TRANSFORMED BY WORSHIP by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, October 11 - 12, 2014)

The Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of what is in heaven and it outlines how the believer can enter into the Presence of the LORD in today’s context.

Within the Tabernacle resided the Altar of Incense, a picture of worship and prayer. It is positioned in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

Each time the priest entered into the Holy Place, he was commanded of the LORD to take a handful of incense and sprinkle it onto the burning coals of the altar. As the incense burned day and night, the perfumed smoke passed through the veil and into the Holy of Holies, as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

The fragrance, mixed with the presence of God, would fill the Holy Place, saturating the clothing, hair and even the skin of the priest himself. The fragrance of God’s presence would then be carried by the priest to others in the Outer Court.

Today, as believers in the New Covenant, when we enter into the presence of God and offer Him our worship, our love and our adoration; we must come away with our spirit, soul and body so permeated with the fragrance of God that we will be “…to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing …the aroma of life leading to life…” just like how it’s described in 2 Cor. 2:15-16.

WORSHIP ALWAYS TRANSFORMS US

The goal of worship is to be transformed into the image of the One who is worshiped. In Luke 9 is a beautiful account of how Peter, John and James went up to the mountain to pray with Jesus. As Jesus spent time with His heavenly Father, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white and glistening (Luke 9:28-31; Matt. 17:2). Jesus was transfigured by the presence of God.

In the original Greek, the word transfigured is the same word as “metamorphosis”, which means to change from one form to another. It is the same word used to describe the transformation of a caterpillar in a cocoon into a butterfly. So during His time of worship unto God, Jesus was metamorphosed from a human being into a glorious spiritual being.

The same word is used in another verse …”But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

This verse tells us that what happened to Jesus – when He was worshiping His Father – can also happen to us. For that to happen, based on 2 Cor. 3:18, we must know four things:

1. We must worship God with the REAL “US”

To worship with an “unveiled face” is to come before God without any masks – open honesty. Real change and transformation of our lives cannot take place without us being truly honest and open in the presence of the LORD.

2. We must look into the GLORY OF THE LORD

Introspection alone is not going to bring about the transformation we need in our lives. To that effect, even spiritual activities such as prayer, reading the Bible or Christian books would not change us either. It is only when we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ, then only will true transformation take place.

So, during prayer, when we see Jesus, we will be changed; as we read His Word, when we see Jesus, we will be changed.

3. We must expect the Holy Spirit to work in us

When we are looking at His face, the Holy Spirit is doing a deep inner work within us. In the Old Testament, during the plague in the desert, when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole, his message to the people was “Look and live”. Today, Jesus has already been lifted up on the Cross as our Savior to give us eternal life. So Paul’s message to us here is, “Look and be changed”.

4. We must allow the change to be PROGRESSIVE

Whatever glory we can see in God becomes the new platform to greater levels of glory to be revealed to us. As we spend time in worship looking at God’s nature, we will be adjusted to that nature – we become more loving, more forgiving, more faithful, more patient – from glory to glory!

The transformation is not instantaneous and there are no shortcuts; but as long as we hang in there with Christ, we will never fail. We are changed from “faith to faith” (2 Cor. 10:15) … “from strength to strength” (Ps. 138:3) … “from grace to grace” (1 John 1:16).

By the by, as we worship God, the Bible says that we will be changed “until Christ is formed in us” (Gal. 4:19).




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. 

http://edition.konghee.com/

April Reflections by Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian

(Source: page 3, TRUMPET April 2014, published by Trinity Theological College, Singapore. Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian is the Principal of Trinity Theological College.)

Once a year we are given license to poke fun at others such as getting people to believe ridiculous things or send them on a 'fool's errand'. Sometimes even the media gets into the act all for a good laugh. The origin of April Fool's Day is uncertain, although it is supposed to be one of the more light-hearted days of the year. Some believe that the switch to a new calendar changing New Year's Day from 1 April to 1 January by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 led people to make fun of those who refused to accept the change or unaware of it. Since then, many people good-naturedly welcome such jests to light up their lives.

Indeed if laughter is to be medicine for the soul, it should not only be humour at the expense of others, but also encourage people to laugh at themselves. Those who take themselves too seriously lose sight of this special gift available to us all. Thus, in our stressed filled lives at school, at work and at home, having a sense of humour restores the equilibrium of our senses. It rejuvenates our mental and emotional health as individuals, and that in turn enhances the wellbeing of our society.

 April also calls for serious contemplation as Christians commemorate Jesus' sacrificial life which ended on Good Friday. The season of Lent is a time of fasting and praying and abstinence from the appetites of human desires in our focus on our relationship with God.But the practice of these spiritual disciplines can become ends in themselves unless they lead us to reflect on our 'trespasses'.

One of the problems we face in this modern era is the tendency to minimize sin and its consequences. Perhaps, the internalized moral authority of our upbringing has become less dominant and as a result, right and wrong are not clearly demarcated as it used to be. So Holy Week should lead us to re-order our priorities, take stock of our value systems and renew our moral standards. To be sure, the grace of God is sufficient to cleanse us from any and every sin, but repentance (that is, confession followed by transformation) is a necessary step towards becoming Easter Christians.

April sounds the bell for the last lap for our graduating cohort. They will press towards the finishing line and expect to receive their degree in theology. It marks the closing chapters of formal theological education. This cohort, like others before them, will be assessed on how well they have integrated their theological studies and how they will apply their learning to the varieties of Christian service. But ministering to this generation will be far more difficult in the face of formidable challenges from the world and its secular offerings.

It is said that when quality of life improves through better education, and there is more equitable income distribution and longer life span, then religion will decline as more people embrace atheism. It is even projected that by 2041, religious people will become a minority with the rise of secularism. Consequently, religion will lose clout as it becomes the minority view in more societies as already seen in Sweden and Japan.

Are these ominous signs? Are 'secular gods' more attractive? Near the end of his life, John Wesley said: 'I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist...but I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having a form of religion without the power". Wesley believed that the discipline, stewardship and frugality of his followers would eventually lead to a better life. But he also knew that economic wellbeing puts Christians at risk of embracing secularism which could subtly hollow out their once vibrant faith. Therefore, it is imperative that our generation be intentional in building up Body of Christ to ensure that our children and their descendants will hold fast the faith.