The 300 (Judges 7:4-8)

Elder Saw Lip Hean
29-12-2019

There is a good reason why God chose only 300.

The people who drank water with their faces plunged down were very self-absorbed who only focused on their own needs.

Those 300 stood vigilant. They went down on one knee with their spears and weapons up and lapped like dogs. They exercised self-control.

In church, we build disciples one by one. We learn how to give of ourselves sacrificially to build the church.

The most important thing about the church is the body of Christ. We are here not to receive but to give to the body of Christ. It is performing our function. We participate in the church life and in giving ourselves to God, we receive even more--the reality, mercy and grace of God. When God uses you, you are able to experience how real God is.

We fail to understand that when Jesus gave us that new life, that new life must be lived with the mentality of Christ. When God uses us, we begin to live Christian life the way it ought to be lived.

Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is about relationship--how we relate to God and relate to His children.

You can be a Christian and serve but you miss the blessing that God has for you. We need to check our hearts.

Very often when we serve God, we have this romantic idea that we want to be another Reinhard Bonnke or Billy Graham. Even our idea of leading a person to Christ can be self-absorbed. You need to usher and guide him in the narrow path until you are assured that you can let go of his hand. You are not to make converts but to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28).

Not every one of us can disciple a person from A to Z. That's is why the body of Christ is for. You connect him and you keep watch over him. As he grows in his faith, you can direct him to others who are able to answer his questions and teach him the things that you cannot teach. When he is able to stand on his own feet, then you can let go.

Making disciples is making sure he crosses the finishing line together with you. Salvation is a process of turning from the world to the kingdom of God. It is our job to be there to be a helper.

Is there any place for glory? None.

Philippians 2:3-4 New International Version (NIV)
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Jeremiah 45:5a New International Version (NIV)
5 Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.

If you cannot achieve the glory, does it matter?

How do we build a church?

You do it one by one. And you show that you love them and care for them. Through you, the love and resources of God is made manifest.

When everybody benefits, there is a synergy effect.

When the body of Christ functions together, when you give of yourself to God, look at what Jesus did with five loaves and two fishes?

If you have not been serving, get involved in the church.

Christianity is life. It is about how you live in the body of Christ.

Saviour

Sis Joanna Dorai
25-12-2019

The literal meaning of Saviour is the One who saves.

Do you have a Saviour? Who is He? What is His name?

Jesus means Saviour. Jesus means deliverer. Jesus is born for you and me.

What has the Saviour been born to do?

1) Deliver us from darkness.

Walking in darkness is walking without vision and direction.

Jesus says, "I am the light. He who walks with Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

Step into the light for the deliverer has prepared a pathway for you.

2) The deliverer has come to save us from death.

Death literally means death. Death means total loss with no hope of returning back.

Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life." He would give you the power to rise up again.

The deliverer has come to save you from death and total loss.

3) Deliver us from deception. 

Deception is deliberately causing someone to believe something that is not true.

The Bible says a fool says in his heart that there is no God.

There is also the deception that there are many ways to come to God.

Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Eternal life just simply means a life that we live forever never separated from God. Eternal life means a life forever together with God.

Suppose you were to die today, do you know for sure that you where you are going?

Suppose you were to die today and meet God in heaven and He asks, "Why should I allow you to enter heaven?" 

The good news is eternal life is a free gift from God. It is not earned or deserved.

But man cannot receive this free gift because of sin. Sin is anything that violates the law of God. It includes thoughts and actions.

Man cannot save ourselves. You may think you can override sin with good deeds. No amount of good deeds can cover one's sin.

What did God do? God is both merciful and yet just. 

Man cannot save himself so God sent a deliverer. God shows His mercy and justice through Jesus Christ. He paid the penalty of all of our sins. He died and rose on the third day. 

The reason why Jesus came is so that He can give us peace. Peace means to join something together that was once separated and torn apart.

That is why Jesus has come to put together yourself and Himself out of the power of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of deception into truth.

This is the message of Christmas. The deliverer has come to put vision back into your life. The deliverer has come so that you can have peace with God and peace with one another.

The Birth of Jesus... when Heaven stepped into earth... (Luke 2:1-20)

Elder Dorai Manikam
22-12-2019

Luke 2:1-20 New International Version (NIV)
The Birth of Jesus
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

There are teachers and prophets but there is only one Saviour. Jesus is the Saviour. 

Messiah means the long awaited one. Jesus is the Messiah. 

And Jesus is the Lord.

And Christ is God.

And God became Man.

The thrill of Christmas morning is that God became Man.

He is the joy to the world. He is the peace to the world. He is the glory of God revealed. He is God made visible to all men.

In Jesus, we have peace with God. And we have peace within ourselves. And we can have peace with one another.

It is God's love that went to Mary.

And Mary said, "Yes" to God's love.

The angel spoke to Joseph and Joseph said, "Yes" to God's love.

The angel spoke to the shepherds and the shepherds said, "Yes" to God's love.

The good news is that eternal life is an act of God's love. It is an act of God's grace. Eternal life is a free gift that God gives to us. It is not earned.

But none of us deserves it.

Sin is a violation of God's love.

We can sin with our words and our thoughts. 

That we ought to do we don't do.

Sin hinders us from receiving this free gift of God.

So man cannot save himself.

God had to bring His way.

God is merciful. He doesn't want to punish us. At the same time God is just. He must punish sin.

God showed His love and justice by sacrificing Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God became Man. He died on the cross. He rose from the dead and purchased a place in heaven for us.

God came to the same level as you and I. The only difference is He is sinless and we are sinful.

Before He died, He said, "It is finished."

He offers us this gift of eternal life which we can now receive by faith. Saving faith is the one that opens heaven's door. It is not blind faith. It is not temporary faith. It is knowing and trusting in Jesus alone that He is the Saviour. It is a free gift to every one of us.

Jesus comes not to make bad people good. He came to make dead people come alive.

Activating our Faith in Jesus to be an Apostolic Church

Elder Dorai Manikam
15-12-2019

John 14:6-21 New International Version (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

The word apostolic also means missionary. It comes from the word apostle which means the sent out ones.

By design of the Bible and by design of the Holy Spirit, every church ought to be apostolic.

Start with one person. Disciple that person until you begin to multiply.

It is explosive. Such was the Antioch Church of the day.

The church is not a building. The people constitute the church.

The key is the Holy Spirit.

Every promise has to be prayed over.

Faith can lose air just like a tyre can lose air. Faith can be deflated.

The Holy Spirit is our helper. He is God.

Keep on praying in the spirit.

Then you can hear the Word of God directly.

Pray until something happens. Pray with the Word of God. Pray the promise. And God begins to open it up and shows the way to do it.

If you don't lay a foundation of prayer, you won't last.

You work with the Holy Spirit and you will get what He wants.

Read the Bible systematically.

1) Look for God. We want to meet God who writes the letter to us. Then faith is stimulated. 

2) Look for people.

3) Action or events. What does it say about yourself?

4) Time, chronology. What does it say you should be doing? 

5) Place.

The works of God are the acts of obedience of men under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Faith without works is dead. 

Failures do not define you. You only failed doing in the right direction.

Jesus had a focus. For the 40 days, He was praying Isaiah 61.

The Great Commission will only happen if it becomes personal to each and every one of us.

Jesus began to sow Isaiah 61 into His Spirit and into His heart.

He sowed in prayer. That's where the enemy will attack you.

The key is whoever believes. Whoever means you. Whoever believes in Jesus will do the things that He has done and do even greater. With this we can take the world.

Righteousness is basically this--that we are right with God, that we are right with ourselves, and that we are right with other people.

The key is the Holy Spirit--the person, the guidance and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can come and fill you and make you alive.