Here's the sermon from the first service, and the second one (The one by DGS Dhinakaran) will be up later, because I have assignments and stuff to complete. Hopefully I'll have it up by Friday. =D

6th November 2005: Pastor Mark
(1st Service)

“Running”

Word Released
“Some of you may know that our pastor was ill this week. But even in such situations let us remember the promise of the Lord, that in Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord says “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Let us keep this in mind. God will not use this episode in vain. Our pastor was ushered into the healing ministry when he recovered from his migraines – with this episode over, we shall expect an even greater anointing, for the entire body; and it will flow from the head to the body. On Wednesday, after praying corporately at the prayer meeting, our pastor was significantly better. We read in Acts 12:5 “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” – similarly, while pastor was reclining on the hospital bed, the church was earnestly praying to God for him. And God has heard our prayers.”

How are we running?
“This morning, let us ask ourselves this question: How have we been running the race? We read in Hebrews 12:1 that “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” As Paul has stated clearly, we should “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me (us) heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)” How have we been running? Are we running on “Empty” or on “Enough”? When we run in our own strength, doing the work of the Lord by our own strength, we will have no oil, when we do not have fresh encounters with God. Is prayer life just a routine? We need to have the fresh touch from the Lord; new manna everyday. As the children of Israel had to have fresh manna everyday, a new encounter with God’s grace everyday, so do we have to have that fresh encounter as well. Are we running on an empty tank, or does the gauge show it is enough?”

Enough
“Some might say; I’ve got enough, haven’t I?” but in 1 Corinthians 10:12 the bible warns us that “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” Let us not be ignorant of ourselves as well. Are we walking with God? Do we respond to him? In the past I was indifferent; coming to church was like marking attendance, and there was no impact, no interest in the things of God. I thought I had “Enough”, but in Matthew 25, in the Parable of the ten virgins, we read that “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” – Five of them had missed it (the coming of the Bridegroom, Christ, for the Church); and the door shut, because they did not have enough oil. Proverbs 12:15 states that “A wise man listens to advice.” Ponder upon this advice and reflect upon the parable – have we enough oil?”

Signs
“There are some signs of a probable back-slided Christian – Firstly, if the only reading of the bible that you do is in Church, then we might have some serious problems here. If it is only on Sunday in church, you will be dry despite needing fresh manna. (Fresh word) Joshua 1:8 reminds us “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – Meditate upon it day and night – we have to keep the Word of God close to us. Furthermore, if you pray five times a day; be very careful! That is, if you pray in such an order: “Hello Jesus” (when you wake up), saying“grace” 3 times throughout the day before every meal, and “Goodnight Jesus” just before you sleep – be very careful! Prayer life should not be running on mere schedules. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us “Pray without ceasing.” Furthermore, if on the external you are happy but within you your heart isn’t, where you do not find joy in the things of God, it is time to recheck yourself. And if we are compromising without realizing – compromising the things of God for other things, then we ought to rethink if we are running the good race properly. And very importantly, if there is no fear of the Lord, we have to seriously consider if we are even running the race now. The bible tells us, in the book of Proverbs, several things, which are of importance: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:6) and “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.” (Proverbs 23:17) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of it all. In Proverbs 19:23, we read that: “The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” Are we fearing the Lord?” (Interestingly, a friend of mine from another church told me that one of the signs of a Christian back sliding is when he/she cannot thank God anymore.)

Get Filled
“When the car is out of petrol, we get out of the car and we add petrol into the car. We don’t throw away the car. Similarly, when we are out of oil, we need to plug into the main source of the oil. And that is, from God. Hence it doesn’t make sense when someone says that he’s out of oil, and therefore he needs to stay away from church instead of coming back to the source and plugging back into it. Take a break from church? Are you sure that will get you back into church? In Psalms 23:5 we read that “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” – we need to have the same amount of oil, overflowing, when we have more than enough, and not just enough. When will God stop anointing us? When our desperate cry to God ends and when we tell him it is enough. God will never stop anointing us. In 2 Kings 4:1-6 we read that “The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing.” Only when we say it is enough; only then will God stop the flowing. God wants to anoint us. In Jude 1:20 we read: “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” Similarly, pray in the Holy Spirit, and continually seek God for that fresh touch every day.”

30th October 2005: Dr. Jacob Lee

“The Journey to an Abundant Life”

Word Released: Pastor Mark
“This is the Word from the Lord: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” – (Romans 11:33-36) God’s ways are higher than our ways and we have to trust him in our situation. Some of us standing here today may be asking God; “Why me?” but let us remember that God is in control. God wants to encourage us today; that despite the situations we are in God is in control. To him be the glory forever. He is worthy of praise.”

On Prayer Festival: Dr Samuel
“We’re living in the last days. In the second last verse, of the last chapter, of the last book of the bible, it is written: “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) Indeed, he is coming soon, and he is calling us unto him. We are extremely fortunate to be his witnesses in the end times. There will be a Night Rally held from Fri-Sun, 4-6 Nov 05. 7pm @ Sanctuary (3rd floor) as the speaker has received a word specifically to come to Singapore. Come and join us if you have a heart for your country, and for the three days of miracle healing.”

On Abundant Life
“Previously I spoke about the epic adventure which is living the Christian life. Today, we are going to find out more about living the abundant life. When we first became Christians, we were first told that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) “That we may have life” – Now that sounds very exciting, isn’t it? Now it seems like we’re extra special. Someone said that, “Without Jesus, week days are weak days – Moanday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Frightday, Shatterday, and Sadday – So be with Jesus, and be blessed everyday. But I don’t know about you; when I became Christian it seemed like nothing was really very different. Why is it that so few have this promise? Maybe what we think abundant life to be - is not what God thinks it to be. What is it, and how do we get it?”

Having the abundant life
“Some say that Jesus was referring about life in heaven. Some say that its not going to happen on earth. Others say that the abundant life is about having health and wealth. Yet some others say that we have to try harder; that if we have more faith, we’ll be able to receive it. Pray harder! Just receive it by faith – some people say. I don’t agree that they are correct, but they are not entirely wrong either. I think that the abundant life is simply living life to the fullest. If you are living the abundant life, you will be able to say that “Its great to be alive.” It is simply living according to how you were designed to be by God.”

God’s Will and the Abundant Life
“The abundant life is within God’s will. It is the intersection of the three circles of abilities, joy, and service. We have to know that joy to one is not the same to another. For example, let’s look at William Hung. He finds great joy in singing, but when it comes to ability, he may not be very adequately equipped. Some find deep satisfaction in other things, and deem it to be living an abundant life, but one who is living an abundant life will find people drawn to them. Lives will be touched and the purpose of God will be fulfilled. Also, it applies to all aspects of life, be it work, or at home. For example, lets look at the verse Deuteronomy 32:2 – “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” This is from the song of Moses, and it is special to me because my gift is teaching and that applies a lot to me. John Elliot once said that: “God, light these idol sticks of my life, and may I burn up for thee; consume my life, my God, for it is thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like yours, Jesus.” It was also prophetic, for he (he is a missionary) went to preach to the Indians and was in fact speared to death by them. But his wife carried on his work and although John Elliot died, hundreds of people were motivated and they became missionaries, and many Indians were in fact saved. Indeed, it was not a long life, but a full one.”

Joy
“We have heard often from Christians: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) So, joy is strength in this case and the things which do, which makes us happy and encouraged, give us the strength to move on. When is it not joy? For example, gratification; some think its similar, but they are very distinct indeed. Gratification is giving in to our fleshly self. When you seek gratification, it comes in forms such as smoking, or drinking. There is no joy in living. It is not doing as you please, it is not the absence of suffering or hardship. People are more willing to go through hardship if they have joy in them. Hebrews 12:2 says: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (No one is saying that it’s joyful to go on the cross, it means that Jesus’ strength to be able to do such a task stemmed from joy, and love, therefore indeed, the joy of the Lord is my strength) Jesus also had the joy, even in such hardship. John 16:21 tells us that “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” The joy of living changes people in greater measure as compared to the fear of death. When there is no joy in living, some prefer to die instead, since there is nothing to look forward to. They ask: “What’s the point in living?” In Philippians 4:4 tells us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” The joy should flow right now, as is the abundant life for the now. What has made you joyful? Your job, child, or church? Reflect upon it.”

Abilities
“We are to stretch our God given capabilities to the maximum possibility. There are natural abilities and supernatural abilities which God gives to people. At our first birth we have our natural talents; therefore, even pre believers have gifts – natural gifts (not the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which a great length have been devoted to in the previous posts) When we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit this is not to say that we should ignore those which were given naturally to us. In Daniel 4:30-32, it is written “he (King Nebuchadnezzar) said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." The Lord, the Most High God, gave it to the pagan King. All talents and abilities are from God. In Deuteronomy 8:17-18 we read “You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Who gives the ability to make wealth? God enables us to do his work, to generate wealth, etc. Further, in Exodus 31:2-4 we read:"See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,” All talents, including even crafts, are of God. Yet it is necessarily difficult to see what our talents are as sometimes it can be natural and we do it almost effortlessly. We may undervalue and under estimate it.”

Experiments
“We have to experiment with different things. In failure and criticism we have to overcome that. For example, someone said “I prayed for healing but the person died.” (Actually, Pastor Tay said that in a previous sermon) but that is no cause for a person to give up. Also, we may learn a little lesson from the bible as well – let us not be who we’re not supposed to be. (For example, I’m not, or at least I don’t think I am, capable of banishing evil spirits or demons; I scream at cockroaches, so I’m not going to pretend to be a Pastor Tay) Let us turn to Acts 15. Paul – he was called to be an apostle, while Barnabas was called to be an encourager. Both were gifted by God to do great works in many marvellous ways. Let us read Acts 15:36-41: “ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” What does this mean? Paul, the apostle, naturally found his heart leaning towards strengthening the churches, building churches, and preaching the word. Barnabas, on the other, had his heart on encouraging people, supporting and lifting others. Hence they were different in this manner. If Paul had attempted to be a Barnabas, he might have thought “Hm, maybe Barnabas is right after all, I should be encouraging John instead.” Yet he would find within him that thirst of wanting to know how the growth of the churches in the other areas were, and necessarily he might have been frustrated at John. That wouldn’t have been very wise. Similarly, if Barnabas had said: “Hm, I really like and admire Paul; maybe he’s right, we should just leave John behind. It’s more important to plant churches.” I believe that while on his journey to the churches he would be thinking “Oh well, I wonder how John is coping. I hope he’s growing in the Lord.” He wouldn’t have found as great a satisfaction in preaching and evangelising. So, we should just try to be who we are, not emulate someone else. If Paul had not evangelised, the church would not have grown as much. Furthermore, we read in 2 Timothy 4:11: “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” If Barnabas had not stayed and encouraged John (Also called Mark), then perhaps he would not have been able to be useful in ministry. Hence, we are all called to different tasks, and we are to do it to our greatest potential.”

Service
“In Acts 20:35, we read that “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” I don’t know about you, but the first time I heard that I was thinking “Are you sure? How can that be?” After some time, as I matured in the faith, I begun to see the truth in the matter. Let us turn to Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” What does this add up to? Well, man’s deepest wish is to know that we’re not here by accident, that we are somebody. Some times when you look at what the world is singing to you know what they are searching for: a famous line from one of the boy bands was something like this: “Looking back on the things I’ve done, I was trying to be someone.” We all want to be someone. But we should not want to be the best in the world; we should want the best for the world. Something we can learn from the real world might be how millionaires are millionaires. Firstly they say they do what they really liked. They chose work that allowed them to maximise their abilities. Also, they looked for a niche market. We should look for something that we find joy in, which allows us to stretch our God given talents.”

Questions
“Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself. 1. What are the things that bring you joy? 2. What are the things that you’re good at? 3. Who are those around you who can be blessed by your God given abilities? These are some of the steps you might want to take in identifying your path to abundant life. After that, the next step is to begin to move out and make a journey towards it. We must be willing to step out and move towards that intersection. Doors will open and doors will close, that is one way in which the Holy Spirit guides you.”

Making Choices
“Be acutely aware of your joy, energy, and results as they are often indicators of progress. Learn from mistakes and criticism. Sometimes you’re on the right path, but maybe you have to learn to take another path. Also, living an abundant life does not mean not having to put in hard work. Sometimes roadblocks come in your way when you’re trying to be someone you’re not. Or, you may be trying to please others, based on pressure. Or perhaps you’re pleasing your old nature. A man who was gifted in teaching was once asked to be the president of a college. He was thinking about it when his friend asked: Why do you want to be? And he realized that it was because he wanted to satisfy the ego. It could be pride, fear, or anger preventing us from the abundant life. Live a loved life, which is not in vain; instead, live for a purpose, and strive towards the abundant life.”

Hello all, this is just a short post from the church bulletin which I felt really strongly about. The church has been called to be “a house of divine healing”, and several prophecies have been given to the church on this subject. It excites me every single time when I read this because we know that God is still in the business of healing, offering solace, peace, health, and joy to those inflicted. I know that God is a God who loves, who has compassion, because he has called us to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) I know that God is determined to provide his people with a direction, through all these wonderful prophecies which he has given. I know that God is an awesome God, because he is able to enable us, and to heal the sick.

These are the prophecies given to us by the Lord:

1. “I called this church to be a healing place for many, many people…” (Pastor Daniel N. Matei, 15/7/2001)

2. “I want to pour out a healing anointing on you as a church…” (Pastor David Dishroon, 19/7/2004)

3. “I say I need a house for healing and a house for miracles… and they will be healed immediately.” (Chuck Pierce, 12/5/2005)

4. “…somebody here with a terrible disease and the prayer of faith will heal that person.. that miracle shall be shown into this nation.” (Prince Kudolo, 03/9/1993)

The last prophecy, which says “that miracle shall be shown into this nation” is something that I would really want to see happening. When the miracles are shown into this nation, lives will be transformed and the sick will be healed – that is cause enough for the church to rise to what God has in mind for us.

23rd October 2005: Pastor Tay

“Spiritual Gifts IV”

Word Released
This is the Word from the Lord: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) This Word is for people contemplating marriage or business. “A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24) If we allow ourselves to be yoked with unbelievers, it will lower our own personal standards, ethics, and beliefs. God desires to spare us the pain and the suffering. God’s standards are that of righteousness – what does righteousness and wickedness have in common?”

Prayers of Intercession
“The church has been called to wage war on the enemy. In the past 2-3weeks, eight sisters have come to my office and they all suffer from cancer – a great percentage of the sisters suffer from breast cancer. I went to seek the Lord about the matter, and we are to wage war on the enemy; to pray for those who are cancer stricken. The Bible tells us that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) He is here to take away the joy, for when you know you have cancer, all joy goes out of you – there is no cure for cancer. The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy, to take away the joy; and we see people desperate in their time of need. Many have even given up the hope of living – there is no cure for cancer. The church must rally around them, and we must make a stand. This is the time for the church to come together to pray and to intercede for those who are in need. The healing will come – we are called to fast, to pray – just pray for all those who are inflicted. We are to pray for them, to come against the work of the evil one, and to appropriate the healing virtues of Jesus Christ.”

Fasting and Praying
Fasting may be something unfamiliar to some of us. But do so as the Spirit leads you. Last week, at the prayer meeting on Wednesday, 25% of the people present said that they know of at least one person with cancer. Cancer is the number one killer in Singapore. There is no cure. But God is a loving God – we need to call upon the name of the Lord; to put our hope in Christ Jesus. We have to make it known to all that our God is a God who heals completely. Church, we are called to stand shoulder to shoulder against the enemy in this hour. There is no need for desperation; we need to stand and rise as a church to destroy the works of the evil one, to set people free from their afflictions, and to restore joy, confidence and hope in people – to lift up those in need and to deliver and heal, for the glory of the Lord.”

Spiritual Gifts
“We have looked at the gifts of the spirit in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and the office of Spiritual gifts. Before we move on with today’s message, let me give you a brief historical background on Spiritual gifts. In the past, no one was interested in Spiritual gifts. There was no enthusiasm and no one sought them, since the time Christ ascended to heaven, not many seemed to be interested in the move of the Spirit. All needs and prayers were provided by the church. However, thirty years ago, something happened and it shook the Christian church. There was a tremendous change and it was the Charismatic Revival, which emphasized on speaking in tongues, deliverance, healing, and vibrant worship. It promoted the idea that every believer is a minister as well. (Word based, based on: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) NIV) All are called to help one another, to build up one another. Every denomination had to sit up and take notice. It was not just in Singapore, but also, world wide. City Harvest Church – it is not an Anglican church. FCBC – that is not a Baptist church. New Creation Church; Lighthouse – they are not Presbyterian Churches. They are Independent Charismatic churches. There was a spiritual awareness in the Charismatic churches where people could be edified and built up in their faith. Many thought of these churches as being extreme – but everything was Word based. The Charismatic church – we make no apology about it, as everything is biblical and Word based. There was now no need to confess sins to the priest, for we can speak directly to God. In the Oikoses, any Oikos leader would lay his hands to pray for the members; no need for special anointing oil – it is not the oil that anoints but it serves as but a point of contact.There is also a less institutionalised structure; (for example, in worship)”

Serve According to Gifts
“We must begin to serve the church to discover our gifts. The more we do so, the more we see the direction of God. We must be able to bless others with our gifts. Many are hindered in discovering the gifts. And I would like to suggest that there are some ways why this is so. Firstly, due to inexperience; you will only discover if you start using it. If it is not involved, you will not know of it. For new comers, that is especially hard to discover. As they get more involved, they will sense an ability, a particular enjoyment, or an inclination, which signals the operation of the gift. Furthermore, as said previous, the secret to finding your spiritual gift is to begin to move in the gifts of the spirit. The enemy will seek to destroy this work. If you have the gift of evangelism, and you are not moving in it, people will not be saved, and that is to the delight of the enemy. If you have the gift of healing, but you are not moving in it, people will remain sick and ill, to the delight of the enemy. Hence he will prevent you from beginning in it.

Serving in Love
Paul writes in Galatians 5:13, that “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” While accordingly, when we serve to the nature of our gifts we use it to the glory of God, we are living a communal life. Yet, as 1 Corinthians 13 says it, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.” Paul tells us that it is important to love – he says, “I am nothing” if he hath not love. It is futile to have the gifts but not love. We must love men and God, even in the operation of our gifts for the glory of God.”

Gifts for all Believers
I Corinthians 12:7 tells us that “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” The next step, is to begin to believe that you are indeed gifted. In Acts 2:17 the prophecy of Joel was uttered at the manifestation of the Holy Spirit as it was poured out to the people: 'In the last days, God says,

“I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

Begin to believe that you are gifted, for that is the promise of God: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”

For All Man?
We read that Jesus sent out the 12 disciples, those who were close to him to do the work they had to do. But Jesus also sent out the 70 – And signs, miracles and wonders followed them! They were moving in the power ministries. It is not just the disciples who have the anointing, partaking in the flow of the Holy Spirit, but for “all people”; and that is the promise of the Lord.”

Ask and Receive
“The next step is to ask for it, in prayer and petition. In Matthew 7:11, we read that “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” We have a good God, who gives us good gifts. He has deposited them for us, but we must have the eye of faith to unwrap and see what it is. Furthermore, I would like to suggest that you dedicate yourself in unity. “No man livest onto himself” (Or, no man is an island, John Donne) and we all need one another, to offer a united testimony. Tell God that you are willing to be used in any way; offer time and energy to give unto others. Be the Aarons and the Hurs who lift up the hands of Moses. When Moses’ hands were down the Israelites were losing; but when they were up, Joshua, leading the Israelites, were winning. Moses can’t win by himself , he is still in the flesh. Similarly, the strength of the church lies in the people/membership (strength) of the church. If you want to see the name of God glorified, the church edified, we cannot hope to be but passengers, but the crew. It delights the heart of God to see his children united, in one mind, together. Just as it is with fathers; when you see your children working in unity that gladdens the heart. God is our everlasting father, it is the same as that as well.”

Know Yourself
Next, I would like to suggest to you that you analyse yourself – am I comfortable in this ministry? Do I feel joy in serving? If you are in the Social Concern, for example, the old people cannot bless you in return. But we know that Jesus said: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” – (Matthew 10:42) In all that you do, do unto the Lord; that “the least you do, you do unto Jesus.” Furthermore, seek confirmation from the people around you. Those who know you will know your gifts, and will be able to confirm them. One of the stories which encourages me is this old man whom I will never forget. When we had our first healing rally at the DBS auditorium it was a step of faith, and we didn’t know what to expect. But God will bless you if you obey, and among one of the people who came up for healing, an old man who had been wheelchair bound for 10-12 years came. He was about sixty, and after we prayed for him he could stand and walk. In fact, he walked all the steps up to his apartment, when just a few hours before, men had to carry him on the back to the auditorium. That is the gift of healing in operation.”

Loved by God
We are all equally loved by God. Declare to God that ‘what gifts you have for me, I will use them to your glory.’ We must walk on water – for that delights the heart of God, to depend solely on Him alone, and not upon your own strength. When you want to walk on water you have to set your sights on God, on Jesus, instead of losing your concentration, just as Peter did. Don’t waste your time on temporal things, which are transient. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6: 19-20)

Dedication to God
Importantly, as Romans 12:1 tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Present yourselves to God, as a sacrifice to him. We also have a need to develop the gift which God has bestowed upon us. 1 Timothy 4:14 tells us that “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” We have to exercise it in faith and not to let it stay in a corner. In 2 Timothy 1:6 the bible tells us that “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” We are to fan into flames the gift of God, and not to be merely contented with the ambers. Romans 12: 6-8 also tell us that “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” God wants the best of us, our fullest potential; only thus will we see the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. With all of your concentration and focus upon God, learn to walk on water.”

Hello all! I haven't got 23rd October's sermon on yet, because I was busy with completing my term papers. The good news is, I've finished them, ALL of those papers, and I will finally have enough time to post it up really soon. Will be up today, really really. =D

Hello all. Here's this morning's sermon, by Pastor Tay, on the subject of Spiritual Gifts. Next Sunday's service will be interesting and edifying too, so check this space next week! From the bulletin: "God wants to speak to us more that we long to speak to Him. Your level of intimacy with God will determine how often you receive revelations from God through His Word, your circumstances, or even in a "still small" voice. Pastor's going to speak about "Hearing the Voice of God." - Sounds super exciting. Come and join us next Sunday. Do long for a greater intimacy with God - we must seek a personal relationship with him. =D Anyway, here's this Sunday's sermon, and once again, the words in brackets, italicised, are my comments and thoughts, and it was not verbalized by the speaker:

16th October 2005: Pastor Tay

“Spiritual Gifts” – Part 3

Word Released
“This is the Word from the Lord: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.” - John 3:36 (NIV). If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, walk in the Lord. Whosoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. Whosoever rejects the son will not see life. God’s wrath remains on him. Walk ye the way of the Lord. If you have not believed in Christ the Lord, I would like to invite you to do so.” (A moment of silence, and a some brothers (two I think) raised their hands and Pastor prayed for them to receive Christ; Praise God.)

Spiritual Gifts
“I’m very happy today, because you are going to learn about spiritual gifts. I’m happy because although some might not know a lot about spiritual gifts, you have the willingness to learn about them. The bible says, “without knowledge my people perish” (The actual quote, I think, is “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” - Proverbs 29:18 NIV) We must use all that the Lord has given us for the glory of his name. There are three gifts which we will speak of today, and they are known as the vocal gifts or the revelational gifts. All these gifts from God are revelational – whether it is the gift of tongues or knowledge, it is God revealing himself to you.”

A Messenger
“Now I want you to imagine you are in a large banqueting hall. At any one time, 5000 people are in this hall, and they have an hour to finish their meal because in the next hour the next 5000 will come. The ushers are busy, and some of them are annoyed as an elderly couple makes their way down towards you. This happened in Amsterdam, and I didn’t know them at all. I have never seen them in my life before. They dash in and they are panting. All of a sudden the man says “I’ve got a message for you.” You’re shocked because you don’t know them – besides you would expect someone to say “Good day” or “Hello” to begin with. This man goes on to say: “You’ve got problems with your church leadership.” I was stunned – because if you are so far away from home, and let me tell you, no one else from my church was there – so how was it possible that this man I’ve never met in my life, knew so much about me? And he said something that I was very glad about – “You are obedient to the Holy Spirit”. And I instantly knew what he was talking about, because 2-3 weeks ago I was seeking the forgiveness of my church leadership, because I had stepped forward to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the Garden Hotel. The first thing that the Holy Spirit had told me was to seek forgiveness, so I did; but it was not easy. It was a humbling and humiliating thing. And he said: “… the Holy Spirit loves you; Oh, how he loves you.” 1 Corinthians 14: 29-30 tells us: “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.” I now understand what that means. All these gifts – wisdom, knowledge, and tongues – God reveals himself through these. And the messenger went on further and said to me: “…You are going to build and to pastor a large white church.” And it happened two other times; that happened in 1986, and in 1987, I saw a vision of the church, and in 1988 a third confirmation came. Thereafter, in June 1992 the church came into being, and in Nov 1995 we had the building.”

Gift of Revelation
“A sister brought another sister to church and told me this problem; her husband, an airline pilot, had a mistress and there was problems of a divorce. She came to be prayed for. Just as I was about to pray for her, a revelation was received: that she had been to the temple and obtained a talisman from the monk. I said to her: “You have a talisman with you.”, but she said that she had no such thing. And by word of knowledge I said “The talisman is in your bag right now. Take it and give it to me.” After that the said talisman was produced and it was burnt. And another word was received: “You have another talisman.” But once again she said that it was not so. And I said: “You have another talisman in your house, in the bedroom, in the cupboard under the pile of clothes.” We went to her house and indeed we recovered that. She had paid the monk $3000 for the talisman. She wanted to get her husband back, but unfortunately she took the wrong path.”

Revelations
“A young man, who was usually joyful and boisterous, came to see me. He was quiet that day, and the word came to me, that he had committed the sin of fornication. He did not reveal it, but the word came. The sin of fornication is sex before marriage – stay away from it – do not sin against God. If you have sex outside of marriage, that is the sin of adultery. (God’s “Don’t do it” is actually usually “Don’t do it, because you’ll hurt yourself.) We had to pray for him after that. God is looking for people who are holy and blameless. When I was in an office, I was praying and I felt that there was something dirty in the room – I called the man and discovered that there had been a ghost child in a bottle in the room. Likewise, a family had felt something unclean, and it was revealed that a spot in the living room had an altar – from the renovation workers. All these were revealed. I Corinthians 14:25 says: “…and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” The secrets of the woman were laid bare; likewise, the man. Speak what is received and take the word seriously.”

Tongues
“Now we move on to the gift of tongues, which is the special ability granted by God to speak and communicate in an unknown language which cannot be learnt. It cannot be learnt. It is not a matter of linguistics. In Acts 2:4 we read that “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” It is speaking under anointing of the Holy Spirit and it bypasses the mind and understanding. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:14 “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” It is not uncommon in this church where people speak in tongues. It can be a means of praise and worship, which happens when people are praying God-ward, and it is between you and God. It can also be a means of prophetic address, which is man-ward, through a person with the gift of tongues, God can use it to edify the body of Christ. One might be able to speak in tongues but not have the gift of tongues – with interpretation. In the latter, the church is edified.”

Interpretation of Tongues
“And now we move on to the gift of interpretation of tongues, where some can understand the tongues which is spoken; and hence it can be understood by the people present. Take not that it is not translation; sometimes tongues make be spoken for five minutes and the interpreter simply says “God, accept the praise and worship from your people.” And sometimes it may be spoken for only a short while yet the interpretation might that a long time. It is not equal to length. The purpose is to reveal what God is saying, and the purpose is to edify and to build up the church – to strengthen the body and to comfort: Hence, “For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.” (1 Corinthians 14:13) When one speaks and another interprets that is a great display of unity. Just like prophecy, evaluate it by three elements: 1. When God speaks, the word is infailible, like the written word and there is no falsehood to be found. 2. The danger is the interpretation, and we’ve got to size it up, because sometimes that which is not of God, we add it in. 3. Application: sometimes pastors might manipulate the word and abuse it, allowing it to be made use of. The word is never condemning, as it is not God’s nature to publicly shame people. Live a godly life and do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Apply it, listen, and obey. Don’t use the word to suit your own interests – God speaks perfectly but we don’t listen perfectly.”

Prophecy
“Today I told some people that there will be souls ushered into the kingdom of heaven. There is no need to preach that today because the Spirit is in the heart of the people and the Spirit convicts. (Refer to the word released; some brothers were saved) Prophecy is God’s mouthpiece – it is divinely inspired and in a known language. I Corinthians 14:1 tells us: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.” Prophecy is deliberately singled out here. Verse 3 tells us that “…everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.” God is in the house. We must continue to strengthen people in the most holy faith. (Exact verse: Jude 1:20 “But you, my dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit”) Prophecy is not fortune telling. The word must gel with your spirit. “Though none go with me, I still will follow” – When I revealed the word I had received to the Sunday school teachers, none agreed with me – “…this is a brethren church,” they said – “We don’t have pastors here.” If the word is for you it will grip you. 1 Timothy 4:1 says: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” – Last Sunday it was said that the gift of discernment (normally given to the leadership of the church) would help find these wolves in sheep’s clothing. People could be filled with the evil spirit, but Jesus gives us this promise in Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Some of us here might have our minds hijacked – halfway through service you’re thinking of what to have for lunch later on. But we have the power to triumph over all these. Prophecy must be in line with the word as well – it is to build up and not to destroy. It is not in God’s nature to publicly shame you. Even when the woman who was caught in adultery in John 8 experienced the tenderness and love of Jesus, who said gently to her: “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” – John 8:11. (Neither should we seek to condemn anyone publicly. If even Jesus, who was sinless, did not condemn her, what right have we, who are but sinful men and women, to condemn anyone?)”

Jesus’ Example
“Jesus has given us a perfect example in himself. Follow in his image and walk in obedience in him. On the 24th October 1988 I received a prophetic word from a sister who encouraged me, saying that I would move in the realm of the Spirit, and speak to peers and associates. Recently, many people have come forward to be prayed for and they are all suffering from cancer – the church must take a stand for those who are lost. The church is not for those who are well, but for those who are sick (By this I think he means that no one can ever be well spiritually – who among us can say that we are perfect in our faith? Refer to 1 Corinthians 10:12 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”) In the same likeness, we are the salt of the earth (Also refer to last Sunday’s sermon and Matthew 5:13) and we have to give them hope, that they have eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- End of Service -

After service I spoke to an elder of the Church and I was very much encouraged when she said that we should "eagerly seek spiritual gifts" in response to a question that I had. If you are reading this, regardless whether I know you personally/not-personally, I urge you to eagerly seek spiritual gifts as well, for the glory of our Lord. =D

As promised, the sermon from David Ravenhill, 25th Sept:

25th September: David Ravenhill

“Surviving the Anointing”

Importance of Annointing
In Ezekiel 28:14, we see an example of one who was “anointed as a guardian cherub”. The crux of this verse, is the painful word, “were” – which connotes that that which was once highly anointed by God is now no more. Some might say: “What’s so important about this anointing?” Well, if it was able to make a man like David (who upon having realized that his sin with Bathsheba had caused God much grief) cry out to God to “take not Your anointing”, above all else, that anointing must surely be worth much!

Annointing Removed
It is tragic to lose the anointing. Take for example, Solomon, who was wise (well, he did give us the Proverbs!) and in all ways, was an extremely brilliant man. However, at the end of his life he was seen doing ungodly stuff, wasn’t he? He certainly wasn’t the last, or the first. Next we see Saul, who was anointed to be King of all Israel, but the anointing was revoked by God – and towards the end of his life, the King was seen asking seeking a medium, and was very badly shaken after the encounter (read in 1 Sam 28:9-24)

Keeping the Annointing
This brings us to a question: how are we to use the anointing, or to keep it? The answer might in fact lie in the character/personality of an individual. When one is full of pride, self pride that is, in the manner of “I can do all things, because I am good enough”, there’s a problem here because God won’t use a person like that. One of the many good examples the bible offers is, needless to say, that of Jesus Christ himself. 1 Peter 2:21 tells us that “Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” – and our best example in living comes from Jesus himself: our faith and hope is indeed in God. So, what did Jesus show us about keeping the anointing?

Dependency on God
Firstly, we see that Jesus had total dependency on God the Father. Hey, we’re talking about the Second person of the Trinity, the spotless Lamb of God, the sinless One, and here Jesus tells us in John 5:19, that “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does”. We’re talking about Jesus here, not average Joe – how much more of this does it apply to you and I? I tell you the truth, we can do nothing without the Father – we need to acknowledge total dependency on God alone. One of my favourite verses just came alive today in the sermon when I read it again. Here are God’s words to us: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We need to come together and see that, for all the strength and power and ability that God has given to us, the ultimate resources that we need, comes from God alone. Imagine this: Jesus, the Word of God, to us that we need to come into total dependency upon God alone. Think about it.

Poor in Spirit
Jesus said to us in Matthew 5:3, that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” In this short verse, I want to draw your attention to the word “poor”. (this is in NIV, by the way) In the Greek it means beggars. Imagine this: Blessed are the beggars in spirit, for theirs IS the kingdom of heaven. One of the stories recounted to us by the preacher this morning was this: He was in India and he was travelling on an amazingly congested road, and it was packed full with cars, bicycles, vans, etc. All of a sudden he heard a voice cry out, and he looked around to see where it was from. He looked out of his taxi and saw a young Indian boy, about 10-12, begging for some money near the road. He was crippled in one arm, as it was shrivelled up; but in his other hand he held up a tin can and sought for alms. The preacher this morning mentioned that this word came alive to him, for indeed beggars rely solely, with full dependence, on the giver. We need to come with full dependence for God alone, with our tin cans seeking his providence.

Wisdom and Annointing
The Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t operate on the same way people operate. We need to recognize that we are impoverished indeed without God. Where would we be if we were to be without God? There would be no forgiveness of sin, there would be no peace, there would be absolutely nothing. Well, I think I wouldn’t even be sitting here in front of my computer typing. From my personal experience, the question “Where would I be without God?” leaves me thankful and full of gratitude for God’s grace, because I know that, without him, I would be living a life that would be shackled and bounded to sin. From a position of pride, where I once thought that I never would ever need God, well, He caused me to come to tough understanding that without God I would be nothing indeed. Well, the wise would say, “I don’t need God. I’m intellectual enough and I don’t need any “guidance, thank you very much”; but honestly speaking, even the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, knew that guidance from God was important but when he failed to practice what he preached he lost God’s anointing and all his wisdom amounted to nothing when his kingdom was split according to the will of God. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:20; “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

Weak and Strong
Further, we read in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” Indeed we read in the example of King David: David was considered the least amongst all the sons of Jesse. In fact, he was considered so small in the his household that when the great prophet Samuel told Jesse: “Hey God said that there’s going to be a new King of Israel from amongst one of your sons” Jesse gathered all except David, probably saying: “Nah not that one – he’s too young and he’s like a hippie, playing his guitar all day long and talking to his sheep all the time”. But surprise surprise, God told Samuel to anoint David, of all people. And here is this little boy, with his five smooth stones and sling, and he killed the giant Goliath.

Seeking God, not Gifts
When one recognizes weakness, and sees that God’s “strength is made perfect in your weakness”, we begin to see a transformed life. When you have weakness you lean upon God, not upon your own understanding, and when God leads you, you can be assured indeed. For that, we need to develop a genuine intimacy with God – and only through prayer can one realize that. For some who believe that prayer isn’t the way to intimacy with God, think about this: When you deprive a group of people, total strangers, of television, newspapers, games, the computer, etc, and you lock them up in a room with only each other for company, 24hours later when they emerge from the room they will be able to even introduce each other, speak of each other. That’s the same way with prayer, isn’t it? When you pray and leave all other thoughts out of the picture; just quiet times with God, you’ll understand more about him. No, five minute “bless me” prayers don’t really count – seek the giver, not the gifts.

Well this isn't really an update but I just wanted to insert the sermon from 30th September here because I wanted to have all the sermons in the same place. Will also post the other sermon, (the David Ravenhill 25th September) later on. Meanwhile, enjoy. This is the sermon from 30th September:

30th September: Pastor Tay

“Waiting upon the Lord”

Seeking God’s Direction
As a group of intercessors prayed to God, the one question they had in their mind was for God to show them the direction for the church. They prayed: “We want to see your glory revealed, and we want your direction.” In other words, they were seeking for directions from God, with a bit of “We’re nothing going to move until you tell us what to do” mentality. But the question that was asked received a shocking answer when God revealed that his people were not loving God as much as they should. Here we ought to ask: Are we loving God as we should be? There must be a radical change in our relationship and thought if we are to see God’s glory revealed. Another question that requires serious thought is “Am I loving God in the way which pleases him?”

Loving God
Undeniably we want to see God’s glory revealed. But God reveals that in order to do so, we must learn to love him. How much is this love? Think about a friend whom you love dearly. (E.g. Those couple-couples can think of each other. Hehe.) The love which God seeks, or rather, deserve, should be greater than that. Psalm 31:23 (NIV) says, “Love the Lord, all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.” The people of God must love God. Actually it really makes perfect sense: We have experienced the Lord’s goodness, for isn’t it true that “God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV) Don’t say that a miracle has never happened in your life. The greatest miracle of all, in my opinion, is not whether God has healed your cancer, has helped you with your business, or has blessed you richly, although these are all good things which God has richly blessed you with. The greatest miracle of all is that God chose to lift you up from darkness, from the depravity of sin; out of all the wonderful, intelligent, morally upright people – good people in the world, he chose you. The miracle of conversion is the single greatest miracle because that has eternal consequences, not just long term consequences. Shouldn’t we be loving God for that? We have likewise experienced God’s faithfulness – In my case, that is very true because God came a-knocking on my door not just once but many a times. He has sent so many people to speak to me, and even when I didn’t listen he never stopped. That is faithfulness for you.

None that Seeks after God
Unfortunately, just as Paul says it in Romans 3:10-11, “As it is written; There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” We have not been loving God, but often, it is only in time of need; only when we have burdens that we cannot handle, only when there are emergencies – we look to God and ask him to be God. But we need to know, that to love God, we are to honour him and place in first in our lives. However this presents a problem; how can we love God? One thing I learnt today was, that loving God is not something that is done by our own strength or by physical methods. The Holy Spirit, our buddy, is there to help us. Aren’t you glad about that? I sure am. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to create in us a heart that longs after God, one that thirsts after God. Sometimes we tend to do things and we think that we are capable of doing everything by ourselves. But we need to know that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that can bring conviction; only the Holy Spirit can bring about a change in one’s heart.

A Personal God
Most of us probably long to have some kind of a real, personal relationship with God. We want to feel the reality of God in our lives – and with that we need to have personal encounters with God. When we have a personal relationship with God we know Him personally and hence we will grow stronger in Him, as we learn that we are to commit all to God and lean upon him instead of all difficulties. In order to receive his blessings, which he would willingly bless us with, we need to learn to come to him and to commune with him and to know God personally. To do so we need to ask for the Holy Spirit to come and to change our hearts – to change our heart to be one that will seek after God.

Obstacles in Spiritual Walk
The enemy will allow you to come to church. He will allow you to worship and praise God. He will allow you to come – but he will go all out to prevent you from hearing the voice of God, which will change and transform your life. When you are trying to hear and receive what God has in store for you he will hijack your thoughts, preventing you from communing with God. We need to be vigilant and diligent in such matters. “Nah,” I hear you say, “That can’t happen to me. I love god. How can I allow anyone to take away what God has in store for me?” Well I’ve got news for you – In Corinthians 10:12 Paul warns us by saying “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Remember Peter? This is a man who has been with Jesus since the time his ministry started – Peter lived through those amazing times, saw the miracles of Jesus, abandoned all the fishing hooks and nets (his livelihood) and followed Jesus, proclaiming the Messiah’s coming. But Jesus said to him that even Peter would betray him thrice – this tells us that we can never be too careful.

In the Garden
Even when the first humans took in the surroundings of their new world in the Garden of Eden, where they enjoyed God’s company, they were tempted by the serpent: We are talking about two people who were in God’s presence! And yet despite that they were able to shove that aside and they gave in ultimately into temptation. If that can happen in a place where God’s presence is there, what more in other areas, or even in church? The church, our modern day “Garden of Eden” so to speak, is also a place where we can be vulnerable to the schemes of our adversary.

Doubts about God
Even in the very presence of Jesus, and even in light of the miracles Jesus did, people’s thoughts were being invaded by evil thoughts. Consider Matthew 12:22 – “Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.” And yet in verse 24, despite the miracle before their very eyes, we learn that “But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Here, we see that a critical spirit arose out of the Pharisees as their minds were affected. Similarly, pastor shared with us a story of a woman who was healed in his office. A woman came in with terrible pains that would occur as she walked. After prayers, the healing process too place and she could walk from one end of the office to the other without pains, as it would have been usually. Immediately she asked: “Is this psychology?” HELLO! God just healed you on the spot, and you say that it is psychology, which heals you? I apologize for the capital letters and exclamation but this is something that I want to hit home – despite growing up in church, and seeing the wonders of God is it possible that all these were “coincidences” and “psychology”? A man was raised from the dead – can you tell me that this is psychology?

A Hijacked Church
When the Word of God is released, a large majority of church members will be hijacked by things, which will cause us to lose concentration – I know that because I have experienced that. Instead of concentrating on what is being preached from the pulpit, sometimes I find my mind suddenly thinking of something that is of no relevance, for example I think of my homework, I think of lunch after church, I think about everything but the sermon. It is indeed happening.

Believing Intellectually
We need to know that we are to have a change in our relationship with God. Coming to church on Sunday, and “paying our dues” are not the keys to instant spiritual “success” or anything of the sort. If you have read my previous (shorter) entry you would know what I have said about “Sunday Christians” or “Pew Christians”. We need to have the right relationship with our God, one that is close, personal, and very real. How are we to have it? Well, pray for it – We read in Thessalonians that we are to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17 (KJV)) What is heart-warming and beautiful is that God desires us to love him more than we desire. God loves us more than we deserve. Prayer brings results and it is something that we need to exercise regularly. One of the interesting questions which I received from the sermon, was actually the statement “Don’t just know and believe intellectually.” Unfortunately many believers and also pre-believers know God only intellectually and not wholly – how discouraging that is! Long for a personal relation with God the father, and you will see that he will guide you by the hand, as a loving father would to a child. Allow him in your life to be God, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Hello all. Well here's this morning's sermon. There's a slight difference in how I'm presenting it today. Today I'm attempting to write down the sermon in the way and manner it which it was delievered. So anyway, read it as if the speaker is talking directly to you. Again, the usual disclaimer: I merely hope that whatever that is posted here can be a source of blessing for you, and although I subscribe to what that is written I might not have written it all down 100% accuracy, but this is a reflection of what I manage to get from the sermon. Enjoy! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. (Also, words in brackets are my thoughts, and not what which was actually said in the sermon) Regardless, be blessed.

9th October 1005: Pastor Tay

“Spiritual Gifts… Cont’”

Word Released
“…“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” – Matthew 5:13. What good has salt if it loses its saltiness? If you know of a brother out there who is straying away from the Lord, go the extra mile and get him back into sync in his spiritual walk. If you know of a brother out there who is yet unsaved, go out there and preach the good news to him. If you know of a brother who is out there like this – it is the responsibility of a believer to go out and be the salt that you are supposed to be. You are called to be the salt of the earth – reach out to your brothers and sisters who are not walking in the Lord, and get them back into the flock.”

Wallpapers
“This morning you see that we have a different screensaver. Or as some will call it, wallpaper. We have changed it, and now you see that the Lord is glorified here (the font for the words “Jesus is Lord” is much bigger; previously it was not there) instead of in the previous wallpaper. In our eagerness to proclaim the church and the miracles God has done in His house we have neglected the Lord. He is Lord. In our eagerness, the words “Bethesda Cathedral” was in bold letters, exalting the church instead of the Lord. We have recognized the mistake and we are rectifying it. We need to give our Lord the glory He deserves. We have to repent. We must let God be God – do not put God in a box and only think that he can only operate in that little space. We are to let God be God. Because simply, God is God!”

Gifts not Separate from God
“1 Corinthians 14:1 tells us, “…eagerly desire spiritual gifts…” Today I want to continue speaking about spiritual gifts. But what I want to tell you today, church, is that the work of God is not independent of God. Many people think that it is “God, and His gifts”; and God sent the gifts from the heavens above. But it is not so – The Holy Spirit is God in us imparting revelation to us. The Holy Spirit and the presence of God is the same - I want you to know, church, that it is not “God and His gifts”, but it is “God in his gifts”. God’s presence is in us, with us, through us, in our thoughts, words and deeds.”

Manifestation of the Spirit
“In 1 Corinthians 12:7, we read “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” There is visible evidence as the gifts are in operation, This is God revealing himself. I now know what Zechariah meant when he said “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” – (Zechariah 4:6) By my Spirit, saith the Lord. God manifests himself by His Spirit, which is in us. Hence, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not to be regarded as separate from God. The Holy Spirit is not in the pre-believers, hence they do not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
“Now let us turn to the bulletin for today. In your centre page you see a write up of the gifts. We will look at the revelation gifts – “Word of Wisdom” (1 Corinthians 12:8) It is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to know the mind, the will and the solution of the Holy Spirit for a specific need in the Body of Christ. Let us look at the example of Jesus in the Word of God. There was the operation of the gift of Wisdom as Jesus saw the Samaritan woman at the well. They were talking about drawing water from the well as Jesus didn’t have a bucket to draw water from. Yet in John 4:16 we read that Jesus said to her “Go, call your husband and come back.” When the woman revealed that she had no husband, Jesus said in verse 18: “The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is quite true.” Jesus didn’t argue with her, but he used that to speak to her about how people was to worship God – that whenever we meet – in verse 23 Jesus tell us that “…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. (verse 24) God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in turth.” – not just on the mountain, but whenever we meet. Jesus didn’t look down on her for her not knowing some things. Similarly, when Jesus was with the Pharisees they asked him about paying taxes to Caesar. You see, church, it was a trick question. If Jesus had said they were to pay, he would have been unpopular as the people were taxed exorbitantly by the governors of the time. Yet if He had said that no taxes should be paid, He would have been reported to the authorities. Yet Jesus said, in Matthew 22:21 – “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” And that is moving in the gift of Wisdom. Jesus’ answer satisfied all.

Word of Knowledge
“Let us see how the gift of knowledge was revealed in Jesus’ life. In John 11:11 Jesus told the disciples “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” In verse 14 we read that Jesus told them plainly that “Lazarus is dead” because they had contended with him saying that it would be better for a sick man to rest than to be woken up. Yet, Jesus revealed that to them, that Lazarus was already dead. Furthermore, in Peter’s denial of Christ (John 13: 38) Jesus had predicted “… Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” And it came to pass. Sometimes the Holy Spirit causes a strong impression in your spirit man. Or there could be an inner voice. But remember, church, let God be God. Let him speak to you in whichever way He so desires, and allow him the liberty. There is no need to desire the audible voice of God – God can work through many ways. As it was in Amos, dreams came to him bearing revelation. Church, the thing that I desire most is not to have these church pews all filled up. It is not to have many people in this house, but it is to have the presence and the power of God moving strongly in this house. Jesus is Lord, and we must allow him the full freedom and liberty.”

Discerning of Spirits
“Now on the topic of the discernment of Spirits. Normally this is given to the watchdog, the shepherd of the flock. It is usually given to the leadership of the church so that there will be a guide for the flock. In times like this where demon worship and idolatry is rampant this is important. When Jesus was going to the cross he revealed that to the disciples and Peter took him aside and said to him “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” That was Satan’s last ditch effort to put Jesus away from the cross. And Jesus discerned and knew that it was not from man, not from God, but from Satan, and thus he said “Get thee behind me, Satan!”…”

Extraordinary Faith
“Jesus had absolute faith in the Father, as we have seen in the raising of Lazarus. Jesus had the gift of faith. Of course there were others as well. We read about Abram leaving his land, following God’s promise. We read about Noah building an ark (Genesis 6) when no one would have built one. And he built it exactly as God had commanded – that is faith. (Read Hebrews 11 for more examples of extraordinary faith)”

Healing
“Jesus had the power of healing. Here in Bethesda we are very blessed. This is quite a common gift here. In Matthew 4:23 we read that Jesus went about, “healing every disease and sickness among the people.” Furthermore in Matthew 10:1, we read that Jesus sent out the 12, and thereafter the 70, to heal and to cast out evil spirits. This is what God has for us. Recently a sister from the Hokkien Service came to see me about a growth behind her ear. After prayer, she returned home and when she woke up the next day it was gone – no scar, nothing was left. Praise God. She wrote me a long e-mail about it. Now, when God heals, don’t tell me that it is psychology, because that is very wrong indeed – it is God who heals, not psychology. If it is psychology, don’t come for healing in the first place if you think psychology heals! In Mark 16:18 we read that that we are to “…place their (our) hands on sick people.” Likewise in the same passage we read that this is the mandate given to us from our Lord and that is what we are to do. Another point to note in healing is that there must be power of agreement. In Matthew 18:19, Jesus tells us “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” The power of the spoken word is very real in the bible. In Matthew 8:8 we see that the centurion said to Jesus “But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” And it came to pass. Another manner of carrying out the process of healing would be to follow James 5:14, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” But church let me remind you that it is important to note that it is not the oil which heals, but the power of the name of the Lord. The oil serves as a point of contact, but it is the Lord Jesus who is the healer. (Likewise, when the pastor prays over someone, it is not the pastor who heals, but it is Jesus, our healer, who heals. The pastor is the vessel but the Lord is the healer)”

Miracles, Signs and Wonders
“God works through us and we have to know that the gospel is one that carries miracles as well. If we were to preach the gospel without accompanying miracles it would be an incomplete gospel, because Jesus said that “miracles signs and wonders will follow…” (Mark 16:17) God works miracles with man, not independent of man. We must participate as well, so that His glory and His power will be manifested. We require the Word of God. In Ezekiel 14 we read that he spoke to the dry bones and all the sinews and muscles came together and restored life. In Exodus 14 we read about the obedience of Moses as he was told to stretch out his staff, and the Red Sea parted. We must step out in obedience to the Father – just as Peter did when he left his boat and took the step of faith towards Jesus. It is not merely hearing and believing but also acting upon it. Intellectually we understand that God can work miracles and we can call upon him. But inside – are we really trusting? Jesus said to us – “Believe, and these signs will follow.” (Mark 16:17)”

The Church
“In the example of our church, Bethesda Cathedral, we have seen the miraculous power of God even in our building. In 1986 I was in Amsterdam where I was told to “Build and pastor a great white church”. A year later I saw a vision of the church while driving in Louisiana. And in 1988 John Elliot prophesised over me with the exact words – that I was to “Build and pastor a great white church.” That was the kairos time of God – the timing of God. So what is the secret of moving in the gifts of the Spirit?”

Secrets Unravelled
“The secret of moving in the spirit is to begin to move in the Holy Spirit. It is that easy. It is that simple. Just do it! We all make mistakes. But don’t allow fear to take that away; instead, be a channel of blessing to the people around you. Pray with all your might! Power comes from faith. “Faith comes from hearing, hearing the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Our job is to be a channel of blessing to all people. We must have the boldness to do so. Do not let mistakes hold you down. Instead, begin to believe that you can move in the spirit. Further, believe that God will move in you. It is not your ability, but it is the power of God in our lives. We must take another step of faith – to believe that He can use you as a vessel; as a channel of blessing to the people around you. Believe that He can.”

Here's the sermon delivered on Saturday, at the Women's Ministry. (It's once a month) Enjoy.

8th October 2005: Pastor Mary Forsythe

“Women’s Ministry”

Testimony
The speaker for today, Pastor Mary Forsythe, shared with us her amazing testimony. While I was there I saw her prophetic ministry, and she gave a word to some sisters and two or three couples in the beginning of her sermon. Basically she introduced to her life before Christ came real in her life. She was a successful businesswoman – even at the age of 6 she set up a stall selling lemonade for 10 cents, stopping cars that passed by the lawn. By 13 she had some money set aside, and she went up to her grandmother, asking her to buy her some stock certificates – now that’s having a business mind! By the time she was about 30, she was living the life – wealth, a nice handsome fiancé, and everything one could have dreamt about. In her own words, “every fibre of my(her) being” was geared towards that dream, that goal of owning it all and having it all. She was living the fast life, having fast cars, a swanky home in uptown Dallas, and Mike, her fiancé. She was telling us that she would imagine her driving her car (did I mention it was fast?) up to a nice restaurant and the valet would walk up to her and say “Ms Forsythe; we have your usual table waiting for you.” And she would reply: “Well you’d better.” That was Pride, with a capital “p” for you, according to the pastor.

Internal Pain
However she shared with us that the outside and external front she had was nothing like what was inside. She was in pain. She was under bondage, as she said she had always felt rejected since her earliest recollections. Yet she was in denial and she tried to dress it all up. She was telling us: “Time can heal, that’s what everyone tells you; but I tell you today that only Jesus can heal.”

“Master of Masks”
As she went on, she told us she was living many different lives, and had many different masks on when she was dealing with different people. She was a Sunday Christian, and she would go to church – yet, in her own words, “Standing in the car park doesn’t make you a car.” Indeed, she was amongst Christians but she never was the Christian that she would become. When she had her church friends over she would be pious, locking the liquor cabinet; saying grace over all the meals, (dessert included) and doing Christian-y things. Yet after the party was over she would unlock the liquor cabinet. She felt she was but fulfilling a social-religious duty. Yet God saw what was really going on. God is not mocked.

God’s Plan
In her own words, “When you chase the wrong things, you’re never satisfied.” God came into the picture when she was riding high on the social ladder – she had gold credit cards, a pharmaceutical chain; but all of a sudden she was charged with 15 felony crimes. Yet even then she had the “I can handle everything” mentality. When the judge lifted the gavel and struck it hard, saying that she was charged for five years in a federal prison she was not affected at all – that was the condition of her heart, a hard heart which was masked. At that moment all her friends disappeared from her life – those who had followed her with her gold credit cards and all. She had to sell away everything; her house, and all. She had figured that, by giving money to the government her case would have been solved. Yet it was not so, because the government wanted to make an example out of her – she was even featured on CNN for the case. Yet at the very end she ended up without any thing, but a withered life.

Revelation
She still, however, possessed an attitude about the entire thing. With her connections to the President, she figured that she would be able to secure a President’s pardon, and ta-da, out of prison, back to her own life. But God had another plan in mind. In prison she worked in the warehouse, with, ironically, a certain Mr Israel as the guard in charge. She drove a forklift (a far cry from the convertibles and the fast cars) for only 17cents an hour, but yet she still did not break. One day news from her boyfriend came: The President had left office, but had not signed the pardon. She was to continue five years in prison as a result. (at this moment I think I’ll change the writing method that I’m using now, ahem)

In Her Own Words
“When Mike called me to break the news to me I can’t tell you what I felt exactly. I felt, for the first time, tears rolling off. And let me tell you this: I didn’t cry when I cancelled my wedding four days before it was supposed to be held. I didn’t cry when I lost my baby when I was pregnant. But at that moment, the thought of having to stay for five years in a federal prison overwhelmed me. I started praying. And at that moment I felt God say to me, “Mary, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

A Visitor
“One day the guard said “Forsythe, visitor!” I didn’t know who to expect… And when I finally went out I saw this man whom I have never met in my life. And he said, “Mary? Are you Mary?” And I placed my best hand on my best hip and replied, “Yeah. And who are you?” The man stood up and introduced himself as Gary. They walked and set down on a bench, and suddenly he asked; “Would you like to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” Well, I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I remembered there was a piece of paper on Jesus, and on one of the corners it said “Baptism of the Holy Spirit” – I now know it was a tract, but back then I said yes without knowing it, but I knew I wanted it. And let me tell you, he just had a finger lightly touching me on the forehead, and all of a sudden I fell over – no catcher, and he started talking in a weird tongue I didn’t know.” To cut a long story short, I left prison after my term and here I am.”

Word Released
Pastor Mary gave us a word today: 1 Corinthians 12:12 – 27. I will highlight the ones she spoke on:

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” – We are all to serve the body and not to be jealous of anyone with other gifts. (1 Cor 12:12)

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” – We are all unique and we are in transition; we will serve God for his glory, empowered with power from on high. (1 Cor 12:27)

End Thoughts
I just want to highlight several things: This word released, is uncannily in alignment with what God is doing in the church, even through Pastor Tay. We have been told, just in the previous sermon on Sunday, about spiritual gifts, and here comes a new preacher, and she’s speaking on the same topic, drawing on the same chapter as Pastor was doing in his sermon. I can’t help but feel a little excited. This just tells us one thing - that God wants his glory to be revealed, and it's going to happen very soon as he is preparing us to be a prepared people. Therefore, let us all be prepared, doing all we can for the good of the body of Christ, doing all we can to contribute to it.