A Study on Luke 14 and 15
This short study on Luke chapter 14 and 15 is actually my highlights of a sermon entitled “Enjoy Jesus’ Supply and Delight His Heart” by Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church, Singapore.
Apr
2
Dec
6
I will be here
I will be here is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman. When I first heard it, I thought it makes a wonderful wedding song. And it did appear in one of the weddings I attended.
Sometimes, I imagine Jesus singing this song to me, reassuring me of his loving presence in my life. If you are having a tough time right now, spend a little time and listen to Jesus telling you how close He is to you and He will be your strength to ride it out.
Sep
17
Joseph Prince Preaching at TBN Israel 2012
I signed up for Trinity Broadcasting Network Israel 2012 tour and programme in April 2012. I was told I had secured a place in June 2012. It was my first package tour in a very long time. I’m a free-and-easy person and dreaded the strict itinerary of a package tour. The draw of seeing and listening to Pastor Joseph Prince preaching in the Holy Land was enough for me to ignore my dread.
Jan
8
Lyrics for Oh Mighty Cross
This is the Lyrics for Oh Mighty Cross.
This song never fails to slow me down and worship Abba God.
The words focuses squarely on Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He had to make to give me abundant and overflowing life, undeserving grace and shalom peace.
The song sang of the Lord of life who is raised up on the cross to die. That He knew no sin but took all of mine. That He is so pure yet endured the shame that my impurity caused. The scourging He suffered bought me the peace I can’t get myself.
The cross is mighty indeed. He took my place so that I can take His. And now, as He is, so am I in this world.
The lyrics and music are written by David Baroni and John Chisum.
Click the play sign to listen to the song and follow the lyrics.
May it minister life to your soul.
O mighty cross
Love lifted high
The Lord of life
Raise there to die
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me
O mighty cross
What throne of grace
He knew no sin yet took my place
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me
O mighty cross
Oh Christ so pure
Love held him there such shame endured
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me
O mighty cross
My soul’s release
The stripes He bore has brought me peace
His sacrifice on Calvary
Has made the mighty cross a tree of life to me
Oh mighty cross x3
A tree of life to me
Oh mighty cross!
Click this play sign for an instrumental version.
Dec
1
9 fruits of the Spirit
The 9 fruits of the Spirit is:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
This list originates from Galatians 5:22-23. The actual verse reads,
[text-box]But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.[/text-box]
Singular Form
Notice the use of the singular form for the word “fruit”. 9 items are listed but they are considered one fruit of the Holy Spirit? Does it matter? If it doesn’t, why did the bible not use the plural form?
I think it does matter. Think about what it means if all 9 attributes belong to a single fruit. Wouldn’t it mean that if you are bearing the fruit of the Spirit, you would have all the attributes? Not just one or the other? I don’t think it means that we have to exhibit all the attributes all the time but they come as a whole package. You can’t accept one without the other.
Function of fruit
Wikipedia defines fruit broadly as “a structure of a plant that contains its seeds“. A fruit is therefore the means by plants disseminate seeds and propulgate themselves. So, the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit is not for our own benefit. They are not our report card for righteous living. It is the means in which Abba God’s good news can be spread far and wide.
Nov
27
Protect the soul and prosper
This post contains notes I took for Pastor Prince’s sermon preached on 27 November 2011 about how to protect the soul and prosper.
I am a spirit man who have a soul and live in a body. Before I knew Christ, my spirit is dead. When I accepted Him as Saviour, my spirit is born again. It is now righteous and the devil cannot touch it. Jesus has won that from him.
That leaves the soul and the body. 3 John 1:2 says that as my soul prosper, I will prosper and be in good health. Prosperity of my soul brings prosperity to my body. Because of this, the devil attacks my soul or mind so that I may not be well physically. That is the only area that he can attack now for Abba God gave me free will which means this area is under me. How do I counter the devil’s attacks and attempts to rob me of my blessings in Christ?
- [text-box]2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB says,
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”[/text-box]
1. The obedience of Christ
I used to think that obedience of Christ in this verse is for us to emulate. I win spiritual warfare by being obedient like Christ. I didn’t know that I was setting myself up for failure. For fail I did. I tried and tried and came to a point of realization that I can never be like Jesus. Romans 5:19 defines what the obedience of Christ is. It is Christ’s obedience to God. The key point is that by His obedience I am made righteous. Nothing I do to obey God can save me and nothing I do to disobey God can disqualify me. It is a gift, freely given, paid by the blood of Christ.
Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ means reminding myself of Christ’s obedience to God’s purpose of saving me by grace and faith alone. Romans 10:2-4 talks about how my effort to achieve righteousness frustrates God’s gift of righteousness.
2. I am God’s beloved
- [text-box]2 Corinthians 11:2 NASB says,
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”[/text-box]
Focusing on the person and work of Christ is simple and pure but the devil doesn’t just throw up his hands and give up. He continues to try to deceive me through subtle and crafty schemes; distracting my mind from focusing totally on Christ. When tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus countered by saying that man does not live by bread alone by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:1-4). What is every word that proceeds from the mouth of God? This isn’t words in the bible but words that God spoke. Incidentally, the verse immediately before Matthew 4:1 in Matthew 3:17 recorded the spoken word of God:
- [text-box]“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”[/text-box]
I believe that Jesus countered the devil’s temptation with it. In the same way, I believe that by focusing on the truth that I am God’s beloved and that in me He is well pleased, I can counter the devil. Love evokes strong emotions. This connects with the truth of Christ’s obedience to create a strong helmet of salvation.
3. As He is, so also are we in this world
On what ground can I say that I am God’s beloved? Jesus is, no doubt about it. But me? Christ’s obedience has won me salvation and righteousness but belovedness?
- [text-box]1 John 4:17 NASB says,
“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”[/text-box]
As Jesus is in Heaven, so am I in this world. Whatever He has in Heaven, I have in this world. The blessings of God for me is for now and the present. Not in the past nor in the future.
In conclusion, I am persuaded that to protect my soul and prosper, I must focus on Jesus as the one who was obedient to God on my behalf, focus on God’s great love for me and remember that Jesus is my champion. Every battle He won, I won.
Prayer: Thank you Abba God for simple and pure protection. I know I shall grow, prosper and be evergreen.
Sep
15
The importance of the church
Why is the church important?
- [text-box]Psalms 65:4
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.[/text-box]
The key phrase is “goodness of thy house”. A house is not made out of an individual but of a congregation. The temple too, isn’t for a single person. It is in the congregation that we shall be satisfied with his goodness.
- [text-box]Ephesians 1:22-23
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.[/text-box]
God places all things under Jesus’ feet. Yes, he gave authority to Jesus but the main thing is that by doing that, his body, the church benefit. His fullness fills all.
Pastor Prince said that whatever we do is spiritual. The church is not surrounding the world, it is not peripheral to the world although it may look and seem so. In fact, the world surrounds the church. So we shall do everything for the benefit of the church.
- [text-box]Matthew 18:19-20
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.[/text-box]
What constitute a church? How many shall there be? The smallest church is made up of 2 people. The fullness of Christ is found in the church. Pray and agree together and it shall be done. Supplies flow when believers gather, and especially so when we talk and think about Jesus.
If God’s eye is on the church, then it make sense that when I serve the church, I amd flowing and in harmony with God and his plans and purposes. When I serve for the benefit of the Lord and the church, my eyes are unto the Lord. Whatever I lose for the sake of the church, He shall restore. For He promised:
- [text-box]Matthew 28:20
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.[/text-box]
See how God supply the needs of the Israelites in the wilderness.
- [text-box]Deuteronomy 8:4
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Ezekiel 16:10
10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.[/text-box]
Their clothes didn’t worn out. Their feet never swell from all the walking. When God built the tabernacle, the people gave from their belongings. Pastor Prince surmised that the Israelites gave their shoes made of badgers’ skins for the outer covering of the Tent of the Tabernacle and God made sure that their feet never hurt. The bronze of the laver which holds the water that worshippers use to cleanse themselves, came from the bronze mirrors of the women. The mirrors are the women’s tools of making themselves attractive. These are items close to their hearts. Yet, without them, their population still increased 
.
- [text-box]Deuteronomy 2:7
7 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.[/text-box]
Finally, God is now here. That’s the answer to our needs. Don’t see the church the way the world sees it. They don’t see the gold and splendor inside the Tabernacle. The 12 loaves on the Table of Showbread was in the presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle for a week. Eaten by the priests and one small piece is sufficient. There is no source of nourishment in the world. Jesus is our true nourishment.
Look at Jesus and Jesus will face off the enemies.
Jesus in the midst of the church is powerful.
