It's Not the End Yet!

Ps Melinda Song

People are intrigued by the mystery of the unknown future. Hence the popularity of astrology, fortune-telling and horoscopes.

So it is no surprise that Doomsday prophecies garner great interest among people, especially Christians when they involve the end of the world and the second coming of Christ.

But belief in end-time predictions seems to require a faith with a very short memory–you have to forget all the previous times the end was predicted that proved wrong in order to get excited about the most recent time-table. It is like the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf".

Let us take the example of the latest end-time prediction of the world ending on 23 September 2017. If David Meade had been right, all of us would not be here today.

If you remember, in my last message I spoke of my desire for TOP to be a Spirit and Truth Family Church that honours equally the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Word of God. As such it is my duty as your Pastor to address this issue that keeps cropping up to see how it aligns with the Word of God and how we should respond to it.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

On 16 September 2017, the headline on the front page of Fox News read, "Christian doomsdayers claim world will end next week."

It's under the heading "Science"!!! When you click on it, the article headline proclaims, "Biblical prophecy claims the world will end on Sept. 23, Christian numerologists claim."

How common are predictions that the end is at hand?

Wikipedia lists over 170 different religiously motivated predictions of the end of the world.

·     The first recorded one dates back to the year 66 and ancient Judea.

·     They seem to be a mostly Protestant pastime.

Why this prediction now? Wasn't there another big "apocalypse now" prediction a few years ago? 

Scholars say doomsday predictions cluster around certain events — the Great Plague of the Middle Ages, or the "harmonic convergence" of the planets, or the year 2000.

And there has been a long string of predictions in the last two decades.

1.   American Christian radio host Harold Camping stated that the Rapture and Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011. When that did not happen he recalibrated the date to five months later on October 21, 2011 which was also proven wrong.

2.   Then came the blood moon prophecy which is a series of apocalyptic beliefs promoted by Christian ministers John Hagee and Mark Biltz, which state that a tetrad (a series of four consecutive lunar eclipses—coinciding on Jewish holidays—with six full moons in between, and no intervening partial lunar eclipses) which began with the April 2014 lunar eclipse is a sign of the end times as described in the Bible in the Book of Joel, Acts 2:20 and Revelation 6:12. The tetrad ended with the lunar eclipse on September 27-28, 2015. Again nothing happened.

3.   The most recent prophecy is by conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed Christian numerologist David Meade made international headlines over his claims that the world would end on 23 September 2017.

His comprehensive theory for the end times based on a mixture of supposed biblical studies and science centres around a non-existent planet Niburu which, he claimed, is due to collide with planet earth.

The suggestion was widely rubbished by experts including NASA with a spokesman saying: 'The planet in question, Niburu, doesn't exist, so there will be no collision.'

Clearly the end has been postponed again as we're all still here, but Meade – whose motivations must remain mysterious – has had an enormous amount of media attention.

Now is he claiming people misunderstood his theory, that Sept. 23 was merely a day of “signs.” He told Washington Post that “the world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending. A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October.” His astrological omen interpretations are now meant to be figurative and foreboding omens to a “beginning of the end” (i.e., the tribulation) and the date was pushed back from a very specific “September 23” to “beginning of October.”

Doomsday prophets ALWAYS do this. Failed doomsday prophets don’t repent – they just dig in, change the date, and turn it into a metaphor.

A LOOK AT DAVID MEADE & HIS CLAIMS

1.   He claims to be a Christian numerologist. Rev. Ed Stetzer wrote in Christianity Today, “There is no such thing as a legitimate ‘Christian numerologist.’”

Numbers do have meaning in Scripture but there are no secret numerical codes that require a profession called “Christian numerology.” No seminary nor do any professional accredited institutions offer such a degree.

Whenever someone tells you they have found a secret number code in the Bible, everything else he or she says can be discounted.

There are numbers in the Bible but they don’t require a numerologist.

·     The number one denoting the singleness of the Creator as a unified being: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

·     The number three is used to signify perfection in the Trinity as well as completion: Jesus’ ministry on earth lasted three years and his resurrection occurred three days after his death.

·     The number seven—likely the most well-known of biblical numbers—is also used to show divine perfection and completeness. This can be seen in God’s creation of the world in six days and decision to Sabbath on the seventh as well as numerous Old Testament rituals and celebrations.

God uses numbers in Scripture as a means to communicate with his people, they aren’t to be put to inappropriate use, such as making wild claims and trying to predict the end of the world using numbers and planetary motions as Meade and others have.

2.   Meade doesn’t have any biblical training yet he is discussing biblical matters of profound significance and making predictions about events of global importance without any real authority on these topics.

3.   There’s also another strange detail that those touting the September 23 theories have somehow missed: The same celestial arrangement has reportedly already happened in 1827, 1483, 1293 and 1056 — all in the month of September.

BUT WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE RETURN OF CHRIST?

Mark 13:32-37, NKJV

³² “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. ³⁴ It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. ³⁵ Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—³⁶ lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. ³⁷ And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

As we look at events in the world today, we may wonder how history is going to turn out. We may even be confused and troubled about end times, ethnic hatreds, volatile economies, international strife, and the warnings of doomsayers may feel very unsettling.

Jesus' words in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Lk 21:5-36 speak of these issues. The whole conversation started off with the disciples' comments on the solidity and significance of Jerusalem's major urban structure, the temple (Mk 3:1). Jesus replied by noting how temporary such structures actually are (13.2). Later, in a quiet setting (13:3), he entered into far more detail about the end of history as we know it and the stresses believers would undergo (13:4-37).

Rather than avoid he topic, he spoke of:

•      deception, wars, earthquakes, and famines as the beginning of troubles (13:5-8).

•      how his followers would experience testing as his witnesses before courts, rulers, and. kings (13:9-11).

•      how family members would turn against each other (13:12, 13).

•      how distress and deception would eventually reign, but such times would be limited by God (13:14-25).

•      his eventual return for his own (13:15-31).

•      the fact that no one knows precisely when he will return–and thus the need for his followers to be watchful and dutiful in serving God (13:32-37).

The fact that Jesus says no one knows the day or hour of His return means that it's utter foolishness to predict a specific day. Jesus knows the signs of his coming are sure, but the timing is not (Mk. 13:32,33,35,36).

End-time date-setting does not align with the Bible so we should stop predicting specific days or entertaining them.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE?

Before the Second coming of Christ and the end of the age, Jesus will first come for His Church in what is often called 'The Rapture' that could happen at any moment, when hundreds of millions of Christians are suddenly and stealthily removed from the earth without any definite signs.

Verse 33 – Take heed, watch and pray

Verse 35 – Watch

Verse 37 - And what I say to you, I say to ALL: Watch!”

1.   Since Jesus could come back for His people at anytime, we should always live with readiness to meet the Lord. We must be alert (not sleep) and watchful or vigilant, and not grow complacent thinking that the Lord is going to tarry long.

ARE YOU READY?

2.   Jesus is coming back for a radiant bride so let us say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:12,13).

1 John 3;2-3), NLT

² Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. ³ And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 

3.   The Master also left his property, his authority, and his work in the hands of his servants. He has given to his servant “each his work” so we should labour with all our might to make an impact for Him in our assigned tasks, since we have only one life to reach our generation.

We are not discounting biblical prophecy. We need to be students of Bible prophecy which should motivate us to live godly lives and do all that we can to reach our generation while we can.

THE NEED FOR SPIRIT AND TRUTH IN THE CHURCH

The apostle John in his first epistle tells us not to believe everything: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1). We need to be discerning concerning things we choose to believe in.

We can’t just believe everything in the media; instead, we must think both carefully and critically about what we read, see and hear. We need to consider our sources and, when situations like this arise, be careful to seek out answers from people who actually know what they’re talking about. If those matters are of a spiritual or eternal nature we should look to the Bible for our answers.

Acts 17:11, NKJV

¹¹ These [Jews in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Gullibility is not a virtue. We need to develop a Christian mind that is able to carefully filter the beliefs and ideas being presented to us. Apply wisdom and cultivate a spirit of discernment.

It’s not crazy to look at world events and ponder whether the signs mentioned in the Bible are, in some form, coming to fruition; but it is bizarre and dangerous to start setting dates in violation of the very scripture you claim to hold dear.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Therefore, as another end-of-the-world prophecy fails, we ought to remember that:

A. WE STAND IN FAITH AND NOT FEAR

"...if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard" (Col 1:23).

The spirit of fear is rampant around the world and we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on God's goodness and His triumphant love. Faith is what pleases God (Heb 11:6). Jesus is coming back for us.

B. JESUS IS RETURNING FOR A RADIANT BRIDE

"Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Eph 5:25-27).

It is to the Father's glory that the Bride of Christ is ready for the return of the Bridegroom. He is looking for a Bride that is held in honour (radiant), free of moral faults (without stain), not old and tired (without wrinkle), blameless (holy), and free of any blemish (without moral blame or rebuke). UNTIL we demonstrate this reality, we have work to do. Let us pray that we would become a Bride that is fitting for the King.

C. THE LOST NEED TO BE SAVED

"Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' He said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news' " (Mark 1:14-15)!

We must never forget what we were commissioned to do — preach the gospel of the kingdom of God so that the lost will be saved and empowered for eternity. Every day until Jesus returns provides another opportunity for those in darkness to see the light. Let us use this time wisely as good stewards of this good news.

Every time end-of-the-world predictions resurface in the media, it is important that we ask ourselves, "Is this helpful? Is peddling these falsehoods a good way to contribute to meaningful, helpful discussions about the end times?"

Failed date-setting has discredited Christians many times before. It's irresponsible for any Christian to tell an unbeliever when Jesus is coming back or when the world will end. Dates and deadlines don't have the power to save souls—only the gospel can do that.

Our job is to preach the good news. All the storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, riots, political tension, terrorism and nuclear attacks have put fear and anxiety in people's hearts today. But the answer to all this bad news is not a doomsday prediction; the answer is Jesus, who gives us supernatural peace so we can live securely in a chaotic world.

We should tell about the miracle of Calvary and remind them: "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). Hundreds of thousands of people die every day without Jesus, whether or not He returns in their generation. This alone should motivate us to avoid foolish distractions and false prophecies so we can get busy with the task of evangelism.

One of the signs of Jesus’ return is that the gospel shall be preached to the ends of the earth.

D. WE ARE TO DO BUSINESS UNTIL HE RETURNS

"The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Luke 17:20).

" So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’" (Luke 19:13, NKJV).

Let us do what we have been called to do and let God be God. Luther in response to the question of what he would do if he knew the end of the world would come the next day -- something to the effect of "I would plant a tree." This could mean that he would (1) continue to do what God put him here to do, and (2) live with hope.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Himself said all end-times date setting is strictly off-limits.

Acts 1:6-8, NIV

⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

As await the coming of our Lord and Master, our Bridegroom may we continue to:

•      Walk in faith and not in fear

•      Live godly and holy lives to be a radiant bride fitting for a King

•      Get busy with the task of evangelism

•      Be good stewards of the gifts, talents, treasure and time that God has given to us

People who get excited about supposed signs miss the point that Jesus made. Instead of setting dates, we ought to be ready for His return at any moment. Are you ready?

If you are, then you be able respond as the apostle John did.

Revelation 22:20, NIV

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” 

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

Confidence in the Midst of a Crisis

Rev Gideon Lee

I'm going to look at Psalms 46, but it must be read with Psalms 47 and 48 to have the proper understanding. We are gong to look at Psalms 46 so you can go back and read Psalms 47 and 48.

Psalms 46

God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has made desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

It starts out by saying God is our refuge and our strength. There are three things I want to share from these scriptures.

1. He is still God our protector v1-4

2. He is still God our provider v4-7

3. He is still God the proven one v8-11

I mentioned you need to read Psalms 46, 47 and 48 to really understand. God saved the city of Jerusalem miraculously.

2 Kings 19:34-36

34 ‘For I will defend this city, to save it

For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.’ ”

Sennacherib's Defeat and Death

35 And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh.

God protected the city miraculously. The Bible scholars said that these Psalms were written in response to this incident. That night 185,000 of the Assyrians died. No one knows exactly what happened. The people placed their trust in God and the enemy suddenly died. They didn't even to have to go to war for hand on hand combat. It was a miracle and it tells how God delivered them. They also said that most probably the person who wrote this Psalm is the prophet Isaiah. Because some of the phrases he used is the same as in the book of Isaiah. God protected God's people. He protect his people. I don't know what is coming but my message to you is that God protects his people.

1. He is still God our protector

God is our refuge. Some translations say he is our hiding place. Our shelter. He is your refuge. I don't know if you have a situation where you don't know where to turn to except the Lord. There you will find shelter in the storms of life.

I was one of the first in my family to have a bike. I even knew how to ride a bike even before I got a licence. The first time I rode on my motorcycle in the rain, it was painful. I thought it would be more like a shower. In that situation when in a downpour you are desperate for a shelter. In KL you cannot stop anywhere on the highway. So you look for the next flyover to find a refuge. God is that refuge. And what a relief when you find that shelter. When you have nowhere else to go. He's the only place where you can hide.

There are days when you just want to hide under the blanket in your bed. I've had days like that. Reminds me of this story when one man said he's tired and didn't want to go to church. The mother said. You must go and encouraged him. He then said I don't want to go because I have no friends in church. The mother said then must go and make friends. Then the son said, mom, give me one good reason why I must go to church. And the mother said because you are the pastor. I'm not saying that's me ar.

If you look at that word refuge it is followed by a conjunction, the word and. The word and ties refuge and strength together. Not only is God your refuge but he is also your strength. He not only give you shelter but is also your strength. It doesn't mean he is over protective where it becomes detrimental to you. He provides you with a shelter and you receive strength from him. We are strengthened to face the storm. It's like how vaccination works, so that your child can stand that disease. It's the same. He vaccinates so that you have the antibodies to face the enemy. He loves you very much.

Psalms 91:1-4

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

He is God your protector. Your refuge and strength. Someone you can count on to take care of you. God is not protecting us to hide us but to help us. He gets us ready for the battle by giving us his strength. And I like v3, the ever present help in time of trouble. He is present, not past tense or future tense. It's when you need it now. Not tomorrow or a few years back but right there, right now. He is never late nor early. He is always on time. If your miracle have not come to you, then it's not time yet. You can count on him to be right on time. My God is a present tense God. He is an "on time" God.

Remember Daniel and the three Hebrew boys? When in the fire, there was a fourth, so he is right there, right on time. He is our ever present help in time of trouble.

V2 and 3 it says therefore. I like therefore, like in conclusion, a lawyer's term, that we will not fear. The conclusion is that because he is our refuge and help we will not fear. How many times we have let fear overpower us? The antidote is to look at the Bible and what it says. God is able to show up in your circumstances. He is able.

2. He is still God our provider

In ancient times rivers are very valuable resources. Water sustains life. Jerusalem actually don't have a river. For the city to flourish, they must have a river nearby. But there is a spring that is nearby, the spring of Gihon and it spring leads to a place call Shalom. That water can be cut of so King Hezekiah channelled the stream underground right straight into Jerusalem. That underground tunnel provided water supply to Jerusalem whenever they were under sieged. The river because so important even when they are under sieged. It's the river of living waters.

He is the provider during our crisis and we need to tapped into him. He may be our protector and provider but we need to learn how to tapped into God's resources. Has God been your provider? He had been my provider for so long but he is not my ATM or vending machine.

I remember in Bible school when I was much younger. I quit my job from Reader's Digest and I went from 10,000 a month to zero. And God was our provider. Some may say I have savings but actually no, you can ask my wife. And they wanted to collect Faith Promise, but how much can we give? But God spoke to me to give 300.00 to that mission. That was like impossible for me as a bible school student. So I said God I'm going to trust you for it. So I put 300.00 and at the end of the trimester, I still don't have the amount yet. So I asked God that he said he will provide. I was in class when I received a text on my phone from a friend I've not met for a long time.

I'm in class so I waited till the break to call him. He said wait for me and that he's coming to see me. He came and he said he felt that God spoke to him to bless me with this amount and he said he just want to do it. He passed me an envelope of money, said God bless you and he left. I counted the money and it was 300.00. I went to the chapel and gave it to missions. God is your provider and not just your protector.

3. He is still God the proven one

He is someone who has an impeccable and unblemished record. We are praying to the one who created heaven and earth by his word. That's how powerful he is. He can do anything. Someone asked me where did God come from? Someone asked who created God? He is that he is. He exists. If someone created God then he is not God. He is God the proven one. Not just to reflect on his power but to rest in it. Be still.

Psalms 46:10-11

10 Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Be still literally mean let God take over. Rest in him.

2 Chronicles 20:17

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

This verse is for someone here. Be still. Coming to the end there were three words I did not read our loud. Selah. It's a musical word. When you play music, Selah means it tells the singer to stop and reflect. And in this chapter there are three Selahs.

After verse 3 God says reflect. After God our protector. Then after verse 7, stop and reflect because God is my provider and after verse 11, God says stop and reflect because God is the proven one.

What a wonderful God we serve and it results in that he deserves our praise and worship. This morning let God be your protector and provider because he's the proven one. Then go back and read chapter 47 and 48 and it will encourage you and let it results in praise and worship for him.

Faith of a Mustard Seed

Rev Gideon Lee

This is what the Lord wants to remind us this morning about faith. Whenever we talk about mountains in our life it seems insurmountable but with God all things are possible. And God can take us on a mountain top experience and your problems feels so small and far away.

Mark 11:22-24

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Matthew 17:20

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Some months ago a man was staying in a chalet on the Swiss alps. He heard what sounded like an earthquake so he asked the man at the lodge if there was something wrong. It sounded like the mountains was crashing down. The guy said "We are on the West side of the mountain so when the sun warms the snow on the East side, it sounded like a crash. And the man said even though it sounded like the end of the world it is actually just the beginning of our day".

We often see the magnitude of our problems like that mountain. But what we don't know is that our mountains can actually be an opportunity for God to do a miracle in our life. And it can be a new day for us.

Here is the outline of my sermon.

1. What kind of faith does it take to move mountains.
2. Where do we get this kind of faith?
3. How do we activate this kind of faith.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.

Often we do not know how God will move our mountains but God is still in the business of moving mountains. God will work according to his time, not ours. And we need to have faith in that God will do what he will do. Sometimes he may not move the mountain for us but he gives us the ability to surmount and overcome our mountains.

After Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he was hungry. And it was fig tree season and Jesus expected it to bear fruit but when he found no fruit, Jesus cursed it. Peter saw that same fig tree and remembered what Jesus said. And he asked Jesus if it was the same fig tree. And Jesus said yes, and told him to have faith in God.

What kind of faith does it take to move mountains?

If you have the faith of a mustard seed. We may think it takes a giant faith to move mountains but Jesus said all it takes is a small seed. It's just a little bit of faith. A mustard seed is very small, like a speck.

You know those small flies? They are very small but a nuisance.

Small faith is effective and potent when we place it in God's hand. That faith becomes mountain moving faith. Remember how Jesus fed the 5000? The boy said this is all I have. 5 loaves and 2 fishes but for Jesus it was more than enough. To activate this faith is through obedience. Our faith must be activated through obedience.

Jesus is still in the business of multiplying. When they finished they collected 12 baskets of left overs. More than enough.

We just need a mustard seed of faith but we need to put it into God's hands and trust him. If we cannot trust everything he said why would we trust him for anything else?

There was once a very rich man. He has a habit where every time he sees a coin he will stop and pick it up. His friend saw his habit and asked why he picked coins when he is so rich. He said I do it not because I need it but because imprinted on the coin is that word "In God we trust" and so every time I pick it up it reminds me of what God can do.

 All we need is a mustard sized seed and put it in God's hand.

How do we get this kind of faith?

The Bible gives us a hint.

Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

It means all of us here have a measure of faith. All of us minimally have faith of a mustard seed. It has been given to every child of God. A measure of faith has been placed in you.

Once something has been brought to our attention and we are prepared to see it, we will see it every where we go.

Like how some people see money everywhere they go. Like for me, when I went to the recce to make decisions for the family day, Bro Rodney was telling me that there was this shop that sold kolo mee in a packet. He said he bought it back and it tasted so nice. He kept talking about that kolo mee, it got imprinted in my mind. So the whole trip I was thinking about this kolo mee. Finally when we got there he showed me the kolo mee, he said there's also this sambal ikan masin that is nice with the kolo mee.

So guess what happened when we got there? Kolo mee. Bro Rodney is the best salesman. He bought the packet for me and ask me to try. First thing I did when I got home was kolo mee. So the next time you guys go on that trip, it'll be kolo mee.

When we see God's goodness, we won't see the mountains but God's goodness. We will see the hands of God. We learn how to programme ourselves so to speak in the goodness of God, it will not be difficult. Our problem is that we tend to be negative. We programme ourselves through prayer. Then we know God is near us and with us. We already have a measure of faith.

How do we activate this kind of faith?

Jesus said when you pray and not doubt. Sometimes it feels impossible because we see our situation and we are overwhelmed.

Here's how we do it.

Mark 7:27-30

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

You will notice that this woman is not a Jew. It was not that Jesus did not want to help her but that Jesus' ministry was first to the Jews. But this woman in her faith said even dogs gets the crumbs from the children's table. Her faith was enough and Jesus said her daughter was healed. The Bible did not name this woman.

Matthew 8:1-3

8:2-4pp — Mk 1:40-44; Lk 5:12-14

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Leprosy was considered a curse from God and is unclean so you cannot join any function in public. The Leprosy left the man and he was healed. The Bible did not name this man.

Mark 2:1-5

2:3-12pp — Mt 9:2-8; Lk 5:18-26

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Also this man was not named. God is not a respecter of persons. All the three men faced mountains they could not possibly overcome but what made the impossible possible was that they put their faith into action.

How many of us would push through and get to Jesus? Like these people.

This morning, no big secret. How do you receive? Just do it! Nike copied from the Bible. Put our faith into action.

I close with this story.

One day there was a wise old man living in a cave.

There was three boys who wanted to trick this wise man. The first boy hid a stone in his hand and he went up and asked this man what's in my hand? The wise man said a stone and he was surprised how he knew. And the wise man just said I know. All three tried and each time the wise man was correct. So for last try, the boy put a bird in his hand and ask the wise man what's in my hand? The wise man said it's a baby bird. And the boy asked if the bird was alive or dead? And the wise man said if I said it's alive you would crush it and if I said it's dead you'll show me it's alive. The wise man answered, the fate of this bird is in your hands.

What we do with our faith is in our hands. God has given each one of us a measure of faith. We have to put our trust in him and put our faith into action. God is still the God of the impossible. Let's just do it. Amen?