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 Word of God
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5 Jan 2003 Fear
Not
If there is a fear in our life in this year 2003, we
have to remove it.
Throughout a man's life, he will have to grapple with a
multitudes of fears-
| Subject |
Scriptures |
|
| Evil |
Job |
If you fear evil- if you anticipate evil-
evil will invade you
|
| Suffering |
Matt 10:28 |
Do not fear those who destroy the body- fear
God who can destroy the body and soul.
Suffering is part of our faith-
we will suffer persecution in our Christian walk and through our godly
living- e.g Paul, Peter , James.. etc-
We are to ignore ungodly
Christian- those living in sin and darkness.
|
| Death |
|
If you fear God- you will not fear death-
Jesus has delivered us and we are to remove fear of death from our heart
|
| Man |
John 20:19 |
Be serious with God yourself not man-
Make a
stand and honour God
|
| Rejection |
John 9:22 |
We are not to compromise- No need to
conform- or be accepted for fear of rejection |
| |
|
|
|
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TO TOP
12 Jan 2003 - Oh
My Son Give me your heart
Our heart is sinful, deceitful and desperately wicked
(Jeremiah 17:9 & Mark7:21-22). No one knows only God knows. All hearts are
the same and God say O my son give me your heart and observe my ways -
This is a requirement and request from God. We are to surrender our
heart. If God has your heart he has everything ( Rm 14:6-7). Let not your
heart be troubled - your heart must be free ( John 14:1) Remove the heart of
stone and fill with spirit and tears will continue to flow.
After surrendering your heart, we need to be careful
what you see. Let your eyes observe my ways ( Job 31:1) Not to be lustful
-whether in idotary or adultery. My eyes are focus on way of God- way of
truth Matt 6:22 Evil ways/ evil teachers 2nd Peter 2:2 Path of life vs
path of death Jeremiah 21:8. Narrow Path Matt 7:14.
|
|
Key
Scriptures
Hear
God
Speaks
|
Proverbs 23:26 |
|
|
John 1:12 |
|
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Gen 3:26 |
|
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Romans 8:16 |
|
|
1 John 3 |
|
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Rev 14:6-7 |
|
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Mark 7:21-22 Mark 6 :22
Mark 7 :14 |
|
|
Jeremiah 17:9 |
|
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Ezekiel 36:26 |
|
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Job 31:1 |
|
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2 Peter 2:2 |
|
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Jeremiah 21:8 |
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CLICK
TO TOP
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19 Jan
2003 Happy Heart & Godly Laugh
In Ezekiel 36: 26-36 - The children of Israel see the
supply of God yet their hearts are filled with disbelief. We must be careful
lest we have a heart of unbelief. We have to surrender
Merry heart is like good medicine ( Proverbs 17:22)
Happy heart gives good countenance ( Proverbs 15:23). Genesis 21:6 Psalms 126
Luke 6:21
|
|
Hear
God
Speaks
|
Ezekiel 36:26 |
26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove
from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
|
|
Proverbs 15:30 |
30
A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones. |
|
Proverb 17:22 |
22
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
|
Gen 17:17 |
17
Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be
born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of
ninety?"
|
|
Gen 21:6 |
6
Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about
this will laugh with me."
|
|
Psalms 126 |
A song of ascents.
1 When
the LORD brought back the captives to [a]
Zion,
we were like men who dreamed. [b]
2 Our
mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
3 The
LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4
Restore our fortunes, [c]
O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
5
Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 He
who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
|
|
Luke 6:21 |
21Blessed
are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
|
|
Psalms 2:4 |
4 The One
enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
|
|
Psalms 37:13 |
13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
|
|
Psalms 59:8 |
8
But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
you scoff at all those nations. |
|
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26 Jan 2003
Godly wisdom on Money
Pastor Rishi Anandani
In Rev 3:3 - He will come like a
thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. A sense
of urgency. The world needs to know. Our neighbors, friends, relatives need
to know.
In Bali, people are in great bondage.
They pray 2 times a day, they give lots of fruits as sacrifice. They do
ceremonies and rituals if there is a dead person, a child born, a house
built, renovated and demolished. They pray if they want to make a gate in a
house where there was no gate. A pastor went there and was attacked 3 times.
A big monument ? It will be the 4th
highest structure in the world after Petronas Twin towers, Empire State
Building and Eiffel tower. It will be higher than the statue of liberty. A
monument of one of the gods of the Hindus Vishnu (the protector) sitting on
a bird. 146 meters high. 286 meters above sea level. Cost US$100 million (Rp.
1 Trillyun). Many souls being saved in Bali, but mostly non-balinese
residents. Only about 1% o Balinese are believers. Workers are needed.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are
few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His
harvest field. We need to pray for workers and send them. Sending the
workers need money. The Gospel is free but the delivery charge is high.
Money is a sensitive yet an important object in the world and Church.
Today I will talk about it. I would
like some money for lunch today around Rp.100,000, who will give it to me?
The money we have is not ours but the Lord and we need to use them wisely.
In Matthew 25- in the parable of the talents. God has entrusted us with
money, time and energy. We need to be good stewards of it. He will come back
and settle accounts with us about our way of handling them. I sometimes meet
people who have a pretty good income but seem to always have financial
problems and are in debt. Why? Because they have not used their money
wisely. Before we will discuss about using money for God; Work, we will
learn of some principles of using our money wisely. Some of the things I am
going to share may be against your personal and cultural practices and
beliefs, but I believe these are biblical.
I). Firstly, we
need to live within our income
A). Budget your money
It is unwise for us not to budget our money. To spend more than what
we are earning. We need to limit our expenses and purchases according to our
income. We can just buy whatever we see, desire and like. There
needs to be proper planning or evaluation before buying anything. We
shouldn't buy things to impress people, especially if we don't have the
money for it. We shouldn't buy on impulse. Before buying something which we
don't need, we should ask ourselves these 3 questions :
1). Do
I need it?
2). Do
I have a place to put it?
3). Can
I afford it?
You need to have a yes answer to all
these 3 questions, then it would be the right item to buy.
It is necessary to have a place to put your things, or else you would be
needing a bigger space for it. Bigger space costs more.
B). Say No to debts
A certain woman said," I am committed
to living within my income even if I have to borrow money to do it"
In Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain
outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.? We should get
out of the borrowing mentality. Avoid borrowing money as much as possible
for your daily needs, unless it is a real emergency, but that too it can be
avoided as I will be sharing later.We should know who our God is. Proverbs
10:3 ?The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry.? Psalm 37:25 ?I was
young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or
their children begging bread.? Psalm 50:10 ?For every animal of the forest
is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the
mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I
would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.? Can't
we believe God to give us 2 or 3 of the cattle He owns to feed us? He can
and He will. He is an infinite God with infinite resources. Philippians 4:19
?And my God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ
Jesus.? Say no to debts and yes to your future. Be careful using
credit cards. Use it with wisdom and control and pay up quickly.
II). Secondly, learn the
art of saving
We should always learn to set aside some amount for savings and not touch it
at all for business, our expenses or anything else. These will be for our
future needs and for emergencies. Often times we spend so much and save
little or nothing at all, that when we have emergencies and need money, we
ask from the Church or people to help. Yes, we as Christians and as a Church
should help those in need and in emergencies, but if it could have been
prevented had the person saved, that would have been better. It would be
very difficult for me to help someone who waste their money unwisely and
expect me to pick up the bills? We should help those people who have genuine
needs and help those who are helping themselves. Christians face crisis and
emergencies, which may require money. We are not exempted and so we need to
prepare for it. Sometimes there are Christians who give so much
money to help others and they do not save up. Then when they face a crisis
and an emergency, they ask money from other people. If you want to give and
not save up, then you better learn to trust God to help you in your needs.
If you can't learn to trust God, then save up, as everyone else, as how God
would want us to do. Indonesia has one of the highest interest rates in the
world for time deposit and savings. Take advantage of it.
III). Thirdly, Be honest
in your work and stay away from get-rich-quick mentality
Honesty is a rare character. We need
honest Christian businessmen and women to be role models in the society. My
visitation experience. Proverbs 20:23 ?The Lord detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please Him.? God said do your business honestly.
If He said it, it means it can be done, although at times your income may
decrease as a result of your honesty. That is the price we need to pay.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 ?If anyone would come after Me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross and follow Me.? When a friend offers you an
investment that can make you rich quick, be careful. Don't believe it
too quickly. Dear Brother. Joined a multilevel sort of business. You get
high interest in return. They enjoyed it for a few months. The other brother
joined and the owner was arrested and the business collapsed. Very rare is
there such thing as easy honest money?
IV). Do not overwork
The Bible teaches us to work hard. Colossians 3:23 ?Whatever you do, work at
it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.? We need to
try our best to earn as much as we can, honestly, with the time that we have
and the energy that we have But don't overwork The Bible doesn't say work
long, but work hard. If God wanted us to work long, He would have made the
day a lot longer than how it is now. The sun would have risen at 3 a.m. and
set at 9 p.m. Remember to spend time with the Lord in prayer and reading His
Word, spend time with your family, friends, in God's service, in resting and
enjoying God's creation. Employers don't overwork your workers. Colossians
4:1 ? Provide your workers with what is right and fair, because you know
that you also have a Master in heaven.? What is right and fair is not to
overwork your workers.
V). Be contented with
the income you get
Be honest, work hard, then be contented
with the income we get and with the income which God blesses us with. Let us
not compare ourselves with those who have more money, but let us compare
with those who have lesser money than us.
In 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness
with contentment is great gain.? In Philippians 4:11 ? I am not saying this
because I am I need, for I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances.? Hebrews 13:5 ?Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave
you, never will I forsake you.; We need to be able to come to a point where
we say, This is enough? If we don't, then we are in danger of making money
our goal in life and reason for existing and we are in danger of being
controlled by money and serving it. Matthew 6:24 ?No one can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.? Ecclesiastes 5:10 ? Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is
meaningless.? 1 Timothy 6:10 ? For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs.? Money can be your god. Those of us
who live for money usually have
shallow lives. We have nothing to offer to people.
VI). Practice simplicity
Ecclesiastes 7:29 ?God made man simple; man's complex problems are of his
own devising. The Christian discipline of simplicity is an inward reality
that results in an outward life-style. To try to have an outward life-style
of simplicity without the inward reality leads to legalism. When we
experience God authentically, our speech and actions become truthful and
honest. Our lust for status and position is gone because we no longer need
them. We cease from showy extravagance not on the grounds of being unable to
afford it, but because we
realize its not necessary.
Richard E. Byrd, after months alone in
the barren Arctic, wrote in his journal, I am learning that a man can live
profoundly without masses of things. The lust for affluence in our society
is totally psychotic. We crave for things we neither need nor enjoy. We buy
things we do not want to impress people we do not like. The mass media have
convinced us that to be out of step with fashion is to be out of step with
reality. We consider a hero the poor boy who purposefully becomes rich,
rather than the rich boy who voluntarily becomes poor. Covetousness we call
ambition. Hoarding we call prudence. Greed we call industry. We need to
change all this. We need to courageously, as believers of Jesus Christ, take
up new ways to
live. We need to recapture in our time and in our lives the lost art of
simplicity.
Jesus said in Luke 12:15 ? Take
heed, and beware of all covetousness, for a man's life does not consist in
the abundance of his possession.? In Luke 12:16-21 ?Jesus calls a fool, the
farmer whose life centered in hoarding. The world would call this farmer
wise.
A). Simplicity means modesty and
temperance in all things. Paul calls us to be sober, just, holy, temperate
(Titus 1:8). We need to voluntarily abstain from extravagant luxury. We need
to refuse to indulge in elegance and display in clothing or manner of life.
Our use of resource should always be according to human need.
How can we practice simplicity?
1). Buy things for their usefulness
rather than their status. Cars, clothing, houses, furnitures, etc should be
bought for their usefulness rather than prestige.e.g. avoid buying expensive
watches.
e.g. If you need a car, buy a Kijang, instead of a BMW or a Mercedez. We
need a car to travel not to show off. e.g. Avoid buying a big house, when
you can live in a smaller house or an apartment with a cheaper price. e.g.
Avoid costly entertainment or expensive restaurants. e.g. Avoid buying
so many shoes, when you can live with 2 or 3 pairs. e.g. Some buy Versace
Jeans or Armani suits which cost millions of Rupiah, where you can buy Levis
Jeans or
have a tailor do your suits and it will cost cheaper.
Most people buy clothes not because
they need more clothes but because they want to keep up with the fashions.
Hang the fashions! Buy what you need. Stop trying to impress people with
your clothes and impress them with your life.
B). Simplicity means availability. When we are free from the compulsions of
wanting bigger and better things, we have the time and energy to respond to
human need.
C). Simplicity means using money without abusing money With the help of the
Holy Spirit we conquer and capture money and put it into service for Christ
and His kingdom. We manage money for the glory of God and the good of all
people. Money is not evil, but it can be if it possesses us. So we need to
learn to possess it. I pray that there will be many more mature and obedient
Christians who are spiritually disciplined > and taught, who will be called
into positions of power, wealth and influence. And who will be called to
take leadership roles in government, education and business. Some are called
to make money ?lots of money for the glory of God and the larger public
good. Banks, department stores, factories, schools and many more
institutions need the touch of God's presence that works through a dedicated
and obedient believer. It is better for the Christians to get more money
than for the pagans. Why? So that we can use it for God's work.
The OT teaches about tithing. The NT doesn't but its standards are higher
than the OT. We should not commit adultery/lust at a woman, we should not
murder/hate or get angry, we should give 10% of our income, in NT it says in
2 Corinthians 8:7, Excel in the grace of giving?In 2 Corinthians 9:6
?Give generously?2 Corinthians 8:3 ?Give as much as you are able, even
beyond your ability.? There is no limit in giving. The widow gave all she
had and Jesus commended her. God will bless us in ways that cannot be
measured by money. One man who owns a business put himself on a salary that
he has determined as his standard of living. Of this salary he tithes 15
percent. He then gives away 25 percent of the profits that the company makes
above his salary. He also has income from book and film royalties and
speaking honorarium, he gives away a hundred percent of this money. Another
man by the name of R.G. Le Tourneau, owner of a large earth-moving business,
gave away 90% of his income and lived only on 10%. Give more than 10% to the
Lord. Give 10% to the Church and then the remaining money let us give to
Pastors in the villages, pastors in the city whose incomes are low, give to
missions organization, give to the poor churches, poor Christians, give to
missionaries who are going out from Indonesia, give to bible schools and
Christian student organizations, etc.
Often times we give out money to those
organizations and people that already have too much, but we forget those who
are really in need.
Ask for God's wisdom as you give.
Also let us remember to give to the poor, the orphans and the widows who are
in need of money. In Proverbs 19:17 ?He who is kind to the poor lends to the
Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.? James 1:27 ?Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress;
A man in Africa saw the poverty in a certain country and asked God, Why are
you not doing anything to help and reduce the pain and suffering of these
people? God said, I have, I made you.?
Conclusion
Matthew 6:19-21 ?Do not store up for
yourself 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.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The treasure
talks about souls, people. One man said that money is a form of power that
is so intimately related to its possessor that when we give money, we are
also giving ourselves. Some of us are not growing spiritually because
we haven't given God's money back to the Him.
The world needs to know. We need to pray for workers and send them. Sending
the workers need money. The Gospel is free but the delivery charge is high.
I).
Firstly, we need to live within our income
A). Budget
your money
B). Say No to debts
II).
Secondly, learn the art of saving
III).
Thirdly, Be honest in your work and stay away from get-rich-quick mentality
IV). Do not
overwork
V). Be
contented with the income you get and make God and not money our purpose and
reason for living and don't love money.
VI).
Practice simplicity so that we can have a lot to give for God's work and to
those who are in need around us.
|
|
Hear
God
Speaks
|
2 Corinthians 8:3
2 Corinthians 8:7
2 Corinthians 9:6 |
Give as much
Excel in grace of giving
Give generously |
|
Rev 3:3 |
He is coming |
|
Matt 9 : 37-38 Matt 25
Matt 16:24
Matt6:24 |
Workers few Parable of the talents
Deny self
Cannot serve 2 masters |
|
|
|
|
Romans 13:8 |
No debt outstanding |
|
Proverbs 10:3 Proverbs 20:23 |
Righteous will not go hungry Be Honest |
|
Phillipians 4:19
Phillipians 4:11 |
God will meet your needs B content whatever the circumstances |
|
Psalms 37:25 Pslams 50:10
|
Righteous will not go hungry God provides |
|
Colossians 3:23 Colossians 4:1 |
Work for God not man Be fair to workers |
|
1 Timothy 6:6 1 Timothy 6:10 |
Godliness with contentment Money is root of all evil |
|
Hebrews 13:5 |
Be free from love of money |
|
Ecc 5:10 Ecc 7:29 |
Whoever loves Money Never have enough
Just simple |
|
Luke 12: 15-21 |
Life is more than possessions |
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14 Apr 2006 Keeping the house of God cleanRev
Allan Thong
Rev
Allan Thong ( Malaysia-Kulai ) encourage us to look at the church today-
from pastor to members, our spiritual and prayer life, the ministries and cell
group activities and the state of the church today. The issues confronting the
Corinthian churches are also happening to churches of today, such as sexual
morality issues in 1st Corinthian 5:1. How to keep the house of God clean ?
The
house of God must be clean. We must never allow sins to enter the
church. There
are so many things happening in the world and if we allow worldliness to enter
the church- the church becomes stagnant- and can also be heading towards
troubles. We must be watchful of
people who engage in witchcraft prayer and cursing and seeking to destroy the
churches of Jesus. There is no refuge for these people and we must rebuke them
and revoke their curses. For
sinners’ sake, this is their place of safety and refuge. The church and the
cell groups are the foundation and pillars of our faith. We need to spent more
time to soak ourselves in the presence of God to allow Him to do a deeper work
in our hearts- and do not be afraid to sob
and surrender when the spirit leads.
Leaders in the church must be faithful and know the word of God. We must
love our pastor
because of Christ and not in any other way. Draw close to God, care for another
and love one another.
Members of the congregation are encouraged to turn away from sins- to check our
lives and thumb our sins.The blood of Jesus washes away our sins and iniquities. So, we must start
by keeping our bodies clean. Our body belongs to God and is the temple of
God and Holy Ghost/ Holy Spirit. It is the spiritual home and therefore, pray in the spirits.
Enter into the spirit and into the presence of God
and allow Him to strengthen you, heal you
and set you free.
Pray
for each other – brothers and sisters for deliverance, healing and
build up one another in faith. All of us have our private sides and these
secrets are entrusted to our care, therefore,
do not gossip about other’s secret problems/sins. You may go to your
pastor and he will pray with you.
People in the world are looking for truth and reality. People are living aimlessly, in
bondage and powerless to change. They want peace , love and joy.
Can we be the light of the world. Yes, if we keep the house of God clean
and allow the light of Jesus to shine forth the light of glory in our faces.
1 Corinthians 5: Verses
1-5 Verses 9-11 1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his
father’s wife. 2And
you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have
put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3Even though I
am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already
passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When
you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in
spirit, and the power of our Lord is
present, 5hand
this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature£
may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually
immoral people—10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the
greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave
this world. 11But
now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls
himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a
slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
1 Timothy 3:15
15if
I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in
God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation of the truth.
CLICK
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Wisdom from God's insects
Rev Anthony Phua
22 Mar 2008
Parables speak to us directly as they are earthly story and have heavenly
meanings. Just for illustration, we speak of Jesus as :
Bread –
fill our stomach
Light –
Light expose the dark areas
Door -
open up
He who
wins souls is wise and souls are represented by people. People however are
so different one from another. As a case in point, if we were to look at
fishes, they are of different characteristics and behaviors depending upon
where they are:
- in
deep sea
- in a
pond
- beach
and shore
- river
Human
behavior and personality are as varied- and in doing the work of God and in
reaching out to people- remember it is not one size fits all. So we need
wisdom.
In
Proverbs 30:24-28.
24 "Four things on earth are small,
yet they are extremely wise:
25 Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 coneys
[d] are creatures of little power,
yet they make their home in the crags;
27 locusts have no king,
yet they advance together in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught with the hand,
yet it is found in kings' palaces.
We can
learn wisdom from insects/animals as written in God’s word and as follows:
-
The
ants – purpose and refocus
-
The
coneys - partnership
-
The
locusts - prayer
-
The
Lizard - position
The
Ants
are very focused and purpose driven. They recognized that life is short and
is focus on food. In the ministry, we cannot be drifting because the harvest
is near( John 4:35). So we got to put first things first and ask God for
wisdom.
The
coneys
(like wild rabbits) speak to us about partnership. They stay together to
keep warm. Very often, by ourselves we are weak and we need one another. In
Ecc 4:9-12, two is better than one. We need to join together to do God’s
work.
The
locusts
fly in the sky and a horde of locusts in its flight can blanket the entire
sky and cast a shadow on the ground. There is power in the air like locusts
advancing. Prayer is a weapon of divine power and it can galvanise and
energise, intervene and even tear down stronghold and. John 4:4. In the
history of UK, Queen Victoria was afraid of the prayer of one John Notts
of Lutheran Church and we see him move an the entire nation to their knees
to call upon the mercies of God.
The
Lizard
speaks to us about positioning. In the biblical verse, lizards are even
found in the palace uninvited. In the story of Esther, we learn of how
Esther position herself so that she can intervene concerning the decree to
kill the Jews. God have place us in different positions, in different
country and doing certain job. In 1st John 4: 4, we must first position
ourselves and trust God.
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Cedar in the House of God
Rev Anthony Phua
23 Mar 2008
The
tabernacle is the house of God or the temple of God. It is where the
presence of God dwells. We have the Holy Spirit in our heart but are we the
temple of God?
In 1st
Kings Chapter 6 – we see Cedar,Pine and Olive being use to build the House
of God.
1st Kings 6:9-36
9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams
and cedar planks.
10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of
each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of
cedar.
11 The word of the LORD came to Solomon:
12 "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees,
carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will
fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.
13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my
people Israel."
14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.
15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling
them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of
the temple with planks of pine.
16 He partitioned off twenty cubits
[i] at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to
ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy
Place.
17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits
[j] long.
18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and
open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.
19 He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark
of the covenant of the LORD there.
20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty
high.
[k] He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the
altar of cedar.
21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he
extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was
overlaid with gold.
22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with
gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.
23 In the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim of olive
wood, each ten cubits
[l] high.
24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other
wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip.
25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim
were identical in size and shape.
26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits.
27 He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple,
with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while
the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each
other in the middle of the room.
28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold.
29 On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer
rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers.
30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of
the temple with gold.
31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive
wood with five-sided jambs.
32 And on the two olive wood doors he carved cherubim, palm
trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with beaten
gold.
33 In the same way he made four-sided jambs of olive wood for the
entrance to the main hall.
34 He also made two pine doors, each having two leaves that
turned in sockets.
35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and
overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
36 And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone
and one course of trimmed cedar beams.
In
Deuteronomy 10 :3, we see Acacia also being used.
3 So I made the ark out of
acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went
up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.
Cedar
trees grow in Lebanon and they have many varieties and today I want to
introduce you to the following:
1.
Little
Cedar
2.
Fire
Cedar
3.
Humming
Cedar
4.
Tall
Cedar
Little Cedar
Little
cedar
grow up to a max of 7ft or less. It is important for farms as they are
durable and sturdy for building fences. When the cutters gather the newly
cut stems, they just throw into the truck, and in the process of the
transportation, the rocking along the journey will cause them to lined up
properly when they reach their destination.
The
rocking of life’s journey should help us cling closer together – to be
joined and linked together- with the church leaders to offer sacrifices and
build a formidable and spiritual house
1st
Peter 2:5
5you
also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a
holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ.
Ephesian 4:3-6
3Make
every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4There
is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were
called—
5one
Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Acts 2:42-47
The Fellowship of the Believers in building the church
42They
devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer.
43Everyone
was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the
apostles.
44All
the believers were together and had everything in common.
45Selling
their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46Every
day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47
praising God
and enjoying the favor of all the people.
And the Lord added to
their number daily those who were being saved.
Small
cedar are essential to building great churches, which are big in heart,
strong in spirit and reaching out to people with roots and foundation.
Fire Cedar
Fire
cedar are for burning. Just like modern day charcoal which are prepared in a
meticulous way of curing it so that it achieved the ambient conditions to be
efficient for burning and cooking purposes Cedar wood speak to us about
being on fire for the Lord – and a church on fire with the Holy Spirit will
never be defeated.
Acts
2:3
3They
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on
each of them.
Humming Cedar
Lebanon
cedar trees can resonate with the wind to produce a humming sound.
Colossians 3:16
16Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Ephesians 5:19
19Speak
to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make
music in your heart to the Lord,
Acts
16:25-26
25About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26Suddenly
there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were
shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came
loose.
In
spite of our life tragedies, the loss of love ones, children with down
syndrome, children with physical deformation, the onset of chronic sickness
such as hole in the heart conditions and in the midst of life ‘s misery-
will we have a song to sing to the Lord ?
Romans
8:18-25
18I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us.
19The
creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own
choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
21that[i]
the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought
into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains
of childbirth right up to the present time.
23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies.
24For
in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who
hopes for what he already has?
25But
if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
2nd
Corinthians 4:17
17For
our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that
far outweighs them all.
Philippians 4:4
4Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
In the
journey of life, may we be like the humming cedar.
Tall Cedar
In
Psalms 92:12
12
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
We need
the tall cedar in the church to realize the vision and to form the pillars
of the church and its ministries.
Going
back to history, there are lessons in the life of people to teach us
integrity and doing what is right. Al Capone’s talented lawyer –Edgar Joseph
O’Hare or “Easy Eddie” or EJ has been able to protect his mafia boss – but
he decided to turn himself in and indict his boss on tax fraud charges and
was murdered on 8 Nov 1939.
In the
process, he was setting his legacy or rather “correcting” the direction for
his son to do the right thing in life.
Down
the history lane, we learn about his son Edward Henry Butch O’Hare’s act of
bravery – diving and penetrating the Japanese air defence and firing until
his ammunition was finished. He became a hero with Chicago O’Hare Airport
named after him – read this:
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.asp
Similarly, we need man of integrity to be pillars of the church.
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The Widow's Oil - Paradox
of the Kingdom
Pastor
Peter Lui
16 Nov 2008
We live in a world that focuses on economical principles- like
having sufficient capital, proficient manpower and efficient machinery. More
is better..etc In Jesus’s teaching, the truth in the paradox of life is
expounded.
The Bible tells us of a desperate woman in desperate situation in the times
of Prophet Elisha . In this episode, a certain woman- in the way she is
introduced, we deduced that her deceased husband is a godly man and she is
an insignificant unknown woman. As a widow, she would have depended on his
sons- which were taken – hence she is in a desperate situation until her
encounter with this unusual man of God the Prophet Elisha.
2nd
Kings 4:1-6
1
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."
2
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."
3
Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask
for just a few.
4
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."
5
She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They
brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
6
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.
Elisha’s character as God ‘s anointed servant is revealed in 2 Kings
2:19-24. Elisha possessed special powers.
2 Kings
2:19-24.
Healing of the Water
19
The men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, our lord, this town is well
situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is
unproductive."
20
"Bring me a new bowl," he said, "and put salt in it." So they brought it to
him.
21
Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is
what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause
death or make the land unproductive.' "
22
And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word
Elisha had spoken.
Elisha Is Jeered
23
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some
youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!"
they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"
24
He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name
of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of
the youths.
1. How can I help you – tell me .
When the widow approaches Elisha-
she was completely honest in her confessions about her conditions. This
happens in the church of today- in times of counseling –and when we confess
we need to tell the whole truth and be honest about it- in order that we
may be prayed for.
2. Borrow empty vessels
It is sometimes difficult to
approach neighbors- the widow approaches her neighbors. This speaks to us
about unfaltering and unquestioning obedience. “So she went” tells us that
she acted on the advice and instruction without whys?.
3. Untimely cessation of supply
To pour out the oil, first close
the door. When the vessels are no more- the oil stops flowing. When God pour
out His mercy – it is endless and can only be
limited by our imagination and resources. Just 1 jar of oil- “except
a little oil” but small is much in the hand of a big God.
In the church today, church leaders
must be there and be ready to meet the needs of members- like Elisha of old.
The members must be honest with their situation and problems. Thereafter,
there must be a willingness to be obedient to God’s guiding when instructed
by man of God e.g your Pastor. This is like the church boundary – God can
perform a lot of miracles and He wants to fill
us .
PARADOXICAL STATEMENTS BY JESUS
IF YOU WANT TO BE GREAT, FIRST BE THE LEAST
Luke 9: 48
For he who is least
among you all—he is the greatest.
Matt 11:11
yet he who is least in
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
IF WANT TO REACH THE HIGHEST, STOOP TO THE LOWEST
1st Peter 5:6
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may
lift you up in due time.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND LIFE- FIRST LOSE IT
Matt 16:25
For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
will find it.
Mark 8:35
For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
and for the gospel will save it.
IF YOU WANT TO GET MORE – FIRST GIVE ALL
Luke 6:28
For with the measure you
use, it will be measured to you."
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3 P of Christmas
25 Dec 2008
P-
Prophecy
The
birth of Christ was first foretold by the Prophet Micah- announced by the
prophets and broadcast by angels
Micah
5:2
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans
[b]
of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins
[c]
are from of old,
from ancient times.
[d]
"
Matt 1:21-23
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the
prophet:
23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and
they will call him Immanuel"[d]—which
means, "God with us."
Luke
2:4
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to
Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and
line of David.
5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married
to him and was expecting a child.
6While they
were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the
inn.
P-Presence
The presence of God
bring joy of God. The angels and shepherds was glad and cheerful.
Exodus 3:12
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to
you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of
Egypt, you
[a]
will worship God on this mountain."
Luke 2:13-14
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:28-32
28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[d]
your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."
P-
Peace
People
seek high and low for peace. Even the rich surrounded by wealth, people and
things – face vacuum, emptiness and misery inside. They are looking for real
peace, not the peace that the world offers. Jesus is the prince of peace-
peace that will overcome the negative environment and problems i.e. no Jesus
no peace but if you know Jesus- you will enjoy real peace.
Isaiah
9:7
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