A Place of Discovery

DESIRING GOD (Romans 8:15-16—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) Prayer is a universal phenomenon. Every religion and culture will have their own way of prayers. The survey in the US in 2004 said about 30% of Atheists prayed sometime and about 17% non-believers pray regularly. This shows the human longing to communicate with the divine. Some theologians called it “the incurable God-sickness.” St Augustine said, “We have made in us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in  you.” There is a longing in us to be in union with our Creator. In the past people will pray for help to adapt and overcome the forces of nature. People were helpless and seeking for higher power. Today, science has helped us to adapt and overcome the nature, and people are begin to look inward—to search for more self-consciousness and inner peace. Many Christians from the West turn to the Eastern Religions and go to the Ashrams (monasteries) in India for mediation and inner peace. Yet, what made Ch

CONVERSING PRAYER (Psalm 131, Matthew 6:5-13—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) Prayer is an integral part of our relationship with God. Our God is a relational God. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray by calling, “Our Father.” The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:15-16) gives us the longing to commune and communicate with God, the Father. We don’t need to wait until we are perfect or holier to come to God. First, come as who we are. With all our weaknesses and sins. With all our strengths and goodness. Comes with all our complexity the mixture of good and bad. Just like a little child, they don’t hide anything from their parents or care givers. We come as who we are with a simple trust: God, our Loving Father will always be available and accept us. Who else can I turn to, if not to my God? Just like a little child, we just utter what is in our hearts and minds. Second, Listening and Praying (Prayer and the Word) A child learn to speak from what he/she has been spoke to. A

LEARNING TO PRAY (Mark 9: 33-37; Matthew 7: 7-11—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) What is prayer to you and how is your prayer life? Some people learnt to pray through hard way—when they come to the end of their rope. They ask or beg God to perfect miracles. Sometimes God answers and we say prayer changes things. Sometimes God won’t just answer as what we ask, instead He uses prayers to change us. So don’t keep up a life of prayer unless we prepare to change. Pray with a Humble Heart:  First we need to come with a right heart, right attitude. Mark 9, Jesus reminds us to be like a child. The disciples are disputing who is the greatest. Jesus points them to a child to teach them a lesson of humility. Like a little child who admires and trust their Father. We need to have this sense of awe and reverence to God, our Father. We depend on Him and are in need of His mercy! We shouldn’t come with a demanding spirit. Instead, we need to be aware of all these wild ambitions and motives (our fl