Faith Revolution III

“ And the Lord said,“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)

In the previous blog, we touched base on the abundant life which Jesus spoke of in John 10:10b. John 17:3 describes this fuller life as follows: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” And, we can know more of God through His words which are spirit and life.

Thus, this more abundant life incorporates a spiritual life. In his book “Your Capacity in God”, Pastor Ulf Ekman points out that the Bible speaks of three kinds of life which we live concurrently, namely: bios (the physical, biological life); psyche (the soul life encompassing our mind, will and emotions); and zoe (the divine, spiritual life).  When we have zoe, we are ready for living the life that God has restored for us through the second Adam -- Jesus Christ. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12 (NKJV)

In the previous blog, we also delved a bit into the thief’s evil intentions to steal, kill and destroy. Just what is the evil one after -- our car, house, heath, wealth, et cetera? Surely, he doesn’t need a car! Hint: it must be something that he knows is precious to God, whether we value it or not. What could it be? Could it be the hidden and secret oil reserve under your house?! My guess was: “that God is good”.

I found the answer on the evening of 24 November 2012 when Dr. A.R. Bernard^, Advisory Chairman, City Harvest Church, was in town. He was in his element best (as usual), “preached hard”, and unveiled what the devil is after by taking this piece of the “jigsaw puzzle” from Luke 22:31-32.

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus disclosed to Peter that the devil had actually asked for permission to rough him out. But, Jesus told Simon (Peter), that He had prayed that Peter’s faith should not fail. Satan is after our FAITH –to steal, kill and destroy; just as how wheat is sifted using blades to remove the impurities. And, we thought that the devil had stolen our joy or something else for the longest time!

Faith is foundational to the Christian life. Without faith, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to please God; the just (righteous in Christ Jesus) shall live BY FAITH. Get hold of a CD on Dr. A.R. Bernard message, and be encouraged in your faith.

In gist, by the wisdom of God, Dr. Bernard expounded that: THROUGH CONVERSION, JESUS MAKES US A PART OF A PERFECTLY NEW IDEAL IN ETERNITY (IN SPIRIT), BUT GOD LEFT US TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REALITIES OF “TIME”. THEREFORE, THE BELIEVER LIVES IN A TENSION BETWEEN THE IDEAL AND THE REALITY.

Hey, take heart. JESUS has prayed for us believers, too! “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15 (NKJV) JESUS is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Let’s continue to follow Him, our Good Shepherd, and fight the good fight of FAITH!

^ Dr. A.R. Bernard is the founder of the thriving 33,000-member Christian Cultural Center in New York. As a highly sought-after speaker by some of the leading Fortune 500 companies, universities, colleges and faith-based organizations, Dr. Bernard regularly addresses U.S. senators and congressmen. He is also the president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York representing 1.5 million Protestants, Anglicans and Orthodox Christians. Dr. Bernard was named one of “The Powers of New York” by the New York Times in May 2012.

Faith Revolution II

One my favourite Bible verse is John 10:10 (NKJV) where Jesus said, " The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

For the longest time I have wandered how the abundant life could materialise for an ordinary believer like me. One of the hindrance would, of course, be a lack of knowledge. Make no doubt about it that our enemy, the devil -- the Father of lies, would rejoice to see us live a hapless Christian life as he casts doubts and seeks to deceive us from believing God's word. And, horror of horrors, so many Christians have unwittingly play the devil's advocate by condemning ourselves and choosing to be imprisoned by him rather than be liberated by the truths of God's promises. What were we thinking? Do we yet not get it that GOD IS GOOD and the devil is as bad as can be? Hosea 4:6 speaks of God's people being destroyed for a lack of knowledge and John 10:10a speaks clearly of the thief's intentions to steal, kill, and destroy.

It's time for Christians to know God's words -- the sword of the Spirit, and put them into practice by faith. The more we practice, the more we prove our faith and become a skillful warrior. It's time for us to get violent in our spirit and wage a good fight of faith, believing and contending for things which are aligned with God's word and will for us.

Jesus has said, "It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life." John 6:63 (Amp.) We can have the God-filled life when we have His words in our heart. His words are like seeds which are sown first into our minds. If we mix God's words with faith, the seeds would reach the good soil of our heart and spring forth a harvest as they are packed with God's Spirit and Life -- causing us to be a fruit-bearing vine.

Truth be told, we are, for example, heir with Christ and master of all. Yet, when we are still young in faith and feeding on milk rather than solid food, we are no different from a slave in our Master's house! Check this out: "Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, " Galatians 4:1 (NKJV)

A corollary verse to John 10:10b would be Romans 5:17 and this is becoming a hot favourite verse for me. Pastor John Bevere has stated in one of his book (it's either 'Relentless' or Extraordinary') that this is one verse that the believers ought to know besides John 3:16.

"For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

As we read Romans 5, the challenge for us would be whether we will choose the victorious life God has wrought for us through Jesus Christ (the second Adam) and be a champion in life or would we live in defeat by remaining under the power of sin which came through the first Adam.

Believe it: We are the righteousness of God in Christ^. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) Righteousness, as with grace, is a gift from God through faith in Christ.

As we seek God's kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), we will certainly be able to come to His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and ask for all that we need and live life with flourish as joint heirs with Christ. We are one with Christ. When God the Father sees us, He sees the righteousness of Christ Jesus and the power of Holy Spirit working through us.

It's about time for us believers to increase our understanding of how God sees us and know more than ever before of who we are in Christ Jesus by faith! And, press in to God and do the greater things that Jesus spoke of in John 14:12-14.

Be blessed now as you listen to Pastor Ulf Ekman preaching on the Foundations of Effective Prayer (starts at 4 minutes 20 seconds after the introduction and worship song).



Bibliography:-
^ Sermon on "Righteouness In Christ" by my senior pastor, Kong Hee, at City Harvest Church on 17 November 2012. (Get hold of the CD and be edified tremendously!)

Faith Revolution

Familiarity may lead to complacency and status quo. For example, we are told that there is no point in reinventing the wheel. Guess what, the wheel has literally been re-invented by Mr Brian Russell and you can check out his invention in the following clip on his Energy Return Wheel (ERW).

In a similar track, Christians may gloss over the call for us to live by faith. For example, the modern day believers are well attuned to having faith in the grace of God for salvation according to Ephesians 2:8,9(NKJV):  ^"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

As we can see, the grace of God comes by having faith in Him -- believing His words, His ability and His willingness to do what He says He will do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves; it is a gift of God so that God receives all the glory.

It wasn't until this year when I started reading Pastor John Bevere's book entitled "Relentless" that I caught hold of this truth that the grace of God is much more than the gift of salvation. Ever heard the phrase 'God has so much more installed for us'? I often wondered how this could apply to an ordinary believer like me and thought of it as only a good thought which sounded so right. 

Pastor Bevere reported in "Relentless" of a survey conducted in 2009 by his ministry across America that the overwhelming majority of U.S. Christian responders defined God's grace as: (1) salvation; (2) an unmerited gift; and (3) forgiveness of sins. However, only 2 percent believed that "grace is God's empowerment." That means 98% were living the Christian life in their own ability and strength!

Yet, this is what Jesus told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 concerning the power of His grace:-

 My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.

There is so much more that our Extraordinary God has installed for us His children by the power of His Holy Spirit with revelation through His word. "The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning." Psalms 25:14 (Amp.)

Yes, we may proceed to stetch forth not just the pipeline of faith for Salvation and Forgiveness of sins but also PIPELINES OF FAITH to the RIVER OF GOD'S GRACE for Holy Living, Healing (Divine Health), Abundance for meeting of needs, Reigning in life and SO MUCH MORE.

In this regard, please, please read EXTRAORDINARY by Pastor Bevere. The value of God's word by the revelation of the Holy Spirit as expounded in Relentless and Extraordinary are priceless and will revolutionize faith as we know it. For now, you can listen to this sermon by Pastor Bevere on Relentless.

There is nothing ordinary about our God! He is Extraordinary!! By faith, through His grace, don't you think we are meant to live an Extraordinary life doing His will so that God gets all the glory?! 

Would you cause Jesus to marvel?

This is like freshly baked bread, hot off the spiritual oven of heaven in that I hadn't put the 2 events together of when people had actually caused Jesus to marvel. It's like having butter on toast and now its butter-and-kaya on toast.

It was my Senior Pastor, Kong Hee, City Harvest Church, who touched on these 2 occasions in his sermon on 3 November 2012. One would have thought that Jesus had seen it all and nothing would surprise Him.

In the first account from Mark 6:1-6 (NKJV), familiarity bred contempt for Jesus and He marveled at the unbelief of the people at Nazareth who rejected Him:-

"Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching."

The second account is from Matthew 8:5-13 (NKJV), where Jesus saw the incredible faith of a centurion at Capernaum:-

"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour."

Unbelief could stem from ignorance due to a lack of head knowledge and/or heart knowledge (i.e., revelation). But, even if we know, we may still find it difficult to believe or act in disobedience to God's word. On a wiser note, we can choose to believe that God's word, i.e., the sword of the Spirit,  in our mouth is as powerful as God's word in His mouth. 

The bottom line is: Will we cause Jesus to marvel at our faith or our unbelief? Let's not be proud and think that we are smarter than God. Do we not know that disobedience is actually camouflaged pride? God has said it; that settles it. Let God, let go and let's go!

Destined to Bear Fruit

^"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)

Let's first be reminded of God's call for us to be fruitful and multiply. If possible, we shall touch on the reigning and ruling-in-life part on another occasion.

In the following excerpt from Pastor Ulf Ekman's book, "Born to Win" (Chapter 1 on Destined to Bear Fruit), we are reminded of God's will for us to bear fruit:-

"The word "destined" appears more often  in the Bible than the word "revival". The Bible says that we are destined to do good works, which means that we are destined to bear fruit. If you accept this perspective, God's perspective, you will become strong in your inner being. You will become resolute, dedicated and eager. You will not only dream and long, but your dreams and longings will activate you, through the Holy Spirit. to truly bear fruit.

Jesus will look at the fruit. He says that He knows the tree by the fruit -- not by the leaves, the lushness, the commercials, the newsletter, the buildings or the fantastic things that surround it. The tree will be judged by its fruit. This could be the most important thing for you to understand. Fruit glorifies God. Fruit makes you grow and it is what you will be judged by. Everything is about fruit. We cannot fool God. God enjoys you praising Him from the heart. If you stand there yawning and only pretend to worship, He sees that. But His primary interest is not in your worship. He looks to see if you are doing your heavenly Father's will. You will not enter heaven simply saying, "Lord, Lord" but by doing your heavenly Father's will. Obviously you must know what His will is. His will is that you bear fruit."

"What is God's will for me?" is one of the foremost question that Christians ask. And, we have just found the answer in Genesis 1:28. There is more. Consider also Ephesians 2: 10 (Amp.), "For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]."

As my Senior Pastor, Kong Hee, wrote on the church being the expression of Christ in society in his inflection, Called to Connect, for City Harvest Church's bulletin of Nov 3-4, 2012:-

 "Though you may not be of the world, you have been called by God into the world, to be an influence on His behalf. God created this world and He created you with special talents, interests and desires so that you might be obedient to live this life for His glory. Step beyond the four walls of the church and engage culture with your unique talents. In all things, strive to be a relevant, creative and authentic person who boldly lives for the gospel of Christ. Then, through you, the world will experience the love of God in greater measure!"

Be inspired as you listen to this song composed by Teo Poh Heng, a worship leader at City Harvest Church, as performed by the hands of 'braindot':-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDYoOnyj6wg&feature=related

Truly, as Jesus has said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 (NJKV)

The Man Who Made Jesus Stand Still

Mark 10:46-52 (New King James Version)

⁴⁶ Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁸ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁹ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.
Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”
⁵⁰ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
⁵¹ So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”
⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.+ + + + + + +

It has been said that a picture paints a thousand words. Imagine what a movie or a video clip can do to communicate God's word to us.

Thus, consider and catch hold of the following YouTube presentation by Pastor Steve Munsey of blind Bartimaeus who made Jesus stand still:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56aXpc6K7xY

Let faith arise and may our eyes be opened to see that God has so much more good things prepared for us.