Skip to main content

GBC Young Adults Retreat - Clash of the Two Kingdoms

We have been running this for a number of years but I am just as excited about this year's edition as I am for the previous years. Excited for the speakers we have lined up, excited for the topics we are going to be dealing with and excited that we get to spend a few days as a community together.

We hope that God will be glorified in this and that the Word will shape our lives as we come and examine it together.


Poster done by Kiyoko

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Post-YA Retreat 2017 Thoughts

So much happened but I figured I better jot a few things down to process and recollect at some point in time. Sermons quick summary: 1) Wen Pin preached from Isaiah 6. A new insight I gained from this text is the definition of what it means to have "unclean lips". Wen Pin expounded from the text that "unclean lips" could also refer to our silence. Unlike the Seraphim, we do not give God His honour or praise His holiness. 2) Second sermon, from Leviticus - about Nadab and Abihu. The sermon rightfully points out the folly of not approaching God on His terms. Holiness is also not the end point. We pursue holiness ultimately to draw near to God. 3) Third sermon, the contrast between false and true holiness. An insight I gained from this is what it means to have a "healthy eye". Having a healthy eye means gazing at the lamp, Jesus Christ. 4) Fourth sermon, Living as Holy People. I was struggling a bit with my energy levels with this last one. Still I e...

人日

Yesterday was 人日, the 7th day of Chinese New Year. According to Chinese customs, this was the day humans were created. In modern times it is common to see people greet everyone "Happy birthday" on 人日. But what exactly is 人? This is probably the first Chinese character that everyone learns. Scripture tells us: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Gen 1:27) This has tremendous implications. Man was taken from dust and given the breath of life. He or she bears the divine image of the God of the Universe. This simple verse means at least a few things for us: (1) Because humans are made in His image, everyone bears the image of God. This includes people we don't like, or don't get along with. It includes people from a different race. It includes the disabled whom the world considers valueless. It means we should treat everyone by remembering they are a fellow image bearer. (2) In our lives ho...

Lot, Noah, Shem, the Fall - how they all combine together

In this short writing, an attempt is made to show how the accounts of Noah, Shem, Lot, as well as the events after the Fall serve to powerfully combine to reveal the character of God in those who obey Him and those that do not.  The stories of Noah and Lot seem disparate but the parallels are incredible. The first connection is the feature of “wine” in both of these accounts. The parallels follow the pattern of (A) God’s salvation act (B) The drinking of wine (C) Actions of the Children.  It is easier to see the parallels when they are juxtaposed side-by-side (see picture). The (C) parallel may be harder to observe. Lot’s daughters’ attempts to bear children by their father is in fact the “uncovering of nakedness” prohibited later in the Pentateuch in Leviticus 18:6 -20. The verse below suffices for us to develop our thoughts further: “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord.” (Lev. 18:6) This ties back to the F...