imessages

Be God's Miracle to Someone Else

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:42:24 +0100

Praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been 2 years since I testified to God’s abounding goodness and provision to my whole family and to myself. Before I begin, I would like to thank the Lord for this opportunity to share and I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged.

Be joyful always. Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Firstly, I’d like to thank God for the life that He has given me. God has given me wonderful parents and sisters who are always supporting me, a family who loves me, good friends, good job and a church where I am growing spiritually. You would probably think that I have a perfect life. Yes, it is perfect because I have Jesus in my life and that’s what makes my life perfect. In spite of all troubles, trials, failures, pains and disappointments that I face daily, the assurance that Jesus is in the boat with me, keeps me hopeful, strong and joyful in any circumstance.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)

One of the saddest parts in life, for me, is wasted talent and opportunity. In the mission that Jesus has given us, talent and opportunity are the keys. Each of us are given talents and abilities that we have to use because we are God’s instruments. We are His hands, hands to lend to someone in need. We are His feet so we can go when needed. We are His mouth so we can encourage, pray and sing to someone who is troubled. We are also given great and blessed opportunities to share the love of God through our giving.

I am very thankful to God for the wisdom that He has given the Agape Missions Team to establish the Hope Philippines project. I believe that this is one of the best projects that Agape has undertaken. Through this, each one of us were given the blessed opportunity and privilege to give as the apostle Paul had said in 2nd Corinthians 8:7 “But just as you excel in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in the grace of giving."

Last month, as the Lord willed, I had another opportunity to go back home with my eldest son Ronjie to meet his fiancée’s parents in Cebu. It was truly a great and wonderful experience for me. I had a great time with Ronjie and Remz. I enjoyed our mountain trek and from the top of the mountain, I’ve seen the spectacular view of the expanse of the sea and vegetation below. God’s creation is truly amazing. It is so different when you only see it in movies or pictures but the real thing is just magnificent. It was a very short holiday, but I would say that no time was wasted. I was able to visit my Lola Juaning, 91 years old and now sickly. She is my spiritual mother, she was the one who brought me to this faith. I also had a great time with my Kuya Teddy, my cousin who is almost a brother to me. We grew up together in the care of our Lola. We have not seen each other for almost 25 years ane we promised ourselves that there is no way in the world that we won’t see each other at least before one of us is taken by the Lord. I also had a great time with my heart child Aaliya and am still hoping that God will make a way and grant our desire to get her in God’s perfect time. I also had the chance to share God’s word with my relatives and friends encouraging them to keep the faith, not to give up because our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. But more than this was the opportunity to visit our sister church in Novaliches – the Foundation of Truth Christian Church and meet with our sponsored children and their parents. It was a Sunday when we went there. After the church service, Ate Glo and Ps. Ferdie helped us gather the children along with their parents and shared with them our gifts that we have prepared for them.

It is very rewarding to know that they are able to go to school, their needs are met and that they are growing in the knowledge of our Lord. I was also very happy to see Princess, one of those who I sponsored and has now graduated from college. She is now employed and also a ministry worker in the church. Nothing can be compared to the joy that one feels when you know that someone was able to fulfill his dreams because you decided to give a portion of what you have. Becoming God’s miracle to someone is a great gift – an indescribable gift. Give and give love unconditionally. Through generosity, through our giving, we become God’s miracle to someone.

I also would like to share this incident that happened to us while shopping in Baclaran. It was very hot that day and I needed a drink. My cousin and I went inside a grocery shop to buy drinks. Beside the freezer stood a woman with her three children. They were looking at the ice creams and probably looking for the cheapest ice cream to buy. I was just observing them. One of the children pointed indicating to her mom what she wanted. Maybe the mom did not have enough money. As they were about to leave, I approached the children and asked which ice cream they like. I gave the woman money and told her to buy ice cream for her children. She was hesitant at first but then gladly accepted and thanked me. My cousin asked if I knew them but I told her no. She then asked why I gave them money. I just told her so that they can buy ice cream.

Giving is also a form of evangelism. To a person who is depressed, needy, lonely, discouraged or just someone who wanted ice cream, your help, your words of encouragement, your smile lights a fire of hope in their hearts that God is at work, that God knows their needs and that God answers even when you do not have money to buy ice cream. Those people whom we do not know but whose hearts we touch are our ‘ends of the earth’.

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into our lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measure to you. (Luke 6:38)

When I came back from my holidays, piles of work were waiting. There were hundreds of emails that I needed to respond to and a meeting with my manager to attend on that same day. During the meeting, we had the usual ‘how’s everything’ stuff and how my holiday was. He asked me if I got his email. I told him that I have not come across it yet as I have hundreds to open. And then he said that the management of UTi has decided to give me a bonus due to excellent performance. I did not know what to say. All I was able to utter was, ‘Wow! Praise God! Praise God!’ And while still trying to digest what I was hearing, he continued on to say that not only I am getting a bonus but I have also been given a 13% increase in my salary in recognition for a job well done and for the recent promotion to a regional position. ‘Hallelujah! Praise the Name of the Lord.’ I said to myself. ‘Thank You Lord because I have more to give’.

Giving is full circle when the one who receives the blessing blesses others by channeling what has been received to others. Then in due course, the blessing comes back to you not once, not twice, not thrice but a hundred fold – pressed down shaken together and running over – that there will be no more room to contain. Just like fetching water. When your bucket is full, you have to empty it so that you would be able to fill it up again. Galatians 6:9 says ‘Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we don’t give up.’ So don’t give up brothers and sisters. Continue and stand firm. Press on towards our goal. I encourage you to support what we have started with Hope Philippines project.

I have already mentioned this in my previous testimony but I will say this again and I hope that your hearts will be awakened to the call that the Lord has given us. To each of us, God gives blessed opportunities. Solomon’s prayer to God is to teach us to number our days. Use them wisely, grab the opportunity, redeem the time. Give to those who are in need without a sigh. Learn to be open-handed. Sing our song. Share our faith and serve with all our hearts. It does not matter how little or how big we give. What matters is the little unknown acts of kindness and love that we show to all who cross our way. Joy is obtained not because we do great things but because we do small things with great love. Let us accept the call that God has given us. Now is the time to fulfill that call for we may never pass that way again.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.

Keeping our Faith Alive

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:04:14 +0100

Thank God we are still here. We said goodbye to 2010 with grateful hearts and welcome 2011 with its challenges. With strong faith in Christ, we survived the trials and testings of the past year such as natural calamities, disasters, sicknesses and many others. It was only by the grace of God that we gained strength and courage to forget the past and look forward to the challenges of the future.

John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

As long as believers live in this world they will be going against the flow of this present world system. They will experience pressures, adversities, problems, opportunities to sin, temptations and struggles. But in all these things the believer can be an overcomer because Christ has overcome the world. He lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit so we can draw strength. We can overcome.

It was Chuck Swindoll who said: “Sandwiched between January 1 and December 31 are twelve exciting, unlived months of opportunities and challenges brought by changes that awaits us.” We will be taken out of our comfort zone and required to respond. We can do so positively or negatively, with hope and optimism, or resentment and pessimism.

So how do we keep our faith alive?

Firstly, the fight of faith.

1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

The Christian life is a fight of faith. Being a Christian is not always easy. We are to fight against our fleshly natures and oppositions from a sinful world. The Christian life involves discipline, struggles, spiritual warfare, difficulties and challenges. Yet God has given us the power to overcome and be victorious if we rely on the Holy Spirit.

Secondly: Guarding our faith.

1 Timothy 6:20 – “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge...”

Paul advised Timothy to guard what was committed to his trust, avoiding the idle babblings or contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. Protect and keep your faith.

What is the promise and assurance to keep our faith alive?

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

To keep our faith alive, we must possess good judgement, disciplined thought patterns and the ability to understand and make the right decisions. The bible teaches us that a Christian must have a sound mind - a mind that is not ruled by fear, anxiety, depression and mood swings. Through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit the believer’s mind should be filled with peace, creativity, good judgement, wisdom, common sense and productivity.

The Church... God's Healing Centre

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:44:36 +0100

Mark 11: 15 - 17

God placed in our hands the keys to effectively witness for Him. It is His desire that everyone of His children have a supernatural, Holy Spirit empowered ministry to meet the needs of others. Yet, He never meant
for us to become individuals who are laws to themselves or do their own thing. As Christians, we operate at varying levels of spirituality and motivations. Also, God gives special anointings, special gifts and places special callings in the Church.

The truth is God meant for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to be a healing centre, not just specialised ministries. This is a very, very important truth.

In the Book of Mark 11:15 - 17, Jesus went into the temple and found merchants and their customers, the money changers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves.

He stopped everyone from bringing in merchandise. A parallel verse says in 2 Timothy 3:5, "These people display a form of godliness but denying the power thereof."

Jesus had a definite purpose as to what the work of God was and what purpose the House of God was to serve. What Jesus saw definitely did not meet His expectations of what was intended for the Church.

That is why He dealt with them forcefully. As we compare it with the Church today, we could spiritualize it in many ways. We could miss its real purpose, completely overlook and substitute it with non-essentials.

The Church, too often, becomes a social centre, a recreation centre and a super committee centre. These activities are well and good in their time and in their place, but it is not what God has in mind. He sent His disciples out with a task to perform. He said, "Go out to the highways and by-ways, go everywhere, bring the sick, the lame, the deaf, the mute and the blind. Go, get the needs of the people and bring them to the temple."

The temple represents the Church, the Body of Christ. Jesus cleanses the temple, saying "Get the forms out, get all the things that are wasting time out of My Father's House." Why? Because, My Father's House will be a House of prayer, a place of intercession, a place where people's needs will be met by the supernatural power of God.

Every time we open our Church doors, there should be ministry to meet the needs within the Church. The Church is supposed to be the House of God where the sick, the needy, the unsaved can be brought and their needs met. Inside the doors of the Church, the ministry of salvation and healing should be taking place. Sick bodies should be healed, bondages of people should be broken, deliverance and miracles should be happening in the Church.

When we hold the keys to what we must do to do the work of God, we hold them not only for empowerment for our own individual ministry. We hold them for the Body of Christ, the Church, the place God meant it to be, the Healing Centre where broken hearts, broken lives and bodies are ministered and healed by the Power of God.

The Next Adam

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:44:28 +0100

Was he the last Adam?
No, 1 Corinthians 15:45 says the last Adam is Jesus, so the next Adam is different.
Does the Bible refer to him as such?
No, I just made it up.
Right! Inventing stuff is unbiblical, isn’t it?
I am not inventing, just driving a point. The words “Rapture” and “Trinity” are not in the Bible; yet they are biblical.
So tell me, who is he?
Well, if you continue to read, you’ll find out.

God’s Grievance
When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God's glory abandoned them; God’s curse seized them. Guilt gripped their hearts, sins muddled their life, and what’s worse, their sinful nature was passed on to human race.

Motivated by jealousy, Cain slew his younger brother Abel. Hence, God cursed him, “Now you are under a curse…When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." (Genesis 4:11-12, NIV)

With his wife, Cain fled to Nod where they bore many children.

As people increased in number, they became so corrupt; it broke God’s heart: "I will wipe mankind… and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." (Genesis 6:6-7 NIV)

The Big Stop Sign
Determined to purge the “bad seeds” that stemmed from Cain’s progeny, verse 8 starts with a Big Stop Sign.

Genesis 6:8a But…

The word “but” implies a contradiction from the previous statement(s). In the context of Genesis 6, it connotes a swift change of God’s heart where an impending hope was on sight.

As God deliberated on His plan, He noticed someone that caused Him to pause momentarily…

Genesis 6:8-9 BUT Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. (NIV)

… “reviewed” His plan one last time, and made a drastic alteration.

Genesis 6:13-18 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence… So make yourself an ark … I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life … But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.” (NIV)

Thereafter, the rest was history.

Like Soldiers Gallantly Marching
Under God’s strict guidance, Noah built the Ark (450 ft long, 75 ft wide, 45 ft high) for roughly 100 years. With wife, three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their wives, and pairs of animals, Noah entered the Ark at age 600.

Dark clouds painted the sky; drizzle drenched the barren ground, “Good for the crops,” the people thought, while their boisterous spree filled the air. The rain muted the sound of their riotous laughter, festive eating, drinking rampage, and wedding party celebrations; the downpour became stronger and stronger. The fierce drops got thicker, relentless, deafening like thousand soldiers gallantly marching on the roofs of their houses. The heavy rain turned into spear-like spate, it continued for 40 days and night.

The torrent rose 20 feet above the highest mountain; the Ark preserved the survivors as it floated for 150 days. Every living creature that breathed by the nostril was lifeless. The deluge reduced the earth’s seven billion population (as calculated by Bible scholars) to chosen eight.

The Rainbow Sealed the Deal
When it was time for the remnants (including the animals) to come out of the Ark, they were all a year older. First things first, Noah thought! He built an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings of some of the clean animals.

Noah’s simple gesture to thank and to worship the Father through burnt offerings caused God to offer a covenant with Noah, his children and the generations to come. He promised never to curse the ground and to destroy all living creatures with flood. To seal the deal, a rainbow was diffused in the sky to remind both parties of the agreement.

They all came out of the Ark with new vigour, deep respect for God their Saviour. They all witnessed the saving grace of the Father who separated the righteous from the wicked.

Rephrasing the Commands
The pinnacle of their flood journey was when God rephrased the commands he told Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28.

Genesis 9:1-3 “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

Both Adam and Noah were commanded to be fruitful, to increase, and to fill the earth. Similar responsibilities, but heaps of differences--these will be discussed in Part 2.

So, can you guess who the next Adam I was referring to?
Yes, now I can!
Do you understand now why I called him as such?
Definitely! Ooh! I think, Noah will be a better Adam. Perhaps, you can change your title to “The Better Adam”...

Get Involved!

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:44:16 +0100

Involvement breeds responsibilities and commitment. Giving people a 'say' in decisions that can impact them is a powerful way to create enthusiastic members in the flock.

When you are involved in the decision making process a sense of ownership equates to responsibility and accountability.

Bringing the flock together and openly discussing the needs of the church - i.e. priorities, difficulties, roles, ministry needs, mission objectives and equipping our youth - creates spiritual community exposure and is more powerful compared to one member on his/her own.

The more people involved in the works of the church temple, the more effective it will be.

Biblically, Ephesians 4:12 states, “to prepare God's people for works of service”. The leadership of Agape has been trying to reach out to enthusiastic members who can take and handle the responsibility in a church of believers.

As Jesus says, kingdom power is:

1) Serving His purposes with faith

2) Helping the needy

3) Serving to support the good report about Jesus.

The Operation Ministry of Agape has been progressing in the past few years because of the support and encouragement from our brothers and sisters who are willing to balance their time frame for the family of God. The trust given by the leadership of Pastoral team has been encouraging, and helps to fulfil and accomplish the ministry’s assigned tasks. This connects the body of the church to the community in general.

In the past couple of years, with the grace abounding from Him, the following projects have been made visible: the installation of the air-conditioning system, bathroom renovation, Sunday school upgrades, sound system relocation, improvements with the stage lighting, replacement of a new fence (Hotel Colyton side), CCTV installation, alarm security enhancement, kitchen development, electrical upgrades, repainting of the church hall and Sunday school rooms.

However; projects earmarked for completion for 2010 are: to complete the delivery and installation of air conditioning for the Sunday school rooms, refurbishing of new vertical blinds for the foyer and Sunday school windows, and improvements to the external and internal lights.

I, therefore, salute the people behind these tasks and the behaviour and character they have shown in the fulfilment of the task assigned. Likewise, may our Lord Jesus encourage everyone to perform with an open mind, and perhaps envisage the changes that can be made in the future to improve and present Agape Christian Church to Western Sydney with gladness.

I pray that we may find the strength and skills in the unlimited resources of Jesus Christ, in whom we can do all things ..... Get Involved with Christ!!!!

To God be the Glory.

The Peace that Passes All Understanding

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:04:04 +0100

In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul starts by giving thanks to God for the Philippian Christians’ partnership with him in the Gospel. He advocates that his chains, ie his imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, are in fact serving to promote the Gospel rather than hinder it. He urges us to imitate Christ’s humility, to shine as stars, have no confidence in the flesh and to press on toward the goal for which we were called. Amidst this powerful encouragement by Paul, we hear how two dear Christian coworkers for the Gospel, Euodia and Syntyche, have been in disagreement with each other. Paul pleads with them to agree with each other and then broadens his subject to exhort us all to rejoice at all times in the Lord and implores the church not to be anxious about anything, but rather;

Philippians 4:6-7 “... by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

But just what does Paul mean when he then goes on to refer to the peace of God, and how does it surpass all understanding?

I believe first we need to understand what Paul would have had in mind when he used the word “peace”. When we refer to peace today we generally think of quiet tranquility, a state of calm and well being. However Paul would have had far more than this in mind. The word “peace” in the time of the early church, was used to refer to victory over ones enemies and a cessation from war. Whilst this would particularly refer to a nation being free from war and disturbance from adversaries, Paul would also have used it inwardly, as indeed he is doing in this passage, to refer to a man’s soul being at peace in God.

Romans 5:1 “... having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

However, whilst a Christian may have peace with God, not every believer automatically has the peace of God. The peace of God is a peace which, by His grace, He bestows upon us in response to our faith in His provision, protection and love. This peace results in us being in a state totally free from anxiety or worry, because we know that God is in control, Jesus is Lord and all our needs will be met. This is the sort of peace that Jesus wanted us to have when He said;

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

It is a state therefore whereby a believer can say that all is well in my life, and it will always remain so, God is my guide and protector, His Son intercedes and prays over me, His Spirit dwells in me and I shall never lack or be in want.

Now I have read a considerable volume of commentaries, sermons and other writings on this particular quote of Paul, and what the peace of God really means. There has been, and I’m sure continues to be, considerable theologically examination into what Paul really meant and how we should apply it to our lives. Ultimately however, I believe that this peace of God is a blessing from God given to us in response to what we put our faith in. Therefore I thought it best that I articulate what I put my faith in and therefore why, in the midst of a chaotic, troubled, depraved and sinful world, I have an extraordinary sense of peace and well being. This peace which I believe to be the peace of God in my life, comes about in essence from the following seven points;

   1. The first belief I have is of course my belief that I am no longer at war with God and that my enemy, sin, was put to death on the cross some 2,000 years ago by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is only through him that I could ever be at peace with God;

      John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He have His only begotten Son, that whomsoever should believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

      When Jesus gave up His life on the cross the temple curtain was torn in two, and we are now able to approach our God boldly and with confidence trusting not in our own righteousness, but rather in what Jesus has done for us. This thrills me and every waking moment of every day I strive to live my life in a response of gratitude to this mind blowing reality.

   2. The second basis for my peace in God is the knowledge that this wonderful, restored relationship with God will last for eternity. It is not just something that applies now but later will require further restoration. Three of the most wonderful words I believe that were ever spoken in all history were the words of Jesus on the cross when He exclaimed “It is Finished!” As a result of those words the war with God finished in my life and I know that when God looks at me He sees Jesus, for I approach Him in Jesus’ name and my sins He remembers no more. And this will forever be the case because;

      Hebrews 10:12-14 "... when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect those who are being made holy."

   3. The third belief I have, is that as a result of our restored relationship with God He will never leave us nor forsake us. No matter how tired, discouraged, despondent or just generally down we may feel, we can rest on the certainty and absolute truth that God never forgets us. We may at times be unfaithful but God is always faithful. Like the poem “Footprints in the Sand”, it is often at times when we feel that God is most distant from us that He is then actually carrying us.

      The words He spoke to Joshua when Joshua was afraid and needed courage to enter the promised land still apply to us today, indeed even the writer of the books of Hebrews reminds us of it in the thirteen chapter;

      Hebrews 13:5-6 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

   4. The fourth basis for my peace in God comes from knowing that no matter where I am or what the circumstance, God will still be there right by me, holding me in His hand and ensuring that no harm will befall me;

      Psalms 139:7-10 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

   5. I have shared with many people too how my peace in God actually comes about because of the only biblically ordained fear, and that is the fear of the Lord Himself.

      Isaiah 8:13 "Do not fear anything except the Lord almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear Him you need fear nothing else."

      This is an extraordinary passage. We are called to have only one fear and that is the fear of God Himself. But this is not a fear that He will harm us, rather it is a call to take Him into account in all areas of our lives. It is a reverential awe and respect for God, a deep seated reverence that it is He only who gives breath to every living soul and ultimately it is He only who’s will, will prevail. Therefore if we genuinely fear, love and respect God, then we know He will love, guide and protect us in ways beyond our comprehension, or to use Paul’s words it will “surpass all understanding”. When this is the case in our lives, then we genuinely need have no further fear of anything or anybody.

   6. The sixth basis for my having the peace of God in my life is the fact that every morning I wake, I know that Jesus is Lord. This is an irrefutable and everlasting fact that will never be changed through all eternity. And my view of life is that every day when Jesus is Lord is a good day and hence I can rest in the certain knowledge that every day will therefore be a good day, no matter what the earthly circumstances. The promises of Jesus remain as relevant today as they did when He spoke them. Jesus said;

      John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life; No one comes to the Father except through Me."

      And our confidence in this is unshakeable, because;

      Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ, is the same, yesterday and today and forever."

   7. My final reason for having the peace of God is that I know, as did the apostle Paul, that our future is secure, we ultimately have the victory, the end of the story is known, and we will spend eternity with our Lord and God. That is why Paul encourages every Christian to make a regular practice of putting on the “helmet of salvation”. It is a sign to the world and a reminder to us that our salvation is secured, our future is set, our victory complete and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

With such certainties in our life as these seven points I have outlined above, no matter what the circumstances around us may be, we surely will be at peace both with God and in God, and that peace truly surpasses all understanding.

Preach the Word... Reaching for the Nations!

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:28:18 +0100

“Preach The Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction." -- 2 Timothy 4:1-8

2009 - A year considered by Christians as well as non-Christians, as unique, displaying the signs and their fulfillment. To us believers we know that it is just a beginning of sorrow; for the unbelievers, it comes as a surprise, with confusion and fear, due to the lack of fruitful knowledge. What is the Spirit of God saying to us in 2o1o? What is His direction? In 15 years, God has showed us great and mighty things. He blessed us both physically and spiritually numerically. He gave us His house as a House of Prayer, housing the saved and unsaved. He equipped us for the work of the ministry. Submitting to the Spirit's leading, we as a Church might be able to offer a greater commitment to each calling and ministry, as the Lord has ordained for each one.

With much seeking and prayer, our vision for 2010 is PREACH THE WORD...REACHING FOR THE NATIONS.

The Word of God is a thorough equipping tool, providing doctrine, re-proof correction and instruction so that everyone may be equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). Our job is to lay the foundation, provide direction, confront others when they err, correct their behaviour and help them progress again. There is a law of priorities that God has impressed on me concerning our vision;

Salvation

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 08:26:57 +0100

Salvation is God saving all who trust Christ from sin and its consequences. This is made possible by the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

What are saved from?
•    The wrath of God;
•    The dominion of sin and;
•    The power of death.

The two most common Hebrew word used in the Old Testament referring to the general thought of deliverance and salvation are the verbs “natsal” & “ yasha”.

”Natsal” is used to describe deliverance or rescue in terms of physical, personal or national salvation .

Exodus 2:8 “So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.”
Psalm 39:8 “Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.”
As spiritual salvation, it is used in Psalm 51:14:
Psalm 51:14 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.”

“Yasha” means to save, deliver, and give victory or help.

It portrays the picture of God delivering His people from all kinds of distresses. The word mainly appears in Psalms and the prophetic books.
Exodus 14:30-31 “So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.”
Deuteronomy 20:4 “ for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you”

The theme of salvation appears as early as Gen 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The deliverance of the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians was an outstanding demonstration of God delivering His people from the tyranny of slavery and bondage.

We hear Moses saying to the Israelites, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.”

Salvation in the Old Testament extended more than just in terms of national deliverance, it also extended to individuals who trusted God and put their faith in Him.

Hebrew’s chapter 11 highlights a number of people in the Old Testament who trusted in God resulting in them experiencing personal salvation.

In the New Testament the Greek word used to describe salvation is “Sozo”. It refers to saving from physical death and illness, but in many cases it is used to refer to spiritual salvation.

1 Corinthians 1:21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

1 Timothy 1:15 "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

It is interesting to note that the title Saviour (Greek- “soter”) was attributed by the Greeks to their gods, political leaders.

In the scripture, it was applied only to God and to Christ.
Acts 13:23 "From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior referring to Jesus."

In this brief article, I would like to highlight a few terms that are important for us to know in order to fully appreciate the “So Great Salvation" we have in Jesus Christ.

Vicarious / Substitutionary meaning Christ died on behalf and in place of sinners.

The word vicarious comes from the Latin word “Vicarious” meaning one in place of another.
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
1 Peter 2:24 "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed."

Redemption - the Greek word is “agorazo” – meaning to purchase in the marketplace and was used in relation to the sale of slaves in the marketplace.

In the Bible, the word is used to describe the sinner being purchased out of slavery (salve to sin) resulting in the bondage of sin being broken.
Another Greek word is “exagorazo”- describing Christ redeeming believers from the curse and bondage of the law
Believers have been purchased in the salve market (“agorazo”) and removed from (“ex”) the slave market altogether.
Yet another term is used to explain redemption and it is “lutroo”- meaning to obtain release by the payment of a price

Ransom - the purchase price for our freedom and release from sin by the death and the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:20 "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. "
Revelation 5:9 "And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”
1 Peter 1:18-20 "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Please note that man cannot give a ransom to redeem another man:

Psalm 49:7-9 "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— For the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever— That he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.”

Under the law and earthly price was allowed for an earthly temporal deliverance, but it cannot be for salvation and eternal redemption of the soul.

The big question is: To whom was the ransom paid? It was certainly not to Satan as Origen had taught.

It is interesting to note that the ransom is always spoken of as being paid to the Lord.

Exodus 30:12 “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.”

Hebrews 9:14 "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

Notice that the blood of Christ was offered to God and not to Satan

The Ransom was The Price Paid
The Redemption is the freedom resulting
Price was the Blood of Jesus Christ

Reconciliation - meaning making peace with God. The Greek word is “ katalasso”-to effect a change to reconcile.

Romans 5:8-11 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:18, 19 - 17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Propitiation - means that the death of Christ fully satisfied all the righteous demand of God toward the sinner.

Forgiveness - means God removing the charges held against the sinner as satisfaction for those sins has been made.

One of the interesting words used in Greek is “charizomai” meaning to forgive out of grace. It is used of cancellation of debt:
Colossians 2:13 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers; He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

The most common word for forgiveness is “aphiemi” – meaning to let go, release and send away.

Ephesians 1:17 believers sins have been forgiven or sent away because of the riches of God’s grace as revealed in the death of Christ.”

Justification - is to declare righteous the one who has found in Jesus Christ. It also means, “Just as if I had never sinned.”

What an act of Grace and Mercy!

God’s Mercy allows us not to receive what we deserve-punishment & death.
God’s Grace allows us to receive what we do not deserve-eternal life!!!

Once we were sinners BUT now we are saints.
Once we were under divine condemnation BUT now we are under divine commendation.
Once we were lost BUT now we are found.
Once we were blind BUT now we can see.

Blessed be His Holy name - The Name above all names - The Name of JESUS for such a GREAT SALVATION!!!

Bibliography
•    The Theological Word Book by Word publishing
•    The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns
•    Lessons in Teaching and Preaching by Goodman George
•    Systematic Theology edited by Stanley M Horton
•    The Bible - NKJV

Tips on Evangelism

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 07:21:52 +0100

Evangelism means sharing to people the Good News (gospel) that the Son of God came down to earth and became a human being like us, and He died at the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and He rose from the dead to give us eternal life.

As a new believer, you may think that evangelism is not for you, but every Christian is a "witness"—whether new or old.

Reasons Why We Should All Be Intense in Spreading the Gospel

In terms of God, Himself, we should want Him to be honoured, respected, glorified as the only God who made a plan to save us from our sins through His Son Jesus Christ, and therefore live with Him forever.
In terms of people, they should realize that they could not save themselves by their own efforts, and in fact, no one can have eternal life without Jesus Christ, and they are therefore in serious danger.
In terms of ourselves, as we are already saved, we are commissioned to share the gospel to other people, and this is one of the best ways to “repay” Jesus for saving us from sins.

Important facts about Evangelism

Our own behaviour is very vital in evangelism (public and private)
Know the real meaning of being a Christian. A Christian is someone who belongs in the Kingdom of God. That is, when Jesus becomes the King or Master of one’s life.

How to become a Christian?

Repent
To repent is more than confessing our sins. It is to turn away from sins, and putting Jesus first in everything you do. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Becoming a Christian -- This occurs when one repents and surrender his/her life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is called "new birth", or being “born again” (John 3:3)

Growing as a Christian -- The Holy Spirit will help the person to gradually and progressively change the person to become a better person. It is called "new life". It can be attained by careful and persevering study of the Word (The Bible) and daily application of its principles.
Believe
Have faith in the Word of God, the Bible. It is not based on how we feel but on the facts on what God did say. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Who to reach out to for Jesus?

1. Focus on people whom you can best communicate with.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who am I most effective to communicate with?
Am I willing to follow through? We cannot give birth to a "baby" without the commitment of nurturing them, that's being “irresponsible."
Respect other’s beliefs BUT do not embrace them. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict (as it is His job to convict our sins) and will do something with the seed planted in that person’s heart.

2. Find a “common ground” to talk about.

Sharing Jesus to other people does not always mean a direct sharing about Jesus to people whom we meet.

Sharing Jesus to people is just like fishing. You fish in the water, not on land, with the right bait and right timing.
First, pray for the person whom you want to “fish”. People who got saved are products of prayers by someone else, or by him/herself.
Next, believe that the Lord will give you an opportunity to share about Jesus to that person.
Finally, grab every opportunity to share about Jesus in God’s right timing.

What are the ways to reach them?

Talk to them – Jesus began a casual conversation with the Samaritan woman.
Listen to them – Jesus gave His undivided attention to her.
Spend time with them -- Jesus ended up staying in the village and taught the whole village about the Kingdom of God for two days

JUST A NOTE: Different audiences, different approach! In other words evangelism is meeting people where they are at but never lose the purpose of why we are doing it.

Practical verses to use when evangelising

Share the following verses in exact order as below:

      Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

      Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

      John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and whosoever believes in Him shall
       not perish but have everlasting life.

      Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

      1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
       from all unrighteousness.

      Romans 10:9 That is you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
       God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Lead the person to prayer of salvation

It is important that this prayer is to be recited orally, as mentioned in Romans 10:9. The one sharing the gospel leads this prayer line by line to be followed by the one wanting to be a Christian.

“Father, I believe that Jesus died at the cross for my sins. Forgive me for all my sins. I accept Jesus to be the Lord of my life and believe that You raised Him from the dead. Through the death of Jesus, I now attain eternal life. I also invite the Holy Spirit to come into my life and make my body as His temple. Thank you for writing my name in the Book of Life as I am now a born-again Christian.

I pray this in the Name of Jesus. Amen."

Stop Complaining, Start Dreaming, Keep on Claiming

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 07:05:54 +0100

Negative confessions, such as “I feel sick today” or “I can’t remember that, I have a poor memory” or “Sorry, I have no money” are all expressions of faith in opposite direction, commonly known as doubts. Yes, they all sound familiar because we always doubt God’s provision over our personal condition. Grumbling, mumbling, and whinging are arcane words instigated from the pit of hell, and are ruthless rivals of godly faith. Complaints plummet us to the lowest locations the Devil wants us to be, while positive declarations soar us into the highest positions God wants us to be.

Pessimistic thoughts are like nasty birds, they fly above our heads and we definitely can’t stop them. But sure enough we can grab a stick to halt them from building their nests right at the top of our heads.

If we pray for rain to pour, believe that it will happen. Take an umbrella. Or, if we pray for someone’s healing and once the person gets healed, our reaction should not be: “Oh, really? So, you are healed huh? I can’t believe it!” Sounds silly, but true! Stand on what we prayed for by believing, then get ready to receive the answer. Mark 11:24 says, “Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it.”

Now, when you learn to stop complaining, get skilled to start dreaming. Let me explain.

“Dream Bigger” was Avon’s punch lines in one of its brochures. I was part of that goal because Avon was my employer then. To the 60,000 representatives across Australia and New Zealand, it simply meant, “sell more and earn more.” To us employees, it meant, “work more and earn more” and a bonus was on its way.

I believe this goal, “Dream Bigger,” has a Biblical slant. One of Jacob’s 12 sons was a feisty dreamer whose natural self-assurance became unbearable to his other brothers. As a youngster, Joseph’s ambitious aspiration put his own life into auction for slavery. His siblings sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver.

But his self-centred, officious dream was not void—it was God-sent. Unknowingly, little Joey’s dreams were heavenly apparitions, but to his envious brothers, his dreams were ambitious hallucinations. His knowledge and faith in God--combined with pain, perseverance, and dream--allowed him to survive, surfaced to the top, and emerged as victorious and prosperous, where most would have failed.

As a visionary, young Joey interpreted the Egyptian Pharaoh’s dreams that catapulted him to fame and authority that later saved his family from famine. He won the Pharaoh’s admiration, “Can we find anyone else like this—one in whom is the spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:37) Thus, he became the Prime Minister of Egypt.

In the New Testament, Christians are not only Dreamers like Joseph, but Claimers like Jesus. Dream BIG, claim BIGGER. Dreaming is to fantasy, while claiming is to reality. Dream the impossible, claim the improbable as Jesus said in Matthew 9:26, “Humanly speaking it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

When we stop complaining and start dreaming, we are a step closer to being blessed; and if we keep on claiming, we are right at the door of being blessed. Realise what Jesus has been doing since He ascended back to Heaven. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, detailing all the things that we are dreaming of and claiming about. Romans 8:34 says, “… Jesus …is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus doesn’t listen to our complaints, so it is pointless to complain, really. Instead, He intercedes for our prayers called “dreams,” and loves our actions if we put faith into them called “claims.”

When one of my daughters was born (I won’t say who she is for privacy reasons, she just wished she was born in April - that’s all I can say), one of her eyes was always teary because the tear duct was clogged. She always looked like she just cried. The doctor poked the tear duct to unblock it, and was given an eye drop to fix the problem. Rose’s “dream” (prayer) was for our baby’s complete healing. After administering the eye drop for weeks with no positive result, she stood up in her faith and claimed for an answer to her dream, “Lord, I will stop dispensing this eye drop, and I believe that our daughter’s eye will get healed, in Jesus Name.” Jesus truly is the Healer, praise the Lord!

Let me reiterate: Jesus doesn’t listen to complaints, He loves to fulfill dreams, and most of all, He is thrilled to answer claims.