Multiplication was awesome!

We’ll definitely miss our ‘other half’.
Which is why, we’re gonna have not just one, but TWO CNY gatherings
where the ‘whatever’Sheep gang can gather back again before we really,
actually, undeniably, seriously, certainly, truly erm… multiply.

So, listen up!
The first CNY gathering is gonna be held at Christy’s place (Thanks Christy!!!).
Date: 21 February 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 2pm
Venue: 76, Jalan Anggerik Liparis, 31/152, Kota Kemuning 40460, Shah Alam

So, if you are a SINGLE, AVAILABLE, FREE & ANG-POW-HUNGRY SHEEP who happens to be back in KL dy,
email Christy @ “christy_lcw15@hotmail.com” LATEST by tomorrow to let her know you’re going to ‘visit’ her!
Pssst, you can tell her you miss the ChampionSheep people that’s why you wanna go for the gathering.

Now, it is with fear & trembling that I announce the second CNY gathering.
That’s right, folks. James and I are giving away ang-pows this year (shed a tear… erm… of ‘joy’)!
So, if you wanna laugh at us for not being able to receive ang pow anymore, come to our Open House!
Brilliant idea eh? (What was I thinking!!!!)

Date: 28th February 2010
Time: 2pm
Venue: The Sheep Crib a.k.a. my house lor

Of course, you can also tell us you can’t get enough of the ChampionSheep fellas that’s why you come.

Next up, is a very ‘serious’ announcement.
SHEEP UNITED’S first cell meeting after multiplication
will. happen. on. (drum roll). the. (drum roll). 5th of March 2010!
Which means, there’ll be no cell group meetings tomorrow night & the 19th Feb 2010!

Supplementary reminder + announcement:
CoUZ Nite is happening in church on the last Friday of the month - 26th of February!
Speaker is Ps. Victor Wong and his message is: “Out of the Sampan into the Supernatural”
So, come everyone & get ready to ‘jump ship’.

Let me sidetrack a little, for those of you who are over 21 years old.
If you are a true-blue Malaysian,
born & breed in this land and carries a Malaysian IC
with an ugly photo of you (ok, there might be exceptions),
you must exercise your right to VOTE! Make your voice count
in the next elections – 2013! We have the forms ready, all you need to do is
REGISTER. So, gimme your names (as per NRIC of course ) and
reply to this email if you want to make a difference. Deadline: 25th February 2010 k?

Lastly (phew), for those of us who are driving, bus-ing, flying, sailing, walking or swimming back to your hometowns,
MAY THE LORD GRANT US JOURNEY MERCY and a fantabulous time with family & friends!

HAP-PEE CHINEESE NEW YAH!

Gong Xi Baa Cai,
Cissie

God reveals Himself to those

• who have Jesus within them
• who are childlike – Nepia – Mark 10:15 (NIV) – Link

John 14:6-7 (NIV)

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really knew me, you would know^[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

The more childlike in our attitude to God, the more Christ-like we will become.

“In God’s Bible School, God personally chooses His own candidate” – Derek Prince

The more we know God,
The more we will serve Him

The more we serve Him,
The more we will know God.

Logos -> Lingo -> Lifestyle (of Ownership)

Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)

¹² The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

¹³ planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,

¹⁵ proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

- Flourish
- Fruitful
- Fresh

Potted or Planted?

Cedor of Lebanon (link) symbolizes:

1. Eternity
2. Strength
3. Endurance

1 Kings 3:16-28 (NIV) – A Wise Ruling

¹⁶ Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸ The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

²² The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

²³ The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ “

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵ He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

Divided or Devoted?

No unity without devotees

Own the vision not the position

Genesis 22:1-19 (NIV) –  Abraham Tested

¹ Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram ^[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

¹⁵ The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time ¹⁶ and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, ¹⁸ and through your offspring ^[b] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

¹⁹ Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Servant or Son?

1. Only sons will bear the father’s burden and get involved in the vision
2. Only sons will understand the father’s heart
3. Genesis 26:1 (link) – Only sons will receive the inheritance, serve the vision and enjoy the provision

Genesis 21:27-34 (NIV)

²⁷ So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. ²⁸ Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, ²⁹ and Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

³⁰ He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”

³¹ So that place was called Beersheba, ^[a] because the two men swore an oath there.

³² After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. ³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

The verses above reflect the first time the word “Beersheba” is mentioned in the Bible.

In 2010, there are 2 postures:

1. Dig deeper
2. Wait worshipfully

2 Kings 3 (NIV) – Moab Revolts – Link

Not fearful, but faithful:

1. Sincere in prayers and continue to pray
2. Not to be indifferent

Genesis 26:22-25 (NIV) – From Rehoboth to Beersheba

²² He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, ^[a] saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

²³ From there he went up to Beersheba. ²⁴ That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

²⁵ Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

Beersheba is a place of (perfect complete convenental blessings):

1. Covenental blessings
2. Generational blessings
3. National blessings

Covenental Blessings

3 ingredients – God will keep:

1. Affirming
2. Accompanying
3. Multiplying

Generational Blessings

From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob – Generational Sign

Genesis 46:1-7 (NIV) - Jacob Goes to Egypt

¹ So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.

³ “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ⁴ I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. ⁶ They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. ⁷ He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

Genesis 45:27 (NIV) – Brought the spirit back to life!

²⁷ But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

Isaiah 48:17-19 (NIV)

¹⁷ This is what the LORD says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.

¹⁸ If only you had paid attention to my commands,
your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

¹⁹ Your descendants would have been like the sand,
your children like its numberless grains;
their name would never be cut off
nor destroyed from before me.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

National Blessings

12 (representing the Jews) juxtapose to 70 (representing the Gentiles)

Genesis 46:27 (NIV)

²⁷ With the two sons ^[a] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy ^[b] in all.

Exodus 15:27 (NIV)

²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Luke 10:1 (KJV) – Jesus Sends out Seventy

¹After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Matthew 15:29-39 (NIV) – Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

²⁹Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

³²Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

³³His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. ³⁹After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

¹⁶ This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer ^[a] for each person you have in your tent.’ “

God’s people collect mannah at the correct time and only collect just enough.

Colossians 1:9-11 (NIV)

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully

The verses above speak of how to grow strong spiritually.

Criteria to know you are Growing:

1. Know His will
2. Walk in His ways
3. Strong in trying times

Colossians 1:9 - Knowing God more, is NOT knowing more of God.

Colossians 1:10 – Walk in God’s way and you shall not be shaken.

Colossian 1:11 – Be strong when faced with opposition – powerful to stand for God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV)

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

From believers to followers,

From followers to disciples,

From disciples to ambassadors.

“When you understand what God has made you to be, you will be concerned about whether your behavior reflects His beauty and what others will make of your God.”

Cell has resumed, at James & Cissie’s crib, 8.30pm, Friday (means tomorrow)!

Reminder on upcoming happenings:

BBQ Party
Sherene’s crib, 23 Jan (Sat), 7.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Don la just have fun on your own, invite your friends to come and chill with us! And, please bring RM 5 for the BBQ too.

Cell Multiplication
James & Cissie’s Crib, 6 Feb (Sat), 7.30pm

As we’re near to that special day, to walk down the memory lane, we need clips and photos from you!! Please bring everything that you have to Christy. Christy, THANK YOU AGAIN!

That’s all for now.

See you tomorrow.

Dismiss!

Welcome back from Christmas and New Year holidays! We will have our first meeting for 2010 this friday.
So you know the drill: 8 Jan, 830pm, James&Cissie’s crib, bring your bibles. =)

Upcoming happening STUFF you don’t want to miss out on!

No.1:Pool BBQ Party! Woohoo!
Date: 23 Jan 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 7pm-10pm
Venue: Sherene’s crib’s pool
Yes, Sherene has invited us to her very lovely apartment pool for a night of BBQ-ed chicken wings, sausages and potbless. This is an opportunity to bring your friends over, so they know who are the ‘cell ppl’ you have been hanging out with every friday night. We will collect RM5 (from cell members only, friends eat for free!) for the BBQ, and potbless the other food. More info will be given in a separate email.

No.2: CoUZ Night
Date: 29 Jan 2010 (Friday)
Time: 8pm-10pm
Venue: Third Floor, SIBKL
CoUZ night is back for the first time in 2010. We are already planning an AWESOME time of worship for our Almighty, and you don’t want to miss out on our vision for CoUZ this year, “The + Factor”. It’s gonna be fantastic. Be there!

NO.3: CELL MULTIPLICATION
Date: 6 Feb 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: James&Cissie’s crib
Dresscode: Smart casual. (Girls, wear dresses. Guys, wear shirts. No jeans allowed.)
It is time. We are ready for the ‘mitosis‘ of the cell. Excited? I am!
We need YOU to bring ALL your photos and video’s of Sheep this friday, pass it to Christy. Christy has agreed to help make a video of “Sheep Utd: Down memory lane”. Everybody say… “THANK YOU, CHRISTY!”

If you sped-read all the above, REMEMBER to bring the following this friday:
1. Your bibles
2. RM5 for BBQ
3. ALL Photos & videos of Sheep in thumbdrive for cell multiplication

See you all tomorrow!
Sheep-baaaa…

¹Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. ²For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.^{[a] 3}Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ “^[b] And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.

“One can’t enter rest due to unbelieve“

Hebrews 4:9-11 (NIV)

⁹There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

“Let us all labour to enter His rest this year.“

“When you do nothing, God does EVERYTHING. Rest not FROM work but IN work.“

Genesis 1:5 (NIV)

⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:13 (NIV)

¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Genesis 1:31 (NIV)

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV)

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested ^[a] from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

“Rest is Holy.“

“In Israel, Sabbath is practiced every Friday from 6pm to Saturday, 6pm. After 6pm, only then would people start to labour. This is reflected from Genesis 1:5, 1:13, 1:31; where the word “EVENING” comes before “MORNING” – meaning – rest before work.“

Collosians 2:16-17 (NIV)

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

“Lets not be carried away with indirected work but to follow directed work – directed in Christ.“

John 5:16-19 (NIV) – Life Through the Son

¹⁶So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. ¹⁷Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” ¹⁸For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

¹⁹Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

Leviticus 25:19-22 (NIV)

¹⁹ Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. ²⁰ You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” ²¹ I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. ²² While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

“Land where crops are planted on is always “rested” on the 7th year in Israel. This practice is made so that the land is always fresh. It is also practiced to let the farmers rest.“

“Rest brings commanded blessings.“

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

^28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

“Jesus’ yoke is easy and light. We would not be burden as long as He is with us.“

“Jesus is never rushed nor hurried throughout his life.“

Deuteronomy 28:8 (NIV)

⁸ The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

“Restful increase means that when you rest in Him, you would be blessed in every angle of your life, from education to financial to work.“

no cell tonite!
cell will resume next friday. =)

but we’ll have lunch this sunday after service.. so meet in church then we’ll go together.. if you’re going to sat service.. you can still join us.. so just give me a buzz on sunday and we’ll let u know where. =)

have a good holiday and God bless!

James

SIBKL is participating in the Combined Church Games Carnival next year January. Currently they are asking if anyone from SIBKL would like to participate. We are currently lacking of captains for Basketball, Bowling and Volleyball. Also we are in need of players for every game. Don’t feel shy to make yourself captain if you know you are capable. There are no age limits to every game so feel free to ask your brothers, sisters, older and younger friends to join in. Even better, grab your parents.

The idea is to get-to-know more people from other churches and to form a stronger bond with them. For more information, refer to the attachment above. You may email this to the other cells. Also hope you could reply asap as there are logistics to be confirmed. Thank you!!

Cheers,
Rachel