Understanding the Times and Seasons of God

Rev Ronald Ooi

I want to share with you the journey that we have taken with the Lord. It's not about doing God's work. Not about being positioned in ministry or career. At the end of the day, Jesus said go and make disciples.

I'm starting to understand that my walk with God is to be a disciple and to make disciples. To coach and multiply for others to be disciples of Jesus. At the end of the day just one word. That's obedience and to be at the centre of his will.

Sometimes sentiments come in the way and that's wonderful because we are people of emotions. But Jesus said to pick up your cross and follow me. Sentiments can be a major stumbling block to the will of God. I'm not saying we relinquish our responsibility as parents or children but to have a serious walk with God, we come to a place of true discipleship and that's obedience.

More than just coming to church and serving God we want to be his disciples. To flow with God. Take it in with positively when I say to jump in the river. Don't be afraid. Don't just wade in but to jump on.

Genesis 8:22 (NIV)

“As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease.”

Life on earth is made up of cycles of seasons. As long as the sun and the earth remains, there will be sun, there will be rain, there will be seed, there will be harvest, there will be birth, there will be death, he sets it in cycles. In fact there are more than 800 mentions in the bible that He is concerned with the cycles and the seasons of life. And it's not just astronomical information but it is a revelation of the purposes and the workings of God through these cycles of seasons and times.

There is a place in which the pastors and teachers are to take care of the people but also there are the apostolic that bring into the body of Christ the times and seasons of God and to govern the church with a structure that is biblical and there is a wisdom that the prophets and apostles bring into the body of Christ at large. These are gifting that God has given and prophetic elements of 2018 and so forth and that the year coming forth will be a year of balance.

We will see things happening around the world that will impact us here in Malaysia. It is all interconnected. We need to know the mind of God and understand his purposes. Not just information but revelations.

It is important because it will help you to make right decisions that will be aligned with God's will and purposes. How many of us make wrong decisions in life and we suffer because of it. It will take time for us to be back into a position of stability.

We sometimes don't learn from them making the same mistakes because we didn't understand the times and seasons of God.

Sometimes when things don't go right, perhaps it's not the devil but God that is stopping you. Generally there are three cycles.

One is the weather. We are familiar with it. Day or night. Summer and Winter. Hot and cold. Seed times and harvest times. These are seasons and it also affects the crops throughout the world. We are only familiar in Penang with the durian season. I already put in my calendar 2018 June July maybe November December. I only put in my calendar, I didn't say I'm coming alright.

Then there's the biological cycle. Which is birth, a baby is born and then become a young child, youth, adulthood and then senior age. And I hope everyone of us know which season we are in. Which season you are in determines what you wear. It also determines how you live your life. If you are a married person you are no longer a bachelor. Some married people still think they are bachelors. You adjust your priorities. You still love your friends but you love your wife more.

Then there are challenges in every season. Finance is a challenge, sickness is a challenge. Pain is a challenge.

How do we navigate through all these season? Without becoming a victim. Without being destroyed. This is where we find God in every season. Not just God but also God's people. I'm thankful for all these years not just for God but also for God's people. Sometimes we miss the revelation of God in this season. We miss it when he's trying to show us because we are overwhelmed by our own pain and mistakes and believe system that we cannot see the workings of God in our midst.

1. Season of Revelation - A Season to Know

It is a season to know God. This is a time when God appears to you. He is near you. He brings people to your side. He shows you his care and providence. Recently we had the floods and we are working on a system for care relief. On a social level we think we are helping people but I see God is working in reaching these people. More than just a social effort we carry with us the image of God and the Holy Spirit in us and they can see there is a God that is alive that's working through his people.

For some reason sometimes we don't see it. This is the problem with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They knew the scriptures and very knowledgeable about it.

Matthew 16:1 (NIV)

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’

He is already a sign from heaven and yet they are looking for the sign. They can read the weather but they can't see him who came from heaven. They could interpret the signs but not the seasons for God. They interpret the physical but not the spiritual.

Read Ecclesiastical and you see there is a time and season for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

But they could not see Jesus for who he is. It took a fisherman to see that.

Matthew 16:16 (NIV)

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

He knew God's timing and could recognise him. But Peter was not too mature then and tried to stop Jesus from being killed. It's like us. We can't see the times and seasons of God.

I was the first in my family to accept Jesus. I want to be faithful and not convert. That was my stand at that time but when I went to church one day the scales fell off. I had heard scriptures and attended Sunday School but that day the revelation came. It is something spiritual and a supernatural work of God.

I grew as a believer and realised that the church is also the work of God. We are all the work of God. I was placed in a Bible School to set up the structure and systems. It's not about the money but our love for God. I always ask God to open my eyes so that I can see the workings of God.

Yesterday at lunch someone said to me she cannot believe that in 10 months God gave us two pastors. She said she never imagined that. This is the first time in one church you have two because usually we try to get one pastor. Can you see God working? It is not just information but to have our spiritual eyes open.

There is such a positive atmosphere here, it has to be God. I just spoke to someone that everyone's name is under a Care Group whether you are attending or not. One pastor told me it's impossible and I told him we did it at TOP. We want you to be in a Care Group.

It is such a tremendous experience when we learn to do life together. Your life will be that much richer. It is so vital that we see God working and we do not want to miss it. What do we do? Just flow with it and we jump into the river. Don't hold back. Just jump into the river because it is God's river. You will not drown. You will grow in it. Look at the workings of God and flow with it. It took me a while to learn this. Now we just flow with God's work. We don't want to be left behind.

When he work we recognise what he is doing. Then we anticipate his miracles and provision. His increasing anointing in your life and his favour. Not by your own work but by him.

Our grandchildren were running in our empty house. It's just a small house but we are anticipating to be there. To be there to give to Australia not to take from Australia. We are sons of Abraham and it's meant to be a blessing to be the nations.

Relax, don't struggle with God. Just jump in. Break out from your own insecurities and comfort zone.

2. Season of Assignment - A Season the Sow

A season to know and a season to sow. When we know the seasons of God we will do the right things and do the things right.

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NIV)

from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do —200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

1 Chronicles 12:38 (NIV)

All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.

Was it God's season to make David King? All of us will come to a place where God put us in a position of influence. We must understand that time. Too many leaders don't understand the times and don't want to fade over for someone else to take over and overtake us. The work is more important than the worker itself.

They knew that was the time for David to be the leader. When it's the time it's time to flow with it. Don’t wait to give your support to Pr Melinda and Pr Koay. We need the support of the Ministry leaders and the Care Group leaders.

Esther 4:14-16 (NIV)

14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Who would imagine it's a pheasant girl. She said if she die she die. But she didn't die. It's the enemy that perished. Thank God I answered God's call. I have no regrets although there is pain and back stabbings and politics and disunity but I'm here to serve God. We will stick with it all my life.

TOP, you sown from January with lots of prayer. Now it comes the time for celebration. What season of assignment you are in. Do you know your signs of the times? Like my time is over soon and we will move on and we will plunge into the next assignment.

One of my favourite games with my grandchildren is to go to the wall of a fence and close my eyes like that. Then they'll ask me what is the time Mr Wolf. Then I said 1 O'clock and they'll take one step closer to me. And then I'll said suddenly it's dinner time and they'll run. I can't catch them now. The only one I can catch is their grandma.

We all need to know what is the spiritual seasons of our time. Coming out to Penang 30 years ago wasn't my time. But it was God's time. When I walk into the church they'll ask me is this my first time here. BCM also wasn't my time. I was ready to give my whole life to Penang. But there was this need and they needed someone with a Masters to be the president. But it was God's time. I've no regrets.

Coming back to Penang wasn't my time but it was God's time. It is not our time but God's time is always the best time. Don't fall behind in his time, don't go ahead of his time be right in the centre of his time.

3. Season of Multiplication - A Season to Grow

Once the seed has been sown the time for harvest will come. You sow right seeds in the right season. You don't sow seeds in summer. You need to sow seeds in spring when the ground is still a little bit soft. Then it will sprout. You don't sow seeds in winter too. It's too wet. And this is the time TOP. You are in a season of sowing. Sow into the young adults the children, the youth. And in due time you will bear the fruits of multiplication. When it grows, it's a time of celebration. My season now is a time of celebration. I'm just sitting back and enjoying the seeds I've sown. In my family, in the church and young pastors. They have overtaken me in so many ways with information but the old man still has got revelation. And so I celebrate.

I'm glad my son called me this morning and wished me happy birthday. I said thank you Josh and that I'm just sitting back and enjoying the fruits of my labour. His photograph just came out in Monash University. The only Asian face among all the other four Australian scientists. I better stop now before I'm thought to boast about my son but all glory to God.

We are not perfect. We are all still learning. Jasmine just told me in Australia we have to unlearn because it's a different culture. We have to relearn. At 63 years old, I'm still unlearning and relearning. Because I want to know God's timing and God's way of doing life on planet earth.