Building a Nation that Honours God

Dato' Dennis Ignatius

30-09-2018

Isaiah 58:6-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the [a]heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are [b]cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,

The [c]pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10 If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your [d]darkness shall be as the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

12 Those from among you

Shall build the old waste places;

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,

The Restorer of [e]Streets to Dwell In.

May 9 gave us a new sense of power to affect change as citizens of this nation.

How do we safeguard our democracy going forward?

It is up to us now. We must be the custodians of our own democracy.

1) Do Christians have a rule in nation-building?

2) What kind of nation should we aspire to build? 

3) How do we serve God in the area of nation-building? 

Should we as Christians take our place in the public square? Is it ministry or politics?

I believe politicians must not be given religious authority and religious figures must not be given political authority.

Christians and nation building:

The Bible is God's political manifesto for nation building.

It talks about integrity, accountability, godliness, justice and laws, and our responsibilities as citizens.

Genesis talks about our mandate to rule the earth. 

Joshua showed integrity and leadership. 

The Bible reveals to us the good and bad of rulers and government. 

Esther challenged oppressive laws. 

Proverbs teaches us how to govern wisely. 

Amos exposes hypocritical rulers. 

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are about sharing the good news of Jesus. We have been given authority to confront the works of evil.

Revelation reminds us not to put our faith in money and power.

They were men and women of God and also men and women of government to challenge injustice, corruption and immorality.

Elijah challenged King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

We see them today as prophets. We tend to spiritualise their position and calling. They were kings, generals and cupbearers. They were advisers and Prime Ministers. They were actively engaged in the affairs of the Bible. They serve God by serving the nation. God used them to bring the nation back into alignment.

There was child sacrifice, immorality. God raised up godly men and women to challenge the situation and occupy political positions.

From David, Solomon, Daniel, Ezra, Cornelius, Mordecai to Lucius Paulus, the Ethiopian eunuch, Zacchaeus, they were not there by accident. They went from being a slave to a Prime Minister, a prisoner to a governor.

God is positioning people right now in this nation.

Nation building is in fact a Christian ministry. It is Christians ministering to their nation either through politics, NGOs or local government.

Take the things in God's heart and share them with your nation. Share the commandments of God. We are called to be the aroma of Christ and we take that into our nation.

Nation building should be part of our ministry.

As Christians, we have a higher calling to build a nation after God's own heart and to reflect God's priority--justice, truth, compassion for the poor and marginalised.

It is about infusing our nation with the values of the kingdom.

"... Life in eighteenth-century Britain was particularly brutal, decadent, violent, and vulgar. Slavery was only the worst of a host of societal evils that included epidemic alcoholism, child prostitution, child labor, frequent public executions for petty crimes, public dissections and burnings of executed criminals, and unspeakable public cruelty to animals."

- William Wilberforce

They took a stand against all manners of injustice and corruption.

They changed their whole nation. Thousands were freed from slavery, alcoholism, and the works of the devil. The whole nation came to see Christianity and Christians in a whole new light. They experience the love of God.

We cannot afford not to be involved in nation-building.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If we are not in there, somebody else will.

We must get involved.

Can we think about building an Isaiah 58 nation?

God reveals His heart to our nation.

He shows us how to bring down the blessing and the favour of God upon the nation.

Matthew 25:35-40 New King James Version (NKJV)

35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

How do we take the Word of Jesus and make it into a policy in our nation?

What can we do?

Isaiah 1:17 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 Learn to do good;

Seek justice,

Rebuke [a]the oppressor;

[b]Defend the fatherless,

Plead for the widow.

James 1:27 New King James Version (NKJV)

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

If the things that breaks God's heart doesn't break our hearts, then something is wrong.

Exodus 20:10 New King James Version (NKJV)

10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

It is easy to blame the government. But what about us? What about our neighbours and friends? It is up to us to show them what Christ love has done in us and share the love of God with them.

The Bible is a powerful spiritual force. God also intends for us to take them from the pages of the Bible into the nation. 

The gospel is God's answer to all the problems in the world.

Ultimately you want to build a nation, share the gospel.

Find a way to share the gospel.

If you believe something, preach it, teach it and share it. If not, shut up.

We must never underestimate the power of prayer to pull down strongholds.

May 9 was an answer to prayer. We had an opposition that didn't expect to win and a government that that didn't expect to lose. May 9 was our Red Sea moment.

We need to continue to press on in prayer.

We are also called to give expression to the word of God.

Take the core values of the kingdom into the nation.

This is one thing we can do.

The nation is wide open. We can take the core values of the kingdom and build a New Malaysia.

Nation-building always comes down to us. It involves us.

The Bible demands of you as citizens to get involved in nation-building.

Get involved in an NGO. Join them, support them, take part, be a part of it to help build a better nation.

There's no excuse for you to not get involved. Prayer must not be an excuse for inaction. Pray and act. We can build this dream nation based the core values of the kingdom. Build the nation and please God at the same time.

Matthew 5:16 New King James Version (NKJV)

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Today is the day of our reaping and harvesting. God has given us a new beginning.

Build this nation after God's own heart.

Rarely do nations get a second chance.

God has answered your prayers. What are you going to do about it?

We must rise to build nation after God's own heart.

That's what New Malaysia is about.

Related:
Nation Building

Dynamics of Revival

Pr Julius Suubi

30-09-2018

Habakkuk 3:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Prophet’s Prayer

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on [a]Shigionoth.

2 O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;

O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!

In the midst of the years make it known;

In wrath remember mercy.

Psalm 85:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Will You not revive us again,

That Your people may rejoice in You?

We are in an interesting season in Malaysia.

What happened in Malaysia is not a miracle. What happened in Malaysia is wonder.

After the elections, many people resigned from prayer.

The Lord has spoken. We are at the verge of a very powerful breakout of revival.

The Asuza revival took place in 1906. After 100 years, there is going to be another mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will lead to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Revival does not just happen. Revival comes because we are putting in place the principles that attract the presence of God.

When we do that, we are going to experience revival.

There are places that revival has broken out in territorial areas.

God is about to release a great revival. Many young people are going to come into the kingdom of God.

When revival happens, people rejoice because it brings a fresh power, healing, miracles, signs and wonders.

Revivals always moves in waves.

Every day you need to pray and read the Word of God.

You cannot ride on one way of revival. That wave dies.

You need to trigger another revival.

Bonnke had a dream of a huge ship. In the process of time, it stopped. The water level was so little that it kissed the ground. God says, "The ship is your vision but you do not have enough water to drive the Vision. You need more intercessors to generate enough water so that the ship can continue moving."

RELATED: Thanksgiving

RELATED: The Power of Family Altars

RELATED: Things That Make Your Prayers To Be Answered Quickly

RELATED: Building Personal Prayer Altars

How does revival happen? 

Hosea 10:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;

Reap in mercy;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the Lord,

Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

1) It begins by sowing the right thing into your spiritual vineyard which is your heart where the altar of the Lord is.

We are created in the image of God and the heavens. There are three heavens.

2 Corinthians 10:14 New King James Version (NKJV)

14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ;

Third heaven - spirit:

Ephesians 2:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Sow into yourselves righteousness.

Sow the Word of God. Read the Word. Deposit Scriptures into your heart to create an atmosphere in your heart.

Luke 17:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Coming of the Kingdom

20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, [a]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is [b]within you.”

The Kingdom of God is within you.

Some carry an atmosphere of joy and prayer. But others carry an atmosphere of complaining.

We carry atmospheres. You have to be intentional by depositing the Word of God inside your heart.

Korean dramas and rock music do not sow revival.

The things that you sow in your heart you will speak it. 

Listen to anointed messages and the right music.

Sow prayer and worship.

In the garden of Eden, God put the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Even in our daily lives, we always desire from the tree of knowledge. We love to read, say and watch things that do not give value to our lives (pornography etc).

Yet we are supposed to be eating from the tree of life.

Ezekiel 47:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

8 Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the [a]valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever [b]the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

Revelation 10:9-11 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And [a]he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

It was John's spiritual mouth that ate.

When you spend time and you have a successful breakthrough in worship and prayer time, you are actually drinking as you pray.

You are drinking from the river of life.

John 7:38 New King James Version (NKJV)

38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

We are eating from the tree of life.

Prayer builds up your spirit and you feel fresh and energised.

The period of prayer is a process of sowing into your heart. 

When we pray, our prayers are recorded in the altars of our heart.

Eat from the tree of life.

Hosea 10:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 Sow righteousness for yourselves,
    reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
    for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes

    and showers his righteousness on you.

2) The second level is: you fall in love with God. Reap the fruit of unfailing love.

Motivation to serve, worship and pray must be done in love.

Love opens up the treasures of revelation.

John had a unique relationship with Jesus.

Let the Lord baptise you with love.

Ask God to revive love for Him.

The Power of Family Altars

Pr Julius Suubi

09-09-2018

Genesis 18:17-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

What are family altars? Family altars are altars that are raised up in the family. The whole purpose and focus of family altars is to pray for the family and to draw the presence of God in that family.

There is a difference between altars and prayer meetings.

Every time altars were raised in the Scriptures, they were acceptable altars.

Not all altars are acceptable. Not all sacrifices are acceptable. God rejected the sacrifice of Cain because it wasn't acceptable. We think that God is so desperate that anything that we throw to Him, He can just receive it. God is not desperate for your sacrifice. God has standards.

Malachi 1:6-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

Polluted Offerings

6 “A son honors his father,

And a servant his master.

If then I am the Father,

Where is My honor?

And if I am a Master,

Where is My reverence?

Says the Lord of hosts

To you priests who despise My name.

Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

7 “You offer defiled food on My altar,

But say,

‘In what way have we defiled You?’

By saying,

‘The table of the Lord is [a]contemptible.’

8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,

Is it not evil?

And when you offer the lame and sick,

Is it not evil?

Offer it then to your governor!

Would he be pleased with you?

Would he accept[b] you favorably?”

Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

RELATED: Thanksgiving
RELATED: Things That Make Your Prayers To Be Answered Quickly
RELATED: Building Personal Prayer Altars

The Lord is telling the children of Israel that that fire is useless fire. Not all sacrifices are acceptable before the Lord. At times, you can worship and pray but what you are giving does not meet the standard requirements that God expects from you.

Acceptable altars means approaching the presence of God with honour, with respect, with reverence.

God is God. And He must be respected, honoured and revered.

When we approach Him with honour and with reverence, we will call upon His name and He will answer us. He will move.

At times when we enter into prayer, we are so casual with God.

Acceptable altars that meet the expectations and standards of God will rise up and the presence of God comes down.

When Elijah reconstructed the altar, the presence of God came down.

When Noah reconstructed the altar after coming out of the ark, the presence of God came down and He said, "I will never destroy the earth again using floods."

When David raised an altar at Araunah's threshing floor, God removed the judgment that had come upon the nation.

When we talk about the altars, we are focusing on drawing the presence of God into your homes.

It is not only about experiencing the presence of God in church.

When we take about altars, we are talking about power points. God wants you to establish a power point. If it is a demonic altar, it draws demonic power into your home. But when we raise an altar to the Lord, we are drawing and courting the power of the Holy Spirit into our family.

The Jews have gone through the greatest persecution that any community has ever faced.

But Judaism has never been totally eradicated because the discipleship in the Jewish family is not based on the synagogue; it was based on the family altar.

The indoctrination of Jewish children takes place at home. Many times we leave discipleship to the Sunday School teacher. We celebrate the work that Sunday School teachers do but how much time do they have with our children?

If you are going to infuse the gospel into your children, you have to be intentional to disciple your children from the family altar.

Why do we need to raise up family altars and what do family altars do?

We are going to compare the family of Abraham and the family of Lot.

One family had an altar, the other family did not have an altar.

Abraham was committed in raising up his children in the ways of God.

The greatest people that you need to get respect from are your wife and children. Otherwise you cannot impact your family.

The impact and influence must begin in the house.

Genesis 18:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Son of Promise

18 Then the Lord appeared to him by [a]the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,

When God comes to visit Abraham's home, He finds Abraham at home. Abraham was a family man. He was not an absent father. He was there for the family.

We invest a lot of money to ensure that our children study and get good grades but we do not invest enough time to ensure  that our children also grow up in the Word of God.

To raise up a family that fears God does not come by accident. It must be intentional. You have to deliberate about it.

Fathers, when we look at Lot, don't leave the running of the family altars just to your wives. Many times the mothers are praying and interceding for their families and the fathers are not.

Fathers, you have the priestly mantle. Research have proved that even when the fathers just get involved in the homework of the children, children will always perform better. Daddy, your input is needed in the family.

Genesis 19:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

Sodom’s Depravity

19 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”

And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”

3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

Lot was not at home when the angels came to visit his family.

Because the family of Abraham had an altar, Sarah was obedient to Abraham. Sarah called her husband, "My lord."

Genesis 18:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

1 Peter 3:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

The word "lord" is a statement of obedience and submission.

Because of the presence of God, there was respect for one another in that home.

Some husbands call their wives "bitter lemon" or wives call their husbands "that beast!"

But Sarah called her husband "my lord." How sweet is that!

I'm not saying you should call your husband "my lord." What is means is that there was honour and respect because the presence of God was there in that home.

Tell your wife "I love you."

Now, having a family altar doesn't mean that you're not going to have challenges in your family. Challenges are going to be there. But because you pray together and have that time of sharing the Word of God together, the presence of God will help you to create a different atmosphere in your family and you'll forgive one another very easily. I pray with my wife. We pray every day. But every Monday evening, we have our official family altar. When we gather, everybody has to share.

The children share the dreams that they are having. And they share the revelations that they are getting.

We need to infuse the Word of God into our children at the family altar.

We need to pray together.

When Abraham was about to die, he said to the oldest servant of his house, "Go and get a wife for my son from my country." The servant went and Rebekah obeyed and married Isaac. (Genesis 24) The family of Abraham had a powerful prayer altar.

When God asked Abraham to offer Isaac, the beloved son asked the father, "We have the wood but where is the sacrifice?" (Genesis 22:7) Abraham had trained his son that when you approach the presence of God, you must always approach with a sacrifice. He had disciple him. Even God had testified that, "I know that Abraham shall raise his children in the ways of God."

What happened to the children of Lot? When the angels of the Lord came and declared that there was going to be a judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law. The Bible says they mocked him, they laughed at him and nothing good came out of that. (Genesis 19:14) Why? Because this was a family that had no prayer. This was a family that never gathered together as a family to worship the Lord. There was no fear of the Lord amongst the sons-in-law of Lot.

But in the family of Abraham, even Rebekah, though she never saw Abraham, she obeyed.

Altars are very, very powerful.

You cannot raise up your children by telling them, "Don't do this." You cannot raise them up by don'ts and dos. It only works when your children are in your presence. They might not do certain things because of respect for you.

But what about when they are not with you? You need to raise your children around the presence of God. You need to teach how to access and draw the presence of God themselves. In the day when they are not with you, even though they are going through a crisis, they will know how to call upon the name of the Lord by themselves, and not relying on daddy's or mommy's prayers alone.

That was what Job did. Job never taught his children how to access the presence of God. The Bible says every time they have a birthday, he used to sacrifice for them. That is good. It is good to pray for them. It is good to also ensure that they experience and they know what to do.

Lot had tried. Raising up girls in Sodom and Gomorrah, the Bible testifies his daughters were virgins. Could you really raise up daughters in Sodom and Gomorrah who were virgins? That's a very tall order. Sodom was weakened. It was full of darkness. It was full of evil. But he managed to.

But then we also see that when these children were subjected to pressure, they wanted to get married but could not get men to be married to, they manipulated their father, gave him wine and slept with him. That was the first incest recorded in the Bible. (Genesis 19:30-38) Why? Because don'ts and dos cannot survive pressure. There is a level when the pressure becomes too much.

But the presence of God will help you to overcome every kind of pressure.

Lord, I want more of Your presence.

Holy Spirit, release Your presence. Ignite the family altars. Release Your fire and power over Your people.

Your marriage will be spared.

Your children will be spared.

Fire of the Holy Ghost, come upon me and my children this morning. In the name of Jesus.

Divorce rates are so high these days. When divorce takes place, hearts are broken, children are affected, destinies are crushed and destroyed.

The only way to keep the marriages is--not to destroy one another but for people to love one another and fulfilling destinies--by raising up that family altar.

It looks like a very simple instruction but yet it is very, very powerful.

How are you going to raise up children where there is so much rebellion released to ensure that children do not agree with their parents? Drug abuse, moral fabrics broken... It is only by raising up family altars and bringing the presence of God into your house.

Family altars are powerful in shaping the destinies of families.

Matthew 20:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

Greatness Is Serving

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

Can we celebrate our mothers and fathers?

This lady came to Jesus and she did not ask for her personal needs.

If it was a man, a man would have told Jesus to pray for my business and my career. Men are always talking about their career.

But this woman asked on behalf of her children.

Was that prayer answered? Yes. The sons of Zebedee were John and James.

Jesus had the three who were in the inner circle. Who were they? Peter, John and James.

So her prayer for greatness for her children were answered. 

The prayers of your family altars shape the destinies of your children. They shape the destiny of your marriage. When Rebekah was going to get married to Isaac, they prayed for her and prophesied upon her that her offspring seize the gates of their enemies. That prophetic word came at the family altar. Rebekah gave birth to Jacob, Jacob to Judah, Judah to David, David to Jesus. It came to pass. Jesus possessed the gates of the enemy.

Let us raise up family altars. This one of the greatest strategies to overcome the hosts of hell that are destroying families today.