Kingdom Work

Rev Yee Tham Wan

I love the song you sang, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." I remember this song when I came out of the water during my baptism. Maybe we need to change the lyrics. No holding back. No holding back. 

By the way, the difference between a social worker and a kingdom worker is obedience. Social work is about needs. Kingdom work is about the King, and obeying him. 

The ministry is a viable career. I know it's a calling but not everyone of us should be in full time ministry. I know some of us God called but we are not responding. Some people are called but they did not obey God. If you are one of those or even a parent. In my days we had to disobey our parents to answer the call of God. But today, Christian parents are making their children disobey God. 

This is the place where I serve, on the mountains. It is a beautiful place called Baggio. It is a beautiful place especially at the seminary. Fresh air and the vast skies before you. The temperature now is below 10°. I am enjoying life in the ministry. I want to tell you the ministry is a viable career. It started as a call. In fact every career should be a call. Ministry is indeed a viable career. 

We serve at the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary. It is perhaps the premier AOG Seminary outside of America. It is very well equipped with excellent facilities. If you are considering studying, this is a meaningful place to go to but we only take in students pursuing their Masters. We have students from all over the world. 

Come and visit. It is a beautiful place. Trekking, mountain canopies, hot springs and waterfalls. And one of the largest shopping malls around. 

This is my family. When I answered the call they were just toddlers, now my youngest son is going to be 30 this year. My wife and I pray for them everyday. That God will watch over them and protect them. That they make wise choices. My son is more famous than me. He is pastoring a church called 180°. What type of name is that for a church? But he is touching young lives. 

My second son is with Astro. He just finished directing a dance competition. 

The third boy, this is a wedding photo with his long hair. But he is a man (laughs). He is an editor with the Star. He is with the youth wave called Rage. You may have read his column. 

When we took on kingdom ministry, we took on risks, but it is not a real risk because it is the King's work. It is obedience that God wants. God don't need social workers. 

I am on Facebook. It is a powerful tool. I am on it and sometimes I have to explain why. I am very active on Facebook. Just be careful and don't just pass news around as many is not true. What's on my Facebook is true though (laughs). 

Malaysia is very blessed. Malaysia truly Asia is a very successful campaign and won many awards. If you study marketing this is one of the case studies you'd be doing. Very successful. 

"Malaysia, Truly Asia"

Individual cultures maintain their identity and uniqueness. Cellular society. 

A variety of cultures; yet blessed with relative peace and prosperity. 

Representing the 3 largest unreached blocs of people groups:

Chinese

Indians

Muslims

Sociologists have discovered that there is no dominant society even if the Malays think they are dominant. In Malaysia, there is no 2/3 majority. We also did not experience periods of bloodshed after independence. India and even Indonesia went through bloodshed but not Malaysia. 

God is a strategic planner. Malaysia is blessed because God has a plan for Malaysia. We are not blessed because we have an intelligent Prime Minister (laughs). I don't know why all laugh every time I say this. I have to be careful we need to pray for him. We are not blessed because of our natural resources. 

We are blessed ahead of the Philippines. Why? They are more talented than us, sing better, play music better and they even look better than us.  In spite of all the complains on social network, we are a blessed nation. Amen?

God bless us because we have a purpose from God. We in Malaysia have access to China. 

I am a very direct person, more Western in thinking. When I preached in Taiwan, I was direct. I said if you think the only reason you become a Christian is to go to heaven, then your time on earth is wasted. The faster you die the better, then go to heaven. Even the interpreter don't dare to say die, they say left us, gone away etc (laughs). 

China used to be closed but today the doors have opened. China needs missionaries from Malaysia because their doors are now open. 

Indians here are still in touch with India. And they can still practice what they do as Indians in Malaysia. I spoke to one mamak man and he said, you look at me so pitiful here in Malaysia but when I go back to India I live like a raja. He has a wife in India and a second wife in Malaysia. 

We are blessed because we can have access to India and to China. India and China needs Malaysia. 

The largest unreached people in Malaysia is the Muslims. The worlds largest Muslim country is around us. Indonesia is the largest. We live amongst Muslims and can connect with them unlike any other. 

There are three unreached groups in Malaysia, the Chinese, the Indians and the Muslims. God has a purpose for us here in Malaysia. We are called the "Land amongst the Giants".

We are your Malaysian missionaries to APTS. You are touching the nations through your investment in us. 

Matthew 6:9-13

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

There is earthly request, heavenly request and the doxology. 

Romans 8:14-17

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

In recent months our country have been in heavy discussion on the name of God. A certain name is not allowed to be used. Names are very important. If all your names are the same, then it is difficult to call a person. Everyone will turn to you. But God is one, so names makes him a personal God but it also showed his attributes. But there is one name that Paul said "Abba Father" which only the Holy Spirit can give meaning to. It shows our relationship. I have three sons and to give up one son for you it's unthinkable. If I give up one son, I'd still have two. But God gave up his only begotten son. 

Abba speaks of:

Love - Intimacy

Likeness - Imitation

Legacy - Inheritance 

Love - Intimacy

And Jesus did nothing wrong for God to give up his son. On his baptism, when Jesus have not done anything yet, God the Father said this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. That is a father's heart. You love even before he has done anything. He loves you just the way you are. We don't have to earn God's love. He love us because of adoption. 

My son was fortunately born handsome but whatever comes out I have to take home. I cannot reject. But you are different when you are adopted. He has a choice. He chose us. He chose to love us. We are adopted because he chose us. He had a choice. 

Likeness - Imitation

And when we call him Abba Father, we are suppose to look like him. We are to be like the image of God. People see us and they are supposed to see God in us. We walk in dignity and have different values. We have to be different, the guy work hard. The guy don't take bribes. That guy don't take buta gaji. Different, we have to look and act different. 

Legacy - Inheritance 

And we have a legacy. When my son come home, he can just open the fridge and eat what he wants. When tired he just go into my room and sleep on my bed. But when you come to my house you cannot (laughs). Because you are not my son. You don't even dare open my fridge or go into my room. 

God is not responsible or obliged to answer a non Christian's prayer. But God who is our father wants to answer our prayer. It is a prayer that only a Christian can pray. We have an inheritance. My sons sometimes don't tell me things because they think that they don't want to stress me. But I still want to know because I love them. That's what God is like. We don't have to worry that if we tell God our problems we stress God. Wah, he has to take care of the problems in the Middle East some more. Like the movie Bruce Almighty. Where he got to be God for a day. And he couldn't handle all the requests and needs. Our God is not like that. 

I want to tell you a story. I had a beautiful car Ford Cortina. All black. But the church could not afford the petrol so I used the church van. But the church van also got stolen. And we really needed a car, but as a pastor I cannot go to prayer meeting and ask for request for a car. Wah, pastor hinting. 

So we just prayed with my family but one day in the board meeting, the stingiest board member said let's get pastor a car. But as a Chinese I am humble and said no need la, no need la but inside I shout hallelujah. 

I asked him later why he mention that when it was not on the agenda. He said he was jogging one day and a car honk him from behind and he saw it was the pastor of a church down the road driving a new car. So he said wah, must also get our pastor a new car. I also know the pastor so I told him next time you get a new car, drive and honk him again (laughs). 

God has been faithful and I want to challenge you. God did not bless you by accident. If you obey God, do not worry. God will provide all your needs.