GOD"S PLAN FOR OUR CHURCH

Shalom All,

Greetings in the Lord!

But you are near, O LORD and all your commands are true - Psalm 119 verse 151. 

I believe that one of the areas in which God is calling us the Church  to do today is to set our hearts firmly and finally in the right direction, that is, to get  ever closer or nearer to Him! Friend, I believe God desires to share an intimate relationship with you and He will go to any length to attain that closeness with you! However, there is a barrier called sin that separates us from Him. He must deal with this! For you must understand that God cannot and will not tolerate sin! That’s why He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross! He who is sinless suffers and bears your sins so that you and I will be made righteous before GOD.

Towards New Year Eve, my Notebook failed me and so I could not type my reports nor do any work on it. However, I want to give thanks to God that some big hearted brothers and sisters came to my aid with some funds for me to buy a new Notebook. 

On 26 December 2013, I sent out a video clip on Jenny’s testimony. Currently, her health is still weak due to radium treatment and she lacks hormone in her body. She will see her doctor again this coming mid February 2014. The radium treatment weakens her physically and she often feels cold. With the weather in Bangkok getting colder, she feels the cold more than ever before. 

As most of you who follow the daily news are aware, the political tensions in Bangkok and even the south of Thailand are not getting better and now a state of emergency has been declared. The curfew imposed on Bangkok and surrounding provinces. Our area is not affected, however, even though it is quite close to the protest area, 5km - 6km away. Do continue to pray for sobriety and reconciliation to return to Thailand again. 

It is difficult for us to do God's work without a car. Thank God for a Christian brother who helped us with a down payment to purchase a new pick-up truck, Mazda BT-50 Pro 2.2 Hi-Racer. We took up a hire purchase for 6 years, servicing the loan at THB 8,091 (RM 890/US 275) per month. 

In January 2014, we have so far received less than half in mission contribution compared with the same period last year 2013. In 2013, we received THB 25,000 - 35,000 (RM 2,740 - RM 3,840/USD 847 - USD 1,186) per month. We decided to transfer from Jenny’s medical fund of THB 64,206 (RM7,055/USD 2,176) for use by the Church after getting the approval from the majority contributors on 9 January 2014. You can read this in our financial report. 

In my previous report, I have hoped to offer some help to the Christian refugees in our Church. However, it is not easy to raise funds to help them. So instead, I tried to find a way to start a handicraft project to support them. The refugees will make the handicrafts and we will help to sell  for them. A cell group from Malaysia will help start the handicraft project and buy some of the handicrafts for sale in Malaysia. This is one way to help the refugees. We would appreciate any support you can give to make this project viable. Share each other’s burdens, in this way we obey the law of Christ - Galatians 6 verse 2.

The slideshow shows our Church activities between December 2013 till January 2014 with the captions.

On the 5 January 2014, I was appointed Church Pastor of Basketball Mission Church in Bueng Kum District, Bangkok by their Church committee. The Church is growing rapidly and is almost always full worshippers are mostly Thai. 

Two independent Churches (Minburi, Bangkok and Nakhon Luang, Ayutthuya) are affiliated with our Church since December 2013. 

Let me close with a quote from Mathew 28 verses 18 - 20. “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” 

Blessings,

Rev. Steve Peter H S Kok