Awesome Day!

GREAT DAY AT YE ! ! !

Woo hoo!

It was really an awesome day. During Praise and Worship session my guitar string broke halfway haha, too much jumping and spinning. But oh well it didn't bother me at all. Poh Leong took over and that is why in a band it's important to have TWO guitarist...

We had a team of really really good counselors from LIFE College to guide us and tell us what course we are advised to take and all. They were pretty good. Very honest and all.
The YE Committee signed a "Thank You" card for them and I don't know why but I wrote the verse Galatians 6:9 and Hebrews 12:1-3 there and guess what?! Eugene Yong, one of the counselors, took the mic and told us that verse! After that he spoke to me and told me that he was shocked I wrote the verse and he said that it was a reconformation from God. Praise the Lord.

I was kind of sleepy today because me and Janielle broke a record by chatting till 4.45am in the morning! I got home late from cell and Jolene shot me and sms saying she was going to bed so oh well I thought I might sleep early. But Janielle and I started chatting and we just couldn't stop haha. We chat about almost everything la. Finally at 4.45am she pulled out and went to sleep. And by the way, Jason Pang overnighted at my house last night and he couldn't sleep till I finished smsing haha. Pity him, sorry bro!!! =)

Naked ? ? ?

Genesis 3:10
And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

“Where are you?” God was calling out to Adam hut Adam was hiding from God for he had eaten the fruit and caused the fall of men. Today I’m going to bring the Adam out of you and you will make a choice whether are you going to be like Adam or not.
Many of us, like Adam, have heard the call of God or we may think we have but are not sure. But we are “afraid” and we hide or in Jonah’s case, run away (Jonah 1:1-3).
God has His specific calling for different people. My calling to go into ministry in the church may not be your calling. Your calling to be a teacher in a kindergarten may not be my calling. Your brother’s calling to migrate to Australia to work in a bookshop may not be my or your calling.

BUT there is ONE call of God that goes out to EVERYONE.

Matthew 4:19
“COME, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission)
Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

The call of Jesus to Peter and Andrew (Matthew 4:18-19) was short in words but had authority. Jesus’ call for them IS our call now. to “come” to Jesus. That’s only the beginning, Jesus goes on to tell them to “follow me” and so they did.
We go on to see Jesus choosing the Twelve disciples and the Twelve did miraculous things under the care and nurturing of Jesus. They in turn changed the world, but what made them able to do so?
The answer is pretty simple, they HEARD the voice of God, and they responded by GOING to Jesus and FOLLOWING Him. But that’s not all, what is vital here is that they GO FOR Jesus. Note, they did not only go to Jesus but FOR.

Matthew 28:19-20 is the continuation for Jesus’ words to us in Matthew 4:19. First we are called to go to Him, then to follow Him and at last, to go for Him, that is to go into the world to preach the Gospel.

Let’s go back to Adam. His respond to God’s call (Genesis 1:9, 10) was, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Like Adam, we are in the garden. A garden is a place of serenity and peace. A place surrounded by nature and warmly kissed by the sun. A place where we would love to hang out with our love ones and just enjoy nature and the beauty of peace. It’s a place where we can lie on the thick green grass and go into a deep slumber. I can go on and on, but to sum it all up, a garden is a place you would want to be in and never leave, its our COMFORT ZONE.
So Adam was in his comfort zone when he heard God calling out to him. And he quickly went to look for a hiding place because he was afraid. Why? - Because he was naked.
Many of us are like Adam; we hide when we hear God calling out to us because we are “naked” and are afraid.
I’m getting to the point now.

God calls us to get out of our comfort zone and go to spread the Gospel. But we ignore His call because we are afraid to do it knowing we are “naked”.

To be naked is to lack something, in Adam’s sense – clothing. Yes we are beautifully clothed but we are still “naked”. What we (or I would prefer to use, many of us) lack is the courage to spread the Gospel. Many of us feel afraid to tell others about Jesus because we are lacking courage and are not eloquent in speech.

But that is not to be a problem at all!
Moses was afraid to go when God called him because he complained that he was not eloquent (Exodus 4:10)
Sarah complained she was too old to bear a child (Genesis 18:11)
Jeremiah complained that he was too young to be used (Jeremiah 1:7-9)
Jonah ran away when God called him to preach (Jonah 1:1-3)

Do we want to be like these people? Certainly not. We do not have to be afraid to go and preach the Gospel for God has already given us His promise that He will be with us, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20)

Matthew 4:19
“COME, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (The Great Commission)
Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 10:19-20
Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

And finally,

Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Now GO....

I Heard, I Responded, I Followed, I Went.
Out fishing. Won’t be back soon,
Zlwin Chew


i miss my hair...

A Broken Soul... Restored...

The worries of every day’s life
Leave me no joy nor happiness in sight
And as each moon ends its shift
My burdens were added, it could sink a ship

Turned to friends for comfort and help
Words were that my sorrows they felt
But my burdens were to heavy they couldn’t lift
Sank too deep into the deep blue sea

Troubles come flowing flooding my soul
They accumulate having nowhere to go
In my mind blurring my thoughts
That’s where they stay and never rot

Disappointments seep in because of life’s failures
Into the deep pits of depression it lures
I exude happiness only I know it’s fake
People call me Joy, but inside my spirit’s dead

Trials and challenges are always snarling at me
Whispering into my ears accomplishment I’ll never see
I portrait a demeanor of toughness and perseverance
But what I really need is help and deliverance

Flurried by life’s tough demands
Dreading the hard tasks that have yet to come
I sit down and patiently I wait
And I pray that up to heaven, I, Jesus will take

But He said, “No, for you I have better plans”
“I will not forsake the works of my hand,
(Psalm 138:8)
My son, cast on me all burdens that troubles you
For My care is for you and I will sustain you.”
(1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22)

“Rejoice when trials and challenges come,
Because those who perseveres are the blessed ones,
(James 1:2-4, 12)
Just set your foot on where you’re standing,
And watch the Lord rescue you from falling.”
(Psalm 37:23-24)

“Come to me all of you who are weary,
Come to me all of you whose burdens are too heavy
And rest to you I will give
For to you this is My promise.”
(Matthew 11:28)

Be patient, He knows,
Zlwin Chew

Got Milk ? ? ?

1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you still not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only god, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

NOTE: This is very important.

The verses are straight in a few points. Its main theme is about the lack of spiritual maturity. The problem for the Corinthians was not doctrine but lack of spirituality. The people only thought they were spiritual. Paul was not able to talk to them as mature believers because they were not able to relate to such a mature address.

The mode of ministry of Paul here had to be as babes, not as mature Christians. Their inability was related to their worldly or fleshly nature. They had been fleshly to begin with, and they were still in the state. The Corinthians had not grown since they had come to Christ.

Paul continues his analogy of “infants” versus “mature” Christians with the illustration of feeding “milk” or “solid food”. Paul sought to respond appropriately to the needs of the Corinthians. He did not want to teach them truths they could not understand. Paul had not held back deep spiritual truths from the Corinthians but he had limited his manner of speaking to them and for their own good he gave them only milk.

For if a babe or baby is given solid food instead of milk he has a high chance to just choke and die.

It applies the same with us, at times we are not able to be fed with solid food for we are not matured enough for it, if so we eat, we might “die”. For example I can’t explain the Fundamental Truths of the Church like The Millennial Reign of Christ to you IF you have not even reached the level of understanding the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And what I tell you or “feed” you may “choke” you and thus cause you to start doubting the faith. You get what I mean?

Let’s go on to the second part of the verse. Going to the part where Paul mentions about “following who and who” is that God’s view of servants was that they were channels or vessels “through” whom God worked. Their work was not limited to Christ’s gift through the Holy Spirit within them. Any success they had was a gift from God. For example, while Paul planted the church at Corinth, Apollos then came and to Corinth after Paul’s visit and helped the ministry to grow (Acts 18:27 - Acts 19:1) But it is God and God alone, not the workers, caused the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9 = The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

The unity of the workers was a result of their “same purpose” mentioned in the verse and the fact that they belonged to God was mentioned three times. The phrase “Fellow workers with God” can mean “Partners with God” or “Fellow workers who belong to God.”

Colossians 2:6-7 = So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to LIVE in Him, ROOTED and BUILT up in Him, STRENGTHENED in the faith as you were taught, and OVERFLOWING with thankfulness.

Growing with you,

Zlwin Chew

Matthew 4:19
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Hmm....... Fishers of men...... (In deep thoughts...)

THEN...

Oh ok we understand already! YAY! =D

Me and Jonathan : (Hmm... Ok...)

Alex : What????!!!!! You want me to go....? How???? Whuhuhu.... Help me.....

Ian : Hahahaha okie okie okie I will gokie....

Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore GO to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in th name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them to obey everything I have taught you. And surely I will be with you always, until the very end of the age.

NOW GO ! ! !

There is Power in the WORD . . .

Hebrews 4:12-13
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thought and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight, everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Let’s briefly go through the book of Acts chapter 2. This was what happened; the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. This spiritual intervention took place and the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues and different languages. The people around them were amazed and stunned, and some even made fun of them saying, “They have had too much wine.”
This called Peter into action immediately. He stood up among them and raised his voice and addressed the crowd and explained to them what was happening. He told them that these people aren’t drink for it is only nine in the morning and he told them about the crucifixion of Jesus. In his speech he talked about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – whom they have put to death on the cross.
Let us go to Acts 2:37:

Acts 2:37
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

After they asked that question, Peter told them that they all should repent and be baptized and to believe in Jesus. When Peter was done speaking to them, about 3000 people believed in Jesus and was saved. Yes, THREE THOUSAND.
But what is significant in the whole of Acts chapter 2 is verse 37. Read again verse 37, “...they were cut to the heart...” This basically means they were brought to conviction and they started to realize something. What they realized was that they were all sinners, like us.

This is the question I throw at you before you continue reading:
WHAT did Peter say that it managed to CUT TO THE HEARTS of the people and brought them to conviction?

The answer is in Acts 2:17-21, Acts 2:25-28, and Acts 2:34-35.
While Peter was standing up and speaking to the crowd, he did not just use mere human words. Yes he did gave quite a long speech to them BUT in between his speech addressed to the crowd, he QUOTED SCRIPTURES. First he quoted from the book of Joel 2:28-32 then he quoted from Psalm 16:8-11 and then from Psalm 110:1. He quoted Scriptures three times during his speech.
Acts 2:37 lead me to Hebrews 4:12 which says that the Word of God is like a double-edged sword and is living and active. It also judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart AND this is what made the people be CUT TO THE HEART when they heard Peter spoke.
Peter recognized the power that is hidden inside God’s Word and he used His Word to speak to the crowd and this led to the salvation of almost 3000 souls. Assuming he did not use God’s Word instead he talked to them with his own words, would the people be cut to the heart and brought to realization that they were sinners and that they need the salvation that is found in Christ Jesus??? Judge for yourself, wouldn’t it be wiser to quote Scriptures and let God do the work in their hearts? For it is already mentioned in Hebrews 4:12 “...living and active... sharper that any double-edged sword... judges the thoughts... attitudes of the heart...” So?

Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

So start memorizing Scriptures from now on. When you share with your friends the Gospel, quote Scriptures to them. They might not really catch it that time but as time passes by, the Word of God will take root and bring it to fulfill its purpose. You can speak a string of thousand words with bombastic languages and dramatic voices but IT WILL NOT CONVICT their hearts if you don’t let God speak to them! And how does God speak to them? It is when you quote Scriptures to them, that’s how. So this day onwards, start memorizing at least a Scripture a day.
A Scripture a day keeps the devil at bay =) go on, start now.

I’m proud of a few fellow brothers and sisters who has realized the importance of Scriptures, I would just like to mention their names and hope that they will continue to memorize his Word: Shannon Keng, Yoke Ping (Pink), Adrian Yap, Jonathan Chandra. I’m glad for you guys. Keep it up!

Hebrews 4:12-13
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thought and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight, everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Job 22:22
Accept instructions from His mouth,
and lay up His Word in your heart

Scriptures Rock,
Zlwin Chew


Woo hoo!!! haha. Adrian and I on the roller-coaster.


Um Adrian, u digging ur nose?