Facing Adversity and Persecution

12 Week Challenge Week 1 Day 2 – 1 Thessalonians

A letter written by Paul, Silas and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians

In chapter 2, Paul talks about how they were persecuted for who they believe and yet they still stand firm and preach about God. I find it really challenging as for someone like Paul and his disciples to stand so firm for God. Many times i have fail to stand up for God in front of my friends. I love how Paul said He wasn’t trying to please humans but pleasing God when he is preaching and getting persecuted. I need to strengthen my faith more in order to be able to stand firm for God when facing persecution from God(Chapter 3).

Paul instructed the church to live a life that pleases God. How many times have i fail that, probably a lot. In chapter 4, it talks about how we should avoid sexual immorality, wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister and many more. I probably have done that a lot of times and what really hits me that, paul said that if we reject this things, we are rejecting God himself. Bam, that really hit me hard cause i have fail to please God so so many things and all the things i have been doing is causing me to reject God out of my life. Really pray that I can change in this area of my life.

Rashaun

Living and Loving Like Jesus

12 Week Challenge Week 1 Day 1 – 1 Corinthians 1-2 & 13

Chapter 1
Verse 10-17- Be united in the mind and thought among fellow church members.

Verse 18-30- What hit me the most in this verse is “Live in humility”. It talks about how God chooses lowly things of this world so that no one may boast before him so we can boast about the Lord.

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[d]

Chapter 2
This chapter talks about if we grow closer to God/Jesus, we will receive the Spirit of God, when we receive it, we are then able to receives God’s wisdom. I noticed that at the start of the chapter, Paul is talking about how he comes to his church with fear and trembling and with the wisdom of God. It shows that Paul really loves God and follows God. He talks about how God is a loving God in the first chapter and then talked about how powerful and almighty God is in the chapter 2. But what i get the most out of it is that Paul is really faithful to God and shows how to live a life for God and relies on God’s wisdom.

Chapter 13
This chapter talks about one word “LOVE”. What really hit me is the first few verses, it talks about without love, there inst much meaning in the things i do for others. This makes me realized that sometimes i can do a lot of things for peoples, but sometimes i just do it for the sake of it and not understanding or giving much of a thought to it.

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Following on it talks about how love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, not proud and so on, it just reminds me of one person that is Jesus Christ. He demonstrated what love means when he died for us on the cross. I believed that Love is the number reason why Jesus choose to go to the cross. In the context of living and loving like Jesus, i feel like i should learn and grow in the area of loving others more than myself.

Rashaun

I am back.

Wow, been so long since i last updated blogging. Well, i am back and going to be blogging during my summer holidays and probably keep going for the whole of next year. Why suddenly come back, might be thinking? well blogging helps me to release my thoughts and feelings.

So where should i start? Probably start by sharing what its on my heart at the moment.

So at semester 2 2011, this marks the worst and darkest semester/season of my life.

As i reflect on this semester performance, i realized that my life at the moment is going downwards. Lets start off at where i began to going downhill. At around the middle of the year, i broke up with my ex-gf, i honestly didnt take it too well. On the outside, i was saying “im ok, i have move on”. But in my heart, i was pissed off and sad for the matter of fact that my feelings was shattered. So i decided to just stay in my room(aka my dungeon to rot and not care about anything else) This is then carry out through out the semester.

I soon realized that my life is just going horrible for me. I started slacking off my studies, i started to hate everything in life and found myself more relax when im playing games(think of gaming as like an alcohol thats how i feel). My life with God was just like a Friday and Sunday thing. I started to betray my friend’s trust. I even got caught plagiarizing someone’s assignments. This is how bad my life is.

At the moment, my direction in life is now clouded with negative thoughts and i am currently just lost. But i am determined to get back on track.

A few things i want to apologies to certain individuals

To Mark(my uni friend): hey buddy, i am really sorry about what happened. I know that what ever i do to make it up, it will not make up for the fact that i have betray your trust. I am deeply sorry and i wish we can still be friends

To Angela(my uni friend): Hey, through out the semester, you are the only friend that has been concern about me this semester. I really want to thank you for your effort for being so concern for me. I want to apologise for betraying your trust and being so ungrateful to you this whole semester. I really hope we can still be good friends.

To Joanne(my ex): Hey, I am sorry that I ignored you for the whole semester. I took our break-up too harshly on myself. I have been very inmature in our relationship and i want to apologize for that. Please don’t take to your fault. It is fully my fault and my immaturity. I really wish that we can still be friends.

To Mark(my mentor): Hey Mark, I am really really deeply sorry that i wasn’t being honest to you again. A lot of times, i have lie to you because i don’t want you to know what i am going thorough and you being so concern about me.

Rashaun Hoh

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Grace

Hey everyone is been a while.

Just letting everyone know, i have been quite busy with life and totally forgot about this Blog..so i apologize

Share something that has been upon my heart. Is about Grace. I have been hearing a lot of this word recently. What is Grace? I wonder sometimes. Well i type Grace into Google and this came out Grace: a disposition to kindness and compassion. I was like hmm ok this is interesting. But as i hear the word Grace more and more each time. There is something deeper that this word goes.

When i think of it, the Person that gave me the most grace is God. Why? If it wasn’t cause of God’s grace, will i still be Rashaun today? Will i even still live in this earth? God sent His one and only son to die for me. It is by His Grace that I am able to have a relationship with God.

As i continue to ponder upon this fact, I realized that I take this for granted sometimes. The fact that it seems that everyone around me is just a person living in this earth and surviving. I just don’t enjoy being nice to people and forgiving them. It seems like i don’t have grace towards my friends. The fact that I keep hearing the word Grace, I just say to myself, I hate hearing this word times and times again. But i realized God gave me Grace and He sent his only son to die for me and I hate the word “Grace” and i hate being graceful towards others . What type of human am I?

Well, this is my current situation at the moment. Struggling in the area of “Grace”. Forgiving people, understanding how people feel.

Rashaun

Day 6

Yo,

Wah..i am still alive and well..i think…havent gone insane yet..so im still ok i guess. Is been nearly a weeks since started and I got to say, It is quite difficult actually. I mean, now is holiday and stuff, and i cant play games which means i have to do different things other than gaming.

It has been good. Watched some movies, spent some time with Life-group and family. Have been really thinking a lot about my generation and how i can impact them. Ever since Ablaze Conference, my heart has been crying for my own generation. It has been too long for me being a spectator and not being able to do anything for my generation. As I am thinking about my own generation, there is a few things i would really want to do and see for my generation.

I really want to rise up and to disciple my generation and to help build a generation that are faithful to God and that they will live everyday for God and that they have a heart of not being a generation of “DROPOUT” but a generation that is hunger for God. When I was thinking about this, the word “Dropout” really hit my heart cause I was almost being one of the generation that almost dropout. I really don’t want to see my generation to be known as “Dropout” but known as a generation that is faithful to God. It really hurts me to see some of my friends who I known “dropout” and leaving God. I was there once and I can say it was really scary to see me myself almost dropping out. During Ablaze Conference, God really showed me that I should rise up for my generation and help lead and build my generation to become a faithful generation.

The other area I want to rise up is in discipleship. During Ablaze Conference, really felt God wanted me to rise up for my generation and start disciple others. My heart now really wants to help others to grow closer to God and ultimately helping them to rise up in the area of discipleship as well.

Well,thats my day6…still going well…another 34days to go..
RAShaun

Day2

Day 2…time goes slow when you dont get to do something that you enjoy..haha!!

Oh well, is currently 12pm, and i just woke up. Feeling ok after Day1. Rosie called me in the evening that she drank coffee…haha..i was like nonono..but i guess is ok cause we are human and we do fall sometimes. But the good thing is we can always pick ourselves up again and run again.

Well,what should i talk about? I guess i will talk about the first day of Conference. Woke up quite early cause i have to get to the camp site early. When arrived, i was a little worry about Logistics. But God really lay this verse into my heart

Colossians 3:23-25
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will reveice an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

I shared this to my team as well. What really hit me is the fact that Logistics is always the back stage crew. Some people dont even know we exist. Because of the that, sometimes we can do Logistics as we are working for the team and man but not for God. As I was overseeing the Logistics team, I really want my team to have a desire to do Logistics not for Ablaze but for the KINGDOM of GOD. I really wanted to see that my team will serve the House of God with their fullest heart. As I am reflecting on Logistics, i am very proud of my team the fact that there are always available for God. Here are some of photos i took of what the Logistics team did. Thank you so much to them for doing an awesome job. Praise God..!

Thats if from me. Day2..38days to go..:)
Rashaun

Day 1

Hello,
is been awhile..!

Must be wondering whats up with Day 1 for the title..well, me and rosie are currently fasting the things we enjoy the most..so for me is computer games and for her is coffee. Me and her are going to fast and seek God about the future ahead of us…(Dont want to be specific of what we are seeking God for but is something about our future..:) ).

So yea, this is my first day…and is currently 11.32am which means there is so many hours to go. I am feeling quite ok at the moment especially when mum just bought the house a xbox and a widescreen..wow…really going to be super difficult.

I am hoping to tell you guys what I learn from Ablaze Conference and also sometimes share what I have learn through this fasting period..:).
Do note that I wont be updating like everyday..so you wont have to read like 40post from me but if possible i will update each day as much as possible..:P

Oh well, thats my current update for me.
Now lets go to reflection of what i learn in Camp..:)

This years Ablaze Conference is “da bomb”..:) The theme is Unstoppable.
Before i went to the conference, I was quite busy with my uni stuff and also having to start work as well as World Cup. So i didn’t have time to spent time with God before Ablaze Conference. So on Sunday, Ablaze had their ONE Service, Thank God, I don’t know why I went cause i didn’t want to go to One but i did..:). So i went to One and God really delivered. I mean I have some questions that I wanted to ask God but never really did it. So i decided to submit those question to God at One, hoping it will be answered.

I really felt that after One, my heart is so pump up for God and excited for What God is going to do at Ablaze Conference. So here comes my first lesson i learn from God. God wanted me to focus on God before going to the Conference. I think this is so true is some other area of our lives. Sometimes we do need to focus on God before doing anything else. With the right focus and perspective which is in God, I started to see things quite differently.

That will be my update and reflection for Day1, 39days more to go..:)
Ray-Ray…as some people call me..:)

Update after awhile

Yo, is been a while since i updated my blog.
Finally decided to update my blog…i think is like 2am now and im updating it now..haha!!

Well,nothing much have been really happening with my life. Except busy with Uni now,assignment and studies to do. Mid semester exams is also coming..!

Just want to share something that is been bothering over my heart. Is about the word ‘sacrifice’.
Do you think this statement is true? For someone to move on in life, he/she must sacrifice certain things that they cherish in life in order for them to move on.

I think this statement has really hit me hard this few weeks. I mean I am 19 years old, going to uni and enjoying his life and going to church and doing church. I have been a christian for nearly 5years already. To tell you the truth, I have grow a lot in those 5 years but they are a very slow rate of growth. I just don’t spent as much time that i would have to spent time with God or to read the bible. But this few weeks, my heart is wanting me to come back to the stillness with God and to read my bible.

I guess that when the word sacrifice comes in. In the past day, I have been thinking about things i need to sacrifice in order for me to grow more with God and to rise up as someone who is able to disciple others so that they can disciple someone else. I mean this is something that I wanted to do for a very long time and I couldn’t achieve it because I never spent time with God enough.

Hopefully this year, 2010 will be a different year. As I am prepared to sacrifice things that I enjoy most especially gaming. I mean spending 4hours a day on games is hard for me already as i have reduce a lot from the start of this year. But if I really want to grow more in God, I think I will have to cut down to 1hour a day of gaming or even better maybe playing games twice a week. Is not only about sacrifice but also commitment. I need to commit myself to spend time with God at least twice a day in order for me to grow more.

So this is what my plan is:
Reduce gaming to 1hour a day or not game at all.
Spend quite time with God at least twice a day.
Read Christians book instead of playing games.
Give all my games to people i can keep accountable for.

Organising I-Life

Hey Guys,

Well, this year, i was approached by Rosie and she asked me if i want to help organize I-Life events. Well, is been two events already and I am finding it a little bit tough because I have been lazy and a little unorganized which is generally not in my character to be unorganized.

I really hate doing things last minute and im feeling like not getting support from my life-group. But at the end of the day, when i really think about it, I know that it is my fault for not bringing the ideas and organizing things earlier in advance. But I think all this is just to help me learn to be better in time management and to be more organized.

i really thank God for Rosie for giving me an opportunity to grow to be more organized and better management. But i guess in the end of the day, I should really Praise God for giving me this opportunity to do this cause I find it difficult to reach out to my friends who do not know God and is throught i-life events is where i can generally get my friends to come.

I don’t care if they don’t believe in God or not but the one thing I care for my friends is that I want them to be with the right people or making good friends,friends that are good influence. I-life events i think is the most important event for our life-group because is generally where this places are where non-christian will enjoy and also feeling comfortable cause we won’t scared them with things like Praise and Worship or praying in tongue. Also i-life events is where doors are open, if you think about it, most of your friends who u invite to church would have went to an i-life event because they might find something interesting about this group.

Oh well, share something you guys, I have a dream one night, i don’t know if is funny or weird but i saw my life-group one day having a i-life event at UQ and they were having a picnic. I was like ok, arriving there early as usual cos i always love to come early for meeting if possible soon when all my life-group member starting to arrive, i saw them bringing friends to the picnic but it wasn’t just one or two friends but i saw that it was a huge group of friends is like the whole course has come. And seing the great court fulling up with people. I was amazed with the amount of people. And that was my dream. Weird hey?..haha

Oh well, Im off now, got a whole day tomorrow…Going fishing so so excited

Rashaun