Congreation & Church Concerns 2009/2/8

CONGREGATION & CHURCH CONCERNS:

1. This Saturday Feb 14 2009 evening 6:00 pm Chinese Scholars’ Evangelist Testimony on DVD will be held in the dinning hall featuring the 7th lesson on “the source of science” by Rev. Hong Yu Jian. All are welcome.
2. This Friday Feb. 13, 2009 evening 8 pm Rev. Wilson Chan will lead Bible study and prayer in the dinning hall. We are studying the methodology of how to establish a prayer ministry. We will pray for our church as well as for individuals’ blessings. All are welcome.
3. Arthur Alberelli, our beloved caretaker has resigned. We are grateful for the 10 years of faithful service to OCUC. We wish him well in his new position at Lob laws. Please give the names and résumé to Frank Pan, Winson Orr or Bruce Newman for replacement. The deadline to submit resumes is Feb. 15, 2009. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
4. Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2009 at 1:30 pm after Sunday worship and luncheon. New church council members will be elected. The nominating committee has prepared nomination forms to be filled by the congregation. We need 10 members to fill the 8 ministry departments in the new council. Please cast your vote by filling out the form and drop it into the election box at the end of the sanctuary hall. Nomination will be closed on Feb. 8, 2009 after worship service.
5. Individual annual offering receipt for the year 2008 has been issued. Please approach Treasurer Brother Liang Yi to claim your receipt for tax return purpose.
6. Sister Yang Yue was not feeling well last week because she has allergy rash. We pray that the Lord will help doctors to identify the cause and cure her from this ailment.

会友与教会关怀：

1. 本星期六2月14日下午6时，中国学者传道人布道光碟见证晚会有『洪予健讲道集』。第七讲"科学渊源"，请带新朋友来参加。
2. 本星期五2月13日下午8点，陳偉甡牧师将带领查经和祷告。我们现在研究如何建立强有力的祷告事工。我们也为教友的事情和教会的事工，同心合意祷告
3. 本堂清洁工友Arthur Alberelli先生服务本堂十年後现须转职在Lob law’s工作。有意填补空缺者可於2月15日前将履历交潘文，柯文生或Bruce Newman考虑。合则约见。
4. 教友大会定於2009年2月15日下午1点半崇拜及午餐後举行。新堂会将诞生。提名委员会已制了提名表格。我们需要10个新堂委来担任8个工作部门。请把提名表格填妥投入礼堂後面的投票箱内。提名截止是2月8日崇拜散会之时。
5. 2008年教友个别捐款收据已经制妥。请向司库梁毅弟兄领取您的全年收据以作报税之用。
6. 杨钰姊妹上周身体不舒适，因为皮肤敏感，求神赐她医生有智慧，找出敏感的原因，早日恢复健康。


本周默想分享

新的年度又重新开始了，我们要自己问自己，今年我要奉献多少给神呢？关於奉献财物，旧约要求十分之一，新约要求甘心情愿，乐意自动的奉献，不拘多少。真实被主救赎的人，知道连自己这个人都是属主的，一切都当归主。可是有多少人是愿意完全将自己和一切所有的都献给主呢？像那个寡妇，肯把一切养生的都摆上的人是太少了，表面上，口头上，我们可能都说："我愿意将所有的奉献"，但实际上却可能像亚拿尼亚，同他的妻子撒非喇一样，卖了田产，把价银私自留下几分，其馀的几分拿来放在使徒脚前。（徒5：2）
我们跟随主，只愿意跟随到某个程度，不愿意跟随得太尽，因为还想为自己留有馀地，甚至相当一段距离，不肯再往前走。不能完全为主，不能彻底摆上，总需要有所保留。光阴也好，精力也好，钱财也好，产业也好，都要为自己留下几分，不愿意受主的控制和管理，仍要由自己随意使用，支配。
这私自留下的几分，自己是知道的，接近的人也知道。不但神知道，别人也能知道，一个全心为神的人和一个表面为神的人，是很有分别的，其结果也很不相同。人愿得着神完全的恩典和赐福，却不愿意有完全的奉献和顺服。这是幻想，是撒但的诡计。其实所留下的几分，又有甚麽用处呢？能够多活，多用几多年呢？欺哄圣灵是当堂死亡的，亚拿尼亚，同他的妻子撒非喇不能多活一天。他们是太愚昧了。 但愿我们新的一年立志，将我们受神所托管的金钱，力量，时间，和产业都完全奉献给神，不私自留下分文。


Spiritual Thought for the Week

In the New Year, we need to renew our commitment with God. We have to ask ourselves, “How much am I going to give to God this year?” In regards to giving the Old Testament requires us to give one tenth of our income. The New Testament does not mention any amount. It only asks that we give out of willingness and cheerfulness. In fact anyone who is really grateful to the Lord’s saving grace will concede that he owes the Lord his life, and that the Lord deserves everything in his life. How many people will give everything he/she has to the Lord? So few people give like the poor widow who gave all that her livelihood relied. By our lips it is easy to say, “I am willing to give everything I have.” But in our guts we are like Ananias, who sold a piece of property, kept back part of the money for himself, with his wife Sapphira’s full knowledge, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 5:1-2)
We say we follow the Lord, but to a certain extent only. We don’t want to go too far with Him. We want to be a bit more reserved. After going for a while, we don’t want to move any more further. We can not surrender everything unconditionally. We can not give without a limit. There is got to be somewhere for us to say, “enough is enough.” Whether it be time; energy; money; or property, we have to set a limit. We have to reserve our right to take control and claim influence over the things we have given to God.
The desire to hold back things from God is a sin we recognize ourselves. Those who are close to us also recognize it. Not only God recognizes it. Everybody else recognizes it. You can easily distinguish a man who gives everything to God from another man who gives to God nominally. Their dispositions are very different and so are their consequences. If you want all of God’s grace and all of God’s blessings but do not want to give everything you have in exchange, you are just making impractical dreams. In fact this is not a dream from God. It is a nightmare from Satan.
Say, even if you do keep back something for your own use, how much more life can you enjoy? How many years more can you out live your greedy life? In the case of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, the price of deceiving the Holy Spirit is death at once, right on the spot. Not even one day more can they live, no matter how much they wanted it. They were so foolish.
Let us make new resolution for the New Year. It is to give to God everything He has entrusted us on earth. Everything means our money, our time, our energy and our property. We surrender them all. We do not keep back anything for our own interests.
——End——