First of all, I apologize to all that I have to keep you all waiting for this post.
Praise God both seminars were successfully conducted in November 2007:
1. Calvin 2: Knowledge of Christ the Redeemer
2. Praise and Worship Revisited
Our sister Pei YI has written summaries for the two seminars. Download here:
Seminars Summary . Read and give us your feedbacks.
To see the photos, see:
Calvin 2 photos
Praise and Worship photos (new!)
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Seminars in November
We will be holding two seminars in the month of November:
1. Praise and Worship revisited
Date: 8th November (Public Holiday)- Full Day
2. The Calvin' Institues Series: Knowledge of Christ the Redeemer
Date: 6-10 th November.
Attend both and get a special discount!
Click on the image below and download the registration form.
1. Praise and Worship revisited
Date: 8th November (Public Holiday)- Full Day
2. The Calvin' Institues Series: Knowledge of Christ the Redeemer
Date: 6-10 th November.
Attend both and get a special discount!
Click on the image below and download the registration form.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Gay Movement in Malaysia - What should be our response?
The popular Christian same sex marriage activist, Ao Yang Wen Feng is currently back in Malaysia and travelling around various cities in the country with one message: Walk out from the closet; admit if you are homosexual; and the more people walk out and speak, the more acceptance of homosexuality will be received.
This has cause different kind of reactions among the churches in Malaysia. Emails and SMS are being forwarded to hail Christians to do something to stop his activities by petitions, phone calls, etc. Before all of us over react, let's take some time to ponder: What should our reactions be? How can we learn from Christ who came to look "for sinners and not the righteous ones".
Before we start throwing stones at them, should we not ask ourselves 'which among us has no sin'?
I am posting a response by a brother in Christ asking for a more compassionate approach of "extending grace and hope" and driven by "love", instead of "fear".
I read your mail forwarded to me by one of my friend. Firstly, I can understand your passion and upset of what is happening around Ao Yang, using christianity and his title as Reverand, to advance his gay-right activist campaign.He was here last Saturday in Penang, and I was there.
But, I am concern of your reaction to this whole issue.The main reason of gay-right activist is the outburst reaction to the un-compassionate, self-righteous, and one-sided criticism and condemnation, without offering reason and grace to homosexuals, in the pass. Many good Christians, who are homosexual oriented, live constantly,daily, in pain and guilt.
I observe the stages in the change of mind in them as follows:
1. Curious and fear of their tendency.
2. Deep sense of guilt.
3. Loneliness and isolation.
4. Doubt and anger to God creep in.
In the lowest point, they will find way to ease their pain by reasoning that:
1. I was born this way. Maybe it is God's will.
2. God loves me just as I am, so homosexual should be acceptable to God.
3. It is fine to live as a homosexual partnerships.
4. All other un-reasonable reasoning follows.
Ao Yang is right in certain aspect.
The redicule, condemnation of homosexual as the GREATEST SIN, persecution, despise,is unjustice, and in itself a sin. Ao Yang has to use Christianity. Because other than Christianity, it is difficult to build the dignity and intrinsic value of man.
Therefore, my approach and my suggestion to church, is extent love and grace to them, PARTICULARLYto homosexual Christians who living in guilt, fear and loneliness. I believe how we relate to them is determine by what stage of struggle they are in.
For the activist like Ao Yang, it is intellectual argument and debate (in gentleness). For those mind have not yet been changed to accept homosexual marriage as right, they need compassion, love, and counselling.
Redicule and condemn will only accelerate the process of becoming another Ao Yang. As a church of Christ,we need to learn from Christ how to love and be with sinners and tax collectors without condon to their thinking and behavior.
We need to give people like Ao Yang another option: Walk out from the closet to accept the love and grace of God, through support and warm fellowshipin the church, while admitting that homosexuality is the tragic consequence of the Fall, just like any other sin. By God's grace and Christ redeeming power, we struggle together in the road of holiness, both homosexualand heterosexual.
It is no point making effort to stop him from speaking. It is impossible. It is no point to curse him and swear at him. It will lead to no where and giving the wrong impression that Christians are incompetent to defence their moral law.
Apologia, as we have learned, is speaking the truth in love, for in love, there is no FEAR.
This has cause different kind of reactions among the churches in Malaysia. Emails and SMS are being forwarded to hail Christians to do something to stop his activities by petitions, phone calls, etc. Before all of us over react, let's take some time to ponder: What should our reactions be? How can we learn from Christ who came to look "for sinners and not the righteous ones".
Before we start throwing stones at them, should we not ask ourselves 'which among us has no sin'?
I am posting a response by a brother in Christ asking for a more compassionate approach of "extending grace and hope" and driven by "love", instead of "fear".
I read your mail forwarded to me by one of my friend. Firstly, I can understand your passion and upset of what is happening around Ao Yang, using christianity and his title as Reverand, to advance his gay-right activist campaign.He was here last Saturday in Penang, and I was there.
But, I am concern of your reaction to this whole issue.The main reason of gay-right activist is the outburst reaction to the un-compassionate, self-righteous, and one-sided criticism and condemnation, without offering reason and grace to homosexuals, in the pass. Many good Christians, who are homosexual oriented, live constantly,daily, in pain and guilt.
I observe the stages in the change of mind in them as follows:
1. Curious and fear of their tendency.
2. Deep sense of guilt.
3. Loneliness and isolation.
4. Doubt and anger to God creep in.
In the lowest point, they will find way to ease their pain by reasoning that:
1. I was born this way. Maybe it is God's will.
2. God loves me just as I am, so homosexual should be acceptable to God.
3. It is fine to live as a homosexual partnerships.
4. All other un-reasonable reasoning follows.
Ao Yang is right in certain aspect.
The redicule, condemnation of homosexual as the GREATEST SIN, persecution, despise,is unjustice, and in itself a sin. Ao Yang has to use Christianity. Because other than Christianity, it is difficult to build the dignity and intrinsic value of man.
Therefore, my approach and my suggestion to church, is extent love and grace to them, PARTICULARLYto homosexual Christians who living in guilt, fear and loneliness. I believe how we relate to them is determine by what stage of struggle they are in.
For the activist like Ao Yang, it is intellectual argument and debate (in gentleness). For those mind have not yet been changed to accept homosexual marriage as right, they need compassion, love, and counselling.
Redicule and condemn will only accelerate the process of becoming another Ao Yang. As a church of Christ,we need to learn from Christ how to love and be with sinners and tax collectors without condon to their thinking and behavior.
We need to give people like Ao Yang another option: Walk out from the closet to accept the love and grace of God, through support and warm fellowshipin the church, while admitting that homosexuality is the tragic consequence of the Fall, just like any other sin. By God's grace and Christ redeeming power, we struggle together in the road of holiness, both homosexualand heterosexual.
It is no point making effort to stop him from speaking. It is impossible. It is no point to curse him and swear at him. It will lead to no where and giving the wrong impression that Christians are incompetent to defence their moral law.
Apologia, as we have learned, is speaking the truth in love, for in love, there is no FEAR.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Sola Scriptura Week in Penang
Right Path Penang will hold a series of seminar over a week from 27th August (Mon) to 1st September 2007 (Saturday).
The first seminar entitled 'God's Word in His Church' by Dr Samuel Ling will be from 27th to 29th August. It will be conducted in English, with Mandarin translation. Admission is free but prior registration is required.
The second seminar later that week (30th August to 1st September) will be 'Faith and Evidence' by Rev. Lai Zhunduo. It will be conducted in Mandarin and the registration fee is RM 10 per session.
For more information, see leaflet below. Register now!
The first seminar entitled 'God's Word in His Church' by Dr Samuel Ling will be from 27th to 29th August. It will be conducted in English, with Mandarin translation. Admission is free but prior registration is required.
The second seminar later that week (30th August to 1st September) will be 'Faith and Evidence' by Rev. Lai Zhunduo. It will be conducted in Mandarin and the registration fee is RM 10 per session.
For more information, see leaflet below. Register now!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Book Club on 2nd June 2007
Just a reminder to all of you that our book club will be held on this Saturday from 2pm to 6pm at KL Gospel Hall (Annex Hall).
The book for this week will be the Calvin's Institutes' lecture notes. Come and share what you have learned at the seminar! Don't just rely on memory, read the notes, digest and be ready.
For first time comers, if you just want to come and observe what our study group is all about, yes, you are also invited!
See you there!
The book for this week will be the Calvin's Institutes' lecture notes. Come and share what you have learned at the seminar! Don't just rely on memory, read the notes, digest and be ready.
For first time comers, if you just want to come and observe what our study group is all about, yes, you are also invited!
See you there!
Monday, May 21, 2007
'Calvin: Institutes of Christian Religion' by Dr Samuel Ling concludes
All praises and glory be to God. Our seminar on Calvin's Institues Part 1 has concluded successufully. We had around 55 participants this time.
Very broadly, the topics we have covered included:
Misconceptions on Calvin.
Doctrine of the Knowledge of God.
Doctrine of the Trinity
God’s work of Creation
Doctrine of Man
Doctrine of Providence.
Matching Hymns
The notes prepared by Dr Ling were important excerpts and selections from Part 1.1 to 1.18 of the Institutes with bilingual texts for cross references (the precious notes itself was already worth the fees!)
Much stress was placed on the misinterpretation of Neo-Orthodoxy on Calvin’s Institute. Against the claim that we cannot really know God, Dr Ling emphasized that the very fact that Calvin wrote the Institutes was to help believers know God through the Revealed Word. God has accommodated and revealed in human language so that we can really know Him. Although we could not know God ‘as He knows Himself’, we can concretely know what He has revealed. Through revelation, He has made Himself known. Calvin also said that we should not try to speculate on what God had not revealed. If we ask what God was doing before He created the world, we get the reply “He had been building hell for the curious”. 
On the topic of Trinity, Dr Ling brought us to revisit the basic terms such as ‘hypostasis’ in Greek and the problems of translation into Latin. Other terms discussed include essence, person, subsistence, etc. Different terms were used in church history to differentiate the doctrine from wrong teachings. Dr Ling believes that no analogy can fully describe the Trinity. Whenever we try, we are doom to failure in some sense. So his classic definition of the Trinity was: The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son and the Spirit is not the Son (and vice versa). And there is only one God (of course there were a lot more explanation made!). Dr Ling believes if we slowly think it over and over again, we will realize we can understand what the definition means even without an analogy.
In the Q&A session, Dr Ling answered many of our questions regarding Reformed theology including the ever popular topic on predestination. He corrected our misconception that Reformed Theology was all about election. He broadened our understanding on the doctrine, that rightfully predestination included all of God’s counsel encompassing all of creation. Denial of God’s control over everything would only leave us the option that everything that happens in this world is due to pure randomness and chance.
Of course there are lots more other things we have learned. Maybe I should save it to discuss in our upcoming study group (book club). Come and join us to share what you have learnt.
Dr Ling also selected some related hymns and led us to sing them (guess who’s the pianist?). To us, this is a demonstration and application that theology should not be ‘hard-headed and emotionless’. Instead, true theology should produce true religion (piety) and a heart bursting out in awe and worship.As usual, we had many books sold at the seminar. Rare and excellent books specially recommended by Dr Ling. A lot were snapped right away
as Dr Ling gave special discounts. Some of you even complained in the response form that there are not enough books! OK, we will try to prepare more next time. For those who didn’t come, you don’t know what you have missed.At the end of the seminar, even though tired and exhausted, all of us were reluctant to leave, or rather reluctant to let our beloved Pastor Ling leave us. But the good news is that he will be back again soon this November. Meanwhile, we better digest, revise and get prepared.
See and download all photos here:
http://groups.google.com/group/rightpathkl/web/calvins-institutes-seminar-photos
Monday, May 14, 2007
Seminar on 'Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion' by Dr Samuel Ling
Our favourite speaker Dr Samuel Ling is back!Last three days for registration. Act now!
Details
Date : 16 (Wed) to 19/5/07 (Sat)
Time : 8 - 10pm (Wed to Fri)
: 2-10pm (Sat)
Venue : KL Gospel Hall
Registration Fees: RM120 (handout included)
Don't miss the one and only opportunity this year!
Download the form from the address below. You can also download the Table of Contents for the 150 pages handout:
http://groups.google.com/group/rightpathkl
see you there.
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