The fountain that never dries up!

CWBS - SONG OF SOLOMON #3

2009-06-15T11:12:00.003+08:00

Growing Love; Song of Solomon 3:6-5:1

1. The believer's union with the Lord (SOS 3:6-11)

SOS 3:6
Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?

"wilderness" - place of testing, trials, darkness

"smoke" is released through the existence of fire. The fire had been there because the Holy Spirit was working on the Shulamite woman.

Matt 3:11 "He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and the fire"

Matt 3:12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

"chaff" refers to the worthless things that will not help us with eternity.

Ish 4:4 "spirit of judgement and by the spirit of burning" The Holy Spirit has come to purge the worthless things in the believer.

"pillars" speak of strength - the Holy Spirit is dealing with the believer strongy; are you willing to pay the price to go up to the next level?

Luk 4:1 Jesus was led "by the Spirit" into the wilderness. God uses the wilderness to test us, to help us learn faith and endurance. God is more interested in building our character than in our comfort.

"wilderness" = midbar (Hebrew) = speech. God speaks to us in the wilderness.

Wilderness can last for days or years depending on our willingness. Deu 8:2 - they got stuck in the wilderness for "forty years" because of their stubborness.

.: Our goal is to go through the wilderness victorous!

"perfumed with myrrh and frankincense" - myrrh = meekness; frankincense = inward part of the believer - the fire burns our attitude, character, and what comes out should be sweet. Frankincense speaks of genuine faith that comes through the fire (1 Peter 1:7). Faith can become non-genuine and self-centred.

Ish 45:3 "treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places" - don't come out of the wilderness empty-handed. Don't waste the experience! Not every darkness is of the devil.

Luk 4:4 "Jesus returned in the power".

Humble yourself before God. Be meek in front of God - the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5)!

"merchant" Matt 13:45-46 kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking pearls; willing to sacrifice all to be who the Lord wants her to be.

Luk 14:27 "bear his cross" There are 2 crosses in every person's life:

Jesus' cross - legal death; for the penalty of sin
My own cross - moral death; death to the power of sin

Once, at conversion, we die to sin (in Christ).

Daily, we have to die to self (like Christ).

Gal 5:19 Paul was talking to Christians, not sinners only!

Gal 5:24 "crucified the flesh" = carrying the cross.

Rom 6:6 we can be saved but still enslaved to sin.

Conversion (penalty of sin) vs. Santification (power of sin).

"knowing this" - Ginosoko (Greek) = to know by experience (vs. theory). Is in present continous tense - need to be continous encounters!

One needs to ask God for a personal experience of the dying of the old man!

SOS 3:7

Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.

"Solomon's couch" - is like a sedan which has to be carried on the shoulders. Speaks of burdens that we have to carry: (1) Burden of sin; (2) God's burden.

"sixty valiant men" - 6 (men) x 10 (no. of commandments. John 14:15. Testing. Rev 2:10). Speaks of men who love and are obedient to God.

SOS 3:8

They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.

"sword" - word of God

"on his thigh" - alert and prepared because in the darkness there is fear.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit - to become warriors in spiritual warfare for the Lord. Learn to fight problems and fear!

Sedan chair - marriage chair. The shulamite woman has passed through the wilderness and she is ready to be married; united with Christ.

2 Tim 2:11 "faithful saying" - lasts forever.

1 Peter 2:21

Heb 5:8 - there is no shortcut to obedience.

Rom 6:5 - you need to pray for encounters!

SOS 4:6

Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

Spoken by the shulamite (as seen in SOS 2:17). She acknowledges her imperfectness.

James 4:10 "humble yourselves" - humility is an attitude you adopt for yourself.

Rom 7:14 "But I am carnal, sold under sin" - even for Paul, an apostle, he did not deny his sinful nature!

Humility is not the denial of strength; it's the ability to acknowledge weakness.

Rom 7:24 - Godly sorrows needed for true repentence that will last.

Psalm 51:17 - brokenness of the spirit and the heart. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Baby christians have thin skins and a thick heart (eaily offended) while mature christians have thick skins and thin hearts (easily touched). The person who is unbroken is full of self-love.

"myrrh" - bitterness and suffering.

"mountain" - climbing up the mountain is usually done on knees and hands; humility.

Ish 50:10-11 - when you walk with God, there will be God given darkness. Even if you try to create your own light (i.e. shortcut out of darkness), you will be tormented.

Need to increase God centredness!

2. See Pastor's notes.

3. The call to the Heavenlies (SOS 4:7-15)

SOS 4:7

You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.

Shulamite preparing herself for marriage.

Eph 5:17 - Place of santification and purfication.

Job 23:10 "tested me" --> "gold" - Trails are like fire that purifies the gold.

SOS 4:10

How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!

Your love is blessing God's heart; begin to carry the presence of God.

SOS 4:11

Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

"drips" - measured with words.

"honey (sweetness) and milk (pureness)" of God's word.

SOS 4:12

A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.

"garden" is a place to enjoy. God enjoys coming to us!

SOS 4:13-14

Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,

Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—

9 spices = 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).

SOS 4:15

A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.

"Lebanon" - higher level.

SOS 4:16

Awake, O north wind,

And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant fruits.

"north wind" - cold and harsh. Shulamite has come to a place of maturity where she is able to withstand trials.

Power of resurrection <-> suffering.

"south wind" - warm and nice. The anointing flows through the bittersweet of experience.

Esther - bitter herbs and sweet oil.

SOS 5:1

I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.

Are the 9 fruits of the Spirit evident in your life? You are not just a blessing to God - you are to be a blessing to the world!

In our Christian walk, there are 2 types of dedication -

Dedication of growing believer - I, me, myself (receiving)
Dedication of mature believer - Jesus, use me to be a blessing to others (giving)

SOS 4:16-5:1 can be seen in Eph 3:16-20.

God will not stop at the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You will see visions and dreams and be strengthened on the inside.

"to know the love" - ginosko

"width" - acceptance

"length" - patience

"depth" - His love for us

"height" - how much He wants to lift you up

Rom 10:12 - homologeo (Greek) = saying the same (as what God has shown you).

CWBS - Song of Solomon #2

2009-06-08T16:57:00.009+08:00

Faltering Love; Song of Solomon 2:8 - 3:5

Faltering love - i.e. on the way to maturity.

Recall: Shulamite woman = us, the believer.

The beloved is coming with a fresh visitation.

John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice" - note that it does not say my "lamb" hear my voice. This is because only a mature believer, the "sheep" is able to discern His voice.

SOS 2: 8
The voice of my beloved!
Behold, he comes
Leaping upon the mountains,
Skipping upon the hills.

"mountains" refers to things that separate us from God.

God is coming to the believer and nothing can separate God's love to us! He comes graciously and gracefully, "leaping" and "skipping" because there is nothing too difficult for Him to overcome!

"gazelle" is mentioned in Psalm 22, which is titled "The Deer of the Dawn", referring to the Messiah.

SOS 2:9

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he stands behind our wall;
He is looking through the windows,
Gazing through the lattice.

"our wall" has brought a separation between Jesus and us instead of protecting us against the world. Our serving comes out of our worship, our relationship with God. We are not to build walls; God wants to bring us out of a comfort zone. The mature believer knows when to balance between serving and between taking a step back into His presence.

"looking through the windows"- the wall shuts out Jesus. The Christian life is about stepping out in faith and obeying God instead of keeping God to ourselves.

SOS 2:10

My beloved spoke, and said to me:
“ Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.

"my beloved spoke" - God is asking us to look outside at the spring time which has come. God will not give in to our passiveness; He will call out to us! In Ezekiel 37:1-4, the Bible talks about the Valley of Dry Bones, refering to people who people who have stopped walking with God and when they reached a low, they stayed and died in the valley.

Provb 64:15 - our path as a righteous believer is like the shining sun: is our spiritual walk becoming brighter and brighter? Are we becoming more like Jesus? Our Christian walk has to be progressive!

"come away" with Jesus to do new things and overcome challenges!

Psalm 22 (mentioned above) - the deer of the morning (i.e. beginning) refers to the resurrected Jesus. Let us come with Jesus; look for the resurrection, not death!

1. The power of resurrection life.

2. The abundance (SOS 2:11) of resurrection life.

There is a lot more to our Christian life than challenges! God promises a season of abundance as well! There is so much more in store for us!

Winter

Building a wall, secluding herself
Time of testing
No positive work

We need to overcome winter, for when winter passes, spring time is here! But even though we are in "winter", God does not waste any time!

Ish 55:10

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there,

But water the earth,

And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower

And bread to the eater

Winter rain is the time to tenderise the soil. When we weep, we are tender in the heart. God uses "winter" to break us and make us more yielded to God. Psalm 65:10 "soft with showers" allows the seed to be sown into the tenderised ground.

What areas of our lives are making us stay indoors?

SOS 2:11-13

For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grapes
Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away!

Spring

With every death comes a resurrection - it's God's promise!
Rain of winter is over and gone
Time of joy and fruitfulness
Flowers are a sign that the fruit is coming!
Time of productivity
"green figs" remain on the branch even in winter, all the way into spring. I.e. even in our winter period, God is already moving to put fruits in our lives!

3. The call of the cross.

SOS 2:14

"O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely."

"cleft of the rock" - The rock refers to Jesus Christ. The cleft speaks of our brokenness and the death of Jesus (winter).

We grow through the same experiences as Jesus.

Romans 6:56 "likeliness of His death" and "His resurrection".

We identify with Jesus' life: Days of wilderness where He was tempted by the devil; days of bevolence; water baptism; cross carrying; baptism of the Holy Spirit; and at the end of the day, His resurrection!

"my dove" - hiding, afraid of the world.

Romans 6:5 When we have identified with Jesus' crossbearing, we will also experience resurrection!

Romans 6:6 "body of sin", "slaves of sin" - Why do Christians go through the valley? It helps us break the power of sin over our lives. We learn obedience by the things we suffer. It increases our maturity.

Conversion deals with the penalty of sin - our sins have been forgiven; "saints in Christ"
Santification deals with the power of sin - ongoing process. hsantification hnearness to God ipower of sin.
Glorification deals with the presence of sin - ipower of sin but our old man is still in us. But when we are in heaven, we are void of sin!

Gal 5:19-20 "works of the flesh"

Gal 5:21 "those who practice such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God"

Gal 5:24 "crucified the flesh" - allow the Holy Spirit to woo and convict you!

"secret places of the cliff" - the cliff = stairs (Hebrew). Victory over flesh is often done in secret. Period of moving from glory to glory usually done in steps.

When we are in down periods, keep showing up in cg, in service etc! God wants to see our dependibility and build our character. Things that we do in secret, no one knows, but God sees!

4. The removal of hinderances.

SOS 2:15

Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.

When fruits begin to grow, foxes will come!

"little foxes" mature into big foxes. "the foxes" refers to the bad habits that we do not deal with that will destroy the life we have in God.

John 15:5 "bears much fruit" - Before God can increase fruits in our lives, He wants us to be able to deal with the foxes! Or else, even if God blesses us with lots of fruits, foxes will still eat it up!

"tender grapes" - fruits are not ripe yet. Do not let pride, wrath, etc. get in the way when little fruits appear.

Ecc 10:1 "dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment", "a little folly". Stay humble before God; do not think that we know it all!

1 Cor 5:6 "do you not know that a leaven leavens the whole lump?"

1 Cor 7:8 "unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"

At the Passover table, Jesus first fellowshipped with His disciples before washing their feel.

The order must be right! (1) Fellowship; (2) Cleansing.

SOS 2:16

My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Repetition of SOS 6:3 but look at the order -

SOS 2:16 "My beloved is mine, and I am his" - is more self-centred; Jesus is my saviour, my provider.

SOS 6:3 "I am my beloved's; And my beloved is mine" - transforming love. Phil 2:13 "for His pleasure". I am a servant to Jesus! No longer my will, but Your will be done!

"lilies" = purity. Jesus feeds His people when there is hunger and purity. Crucificition of flesh to get our purity.

SOS 2:17

And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether.

God understands and He knows when we are not ready.

"Bether" = separation.

Jesus wants us to be separated from our old life of sin.

Abraham was separated from:

Lot - the things we love
Ishmael - past failures and mistakes
Issac - greatest pride and joy. Would you give up God's greatest blessing for Him?

SOS 3:1

By night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.

Lovesick for God.

SOS 3:2
“ And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I did not find him.

"about the city" - a type of kingdom of God. We have to find God via kingdom methods - prayer, fasting, reading His word.

SOS 3:3

The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said, “ Have you seen the one I love?”

"watchmen" are leaders of God's kingdom. Some times, it needs to be our own personal walk with God. It is how much you love and want Him!

SOS 3:4
Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him to the house of my mother,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.

God allowed her to find Him. You draw to Him, He draws near to you! However, the Shulamite woman did not get it - her deep appreciation of Him was shown by bringing God back to the confines of her home.

SOS 3:5

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the does of the field,
Do not stir up nor awaken love
Until it pleases.

SOS 2:7. God knows and understands when you are not ready - "According to your faith, let it be done unto you".

Faltering love talks about a inner struggle to depend on the Holy Spirit.

Romans 7:24 - Spirit is willing, flesh is weak.

Phil 3:10 Fellowship + suffering + resurrection. Ginosko (Greek) = experience.

Jesus went through every extreme so that we could identify with His experiences:

Pain of discipline - praying etc.
Pain of separation from friends
Pain of disappointment
Pain of obedience
Pain of accusations

2 Tim 2:11-12 "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him".

Rich Man & His 4 Lovers

2009-04-13T12:49:00.001+08:00

Thought to share... :)

Once upon a time there was a rich man who had four lovers. He loved the 4th lover the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd lover very much and was always showing her off to his friends. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd lover. She was his confidant and was always kind,considerate and patient with him. Whenever the ! man faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The man's 1st lover was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and land. However, he did not love the first lover. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the man fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four lovers with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'

Thus, he asked the 4th lover 'I loved you the most, endowed you with! the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!' replied the 4th lover, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad man then asked the 3rd lover, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No!' replied the 3rd lover. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!'

His heart sank and turned cold..

He then asked the 2nd lover, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.

When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!' replied the 2nd lover. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.' Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the man was devastated.

Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'

The man looked up, and there was his first lover. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the man said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'

In truth, we all have the 4 lovers in our lives:

Our 4th lover is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die..

Our 3rd lover is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd lover is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st lover is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go!.....

Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity!

*

Thoughts for the day:

Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees,
you're in the perfect position to pray.

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.
It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!

Don't Argue with an idiot.
They drag you down to their level & beat you with experience.

The best investment.

2009-03-26T09:00:00.002+08:00

The greatest investment you can make in your life, is in people.

Forms of investments are, finances, time and effort. What you will profit in this type of investment, it will be seeing yourself adding value to that person. The returns will definitely be more than 10 times higher than what you first invested. You just made a difference, increasing the self esteem of the person, making the person feel confident about what he/she is about to do and putting value in him/her so that he/she can also do so to others!

While the financial crisis rages on, we see top investors like Warren Buffett feeling the heat, from being the richest man in the world, only to be overtaken by Bill Gates in a short span of months. Investments in the stock market, real estate, etc. may fail, but investments in the lives of others will never fail.

Hey, the next person that you see, it may be your best investment yet. Think about it. =)

-Billy

Love is a choice

2009-03-23T16:03:00.004+08:00

Hellos! I was thinking about Sunday's sermon and even though marriage is still not in near sight for one of us, love is present not just in marriages but in every relationship, including friendship! :)

I believe as long as we make a conscious effort, we will be people who make thoughtful requests, people who engage in respectful persuasion, and people who are not easily angered! Let us be nett givers so we are always be +ing ♥ units in the ♥ banks of our friends!

Plus! It's easy to be hurtful to someone you are too familiar with because you assume you know what is best for the person or assume he/she won't take it to heart. But assume = makes an ass out of u and me, so in everything make sure there is enthusiastic agreement among all parties! :)

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

1 Cor 13:4-8

cheerios, honeystars, & koko krunch

suatwei

Flowery Flowers

2009-03-20T19:47:00.007+08:00

Flowers! Thats right! I am going to introduce you to what I am currently doing~ I am attach to a company that deals with floral & landscape. They also specialize in wedding decorations. One unique thing about this company is that every product is different and unique.

Most of the saturdays I will be out of the office doing some wedding decorations at different places. Like Singapore art musuem and Shangri-La hotel. I will help them tie up the flowers onto the chair, put the flowers in the middle of each banquet table and do the quality assurance.

Flowers do have their different meanings to it. Some couples are very romantic and tend to make their wedding theme revolving around red roses. Some are more wild, using exotic colours like, orange and yellow. Flowers do play an important part in a wedding. Imagine a banquet hall or solemnization place without any flower. The atmostphere won't be good, whats more the flowers act as a natural scent to the place.

Flowers do meant alot to a girl and flowers often do spread a special message across to the other party, when something is hard to say it out from the mouth. Today there is a case, this guy actually spends $1000 to decorate the place and have a surprise proposal to the girl. Just to hear the girl say "I do. " This is quite romantic!

Below is the picture of Amara Sanctuary @ Sentosa, Solemnizaion.

ps. This picture you can copy but for your own use don't distribute it or host it again =X Thanks.

If you all got time, you can post anything here, it musn't be something related to church stuffs. Feel free to write anything, about yourself, what you are doing, testimonies and etc.

Cheers,
Mich

The equation that adds up to 50.

2009-03-16T10:47:00.002+08:00

Hello all! Michelle really did a good job on this blog, not to mention Meng Wei's effort on the N194 Facebook group.

I am sure most of us are blessed by what Pastor Paul shared last Sunday. While I was listening to the message, arguing with Chenbing if Pastor mentioned 50 Revolution or 15 Revolution, it came to me that we should not just spend 15 or 50 minutes, but every moment we interact with people!

Just this morning, I was reading Pastor Kong's blog on how he stated that we should have creativity and confidence during this recession period. Read more at, www.konghee.com/blog

Consolidating 15 Revolution with Pastor Kong's notes, it may be very well a good plan that adds to 50 in our cell group.

15 Minutes of love + 20 minutes of confidence while praying + 15 creative ways to enter = 50 Members!

Lets say, 20 individuals target 1 person each within their social circle, we may as well prepare to praise God for that.

Remember guys!

Love mixed with a bottle of confidence jumble up with sparks of creativity will definitely create a bang!

Much loveeee,
Billy

2009-03-12T21:01:00.000+08:00

Hi N194ians!

Hope you really like this blog. Let this be one of the portal of communication in our busy life and to catch up with one and another. Showing your care and concern, more in depth topics to chat about when we fellowship. If you have any prayer needs, do leave your tag at the prayer request page.

Do provide me your blog page if you want to be link and let the members see your page. =)

Cheers,
Mich