I hate to say this but the devil is angry.
1. First he wanted to remind everyone that he is still a contender for attention when he released that Sept 11 video in America.
2. Next the earthquakes in Sumatra and the violent after-shocks last night and again this morning. Anything above 5.5 on the Richter scale is considered major and above 7.0 can be damaging. Last night's tremor was 8.4 and then this morning (I was checking the US Geological Survey website) there were a number of after-shocks of magnitude 7.5 and above.
Why is this so? The only reason I can point you to is from scriptures itself. In Matthew 24 Jesus prophesied of the end times and when you look at the events over the past, these are definitely some of the things mentioned in His prophecy. Also we read in Romans 8:22 - "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." You may ask, "when will this stop?" it won't on its own. In fact it will get worse and then the end will come.
Just as in labour pains, the end of the sufferings will only give birth to a new life and so this pressure cooked Earth will deteriorate further and come to a complete halt upon the Return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So what am I saying here? Time is running out for the devil and he knows that Jesus' return is very imminent; it can happen any time now. Interestingly enough, yesterday at 6PM Jerusalem time was the start of the Jewish New Year and they celebrated Rosh Hashannah or the Festival of Trumpets and Jewish tradition tells us that Adam was created on Rosh Hashannah (that was why they believed that God told them to start counting their calendar) and some historians also believed that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem also on Rosh Hashannah. No wonder the devil gets agitated every year at the Jewish 7th month (used to be their first month until the Law was given at Mount Sinai) of Tishni.
So are we to be concerned about all these events as a Believer? My friend, know for a fact that these incidents will happen but also know in your hearts and in your spirits that you have the Holy Spirit in you and He that is in you is greater than the one outside. So believe in your heart that you are a child of the Living Lord and that "a thousand may fall on your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you." Psalm 91:7.
How beautifully the Lord puts it - but it will not come near you! the scriptures did not say it will not happen; it simply says it WILL NOT COME NEAR YOU! It is like you witnessing all these things but they have no impact on you. What an awesome promise from the Lord Himself. You have it and believe in it. Jesus Himself constantly reminded His disciples (and also us when we read His words) "do not worry", "take no thought", "let not your heart be troubled"... in fact 365 times in the gospel - one for each day of the year. He already knows you need to hear and keep hearing it.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
2 Earthquakes Hit Southwestern Sumatra
At 07:15 PM this evening, two earthquakes hit the south-western area of Sumatra in the Bengkulu area - 7.9 and 8.4 on the Richter scale. Each earthquakes is quite powerful on its own and when both hit almost within a 5-minute gap, that really raises a number of alarm bells.
Buildings in the CBD area were swaying and tenants who were still working at the time were instructed to evacuate the buildings. Is that the correct advice to give to people during an earthquake? I wonder because the very act of evacuating the building and assembling downstairs could instead pose more problems than good. What is the fear during a tremor? Isn't it that the building may collapse as a result of the loosening of the building foundations? And yet there are some (I would think majority) building management still ignorant of this and just as in a fire evacuation, instruct all tenants to leave by the staircase.
I should think everyone should learn from nations that are faced with very frequent earthquakes to find out how they prepare and educate their people. I recall I was on the 33rd floor of Arkmori Tower in Tokyo back in 1985 when a major earthquake (I think it was a 6.9 magnitude) hit Tokyo at around 3:30PM. I was conducting a workshop at that time and thinking that I was tired from jetlag and ignorant of earthquakes, I grabbed hold of the edge of the instructor's head-table and innocently asked my Japanese students what was happening.
All of them were busy looking out of the meeting room windows at the neighboring buildings swaying and they were applauding as they watched. So, ignorant as i was, I started to panic and asked them what I should be doing. They pointed me to the bottom of the table to locate the hard-hat, the torchlight and the bottle of mineral water and that I should duck for cover under the table if I don't feel comfortable. Well, seeing them having so much fun watching the buildings I soon decided to drop my fears and join them admiring the swaying movements.
Now that was a 6.9 and it was in 1985. Office tables in those days were still made of solid wood and they had proper legs and set of drawers and there is a space in between the legs where one can easily scurry into and take cover and with solid table legs, that can provide an airwell even if the buildings were to collapse and the structures were to come crashing down. To quote them, it is safer to stay under the table than to evacuate and get knocked down by debris.
So important lesson I learnt then and still stuck in my head - never panic in an earthquake and to look for a good strong corner to take cover - under solid tables or under the door frames would be helpful. I still cannot fathom the instructions given by anxious building security personnel to evacuate and then leave the tenants to get hit on the head by falling masonry. I guess they are not to be blamed as that is probably the only set of instructions they had been given. So by instinct, they will tell you to 'evacuate the building'.
It is time the SCDF comes forward and give proper training to the general public on what to do if they felt tremors during an earthquake, albeit far away in Java or Sumatra.
Buildings in the CBD area were swaying and tenants who were still working at the time were instructed to evacuate the buildings. Is that the correct advice to give to people during an earthquake? I wonder because the very act of evacuating the building and assembling downstairs could instead pose more problems than good. What is the fear during a tremor? Isn't it that the building may collapse as a result of the loosening of the building foundations? And yet there are some (I would think majority) building management still ignorant of this and just as in a fire evacuation, instruct all tenants to leave by the staircase.
I should think everyone should learn from nations that are faced with very frequent earthquakes to find out how they prepare and educate their people. I recall I was on the 33rd floor of Arkmori Tower in Tokyo back in 1985 when a major earthquake (I think it was a 6.9 magnitude) hit Tokyo at around 3:30PM. I was conducting a workshop at that time and thinking that I was tired from jetlag and ignorant of earthquakes, I grabbed hold of the edge of the instructor's head-table and innocently asked my Japanese students what was happening.
All of them were busy looking out of the meeting room windows at the neighboring buildings swaying and they were applauding as they watched. So, ignorant as i was, I started to panic and asked them what I should be doing. They pointed me to the bottom of the table to locate the hard-hat, the torchlight and the bottle of mineral water and that I should duck for cover under the table if I don't feel comfortable. Well, seeing them having so much fun watching the buildings I soon decided to drop my fears and join them admiring the swaying movements.
Now that was a 6.9 and it was in 1985. Office tables in those days were still made of solid wood and they had proper legs and set of drawers and there is a space in between the legs where one can easily scurry into and take cover and with solid table legs, that can provide an airwell even if the buildings were to collapse and the structures were to come crashing down. To quote them, it is safer to stay under the table than to evacuate and get knocked down by debris.
So important lesson I learnt then and still stuck in my head - never panic in an earthquake and to look for a good strong corner to take cover - under solid tables or under the door frames would be helpful. I still cannot fathom the instructions given by anxious building security personnel to evacuate and then leave the tenants to get hit on the head by falling masonry. I guess they are not to be blamed as that is probably the only set of instructions they had been given. So by instinct, they will tell you to 'evacuate the building'.
It is time the SCDF comes forward and give proper training to the general public on what to do if they felt tremors during an earthquake, albeit far away in Java or Sumatra.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
September 11 - 6th Anniversary of tragedy
It was interesting that Osama bin Ladin was reminding the American people that he is still very much at large and still wants to take another potshot at the USA. Interesting that he should choose to do this on the 6th anniversary. Why did he not do it earlier like the 5th (2006) or the 4th (2005)?
As I was pondering over this question just now, the Lord reminded me of the tactics used by the devil. The devil basically has no grip on each of us children of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way he can have influence over any one of us is via the backdoor of fear and worry. The devil complained to the Lord that He set a hedge of protection around Job and hence he could not touch Job. But then Job opened the door when he entertained fear in his heart (Job 1:5) and said something which he should not have done so.
It is one thing to have fearful thoughts and another to actually blurt it out as confirmation of the fear in the heart. Jesus Himself said to His disciples (Matthew 6:31), "Therefore take no thought, saying...(KJV)" So when Job did that and he tried to appease God with his burnt sacrifices, the Lord knew that He could not protect him any more and hence allowed the devil to inflict harm on Job but he was not allowed to take Job's life as that still belonged to God. It was only later in Job 42:1-6 when he realized what he had done and he repented that the Lord stepped in and reinstated the hedge of protection on him resulting in the overflowing of a double portion of God's blessings on his life.
So today the devil is still using the same tactics on Christians. He cannot operate when he does not know where you stand as he is not so smart compared with our Lord Jesus. The devil does not read your thoughts! Oh, please do not give him more credit than he is supposed to have. The devil is not omniscient (all-knowing) and so if we do not open our mouth and speak our minds (thoughts) he is still in the dark about what we are thinking.
So my friends, next time even when you may be having doubts shooting across your minds, please do not speak it out for there is power in your tongue. Better still, reject those negative thoughts and believe the Lord that He is with you and will deliver you from whatever situation you may find yourselves in.
As I was pondering over this question just now, the Lord reminded me of the tactics used by the devil. The devil basically has no grip on each of us children of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way he can have influence over any one of us is via the backdoor of fear and worry. The devil complained to the Lord that He set a hedge of protection around Job and hence he could not touch Job. But then Job opened the door when he entertained fear in his heart (Job 1:5) and said something which he should not have done so.
It is one thing to have fearful thoughts and another to actually blurt it out as confirmation of the fear in the heart. Jesus Himself said to His disciples (Matthew 6:31), "Therefore take no thought, saying...(KJV)" So when Job did that and he tried to appease God with his burnt sacrifices, the Lord knew that He could not protect him any more and hence allowed the devil to inflict harm on Job but he was not allowed to take Job's life as that still belonged to God. It was only later in Job 42:1-6 when he realized what he had done and he repented that the Lord stepped in and reinstated the hedge of protection on him resulting in the overflowing of a double portion of God's blessings on his life.
So today the devil is still using the same tactics on Christians. He cannot operate when he does not know where you stand as he is not so smart compared with our Lord Jesus. The devil does not read your thoughts! Oh, please do not give him more credit than he is supposed to have. The devil is not omniscient (all-knowing) and so if we do not open our mouth and speak our minds (thoughts) he is still in the dark about what we are thinking.
So my friends, next time even when you may be having doubts shooting across your minds, please do not speak it out for there is power in your tongue. Better still, reject those negative thoughts and believe the Lord that He is with you and will deliver you from whatever situation you may find yourselves in.
New Creation Church building in the limelight
Well, after Pastor Prince made the announcement on Sunday and timed such that Capitaland's shares cannot be manipulated when markets are closed, it only leaves the official story to be released in yesterday's copy of The Straits Times (September 10, 2007).
Impressive, isn't it? and from the artist's impression, you can see the East-West MRT line to the right of the building in the picture. By the way, there will be another MRT Station next to the new church building and this station will be part of the Circle line. So going to church by MRT will be very convenient and also this place has been touted as the new 'happening' place of the future. The government wants to make One North (that is the name of the whole area) as the Silicon Valley of Singapore with Fusionpolis etc nearby.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
New Creation Church is building its own Civic Centre
Yes, it is now official! Pastor Joseph Prince, Senior Pastor of New Creation Church made the announcement today at all four services that New Creation Church, through Rock Production, had decided to build its own 10-storey civic centre at One North in Bouna Vista area right next to the Bouna Vista MRT Station.
The construction and outfitting phases will take a total of four years or so to complete and the church is scheduled to start its services there in 2012. There will be a 5,200-seater performance auditorium with its own orchestra pit and many food and retail outlets will make its appearance there. Also there will be a couple of outdoor performance areas that can sit up to 600 paxs.
Right on the top floor will be a large function/ballroom that has a 400 seating capacity and, get this, you can hold your wedding ceremony or your anniversary service there. Is it not exciting?
Why does New Creation Church need such a monster building? Isn't the Rock Auditorium in Suntec Tower 4 good enough? No, to tell you the truth, three Sundays ago on August 19, 2007, a total of 16,000 people attended the church services - 4 English services, one Mandarin and one Hokkien service and at the rate the Lord is blessing us, we will soon outgrow the facilities - the Rock Auditorium seats 1,400 plus the various overflow rooms to give a total seating of only 4,000 per English service.
So I am excited with the new building - more space, our own building, convenience in transportation (next to Bouna Vista MRT Station) and the more important part - no more Suntec City. Lately the traffic situation there is unbelievably bad not counting all those road closures, etc.
The construction and outfitting phases will take a total of four years or so to complete and the church is scheduled to start its services there in 2012. There will be a 5,200-seater performance auditorium with its own orchestra pit and many food and retail outlets will make its appearance there. Also there will be a couple of outdoor performance areas that can sit up to 600 paxs.
Right on the top floor will be a large function/ballroom that has a 400 seating capacity and, get this, you can hold your wedding ceremony or your anniversary service there. Is it not exciting?
Why does New Creation Church need such a monster building? Isn't the Rock Auditorium in Suntec Tower 4 good enough? No, to tell you the truth, three Sundays ago on August 19, 2007, a total of 16,000 people attended the church services - 4 English services, one Mandarin and one Hokkien service and at the rate the Lord is blessing us, we will soon outgrow the facilities - the Rock Auditorium seats 1,400 plus the various overflow rooms to give a total seating of only 4,000 per English service.
So I am excited with the new building - more space, our own building, convenience in transportation (next to Bouna Vista MRT Station) and the more important part - no more Suntec City. Lately the traffic situation there is unbelievably bad not counting all those road closures, etc.
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