The heartbeat of Jesus

The heartbeat of Jesus

SIBKL/14/1/12 Pastor Daniel

In the recent YA Camp in November 2011, Pastor Daniel was given the topic “the church is where My heart is” based on Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. As he prepared for this message, the truth of Christ’s love for His church became more and more real to him. The church is never incidental for Christ, it is fundamental for Christ. To Jesus, the church is always paramount, never peripheral. In Matthew 6:18, the Message, Jesus describes the church as being so expansive with energy that the gates of hell cannot keep it out. All this energy issues from Christ.

Ephesians 1:20-23 (The Message) reads “All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”

The church is God’s agent for the world. The church is the hope for the world. The church is the mouth that speaks his message, the hands that stretch forth to the world, the expression of Christ’s love. In 1 Timothy 3:15, the church is described as the pillar and foundation of the truth. If you want to see love prevail in the nation, it is through the church.

Speaking of GG, in May-June 2011, a Telco company was very interested to partner with GG in the Cyberwellness area, even willing to fund a whole event. However, their marketing strategy somehow conflicted with GG’s core Cyberwellness values which were Bible based. To go ahead with them, the values would have to change. Pastor Daniel and team decided that it was better to lose a big deal rather than lose sight of GG’s values. Later, the Telco company organized another event, but invited GG to fill in a 15 minute time slot to talk about Cyber Reality in Malaysia. In the one-day event from 9am-5pm, GG was given the 2^nd slot, and amazingly after Pastor Daniel’s presentation, every speaker that came up made reference back to GG. During Q&A for the next speaker, questions were still being directed back to GG. The church is the pillar and foundation for the truth.

All the ministries were there. The Ministry of Education immediately engaged GG to come into the schools. The organizer, a professor of UITM was preparing a resolution based on this event to put through the ministry. The professor went through the main points with Pastor Daniel and he recommended three more points. One of the main suggestions was to implement a task force to implement the policies. God had opened doors for GG to influence policy. The church is a pillar and foundation of the truth! As GG held on to its core values, God was with them in the end.

What is God’s agenda for the church? The same agenda as Christ Jesus! There is no reason for the church to exist if it is not fundamental to the finished work on the cross. What did Jesus do? Luke 4:18-19 tells us “The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. At the commencement of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He did just that, going throughout Galilee, teaching, preaching and healing every disease and sickness. What is the good news? It is not just words, but also  personified in deeds. Its not just sermons but service.

In Mark 10:46-52, there is the story of the blind beggar Bartimaus, a poor and rejected man. His name means “son of Timaus”. “Timaus means unclean. The image that comes to mind is that of abandoned children who are rejected and unloved. Not only that, Bartmaus was oppressed. The crowd paid him no attention, asking him to keep quiet. He had no self-worth to them. He was a prisoner of darkness, rejection and oppression.

There are 3 main lessons we can learn from this story. Firstly, Jesus went to Bartimaus. Jesus did not have to detour to Jericho. His calling was to Jerusalem. He was leaving the city when Bartimaus called Him.  Secondly, Jesus wanted to show forgiving love. The crowd rejected Bartimaus, but Jesus, accepted him. No mention was made of Jesus preaching yet, until He was stopped by Bartimaus’ outcry. Jesus changed the world of one person! Will we stop for someone who is in need? GG does not preach, yet through a GG event, 15 were saved through a local church leader. We don’t do good works to convert people. We are called to just show people God’s love. The gospel is reconciliation through God’s love.

Thirdly, Jesus cared more for the worth and the wealth of Bartimaus. “What do you want me to do for you, Jesus asked him?” Bartimaus needed not just physical healing but emotional healing. Bartimaus simply said “Lord, I want to see”. The worth of a person is far more important than his wealth. What use is money if you are living in darkness?

From the start, God has blessed GG with compassionate people. In the course of GG’s service, they came upon a family that came into terrible crisis because the sole breadwinner, the father, had died suddenly. There was not enough money to put food on the table, and applying for help from the government would take at least 6 months. GG decided to sponsor the family for the 6 months, but an SIBKL member stepped in and funded the family personally.

Why are we doing GG? Right after Jericho, upon entering Jerusalem Mark 11:9 differentiates between those who went ahead and those who followed behind. Bartimaus was among those who followed behind, among those who shouted Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Bartimaus called Jesus “Son of David”. When we reach out our hands to restore someone’s worth, they will give worthship to God.

During the Christmas event at Kampung Cempaka, people commented that these people must be Christian since they are so organized, so united.

In 2006, when Pastor Daniel went to the Hillsong conference, a story told by Pastor Jensen Franklin changed his life. In the story, Pastor Jensen was once passing by a hospital ward when he saw an elderly lady resting her head on the chest of a bedridden man. Curious, he asked the nurse what she was doing. She told him “this lady is listening to the heartbeat of her only son. The son died in an accident and his heart was donated to this man on the bed”. Immediately, Pastor Jensen sensed God telling him “If today I put My ear to your heart, will I hear the heartbeat of My only Son?