Where the river flows everything will live

Where the river flows everything will live

Scripture:- He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. Ezekiel 47:8-10

Observation: In our last lesson, we learnt how the river from the temple is symbolic of the Holy Spirit poured forth from God which overflows in our hearts and brings life wherever it goes.

Here, pictorially, we see this happening. In the Dead Sea, the salt content is so high that no fish can live. However, when this river from the temple goes there, it will heal the waters and enable fish to live there again. Fish in the Bible is symbolic of men. Jesus told His disciples that He would make them fishers of men.

Without Christ, men are spiritually dead but when God’s Spirit comes and enlightens them and draws them towards Christ, they become spiritually awakened, and alive in God. If we are to touch others, to bring them towards the mighty, living God, we need the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that works in us, through us and out of us to reach out and touch others.

Jesus said “How much more will the Father give the Spirit to those who ask Him.” We need to ask God for more and more of His Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings life to us, and also through us.

The Scripture also speaks of fishermen being able to bring their business to the Dead Sea. The healing of the Spirit is not just physically and spiritually, but also in business. God is the God of Business. Jesus was a successful carpenter, able to provide for His whole family, Paul a tentmaker, Lydia a seller of purple. Even in our work, our business, invite the Holy Spirit in. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and enlightenment in our work, our challenges. One word from God can totally transform any situation.

Application: See ourselves as the channel of a river, and the Holy Spirit as the river. Continue to pray and seek the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, and let His fruit shine forth to bless and encourage others. Even in business, in work, submit it to God. Invite the Holy Spirit to come in and join with us in all the work we do. Ask for more and more of the Holy Spirit from God the Father in Jesus name.

Prayer: Father God, pour forth Your Holy Spirit into us more and more, in Jesus name. Holy Spirit, fill us with Your presence. Give us Your heart, Your desires. Teach us to be a blessing to others and bring Your light to them. Like a river, Lord, flow forth and bring life wherever I go in my life. Bless my work, my business O Lord. I submit them to You. You are Lord and God. I praise You and love You. In Jesus name, Amen.

He who is able to calm any storm

He who is able to calm any storm

This Friday, we were privileged at FGB Chapter Jaya One to have brother Richard Ling share his testimony with us.

Come 2011, Richard Ling has been a Christian for 40 years now. He has 2 sons, and will be a grandfather next month. In his Christian life, he has had many ups and downs. He has fallen into the world, and endured suffering at different stages of his life, with and without Christ. However, one great truth brother Richard found out is that when you cry out to God, He will always come back. He is truly an ever loving God who answers prayers. He can completely transform a terrible situation. Man tends to doubt God, but God is faithful.

Being an orphan from an age of 9, brother Richard moved on to the contracting line. At that time, he was half right with God and there were issues of corruption in the industry which bothered him. Brother Richard prayed and God opened the doors for him to go into a different business which lost money at first, but turned around later and became profitable.

However, a terrible incident happened in his factory when there was a salmonella issue which caused a complete halt in production for several months. This resulted in massive losses and caused a great storm in his life. Looking back, brother Richard encourages us that in a storm, we have to rely on Jesus, who is able to calm any storm.

Fighting hard to find a solution to his financial crisis, brother Richard at first got the support of some of his siblings but they pulled out at the last minute, leaving him in a lurch. Still, he did not blame, but chose to trust God. Then miraculously, as he continued to pray and cry out to God, a major business partner came in and bought into his business, injecting critical cash flow. Throughout his struggles, God gave brother Richard wisdom. It is so important not to dwell on the past. Sometimes, God’s work can seem illogical to man. His financials showed yearly losses, and his finance manager said his business was going down. In a crucial business meeting, he decided to go alone with God. The investors chose to see potential, and looked forward rather than at the financial figures. It was like God was putting words in their mouth. This new business partner continued to support him, and he recovered everything and received much more.

His wife, who was a missionary in China was once led to pray that God would restore the years that the locusts had eaten, and indeed God did, and so much more. When God opens a door, nobody can close it.

Even in family, God answered prayer. His son had drifted and was even considering marrying a partner of a different religion. The parents prayed, and their son came back to the truth, and later even went to Bible college. We need to trust God always as He always has His reasons.

Lately, brother Richard underwent an operation where he lost his voice. He was saddened and he loved to sing praises to God, so he prayed to God for recovery. When he next saw the doctor, he was shocked at how much brother Richard had recovered. The doctor had expected him to require another operation but it was no longer needed. Brother Ling could have wallowed in self-pity but he believed everything has a purpose. This was another opportunity for brother Ling to glorify God. Throughout our lives, it is so important for us to be still and know that He is God.

The Ark of the Covenant and the holiness of God

The Ark of the Covenant and the holiness of God

SIB, Pastor Lew Lee Choo

This week’s message was based on 2 Samuel 6:1-11, the incident where Uzzah reached out to stop the Ark of the Covenant from stumbling and was killed instantly. It had been a joyful time, and King David was looking forward to having the ark brought to Jerusalem. However, when Uzzah died, David became angry and then fearful.

To begin to understand this incident and why it happened, we need to first look in more detail at what is the ark. It was a box, made of Shittim wood and overlaid with gold both on the inside and the outside. It had two cherubim above it and there were four rings at the four corners where rods were inserted before the ark could be moved. It was placed in the holy of holies and once a year, the High Priest would come to offer a sacrifice to God there, and God Himself would manifest His presence in the mercy seat between the two cherubim.

In the days of Joshua, when he led the Israelites into the promised land, the priests brought the ark into the Jordan river, and it separated for the Israelites to pass. The priests walked carrying the ark 7 days around Jericho, and the walls came down and the city was taken. Indeed, the ark was no ordinary object.

Later, in the days of Eli, the Israelites were being defeated by the Philistines when they called for Eli to send the ark of the covenant to the battlefield. Eli’s two sons took the ark there. The Philistines were terrified at first, thinking a god had come to fight against them, the god who had brought the terrible plagues of Egypt, who had parted the Red Sea, and had brought down the walls of Jericho. However, they fought all the more bravely and the Israelites lost completely and the ark was lost. Upon hearing that the ark had been taken, Eli fell backwards and died. The wife of his daughter-in-law who was giving birth named her son Ichabod which means “the glory of Ichabod has departed”.

Meanwhile, the Philistines started having terrible problems of their own because of the ark. They placed the ark in the temple of their god Dagon but the next morning, they found their statue fallen facedown before the ark. They put him back but the next day, it happened again, and this time the head and hands of the statue were broken off. The people in the city also started being afflicted by tumors. The Philistines panicked and moved the ark from city to city, but the same thing happened, and finally they placed the ark on a cow cart and sent them back towards Israel. The cart came to Beth Shemesh, and the people rejoiced and offered sacrifices. However, God struck down 70 of them who had looked inside the ark. The people there then asked Kiriath Jearim to take the ark.

Why did God bring victory with the ark in Joshua’s time but failure and misfortune in Eli’s time? Why did Uzzah have to die? He only intended to steady the ark from falling.

We need to realize firstly that everything about God is epitomized in the ark of the covenant.  The ark tells u that God is holy. God is a person not an object. The ark itself has no power of its own. It is God’s holiness and not rituals that has any power. Even King David had mistakenly considered the ark to be an object. There is nothing magical about the ark it is God who is supernatural. The children of Beth Shemesh had treated it like an object. David should not have put the ark on a cart. The presence of God cannot be carried by an inanimate object, but on the shoulders of man. David had to learn this. The ark primarily shows us the holiness of God. And the men holding the ark had to be clean. Eli’s sons disrespected God by taking the best parts of the offerings and their sexual prosmicuity.

Why does God have to teach us about holiness here? Why not love, grace or power? Other gods also have gods of love, grace and power. However, only God is Holy. The holiness of God sets Him apart. He is different from all other gods. The opposite of holiness is not “unholiness” but “common. In Leviticus 10:10, Moses was told to distinguish between the holy and the common. In Malay, the term for holy could be “luar biasa”. God’s holiness is His purity, His power, His omnipotenance, His omniscience, His mercy, His sovereignity, His love, His faithfulness.

When we take the communion service, we must recognize that it is holy. It is a service where the holiness and grace of God meets us. When we recognize and behold this holiness, we begin to see healing and power in the communion.

Worship is an opportunity for us to see the holiness of God. If we don’t understand holiness, there can be no breakthrough. When Uzzah died, David was confused. He called the place “Perez-Uzzah”, which means broken out. In 2 Samuel 5, David defeated the Philistines by the Lord’ hand and called the place “Baal Perazim” saying the Lord had broken out against his enemies. Here, there was breakthrough!

Without holiness there is no authority. Pastor Lee Choo shared how in the ministry of deliverance, the ministers must never forget to depend not on the formula but on God. Once, the church was called to do a house cleansing in a haunted house. The cell group leaders and the elder in charge cleansed themselves and fasted before going, making sure they worshipped and were in tune with God. When they went there, they simply worshipped and prayed over the house and left. Before that, the house owner had called in bomohs and mediums to cleanse the house to know avail. But now, the children could sleep peacefully without nightmares, and there were no more shadows seen on the CCTVs.

Where the holiness of God is, He brings blessing. Obed-Edom’s household was blessed tremendously because of the ark. Is holiness transferable? It is. 1 Peter 1:16 says “Be holy, just as I am holy”. Some people say they prefer to be normal. What is normal in today’s terms? Violence is normal, dysfunctional families are normal! We need holiness.

How does God transfer holiness to us? There are three ways.

Firstly, we must have a vision of our Holy God, to see Him like Isaiah saw him in Isaiah 6, in His awesome holiness.

Secondly, we must seek Him in His Holy Temple. Psalm 27:4 says If there is one thing I ask, this is what I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.

Finally, we must set our hearts on keeping His holy laws and we will be transformed to be like Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Now, we must be clear that holiness is not sinlessness. Holiness is not a set of doctrines. Holiness starts in our minds. It is a mind bent towards God, with a desire to do His will.

At the recent prayer meeting, a pastor from Uganda who had seen his people suffer atrocities of the worst kind warned us in Malaysia not to take for granted, God’s presence in our land. When God is absent, there will be a time of terrible, unimaginable darkness. History belongs to God, and we must not treat God as common. September 11 can happen to any nation.

In closing, there were 3 things Pastor Lee Choo asked us to do. Firstly, don’t treat God the same way we treat everything else in this world. Secondly, esteem Him, love Him, and long to be like Him. Finally, set yourself apart as someone who is different so that you can make a difference.

The river from the temple

The river from the temple

Scripture: The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. Ezekiel 47:1-5

Observation: This study, we are looking at the river flowing out from the temple. It starts of as a little trickle and then grows and grows until it become a mighty river that no one can cross. What is the significance of this river?

In John 7:37-39, Jesus said: ^“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.  

Jesus likened the Holy Spirit to a river of living water. If we believe in Jesus, the Scripture promises that rivers of living waters will flow from us. When we look to Jesus in faith, and open our mouths and ask Him to fill us with His spiritual river, the Holy Spirit flows into us and overflows out of us. It may start as a little trickle but can grow into a great and mighty river.

In the beginning, there was a river flowing from the Garden of Eden that expanded into 4 great rivers, and they brought life wherever they went. The Holy Spirit in us, overflowing through us brings spiritual life and awakening wherever it goes.

In the healing of the Aramean commander Naaman, he went down to the river Jordan where he was cleansed completely of his leprosy. For us too, the River of God in us brings healing with us.

The Psalmists writes in Psalm 36:8 “They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.” God’s river is our provision, who supplies all our needs and satisfies us delightfully!

God’s river is righteous. In Amos 5:24, it is written ”But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! God’s river brings righteousness wherever it goes!

Application: Thinking of a mighty river, ask God for more and more of His Holy Spirit, seeing His Spirit come into us like a river and overflowing out with praises unto God! Believe that the Holy Spirit in us brings supernatural life, righteousness, healing and provision wherever we go.

Prayer: Lord, I open my mouth to you. Fill me more and more with Your River, Your Holy Spirit. Let it overflow from my heart to bring forth praises unto You. Let Your Spirit be with me wherever I go, bringing supernatural life, righteousness, healing and provision not only to me, but also those I meet. In Jesus name, Amen.

The preparation of the offerings

The preparation of the offerings

Scripture: He said to me, “This is the place where the priests are to cook the guilt offering and the sin offering and bake the grain offering, to avoid bringing them into the outer court and consecrating the people.” Ezekiel 46:20

Observation: When the worshippers brought their offerings to God in the temple, they would be given to the priests. The priests would cut the animal sacrifices into parts and separate them. The grain offering would be baked. Ultimately, the final offering presented to God would look very different from the offering brought by the worshipper.

There is a wonderful lesson in this. When we bring an offering to the Lord, be it our work, our gifts, or simply our availability, we may be surprised when God takes it and transforms and changes it into something totally different. As the Scripture says “He is the potter, we are the clay”. It is God who works in us to form us according to His purposes and for His glory. Thus, when we need to be open when we come to Him as livings sacrifices and let Him change us or change our plans according to His perfect wisdom. At times, this can be challenging for us. Our pride and ego gets in the way, and we may be offended when our hard work is changed into something else. However, in the end, if we trust God, we will understand that all things work out according to His perfect purposes.

I was once led to write an article which I felt would be an excellent testimony to place in a Christian Magazine. I was disappointed when it was deemed not suitable. However, the article turned out to be very useful for a friend later who had prayed about it. It is our role to serve, to give according to how God leads us. It is for God to use our service when He sees fit.

Application: Pray and ask God to show us any area He has inspired us to serve in. Go forth and serve Him faithfully and humbly, leaving it to God to use when and where He sees fit.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times when pride and anger blinded me when I felt my service, my offering was in vain. Help me have a humble heart, that serves You faithfully, and trusting You to use the service I give You as You know best. You alone are wise above all the earth, O Lord. May Your name be glorified always. In Jesus name, Amen

Purify the altar

Purify the altar

Scripture: You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it. Ezekiel 43:20

Observation: In the Old Testament, and even in Ezekiel’s temple, there is the important process of purification. Today, purification is no longer by the blood of sheep and goats, but only by the blood of Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13-14 explains this:- while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. The purpose of the Lord purifying us is for us to belong to Him and to be eager to do what is good.

We also note that from other parts of Scripture, purification also has an active element on our part. We have to apply the purification made possible for us by the blood of Jesus to our lives in faith and obedience.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Part of purification is making sure we do not dwell or indulge ourselves in unholy things. We cannot be pure and continue to indulge in sexual immorality, pornography, greed, corruption, drunkenness, violence and other vices.

James 4:8 says “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Many movies and TV shows today glorify the occult, immorality, violence. To be pure, we need to be careful what we watch and how much we watch. The mind is the battlefield. If our minds are set on earthly things, our hearts cannot be pure. We need to purify our minds, and be single-minded in our focus on God.

1 Peter 1:22 says “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart” and 1 John 1:7 says “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Purification means to obey the truth, to walk in the light, to have fellowship with other believers in love.

And finally, no matter how far we have fallen, if we come back to God, there is always hope in His forgiveness and He will make us pure. As 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. As John 3:3 says “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure”, ultimately all who truly believe and hope in Jesus for salvation will be made pure just as Jesus is pure.

Application: Praise Jesus for purifying us by His precious blood. Pray and desire that God will help us fulfill our destiny to be His people and eager to do what is right and good. Review our lives often to see if we are letting unholy things contaminate our minds and bodies. Confess our sins to God and trust in Him to purify us of our sins. Set our hearts to walk in the light in obedience to Jesus.

Prayer: Praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your blood that purifies us and washes us clean, white as snow. Help us, dear Lord, fulfill our destiny to be part of Your people, eager to do what is right and good. Forgive my sins, O Lord, and turn my heart from evil. Help me walk in the light before You. Let my hope ever be in Your salvation. In Jesus name, Amen.

The glory of the LORD

The glory of the LORD

Scripture:- The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. Ezekiel 43:4-5

Observation:- The first time “the glory of the Lord” was mentioned was in Exodus 16:10 when the glory of the Lord appeared to the Israelites in a cloud from the desert. The Israelites had been grumbling and feared they would starve to death, but the Lord appeared to them and later sent them quail and manna so that they would survive. In His glory, the Lord is our Provider. He provides all our needs.

Secondly, the glory of the Lord was seen on Mount Sinai where He met Moses and gave the 10 commandments. The people saw God’s glory like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. In His glory, the Lord is righteous and holy. Those who come to Him must also be righteous and holy, and we can only do so by the blood and power of the Lamb. 

Thirdly, the glory of the Lord was seen was by Moses alone in Exodus 33. Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, to see the Lord Himself personally, and the Lord passed by Moses, covering him with His hand while He passed by. How amazing that even in His great glory, the Lord is a personal God, meeting Moses personally. We too can have a personal relationship with our Mighty, Living God!

Next, in Exodus 40, after Moses had completed the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord was seen when the cloud covered the tent of meeting and His glory filled the tabernacle. Incredibly, the glory of the Lord was with the Israelites in the tabernacle by day in a cloud and by night in a fire in the cloud in all their travels. In His glory, the Lord is our Protector. He is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us, blessed be His name!

Besides that, the glory of the Lord also appeared when the Israelites refused to enter the promised land because of fear and threatened to stone Moses, and again when Korah the rebel challenged Moses and Aaron. In both occasions, the Lord came to defend His servants. In His glory, the Lord is our Defender!

After that the glory of the Lord is only mentioned next when He filled the temple built by Solomon after the king prayed to Him, and the priests could no longer do their work because of the presence of the Lord. In His glory, the Lord is a God who listens to prayer!

In Ezekiel, we see the glory of the Lord mentioned several times in his visions and in this new temple. In His glory, the Lord reveals mysteries to His children.

Application: Meditate on the glory and greatness of our Lord. Praise Him for He is our Provider, our Protector, our Defender. He answers our prayers, and seeks a personal relationship with us. He is righteous and perfect in all His ways. Like Moses, pray and desire to see the glory of God for ourselves. How, His presence would change us completely!

Prayer: Lord, You are my Protector, my Provider, my Defender. You are perfect in all Your ways, may Your name be praised. Open my eyes O Lord and reveal Yourself to me that I may see You. Change me O Lord, and stir a great fire within my heart to love you and to love others. In Jesus name, Amen.