New Church

From the first day dad shared his prophecy, it was excitement all the way. I was excited that God was speaking to us, moving us and guiding us. I would miss seeing everyone in church on Sunday morning but we’d all still be friends.

It was a quite a lot of hard work all the way till 1 November, when we started our first service. I didn’t do all that much (compared to some others), but it was a lot more than what I was doing before. However, all the stuff I did (sound system, PC) was interesting to me.

I was most worried about our youth DG (cell group). We’ve been together for 5 years and shared and went through a lot together. I know we won’t be meeting every Saturday and Sunday – but we’d still be friends and with everyone going to college, surely we’d meet up even more often!

However, the past month was not as easy as I thought it was going to be.

1. While focusing on church, I lost focus on God. I lost touch of the deep two-way communication that I had with God. I stopped hearing from Him, stopped being guided by Him. I did things with my own mind and strength

2. I was struggling with my sense of purpose. It was pretty simple for me before. I had my marriage, my family, my youth group, my friends. I looked forward to helping others. With the new church coming through, I began to focus on the physical church and less of its people (the true church). Not seeing my youth group for a good month plus was more difficult that I thought it would be. I felt distant from them and irrelevant. Suddenly, it seemed like I lost my purpose in their lives.

I could sense the lost connection with Jesus but couldn’t really put my finger on what I needed to do. It was simple – I just had to trust Him more, turn to Him more and involve Him more in my life.

In the past two days, I began to rediscover and reaffirm my position in God and His purpose for my life:
1. I am a part of God’s story and plan.
2. God has wonderful and detailed plans for my life
3. God values me and my communication with Him above other things
4. My purpose is to be a good husband, son, father, leader and friend
5. I am here to demonstrate the wonderful love and goodness of my God and help others live the same.
6. I am here to give hope to those who have none and be a friend to the lonely.

I now feel revived, energised, full, at peace and most of all – purposeful! Thank you Lord for being there for me once again when I call unto You.

A Plan and a Purpose

Went on biblegateway’s reading plan today and was referred to Ezekiel 40.
Ezekiel chapters 40-49 is Ezekiel’s vision of what the Future Temple of Israel will look like.
Check out
http://bible.ag/en/enEzekielTranscript.htm
In these Chapters, God lays out very very detailed plans of what the temple will look like. Well, we don’t even know who is going to build it or when or exactly where its going to be built – but God already knows how its going to be – and that was revealed to Ezekiel more than 2000 years ago. AMAZING!

I am once again reminded that:
1. God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. He sees and knows what lies ahead – things that we cannot imagine, cannot predict.
2. The plans that God have for us are not vague and weak. They are plans that are rock solid and can be very detailed.
3. The plans that He has for us are Grand – just like the temple.

So, when will we live out God’s plans?
Next year? in ten year’s time?
- I can’t say for sure. But I would say NOW!
I believe He has plans for each and every day of our lives – and we might not live all of them out, but we should not regret – for there is always a GREAT future to look forward to and TOMORO is a brand new day where we can live out His wonderful plan for us.

so, if you feel like things have not been going well for you …
LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT TOMORROW living out GOD’S GREAT GRAND PLAN!!

attitude is everything – we play our part by just looking forward to it, being mindful of this and hanging on to God .. and that’s almost all the battle won, God will work out the rest =)

Amazing Living

I have gone thru a few seasons thinking about ‘Enjoying God’, ‘God wanting the best for us’, ‘The Life God wants us to lead’… and now, I’m coming back to it again =)

I can’t help but feel that God indeeds want us to lead amazing, fulfilled lives that are focused on Him. Lives that are purposeful and powerful.

Here are some tips on how to ’live amazingly’ in 2 different areas

1. Our own lives
One thing we can do is to learn to appreciate everything in our lives more and make the most of the situations we are in as well as take joy in our relationship with God.
We can learn to enjoy the tress, the sun, the buildings, the weather. We can start to look at the good things people have done in our lives, how they have cared for us .. and enjoy that. We can take great pleasure in the good times we spend with our friends and family. We can learn to smile and just look ahead to better days in times of trouble and difficulties. Above all, we can think about God throughout the day and just smile to ourselves as we remind ourselves of his wonderful love and the amazing relationship we have in Him.
- isn’t this a wonderful way to live life? =)

 2. In our relationships with others
We can also do wonderful things for/to others. We can show our appreciation for others more. We can be more forgiving of others and point out their good points as opposed to their faults. We can go all out and do/say/plan/give something nice to them. We can encourage them in the things they do or simply encourage them in everything. We can show that we value them and our relationship with them.
- Imagine the smile/joy that u can bring to them. Surely nothing can be more satisfying than to bring joy to others. Can u imagine if everyone lived in this manner. We would be encouraging, appreciating, valuing one another everyday … how wonderful would that be? =)

Sermon, 13 Sep 2009

Malachi 1:2
“I have loved you,” says the LORD.

Malachi, a prophet, carried the burden of a heavy message for the people of Jerusalem. His prophecy shows that God still speaks. God was also speaking to Israel and not against Israel. The message was a personal message from God to His people that “God loves His people & wants them to return to Him” (This is the same message that God has for us today – that He loves us and wants us to return to Him. In what way can we return to Him today?)

The people at that time were indifferent, passionless, weary and in spiritual decay. There was no true worship and no zeal to serve the Lord. There was also social and moral decay e.g. divorce and marrying heathens. The people were also complaining all the time.

At that time, the Jews had returned to Jerusalem from captivity for about 100 years or more. Yet, they were still to see Jerusalem return to its former splendour (like in the time of David).

The people at that time did not see the condition of their hearts. They even questioned God
How have you loved us?
How have we shown contempt?
How have we defiled you?
Why does the Lord no longer pay attention to our offering?
How have we wearied him?
How are we to return?
How do we rob God?
What have we said against you?

Yet, it is revealed in Malachi that the people have disrespected God, offered defiled sacrifices, performed false sacrifices, questioned God. They were not genuine before God and yet, despite all this, God still loves them.

1. God’s love is sovereign

Isaiah 43:4
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

2. God’s love is unconditional

“There is nothing we can do to make God love us more. And there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”
Philip Yancey

“The perfect friend – one who knows the worst about you and is still your friend.”
- Just like how God is to us.

3. God’s love is personal

Disclaimer: The above summary does contain (in small amounts) my own thoughts and reflections and was written based on whatever notes I could take with my pen and paper. It should not be taken as a word for word transcript of what was spoken by the speaker.

Breakthrough

I’ve been kinda tired for the past few months ever since we started working on renovations for our place – and over time, the physical fatigue kinda affected my spirit as well. And i guess I haven’t been all that on top of things and at my best for the past few months. But last weekend, i just felt a breakthrough during church.

Had a really great feeling even before church and I just felt so refreshed – so motivated and so ready to move with God. I felt so optimistic about everything. Went up for prayer after service (doesn’t hurt right – hadn’t done it for over a year. Thank God for His even more encouraging words).

I feel it all coming back! Getting ready to build up my spiritual momentum – and get into gear for what God is going to do. Few things to share

Putting it down in words
Having transitioned into this ‘new life’ – i have decided to write down what being here means for me (so that when i fall out of it, i can immediately refer to this and immediately know – and work towards bouncing back up). Here goes:

1. I am content with my job, where I am and everything that is happening in my life. If God is going to move me, He will in His time. No point being unsatisfied.

2. I am not judging others, criticising them or jealous of them – I want the best for people, just like how God wants the best for everyone. Its not a competition. We’re all in this world for each other and not just ourselves.

3. I make the most of every situation. No matter how bad things are or what obstacles come – I look out for the best in everything – try to remedy the situation – and live with as much positive enthusiasm and optimism as possible.

4. I smile more and am pleasant to be around. I look to make every minute of my life a great one – no matter what I am doing.

5. I can give of myself to others willingly – in time, money, strength, energy, resources – and not feel like I miss out or am on the losing end. After all, I can receive from God who can give limitlessly!

6. I am chilled out, confident and not tense or tired. Confident in God, finding strength in Him, trusting Him and not working with my own strength i.e. leaving everything in God’s hands – how cool is that.

7. I am enjoying God – every minute of life – because I know He loves me, watches over me, is my father, holds my future in His hands – AND Wants me to live in His love & JOY! Awesomeness!! How not to enjoy Him?

Ok, gotta go home now!!!

Jeff Hammond, Sermon, 9 Aug ‘09

Note: There was no powerpoint or slideshow during the sermon and everything may seem a little disjointed. But i’m sure it’ll still be able to speak to you in some way =) Enjoy.

Ephesians 5:15-21
 ¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. ¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 ²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Do not be foolish but understand what the Lord’s will is. We live in Him & Him in us. We live in the power and presence of God

Genesis 1:26-27
 ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
 ²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
       in the image of God he created him;
       male and female he created them.

“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” – we were created according to a plan (the image of God). We are not accidentally made. We are created exactly as God determined.

Ezekiel 43:5,10
Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
“Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan,

Revelation 4:1-3 
¹After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ²At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. ³And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

God wants us to walk under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t want us to just wander around but He wants to leads us from A to Z. He wants us to be focused and have a vision.  Be honest with God. Be transparent, be open. He will give you the power of the Holy Spirit which will change you.

What is the role of the church?
To fill the world with the glory of God. We need to start taking steps to be active in seeing the nation filled with the glory of God. Don’t just sit back.

The story of Kublai Khan & The Church
Kublai Khan, the great ruler of the vast Mongolian empire, once asked the Church to send 100 Christian teachers to Mongolia. But the Church was afraid and only sent 2 people, who turned back halfway. This was a great opportunity to have a huge empire & millions come to know and worship Jesus. But it was an opportunity that was missed out. Let us not miss out on the opporunities that we have. We need to respond and be a part of what God is doing in the world.

“Know Jesus, know life
No Jesus, no life.”

Getting to know Jesus is the most exciting & purposeful journey – He will expand your potential.  Consider the amazing things that Jesus did in His time on earth - healing, walking on water, multiplying fish & bread – this is the potential.

God bless!

The Climb

Have been listening to a little bit more radio recently and after hearing enough poker face, halo, right round, kiss me thru the phone, etc. , I realised that not many songs have meaningful lyrics anymore. However, one song did stand out for having decent meaningful lyrics – The Climb, Miley Cyrus.

The Climb

I can almost see it,
That dream I am dreaming
But there’s a voice inside my head saying
“You’ll never reach it”

Every step I’m taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I’m not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

‘Cause there’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It’s all about, it’s all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

This song just reminded me of how tough life can be for so many people in the world today - for some close to me struggling with family problems, medical conditions, addictions, insecurity, peer pressure & stress, anxiety, relationships – its really tough. And I question ‘Why God? Why are they struggling with all these things? Can’t life be wonderful all the time? And I am reminded of my own struggles especially from when I was 14 to my early-20s. I am reminded of how at times I just had to keep climbing, keep pushing, keep trying.

And it really isn’t about winning or losing, failure or victory – it’s the climb (the experience) which builds us, strengthens us, teaches us and makes us who we are in time. For example, My Climbs have made me a much stronger person – learning how to handle many various difficult situations, how to stand strong, how to accept losing & failure, how to trust God thru it all – how to Rise Above. And keeping the faith? Well, that has made all the difference!

From The Bible
Some verses to remind me of how God’s just with us all the time and how we need to turn to Him and lean on Him – especially in our times of struggles. And that The Climb is just an integral part of life – even for God’s children.

Matthew 17:20
20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Romans 8:28
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 12:9
9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Philippians 4:12-13
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1 Peter 5:7-10
7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Miley Cyrus
Though Miley did not write this song, if I had to think of someone who had gone through tons of struggles, it would be her. She’s sixteen and has probably gone through a lot to be where she is today. Hollywood is not a forgiving place, with low tolerance for mistakes and mediocrity. Stars are watched all the time and they get criticised for almost every thing they do. I think Miley has done well and its great that she has been able to stand up declaring her love for Jesus.

- “We love Jesus!” Cyrus, 15, says. “Jesus rocks! She dances for Jesus. I sing, dance and act for Jesus! … Now that I think about it, I do everything for Jesus. We make the YouTube videos for Jesus. We’re all about it.”

- At the MTV Movie Awards, “First off, I have to thank God,” she said in her deep, southern drawl. “Hello, that’s why I’m here!”

- When asked to name her favorite Bible verse [on Oprah Winfrey Show], she quoted Ephesians 6:10-11 from memory: “Finally, my brother, come close to the Lord for if you put on the full armor of God you can stand against the walls of a devil.”

God bless you, Miley!

Sermon Summary: Conviction of the Holy Spirit

Conviction of the Holy Spirit - 7 June 2009
John 16:7-11
by Bro Peter Sze

How much more is there?
We use only 5% of our brains. And in the same way, it can be said that we Christians only use / experience a small bit of the full potential of the Holy Spirit. Let’s also look at the Evil Spirits i.e. a demon-possessed man can be really evil, violent, vulgar & menacing. From here, we might infer that the Holy Spirit can also bring about the same magnitude of peace, joy, kindness, humility, grace, etc. in someone’s life.

Galatians 3:13-14
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[a] 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Why is the law a curse?
Because the laws (the commandments) cannot be fulfilled and met by us (sinful man). Hence, we are doomed/cursed to fall away. But Christ redeemed us by paying the price i.e. death on the cross – so that the blessing accorded to Abraham will flow through Him to the Gentiles (the whole world).

What is this blessing accorded to Abraham?
Genesis 15:6, ‘Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness’
The blessing is righteousness. So now, through Jesus, we are made righteous, we are made clean and we are now able to receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

Who is the Holy Spirit to us?
An important function of the Holy Spirit is to convict us in our hearts. What kind of conviction is this? The kind that brings negative feelings? Guilt? Condemnation? No. The Devil is the one who acccusses us, judges us and brings out the guilt and condemndation in us. The Holy Spirit is a counselor, comforter and helper.

* Juans Comment *
Who are you to the people around you?
Are you a counselor, a comforter, an encourager, a lifter of hearts? Are you being like the Holy Spirit to the people around you?
Or are you a discourager, a fault-finder, a nagger? One who brings people down? Makes them feel guilty or condemned? Are you being a S.A.Tan to the people around you?

Another Counselor Forever
John 14:16
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you.

Counselor here means ‘one who walks beside’. In our moments of weakness, our deepest pit of fear, he walks beside us and all authority in heaven and earth will be at our disposal.

Another here means ‘one of the same caliber, one of the same kind’. Same as what? Answer: Jesus. Jesus was (and still is) a counselor and comforter. During His earthly ministry, He didn’t come to condemn or judge people. He came to heal the wounded, sick, blind, lepers – He came to minister to tax collectors, prostitutes, demon-possessed – He came to raise people up from the dead – He was the ultimate counselor.

Forever here means the Holy Spirit doesn’t come and go. He is with us forever. A Permanent Resident in our lives. The Holy Spirit lives with us and is in us.

Why did Jesus say it is for our good that He is going away?
John 16:7
7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus in His ministry had physical limitations. He could not be with everyone every time. Through the Holy Spirit, He can be with us every time! On the day of Pentecost, the 120 received the Holy Spirit – and became the first Christians = “Little Christs”

Let’s now look at what Jesus means when he says
John 16:7-11
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

1. In regard to sin: Because men do not believe in me

‘Sin’ here refers not to our daily actions of sin but to a particular sin – the sin of ‘disbelief’ – the sin of not believing in Jesus and that Jesus paid the price for our sins.

What then about the other sins?
The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to convict us of our sins, we have our own conscience that will do that (Romans 2:14-15).

And why are we not so concerned about the other sins?
– Because Jesus has paid the price for all the sins of the world (except for the sin of disbelief). And that is what the Holy Spirit convicts us of – that we need to accept and receive God’s forgiveness by accepting Christ and what Christ has done for us.

Is this then a license to sin?
People don’t need a license to sin. We who are born sinners will sin anyway.

How then do we overcome sin?
Let’s understand that we are no longer the seed of Adam, no longer sinners (even though we still sin) – We are a new creation in Christ. We must trust in the transforming power of Jesus to bring about repentance. It is the power of grace (with no condemnation) working in our lives that gives us the power to sin no more. Take the Luke 7:36-50 story of the two men with forgiven debts told at the table of the Pharisee. Jesus then says in Luke 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

* Juans Comment *
My Own Experience
This is one area which I can totally relate to. Here are some examples to cite:
1. Jesus has never scolded me, put me down or discouraged me in anyway – and is still yet the one person whom I want to obey in every way. Why? Because I know how much He loves me. His love and grace has motivated so much of the transformation in my life.
2. My parents did not really scold me throughout secondary school. They respected my space and allowed me freedom to grow in my own way. This only made me want to honour them more and work harder to make them proud of me.
3. A condemned and judged person has little or no strength, will and power to do anything. But a person who is well-loved, at peace and much-encouraged = has the confidence to do pretty much anything in the world.
In the same way, how would we bring about transformation to the people around us? Answer: Love, Grace, Encouragement.

2. In regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer

After becoming a Believer, the Holy Spirit will convict us of our righteousness – our new condition where we are accepted by God – our right standing with God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
When you fall, you don’t become less righteous. It is not what we do that determines whether we are righteous, it is what Jesus has done, which cannot be undone. Through Jesus’ resurrection, we now know that Jesus’s sacrifice was sufficient to pay for all the past, present & future sins of every person in the world.

What does our righteousness mean to us?
1. It’s a precious gift
2. It means we can in boldness and confidence before God. We don’t have to worry about not being good enough for God. We have open access and open communication with Him. We need not feel condemned or judged by Him.
3. It is the key to receiving from God His blessings.

3. In regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned

This means that Satan has been judged and stripped of all authority over us. The Holy Spirit assures us of our victory in Christ. We need not fear – as it is written in 1 John 4:4
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Conclusion
The Holy Spirit is our counselor, comforter & encourager. The Holy Spirit dwells in us forever. He reminds us of our right standing with God and that we have victory over the Devil. Let’s trust in Jesus completely and turn to the Holy Spirit especially when we fall.

Thanks dad for this wonderful revelation of the Holy Spirit and for reminding us of our right standing with God, the confidence we can have in approaching God, the fact that the Holy Spirit is here for us forever, the power we have in Jesus over the evil one and that there is no condemnation in God. I am looking forward even more to the weeks to come to learn (and practise) more about the Holy Spirit.

Disclaimer: The above summary does contain (in small amounts) my own thoughts and reflections and was written based on whatever notes I could take with my pen and paper. It should not be taken as a word for word transcript of what was spoken by the speaker.

Sermon Summary: And When The Day of Pentecost was Fully Come

“And when they day of Pentecost was fully come …” – 31 May 2009
Acts 2:1 
by Pastor Phua

After resurrecting, Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples before He ascended to heaven. The disciples would then wait 10 days before receiving the Holy Spirit.

PROPHECY
Joel 2:28-32
28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.

All who were gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit just as it was prophesied in Joel Chapter 2. The church would later be established, starting with the 3000 on that day and the church would expand greatly over the next few years – which would not have been possible without the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

PROMISE
Acts 1:4
4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

Jesus had promised them the Holy Spirit and in their obedience they received what they were promised.

PRAYER
Acts 1:14
14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

While waiting for the Holy Spirit, they joined together constantly in prayer. There were about 120 of them. They waited longingly and they waited in worship. They were waiting for the gift, just as Jesus had asked.

POWER
Acts 1:8
Wind, Fire, Tongues
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The power of the Holy Spirit is great – it cannot be boxed up i.e. we cannot say the Holy Spirit only does this or doesn’t do that. The power of the Holy Spirit is limitless. When the church has the Holy Spirit, the world will be drawn to the church. But when the church does not have the Holy Spirit, the church will be drawn to the world.

PRESENCE
John 14:15-17
15″If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit lives with you and will be in you. The question is ‘Do we allow the Holy Spirit into our lives’? If we crowd our lives with many things, we will have no space in our lives for the Holy Spirit. We must be intentional and keep asking ourselves “Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to work in my life?”

Acts 18:9-10
9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
Paul was afraid. But God spoke to Paul through the Holy Spirit and said “Do not be afraid, I am with you”.

Mark 16:20
20Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
How did the Lord work with them? He had already ascended. The Lord worked with them through the Holy Spirit.

TRANSFORMATION
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit brought transformation. After the Holy Spirit came upon the people, Peter spoke a sermon which astounded people and which cut deep to the heart. How come? Because of the Holy Spirit. Luke 9:23 (“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”) suddenly became clear. They had denied themselves.
Later on, in their service and ministry, there would be many Holy Spirit happenings e.g. Very quickly in Acts 3, Peter and John would heal a crippled man at the Beautiful Gate. More and more people were quickly added to His Kingdom. And the church of God was willing to suffer and even die for Christ.

Juan’s Conclusion
Are you allowing the Holy Spirit into your life? To speak to you? To guide you? To take over your life? To show you things? Ask! Seek! Open up your heart!

Thank you Uncle Phua for reminding me of how necessary the Holy Spirit is in my life. Since yesterday, I have been so much more aware of the Holy Spirit again – something which I have put aside for a long time. I can already feel the difference. Thank you, Uncle Phua! Look forward to hearing more in the weeks to come!

Disclaimer: The above summary does contain (in small amounts) my own thoughts and reflections and was written based on whatever notes I could take with my pen and paper. It should not be taken as a word for word transcript of what was spoken by the speaker.

Sunday Sermon: 34th Anniversary Gift Day Sermon

Am trying a new thing! – Posting notes on Sunday’s Sermon for the benefit of discussion, reinforcement & those who missed it. Here goes …

34th Anniversary Gift Day Sermon – 24 May 2009
by Yeow Mooi

Yeow Mooi’s life story
When I first became a Christian, I wanted to be a good Christian – pray, read the bible and go to church on Sunday. But that’s all I wanted. One day, God spoke to me “If you love me, do it will all your heart” i.e. God was asking her for more – to give her life to Him even more. Throughout her life, she has served God in the field – been in Asian Outreach for 20 years and becoming the Vice President.

Revelations 7:9-10
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

Who is the multitude? We are part of this multitude. SSMC is part of this plan that God has. Its not just the leaders or a few people in church, its all of us. We need to catch the heart of God – and be part of what God is planning and doing.

What God is Doing
70s to 80s – God was doing a great work in China. Number of believers estimated at 4 million in 1949 -> 40 million, 1979 -> over a hundred million, today.
90s – Vietnam, Mongolia, Nepal, etc. In Mongolia, the number of believers grew from 5 to 50,000 in 19 years.
Now – Time for the largest unreached people group (cousins) to come to know Jesus.

Isaiah 43:19-20
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,

“God is going to do a new thing in you”
He is going to make river in the desert and wastelands.
There will be a wave that will sweep through the nation. Are you ready for it?

Story of Sister Dee
She became a Christian when she was 12 years old in a time where the Government taught people that Christians are bad. But she felt she just had to tell people about Jesus – that Jesus is good and about the peace. She went to her best friend’s house for dinner, quickly ate and started telling her friend’s family that Jesus loves you and that Jesus is good. Her friend’s mother loved what she heard and asked Sister Dee to come again the next day. This time, her friend’s mother invited 50-60 of her neighbours. Sister Dee quickly ate and started telling the neighbours that Jesus is God, Jesus is great and that Jesus can heal. All of sudden, they heard a loud scream. One of the ladies who had a large growth on her neck suddenly realised that her growth has just fallen off!

Story of Uncle Meow
In the 80s, people would be put in prison for 3 years without trial for preaching. But Uncle Meow just could not stop preaching. The communist officials told him that if he continued, his children would not be able to go to school. He told the communist official “I’m sorry, I can’t stop preaching”. So he continued preaching and his children were deprived of school. When asked recently about it, Uncle Meow cried when he said that he had robbed his children of their education. However, Uncle Meow’s youngest child is today a key area leader in the house church movement overseeing about 100,000 people. He is also a successful businessman and financially supports many young workers looking to do cross-cultural missions. His eldest daughter & her husband is serving in Italy in the area of church planting within the Chinese community.

A New Thing
During the cultural (communist) revolution, churches were torn down and disbanded. However, the church began to spring up every where. Because they had no building, everywhere was church – house, factory, farm. And there was no concept of Sunday. They preached and worshipped on any day of the week. Today, the church is no longer constricted to rural farmers, it is growing amongst urban offices, factories and even Government officials. When the state confiscated the musical equipment of one church, some educated lawyers in the church even sued the local authority and manged to win their equipment back.
God is doing a new thing – and it will change the landscape of our lives.

Give Me The Mountain
Joshua 14
10 “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.

Are we ready to ask God for that mountain? – To say “God, give me more!”. There is nothing too difficult for God. God is going to make rivers that will flow through the nation – rivers that will bring life. Are we ready? Do we want to be a part of it?

Today is not about today
When I read romance rovels, I always like to read the last page to see what happens in the end. Are you curious about the end? What will happen in your life in the future? What will happen to the nation? Today is not about today, it is about tomorrow. Let’s look ahead to our future. Let’s prepare ourselves for what God is going to do. Let’s find our role and purpose in this life that God has given us.

Thank you Yeow Mooi for speaking to us God’s word – for preparing us for what is to come and exhorting us to get ready for it. May God continue to bless you & Jeff as you move around the nations and touch, inspire and excite many lives! Keep coming back to encourage us! God bless!

Disclaimer: The above summary does contain (in small amounts) my own thoughts and reflections and was written based on whatever notes I could take with my pen and paper. It should not be taken as a word for word transcript of what was spoken by the speaker.