Pebbles WEB 21-24-08

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04

·2009

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To our brothers and sisters in Christ,We are delighted to bring you the very frst o hopeully many editions o Pebbles! You might be wondering what’s going on, so let us explain! Pebbles was originally a YF-only intragroupnewsletter/magazine. We have taken itscore ocus o having insightul and thought- provoking articles, and built upon it to createa tool which we hope will be a blessing to you.Our prayer is that you will fnd it helpul in your Christian walk! Ultimately however, we want to see Jesus lited up! He deserves so much more than we could ever give. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Lie. Heis the only Way. I you haven’t done so, surrender your lie to Him today. Put your selfsh ambitionsaside and live with Christ as Lord o your lie.Give aithully - your time, your fnances, your whole lie. Use your gits to serve Him and bringglory to Him.It’s time to rise up! Soli deo gloria,Billy Jamesy Design Editor Editor

billym.lam@gmail.com drmonk3y@hotmail.com

PING MAOMATTHEW WONGBILLY LAM JAMESY CHANSERENA LANGENBRUCHPASTOR ANDREW HONGFind pebbles online atyfonline.wordpress.com

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christians&sustainabilityhow to become a Christianthoughts on sportthoughts on prayerquiet timesand God’s grace

catching upwith abe andrewsmissions in burma

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And as we drove on through the night my riend was explaining to me how guilty he elt rom not reading theBible regularly. He knew that it was adiscipline that he should cultivate - but he just didn’t eel like reading his Bible. And it was eating him up.I remember saying several times to himin the car that actually, it didn’t matter all that much. God still loved him just the same, even i his quiet times wereterrible.But he kept on beating himsel up about his terrible quiet times - and I just kept on saying to him that God loved himanyway. And then. Finally. What I was sayingsunk in...He suddenly remembered that hestood beore God by grace alone - and not on the basis o his perormanceas a Christian. Not the ervency o his prayer lie. Not the regularity o his Biblereading. But only because he is clothed with Christ’s own righteousness.Now, you’d think that’s irresponsibleo me to talk about grace. I mean,wouldn’t that just make him even moreundisciplined? That’s what you’d think.But when we reached his house, he said,“you know what? Now I eel like readingmy Bible!” It’s interesting that rules and lawsand regulations ailed him - but graceenergised him as a Christian. And in act this is how the Christian lie operates.Not on the basis o laws and regulations(‘you must do your quiet times regularly’,etc.) but on the basis o grace! We think it’s the opposite - that we need rules and regulations to keep us going. But in act,they wear us down and distract us romthe gospel o God’s grace. The gospel is not something you hear once, thenleave behind to ocus on godly living.It’s the petrol that drives you every day a Christian! I believe that Christians need tounderstand the doctrine o justifcationwell. I we don’t, it has all sorts o pastoral implications - just like what we see withmy riend all those years ago. Pastoral implications like being uncertain o our standing with God, when we’renot doing well. Or eeling we need tokeep up with our spiritual disciplines tomake God happy with us. Not true! Wedo them because they’re helpul or us ingrowing as Christians - not to keep us inGod’s good books! And knowing this releases us rom thechains o drudgery... to discover the true joy o growing as a Christian.

I REMEMBER TALKING TO A FRIEND ONCE AS I DROVE HIM HOME AFTER YOUTHGROUP.

THIS WAS MANY YEARS AGO, AND I SUPPOSE WE MUST HAVE BEEN TALKINGABOUT QUIET TIMES. BECAUSE IT CAME UP THAT HIS QUIET TIMES WEREN’T GOING TOOWELL. IN FACT, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY NONEXISTENT...

Pastor Andrew Hong

is the English Congregation Pastor o Northern District Chinese Christian Church Sydney. This article, and many others,can be ound on his blog at

http://andrewhongnsw.spaces.live.com

GOD STILL LOVEDHIM JUST THE SAME

EVEN IF HIS QUIETTIMES WERE TERRIBLE.