december 2011

for private circulation only

inside

There are many ways one can run a race. To complete his race, the least arunner has to do is to cross the nishing line. It’s a simple enough principle,yet it can be a lot harder to achieve than imagined.

any Christians are fast off the starting block – but the sad truth is most of us willnot make it past the nishing line as strong as we started out, if we do cross it atall.Well aware of the weakness of the esh, Paul exhorts us to reach forward andpress toward attaining the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:8-14). To put it plainly, the race before us as Christians is not an aimless stroll in thepark, but we are to run it well and to nish it strong.Consider the following points to help ourselves along the way.

1. Start and end with Humility

The proverbial story of the tortoise and the hare reminds us that humility helps totake us farther than we think. Groups function well when members within alwaysconsider others better than themselves.

2. Don’t go through life without a philosophy

The objective is to arrive at the real destination. Unfortunately, many of us are likeengines that go everywhere, never really knowing where the nal stop is to be.To minimize distractions that often tire and wear us out, determine from the onsetwhat our philosophy is – in general, in life, in ministry and in leadership.

3. Beware of Pitfalls in Life

Just as pot holes are hazardous on roads, we can expect the Christian journey tobe fraught with pitfalls along the way. Generally, pitfalls can come in unsuspectingforms – a wrong choice in spouse; inability to surrender our will; failure to “surviveChurch”; or even incorrect priorities in handling career, money, kids, sex andstudies.

Running Well,Finishing Strong

by eu hong seng

IndiaLooksBack

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WhyWeTeach

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SportsFellowship

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fgt newsletter

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Run strong, fnishwell. Not everyonewill, but everyonecan. May your runbe an inspired andinspiring one in2012.

ChanChuiFangT

his year (2011) Iwas reallyhungryfor God and His Word. So Imade sure I attended Tung LingSOM, SOTB and the Key of Knowledge seminar. I denitelylearnt a lot and in 2012 I intendto put it all to practice! I realizethat one needs to be responsiblefor his/her own spiritual growthby making an effort. And that’sprecisely what I’m doing!

TitoSaboneL

eadingworshiphas beenmy desire – to be partof God’shand in touching the churchand opening the door for theHoly Spirit into the heart of thechurch. It is a privilege to beable to serve in leading worshipin FGT. God has helped meunderstand my right place as asmall piece of a big puzzle rightwhere I am right now.

*Tito is the rst international student to lead worship at the main Sunday Service at FGT Subang.

IreineTeckT

his year,I receiveda promisefrom Godin 1 Sam14:7 “Doall that is in your heart for I

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4. Ensure the Essentials of Christian Life

It helps to constantly check that our spiritual physiology is in order. Dowe have a hearing Ear? An obedientHeart to obey the will of God? Agenerous Hand where our wealthnot only impresses but touchesothers? Are our Feet shod with theGospel, passionate to save thelost? Are we living a spirit-lled lifeand consistently found in a learningposture?

5. Know our Life Models

The twelve tribes of Israel stillexist today in essence andcharacteristics. We each belong toa tribe. It is well worth our while tostudy the strengths of the tribes andconsider which one we may modelour spiritual life after.

6. Consider our UltimateContribution

Everyone desires to have his or her life count for something at the end of the day. Upon our passing, some of us may leave behind legacies, whileothers will have lasting testimonies.While legacies are subject to thesovereign will of God based onindividual circumstances and gifts,we all have the opportunity to buildour own testimonies through our character.A good testimony usually consists of more than one or two things. Whenpeople look at our lives, they shouldget inspired. Regrettably, many of us are content to live and servewithout passion – ending up beinguninspiring, perhaps even boringChristians.In the hectic blur of travel over thepast few years, I have developedthe habit to stop now and then, toappreciate the scenery. I have sincelearned it is enjoying the journeythat makes it doubly worthwhile toget to my destination. As yet another new year begins, I pray that we willcontinue to run our race and aim toenjoy the trip to the nishing line.Run strong, nish well. Not everyonewill, but everyone can. May your runbe an inspired and inspiring one in2012.

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My 2011Spiritual Milestones

am with you.” Because of Hispromise, I found that I achievedmany of my goals in 2011. Themost exciting thing has beenthe chance to volunteer alongwith my husband in the localMyanmarese ministry whichFGT started in May. Sincethen, we have seen God’sfaithfulness through so manychallenges. Today, we have twoMyanmarese home gatheringsheld on Tuesday nights witheach averaging about 30 people.

LimCheeJack2

011 has just beenan amazingtime of learning.I’ve been studying the Word of God either through bible studygroups or Sunday Services sothat I can grow faster spiritually.Praying for others alsostrengthened my faith especiallywhen God answers! I also joinedEE this year, and from there, I’vestarted to have the burden andmotivation to share the gospelwith others.

*Chee Jack was saved in Oct, 2010.

Jessica YongM

y spiritualmilestonein 2011 wasbecoming acell leader. Ihave learntthat even as a leader, peoplearound me can teach me things,especially those younger thanme.

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rue to His word, God was faithful to us. Following theFGT India Pastors Conference held at the beginning of the year, we emerged with renewed vigour to continueour mission to plant and build strong churches acrossIndia.In March, FGT planteda church in Bihar, whichis one of the mostpopulous and needystates in India. Our work was inauguratedat Bakthiyarpur, about60 km from Patna, thecapital of the state.The town is situated atthe banks of the river Ganga and has a strongHindu inuence, withvery feeble Christianpresence. Despitethe many personalchallenges and sacriceof working in anenvironment of extreme poverty, Ps. Justin Moses andhis wife, Shiny, have been able to minister to about 12villages in the vicinity. FGT Bakthiyarpur is also the rstchurch to have a public signage of its presence in thisHindu town, which in itself is a miracle of God!In April, FGT Sikkim was inaugurated at Gangtokcity, the capital of Sikkim. Sikkim is a tiny Buddhist-dominated state surrounded by beautiful snow-cappedmountains. Ps. Madhan Kumar Gurung reaches outto them through FGT Gangtok.In May, FGT set up inthe state of Nagaland.Indrajith Sanashampastors our churchin Dimapur, besidesreaching out to thebordering state of Assam, famous for itstea all over the world.June saw the birthof a new church atBidar town, in thestate of Karnataka.Prabhakar Malgepastors the work herebesides reaching outto the villages in thevicinity.Apart from the budding of new churches, 2011 alsomarked the successful completion of the rst year of many of our churches. The following churchescelebrated their rst anniversaries – Bijapur,Aundipatti, Shanthi Nagar (Bengaluru), Chittoor, Delhi,

The year 2011 began with a great promise from the Lord for FGT India - “Open Heavens and Open Hearts”.

Marching Beyond BordersFGT India looks back at 2011

Ps Madhan leading FGT Gangtok Ps Indra praying for afamily in Nagaland

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by francis gnanasekhar