adrianism...

Something happened in G2.104 on Fri 19/5/06

Call it a mini-Pentecost.

It was our usual bible study evening and there were about 15 of us gathered, and the topic for that day was "Praise & Worship" (i gave that talk a week ago in the adult LSS too, so was thinking to share it with my CSS friends).

Actually, for quite sometime, i've been praying for a right timing for us CSS to experience the love of God in a special way. i mean, to experince the power of the Holy Spirit. Initially, i wanted to give the "Praise & worship" talk 2 weeks ago, but somehow that night, i forgot to bring the materials for the bible study. Furthermore, there was an exam going on in the other room. So i really thank God for His timing. So on Friday the 19th, i decided that i must give the talk on that night - but i was very doubtful and also fearful of what to do - talking about praise and doing the practical wasn't a problem, but what about coming to the part of 'the gift of tongues'? So around 630pm, i went to pray in Mater Dei and decided to keep a fast, and i told the Lord to lead me tonight, because i don't know what to do, and also so that we can all experince His love in a special way.

By 715pm, we arrived at campus - the door to the room was lock (just like a hurdle). Had to call the guard to unlock the door. Once inside we satrted to sing a song by Don Moen "I will sing". After that, we learnt about praising God aloud, and followed by the practical. Wow! What a difference in the loudness of our praise! I really thank God for that. There seemed to be some power present among us. Next, we learnt about 'speaking in tongues'. Though it is a gift from God, St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:5 wanted everyone to speak in tongues. So we were reminded that we should be open to this gift - and it doesn't matter if we receive it or not. So came the time we prayed for the infilling of the Holy Spirit - we sang "Come Holy Spirit I Need You". Then those who have already received the gift of tongues began to sing in tongues...and gradually, our tone became louder - something which i did not expect. Almost everyone began to sing in tongues. A John started to pray for the infilling and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and we contiued to sing in tongues - wow! What a miracle! Then i was prompted to lay hands on each one present - then some began to cry, in fact some were already crying even before i laid hands on them, and one of our friends rested in the Spirit, one felt numb all over the body, as we all continued to sing in tongues.

i just did not expect such an event, but i believe God answered my prayer so that we could experience His love in a special way, and that we are empowered to continually do His will. Nevertheless, i think Mr S.A.Tan isn't very happy with what happened on that night. So i take this opportunity to warn you that funny things might happen and come your way, but remember, prayer is our weapon. Thus "Lord Jesus Christ, i call upon You most Precious Blood to come and deliver us, seal us, protect us and surround each one of us, our families and loved ones and also our belongings aganist any attack from the evil one. In Jesus' Name. Amen"

Well, i just hope and pray we continue to be strengthen by God, in spite of oppositions we face on this journey as a Christian, as a Catholic. And i also look forward to hear stories from our frineds who had an experince that night. May, through that experience, we never be the same Catholic/Christian again - but be renewed by the Holy Spirit's fire and love. All praise and Glory be to God forevermore! Alleluia! Thank You Father, Son and Spirit!

between 1May - 14May

I'm back....after not blogging for quite some time. Here's some update:

Mon, 1/5/06 - My sister Clare's birthday! Every year her birthday falls on a holiday. Cool huh? Our family went to celebrate it at Imperial Hotel Restaurant - our maiden visit there :) Food was great!

Thu, 4/5/06 - Submitted Maths 277 assignment 2.

Fri, 5/5/06 - Bible study. Totally forgot to bring the resources and materials i prepared for this session. So had to think of some other discussions. So we touched a bit about the existence of God and, and how it gives meaning to life. Without God, life is meaningless, or rather without a 'Cause-r' for this life, if life was just a result of some coincidence, or 'accident', or some 'ideal situations which all happen to happen', lfe really is UNMEANINGFUL! The idea of God changes all these! Now some minght say: "you say there is a God. Now what if there is no God?" My reply would be: "Why not ask 'what if there is a God'? If i choose to believe that there is no God, and when i die, there happen to be a God, isn't it a bit too late? And if there is no God, then i might as well commit suicide. There's nothing to be afraid of, i don't have to be responsible and accountable for all my actions after all. Who made the universe? Who design a leaf to be so 'complicated' as a factory? Is it by chance? In that case, i can also claim that pentium chip could have been created by chance = hard to believe eh?" =)

Well i think that night set us thinking... and appreciating our God! Our God who showed Himself to us, not someOne so far away. "Great Thou art, yet so near to us!"

Sat, 6/5/06 - EM 201 Midterm exam. Was a bit scared actually because i wasn't prepared enough for this exam. But after goign thru the paper, i found it easier than last semester's, and for the first time in my my degree, i could say "I MANAGED TO ANSWER EVERY SINGLE QUESTION". Whether or not the answer is correct, i'm not sure. Just waiting in anticipation for the results to come out. Hopefully ok la. Oh ya, at night, when over to Gen's place and discuss with her and Alisha the menu for CSS Easter gathering. Stayed there till 1am, cos it started to rain heavily.

Mon, 8/5/06 - Meet up with my old buddy Donny. Haven't seen him for ages. He's one guy who's so enthusiaistic about church. But when we met, we shared our concerns and worries, the trials and experience we went thru since the last time we met. It seems that we went thru a period of testing of faith.

Tue, 9/5/06 - This was a big day for me, in fact a day i have been waiting for. That night was my first time giving a talk for the adult LSS (Life in the Spirit Seminar). The talk was about "Praise & Worship". Thank God i manage to deliver the talk. Whether it was successful or not, i'm not sure. As long as i prayed and prepared for the whole thing, the rest i leave it to God. "Lord i really thank You for helping and guiding me. Amen"

Wed, 10/5/06 - Led praise and worship for the 2nd night LSS. Had a wonderful experience during the worship time. Rarely have that kind of experience of something warm coming down and taking lead - i believe it was the Holy Spirit.

Thu, 11/5/06 - Curtin Phase II earth-breaking ceremony. Had loads of pastry after that :P

Fri, 12/5/06 - CSS Video Show: Karol, the man who became Pope. It was a really touching film about the life of Karol Wojtyla who later became Pope John Paul II. It speaks about having hope even in times of great despair, about how love can conquer evil, about how speaking and remaining in the truth will eventually bring us true freedom, and about faith - how this gift from God can be nourished. In fact the first time i watched this film, i wept.

Sat, 13/5/06 - Helped uncle Andrew with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit service. After the service and dinner, was sharing session. Wow! Amazing how the power of God's Spirit can bring repentance & healing among people. I praise and thank God for the wonderful sharings - a friend being emotionally healed from the wound of her father's death almost 6 years ago, an uncle who shared how, after 11 years of hiding his shame and guilt of the sin of asking his wife to go for abortion, and the sin of the flesh, manage to confess it yesterday, and experience the love of God during the baptism of the HS service. This 2 particular sharings really touched me.

Sun, 14/5/06 - After Mass in the morning we had our CSS Easter lunch! Food was FABULOUS!!! Lasagne, quiche, spaghetti, kangkung rojak, black pepper beef, ice-cream, punch (okla, i know tak cukup rasa :P) ginger chicken, salad.... wow really had a very satisfying lunch! How i wish i had a photo of the food! It was a fun day i believe. All the gila2 character come out and we had the opportunity to fellowship with one another. BILLION 'THANK YOUS' TO GEN, JOE, ALISHA, who sponsored a big amount for the lunch, and put in their time. Gen, i don't know what to say, but THANK YOU again!

"Focus, Perseverance & Surrender" - CSS Bible-study 4

Theme: Focus, Perseverance & Surrender
Bible passage: Luke 9:51-62 & Matthew 16:24-26

1) Jesus came to this world with one goal – to suffer and die for our salvation. He focused on that goal, as stated in Luke 9:51. Thus, we are reminded to do the same – to focus on our goal to be more and more like Jesus each day.
(As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem - Luke 9:51 NIV)

2) We are also reminded that to follow Jesus, He must be ‘number one’ (not even ‘number two’) in all our decisions. When faced with a crucial decision between Jesus and other things, we are expected to choose Jesus.
(cf. Luke 9:57-61 NIV)

3) Once we begin on this exciting journey of discipleship, look ever forward! Focus our whole being on our goal to become more like Jesus, and persevere. On this journey, we are bound to be distracted by people or things. When this happens, let us quickly think of our goal and of heaven – the place we want to be in for eternity.
(“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” - Luke 9:62 NIV)

4) To deny ourselves means to deny our selfish desires or to give up something we like for the sake of someone. Taking up our cross means to patiently face all the challenges that come our way when doing God’s will. Both instances require us to sacrifice a part of ourselves. We are then challenged to imitate and follow Jesus in good times and in bad times, to persevere on this journey.
(“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me “- Matthew 16:24 NIV)

5) We cannot save ourselves. But if we give our life to Jesus and persevering in following Him, we will gain the salvation which Jesus has won for us, that is eternal life. It is better to give our life to God and gain eternal life rather than to gain so much for ourselves in this world just to loose all of them later and worst still, loose our salvation.
(“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16:25-26 NIV)

Challenge: I will focus on the goal, persevere on this journey and fully surrender my life to God.

Prayer: Jesus, often I am weak and loose sight of You. There are times when I am even scared to follow you. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me on this journey of being Your disciple. Should I fall along the way, please pick me up and help me to quickly return to You. Amen.

"Counting the Cost" - CSS Bible-study 3

Theme: Counting the Cost
Bible passage: Luke 14:25-33

1) The decision to be a disciple of Christ is one of life’s biggest decisions. Jesus explains and makes it clear that He demands a number of things from us if we follow Him. Following Him involves some huge costs, so think carefully.
(“… first sit down and estimate the cost…” - Luke 14:28 NIV)

2) Number one, He wants our relationship with Him to be above all our other relationships, even with our loved ones. Our love for Him should be more than our love towards any other human person. Only when our relationship with Him is right, then only can our relationship with others become right.
(“Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more then [their loved ones]”… - Luke 14:26 TEV)

3) Our life comes from God. Thus we do not merely live for ourselves. He wants us to give Him our whole life – that is to love Him more than our own life and to live our life for His glory, and not our own.
(“Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more then [themselves]”… - Luke 14:26 TEV)

4) Next is the call to continue to follow Jesus even though we have to face and endure difficulties and sufferings (cross). In spite of hard situations we face when walking the path of discipleship, we choose to remain faithful and to imitate Jesus by being ready to suffer for God’s Name and for the sake of others.
(“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple“- Luke 14:27 NIV)

5) Many times, people or things can be a hindrance to us to follow Jesus more closely. So we need to give up / forsake those things and fully surrender ourselves to God to become a better follower of Christ. We must be prepared to give up everything – if that helps us come closer to Jesus Christ.
(“… any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” - Luke 14:33 NIV)

Challenge: After thinking carefully and considering the cost, in faith I respond and surrender my whole life to Jesus. I invite Jesus to be the centre and first in all my relationships and in every aspect of my life.

Note: Why does Jesus makes these demands from us? Let us see it this way. God has given ‘so-much’ to us, and He wants this ‘little-much’ from us in return. He gave us His life, so let us live for Him. We might be worried that it is very hard to meet these demands, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can be sure that we can do it.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You love me so much that You left heaven and came down to earth to give up Your life for my salvation. In return Lord, I choose to live for You and I invite You to be the most important person in my life. Amen

"What is a disciple?" - CSS Bible-study 2

Theme: What is a disciple?
Bible passage: John 8:28-36

1) As Christians, we are called to be more and more like Jesus. He sets an example for us to follow – while on earth, He was loyal and obedient to His Father, and only did what pleased the Father in heaven. Likewise, we are expected to do the same.
(“I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me…I always do what pleases Him” – John 8:28-29)

2) To be more like Jesus, we must first become a disciple of His. A disciple means a follower, a student, a trained one – a person who follows and seeks to listen to, learn from, please and imitate the master.

3) A true/real disciple is one who holds to the teaching of his/her master. We ought to hold to the teaching of Jesus Christ.
(“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” – John 8:31)

4) To know the teachings of Christ, we turn to the Bible (Sacred Scripture) and also to the teachings of the Church (Sacred Tradition).
(…stand firm and hold to the teachings [traditions] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. – 2 Thessalonians 2:15)

5) As humans, we all have the inner desire to know the truth. Jesus declares himself as the truth (John 14:6). Thus, to know and follow Him through His teachings is to know and follow the truth, and the truth will set us free! Isn’t it good to be in the truth and be free?
(“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” – John 8:32)

Challenge: I want to be a real disciple of Jesus. So I will read the Bible and attend Church regularly so that I can know and follow His teachings.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for inviting me to be your disciple. Please help me to be a real disciple of yours – one who will lovingly hold to your truths and teachings through the Bible and the Church. Amen.

"The Goal!" - CSS Bible-study 1

Theme: The Goal!
Bible passage: Romans 8:28-39
Idea adapted from “Everyday with Jesus for New Christians" (Selwyn Hughes, 2001)

1) Because God loves us so much, we are all called to become Christians. In a way, we are chosen.
(And those He predestined, he also called; those He called, He also justified; those he justified, He also glorified – Romans 8:30)

2) We all want to go to heaven, don’t we? Thus, we respond to that call of God to become Christians, because the invitation to be a Christian is also an invitation to enter heaven.

3) What does the word 'Christian' mean? It means 'little Christ' or 'belonging to Christ'. So as Christians, we should be aware of that meaning :) In order to enter heaven, we must first be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He is the perfect example for us to follow. In fact, it is God’s goal for us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.
(For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son – Romans 8:29)

4) But how are we to be transformed? Through EVERYTHING! – Every circumstances, trials, joys, persons,  difficulties, experiences, studies, CSS, bible studies, the sacraments, sadness, successes...the list goes on. God uses all these, or rather allow us to go through all these experiences to teach us and mould us more and more to be like Jesus. God can bring out good even though evil has happened.
(And we know that IN ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love Him – Romans 8:28)

5) Knowing that God can use every situation to bring out good, we might wonder how we are going to endure the times when the situations seems bad or too burdening. When we strive to be more like Christ, many stumbling blocks come our way. When that happens, remember 2 things:

i) If God is for me, who can be against me?
ii) Jesus – God’s most precious gift to me – became a human like me, and thus understands every situation I go through, and He is helping me in every way and also interceding (pleading) for me to the Father I heaven.

So nothing can shake us because God is with us – loving and helping us! Isn’t that a comfort?!
(If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31)
(He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32)
([Jesus] is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us – Romans 8:34)

6) And in the end, by enduring with God’s love and help, we will be “more than conquerors” (winners or victors) – we will become more like Christ and thus make it to heaven :) Yes!!!
(In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us – Romans 8:37)
([Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God – Romans 8:39)

Bottom line: By God’s grace (love and help), my goal is to be like Jesus.

Prayer: Father, thank you for calling and choosing me – for inviting me to heaven. Thank you for giving me Your Son Jesus. I want to be like Him. By the power of Your love, help me to endure no matter what comes my way, till I reach heaven. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen