20 November 2011

Pastor is finally back from America after preaching in Lakewood Church. NCC warmly welcomes him back with the loudest cheers!

Pastor shares about Reformation Day on 31st October every year. This day is the day where grace has been recovered in Year 1517. Pastor happened to be there to share grace during this week. To think about it, this must have been prearranged by God as he wasn't aware of such a day as well.

Pastor's wife, Wendy, shared her insights on the significance of the date and pointed out that it coincidentally falls on Halloween. Pastor added that the devil must have wanted to hide the grace day by perverting it to Halloween. He reminded the church to remember the true meaning of this day rather than how the world remembers it.

John 1:14
Verse 14: Full of grace and truth. Literally means true grace. (Grace upon grace). Grace is for the undeserving and that is why we all qualify.

Grace is redefined in the world today. In other words, grace becomes empowerment or is a work. Truth is, grace produces empowerment and is free. If you think you don't deserve favor, it means you have the wrong belief. We are never in God's bad books. For those that make little of grace, they become smaller. God wants His Son to be glorified and be the centre. Those who promotes grace, they become more powerful.

One can say how can one say he is righteous even though he has commit sins. Yet we can call them righteous?
The basis that His children can still be righteous and entitled to His blessings is because of Jesus' death at the cross. The moment when God turned His back on Jesus, He welcomes us back home. The moment Jesus breathe his last, walls of blessings are opened to us and is flowing to us till this present day. This is the strong foundation of paid death that gives us the entitlement to His blessings.

Interview of Pastor on Trinity Broadcasting Network:
Grace or repentance came first?
In the old testament, man had to work and toil for His blessings. It's all about good works and repentance then God will bless you.
In the new testament, look at the story of Peter. Jesus said to Peter and blessed him with a net breaking load of fishes. Did Peter worked for it? Blessings came first and then it led to repentance. After that, that was what led to Peter to repent.

2 Corinthians 9:8
Verse 8: God is able to make (present active indicative) all grace abound toward you. Always having sufficiency in all things! Have abundance for every good work. It does not just end for one good work. Be ready for many more! (Every good work means continue work).
God wants you to be a blessing to everyone.
Looking at the future tense: "is" is in italics. It means it's added there. (You can remove italics when you read the bible). Able means power, the same word as dynamite. If you interpret it as a future tense, you read it as God can do it and does not look like He will bless you anytime. To "make" is a present right in reality. It is not future tense.
In the Greek, this verse is such:
And God is continuously enabling all grace to abound toward you! Right now even as you are reading this, God is unleashing His grace upon you like dynamites! He is rushing to bless you!

One may ask, if we are blessed with all sufficiency, then how come I don't seem to be blessed?

Pastor answers: Man generally is materialistic. In the bible, bible faith is opening your eyes to see that what you desire is there. That is faith. Faith is not believing long enough will entitle you to your desires. Even if you don't have $10 in your pocket, if you believe God is your source of blessings, and start thanking God what you want to see, He will surely bless you. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. What you can see is temporal. What you cannot see is eternal. The world sees things that you can hold as eternal. The world see the one thousand dollar note as eternal.
Just like how Jesus healed the withered hand. He did not say "Whoa! Your hand so short ah?!". He said "Stretch forth your hand!". He sees the invisible. Have this spirit of seeing the invisible and thanking Him for your provisions.

Another reason is because of wrong believing that restricts His provisions on you. It's the wrong mentality. When you know you are blessed even though you are undeserving, you will love God much more. Those who know they are forgiven little, loves little. Those who knows they are forgiven much, loves much.

Look at the story in Luke 15:28-32.
Verse 29: "Yet you never give me a goat to make
merry with my friends". He does not regard his father and blames him.
Verse 31: "Son, all that I have is yours and you are always with me". He did not say some of mine is yours? Or that billy goat is yours?
Daddy father already intended to give you the blessings. But the wrong perception led to you the wrong thinking.

It also depends on how you see God in your life.
Matthews 25:24
Verse 24: "Lord I knew you as a hard man".
How you see God affects your blessings. It affects your reception. Just like if you see your boss like a hard man, you cannot flow with him. After which it leads to resentment in a matter of time. You may think he puts stress on you which he did not in the first place.
Note to family: Don't been seen as a hard man as it will lead to resentment in no time.

In the story of the five loaves and two fishes. Just like how man view the supplies and question: "What is this supply for so many needs??". The consciousness of man is like this.
John 6:11
However, Jesus way is, He took the loaves and gave thanks. Notice "As much as they wanted." The supplies never finishes. And there were leftovers. Just because someone said "Thank you Father for so much grace."
Verse 23: They ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--".

Just believe it every morning. Thank God and be so aware of His goodness each day you go to work. Be full of the goodness. As long as you are aware, you can be more compassionate to others.

Ephesians 3:20
Verse 20: It means God doing the works more than what we can imagine. It is the constant working that is going on.
"Power": dunamis
"Work": energeo

Sidetrack: Pastor shares that cheering in church is good. He told the people in first service that they are too quiet. Just like saying God is good, and they reply amen with a stagnant face.
You gotta move! And you will be young! For some of you when you see others doing that, you think oh they are young and I've matured.
The thing is "No, you are old". Move! Be young!

In closing,

God works in 7 levels:
1: Now to Him who is able to do.
2: Now to Him who is able to do that we ask.
3: Now to Him who is able to do that we ask or think.
4: Now to Him who is able to do all that we ask or think.
5: Now to Him who is able to do abundantly all that we ask or think.
6: Now to Him who is able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think.
7: Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.