THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

In the Old Testament, there are many stories of Blood Sacrifices. These Blood
Sacrifices were done to cover the sins of the people. There was once the blood
was applied at the doorpost so that the judgment of God would pass over them.

Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with his own blood.

There are Four Occasions where Jesus Shed His Blood

All these occasions have significant meanings and speak to us about the Power of
Jesus Blood.

Occasion no: 1 - Luke 22:42-44 – Praying with Sweat and Blood

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening
him.

Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat
was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

As a 100% human being, Jesus is demonstrating to us that God’s Will is above His
human Will.

Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out.

Our Flesh is following our old Human Will, the Old Nature – the nature of the
unregenerate man, the old man and the nature before we knew God.

Heb 10:6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

God has no pleasure in us if we want to do our Will and not God’s Will.

Lesson 1: Jesus shed His Blood to deal with our Will which is against the Will of God.

Application
1: Surrender your Will – Take His Will for your Life.

If you want the Power of the Blood, you must Surrender your Will to God’s Will.

Occasion no: 2 - John 19:1 – Whipping until Blood flow

John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

There were 39 times – the body of Jesus was whipped.

Isa 53:4 "But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.

Isa 53:5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.

Isa 53:6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the LORD made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved."

Lesson 2: Our Sin will lead to Suffering, Pain, Punishment, Lost in Direction, Confusion

Application 2: Confess your Sin and let God cleanse you Daily

1Jo 1:9 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

If you want the Power of the Blood, you need to Walk a Life of Confession before God.

Confess your sins and wrongdoings Daily. If we confess daily, we are cleaned daily.

But if we continue to walk in sin, we don’t have His Power – the Power of the
Blood.

Illustration:

Like an abandoned house. When nobody stays in a house, damage and rot begins to come in. When a house is cleaned daily, it does not have destruction and damage.

Occasion no: 3 - Mar 15:17 – Wearing the Thorns until Blood Flows

Mar 15:17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns,
and put it about his head.

Thorns represent Curse.

Gen 3:17 The LORD said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.

Gen 3:18 Your food will be plants, but the ground will produce thorns and thistles.

What type of Curses are we talking about?

a. Generation Curse – Curses that are passed down from one generation to
another because of judgment

Exo 20:5 Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation.

b. Self Curse – Cursing yourself consciously or unconsciously

Gen 27:13 His mother answered, "Let any curse against you fall on me, my son; just do as I say, and go and get the goats for me."

c. Others Curse – Curses placed on you by other people

Num 22:6 I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed,
and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse."

d. Objects of Curse – objects which are an abomination in the sight of God

Deu 7:26 Do not bring any of these idols into your homes, or the same
curse will be on you that is on them. You must hate and despise these idols,
because they are under the LORD's curse.

Illustration:

When we meet with reckless drivers or impatient people, we can see them curse you from a distance and very often in their anger. God wants us to reject those curses and bless them.

Lesson 3: Jesus can take away all our Curses

Gal 3:13 But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, "Anyone who is hanged on a
tree is under God's curse."

Application 3: Reject all Curses = Bless those who Curse you

Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

This is the antidote for all types of curses that are upon you. Start to bless people and especially those who curse you.

Many people are not living the Victorious Life by the Power of the Blood of Jesus
Christ because the curses have not been removed from their life.

The seminar on Cleansing the Temple is about removing the Curses.

Occasion no: 4 - Mark 15:15 Crucified with the Shedding of Blood

Mar 15:15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he set Barabbas free. Then he
ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.

The Cross represents Discipleship.

Mat 10:38 And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples.

We must go beyond Being just a Believer and be a Disciple.

Jesus went to the cross, so that we can become disciples and He called us to make disciples.

Qn:
What is a Disciple?

Ans:
A Disciple is One who loves God above Everything Else – Your Job, Your Family,
Even Your Life.

Luk 14:26 You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.

Lesson 4: Commit to be a Disciple

Make a commitment now to become a disciple for Jesus. All for Jesus.

Illustration:

Remember the 3 musketeers. All for one and one for all. That is how God is with us. When we give our all to Jesus, Jesus pours out His all for us.

Application 4: Grow in Relationship with God with Every Available Means

There are so many programs and proper discipling program in every church and ministry that we can grow to become a disciple. Follow those programs and grow as a disciple.

Participator or spectator

Participator or Spectator

Introduction
Participator = Doing the Works
Spectator = Watch & See what’s going on.

E.g. at Commonwealth Games:
- participator goes through the motion, the tension, the excitement, the blood rushing through your whole being – a different feeling when a participator said “I did it” compared to a spectator who say “Malaysia did it – Malaysia Boleh”
- The volunteers amount to 16,000 people from all walks of life. Why? They want to be part of the action.
The hands on experience.
They want to participate in the action and spirit of the Games as close as possible.

E.g. at Chow Kit Road: - a sad kind of spectators
- a snatch thief robbing a woman and walking coolly away
- the bus stand was crowded – but people are contented just to be spectators
- sad view of the kind of progress that our society is having

E.g. Jesus – never let an opportunity passed Him by
- accepts the circumstances surrounding Him as the Father’s will for his life
- He participated in all circumstances
- He went to the temple as a small boy and participated in sharing the scriptures
- Jesus was driven into the desert – and came out victorious from the desert
- Peter invited Him to his house to have a makan. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick. Jesus didn’t say, “Oh, I guess we will come back another more convenient time”. Jesus stood in front of her and rebuked the fever. Jesus was a participator.
- The people brought all kinds of sick people to Him. Jesus didn’t say “clinic close, come back tomorrow”. He laid hands on everyone of them and healed them.
- Jesus was teaching half way, when the roof opened and all the dust fell on Him. Jesus did not say “Oh let’s move to another room, this is too dusty, and too much distraction”. He stopped his teaching and said, get up be healed and go home – to the sick man on the bed.
- In Luke 7, Jesus was going into a city, a son of a woman had died, and they were going out of the city. Jesus saw her and had compassion. Jesus did not stepped aside and be a spectator – and say pantang! – let’s step aside, don’t look. He stopped the procession, raised the young man – and the whole procession about turn the other way!
- In John 4, Jesus was going from Judea to Galilee. He was tired and passed by a well. He sat down by the well and then a woman came and draw water. Jesus participated in a conversation that resulted in the woman bringing a whole town to Jesus. What an opportunity; what a potential; How many times we failed to hear the voice of God – even when we are physically tired. But Jesus – No…He is a participator, not a spectator.
- In Matt 19, children were brought to Him to be blessed. The disciples rebuked the people. But Jesus said, “No, do not stop them, don’t hinder them, let them come to me”. Jesus saw it as an opportunity that God had allowed into His life. Jesus participated in it.

E.g. Story of the Good Johorian who is a participator and not a spectator (From the good Samaritan in Luke 10)
One fine day a man was riding his motorbike from Masai to Ulu Tiram. As the day was a windy day, more so with the coming of the La Nina rains, his Honda cub C70 begin to sway a little bit. And eventually he even came out to the center part of the lane, because he was trying to avoid the holes in the side shoulder of the road. However, in his eagerness to avoid the obstructions, he didn’t notice a flashy Honda Civic behind him and trying to overtake him but couldn’t due to his swaying. The car was packed with 4 youngsters who were also going the same way to Ulu Tiram but going to look for some fun. After the driver became frustrated at the motorbike, he was instigated by the rest to knock him down to teach him a lesson. So as a result, the biker fell to the side of the road with bruises all over his legs. Thinking that they did not really do enough harm, the car also stopped in front of him and with a few hockey sticks and baseball bats, the boys began to hit the man all over the body including his motorbike until the poor man was in pain and semi-conscious. The motorbike was completely destroyed.
It so happened that an assistant cell group leader was walking along the same road to attend the cell group meeting that evening. And when he saw the man groaning loudly in excruciating pain, he began to say “Oh poor man, what bad luck to be involved in an accident at this time of the day. Well, I hope someone will notice him before the sun set, so that he could be brought to the clinic as soon as possible. Anyway, I am already late for my cell group meeting, and I am supposed to prepare the refreshments tonight. God, please bless this man I pray, thank you”.
Not long after that, a manager of the local supermarket, who is a Christian also, was driving along the same road and nearly banged into the twisted piece of motorbike at the roadside, until he applied the emergency brakes. Oh what a grotesque sight! I don’t think I can help this man. I am not a doctor, besides my head office gave me a big problem today, and I haven’t even answer them. Maybe some kind soul who is not so tired can help him later.
But, a little later than that, a van salesman who had just finished some late deliveries spotted the victim. He had compassion on the man, thinking who can do such an inhuman thing to another human being. What is this world coming to? Is life full of such rubbish everyday? Immediately, he stopped his van at the roadside, put on his emergency lights, dragged the motorbike to the side, and then tended to the injured man. He took down his first aid kit, applied yellow solution to all the open wounds, gave the poor man some water to drink and fetched him to the nearest clinic. He paid for the treatment and medicine and even bought some economy rice for the man. As the man gained consciousness from the proper medical treatment, he fetched him back to his home and promised to check up on how he is the next day.
My question is: “Which one of these 3 is a participator, and which is a spectator?
In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said to the lawyer, “Go and do likewise”.

Question: Why do we need to be a participator? And not a spectator?
A participator is One who is Doing the Works of God.
A participator fulfils God’s plans and purposes for his/her life.
God has revealed His Purpose and Plans for this church – to the church leadership.
God has placed you here in this church to do His Works. To release your talents and gifts to this church – so that as a result, His Purposes and Will shall be done here on Earth as it is in Heaven.
The Bottom Line: Serve God through His Church.
In your case, Serve God in this church and through this church.

Serve God = Participate = Doing the Works.
When you serve, you have a sense of belonging; a sense of comradeship; a sense of teamwork; a sense of marching in rank.
When a person does not serve, all kinds of potential problems can occur especially in a church. (Gossiping, criticizing, disunity, etc. – all not healthy to mention).

1. Doing the Works – brings the presence of Jesus
John 14:21
“He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Manifest: reveal, show. I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him. (Amp B)

Mark 16:20
“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.”

Matt 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…baptizing…teaching…AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS…”

a. God is interested in His Works; His Church; His Kingdom.
When we build our works, our own club, and our own kingdom – He leaves us alone.
But if we obey His Purposes; His Plans; His Vision – He reveals Himself – to guide us, to comfort us, to deliver us, to fight for His Church, and if God is for us who can be against us.
God is no respector of persons:
He can use anyone who is open to Him.
E.g. my son in Sarawak longhouses – brought 33 children to receive Christ; pray for the sick, those with sight problems, bedridden and let God bring healing.

b. Jesus manifest Himself in His own marvelous ways.
Some of His manifestations can be seen with the physical eyes.
- Acts 6:15 “And gazing at Stephen, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”
- 1980, as I was leading worship one morning, some people say a huge figure 7’0” of Jesus behind me. I did not see anything.
- Uncle Tey who passed away: his wish was that his son will become a Christian. At his death bed, Vincent Tey (from Kuantan), saw a vision of Jesus holding his father’s hand and ascending up to heaven. He saw that vision 3 times. Then he gave his life to Jesus after that.
- Ah Meng, who died of cancer, gave his life to Jesus as he was coming to a terminal stage. Alone with his wife at the old hospital, he saw many men standing around the bed but his wife told him only 2 of them. Then after a while, the wife felt a comforting hand, and a tremendous peace coming upon her, a hand just comforting her arm. The manifest presence of Jesus Christ.
- 1985, driving an old Morris car along the old Kepong Road (where the present One Utama is), our left rear wheel tyre burst and burnt rubber smell filled the inside of the car. My wife ask me what can we do, I said just pray. I don’t know whether we have any spare tyres, and any robbers along that dark road. Just pray and drive. As we do that I was half thinking, Lord we are serving you, we were leading a house fellowship group in Kepong Baru, Lord we are serving you.
As we prayed and drive, the car floated just as if we have 4 tyres – until we reached to our house front porch.
The fulfilment of Psalm 91:32 “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

2. Doing the Works – leads to Greater Works
John 14:12
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.”

a. Do the Works first, then God will call us to the Greater Works.
Do not imitate the others’ works, which are greater than ours.
Others may have TV ministry, orphanage, bible school, radio stations, drug rehabilitation, etc.
But what are we called to do, then do it faithfully.
God’s principle is Faithfulness in doing the works as in Matt 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”

b. Don’t be a block to a greater move of God.
God bless us with Gifts and Talents for His Work.
He will only bless us with additional gifts when we use the gifts we have already received to bless others and for His kingdom.
When we remain selfish, it blocks a greater move of God.
Like a picture of a water hose. We are only a channel. We become stagnant when we block the blessings of God – by not participating and serving God.

c. As our capacity and potential increases to do greater works, our spiritual dynamics (our life, faith, holiness, conversation, thoughts, wisdom, character, strength) changes to a higher level correspondingly.
Spiritual dynamics is a heart relationship issue.
e.g. - we are strengthened as we do – not by watching others do
- our faith increases to a higher level when we learn how to hear God’s Word for every small victories in life.
- God enlarges our heart to be able to handle a greater anointing, a greater power, a greater authority. (God never gives powerful guns to small boys; small boys handle smaller authority).

3. Doing the Works – Humbles you and draws you to Pray
2 Cor 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Cor 13:4 “For He (Jesus) was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in Him, but in dealing with you we shall live with Him by the power of God.”

Paul was one of the most active ones for Jesus. He was travelling on missions, planting churches everywhere, preaching in every town, discipling and counseling the churches.
Paul was a participator not a spectator. He served a living God. He willingly gave his life, lay down his life for the gospel. Yet Paul wrote of his humility and dependence on God’s strength.

We all hear about Billy Graham – one of the greatest evangelists in the world today. But have you heard about Franklin Graham – his son. Franklin started Samaritan Purse Ministry: a Christian social work that contributes humanitarian aid.
Franklin goes to Rwanda – to tend to the war torn country and diseased stricken country (Ebola virus is there; and this is supposed to be more than 70% Christian country) – looking after Aids children, children murdered under planned genocide, boys mutilated beyond description, girls raped not a few times but hundreds of times, two-thirds of all the Rwanda children in a Unicef survey had witnessed people being massacred, half the children had watched a member of their own family being killed.
20 % witnessed rape and sexual abuse, and 56% saw family members being killed. These traumatized children must find some way to express the horrifying scenes they have witnessed, rather than suppress them.
Three years after the Rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of more than one million people, Rwandans continue to bury the remains of the victims countrywide.
In an interview with Charisma magazine, Franklin was asked why don’t he come and head the Billy Graham Association as a continuation of the big ministry that his father had started. He replied, God has called him to a different work and he had to be faithful in this work.
They asked, are you not afraid of the Aids virus (as he was holding an Aids child), and he replied if I die from Aids while serving God in this ministry, SO BE IT!
So be it!
Franklin Graham - A man totally given to be a Participator – and not a Spectator.

4. Conclusion
a. Sunday School
Don’t be a spectator. Be a participator.
Serve God in the Sunday School. It is your ministry – not Lai Ngarn’s but the FGA Church ministry.
Bus ministry – be a bus captain
Be a teacher, be a helper, Be a Papa, Be a Mama
- we have kids who are abused, grow up in immoral environments, violent homes
- Be an uncle or auntie to them

b. Missions Department
Don’t be a spectator. Be a participator.
- Be Praying
- Be Giving – God always supply through us
- Be Going – local teams to Sarawak: cheap, exciting, God confirming His Work.

c. Youth Department
Ask yourself: What can I do to participate? To Serve God? To contribute?

Message preached during the early days of the church.
Steven Wong

How to be spiritually healthy

HOW TO BE SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (2 Thessalonians – 1 Timothy – 2 Timothy)
“Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness.

Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.”
(v. 7 = “Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.”)

Introduction

Physical Health/Fitness has become a billion-dollar business and it continues to grow.
- television features the latest fitness product – for the thigh, for the stomach, for the heart etc.
- “The Thigh Master”
It is good to be physically fit. Many people go to gym - regular workout.
- But physical fitness doesn’t happen overnight.
- We need a personal regular routine – and stick to it.

Our Physical Food is also Very Important.
There are also many Health Products which promote Good Health.
E.g. of the 1st Lady Direct Diamond in Malaysia selling Health Products.
- Health Food is Big Business.

Qn: How to be Physically Healthy?
Only 3 steps to follow:

1. Eat a Balanced Diet - to Maintain Energy.
2. Exercise Regularly - to Build Muscles and your Heart Systems.
3. Get Proper Rest - to Recharge Yourself.
In 1 Timothy 4:7-8 it says =It’s good to be physically fit, and it’s even better to be spiritually fit.

What does it mean to be “Spiritually Fit”? And how do you get there?
In the same way, I want to teach you – How to be Spiritually Healthy?

(1) You Need Proper Spiritual Food.
Just as the body needs the proper daily nourishment of food
- to be spiritually fit you need the proper daily nourishment of spiritual food.

Matthew 4:4 Jesus stated: (Malachi – Matthew – Mark)
"It is written: ’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"

- Man is more than just a physical being.
He is a spiritual being as well as a physical being.
And just as the physical side of him needs nourishment, so does the spiritual nature.

In Exodus 16:11-31 (Genesis – Exodus – Leviticus)
In the Old Testament there is a story about how God miraculously provided food for the Israelites during their forty-year journey from their slavery in Egypt to their entering the Promised Land.
11The LORD said to Moses, 12"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ’At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread … … …31The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

- they had miracles every day for 40 years = supernatural meat and honey pancakes.
Notice some of the conditions on the Manna or the “Bread of God that came down from heaven”:
(i) It was to be gathered once a day.
(ii) It was to be consumed for that day and not to be kept over … it would spoil if kept.(iii) On the sixth day, they were to gather twice as much for the Sabbath. (So that on the day of Rest they don’t have to Work – but go to honor God)
It is the same with Spiritual Food – Word of God.
- You need God’s Word everyday.
- You cannot depend on Yesterday’s Food. Yesterday is only good for Yesterday. You need Today’s Food or you are taking Rotten Food with Maggots and a bad Smell.

- In this Church we have many opportunities to take in Spiritual Food.
- We have Anointed and Powerful Messages on Sunday service, we have Bible Class at 11.00 a.m., we have Youth meeting and Children Sunday School – where the Word is being preached, We have Cell Groups where the Word is being shared.
- We must Take and Grab this Opportunity.

Job 23:12 (Esther – Job - Psalms)
I have not departed from the commands of his lips;I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Jeremiah 15:16 (Isaiah – Jeremiah – Lamentations)
Your words are what sustain me.
They bring me great joy and are my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.

Psalm 119:103 David said: (Job – Psalms – Proverbs)
How sweet are your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey.

Hebrews 4:12 (Philemon – Hebrews – James)
For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.

There is a popular practice on “Detox – Program”
- In the Physical, People go through Detox Program – to get rid of the Rubbish/Toxin in the Body.
- They then Take in Lots of Water/Juices – to get back their Health
- Same, in the Spiritual, Detox yourself Regularly – from the Material Things around us
- E.g. My TV that is spoiled most of the time – search ourselves to see whether we are too attached.
- And Take in Lots of God’s Word to cleanse our thoughts and desires.
- Praying and Fasting also does the same.

Application:
a. You Need God’s Word Everyday
b. You cannot depend on Yesterday’s Word.

You will never find anything better as food for your spirit other than the Word of God!
When You’re Down It’ll Lift You Up!
When You’re Lost It’ll Help You Find Your Way!
When You’re Fearful It’ll Give You Courage!
When You’re Weak It’ll Give You Strength!
When You’re Hurting It’ll Give You Healing!

Qn: How to be Spiritually Healthy?

(2) You need Regular Spiritual Exercise.
We get Regular Spiritual Exercise by Exercising our Faith.
Faith is like a muscle; it must be used and exercised in order for it to grow.
How do you exercise your “faith muscles”?- I called it Faith to Serve – Exercise our Faith by Serving

Romans 12:3-8 (Acts – Romans – 1 Corinthians)
Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.
God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. It your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift of showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

What does this passage tells us:
1. All of us have faith.
2. We must be honest by examining ourselves and not compare or imitate others.
3. God gives us faith for a function/purpose – we all have different work to do.
4. We need each other and we belong to each other.
5. All of us have different abilities.
6. We have to Use our Faith to Serve.

Story: Who killed the Dead Sea?
Answer: = The Dead Sea died of Selfishness and Stinginess.
The Dead Sea receives and received Year after Year – but it doesn’t Gives.
It has an Inlet but it has no Outlet.
- Similarly, a Person who takes in Spiritually – but never gives anything out will have no Life.

Story:
A Student went to a wise Teacher and said, “Teacher – I am not making any improvement. I cannot progress in my studies”. And the Student ask, “Please can you help me to get a tutor?”
The wise Teacher replied, “You don’t need a Tutor. What you need is a Pupil/another Student you can Teach”.

In the Church – there are no Spectators. Everyone is a Participator.
Everyone is a Minister. Everyone has a Ministry.
Everyone has Gifts and Talents.
We are all individually Shaped Differently – just like the different parts of the Body, so that we can Function/Work Together – to Fulfil God’s Purpose for this Church.

Note: If you Do not Want to Serve – You are Cheating us.
We don’t want people to cheat us of our money – similarly don’t Cheat us of the Gifts and Talents that God has given to your life – to compliment our lives.
- IF the Hand refuse to Work Today – the Hand is Cheating the Body of its Function.

Application:
a. Begin to Serve God in whatever you can Do.

Qn: How to be Spiritually Healthy?

(3) You need Spiritual Rest.
Exekiel 37:1, 3, 5, 9, 10 (Lamentations – Ezekiel – Daniel)
1 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.
3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to breathe into you and make you live again!
9 Then he said to me, “Speak to the winds and say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O Breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so that they may live again.”
10 So I spoke as he commanded me, and the wind entered the bodies, and they began to breathe. They all came to life and stood up on their feet – a great army of them.

Dry bones = people of God
Wind = Spirit of God

Illustration:
In Wellington, NZ I saw hundreds of Seagulls by the Seaside. They were flapping their wings – but they were going Backwards. Then, after a while, they remain stationary/still in the air. They were no longer flapping their wings. But they were allowing the wind to carry them up or down or sideways.
They were resting in the Wind.

Note: Spiritual Rest = Resting in the Presence of God = in the Atmosphere where the Spirit of God is.

In the church, we want to Build a Strong Spiritual Atmosphere.
- That comes about because of Everyone Participating – in the Worship.

Isaiah 40:31 (Song of Songs – Isaiah – Jeremiah)
But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Resting in God’s Presence – Transform us – from Dry Bones – into an Army
Physical Rest recharges us Physically. Spiritual Rest recharges us Spiritually.

Application:
a. Begin to Worship God Regularly.
b. Begin to Pray in tongues Regularly (1/2 hour per day = recharge you, renew you).

Message preached in August 2004
Steven Wong

Having a Positive Attitude for 2005

Message preached on January 9, 2005

HAVING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE FOR 2005
Philippians 3:12-14
Realize that Paul is in prison, chained to a Roman guard, under horrible conditions. Yet despite that, he writes these wonderfully positive words, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Story:
A religious man once said,
“I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the energy to change the world.’
As I approached middle age and realized that my life was half-gone and I didn’t even change a single person. So I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me, just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’
Now that I am an old man and my days are coming to an end, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’
If I had prayed for this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.”

Note: You want to impact others, you must impact yourselves.

- To be a dynamic fellowship – we must first be victorious ourselves – here in our life.
- Our relationship with God is not static – but dynamic – always exciting, new, refreshing, changing in depth and zeal.

Let’s promise ourselves & God that we will make a change for the better.
This year, as God’s people, as His church, let’s decide - we’re going to make a change for the better.PROP. To do that we need to:

I. DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE
If you do not have a positive attitude towards the life (that God gives us) – you are under emotional suicide.
How do you feel about your life? Is it worthwhile?
What would it take for you to feel that your life is worthwhile?
What would have to happen to make you feel really positive about your life?If you win the lottery, would it change your attitude towards life? No. – just the opposite.
If you are waiting for your wife/husband/children to change, then you are wrong.
If you are waiting for your promotion, then you change – you are wrong.
If you are waiting for something to happen, then only you change – you are wrong.

How to have a Positive Attitude towards Life?
- Only when you live for God.
- Then whatever the storms, we will not give up – we will not surrender.

Phil 3:14 – I press on towards the calling of God.

What is he reaching for? What is his goal? Paul’s goal is to fulfill the calling of God and to claim the Prize because he obeyed his calling.
There will be disappointments in life.

Pro 24:16
“The steps of a good man are directed and established by the Lord when he delights in his way and he busies himself with his every step. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.”

Many people in the world have poor self-image – because they are taught that they come into this world by chance, and many things happen in their life by chance.

- The Bible tells us nothing happens by chance.
- We should feel good about ourselves because God loves us.
- I am a loved person in God’s sight. I am wanted. I am cared by God. He gave Jesus for me and that makes me valuable, & I can feel good about myself. Realized that life is a very precious gift God has given us.
It makes God sad that oftentimes we take this gift of life He has given to us for granted & don’t treasure it.

II. DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD THE CHURCH
Secondly, we need to have a positive attitude toward the church.
The church exist with the desire to lift up Jesus, to reach out to a lost & dying world with the message of salvation.
Yet, sometimes we hear people criticizing the church.
But Jesus said in Matthew 16:18
And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

Ephesians 5:25
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

1 Corinthians 14:12
Even so you, since you are zealots of spiritual things, seek to build up the church, in order that you may abound

Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Jesus wants to build the church and to make it glorious and strong. Jesus is very positive towards the church. Even though, Jesus knows there are still many weaknesses.

So we likewise must be positive towards the church.

ILL. A true story. John Wesley was a great English preacher of the 1700’s. He was considered a rather well dressed person. One Sunday morning he wore a bow tie that had long ribbons that hung downward. After the sermon was over a lady walked up to him & said, "Brother Wesley, are you open to some criticism?"He said, "I guess so. What would you like to criticize?" She said, "The ribbons on your tie are entirely too long & unsuitable for a man of God." And she took out her scissors & cut them off. A hush fell over the people standing there as Wesley calmly asked, "Now may I borrow the scissors for a moment?" As she handed them to him, he said, "Ma’am, are you open to some criticism?" She answered, "Well, Yes I suppose I am." He said, "All right then, please stick out your tongue."
So we need to develop a positive attitude towards the church.

III. DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD PEOPLE
Thirdly, we need to develop a positive attitude toward other people.

ILL. Robert Schuller wrote, “If we treat people nicely and positively we could influence many for Christ” I think he is right.

This is a hard world. A world that doesn’t know courtesy and honesty.
Sometimes it’s a dog-eat-dog world. People are fighting for positions on the roads & in their companies, & they’re filled with all kinds of stress & anxiety.
But the church must be a place where we all can come & be accepted & loved & encouraged & built up - a place where all kinds of people can be treated with a positive attitude.

The 5 circles of commitment – where we move people to be built up.

Steps of Success – where we use the Word of God to Build you up.

CONCL.
This Year, let us make a decision to Develop a Positive Attitude.

A change for the better. "I’m going to be positive as I look at my life. I’m going to be positive as I look at the church. And I’m going to be positive as I look at other people."

A poem:
“We cannot choose how many years we will live,
but we can choose how much life those years will have.
We cannot control the beauty of our face,
but we can control the expression on it.
We cannot control life’s difficult moments,
but we can choose to make life less difficult.
We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world,
but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.
Too often, we try to choose and control things we cannot,
Too seldom, we choose to control what we can … our ATTITUDE.”


Steven Wong

How to Face The New Year

HOW TO FACE THE NEW YEAR
Phillipians 3:12-3:14
"I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

It’s good to be able to start over afresh. Boys & girls are back in school. Young people have headed off to college. After the holiday season, many are already doing our jobs & the activities of the New Year. What do you anticipate for this year? Are you full of enthusiasm, looking forward eagerly to what each day will bring? Or are you filled with dread, worried that 2005 will be worse than 2004 for you?
Your attitude, your frame of mind, your reaction to its events will largely determine whether it is a year of victory or a year of defeat.The Apostle Paul was never one to let circumstances conquer him. Rather, with the help of God, he was determined to win the victor’s crown. Listen as his attitude, dedication, determination shine through in these words found in Philippians 3:12-14.
With Paul’s words fresh in our minds, here are some suggestions to help us to prepare for 2005.

I. MAKE FULL USE OF YOUR TIME
First of all, recognize the value of time.
ILL. How do we value ONE YEAR? Ask a student who failed a grade.
How do we value ONE MONTH? Ask a Mother whose baby arrived prematurely.
How do we value ONE WEEK? Editor’s of weekly newspapers know.
How do we value ONE HOUR? Ask someone who lies terminally ill waiting for a loved one who is late.
How do we value ONE MINUTE? Ask someone who missed a plane, a train, a very important engagement that would never be rescheduled.
How do we value ONE SECOND? Ask an Olympic Medallist, OR someone who just missed having an accident.

Of course we know that time is a human invention.
The Bible says, "With God a day is as a 1,000 years, & 1,000 years as a day."
God deals with eternity, & therefore time is not an important factor with Him.But time is important to us because we live in a limited time frame. We begin with infancy, then go on to adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age, & to everything that follows. We measure life in segments of time.
Now, what makes time valuable? Oftentimes it is scarcity. If there is a scarcity, then that product quickly escalates in value. So, if something is rare, it is usually valuable. But if we have a lot of it, it loses its value. Now, the same is true with time.

Maybe that helps explain the generation gap. Young people feel that they have plenty of time, therefore time loses its value, & they aren’t too concerned about wasting or squandering it. On the other hand, as we get up in years a bit, we begin to realize that our time is becoming rare & therefore more valuable. So those of us over 50 tend to look at those under 20 & say, "Don’t squander time, because it’s very valuable." They reply, "No, it’s not. We have lots of time. So we can waste it any way we want." And the wider the age gap, the wider the generation gap - because of the different values that we place on time.

The Bible tells us of the brevity(shortness) of life.
It compares life to the grass which grows up, dies, & then is burned.

ILL. Statisticians tell us that the average life span is now around 75 years.

If we live to be 75, most of us will have spent 3 solid years, 24 hours a day, acquiring an education - grade school, high school & college.
We’ll have spent 7 years eating, 24 hours a day, - some more, some less, obviously.
We’ll have spent 15 years, day & night, working.
We’ll have spent 5 years riding in automobiles or airplanes.
We’ll have spent 5 years talking with each other -again some more & some less.
We’ll have spent 1 year sick or recovering from sickness.
And get this, we’ll have spent 24 years of our life sleeping!
We’ll have spent 3 years reading books, magazines & newspapers.
And 12 years amusing ourselves - watching TV, going to the movies, fishing, etc. T
hat totals up to 75 years - & that is what the researchers say, on the average, most of us will have done with our lives.
(3 + 7 + 15 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 24 + 3 + 12 = 75 years)

APPL. As I looked at these statistics, let’s suppose that you spent every Sunday of your life, for 75 years - through infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age - in God’s house worshiping during the Church Service. Now if you did, how much time would you have spent worshiping God? Figure it out - the answer is less than 5 1/2 months. But let’s double that, because you’ve always attended S.S. You’ve never missed Sunday School in all your life. That makes it 11 months. Think about that - 5 years in an automobile & just 11 months in Church & S.S.! 12 years amusing ourselves in front of a TV, & just 11 months in Church & S.S. And that is just if you always attended S.S. & Church, & never missed!
That tells us a little bit about the brevity of time, & it also tells us something about our priorities in life.

Ephesians 5:15-17
"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is."

Time is like a valuable commodity in a very precious & delicate vessel. It might break at any moment & we might lose it all.
Because of the uncertainty of life, the Bible says, "Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation." The writer of Hebrews says, "When you hear the name of the Lord, don’t harden your hearts." Because life is uncertain we must take advantage of the time that we have.

II. DON’T BE IN BONDAGE TO THE PAST
Secondly, don’t be in bondage to the past.
We are special beings in that God has given us the ability to remember. Your memory may be your friend or your enemy. When you remember, hopefully you’ll remember some very pleasant things about this past year, but chances are that you’ll also remember some negative things. In fact, sometimes we dwell upon the negative & begin to feel sorry for ourselves.
Maybe this past year was a time of great transitions in your life - deal with the empty nest syndrome. Maybe your job came to an end & you’re having a tough time making ends meet. Maybe a loved one died & you’re trying to deal with the lingering grief & loneliness you feel. Maybe it was a time when sin got a real hold in your life, & you now feel the burden & guilt of that sin.

You see, those things can cripple us & hold us in bondage to the past. That is why Paul said, "I forget about what lies behind." Paul had a lot that was behind him. Paul had a very shaky past.He persecuted the church. He used his authority to kill Christians. By his own admission he said, "I am chief of sinners." He could have walked around all his life with this tremendous burden of guilt crippling him & he would never have become the great apostle we know & love today.But Paul said, "…forgetting what is behind…" In other words, "God, I commit it to you. I seek your forgiveness for all the sins of the past, & I look forward to what lies ahead. And right now I’m going to live today the best I can."
The Answer to Letting go the Bondage = to Develop a Positive Attitude towards the Future.


III. WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A PRIORITY IN OUR LIVES
Finally, I think that we need to establish a priority in our lives.
Paul says it this way, "This one thing I do."
Now Paul obviously did more than one thing. He made tents. He preached sermons & established churches. He healed the sick. He wrote books. He did a lot of different things. But he said, "The top priority in my life is to press on toward the goal for the prize for which God has called me."

ILL.An expert on the subject of time management was speaking to a group of business students. After speaking to them for a while, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.” He set a one-gallon, wide mouthed jar on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen big-sized rocks & carefully placed them, one at a time, inside the jar. When the jar was filled to the top & no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said, “Yes.” “Really?” he said. Then he reached under the table & pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel into the jar & shook it, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled & asked the group once more, “Is the jar full?” By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” one of them said.“Good!” he replied. And he reached under the table & brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in & it filled all the spaces between the rocks & the gravel. Once more he asked, “Is this jar full?” “No!” the class shouted. Again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water & began to pour in the water until the jar was filled to the brim.
Then he looked back at the class & asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”One raised his hand & said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit something more into it!”“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

What are the big rocks of your life? They should include these: Each day drawing nearer to God, spending time with Him in prayer, & seeking His guidance for your life through reading His Word. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all. It was Jesus who said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & then all these things will be added unto you."

CONCL.
ILL. An old woman ran out of money. She couldn’t pay her rent. She couldn’t pay any of her bills. The landlord had threatened to throw her out if she didn’t soon pay her rent. She had only a candle to keep her warm, & on Christmas Day she warmed her hands over the candle. A knock came at her door & she was afraid to answer for fear that it was the landlord coming to kick her out of her humble abode.She blew out her candle & sat quietly in the dark & waited for the intruder to leave. Two weeks later she found out that the knock on the door was the knock of a friend who had come to bring her enough money to pay her rent & pay her debts.I wonder how many have from time to time heard the gentle knock of the Savior who wants so much to come in & free you from the burdens of your sin. But you have ignored His knocking.

Steven Wong
Charisma Assembly