DAY 40: BE THE SALT AND LIGHT

DAY 40: BE THE SALT AND LIGHT

SCRIPTURE:

Matt 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

OBSERVATION:

One of the first things the Lord told His disciples in the Sermon of the Mount was to be the salt of the earth. Usually, salt has two main purposes, to give taste and to preserve. When we live according to the Way of the Kingdom, we show the world the flavor of righteousness, to show the world how life is meant to be lived, and how man can live in peace with God. At the same time, salt also preserves the standard of God’s righteousness for the world to see. In an age, where Satan has bewitched the world to think no longer in black and white but in various shades of gray, our consistent and faithful walk before God preserves the way of God’s righteousness as a testimony to them.

However, if we as Christians become conformed to the world, to begin to think and walk and talk and eat like just everyone else, it is as if the salt has lost its saltiness and is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. When we give poor testimony like that, we let down our precious Lord, and let His name be ridiculed by others because of our hypocrisy and arrogance.

Throughout Scripture, there is a consistent message that we are saved for a purpose, and that is to be the salt and light for Christ in the fallen world. Where there is darkness, we are to shine our light, and show them the way of peace in a world of turmoil. If we lose our purpose, we fade away, and there is a stern warning that any tree and every branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off.

APPLICATION:

How do we keep ourselves “salty” and “purposeful”? Only through our close relationship with our Lord. Jesus said “I am the vine. You are the branches. Remain in me, and you will bear much fruit”. So important in our Christian walk, is to be able to remain in Christ. What does that mean practically? It means to constantly have the Lord in our minds, considering each and every moment whether what we do pleases Him. And He has given us a precious guide, the Holy Spirit, our counsellor and friend, who is always with us and shows us the way how to please God. In our own strength, we can never please God, but when we follow His Holy Spirit in faith, He joining with us enables us to bear fruit that pleases Him.

PRAYER:

We thank You, Lord Jesus, that it is in remaining in You that we can bear fruit, and fulfill our purpose as the salt and light of the earth. Teach us and incline our hearts O Lord, to listen to Your Holy Spirit which You have given us. Strengthen us and give us peace, that we may serve You faithfully and bear good testimony according to Your will. Protect us and inspire us, move us and empower us, that we may live lives worthy of Your calling we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 39: THE KINGDOM AT WAR

DAY 39: THE KINGDOM AT WAR

SCRIPTURE:

If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:28)

“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

OBSERVATION:

Once every Christian receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, he not only enters the kingdom of God, but becomes part of God’s army. We are saved for a purpose, and one of those primary purposes is to push back the kingdom of Satan.

When Jesus started His ministry on earth 2,000 years ago, he immediately proceeded to attack the kingdom of Satan, healing the sick, casting out demons, and turning around lives wherever He went. The devil comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but our Lord came to give us life, and life to the full. Wherever we give life, and undo the works of evil with good, we are advancing God’s kingdom.

When we drive back poverty, and give the hopeless hope, when we teach the poor children, and give them hope for the future, when we reach out to the drug addict, and bring him back to usefulness in society, we undo the works of the evil one. When we live lives of prayer for our nation and our leaders, when we worship and commit our workplaces to the Lord, when we stand firm in righteousness in a world of compromise, we likewise push the kingdom forward!

How truly important here is our mindset! Do we even realize we are at war? Do we realize that the devil sends forth snares and traps to distract us and make us ineffective? Every moment, every situation is an opportunity for us to advance God’s kingdom in one way or another, to strike blows against the enemy, to reclaim lost territory and bring light in darkness.

APPLICATION:

Fix firmly in our minds the reality of our position as part of God’s army. God has given His Holy Spirit, and the Word of God to us. We have everything we need. However, it is up to us to take the initiative to go out and work with God to engage the enemy and extend His kingdom. The evil one sets up traps and snares to entangle us. We need to be aware of this and capture every thought and make it obedient to Christ Jesus! Praying in tongues is so important in our spiritual warfare, for it builds up our Spirit man and makes us strong in the Lord! We also need to know the Word of God well, to read it often and always, for it is the Sword of the Spirit. And there is our primary weapon, prayer, which we need to cultivate as a lifestyle, for prayer in faith moves angels and advances God’s army in ways we could not imagine. In fighting distractions or problems, there is always the fight of our will. The old man in us waves about trying to exert himself to get us to go back to our old ways. We need to constantly reckon him dead by faith. Here is where we need to exercise our will in strength to crucify our old man, to consider him dead.

PRAYER:

We praise thee and worship thee, Father God, for You are the Lord of Hosts, our great Commander in Heaven. You hold all things in Your hands, and in Your wisdom, You have also allowed us to join with You to war against the evil one. Give us that strong mindset O Lord, to remember and know that we are at war, and that we need to be constantly involved in prayer and advancing Your kingdom. Inspire us O Lord, and lead us, that we might work with You to do much good, and grow from strength to strength, from glory to glory. May Your name be praised always, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 38: THE KINGDOM’S MESSAGE

DAY 38: THE KINGDOM’S MESSAGE

SCRIPTURE:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

OBSERVATION:

When John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Lord, he preached fearlessly “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near”. In another translation, it is written “the kingdom of God is at hand”. What is it about the nearness of the Kingdom that would cause people to repent? Inherent in this message is the call for people to get themselves right before the King comes into His Kingdom! Among the Jews, they also knew from the Scriptures that the coming of the Messiah would also herald a time of judgment and an appraisal of each one as to whether they would be worthy to enter the kingdom. That’s why it was important for people to turn away from sinful ways and turn back to God’s ways.

In the Greek, the word translated “repent” literally means to “change one’s mind or mindset”. As for the Hebrew, the word translated “repent” gave the connotation of “turning around”. For example, a person may be headed north, but turn around and head south. Put together, the Biblical term “repent” gives us the idea of a person changing one’s mindset from living just from his own pleasures to wanting to live a righteous life according to God’s ways. He would thus turn around from his old way of doing things and instead start doing things God’s way again.

In the Greek, the verbs used as “repent” or “believe” actually means to keep on repenting or to keep on believing. Thus, the picture of the believer should be one who constantly turns towards God, like King Josiah did, and who keeps on believing. The ultimate test as to whether we can hold on to our faith is whether we are actually ready to die for it, being fully confident that death for Christ only means greater reward later.

What is the gospel? It is basically believing in 3 things. That Jesus Christ died for our sins. That He was buried. And that He rose again on the third day. If we truly believed that the Son of God Himself came down to earth to die for us that we might receive forgiveness from our sins, and that He rose back to life and is ascended again to Heaven, how would we live? How truly thankful would we be? Would be truly dare to go back and live sinful lives for only our own pleasure?

APPLICATION:

To believe in the gospel is to believe Jesus Christ is Lord, and that it is only in Him that we can find salvation. We need to continue to trust Him, no matter what. Also, in this world, there are many temptations that bid us turn away from God and His ways. We need to discipline ourselves to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to turn away from these distractions and instead focus on doing God’s will. At the same time, we also need to be mindful of those around us and who cross our path, looking for opportunities to share with those who do not yet know the Lord.

PRAYER:

We praise You and thank You, Heavenly Father, for inviting us into Your kingdom, for enabling even humble folk like us to join You in Your royal family. All you do Lord is perfect and just! Help us O Lord, keep in repentance and produce fruit that glorifies You. Create in us too that deep trust in You and Your love that You will never leave us nor forsake us because of Your great faithfulness                                                                                                                                                                                      

DAY 37: ENTERING THE KINGDOM

DAY 37: ENTERING THE KINGDOM

SCRIPTURE:

We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God Acts 14:22

Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Luke 18:24

OBSERVATION:

The disciples in the early church knew that it was not easy to enter the kingdom of God. They knew they had to encounter many hardships for the kingdom. They knew they had to give up much and lead holy lives until the end and finish the race. Even the great Apostle Paul was careful to examine himself constantly to ensure that while he had preached to others, he himself would not be disqualified.

Like the seed that fell on shallow soil, some receive the word at once with gladness, but once trouble and hardship come, they fall away. It is not how well we start the race, but how well we finish that truly matters. The Christian life has always been one of perseverance, to continue fighting the good fight, to press on, to follow Christ to the end in spite of all trouble and hardship.

The fundamental truth of the gospel is that we are saved for a purpose, and that is to serve God and to serve others for His glory. We are not saved to continue living our lives as how we please. Just like the Israelites were first delivered from Egypt and then taught how to live right before God, we too have been delivered from sin and death for the purpose of living right before God and serving Him. Moreover, He even gives us the Holy Spirit to help us that the Israelites did not have, so we really have no excuse. We are to live in dependence on the Holy Spirit’s leading according to God’s Word, and keep our hearts open towards the Lord to do His will.

Nevertheless, we are still exposed to myriads of temptation and need to be constantly on guard lest the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth or desires for other things come in and choke the Word in us, making us unfruitful. The Lord already warned us that every branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off.

APPLICATION:

We need to remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is the fear of the Lord that will keep us safe on the narrow road that leads to the Kingdom. The moment we lose the fear of the Lord, we are already on very dangerous and shaky ground. In the story of Pilgrim’s Progress, there was a poignant scene where the pilgrim’s friend did not dare to cross the final river just before the gates of Heaven and turned away. Pilgrim then realized that there was a road that leads to Hell even at the gates of Heaven.

We are thus reminded that we need always to guard ourselves, and keep ourselves in the Lord, sincerely desiring to follow Him and avail ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. As long as we know in our hearts we are for the Lord and have set our hearts to please Him, we know that we are safe in Him, and have full assurance of His salvation. However, if we allow ourselves to be dragged away and let other things become our gods, we then move away from solid ground to murky waters. Hence, we should always do well to consider both the sternness and the love of God.

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, we entrust ourselves and our families to you. Keep us safe we pray O Lord in Your purpose and Your plans. Lead us not to wander away, but give us the deep desire and hunger to press on in You, to grow in knowing You, in serving You, in loving You. Forgive our sinful inclinations we pray, but help us allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate our hearts to grow deeper in love with You, and allow the things of the world to fade away from our lives. May Your name be praised forever precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 36: THE REALM OF THE KINGDOM

DAY 36: THE REALM OF THE KINGDOM

SCRIPTURE:

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18

OBSERVATION:

Reflect. The kingdom of God within us. What is a kingdom after all? It is where a king rules. Therefore, it is the king that we submit to that determines which kingdom we belong to. On this earth, we are citizens of our respective countries, but spiritually, we know that this citizenship is only temporary. In fact, we are only aliens sojourning on this earth, and our true citizenship lies in a different kingdom, one where the Great King rules our hearts. Even now, His kingship is already established in the hearts of those who are absolutely loyal to him, even upon the pain of death. And who is this Great King? It can only be our Lord Jesus! It is to Jesus that we have our first and foremost allegiance. The rulers of this world come and go, but our loyalty is always first of all to our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to have His kingdom within us? It is to live our lives according to His ways. It is not outward or physical. It has nothing to do with eating and drinking. Instead, it is serving God in the righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Indeed, God is love, and how beautiful and majestic is God’s love. However, the primary characteristic of God that we see most emphasized again and again throughout the Scriptures is God’s righteousness! And how can we become righteous? The entire book of Romans is a careful explanation by the apostle Paul on this great Scriptural truth. At the core of it, we are justified by faith alone, and faith come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Yet faith without deeds is dead. Faith that does not act out in service to Christ is not faith at all, and one must question whether he really has received the righteousness of Christ if he does not desire to serve and please Christ more and more.

What follows righteousness? Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The New Covenant is so much great than the Old because of the great work of the Holy Spirit in us – teaching us,  guiding us, leading us. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit will lead us to serve Christ, and as we seek to please Him, we become living sacrifices acceptable to God, and approved by men for God’s favor rests on us.

APPLICATION:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Have a sense of the kingdom of God within us. Wherever our hearts are readily yielded to God, therein lies His kingdom already within us.  Yet our soul is like a city, with many streets and buildings. Many lie dormant or are uncommitted to God. As the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and cultivates His way within us, it is our part to work with Him to allow the necessary experiences to teach us and mold us more and more into the persons God wants us to be. Growing in righteousness, we know we please God, when we are open to Him to help us change towards His image.

PRAYER

We praise thee and worship thee, Heavenly Lord, for You are our Great King, and You are our ruler. We pray O Lord, that You will be the ruler of our entire lives. Search within us and show us, precious Holy Spirit, where we should change, and how we can learn to please God more and more. Lead us O Lord, to really grow in Your righteousness, which we seek from deep within us. Teach us to hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. Lead us in the way everlasting. We praise You and love You. Be the King of our lives now and forever. In Jesus name, Amen.                             

DAY 35: THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND PRAYER

DAY 35: THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND PRAYER

SCRIPTURE:

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Matthew 6:10

OBSERVATION:

In the Lord’s prayer, the first and foremost thing that our Lord Jesus asks us to pray is for God’s kingdom to come, and for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. What does it mean to pray “Your kingdom come”? Firstly, it means to acknowledge God as king of our lives, and having God as king means entrusting ourselves to Him as His servants and to be subject to Him. Secondly, it means to look forward to His physical kingdom and rule. Jesus is coming back again, and will rule on earth for 1,000 years. Thereafter, God will make a new heaven and a new earth, and the New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven and God’s dwelling place will be with us. How wonderful to look forward to this! Thirdly, it means to look for the extension of God’s kingdom, looking for opportunities to help lead others towards God, so that they too may be added to the kingdom. Not all of us may be privileged to lead many souls to Christ, but we can pray for them, show them a good testimony, and plant seeds of the gospel where we can.

How about “Your will be done?” In Heaven, God’s will is done perfectly to the letter, as all the angels obey him totally and immediately all the time, and everything is perfect according to His will. On earth currently, it is quite the opposite. We have ruined His perfect world when we were supposed to take care of it. In Genesis, it is written how God’s heart was filled with pain when He looked upon the earth and saw that every inclination of man’s heart was evil and the earth was filled with violence. God regretted that He had made men and sent a great flood that wiped out the human race except for one family – Noah, his sons and his son’s wives for Noah was found righteous in that generation.

In today’s world, we see evil rife everywhere, and violence filling the earth not so unlike the days before the flood. Nevertheless, God has raised up sons and daughters all over the world who honor His name and believe in His Son unto salvation. It is thus for us who follow God to follow His ways, so that His will is done on earth as we obey Him. We are saved not for ourselves but for a special purpose – to serve God and to follow His will. How well we do that will determine our position in His service in the age to come.

It is not easy to follow God’s will when so many things pull at our heart, but every Christian needs to have that supreme objective hidden deep in our hearts. We must desire to shift from doing things our way to doing things God’s way. God wants all of us, every area, every pocket, every part. It is thus for us to work with God to allow Him to mould us and shape us into the creation He wants us to be.

APPLICATION:

Let us remember our primary calling, which is God’s kingdom, God’s will. When we walk in line with that calling, we are at peace with God.  It is an everyday struggle, as we are tempted to do our own things, pursue our own entertainments and pleasures in the limited time that we have. Day by day, moment by moment, we need to learn to submit our will to God. In time, we will begin to understand that it is in submitting to God’s will that we really begin to find true meaning and purpose in life.

PRAYER:

We praise thee Heavenly Father, for Your great patience and love in dealing with us. So move within our hearts, precious Lord, that You create in us a fervent desire to want to please You in everything that we do. Let this desire sink deep within us, that we will want to spend every waking moment only doing what pleases You. Help us to even come to the point Lord that we find we can do nothing until we see what You are doing. We praise You and worship You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

DAY 34: WHO BELONGS TO THE KINGDOM?

DAY 34: WHO BELONGS TO THE KINGDOM?

SCRIPTURE:

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. James 1:9-10

He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. Psalm 72:13

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Matthew 5:3

OBSERVATION:

“Remember that thou in thy lifetime received good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we are given a chilling picture of the afterlife. The rich man is tormented in a terrible dry place of fire, his thirst so great, that even a single drop of water would be heavenly. Meanwhile, Lazarus, who was so poor and tortured in his life, is instead comforted by Father Abraham.  

By New Testament standards, most of us are considered rich, living in comfort and having abundant food and clothing. And the apostle James warns us that we should not proud, but humble, heeding the warning of the rich man who ignored the poor man at his gate.

Throughout the Bible, God is always seen to be concerned with the poor, with the helpless and destitute, who suffer on the streets, and are barely able to get by in their abject poverty. No one may seem to care, but God does. His eye is upon them, and it is they who are usually most open to the Gospel, and receive with gratitude the gift of salvation that God gives through His Son.

In an age where the popular gospel is the one of Prosperity, little focus is being given to those the Lord is most concerned for – the poor and needy among us. It is true that we are saved by grace, through faith alone, not by works but true faith is actively expressed in deed. So then, how could we profess to know the Lord, yet have so little regard for those He is concerned about?

APPLICATION:

We need to remember the lesson of Lazarus and the rich man - how in this life, although the poor are marginalized, most often, they are in fact first into the kingdom while many who are have material abundance do not get in. Hence, where we have more than we need, we should take the opportunity to bless the poor where we can, learning to love them because the Lord loves them.

Practically, there are opportunities for us to get involved all around us, but it is up to us to take the initiative to find out where we can help. One ministry greatly admired is Kenosis Home who are active not only in Street Feeding programs to feed the poor and homeless but actively doing their best to bring in drug addicts off the streets to their rehab homes to cure them and reinstate them back to society. Also, SHELTER too has long been doing a great job in bringing up children who needed to leave homes where their parents had abused them. There are also many orphanages and old folk’s homes doing their best to help poor children or neglected old folk, and they too deserve our support and attention.

PRAYER:

We praise You and thank You, Lord, that You love the poor, and Your heart is always for them. Help us O Lord, to learn to love them like You love them, and to focus less on only our own individual lives but also to expand our horizons to look at the needs around us, and to become involved in helping the poor and needy, in what ways we can. Forgive us O Lord, where we have turned a blind eye. Help us and open doors we pray, so that we can become involved too in blessing those who need our help. We bless You and thank You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 33: THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

DAY 33: THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD

SCRIPTURE:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

OBSERVATION:

In the course of the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus stops at one point to tell His disciples not to worry about their lives - what they would eat or what they would wear. Instead, he asks them to observe the birds of the air that the Father feeds, and the lilies of the field that are clothed more beautifully than Solomon in all his splendor. And at this point, He teaches them one of the great truths of abundant life – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

When someone tells us “Don’t worry”, we are comforted, and of course, we like “all these things will be given to you as well”. However, Jesus did not say “Don’t worry and do nothing”. He said don’t worry about yourself but seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. The word “seek” as translated from Greek actually means “to keep on seeking”. It is a continuous, active word that is not just a onetime action, but a constant way of life, expressed out in action.  

What is God’s kingdom? Our initial reaction is to think of beautiful Heaven, where the streets are made of gold, and where there is no suffering or pain or sadness, and that is true, for that is the place where God reigns. However, from another perspective, God’s kingdom also consists of all who worship God as King, or all of us who are citizens of God’s country. Therefore, to seek first God’s kingdom is to seek for her extension through spreading of the gospel and bringing sinners to forgiveness and admission to God’s country. This is the foremost mission and calling of each believer and the church.

What is God’s righteousness? It is the perfect righteousness that no human can attain to, but is freely given as a gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected back to life on the third day. No one can earn this righteousness, it can only be received gratefully from God by believing in His Son.

What then, after receiving this righteousness? Did God just give us this righteousness for us to then go out and live any how we want? Of course not! He means us to learn to start training to live in righteousness by cooperating with His Holy Spirit to change us - to stop living in our old sinful ways and instead learning to live God’s way as He leads us. Hence, to seek God’s righteousness is to seek to live God’s right way more and more. And this we can do not by our own strength, but by opening ourselves to be guided by God’s Holy Spirit day by day. If we turn back and refuse to follow God’s ways, we are worse off than if we had never known God’s grace at all, as warned by the apostle Peter.

How do we know we are correctly being guided by the Holy Spirit? Here’s where it is important for us to get to know the Bible more and more, studying it carefully, reading it often, and also learning from trusted pastors and Bible teachers. The Bible will certainly teach us how to live righteously God’s way. Guided by God’s Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we thus know we are on the right track.  

APPLICATION:

We need to remember the Lord’s twofold calling to us here – to extend God’s kingdom, and to live righteous lives that glorify God. And He promises that if we do this, we will never lack anything for we have a great Creator God who is able to supply all our needs

.

PRAYER:

We praise You and love You Father in Heaven for You created all things and hold all things in their place, providing for all the creatures and plants of the earth. Incline our hearts to serve You, we pray, and cause us to always have that strong desire to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness in our daily lives. Open doors for us that we may bear good testimony of Your grace, and strengthen us O Lord to say no to the temptations of the world but prioritize living righteous lives before You. We praise You and worship You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

  

DAY 32: DISCIPLING THE NATIONS TO THE END OF THE EARTH

DAY 32: DISCIPLING THE NATIONS TO THE END OF THE EARTH

SCRIPTURE:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

OBSERVATION:

When the commission was first given to the disciples, they were instructed to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. Over the last 2,000 years, the gospel has indeed traveled far and wide, reaching every continent and almost every country of the earth. And in this age of globalization where improvements in travel and connectivity has brought the world closer than ever before.

In Malaysia, we have also seen globalization, and like most other countries, there is also an influx of foreign labor from different places coming to find work and income. Some come in illegally while others have authorized permits, but whichever country they come from, they are also men and women created by God, made in His image, and loved by God as His children. It is thus also God’s will that we seek for opportunities to witness to and help the aliens and foreigners among us where we can.

Upon His ascension, the Lord did not ask his disciples to go out and witness immediately but to wait until they received power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them. The purpose of that power was so that they could become the Lord’s witnesses. Today, the pattern is the same. Instead of going out and trying to witness in our own strength, we should wait for the leading of the Holy Spirit.

At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit actually came upon the disciples, there was a great wind, and tongues of fire came to rest on each of them, and they began to speak in tongues, praising God in diverse languages to the surprise of the dispersed Jews who had come back from various places. Then Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, stood up and gave a great sermon that saw 3,000 saved on the day.

John the Baptist declared that although he baptized with water, the Lord Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The Greek Word “baptizo” actually means “to dip” or “to be immersed”. In baptism of water, people are baptized by going down under the water completely to symbolize death of the old self, and rise up completely to declare the new life in Christ Jesus. A second way a person can be immersed is to stand under a waterfall. This is how the baptism of the Holy Spirit works, Jesus in Heaven sending out His Spirit down like a waterfall from Heaven to immerse us, filling our hearts completely till overflowing and coming out of our mouths in tongues praising God.

Primarily, to witness means to testify to others what Jesus has done for us, and it is the Holy Spirit that gives us boldness to proclaim this testimony.

APPLICATION:-

We all need continuous infilling of the Holy Spirit, which is not just a once off experience. A practical way we can do this, is regularly pray to our Lord Jesus to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us, envisioning the Spirit coming down into our hearts like a waterfall, overflowing and causing us to speak out in praises and tongues.

As we learn to bring that atmosphere of praising God with us, we will find it easier to find opportunities to bear testimony to others. Most time, it is not fluency in preaching or great knowledge but rather genuine love and gratitude to Christ that attracts pre-believers to the gospel.

We also would do well to remember the principles of depending on the Holy Spirit to give us “at that time what we should say”, keeping that prayerful attitude to ask God for help to say the right things at any given situation.

PRAYER:-

We praise thee, Heavenly Father, for Your precious Holy Spirit which You give us generously through our Lord Jesus Christ. Fill us more and more with Your Spirit, Lord, and empower us that we may be witnesses for You wherever You have placed us. Grant us Your courage and Your power, and continue to fill our hearts with Your precious grace and thanksgiving for all You have done for us. We praise You and worship You, precious Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 31: DISCIPLING THE YOUTH OF MALAYSIA

DAY 31: DISCIPLING THE YOUTH OF MALAYSIA

SCRIPTURE:

2 Timothy 2:1-2 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

OBSERVATION:

In this passage, we see the pattern of succession planning that Paul envisions for all the churches under His care. Just as he carefully and patiently tutored young Timothy in the truths and doctrines of the gospel, he commissioned Timothy to likewise train and teach faithful men of God these truths, especially focusing on men who would also be able to teach others. It is in this ongoing mentoring and training that enables the church to grow strong from generation to generation, passing down the godly values and character qualities and wisdom through the ages.

There are three main principles here that we can see in Paul’s call to Timothy concerning those he disciples. Firstly, they must be good listeners and learners. Just as Timothy listened carefully to Paul’s teaching among many witnesses, so too, Paul calls Timothy to look for men with likewise aptitude and inclination to learning the things of God. Secondly, they must be faithful. They need to be ready to share and teach the Word of God in season and out of season, looking out for every opportunity to proclaim truth to others and build up others in the body of Christ. Finally, they must have the ability and love to teach others, not just keeping their knowledge to themselves, but earnestly seeking to share what they know so that others will be blessed.

APPLICATION:

The youth in Malaysia especially need to be discipled in this manner and to be trained to disciple their peers and those younger than them in the same way. Individually too, each one of us who know the Lord should endeavor to grow deeper and deeper in Him, learning more about His Word and his truths, and to be faithful in service to Him as the Lord calls us. Likewise, we are to share the truths of God that we learn with each other, especially reaching out to teach and bless those younger in the faith than ourselves. Where possible, we also would do well to mentor and teach young men and women who come across our paths, who have an earnest and pure heart for the Lord.

PRAYER:

We praise You and thank You, Lord, for the example of Paul and Timothy, and how they looked far ahead to plan and pray for the strength of the future generations of the church. Even in this generation, Lord, we pray that You raise up leaders and teachers among us, who are able learn more and more from You, and to teach and encourage others, especially among the young. Give us O Lord, hearts eager to learn, faithfulness and strength in our service, and an openness to teach and bless others with the great truths You reveal to us. Strengthen us and bless us Lord we pray, and help us abide in You always. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 30: RAISING UP BUMIPUTERA CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IN MALAYSIA

DAY 30: RAISING UP BUMIPUTERA CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IN MALAYSIA

SCRIPTURE:

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them Joshua 1:6

OBSERVATION:

Indigenous Christians in Sabah and Sarawak make up 64% of the Christian community in Malaysia, making them the backbone of the church in the country. However, due to poverty and lack of education, many there have been subject to victimization and manipulation by evil men who have cheated them out of their rightful land, taken advantage of their women, and even subjected them to harsh labor in their own homes. Now, even their way of worship is threatened by parties using religion for political mileage.

The Church in Peninsular who are strong in resources and knowledge and ability need to lend their strength to their brothers and sisters in East Malaysia, so that they too can become strong and stand up for what is right and true. The consistent call to Joshua before he entered the promised land was to be Strong and Courageous.

All leadership needs to be strong and courageous to be effective. A leader must be strong in standing up for the truth, not being easily swayed by popular opinion or peer pressure. He must stay rooted like a tree with firm roots standing firm even in the face of the greatest winds. Likewise, being courageous often means going against stern opposition. People don’t like being told what they don’t like to hear, but the leader must remain true to speak out the truth without fear or favor.

APPLICATION:

We in Peninsular need to pray for those in East Malaysia with renewed fervency, and also look for ways where we can be of practical help and training. Many from Sabah and Sarawak have also found their way here for employment opportunities, and we would do well to also reach out to their communities here to help and strengthen them where we can. Individually, each one of us is also called to be a Joshua, to be strong and courageous, and to lead others to Christ, by word and deed and example. So let us also pray for God to instill His spirit in us like He did in Joshua, a truly strong and courageous spirit.

PRAYER:

We praise and worship You, Father Lord, for You created all things well. We thank You for Your great love for all of us here in Malaysia, both in the East and the West. You called us to be Your own, in one accord as one family. Forgive us O Lord, for neglecting our fellow brothers and sisters. Bind us together we pray, that we may truly love and care for each other, and support each other in love and unity. Pour out Your Spirit of strength and boldness too we pray, for You did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. Empower us O Lord, to do Your will. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAY 29: DISCIPLING THE ORANG ASLI OF MALAYSIA

DAY 29: DISCIPLING THE ORANG ASLI OF MALAYSIA

SCRIPTURE:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:“ Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10

OBSERVATION:

In the book of Revelation, John speaks of a vision where he sees a great multitude that no one can count, and they are from every nation, tribe, people and language. This shows us the heart of God who loves every nation, every people and every culture. Every soul is precious to God and every person who turns to Him is greeted by a joyous celebration in Heaven. And this also includes the Orang Asli of Malaysia, who sadly, have been left behind economically, politically and socially, despite the modernization of the country.

What is common among this great multitude? Firstly, they stand before God’s throne and before the Lamb, indicating their close relationship with God, who brings them close to Himself even after the pain and death of the Great Tribulation. Secondly, they wear white robes, which symbolize their righteous deeds in following the Lord. Thirdly, they hold palm branches indicating their praise of God, and finally, their words in a loud voice shows their worship as they declare “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb”.

APPLICATION:

Let us remind ourselves to continue to grow deep in these four facets of our Christian lives- to develop that close, deep relationship with God that will withstand even the harshest persecution, to seek to walk in righteousness by God’s Holy Spirit, to continue to live a life full of praise to God, and to worship Him deeply in spirit and in truth. Even in this, let us endeavor to reach out to Orang Asli where we can, to also join with them in this, growing and praising and worshipping with them, seeking to live righteous lives in our own places according to God’s will.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your Word that calls us, that inspires us, that leads us to Yourself. We thank You Father that You love all Your children, and desire men and women from every tongue and tribe and people and language to come and join with You in Your loving family. Individually, O Lord, we pray that You draw us closer in relationship with You, that You inspire us to seek righteousness and to walk according to Your will in Your Word, and to live lives praising You and worshipping You for the great and perfect and awesome God that You are. Raise up our fellow neighbors, the Orang Asli too we pray, and lead us to a deeper connection with them, especially among the beloved brothers and sisters among them. Lead us Lord, to help and strengthen them where we can. May Your name be praised always O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.