God's Work by God's Power

Pastor Melinda Song

Zechariah 4:1-6 (NIV)

1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep.2 He asked me, “What do you see?”

I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”

“No, my lord,” I replied.

6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

INTRODUCTION

In 538 B.C. the conqueror of Babylon, Cyrus of Persia, issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Led by Zerubbabel (also known as Sheshbazzar in Ezra 1:8), about 50,000 Jews returned home to rebuild the temple but the temple still remained an uncompleted ruin after 16 years.

God then raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to remind His people of His promise and to stir up the people from their slumber so that they would begin again to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem.

Zechariah’s His name means ‘Yahweh Remembers’ and he encouraged the people with the fact that God remembers His covenant.

In the vision Zechariah saw a golden lampstand. This lampstand could not be the seven-branched menorah. It was probably a cylindrical pedestal, made out of gold, with a bowl on top. The bowl, or, in some translations, the flared feature on top of the column, had seven lamps, each with seven pinches, or spouts, to hold seven wicks.

Besides the lampstand, Zechariah also saw “two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left” (v. 3). In verse 12, the prophet asks: “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

The word “branches” could also be “clusters” of fruit on the olive trees. Presumably, “the golden oil” from the crushed olives is channelled to the lamps through these two pipes in order to keep them burning.

The prophet asked the angel for an interpretation of the vision three times (vv. 4, 11, 12) because he had never seen a lampstand with a reservoir, and certainly not one with self-filling lamps that are fed with a constant supply of olive oil from two olive trees.

The angel doesn’t actually answer Zechariah’s first request for an explanation. Instead he gave a word for governor Zerubbabel. It is this: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. (v. 6).

Any work this group of returnees from exile were going to do would only be accomplished by the power of the Spirit of God. They had tried to rebuild the temple by their own strength but failed (Ezra 3:8–13). Relying solely on human resources, human wisdom and human strength, their efforts were worthless.

Only God Can Do God’s Work! The vision and the promise that God gave Zechariah in the sixth century B.C. is applicable for us today.

First we have to recognise that there will be…

A. THE PROBLEM(S)

Zechariah 4:7 (NIV)

“What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” 

Zerubbabel was the people’s leader in Jerusalem. He had the responsibility to finish the work of rebuilding the temple but the work had ground to a halt. Before him lay the mountain of rubble that used to be the once glorious Temple of Solomon. The task seemed impossible.

We cannot pursue God's eternal purpose without encountering a "great mountain.”

- lack of finance or human resources

- obstacles  

- threats

- opposition   

- discouragement

- doubt/unbelief

There will be problems but the mountain will be levelled. Zerubbabel must trust in…

B. THE PROMISE

1. It is NOT BY MIGHT!

The Old Testament uses the word MIGHT more than 100 times to refer to collective strength and resources of a group, such as the armies of Pharoah or of Israel or of Babylon.

In other words, the Temple is not going to be rebuilt by the people pulling their collective strength to get the job done.

a. Not by might of NUMBERS

When Solomon built the temple, he employed 150,000 men. He had 3,000 foremen on the job. Only 50,000 people had returned from Babylon, including the aged, women and children.

There is nothing wrong with the mega-church concept. We want to thank God for the overwhelming number of people at the Christmas service. It is always a joy to worship with a big congregation, to have new people worshipping with us, who will eventually make TOP their home church.

And we have to guard against inverted pride in small numbers - where people think they're wonderful because they're small.

God can and God will do things on a large scale, and we rejoice to see many souls saved for the kingdom of God but it is not in the strength of numbers that blessing comes.

BIBLE ILLUSTRATION: Gideon had 32,000 soldiers which when compared with 135,000 Midianites is not much. Then God comes along and says: 'Get rid of your soldiers down to 10,000 men', and he sends all the ones who are fearful home. Then through another strange exercise - which there are whole lot of different interpretations of - God whittles down his numbers to 300. 300 versus 135,000 but Gideon routs the enemies of the Lord, 'The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon!'

What a lesson to us! We are very numbers-orientated but take PPN for example, whether few or many, what does it matter, if God is in the midst?

TOP is not a big church, neither are we a small church but if we put our trust in numbers. Our trust must be in God alone.

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. 

b. Not by might of MONEY

Solomon also had an unlimited funds. They had meagre funds. The task seemed impossible.

It is good to belong to a church which is able to pay its bills. Thank God for all of you who gave to the Giving Christmas. The final collection came to RM9,600. Do you know why God sent RM1,600 over our target? God already had in mind 16 secondary school students who had no longer qualifies for our Love Project which is only for primary school students.

Next week is our Harvest Mission. God is on the move in TOP so prepare your hearts to sow into God’s kingdom. If we think that giving generously is enough, we are missing the point. Bro. Jason our Missions Director also has plans for mission trips in 2018. And the Church Board has designated funds for local social and community works

God’s work will not lack God’s provision but if we are putting our trust in money instead of in God, then we will be rebuked.

“NOT BY MIGHT,” says the Lord Almighty because He is the ALL MIGHTY God.

1. It is NOT BY MIGHT, and

2. It is NOT BY POWER!

The Old Testament uses the word POWER more than 100 times to refer to the strength of individual men and women. The Temple is not going to be rebuilt by Zerubbabel’s master organisation or by the skills and abilities of any one craftsman.

We must not put our trust in our own power or our own efforts.

a. Not by power of HUMAN WISDOM

Our education, our clever ideas, our brilliant schemes, our ingenious slogans won’t achieve anything by themselves. The Bible says that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

There is no amount of human intellect or skills sufficient to accomplish the work of God effectively. It is not by our might, power, or abilities, but by the Spirit of God, that we accomplish God’s plans and purposes for us in life.

b. Not by power of HUMAN STRENGTH (HARD WORK)

Don’t get me wrong. There is a place for human wisdom and hard work. And we can’t just sit back and put our feet up and expect God to do the work without us playing our part. But if we put our trust in human wisdom or hard work, instead of in God, nothing will happen either!

1 Corinthians 1:24b-31

…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

On another thought: All of this means that none of us should think for a second that we can leave the work to other people. We cannot say, “Here I am Lord, send somebody else.” The work of building the church is not just the responsibility of a few “special Christians”, but of EVERY Christian.

ILLUSTRATION: Once upon a time there were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.

But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it.

But Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about it, because it was Everybody’s job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, and Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody and Nobody did the job that Anybody could have done in the first place.

Very often in church, Nobody does the job that Anybody could have done in the first place. God wants to use each and every one of us.

There is no task too insignificant or too small. The Lord Almighty asked: "“Who despises the day of small things? " (Zechariah 4:10). God’s number is infinity so "little is much when God is in it!"

All of us CAN do something for God because it’s not by might, not by power…

BUT BY MY SPIRIT says the Lord Almighty.

C. THE POWER

The olive oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 4:18; Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:9; 1 Jn. 2:20). The bowl of oil fed by pipes from the olive trees symbolised God’s inexhaustible and abundant power through the Holy Spirit. Human effort without the supply of the “oil” of the Holy Spirit would burn itself out.

What the golden olive oil was to the seven fluted oil lamps the Spirit of God is to all aspects of any work done in His name; God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s provision and power. Those who resist this principle will learn the hard way that they will be powerless to do God’s work.

ILLUSTRATION: THE POWER MUST BE USED

A young missionary, Herbert Jackson, was given a car to help him in his work. The car was a major asset, but it had one difficulty—it would not start without a push or a jump-start. Jackson devised a system to cope with the car’s inability to start. When he was ready to leave his home, he went to a nearby school and asked permission to bring some of the children out of class to help him push-start his car.

Throughout the day, he was careful to always park on a hill or to leave his engine running when he stopped for short visits.

For two years the young missionary used what he believed was an ingenious method to enable him to use the car.

When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the field, a new missionary arrived to lead the mission. When Jackson explained to the new missionary his methods for starting the car, the young man opened the hood and began inspecting.

“Why, Dr. Jackson,” he interrupted, “I believe the only trouble is the loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life.

For two years, Dr. Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car was there all the time—it only needed to be connected.

(Source: Living Beyond Your Capacity, Paul Chappell)

Look again at the lampstand.

Lampstands in the Bible signify testimony, or the witness of God on the earth. Here it represents Judah, but it also represents the church in the New Testament. In Revelation chapter 1 through 3, lampstands are mentioned several times, and of course Jesus is walking through seven lampstands representing the seven churches of Asia Minor. 

1)     We have the Fountain Head of Power.   "A lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it" (Zechariah 4:2). God the Father is the Fountain Head of the Spirit's power

Luke 11:13

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” 

Luke 24:49

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

2)     We have the Fullness of Power. The "seven pipes" (Zechariah 4:2). Seven is the number of completeness and fullness. Some scholars believe that there were 7 times 7, or 49 pipes! All this and more is promised to us when we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

3)     We have the Function of Power. The "seven lamps" (Zechariah 4:2). These lamps had one function: to give light.

TOP is a lampstand, a lighthouse to the community. The church exists, and likewise every Christian, to shine in a dark world (Matthew 5:16).

4)     We have the Flow of Power.  "Two olive trees" (Zechariah 4:3). Historically, these trees represent Joshua the Priest and Zerubbabel the King (or ruler) (Zechariah 4). Ultimately, the olive trees symbolize Christ our Lord as Priest and King.

It is only by a personal and perennial relationship to Jesus as Priest (calling for a life of prayer and intercession) and King (calling for a life of dedication) can the endless supply of oil be poured out “so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Phil. 2:15).

So, the bottom line is that all our living and shining is not by might nor by power (in the flesh), but by God's Spirit.  This must now be our corporate and personal lifestyle - living and shining by the Spirit in every circumstance and at all cost.

CONCLUSION

When Zechariah preached to the people, Christ had not yet gone to the Cross and ascended to heaven, and yet He could assure the people of a constant supply of His Spirit. Today Christ has completed the work He came to do. He has risen from the dead and He has ascended up to the right hand of God, and He has poured down the Spirit to strengthen His church with His might.

If Zerubbabel must believe the word of Zechariah, so must we. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

How does Christ strengthen us? He strengthens us by His Spirit and by His Word.

Let us not be discouraged by the problems which confront us day by day. Let us not be discouraged by our own inability and weaknesses—for when we are weak, then we are strong. 

Let us, rather, be much in prayer waiting upon the Lord. Let us be dependent upon Him. Let us seek by His grace to be obedient to His Word and calling. 

In Him and through Him we shall attempt great things for God. We can not do God's Work without Him. He has chosen not to do His work without us.

Therefore we need to get together.

It is not by might

It is not by power

But by His Spirit.

Success for 2018

Rev Lawrence Seow

Joshua 1:1-9 

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant gave you. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

MOSES IS DEAD       

Leave the past behind

Israel knew Moses was dead (Deut 34:8)

The Israelites grieved, mourned for Moses 30 days

Many people are still trapped in their past, they cannot lay hold of the future

They have no future because they cannot let go of what happened in the past

Past hurts…relationships…failures…disappointments (we all have them)

Past success…glories and achievements…laurels and reputation…seniority…education and experience

Life can get very complicated and sometimes we become confused and conflicted

Here are a few real-life scenarios:

A woman is in a loveless marriage...it’s a toxic relationship...but she has 2 young children...wants to walk out on the marriage but has to consider the kids

A man suffers a stroke...he was very active before...now immobile...considers ending his life (conflicted)

A husband whose wife is more successful...she is busy...has no time for him...he feels neglected...meets another woman...a young divorcee...begins a relationship

A man with elderly parents...he has failed in life...wants to migrate and start a new life elsewhere...but his duty to his parents holds him back

We are conflicted souls...a bundle of contradictions...a paradox of inconsistencies, even among the very best of us

Conflicting thoughts...emotions...beliefs and passions (full of contradictions)

Psalm 90:10    our years are 70 or 80...the best of them are but trouble and sorrow

Moses is dead!

Break that fixation…paralysis that results from always looking back

This applies also at the church-level…forget the past – people who have come and gone, great times, bad times…highs and lows…what you’ve accomplished OR failed to do

CROSS THIS JORDAN       

Cross Over – A New Start

The River Jordan is below sea level – deep and turbulent during rainy season, but slow and sluggish during the summer

Where Jesus was baptised…

Israel had to cross this river to enter the Promised Land…it was in their way

There will always be obstacles and hurdles in the way of The Promised Land

Giants were waiting for them across the Jordan

There will be daunting challenges ahead, intimidating situations and uphill tasks

The devil will even send roadblocks and distractions your way

God never promised it would be easy or smooth sailing…if you don’t cross this Jordon you’ll never enter the land of Promise

Diamonds are formed after undergoing tremendous heat and pressure...deep under the earth’s crust...carbon material

BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS

Go the distance – boxing parlance for finishing the fight

Do not quit or stop half-way – no matter how tough or bad it gets

Heard it before, and you need to hear it again – the Christian race is not a 100 meter dash; it is a marathon

It’s not how well you start but how you finish that matters

A pastor was preaching one Sunday when he spotted an old friend in the service. He asked a deacon to invite this man (obviously very wealthy and successful) to lunch after the service. During lunch, the man broke down and sobbed. He told the pastor how they had both grown up as teenagers in church, and while the pastor answered God’s call, he had pursued his career and achieved success. But after so many years, he knew deep inside he was not where God wanted him to be. And all his secular success and accomplishments could not make up for it.

Sad truth is many Christians start out well but they relax along the way…get complacent and stop pressing on

Story of the man who found an eagle’s egg

This is why we need God’s Word – meditate on it day and night, keep us focussed and strong (read text again)

Your mind is the control tower

When we think God’s thoughts we think the most powerful thoughts

Sermon notes courtesy of Rev Lawrence Seow

Dawning of a New Season

Rev Wong Yin Ming

Sr Pastor of Subang Jaya Assembly

I'd like to share with you on the topic the dawning of a new season.

I believe we have different seasons in life. And in Malaysia we have only one season, the hot season and the hot season. And in life we also have different seasons and in organisations, they have what they call life cycles. And the church also have life cycles. God can lead a church from one season of growth to the next season of growth.

And the transition period is very important. I've gone though two churches where they merge to become one. The transition period is crucial and determines the success. If the transition went well, there's a lot of excitement, a lot of joy and a lot of unity. But if the transition didn't work out so well, there is going to be a lot of challenges. But even so, when we go through transitions, we believe that it will be good.

I want to bring to you a historical passage that talks about a transition of leadership and also thr transition of the people of a nation.

1. God is in control of every season.

Joshua 1:1-2 (NIV)

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them —to the Israelites.

God spoke to Joshua, Moses my servant is dead. And when he talked about Moses being dead, he was talking about the passing of an old era. Moses is dead and God now is bringing forth a new leader. The children of Israel was also going through a transition. They have been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and they are about to now enter into the promise land.

The children of Israel was going through a new season after they left the wilderness. There is also a new leader that is coming. The new season is a season for the new leader. Moses has served his time. In the last 40 years, he has served his time. It's not that Moses was no good, it's just that his era is over. 

I believe the Israelites wanted Moses.  But in God's wisdom he did not allow them to find the body of Moses. Joseph was embalmed but not Moses in God's wisdom. If not they will always look back on Moses. God wants them to look at the glory of the new leader.

When a new leader comes in, there will be uncertainty. They would probably prefer Moses to lead them into the promise land because they are familiar with him. To let Moses bring them in then only appoint a new leader. Now there are two transition, a new leader and a new place.

In the midst of uncertainty God is in control of every season.

God told them to get ready to cross over. It signifies the beginning of a new era. Joshua will be the one to bring upon them the plan and purposes of God. God's presence will be with them.

And God told them that he is the same God of Moses that led them out of Egypt and is the same God that will lead them into the promise land. The leader may change but the plan of God has not changed. Moses is not the one that planned the future of Israel but God.

I want to share something personal. The senior pastor of Subang Assembly announced his resignation after 16 years. It was a very unique situation. He resigned and took on our outreach so I became the sole senior pastor. I came before God and said I do not know how to lead this church and I felt the weight of responsibility.

I remembered God used this passage where Jesus spoke to Peter that he will built his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But God spoke to me that I will build my church and the weight just left me. It is he that will build his church, not me and I knew that I will not journey alone and God is in control.

Churches will have good seasons and bad seasons but he is still in control and will lead the church through the seasons of change. Before God can move the church he has to prepare the leader. And equip the leader.

2. God will raise up a new leader for the new season.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (NIV)

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Just as God was with Moses, God was with Joshua.

Deuteronomy 34:9 (NIV)

Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.

The people listened to Joshua. God himself personally encouraged Joshua. Three times. Be strong and courageous. Joshua is much younger and they have not seen Joshua done any miracles yet. They were not so sure but the leader himself must show courage. If the leader is not courageous the people will be shaken in fear. Just like any army, the General must be strong. They will follow. God is encouraging your new pastors to be strong and courageous.

When the leader had to go like Moses, God will raise new leaders. When Elijah had to go the mantle fell on Elisha. Elisha split the water just like Elijah and when the people saw that they recognised him because he did the same miracle as Elijah. They accept not because Elisha told them about Elijah but because they saw him doing what he was called to do. He did it himself. Then the people recognised.

Pastors come and pastors go but the church will remain. Because the pastor is not the church. The people is the church. Pastors are there to equip the leaders to do the work of the ministry.

God chose Moses to lead the people out of Egypt but God chose Joshua to lead the people into the promise land. Not that Moses is no good. And God did not intended the people to compare. It is God who decides.

I had high respect for the founding pastor of my church. I never speak ill of our founding pastor because he laid the foundation. But all pastors will be different. You cannot please everyone. When I first took over the church we had two pastors. They must be wondering whether these two jokers can do it. He was so relational while I'm tasked oriented. But together we build the church and the church grew. Together we embarked on our first building we called our own.

One of the debate in church is the gender of the leader. The spiritual gift God has given is never based on gender. There were lady judges and pastors. The spiritual gifts are given to the leaders to his pleasure. It has never been gender biased. The gifting and calling has always been there.

How I became a senior pastor was orchestrated by God. I seldom share this story. I've shared only once in Romania because it was a man-led church.

I had no idea that the founding pastor was leaving. We were both BCM lecturers so we helped teach. We were there with the church before we took over the church. We did not get involved with the church ministry and administration. One day when I went to the church, the Sunday morning a clear voice spoke to me, I want you to take over the church. I could not believe what I heard. I was thinking maybe it's the devil. I brushed it aside and buried it at the back of my mind. I thought it's just a crazy thought.

It was months before the pastor announced his resignation. When he announced that thought came back to me. I told God it was not possible. We are in an urban setting and many are professionals. Well educated professionals. This is a man's world. For them to accept a lady senior pastor is something that will not happen. But there was this stirring within me. The search committee started searching and invited some pastors but none was accepted.

They then called Pastor Lim and he approached me and asked why don't you come in and we do it together. There was a lot of uncertainty and praying. The church was searching for one pastor and how to say we have two? The church called an EGM and we were both voted in. Pastor Lim's wife is also a credentialed minister but Pastor Lim called me and not the wife so it has to be God.

We enjoyed our ministry together to build the church. Of course there are differences but it does not split the church. Because we are different but in the end we worked together.

After Pastor Lim left to lead an outreach, we embarked on the second building. Pastor Lim handled the first building because as a man he knew more. I knew nothing about building a building but when it was decided I went ahead. I didn't know what I was getting into but we successfully completed the building and is enjoying it. No one left the church after the new building was completed.

When God affirms you he will also open doors for you. I moved into the EXCO and also the Council.  During our time a lot of Bible students married each other. But it's rare for a pastor to marry a layman. We had to go for counselling but after us now many lady pastors also marry laymen.

We have a Love Pastor Fellowship just like Penang. When the Chairman wanted to leave they were looking for someone and everyone was looking at me. All of them are men pastors except for another lady also from AOG yet they accepted me as chairman. YB Hannah Yeah of Subang Jaya looked at me and said you lah.

The calling and the gifting of God is not gender biased. Bil Hybels who runs one of the top churches in America recently appointed a lead lady pastor and a pastor/teacher for Willow Creek.

I just shared with you my journey and it is over 20 years and I'm still doing it. Whenever people talk about Subang Assembly, people just say it's a church with a lady pastor. The church has to affirm the new leader.

3. God will bring you over to the new season.

The people had to know that this is the new season. The people must not dwell in the past because Moses is dead. To cross over to Jordan the people has to be prepared.

Be prepared.

Be committed.

Be supportive.

Joshua 1:16-18 (NIV)

16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous! ”

Now they support and affirm Joshua. And they say what God said to Joshua. Only be strong and courageous. I pray that you all will be likewise. And Joshua led them into the promise land. Do not be like the people of Moses. They complain and murmur. Joshua generation was different. They supported their leader and crossed the Jordan as a united force.

Affirmation and encouragement motivates our leaders. Give them your ultimate support. Not just verbal but practical. Walk alongside. Not support from behind.

New season bring new changes. New pastors will have new approach. We must engage the younger generation and raise them to be part of the team. The church have to change with the times. A new leader can bring about new change. But not just new leaders, but the churches now must engage the younger generation.

My encouragement to you is to engage the younger generation to be in the team. To be a part of the team. The church at large must change and we must change with the times. Help the young generation to embrace the new season by involving them and empowering them. You must trust them and have confidence in them. Allow young leaders to have a say. We have a team of young pastors and assistant pastors. Age 29, 30, 36 and 37. All very young. Our church is in a season where we want to empower younger people.

Our young pastors take turns to preach and conduct communion. They do everything we do. But we also wants to embrace the younger members. Because our pastors are young, they see from the millennial point of view. And we baby boomers are trying hard to understand the millennials. We learn from the younger generation. We learn from them how to reach the young.

I took them to a Hillsong event at Subang Jaya and there they talked about how you prepare the people for the service. From the beginning, the moment the visitor enters into the church, right until the service starts and everything has a checklist. And we went back and walked around our church and I asked what do you all think about our church and they say, it's not warm enough. Because our church is a factory building even though it was renovated. The wall is beige colour and after about 7 years you can see patches, more of a very formal environment.

They say young people don't like these kind of colours. They say we don't have a hospitality lounge and our library is under utilised. So I said okay, I give you all a project, you come up with something new. And do a facelift. So I empowered them. Together with a team of youngsters, they came out with a concept that blew my mind.

Their proposal was that the library was under utilised so get rid of the library. They said move the library elsewhere and they said your books will not attract people but your setting and environment will attract people. So the hospitality lounge will take centre stage and the library and visitor's room which nobody want to go is moved to the side.

So I told the young assistant pastor, I said you come and share the concept with the board and I told the board I empowered the young to do this so don't give them any ideas, because our ideas are old ideas. I said let them tell us what they want. I said I empower them but I am not involved because they have a chat group. All the 3 young pastors are in but I am out.

And these are what they came out with. (PowerPoint slides). This is to show you what young people are capable of doing.

I let the young people make changes to attract the young. Like our library and hospitality lounge. We empower them and they come out with ideas. They come out with ideas and we have to foot the bill. And now our young people are excited. And now they are discussing about a mural wall. Another team of young people are on that. I don't even know. And many of them are only college students. They want to make the place vibrant. If not they said looks like factory. All plain colours, white colours. We empower them but we just have to control their spending.

I am encouraging you that even as your church enters a new season with a new pastor, think of embracing the younger generation. You'll be surprised that with a little bit of guidance, young people can do a better job than us. May the Lord bless you.

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.