I wonder if there is anyone who heard or knew about Miles Hilton-Barber?
Today, Miles is an inspirational keynote speaker so well known all around the world.
Background:
In his early twenties, he became blind due to a rare eye disease and that shattered his childhood dream of being a pilot. Since then, he hid from the world and lived in a life of pity. Miles and his elder brother were both blind but both saw life differently. At the age of 50, Miles decided to walk out of his misery after seeing his brother living a more fulfilling life.
From then on, Miles went on to create history and today some of his major achievements are, undertook a 55 days flight from London to Sydney, conquered 17,500 feet at the Himalayas, participated in a drag race in Britain, and many more. These were achieved by a man who could not see. Simply amazing.
Just like week, I was a blessed recipient of a lunch event organised by the firm for all promotees. We were told there will be a special guest speaker to address all who were present. Naturally, I assumed it would be the managing director to deliver a speech but I was wrong. The guest speaker was non other than Miles Hilton-Barber. At that moment, I had no clue who he was and also, I had never attended any motivational talks before. Well, I thought it would be fantastic if I could share with you what I brought home? :)
================
Circumstances affect your emotions. It affects the way you think and work.
Never allow fear to stop you from doing the right thing because fear stands for:
False
Evidences
Appearing
Real
Your ability to grow in your company is your Attitude. Possess that right attitude so that you can inspire others.
When I stepped in to the ballroom in the morning, I could not believe that much effort was placed in the planning and execution of this event. It looked so much like a celebratory event for newly promoted directors. I was surprised at how this so-called "junior" milestone was recognised by the firm. It was only then I realised that it is how you look at things in life, to either look in a positive or negative spectrum.
Our life is measured by a circle around us. What's within the circle are the things you have achieved in your life.
If you're not doing anything new in your life, your circle is not growing in your personal life.
When was the last time you did something new in your personal life? That was the time when you last grown.
Successful leaders have successful personal and business lives. Strike a balance in your life to be a more effective person.
Remember these that will affect you:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Health
4. Spirit
These things make you an effective person, not work.
Life is not all about work. Find back that balance back to be an inspiration to others.
Life is not about the number of breaths you take. It is about what takes your breath away.
You might be thinking. How can personal life and business life be related/linked? One can't mix both up since they are of two different things. Not exactly so.
Look at Tiger Woods. When his marriage was in a huge mess, his golf (career) followed and went downhill. Both are interlinked.
When you do more new things, you become more inspiring.
Four steps for you to succeed:
1. Start with your dreams.
Your life is a journey. When Miles was with people who was about to breathe their last, their regrets were only "relationships". It was never about work or money. The world is thirsty for relationships.
2. Make a decision to live your dreams.
Take every opportunities that comes.
3. When you become real - Plan
4. Persevere.
Don't give up to pressures. If you put one foot ahead of the other, you can make it.
On the topic of Teamwork:
Our fingers are our strengths. In between our fingers are our weaknesses.
We work together (both hands interlocked) to cover each other's weaknesses.
================
My personal take:
Possessing that right attitude is important. When one looks at things negatively, they tend to whine and complain at every bit. They become cynical. Reminds me of a verse in the bible:
1 Peter 3:9-11
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with
insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you
may inherit a blessing. For, "Whoever would love life and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He
must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
With that right attitude and just like what Pastor always shares, "Right believing always produces right living", we are definitely a blessed bunch of people!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
18 August 2013
Before service started, there were acoustic versions of some worship songs being played in the background. Wondering if anyone heard it too. One of which sounded really nice in acoustic - Jesus Be The Center. Here's a similar version for you.
Praise and Worship: Adeline came onstage to lead the church in praise and worship. We sang "God is Here" by Darlene Zschech and it was awesome. This is partly due to the new drummer we have who's got muscular arms. Maybe I'm bias but he's really explosive in his strokes!
1. God is here
2. Your Name
Topic:The Church is God's Best Secret
Special video testimony of a lady in our church who delivered her first child even though there was a lump in her womb. It was so serious that the doctor told her it is life threatening for the mother and the child. Despite the negative news, she chose to believe otherwise and trusted God entirely. On the operation theater while she was about to deliver, the doctor saw the situation wasn't good and prepared them for the worse. The doctor told them that because the lump was so big, they had to remove it and might also remove her womb. However God did His great work of healing and today she is a very blessed mother of 3 children.
What God did for one, He can do it for another. Don't give up. Everyone goes through different degree of problems. But if you believe in a God of miracles, and if you believe in miracles of God today,be ready to receive your harvest.
Jesus promised in His word that there will be none barren among you.
Deuteronomy 7:14:
"Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."
Whatever scientific breakthrough or medical science, just go for it. It takes God to give you a successful IVF. Don't feel like you're going in a way of unbelief. Don't feel bad because you're seeing the doctor. There's no condemnation in being sick. Recall the Lord's prayer: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If heaven has no sickness, then earth has no sickness.
Jesus was sharing the parable on the kingdom of heaven. In the end days, many anti-Christ will rise. But according to John, he said there were already many anti-Christ prevalent even at his time. These people are against the death of Christ.
The gospel of Matthew is written to the Jews. Matthew Chapter 13 talks about the 4 parables shared by the seaside. Back in the house, Jesus shared another 3 parables.
Matthew 13:44-46
When God looks down from heaven, He sees 3 groups of people. They are the Jews, Gentiles and the Church (Read 1 Corinthians 10:32). When Jesus shares the parables, He wants us to know we are special.
Verse 44: Drag net is referring to the Gentiles. Kingdom of heaven is referring to the Jews. The pearls are referring to the church. We are under the church group because we are all made up of Gentiles and non-Gentiles. Israel has to do with the soil. The promises that God gave to Abraham is seed and soil.
Exodus 19:5: God told Israel that they will be a special treasure.
Psalm 135:4: "Israel for His special treasure."
God is not judging any nation. Don't read revelation now and think that God is judging the world. In fact, God is presently showing His grace to the world.
Will it last forever? No, God will come in the second coming on a white horse. At that time, we will be caught up to be with Him and given a new body.
God's covenant with Abraham is unconditional. Some preachers teach covenant theology. They say everything in the Old Testament is for us today but all the bad in there is for Israel. On the same claim, Pastor points out, if God forgets Israel, how can you be sure He will not forget you?
Romans 9 talks about Israel's past, chapter 10 about the present and chapter 11 on the future. One day Israel will be saved entirely.
Back to Matthew 13:44-46,
Verse 44: "...for joy over that treasure..." Jesus finds joy and bought the entire world. Israel was bought. Bought does not mean redeem. Everyone is bought by God.
Some preachers quote a verse in Jude to show that Jesus bought us and nullify the redemption of God. You must understand that Jude was written to the Jews and it was meant to serve as a warning to all of us. Whether you like it or not, you are bought. Whether you are redeemed depends if you receive God as your saviour.
Jesus didn't just die for the treasure but He died for the whole world.
Verse 45: Explaining a little on the oyster and the pearl: An oyster receives a wound, then it releases nacar over the wound. This nacar contains the rainbow colours.
The rainbow is a sign that God will need be angry with you again. Back to the pearl, the injurer gives life to the injured. Overtime, the pearl is created.
The church is actually God's secret treasure. Another thing about the pearl is that it can only be found very deep in the oceans. That signifies that Jesus came down all the way deep down to die for us. The church is put in the sweetest and closest intimacy with God. The oyster and the pearl is an illustration of Jesus.
Ephesians 3:5-10
Verse 3: Paul says the church is God's well guarded secret. When you think of church, it is not about a building. A church is the longest lasting organisation that you have ever seen.
Verse 4: The first church is made up of Jews. This was a revelation to them.
Another thing about the pearl is that when pearl comes in contact with your perspiration, it loses its shine. Now, some of you are getting it. The lustre can only be regained when you wash it with water. Hallelujah. Reading the word is akin to washing ourselves with water. That's where we shine brighter each day. In Christian life, there is no sweat. It is the blessing of The Lord, when God blesses, what can the fiery darts do?
Ephesians 5:28
Verse 28: It starts to say Jesus loves the church and husbands love your wives.
Verse 29: Nourishes your wife with words. If she says she's old, find things for her to do to make her feel otherwise.
Verse 30: We are members of His bones. Jesus does not have diseased bones, so are we.
Verse 31: Eve was a well guarded secret before she came from Adam. The church is God's last secret.
Verse 33: Every heavenly truth must be translated to a day to day practice.
Let's read this verse if read from the Amplified bible.
33 However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].
Pastor jokes that that verse must be written by a man.
Marriage is a decision. Staying together is a decision. If you come to a place where you love has become bland, it is about feelings. Pastor advices for the couple to stay together for the sake of their children because their children have a future. Don't try for each other but just do it for your children. "But Pastor, this is not real". Pastor says this is real to do it for your children.
In closing,
Pearl is not mentioned in the Old Testament. In actual fact, an Israeli does not hold much regard for a pearl. But yet, pearls can be found in heaven. See the following verse.
Revelation 12:12
Verse 12: Heaven has 12 gates. Each gate has a huge giant pearl. It signifies the Gentiles are preaching the gospel to Israel. It's like us saying, "You have blessed us with the bible, now it's our turn to bless you".
Praise and Worship: Adeline came onstage to lead the church in praise and worship. We sang "God is Here" by Darlene Zschech and it was awesome. This is partly due to the new drummer we have who's got muscular arms. Maybe I'm bias but he's really explosive in his strokes!
1. God is here
2. Your Name
Topic:The Church is God's Best Secret
Special video testimony of a lady in our church who delivered her first child even though there was a lump in her womb. It was so serious that the doctor told her it is life threatening for the mother and the child. Despite the negative news, she chose to believe otherwise and trusted God entirely. On the operation theater while she was about to deliver, the doctor saw the situation wasn't good and prepared them for the worse. The doctor told them that because the lump was so big, they had to remove it and might also remove her womb. However God did His great work of healing and today she is a very blessed mother of 3 children.
What God did for one, He can do it for another. Don't give up. Everyone goes through different degree of problems. But if you believe in a God of miracles, and if you believe in miracles of God today,be ready to receive your harvest.
Jesus promised in His word that there will be none barren among you.
Deuteronomy 7:14:
"Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."
Whatever scientific breakthrough or medical science, just go for it. It takes God to give you a successful IVF. Don't feel like you're going in a way of unbelief. Don't feel bad because you're seeing the doctor. There's no condemnation in being sick. Recall the Lord's prayer: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If heaven has no sickness, then earth has no sickness.
Jesus was sharing the parable on the kingdom of heaven. In the end days, many anti-Christ will rise. But according to John, he said there were already many anti-Christ prevalent even at his time. These people are against the death of Christ.
The gospel of Matthew is written to the Jews. Matthew Chapter 13 talks about the 4 parables shared by the seaside. Back in the house, Jesus shared another 3 parables.
Matthew 13:44-46
When God looks down from heaven, He sees 3 groups of people. They are the Jews, Gentiles and the Church (Read 1 Corinthians 10:32). When Jesus shares the parables, He wants us to know we are special.
Verse 44: Drag net is referring to the Gentiles. Kingdom of heaven is referring to the Jews. The pearls are referring to the church. We are under the church group because we are all made up of Gentiles and non-Gentiles. Israel has to do with the soil. The promises that God gave to Abraham is seed and soil.
Exodus 19:5: God told Israel that they will be a special treasure.
Psalm 135:4: "Israel for His special treasure."
God is not judging any nation. Don't read revelation now and think that God is judging the world. In fact, God is presently showing His grace to the world.
Will it last forever? No, God will come in the second coming on a white horse. At that time, we will be caught up to be with Him and given a new body.
God's covenant with Abraham is unconditional. Some preachers teach covenant theology. They say everything in the Old Testament is for us today but all the bad in there is for Israel. On the same claim, Pastor points out, if God forgets Israel, how can you be sure He will not forget you?
Romans 9 talks about Israel's past, chapter 10 about the present and chapter 11 on the future. One day Israel will be saved entirely.
Back to Matthew 13:44-46,
Verse 44: "...for joy over that treasure..." Jesus finds joy and bought the entire world. Israel was bought. Bought does not mean redeem. Everyone is bought by God.
Some preachers quote a verse in Jude to show that Jesus bought us and nullify the redemption of God. You must understand that Jude was written to the Jews and it was meant to serve as a warning to all of us. Whether you like it or not, you are bought. Whether you are redeemed depends if you receive God as your saviour.
Jesus didn't just die for the treasure but He died for the whole world.
Verse 45: Explaining a little on the oyster and the pearl: An oyster receives a wound, then it releases nacar over the wound. This nacar contains the rainbow colours.
The rainbow is a sign that God will need be angry with you again. Back to the pearl, the injurer gives life to the injured. Overtime, the pearl is created.
The church is actually God's secret treasure. Another thing about the pearl is that it can only be found very deep in the oceans. That signifies that Jesus came down all the way deep down to die for us. The church is put in the sweetest and closest intimacy with God. The oyster and the pearl is an illustration of Jesus.
Ephesians 3:5-10
Verse 3: Paul says the church is God's well guarded secret. When you think of church, it is not about a building. A church is the longest lasting organisation that you have ever seen.
Verse 4: The first church is made up of Jews. This was a revelation to them.
Another thing about the pearl is that when pearl comes in contact with your perspiration, it loses its shine. Now, some of you are getting it. The lustre can only be regained when you wash it with water. Hallelujah. Reading the word is akin to washing ourselves with water. That's where we shine brighter each day. In Christian life, there is no sweat. It is the blessing of The Lord, when God blesses, what can the fiery darts do?
Ephesians 5:28
Verse 28: It starts to say Jesus loves the church and husbands love your wives.
Verse 29: Nourishes your wife with words. If she says she's old, find things for her to do to make her feel otherwise.
Verse 30: We are members of His bones. Jesus does not have diseased bones, so are we.
Verse 31: Eve was a well guarded secret before she came from Adam. The church is God's last secret.
Verse 33: Every heavenly truth must be translated to a day to day practice.
Let's read this verse if read from the Amplified bible.
33 However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].
Pastor jokes that that verse must be written by a man.
Marriage is a decision. Staying together is a decision. If you come to a place where you love has become bland, it is about feelings. Pastor advices for the couple to stay together for the sake of their children because their children have a future. Don't try for each other but just do it for your children. "But Pastor, this is not real". Pastor says this is real to do it for your children.
In closing,
Pearl is not mentioned in the Old Testament. In actual fact, an Israeli does not hold much regard for a pearl. But yet, pearls can be found in heaven. See the following verse.
Revelation 12:12
Verse 12: Heaven has 12 gates. Each gate has a huge giant pearl. It signifies the Gentiles are preaching the gospel to Israel. It's like us saying, "You have blessed us with the bible, now it's our turn to bless you".
Monday, August 5, 2013
4 August 2013
Dear readers! It has been 2 months since I last blogged our church's sermons! Just in case you thought my blog has closed for business, that's not the case :)
For the past 2 months it was really hectic. After coming back from our holidays, we had serious jet lag. For the first time in history, we couldn't sleep and I got really worried. Our honeymoon in November 2012 wasn't like this. We didn't even had jet lag and for once I thought I needed a doctor.
First week was busy catching up some sleep and therefore missed church. The subsequent weeks were as busy too. Running around to source for renovation related stuffs, meeting up with different suppliers and the contractor for my dad's home. And you thought that was over, I had to run around to meet up with the relatives to announce and deliver the wedding cakes and cards for my sister's wedding in September this year.
All these came together and I miss church and blogging..! I thought if one day I were to set up a blog to share a little of my life, I wonder how many would read it? Well well.. :]
Ok, I shall stop here and share the sermon for 4 August. I've also uploaded the sermon for 21 July right after this entry. Be blessed!
********************************************************************************************************
Praise and Worship: Sean leads the church to another great worship time. Today, we sang and "danced" to a song by Hillsong. Got too involved in it that I forgot to note the title of the song. The next song is another awesome one.
Topic: Beautiful Secrets Revealed from Parables
"Grace grace" was taken from the book of Zacheriah. In Zacheriah 4:7, he tells King Zerubbabel to shout grace grace to the mountains.
Faith is having a higher regard of God's opinion. God's word is the truth. God cannot lie. The bible did not say He never lie. The problem is man can lie. Therefore, trust God's word.
If God were to let go of the rain just like that, it will destroy earth. God causes His blessings to fall as rain. He is a merciful God.
The bible is the connection between heaven and earth. Paul told Timothy that every scripture is God-breathed. God made Adam like a mannequin and breathed into Adam for him to be a living soul. If today your body is breaking down, look to God. If God can breathe into Adam, He can breathe into your body and restore it.
When God pours down rain, the rain will not return to Him empty. Just like when you sow, it will not come to you empty.
Matthew 13:1-19
Verse 1: You are about to hear Jesus share about parables for the first time.
Illustrations are not parables. A parable is like this. The kingdom of heaven is like a sower who went out to sow.
For the first time, Jesus shared abut the 7 parables. The kingdom of heaven encompasses the church. People can say Jesus is depicted as many characters or say the bible is not being consistent. But to us, we see His beauty. We see Jesus as the divine servant.
Jesus said man can not live by bread alone. When Jesus says man cannot live, it means cannot. Man not only lives by food but also by the word of God. Jesus goes around doing good but the people rejected Him. If back then people accepted Him, heaven will be a place on earth.
Pastor does not believe that man can commit the unpardonable sin (referenced to Chapter 12). At that time, it was the ultimate rejection. That was why Jesus shared the parables. Parables that Jesus shared are to hide truths for those who have a heart for God's truths. Those with a heart will receive it.
Back to the verses, "House" refers to Israel. "Sea" is always referred as the Gentile nation.
The first 4 parables were shared at the seaside. After that, Jesus went back to the house to share the next 3 parables. This act shows that Jesus is coming back to Israel. These parables show you Christiandom today.
Verse 2: Pastor jokes. In those days, Jesus sat (Verse 1) while the multitudes stood to hear Him preach. Look how it has changed today.
If you hear God's word, see God's word, it goes into your heart and becomes life and health to your body. (Refer to Proverbs 4:20-22)
Verse 3-9: Talks about the first parable.
Verse 11: When asked why parables are shared, Jesus answered here. Jesus said, it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Parables are to prevent God's truth to be taken away by people who has no heart for Him.
Jesus gave you the bible for you to appreciate Him. Just like a woman, if you appreciate her, she opens up her treasure and embraces you. Likewise, she closes up if you do not treasure her.
God hides all truths to even wise men, but He reveals them to babes. As long as you have a teachable heart, Jesus will reveal His truth to you. Don't be jealous over anything. When you see people who are blessed, just say God gave it to them. On the same token, you should be encouraged. If God can do it to unto others, God can do it for you too. God is a big God, never limit His abundance.
Verse 12: God wants you to have abundance. He says he who has will have even more. So what is this "has"? According to Mark's account, it is "what you hear" while for Luke's account, it is "how you hear". Take heed what you hear.
Verse 13: It not meant to make people understand. You can see here that God is not very hard-up for you to know His secrets. It's only for people with a heart to know.
Verse 14: You are about to hear a beautiful revelation of how God is obliged to heal you today. God binds Himself to this promise. This verse is quoted from Isaiah.
Verse 15: "Waxed gloss" refers to "fatty" hearts of the people who refused to understand His heart. This verse talks about people shutting their ears and eyes on purpose.
Then God says, if they have eyes to see, ears to hear and heart to understand, Jesus then says I have no choice but to heal. Notice from this sentence ".. and I should heal them". God is obliged to heal. If you want to walk in health, God tells you how.
Verse 16: Jesus says blessed are your eyes and your ears. Jesus is protective over His secrets.
Verse 17: Jesus is referring to the old testament prophets here.
Verse 18: Jesus is about to interpret on the first parable.
Verse 19: There are 4 grounds and this is the first ground. Jesus says for those who hear the word and understand not.
In other words, these people purposely refusing to understand God's word. The wicked one then comes to steal away the truth. The word "then" is there for a reason. It means God does not allow satan to take away the truth from anyone unless the people does not have a heart for His word.
Back to that sentence "... then cometh the wicked one ..." God is a very just God. Everyone receives equal chance to hear His truth. However, one decides if he has a heart for it. You think for one moment that the devil is so gungho to make you sick? It only happens when you choose to believe not, giving the authority for him to take away God's word in your heart.
Verse 23: The one who chooses to understand the word bears fruit and brings forth 100, 60 and 30 fold blessings. Everytime before you hear Pastor preach, pray for a listening heart.
A recap: Last week, Pastor shared that every word is God breathe, not inspired by man.
Psalm 110:4
Verse 4: God swore in this verse. You know that God does not need to swear because God's word is truth. He swore by Himself. It's like a double assurance lock.
Psalm 22 talks about God's death.
Psalm 23 talks about God being our shepherd.
Psalm 24 talks about the gates of heaven opening for Jesus.
God placed His hand on Jesus and swore, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 7:21-25
Verse 21: Melchizedek priesthood appeared only once. God did not promise to the Levi the security that lasts forever whereas God promised to us His security.
Verse 25: You will be saved to the uttermost (beautiful descriptive word)
Hebrew 5:10-12
Not everyone can understand Melchizedek priest.
Verse 11-12: In essence, if you can understand the order of Melchizedek, you will be blessed.
Melchizedek is a picture of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 14:18-23
Verse 18: Melchizedek brought bread and wine - the communion. It's for your health.
Verse 19: Melchizedek blessed Abraham.
Verse 20: Abraham gave him a tithe to acknowledge him in his life.
On the same topic of tithing, Pastor shares that there are existence of sincere grace preachers who go all out claiming there is no need to tithe and proceed to nullify all of God's truths.
Hebrews 7:4-10
Verse 4: According to Abraham, the tithe is to show the one you are tithing how great he is. Notice Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. The tithe is meant to proclaim how great your king is.
Verse 8: "Here" (Pastor points to earth) mortal men receive tithes, "there" (Pastor points to heaven) he receives them and is a witness that he lives.
Melchizedek brought the communion to testify that He lives. Abraham brought the tithing to testify that God is the greatest.
Pastor shares: One day God woke Pastor up and asked is communion practiced in every denomination? Yes, he answers.
God then asked if tithing practiced is every denomination? He pauses and answers, no. Being curious, Pastor asked. God explains because My son brought communion. When Jesus brought something, it is brought. When Abraham brought tithing and man is involved, man can say otherwise.
Pastor was astounded. He never hear this preached before. That's why he explains, tithing is not for the whole church.
"But Pastor! I tithed yesterday what.. but.. but nothing happened on Monday!"
Read the story of Jacob who became so wealthy:
Genesis 28:19-22
These verses talk about Jacob vowing to give a tenth to God. For twenty years, (referred to Genesis 31), Jacob has many servants and became a very wealthy man.
Genesis 31:11-13
Verse 12 and 13: You think God has forgotten Jacob's vow? He was watching over him during these 20 years.
In closing,
Secret of tithing revealed here:
Hebrews 7:4-10
Verse 9-10: Jesus priesthood is greater than Levi priesthood. What God is saying is, when Abraham tithed to God, Levi was in Abraham. To put it simply, when Pastor tithed, Wendy and Justin also "tithed".
God has a plan to bless your generation! Jesus is not just looking to bless you only. Our tithing affects our children's children.
For the past 2 months it was really hectic. After coming back from our holidays, we had serious jet lag. For the first time in history, we couldn't sleep and I got really worried. Our honeymoon in November 2012 wasn't like this. We didn't even had jet lag and for once I thought I needed a doctor.
First week was busy catching up some sleep and therefore missed church. The subsequent weeks were as busy too. Running around to source for renovation related stuffs, meeting up with different suppliers and the contractor for my dad's home. And you thought that was over, I had to run around to meet up with the relatives to announce and deliver the wedding cakes and cards for my sister's wedding in September this year.
All these came together and I miss church and blogging..! I thought if one day I were to set up a blog to share a little of my life, I wonder how many would read it? Well well.. :]
Ok, I shall stop here and share the sermon for 4 August. I've also uploaded the sermon for 21 July right after this entry. Be blessed!
********************************************************************************************************
Praise and Worship: Sean leads the church to another great worship time. Today, we sang and "danced" to a song by Hillsong. Got too involved in it that I forgot to note the title of the song. The next song is another awesome one.
Topic: Beautiful Secrets Revealed from Parables
"Grace grace" was taken from the book of Zacheriah. In Zacheriah 4:7, he tells King Zerubbabel to shout grace grace to the mountains.
Faith is having a higher regard of God's opinion. God's word is the truth. God cannot lie. The bible did not say He never lie. The problem is man can lie. Therefore, trust God's word.
If God were to let go of the rain just like that, it will destroy earth. God causes His blessings to fall as rain. He is a merciful God.
The bible is the connection between heaven and earth. Paul told Timothy that every scripture is God-breathed. God made Adam like a mannequin and breathed into Adam for him to be a living soul. If today your body is breaking down, look to God. If God can breathe into Adam, He can breathe into your body and restore it.
When God pours down rain, the rain will not return to Him empty. Just like when you sow, it will not come to you empty.
Matthew 13:1-19
Verse 1: You are about to hear Jesus share about parables for the first time.
Illustrations are not parables. A parable is like this. The kingdom of heaven is like a sower who went out to sow.
For the first time, Jesus shared abut the 7 parables. The kingdom of heaven encompasses the church. People can say Jesus is depicted as many characters or say the bible is not being consistent. But to us, we see His beauty. We see Jesus as the divine servant.
Jesus said man can not live by bread alone. When Jesus says man cannot live, it means cannot. Man not only lives by food but also by the word of God. Jesus goes around doing good but the people rejected Him. If back then people accepted Him, heaven will be a place on earth.
Pastor does not believe that man can commit the unpardonable sin (referenced to Chapter 12). At that time, it was the ultimate rejection. That was why Jesus shared the parables. Parables that Jesus shared are to hide truths for those who have a heart for God's truths. Those with a heart will receive it.
Back to the verses, "House" refers to Israel. "Sea" is always referred as the Gentile nation.
The first 4 parables were shared at the seaside. After that, Jesus went back to the house to share the next 3 parables. This act shows that Jesus is coming back to Israel. These parables show you Christiandom today.
Verse 2: Pastor jokes. In those days, Jesus sat (Verse 1) while the multitudes stood to hear Him preach. Look how it has changed today.
If you hear God's word, see God's word, it goes into your heart and becomes life and health to your body. (Refer to Proverbs 4:20-22)
Verse 3-9: Talks about the first parable.
Verse 11: When asked why parables are shared, Jesus answered here. Jesus said, it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Parables are to prevent God's truth to be taken away by people who has no heart for Him.
Jesus gave you the bible for you to appreciate Him. Just like a woman, if you appreciate her, she opens up her treasure and embraces you. Likewise, she closes up if you do not treasure her.
God hides all truths to even wise men, but He reveals them to babes. As long as you have a teachable heart, Jesus will reveal His truth to you. Don't be jealous over anything. When you see people who are blessed, just say God gave it to them. On the same token, you should be encouraged. If God can do it to unto others, God can do it for you too. God is a big God, never limit His abundance.
Verse 12: God wants you to have abundance. He says he who has will have even more. So what is this "has"? According to Mark's account, it is "what you hear" while for Luke's account, it is "how you hear". Take heed what you hear.
Verse 13: It not meant to make people understand. You can see here that God is not very hard-up for you to know His secrets. It's only for people with a heart to know.
Verse 14: You are about to hear a beautiful revelation of how God is obliged to heal you today. God binds Himself to this promise. This verse is quoted from Isaiah.
Verse 15: "Waxed gloss" refers to "fatty" hearts of the people who refused to understand His heart. This verse talks about people shutting their ears and eyes on purpose.
Then God says, if they have eyes to see, ears to hear and heart to understand, Jesus then says I have no choice but to heal. Notice from this sentence ".. and I should heal them". God is obliged to heal. If you want to walk in health, God tells you how.
Verse 16: Jesus says blessed are your eyes and your ears. Jesus is protective over His secrets.
Verse 17: Jesus is referring to the old testament prophets here.
Verse 18: Jesus is about to interpret on the first parable.
Verse 19: There are 4 grounds and this is the first ground. Jesus says for those who hear the word and understand not.
In other words, these people purposely refusing to understand God's word. The wicked one then comes to steal away the truth. The word "then" is there for a reason. It means God does not allow satan to take away the truth from anyone unless the people does not have a heart for His word.
Back to that sentence "... then cometh the wicked one ..." God is a very just God. Everyone receives equal chance to hear His truth. However, one decides if he has a heart for it. You think for one moment that the devil is so gungho to make you sick? It only happens when you choose to believe not, giving the authority for him to take away God's word in your heart.
Verse 23: The one who chooses to understand the word bears fruit and brings forth 100, 60 and 30 fold blessings. Everytime before you hear Pastor preach, pray for a listening heart.
A recap: Last week, Pastor shared that every word is God breathe, not inspired by man.
Psalm 110:4
Verse 4: God swore in this verse. You know that God does not need to swear because God's word is truth. He swore by Himself. It's like a double assurance lock.
Psalm 22 talks about God's death.
Psalm 23 talks about God being our shepherd.
Psalm 24 talks about the gates of heaven opening for Jesus.
God placed His hand on Jesus and swore, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 7:21-25
Verse 21: Melchizedek priesthood appeared only once. God did not promise to the Levi the security that lasts forever whereas God promised to us His security.
Verse 25: You will be saved to the uttermost (beautiful descriptive word)
Hebrew 5:10-12
Not everyone can understand Melchizedek priest.
Verse 11-12: In essence, if you can understand the order of Melchizedek, you will be blessed.
Melchizedek is a picture of Jesus Christ.
Genesis 14:18-23
Verse 18: Melchizedek brought bread and wine - the communion. It's for your health.
Verse 19: Melchizedek blessed Abraham.
Verse 20: Abraham gave him a tithe to acknowledge him in his life.
On the same topic of tithing, Pastor shares that there are existence of sincere grace preachers who go all out claiming there is no need to tithe and proceed to nullify all of God's truths.
Hebrews 7:4-10
Verse 4: According to Abraham, the tithe is to show the one you are tithing how great he is. Notice Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. The tithe is meant to proclaim how great your king is.
Verse 8: "Here" (Pastor points to earth) mortal men receive tithes, "there" (Pastor points to heaven) he receives them and is a witness that he lives.
Melchizedek brought the communion to testify that He lives. Abraham brought the tithing to testify that God is the greatest.
Pastor shares: One day God woke Pastor up and asked is communion practiced in every denomination? Yes, he answers.
God then asked if tithing practiced is every denomination? He pauses and answers, no. Being curious, Pastor asked. God explains because My son brought communion. When Jesus brought something, it is brought. When Abraham brought tithing and man is involved, man can say otherwise.
Pastor was astounded. He never hear this preached before. That's why he explains, tithing is not for the whole church.
"But Pastor! I tithed yesterday what.. but.. but nothing happened on Monday!"
Read the story of Jacob who became so wealthy:
Genesis 28:19-22
These verses talk about Jacob vowing to give a tenth to God. For twenty years, (referred to Genesis 31), Jacob has many servants and became a very wealthy man.
Genesis 31:11-13
Verse 12 and 13: You think God has forgotten Jacob's vow? He was watching over him during these 20 years.
In closing,
Secret of tithing revealed here:
Hebrews 7:4-10
Verse 9-10: Jesus priesthood is greater than Levi priesthood. What God is saying is, when Abraham tithed to God, Levi was in Abraham. To put it simply, when Pastor tithed, Wendy and Justin also "tithed".
God has a plan to bless your generation! Jesus is not just looking to bless you only. Our tithing affects our children's children.
21 July 2013
Pastor Gabriel shares a testimony of a sister in our church who was involved in an accident last week while heading to Kuala Lumpur. She was seated at the left rear and before the truck rammed into her vehicle, she was actually asleep. The impact woke her up and while the car spun out of control , she uttered "grace grace". Subsequently she was sent to the hospital and was discharged few days later.
Pictures of the accident were shown onscreen and what we all saw was a wreaked vehicle. The rear was so damaged that anyone who saw the photo would assume the passenger seated behind would barely make it alive. It was indeed grace that preserved her life.
Topic: Speak Grace to Your Situation
The church warmly welcomes Pastor Prince on stage.
In the book of Mark Chapter 14, Jesus said, "smite the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter" on the night before He was betrayed. Today, this is still the technique employed by evil forces. Therefore, it's always good to pray for all the Pastors.
God never gave the law to justify men but to show man their guilty self. Jesus said, the servant does not abide forever but the son abides forever.
Zachariah and Elizabeth brought forth John.
Zacha is defined as "God remembers His promise and sends Grace (John)". Man is still standing before God as a judge. Man is self righteous. God doesn't want you to stand before Him as a judge but as a justifier.
So what was it that Job greatly feared? Job did something continually everyday.
Read Job 1:5. Job wasn't resting in the finished work and he was so conscious of his self righteousness. Actually, all forms of fear originates from condemnation. If you are condemned in your heart, it is due to your self righteousness before fear actually came.
Is God a judge? Yes, He is but He doesn't want to judge. That is the reason He sent His son Jesus. God has found a ransom for your sins.
God sent His son to die and pay for our redemption. Today, God's redemption is on your side.
God is not pitiful in making you righteous. God is righteous making you righteous. Stand before Him as a righteous man.
It's not a question of who you are but who Jesus is. It's never all about you but about Jesus.
Numbers 5:1-3
Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
Verse 2: "Leper" is passive uncleanliness and "discharge" is active uncleanliness. "Corpse" is association with both.
Galatians 5:4
This is a horrible thing to happen to you and we don't want that. Regardless of the disease, He did not qualify the sick. The only thing that can stop God's grace from flowing in your life is self-righteousness. When you have self righteousness, you are telling God you are self righteous. Jesus calls these people fallen from grace. Self righteousness produces condemnation which kills.
When you focus on just yourself, the devil has gotten you.
Long before poverty came into Adam and Eve's lives, they were in condemnation. Pastor shows a picture of a huge fig tree for illustration purposes.
When marriages break down, it's usually when both cannot see eye to eye. But if you were to dig deeper, it could be because the husband is worried about not providing enough for his family. Then the husband goes into fear/stress mode and this subsequently leads to condemnation.
PICTURE OF FIG TREE:
Leaves:
Destructive habits
Sickness
Financial lack
Roots:
Stress
Fear
Condemnation
On one account, Jesus went to one of these fig tree and cursed it. During that time, the time of fig wasn't yet. But a fig tree is designed to have first fruits before the time of fig. So when Jesus walked by and didn't see the first fruits, He cursed it. He did that as He doesn't want His people to be deceived because fig tree is a representation of self righteousness.
The righteousness of faith speaks. It is, "I believe, I speak".
Jesus spoke what He wanted to see. In today's context, the word of "die" is programmed in our language. You need to curse self righteousness in order for faith to operate. God cursed the fig tree so that faith can operate. The leaves of God's righteousness means life and health.
Mark 11:1-23
Verse 23: The word "doubt" is "diakrino". You have doubt because there's condemnation in your heart. doubt.
In God's economy, the bigger the problem, the easier and better for him.
Romans 14:22-23
Verse 22: Paul asks if you have faith? Happy is he who does not condemn (krino) himself in what he approves.
Pastor asks, when you were a sinner, did you have to believe for sickness? No, it all came as a sinner-package. But now that you are not a sinner, look to God and all these things will be added unto you.
Verse 23: "But he who doubts (diakrino) is condemned if he eats.."
These words are the same as Mark 11:23.
Ezra 3:8
Verse 8: Zerubbabel is the prince of the house of Judah.
Joshua became the high priest. Both represents Jesus - Kingly line and priesthood. When both persons are combined together, it becomes Kingly priesthood.
Ezra 4:4-6
Verse 4-6: When you build a temple for the Lord, there are troubles.
To be murmuring and complaining is a manifestation of self righteousness. Pastor points out that it is good place to start a family in Singapore. In fact, many people want to stay here.
In closing,
Zechariah 4:4-7
Verse 7: Shout "Grace, grace to it!" Shout to your problem and it will no more be a problem. When you are sick, feeling depressed, listen your way out of depression.
Pictures of the accident were shown onscreen and what we all saw was a wreaked vehicle. The rear was so damaged that anyone who saw the photo would assume the passenger seated behind would barely make it alive. It was indeed grace that preserved her life.
Topic: Speak Grace to Your Situation
The church warmly welcomes Pastor Prince on stage.
In the book of Mark Chapter 14, Jesus said, "smite the shepherd and all the sheep will scatter" on the night before He was betrayed. Today, this is still the technique employed by evil forces. Therefore, it's always good to pray for all the Pastors.
God never gave the law to justify men but to show man their guilty self. Jesus said, the servant does not abide forever but the son abides forever.
Zachariah and Elizabeth brought forth John.
Zacha is defined as "God remembers His promise and sends Grace (John)". Man is still standing before God as a judge. Man is self righteous. God doesn't want you to stand before Him as a judge but as a justifier.
So what was it that Job greatly feared? Job did something continually everyday.
Read Job 1:5. Job wasn't resting in the finished work and he was so conscious of his self righteousness. Actually, all forms of fear originates from condemnation. If you are condemned in your heart, it is due to your self righteousness before fear actually came.
Is God a judge? Yes, He is but He doesn't want to judge. That is the reason He sent His son Jesus. God has found a ransom for your sins.
God sent His son to die and pay for our redemption. Today, God's redemption is on your side.
God is not pitiful in making you righteous. God is righteous making you righteous. Stand before Him as a righteous man.
It's not a question of who you are but who Jesus is. It's never all about you but about Jesus.
Numbers 5:1-3
Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
Verse 2: "Leper" is passive uncleanliness and "discharge" is active uncleanliness. "Corpse" is association with both.
Galatians 5:4
This is a horrible thing to happen to you and we don't want that. Regardless of the disease, He did not qualify the sick. The only thing that can stop God's grace from flowing in your life is self-righteousness. When you have self righteousness, you are telling God you are self righteous. Jesus calls these people fallen from grace. Self righteousness produces condemnation which kills.
When you focus on just yourself, the devil has gotten you.
Long before poverty came into Adam and Eve's lives, they were in condemnation. Pastor shows a picture of a huge fig tree for illustration purposes.
When marriages break down, it's usually when both cannot see eye to eye. But if you were to dig deeper, it could be because the husband is worried about not providing enough for his family. Then the husband goes into fear/stress mode and this subsequently leads to condemnation.
PICTURE OF FIG TREE:
Leaves:
Destructive habits
Sickness
Financial lack
Roots:
Stress
Fear
Condemnation
On one account, Jesus went to one of these fig tree and cursed it. During that time, the time of fig wasn't yet. But a fig tree is designed to have first fruits before the time of fig. So when Jesus walked by and didn't see the first fruits, He cursed it. He did that as He doesn't want His people to be deceived because fig tree is a representation of self righteousness.
The righteousness of faith speaks. It is, "I believe, I speak".
Jesus spoke what He wanted to see. In today's context, the word of "die" is programmed in our language. You need to curse self righteousness in order for faith to operate. God cursed the fig tree so that faith can operate. The leaves of God's righteousness means life and health.
Mark 11:1-23
Verse 23: The word "doubt" is "diakrino". You have doubt because there's condemnation in your heart. doubt.
In God's economy, the bigger the problem, the easier and better for him.
Romans 14:22-23
Verse 22: Paul asks if you have faith? Happy is he who does not condemn (krino) himself in what he approves.
Pastor asks, when you were a sinner, did you have to believe for sickness? No, it all came as a sinner-package. But now that you are not a sinner, look to God and all these things will be added unto you.
Verse 23: "But he who doubts (diakrino) is condemned if he eats.."
These words are the same as Mark 11:23.
Ezra 3:8
Verse 8: Zerubbabel is the prince of the house of Judah.
Joshua became the high priest. Both represents Jesus - Kingly line and priesthood. When both persons are combined together, it becomes Kingly priesthood.
Ezra 4:4-6
Verse 4-6: When you build a temple for the Lord, there are troubles.
To be murmuring and complaining is a manifestation of self righteousness. Pastor points out that it is good place to start a family in Singapore. In fact, many people want to stay here.
In closing,
Zechariah 4:4-7
Verse 7: Shout "Grace, grace to it!" Shout to your problem and it will no more be a problem. When you are sick, feeling depressed, listen your way out of depression.
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