Nov 2014

Thanksgiving

2Content Page

Content Page

English Revelation Article 4

Chinese Revelation Article 6

Church Service Summary 8

Recommendations 11

3The Contributors

Hannah Xu Qian RuChinese Revelation

Jeanette ZeeEnglish Revelation

Yvonne Teo Yen PinRecommendations

Jason LeeCover Page Photo & Newsletter Design

Chris Benhard A. SembiringChurch Service Summary

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A Mindset of Thanksgivingby Jeanette Zee

English Revelation Article

As we come into a season of thanksgiving, let’s have a heart of gratitude towards our friends and loved ones. Most importantly, let’s not forget our Heavenly Father that has destined us to be blessed beings. Everyone goes through a tough situation, but there are two types of people in this world - one that continues to believe one is living a fulfilled life, while the other feels bitter all the time. Why such a vast difference?

Well, the truth is…

What matters most is your mindset.

“Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.” – John 6:14

It is interesting that although the people got to eat their fill, no one mentioned, or realised, anything miraculous happening. The miracle of multiplication was only revealed when they started to pick up the fragments and collected 12 baskets full of leftovers!

Sometimes in our lives, God may seem to have not performed any signs or wonders even when we have fervently asked for one; this can be very disappointing. Or, we may be so engrossed in the doing that we forget the blessing that may already be happening. However, if we were to be like the disciples – to make a deliberate effort to pick up the tiny, seemingly insignificant, fragments of God’s blessings and miracles, we would realize that God has done

5English Revelation Article

a GREAT work for us, in us and through us. Indeed, little becomes MUCH in the Master’s hand.

We must develop the faith and make the decision to pick up the ‘thankful’ fragments of our lives, coming to a revelation of how wondrous God is. Without a doubt, when we start thanking God for every single detail, no matter how insignificant it may seem, we will experience Him as a Miracle-performing, Almighty Father.

A spirit of thanksgiving will open the windows of heaven, and, more importantly, open your eyes to what God has been doing in your life. We will finally understand that His hand has NEVER ever left our heart! Blessed are those who give thanks, for they shall see God!

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感恩的季节by Hannah Xu Qian Ru

“感恩的心，感谢有你”。这首歌伴着我长大。国内并没指定的感恩节。这也是我来到国外以后才知道的。但现在国内越来越开放，渐渐的留学生便把它引入了中国。它的由来一直要追溯到美国历史的发端。一群不堪忍受英国宗教迫害的清教徒逃难来到了美洲。那年冬天寒冷交加，最后能活下来的只剩下一般不到。 由于“来者是客”的习俗，当地的印第安人给予了生活必需品，教他们狩猎，捕鱼，种植等等，不久那些欧陆新移民渐渐习惯了当地的生活方式。在欢庆丰收的日子，欧陆新移民邀请了印第安人一同感谢上苍的赐予。而那一天便成为了美国的感恩节。故事先说到这里，那感恩节是感谢谁呢？

毋庸置疑，感恩节是为了感谢上帝为我们所做的一切，我们一起庆祝一起感恩，我相信当时的欧陆新移民真心诚意的感谢上帝让他们平安渡过难关，给予了他们命中的贵人：印第安人。然后现在我们看到的美国大多都是白人，这又是怎么一回事呢。故事从这里继续。第一次欧陆新移民与印第安人一同庆贺的感恩节延续了三天，双方也同意了一个和平、友好的协议：印第安人欢迎他们在其中一块原属印第安人的土地上建造属于新移民自己的村庄。这个时刻原本是双方友谊逐渐巩固的开始，但不幸的是，友好的关系并没有持续太久。由于不再像以前一样需要印第安人的援助，一些新移民慢慢淡忘了他们一开始遭受的困难以及受到的帮助。欧陆新移民越来越多，他们甚至不容忍印第安人的宗教信仰，试图去改变。摩擦和冲突最终爆发了战争，剥削屠杀了不少印第安人。

对于欧陆新移民，感恩节是美好的。而对于印第安人，美国的感恩节却变成了他们不幸的开始。所以，感恩节不止要感

Chinese Revelation Article

7Chinese Revelation Article

谢上帝，也要感谢他创造的子民。感谢每一个出现在我们生命中的人，因为上帝把他们带来我们的人生必定有他的理由。或许我们人生有许多的过客，也有一直陪伴在我们身边的人。无论如何，他们都值得我们感恩。所谓“前世五百次的回眸，换来了今世的擦肩而过”，所以那些出现在我们生命中的人是多么值得我们去珍惜去感恩。感谢上帝让我们再次相遇；感谢有你，才让我的人生如此完整。这才是我们完美的感恩节。

送上一杯香浓的咖啡，回味感恩在你的心怀。

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Why Should We Titheby Chris Benhard A. Sembiring

On Saturday (25/10), Ps. Kong preached a sermon to prepare the congregation for the church’s annual Arise and Build campaign. He began by reading the Scripture from Galatians 3:13-14, highlighting how “the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ”. Ps. Kong explained that Abraham was blessed due to his faithfulness in tithing.

According to Ps. Kong, the word “tithe” first appeared in the Bible in Genesis 14:20, when Abraham encountered Melchizedek, King of Salem. Melchizedek, widely thought by Bible scholars to be an appearance of Lord Jesus in the Old Testament, blessed Abraham, whom proceeded to give the King “a tenth of everything”, as explained in Hebrews 7:2.

There are three blessings of Abraham, Ps. Kong said, which are the Blessing of Elevation, Blessing of Possession, and Blessing of

Church Service Summary

9Church Service Summary

Dominion. These blessings are parallel to the blessings Abraham received from King Melchizedek, as written in Genesis 14:19-20. “Receiving blessings should be done by faith,” Ps. Kong said, “Abraham received them by triggering his faith, by tithing”. Ps. Kong then asked, why should we tithe?

First, we tithe for honour. We honour God and acknowledging Him as our source of all we have by tithing, as written in Proverbs 3:9-10. Secondly, we tithe for gratitude. Deuteronomy 8:18 reminded us that “God... gives us power to get wealth”. “Tithing is the only appropriate way to thank God,” Ps. Kong asserted. Thirdly, we tithe for love and worship. Ps. Kong showed that the word “love” is first recorded in Genesis 22:2, when God instructed Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.

“Every dollars we gave will stay on planet Earth,” reminded Ps. Kong, “but the joy and cheerful heart will go up to Heaven”. This raises another question, what are the tithes used for? The tithes are used for three things. First, the tithes are used for the manpower of God’s House. Ps. Kong revealed that around 1700 pastors in America left their ministries every month as their income cannot sustain their families. There is also a similar case found in Nehemiah 13:10-12, where the Levites left the temple to work on their own fields. By tithing, we are in-reaching to the people in God’s House.

Secondly, tithing is used for the ministry of God’s House. We are specifically instructed by God that we tithe so that we “may learn to gear the Lord always”, as written in Deuteronomy 14:23. This way, we tithe to up-reach to God. Thirdly, tithing is for the mission of God’s House. Ps. Kong read from Deuteronomy 14:28-29, where the tithe stored should be given to the strangers. Ps. Kong explained that in the original language, “strangers” here means those who do not know God. The tithes, therefore, is used to reach out to the unbelievers to fulfil the Great Commission.

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Ps. Kong closed his sermon by listing out the effects tithing gives to the tithers. Malachi 3:10-12 gives a detailed account of God’s promises for tithers, which Ps. Kong listed into 7 points as follows:

1. Strong Church (“that there may be food in My house”)

2. Open Heaven (“if I will not open for you the windows of heaven”)

3. Success (“and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it”)

4. Victory over Satan (“I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes”)

5. Productive Career (“so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground”)

6. Prospering Investment (“nor shall the vine fail to bear the fruit for you in the field”)

7. Global Influence and Legacy (“and all nations will call you blessed”)

Church Service Summary

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I am a huge skincare junkie; I would spend all my allowance to buy different skincare products to evaluate which is the best suited for my skin type. In fact, I am a bigger skincare lover than a makeup lover. I’ve used products ranging from Clean & Clear, Etude House to SK ll. Yes you heard right, the 神奇水 ,“toing toing”! It still cracks me up that girls believe that SK II can bring a cosmetic miracle. To my major disappointment, nothing worked for me. At the age of 16, any product I bought caused me to breakout in pimples, and even in rashes. It is from then on I stopped buying into advertising tricks that claim their products to be 100% natural and chemical free. I wanted to make my own skincare for myself by using the most natural and organic ingredients. It has helped me for a long period of time, and now it is still my staple skincare routine. I would like to share how different food can help your skin naturally. Other than this, I will be sharing some skincare techniques I’ve picked up over the years; indeed, the little actions make the vast differences!

1. OatmealI raved about it before and I am going to rave about it one more time for what I think is the best skin-food item. You probably know that oatmeal’s a fiber-rich superfood that does an all-star job of sopping up cholesterol out of the body. But, do you also know that its grainy little flakes perform mini miracles when applied to skin? Oatmeal whisks away dead cells, irritation, and redness, leaving a soft, moist glow behind. This is the reason why I rave about it because the result is instant! I can almost feel my skin absorbing the nutrients.A fun fact – it is known for its skin-soothing powers as early as 2000 BC. To this day, the FDA cites it as effective for relieving dryness

Skincareby Yvonne Teo Yen Pin

Recommendations

12Recommendations

and inflammation, including insect stings, rashes, and eczema. What great news this is because I don’t like how some medication can leave a stinging sensation to my wounds. That is why oatmeal should be a staple for all! In your diet and skincare routine.

2. Yoghurt (Read this if you’re oily skin type) Don’t like how it tastes? Put it on your skin then! I’m not referring to Llao Llao frozen yoghurt, it is the natural yoghurt I’m talking about. Yogurt contains zinc, calcium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, protein and yeast. In general, it is said to have anti-inflammatory benefits which can help reduce acne. It is like a mild astringent. How it feels on my skin is that it has tightening effect, and I can literally feel my pores closing up. Yoghurt promotes cell renewal, and it is helpful for skin types that have blemishes or acne scarring. The Vitamin B’s are capable of preventing acne and enhancing blood circulation. So, are you always battling with acne and oily skin? Yoghurt may well be your savior!

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3. Coffee Powder Do you always look haggard and tired? Does these question come up to you often? “Eh! you very tired ah?” or “Why you look so cui?”. Well you’re probably facing with dullness in skin and this is probably caused by the lack of blood circulation. Caffeine’s ability to quickly and effectively constrict blood vessels has made it a useful substance to help minimise redness and puffiness. In that regard, and in combination with its detoxifying property, caffeine can help revive your dull-looking skin, making it appear smoother and more vibrant.

14Recommendations

Skincare Techniques

1. Always remove makeup No matter if you have makeup on or not, dust in the air may adhere on your face and sometimes face wash/wipes do not suffice.

2. Wash your face with warm waterThis helps to open up your pores and preps it for next step!

3. Tone them upTone your face with a patting motion, not just sliding on your face!

4. MoisturizeThe neck always reveals the age of a woman. While you apply moisturiser on your face, apply it down to your neck as well!

Honestly our skin does not need ample masks or facials to achieve that celebrity’s flawless skin. (Well, yes they do need pampering at times). All it needs is just discipline to do the 4 steps every day and night. I promise a better and brighter looking skin. Ultimately, sleep is still the best skincare one can have!