Word of God is our food, prayer is our breathing

Thank God for the prayer meeting last night! He strengthened my soul and asked me to live by faith.

1) This world and our body is our temporary shelter. God has prepared an eternal home for us.

People who live by faith are "...longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Heb 11:16

2) Our weakness can turn to strength in God when we depend on him.

People "...whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." Heb 11:34 through faith.

"...he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Cor 12:9

A short testimony to share with you:

As you may already have heard from me, I have increased burden for my family and relatives after my grandma passed away and I prayed for them regularly. Not long later, my cousin (younger brother) found a job in Singapore. My aunt asked me to help him find an accommodation. Being a good cousin, I was anxious to help him find the best place to influence him for God. At that time, one of my friends in the ex-ministry house happened to be going back to Malaysia for good. Praise God for the miraculous timing! There will be one vacant roommate. After much talking with my the other friend (who will be my cousin's roommate), concerns were resolved and he finally agreed to let him in. I met my cousin and my friend for dinner early this week. They get to know each other better. Things are smoother now. I am praying that he will be influenced by Christians in that house and come to church soon! Praise God for his marvelous work!

Word of God is our food, prayer is our breathing. I want to encourage you to live by faith through the Word of God and through prayer more and more. Amen.

Giving Breakthrough Testimony

I was a very stingy person. I always wanted to receive and hoard as much as possible to make my life more secure. I always worried about money and I was not happy with my life.

During Hope Church Conference 2011, God changed my heart. One of our pastors mentioned that "Giving is Living". Holy Spirit led me to repent from my old mindsets. I responded to God by giving to the church building fund. I decided an amount that truly represented my heart. It broke my record of giving to God. I felt happy to be a giver.

Since then, God gave me overflowing joy like never before. The joy in my heart surpasses the amount of money I gave to him. God also leads me in ministry, career and relationship. God recently give me a strong burden to reach out not only my immediate family, but also my relatives in the entire family tree as well. I am praying for them regularly.

All glory be to God!

My Conversion Story

I was a very bad person. I ever altered my exam result to cheat my family. I took advantage as the only son in the family and I bullied my two younger sisters. I beat them up when I had a bad day outside my home. I asked them to do many things for my own pleasure. I treated them as my slaves. I did not respect my parents and grandparents. I shouted at them when I didn't get what I wanted.

In my first year studying in Singapore in 2000, I was very lonely. My seniors in the university brought me to church and lifegroup. I was touched by their care and love. By faith, I accepted Christ as I was not satisfied with my life.

My dad objected strongly about my conversion. But God changed my life. My dad fell into debt crisis in 2004 just after I graduated. God enabled me to love my dad. With my dad's limited income and amidst the pressure from money lenders, I helped him clear his debt gradually in a painstaking 3 years. My dad's heart was softened after the debt saga. He called me during one Christmas’s eve to say "Merry Christmas" to me. He knew I was celebrating Christmas and what Christmas meant to me (my parents are staying in Malalysia while I am staying in Singapore). My relationship with my two sisters also improved a lot. We are able to share our hearts and our problems with each other despite our distance.

God is still transforming my life to glorify him more. By faith, you can receive him and experience a transformed life too!

Hope Conference Reflections

1. Giving is living.
2. Sacrifice and suffering to produce maturity and fruits
John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
3. Jesus is the head and we are his body. If the head commands the right hand to raise, the right hand is raised. It would be strange if the head commands the right hand to raise, the left hand is raised. In the same way, Jesus, who is the head, commands us to do His will, it would be strange if we, his body, refused to obey. The head commands the body to be victorious, so we, also must be victorious!
4. A loving father loves every child the same but he loves each one uniquely. Our heavenly father is a good and loving father. He loves us so uniquely and it is sometimes beyond our understanding. Some might have to go through more suffering. Yet, God's love for them is the same!
5. Best leadership principle - be yourself. It basically means we do what we believe. Don't have to conform to the pressure of this world. It is how we influence the most.
6. Leadership wisdom - seek council to get the best decision. We can't possibly see things from every angle from our position. Don't need to impress and presume we always have the best and right idea.
Pro 11:14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.
7. Mission started with the very nature and heart from God. The Father sent the Son. Jesus is the first missionary. He came to live among us. We are called to live in the neighborhood to carry out God's mission.
8. Chairs-for-souls: Faith is much more valuable than gold and silver. Give courageously and generously!
9. Don't allow devil's lie to destroy the unity in the church. The devil plants negative thoughts in our mind against our brothers and sisters. Resist Him! Choose loving and kind thoughts toward them instead.

Righteousness and peace of God

Rom 4:4-5 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

Rom 4:14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,

Rom 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is so marvelous to know that we are declared righteous by God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not made righteous by what we do (did) and do (did) not do. But we are made righteous through faith and faith alone.

It is clear that righteousness is not earned by work (not even a single good work!), if it is so, it is not a gift, but an obligation. God credits us as righteous through our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

How precious are these thoughts! Thank be to God! Knowing that God is not so concerned about what we do and what we don't do, but more concerned about our faith in Him, how much courage we should have to do His will everyday! How much peace He grants his children when they have faith in Him?

Jehovah Kaddesh

Is it okay if we are motivated towards being holy because we want to avoid feeling guilty? Of course, not OK! In fact, it is wrong!

What is the bottom of our motivation? We must check and know clearly it is for God or for self. Wrong motivation will last temporary. It focuses on the external and outward appearance. It always has no substance. Right motivation will last for eternity because the source of motivation is from God and the goal is to glorify God. God is an eternal God!

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Are you proud to be called into God's kingdom? Are you afraid of rejection because of God's name? This is what always happened in HK movie: a rebellious youngster who is almost killed from gang fighting, a 'big' brother from another gang came and saved his life. How grateful and loyal will he be to his 'big' brother who rescued him? He would give his life fully to follow his new master since his life 'belong' to him.

1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

What do you think is God’s heartbeat when He gave us the command to be holy because He is holy?

I think a loving father would want his son to possess and imitate his good traits. God loves us and wants the best in us so he command us to be holy. One important theology we need to know about holiness: we are created in God's image - man are made to be holy according to God's design. when we are holy, we are like God and we can give glory to Him. We are able to draw people closer to our holy God. If we are not holy, we draw people closer to our 'unholy gods'.

What do you think is the meaning "living in ignorance" in verse 14?

This means we don't care about the word of God, neglect seeking the truth. We can't be sanctified by God. Bible is the manual of our lives - basic instruction before leaving earth. So it is important that we align our lives with God's word. Sanctification is a life long process. We need to be intentional in seeking God's truth in order to be sanctified by God.

Lessons from Dr. Stephen Tong's gospel rally & book

1) God gives men work because he does not want men to become lazy. He created objects for men to observe, analyze, see, study and think. Then men shall enjoy the fruits of his labor. All jobs whether it is high level or low level requires our minds to see, hear, observe and think. We have to actively do this to give God glory in our work.

Do you give all your energy and focus to do your work? Do you take short cut / cut corner to get your work done faster?

2) Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God's existence does not depend on whether we believe him or not. He will not cease to exist whether we meet a problem or not. He will not cease to exist whether we feel him or not.

Do you have a smaller faith in God when things are not turning out the way you want? Does your faith in Him fluctuate so regularly like the wave tossed by the wind? What is the object of your faith?

3) Priority: God --> Men --> Things

We have to constantly remind ourselves that men are more important than things. Things are created by God to serve men, not the other way around. But men must submit to God's rule. We can use the same principle on the stewardship of money. Men must not serve money. Money should be used to serve men.

Do you let money control you or you control money?

4) Order of importance: Truth --> Rational --> Emotion --> Will / Action

Philosophy from Plato:

"The least wisest men let their will control their actions. The less wiser men let their emotion control their action. The wisest men let their mind control their emotion and will, finally action."

A wise man will not let his emotion become the master of his rational. Instead, he will let his emotion become the slave of his rational.

But the wisest men can only go thus far, and nothing else follows...their rational still cannot surpass the truth, which can only be found in God.

Are your rational, emotion, will and action led and guided by the truth?

God's Sovereignty

A Sovereign Bullet

On April 20, 2001, the Peruvian Air Force shot down a missionary plane, mistaking it for a drug courier. In the plane were the pilot Kevin Donaldson and a missionary family, Jim and Veronica Bowers and their two children, seven-month-old Charity and six-year-old Cory. Veronica had Charity in her lap sitting in the back of the Cessna 185. As the bullets sprayed the plane, one of them entered Veronica’s back and passed through her and into her daughter. Both died. The pilot, with shattered knees, crash-landed the plane in a river, and the other three survived.

Seven days later at the memorial service in Fruitport, Michigan, Jim Bowers gave his testimony and explained why the sovereignty of God in the deaths of his wife and daughter was the rock under his feet.

"Most of all I want to thank God. He’s a sovereign God. I’m finding that out more now. . . . Some of you might ask, “Why thank God?” . . . Could this really be God’s plan for Roni and Charity; God’s plan for Cory and me and our family? I’d like to tell you why I believe so. He goes on to give fifteen reasons. In that context, he says, “Roni and Charity were instantly killed by the same bullet. (Would you say that’s a stray bullet?) And it didn’t reach Kevin, who was right in front of Charity; it stayed in Charity. That was a sovereign bullet.”
But what about the Peruvian fighter pilots? Didn’t they have wills? Didn’t they make mistakes or, perhaps, even sin against an innocent missionary family? Jim Bowers said, “Those people who did that simply were used by God. Whether you want to believe it or not. I believe it. They were used by Him, by God, to accomplish His purpose in this, maybe similar to the Roman soldiers whom God used to put Christ on the cross.”

Above is extracted from John Piper's "Sweet and Bitter Providence"

Gen 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Job 1:12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Job 2:6 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

God is in control when evil men seem to harm us or take advantage of us. He uses people and events to accomplish his purpose. No one can touch a strand of our hair without God's permission.

Do you believe in God's sovereign rule over all things?

Knowing the Father of mercies

2 Cor 1:3-4 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (ESV)

What happen to us is not more important than how we perceive what happen to us.

Why the Father of mercies and not the Father of love is used in this verse?

Since the fall of man, we don't deserve any good things from God. Yes, we face troubles in life, but the trouble actually could have been worse. In his mercy, he only allows trouble that we can bear. God, by his mercy, didn't repay us what our sins deserve.

With this understanding, we can be comforted by God when we go through troubles. For His mercy is sufficient for us!

Precious lessons about work

I can't emphasize more the importance of patience. Without patience we can't do anything excellently.

I can't emphasize more the importance of clarity. Without clarity of instruction, we can't do anything correctly.

One must know his resources and capabilities before committing to do anything or give any promise. When we are clear what is required, we can give our 100% focus and heart to get the thing done.

Knowing your identity in God to render humble service to others

John 13:3-5 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Knowing his power and authority in God, he demonstrated his love, humility, gentleness, servanthood spirit, kindness to his disciples.

Do you ever try very hard to prove something to somebody?

If we know our position and identity in God, we don't have to prove anything to anybody!
We can feel secure to give humble service to others.

Joy comes from total submission to God and humble service to others. We don't have to try to be someone until we forget to serve others.

It is also interesting to note the Lord's incredible patience with Judas Iscariot. He washed his feet and serve him meal just as other disciples. Judas had been dishonest with Jesus for a long time. Yet the Lord still keep him and give him chance after chance to repent. The Lord never gives up on us. He always hopes.

Your hour of trials and tribulations

John 12:23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

John 12:27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.

The hour has come for Jesus to suffer and die on the cross. He was willing to submit fully to God. In his mind, he already saw the victory and glory (the resurrection) that is going to come. He must have felt joy despite of the forthcoming trouble.

When your hour of trials and tribulations arrive, will you stand firm in God to go through it and expect God to "resurrect" you till the end? God will spare your life if your time is not up yet.

The greater we suffer for Christ, the closer we reach great victory. Take heart when you suffer for the sake of Christ!