A big hello to all of you (:
The first YAM meeting 2009 is just around the corner on 3 JANUARY. It will be a message by Pastor David Wong on the first chapter of the book BASIC CHRISTIANITY by John Stott, and will serve as a good introduction to what we will be spending the next two months studying! The message will be followed by a time of DINNER and fellowship!
All are welcome to join us. We will be meeting at Sanctuary 2 at 4PM. Do try to read up on the first chapter of the book before you come!
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BOOK, no worries, we will have extra copies available this saturday. Alternatively, you could always email us and we'll try my best to get one to you asap (:
PLEASE COME GUYS (:
looking forward to meeting you guys there,
YAMCOMM09
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
PROGRAMME for JAN- FEB
hi guys we'll shortly be launching some form of a publicity campaign for our 09 programme, but for those who check this site you saw it here first (: do support us okay!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
YAM 2009
Hello YAMfers and faithful few who check this blog.
Thanks for a great and encouraging time last saturday! For those of you who weren't present, last saturday saw us introducing you guys to a few changes for YAM in the year ahead.
1. THE COMM: Joseph Tee, Marvin, and me, with Uncle Oswald and Danny as our advisors
We would very much appreciate all your prayers as we try to plan and focus YAM on the learning of God's word in the coming year (:
2. YAM meetings: will be held WEEKLY at 4PM
Quite a change huh! But we hope this timing is more condusive for you guys and for studying God's word together
3. YAM PROGRAMME for the first quarter:
We're quite excited about this and we hope you would be too. We're going to be studying from this book on Basic Christianity by John Stott-
(We still have extra copies of the book, so if you haven't got one because you weren't able to make it on saturday, please let one of us know)
Our first YAMf meeting next year is on 3RD JAN 2009 and Pastor David Wong will be speaking on the first chapter of the book, The Right Approach to start us off thinking about the claims of Christ and what this means to us! Please don't forget to read up ahead on chapter 1 (and the whole book if possible) and don't forget to come. The following studies will be based on the chapters of the book, and will be broken down into approx 4 studies with guided questions to focus discussion, and 2 other messages.
If we didn't get to emphasise this enough on saturday, will say so again- if you have friends who may be seeking or searching for answers, or asking you seriously hard questions about your faith, please invite them along to study with us. If you have friends who you know might be interested as well, ask them along too!
Looking forward to learning with you guys,
Amanda
Thanks for a great and encouraging time last saturday! For those of you who weren't present, last saturday saw us introducing you guys to a few changes for YAM in the year ahead.
1. THE COMM: Joseph Tee, Marvin, and me, with Uncle Oswald and Danny as our advisors
We would very much appreciate all your prayers as we try to plan and focus YAM on the learning of God's word in the coming year (:
2. YAM meetings: will be held WEEKLY at 4PM
Quite a change huh! But we hope this timing is more condusive for you guys and for studying God's word together
3. YAM PROGRAMME for the first quarter:
We're quite excited about this and we hope you would be too. We're going to be studying from this book on Basic Christianity by John Stott-
(We still have extra copies of the book, so if you haven't got one because you weren't able to make it on saturday, please let one of us know)
Our first YAMf meeting next year is on 3RD JAN 2009 and Pastor David Wong will be speaking on the first chapter of the book, The Right Approach to start us off thinking about the claims of Christ and what this means to us! Please don't forget to read up ahead on chapter 1 (and the whole book if possible) and don't forget to come. The following studies will be based on the chapters of the book, and will be broken down into approx 4 studies with guided questions to focus discussion, and 2 other messages.
If we didn't get to emphasise this enough on saturday, will say so again- if you have friends who may be seeking or searching for answers, or asking you seriously hard questions about your faith, please invite them along to study with us. If you have friends who you know might be interested as well, ask them along too!
Looking forward to learning with you guys,
Amanda
Saturday, November 15, 2008
GUEST POST: On Meeting Christians and Non-Christians
Hi guys with his permission I would like to share something JB wrote on how we should be relating to each other and to other non-christians! Hope you will find this helpful too in how we relate to each other as a YAM and to others.
So what is the purpose of fellowship with other believers?
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25
From the above verse, we can clearly see that the purpose of fellowship is to really encourage one another, and spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
But is that all? And what is the mindset that we should adopt? Then I recalled a sermon from John Piper, which was part of the Desiring God series, where he spoke on having The Mind of Christ: Looking out for the Interests of Others…
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:4
Indeed, we should adopt the mindset of not looking to our own interests, but in the interests of others, for that is also one way we would be motivated to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ by asking them how their walk with God is, how we can pray for them, and sharing what we learned from our own bible studies with them. IF we are only interested in our own interests, we would not be interested to find out how our brothers and sisters are, but only look to what we can gain out of fellowship, out of bible studies, and out of going to church.
But is that the mindset that we should have? What is the mindset that we should have in looking to the interests of others, and how may that interest manifest itself? John Piper asserts that the Book of Philippians gives us 4 examples to look at (my interpretations of what he presented on):
1. Jesus Christ
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:5-8
If Jesus Christ, who is God, could humble himself to firstly become a man, and then die on the cross for the sins of man so that whoever believes in him would be given eternal life, what makes us think that we, mere human beings, can negate following this very nature of Jesus Christ in our pursuit of godliness? Therefore, we should strive to be humble in looking to the interests of others.
2. Paul
“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you” – Philippians 2:17
Paul referred to his willingness to be glad and rejoice with all of us even as his life may be poured out like a drink offering as a sacrifice in carrying out his ministry – in serving the needs of the people in the Philippians’ church as a result of their faith. The question, then is, are we willing to and be prepared for, in serving the brothers and sisters in Christ, “run and labour” (verse 16) to the point of being “poured out like a drink offering”?
That – is a big, big challenge. It would be wonderful if I could find myself even coming anywhere close to being this selfless in service. Big, big thing to think about here.
3. Timothy
“I have no one else like him (Timothy), who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” – Philippians 2:20
If Philippians 2:4 was vague about how we should take an interest in others, 2:20 addresses that. Take a genuine interest – not to impress anyone, but out of true love and concern for our brothers and sisters. The key word here is genuine. We must take a genuine interest in serving the needs (welfare) of others, and this is a very important lesson here. At least for me, I must try to take genuine interest in the interests of my brothers and sisters in Christ – it is all too easy to sink into being superficial – the usual hi-bye and “how’s your day?” – “hmm great!” – “ok gotta run bye!” kind of superficial interest.
4. Epaphroditus
“For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.” – Philippians 2:26
Epaphroditus was one of a kind – he was distressed because the Philippians heard that he was ill! He is worrying that the people are worried! Mind blowing, isn’t it? In our times of illness and distress, how often did we long for, and are concerned about, other brothers and sisters? In our times of weakness, we must also look to be concerned about our brothers and sisters still – and not be caught up in a mentality of self-pity. There is much to be learnt in this aspect, from a man who “almost died for the work of Christ” (verse 30).
In short, we should be humble, look to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ for the whole nine yards, be genuinely interested in them, even when we are caught up in periods of distress ourselves.
*
What about to the non-believing world? What is the mindset that we should adopt?
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” – Colossians 4:5-6
Colossians 4:5 points the way for us – be wise, and make the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel! Therefore, we should rightly pray for opportunities to share the gospel (and the ability to spot an opportunity when it arises), boldness to seize those opportunities, and in a manner which is loving to people.
Then, seizing the right opportunity, we should let God-talk in our conversations lead to a doorway to evangelism… “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”… According to my NIV study bible, a conversation full of grace and seasoned with salt is a wholesome conversation, as the following verse from Ephesians suggest:
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29
So, speak what is helpful for building others up in Christ, according to their needs, and nothing that will cause people to stumble (e.g. “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8)
That should be how we set ourselves apart as Christians when we meet with and speak to non-Christians – again another big, big challenge.
And hopefully, by preparing ourselves in terms of building up knowledge in the Word of God (i.e. study the Bible), praying for opportunities and the ability to seize them, and conducting ourselves with conversations which are befitting of a Christian, will we be able to share the good news of the Gospel the way God intends us for to our non-believing friends.
In conclusion, tough challenges lie ahead, looking at both meeting up with God’s family and the world. However, just as the message we heard from James today rightly reminds us of our assurance that we may be able to come before God with the righteousness of Christ given to us by the blood of Jesus, that same assurance should give us strength in tackling the tough challenges which lie ahead in furthering God’s kingdom.
Finding all the above hard to do? It is quite an iterative process really – just go back to the first verse that was quoted (Hebrews 10:24-25) and know that our brothers and sisters in Christ would be encouraging us in this journey of faith, love and good deeds.
So what is the purpose of fellowship with other believers?
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25
From the above verse, we can clearly see that the purpose of fellowship is to really encourage one another, and spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
But is that all? And what is the mindset that we should adopt? Then I recalled a sermon from John Piper, which was part of the Desiring God series, where he spoke on having The Mind of Christ: Looking out for the Interests of Others…
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:4
Indeed, we should adopt the mindset of not looking to our own interests, but in the interests of others, for that is also one way we would be motivated to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ by asking them how their walk with God is, how we can pray for them, and sharing what we learned from our own bible studies with them. IF we are only interested in our own interests, we would not be interested to find out how our brothers and sisters are, but only look to what we can gain out of fellowship, out of bible studies, and out of going to church.
But is that the mindset that we should have? What is the mindset that we should have in looking to the interests of others, and how may that interest manifest itself? John Piper asserts that the Book of Philippians gives us 4 examples to look at (my interpretations of what he presented on):
1. Jesus Christ
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!” – Philippians 2:5-8
If Jesus Christ, who is God, could humble himself to firstly become a man, and then die on the cross for the sins of man so that whoever believes in him would be given eternal life, what makes us think that we, mere human beings, can negate following this very nature of Jesus Christ in our pursuit of godliness? Therefore, we should strive to be humble in looking to the interests of others.
2. Paul
“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you” – Philippians 2:17
Paul referred to his willingness to be glad and rejoice with all of us even as his life may be poured out like a drink offering as a sacrifice in carrying out his ministry – in serving the needs of the people in the Philippians’ church as a result of their faith. The question, then is, are we willing to and be prepared for, in serving the brothers and sisters in Christ, “run and labour” (verse 16) to the point of being “poured out like a drink offering”?
That – is a big, big challenge. It would be wonderful if I could find myself even coming anywhere close to being this selfless in service. Big, big thing to think about here.
3. Timothy
“I have no one else like him (Timothy), who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.” – Philippians 2:20
If Philippians 2:4 was vague about how we should take an interest in others, 2:20 addresses that. Take a genuine interest – not to impress anyone, but out of true love and concern for our brothers and sisters. The key word here is genuine. We must take a genuine interest in serving the needs (welfare) of others, and this is a very important lesson here. At least for me, I must try to take genuine interest in the interests of my brothers and sisters in Christ – it is all too easy to sink into being superficial – the usual hi-bye and “how’s your day?” – “hmm great!” – “ok gotta run bye!” kind of superficial interest.
4. Epaphroditus
“For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.” – Philippians 2:26
Epaphroditus was one of a kind – he was distressed because the Philippians heard that he was ill! He is worrying that the people are worried! Mind blowing, isn’t it? In our times of illness and distress, how often did we long for, and are concerned about, other brothers and sisters? In our times of weakness, we must also look to be concerned about our brothers and sisters still – and not be caught up in a mentality of self-pity. There is much to be learnt in this aspect, from a man who “almost died for the work of Christ” (verse 30).
In short, we should be humble, look to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ for the whole nine yards, be genuinely interested in them, even when we are caught up in periods of distress ourselves.
*
What about to the non-believing world? What is the mindset that we should adopt?
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” – Colossians 4:5-6
Colossians 4:5 points the way for us – be wise, and make the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel! Therefore, we should rightly pray for opportunities to share the gospel (and the ability to spot an opportunity when it arises), boldness to seize those opportunities, and in a manner which is loving to people.
Then, seizing the right opportunity, we should let God-talk in our conversations lead to a doorway to evangelism… “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”… According to my NIV study bible, a conversation full of grace and seasoned with salt is a wholesome conversation, as the following verse from Ephesians suggest:
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” – Ephesians 4:29
So, speak what is helpful for building others up in Christ, according to their needs, and nothing that will cause people to stumble (e.g. “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” – Colossians 3:8)
That should be how we set ourselves apart as Christians when we meet with and speak to non-Christians – again another big, big challenge.
And hopefully, by preparing ourselves in terms of building up knowledge in the Word of God (i.e. study the Bible), praying for opportunities and the ability to seize them, and conducting ourselves with conversations which are befitting of a Christian, will we be able to share the good news of the Gospel the way God intends us for to our non-believing friends.
In conclusion, tough challenges lie ahead, looking at both meeting up with God’s family and the world. However, just as the message we heard from James today rightly reminds us of our assurance that we may be able to come before God with the righteousness of Christ given to us by the blood of Jesus, that same assurance should give us strength in tackling the tough challenges which lie ahead in furthering God’s kingdom.
Finding all the above hard to do? It is quite an iterative process really – just go back to the first verse that was quoted (Hebrews 10:24-25) and know that our brothers and sisters in Christ would be encouraging us in this journey of faith, love and good deeds.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
YAM last event for the year
We've come to the end of the year!! The last YAM gathering this year will be a time of dinner and thanksgiving, with a short time of praise and prayer followed by an introduction to the programme for NEXT YEAR and we hope you all will be as excited about it as we are! It will be held at 6pm on Sat the 15th at Uncle Oswald's house please give me a shout out if you don't know where it is.
Really hope to see you all there as there'll be plenty of food. For those studying for exams, this can be a good time of encouragement and refreshment! All the best.
Really hope to see you all there as there'll be plenty of food. For those studying for exams, this can be a good time of encouragement and refreshment! All the best.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Learning more more more about God
HELLO YAMMERS! (: We just had our Couples Forum tonight, and if you missed it, feel free to ask any one of us about what the two couples shared with us. We touched on questions like how to know if he/she is The One, and other things like money matters, compatibility, what courtship means, some challenges in marriage, some dos and don'ts, etc etc etc. (: P/S!! The picture on the left says "watch our step" (; Hehee may it remind us be careful and wise with the way we make decisions on Love and ultimately always seek to seek and follow God's will 'cause He always knows what's best for us (:OKAY! SO. Next up are our financial talks. DO COME AND LEARN HOW TO HANDLE MONEY AND MUCH MORE. More announcements will be given out again. For now....
THE REFORMATION RALLY '08!
Pre-Rally Bible Conference
Speaker: Dr R Vannoy
Kingship and Covenant in I and II Samuel
MESSAGES
1) Wed 22 Oct, 8pm - "Samuel, the Kingmaker"
2) Thur 23 Oct, 8pm - "Saul, the King who lost his way"
3) Fri 24 Oct, 8pm - "David the King after God's own heart"
Reformation Rally & SCCC AGM
Speaker: Dr. D Clarnette
Saturday, October 25 (6pm - 9pm)
6pm: Dinner
7pm: Message: "The Reformation We Need NOW"
730pm - 9pm: SCCC Annual General Meeting and Statements
♥ YAM.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Couples Forum (18 October)
Hi Yammers (: Our Couples Forum is coming up next weekend on 18 Oct, Saturday! It's time to gather all the questions you have about anything to do with relationships/marriage; everything you always wanted to know. Please email these questions to your respective group leaders as soon as possible, preferably by this Sunday at the latest.
We hope you've managed to check out some books as recommended below (or at least are planning to once you've got the time)! and if you're really interested in going for the seminars as well, don't hesitate to call Amanda if you need any help in making arrangements to go. For the Project Timothy's "Grappling with God" Seminar, quite a few of us from Zion (BJ, Amanda, Gayle, Kenji...ETC) will be going down. Come along!
and here's leaving you with a quote for the weekend (:
" Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us don't really believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly and unwaveringly on our side. We live most of our lives unconvinced that God is really for us. We have little trouble picturing ourselves on God's side, but for the life of us we can't picture God stooping down enough to be on ours." (Beth Moore, Stepping Up)
"Let our hearts be glad!" ♥
We hope you've managed to check out some books as recommended below (or at least are planning to once you've got the time)! and if you're really interested in going for the seminars as well, don't hesitate to call Amanda if you need any help in making arrangements to go. For the Project Timothy's "Grappling with God" Seminar, quite a few of us from Zion (BJ, Amanda, Gayle, Kenji...ETC) will be going down. Come along!
and here's leaving you with a quote for the weekend (:
" Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us don't really believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly and unwaveringly on our side. We live most of our lives unconvinced that God is really for us. We have little trouble picturing ourselves on God's side, but for the life of us we can't picture God stooping down enough to be on ours." (Beth Moore, Stepping Up)
"Let our hearts be glad!" ♥
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
seminars to go for!
HELLO YAM, there are a series of helpful seminars coming up organised by Project Timothy which you might be interested in going for, including one on relationships by the author of two of the books recommended below, Dr Christopher Ash. Check below for details.
Married For God (18 Oct | 9am - 12.30pm)
More Info
Grappling with God: Expositions From Job (21 - 22 Oct | 7pm - 10pm)
More Info
Married For God (18 Oct | 9am - 12.30pm)
More Info
Grappling with God: Expositions From Job (21 - 22 Oct | 7pm - 10pm)
More Info
Friday, October 3, 2008
on relationships: book recommendations
HELLO guys! We hope that you have enjoyed the study on relationships thus far. We also know that it is extremely difficult to fit in the entire scope and deal with all the issues for such a complicated different-for-everyone topic such as relationships, so I have decided to make some book recommendations of helpful and biblical books on the area that have helped me and people I know, or have been recommended by people I respect.
Hope the studies have sparked off your interest and you're interested to know more - or for those who are unable to attend, here are some further reading ideas which set down useful guidelines. I've linked amazon pages so you know what they look like and can read a bit more about it from the summaries!
I've found it helpful to make the following distinctions, though the principles the books talk about can be applicable to both singles and those currently in a relationship.
For singles
1. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris
2. Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control by Elizabeth Elliot (written more from a woman's perspective)
3. Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?: Trusting God With A Hope Deferred by Carolyn McCulley (for single women)
For couples/ singles
1. Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris
2. Holding Hands, Holding Hearts: Recovering a Biblical View of Christian Dating by Richard D. Phillips and Sharon L. Phillips
3. Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace by Gary and Betsy Ricucci
4. When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey
5. Married for God by Christopher Ash (a more acessible, shorter version of the book below)
6. Marriage: Sex in the Service of God by Christopher Ash
Ps: if anyone knows of any other good books I have missed out feel free to comment below and add to the list (:
Hope the studies have sparked off your interest and you're interested to know more - or for those who are unable to attend, here are some further reading ideas which set down useful guidelines. I've linked amazon pages so you know what they look like and can read a bit more about it from the summaries!
I've found it helpful to make the following distinctions, though the principles the books talk about can be applicable to both singles and those currently in a relationship.
For singles
1. I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris
2. Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control by Elizabeth Elliot (written more from a woman's perspective)
3. Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?: Trusting God With A Hope Deferred by Carolyn McCulley (for single women)
For couples/ singles
1. Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris
2. Holding Hands, Holding Hearts: Recovering a Biblical View of Christian Dating by Richard D. Phillips and Sharon L. Phillips
3. Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace by Gary and Betsy Ricucci
4. When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey
5. Married for God by Christopher Ash (a more acessible, shorter version of the book below)
6. Marriage: Sex in the Service of God by Christopher Ash
Ps: if anyone knows of any other good books I have missed out feel free to comment below and add to the list (:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Hello everyone! Hope you've had a blessed week so far. There's YAM once again this Saturday 4th October! It will be the sequel to last week's topic in our Relationship Series: Dating and Courtship. I am sure it will interest you ESPECIALLY that we are looking at it from a biblical perspective (; Take the Saturday night off to come down for a good time of learning, sharing and fellowship. A sneak peak of the bible study's below. We hope to see everyone there! LOVE, YAM (:
p/s: Please also do check out the new links on the right! They are sites for good reads or good christian music (:
p/s: Please also do check out the new links on the right! They are sites for good reads or good christian music (:
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
YAM for the rest of 2008
What's up and coming:
20 Sept: Bible Study 1 (Singleness)
04 Oct: Bible Study 2 (Dating and Courtship)
18 Oct: Forum (Couples in Church)
1 Nov: Seminar (Money Matters I)
15 Nov: YAM Prayer and Fellowship
29 Nov: Seminar (Money Matters II)
Announcement!
- Amanda Goh has been sending out invites to the our YAM Google Group. Please kindly accept and you'll be automatically notified whenever we send out email updates and announcements.
If you haven't yet received an invitation, please go to this link http://groups.google.com/group/ziongardensyam and click apply for membership if you are already a gmail user. If you are not, email Amanda at la.lolita@gmail.com and we will send an invite out to you (: - Please do try your best to come down for our series of YAM sessions on Relationships. I'm sure it's going to be a very enriching and enjoyable time of learning and sharing together (:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
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