Nehemiah: He Cared, He Wept, He Moved

Elder Ho Kien Keong
18-11-2018

Nehemiah 1:1-4 New International Version (NIV)
Nehemiah’s Prayer
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah 1:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

In Matthew 5, Jesus said "you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world." Salt adds flavour. Salt also heals. Light gives warmth and clarity.

Making a difference is very much of our heart's desire and God's desire.

Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. As a young man, he worked hard and rose to the level of a cupbearer to the King. He drank and ate all the nice wine and food. If one had wanted to kill the king, he would be the first to die. 

He was in the marketplace. He was in a place of comfort and called himself successful.

One day, he heard from his brothers coming back from Jerusalem what has happened in the city of Jerusalem.

80 years ago, Zerubbabel took some of the exiles back to Jerusalem and established the temple.

10 years ago, Ezra established the law.

Nehemiah, in his comfort, questioned them about the Jewish remnants who survived the exile.

How do you make a difference in your life?

Nehemiah saw that the city of Jerusalem was in disgrace. The walls were broken down. The gates have been burned.

Nehemiah had a great sense of concern.

We need to understand that we live in a broken world. If we cared enough, our hearts will see.

When it is broken, there is great disgrace.

God is calling us to make a difference.

When hope is gone, relationships are broken.

As we open out eyes, we will see brokenness around us.

There are many broken lives in the marketplace.

The reality is, we live in a broken world.

Coming to church, sometimes we come with a broken mindset to only receive from God. We forget that we are the Body of Christ called to love and care for one another and to rise up to proclaim His kingdom.

Jesus spoke about brokenness.

Luke 10:25-37 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Do you look enough to see the brokenness for you to respond?

As we look at Nehemiah's life, he cared for the brokenness of his people. Because he cared, he wept for the needs of his people.

When was the last time we capture something about what Nehemiah felt?

He wept, he fasted, he prayed.

As salt and light to make a different out there, we need to carry the heart that Nehemiah had.

The place where you spend the most of our time is the place that God will call you to make a difference.

Nehemiah also moved. He said, "God, I want to step beyond my comfort zone to care for this broken nation of Jerusalem."

May God grant us hearts to see, care, weep and move.

Jesus had that heart. He cared, He died for us, He wept for Jerusalem, and He moved.

That should be the starting point for each of us to make a difference.

The challenge for us is outside the church. That's where the power of God is seen through your life and my life.

Have the heart that expresses the heart of God in conversation and deeds.

Our role is to care and love them where they are.

Open your eyes and see the brokenness where you are and in those that God has brought into your life.

If we care enough to look, we will make a difference. May God open our eyes to look.

Zerubbabel was there for 80 years. He built the temple but the city was not completed.

Ezra took more than 10 years to establish the law. 

Nehemiah 6:15 New International Version (NIV)
15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.

Nehemiah took 52 days.

1) 52 Days:
Rediscover Destiny
Understood Why
Ownership

Nehemiah 1:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

God reminded them.

Find that reward in the destiny and purposes of God. The destiny and purposes of God are seen in the place where God has placed you.

Making a difference is more than just sharing the gospel.

Making a difference is allowing ourselves to be used by God to love the people that God brings into our lives.

Jesus said, "Love your neighbours as yourself." We earn the respect to speak the gospel. We need to care for them.

Find the time when the phone is off and build relationships so that we earn the right to bring Christ into their lives as you love and care.

How do you make a difference when you do not build relationships?

Allow the truths that Jesus taught to be true in our lives.

As God works in your life, inspire each other to build.

Nehemiah inspired everyone to build. In Nehemiah 3, the residents in Jerusalem worked next to each other to rebuild and restore what had been broken and destroyed. 

Take ownership.

Build communities together. Be part of a community that we can love. 

When you being to love one another, that's when the presence of God comes.

Opposition:
Be Prepared
Be Anchored
Be Faithful

Every time when we do the work of God and want to make a difference, there will always be opposition.

Sanballat and Tobiah opposed Nehemiah. 

There were internal and external problems.

But Nehemiah prepared them.

Nehemiah told them to read and to read. He gave them the inner strength to face opposition. The intensity was balanced by the Word of God.

Get the Word of God into our lives for the days ahead as we move.

The Word of God anchors the reality of God's truth to face the challenges ahead.

Be faithful. Don't give up because God is with us. God is found in the place where we are doing His will and purposes.

Matthew 28:20 New International Version (NIV)
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Joshua 1:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Acts 1:8 New International Version (NIV)
8 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.”

Nehemiah 4:20 New International Version (NIV)
20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

God is found when you do His will and purposes.

The God of second chances can restore our hurts to bring healing to all those around us. 

Isaiah 61 New International Version (NIV)
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

The Four Messianic Miracles of Jesus

Rev Colin Chow
17-11-2018

In first century Israel the rabbi taught there were two types of miracles.

The Sadducees were the priests.

They all belong to the Jerusalem Council, the Sanhedrin.

Those the rabbis could perform if they were empowered by God to do so.

There were four specific miracles they could not perform because only the Messiah could do when He arrives on the scene.

The oral law has been passed down for 1,700 years.

It is not easy to live as a Jew under Roman rule because of heavy taxes upon them.

The people were allowed to practise Judaism under the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

1) Healing The Leaper

Luke 17:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

If you are born a leaper, you die a leaper.

Unless God heals you. (2 Kings 5)

Out of the ten lepers, only one who was a Samaritan came to Jesus.

God loves the non-Jews or Gentiles as much as He loves the Jews.

Jesus is the Healer:

Matthew 8:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
8 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

A clean person was not supposed to touch a man with leprosy but Jesus touched him and healed him.

Mikveh cleansing pool:

In every pilgrim feast, Jewish men must present an offering for themselves and their families. By coming to the temple, their sins are atoned. This is according to Jewish law.

If you are the 200th man, you say to the Rabbi you're getting into the pool.

The rabbi puts buckets around the remnant and they collect clean spring water. He turns on the tap and puts one or two drops of clean spring water and it makes the pool clean.

So this pool is now spiritually clean.

In first century Israel, that is common knowledge.

Jesus declared Himself the Living Water. And the leper became clean spiritually and physically as well.

2) Casting Out The Mute Demon

Matthew 9:33 New King James Version (NKJV)
33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, “It was never seen like this in Israel!”

Mute demon cannot be cast out by anybody except by the Messiah.

Matthew 12:22-23 New King James Version (NKJV)
A House Divided Cannot Stand
22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the [a]blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

In first century the Jews knew that the Messiah must come from the royal line of David.

This second miracle is a turning point in Jesus' ministry.

It fits into the category of a Messianic miracle.

It happens one after another in the right order.

At this point the speculation gets more intense.

3) Healing The Man Born Blind

John 9:1-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
A Man Born Blind Receives Sight
9 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I[a] must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Right after this healing miracle in Jerusalem, it was the Feast of Dedication or Hannukah in the following month.

After the healing, He declared Himself the Light of the world.

This happened so that the work and glory of God might be revealed to the people of Israel.

It is generational sin that caused the blindness from birth.

But Jesus healed him. This is a miracle reserved for the Messiah.

They got intimidated and worried of losing their position before the Romans. Rome would send their army and wipe them out as a nation.

In John 11, God says through the mouth of the high priest, "Don't you know it is better for one man to die than the whole nation to perish?"

John 9:32-33
32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

They cannot deny that Jesus performed miracles that only God could do.

Jesus was sent to earth to die. At birth He was marked for death. 

4) Raise The Dead After The Third Day

John 11:4-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

Seven days before Passover, Jesus stayed with them.

He stayed in Jerusalem two extra days.

John 11:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

John 11:43-44 New King James Version (NKJV)
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days.

In Jewish traditional belief, if the dead person had died for three days, if God allows it, the rabbis could raise the dead to life because they believed that the spirit of the dead hovers around the body for three days. By the fourth day, no way.

Jesus waited till the fourth day.

This happened for the glory of God be manifested.

Jesus is the fourth day Messiah.

Everybody had to believe that He is the Messiah.

Jesus revealed Himself to be the Prophet, Priest and King.

The Priest must come from the Tribe of Levi, the King from the line of Judah.

But when He came, Jesus is the all in all: Prophet, Priest and King.

When He wept, he was the Priest sharing the pain and sorrow of the people.

He took off His Priestly garment and took on His Kingly robe and gave divine order to His servant. And Lazarus came out.

Jesus showed the manifold wisdom of God, fulfilling His role as Prophet, Priest and King all in one.

Jesus is the fourth day Messiah.

From this day on, they plotted to kill Jesus.

They could not deny or ignore Him any longer.

Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is God.

The Issachar Anointing

Rev Colin Chow
17-11-2018

When you step out in boldness and do what God tells you to do, God will begin to give you gifts. As you serve, gifts will arise in you. And you will know it. You can learn from other people but don't copy. God has created each of us with our own DNA and identity. You are who you are. You will develop your own gifts and God will give that to you. The recipients receive fruits in their lives. Fruits begin to come forth and appear in people's lives. And God says He is pleased with you. Anointing is producing fruits in people's lives.

We live in a season of divine realignment. God is calling nations, church and people to realign themselves with God's will, plan and purposes.

What is the Issachar Anointing?

1 Chronicles 12:32 New King James Version (NKJV)
32 of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

You know the times and seasons of what is happening now and knowing what God is doing now. That is the Issachar Anointing.

The word Issachar means hire, reward, compensation, benefit.

Your sensitivity to God is compensation to other Christians because you are able to discern the things around you in the Spirit.

You are a blessing to other Christians.

Genesis 30:14-18
14 Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?”

And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night.

17 And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name [h]Issachar.

Rachel is barren. Leah has given birth to four sons.

Rachel said to Leah, "Give me some mandrakes (love plants)."

Issachar means a hire or a reward or a compensation. He is a benefit to people. He is born the fifth son. Five is the number of grace of God. Issachar was a product of the gift of mandrakes. Leah "hired" Jacob from Rachel because of the mandrakes.

The Joseph Anointing:
The sons of Issachar understood chronological time but also spiritual and political time.

They could discern what God was doing and when He was doing it.

God was with Joseph in whatever he did a d reveal to unbelievers in so many situations.

If you have the Issachar Anointing, God is with you. The non-believer can sense God with you.

They knew when one move of God is ending and another was beginning.

They could discern when a leader (Saul) was falling and another (David) was rising.

They could tell who the next leader should be. They knew who to follow.

The Daniel Anointing:
The sons of Issachar exceled in the knowledge of God's law.

As they marched towards their destiny in the wilderness with the sound of the trumpet and in His presence.

Three tribes led the way forward: Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

Judah - The Apostolic warring leadership Tribe move first. Praise comes first.

Issachar - The Torah, the wise and discerning tribe, understanding the laws of God and bearing the burden for victory.

Zebulun - The financier/wealth tribe, providing the supplies for the journey.

The sons of Issachar understood time and could interpret the Word of God in time and in season. They came into the wilderness and were thirsty. If you have no water, in six hours, you dehydrate and die. God showed Moses a piece of wood. Suddenly they were in Elim. Moses threw the wood into the water and the water became fit to drink. But later they began to grumble and complain. 

God wants us to understand and interpret our times so we can prosper in every season and have wisdom to advance.

That's why we need the Old Testament as much as the New Testament.

Success makes us arrogant. A lot of people can't handle success.

We all want to advance but if we don't advance with wisdom, we will stumble and fall.

A big part of walking in God's blessing involves seeing time from God's perspective. The Feasts of the LORD allow us to discern the timing and season of the move of God.

The pagan world saw time as endlessly repeated cycles leading nowhere.

God is moving history to a clear destination. He uses cycles to move us forward and closer to Him.

God's Appointed Times (God's Feasts, God's Holy Days) are His divine appointment. They are times for us breaking into His cycle of blessings that God has for His people.

The tribes were in a tremendous time of conflict and transition. The house of Saul and David were at war for years.

Issachar moving in between Judah and Zebulun, were in a strategically important position to give prophetic insight on how to make this shift.

The Solomon Anointing:
The sons of Issachar understood wisdom and prosperity. They understood what was best for Israel.

You need the Issachar Anointing.

Judah was the fourth son of Leah.

Issachar was the fifth son of Leah.

Issachar was the son of "grace".

With that grace comes humility in order to enable you to have the Issachar Anointing.

You hunger, then comes grace, and God molds your character and DNA. As you begin to serve, you demonstrate gifts. One of the gifts could be the Issachar Anointing.

When you have the power of grace enter into time, many situations are rearranged. 

The sons of Issachar ahd the grace to understand how certain structures had to end so that new seasons can enter and God's releasing would begin.

When you start praising God, the Issachar Anointing in you begins to make structures within you to fall and you begin to change.

Examples of Issachar's astute and wise discerning are:

They would discern the times and seasons, and know God's hand was on a Deborah and it was her time.

They supported King David before he became king. They discerned the changing of times and that Saul's time was coming to an end and David's time was coming.

They had the ability to discern the times and seasons.

The ability gave them inside knowledge and understanding of Gods' activities.

They were not taken by surprise. Be ready in season and out of season.

They had influences to rulers and leaders and would be leaders and rulers.

They have the insight, foresight and farsight. They had the prophetic anointing.

The time is now!

All nations in the earth can now become His inheritance.

The time has now come to harvest people and the nations.

You're not going to pray effectively without fully and solidly grounded in the Word of God. Start from the foundation. Jesus is our foundation. God has unfold His prophetic plans through the Jewish people.

Lord, we come to receive, to give you praise and thanks and to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. So that we can come into Your courts. Rain down from heaven this Issachar Anointing. We want to receive it right now in the name of Jesus. Use us so that we can be a help to produce fruits in other people's lives. We are hired by You to minister to others. We are used by You as a reward and compensation to others, our people and our nation. Every good and perfect gift comes from You and we receive it with joy, gratitude and thanksgiving. Let it fill our blood and our spirit so that we can be align with Your will and purposes. Your rule has no end. We declare we are your people. In Jesus name. Amen. 

What Is Manna?

Rev Colin Chow
17-11-2018

Exodus 16:4 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather [a]a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

After the children of Israel drank from the spring of Elim, they began to grumble to Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 16:8-16 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

13 So it was that quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”

God hears our grumbling. He knows our frustrations.

The temperature dropped overnight. When the dew disappeared, thin flakes that looked like coriander seeds began to appear on the desert floor.

Manna means, "What is it?"

The bread came not looking like what they expected.

God wanted to change their minds and their way of thinking. God wanted them to learn to adapt to change.

The Israelites didn't want to change.

Even for us, it is not easy to make a change. It can lead to stress. Our natural response is to resist it. And we complain.

Because of lack of trust in God, they thought of a way to escape.

There is a difference between hearing the promise of God and receiving the promise of God.

Manna didn't look like a loaf of bread.

They couldn't change their mentality.

This applies to us as Christians as well.

Here lies the problem about you telling people about your vision. We need to be careful. Sometimes our vision is affected by our past experience. You expect it to look like what it used to look like and when it comes differently, you tell God that He is giving something different and ask, "what is this?" The answer comes unrecognisable to you.

Manna is an Old Testament picture between Jesus and Israel. Israel had been praying for the Messiah to come down from heaven. When He did at the 42nd generation, the Jews looked at Jesus and they couldn't recognise Him and asked, "What is this god?"

John said He comes unto His own but they receive Him not.

You are a son of God. The sons of God, male or female, mean heirs. Sons and daughters receive an inheritance from the father.

If you ask God to send a blessing, very often the blessing comes differently from what you asked for. When God opens the door, you are murmuring and complaining. This is Manna. Manna means "What is it?"

The answer that God gives us is a blessing if we can go through it. A lot of times we miss it. We cannot get it.

God's blessing is a test through stormy weathers and high waters. If you don't go get it, you're not going to get the blessing. When you recognise the manna and you come out of the test, you will receive the blessing.

John said in John 5 that He is the Bread of Life who came down from Heaven.

John 6:32-33,35 New King James Version (NKJV)
32 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

The first generation of Israelites had to die in the wilderness.

When the dew fell, the manna came with it.

When the dew evaporated, the manna appeared.

The dew is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Anointing comes first. That's why people cannot curse the Word of God.

Coming out of Egypt, God's desire for them is to be a changed people. That's why God drowned Pharaoh in the Red Sea. God wanted the Israelites to come out with a clean slate. They had to follow the move of God.

Before that they were slaves for 400 years. They had to learn everything from scratch in the wilderness. That's why the journey had to be 40 years in wilderness so that they could lead about the God and the attributes of God.

The Israelites had to go out of their tent and "gather the manna" every morning.

If you want a blessing from God, you have to "go out and get it."

Ger out of our tent, get out of that box, get our of that narrow mindedness, get out of that defeated mentality, get out! You must recognise the people that you are with.

The Bible said as they began to gather, God did not distribute the manna equally. We're talking about 2,000,000 people here. It is fair, but not equal.

Exodus 16:17-18
17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.

It is no good you looking around jealous of someone who got more bread than you.

Can you handle what you got?

God responds to hunger.

How hungry are you, how thirsty are you for God?

You will get more if you hunger more. How much you get from God depends on how much you hunger for God.

If you have the capacity inside of you, God will give you more.

Take time to pray, seek God and ask Him to provide for you.

What is equal to us may not be equal to God. God is always equal and fair.

Those who know the Lord your God will do great exploits. You can do things even greater than the disciples could do.

The Israelites didn't receive it with gladness and thanksgiving.

This true manna from heaven will sustain not just hunger but also life.

Father, rain down this true manna from heaven. We will not be surprised and ask "What is it?" Because our spirit is in touch with Your Spirit. We already have a glimpse and a touch of what You are about to give us. It may not be exactly what we ask for but we know it is the best for us.

You are our refuge. You are the high tower. You are the cornerstone. You care for us and know what we are up against.

The church is hungry for more. The church is hungry for a deeper revelation of Your mind, purposes and will.

We pray that your dew will fall from heaven and touch us and do a deep work in our lives.


He who has started a good work in us will complete it until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Inheritors (Co-Heirs and Joint-Heirs with Christ)

Pr Adrian Sarwono
16-11-2018

Malachi 4:6 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

The strength of fatherhood is very strong in this church.

The fathers are turning towards the sons (children). But there needs another action for the blessing to come. That is, the children must also turn their hearts towards the fathers. It takes two to clap. If it's only the fathers, then nothing will happen. It is a waste of energy. But if the fathers and the children meet in the middle, there is an explosion. Boom! Something is happening!

There is a unique calling in a church when there is a strong fatherhood spirit in it. Because the fathers and the children are doing something together. It's not just the actions. It is the turning of the hearts of the fathers [and the hearts of the children].

Just before Judges, there's the Joshua generation. Just before that, there's the Moses generation.

The Moses generation was kind of like the startup, the get out of Egypt type of movement. It was like the generation that started up a church. After that was the Joshua generation that carried on.

But will there be a Judges moment for us? If we think of Moses, Joshua and Judges as age groups, then maybe it can happen to us. Normally, we think of Moses and Joshua as the old and young generation in terms of age. If there is a coordination and unity between the young and old, then everything will be okay.

Because of Malachi 4:6, this might not be just about age. This is about spiritual fatherhood. This is about Moses and Joshua, no matter how young or old you are.

There has to be a father within our generation. We should become a Moses that creates the next generation, the Joshuas, in our generation. So it is not just between age groups.

Joshua 24:31 New King James Version (NKJV)
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

There is a generation that really lives out the name of God in our generation.

But only a few of the Joshuas and the elders are carrying the torch. So the centres of growth are only upon a few people. If only a few people are really anointed, the rest are like partakers.

The Joshuas and the elders think they are on fire but once they are gone, then suddenly everybody goes downhill and everybody sins. There is no heat anymore. There is no anointing anymore.

You need the anointing to grow the church.

But I've been laid hands upon so many times and nothing happens. When I pray for people, no one gets healed.

Until I understand fatherhood. Until I understand about son of the vision.

There are four simplified levels in how you connect to God and how intimate you are to God:
1) Member
2) Disciple
3) Servant
4) Son

Even though you have been serving for many years, this is not how you minister--this is about the condition of your heart.

When you are a member, you do nothing because you are not a son. There has to be an action taken in your heart to move up.

As a member, you have to become a son. Then you can do something with your father. There is an explosion happening.

What does it mean to be just a member? That means you are just like the Israelites in Judges. All you do when you come to church is to just pray for a breakthrough. You just want to be the recipient. You just want to receive miracles. You just want to be prayed for and see signs and wonders to be done upon you. You don't want to do anything else. You just want to be blessed. You just want to be served upon.

You just want the anointing to be put upon you and then do nothing.

But the anointing doesn't stay within your life.

Just like in the days of Judges. One judge goes and the Israelites did nothing.

The Joshuas did something. The Joshuas applied the anointing.

There is still a danger because after Joshua, there is no one else. It's like there is no son. Joshua failed being a father. He was a servant but he wasn't being a father. There was no son being created after Joshua. There's no one there to carry the torch. He was the fire in the room and when he died, the room became cold. The generation became cold. Was it because of age? No, because Joshua didn't become a spiritual father.

Moses raised up Joshua. Moses did his job in his generation. He became the father that turned to the son and Joshua was raised up to become the son and something happened in Joshua's generation. They took Canaan. There was an anointing that broke the walls of Jericho. There was an anointing that destroyed 31 cities and kings. There was a breakthrough anointing. People were released. People were getting their lands and there were blessings all around during Joshua's generation. Miracles happened in Joshua's generation but there was no continuation. It stopped.

Become both Moses and Joshua. Become a father and a son as well. Your spiritual father is giving you a high five and is expecting to clap back. It's like Moses is saying, "C'mon! Let's get out of Egypt and go into Canaan, the land that God is giving us. Let's go from the east to the west, from the north to the south." Like Moses, our spiritual fathers are giving us a new vision.

There has to be an explosion of revival. But it must not stop at this generation. The next generation is the next group of people that you are winning.

There has to be an understanding that you must not just become a son but you must also become a father. You must not just become the Joshua but also the Moses of the next generation and the new batch of people that you are winning, baptising and teaching.

Otherwise they might just be following Christ just because we are there. We are the torch bearers but we never pass the torch to them. We never light them up, we just heat them up.

We must learn from Moses. Moses had a big vision but he did not see it to fruition. He could only see it from afar. He never touched Canaan during his life.

As a son, the anointing can also be passed on to you through inheritance.

Galatians 4:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, [a]“Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir [b]of God [c]through Christ.

You're an heir. An heir is someone who receives the inheritance. An heir is someone who doesn't deserve anything but receives it anyway. An inheritance is something that you get not because you are worthy of it but just because you have the status of a son. An inheritance is not something that you work for because you are smart or good but you get it because of your status as a son.

Yes, you have to work hard, serve hard and minister hard but the anointing comes because you have the heart of a son. When you become a good son, that's when you inherit the anointing. 

The bigger the vision, the bigger the anointing. Don't you think Jesus and Elijah could split the Red Sea? Moses' mission was totally impossible. He had to take 2,000,000 people out of Egypt and into the desert and to sea. Because he had an impossible job, he had bigger miracles.

There is a bigger anointing for you. You are inheriting a lot of miracles. You are inheriting impossible miracles. If it is an impossible job, that means the God of the impossible will give you the signs and wonders. When you become a son, you inherit the same anointing.

From Moses to Joshua, there was a very strong and clear vision that was inherited. At the start of Exodus, there was a vision that was given to Moses. At the start of Joshua, that same vision was given to Joshua. Joshua took it and adopted it although it was Moses' vision. And he became a son, spiritually.

When Joshua received the vision, Moses had already died. Joshua had the option of doing anything he likes. He could even go back to Egypt. But if he did that, he would have all the miracles. It would just be his hard work.

Because he took the same vision and mission, he split the River Jordan. The same miracle that happened in Moses' life happened in another capacity in Joshua's life. There's inherited signs and wonders as well. There's an inherited anointing from Moses to Joshua. 

John 4:34 New King James Version (NKJV)
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. We should become more like Christ. So we should also seek and save the lost. When we are doing the same as Jesus Christ, that means we are getting the same anointing as Jesus Christ. To get the anointing, you have to serve. To get the anointing, you should adopt the same vision as your spiritual fathers'.

You are growing well when you are doing the Bible, when you are doing the will of God and finishing His work.

Let's do this together.

Related:

Know God's Heartbeat, Stand Up and Be Doers

DWJD: Do What Jesus Did 1 (of 2)

DWJD: Do What Jesus Did 2 (of 2) - Catch the Vision!

From Boat to Ocean: Jesus, the Life Changer

A Man whose Heart Beats to God's Heart

Be Significant like Hur was to Moses

North, South, East, West: Go and Build