Why worship is so central

Why worship is so central

Goshen/25/5/12/Pastor Lee Choo

In John 21, we are given the account of how the Lord appeared to Peter and the disciples by the sea of Galilee after His resurrection. Peter thought that he had failed the Lord having denied the Lord three times. However, Jesus did not find fault with him, but tenderly brought him and the disciples back. In John 21:5, Jesus called out “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”. God cares for our basic needs for food, for our family. Jesus called them friends, and went on to help them before commissioning them. Jesus asked Peter “Do you love me?” three times. It was for Peter’s sake, for him to realize that he loved Jesus.

It is so important for us to profess our love for the Lord. Why is worship so central to the Christian faith? The bottom line of everything we do for God is to set ourselves to love God and to say it out. When a wife says to a husband “I love you, my husband, something comes out of her. When you say “I love you Lord”, it draws you out. The more you say it, the more it draws and releases you, anchoring you more and more in God.

At the prayer conference, it was amazing how God loves nations, and how He loves us. The precious song “Deeper in love with you” actually came out of the persecuted church of China. This beautiful song shows how much they love Jesus. And African team would read from the Psalms and weep, and we would weep with them. Any song they sang, you could tell how much they loved Jesus. The power of worship is in declaration. If you don’t worship God, you will worship your worries. Worship releases strength and courage. Fear, depression and guilt will be gone. When you worship, you will know there is now no condemnation. You will know God does not find fault with you.

God is moving powerfully in the nations. We must put Jesus back at the center of our Christian life, back in the center of our worship! We can’t love people until we have been loved ourselves. The key to every marriage is to be anchored in the love of Christ. When you know God loves you, you will be able to go through tribulation.

Ephesians 3:16-19 says “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It is in the inner man where God is at work, from the inside out. It is the Holy Spirit that establishes us. If we are not anchored in God’s love, we can be centred on ourselves, leading to disappointment.

A missionary had worked on a Thai island for many years, but the church attendance was only 45. Even then, he thought it was not bad considering that in Thailand, 86% are Buddhists, followed by Muslims. At 45, he was already leading the 3^rd largest church on the island. Then this missionary felt led by God to teach his members to become a blessing to the people around them. One of his members was a 60-year old former medium who had been dying of cancer but was miraculously healed after the church prayed for her. To help her, they bought her an ice-cream cart to sell ice-cream. As a medium, she used to surrender her body to evil spirits, but now she surrendered it to the Holy Spirit for works of goodness and kindness. She listened to her pastor and repeated to herself “I am not just a Christian, I am blessed to be a blessing. I am God’s agent!” She saw her ice-cream cart as a chariot of fire and the ice-cream as God’s secret weapon! Somehow, as she sold ice-cream, she amazingly led 700 people to the Lord in 2 years. She decided to witness to the mayor of the island, and shouted God bless you to him every morning. One day, the mayor came to her and said “thank you for blessing me”. She replied “Come to my church, and my Pastor will bless you too!” Amazingly, he came, and that particular Sunday, the missionary felt the Lord leading him to speak on corruption. The mayor at that point was the poster boy for corruption, and when he suddenly walked in, the missionary was wondering if he should abandon his message. He prayed to God “the mayor may revoke my visa”, and the Lord replied “well, I can revoke your breath!” So he continue to preach on corruption, and the mayor left before the service ended. 3 days later, he received a call to meet the mayor, and he thought it was time to pack his bags. Amazingly, the mayor told him that he had just received a 1.5 Million dollar bribe, and he felt convicted by the message that he was actually stealing from the people. He asked the missionary to pray for him. Then, he offered to return the bribe to the multinational company, but they said they could not take it back as it would affect their audited books. Consequently, the missionary asked him to use the money for the poor and the mayor decided to use it as a fund to provide clean drinking water for the poor people of the island whose lives had been devastated by a tsunami. The next election, the mayor received an 86% vote and he was also received a special award for being one of the best mayors in the country. 

In just a few years, the church grew from 45 to 4,000. God’s heart is so big. Our understanding of God needs to be much bigger. As the church was expanding, the missionary told the mayor that he was looking for a bigger place, and the mayor led him to one of the most notorious nightclubs on the island. God was dealing with the missionary and his understanding. Every Sunday, the congregation would come at 5am to clean up the place and get it ready for church. The owner of the nightclub came to church every Sunday, and after a few Sundays, asked the missionary to pray for him. He had realized he needed to close down the nightclub. The missionary asked him how he would cope with the loss of the business but the owner said the nightclub was just a hobby for him. As it turned out, this owner was also the owner of the biggest newspaper on the island and the radio station. In a short time, the missionary was given a slot, where he would pray to bless the island, and his program has become a major influence on the nation. All this started with an ice-cream woman.

We are not called to be dull in our Christian lives. We should be attuned to the Lord every day. When we are not dull, He is able to inspire us. We must never feel like we know it all. Jeremiah 33:2-3 says  “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:  ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” We must not forget who our God is! We can never fully comprehend how truly great and mighty our God is.

When we are changed, the world around us changes. Never think you have arrived. There are spiritual forces at work everyday, darkness that challenge us. In an Indonesian island, 500 witches covenanted to meet together to fast and pray, calling down 4 curses upon Christians – to fill the churches with division, to bring breakdown of the family, and unnatural disease and accidents. The Indonesian church pastors also prayed together, setting up prayer round the clock. Later, the tsunami wiped out all the witches in that gathering.

What overcomes fear is perfect love. If we are anchored in God, fear will leave us. Prayer must be accompanied by worship. Prayer is surrender to God. Prayer should not be overly focused on petitions. Prayer is about being desperate for God. Don’t take God for granted. When God passed by, blind Bartimaus reacted. You have to give God the time, not fit God to your convenience. God is our Master and Lord and King. You can be at church and miss Jesus’ coming. People who press in will be most blessed. They are those who make time for God.  

Was it for Me?

Scripture:-

“Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests. Tell them, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months throughout these seventy years, were you really fasting for me? Was it for me? Rather, when you eat and drink, it’s just to please yourselves, isn’t it? Zechariah 7:5-6

“In the past the Lord Almighty said, ‘Administer true justice. Let everyone show mercy and compassion to his brother. Don’t oppress widows, orphans, foreigners or poor people. Don’t plot evil against each other.’  But they wouldn’t listen, they stubbornly turned their shoulder away and stopped up their ears, so that they wouldn’t have to hear it. Zechariah 7:9-11

Observation:- In the first Scripture, we see a message from the Lord through Zechariah challenging the people “all your fasting and mourning and ceremony – was it really for Me, or is it just to please yourselves?” Today, many of us go to church, give lip service at worship, grudgingly give some offering, and try to stay awake during the sermon, even serve a little here and there, but the Lord asks the same question of us. Are you really doing all that you are doing for Me? Are we doing what we are doing just out of a sense of duty? Have we forgotten the main purpose of our Christian lives? Was it for God? Was it for Jesus? Or just to please ourselves? Our relationship with God always comes first. If we don't have a heart that sincerely wants to please God, to know Him, to love Him, all that we do is meaningless and a dreaded duty, a form of religion without true meaning.

In the second Scripture, the Lord reminds us of what is important to Him. The administration of true justice. People showing love and compassion to each other. People caring for the poor and needy, even the foreigners in their midst. Throughout Scripture, the Lord has always had a deep concern for the poor and needy,the marginalized and weak. In our country, there are many foreigners. Many of us treat them like a scourge, unwanted, and undesired. Did we know that the Lord loves them too?

Application:- Desire in our hearts to tell God – what I do, Lord, I really do it for You. It is You I seek.It is you I long to please. Examine our attitudes in regard to the poor and the alien in the land. Ask God for a heart of love and compassion for them, regardless of race, religion or nationality.

Prayer: Praise You, Father in Heaven, for Your great love to me. O Lord,let all I do,really be for You. This is the desire in my heart! I don't want to go to church as a duty, or serve You out of obligation. I really want to do all I do for You, O Lord. Give me a new heart, a new Spirit in You, I pray. Give me a heart of compassion like You have,Lord Jesus,to love even the poor, the marginalized, the alien in the land. You are Lord and God, worthy of all praise. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.

Suffering is inevitable, misery is optional, perspective is critical

SIBKL/Pastor Chew Weng Chee/ 19/5/12

God is our anchor, our reference point in life. Carly Fiorina was once one of the most powerful women in the world, when she led Hewlett Packard as CEO from 1999 to 2005. When Bill Hybels asked her the secret to her success, she said that it was the power of asking the right question. It is so important for us to know what is the right question and when to ask the right question. It is not answers that carry us through in life but asking the right questions. When I go through a difficult period, how should I respond? React is different from respond. When confronted with a problem, don’t react, respond!

Responding speaks of an inner posture leading to a long term favorable result. Today’s text is from 1 Corinthians 1:1-11. In verse 1, Paul starts off his letter by emphasizing his mantle as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. The Corinthian church had been questioning his mantleship as an apostle and Paul had to make it clear that he was firstly, an apostle of Jesus Christ and secondly, an apostle by the will of God.

Are there apostles in the world today? There are many people going round claiming to be apostles. They may call themselves Apostle Ah Kow or Apostle Ramasamy. The criteria for apostleship is recorded in 2 Corinthians 11 where we see Paul’s tremendous sufferings. My stand is that I believe in the apostolic ministry but not the apostolic title. The apostolic title tends to be abused and is used to put one on a pedestal, self-exalting. Just as we can be prophetic without being a prophet, we can be apostolic without being an apostle.

In verses 3-11, there are 5 responses that we can learn about how to respond in trying times. Our 1^st response is that we have to understand that pain and problems are inevitable, and even part of a life of ministry for the Lord. Rain falls on the good, the bad and the ugly, on everyone one earth, Christian or Non-Christian. The notion that once a person becomes a Christian, there are no more problems is rubbish. People get sick. Even the healing evangelist gets sick. Pain is inevitable. We live in a fallen world with disease, suffering and death. Only 2 people in the Bible didn’t die, Enoch and Elijah. We can’t understand why an 8-year old girl died or a 17 year old got leukemia. Suffering is part and parcel of a sinful world.

In verse 7, Paul writes “And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” In Asia, Paul had suffered great heartache and pressure but he accepted it as part of life. The Corinthian church also suffered. Pain is inevitable but misery is optional and perspective is critical. Don’t stay miserable. This is the first critical posture!

Our 2^nd response is to understand that God will never leave you nor forsake you no matter what happens. When you go through that pain, God is still there. In the passage today, the word “comfort” occurs 9 times. “Parakletos” was given as a name of the Holy Spirit, meaning Comforter. It is telling us God is journeying beside us.

In verse 3, Paul describes God as the God of all comfort, meaning the God of all mercies. Why is it mercies is plural? Why did Paul not say the Father of love or grace? The meaning here is not quantitative mercies but qualitative mercies. It means God is awesomely merciful – the most merciful of the merciful. When God identifies Himself as merciful, it is telling us, it could have been much worse. In John 8:44, Satan is described as the father and source of lies. In contrast, our God is the Father, the source, of all comfort. When in doubt, we need to go back to the source. 

God will only give us what we can handle and what is good for us. In the poem Footprints in the Sand, it gives us a picture of how God carries us through difficult days when there is only one pair of footprints left in the sand. It could have been much worse if of did not spare us. At the home of a leader, his 4 children shared with me one by one how each recently faced great disappointment or endured painful suffering.  All said that it could have been much worse, but thanked God that He was there. My brother-in-law was taking some non-Christians up to Genting for an Alpha weekend camp, when his car capsized. His hand was so badly hurt, even fragments of bone had come out. In spite of this, he thanked God, citing no head or internal injuries. Shortly, all the non-Christians in his car became Christians, amazed at his attitude.

Our 3^rd response is to understand that God has a purpose behind it all. Suffering helps us learn patient endurance. The Greek Word for perseverance is hupomone, giving the picture of a plant being able to thrive in a harsh environment. It carries with the idea of steadfastness. Suffering builds character and builds steel. Resilience means not giving up, not caving in and not blaming others. God wants to forge something deep in our lives.  Romans 8:28 says “Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose”.

Our 4^th response or 4^th posture is to understand that pain, trials and tribulation are part of God’s perfect will for your life. In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul says “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself..” Paul went through all of this. Yet, he was in God’s perfect will in Asia. He was in God’s perfect will serving God and almost died. He never questioned because he saw it as part of God’s perfect will. Does God want to do something deep in your life? We have been tutored by the world to see that when there is pleasure, God is there while when there is pain, God is not there. The truth is God is always there, pleasure or pain. Paul chose to be there in Asia. He chose God’s will in spite of the suffering.

We need to ask ourselves – Is Jesus still the centre of my life when I go through hardship? Then only can we emerge unscathed, stronger and better from trying times.

Our 5^th and final response is “Just Trust God”. God knows what He is doing. In verse 8-11, Paul says “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.” He has delivered us. He will deliver us. He will continue to deliver us. Paul is saying “I don’t understand, Lord, but I still trust You!”. Don’t go back to our base instincts and blame God and others and become miserable. Instead, trust God who raises the dead!

The man whose name is the Branch

The man whose name is the Branch

Scripture: When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth. Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit rest in the land of the north.” Zechariah 6:7-8

Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the Lord, and you will know that theLord Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God.” Zechariah 6:!2-15

Observation: In the first Scripture, we see the vision of the four winds of heaven in the image of chariots with horses going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. We see that these horses are powerful, and they have a strong compulsion to go throughout the earth. The winds are symbolic of the Holy Spirit that goes throughout all the earth, north, south, east and west to do God's will. The Lord is the Lord of the whole world. He holds everything and all history in His hands.

It was then written that those going towards the north country had given His Spirit rest. This could be in reference to the demise of the Babylonian empire resulting in a temporary reprief from concentrated wickedness that had been rife in that land. The lesson for us is that there are times of concentrated activity in our Christian lives for the Lord's work, and there are also times of rest where we can rest in the Lord's presence and grow quietly in Him.

In the second Scripture, the Lord instructs Zechariah to take silver and gold from some of the exiles who have arrived from Babylon and make a crown for Joshua son of Jozadak, effectively appointing him as King. He is given the name “Branch” or “Sprout”, and called to build the temple of the Lord and later to sit on the throne in majesty. Interestingly, Joshua will also be priest on the throne. The last time the priest and king of Jerusalem was one can be found in Genesis in Melchizedek. This vision actually foreshadows our Lord Jesus as the coming Branch who would build His church and act as both King and Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

It was further written that those from far away would help build the temple of the Lord. This prophecy is a reference to the coming of Gentiles (non-Jews) to come and participate in building the Lord's church.

The Scripture ends that all these would happen if the people diligently obeyed the Word of the Lord. In the Complete Jewish Bible, it is described as “heeding carefully what Adonai your God says”. Obedience was tied in to this prophetic blessing and is a reminder to us of the importance of being obedient and paying careful attention to what the Lord says. How do we know what the Lord says to us? Mainly by reading and knowing His Word and having a close relationship with Him.

Application: Praise God that He is God of the whole earth and has control over every country and place everywhere. Thank Him for the times of rest as well as the times of busyness, leaning on the Father's love to spur us on. Meditate on Jesus as the Branch. He is the vine,we are the branches that are connected to Him, and we must remain in Him for Him to remain with us. Meditate on Jesus being both our Priest and our King. He is our Master and Ruler, yet also our mediator, coming to God on our behalf as our advocate and Savior. Seek to know and listen to God's voice with the desire to follow what He says.

Prayer: Praise You, Heavenly Father,for You hold all things in Your hands, even the whole earth and everything in it.Thank You, O Lord,for the times of rest, and the times of busyness and for being with me always. Praise You,Lord Jesus. You are the great Branch from which all of us derive our meaning and purpose and life. You are our Great King yet also our Great Priest,interceding for us even when we do not know it! Teach me O Lord to listen to Your voice that I may obey You. In Jesus name,Amen.

The worth of a woman-Mother’s Day Message

SIBKL/ 13/5/12/Pastor Lee Choo

One joke says “when men cook, it is a profession. When women cook, it is a devotion.” Another says “Adam’s marriage lasted so long because he could never say to his wife “your cooking is not as good as my mum’s””. The gender issue has always been at the forefront. Why is it so hard for a woman to be an astronaut or an engineer? The stereotyping issue is still very relevant today. What makes women different?

The wife of yesterday had big problems, being treated as objects. However, after the World War II, the feminist movement arose and everything changed.

Is the Bible against women? No! Everything about women’s right actually started in the Bible. It was God that said men and women have equal rights. Both were created in the image of God. For a long time, there was pain and issues because of a lack of understanding of the nature of womanhood. Today, people are more and more accepting that women are equal partners, deserving equal respect and equal opportunities.

In 1 Peter 3:7, it is written “ Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” This verse has been taken by some to imply women are weaker. However, “weaker” here means “weaker” in the physical sense only, and it is a known scientific fact that women are generally weaker physically than men, and women have to accept that. 1 Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” applies to both men and women who have equal value as equal partners.

Women should have equal opportunity and recourse to justice. The bible tells us women are also human beings and should have access to education, work and improving themselves. Both men and women need respect and honor. Equal rights doesn’t mean equal roles. The problem with the feminist movement is not understanding the different roles of men and women. Women can do many things at the same time.

There is an interesting anecdote of a French class where the teacher asked his students to say whether a computer was male or female. Men said it was female because:-

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay check on accessories.

And the women replied that it had to be male because:-

1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.

2. They have a lot of data but are still clueless.

3. They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time they ARE the problem.

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have had a better model.

Basically, men should remain as men, and women should remain as women. It is not about the profession, it is about the roles. There are male and female roles in society.

A man is expected to lead his household and to love his wife as is written in Ephesians 5:23-28 “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself”. Similarly, 1 Timothy 5:4-5,12 says about overseers and deacons “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?), A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well.” “Head” in the Scripture means “source”. The role of the husband is as a covering, as the source of direction for the family.

In Proverbs 14:1, we are shown the role of the woman in building her home. It says “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.” What does it mean for men to lead? The word for lead “proistemi” means to stand before, to set over, to preside, to act as protector or guardian, to care for and give attention.” When men lead, it is a calling. When women lead, it is a gifting.

Leading does not mean not listening to the opinions of his wife. There was an interesting book someone wants gave Pastor that was titled “If you want to hear the voice of God, sometimes it sounds like your wife”. The protecting role of the father is not just physical but also spiritual. When children abuse their mother, the father must take control of the child.

A husband has a role to provide for the home. Should a husband be a househusband? No! It is necessary for men to go out and work, to at least provide some of the pay if not all of it. It is not about money.

Men need to love their wives. To love is to value. It is expressed as commitment, care and consideration. Love should not just be with words, but with faithfulness. Commitment means unfailing love for better or worse, while young or old. It is so important to be faithful. Betrayal is the easiest way to crush a woman. Care means never taking a woman for granted. It is sometimes expressed in gifts. When having problems, men should also learn to confide in their wives, to trust them and include them in their worries.

The word “build” in Proverbs 14:1 means to set up, to establish, to build a nest. The opposite of build is to neglect or destroy. From my experience in the women’s ministry, whatever the problem in a household, when the women rise up to build back, that family has a chance of survival. However, if the woman says “I don’t care” and neglects her role of building, that family has no future.

How does a woman build her house? Firstly, a woman needs to build the atmosphere. Women who are more spiritually attuned should spend time of worship in the home. Worship will bring down the right atmosphere. It is so important for women to pray.

Secondly, a woman needs to build relationships. A woman should endeavor never to divide a man from his mother, a child from his father, and never divide God’s house. Some useful tips for wives:- If you make him the king, he will make you the queen. The stronger person initiates peace. Tenderness builds intimacy, lectures do not.

Finally, a woman needs to build herself, to build her womanhood. A woman should not feel guilty for going to the hair saloon. Ultimately, a woman should build her worth in God, not in her husband or children. As said in 1 Peter 1:18, the most precious thing that gives us value is the blood of Jesus.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit

FGB Jaya One/11/5/12/Reverend Johan Van Der Westhuysen

The Word of God should always touch our hearts, always taking us to a new level. The Christian life is about moving from glory to glory. As a young believer at the age of 38, I asked the Lord “How could you save me? I was a terrible man. How can you love me so much? And the Lord showed me a Scripture from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11”Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” When I first started reading, I thought “Uh oh, this doesn’t look good”, but when I came to the end I realized that though I was like that, I was now sanctified, justified in the name of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit.

Today, I want to focus on the topic of the Fire of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist first gave this promise to come:- I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Later, Jesus, speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, said in Luke 12:49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! This first occurrence then occurred in Acts 2:1-4 during Pentecost:- When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Since then, the Holy Spirit has been poured out on various believers throughout the earth in diverse places.

Ephesians 5:18 says “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit”. The verse in Greek is in the continuous tense. It should be part of our lifestyle to be constantly filled by the Holy Spirit. A recent American pastor that I heard spoke of not wanting to do anything unless the Holy Spirit was with him. Today, I have the knowledge that I am never alone because with me is the Holy Spirit.

We are in the end times. Since Jesus ascended to heaven more than 2000 years ago, we have been in the end times and the end has been steadily drawing nearer and nearer. Just a few years ago, it was estimated that there were still 4,000 unreached people groups but in a recent survey, there were only over 400. The church has been active and something is happening.

In Acts 28:1-9, we are given the account of how the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on Malta. The account reads:- “Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.”

In this story, we see that Paul continued to put sticks on the original fire. We need the original fire of the Holy Spirit. Large portion of believers have become satisfied with artificial fire. We need to fuel the fire, the pentecostal fire. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to share the message with power. A faithful African Pastor asked his congregation:-  Are we losing our Pentecostal fire and becoming a nominal church? He was fired up because a Professor had asked him “Are you losing your Pentecostal distinctiveness?

We have to fuel the flame to feel the heat. We need to get rid of the things that quench the fire. A brother who was on fire for God went to a church where his enthusiasm was not welcome. The church quenched his fire. Another fire quencher is emotionless worship. There must be emotion in worship. When we first became Christians, we would cry every time we worshipped because we were so grateful for what Christ had done for us. We could not help it.

Too much flesh activities and events will quench the fire. We need to wait on the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus said “I will build my church”. It is His church, its about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Some people refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it” but that is wrong, even blasphemous. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is God. We must not see Him as an it.

A coal by itself will quickly go cold, but together with other hot coal, it will keep hot much longer. Unconfessed sin also quenches the Holy Spirit. We need to confess our sins and God is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness as promised in 1John 1:9. We need to be passionate Christians, alert people of God. We need a fiery message, a fiery intimacy. The church of Jesus Christ is much more than just a blessing club or social welfare organization or filling station. The church is a living organism, designed by our Lord Jesus Christ to resist the gates of hell. The church must be anti-Atheist, anti-religion. Jesus does not like a lukewarm church which He will vomit out.

Church is about people getting saved and empowered to go. However, too many Christians are sleeping, physically and spiritually. When fire slows down in Africa, it leaves a pile of ashes. When you bend down and blow hard, the dust is removed, and you can see a glowing ember. Put some small twigs there and it catches fire again. The word for breath in Hebrew is Ruach meaning wind, breath, mind, spirit and the Greek Word is Pneuma, meaning wind. When our embers are low, we need to bow down on our knees and ask for fresh Pneuma wind to come. The vision of the old church was to see the lost saved. The whole gospel is about becoming a blessing to others. In Christ, we have a natural giving nature. Giving is in our DNA. We have to be a blessing. From Genesis 12, God’s promise to Abraham was not only that he would be blessed, but that he would be a blessing. Every 2 ½ seconds, an unsaved person dies in India. If the church had truly maintained its fire, we would all be in heaven, and the end times would have been completed long ago.

The snake came out of the fire before it bit Paul. We need fire to burn out the dross, the negative things. We need fire to give us a fresh revelation from the Word of God. Sadly, the divorce rate among Christians are shockingly high. We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten us so that we can understand the mysteries of Jesus Christ.

We need to fuel the flames for victory. We were sanctified by Jesus’ precious blood. We are blessed in every spiritual area. The blood of Jesus has given us access to the Holy of holies. Know that you are strong, that you have the right to become children of God. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. With him, we need nothing more, nothing less.

In closing, as taken from Jude, To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Strong leaders in difficult times

SIBKL/5/5/12/Pastor Chew Weng Chee

On 27^th December 1903, the Wright brothers made the first piloted flight into the air and thus began aviation history in their plane, the Kittyhawk. At the 5^th attempt, the plane flew for 12 seconds, a very long time in the air. Elated, the brothers contacted their sister Katherine via a telegraph home. They wrote “We flew for 12 seconds and will be home for Christmas”. Katherine quickly brought the telegraph to the newspapers. The next day, somewhere in the middle of the 6^th page, a short article wrote that the Wright brothers had flown for 12 seconds and would be home for Christmas. It was a moment that changed history, but the newspaper totally missed the point. They went for the minor and missed the major.  We are doing a series on 2 Corinthians, and there are minor things that may excite us, but we must focus on the main point of the letter.

The Corinthian church was a carnal church and was attacking Paul as a person – attacking his ministry and attacking his credentials. In this letter, Paul was defending his ministry and also defending himself, in the midst of accusations. The purpose of this series on 2 Corinthians is to train us to be strong man and strong women in difficult times. Many people cave in not from external attacks but from internal ones. A lot of people cannot take it when it is an attack from within. 2 Corinthians teaches us to be strong, to build up our spirit man to withstand challenges.

2 Corinthians is the least methodical of Paul’s epistles. Other letters focus on theological aspects and then practical aspects. However, 2 Corinthians is the most personal of Paul’s letters, and is almost entirely biographical, written more about himself and his ministry more than any other epistle. In this letter, we understand Paul the man, his struggles, angers, frustrations – the real Paul.

There were actually 4 letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in all, more than any other church he started or visited. 1^st Corinthians is actually the 2^nd letter and 2^nd Corinthians the 4^th letter. Why 4 letters? Although the Corinthian church was very charismatic, it was also very carnal. Even if we can speak in tongues or move in prophetic gifts, it does not in any way show if we are a spiritual person. You can be very charismatic and very carnal, and we see a lot of churches like that. Here at SIBKL, we must very conscious not to become like that kind of church. We must not become so preoccupied with the charismatic movement and gifts that we become vey carnal. The core values of SIBKL is still focused on three main things – Christ-centered, Bible-based, Spirit-powered. We must no be man-centered, church-centrered or program centred. We must not be man-driven. The key is not to wring our hands and join in the chorus of the masses, but instead to lift up the name of Jesus. Even in respect of politics and government, we are not to take sides but fight for justice. Our primary aim is to lift up the name of Jesus.  

What is the difference between 1^st Corinthians and 2^nd Corinthians? In the 1^st, Paul concentrated on the church members, on how they ought to behave. It deals with practical issues affecting the church. In the 2^nd letter, Paul focuses on the church leaders and how they should behave. The central theme is about building church strong leaders in difficult days. During our yearly prayer retreat in the mountains in August, God spoke to us that our focus should be on leadership for 2012 – to build our leaders so that they can be strong and tough. 

Secondly, in the 2^nd letter, Paul deals with personal insults affecting himself. The key principle is how to be strong, even in difficult times. In trying days, don’t cave in. Don’t quit going to church just because one person offended you. Look to God, look to Jesus! As spoken in 1 Corinthians, even if we can speak in the tongues of angels and have not love, it counts for nothing.

2 Corinthians was written as if it was the final letter, and has 4 key points, that teach us what kind of church SIBKL should not be.

What kind of church was the Corinthian church? Acts 18:1-11 tells us the beginning of the Corinthian church, starting with the Jews Aquilla and Priscilla. Paul worked with them as a tentmaker at first. He was full time in the workplace and full time for God. Every Sabbath, Paul would reason with the Jews in the synagogue. When Timothy and Silas came, Paul devoted himself fully to preaching, and stayed on for one and a half years. In Acts 18:9, we see how the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, telling him not to be afraid but to keep on speaking. “Do not be silent for I am with you. No one is going to attack and harm you. I have many people in this city”. It is all about the city, about your workplace. God planted the Corinthian church for the city. When Paul left, he must have expected them to be a spiritual, fantastic church. However, after he left, they became very carnal. In particular, they became sectarian, super-spiritual, and soulish.

Sectarianism is cliquishness. One says “I am of Paul”. Another says “I am of Apollos”. It is very dangerous. We must stay united, and not allow spiritual things to divide us. The church also became “super-spiritual”. Some began to give the impression they were more apostolic than Paul. One would say “I have the word”. Another would say “I hear from God”.

They were soulishly super-spiritual, criticizing Paul and fighting over small things such as land and position. If this continued, it wouldn’t be long before the church was destroyed despite starting so well.

They called Paul fickleminded, cowardly, not caring enough, unimpressive, not a polished speaker. They said he must be no good since he comes cheap. I pity in particular pastors of small churches that  come under the thumb of dominant council members.

A charismatic church may operate in all the gifts but be carnal. The point is not the charismaticism but the carnality. We used to go to a church where we were enthralled by the teaching, but we felt in the spirit, that something was not right. One day, one brother came out and grabbed the pulpit, crying and prophesying and repenting of his sins in the middle of worship and the pastor did not stop it. Another time, a woman rolled across the floor from one end of the stage to another. We need to keep the main thing the main thing, which is about glorifying Jesus.

How did Paul defend himself? He firstly pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6, 2 Corinthians 5:1-21 Jesus is Lord and Head of SIBKL. We do not preach ourselves as Lord. It is about Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s love that compels us.

Secondly, Paul said that is is god who will vindicate me and my ministry. (2 Corinthians 15:1-6,17:18. Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. Thirdly, Paul’s defense was his sufferings and hardships which authenticate his credentials. Fourth, its all spiritual (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) In a recent sharing, brother Philip Koh, SIBKL’s missionary in Tibet told us that we must never trivialize spiritual things. We must not be over-spiritual yet at the same time exercise due care in such things.

There are 5 lessons for us that we can learn about what the Corinthian church did wrong. Firstly, they never dealt with fault lines. We need to deal with our faults. We need to let the Spirit and Word of God penetrate into the deepest recesses of our soul. We must be careful not to cover up our faults with false spirituality. Secondly, we need to be careful not to overstep boundary lines, to be wary of temptations. Thirdly, we must not miss the bottom line. The bottom line is being Christ centred, Bible based, Spirit powered. Fourthly, we must not veer off God’s plumb line. We must honor the Lord. Even if we veer off, we must come back again. Finally, we need to get back online, to keep ourselves connected in Spirit with God.