For the Least of my Brothers...
Over the past weeks, there has been a growing conviction and desire among a number of us to want to seriously consider how we as a community of God's people can put our hearts, minds and hands together to reach out and serve people in need.
At the last cell cluster meeting, Ps. Lip Yong talked about offering our friendship and service to those affected by the current financial crisis, and more broadly on giving of ourselves to the Lord's work among the less fortunate.
When we finally arranged for a discussion on Friday to explore what we could do, there was such a refreshing excitement and purposefulness - which came through all your enthusiastic responses!
There was such an 'agreement' and convergence of hearts, and the Lord did seem very present with us.
A number of us have been helping others in our own personal ways. We now would like to consider doing something together as well.
We had a good initial brainstorming session on Friday. Quite a few of us expressed a heart and preference for children in need. Crisis evangelism and befriending were other emerging themes. Let's continue to pray together and ask God to reveal His specific plan to us.
On Sat morning, Joshua and I had an opportunity to chat and he shared some interesting thoughts. He will be sharing with us on Friday. In the afternoon, Simon gave me 2 passages of scripture which he has been meditating on and which are compelling him to want to do something about it - Isa 58:6-9 & Matt 25:31-46 .
I believe the Lord is exulting us to join hands with Him to attend to that which weighs most upon His heart - service to the poor. We may want to give some time to reflect on these verses this week. I do sense we are on the brink of a new work that the Lord wants to do with and through us, and humbly ask us to continue to keep our fellowship and impending work in much prayer.
Isaiah 58:6-9 (Fasting that Pleases God)
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "
Matt 25:31-46 (The Sheep & the Goats)
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
23 Jan 09 (Week 1 on the theme "Standing on God's Word")
God's Medicine Bottle (Derek Prince)
Wan Chung
Recently, Michael gave me a book called "God's Medicine Bottle" by Derek Prince. Some of you may have heard of this book before. When I received it, little did I know that it's going to impact me in a rather significant way. Derek writes with such powerful simplicity and exhorts us not to be double-minded as we read God's Word but to take it as meaning exactly what it says.
The whole book is written based on Proverbs 4:20-22. Herein lies a whole treatise of what standing on God's Word is about. In a moment of inspiration, and through a quick round of confirmation amongst some of us last evening, we all agreed to move on to our new theme "Standing on God's Word". Michael will lead us into this new theme next Friday.
The following are some of the key ideas in this wonderful little book. A detailed summary of my sharing is also provided below. The best thing would still be to get yourself a copy of this book and be blessed!
a. God’s Word works in us insofar as we receive it. If we don’t receive it, it doesn’t do us any good.
b. God is bigger than all our understanding and prejudices. Don’t make God so small that He can’t help you.
c. If your eyes are simple or sincere, you see things the way they are. This is just the way to read God's Word and take it simply as it says.
d. Keep God’s Words in the central place of your life and personality. They are going to affect the whole way you live. (Amazing!)
______________
Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, attend to my words;
Incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.
1. Attend to my words.
· Firstly, reading God's Word requires our ‘Undivided Attention’
· People nowadays suffer from a disease called undivided attention. (mass media of today pervades our time and space)
· It’s important what we listen to as well as how.
· Mark 4:24 – Take heed what you hear
· Luke 8:18 – Take heed how you hear
· Exodus 15:26 – If you will diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God,…
· Diligently heed, in Hebrew, is to ‘listen listeningly’
· What does it mean to ‘listeningly listen’ – to listen to God with both ears, not one to God and another to something else (worldly influence)
· Consider the interesting Chinese Character “to listen”. (Just google "Chinese Character to Listen" through the Google 'Images' search engine)
· Primary instruction on God’s Medicine Bottle is to give God undivided attention – it matters what we hear and how we hear. Listen to the Word until we hear God.
· Hearing is key to receiving not just Biblical Healing but Faith as well.
· Romans 10:17 - Faith cometh by hearing (Derek earlier felt he didn’t have faith). Doesn’t matter. Faith cometh when we hear the Word of God.
2. Incline thine ear
· “Incline” – Old English. Means to bend down. Incline is a hill that slopes down.
· Fact of the human body is that we cannot bend ear without bending head down.
· This means Humility and Teachability.
· Derek felt God’s promises were too good to be true. (pg 31) Derek had a deep-seated belief that being Christian is equated with a miserable life.
· Until God asked him “Who is the pupil and who is the teacher?”
· He wasn’t letting God teach him. His preconceptions were in the way.
· Incline thine ear – means to give up our prejudices, bend that stiff neck of ours, and He will show us how good He is and how wonderful is the provision He has made for us.
· God’s word works in us insofar as we receive it. If we don’t receive it, it doesn’t do us any good.
· Lay aside naughtiness. Don’t answer God back. Let Him teach you.
· Essence of the inclined ear – God you are the teacher, I am the pupil. I am willing to let you teach me. I bow down my ear and listen.
· God is bigger than all our understanding and prejudices. Don’t make God so small that He can’t help you. Incline your ear and let him tell you how much He’s willing to do for you.
3. Let them not depart from thine eyes
· Key thought – “focus”
· Unique about humans – we have 2 eyes, but when we focus we can form 1 image
· Incorrect focus produces blurred vision.
· This is the problem with many in the spiritual realm – not yet learnt to focus their spiritual eyesight, so their vision of spiritual things is blurred.
· Most people have impression that the spiritual world is misty, half-real, vague, unformed.
· Luke 11:34 – The light of the body is the eye, therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is full of light; when thy eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
· ‘When thine eye is single’ – we form a single focus or image. Not looking in 2 directions
· Beautiful Promise – Thy whole body is full of light. Body full of light does not have room for sickness. Health comes from light – Malachi 4:2 – But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healings in his wings.
· “Single” in Greek means “Simple” or “Sincere”. If your eyes are simple or sincere, you see things the way they are.
· Barriers to simplicity and sincerity – rationalization and sophistication.
· Derek – I could be clever and stay sick or I could be simple and get healed.
· He was glad that he became simple enough to get healed.
· 1 Cor 1:25 – The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is wiser than men.
· Have a single, simple eye. Read the bible as it is, and take it as meaning what it says.
4. Keep them in the midst of thine heart
· A key principle of education states that there’s something called a ear gate and an eye gate. Need to engage students through both gates, then it will get into their hearts. When it gets into their hearts, positive results will follow. (God anticipated the psychology of modern education!)
· When you take medicine, if doesn’t get into bloodstream, then it’s not going to do what it’s supposed to do.
· The previous 3 directions have to do with getting the medicine to where it will do what it promised – the HEART.
· Prov 4:23. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
· What you have in your heart will determine all that you experience in life. If you have the right thing in your heart, your life will go right. If you have the wrong thing in your heart, your life will go wrong.
· Keep God’s Words in the central place of your life and personality. They are going to affect the whole way you live.
· Hebrews 4:12 – God’s Word penetrates. It can penetrate into every illness and every problem you face – where doctors, psychiatrists do not have the solution, God’s Word will get there.
CONCLUSION
What is important is that we take God’s Word the way He Himself requires that we take it.
1. We must take it with our undivided attention and with a humble/teachable attitude.
2. We must lay down our barriers of prejudice and preconception.
3. Look at God’s Word with a single, sincere wholehearted eye.
We do not want to quibble, we do not want to theorise too much. We must take God’s Word as meaning what it says. We must lay down the barriers of rationalization and sophistication, and then we can let it (God’s Word) enter and do its work.
Wan Chung
Recently, Michael gave me a book called "God's Medicine Bottle" by Derek Prince. Some of you may have heard of this book before. When I received it, little did I know that it's going to impact me in a rather significant way. Derek writes with such powerful simplicity and exhorts us not to be double-minded as we read God's Word but to take it as meaning exactly what it says.
The whole book is written based on Proverbs 4:20-22. Herein lies a whole treatise of what standing on God's Word is about. In a moment of inspiration, and through a quick round of confirmation amongst some of us last evening, we all agreed to move on to our new theme "Standing on God's Word". Michael will lead us into this new theme next Friday.
The following are some of the key ideas in this wonderful little book. A detailed summary of my sharing is also provided below. The best thing would still be to get yourself a copy of this book and be blessed!
a. God’s Word works in us insofar as we receive it. If we don’t receive it, it doesn’t do us any good.
b. God is bigger than all our understanding and prejudices. Don’t make God so small that He can’t help you.
c. If your eyes are simple or sincere, you see things the way they are. This is just the way to read God's Word and take it simply as it says.
d. Keep God’s Words in the central place of your life and personality. They are going to affect the whole way you live. (Amazing!)
______________
Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, attend to my words;
Incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.
1. Attend to my words.
· Firstly, reading God's Word requires our ‘Undivided Attention’
· People nowadays suffer from a disease called undivided attention. (mass media of today pervades our time and space)
· It’s important what we listen to as well as how.
· Mark 4:24 – Take heed what you hear
· Luke 8:18 – Take heed how you hear
· Exodus 15:26 – If you will diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God,…
· Diligently heed, in Hebrew, is to ‘listen listeningly’
· What does it mean to ‘listeningly listen’ – to listen to God with both ears, not one to God and another to something else (worldly influence)
· Consider the interesting Chinese Character “to listen”. (Just google "Chinese Character to Listen" through the Google 'Images' search engine)
· Primary instruction on God’s Medicine Bottle is to give God undivided attention – it matters what we hear and how we hear. Listen to the Word until we hear God.
· Hearing is key to receiving not just Biblical Healing but Faith as well.
· Romans 10:17 - Faith cometh by hearing (Derek earlier felt he didn’t have faith). Doesn’t matter. Faith cometh when we hear the Word of God.
2. Incline thine ear
· “Incline” – Old English. Means to bend down. Incline is a hill that slopes down.
· Fact of the human body is that we cannot bend ear without bending head down.
· This means Humility and Teachability.
· Derek felt God’s promises were too good to be true. (pg 31) Derek had a deep-seated belief that being Christian is equated with a miserable life.
· Until God asked him “Who is the pupil and who is the teacher?”
· He wasn’t letting God teach him. His preconceptions were in the way.
· Incline thine ear – means to give up our prejudices, bend that stiff neck of ours, and He will show us how good He is and how wonderful is the provision He has made for us.
· God’s word works in us insofar as we receive it. If we don’t receive it, it doesn’t do us any good.
· Lay aside naughtiness. Don’t answer God back. Let Him teach you.
· Essence of the inclined ear – God you are the teacher, I am the pupil. I am willing to let you teach me. I bow down my ear and listen.
· God is bigger than all our understanding and prejudices. Don’t make God so small that He can’t help you. Incline your ear and let him tell you how much He’s willing to do for you.
3. Let them not depart from thine eyes
· Key thought – “focus”
· Unique about humans – we have 2 eyes, but when we focus we can form 1 image
· Incorrect focus produces blurred vision.
· This is the problem with many in the spiritual realm – not yet learnt to focus their spiritual eyesight, so their vision of spiritual things is blurred.
· Most people have impression that the spiritual world is misty, half-real, vague, unformed.
· Luke 11:34 – The light of the body is the eye, therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is full of light; when thy eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
· ‘When thine eye is single’ – we form a single focus or image. Not looking in 2 directions
· Beautiful Promise – Thy whole body is full of light. Body full of light does not have room for sickness. Health comes from light – Malachi 4:2 – But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healings in his wings.
· “Single” in Greek means “Simple” or “Sincere”. If your eyes are simple or sincere, you see things the way they are.
· Barriers to simplicity and sincerity – rationalization and sophistication.
· Derek – I could be clever and stay sick or I could be simple and get healed.
· He was glad that he became simple enough to get healed.
· 1 Cor 1:25 – The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is wiser than men.
· Have a single, simple eye. Read the bible as it is, and take it as meaning what it says.
4. Keep them in the midst of thine heart
· A key principle of education states that there’s something called a ear gate and an eye gate. Need to engage students through both gates, then it will get into their hearts. When it gets into their hearts, positive results will follow. (God anticipated the psychology of modern education!)
· When you take medicine, if doesn’t get into bloodstream, then it’s not going to do what it’s supposed to do.
· The previous 3 directions have to do with getting the medicine to where it will do what it promised – the HEART.
· Prov 4:23. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
· What you have in your heart will determine all that you experience in life. If you have the right thing in your heart, your life will go right. If you have the wrong thing in your heart, your life will go wrong.
· Keep God’s Words in the central place of your life and personality. They are going to affect the whole way you live.
· Hebrews 4:12 – God’s Word penetrates. It can penetrate into every illness and every problem you face – where doctors, psychiatrists do not have the solution, God’s Word will get there.
CONCLUSION
What is important is that we take God’s Word the way He Himself requires that we take it.
1. We must take it with our undivided attention and with a humble/teachable attitude.
2. We must lay down our barriers of prejudice and preconception.
3. Look at God’s Word with a single, sincere wholehearted eye.
We do not want to quibble, we do not want to theorise too much. We must take God’s Word as meaning what it says. We must lay down the barriers of rationalization and sophistication, and then we can let it (God’s Word) enter and do its work.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
16 Jan 09 (Week 4 on the theme "Prayer & Intercession")
Do not give up, pray through until a breakthrough
Joshua Nathan
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” Ephesians 6: 18
Introduction
It is normal to give up praying when answers to our prayers are not forthcoming or there seems to be no intervention of God in a specific area which is being prayed for earnestly. We may miss the blessing from God because we easily give up praying although the answer is just around the corner. Ephesians exhorts us to “pray with all perseverance”. Eph 6:18. Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the importance of persistent praying. What is persistent praying? It means that we must not only pray, but we must pray with intensity. We must pray with urgency. We must pray with repetition. We must not get tired of praying. We must be earnest, thorough and deeply concerned about the things we are praying for.
“Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out day and night”
Jesus spoke about persistent prayer through two parables. The first is recorded in Luke 18: 1-8. He told his disciples this parable to show them that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. The parable is about how a widow in a crisis managed to change the heart of an unjust judge who did not fear God and man. Her victory was her persistent asking. If the unjust judge could respond to the persistence of a helpless widow, how much more our father in Heaven who is just, perfect and compassionate would respond to us no matter how long we tarry in prayer. “...will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out day and night”. How much more our Father would come to our rescue to heal, deliver and restore us when we cry out day and night in any crisis?
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you
The second parable is recorded in Luke 11:5-8. It is about a man who goes to his friend at midnight and asked for three loaves of bread. Although it is an odd time and is likely to cause some inconvenience to him and his family, the insistence and the boldness of the requester moves his heart. He gets up and gives him the bread because he is his friend. There is an initial reluctance to get up. But the man stays and continues to ask and he gets what he wants. After telling the parable, Jesus went on to speak about the steps in persistence prayer, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. V: 9. No matter how tempting it is to give up, we are exhorted to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking until the door of heaven opens.
“I will not let you go until you bless me”
In Genesis 32:24-28 we read about the incident where Jacob wrestled with God throughout the night. This is a beautiful picture of one who travails in prayer until the Lord touches and blesses Him. Jacob was physically and emotionally exhausted through his all night wrestling with God. But he did not release his hold on God. He clung to Him tightly and said, “ I will not let you go unless you bless me”. V: 26. The outcome was life transforming. God changed his character, his name, his attitude and even the attitude of his brother Esau. More importantly, God made Jacob to be a blessing to Israel through this encounter. May we persist in our prayer against all odds until we see the break-through and receive the blessings.
“An abundance of rain”
Another lesson of blessing of persistent prayer can be learnt from how Elijah prayed for rain seven times during a season of severe famine and drought in the land. 1 Kings 18:41-45. It was said about Elijah that “he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees and prayed earnestly for rain to pour upon the land. His servant reported 6 times that there was no sign of any rain coming. But he did not give up praying. And the breakthrough came on the seventh time when he prayed. “the seventh time the servant reported , “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the seas”. V: 44. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came...V:45.
Friends, do not give up praying over your situation. The raincloud is being formed while you are praying. And the rain is coming. Press in with your persistent prayer. Do not give up. He will come and save you. Lift your eyes and see. He will surely come and save you. Amen!
Joshua Nathan
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” Ephesians 6: 18
Introduction
It is normal to give up praying when answers to our prayers are not forthcoming or there seems to be no intervention of God in a specific area which is being prayed for earnestly. We may miss the blessing from God because we easily give up praying although the answer is just around the corner. Ephesians exhorts us to “pray with all perseverance”. Eph 6:18. Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the importance of persistent praying. What is persistent praying? It means that we must not only pray, but we must pray with intensity. We must pray with urgency. We must pray with repetition. We must not get tired of praying. We must be earnest, thorough and deeply concerned about the things we are praying for.
“Will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out day and night”
Jesus spoke about persistent prayer through two parables. The first is recorded in Luke 18: 1-8. He told his disciples this parable to show them that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. The parable is about how a widow in a crisis managed to change the heart of an unjust judge who did not fear God and man. Her victory was her persistent asking. If the unjust judge could respond to the persistence of a helpless widow, how much more our father in Heaven who is just, perfect and compassionate would respond to us no matter how long we tarry in prayer. “...will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out day and night”. How much more our Father would come to our rescue to heal, deliver and restore us when we cry out day and night in any crisis?
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you
The second parable is recorded in Luke 11:5-8. It is about a man who goes to his friend at midnight and asked for three loaves of bread. Although it is an odd time and is likely to cause some inconvenience to him and his family, the insistence and the boldness of the requester moves his heart. He gets up and gives him the bread because he is his friend. There is an initial reluctance to get up. But the man stays and continues to ask and he gets what he wants. After telling the parable, Jesus went on to speak about the steps in persistence prayer, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. V: 9. No matter how tempting it is to give up, we are exhorted to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking until the door of heaven opens.
“I will not let you go until you bless me”
In Genesis 32:24-28 we read about the incident where Jacob wrestled with God throughout the night. This is a beautiful picture of one who travails in prayer until the Lord touches and blesses Him. Jacob was physically and emotionally exhausted through his all night wrestling with God. But he did not release his hold on God. He clung to Him tightly and said, “ I will not let you go unless you bless me”. V: 26. The outcome was life transforming. God changed his character, his name, his attitude and even the attitude of his brother Esau. More importantly, God made Jacob to be a blessing to Israel through this encounter. May we persist in our prayer against all odds until we see the break-through and receive the blessings.
“An abundance of rain”
Another lesson of blessing of persistent prayer can be learnt from how Elijah prayed for rain seven times during a season of severe famine and drought in the land. 1 Kings 18:41-45. It was said about Elijah that “he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees and prayed earnestly for rain to pour upon the land. His servant reported 6 times that there was no sign of any rain coming. But he did not give up praying. And the breakthrough came on the seventh time when he prayed. “the seventh time the servant reported , “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the seas”. V: 44. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came...V:45.
Friends, do not give up praying over your situation. The raincloud is being formed while you are praying. And the rain is coming. Press in with your persistent prayer. Do not give up. He will come and save you. Lift your eyes and see. He will surely come and save you. Amen!
Monday, January 5, 2009
2 Jan 09 (Prayer Meeting)
Only a handful of us were able to meet tonight, but the presence of God was certainly with us and He was ready to see and hear what we would bring to our meeting with one another and Him on this second day of 2009.
We agreed earlier that tonight was to be a time of worship, prayer and intercession for our loved ones and dear friends. We start our humble prayer movement from here, and move on as the Lord will lead us. At this point, I don't have a clear and specific view of what is to come as we embark on this journey as a fellowship. But perhaps, many a God-led journey are of this nature. God loves (to plan) surprises and hearts wholly yielded to Him. I am reminded of 2 verses:
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.
Tonight, the six of us (+ 2 kids colouring in the background) prayed by name for our loved ones. We all felt that it was a simple yet very special thing to the Lord to present by name our loved ones to Him. We asked God to include these names in the Lamb's Book of Life. At the end of our meeting, we were quite surprised to realise that we probably prayed for over 50 individuals by name!
Let us press on. Let's continue to fervently pray effective prayers while we live righteous lives for 'The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much' (James 5:16).
As we enter into a season, indeed a movement, of prayer, let's strive to know what makes a prayer powerful and effective, and learn to pray such prayers.
[Michael shared a beautiful 'The Lord's Prayer Movie' which is in Useful Resources. May you enjoy it and perhaps discover some new insights.]
We agreed earlier that tonight was to be a time of worship, prayer and intercession for our loved ones and dear friends. We start our humble prayer movement from here, and move on as the Lord will lead us. At this point, I don't have a clear and specific view of what is to come as we embark on this journey as a fellowship. But perhaps, many a God-led journey are of this nature. God loves (to plan) surprises and hearts wholly yielded to Him. I am reminded of 2 verses:
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.
Tonight, the six of us (+ 2 kids colouring in the background) prayed by name for our loved ones. We all felt that it was a simple yet very special thing to the Lord to present by name our loved ones to Him. We asked God to include these names in the Lamb's Book of Life. At the end of our meeting, we were quite surprised to realise that we probably prayed for over 50 individuals by name!
Let us press on. Let's continue to fervently pray effective prayers while we live righteous lives for 'The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much' (James 5:16).
As we enter into a season, indeed a movement, of prayer, let's strive to know what makes a prayer powerful and effective, and learn to pray such prayers.
[Michael shared a beautiful 'The Lord's Prayer Movie' which is in Useful Resources. May you enjoy it and perhaps discover some new insights.]
Saturday, December 27, 2008
19 Dec 08 (Christmas Gathering)
This evening, we had a simple Christmas gathering and dinner together. We were particularly glad to have Michael's friends, Shawn and Wendy, join us. They are young working adults, originally from China and have been educated and are working in Singapore. They are bright and energetic and have a great future ahead of them. Only, they do not yet know the Lord.
Rosev and Joshua shared their personal testimonies and it was clear how God was evident in their lives. Kah Lin and Sharon led us in a time of worship and some songs in Chinese were specially selected too. Then, we went round to share briefly how God was good to us in 2008, and interestingly, in hindsight, as Joshua also commented, we all articulated different angles and perspectives on the reality and goodness of God in our lives that actually culminated in sort of a wonderful collective testimony and proposition to Shawn and Wendy, or perhaps better put, 'sown a seed in their hearts'.
Let's continue to believe in and tap into the desire and power of God to save. As we begin to contemplate on and pray for revival in our land and beyond, let us first start with praying for our loved ones and friends, including Shawn and Wendy, to come to the saving knowledge of our great and wonderful God.
Rosev and Joshua shared their personal testimonies and it was clear how God was evident in their lives. Kah Lin and Sharon led us in a time of worship and some songs in Chinese were specially selected too. Then, we went round to share briefly how God was good to us in 2008, and interestingly, in hindsight, as Joshua also commented, we all articulated different angles and perspectives on the reality and goodness of God in our lives that actually culminated in sort of a wonderful collective testimony and proposition to Shawn and Wendy, or perhaps better put, 'sown a seed in their hearts'.
Let's continue to believe in and tap into the desire and power of God to save. As we begin to contemplate on and pray for revival in our land and beyond, let us first start with praying for our loved ones and friends, including Shawn and Wendy, to come to the saving knowledge of our great and wonderful God.
Monday, December 15, 2008
12 Dec 08 (Week 3 on the theme "Prayer & Intercession")
This evening, we had the pleasure of having Sharon's mum, Susie, join us and share with us her fascinating testimony, the revivals in the 80's in Borneo and the subject of spiritual warfare. Most of us have read or heard about Susie's phenomenal encounter with the Lord at Siar Beach, Sarawak, and were particularly glad to have her join us in person.
Susie shared about how the Lord delivered her from the influence of evil spirits early in her walk with Christ, and how she was subsequently led into the deliverance and spiritual warfare ministry.
In recounting her experiences, Susie certainly drove home the message of how real the spiritual realm is and how we must absolutely increase in our knowledge of spiritual things and learn to function in the spirit or live spirit-led lives. I have attempted to summarise the key aspects of Susie's approach to battling in the spiritual with the help of some specific passages of scripture:
Ephesians 6:10-18 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the (a) belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the (b) breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your (c) feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the (d) shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the (e) helmet of salvation and the (f) sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
(3) Taking Up Authority
Matthew 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(4) Remember that the Battle is the Lord's
2 Chronicles 20:15 He (Jahaziel son of Zechariah) said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's."
Susie shared about how the Lord delivered her from the influence of evil spirits early in her walk with Christ, and how she was subsequently led into the deliverance and spiritual warfare ministry.
In recounting her experiences, Susie certainly drove home the message of how real the spiritual realm is and how we must absolutely increase in our knowledge of spiritual things and learn to function in the spirit or live spirit-led lives. I have attempted to summarise the key aspects of Susie's approach to battling in the spiritual with the help of some specific passages of scripture:
(1) Knowledge of the Real Battle
Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places."
Ephesians 6:10-18 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the (a) belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the (b) breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your (c) feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the (d) shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the (e) helmet of salvation and the (f) sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
(3) Taking Up Authority
Matthew 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(4) Remember that the Battle is the Lord's
2 Chronicles 20:15 He (Jahaziel son of Zechariah) said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's."
Lord, we humbly pray that You will come and teach us Your ways and sensitise us to the things and way of the Spirit.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
5 Dec 08 (Week 2 on the theme "Prayer & Intercession")
Intercessory Prayer for Revival
Kah Lin
1. Intercessory prayer is the underlying constant and catalyst of all revivals.
2. Revival begins with me - i.e. in the heart of each praying individual, a personal revival.
- The words of the hymn "Cleanse Me" declares "Oh Holy Ghost, Revival comes from thee: send a revival, start the work in me".
- The Lord delights in the prayer of the upright (Proverbs 15:8).
- The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).
3. Blended Prayers - Points from C.H. Spurgeon's sermon "Golden Bowls Full of Incense" [Article can be found in 'Useful Resources']
- Revelation 5:8 is about the "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints".
- Let it be filled with the blended prayers of the saints.
- God is pleased for "united prayers possess the power of harmony as beautiful as that in music".
4. Prayer is spiritual warfare, thus we need to put on the full armour of God as we enter into intercessory prayer for boldness in sharing the gospel with the lost (Ephesians 6:11-19).
5. Prayer must be spirit led. Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
6. Objects of Prayer As a cell group, we can identify the main objects (topics) for prayer, eg. mission, our families, churches in Singapore, our government, other nations, etc.
7. A suggested prayer method - eg. by rotating prayer topics for each day of the week. Eg. Monday - missions, Tuesday - family, etc. [As Kah Lin shared on Friday, we will kick-start this movement with a dedicated prayer time for salvation of our loved ones on Fri, 26 Dec.]
8. Continuous surrender of our lives as we continue in our prayer life. Recall or sing often the words of the hymn "Living for Jesus". Link to this beautiful hymn under 'Useful Resources'.
Prayer & Action (by Lee Lin)
Lee Lin shared her experience of prayer and revival in her church in Kuala Lumpur, Utama Damansara.
Prayer, fasting and repentance are all essentials in revival.
The willingness and discipline of believers to come together in church for corporate intercessory prayer is necessary and vital!
The cell group that Lee Lin attended has reached out to the Orang Asli people by befriending, visiting them and assisting them with practical matters once a month.
Encounter of the Best Kind (by Susie Lim)
Susie shared her experience at Siar Beach (Sarawak) and how the Lord revealed Himself to her and the campers in words formed through clouds in the night sky. And also shared about the revivals that took place in her school and in the churches in Kuching in the '80s. She also shared about the reality and the intimacy of the Lord in her personal experience. (We will try to find a way to put Susie's book on the encounter at Siar Beach on this blog.)
Kah Lin
1. Intercessory prayer is the underlying constant and catalyst of all revivals.
2. Revival begins with me - i.e. in the heart of each praying individual, a personal revival.
- The words of the hymn "Cleanse Me" declares "Oh Holy Ghost, Revival comes from thee: send a revival, start the work in me".
- The Lord delights in the prayer of the upright (Proverbs 15:8).
- The prayer of the righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).
3. Blended Prayers - Points from C.H. Spurgeon's sermon "Golden Bowls Full of Incense" [Article can be found in 'Useful Resources']
- Revelation 5:8 is about the "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints".
- Let it be filled with the blended prayers of the saints.
- God is pleased for "united prayers possess the power of harmony as beautiful as that in music".
4. Prayer is spiritual warfare, thus we need to put on the full armour of God as we enter into intercessory prayer for boldness in sharing the gospel with the lost (Ephesians 6:11-19).
5. Prayer must be spirit led. Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
6. Objects of Prayer As a cell group, we can identify the main objects (topics) for prayer, eg. mission, our families, churches in Singapore, our government, other nations, etc.
7. A suggested prayer method - eg. by rotating prayer topics for each day of the week. Eg. Monday - missions, Tuesday - family, etc. [As Kah Lin shared on Friday, we will kick-start this movement with a dedicated prayer time for salvation of our loved ones on Fri, 26 Dec.]
8. Continuous surrender of our lives as we continue in our prayer life. Recall or sing often the words of the hymn "Living for Jesus". Link to this beautiful hymn under 'Useful Resources'.
Prayer & Action (by Lee Lin)
Lee Lin shared her experience of prayer and revival in her church in Kuala Lumpur, Utama Damansara.
Prayer, fasting and repentance are all essentials in revival.
The willingness and discipline of believers to come together in church for corporate intercessory prayer is necessary and vital!
The cell group that Lee Lin attended has reached out to the Orang Asli people by befriending, visiting them and assisting them with practical matters once a month.
Encounter of the Best Kind (by Susie Lim)
Susie shared her experience at Siar Beach (Sarawak) and how the Lord revealed Himself to her and the campers in words formed through clouds in the night sky. And also shared about the revivals that took place in her school and in the churches in Kuching in the '80s. She also shared about the reality and the intimacy of the Lord in her personal experience. (We will try to find a way to put Susie's book on the encounter at Siar Beach on this blog.)
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