Hear

God

 Speaks

 Fight the fight of faith

   Pastor Oldie Brijan

  Godly Woman

Sis Jevelin of Mama Sayang 

Clouds

Brother Ongkie Hananto 

 NJEC is my family

   Pastor Oldie Brijan

7 May 2006   Fight the good fight of faith 

Pastor Oldie Brijan remind us to fight the good fight of faith. This is the type of fight that believers need to be engaged in. Pastor Oldie also point  to the lack of understanding on the working of faith.

Before I start, I came across this from “My Utmost for his highest” , as follows:

“Faith is not some weak and pitiful emotion, but is strong and vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. And even though you cannot see Him right now and cannot understand what He is doing, you know Him. Disaster occurs in your life when you lack the mental composure that comes from establishing yourself on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the supreme effort of your life—throwing yourself with abandon and total confidence upon God.”

Early in the sermon, Pastor told us of his experience when  while hospitalised, the hospital staff ask him to help and pray for  a non-believer possessed by evil and demonic spirits- how God through the spirit of revelation and wisdom leads him to pray for the affected individual in a separate room ( because there were many non believers which may distract his prayers). Just stating “Be calm  In Jesus Name”, situation becomes peaceful.

Faith comes by hearing- so often we are too busy and sometimes too lazy. We managed all things without hearing from God, then once in a while God let problems attract our attention to act according to His will.

We are to be new creations- in the inner man not on the outside. As new creations in God’s image, we are to speak and do what God wants us to do, and also change our attitude and conduct according to the new life. Our inner life must be restored  by the word of God and our life touched by the power of God.

We need to recognize our place in Christ. Be thankful always. Without Jesus,  there are problems everywhere. With Jesus, your problems becomes God’s problems. So when you ask for something, your problem becomes God’s problems. For example, when you are sick, you pray for healing- you shall/will be heal in God’s timing.  This is a process- it may be immediate or may take time. Do not be afraid to wait upon the Lord.

When you pray – ask whatever - do ask for BIG things. Our God is a big God in heaven and on earth. So  Pray, pray and pray. For example- if you have a financial need- God will use your talents, skills or other people. So when God  use the business to bless you, you will give glory to God. God send the blessings and you do what is needed.

Before action and acting on God’s word, we need to meditate on it. God wants our heart, our life and our body. God also wants our money. This is one of the secret  of blessings. We are to pay our tithes  being  10% of the income. If we do not pay the tithes, God will block the channel of blessings. As recorded in Malachi,

“In tithes and offerings. ⁹You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

 KEY VERSES:

^1st Timothy 6:12 – Fight the good fight

¹²Fight 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.

Rm 10:17 – Faith from hearing God’s word

¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

2^nd Corinthians 5 :17 – New creation in Christ

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Ist John 4:4

⁴You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

John 16:23 – Ask everything in Jesus name

²³In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Matt 6:14

¹⁴For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Luke 6: 39-39 Give and it shall be given

³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

14 May 2006    GODLY WOMAN

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 

Sis Jevelin of Mama Sayang reminded us of the situation in which we face today- in these last days- where we see greed, hatred, cruelty, ungratefulness, gossiping ..etc. This has been predicted in the biblical verses in 2^nd Timothy 3:1-5 and bring to past before us now. Time is going to be tough  as Satan is trying to invade  our lives. We need therefore to meditate on the bible and do what it says.

Turning to Godly woman,  Sis Jevelin first focus on Godly mother. Mother is the key. Her own life is transformed by her mother’s prayers- her mother pray for her for 40 years.

In addressing the Godly wife, she looked at the teachings of King Lemuel’s mother  on looking for a good wife.  There may be differences in  conservative Asian and  more expressive Western cultures, but the qualities of a  good wife  are depicted clearly such as patience in waiting upon husband, honour by husband, dependable by husband, always brings new hope, helpful towards others/ servants, hardworking, decency in fashion/clothings, a good manager of money..etc.

In King Lemuel’ words, a  truly good wife of good character is a treasure. He can depends on her in all things. She will be a good wife who submits and serves, and also brings hope like the “merchant ships bringing food from afar”. She is practical, diligent and hardworking, and also helpful to the needy/servants.

Sis Jevelin challenges the modern woman to go back to the kitchen and prepare food for the family once in a while- to take control. In  their dependence on maids and servants, they must also appreciate and sometimes serve/surprise their servants once in a while. They should also not be overly engrossed in physical beauty treatment and shopping and other material pursuits..etc

Next Sis Jevelin look at the way in which we can edify one another- both within the church and also outside the church. Within the church, the fellowship- sharing and bringing one another’s burdens to the Lord can create a greater sense of security and release. Sometimes, we may also reach out to people outside the church.

We also need to teach the husband  to honour the woman/wife  and she becomes  a good mother and a good wife. The children will pick up the good habits and values. It is only the Holy Spirit who will help us and lead us- so that we can go in the right direction.

Satan defeated woman to persuade the man in the Garden of Eden, and  as a result, they now have to take on additional  burdens of birth pains, raising children and help in the house..etc. Pray that God will give all the mothers and wife special strengths to rise up to their holy calling.

2^nd Timothy 3:1-5

¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Proverbs 31:10-20

 ^10£       A wife of noble character who can find?

      She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹  Her husband has full confidence in her

      and lacks nothing of value.

¹²  She brings him good, not harm,

      all the days of her life.

¹³  She selects wool and flax

      and works with eager hands.

¹⁴  She is like the merchant ships,

      bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵  She gets up while it is still dark;

      she provides food for her family

      and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶  She considers a field and buys it;

      out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷  She sets about her work vigorously;

      her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸  She sees that her trading is profitable,

      and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹  In her hand she holds the distaff

      and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰  She opens her arms to the poor

      and extends her hands to the needy.

  Proverbs 31:30

 ³⁰  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

      but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 Galatians 6:9

 ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

21 May 2006  Clouds   

Brother Ongkie Hananto share on the symbolism of  clouds as recorded in the bible and relate them to historical growth, revival and decline of Christianity movements in the world.

There are something special about clouds- there are 4 things about clouds. What is a cloud ?  How does it operate? What is the pattern and its prophetic meaning.

What is the meaning of clouds as depicted in the bible?

Clouds speak to us about presence and protection of God, and security , safety and God’s leading. When the Israelites were released from Egypt, the Angel of God   in the manner of a pillar of cloud move between the Israelites and Egyptians- granting light to the former and darkness to the latter. It also speaks of glory- as in auguration of Solomon’s temple- clouds descended and filled the temple- symbolic of the glory of God fills the house of the Lord. In New Testament, when Jesus ascended to heaven- he was received by a cloud. In the same way, when Jesus returns to rule, behold He is coming with the clouds- inside the clouds is Jesus.

How does it operate ?

Clouds move from one place to another- it is mobile and moving. How long does it stop in one place- 1 day , 1 week..etc. When the cloud stay- people also stay. In Acts 2, we read about the great revival in Jerusalem. The clouds move like a  mighty wind from heaven and brought about a great revival, 3000 people repented, church grew, miracles happened, blessings..etc. However, in Acts 8,9,10,11, we find that Jerusalem is not mention anymore, because the clouds have moved Northwards from Jeruslaem to Samaria. The revival at Jerusalem stopped once the clouds moved.

 Pattern of the clouds ? 

The clouds continue to move to Antioch. From Antioch, the clouds move to Macredonia- present day Europe. The clouds stayed in Europe for 1800 years, and during this period, there was a great Christianity revival movement  in Europe - such a Martin Luther..etc.Huge cathedrals were built. By 1904, the clouds moved to UK- England and started the Welsh Revival and Europe became quiet for Christians. The clouds continued its westward movement to New York in 1905 and to a suburb near Los Angeles in 1906 to start the pentecostal movement. It then crossed the Pacific Ocean and reached China where the clouds stayed for close to 50 years from 1908 to 1950. We see the tremendous growth of underground churches in Mao Tse Tung’ Red China and rise of Dr John Sung and Watchman Nee..etc. From China, the clouds moved to South Korea in early 1980s, and we see the mega  and biggest Methodist and Presbyterian  churches  in Korea. Paul Cho Yong Ji’s church   grew from 300,000 to 500,000 to 600,000 and then stopped. The clouds moved to South Asia, where we also see mega churches by the ten thousands in Singapore and the growth of churches in Indonesia in 1980s. For example, in Kalimantan – the AOG churches grew from 30 to 300. The clouds is still here, but time is limited. 

The prophetic meaning 

In Jerusalem, there are 12 gates, but the East Gate is still closed. It was recorded that in 1453, Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the closure of this gate, as he understood by the books, that Jesus is coming from the East. And as it is customary for Jews not to come into contact with burial grounds, and assuming  Jesus  was  a Jew and to prevent Him from coming, he even created a burial grounds in front of the gate.  

In the final movement, we will see salvation being brought back to its peculiar people the Jews. The clouds and the glory of God  will come back to Jerusalem from the east.

Numbers 9:15-22

¹⁵On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. ¹⁶That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. ¹⁷Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. ¹⁸At the LORD’S command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. ¹⁹When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’S order and did not set out. ²⁰Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’S command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. ²¹Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. ²²Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.

 Exodus 14:19-20

 ¹⁹Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

 2^nd Chronicles 5: 13-14

 Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.

 Acts 1 :9

 ⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

 Rev 1:7

⁷    Look, he is coming with the clouds,

      and every eye will see him,

    even those who pierced him;

      and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.

        So shall it be! Amen.

 Acts 2:2-4

 ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^£ as the Spirit enabled them.

 Acts 16:6-9

 ⁶Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

 Zech 3:9

 ⁹See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes^£ on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.

 Romans 11:26

 ²⁶And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

    “The deliverer will come from Zion;

      he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

 Zech 14:4

 ⁴On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

 Ezekiel 43:4

 ⁴The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east.

28 May 2006      NJEC is my family 

Pastor Oldie Brijan remind us to extend our focus and look at another family – the NJEC family -  which we are part of. God formed us to be a family with Jesus as our master. In this setting, God has appointed Pastor Phillip to lead us by the vision of God and as model for us to follow.  It is a family diverse in backgrounds, and all are brothers and sisters of different nationalities, races, languages and cultures.

As a family, we are called into fellowship and to grow in our understanding of God in a holistic manner encompassing several dimensions such as  mental, social as well as in spiritual aspects. We have to grow together, enjoying God’s blessings, praising and worshipping Him freely. We are connected to each other because of Jesus as our saviour and Lord. We must grow together in Christ  through fellowship. Whilst it is the Pastor’s responsibility to help us grow, it is our responsibility to build good relationships one with another – so that our gathering together is not in vain like a crowd but real fellowship. This is our game, and like the games of chess and ping pong, we must win the game.

NJEC is a family to belong. In the NJEC family, we are not alone  as we belong to each other in Christ. As the mind can be forgetful, we need to put the family in our heart, lest we forget,. We need to have the spirit of Abel for we are our brothers keeper.

 NJEC is a field to serve. We are called not to be served but to serve God and others. When you serve others- it is beautiful experience because you do the best things in the name of Jesus and His Name is glorified.

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

God  is love. God loved us first and He put His love into our lives. We gather to magnify God’s love. We need to express to God  that we love Him. By doing so, we may connect to God and His infinite mercy and grace. It is His love that fills our heart  that enable us to rejoice in the peace of God. Everybody needs love and we need to express to others that they may receive. If you are asked to choose between love and money- one or the other. How do you choose ? If you choose money- you lose love.  When you put money at the center of  your life- the love and  the peace is not there.  If you choose love, however,  you get love plus bonus,  and money is the bonus. When love is there, the blessings also follow. You get the best things. Let’s choose “ I love God and God loves me”. 

KNOW AND BE KNOWN

We  have to know others, husbands their wives  and parents their children and vice versa. We  also have  to know our neighbours. God wants to know us. We also need to know HIM more and more so that we can understand his plans, emotions, and His will in our lives. Knowing takes time and we have to spent time.

 SERVE AND BE SERVED

We are here to serve and we can serve effectively in different ways according to our gifts.

CELEBRATE AND BE CELEBRATED

We are here to celebrate God’s goodness in our lives. We can celebrate one another’s presence, newcomers, promotions, happiness, new born child and God’s healings..etc. Celebrate His presence and do not grumble.  Give thanks and be thankful for many things and all things that God has prepared for us.

HARMONY

You are that you are and I am that I am. But like an orchestra, each has to play his part. We must live in harmony in the kingdom of God.

ACCOUNTABILITY

We care for others as God care for us. Do not ask what others can give you but what you can give others. We have the responsibility towards one another. You can pray, you can give offerings, you can show concern for others..etc. You have to find your right place in the family and use the gift and talents  and put them into practical use. Find the best place in the family and play a good  part in the family. Did you find your place  in the family? You have to know your part and if you do know your part- you can do the best things  and offer the best to God.

 TRANSPARENCY

I know who I am. Know yourself- your strengths and weaknesses and most important be a transparent person. However in life and in  the church, we do meet difficult  and problem people with their selfish personalities, greedy attitude  and impolite behaviours who only focus on themselves whereas we are called to like people such as these. We can never do it ourselves- we may only relate to them through God’s love and mercy.  May God help us.

INTEGRITY

Honesty is the key which says we will do what we say and  is quick to apologise for our wrongdoings. We need God’s integrity and not man’s integrity. We receive God’s integrity when we receive  Jesus into our hearts and it becomes easier to forgive others who have wronged us.

MESSAGE FOR NJEC FAMILY

God has placed the Pastor Phillip Lee in NJEC as the leader in our church to serve us, and  we in the church to serve each other in good fellowship, to grow, to belong, to know each other,  to love others, to serve one another, to celebrate with one another, in harmony, with accountability, in a transparent way and with integrity.

 KEY VERSES:

^1st Corinthians 1:9

⁹God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.