Stand Firm

Pastor Daniel Loh

This is where we desire to worship him with all our heart and I believe as we leave this place we will be inspired and be glad we attended this service.

This is not a farewell sermon even though Ps Ronald has done much in Malaysia and going down under. But I believe he is not finished in terms of ministry.

You heard I mentioned two words, complete and finish. It's different. Let me give you an example. When you married the right woman, you are complete. And all the women say? Amen.  When you marry the wrong woman, you are finished. See the difference now? When your wife catches you with another woman, you are completely finished. Now all the young guys better listen. But when your wife loves going shopping all the time, you are finished completely. I thank God that my wife and I have been in ministry together and often we conduct workshops. I work she shops.

I want to look at the last chapter of Nehemiah and the key word is stand firm.

Nehemiah 13:4-12 (NIV)

4 Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, 5 and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil prescribed for the Levites, musicians and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.

6 But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission 7 and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil thing Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. 8 I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. 9 I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.

10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts.

12 All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive oil into the storerooms.

Nehemiah 13:15 (NIV)

In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.

Nehemiah 13:17-18 (NIV)

17 I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing—desecrating the Sabbath day? 18 Didn’t your ancestors do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity on us and on this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

Nehemiah 13:23-25 (NIV)

23 Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah. 25 I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.

Nehemiah 13:29-31 (NIV)

29 Remember them, my God, because they defiled the priestly office and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.

30 So I purified the priests and the Levites of everything foreign, and assigned them duties, each to his own task. 31 I also made provision for contributions of wood at designated times, and for the firstfruits. Remember me with favor, my God.

Nehemiah himself is a first rank character study. A man of prayer. A man of faith. A man of courage and action. You realise that his heart is always for God and the nation of Israel. He wanted to rebuild the temple of God. The Book of Nehemiah falls into two sections, Reconstruction and Reinstruction. The theme of this Book talks about God's security, protection and strength. When you study this book of 13 chapters, first chapter talks about concern, second to third chapter talks about construction, fourth to six talks about conflict, seventh to twelve talks about consecration and now coming to the end of chapter thirteen, it's about cleansing.

After Nehemiah completed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he kept his promise to the king and returned to Babylon where he resumed his duty as the king's cup bearer.

Twelve years have passed. He found that in his absence many things have changed. Not for the better but for the worst. Like this country many who may have left the country and came back expecting the country to be better but it was worst.

He came back and saw the people were sinning once again. Once again. It is not just to the people of Israel, but it can also happen to us. If we are not moving forward we are sliding backwards. I call it spiritual decay. Temptations are increasing and everything is more difficult. It's tougher following Jesus Christ everyday.

I tell my children at home that as a disciple of Jesus Christ we must fly high and aim high. Fly high last long. We may start off very well and fly high but how long can you last? All of us are on the same team. We fly high and last long. Then we meet Jesus at the end of the day, he will say well done my faithful servant.

In the midst of internal and external circumstances Nehemiah was a man who stood firm. He dealt with the difficulties. We may be like Nehemiah. Where we want to turn the community and believers back to God.

1. Stand firm when you are in the danger of compromise. V1-9

Compromises was happening within Israel. They have defiled and forsaken the temple of God. They allowed an Ammonite into the temple of God. Tobiah who was an evil man against Nehemiah is now given a room in the temple of God. Imagine how Nehemiah felt when he returned after twelve years. To find his enemy staying in the temple. He acted immediately and threw Tobiah out of the temple and cleansed the temple. Compromise.

Christianity Today magazine has pastors and elders of the church as subscribers. And the statistics were bad and discipline of church members are low. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to keep our purity.

Compromise is a very dangerous evil. If we allow the Tobiahs to stay in our heart.

2. Stand firm when you face the anger of selfishness v10-14

He rebuked the leaders for the lack of faithfulness in giving. They stopped maintaining the temple and teaching the people. They stopped giving to God. A misuse of finance and selfishness and found its way into the people. He acted immediately.

He made sure that the rulers were paid. Imagine the lead pastors and leaders are not paid. Because the people of God are not giving they have no choice but to stop and go out to find work to support their families. This was what happened during those times.

Giving tithes to the church was no longer their responsibility. God has his way to run his organisation. And we have to look into Scripture and stay responsible in terms of the duty that we have. I have been thought during early days of my life about tithing. If you go online there are many articles that do not believe in tithing. I believe tithing is a matter of the heart. It is not about blessing. That is not the idea. If we think God bless us back by monetary wise then we will put all our money into church.

Many wants to be a millionaire by 30 but what is wealth without health? Work so hard that they neglected their health and they put all their money back to the hospital. We have to be responsible and pay our tithes. If we stay to the principles of tithing we do not need to raise funds for building.

Here the people of God has been so called poisoned in their minds that they neglected the house of God. Our finances speak volumes about our relationship with God. When our heart is not there we find it difficult to support the work of God. This morning we have to ask ourselves this question. Are we a giver or are we a receiver? Are we generous or selfish? Just a poem to remind us to not let money be our God.

Money will buy you a bed but not sleep.

Food but not appetite.

A house but not a home.

Medicine but not good health.

Luxury but not culture.

Entertainment but not happiness.

Religion but not salvation.

A Visa to anywhere on planet earth, but not heaven.

Friends, always remember that the only way to be free of the tyranny of money is to give back to God. Obey God's principles of tithing and be generous in offerings. I pray your whole Christmas tree will be overflowing with ribbons. Stay free from the danger of selfishness.

3. Stand firm when you face the danger of conveniences v 15-22

They did not observe the Sabbath. A time of rest and the Israelites focused on God instead of other things. That was the day of the Lord. Many no longer practice the Sabbath but instead compromised by doing all kinds of business wanting to make more money.

They had plenty of excuses like all of us. They were making knowingly and unknowingly wealth their idols. Nehemiah handled this promptly. He stopped working on Sabbath and banned the merchants from bringing their products on Sabbath.

Convenient Christianity. Well if it's convenient I'll come to church. If it's convenient I'll let my children come for special services. If it's convenient I'll come to prayer meeting. If it's not convenient I'll not come to church. It's not convenient for me to come because God has blessed us with a big house by the sea but it's not so convenient because it's now far away.

A parent ask a young girl do you want to go to church? So young girl of 12 say she's tired so don't go to church. We cannot ask a young girl whether to come to church. We cannot give them that choice. Young teenagers are at a time where they want to rebel and when you tell them to come to church they ask why? Church is boring. Convenient Christianity have creeped into the church. I'm glad all my church families and their children come and serve in church.

A lot of Christians today come to church to want to be blessed. When they see they are not blessed they hop to another church because they were not blessed. We should instead ask what can we do to bless the church. This is the church God has placed you here.

I pastor a church where there is so much pressure. I started to pastor a church with only 30 people. I'm not competing with another church because it's his church. I was associate pastor in a big church doing everything. Worship pastor, youth pastor and I grew there. I did everything in that church. I love going and serving in church.

Sad that today there is this convenient Christianity. Spiritual decay of if I feel like coming I'll come. How is your daily and weekly commitment to church? Are you busy making money God is blessing you but you neglect your commitment to church.

4. Stand firm when you face the danger of wrong relationships v 23-31

There were mixed marriages then. I'm not talking of inter-racial marriages. The Israelites compromised by marrying pagan women. It was so bad that many of the children of Israel couldn't even speak Hebrew. If they cannot speak Hebrew the next generation and generation to come will not be able to read Scripture and learn from the teachers and  Levites.

He called for curses to come upon them and beat some of them up and pulled out their hair. Can you imagine the lead pastor do that to us today?

Because of inter-marriages, many gods entered into the lives of the Israelites. That was the reason he was so angry. Paul talked about being unequally yolk with an unbeliever. How many think that when they fall in love with an unbeliever thinking that later they can become a believer. I can say that many of those end up no longer going to church. Or no longer a Christian.

They were so committed in church but the parents ask them whether there are any in church. If not they'll ask why not look for someone outside of church. And they even recommend someone from outside. He look like a Christian, sound like a Christian but is not a Christian. After a while, they stopped coming to church.

This is where many out of desperation decided to venture in that direction. Sad. But that's the reality of the situation nowadays. Getting married is not the best thing in the world. Being single can also be God's will.

There are three things for a good marriage. First is physical attraction. That's true. Even though you see some marriages and you see their physical appearance so far apart yet they love one another. You ask what do you see in the person, but it's only the person knows. Second is emotional compatibility. The third to me is most important and that's spiritual unity. It's so important to have the same faith. Husband and wife cannot pray together. Nehemiah saw this and immediately handled this situation. It affects us and the people around us.

We are most affected by the books we read and the friends we have. Wrong relationships can spiritually damage us. Do they draw you closer to God or do they draw you away from God? This is where Nehemiah say stand firm when you stand in danger of being lured away.

We can learn from this man Nehemiah. He had nothing in his heart but his love for God and his desire to please God.

That's why he ended with this prayer. Remember me with favour, my God. Have you ever prayed that kind of prayer? God will remember us. Why? Because he loves you. But to pray for God's favour, be willing to come back. To remember us with favour. He desires us to draw near to him and to stand firm. He is ever ready to guide and lead you. And you can stand and declare yourself a child of God to fly high and last long.

9-to-5 Reality Check!

Bro Kenny Song

Pastor Koay took you all to heaven with his Three Gardens, then back down to earth with his Two Crosses, so I was thinking maybe I should preach on One Fire and take you all down to hell. On second thought, I'll let him do that when he next preach.

I am instead going to talk about something most of us struggle with on a daily basis. I titled my message "Your 9-to-5 Reality Check". 9 to 5 does not mean a fix time but rather your working hours.

How many of you work for a living? How many of you have experienced failure in your work or you labour and labour and don't see results? Not all the time but at least some of the time?

What do you do when you experience fruitlessness or even failure in your work? How do you respond when your hard work yields poor results? 

Whether you’re a businessman who's struggling to make ends meet, a diligent college student with poor grades, or a parent with a prodigal child — all of us experience the frustration of fruitless work.

At times it doesn’t seem fair, but the reality remains: hard work doesn’t always guarantee successful outcomes. I used to tell my team not just to work hard (that's mandatory) but also to work smart. But sometimes projects still fail and deadlines are missed despite our very best efforts.

We live in a performance-driven world, where poor results are usually difficult to accept. We expect immediate results and we can quickly become discouraged when we fall short of our own expectations. 

In times of fruitlessness, we may fall into self pity or blame others for our failures. But what is worst is that in our darkest moments, we can doubt God’s goodness — wondering why he isn’t blessing our work (while conveniently forgetting all the ways in which he already has).

Four Reminders for Seasons of Setback

In these seasons of fruitless despair, I’m often helped by a story from John 21.

John 21:3-6

3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

The disciples went on an all-night fishing expedition, only “they caught nothing” (John 21:3). As dawn breaks, Jesus asks them if they caught any fish. They hadn’t. Jesus then instructs them to “cast the net on the right side of the boat” (John 21:5–6). The result is miraculous. After utterly failing all night, the nets fill with so many fish, they begin to rip. 

This story offers four helpful insights to encourage us during seasons of setbacks. 

1. Fruitless work is a common experience.
 

We would presume that their labour would have been rewarded. After all, they devoted their lives to Jesus, leaving family, homes, and occupations to follow him. Some of them were also experienced fishermen. They seem to have the right credentials: committed Christians and competent professionals. And yet their efforts failed. 

We might not understand why our diligent efforts fail, and be tempted toward exasperation. But we must remember that as Christians we aren’t guaranteed success in our work. In his wisdom, God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Seasons of fruitlessness are simply part and parcel of living in a world cursed by the effects of the fall. Our work in this present world is subject to “thorns and thistles” that impede progress and hinder fruitful outcomes (Genesis 3:18).

There were times when in our business, we seemed to do everything right. We pitched for campaigns and initial outcomes were positive. Then when it reached the table where money is discussed, we hit a snag. They want kickbacks. And we walk away. I've never felt dejected in times like these because we just knew it's not meant for us. I have the peace of God, but it does not negate the fact that many man hours have been invested into the project and we got nothing in return.

My non Christian staff knows our stand and even though some questioned my decision, in the long run, I think they all see why integrity is always more valuable than money. But the fact remains, hard work didn't always pay off. Even when it's honest hard work!

When success seems elusive, it’s important to remember that fruitlessness is a common experience for everyone. Our struggle isn’t evidence of God’s displeasure toward us, but a reminder that the world we live in is still awaiting full redemption (Romans 8:20–21).

Romans 8:20-21

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

2. Jesus will meet us in our failures.

When our labours are met with significant setbacks or failure, God can seem distant to us. We can be tempted to think Jesus cares little for our situation or for the outcomes that seem so important to us — that critical project gone wrong or the struggling business venture. Especially when we see unbelievers doing well under the same circumstances.

In these moments, we must not relegate Jesus to a detached, unfeeling Saviour who neither understands nor cares for our present needs. Rather, as Hebrews 4:15 states, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Remember, Jesus experienced all the limitations of working in a fallen world and he understands our struggle for fruitful outcomes. Most of all, remember he cares.

In this account, Jesus’s care for his disciples was evident in his tender address to them: “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” (John 21:5) After a long night of fruitless labour, Jesus met the disciples at the very point of their need and weakness. 

This is a Savior who draws near to us in times of perplexing trouble. He concerns himself with the ordinary — with fish and nets — to perform the miraculous for the good of his children. When we’re discouraged about our lack of success or progress, we can turn to Christ with confidence that he cares about our struggles.

3. God gives help in times of need.

Too often, I do not seek God’s help when facing obstacles and setbacks. Instead I “lean in” with my own abilities and forget to look to God. In fact, I’ve realized that much of my despair in fruitless seasons stems from my inability to succeed on my own. 

There were times in my business where we see no light at the end of the tunnel. Debts were piling and our OD fully utilised and we even had to sell our Invoices for cash advance (factoring) at a hefty interest. I will of course as usual be my stubborn self and try to juggle our finances out of the woods.

Then a time would come when I'd finally humble myself and asked our cell to pray for us. I've done that more than once and without fail, God would bail us out. Moral of the story, should have asked my cell to pray earlier la. But as usual, always stubborn. Never learn.

The disciples’ empty nets are reminders that we need God to work in ways that are beyond our capacities and resources. The disciples’ experiences and competencies alone weren’t enough to produce a fruitful outcome.

Like the feeding of the 5,000, this situation was designed to reveal the limitations of human power and reveal Jesus’s unlimited power to more than meet human need.

When we encounter obstacles beyond our strength or skill, let us not discount God’s ability to help through providential — sometimes even miraculous — means. God is in the business of displaying his glory in the face of our need. Let us learn to lean into him for help.

4. Jesus is the true prize of our work.

“When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment . . . and threw himself into the sea” (John 21:7). 

This was after Jesus' resurrection and this account was the third time that Jesus appeared. I love Peter’s response. Upon discovering it was Jesus on the shore, he plunged in and swam to him. Weariness from fruitlessly working all night didn’t matter, neither did the huge haul of fish. For Peter, nothing mattered more than the fact that Jesus was present. Fellowship with his risen Savior was incomparably more rewarding than a net bursting with fish. 

To have Peter’s perspective whether our work succeeds or fails! May our (very legitimate) pursuit for good results never obscure the true prize of our labours: to know and treasure Jesus Christ. In fact, it’s often in our struggles, not successes, where we experience the life-giving presence of our Saviour. 

Only when we realize worldly success alone is bankrupt do we rise with hope in our “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for [us]” (1 Peter 1:4). 

Only when we come to the end of our strength do we discover that God’s “grace is sufficient for [us]” and that his “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Only after the discouragement of empty harvests are we able to receive this infusion of divine joy in our souls: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalm 4:7).

This is the reason why I do not subscribe to what is called the Prosperity Theology. Where they believe you have not because you asked not. Where even tithing is not about obedience but purely the pursuit of material blessings. And being poor means a lack of faith.

But I also do not subscribe to Poverty Theology. Where materialism is seen as a curse and equated to worldliness. This is the other extreme of the spectrum.

Then what theology do we subscribe to when it comes to money? I believe in Stewardship Theology. Where possessions is a privilege and not a right. And we are given the responsibility by God to wisely manage what has been entrusted to us.

Actually, this is another sermon for another time.

I want to relate back to instances where we failed to win an account because of kickbacks. I want to encourage you that at the end of the day, God will never short-change his children. Those worldly loss are not in vain.

I realised this at each of the economic downturn we encountered by refusing kickbacks, we ended up with very good clients who were good paymasters. These are the same ones that will ride through the economic downturn because of their sound principles.

And they become good friends, not just clients. And wherever they go, they will always come back to you and if they ever refer you to another client, you'll know they are birds of the same feathers.

The ones that receives kickbacks will be the first ones to run when trouble brew. Somebody once said this phrase and I never forgot it. Forgive the language - "Don't shit where you eat". The ones that take kickbacks are cheating the very company that feed them and their families. And if we give the kickbacks, we are encouraging them to do so.

But ultimately, as a child of God, it's not about that great quote I mentioned, but rather because we know it's the right thing to do and what honours God and bring glory to God. If we give money under the table, I don't think the other party will ever see Jesus in us and we can never be a good testimony for God. Lets do what is right and trust God for our situation.

Often, our struggles clarify our vision and strengthen our resolve to value eternal good over temporal success. Struggles often succeed in anchoring our hope and identity to Christ, rather than our achievements. 

The ultimate prize of our work isn’t the successful outcomes themselves, but seeing Jesus in our diligent labours. This is true in success or failure, in seasons of fruitfulness or fruitlessness. 

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I want to end on a positive note. Just like how Peter and the other disciples toiled through the night, you may be in a situation where you think you are getting nowhere. It's like you are running on the treadmill, burning a lot of energy but seemingly going nowhere. No progress. No results. It is frustrating, but let us take comfort in this passage of scripture that we have just examined.

Remember, Jesus is watching, even if he's at the distant shore. And he cares. And he will help you in his time. In Peter's case, it was not at midnight. Not 2 a.m. Not 4 a.m. The bible says it was in the morning. Your morning will come. But more important than the blessing is the blesser. Like Peter, we can only find rest in our soul when we seek Jesus.

So whether your current nets are empty or bursting, if you hope in him, your labour will never be in vain.

You are Designed to be Different to Make a Difference

 Rev Jasmine Ooi

Romans 12:4-8

4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

We have different gifts. Why do we want to make a difference? Because fruitfulness in our lives increases according to how we are designed.

We are made to multiply. Adam and Eve was told to be fruitful and multiply. And not just biologically. We are created to contribute and not just consume.

There are three main points I want to share.

1. How you are designed differently
2. How you can make a difference
3. How you are designed to function as part of your church

How you are designed differently

You are gifted differently to express different facets of God's character.

Romans 12:6-8

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

You are given the gift of serving. Jesus came to serve.

Matthew 20:28

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

And the gift of mercy is given to most of us. God is rich in mercy. And it's a reflection of the image of God. And the gift of giving is like God who gives bountifully.

You are designed to function in your different gift.

A gift is a "God given ability/capacity, and desire to perform a function within the body of Christ with supernatural joy, energy and effectiveness."

How can we discover where we can make a difference?

All of us have different passion and talents or gifting. How do we combine this by meeting a need that is around us. Is there a need?

Like in Sunday School there are two kids who comes to church on their own by walking. And sometimes we wonder why are they here when they are not paying attention or listening? We need to instead bond with them. We who have a heart for children can connect and mentor them.

What other needs can you see in your community? Find that sweet spot. Like if you play golf, you will know when you hit the sweet spot, the ball will fly. Find your sweet spot, not the sweet tooth.

This is a tool to discover how God has designed you, to achieve his purpose and fulfill his plan. Explore the S.T.O.R.Y. God has written in your life.

Strength

Topic (enjoy working with?)

Optimal conditions (what motivates you?)

Relationship pattern (people/task)

Yes! (I was made to do this)

Use your S.T.O.R.Y. for God's glory.

All of you have strength. Or topics you enjoy working with or talking about. And what optimal conditions motivates you. Like some who likes the limelight while some likes to be in the background. God can use you.

What is your relationship pattern. You work well, in a team or maybe you work better alone.

Are you people oriented or task oriented.

God gave gifts us to:

Equip the Saints. Edify the body and unite us in the faith.

Ephesians 4:11-13

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Some of you are good at encouraging or evangelism. Some may be able to pray or have compassion for the poor.

An example is the church in Acts. How did the church use the gifts?

Acts 4:34-37

34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Barnabas saw the needs at that time. He is an encourager. He had a piece of land and he sold it to give money to the needy. What do you have? David had a sling. Maybe you have a car. What can you do with what you have? Dorcas used her gift to do good and to help the poor.

Acts 9:36-42

36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Philip used his gift to evangelise an Ethiopian official. He went near to the carriage. Sometimes all we need is to listen to a need and to lead them to the Lord Jesus.

Acts 8:26-39

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.

Who can speak of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37 ] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

In the Acts church there were prophets and teachers, apostles and evangelists. How can you use your gift today. You can edify (build up) one another.

Today you can make a difference with your gifts. You are designed to function as a part of the church. We are living stones. You make up the church. Not bricks but it is people that make up the church.

You are designed to function as a part of your church.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by supporting ligament. Grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:16

from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

You are designed to function as a part of your church. There was a pastor who lost his toe to gangrene due to diabetes and he said with his missing toe, he had to learn to walk again. You may think the toe is not important but it is vitally important. If you are missing on Sunday, it makes a difference.

We are all designed to pull together. We are a team. If one of you decide to stop, you will slow the team down or it may stop completely.

God has designed different people/ages to serve various roles, like members of a championship football team. You have different gifts to serve different roles and different positions. Ruben, what position you play? Defender. That is his role. He is not a striker and cannot paly that role.

Lessons from the geese. Do you see how geese fly in a V position? As they flap their wings, they create an uplift that will help the one behind him. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if any bird were to fly alone. What can we learn?

Share a common direction and a sense of community, we can get where we are going quickly and easily because we are travelling on the thrust of one another!

Whenever a goose fall out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take the advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those who are headed in the same direction. Be willing to accept their help as well as give our help to others.

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies at the point position. This is important also for the church. Take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing responsibilities. Like geese, we are interdependent on each other's unique arrangements of gifts, skills and resources.

Some of those in the children's church have been serving for more than ten years and they miss the service to be a teacher. We can offer our help and rotate so that they too can enjoy the service.

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

If we honk, we need to make sure it is positive and encouraging. Where there is encouragement, production is greater. Speaking the truth in love… cause growth and edification. (4:15,16)

When a goose gets sick or wounded or is shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again or dies. They then launch out on their own, with another formation or catch up with the flock.

If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong. Look alongside every great achiever and you will find caring people offering encouragement, support and able assistance.

Lesson learnt on team building.

Stand by each other.

Let us try to fly in formation and remember to drop back to help those who might need it!

1 Thessalonians 5:14

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

The greatest accomplishments in life are not achieved by individuals alone, but by proactive people pulling together for a common good.

How did the church help members to function as a team to resolve a crisis in the midst of revival? Grecian Jews complained against Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

Acts 6:1-7

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Apostle Peter stood up and he said choose seven men from among you who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and ministry of the word. So the word of God spread. The numbers of disciples increased rapidly.

Our significance has to be in God. We have needs yet we can help others. We can help each one, hear them out and help them understand that their needs can be met by God.

Conclusion :

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Do not neglect the gift.

1 Timothy 4:14

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.

Stir up the gift.

2 Timothy 1:6

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

What I am is God's gift to me; what I do with it is my gift to Him. TOP, your tagline is blessed to be a blessing. Have you blessed someone. 

Rev Ronald Ooi praying for the youth and young adults.

Missions: A Faith Journey

Bro Terence Ooi

So glad to be here. Four years ago in our room on our knees, we asked God what was our vision for the next year and I heard God say, pack your bags. It didn't make sense at the time because we just had a baby.

But a Christian walk is a walk of faith and without faith it is impossible to please God.

I asked once which is the biggest harvest field in the world and some said Africa and others said Mongolia and I said no, it's your school and your workplace. All of us can fulfill the call wherever God place us.

There is one mandate and that is to make disciples of all nations.

This is our fourth year, praise God and God is watching the food we eat and the water we drink in the field and we thank God for all the support we have been receiving.

We work with an NGO called Starfish Malaysia. In Malaysia it's very sensitive so we don't call ourselves a Christian organisation.

Our area of focus are the two horns In East Malaysia. It's a very poor area of Malaysia. We have four hostels with about 200 children under our care. We run disciple classes with them as well as tuition. It's education for the poor. If you want you can come and help to teach English or Math. They are very lacking in education.

We bring in doctors and dentists to give care for them. Their teeth are all back and with gangrene so they need help.

We also work with leaders. We train them and they use sports as evangelism. They did a sports programme all on their own.

We also use business as mission. Economic empowerment. We loan them seeds for Roselle. They are rubber so we loan them these seeds and we guarantee them a buy back for a certain yield. We make enzyme drinks to sell them. So now they are earning close to 1,000 ringgit per month.

We also use corn to elevate their income. Both as animal feed and as food.

We also participate with government officials to share our heart and ideas. Sabah for the last 15 years, they have been bottom in school results. It's very depressing so we hopefully can help.

There's this place call Kapit, a remote area accessed thr. ough a 3 hour boat ride, which has the highest teenage pregnancy in Malaysia. The businessmen have come in and destroyed the girls and boys there. We want to build a youth centre to help them. It's now under construction.

Debra just published this book called "Live to Last". It talks about her journey as an 18 year old girl. One day she told her mom she wants to go to New York to do children's ministry. It's not the nice areas of New York but the Bronx areas. I also wondered how her mom allowed her.

When she was there, she saw from the roof top the second plane that hit the tower. It changed her life as a young lady. We only have a few books left.   But you can get them at MPH.

I still find it odd that I'm called a missionary. Because people think missionaries are old. Second, they think missionaries are poor.

Thirdly, is that they introduce me as a missionary, but in their hearts they think they're not. Also they think missionaries need faith. But do you know a businessman also needs faith to sign that deal. Or even in your career. Parents, grandparents and teachers need faith. All of us Christians need to have faith.

What type of faith do I need to live a missionary lifestyle?

1. Faith of the Unknown

Hebrews 11:8

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

In Malaysia to do a transaction you need the ringgit. In US you need the US dollar. In China, you need Renminbi. To operate in God's Kingdom, the currency is faith. Look at Abraham. What are the unknowns in your life? There is that hope in the unknown. He's known as the father of faith.

What about Joseph? He was a dreamer with a tongue he could not control. His dreams told him he'd be a leader. Second only to the Pharaoh. But from that dream he went in to prison and was a forgotten man. Life is not smooth sailing roads. It is with steep mountains and deep valleys.

What about Moses? Also has faith in the unknown.

Two years ago, my wife woke up in bed and said she thinks she's pregnant. So I went on my motorcycle to buy a tester and it proofed positive. But the next day she was bleeding. And she was bleeding for a few days. I was reluctant to bring her to a Cambodian doctor because in 3 week's time I was coming back. The doctors checked and he found a cyst and second he said the baby is 9 weeks old and had no heartbeat. We came back and declared the word of God.

The year before we had a miscarriage so in my human mind I thought oh no, it'll happen again. So once we reached, we straight away from KLIA went to the doctors. And the doctor said the baby is only 9 weeks and has a heartbeat. The Cambodian doctor had it wrong. That situation was about us and where was our faith.

In the book she said, faith is not just about believing for the sake of believing for a positive outcome but trusting the one who can do it.

Let's put our faith where faith is supposed to be, which is in God.

2. Faith in God's Greater Riches

Hebrews 11:24-26

24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

You need to really read this over and over. Moses is the grandson of the Pharaoh, yet he chose to share in the oppression of God's people. Because he was looking ahead for a greater reward. He was looking at how he wants to fulfill God's call in his life.

Hebrews 11:39-40

39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Where's your trust this morning? Some of us put our trust in our bank account. I can relate because it's tangible. Or we put our hope and trust in our children's education. I'm not saying don't study but I'm saying we can trust God's riches and it's greater and better.

I always have this idea of giving. I must have then only I can give. If I don't have how to give? But if you study the word, all who gave had nothing.

Paul's missionary journey would not have happened without the support of the church of Philippi. There was even a guy put in place to make sure Paul is being financially supplied. But the Bible said the church was in extreme poverty. It was a poor church that gave.

Luke 12:13-15

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Life is not measured by how much you own. It's not about how many shoes you have. Some people collect shoes. Not by the quality of the clothes you wear. Life is not measured by your house or the things you own.

Put your hope and faith in God. That is the anchor of our soul. When a ship drops an anchor, the ship needs to reverse so that the anchor holds. But most of us drift with the anchor so it does not anchor us but becomes a weight.

3. Faith in the Power of God.

There is such a thing as faithless faith. Or faithless Christian. Just by going to church does not make me a faithful Christian. When we see Jesus, what will he say? You good and faithful servant?

I asked myself why Jonah didn't go to Nineveh because he didn't believe that God can forgive the people of Nineveh. God told him to go there to preach but he didn't believe that God can forgive them.

Many of us have gone through tough times. Poor or abusive upbringing but let's trust that we have a God that will heal, show mercy and grace.

One day, a criminal was sentenced to death and on his last meal he was asked who he wants to see for the last time and he said his brother. As he walked to the gallows with a hood over him, just at the last second before the platform was released, there was a siren and he heard footsteps coming towards him. The warden opened his hood and brought him to a room and showed him a letter. He was pardoned by the governor, and he just have to signed a letter and he is a free man. That is mercy.

So he went out as a free man. Then he went home and he saw another letter on the table. He opened it and in it was a guarantee of a job on Monday and he will have a home on an island and a limousine to drive. That is grace. He was given more than he deserves.

It cannot be explained. That grace is scandalous because the people heard of this and accused the governor for doing more than he should.

If faith is the currency, then surrender is the transaction.  I know today is Harvest Mission but faith is everyday. The greatest challenge for a Christian is on a Monday.

1 Corinthians 15:36

How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

Our dreams have to die. Our plans have to die. If only these things die that is pulling us down, then we can live. Jesus said, lift up your cross, deny yourself and follow me. The idea of lifting up the cross in the Greek is to lift up the cross on your shoulders so that others can see.

Rev Ronald praying for Bro Terence and Sis Debra.