The Shepherd, the sheep and the children

The Shepherd, the sheep and the children

Great blessings to you, dear family members. This fine day, we want to look at two parts of Scripture. First is the parable of the lost sheep, and the second is Jesus’ instructions for us to be like little children.

Reading first from Luke 15:1-7  Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Before Jesus told this parable, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were as usual observing Him carefully with judgmental eyes, looking to see where they could criticize him because they were jealous of his popularity. Seeing Jesus converse freely with tax collectors and sinners, they muttered to each other scornfully. In their eyes, they were far better and holier than everyone else, and to even contemplate walking and eating and talking with the outcasts of society was incomprehensible to them. However, through this parable, Jesus was telling them that they were also sheep that belonged to Him, although they were lost for a while.

The important lesson for us here is that we too are sheep belonging to Jesus, and when we are lost or drift far away from Him, He looks earnestly for us and when He finds us, He is overjoyed as are all the angels in Heaven. In John 10:14, He further says “I am the good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know Me.” As the good Shepherd, He is not willing that any of His sheep is lost, and in fact, He laid down His life for His sheep, for us, so that we might be safe and have eternal life. He does not look at our past but picks us up where we are and delights that we were lost but are now found.  In our relationship with Him, it is always comforting and meaningful to remember Him as our Good Shepherd who looks out for us.

The second portion of Scripture today is from Mark 10:13-16 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them

In this scene, we see the disciples trying to stop people from bringing their young children to Jesus for Him to bless them. The Lord is indignant and tells them to let all the children come. This picture of our Lord Jesus always making time to love and bless little children is one of the most comforting in all Scripture. Our Lord Jesus goes on to say that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Now many of us have grown up and we have many worries in life and after life, but we would do well to set some set some time aside, remember ourselves as a little child coming to Jesus and trusting Him to take care of us, to bring us to Heaven one day. Little children believe easily. Their faith is simple and strong. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He also said “No one who comes to Him will he turn away.” Just believe that like a little child, and trust in Jesus to take care of us in this life and the life to come.

May the Lord help us remember these two visions, of Himself as a good Shepherd and as a loving Lord to little children, including us, as we seek to trust Him and follow Him till the end. 

He helps us in our time of need

He helps us in our time of need

Brother David John

FGB/Jaya One Chapter/17/2/12

Because Jesus Christ has made the way, every one of us can go before the throne of grace and approach God in Heaven for help. (“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16) God’s Word is true, but for it to be real, we must claim it for ourselves. We are justified by faith when we believe! We can go in the love of our Father. We can go cleansed to the Father in Jesus name. Because of Jesus’ blood, we have been made holy, just as if we had never sinned. This Scripture is true for those who have been forgiven in Jesus “As far as the East is from the West, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12).

What do we do when we lose something? Hang our heads in despair? No! Pray! Many who have lost things, even files at work have prayed, and found it back, even miraculously! In the parable of the lost coin, the lady lit a lamp and swept the house carefully until she found it, and when she did, she invited her friends to celebrate! When we were lost, Jesus came to seek us out, to save that which was lost!

We are Christians because we believe in one God! Consider a building. Common sense tell us it had to built by engineers and architects. However, it is God who gave them the brains to do it. There is a story about a group of scientists who claimed they could create life, and therefore did not need God. A little child asked “what material do you use?” and they answered “First, we take sand…” “Wait!” said the little child “Didn’t God create the sand?”

Even blind people can feel the sun. The Bible says that men are without excuse for not believing in God. Romans 1:20 says “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

From the start, God wanted men to have a relationship with Him. In the beginning, God came and walked together with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The Bible says that God is the potter, and we are the clay. God formed Adam from the dust, and God made Eve from Adam’s rib. All the animals were not suitable to be Adam’s help and partner. Man needs woman. She is his main help and helper.

Do you believe in angels? Do you know that God has sent His angels to help us? Hebrews 1:!4 says “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” The angels of the Lord encamp around those who fear God!

We are made in God’s image! Of all His creation, we look like God.

Money is not evil, but the love of money is the root of all evil.       

When God asks us to do something specifically, we have to do it. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam the power of choice, to choose to obey God or disobey Him. He placed a tree in the centre of the garden of Eden, and told Adam “You can take fruit from any tree in the garden but you must not take from that tree, the tree of knowledge of good an evil. Adam chose to disobey God, and that disobedience brought sin into the world, and subjected all Adam’s descendants to physical death and to be cut off from God.

God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us to undo what Adam and Eve did. The whole Bible is basically about God’s plan to save the human race and redeem a people that He would come down and live with. 

Jesus had to go away so that the Holy Spirit would come. The Holy Spirit enables us to do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

We are righteous! This not from our own righteousness which are like filthy rags. We are righteous because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ which He has applied to us!  Jesus said in John 14:6 No one comes to the Father except through Me. In Christ, we have been set free! We are called to do great and mighty things! Listen! God delights in us! He will live us up in due time!

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” We must know the Word and believe it to be true! Beware of mental assent! Mental assent is believing in our heads and not in our hearts. Real faith is believing not just with our minds, but with all our hearts, our mind, will and emotions.

Speaking in tongues is so important as part of our Christian lives. 1 Corinthians 14:2 says “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.”

In closing, let us remember Hebrews 4:16 again “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”. Let us believe, not just with our heads, but with all our hearts, that our Father in Heaven will help us in our time of need.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Healed for His service

Healed for His service

SIBKL/13/2/12/Dr.Andy Lim

Be happy! Did you know that this is a commandment in the Bible? Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again! Rejoice! Philippians 4:4. A merry heart does good like a medicine Proverbs 17:22.

My wife is always worried when I come up to speak because I never prepare my sermons. It is more important to prepare the heart than the sermon. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” The Bible is the Sword of the Spirit. It is so important for us to know our Bible well. It is for offense as well as defense. King David said “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11.

I grew up in a home of ancestor worship. From young, I was always afraid of my father. Though God is loving, we should not lose the fear of God. We should always hold God in high esteem. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good”. This is still relevant today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Matthew 5:8 says “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” On our own, there is no way we can see God. King David was a man who did some very bad things, but God still heard him.

From a young age, my father had always wanted me to be a doctor, and so I became one. However, I smoked and lived an ungodly life until one day I started bleeding from the nose. After going for a check-up, another doctor told me I had nose cancer, and when I went for a second opinion and a blood test, it was confirmed. I was so scared, I felt like a drowning man. My uncle brought me to a healing service organized by FGB Ipoh, and I remembered the preacher came to me and said “In the name of Jesus, you spirit of nose cancer, come out!” Immediately, there was a very foul smell that came out. After that, when I went back to the doctor, a Professor, he was shocked. There were no cancer cells in the biopsy. He said it was a miracle.

My uncle asked me to read the gospel of John. It was hard reading, but I stopped where Jesus said “unless you people see miracles, you will never believe”. Since Jesus had healed me, my uncle asked me to come to church at Ipoh Garden. Even at 42 years, I was still afraid of my father. So I had to ask his permission before I went to church. So I asked him “Pa, Jesus has healed me of nose cancer, so I have to go to church.” He told me, “Ok, but if you are to be a Christian, you must be a good Christian, you must read your Bible and pray and do whatever the pastor tells you”.

At church, the Pastor told me that I should stop smoking. I said “where does it say in the Bible, that people can’t smoke?” The Pastor showed me 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?” The Pastor said that if I was smoking, Jesus would be smoking too with me. I was horrified, so I prayed “Jesus, please help me give up smoking.” I lost all desire to smoke and 3 months later, I decided to just try out a puff and found it to be the most horrible thing.

I had a regular patient who one day came to me, saying that he was urinating blood. I told him he had kidney stones and he needed an operation. He went to the hospital but discharged himself because he was scared. Instead, he came back to see me. I was angry, but when you know Jesus Christ, compassion comes to your heart. So I asked God to heal him. Not long after, he urinated all the stones out, taking it back to show me. It was miracle in front of my own eyes. Later I prayed for a Hindu lady to be healed from her diabetes and she was completely cured.

In a bible class of more than 70 which I attended, I asked “how can I hear God’s voice?” I was told, “You must search for God with all your heart for God to talk to you.” So I did quiet time for 1 hour, for 60 days. One day, I was in a happy mood, thanking Jesus and then I said “Lord Jesus, I will do anything you want”. Then I heard a loud voice “Andy, I want you to go around the world to tell people about God and tell them I healed you”. I was having a very busy job at that time, working even 7 days so I prayed “Lord, give me an easier job”. 

Almost immediately, a new job came, which enabled me to travel and also gave me a lot of free time. I spent a lot of time memorizing Scripture. I also went round the world twice.

Once, Jesus even came to me in a dream. He looks just like in the paintings. We can talk to God and pray all the time, even in the bath. Give thanks in all circumstances. Pray continually. Once while having a bath, I was led to pray “Lord, give me a pure heart”. Where is Jesus Christ? Wherever two or three are gathered in His name. Once, while preaching in Bajau, I asked everyone who had sicknesses or needs to come up for prayer. There was an old grandmother who was carried to the church. I sang Thank You Jesus as I rubbed her and then I said “Get up and walk in the name of Jesus” and she got up and walked.

Romans 10:13 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. I asked a man who had cancer to call on Jesus. After the operation, he was in severe pain and asked Jesus to take away his pain. After 15 minutes, the pain miraculously left.

My father was heavily influenced by a particular medium and believed him rather than Jesus Christ. He would consult the medium on all matters and said he was 90% accurate. At the age of 76, my father had a stroke and after much prayer for him, nothing worked. The doctors asked him to exercise, and he did so diligently. Amazingly, after just 2 months, he was completely healed and could even drive a car. We told him that Jesus Christ had healed him. He went to the medium and asked “Who is the true God?” The medium said “Jesus Christ is the true God”. Philippians 2:10 says that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The medium even asked him to follow his son to church. So he went out and could not wait to be baptized. Later, when the church asked for donations for the building fund, he gave RM10,000, and he was a very stingy man. How God changes a man!

  

Beyond the Next Level-An individual response

Beyond the Next Level-An individual response

SIB/Pastor Chew Weng Chee

In the 1^st week of January 2012, as Pastor Chew shared with us SIB’s vision for the coming year, he focused on four main areas we should individually aim to “go beyond” in our personal lives. It is good to remind ourselves on these four areas as we seek to draw nearer to God in 2012.

Firstly, we are to go beyond self. In Genesis 13, we are given the story of the time when Lot and Abram went separate ways because their livestock had become too great to continue traveling together. Lot, found himself drawn towards Sodom, which is synonymous with the sinful world while Abram went onwards in the blessing and guidance of God!  The Word here for 2012 is a separation, to cut off the things that hold us back, even soul ties, and move forward towards all that God has prepared for us.

Secondly, we are to go beyond reason. This season, as the Lord moves, we may come face to face with things that defy logic, that we don’t understand. Still, we are called to have faith, to continue to trust and believe our God of miracles. He enabled a very old lady to give birth. He walked on water. He turned water into wine. He can do all things. Our part is to call on Him and pray and expect to see miracles!

Thirdly, we are to go beyond borders. God told Abram, “Lift up your eyes and look around, all the land that you see I give to you and your descendants forever. Walk through the land, for I give it to you”. This season we are called to extend our sphere of influence, in our families, in our workplace, in our ministries. When we look around us, at our work, our colleagues, our ministries, we are to look with different eyes.

Finally, we are to go beyond time. Billy Graham in his great and faithful work as an evangelist has left a lasting legacy that will last far after his lifetime. Abraham, though in his lifetime, only had two sons, but He believed God that he would be father of many nations. Because of his faith, all these came to pass way beyond Abraham’s earthly lifetime, as he became not only the father of the Jews but also the father of all who would have faith in Christ Jesus. As we continue to move forward in the Lord and learn to obey His voice, He will lead us to build a legacy that will be a great blessing to others even in generations to come.

God’s providence for those who would serve Him

God’s providence for those who would serve Him

FGB Jaya One Chapter/ brother Jason Tan/ 10/2/12

This Friday was our inaugural meeting at FGB Jaya One Chapter, and we were privileged to have brother Jason Tan share with us.

Starting off with a little bit of his history with Jaya One Chapter, Jason Tan shared how he first came to know of the FGB Fellowship in Jaya One through a chance meeting with brother Damien Chua at a wedding dinner. Damien was leading the FGB Jaya One Chapter at that time. Two weeks later, Jason went for his first meeting and was shocked to hear that it was to be the last meeting as the brother who had previously hosted the Chapter could no longer do so.

Not long after, Jason received a phone call from brother Damien who asked him if he would consider opening his office for hosting FGB Chapter meetings. This offer brought to remembrance the time when Jason first was blessed with his office at Jaya One Chapter and how he had committed his office to the Lord in prayer. At that time, he desired to have a Christian Fellowship in his office, and now the opportunity had come through the FGB. So even though he did not have much space, Jason Tan graciously opened his office and it has been the venue of great blessing for many who have come. Jason himself shared how personal prophecy through a FGB meeting had greatly blessed and encouraged him and his family.

Then at the end of the year, the time came when Damien was called to start a new Chapter in Ara Damansara, which was near his workplace. Damien encouraged Jason Tan to take over the leadership at Jaya One Chapter, but he was a bit reluctant as Damien had been a fantastic president and he foresaw practical difficulties as well. Nevertheless, brother Jason prayed to God to provide the resources to help him. Amazingly, brother Steven, who has many years FGB experience offered to help in the committee, and another brother also offered to help with playing the guitar, and doing the secretary work for the Chapter. Later, at this same meeting itself, a dear sister offered to help out in providing the lunch for the Chapter. Another brother offered to help however he could even though he was not always in the area. It is truly amazing how the Lord brings help from His different servants when we least expect it.

Brother Jason shared how just the day before, his mind began to reflect on the words of the song “How he loves us” by John Mark McMillan which reminded him how much God loves us. He had gone to the immigration to collect his daughter’s Mykid, and in a place where parking is so scarce, found one just at the Immigration’s doorstep. When he went into the office, the system was down, but he talked pleasantly to one of the officers. Happy by Jason’s friendliness, the officer took the trouble to personally get Jason’s daughter’s IC, in just a few minutes. God’s providence is indeed amazing!

One of the main lessons Jason has learned is that just as we have been freely blessed, we should freely give. As he heard in a recent sermon, some give in the hope of greater rewards and some give out of fear. However, we should give from a cheerful heart, simply for the joy of giving, as given opportunity by the Lord.

Redeeming the Time

Redeeming the Time

Goshen/10/2/12/Pastor Lee Choo

This Friday, we were privileged to have Pastor Lee Choo share her wisdom. The subject was time, and to start off, we were reminded of common things we say about time:- not enough time, no time, out of time, time and tide waits for no man. With the group being mainly in their 30s, Pastor Lee Choo wanted to particularly emphasize the importance of making the most of our time in the crucial years from 30-45, where we can grow the most in our spiritual development and maturity.

In the Greek, there are two words for time, Chronos and Kairos. Chronos refers to the chronological, sequential time that all of us have. Rich or poor, educated or not, all of us have the same 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Once passed, time can never go back. Kairos time, however, refers to a time in between when something special happens. It is a right or opportune time. While Chronos is quantitative, Kairos is qualititative. Spiritually, we think of Kairos as special, anointed seasons when God’s power and anointing are especially present in drawing men to himself. Throughout history, there have been these kairos times when great revival has been seen at different places on the earth –(E.g. the Methodist revival under John Wesley in the 18^th century, the Welsh Revival in 1904-1905, in Argentina and South Korea in recent years, even the Bario revival in Sarawak from 1971-74.)

This year, in SIB, there has been a tremendous change in the spiritual atmosphere. It started with the leadership being led to call for a series of early morning prayer meetings for the new year. Since then, every prayer meeting has seen a very strong presence of God, and in one particular Sunday meeting in January 2012, the presence of the Lord was so strong that even those at the back could feel it. When the call for prayer was made, most of the church went to the front. One lady, an unbeliever who had come from Hong Kong was at the meeting did not go up. A sister went to speak to her and got a word that she was suffering from severe back pain. When she mentioned this, the lady wept and asked how she could know. She too went forward for prayer for healing, and was delivered.

The leadership has seen this time in SIB as a divine, kairos time for the church, and Pastor Lee Choo encouraged us to attend the prayer meetings where hundreds have been coming. Attendance there has never been so high.

We can be in the church yet miss this season, if we do not participate and seek God now. A key emphasis is on Isaiah 61 regarding the anointing of the Lord and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor this year!

In one of the prayer meetings, an Iranian girl spoke to Pastor Lee Choo the urgent need to pray for believers in Iran who were being put in jail simply for reading the Bible. They read the Bible or go to prayer meetings with the threat of imprisonment but do so anyway, in a land where almost all churches have been closed down.

We take for granted our access to the Word of God, but a time may well be coming when the Word will be forcibly taken away. In Amos, there is a prophecy regarding a famine of God’s Word. In the time we have now, when we have easy access to the Word, we must take the effort to study it, to know it well, to even memorize Scripture and songs based on Scripture. If we don’t, what will we do when we no longer have the Bible with us?

In Ephesians 5:17, Paul exhorts us to “make the most of every opportunity” (NIV), or “redeem the time”(KJV), because the days are evil. We can use our time in a right manner or a wrong manner. In the same chapter, Paul describes such right actions as imitating God, walking in love (v.1), being thankful (v.4), walking in light, by the Spirit, producing goodness, righteousness and truth (v.8-9), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord (v.10). In contrast, the wrong way to live includes “fornication, uncleanness, covetousness (idolatry), foolish talking, coarse jesting (v.3-4), disobedience (v.6).

What is acceptable to the Lord? For one, the hearts of the Lord are always for the poor, for their justice. In Sabah, just as in Africa, there are children starving and malnourished with bloated stomachs. If we have no concern for such as these, are our hearts acceptable to the Lord? Pastor Lee Choo encouraged us to join a mission trip to Sabah to see for ourselves the conditions there. Also, the hearts of the Lord are always for the lost, who do no know him. This does not mean we should go around shoving the gospel down people’s throats, instead we should position ourselves in such a way that our colleagues and neighbors know we care and are able to reach out to them to help when they have any needs.