Do You Still Have Issues With Speaking In Tongues?

If you still struggle with whether to be open to public speaking in tongues or steer clear of it, the following sermon by Pastor Kong Hee would be helpful to provide you with the theology for simultaneous speaking in tongues.

Image credits: City Harvest Church

Click here and fast forward to 1:11:04 for Kong Hee: Simultaneous Glossolalia –Tongues (Asian Pentecostal Summit 2025).

In his sermon, Pastor Kong addressed the five common objections to the simultaneous speaking in tongues:

1. Cessationist Objection

2. 'Xenolalia-Only' Objection

3. Pastoral or Seeker-Sensitive Objection

4. Pauline-Regulation Objection

5. Least Gift Objection

In particular, the following distinction between devotional tongues and ministry tongues is highlighted. Not all of us have the gift of worship leading or prayer leading, but that does not mean that singing and praying are not for us. Likewise, not having the gift of ministry tongues to address a congregation, doesn't mean that we should not speak in tongues during a church service.

When I first encountered the public speaking in tongues, I was confused and resistant without a proper theology to understand this phenomenon back then. If public speaking in tongues is still uncommon to you, then this sermon would provide you with a robust theology to allay your objections.

Trust that you would find that public speaking in tongues would, inter alia, help your word-perfect worship, as good as they are in church, to experience a lift-off and transcend into spiritual songs and singing in the Spirit, and that the following benefits of speaking in tongues will ensue:

Note: All image credits in this post belong to City Harvest Church.

"Journey to the Beautiful Life" by Rev Wu Yuzhuang

The following article with adaptation is based on what Pastor Wu Yuzhuang of City Harvest Church had preached during the 3 p.m. service on 2 September 2017.

"One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them.

Peter said, “I don’t have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked. 

The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing." -- Acts 3: 1-10 (MSG)

The gate where the man crippled from birth sat begging for alms was named Beautiful. Yet, the man's life was anything but beautiful; he had to beg for a subsistence life.

After all these years he could have resigned himself to the fact that the beautiful life was for all the people going into the Temple; it was not for him -- can see only but not touch. Perhaps he didn't even venture into the Temple because he was disheartened by his physical constraint. He didn't feel blessed or thankful and might well be wallowing in self-pity day in and day out.

Today was just another humdrum day, he thought. As usual, he was begging. But, he asked right today! He asked for alms from Peter, the apostle of faith, who was accompanied by John, the apostle of love, while they were coming for prayer meeting. Faith + Love + Prayer = Power of God.

He asked for a handout. But, Peter gave him something exceedingly far better than money. Peter invoked the name of Jesus Christ and unleashed the healing power of God to heal the lame man. 

Sensing the strength in his legs, the man "jumped to his feet and walked" and went into the temple with them "walking, leaping and praising God" Acts 3: 8b (NKJV). Indeed, like what has been recorded in Isaiah 35:6a (NKJV) on the future glory of Zion (the church of Jesus Christ), "Then the lame shall leap like a deer".

In life sometimes we do need people to help or carry us when we have a physical impediment, face setbacks or meet with adversities. But, people can only carry us so far to the brink of our breakthrough, destiny or miracle.

The lame man had people who were faithful to carry him to the Beautiful gate. The key to the blessing of God is showing up. Back-sliders might reach a stage where they analyse or question why they need to go to church. Is it because of praise and worship, giving of tithe and offering, prayer, hearing the Word of God, partaking the bread and wine during Holy Communion and/or receiving the benediction given by the pastor at the end of the service?

By focussing on the doings, we miss out on the essence of Who -- why we do what we do or who are we honouring and acknowledging by doing what we do. King David, a man after God's own heart, declared in Psalm 122:1 (NKJV), "I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Also, our approach to God must be reverential and honouring, as preached by Rev Bobby Chaw recently when he reminded us on what the LORD has said in Leviticus 10:3 (NKJV), "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified."

When Jesus was in the wilderness, the devil put Him through three tests with the evil intent of rattling His identity:

1. Performance-based Identity (I am what I do)

'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'

2. Popularity-based Identity (I am how many followers I have)

'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge concerning you."'

3. Possession-based Identity (I am what I have)

'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.'

Back to our condition in life. Don't stay down and wallow in self-pity. You don't need to succumb to an identity crisis because of wrong thinking which leads to negative emotions and warped (carnal) mindset which is out of alignment with God's Word concerning you. You don't have to seek validation from other people in order to feel good about yourself. If God be for you, who can be against you?

Being carried and lifted up is an experience. But, God wants to give you more. He wants to take you on a journey to the beautiful life. "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." John 10:10 (NKJV) 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Cor. 5:17 (NKJV) 

Jumping up and walking is the journey. The crippled man moved from dependence to independence! Man, he was ready for his breakthrough and he seized it without hesitation when God touched him. Get ready for your breakthrough/destiny/miracle today!

Click here to watch a snippet of the sermon.

For your further encouragement, click here to watch and listen to CityWorship: Miracle // Teo Poh Heng @ City Harvest Church.

Paradigms of City Harvest Church

This message is a summary of what Rev Dr Kong Hee has preached over several weeks concerning the DNA of City Harvest Church (CHC). For the full audio-visual message with Scripture verses and all, please check it out at The Ink Room. I am sure that this series of messages on the distinctives of CHC will spur you on in your walk with Christ Jesus regardless of which church you are residential.

What is a paradigm? A paradigm is a distinct way of thinking or viewing life in an entire community or generation.

Paradigms of City Harvest Church (Photo credit: William Choy)

In essence, the paradigms of CHC are as follows:

1. The Pursuit Of God Is The Whole Purpose of Life.

2. The Word Of God Is The Means To Abiding In Christ.

3. Love Is The Essence Of God.

4. Faith Obtains What Grace Has Provided.

5. Prayer Is The Key To Revival & Miracles.

6. The Primary Purpose Of Christ Is Soul-winning.

7. The Church Is God's Greatest Gift To Serve Humanity.

8. Discipleship Challenges Our Values, Fine-tunes Our Attitudes And Forms Christ's Character In Us.

9. The Great Commandment Is Our Motivation, The Great Commission Is The Goal And The Cultural Mandate Is The Strategy.

10. The Cultural Mandate Is Only Completed When The Character And Presence Of God Is Ushered In.

11. Strong Faith Allows For Christian Liberty.

12. Marriage Must Be Nurtured By Passion, Intimacy And Commitment.

13. Manhood & Christlikeness Are Synonymous.

14. Youths Are The Catalysts Of Revival.

15. Devotion Delights In Sacrifices To God.

Based on my sketchy notes with adaptation, I would just like to highlight a few selected paradigms:

Paradigm 1: The Pursuit of God Is The Whole Purpose Of Life.

The pursuit of God is an expression of love and never ending; it is from everlasting to everlasting. Consider Jacob who struggled with God overnight and would not let Him go. (Genesis 32:26)

God was impressed and honoured Jacob's audacity to ask for His blessing. It was to be a defining moment for Jacob as God pronounced to him his new name, Israel, which means "Prince with God"! Israel, in turn, was visibly moved and called that place of encounter, Peniel, which means "Face of God" for he had seen God face to face, and his life is preserved. (Genesis 32:30; NKJV)

How hungry are we for God, our Living Water and Living Bread? Isn't He more than enough for us in all the world, above and beyond all which have been created by Him and through Him and for Him?

"As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,

So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God." (Psalm 42:1; AMP)

"In the night my soul longs for You [O Lord],

Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;

For [only] when Your judgments are experienced on the earth

Will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:9; AMP)

Paradigm 2: The Word of God Is The Means Of Abiding In Christ.

God regards His Word above His own name. So should we, His followers and pre-believers -- by hearing, reading, studying, meditating and memorizing the Word of God, and followed through with trust-and-obey.

"I will worship toward Your holy temple,

And praise Your name

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name." (Psalm 138:2; NKJV)

As God Himself has revealed in His infallible Word, His Word is truly the avenue to abiding in Christ:

"Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (John 14:23; NKJV)

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7; NKJV)

Paradigm 6: The Primary Purpose Of Christ Is Soul-winning.

As with Christ, soul-winning must be the primary purpose of Christians and the Church. We are not just a company of do-gooders in a social club. We are called to be fisher of mankind by making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe the Word of God.

By a personal revelation given by Christ Jesus to Ps Kong Hee in a hotel room overlooking Waikiki Beach years ago based on the Great Commandment found in Matthew 22:36 - 38, CHC has adopted imperatives such as "Loving God Whole-heartedly & Loving People Fervently", "To Find A Hurt And Heal It. To Look For A Need And Meet It." and "The Caring System" all for the purpose of winning souls for Christ's kingdom.

Paradigm 9: The Great Commandment is the Motivation, the Great Commission is to the Goal, and the Cultural Mandate is the Strategy.

A mandate is the authority to act in a certain way and the cultural mandate stems from God's mandate given in Genesis 2:15.

"So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it." (Genesis 2:15; AMP)

In Latin, the word for "cultivate" is "cultura" and it means "culture", "cultivate the ground". Work releases our potential and we become proficient through practice, practice and more practice.

"Cultura" also means worship. Work is worship. Stay engage in your culture, as Jesus did, without compromising the Character and Presence of God in all your good works.

We can engage our culture in two arenas:

1. The Marketplace of Business, Education, Entertainment, Mass Media and Government.

2. Pop (popular) culture. (Yes, I have heard gospel raps and seen Christian leaders with undercuts without compromising the character and presence of God in all that they do.)

Pop culture gives people in our fallen world a global platform to tap into hope and love. And, Christians can start owning this platform more and more as the light of the world and salt of the earth.

Besides learning from the best in the business, Christians have the advantage of tapping into the creativity of God through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that John Newton's renowned "Amazing Grace" hymn was actually a pub song redeemed for the glory of God?! I didn't. But, now I know, thanks to the Cultural Mandate, and to Pastor Kong for sharing this insight.

"For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." Colossians 1:19,20 (NKJV)

In the face of pop culture, we could respond by Cocooning (withdrawing and isolating), Combating (fighting and resisting; self-righteous mindset) or Conforming (compromising, no repentance, no taking up the cross; Gospelite rather than Light of the world). Or, we could be agents of God's redemption in all its fullness by entering this global platform.

If you are interested, please look up The Ink Room to lay hold of this series on Paradigms of CHC to gain new insights and revelations for your spiritual edification and strengthening of your faith.

Called Out

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" 1 Pet. 2:9 (NKJV)

God has called us out that we may proclaim Christ to the nations.


"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." Heb.11:8 (NKJV)

As with Abraham, our father of faith, God has a specific calling out for each of us.


"Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness." John 12:27 (NKJV)


Even when our situation seems futile or even dead, God is still calling us out that we may proclaim Christ to the nations.


We have an urgent task ahead to proclaim Christ and pray to the LORD for labourers to be sent to the harvest fields.

May the following upbeat "Called Out" stir us up to take up our call:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esQZZ8_4pZ0

Believe in God for Supernatural Miracles!

On 1 August 2015 at City Harvest Church 5 p.m. service, Pastor Kong Hee mentioned the five reasons on why Christianity grew as cited by Mr Edward Gibbon, a distinguished secular historian and author of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire":

1. Uncompromising Zeal

2. Future Rewards

3. Supernatural Miracles

4. Moral Purity

5. Church Unity

Later that evening, while at home, I continued with my re-reading of "Unleashing Your God-given Dreams" by Steve Munsey. The following story in Chapter 3 of the aforesaid book as recounted to Pastor Munsey by a Russian believer stirred me up to believe in miracles of the God-kind and I thought that my sharing it here would spur you to believe God for miracles in your life.

To digress, earlier at the service I felt some throat irritation and had to cough intermittently while singing worship songs. Then, when Pastor Kong led us in prayer, I prayed in tongues believing God for healing. Shortly after the prayers when we sang on, I realised that the throat irritation was gone. I was encouraged there and then to keep on believing God for miracles by faith in His Word (in what He has already said and considered as done before mortal men, constrained by the dimension of time, could catch-on.) All Glory be to God alone! 

Back to the story when the KGB was so strong and communism was at its worst in Russia such that no one could preach the gospel:

"We were preaching the gospel one night, and the KGB came into our underground church in Russia. They arrested all of us, taking the leaders -- about four of us preachers -- in a helicopter, flying North. We arrived at the Arctic Circle area of our country, and they flew low, about one hundred feet off the ground. They shoved us, one at a time, miles apart, out the door of the helicopter to let us freeze to death. We never saw each other again.

My legs were broken when they hit the icy snow. I was freezing. This happened because of the Gospel. I awakened the next morning with the sun on my face. There was a polar bear, normally a man-eating animal, literally covering me like a blanket. When the sun got high enough that it could warm me, the polar bear looked right at me and walked away.

It came back that afternoon with a lunch sack in its mouth; the bear dropped it where I could reach it to get the food from the sack. Then it lay next to me to keep me warm through the night. This went on for three days and nights. On the fourth morning, the bear grabbed the back of my shirt and began to drag me through the snow into the woods. Then the polar bear ran off. I never saw it again.

I was discovered in the woods by some people who were only voices to me. I didn't know it, but they were Christians. They were a little afraid of me at first; they just didn't know who I was. They didn't believe my story about a polar bear keeping me warm. I told them, "He fed me for three days by bringing me a lunch sack." One of the men in the group said, "So that's where my lunch went!" He asked me to describe what was in the lunch sacks. I told him the contents that I ate on each day I was fed by the bear. It was what had been in the man's lunch sacks!'' They believe that I was a Christian after that testimony!"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Just as God provided food for Elijah supernaturally through ravens and for the Russian preacher through a polar bear, He will continue to work His miracles for us. Let's raise our hope in Christ -- our Hope of glory! 

This is a shout-out that Jesus is Alive!

Feed and stengthen your spirit or inner man with Word of God, prayer, praise/worship songs and right associations with Spirit-anointed followers of Jesus Christ.

Click on the following YouTube clip to re-affirm that Jesus is Alive! within you by listening to "Alive" in this rendition by Sun Ho at City Harvest Church and be blessed:-

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlL7kibH8lw

Walk On by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, September 27 - 28, 2014)

The Christian experience is often known in the New Testament as a “walk”. After we are saved and birthed into the kingdom of God, God expects us not to remain where we are, but to take action and walk progressively into the vision and destiny He has called us.

When Solomon was a teenager, his father David instructed him to walk in the ways of the Lord God … that he may prosper and have success (1 Kings 2:3). Later on, the Lord God Himself told Solomon that if he would walk in His ways as his father David did, God would lengthen Solomon’s days (1 Kings 3:14). When the time came for Solomon to construct the temple, the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying that if he would walk in His statutes, execute His judgment, keep all His commandments and walk in them … the Lord will dwell among the Israelites and will not forsake them (1 Kings 6:11-13).

From Solomon’s life, we can learn that a successful life is not just found in our position (as kings and priests unto God), but in our disposition, which is our walk. 

In the Old Testament, a priest had to walk out of his tent, enter the Outer Court, then into the Holy Place, and finally into the Holy of Holies, where the very Presence of God dwelled. Similarly, the New Testament gives us four instructions concerning our Christian walk, guiding us into the Presence and Power of God.


1. Walk In The Spirit, Not In The Flesh

Galatians 5:19-21 describes the flesh as sinful physical desires, wrong beliefs, negative emotions and carnal excesses. How can we as believers keep ourselves from walking in the flesh? A few verses earlier give us the answer …

Galatians 5:16 “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

The Holy Spirit does not control us. He simply stands alongside us while we do the navigating through life. He leads us and guides us by bearing witness in our spirit.


2. Walk In Faith, Not In Fear

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. In fact, we still need faith even when we get to heaven. How do we obtain faith? By hearing the Word of God; if the Word of God says it, that settles it!

The opposite of faith is unbelief, which brings about fear. Interestingly, in the Bible, the number of times it is recorded that God says, “Fear not!” is 365 times! That means, we must have faith and be unafraid every single day – by standing on the promises of God’s Word.

3. Walk In Love, Not In Lust

Faith and love go hand in hand; you cannot have one without the other. Galatians 5:6 says that faith can only work through love. That is to say that love keeps our faith working in the right direction, for the right purpose. 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. One touch of God’s love and all our fear, anger and bitterness melt away. Friends, walk in love, because our God is love (1 John 4:*).

4. Walk In Light, Not In Darkness

As God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), so must we endeavor to abandon every dark thought and every practice of darkness – especially when it comes to our relationship with others.

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

In the Bible, we read of men who have walked with God.

Revelation 3:4 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”

Abraham walked with God in the path of faith.

Moses walked with God in the path of obedience.

David walked with God in the path of worship.

Elijah walked with God in the path of prayer.


Just like these heroes of faith, let us also continually walk on with Jesus as we serve faithfully in the different ministries in church; as we serve in our workplace and our schools; and as served in our home and our community. Church, let’s walk on with God in Spirit, faith, love and light!



Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com.

An Interview with Dr Robi Sonderegger: On Obedience, Crisis Management & “Looking Up” by Yong Yung Shin

Please click here for the interview with Dr Robi Sonderegger by Yong Yung Shin of City News.

MAXIMISING YOUR GOD-GIVEN ABILITY by Kong Hee

[Source: City Harvest Church bulletin dated 19 & 20 July 2014. This article is adapted from Daily Living With Kong Hee. To subscribe to Kong's Daily Email Devotionals, log on to konghee.com]

God wants to raise each one of us as a person of great ability and action in His kingdom. "By this My Father is glorified, that your bear much fruit: so you will be My disciples." - John 15:8

Christianity is not a superstitious, magical faith where we as believers just sit back and wait for blessings to fall from heaven. Our success and productivity in life depends on our conscious decision to BE successful, productive, and able for God.

I want to share with you some thoughts on how to increase your ability and productivity for God's glory. As you choose to deliberately "skill up" and work hard, may you find more purpose, meaning, and success in everything you put your hand to accomplish.

1: The Impact Of Maximized Ability

What you have and where you are today are directly connected to your ability. That may or may not be an encouragement to you, depending on where you are in life right now, but the beautiful thing is this: Your abilities and skills can be stretched! And it is God's desire to help you achieve maximized levels of productivity and success in your life!

Read about the parable of the talents in Matt.25:15. The man with the five talents produced five more by reason of his effective use. Similarly, the effective use of your abilities and skills will lead to an increase in them. The more you use the abilities you've been given today, the more responsibility you'll be able to handle tomorrow. So make the most of what you have been given by God.

2: The Impact Of A Bad Attitude

Sometimes, what seems to be inability or a lack of productivity simply boils down to a bad attitude.

In Matthew 25, the man with the one talent didn't want to apply himself. So he masqueraded and covered up his laziness by blaming his boss for being unfair. But really, it was the man's bad attitude that caused his unfruitfulness. 

We all need to surrender our attitudes to God; take responsibility for the abilities and opportunities He has given you and maximize them effectively. Greater responsibility will always be given when you have greater ability.

It doesn't matter whether He has given you much or just a little. It's your attitude toward it that counts. Apply your whole heart and soul into what you are doing and I guarantee you that you will see it flourish.

3: The Impact Of The Company You Keep

When it comes to friendships, I love this old saying that states rather succinctly: You can't soar like an eagle if you hang around turkeys. The truth is, your abilities, productivity and success in life will either be hindered or enhanced by the friends you have and the company you keep.

Many people have great abilities and amazing talents, but because they hang with the wrong crowd, they can never rise to their highest potential and be as successful as God intended! The Bible says in 1 Cor. 15:33, "Do not be deceived:"Evil company corrupts good habits."

If you're not making the most of your abilities because of the negative influence of others, then I encourage you to evaluate your relationships today. It is absolutely crucial that you align yourself with the right friendships -- those who will encourage you to make the most of all God has given you!

The more you make use of your God-given abilities and talents, the greater the opportunities you will be given by God to put them to use in even greater ways!

And with more given, you will be able to become even more fruitful in your life, to the glory of God!

Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that's both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church -- a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! with Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. for more information on Kong's ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com.  

The Gospel of Jesus Christ the King

[The following article is adapted from a sermon preached by Rev Tan Ye Peng at City Harvest Church on 21 June 2014. ]

When we think of the "gospel", what comes to mind could be gospel music or an evangelistic rally where the gospel is preached unto the salvation of souls. The Greek work for gospel is euaggelion  (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on) which means good news or glad tidings of a king or kingdom. 

Thus, Mark 1:1 speaks of "the gospel of Jesus Christ (King)" and Mark 1:8 speaks of "the gospel of the kingdom of God". This is where many Christians miss it when we relegate Jesus to Baby Jesus lying in a manger or relegate Him as being nothing more than just our best friend. 

Truth be told, Jesus is Lord of all. And, if we do not honour Him as Lord of all in our life, then He is not Lord at all in our experience. Yes, the King demands a response from us to live for Him and His kingdom. Get real lest we sweat over this. After all, Jesus is our King, and He is worthy of our loyalty and worship.

The gospel is not just the good news; it's the glad tidings of King Jesus and His kingdom. We cannot truly get it (the gospel), when we do not have a close relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ and advance the cause of His kingdom. Remember, His sheep hears His voice.

When Jesus taught in the synagogue at Capernaum, He spoke with authority (of a king). "And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Mark 1:22 (NKJV)"  Behold, we have in Jesus the King who has absolute power and authority, and if we allow Him, He can evict every squatters in our closet such as fear, worry, temper problem, addiction, unforgiveness and idolatry.

How then are we to live as one who comes under the authority of King Jesus in His kingdom? Hear then the words of Jesus, "... "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:34 - 38 (NKJV)"

In Mark 1:24 (NKJV), the unclean spirit identified Jesus as the Holy One of God,  "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him."" Jesus did not need any affirmation from the kingdom of darkness. Yet, the Pharisees could do worse when they kept asking Jesus for signs which clearly show that they would not believe Him as the Son of God. It would be an offence really for us to keep asking the King to prove His authority. Can we deny ourselves of the worldly mentality to challenge God's Authority and Sovereignty? Thus, as Jesus has cautioned, we are to be wary of the leaven (influence) of the Pharisees (Mark 8:15).

Jesus also charged us to rid ourselves of the leaven of the Herod who was an earthly king. Herod speaks of one who is not mindful of the things of God -- which may not be convenient; a person who has not given up the throne of his own life to Jesus and His kingdom. Taking up the cross means unto death and in some countries, disciples of Jesus face martyrdom for real.

When we follow Jesus, we have to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Following Jesus would be doing whatever He tells us to do and it encompasses serving Him rather than mammon (money) as our Master.

Many of us, as with Apostle Peter by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would have a revelation of Jesus as the the Christ -- the Son of the living God. Yet we could still have an impaired vision of who is Jesus in His full glory. Peter found it hard to accept that Jesus had to suffer and go to the cross so as to fulfill God's plan of Salvation. 

Sadly, we have often confined Jesus to a room in our heart and in so doing limit His influence and authority over our life. We could have our best days yet, if we allow King Jesus to reign supreme in our heart of hearts. Today is a great day to start. God bless.


Please click here to access resources from City Harvest Church which are made available at the Ink Room.

Understanding Grace

One of the very best teaching I have heard on grace came from Dr. A. R. Bernard who preached it at City Harvest Church on 18 January 2014.

He started off his teaching on the purity of love. If there are reasons for love, it means that there are conditions. I love you IF ...., you get the drift. That's human love. 

On the other hand, God's love or God's kind of love is unconditional. A man, for example, is to love his wife redemptively, sacrificially and unconditionally. Yes, a man is to love his wife as Christ loves His church. God is love. Pure love is redemptive, sacrificial and unconditional. These constitute grace, and we need solid-food teaching in the Body of Christ on grace (and much more) to ground and establish us in the eternal Word of God. And, live life as God has intended for us; His Words are Spirit and Life.

Before the advent of Christ, we have the law which constitute the rules that govern human conduct. The law of Moses is a complete system lacking nothing.  When Jesus came, He elevated the Mosaic laws and raised the bar for He examines and deals with the intent of our hearts. It is already a sin when we conceive it in our minds before we decide whether to proceed with it or not!

In the Kingdom of Christ, we are blessed and highly favoured. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. We are now in this window of time called the dispensation of God's grace. 

Grace is an expression of God's love and graciousness is the quality of being warm hearted, considerate, affectionate, forgiving and sympathetic. With grace, what we believes determines what we receive whereas the law is merit and performance based.   

In the account from John 8:1-12 on the woman caught in the very act of adultery with the male counterpart conspicuously left off the hook, the Law (Pharisees) accuses and wanted to know what Grace (Jesus) would say. Jesus said, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Dr. Bernard summarized that: 

1) Jesus did not dispute the charges;

2) Jesus gave her protection from the accusations of the law;

3) Jesus gave her dignity;

4) Jesus offered her forgiveness;

5) Jesus released her from condemnation; and

6) Jesus made a demand on her lifestyle ("go and sin no more").

I think the biggest slice of takeaway from this message for the Body of Christ is that SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES as certain quarters of believers may be over-emphasizing grace to the point where sin is like a mere mosquito-bite to be soothed by the balm of Christ's blood.

As recorded in John 5:14 after Jesus had healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity thirty-eight years, He cautioned him, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." 

With humility, fear and trembling, I submit the following 2 Scripture verses which shed further light that sin has consequences, too, even after we have come to an initial saving knowledge of Jesus Christ:

"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away,to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." (Hebrews 6:4-6; NKJV)

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord.And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31; NKJV)

The call remains remain for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. More grace to love people into the kingdom of God and more knowledge for us to stay in the Kingdom of God till Christ comes again. And, to be mindful that grace makes a demand on our lifestyle. For we were bought at a price so as to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20; NKJV)

P/s: This article is adapted from Dr Bernard's sermon at City Harvest Church on 18 January 2014 and, if you are interested, please proceed to procure a CD copy from The Ink Room.

Kingdom of Priests

This reflection is adapted from a message preached by Rev Dr A. R. Bernard in City Harvest Church on 21 September 2013.

In Revelation 1:5b – 6 (NKJV) we read,  “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Also, we read from 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV), “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”.

As we have seen in the aforesaid verses, the Word of God tells us in no uncertain terms that the Christian believers are all priests and priestesses. (I will stick with priest or priests in this writing to refer to both male and female believers.) Truth be told, the moment we are born again, we become part of the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Dr Bernard asserted that every New Testament believers is a priest and our greatest privilege is to have direct access to God Himself, with great thanks to what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. We may not feel like a priest or even royalty, for that matter. Yet, the heart of the matter is that the Word of God is the final authority. When God says it and we believe in His Word, that settles it.

This will require a paradigm shift as many believers have abdicated their priesthood to the church. Thus, many sincere believers were trained over the years to get from the church rather than take up their responsibility as a priest unto God, with Jesus Christ as the High Priest.

Following from this, we could well imagine throngs of downtrodden believers coming to church for repair and maintenance. I once liken believers coming as cars to the garage of a cell group meeting for refueling, fixing-up and washing-up.

But, we were meant to be givers as the priesthood is based on sacrifices. We come not to seek the blessing but the One who gives the blessing.

Dr Bernard highlighted that as priests we are to offer the following sacrifices to God:

1)   Our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1);

2)   Fruit of our lips as a sacrifice of praise (Hebrew s 13:15);

3)   Our substance in our tithes and offerings (2 Corinthian 9:7); and

4)   Our service heartily unto God (Colossians 3:23).

When we know and become the priests according to the order of Melchizedek, doing church or playing church will longer be our weekly agenda.

We can, with diligence and discipline by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and in the fellowship of healthy believers, become a minister of God 24/7 and seven days a week. All Glory be to God! Amen and amen.

It is my prayer and aspiration that this gentle reminder from Dr Bernard of our priesthood and the disciplines entailed thereof will help to move more and more believers to “reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

It is Finished!

This article “It is Finished” is adapted from Dr. Yonggi Cho’s sermon at City Harvest Church’s Dedication Service on 9 July 2013 upon its move home to the renewed and upgraded Suntec Singapore, and Pastor Kong Hee’s sermon on 13 July 2013.

There are two occasions in the Holy Bible where God’s work is finished. The first is when “the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” and God “rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done”. (Genesis 2:1~2; NKJV) The second event took place when Jesus died for us on the cross at Calvary and declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:28,30; NKJV)

Interestingly, man and woman were created on the sixth day and on the very next day God rested from all His work. There was no more work to be done and we entered His rest, as it were, before the curse of sin (disobedience) fell on us.

Though we fell from glory, God did not give up on us. Then, Jesus obeyed the Father and completed the work of redemption, and we the redeemed of the LORD can now say, “Salvation is finished work!”; “Sickness, you are finished because of Jesus Christ.”; “Sin, temptation and poverty, you are finished by Jesus Christ”; and “I’m a blessed person of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Cho’s urged us, believers, to pray and find our rest in God; the work belongs to God. God wants to take over our sin, failure, work and other problems. He (Jesus) is ready to meet the needs of people who are sick, cursed, unhappy and dying. Also, Dr. Cho shared on how good and pleasant it is to meditate on and experience the truth and reality of life in the realm of God’s kingdom with particular focus on the following nuggets:

a)    Forgiveness of sins;

b)    Healing from sickness and diseases;

c)    Sanctification by the Holy Spirit;

d)    The covenant blessing of Abraham; and

e)    Eternal kingdom of God.

Take some time to just pause and reflect deeply on the aforementioned blessings of life in the Presence of God. Such an exercise will truly help us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ rather than our despair or discouragement.

Pastor Kong’s exaltation is for us to pray, worship and find our rest in God. He touched on Matthew 6 which has two major themes: (I) Don’t worry; and (II) Jesus’ teaching us how to pray.

Reference was also made to Revelation 5:8~10, which offer a glimpse of a believer’s life of victory in Christ Jesus, with the playing of a harp representing praise/worship and golden bowls full of incense being the prayers of the saints. “And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” (NKJV)

Fret not, Jesus is our King who is wearing the Victor’s Crown. God has given us four things to go beyond our three-dimensional realm:

1.            THINKING

-      Change your thinking life; feed our mind with God’s Word.

-      As a man thinks, so is he.

2.            VISIONS AND DREAMS

-      Visions and dreams are the preferred language of the Holy Spirit.

-      See yourself healthy, wealthy, strong and wise in Christ Jesus.

-      If your dream is from God, He will back it up.

3.            BELIEVING

-      You must believe with the faith you have.

-      “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”” (Mark 9:23;NKJV)

-      Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40; NKJV)

4.            SPEAKING

-      This is what Dr. Cho often speak of as “mouth confession”.

-      What you speak, you are going to have it.

-      There is power in your confession; your confession will change your life.

-      After suffering from a stroke at 88 years old, Dr. Stanley E. Jones (regarded as the Billy Graham of India), got the nurses to confess God’s Word over him in Jesus’ name. He was healed and went on to preach again for several more years. Hallelujah!

Dear believers, we live unto God and wanna let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify Him. We may do all we can with the help and anointing of the Holy Spirit as vessels and vehicles (hands and feet) of God and keep learning to do things with Him and in His ways.

But, ultimately, it is the LORD’s work and there are things that are simply beyond us to lift a finger. For example, healing the blind, and setting captives free from strongholds. Let God do all the heavy lifting.

However, we can come under Jesus’ anointing of ease and learnt of Him. We can get our thinking right by receiving the rhema of God’s Word (remember, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God); receive anointed visions and dreams through communion with the Holy Spirit in praise/worship and prayers; exercise our mustard seed-size faith and keep listening to God’s Word (for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God); order our conversation aright by confessing God’s Word as the Sword of the Holy Spirit.

To put a smile on your face, there is a work that God is still about. YOU! He is not done with you yet as His new creation in Christ Jesus. Hear then the Word of God by the hands of Paul the apostle, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”. (Philippians 1:6; NKJV)

Meanwhile, let’s keep fighting the good fight of faith and apply the aforesaid four spiritual disciplines as disciples and friends of Jesus Christ. We are the blessed of the LORD, indeed!

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For your spiritual edification, you may wish to check out some resources by Dr. Cho and Pastor Kong Hee by clicking on The Ink Room.