ThreeDs

We’ve seen that the arguments that ASSSCs (Anti-Social Sunday Sleep-In Christians) put forward that church is moot as long as you are in Christ is typically flawed, because we are part the church as soon as we accept Him into our lives. The heavier theological questions stems from the USAECs (Ultra-Spiritual Anti-Establishment Christians). Their basic premise is that the Bible does not state one needs to be a church member.

I actually don’t have much argument on that, just google ‘Church Membership’ and you’ll see a million sites to talk about it. For me, it’s really simple. If I love God, I belong to the church. I also identify with a local church, in this case GTPJ. Do I love GTPJ? Yes, of course. The people there, the ministers, the cell, my friends: they have given me so much, that I’m just thankful to be identified with a group like GT. You say, oh, he’s from GT? Yeah! You got that right! In fact, in my younger days, I was so loyal to the church that we would get into fights in our football/basketball games with other churches. That’s irrational loyalty! (And kiasu-ness of course, I admit).  I don’t advocate beating up the pastor from another church down the street but you know, we were young punks back then.

Why are we so ready to fill up forms to become members of Isetans, Jaya Jusco, Frequent flyers etc, but balk at church membership? USAECs, the Bible doesn’t mention about joining Isetan membership, or Tropicana Golf membership, what are we to do? The point is this: Are we simply opposed to church membership because it is a CHURCH and adds no material value to our lives the way an Isetan, Golf, Frequent Flyer membership does? Or if you are a Manchester United fan, if joining Manchester Fan Club is FREE and gives you 10% off your mamak when you watch a Manchester match, would you do it? I know I won’t, because Juventus rules forever and ever, but sure, if you are one of those United supporters, I’m sure you’d jump at that!

The argument is not whether it’s mandated by God or not (we can argue till the cows come home). The argument is: Why Not? Why the commitment phobia? Why the crisis in commitment? Do you think that the pastors will randomly select a name from the memberlist for a drug test? Or just simply seeing your name on a list makes you nervous? Why do we shy away from identifying ourselves with a local church?

Being a GT member should be something to be proud of. I am proud to represent GT when I go for conferences. I don’t grin uncomfortably and say, “Umm, yeah, I attend GT. No, ummm, not a member, but yeah, an attendee. Regular attendee.” When you fill out conference forms, under ‘Membership’, do you put “Universal Church”, or “I disagree with this discrimiative statement”, or simply, “I am an USAEC”? I am a GT member! I love God, the fellowship of his people, my church leaders, my zone pastors, my zone leaders, my cell members!

If GTPJ emphasizes on formal church membership, then I’m game. Whether the church needs it for number crunching, ministerial resource management, cell leadership, ministry, exacting church discipline, propagting church agape funds, missions ministry etc: what is the big issue? What is our LOSS? Are we paying money to be members? Come on. Seriously. I’ll be an embarassment to my own conscience if I argue I disagree with church membership but still pay RM105.00 for my monthly golf membership.

I love my church. Why would I put them in a position of awkwardness, in which the leaders go: “Umm, well, so-and-so shows great commitment in going missions and he is struggling a little with money, let’s give him a subsidy for missions?” “No, he’s not a member.” “What? Man, that’s uncomfortable. Let’s tweak our rules a bit then here and there.” “NO, we shouldn’t.” “Maybe we should?” “Hmmmm.”

Or the matter of serving in a ministry regularly and not being a member. What if there was an agreement within the leadership to have members of the church only minister? Where is the accountability? Now the church would need to give allowance and exceptions. Stop that. USAECs, instead of spouting out the absence of God’s mandate in formal church membership, should view the argument from the church perspective. If you, as an attendee of such and such local church, can help the church alleviate any ambiguity, and submit to its view of having members, whatever the reasons, and if you, as a mega rational USAEC, cannot find one major disadvantage of being a member of the church you love and that loves you: WHY NOT MEMBERSHIP?

If USAECs still insists on Bible Scriptures, what about:

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves” (Hebrews 13:17)

I know this is not a great theological argument, like I said, you can read that off the net, just google church “Formal Membership”. But sometimes, I just think it’s quite ludicrous how one can be so opposed to church membership and not think twice to be a member of Orange Julius Ice Cream Club to get that 10% off Dairy Queen Milk Shakes.

Do we love our church as much as those Milk Shakes?

I once knew a guy back in uni who refused to attend a church, stating that it was a man made institution and that God already resided in him. He simply stated it was enough for him to commune with God alone in his apartment on Sundays (possibly in deep prayer, interspersed by snores), without committing to a church. We will call this the Anti-Social-Sunday-Sleep-in Christian or ASSSC for short.

On the other hand, we have a second group of fellows, Christians who would happily attend a church, worship there, have church friends, join cell activities etc, but refuse to be a member of the church. When asked, they suddenly become ultra holy and declare, at their sternest voice: “It does not say anywhere in the Bible that we need to be members of the church.” We can call this group the Ultra-Spiritual-Anti-Establishment Christians or USAECs for short.

Should we belong to a church?

It’s a strange phenomenon, that we (myself included) like to point out our holiness in accordance to the Bible when it suits our fancy. It’s like the argument: “The Bible never said we can’t drink.” Actually, the Bible doesn’t say a whole lot of stuff. Like what we should wear everyday. Wouldn’t it be great if the Bible had that and we don’t need to make these silly decisions like what colour to wear today? What kind of Bible is this that doesn’t tell us these simple things??!? It doesn’t tell us what we can or cannot drink either. I can consume petrol if I wanted, but that would really be stupid, wouldn’t it?

But seriously, let’s make it clear. The Bible doesn’t say Christians need to be members of the church or they will go to hell. In fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with your salvation. The church, pastors, ministers DO NOT SAVE. There’s no saving power there. Only Christ saves.Technically, a Christian might not go to a church building due to reasons like physical health, but his salvation is still secured.
However, in many scriptures, the church itself is referred to not as a physical building, but the believers. That’s what a church is. It’s not Glad Tidings the building, it’s Glad Tidings the People. The believers. 1 Peter 2:5:

“you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Alun Davies (who spoke at our camp) made an interesting observation that the word ‘church‘, the english word has its origin from a Celtic word, kirk, which in turns comes from a greek word meaning Lord’s house. Unfortunately, kirk’s meaning is the physical building as opposed to the greek’s view of the ‘Lord’s house’. So from kirk, comes ‘church’, and until today we view it as a BUILDING. (I like all these scholaristic analyses, they make articles look very professional). However, the New Testament does not reference a building when it talks about church. It talks about the gathering of people. In the New Testament sense, we can’t ‘go to church’ because we ARE the church. We are part of the ecclesia, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ. The building’s function is to house the church, which is us.

Back to the story of my friend who argues he can be a Christian without belonging to a Church, the New Testament makes no provision for that, because it simply does not make any sense. It’s not a building or a place, but rather, a spiritual house, a spiritual state of belonging into God’s family. If you are part of the body of Christ, then you are part of the church. Paul talks about different parts of the body functioning differently with different gifts. The New testament idea is this: If you are a Christian and love the Lord, you would want to be part of the bride of Christ. You would relish in belonging with the body, of functioning and fulfilling your role there, to serve God with fellow members, to be a living stone in the spiritual house. The Bible doesn’t talk at length about how belonging in a church will be beneficial to members, like carparks, rights to vote, having subsidy for church camps and such because there weren’t many USAECs or ASSSCs back then. People were a lot simpler, and God uses the simple to make fools of the wise.

So we have arguments these days that Christians are against the establishment of a structured membership of a church; that these are formal ceremonies and not needed etc. These Christians continue to declare their salvation without declaring their allegiance to the church. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. You are birthed into a spiritual body. You are the church. You are already part of the church, if you are truly saved. In that way, we are participating in God’s plan for the church, for the body, for the bride of Christ in the earth today. It’s not about an individual, and I think that’s why many people balk at it. They still want to retain one feet in the world they have left, and another in the church. I call it the Calamity of Commitment.

If we can only see beyond our individual views. Being part of the church is being part of God’s movement that is beyond our borders, across countries, all over the world. If the church wasn’t important, then more than half the New Testament is irrelevant. Then Peter is a useless rock, because there’s no church to be built on it, and the gates of Hell has indeed triumphed. But thank God for His plans that are far outreaching than our tiny world view, because He is using the church to fulfill His plans in this world.

So to the ASSCs, it’s pretty straightforward. You are already part of a church. Being a Christian without being in a church is a concept completely alien to the New Testament. If we think we’re being very smart alecky about it, the New testament ministers would just look at us as if we have grown wings and don tutus and take off into the sunset. It’s unheard of! If you refuse to attend church, you’re simply refusing to go to the building. If you refuse to minister and care for the body or be a functional member of the body; then you are a brick in the middle of nowhere, and a brick without a building is a useless brick. It’s opposed to what God has called us to be. So eventually we will lose our usefulness, we will lose our meaning and we’ll continue to meander through life thinking we have it all figured out, when actually we are more confused about God’s purpose than anyone else.

What about the ultra spiritual USAECs? They ‘belong’ to a church, they ‘go’ to church, and in some cases even serve as ministers in the church. Yet, their spikes shoot up in indignation when prompted to be ‘members’. They flat out refuse and challenge the leaders to point to scriptural evidence on official church membership as God’s plan.

Part 2 coming up!

I’m not a financial guru or expert but I’ve been following with great interest the past week on the news coming from the US financial market, specifically the fate of Lehman Brothers, one of the world’s most prestigious (and oldest) investment bank. One of my good friend and her husband works there, so in the next few days, we will see what happens, and if this will go down as one of the greatest collapse ever in Wall Street…I’m praying for the couple (who just had their first child), but at the same time, also looking into how on earth could a bank the size of Lehman Brothers face bankruptcy in such a short period of time.

I’m not going to analyze it (Google can give you much better articles on how, why, when this collapse occured - for me, amazingly I still have a piggy bank at home), but I was just reading this morning 1 Corinthians 3:18-20:

“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

The context here was that some of the Corinthians were ridiculing the message of the cross. In fact, even today, this verse truly applies to many.  We apply the world’s standard for wisdom and use it to contextualise the gospel. To the world, the idea of God coming to die for us is simply too ridiculous to accept. To the world, the idea of sacrifice and looking after the needs of people is simply senseless. To the world, the idea of giving 10% or pledging for missions and building fund is borderline fanatical at best and stupid at worst. Paul deals with this very simply in 1 Corinthains 2:14:

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This is why it’s difficult to rationalise to people on the logic of the gospel, not because the gospel is illogical, but because based on human wisdom, it is indiscernible. It remains a ‘mystery’, but Paul contends that the mystery has already been revealed in Romans 16:25.

In the workplace, we all depend on experiential wisdom. I’m not saying those are not valuable, but how often do we forget to place God in the decisions we make? How often do we not steer out of problems because we don’t let God take the wheel? Our experiential wisdom can take us so far, but we are all depending on historical memories to guide us along, and we extrapolate that into the future. We’re not predicting the future, but we’re assuming what we think is the future based on past trends. We call it a guestimate. That’s as much as you can go with.

I’ve often faced roadblocks at work that is simply overwhelming. I don’t even know what to do or start. I’m trying to get into a habit of putting all issues to God first. And everytime, there’s some kind of help, beyond human reasoning or human wisdom that just occurs. It’s not me, but it’s the wisdom of God. To God, what is our future is a past to Him. It has occured, even if it is in the future because God is beyond the parameters of time. Wouldn’t it be great to know all outcomes of all decisions we make?

But God leads us through one chapter after another. Depend on His wisdom, not the world’s standards and He will raise you up to glorify Him.

I continue to pray for the couple in Lehman Brothers. In the world’s wisdom, such an established company should never be bankrupt, but yet, they are on the brink of insolvency. Their proud 158 years history down the drain.

In the world’s wisdom, a God should never have to die for our sins, it shows how weak this God is, and how Christianity would fade away. In the words of John Lenon: Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. John Lennon was shot dead at the age of 40, and his wisdom now seems terribly misplaced.
We depend not on the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God in the decisions we make everyday in our lives. Trust in Him, be faithful to Him and in the trials and tough periods of life, He will bring you through.

“I asked the man at the gate of the year, give me a light, that I may walk safely into the unknown; but he said to me stretch out your hand, and place it into the hand of God, and it will be to you better than the light, and safer than the known.” -King George IV, World War II.

A fascinating perception I obtained from Os Hillman’s Today God Is First 

When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burnt against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark….” 1 Chronicles 13:9-10

There are good things we can do, but only God-things we should do. Those activities not born out of the Spirit will result in wood, hay, and stubble. What seems good in our eyes may be an abomination in God’s eyes. For instance, if you decide to build an orphanage but God has never directed you to do so, then God will not see that work as good; it was born out of your own strength, even though it was a “good work”. 

The most difficult challenge a Christian workplace believer will ever have is to know what things to be involved in and what things not be involved in. Many workplace believers have a great ability to see opportunity. What appears to be a “slam dunk” may come back to haunt us if God never ordains us to enter that arena. 

There are many good things we can be involved with. However there are God-things we are supposed to be involved with. Uzzah was a good man in David’s sight. It was a time of celebration, and David and the people were transporting the ark of God. However, the ark hit a bump, and Uzzah reached for the ark to hold it steady. He touched the ark, and he immediately died. David became very upset with God about this situation; he questioned whether he could serve God.   

God’s way are not our ways. The most important quality God desires to develop in us is our dependence on Him and Him alone. When we begin to make decisions based on reason and analysis instead of leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, we get into trouble with God. David later learned the importance of this principle in his own life. This encounter was one of the stepping-stones in his pilgrimage. David was an extraordinary entrepreneur. He ran the nation very successfully, but he, like each of us, had to learn the difference between “good things” and “God-things”. 

Are you involved in anything in which God has not directed you to be involved? Do you seek God about every decision, every action before you take it? This is where God wants you and me to be. Ask Him to show how to walk with Him in this way.

Blessed week ahead!

Our cell has always been blessed; moreso from a career perspective. In the past 2 years, we’ve seen careers flourish, progress and members taking up new jobs, new roles, new responsibility. I believe that the next frontier is the marketplace. I was talking to PVL about it last week, that as God is raising His people up in the marketplace, we need to know what sort of roles are we playing, not just in the company but in the kingdom of God. As we pursue our careers, where does our faith in God come in? Are we simply seeking for money, a good raise, a good appraisal?

Someone said to me once, “I hate this rat race. You won’t be seeing me climbing this corporate ladder, I want to do the things of God.”

It’s a typical fallacy of many, that if you’re in ‘the world’, you’re not doing the will of God. Esther spent years and years in a pagan king’s court and yet she was placed there for a reason! There’s nothing wrong in pursuing careers, excelling in them and even getting promoted to high positions. Humility isn’t about driving the tiniest car, getting the lowest paid job, walking around like a bum, not owning a house etc. That’s false humility! That’s a show of humility, but there’s nothing to be humble in those cases. Humility is about taking responsibility of the role that God has given you, and constantly coming back to God for strength.

I am not an advocate of the prosperity gospel, but I believe that God will provide all our needs and will add to us according to his will and plans, and his time. The blessings of job, of salary are all there because He is positioning us for ’such a time as this’. It’s not coincidence that young cell members are blessed beyond what is imagined. I am sincerely overjoyed whenever any of the members have a praise report of a pay raise, of a good income. I don’t really care if I get less and I’ve worked longer. It doesn’t matter!Because God is going to use the resources we have to do His work. And we don’t worry about not having enough. God’s not about giving you the enough. He gives you in the abundance, if you know what to do with it.

Pastor Bernard Blessing spoke about the ‘Evening that will come’ for every Christians, based on John 6:16. We’re all in different positions: some will undergo the ‘evening’, meaning challenges, trials; some are going through it and some have gone through it. No matter the case, we’re called to help and bear each other up. We’re called to be ‘resource centers’.

Our cell group is not just a social group out for a good time. The ’social’ is the  external part. Many people see it, and they dismiss it as being just a social group. They don’t see the underlying part of cell; the constant encouragement; the help in any ways-finance, advice, support-the intercession and prayers; that goes on through the week. If you’re not part of this aspect of cell, then yeah, it’s just a social group, if there’s no effort to find your role in the cell group. There’s no ‘relevance’, and it’s unfortunate, because you will miss the blessings and the opportunities to bless as well. More than a social group, we are a resource group. We are called to distribute God’s blessings to others.

Some are going through our ‘evenings’.  To others, our evenings will eventually come. Be in the habit of generosity and don’t just come to cell for the superficial social, but be useful. Be a distribution center of God’s goodness!

Last week we had an interesting topic on healing and how God heals, and why sometimes people don’t get healed. This is an opportune time, since we are heading into the Healing Encounter Conference this week from Ps Bernard Blessing.

Sickness and disease came as a result of man’s fall. When God created everything, all was good. Everything was free from diseases/sickness…but from the fall, these things entered the world.

We can say when sin entered the world, it caused sickness; but as we will see later, some sickness isn’t the direct result of personal sin (John 9), but is there simply for the glory of God when he is healed. Why is there sickness and disease among us? Why doesn’t God heal all diseases immediately? It’s really a subset of the larger question I get from my colleagues: if your God is real, why is there suffering in this world?

Of course, there’s this law of nature. If I continue to eat seafood and bak kut teh every single day, and rebel against the common sense that God has given me, it is simply self abuse.  I expect my body to break down and get clogged up as well. I might as well take an electric baton and stuff it at my neck. Is God going to spare me from a deserved shock?

Taking care of our health is a prerogative of everyone.  Can God do the supernatural and still heal you? He’s God. We can’t ask a question with the word CAN with God. It’s ridiculous. It’s like asking, can oxygen be used by our body?
He CAN! But why? So we can continue to indulge in worldly pleasures and not learn anything? ‘Sickness’ covers any infirmities we may have, a flu you get because you played golf in a thunderstorm, or a tummy ache from eating 20 durians. Like death on earth, disease is still prevalent, hence as Christians we are to discern and accept medical help for common ailments, like what Paul prescribed to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23).  Trophimus was sick (2 Tim 4:20) as Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:27). Maybe they played golf in the rain? God has provided a lot of natural remedies to our sickness, so use it! There’s nothing wrong with being a doctor =)

What I’m saying is, there are certain things that doesn’t change, natural laws; you put your head into fire, you get fried, simple as that. Or the law of aging. When 80 years old you reach, look as good you will not. The stuff we eat, the air we breathe slowly breaks down our bodies, and that’s the natural process of aging.

Can God heal you from all infirmities? Yes! He can even raise you from the dead, the greatest disease, if He’s not finished with you. But most of the time (thank God), He allows Christians to rest in peace, simply because our purpose in this world is over. 2 Kings 13:14 says that Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died.  It was time to check out. Or in the voice of the Farmer in Babe: “That will do, Pig. That will do.”

Healing and Medicine

I think everyone knows that as Christians, we’re not simply depending on God’s miracles to heal and reject all forms of medical assistance, or not take into account financing like health/life insurance and such. Does it mean we are of little faith? No! But it does mean we are of common sense, and will use the medical assistance or natural remedies that God provides. If you have an exposed wound, for goodness sakes, patch it up instead of walking around and telling God to disinfect in in the name of Jesus. Ezekiel 47:12 talks about practical herbs for healing. Does it mean we can’t buy any health insurance since we have faith God will heal all diseases of everyone at any point of time?

Divine Healing

Now comes the main bit. There are sickness that God can and will heal, even immediately. There is no limitation to what God can do. You can put your farm into that statement. Everything natural, everything supernatural, God is able, because ALL things are possible with God.

God will destroy the works of the evil one and bring glory back to Himself. And hence healing is such an important part of our beliefs. As believers, the gift has been granted. All sickness and disease that represents darkness, that is there to oppress and to destroy the abundant life we are called to live, are already broken.

A person struggling from a chronic disease can be assured that the disease is smashed to millions of pieces and glory will be given to Him. Dead cells are regenerated. Bones are clicked back in place. I’ve witness occasions that makes me a firm believer, GOD is a HEALER.

Many of us sometimes ask, what caused the sickeness? In John 9, the same question was asked: Why is this guy lame? We often ask it. Why am I sick? Am I being punished?

Jesus doesn’t really address the question, because they were asking the wrong question. Enough of focusing on the problem! He says, see what’s gonna happen, it’s gonna blow your mind! It wasn’t about how the person got sick, it was about how God can be glorified in that situation. Healing isn’t an end to itself, it brings glory to God. Sickness doesn’t glorify God, but overcoming that disease gives glory to God. Conquering the darkness, the oppression; delivering people from infirmities, all brings back the glory to God.

You see, we could be asking the wrong question here. All things, events and even miracles MUST glorify God. There’s no compromising that.  Again John 11:4, Jesus speaks about Lazarus’ illness.

“ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.””

Again, we need to approach it and recognize that it’s not the sickness that glorifies God, but  rather, the event that happens (resurrection in this case).

Why are so many Christians sick?

Here’s the tough bit. As Christians, healing is already provided in the atonement. That’s important to understand. It’s something that God has instilled in us when we become his child. It’s no longer something unreachable, but as something attained. Hence, healing from the creator is evident in a believer’s life.

Why then do committed Christians still suffer, why are they still sick, or dying of disease? I remember praying for a friend of mine who had an accident, yet, he died and I asked the question, “God, why?” I’ve come to the conclusion that there are many things I don’t know about God and why things happen. I know that’s not a good answer, but I don’t have any, without making my own assumptions.

I’m not going to say that they have inner sins or lack faith or lack knowledge, because I simply don’t know. There might be some spiritual baggage, or unforgiveness, or something that needs to be healed spiritually before physical healing takes place. God makes it clear in 1 Thes 4:3 that God’s will is for us to be sanctified. But at the end, I’m not going to say I have an answer to everything. Jesus didn’t really answer all the things that the Pharisees or his disciples asked either, just the correct ones.

God has His own timing in all things. His ways are not our ways. Lazarus was sick, but Jesus delayed his coming, and he even died, but at the end, God was glorified. Is there instantaneous healing? Well, most of the healing in the New Testaments were instantaneous granted upon request, and definitely brought much Glory to God , and in turn believing in God (which we have agreed is the reason for healing).  There were other times that Jesus attended to other people first (Mark 5), as in Jairus case, when his daughter was sick and Jesus attended to the woman with blood disorder first, even though Jairus came first. Due to the delay, the daughter died; yet, Jesus rose her again.

Henry Blackaby in his book Experiencing God, talks about his child Carrie, struggling with cancer. They prayed for healing, but it took more treatments and testing and after a period of intensive prayer, the doctors declared that the cancer is miraculously gone. Blackaby notes that during the course of prayers, lives around him also changed. People increased their faith, student prayer groups found life, church prayer ministries revitalized. The healing didn’t happen immediately, it took time. They had to undergo trials and testing of faith. They might have asked, “God, if it’s your will to heal, why are we going through this?” or they could just focus that whatever the outcome and whatever time, they hold on to Romans 8:28 and know it will work for good. God is in control of all things. At the end, all glory was reflected back to God.

Can that 3 months become 3 years? I’ve known couples who went through years of praying and received miracle babies when medically they cannot have children. See how God will heal. But we mustn’t always think that healing is fast food, and every request is gratified instantaneously. God calls us to be patient in affliction, and bear our tribulations because from it, comes perseverance, and perseverance character and character, hope.

Healing Conference

So what do we expect in healing conference? First and foremost, YES, God has come and broken the power of darkness, i.e death and disease. Will he heal and break the powers of darkness and disease? Yes! I believe diseases and sickness will be healed, because God has brought Rev Bernard Blessing to GT at His appointed time to do His appointed work, and to put to shame the Devil and his shenanigans. Through the conference, God will heal, God will restore, God will provide and He will get all the glory for it. He’s God, and I believe miracles will happen, not because of anything we do, but because He is God.

From our side, like the lame man who was positioned through the roof to Jesus, we need to be in that position where we believe in faith that He will heal and transform lives and draw lives back to Him! We need to consecrate ourselves and come back to the Father, the source of life, and trust Him before we see the gifts of the God manifested in our lives.

I always believe in God’s sovereign will in all things. We have a God who is HUGE. He’s not a God to be manipulated by Human beings. He’s not obligated or forced to do what we ask and request. But we approach God with boldness and confidence, because we are his children and we have a God who loves us very much. And we have a God that works miracles far beyond what we can imagine or think! We just need to come to him in prayer, ask, and receive his response as a child. He will give us what is best for us, I trust that. We must always believe that if God puts us through a process, it’s for good, never for evil.

If you have a loved one who is ill, bring him/her. Like the centurion who believed in faith in proxy for his child, we stand and believe that our loved ones can be healed by God’s mercy and power. I believe God’s glory will be shown, and that’s why it’s going to be an exciting conference, because healing will take place, simply to reflect glory back to God.

Finally…

As I’ve said in cell, we can’t know everything that God intends. I don’t think that’s the general idea. We need to align ourselves with what God is doing, period, and not overspiritualise every single thing and He will lead us a day at a time. Divine Healing is about God, not the pastor, not the church, not the conference, no, not even the miracle. We need to remove our focus from man centered Christianity to God centered. We need to remove our obsessions with miracles and focus on the miracle worker. We need to stop running after blessings, but run to the blessor. We need to arm ourselves with the armour of light and understanding. We need to ground our faith on solid ground, that is the word of God; and be wise even when we hear the word of God. Yes, God has told us not to judge others. Yet, we are also called to be discerning and test all things.

For me, I will admit I don’t know everything that God intends for everyone. I believe God is compassionate and loving and called me to have a personal relationship with him. Whether hardships, weakness, sickness or dryness, I am called to look to Him and He will give me rest. As He heals us or through us as vessels, He gets all the glory. As He refreshes, He gets all the glory. I don’t think I am missing any blessing by having this thinking, because I am just the clay; I do not say to the potter, do this and do that.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Is. 55:8). 

He shapes as He will and He uses us as He wills, and I trust Him that He will shape me the best way that He intends. Wealth, health, prosperity is in God’s standards and His will; abundant life is to His standards! There’s a beautiful song that we sing:

In His time, In His time.
He makes all things beautiful
In His time;
LORD please show me everyday,
As your teaching me your ways
That you’ll do just what you say
In your time.

“Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.” Numbers 9:21b  

Just visualize living with the uncertainty of these circumstances. At some point, you work at getting your “house” in order, simply to have to pick up the stakes and move. Your capability to plan is totally gone. But yet greater is the persuasion to move when the cloud did not move as you felt it was time to move. For the Israelites, maybe the grass was no longer green. Maybe the water was not easily reachable. Maybe the bugs were a predicament. No matter what the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud did not move.

It is still the same in our day now. We are not to move unless the Holy Spirit instructs us to do so. We are not to make that contract on the basis whether or not it makes sense, but on the principal of the Holy Spirit’s “cloud” in our life. It is a complicated course of action to move only when we are directed, and to stay put if we are not. The pressure is constantly upon us to move, to plan, to take action. But if we take action, we might move into a place where the presence of God may not be. Hence, the rub. The Christian workplace believer must learn to move when God says move; it is a sign of complete surrender and faith on God’s spirit to direct our steps. 

So, ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said stand still? He will show you. 

In his heart a man plans his course, but The Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 ~ 

Last Year, Rev Dr Bernard Blessing came and we had a fantastic movement of the spirit in our Conference. He’s back again this year for the following sessions:
Thursday Night 28 August 2008 - Healing Encounter. This is OPEN to all!

Friday Day 29 August 2008 - Pastors & Leaders (Cell Leaders, Assistant Cell Leaders, Ministry Leaders, Cell Interns)

Friday Night 29 August 2008 - Healing Encounter. OPEN to all!
Saturday Whole Day - OPEN TO ALL!

Sunday Morning - OPEN TO ALL!

More Details:
Date: 29-30 August 2008
(with Rev Dr Bernard Blessing)

Thu 28-Aug: Healing Encounter (8pm) - Open
Fri 29-Aug: Conference (9am to 8pm) - For Pastors & Church Leaders
Sat 30-Aug (9am to 5pm) - For All Believers

REGISTRATION FORM, CLICK HERE!!

Venue:

Glad Tidings Assembly of God
6 Jalan Bersatu 13/4
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
www.gtpj.com

Click on Map to Enlarge

I was preparing for the word last week and came upon Charles Spurgeon’s text on Peter’s Restoration here. He talks about the dark time when Peter, the leader of the 12, fell and failed his master. In other words, he lost the plot. He dropped the ball. He backslid.

We all know the story. He followed John after Jesus was arrested in Gethsamane, to the courtyard where Jesus was led. Then Jesus was led up to judge in the upper room, but it was sort of like a balcony, where you could look down into the open courtyard where the others were. Now Peter was let in by John, who knew the priests there, but he didn’t hang around John much, but just sort of shifted from fire to fire to warm himself.

Suddenly, a maid identified him as a disciple. He denied it. Later two more people said the same thing and this time he denied it even more vehemently, through curses and oaths (Mark 14:71).

Then the rooster crowed.

But a strange incident is recorded in Luke 22:60-62:

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. 

This is only recorded in Luke, that the Lord looked straight at Peter.Perhaps God inspired Luke to write more of the compassion and love of Christ even when rejected by his dearest friends. Luke’s gospel is filled with healing (himself being a physician) and compassion of Jesus. The ‘look’ Jesus gave was in contrast of the look of the servant girl in verse 56. Hers was accusatory, his was compassionate.

But to be noted, was that even as the cock crowed, there was little reaction from Peter, until the Saviour looked at him, and then he repented. Spurgeon notes:

It (Peter’s Restoration) was brought about by two outward means. I like to think of the singular combination: the crowing of the rooster, and a look from the Lord. When I come to preach to you, it almost makes me smile to think that God should save a soul through me. I may find a fit image of myself in the poor rooster. Mine is poor crowing. But as the Master’s look went with the rooster’s crowing, so, I trust, it will go with my feeble preaching. The next time you also go out to try and win a soul for Jesus, say to yourself, “I cannot do it: I cannot melt a hard, rebellious heart; but yet the Lord may use me; and if there come a happy conjunction of my feeble words with my Lord’s potent look, then the heart will dissolve in streams of repentance.” Crow away, poor bird: if Jesus looks whilst thou art crowing, thou wilt not crow in vain, but Peter’s heart will break. The two things are joined together, and let no man put them asunder—the commonplace instrumentality and the divine Worker. Christ has all the glory, and all the more glory because he works by humble means.

In other words, even as we pray for our oikos, our 2 fishes and minister, do not be discouraged, if at times there’s no headway. We’re like the rooster crowing, but we need to recognise it is the look of God that has the power, the compassion of Jesus shown in our lives. We need to depend on God to turn their hearts and eyes, and it’s our job to keep sowing and watering!

Keep Crowing!

Speaking about love, here’s an excerpt I find kinda profound in George Verwer’s The Revolution of Love:

This is how we know God loves us. This is how we know the love of God, the way we perceive it, the way we understand it. He laid down his life for us. He died for us; he did something. He did not sit up in glory and sing, “My earthlings, I love you, I know you are mine.” and yet often we are not in speaking terms with the man in the seat beside us. Anyone who can sing that without going out from that meeting to show love in his life has passed through a religious pantomime that is an insult to Almighty God.