GENESIS: Set Free

JUNE 2015 • 1

Set FreeInterview with Christian Liong / Devotional by Michelle Handoyo / Q&A: Dear Genesis

IFGF Pinole Monthly Newsletter

July 2015

02 • GENESIS NEWSLETTER

Once I heard a story of a chicken who loves to take adventures. The chicken

would roam around the backyard, so free and happy--until it discovered that it

could only roam as far as the backdoor gate. Turns out, there was a rope tying its

foot to a pole. As long as it did not roam any further than the length of the rope,

the chicken experienced false freedom. It might have felt happy and comfortable

just like the eagle that fl ew above it. However, it did not realize that it was

actually living in bondage.

From

Pastor’s

Desk

Shown on Front Cover: Jessica Sanjaya

Jesus told many Jews of his time that they were under the

same predicament. The Jews were insisting that because

they are the children of Abraham, they must be free people.

Jesus, on the other hand, told them that they were slave

to sin. Unless they knew the Truth, they would stay under

bondage no matter who their ancestors were and what they

believe (go read the story in John chapter 8).

Many of us think we are free. But unbeknownst to us, our feet are tied with many

lies that prevent us to live in the freedom that God has provided to us. The only

way we can be set free is by knowing the Truth from Jesus, rejecting the lies of

the devil, and the bad infl uences of the world.

This month we will learn what this Truth is so we can be really free. Then we can

go on accomplishing what God has intended to do through his freed servants.

Freedom for God’s glory!

JULY 2015 • 03

So, What have you been doing recently?Recovering from back surgery!

What happened?It’s kind of complicated... But to sum it up, I have bulged

disks, so disks in your back begin to enlarge due to either

emotional stress, physical stress, or playing sports things

and over time it just got worse and began blocking off

nerves that were going down my legs. So, I fi nally took the

time take care of that and get it fi xed. So far it’s been

good. There are still some minor problems, but all in all it’s

been getting better.

How does that aff ect your work?I took quite a few days off work to recover. I’ve been at

home laying down and walking around. Really can’t do

much in terms of physical activity, like lifting and bending.

That has been pretty much cut down to nothing. Yeah it’s

been slow!

I heard that you were born in Indonesia but you were raised here in the States. Can you shine some light upon that?I was born in Indo, but our family moved out to Michigan

when I was 5 or 6 months, and from there we moved to

California and been here since 1996. I pretty much don’t

recall anything from Indo. Living here is all I know, so

there is not much to really compare to!

Where did you go to school and what major did you take?I went to Albany High – same as Maxwell. I graduated in

2008 then I went to San Francisco State University. Then

I was actually a business major for several years... Then

I decided to switch to Psychology. It was a pretty big

switch and my parents did not like the idea. They kinda

found out through Facebook too through my sister...

Wow. What were you trying to do through Psychology?Originally I wanted to work in MFT (Marriage and Family

Therapist) so I started working with YMCA, since it was

big in community work such as counseling and mentoring.

So when I got in, I thought I would be working as a

therapist, but that has slowed down a bit and I found

myself wanting to work more in schools and other family

needs, but not necessarily pertain to therapy. I provide

them with resources and support revolving around kids,

housing, jobs. Anything that really helps the family. As

of now, it’s geared towards schools because I have had

This is Our Church

Christian LiongFamily Advocate / Local Ministry Lead / Care Group: Warriors


Where and how did you fi nd IFGF Pinole?Willie Soedewa (some of you guys know him). We used

to hoop together. My sister Catherine went a couple of

times with my cousin. So I’ve known IFGF Pinole for a

while. But yeah hanging out with Willie more, and then

just understanding where the church is going and where

my passion is. I believe it was really a God-led move. So

I can’t really take the credit for moving here; I think God

had it all planned out.

Were your previous churches Indonesian-based as well?Super Indonesian! It was very family-oriented, but there

was barely any youth. So growing up, I was kind of in the

middle of a few people who were my age. Either they were

10-15 years younger or older. I got a chance to learn a

lot from the adults, then now I fi nd myself able to apply

those things at a different stage in life.

Growing up here, is there anything that you have struggled with, by being a part of an Indonesian-based church?Finance for sure. I think it’s not just me but it’s part of the

culture. Growing up, I was used to a fi ve-dollar meal two

days a week at most. But switching over to IFGF Pinole:

if we have nothing to do, it’s easy to go spend $10-$12

on a meal. It was pretty hard to keep up with that and I

defi nitely felt it. My wallet felt it! (Laughing) More than

that exposure. But, who knows! Maybe MFT may still be

something down the road but as for now i don’t see it just

yet.

As a graduated Psychology major, do you have any advice that you would suggest to future pursuers of Psychology?Talk with people! It will be very hard as a Psychology

major to stay quiet and feel that it is all theoretical type

of work, unless you want to get into Research Psychology.

They always say that communication is a necessity in

Psychology: you have to read people, how to understand

them, pick up on the infl ux of their voice, reading their

body language. Both verbal and non-verbal communication

is huge. Practice it, try it. Enhancing these skills will

defi nitely help you down the road.

So is IFGF your fi rst church?No it’s been my second... and a half. I was in one church,

City International Harvest Church in Daly City. I grew up

there– went to Sunday school, youth group, discipleship

training, served, learned how to play drums. Basically I

learned everything that I know there. Then they merged

with C3, Christian City Church. When that happened, I saw

that as an opportunity move a little closer to East Bay, and

also establishing something more local. So that why I said

“two and a half” churches because there was City Harvest,

C3 was a short time, and then IFGF Pinole since then.

Chris chilling at his hood,

El Cerrito Hills.

JULY 2015 • 05

certain things are not going to be done if I am not a part

of it. That’s where I have to take a step back and have

God speak to me if I need to include myself in certain

tasks. But at the end of the day, when you do God’s work,

you are going to feel very satisfi ed regardless of the

struggles.

Are there any last wishes that you have for current ministers, or the church in general?Just be confi dent in your identity, because that is how

you are going to dictate your life inside and especially

outside of church. I don’t know who is reading this and

what struggles you have gone through. But whatever they

are, I’m sure that they are legit, that they are real. But put

your trust and insecurities in Jesus, knowing that he has

made you a very certain way; exactly the way you are. He

created you to be you so you can accomplish something

as you are, not as someone else. Be bold in your faith and

step out. Don’t be afraid to say that you are a believer of

Christ, because people need to know; whether you are in

school with your friends, family, or even work. Your family

and friends are going to put a label on you, but ultimately

God places the ultimate label on us saying we are His

and we are beautifully and wonderfully created. Don’t

back down from it, just live a very exciting life and enjoy

Him to the fullest.

money issue, I think it’s just a big culture shift in my

opinion.

Defi nitely. I heard you started a Christian club with a local high school through IFGF?Yeah. Pastor Jeffri and I were just talking about how a

pastor from Albany High have wanted to start a Christian

Club but didn’t know how. During that time I was still

looking for work; so I had a lot of downtime. Pastor Jeffri

pushed me to just go for it. Fortunately, our friend Andrea

had a couple of friends who were still in Pinole Valley

High. We connected with them and took it step by step.

We did it one week, and didn’t know if it was going to

happen the next week. But through faith we just did it

again to a point where as we speak today, we celebrated

our one year mark! I can honestly say that we’ve only

missed two weeks. God opened up a way for us to be in

there. So now we just have to pray for the next steps and

strategies. But what really matters is just trusting God

that he’s going to open up doors and continually grow the

kids there.

I also heard you helped launch our second Sunday Service? How has that been?Yeah, we launched it on Easter Sunday. It’s going well!

People probably feel that it should be big, hip, popular

but the truth is, it’s going to take time. So it shouldn’t

be something that blows up for 3-4 weeks; be around

for 5 months and you don’t see the church anymore. We

want to be in the community for a long time. For that to

happen, it is going to take time. We’ve been working to

build our foundations, so I have been really pleased with

it! It’s been a blessing to be on the team that started that

service and really I feel like I’m not worth starting or doing

something as big as this. We just need to continue be

faithful in the small things, such as coming in to set up at

8 in the morning, playing music and rolling cables every

week, picking people up, load and unload stuff. Basically

all the little things! The amount of people that show up is

up to God. It’s just been a huge blessing for me.

What are your current struggles as a busy minister that juggles all these things?Stress for sure! We all hear it so often that God is going

to take care of things, along with all the other great

things He promised. But I feel that there is such a fi ne line

of letting God take care of things and me not going to do

anything and just wait around. It takes a very sensitive

spirit to manage both of those extremes, and sometimes

I get carried away at wanting to do everything: High

School Club, Service, Care Group, meetings and my own

work. And when I get caught up in the “doing”, I feel like

When you do God’s work, you are going to feel very satisfi ed regardless of the struggles.

Put your trust and insecurities in Jesus, knowing that he has made you a very certain way; exactly the way you are.

Joining IFGF Pinole in 2011, Chris quickly Joining IFGF Pinole in 2011, Chris quickly immersed himself in the church life through the immersed himself in the church life through the fellowship and multiple ministries. God gifted fellowship and multiple ministries. God gifted him with a heart for the community and together him with a heart for the community and together with Ps. Sugi and the team, he started Open Arms with Ps. Sugi and the team, he started Open Arms Christian Club in Pinole Valley High School and Christian Club in Pinole Valley High School and helped launch the second Sunday Service for the helped launch the second Sunday Service for the locals. Currently, he works at YMCA Potrero Hill locals. Currently, he works at YMCA Potrero Hill Urban Services as a Family Advocate.Urban Services as a Family Advocate.


if God is so powerful, why can’t He defeat evil?

LET’S PRAYFOR JULY

with Joan Wirolinggo

Our pastor and leaders that

they abide in Him.

Our church that it will be fi lled

with a passion for His name

and an evangelistic heart.

Our Care Group gatherings.

Let’s pray that Jesus will be

the center of each Care Group

and relationship where our

brothers and sisters in Christ

will be built up.

Our new friends who are

new to the States or just

transferred. Pray that they

may fi nd a new family in

Christ through this church.

Our friends who are looking

for a job.

Pastor Sugi and his team who

are in mission for Nepal. Let’s

pray for God’s protection and

anointing upon them, that

through them the Gospel will

be spread.

Healing and comfort for

nation of Nepal, especially for

the victims of earthquakes.

We believe that God is so powerful that He has defeated the devil.

He defeated the devil before Jesus’ time (1 Kings 18, 1 Samuel 5:4).

He defeated the devil when Jesus was on earth (Matthew 4, Mark 5).

God is even still actively beating the devil to the pulp up until today.

The Cross is the foundation for Satan’s Final defeat (Hebrews 2:14-15).

A follow-up question might be:

Hey Church! We are starting a new column where you could ask questions about God, life, family, relationships, and other issues. If you feel like it is a good point to talk about, please send it to us at tinyurl.com/DearGenesis.

You can address the question to our columnists (Jeffri, Chris and Nita) or to ANYONE (pastors, leaders, or even friends). We will publish it here with our answer and we will try our best to provide godly guidance for you, so ask away!

Got a burning question?

Dear Genesis,

go to tinyurl.com /DearGenesis

Dear Genesis,

if God is victorious over the devil, why can I still see evil all over the place in this world?

We can still see evil and suffering in the world because SIN still exists in this

world. The devil is still the “god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4) and many people still

to choose to be under the devil’s infl uence.

God is omniscient, omnipotent, and sovereign over the heaven and the earth

(to name a view of His characteristics); however, he still has not seized the

devil in eternal fl ame and instead, give everyone the freewill to choose to

follow God or be enslaved under sin.

But the time will come, when he will seize the devil forever in the eternal fl ame

and completely get rid of sin from this world. And this will happen when He

comes again the second time (Revelation 20-22).

JULY 2015 • 07

What is freedom? Many times, I hear people talk

about the freedom from sin that Christ has bought

for us at the cross; I’ve always known this, but

have never truly understood this freedom. I didn’t

feel any more “free” than I was before I accepted

Christ. I prayed, searched the Bible, and browsed the

Internet, but didn’t seem to receive any revelation.

Little did I know what God had planned ahead.

I was invited to organize an event in Vietnam, but have

rejected the offer due to fi nancial reasons – at least

until my mum, knowing how much it meant to me,

insisted me to go despite the plane ticket price. Within

minutes, I confi rmed my availability and was told to

wait for an approval by the Vietnamese committee.

I immediately regretted my decision. What have

I done? I selfi shly took up the offer – but at what

cost? It was too late to undo my decision, so I naively

prayed: “God, if it is good let the committee approve

my travel, but if not, let it be rejected. I don’t want

my mum to be broke because of me. Please.”

If I go to Vietnam, not only do I have to pay for the

plane ticket, but I also have to request a four-week

leave from my internship – that’s if they don’t fi re me

on the spot! Part of me wanted to be rejected so as to

save myself a lot of trouble– but guess what? Both my

employer and the committee gave me the green light!

I should be happy right? This was something I wanted

deep down, and God is giving me the go ahead!

But no, I was frustrated. I feared that the money I

was going to spend would become the straw that

breaks the camel’s back. What if my sister couldn’t

study in the US because of me? What if my mum

couldn’t fi x the house because she has to support

me? I panicked, worried, and panicked all over again.

Then I felt God say, “I love you. That’s all there is to it.

This is my gift to you, and it is good, What God has

given, it is given; it wouldn’t affect your uncertain future.

That money you worry about – if it is truly My will, do

you think that money from a fl ight ticket could stop

your family from going bankrupt? But this is a free gift

for you, so be thankful because I have given it to you. “

Then, I realized – this entire time, I was upset about

getting what I wanted! The worry of the future grips onto

my mind, binding me to the confi nes of this world when

in truth, God has set me free from the law that governs

earth. I also realized that it’s not my circumstances

that defi ne my freedom, but how much I let trust or the

confi nes of the world control my thoughts. To prove

a point, even though I fi nally got what I wanted, I was

worried about its future impact and was far from being

at peace. However, once I understood that God was

in control and had authority over my life regardless of

the ways of the world, I was no longer bounded by the

“logic” of this world. It was bliss, and I tasted freedom.

by Michelle Handoyo | Care Group: Legends

Devotional

Freedom to Go


IFGF Pinole MORNING SERVICE EVERY 10 AM

ALEX CLARK ROOM

880 TENNENT AVENUE

PINOLE, CA

AFTERNOON SERVICE EVERY 2:15 PM

2885 PINOLE VALLEY ROAD

PINOLE, CA

CARE GROUPS

PRAYER GROUPS

PASTORAL TEAM

JULY BIRTHDAYS

MINISTRIES

CG FAITH

SAN FRANCISCO

Melanie 925.586.7770

Jason 925.305.1278

CG KING

SAN FRANCISCO

Jessica 415.758.8645

Benny 510.367.0664

CG WARRIORS

PINOLE

Maxwell 510.374.2686

Chris 510.837.7867

FAITH (Every Thursday)

Melanie 925.586.7770

KING (Every Monday)

Vincent 925.356.1375

HEROES (Every Thursday)

Alus 408.904.8001

Nicky 650.417.8228

LEGENDS (Every Thursday)

Shirley 415.990.8178

Evelin 925.289.6785

WARRIORS (Every Friday)

Jeffri 510.499.5966

FAVOR- HOPER (Every Thursday)

Melvin 510.708.0540

Documentation - Eric Timotius

Genesis Newsletter - Irene Chandra

Men’s Ministry - Christian Liong

Multimedia - Melanie Thio

Praise & Worship - Adi Julianloo

Prayer & Intercession - Joan Wirolinggo

Refreshments - Nathalia Prasetyo Jo

Revelation Videos - Jessica Tjahjady

Sound System - Glorio Yulianto

Sunday School - Jen Hendric

Sunday Service Coordinator -

Emmanuel Calica

Transportation - Leonardo Saerang

Ushers - Renaldi

Website - Yosia Urip

Women’s Ministry -

Karen Liong & Elissa Irma

SUGI HENDRIC Senior Pastor

JEFFRI HALIM Associate Pastor,

Biblical Teaching

CG LEGENDS

BERKELEY (SISTERS)

Shirley 415.990.8178 (Freshmen)

Evelin 925.289.6785 (Transfers)

CG HEROES

BERKELEY (BROTHERS)

Alus 408.904.8001 (Freshmen)

Nicky 650.417.8228 (Transfers)

CG FAMILY

PINOLE

Ps. Sugi 510.724.5400

CG FAVOR

PLEASANT HILL

Rebecca 925.482.5562

Jessica 925.334.2011

CG HOPER

PLEASANT HILL

Karen 925.577.6634

Melvin 510.708.0540

CG FRONTIER

SOUTH BAY

Antony 408.685.1540

Adi 415.463.9010

[email protected]

IFGFPINOLE.ORG

(925) 609 4343

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Mariska Tjoeng

Fendy Soegiono

Catherine Santoso

Christian Hendric

Jonathan Sumarto

Adi Julianloo

Shirley Ng

Stanley Subiantoro

Jason Chang

Brandon Budidjaja

Imanuel Junaedy

Nick Soenarto

Larry Susanto

Andrea Djitowibowo

Jessica Adeline Wijaya

Melanie Thio

Nickson Dalimarta

Joan Wirolinggo

Florencia Kristiani

Yudhi Tanaka

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 3 & 17

July 11

Caregroup Gathering

Corporate Prayer Meeting

Documents

GENESIS: Set Free