Psalm 91

You have made the LORD your defender, the Most High your protector,
and so no disaster will strike you, no violence will come near your home.
God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.
You will trample down lions and snakes, fierce lions and poisonous snakes.
God says, "I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD.
When they call to me, I will answer them; when they are in trouble, I will be with them.
I will rescue them and honour them. I will reward them with long life; I will save them."

Of course, this promise does not mean God's people will never meet danger. Rather, as God often does, He preserves us during danger and trouble. And even if our experience culminates in the loss of our physical life, we know we have an eternal home with God.

Success @ Work

Pastor Calvin Lee

Examples of success of the people in the bible :
Genesis 39:23 (Joseph)
1 Samuel 18:14 (David)
2 Chronicles 26:5 (Isaiah)
Genesis 24:14 (Abraham ask for success)
Nehemiah 1:11 (Nehemiah ask for success)

How does culture define success?
- Position
- Power
- Prestige
- Pleasure
- Prosperity

The above are not the ultimate key to success in God's understanding

Ecclesiastes 1:3; 1:14
Work under the sun perspective
- Self centered, looking at things with earthly perspective, view life as a race
- Meaningless = Vanity, vapour or breath

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Work above the sun perspective
- God fearing, God centered, seek after God's purposes, view life as a pilgrimage not as a race

What is the elements of success @ work?
(1) Success is about God, not just me
- work and worship share the same DNA

(2) It's about significance, not just success (Ecclesiastes 3:9-10)

(3) It's about eternal, not external (Ecclesiastes 3:11)(Colossians 3:1-2)
- we look at things, setbacks, problems differently

(4) It is about meaning, not just money (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)(Ecclesiastes 9:10)

I can find significance in M.Y. work :
Missional (Daniel 6:3-4)
Yahweh and not my way (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

You can't make a difference if you'd not be different

"The key to understandig the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term 'under the sun'. What that listerally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter."
- Dr Ravi Zacharias -

"The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays - not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors."
- Martin Luther -

"The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not be putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship."
- Our Daily Bread -

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music... Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will have to pause and say : 'Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.'"
- Martin Juther King, Jr. -

Characteristics of a true church

Pastor Ronald

Book of Philippians

Characteristics :
Philippians 1:12-30
1. A true church rejoices in suffering
- Paul preached a gospel of adversity
- Take up your cross of suffering, adversity (Philippians 1:29)
- I must be prepared to suffer for Christ's sake, we should not complain, question when we suffer.

2. A true church reinforces the unity (Philippians 2:1-18)
- Allow the gospel to transform your relationship to one another
- Demonstrate the gospel (Philippians 1:27)
- Defend the gospel (Philippians 1:28)
- The bible is based on right or wrong, black or white, not relativism

3. A true church is rooted in righteousness (Philippians 2:14-15)(Philippians 3:7-11)
- My life will become an instrument of righteousness
- My righteousness comes from my position in Christ (Philippians 3:8-9)
- I have righteousness of Christ in my life and my desire is to be cut off from sins by daily set apart my life for Christ. Make decision to do what is right (Philippians 3:10-11)

4. A true church is to resolute in partnership with God (Philippians 1:3-5)
- Koinonia = Partnership
- Whatever that happens to one affects the other
1. Concern for each other
2. Concern for the advancement of the gospel

What are some obstacles / hindrances to unity :
1. Self-Importance (Philippians 2:3)
- We have to think of others better than ourselves

2. Self-Interest (Philippians 2:4)
- We have no rights as christians because we are all sinners. We come by the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ
- Have the mind of Christ. Let the mind of Christ in us affect our relationships. Even though Christ have the rights He was humble (Philippians 2:5)

A. Suffering is normal for christians

B. Suffering is greater for believers then for non believers. This is due to the fact that we live in a fallen world and we are not given immunity. We suffer also because we are not of this fallen world, we will experience all kinds of things because the world hates us. We are social misfits because the world jokes are not funny to us (John 15:18-19)

C. Suffering is good for christian, Amen! (Philippians 3:10)

Suffering is good for christians :
- only when suffering is undeserved
- only when we have overcome the suffering. We cannot just come to a point of resigning to it, even the world can do that. For christians, we continue to rejoice. Yes, we are still going through, but all things turns out for good to those who loves Him. God knows we have the capacity to handle the situation (John 16:33)

Philippians 1:21
I know the hope that I have in Christ...... for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.