KANGAROO COURT IN CALVARY CHURCH?

(Revised 3 March 2009 with Addendum)



CT is aghast and shocked as events unfolded this morning at Damansara Perdana. The way our former long-serving deacon, Dr. Lum was treated by a so-called “Independent” Panel of Inquiry is something we might read about in some draconian government or some communist country of yester-year.



At 9.30am today, Dr Lum together with his witnesses went to Damansara Perdana to attend an Inquiry supposedly formed by the Board of Deacons (BOD). Two out of his proposed list of 10 witnesses were barred from entering the church premises, for reasons best known to the Panel Chairman, Dato Nelson. The 2 persons barred were proposed by Dr Lum a few days earlier in writing to Dato Nelson, to be present for the purpose of observing the proceedings and to verify the authenticity of the final minutes of the Inquiry.



When the Inquiry was about to begin, only Dr Lum was allowed into the Inquiry room. None of his witnesses were allowed to accompany him despite Dr Lum, having written to Dato Nelson yesterday for one witness to assist him, as he, being a medical doctor, is not well-versed in inquiry procedures and proceedings.



A stand-off ensued and Pastor Steven was asked by Dr Lum and his witnesses to mediate and come to an understanding of the terms of reference and some agreed ground rules for the Inquiry. The mediation was necessary because Dato Nelson refused to meet Dr Lum for a direct discussion on the procedures. Dr Lum and his witnesses also expressed their concern that based on the letters issued by the BOD to Dr Lum, they had already decided on his termination and that this Inquiry is merely for show.



Dr Lum proposed the following:-



1. That Dato Nelson discharge himself as Chairman due to questions on his independence and impartiality. The reasons for this are that at the last EGM, Dato Nelson strongly spoke up in support of SP and criticized the concerned members for “attacking” SP with questions and that Dato Nelson was instrumental in helping SP receive the “Datukship” title.



Dr Lum made it very clear that even if Dato Nelson refuses to discharge himself, he will be willing to attend the Inquiry.



2. That he, be assisted by Datuk KC, as he is not well-versed with inquiry procedures, his rights and will not be able to ask the right questions.



3. That if the Inquiry was video-taped, he wants a copy of it so that he can verify the final transcript of the minutes.



4. That he be accompanied by 2 witnesses to take notes and minutes of the proceedings.



5. That he be allowed to cross-examine any witness produced by the prosecutor and vice versa.



6. That if the above conditions are not met, he will be willing to subject himself to another panel with mutually agreed terms of reference or to an open hearing at an EGM.



Dato Nelson responded as follows:-



1. He will not discharge himself.



2. He does not agree to anyone assisting Dr Lum as this Inquiry is a fact-finding exercise.



3. The Inquiry will not be video-taped but audio-taped and Dr Lum will NOT be given a copy of the tape.



4. He will allow only one observer who cannot take notes or ask questions or advise Dr Lum.



5. He agreed to allow cross-examination of witnesses.



6. He reiterated there was no need to meet Dr Lum and his witnesses.



Dr Lum decided that in view of the above, he WILL NOT subject himself to such an Inquiry.



Dr Lum and his witnesses left thereafter and Dato Nelson proceeded with the Inquiry without Dr Lum’s presence.



It is left to be seen if this will become the first kangaroo court in Malaysian church history. We hope it will not be.



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ADDENDUM – Sequence of events leading to the Inquiry



Many readers are puzzled about what actually happened during the time between Dr Lum’s resignation from the Board of Deacons in November 2008 and the latest Inquiry saga at Damansara Perdana last Saturday.



After Dr Lum’s resignation from the Board of Deacons on 22 November and his subsequent revelations of the wrong-doings in our Church and the misuse of power and church funds in an interview on CT, the BOD set out on a vindictive effort to “crucify” him. Below is the sequence of events relating to his “termination” as a church member and the setting up of an Independent Inquiry chaired by a close long-time friend of SP, Dato Nelson, whose integrity and independence are in question.



20 December 2008 – BOD Notice



BOD put up a Notice on the notice boards at all our church premises to inform the members and worshippers of the erroneous statements and misrepresentations made by Dr Lum in his interview with CT. The Notice mentioned and attempted to clarify 5 issues out of the 23 issues highlighted by Dr Lum.



27 December 2008 - 1st BOD Letter



BOD decided that the season of love was a good time to serve a letter of termination of church membership on Dr Lum. When everyone was still in Christmas mood, Dr Lum received a Christmas gift he never expected from his long-time peers in the Board.



The letter alleged that he has caused erroneous statements and misrepresentations to be published in the public domain and that it has caused confusion, strife and division in the church. They deemed his action as unscriptural and has (quote) “decided to remove his name from the Church Membership Roll” (unquote). In the next paragraph, they stated that they will give him an opportunity to be restored to the fellowship. To do so, he was to call the Church Secretary to meet the BOD.



5 January 2009 – 1st DL Letter



Dr Lum wrote to the BOD to express the disappointment, despair and confusion their letter had caused him and his family and to seek their explanation on the purported erroneous statements and misrepresentations. Dr Lum also asked for their confirmation on the status of his membership due to the ambiguity of the first letter.



12 January 2009 – 2nd BOD Letter



BOD responded that under the Church Constitution, they had the right to discipline members who walk disorderly, departed from the Tenets of Faith and are unrepentant of unscriptural conduct but before they do so, they will give Dr Lum an opportunity to be restored to the Fellowship. Their letter mentioned that an independent body will be set up to hear his explanation and to make recommendation to the BOD whether his actions constituted unscriptural conduct which warrant his removal from the Church Membership Roll.



20 January 2009 – 2nd DL Letter



Dr Lum wrote to the BOD to inquire on the Independent Body and its composition and more importantly, to seek their clarification of the purported erroneous statements and misrepresentations made by him and the actual status on his Church membership.



23 January 2009 – 3rd BOD Letter



BOD Secretary replied to say that they will revert to Dr Lum after their BOD meets to discuss his letter.



3 February 2009 – 4th BOD Letter



The BOD responded that further particulars in respect of the erroneous statements and misrepresentations will be provided in due course. They clarified that the members of the independent body will be appointed from the members of the Church and that they will inform Dr Lum who the members of the independent shall be in due course.



17 February 2009 – Nelson Letter



Dato Nelson wrote to Dr Lum under the Church letterhead that the BOD has constituted an independent inquiry to determine whether the actions by Dr Lum in causing to be published certain matters concerning Calvary Church which had the effect of causing confusion, strife and division in Calvary Church, amounted to unscriptural conduct.



The letter identified Dato Nelson himself as the Chairman with Bro Puan Chen Keck and Sis Peggy Low as the other panel members.



The letter stated that the unscriptural conduct was in regard to statements by Dr Lum in respect of 9 items (copied and pasted from the interview on CT).



23 February 2009 – 3rd DL Letter



Dr Lum wrote to Dato Nelson to express his disappointment that the BOD did not have the courtesy to inform him as to who the Panel of Inquiry members are, despite their assurance that they will do so in their letter dated 3 February 2009.



Dr Lum commented that Dato Nelson’s letter dated 17 February 2009 is technically wrong as Dato Nelson, by signing the letter himself (and not signed by the BOD) has appointed himself and his own panel.



Dr Lum expressed that he is terribly confused by the series of ambiguous letters from the BOD, all of which, exhibits much confusion, inconsistency and incongruity. Therefore, he does not even know if the purpose of the Inquiry is to restore him back to the Church Fellowship or to decide on whether to terminate him. The BOD's continual use of the word "restore" implies that he has already been sacked as a member.



Dr Lum stated his stand that Dato Nelson is disqualified to be a member of the panel as his impartiality and independence are in question, the reasons being that at the recent EGM, Dato Nelson spoke strongly in support of the Senior Pastor and he was instrumental in helping the Senior Pastor receive the ‘Datukship’ title.



Dr Lum provided the list of his 8 witnesses (Dr Nah, Datuk KC, Bro Sam Ho, Bro Hong Meng, Bro Raymond Cheeng, Bro Teng, Bro Siew Chyuan and Bro Adrian Lee), 2 observers/witnesses (Bro Cheam and Bro Alan Chan) and requested for the presence of 13 other witnesses (SP Prince Guneratnam, Pas Steven, Sis Bernadette, Bro Patrick Wong, Sis Pam Guneratnam, Pas Chris, Sis Jo Tay, Pas Adeline Koh, Bro Stephen Liu, Bro Edward Rajasingam, Bro Han, Bro Philip Tan and Pas Peter).



Dr Lum also expressed his opinion that the Panel of Inquiry should include representatives from the AG General Council and that the Inquiry should be recorded, with a copy of the recording given to him.



27 February 2009 – 4th DL Letter



Dr Lum wrote to Dato Nelson to state that he has not been informed as to whether the BOD is producing any witnesses for the inquiry and to furnish him the names of the witnesses (if any) by that night. Dr Lum also clarified that being a medical doctor, he is unfamiliar with inquiry procedures and therefore, he will be bringing Datuk KC Lim to assist him.



28 February 2009



Inquiry at Damansara Perdana.



CT Note:



Out of the 5 issues mentioned in the BOD Notice, 3 issues were re-stated in the Nelson letter with 6 new issues added in. One can only presume that the other 2 issues in the BOD Notice are no longer deemed to have caused confusion, strife and division in the Church and/or both issues are the truth. In total, out of the 23 issues highlighted in the interview on CT, only 9 issues are stated in the Nelson letter. The remaining 14 issues were not mentioned. One can only presume that the BOD are unable to dispute the truth of these 14 issues. CT shares the views of Dr Lum that all the 23 issues ought to be brought out for the Inquiry instead of just 9 selected issues.



It is interesting to note that 2 of the most important witnesses that Dr Lum requested for, namely SP Prince Guneratnam and Sis Pam Guneratnam did not show up on Saturday. Their testimonies under oath and before men and God, would have been most crucial and interesting. Alas, the truth may never be known.



The choice of Dato Nelson as Chairman of the Independent Panel of Inquiry is the silliest decision, the BOD and SP (as Chairman of the BOD) can make. Almost every long-time member of Calvary Church knows that Dato Nelson is a good buddy of SP. Every member present in the last EGM heard Dato Nelson spoke up strongly in support of SP. He also criticised the concerned members for questioning SP. The BOD knows that Dato Nelson was instrumental in helping SP receive his Datukship title. Lastly (and surprisingly), many members know that Dato Nelson is an avid 3D/4D lottery punter.



Appointing such a person with questionable impartiality and independence (and with debatable or unscriptural conduct), to chair an Independent Inquiry to determine whether Dr Lum who is a highly respected, long-serving deacon and who recently graduated with a Masters in Divinity, is guilty of unscriptural conduct is a joke, to say the least.







Dr Lum and his witnesses praying

before going in for the Inquiry.

This certainly does not look like

a mob which the alternate blog

anticipated.

What's in the Audit Report on CIM?

What exactly is in the audit report on CIM prepared by the auditor, Ferrier Hodgson for the last EGM?

All that was explained to the members was that there were no impropriety in the CIM accounts. Any auditor will also arrive at that finding because CIM is a personal ministry of PG. A personal ministry is exactly that - personal. All entrepreneurs or sole proprietors of businesses can also tell you that their auditors will not question their personal usage of funds because the business belongs to them personally. It is their tax agent who takes the audited accounts and re-compute the figures for tax submission purposes. In this process, personal expenses are excluded from the accounts because non-business related expenses are not tax deductible. This aspect, however, will not be seen in the case of CIM as it proclaims to be non-profit or religious in nature and therefore, not subject to tax. (The recent de-registration of CIM as a member of NECF may have implications on its tax-free status).

So what Ferrier Hodgson said is not surprising. There can not be anything improper in the accounts of CIM in the eyes of an auditor because it is a personal ministry account. When the four members saw the CIM accounts on 21 June 2008 (read the 5th Update posted in this blog), their main concern was on the unauthorized transfer of funds from our Church Missions Fund to CIM and CARED. Their concern arose from the fact that this was a situation of a conflict of interest because PG is the Senior Pastor of the Church, the Head of the Missions Committee, the Chairman of the Board of Deacons and the Founder, Permanent Director and President of CIM and CARED. To top it all, none of the transfer of funds over the years was made known to the members of the Church, much less, approved by them, which should be the case in view of the amounts involved and the conflict of interest.

But was Ferrier Hodgson given the material facts and asked to check on the fund transfers and the Church/Missions accounts? No one knows what was the scope given to the said auditors. Auditors can only audit and give an opinion based on the scope given to them. From the clarifications by Ferrier Hodgson at the EGM, it would appear that they have been commissioned to just conduct an audit into CIM. Although no fault of theirs, are they not barking at the wrong tree?

To recap, below is the summary of accounts of CIM/CARED:-

It is to be noted that subsequently, after the EGM, CARED together with the balance cash was transferred back to the Church as an extended ministry. In late November 2008, PG announced that the balance cash in CIM will also be returned (he used a softer word "released" in some services) to the Church. This event took place soon after CIM was de-registered from the membership roll of NECF. We believe the bank, where CIM's account was kept and which got wind of the status of CIM, had some influence on the sudden change of heart by PG not to hold on to the funds, which he was adamant about keeping, all the while. (Read the post on 4 December 2008).

Now why is this CIM matter being brought out again?

After the EGM, Sister Liza, on 29 August 2008, wrote to the deacons for a copy of Ferrier Hodgson’s report. The deacons promptly rejected her request. Another Calvarite (Joe) wrote in to see the report and was asked to refer to the Missions Director. We cannot comment if that member got to see the report or was it followed through.

Disappointed, Sister Liza together with Bro KC and Bro Francis, engaged a legal firm of another Calvarite to officially request for a copy of the auditor’s report as well as the lawyer, KK Wong’s report on 6 November 2008.

The deacons replied on 13 November 2008 that “the CIM Board has consented to allow CIM information contained in the Reports to be viewed by Calvary Church members” and that the 3 members can make arrangements to view the Reports at Calvary Church’s premises. The letter went on to say that the Reports are highly confidential and before the 3 members can view the Reports, they “shall provide a written undertaking to the BOD that your clients (the 3 members) shall not disclose the Reports to any third party or the public”. The deacons did not clarify if “any third party” includes fellow church members.

We wonder who paid the auditors' fees - CIM or Calvary Church? If Calvary Church had paid for the auditor’s report and KK Wong has waived his fees for his report, should not all members be given free access to both reports? In fact, should not the reports be printed and given to the members as only summaries of the reports were verbally given to the members at the EGM?

For the record, the 3 members has not gotten to view the reports as they were not agreeable to sign the undertaking to keep quiet. They do not wish to be a party to hiding facts or the real truth of the matter, if indeed there were areas of concern in the reports.

The question that still bugs us is, why there is a need for any member to sign a “gag” undertaking, before being allowed to view the reports? Why can’t PG and the deacons be transparent?

WHAT IS THERE TO HIDE??

CALVARY TODAY HITS 100,000

Calvary Today has surpassed the 100,000 hits on its blog pages this morning. For this we have to give our awesome God all the Glory and Honour for indeed He has guided us and given us wisdom since CT's inception to reach where CT is today. "For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourself fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

It has been an amazing run since CT's birth less than 5 months ago. When CT was prayerfully and officially launched on 6 September 2008 in the "Upper Room" in the presence of 40-odd Calvary Church members, little did any one present then, imagined that this humble blog will be read, not only by Calvary Church members but the Christian community within and without Malaysia.

As many of you know, CT was actually born out of necessity. Prior to the start-up of CT by the core TTG members, the church members were kept informed of the developments in church via emails. As the mailing list swelled over time, it became tedious and time consuming to dispatch information through email. This is because the emails have to be sent out in small numbers to avoid ending up in spam folders, commonly featured in email programmes. The idea of a blog was the result of much brain-storming, debates and prayers among the core TTG members. "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a sheild to those whose walk is blameless, and He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones." (Proverbs 2:6-8)

Whilst we are aware that the identity and credibility of the people behind any blog is of utmost importance, this was not an area of concern in the case of CT. Many, if not all, of its readers from Calvary Church know who the core TTG members are. Even the pastors and deacons know who they are. They were the ones who spoke out in AGMs and EGMs, the ones who wrote to the pastors and deacons, the ones who held discussions with the deacons and the ones who penned most of the posts (not comments) on this blog. Contrary to CT’s critics, the people behind CT are not unidentified dubious characters but long-serving Church leaders, teachers, professionals and people of standing in the corporate world and above all, people who have nothing personal to gain from all this.

The CT blog has also evolved from a simple amateurish blog in its early days into a seemingly professional website today, all without any professional help. For this, the group gives all glory to God for He has made this possible despite the fact that none of the group members are real IT savvy people.

CT is here to stay and will continue until such time God tells the core TTG group to stop. When the online debates heated up feverishly in mid-December with the publishing of the 2-part interview with Dr Lum, the group started on plans to cool things down to prepare for a peaceful Christmas, followed by a prayerful January.

However, things do not always turn out the way we plan. Thanks, largely to Why So Long and Charles who both came out with their own copycat blogs, CT’s hits counter went ‘red-hot’. All non-followers of CT, who logged into Why So Long and Charles’ blogs, also went into CT to read for themselves “the other side of the story”. This resulted in one of the highest hit rates ever recorded in the 5-month history of CT.

When the two copycat blogs were being publicized via emails, many Calvarites voiced their concerns to the core TTG members regarding the real intentions of the said two individuals, who hitherto, still remains unidentified but who proclaims to advocate transparency! Concerns were whether these individuals were indeed Calvarites or outsiders trying to split our church or some religious guys with sinister motives or merely just a couple of retirees with too much time on their hands. Of course, there were also much talk that they are a pair of siblings working for the church.

Anyway, it does not matter for our God is Great! He certainly knows how to turn a ‘concerned’ situation around for His children. Like PG has preached before, the King has one more move. And so, our hit counter continues to turn.

So has CT achieved its purpose? We leave it to you to decide. But it has certainly played a role in bringing RM1.1m in CIM and another RM0.4m in CARED back to the Missions Fund. It has helped many Calvarites become better stewards of God’s financial blessings and many in the missions field and many poor and needy have been blessed by the generosity of Calvarites who have taken up the temporary role of being their own Missions Directors.

It has awaken many up and coming pastors out there and their deacons as well that they need to keep guard of their own spiritual lives and be transparent in all they do. As someone said, Calvary Church has become a fountainhead church of sorts in that what has happened in Calvary Church, is a lesson to all pastors to be righteous and upright in the area of transparency and governance in their own churches and lives. It is also a reminder to men and women who are elected by church members to represent them that they must execute their duties with integrity, always endeavouring to fear God and not fear the men of God.

For those of you who are wondering where all these is leading to or when this madness is going to end, we want to say that God is in control of the situation in our church. He sees all your hurts and your pain, He will put right where there is wrong, He will restore and heal our church. And His name will be glorified! Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us that “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under Heaven”. Romans 8.28 tells us that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”.

For the rest of you who are concerned about the current "quietness" and seeming inactivity on the part of the TTG group, be assured that the group has not abandoned the cause. Several prophecies have been given to the group to "take up the role of Mary and abandon the role of Martha". The Lord has assured the group that this is His battle and we are now to allow Him to take control of the situation for the time being. This is so that when this whole saga is over, all glory and honour goes to God and to no one else.

So, let us just be still and know that He is God! :)

The TTG Group

Be Still and Know...

Happy New Year to all our Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

We have been seeking God for His wisdom and guidance for the past few weeks leading to Christmas and New Year. The Lord has been good and He has been so faithful to us individually.

As we all contemplated and reflected on 2008, we cannot help but be amazed at what our God has done for us and through us in so many ways. We were led to start off the year as a team, with praising and worshipping God for His goodness and mercy upon us throughout 2008. "God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation...Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world." (Isaiah 12:2-5)

God is so merciful and loving to all of us. He has spoken to us individually and confirmed His Word to us, through different prayer warriors. He is coming soon and He is more interested in us preparing ourselves as individuals to meet with Him. God has allowed our beloved church to experience this unplesant saga as a wake up call to all of us as individual Christians, to seek God with all our hearts, look to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, and to depend on the Holy Spirit's leading and direction for our own lives.

We have sought the Lord and cried out to Him for the past few months, like Jehoshaphat who prayed, "O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (2 Chronicles 20:12) The Lord's answer to us is, "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's". (2 Chronicles 10:15)

In obedience to Him, we have decided to set aside ONE WEEK OF FASTING AND PRAYER to seek to know God more, to love others more through the love that Jesus Christ has first shown us and to be sentitive to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives individually as Christians. So we shall begin our week of fast, on SUNDAY, 11 JANUARY 2009 till 17 JANUARY 2009.

We have put together a simple guide to help us in preparing ourselves to fast and pray.


WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FAST & PRAY?

1. To fast is to abstain from certain foods and/or drinks for a specific period of time.

2. Fasting is a tool by which we humble ourselves before God, by subjugating the flesh's will to the spirit's will in reverence to God.

3. Having a dedicated time of prayer and fasting is not a way of manipulating God into doing what we desire. Rather, it is simply dedicating ourselves to focus and rely on God for the strength, provision, and wisdom we need.


WHY DO WE FAST & PRAY?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk…” (Isaiah 58:6-9)This passage of scripture tells us that we fast to seek the Lord;
1. To loosen the chains of injustice,
2. To undo the strings that tie us to heavy burdens,
3. To let the oppressed go free,
4. To break every bondage,
5. To receive a heart of compassion for the poor and needy,
6. To bring about healing
7. To restore family relationships.


WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT FASTING?

1. Jesus demonstrated the importance of fasting when he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness prior to facing the devil in temptation. “After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:2)
2. He warned us against the abuse of fasting. “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:16)
3. He gave us instructions regarding proper fasting. “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6: 17-18)

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FAST?
1. A Regular Fast - means refraining from eating all food. Most people still drink water or juice during a regular fast. When Jesus fasted in the desert, the Bible says, "After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." (Matthew 4:2) This verse does not mention Jesus being thirsty.

2. A Partial Fast - refers to omitting a specific meal from your diet or refraining from certain types of foods. Daniel 10:2-3 says, "At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over." In Daniel 1:12, they restricted their diet to vegetables and water: "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink."
3. A Full Fast - usually means no food and no drink. Acts 9:9 describes when Paul went on a full fast for three days following his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus: "For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything."

Esther also called for this type of fast in Esther 4:15-16: "Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'" It is recommended that this type of fast be done with extreme caution and not for extended periods of time.

4. An Activity Fast - Although not mentioned in the Bible, Christians today commit to fasting from other activities as well, such as TV or movies, playing games or surfing on the computer to concentrate on prayer.


HOW TO START FASTING – WHERE DO I BEGIN?
1. Begin by preparing our mind, heart, spirit, and body. It is important to have a clear purpose for fasting and what we hope to gain from our fast.

2. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to reveal the motives of our heart, any unconfessed sin, and areas in our life that He desires to change.

3. To prepare our spirit for our fast, draw close to God through prayer and worship. Let God reveal Himself to us. The key to any spiritual preparation is intimacy with Jesus. John 15:7 says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
4. Planning ahead to prepare our body for the fast. A few days before we start, get our body ready by reducing our food intake, eating raw fruits and vegetables, and avoiding foods high in sugar and fat.

5. Decide on the type of fast and the duration of the fast we will be doing. This will help us to adjust our activities to ensure that we will persevere through the fast.

6. Always remember, fasting is about focusing on Jesus, not about abstaining from food.


WHAT ARE WE TO PRAY FOR?
A. God's Sovereign Power & Rule over Calvary Church
1. That truth be revealed and established and all deceit, lies and deceptions to be bound in Jesus' Name.
2. To loose and release the spirit of Truth and Righteousness in the Church.
3. That only Jesus be lifted up in our midst, not anyone else.
4. That God's will be done in our church on earth as it is in heaven.

B. God's Control Over the all Church Services.1. Pray for the presence and control of the Holy Spirit over the Church services.
2. That all believers will behave rightly and righteously reflecting Jesus in each of our lives and submitting ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit.

C. God's Restoration for Calvary Church
1. That God will restore and revive Calvary Church to fulfill what God has planned for us.
2. God has called us to humble ourselves before Him - to confess our sins, to repent, and ask for forgiveness from God and seek restoration for ourselves individually and collectively as a Body.
3. That God will convict our hearts to pursue our first love for God again.
4. To cleanse us from all our sins: pride, anger, bitterness, covetousness, self-righteousness, deception, lying spirit, blindness and vengeance.
5. Instead we are to ask God for a pure heart, desire for the truth, honesty, integrity, accountability, love, humility, servanthood, sacrifice, gentleness and godliness.
6. Reconciliation of members in the spirit of truth, honesty, forgiveness and love in Christ again.
7. That once again all His people whether Pastors, Deacons, leaders and members alike, young and old can grow together and to worship with one voice and in unity and harmony again.

As we humbly come before His throne of grace in prayer during this time of need we believe our Heavenly Father, will answer our prayers so that we can once again arise and do the Lord's bidding. Yes, let us unite our hearts and commit ourselves to pray in different times for the items as listed above. You may have more items which the Lord may lay upon your hearts. Most importantly, let us all pray that 2009 will be a year where we all will have a desire to know God more intimately, the follow after Jesus more faithfully and to be attentive the Holy Spirit's guidance more closely.

Our God is Good!


The notes above have been compiled from materials taken from the book, "Fasting and Prayer" by Jean Lim and from http://www.allaboutprayer.org/ and http://www.thecarpentershouse.com/

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ANNOUNCEMENT ON COMMENTS

The recent spate of irresponsible blogging by a few new anonymous visitors has caused much concern to our regular blog readers. The malicious and condemning remarks of these new visitors have irked both TTG and PG supporters. CT has, since, deleted some of the inappropriate comments. As this coming week has been set aside for a time of prayer and fasting, CT has decided to disable the "comments" option for all the previous posts. Only prayers, testimonies and scriptures will be allowed to be posted under the latest post. Any other comments during this coming week will be deleted.