Awesome Retreat

Finally...home sweet home...I miss my bed so much ^^ eniwei, Jo's wedding was fun and we got back home around 1 am. So what I got for retreat??? Here is the story about my personal experience.

On Thursday, I went to retreat and was still sick. I had dry throat and cough, so I only ate “bubur” in China Town, Chicago. I did not dare to eat fry stuffs because I would be ministering in the evening session. Went for practice, did not really have voice. I was afraid but I decided to believe that when I minister, God will give the strength. Indeed, the PW session was awesome. I felt God's presence there...people were joyful...and guess what...I could sing!!! yey...I sang as if I did have my normal voice. Right after I have done leading three fast songs and handed it to Davis, I lost my voice completely. I could not hear my own voice, but I said to myself, "It is okay to lose my voice for my God. The fact that I did not have my voice did not matter, I chose to still praise and worship my dear Lord." I really felt God's touch when I worshipped Him. It was an awesome session. God really moved to touch His children and poured out His spirit. After Pastor Rony Daud Simeon ended his short preaching, we were worshipping God again and this time, He talked to me. I felt like the heaven lend me the voice to lead and sing.

For quite sometimes, I have not heard God's voice. But right at that night, He touched the deepest part of me and said gently, "Semua ini terjadi dihidupmu, bukan karena Aku ga sayang ke kamu. Tapi karena Aku begitu sayang, maka Aku harus membiarkan semua ini terjadi. Proses harus dijalani, untuk sesuatu yang besar...." Man...I could not talk or answer Him. I could only cry and cry....gave thanks to God because He loves me so....and indeed all these whole process that often frustrated me, was because He really love me. I felt like God renewing again my strength and my joy. There is a hope in God! I will wait upon the Lord!

After that Pastor Chris approached me when I was still worshipping God. When He was about to pray for me….I just could not stand anymore….I felt like God poured out His spirit to me and it was so strong, that I could not stand up. Pastor said, “If there is only one word that can be said for me, it would be WELL DONE! God will fight the battle for me!” Amen….yes! I believe….God is with me and also with you.

Those are my personal experiences during retreat….when we really pray and seek God, we will surely meet Him.

Jeremiah 29: 12-14a
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD…”

Thanksgiving Dinner Session with Pastor Rony Daud Simeon

Matthew 4:17
"From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The Kingdom of Heaven is NOW; it is not the past, nor the future.
1. Repent = change the way of thinking from worldly to godly.
Holy life brings success! Do not compromise with SIN!
2. Change the way of thinking from religious practices to heavenly thinking.
What matters most is our relationship with God. In relationship, there are intimacy and closeness.

John 4, God taught:
1. God desires a worship that comes from a heart that loves Him.
2. God seeks the worshiper (the person) not the worship itself.
3. Worship does not change God, but it will change us. Whether or not we worship Him, He will still be the God.

Retreat Session 1 (Rony Daud)
Matthew 7: 21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Why God rejected them? Because they did not know God intimately. There is no closeness. Be careful and watchful! Sometimes, we minister and do the work of God, but we do not maintain our relationship with God.

Retreat Session 2 (Cyrus Gomez)
Judges 6:12-13
“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

1. If God speaks to us, it will be from our future
2. We must live in the future
3. God changes the way we think
4. We live by the inside
In God’s encounter, we are back in the original plan of creation. We become like God.

Retreat Session 3 (Cyrus Gomez)
What makes us different with the world is the authority. When we become son of God, we can have the authority by being OBEDIENCE to what God says. To obey is a choice/decision. Your emotion follows your decision. Obedience breaks your will and gives space for God’s will, and the nature of God will be inside of you.

Retreat Session 5 (Rony Daud)
How to have a healthy emotion?
1. Learn to be honest and be yourself
2. Forgive
3. Watch the sin committed by the generation before us
4. Always rejoice
When we laugh at least 10 minutes/day, the brain will release a positive and “stay young” hormones.

Retreat Session 6 (Cyrus Gomez)
How to keep what we have gotten?
1. Set your mind on ADVANCEMENT, not maintenance
2. Set your mind on REVIVAL, not survival
3. Set your mind on SUPRANATURAL, not natural