A revelation for the LOST

This is more of a revelation from God! So ya its to benefit others and will surely come in well for me when I drift from God! This will surely renew my desire for God!

Well I guess for those who are in the state of being distant from god, you must be wondering what god will do to be if I face him? I mean, I might have been faithful to him in the past which will make my confrontation with god extra difficult! Its like you were so close to your best friend (GOD) and the you betrayed him by running away from although he didn’t do anything wrong. All he did was love and care for you! And now I want to return and reconcile with this really good friend of mine who loves me!

Now if we look at this as the way the world will look at it, I’m quite sure that probably, this friend will ignore us and also talk behind our backs or something!

But here’s the good news that our Risen Jesus bring us! When Jesus came into this world, he didn’t just come to save us from our sins, more importantly, he came to show us what kind of god we have and also what kind of love he has for us! I would think, that it was because everyone saw god as ‘a fierce god’! What better way to resolve this by just sending my son!

So when you face your best friend (GOD), he is going to run to you and embrace you, kiss you, hug you and tell you that “There no need to explain anything because I don’t care what happened in the past. All I care is about is that you came back and that I love you so so much!”

And really, this is what God is going to do to you when you return to god! And if the thought of what people will think when you return, well you really don't have to worry about that because, even that your best friend, the Almighty God has taken care of!

So to end of this revelation from god, if you are lost and distant from god, fear no more because the first thing you're going to receive from God when you come to him is LOVE! You will receive LOVE! How amazing is that! Is there anyone else like our GOD?

After receiving the love of god, you will have life in JESUS CHRIST!

AMEN to that!

All is renewed with Christ's rising!

The joyful Mark Sebastian Abraham is back and renewed with greater strength given by the Risen Jesus! Yes all suffering is over and now is the time the be joyful and rejoice. It has truely been an amazing journey so far! Although Lent was really tough for me, I really appreciated as it took me through a time of true suffering with Christ Jesus. Not listening to P&W songs and being with Jesus in his sufferings were the experiences I had to go through!

But in the midst going through all these, he promised me something,

"Mark as you continue to walk this journey with me to Calvary, persevere in it. But when I am raised by the Almighty One, you will rise too from all your struggles and be free once again! I promise you this!"

Well all I have to say is that God kept his promise of course! Holy Week was really difficult especially my fasting. But I fell in my fasting. Well I started fasting from 9pm on Holy Thursday all the way until 12.30am on Holy Saturday. Then ate some fruits and bread and then continued to fast from 1am on Holy Saturday all the way to 11.30pm on Holy Saturday! I was actually to fast all the way like last year but sadly, I was a little sick and thus weak. But the fasting really took a toll on me but when I was at the Easter Vigil mass on Holy Saturday, it just felt that as Jesus was rising, he was taking me too with him. It was just so amazing and magical! The mass was just awesome and I could really feel God's presence overflowing throughout the whole mass!
I guess in many ways that this is exactly what I wanted, which was to really go through the whole experience of Lent and the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus! This was my heart's desire before Lent and I am totally in awe of God for granting me this experience! So we'll see what else will happen next Lent! Haha!

And for the many people that kept questioning me about the reason for the suffering that I wanted to go through, well this is the reason my dear brothers & sisters. This is the reason for all that! For God says this in the bible many times that there's a time for everything and before you enter into glory with god, you must enter into suffering first! And I guess in many ways, it'll make the time for the joy to be even greater!

I felt that this was also needed because of the grace and joy that god has so wonderfully given to me! All the continuous joy every time and Lent was the time to calm down and suffer!

But all that is done and now the Joy, Serving & Prayer all the way for me! God has truly renewed me through this long process! Now God has built an even more firm foundation of my Faith in the Almighty One!

For the ones who don't feel the stuff I'm feeling, I really urge you to ask god will all confidence for whatever you want and have faith & patience! I'll pray for you too! Just believe because if God has decided to me, a King of Failure, then I am sure he'll answer you with a Big "YES"!
Amen to that!

Suffering with Christ Jesus

“Lord if you would, allow me to suffer with you through the rest of lent until you rise from the dead!"


Well this is what I asked god on the 5th Sunday of lent! I don't know exactly why I asked god this but I guess I felt that I had failed god in the time of lent and I just wanted this lent to really be memorable for me. It was a desire in my heart actually to suffer with Christ through the last part of lent.

I mean there had been alot of joy throughout the latter part of 2007! But I don't know why but in many ways that 2008 hasn't really kicked off yet for me in terms of the everlasting joy part! I'm not denying at all the many joys I received through the Birthday celebrations, the SJS rally, the awesome revival within my ministry through our much improved sessions, god's hand working within me as I studied and good results of course. But there's always been this void within my heart and I guess in the time of lent, it was made really clear and the void became bigger and bigger as the days of 2008 progressed.

I guess the main reason was the lack of everlasting joy in my life. I'm not saying that there was no joy, because there was but it just kept decreasing and decreasing. It also didn't help that Lent came earlier this time in 2008. As joy kept decreasing, so did grace and likewise for my patience with people although some may say that its total rubbish that my patience for people decreased but it’s true. Last year, it was a complete joy for me to help blind people and also those people within our groups whom we always try to avoid talking to. But last year without fail, the first thing I would do was to be with the ones whom everyone makes an outcast but this year, I just haven't got the patience to listen to these people. Many times this year when I talk to people that are just going on and on about what people keep telling me to do, I would just get so frustrated and impatient with them. I don't even take the time to listen to them. Its part of the grace which has been missing this year, which is also part of the reason why I feel that I've failed to serve god this lent!

But I guess this happened for a reason. Nevertheless, I told god about how unworthy I am to be a servant of god! So I guess that’s the reason for me to desire to suffer with Christ Jesus for the rest of lent!

And suffering has been so difficult so far after only 1 week! But god came to rescue me yet again, through my wonderfully awesome cell who were there for me on Saturday when we had cell group sharing! And it was the simplest stuff of just listening to me being there for me. For me that meant so much! That has now given me the strength to go deeper into this time of suffering and spend more time in prayer to be with the lord especially for this holy week. As this week will be a very solemn week for me.

Although many may not understand why I need to go through but I request that you keep me in your prayers,

“For this week, my deepest heart’s desire is to suffer with Christ Jesus!”

Amen!

PS: Thanks so much to my cell for everything! Every single one of you has helped me so much!

Hang in there, Child

Its just been really extremingly tough in this lent. Although there have been some really joyful times like the rally! But on a personal note, Its just been so difficult.

Before lent came, I asked god to allow me to really experience Lent well and I guess in many ways to experience the journey Jesus had to go through. My gosh, did God answer my prayers or what. I have had to experience a journey where I've been pushing and fighting for god although I have fallen so many times. Its been even more difficult because of the lack of joy and happiness. It is only now that I realise how much I miss myself being joyful and happy. And many times in the past, I have asked myself if the joy is from god or from just me wanting to be happy always.

The answer is that its is 110% from god! I have experimented on this cause there've been morning where I have pushed to have joy by waking up early to pray and enjoy the sun (Please take note that its my holidays). But ultimately, I just haven't been able to feel the joy I experienced in the past especially on fridays. So sorry to the lovely people who haven't received any friday morning cheers for so long. There've been many times when I've wanted to sms joy msgs but there was no joy to share. And I miss sms-ing all of you so much. I really can't describe how much struggles and pain I've been through in the time of Lent! Futhermore, I have missed my cell people so much. But I guess that this is part of my journey of lent!

I'm also very dissapointed with myself for venting out my frustrations and anger at god for all the struggles, pains and voids left in my heart. There's been so many times when I got angry with god. And now thinking about it, its really unfair to god.

But I just have been assured by god that there is a need to go through this struggles in order to move onto the next stage of my journey with Jesus! With that, I am encouraged to hang in there and draw closer to god though there are many voids of happiness to be filled. Hang in there is the message!

With this message, I am sure that come Easter, there will be a big blast of celebrations and joy! I pray that we all hang in there and draw closer to god! Amen!

The Holy Spirit moves at SJS rally

Amazing and awesome are the words to describe the success of the SJS rally! I mean really, it was just so amazing especially the P&W! The Holy Spirit moved and never stopped as the youths at the rally opened up more and more as the rally progressed! God's hand was at work!

For me, it was the 1st time to lead a group of youths in such great numbers! I was just so nervous about how to start things off! Never did such a big crowd before! But god was my strength all the way! God said to me many many times before the rally, “Mark, I’ll be behind you all the way. Do not fear, but trust in me!” And basically this was what I’ve been cling onto all the way, I just went in faith without fear as I knew god was there!

As the time came for the rally to start, all the youths were really noisy and all, then I was thinking how would I be able to calm everyone down. Yes, god saved me again when he sent Father Brian to do it for me. Once he calmed everyone down, he gave me the microphone. Here was a 20 year old servant of God standing in front so many youths in the church. There were just so many youths and then, God said, “Mark, its time! Let’s go!”

So I started and all with my short sharing and prayer. Throughout the whole worship, I saw the expressions of so many youths forms of worshipping god change. At first, they were just singing, next some started to sing with real emotion and desire. Soon some even started to raise their hands as their worshipped god! That was when I knew that the Holy Spirit was moving within this amazing group of youths.

I really thought that I’d never see this day but, here I was leading youths in worship and they were all actually worshipping god! That itself was a testimony! But that’s not the end! The musicians were really awesome as they too moved in the spirit of worship! The musicians told me after the P&W that they too were touched by the spirit as they too were able to worship god through the music they played! And as worship continued, I really felt god touch the hearts of many of the youths out there especially when we sang the final song, “How great is our God”.

And you know in worship, if you feel the presence of god throughout the worship, after the worship ends, you just want to hug god and say thanks for being here with us. Well that was the exact feeling within the church among the youths when the worship ended. I could see and feel that we were all able to worship god and not just have a rally of singing P&W songs!

And this was the risk; I took when I was planning for the rally’s P&W. You know how in other rallies, worship leaders normally try and try to allow everyone to encounter entering worship. Well this was the aim from god given to me, and of course God succeeded! I just truly believe that everyone was touched by the Holy spirit at the rally!

Anyway moving on, after the P&W, the talk was given by Father Mike & Father JJ on “Being a catholic youth”. It all connected really well. After the talk, we had adoration where I lead everyone in preparation for the adoration done by Father Brian! It was amazing yet again I must say!

Finally we concluded the rally with 3 praise songs where the youths were just wildly praise god wholeheartedly! Everyone was so so happy!

After the end and all, I received many affirmations from many youths! It was so amazing and I just feel so blessed by god!

Thanks to everyone for your support and prayers! Amen!

PS: Pics from the rally will be updated later! Haven’t received it yet!