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(OR, WHY BELIEVING IN GOD IS A GOOD IDEA)

If you've read proverbs you may have noticed that the writing is quite tricky, albeit random. So to add to the fun  we'll play the game of 'Proverbs Balderdash'. The rules are simple:

1. Choose a verse from the book of Proverbs

2. Make up some proverbs of your own (imitating the writing style of the writers of Proverbs, i.e. "The wise says... [insert random wisdom] But the fool does... [insert random folly]")

3.   The next person that posts has to quote the passage of the proverb that is from the book of Proverbs and then quotes the reference, before making up their own.
 
Here are the ones that WACES came up with:
Proverbs Balderdash (n.b. there are two real Proverbs)

The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"

Do not poke the eye of the camel, as you will otherwise face many hardships.

The wise man watches the cricket, whilst a man of folly looks as the grass grows

Discipline your son, or he will fall into the hands of satan. Then he will devour your soul.
A fool keeps his temper suppressed but a wise man keeps himself under control.

like a rooster crowing before the sun rises, so is the man who counts his grain before it is harvested.

Like a madman throwing deadly fire arrows, is a man who says "I was only joking"

The foolish dog follows its own tail, but the discerning dog neither follows nor remains.

The sluggard thinks himself tall and boasts he can slam the dunk. But the man of virtue finds himself short and takes into account his agility and lack of lankiness.

The LORD delights in the crowing rooster but the fattened calf is destined for slaughter 

...Invite your friends to join in all the fun! 

[Matthew 5:43-48 (King James Version)King James Version (KJV)]

MACES, WACES, and ThACES,

I found this study particularly challenging (and controversial):

Matthew 5:43-48 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
   
 43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 46For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 47And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

What are some practical ways we can be perfect (in love)?

See you tonight at our fwa.

**Small Group Social Deets coming soon! ^^

PS. Sorry to my WACES group for forgetting to pray  (before AND after - due to getting kicked out) DOH!

What are they? What's their point?

Think back to the awesome Korean BBQ social we had in week 3 (for those who weren't there, check out the ACES facebook group for photos.) Bascially, small group socials have less people, more familiarity, and perhaps even more fun!

Small group socials are great opportunities to hang out with your small group(s). What ACES small groups have done in the past:

- Visited the fish markets
- Ate at Pancakes on the Rocks
- Took sticker photos (ask to see some from Benita and Garry!)
- Ate breakfast (such as bacon and pancakes, yum) at Mint Cafe, just near the Co-op Bookstore
- Bought takeaway from Thai La Ong to eat at Carslaw over the bible study

What are you waiting for? Ask your small group leader for a social today! (Ask them today, that is, haha.)
 

Hahaha ... speaking of euFOCUS, for those of you who weren't there on Thursday afternoon, you missed out on a very interesting talk by Miriam Chan on God's non-negotiable purposes for humanity in terms of marriage and sex. I thought it was excellent that she wasn't afraid to get her strong message across, especially to a room of so many non-Christians.

Also, we got to see Blake Hatton (EU vice president)'s wedding photos.

Is euFOCUS really in need of helpers? Everytime I go I'm so delighted by the number of EU-ers there. A whole swarm of us eager to chat and make friends with the international students. Hmmm ... perhaps I don't know enough about the struggles of this ministry.

As for prayer points: ACES small group socials! Please pray that we'll get them up and running soon, and that they'll be fantastic opportunities for our small groups to get to know each other better.

I'm off now to start a thread about small group socials ... 

[when the sheep and the coin are only one of many]

Yes, I found the study this week very illuminating, along with all the different perspectives and questions that were brought up. In answer to Pat's question, I would say God is respectively the man, the woman, and the Father in the parables. Hmm ... hope I haven't jumped to that conclusion too quickly.

I too have some questions, if only for you to muse over:

1) Why would the man who lost his sheep and the woman who lost her coin put so much time and effort into trying to find them, when the sheep and the coin are only one of many?

2) In all three parables, the finder extends an invitation for others to rejoice along with him/her. "Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep" (verse 6), "Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost" (verse 9), "Let's have a feast and celebrate" (verse 23). What is the significance of this? If we say that the finder is God in each case, to whom is he inviting?

3) Is the older brother really that much better than the younger brother? Could Luke 15:29-30 suggest that his obedience is only out of greed for the inheritance, and not out of love for the father? Does this affect the truths of the parable?

4) Who should we strive to be - the younger or the older brother? Neither, or a combination of the qualities of both?

I'll start us off...

Please pray for a helper (as in Genesis 2:18...)
LOL.  Just kidding.

But helpers for the euFOCUS ministry would be a wonderful thing that I ask for you to pray for.

Thanks.

[Feel free to post yours.]

[Luke 15 (New Century Version)]

(Affectionately Retitiled: 'Who is your Daddy and What does He do?')

Hello again MACES, WACES and ThACES,

Here's the passage for this week:

Luke 15 (New Century Version)

 1 The tax collectors and sinners all came to listen to Jesus.2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: "Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them."
 3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it.5 And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders6 and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, 'Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.' 7 In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don't need to change.

    8 "Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,[a] but loses one. She will light a lamp, sweep the house, and look carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, 'Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life."

 11 Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, 'Give me my share of the property.' So the father divided the property between his two sons.13 Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living.14 After he had spent everything, a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country, and the son was poor and hungry.15 So he got a job with one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs.16 The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.17 When he realized what he was doing, he thought, 'All of my father's servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. 18 I will leave and return to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against God and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but let me be like one of your servants." ' 20 So the son left and went to his father.
   "While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him. 21 The son said, 'Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23 And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!' So they began to celebrate.

    25 "The older son was in the field, and as he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 So he called to one of the servants and asked what all this meant.27 The servant said, 'Your brother has come back, and your father killed the fat calf, because your brother came home safely.'28 The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in.29 But the older son said to his father, 'I have served you like a slave for many years and have always obeyed your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to have at a feast with my friends.30 But your other son, who wasted all your money on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!'31 The father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.' "


I know there were alot of questions flying around for this passage so please post them through. Otherwise try to bring them up when we meet up. I'm sure my fellow small group leaders (and anyone else from your small group for that matter) would be interested in chatting about them. I personally found it a very challenging passage to think about.

And my question for this week is simple and clean:

Who is God in these parables?

ME, ME, ME... it's always about ME! =P

To catholics (like my family) it usually means being very creative with fish on Good Friday (since we can't traditionally have meat).

But in my household at the moment it meant lots of booze . Since my bro's gf just had her 23rd BDay.

To me (now) it meant making the most of it and inviting my international student friends to a church and getting them to hear the Gospel FULL FORCE!

Hey! I haven't had my fair share of chocolate easter eggs yet. 

[Romans 1:18-32 (English Standard Version)English Standard Version (ESV)The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.[ESV from Good News Press]]

Hello to all MACES, WACES, ThACES and everyone else in between!

This was just a little bit of intiative to discuss the very heavy passage we had studied last week. If you had any thoughts or questions, please blog them down. I'm very open to the offensive and the highly offensive 

Here's the Bible passage:

Romans 1:18-32 (English Standard Version)
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
[ESV from Good News Press]

 18For(A) the wrath of God(B) is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be(C) known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,(D) have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they(E) became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22(F) Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and(G) exchanged the glory of(H) the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

 24Therefore(I) God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to(J) the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for(K) a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,(L) who is blessed forever! Amen.

 26For this reason(M) God gave them up to(N) dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another,(O) men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

 28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God,(P) God gave them up to(Q) a debased mind to do(R) what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know(S) God’s decree that those who practice such things(T) deserve to die, they not only do them but(U) give approval to those who practice them.

Some questions of my own to put out there:
1. Will God save the people that have not heard of the Gospel?

2. Can homosexuality and the worship of God coexist in the same person?

3. Are we to be condemned to God's wrath if we disobey our parents (v30) if they were to order us not to worship God?


HAPPY RESURRECTION FESTIVAL EVERYONE!

Now, at the end of Good Friday, what did you end up doing?

Admittedly, Easter has never been a particularly big thing for my family. We all go to our respective churches/congregations and listen to the sermon...again. It's a very bad attitude, but it's very easy to think 'I've heard it before, I know the story so well that I can tell you.' However, I went to a different church today and it made me critical. I wanted to be able to comment on the sermon afterwards so I actually listened as opposed to recreating the sermon myself. The one thing that really struck me was this question 'Why me?'.

We've all heard "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." We have also heard "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will". However, why ME? Out of everyone in the world, He chose me? Why?

It makes the gospel quite personal. God created ME and loved ME. Jesus died for ME, resurrected for ME and lives for ME. What am I going to do about it?