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! 

Man-Up! with Bishop Dale Bronner

(The following message is a recollection and adaptation of what Bishop Dale Bronner had shared during a Man-Up! meeting held at City Harvest Church on 24 July 2015)

Bishop Bronner shared so many nuggets upon nuggets of truth that it is not easy to catch them all with a pen and notebook.

Hence, you may wish to get hold of a copy of his message in full from The Ink Room (http://www.theinkroom.com.sg)

Noting that Singapore is known as the Lion City, he proclaimed that Singapore belongs to Jesus -- the Lion from the tribe of Judah. He has some Asian roots and identifies with the same blood type which is the most common among Asians -- B+ (i.e., Be Positive!). 

Then, he took some digs at the differences between man and woman. For example, when a woman says she doesn't have any clothes to wear, what she meant to say is that she has nothing new to wear. On the other hand, when a man says he has nothing to wear, he is saying that he does not have anything clean to wear. He quipped, "Your wife doesn't always hear what you say; she interpretes you."

When a man is fulfilled, his wife and his children will also be fulfilled.

Every man has 4 needs (at least):

1. A need to be LOVED.

2. A need to be UNDERSTOOD.

3. A need to be VALUED.

4. A need to be REMEMBERED (in a positive way).

God's answer to every problem is always a person -- the right person at the right time in the right place doing the right thing.

Men are called to be leaders in their home. The LEADER is a path finder where, ethymologically, LEA = path; and DER = finder

God puts a vision in us, but man as a leader has to find the path. LEADERSHIP is leading yourself in such a way that inspires others to follow. God gives us a hunger to find our path. Get up and go on a journey with God. You will find God the most outside of your comfort zone.

The greatest lessons are learnt on a course (of life) and not in a course (of study). Always remain teachable.

God fills us to fulfill the Great Commission.

According to Luke 12:47 (NKJV), "And that servant who knew his Master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." You don't get what you want in life, but you get what you prepare for. BE PREPARED!

How To Prepare Yourself:

1. Assessment

Be aware of not only your strengths but also your weaknesses. Do not be like the job interviewee who only spoke of his strengths and was dumbfounded when asked for an assessment of his weaknesses. He was not honest with his assessment of himself since everybody has weaknesses. God gives you direction based on where are you. "Adam, where are you?"

2. Alignment

Have everything set up properly. Align your values with the Word of God. Taking an analogy from the game of golf, your posture and swing must be in alignment for the ball to reach the goal.

3. Attitude

Attitude is a frame of mind. Be positive. Be allergic to negative people. Whatever frame your mind will frame your world. An attitude is an external sign of an inner emotion.

4. Action

Be ready to take the first step when the time comes.

Have a SYSTEM -- a system simplifies the various aspects of your life such as family, business and finance. With a system, you Save Your Self Time Energy and Money.

WISDOM is knowing what to ignore.

HAPPINESS is determined by genetic set point (50%), intentional activity of thoughts and actions (40%) and outside circumstances (10%). Inspite of the least percentage of influence, outside circumstances can mess up our happiness.

Some Outside Circumstances That Stress You Up:

1. Living out of sync with who you are (your core values).

2. Saying "Yes" when you should say "No". Make a decision to cut off from a state of being, where De = off; cis = cut; and ion = state of. A decision gives us powerful scissors.

3. Trying to control things that are out of your control.

4. Having an unreliable team member.

Be wary of the company you keep. These are the categories of people in your life:

1. Coaches (experts who need very little from you; 90% of the time they are imparting to you while you give them your 10%)

2. Comrades (buddies)

3. Casuals (associates; acquaintances)

4. Care (people we care for)

5. Chronics (hardheaded people)

6. Contaminants (evil, wicked and destrutive people who distract you from your purpose and God-given mission)

Spend more time with your Coaches, Comrades and Casuals.

There is a WORK that God has ordained for man:

1. HARD WORK

Be diligent. Work hard. Dysfunctional = not working. An indolent person is a lazy person who is avoiding pain and, in so doing, creates pain for others. Romance without finance is a nuisance.

2. HEART WORK

Keep your heart clear of offence, resentment, unforgiveness. etc.We control our reactions to others. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 (NKJV)

3. HOME WORK

Maintain your home as Prophet, King and Priest. No amount of success can compensate for the failure at home. Family = Father's house. Husband = houseman.

Build your house on a solid rock of hearing and doing the Word of God (God's principles).

About Bishop Dale Bronner

Bishop Dale C. Bronner is the fourth of six sons of the late Mr. Nathaniel Hawthorne Bronner, Sr. and Mrs. Robbie Bronner. He began ministry in his local, public high school as president and founder of the Praise the Lord Club. Bishop Bronner is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he finished as the top student in the field of religion. Since that time, he has been the recipient of countless accolades. He became a member of the Martin Luther King Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in 1999. In 2001, he earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Christian Life School of Theology. In 2003, he was consecrated/installed as Bishop by the International Communion of Charismatic Churches, which is a network of more than 16,000 churches.

He serves on the Board of Directors and is part owner of Bronner Brothers Manufacturing Company, a multi-million dollar family-owned corporation which has been in the hair care business for over sixty years.

Currently, Bishop Bronner is the founder/senior pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral, an interdenominational ministry, founded in 1991, thriving with more than 19,000 members. Many regard Bishop Bronner as a leader’s leader. Consequently, he is a much sought after conference speaker and leadership trainer, whose travels have taken him around the world. He is an accomplished author, with several books to his credit: Get A Grip (1996), Guard Your Gates (2002), A Check Up From the Neck Up (2003), Treasure Your Silent Years (2004), Home Remedies (2005), and Pass the Baton (2006). Bishop Bronner is co-author of Planning Your Succession (2008). He is also a contributing writer for the books, Man Power and Failure: The Womb of Success. Bishop Bronner’s message reaches millions daily through his international multi-media broadcast.

Bishop Bronner resides in Atlanta with his wife, Nina. They are the proud parents of four daughters and one son. Additionally, they are blessed to have two beautiful granddaughters. Bishop Bronner lives with a mission to reach the lost and teach the found. His passion is to know Christ and to make Him known as well as to bring maturity to the Body of Christ.

Faith Revolution IV -- Where There Is No Ownership, There Is No Outrage

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;

But the earth He has given to the children of men." -- Psalm 115:16 (NKJV)

Every now and then in Christendom, we come across a message which will grip us and transform us as the powerful truth of God's Word is unveiled before the mind of our understanding. This is one such message which could revolutionize our faith in God as we know it up till now. Get ready and buckle up for the launching of a new level of faith!

I found this message in prophet Bill Winston's preaching on "You Can Do Something What Other People Can't". Click on the following link to get the full message and be all stirred up in your spirit man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpClD18zh74

Initially, I thought that he would be speaking on the unique gifting which each of us has been given so that we could develop and deploy for the glory of God. The following is an adaptation from what I have learnt from the man of God.

Who is running this world? From the looks of it, the people of God (the church; the redeemed of the LORD) are not running it, yet. By and large, the world is governed by people with human wisdom rather than heavenly wisdom and, worse still, in certain times and places, by leaders who are influenced by the evil one. 

Back in the garden of Eden, God has given Adam the mandate to have dominion over creation, meaning: rulership, authority, stewardship and OWNERSHIP. Ownership denotes sovereign, supreme authority and an owner is someone who has legal or rightful title to a subject matter.

Jesus died for ownership. WHERE THERE IS NO OWNERSHIP, THERE IS NO OUTRAGE. Look at the distress we see in this world. The believers need to take ownership of this world and the nations. We are as much in heaven as we are on earth; seated with Christ in the heavenly places. When we don't own stuffs, the enemy knows it!

For the longest time, I have wondered why people would pray Psalms 1:8 (NKJV): 

"Ask of Me, and I will give You

The nations for Your inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for Your possession." 

There prayers seem so far fetched. Now, I am beginning to see that we the believers need to grow up and grow out of our small vision to see the bigger picture of how God will build His church so that it can, in turn, bind the strongman from stealing, killing and destroying people the world over. God desires that none shall perish; He has given the earth to the children of men.

It's time for us believers to take up the authority over our nation, community, business, school, family and spiritual life, Or, the accuser of the brethren will do so. When we see that our ownership is violated in that things are not run or not turning out as they ought to be, outrage would be an appropriate response. Can you imagine a thief trespassing your property and stealing your stuffs right before your eyes and you are not provoked to do anything about it?!

Our adversary is not people per se, but the evil one. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)  

Jesus is the lawful owner of everything; God has appointed Jesus as heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). Amazingly, the believers are joint heirs (co-heirs; 100% : 100%) with Christ. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:16 - 17; NKJV)

As pointed out by prophet Winston, "There is an inheritance that cannot be delivered to you beyond your level of growth. ... Many times the people in the church have been carnal. ... For you to face the giants, you're gonna have to be spiritual." In the parable of the prodigal son, the father told the elder son that ".. you are always with me, and all that I have is yours." (Luke 15:31b) But, the elder son could not see it.

In the piranha story, a glass divider was placed between the predator fish and a small fish. After a period of time, the piranha was conditioned to think that it was futile to reach for the provision and ceased trying all together even when the divider was removed. Jesus has removed the divider out of our life and the provisions are swimming around us!" 

The aforesaid phenomenon is not new as apostle Paul has informed us, "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, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world." (Ephesians 4:1-3; NKJV)

Here comes the best part. We have the title deeds! "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]." -- Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) We have the legal right to receive what is ours and put the devil to flight.

Believing is seeing. We look through our eyes, but we see with the mind of our understanding. Two persons can look at the same thing, and yet see differently. One believer will look at the evil in this world and question God while another believer will see that the church has been slacked concerning its responsibility to safeguard lives from the evil one. 

The urgency to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to every persons in our community and every nations, among other good works, is something that must continue to be top priority for the church. People need the Word of God for the renewal of their minds and transformation of their lives. The truth of God's Word will set people free from bondage and gives them a sure compass for the good life in Christ Jesus. 

The clearer the picture, the faster will be our acceleration towards our known goals. May our mediation on the Word of God prepare us for the next level of faith. As taught by prophet Winston, meditation is the God-given process that produces a spiritual experience that causes a permanent change in your thinking.

May your faith living be never the same again from this day forward!

Bill Winston - You Can Do Something What Other People Can't 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpClD18zh74

Unlikely Soccer Win on the Wings of Prayer

"All Glory Be To God!" for this testimony I am about to share. Personally, it has encouraged me to know that God listens to prayers and that prayer can make all the difference. Yes, it would be transformational to know and experience God in everyday life, as Dr A R Bernard puts it.

Also, I would like to add that although I do pray regularly, I do not usually receive an inexplicable prayer burden, compulsion, provocation or assignment. And, of course, God would send this spirit of prayer to as many persons as He desires.

However, when such a spirit of prayer comes, I find that it is both a very calm assurance, that surpasses understanding, and a confidence that what is prayed for will come to pass. For example, the prayer for the haze to dissipate from Singapore in an earlier blog post on 22 June 2013.

Well, on the evening of 23 May 2015, I was having dinner at home and glancing at the Malaysian FA Cup final between Kelantan and Singapore on television which my sister-in-law was watching avidly. 

I used to watch soccer games on television regularly but has gotten myself unhooked after countless disappointments with the teams that I fancy and finding that a soccer match which lasts 115 minutes, including half-time, is a time-stealer. In order to stay in the know, occasionally, I would just read the outcome of matches as reported in the newspaper.

Faris Ramli scored for Singapore around the 7th minute accompanied by the shouts and cheers stemming from the neighbouring flats. However, Kelantan was clearly the stronger team and they launched waves after waves of attacks. Singapore defended as best as they could with goalkeeper, Izwan Mahbud, having to pull off many superlative saves.

After dinner I did my share of housework by sweeping the floor and glanced at the ongoing match occasionally, but things were really looking downhill for Singapore. By the by, Kelantan equalised around the 60th minute as can be heard from the television. I did not bother to look as I hate to see the despair of Singapore players and fans alike.

With the floor swept, I then proceeded to take my shower. While showering the spirit of prayer came upon me in the knowledge that with God all things are possible, and I began to pray that Singapore will defend stoutly, that there will be a turnaround and the players will be filled with courage and confidence to play their game and score another goal. But, the win had to be convincing, also, I reckoned. Winning by a goal would not be so convincing.

Then, I received by faith a visualised 3-1 incredible scoreline for Singapore. What a stretch that would be for the vanquishing to emerge as a winner notwithstanding that it would be such a sweet celebration for Singapore's 50th year of independence. 

Shortly after, it happened. I heard shouts and cheers from the neighbourhood. It could only mean that Singapore had scored a second goal against all odds. Not long after, there was another round of triumph overheard. I scrambled for the bathroom door and headed for the living room. There, I saw a replay of Sahil Suhaimi scoring from the penalty spot. Hard to believe, but the weak became strong and triumphed 3-1!

We are to glory only in the LORD God Almighty. With Him, all things are possible. "...and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27; NKJV)."

“You are worthy, O Lord,

To receive glory and honor and power;

For You created all things,

And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11; NKJV)

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!: (Psalm 150:6; NKJV)

"The Love of God" by Frederick M. Lehman (1868 - 1953)

For your contemplation on the magnitude of God's love, the third stanza of "The Love of God" is highlighted below:-

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

"And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen." John 21:25 (NKJV)

Click on the following YouTube clip uploaded by Bob Marshall and be blessed as you listen to Shelley Jennings sing The Love of God:- 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Vp3XQ__-w

What is the Sign of Jonah?

When we think of Jonah, we can't help but associate him with a great fish that swallowed him and the closest plausible sea creature we have sighted would be a whale.

God had an assignment for prophet Jonah. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”  But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah 1:2,3 (NKJV)"

As the ship set sail, the LORD sent a violent storm which threatened to shatter the ship. The crew cast lots to determine who may had caused this calamity and the lot fell on Jonah. Still, they rowed as hard as they could to bring the ship to shore, but the tempest worsened. They prayed for God's mercy to spare their lives and, as a last resort, threw Jonah into the sea, and then the storm ceased.

"Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 (NKJV)"

Fast forward to the New Testament, Jesus Christ was pressed for a sign of from heaven. "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:39, 40 (NKJV)"

In 2010 a gray whale was spotted off Herzliya Marina, which is part of the Jaffa or Tel Aviv district as per the following report by BBC:-

Mediterranean gray whale appears 'back from the dead'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8672000/8672970.stm 

And, Joppa is modern day Jaffa or Tel Aviv and also known as Japho, Joppe, el-Qal'a, 'Yafa, Yafa el-'Atiqa, Yafo) as sourced from the following link:-

http://www.bibleplaces.com/joppa.htm

What do we make of all these? 

I would say that we have already seen the sign of Jonah when Jesus was crucified, dead and buried for three days and three night just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. 

As for  the sighting of the whale, scientists believe that it could be due to climatic changes and/or that the whales are retracing their ancient routes and returning to their former haunts across the Atlantic Ocean.

Still, it is exciting that the fish that swallowed Jonah has finally been transferred out of the pages of the Holy Bible and Sunday Schools onto newspapers, mass media and scientific journals, and into the public domain.

God is Almighty! He sent the storm, He sent the fish, and He sent His Son!!!