This is my note made during leaders' meeting @07/08/2012. Some reflection though.
Christianity is always a relationship with God, it's our faith and conviction in God. But where comes our conviction? It's from the revelation from and of God Himself, and the revelation come from the encounter with God. When people have conviction, people will make the decision to build a system or structure to contain the conviction, and through the system/ structure birth forth the progress/ results/ growth which eventually give glory to God. But the question is WHAT'S NEXT??????
Let's go step by step.
Encounter, one encounter can cause you to love or hate something/someone. Simplest example of it all, when you fail a relationship, you may cry 'All girls/ guys are bad!!'. But when you find a right one, you will be in a lovely lifelong romantic relationship. Well, it's all about encounter.
The height of volunteer is always stronger, because it's out of conviction. Don't you agree?
When we put our focus 100% in system/ structure (3), there's where downfall begins, because it's not where we start off, our start is at the encounter. Thus, the real solution is go back to the encounter, we need to find a new encounter. It's a cycle that keeps you going. If you find yourself trapped, no able to move on, without strength, perhaps it's time for you to put aside all your serving and come back before God and seek for a new encounter with the source Himself.
Usually people that left, they focus on (3) for many many years and are caught there. When people are caught at (3), petty issue always become bigger and bigger in life. While the solution is seek a new encounter, that's also precaution to avoid from being caught at (3):
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH RIGHT PEOPLE/ RIGHT FRIEND
1 Corinthian 15:33
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Our lives are the message, it's not the message (sermon) itself. A person always have greater impact than the message itself.
Christianity is essentially about relationship. What are the 3 most basic yet most important relationship in our lives? They are
1. Relationship with God
2. Relationship with Yourself
3. Relationship with Others
Relationship is not just a theory, it's our priority. God speak to us through people, and God may speak to people through us as well. You need to first learn how to have a good relationship with yourself before you can have good relationship with others. Same thing, you need to first learn how to love yourself before you can love others. Well, how can you love others while you don't know how to love yourself? :)
LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF
Pain begins when wrong voices are given access into your life. Interestingly, wrong people won't and they don't leave our lives voluntarily.
Change happens when you make decision and take action, you can't just wait. New season are usually ushered by new people or new truth through people in your life. And, real changes must take place with real association. Thus, probably place people prevent problems. Everyone needs 3 types of people in their lives:
1. Paul-A mentor that guides and disciple us
2. Barnabas-A partner/ peer/ friend that encourages and hold us accountable
3. Timothy-A disciple/ successor we help to guide and disciple
PURSUE A PAUL, TRAIN A BARNABAS, BE A TIMOTHY
At the end of the day, give glory to God is our ultimate goal. While money and status is important, eternity is even more. Your companion in your life determine how far you can go in your life and eventually your destiny. Thus, be wise when you open up access for people to enter into your life. You are not designed to be everybody's friend, and not everybody are designed to be your friend as well. Learn to cut away certain relationship, redefine, reassign and remove if necessary.
Last word,
BREAK UP ARE SOMETIMES NOT MEANT FOR MAKE UP, BUT BREAK UP
