

2010-02-03T07:06:00.001+08:00

Shal Home

2010-01-28T18:49:00.001+08:00

Shal Home is a care home for mentally ill patients. We are very priviledged to be able to visit them every Friday to share God's word with them. We had special celebrations with them both for Christmas & New Year's Day.

The Christmas Celebration

The residents of the home who were able to join us as we started off the day

Christmas carol singing!

A dance performance by Dewi, one of the residents in the home

Another very special performance by Benjamin (also a resident of the home), singing 'Sinner man'

Next, handicraf time! Make a paper heart & write the words 'Jesus Loves Me' on it.

Now onto serious stuff: The gospel talk

The important questions : Who is Jesus & why did He come?

After that, we treated them to snacks; special Christmas cookies baked by Joanne : )

Ended the celebration with a group photo.

New Year's Day Celebration

A great song to start off the day : God is so good! Here they are singing the words "He took my sins"

Singing "Now I am free", what a great way to remember the work that Jesus has done for us on the cross!

Reading the bible together, the passage for the day was Hebrews 10:19-25

The first application of the passage in the form of a game: Charades (things you see when you look up)

Dialogue illustrating our 1st point of the bible reading: Look up to Jesus

Next game illustrating the 2nd point of the bible reading: Balancing a book on your head and walking forward : )

Dialogue 2: Look forward to the eternal life that we have because of Jesus

Finally, sharing snacks with them : )

Christmas Evangelistic Guest Nite

2010-01-22T18:12:00.001+08:00

The Christmas Guest Nite was organised by the Tertiary Cell Group so what do you get when creative young people come together to plan an event??? For the first time, we did a musical event! It was very encouraging to see the good response, with people going all out to invite their friends, we had so many newcomers!

Our theme for the night was Immanuel- God with us

Alveen (our emcee), started the night by inviting everyone to a sumptuous buffet dinner

Ice breaker- find the person with the other half of a picture you've been given!

Siew Mun started off our musical by reciting a poem- WHO are we celebrating during Christmas?

The answer in the song 'Emmanuel has come' - Jesus is the one we are celebrating during Christmas!

Bible reading from Isaiah 9:6 by Amanda........

..........and Pui Ling

A dialogue between Alveen & Jingle: Why did Jesus have to come?

The answer in the Gospel talk by Andrew: Jesus came to save us from our sins!

Our final game before dessert: Guess the number of candies in this bowl

We were really happy to be able to tell the friends we invited about the real meaning of Christmas through fun ways; poems, songs, dialogues & talks. The message we wanted to get across was that Christmas is all about Jesus, He's the Saviour who came to save us from our sins.

introducing jesus course

2010-01-15T11:43:00.000+08:00

Hello there,

Introducing Jesus course is kicking off by Andrew Cheah today. If you are interested in finding out more about Jesus. You are most welcome either you are from Christian and non-Christian background.
The details are as below :

at St. Mary's Cathedral Multipurpose Hall
Jan 15, 22, 29 and Feb 5 (every Friday consecutively)
from 8 pm

or at ACA centre
Feb 4, 11, 18, 25 (every Friday consecutively)
from 8 pm.

I am looking forward to see you there!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION SERIES: ALICE SMITH SCHOOL

2010-01-15T01:07:00.001+08:00

Christmas assembly 2009 at Alice Smith School has been much different from those previous ones. It didn't take long for the ministry team decided to have every students from Equine Park Christian Fellowship (EPCF) to involve in this assembly by presenting "Cracking the Christmas Code". Together all these kids were going to convey the message of Christmas to the whole school, that christmas celebration is all but about our Lord Jesus Christ who born and died for us.

Preparation started out about one month before the assembly by practicing the script with the kids during their lunch break on every Tuesday. We may sound underprepared but doesn't this start to make you wonder how was their performance on the assembly day?

A picture tells a thousand words

~~ Cracking the Christmas Code ~~

The kids did an awesome job!!!

Isn't it wonderful in seeing these kids calmly presenting the christmas message to the audience in such an engaging way? The assembly went very well and the message was very well received. The kids' performance was just astounding!

Special thanks are given to the EPCF Ministry Team: Marianne, Shanti George, Mia Mckenzie, Melanie David, Chris Draper, Shirley and Siew Mun for all their hard work put into 2009 Alice Smith School Christmas Assembly and especially the ministry in Alice Smith School for the past one year. Thank God for the partnership we have and the vision we share in helping the students to grow in their knowledge of Christian faith and their love of God, which will continually guide them towards spiritual maturity. To God be the glory now and forever!

From left: Marianne, Chris Draper, Mia Mckenzie, Melanie David

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION SERIES: Myanmar Refugee School, CSO Sentul

2010-01-06T13:30:00.041+08:00

Firstly, Happy New Year to all! Here comes a series of updates from our mission field during the Christmas season. This is a post of an early Christmas gathering with the Myanmarese kids at their school.

The kids sang us carols. These were songs we never taught them before (If you have not yet figured it out, the first two songs were sang in their KaChin language). The headmaster of the school, Boi, had practiced with the kids secretly to surprise us with their live performance. Their sweet voices had given the carols extra tune of love and happiness, which instantly fillled the room with festive mood of Christmas.

So, what do you usually do when you have celebration with kids?

We played game

...... with newspaper

And winner will get a prize!

More games

Penalty: Act out different expressions. (I guess this is his angry face)

Penalty 2: Sing Happy Birthday Song to ... ... Jesus! After all, this is what Christmas is all about.

The birth of Christ.

Time for Christmas Gospel Talk. We have the slideshows projected onto the wall and this had fully captured every kids' attention. =)

Bible-reading ...

Yeap. Kids must know that GOD IS THE LOVING RULER OF THE WORLD

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Come! Let's have a group photo with the ~~tree~~ teachers!!!

It's New Year!

2009-12-30T00:33:00.000+08:00

Come celebrate the New Year Season! Our Tertiary Cell Group is planning a New Year celebration, please say you'll be there at St Mary's church apartment, on 2nd January 2010 @ 1pm.

We'll have food, games, sharing talk, and hilariously fun time together. Come and help us to make this occassion a real memoir to cherish, with good friends and good cheer!

SMACC Christmas Day Service

2009-12-23T01:58:00.006+08:00

You are cordially invited to our Christmas Day Service! Our Combined SMACC Christmas Day service will be at 10:30am at the Multipurpose Hall of St. Mary's Cathedral. All are welcome.

Christmas Eve Carol service in ACA church

2009-12-20T01:30:00.005+08:00

Hello,

There is another important upcoming event for you soon if you have missed our Christmas Guest Night. We are going to have a Christmas Eve Carol Service in our newly planted church in Ampang called Ascended Christ Anglican (ACA). Please do find details from the flyers above. Dinner will be served by 7.30pm, followed by a Carol Service with a Gospel talk from Andrew. The night won't just end here. There will be plenty of games and fun and dessert!
Please do join us to celebrate this important season together. Jesus was born into this world on the day of Christmas.

Christmas Guest Night

2009-12-15T23:29:00.010+08:00

Hello everyone,

It is time to invite your non-Christian friends to hear about the gospel of Jesus especially during this Christmas season. Our tertiary cell group is organising a Christmas Musical Presentation on the coming Saturday 19th December for you to bring your friends to celebrate Christmas together.

Venue : SMACC Multi Purpose Hall

7.30 pm

Cost : RM25 for regulars and only RM10 for guest

There will be songs, games, and a talk from andrew and dessert as well. It will be a fun night!

Do let me know if you would like to come. My contact number is 017 2435964 or shirleyy228@gmail.com

We are looking forward to see you!

Orang Asli Ministry

2009-12-14T18:35:00.003+08:00

Our tertiary cell group had made a visit to an Orang Asli village on 21th November 09.

Basically, we make a visit there every fortnightly to share gospel and play with the aborigines. By God grace, they listened to our talk patiently. Do pray that more will come to know Christ. They were very enjoyed to play with us and sang some songs together. Do have a look on our videos. Besides that, we provide some medical check up for them and distribute some medications if needed.

God is good :)

Shirley Tan

Young Women's bible study sleep over a night

2009-12-14T17:40:00.004+08:00

On 20th November 2009, a few of young women from tertiary cell group and young women's bible study group has came together to sleep over a night in smacc's apartment.

As it was a women's gathering, chit-chat should be the first agenda. We introduced ourselves and jokes just came along since everyone is open and friendly. Then the second important thing was food. We had chocolate fondue with fruits for our supper. Although food is important, God's word is more important. Time to be serious with the study of Ephesians and discussion. The study ended with prayers. But the night still young for some conversations..... :) On the next morning, we strolled down the streets around our church for a beautiful...girlies...breakfast.....

It was a fun night to fellowship as sisters in Christ. Thus, if you are a girl, do come and join us soon.

Music Seminar with Philip Percival (EMU)

2009-10-10T18:59:00.001+08:00

Philip Percival and his team from EMU Music will be in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday October 18th for a Contemporary Christian Music seminar.

Philip is the Executive Director of Emu Music and also the Music Director at St Ebbe's Church, Oxford, UK. Philip is passionate about seeing Church musicians trained well and teaches the Bible and practical skills at conferences and seminars around the world. He also writes songs, and is perhaps best known for We Are His People and the music for Consider Christ and Never Alone . This seminar is jointly organized by EMU (www.emu.mu), the Gospel Growth Fellowship (GGF – www.gospelgrowth.com.my ) and SMACC (St. Mary’s Anglican Cathedral Contemporary – www.smacc.info ).

We’d like to invite you and/or your music team to come and participate in this seminar which will be held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur. This is at Dataran Merdeka opposite the Royal Selangor Club. Directions to the meeting place are found at www.smacc.info/25001 .

The Program is as follows:

10:30-12:30 Congregational Bible-based Music Ministry in Action (plus talk by Philip on the Gospel & music)
12:30- 13:30 Break (Lunch)
13:30 – 14:45 Workshop 1 – Options: song leading, keyboard, rhythm (guitar, drum, base etc)
14:45-15:00 Break
15:00-16:00 Workshop 2 - Band master-class
16:00-17:00 Light refreshments, Q&A.
17:00-18:30 Congregational Bible-based Music Ministry in Action (plus talk by Philip on the Gospel & music)) (Repeated)
18:30 Dinner

If your church is on in the morning, we’d like you to come at 1:30pm and stay on for dinner. But if your church is in the evening we’d like you to come at 10:30 and stay until 4 (or even leave earlier if you need to get to church) as the morning program is repeated in the evening. We don’t want you to miss your own Sunday church. But we’d like you to come to one or other of the ‘Congregational Bible-based Music Ministry in Action (plus talk by Philip)’ sessions.

If you play any musical instruments (including classical ones), please bring them along! There will be opportunities to use them in the workshops.

Please register online (www.gospelgrowth.com.my/equip) so we know how many people are coming for catering purposes. The cost is RM20 which you can pay on the day and includes your lunch or dinner (whichever you are coming for) and refreshments. It would be helpful if you could register by Tuesday, October 13th. For more information, please do ring Shanti (012 2220351), Lynn (0166033708) or email equip@gospelgrowth.com.my .

Sermon Series

2009-07-14T09:47:00.001+08:00

Sermon Series
We've just started a new sermon series on the book of Acts.
Here is the plan for the next few week:

12/Jul/09 Acts 9:32-43 (plus review of Acts 1:1-9:31)
19/Jul/09 Acts 10:1-11:18
26/Jul/09 Acts 11:19-30
2/Aug/09 Acts 12
9/Aug/09 Acts 13:1-12
16/Aug/09 Acts 13:13-52
23/Aug/09 Acts 14

The sermons should be available online at www.smacc.info (click the sermon link).

Andrew

"Jehovah's Witnesses"

2009-06-21T08:51:00.003+08:00

Someone in SMACC1 asked me about the 'Jehovah's Witnesses'. Here is a good place to start: www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/jehovah.html.
Andrew

BBQ this saturday at Jill and Andy's....

2009-06-12T15:29:00.004+08:00

A get together of all SMACC1 ers with partners, husbands and wives and supporters of SMACC1 to get together for a social evening. Free food just bring your own drinks. Musicians feel free to bring instruments

details:
Date: 13 June 2009
Time: 19:30 - 23:55
Location: 40 Mapleswoods
Street: Jalan U2/50, Saujana Resort
Its right by the old Subang Airport....
see google map here

Its that time of the month again :)

2009-05-25T23:30:00.002+08:00

SMACC TEAM!!

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday (30th May) SMACC Team will be held at the home of Jake and Rubina Henry. (9 Jalan Rumba Riang 9/5A, Kota Damansara, 47810, PJ)

SMACC Team is for everyone and anyone who attends SMACC1,SMACC2 and ACA to come together to pray to our sovereign God for the ministry here and beyond.

We share food together from 6.00 pm - all gastronomical contributions welcome but not essential so dont be put off - its OK to just come as there is always enough food to share.

If any one needs a lift or detailed driving directions to the Henry's home, please contact us on smacc.info@gmail.com

Hope to see you all there.

Impt Announcement- Pls take note: Sunday, 31st May Service

2009-05-18T11:52:00.003+08:00

SMACC1 (our 10:30am congregation) will not be meeting on the 31st May as the hall we usually meet in is being used for the cathedral AGM. I’d like to encourage everyone in SMACC1 go to SMACC2 or to ACA that day.

SMACC2 meets at 5pm at the same place (cathedral multipurpose hall) and ACA meets near Tesco ampang - see www.ascendedchrist.org. We’ve got a great Kids Programme in ACA so we’re asking families to go to ACA.

The AGM itself will be at 11.00 a.m. in the Multi –Purpose Hall. If you're on the cathedral electoral roll - please do come along.

A faith left unexamined is not worth believing...

2009-05-11T11:56:00.007+08:00

Guest Night - Start inviting friends now!

Date: Saturday 23rd of May 2009.

Time: 7pm.

Venue: Ascended Christ Anglican (ACA), Ampang.

We will be screening the documentary entitled, "The Case for Christ". This documentary is based upon the award-winning best-seller book of the same title which documents Lee Strobel's journey from atheism to faith through his 2-year investigation of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. Strobel, the former legal editor of the Chicago tribune, draws upon his investigative skills to examine the historical accuracy of the Gospels, the personal claims of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead.

RSVP latest by 19th May 2009 as there are limited seating. For more info, e-mail smacc.info@gmail.com

For directions to ACA, please see our ACA website: www.ascendedchrist.org

SMACAGOW

2009-05-11T10:21:00.037+08:00

the widest smile!

the longest eyelashes...

the sexiest wink!

Im sure all who attended would agree that SMACAGOW was indeed a SmAcKiNG GooD weekend!

The theme of this year's talks was on God's Guidance, a very timely message in light of current economic conditions! Paul Harrington preached faithfully on this subject, over 4 separate talks, outlining firstly the key principles to making Godly decisions and then moving on to tackle 3 areas of application:
-God's Guidance and our Job
-God's Guidance through the Holy Spirit, applying the principles to Marriage
-God's Guidance and Money

In addition, there were 4 electives available on a variety of topics:
1. How to REALLY love your husband- we saw many husbands signing their wives up for this one!
2. Relationships - singleness
3. A Christian perspective to Chinese Traditions
4. Case for Christ

We also had heaps of fun games, icebreakers and our very own SMACC pageant,over an 8 course banquet dinner! -
see photos for footage of SMACC's widest smile, sexiest wink and longest eyelashes :)

SO..What else did 80 SMACC/ACA ers do in the tiny town of Kampar over the long may weekend?
...Checked out Kampar town -which consisted of only 2 main roads, but provided enough entertainment in the form of delectable chicken biscuits, some drove to Kellie's castle, football at 2am (tsk tsk - we hear Andrew was involved in this too!) and one group even drove to Ipoh for taugeh chicken at 1am :)
We even managed to include SMACC Team, our monthly prayer meeting on the saturday night.
It was a very fulfilling weekend, packed with excellent teaching and lots of opportunities to build and deepen relationships.

Many Thanks to all who organised it, helped out, ran games n children ministry, designed the lovely striking chilli red tee shirt :) and photographers.

For those who couldn't make it, the talks are available online on smacc.info (sermon downloads page. Check out more photos (and videos as well!) on our Facebook site.

Resources for Chinese Speakers

2009-04-26T00:19:00.005+08:00

While SMACC is held in English, there are a number of people in SMACC who are reaching out to people who prefer another language. Here are some links for those among us who are serving people whose main language is Chinese.

Chinese-English Bible (Union Chinese: NET Bible English) - download a book at a time
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=3976

Christianity Explained in Chinese
http://www.christianityexplained.com/chinesesimple.pdf

2 ways to live in Chinese
Tract: http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/mmstore/2wtcchs (we have a supply at SMACC)
Online: http://matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/chinese/

Moore College Th.C Course Brochure
http://external.moore.edu.au/fileadmin/external/THC_brochure_chinese.pdf

Downloadable Theological Books and Resources
http://www.chinachristianbooks.org

Let me know if you find other good resources.

Andrew

SMACAGOW 2009

2009-04-17T02:16:00.001+08:00

SMACAGOW 2009

'Guide to God's Guidance'

May 1st-3rd

Please sign up at SMACC or ACA on Sunday - or email us on smacc.info@gmail.com for more information.

This Sunday - Community Lunch and Dinner + Dont forget to sign up for SMACAGOW camp!

2009-03-31T18:29:00.003+08:00

We will be having our monthly community lunch and dinner this sunday. Please do stay around after the service for food and fellowship.

Also, our SMACAGOW camp registration is now open... do sign up as soon as possible
;) There are more photos of the hotel, rooms and facilities on our FACEBOOK page (Friends of SMACC)

and FINALLY our new website for ACA is up and running, do check it out. http://www.ascendedchrist.org

Guidance on God's Guidance

2009-03-20T01:25:00.003+08:00

SMAGOW this year is on the topic of Guidance. It would be great if all SMACCers came for this our annual camp - it's from May 1st-3rd, the speaker is Paul Harrington from Holy Trinity Adelaide and it's to be held at the Grand Kampar Hotel.

The 2 best books on Guidance I have found are:
1. Decision Making and the will of God (Gary Friesen & J. Robin Maxen)
2. Guidance and the Voice of God (Philip Jensen & Tony Payne).

They are strongly recommended reading! A summary of Friesen & Maxen can be found here and a review of Jensen & Payne can be found here. Reading these books or at least the summaries beforehand may raise questions and issues for you to bring for discussion at the camp.

Hope to see you in Kampar!

Andrew C.

Cheshire Home for the Disabled

2009-03-19T19:48:00.004+08:00

Here is another ministry you can get involved in! :) We visit Cheshire Home, in Selayang on the first Saturday of every month for about 2 hours. The usual schedule is leave church at 4.30pm, arrive home and usher residents into a meeting room, sing hymns, short sermon, communion and prayer.Transport can be arranged from church and it wil be best to let Andrew know if you will be going at least the day before so he can arrange logistics and transport.

To find out more about Cheshire Home, visit http://www.cheshire.org.my/

Shal Home Ministry

2009-03-06T13:34:00.003+08:00

Every Thursday, we bring the Gospel Message to Shal Home, a home for the mentally handicapped. The home is located off Jalan Gasing, PJ and in the 2 hours that we have with them, we share a teaching from the bible, perform a short play, sing songs and play (simple!) games.

Do join us on thursdays from 10am to 12 noon if you are free. No previous acting skills necessary! :)