On the Brink of a Miracle

Pastor Melinda Song

The very first Christmas occurred during a very dark time in the life of Israel. God has been silent for 400 years since God had spoken to His people through the prophet Malachi. God is still at work although the people still felt like God had abandoned them. But now, God is going to announce the source of a new hope in quite an unexpected way – by sending his angel to an old priest who had experienced his own sorrow in life because he and his wife were childless.

I have entitled today’s message “On the Brink of a Miracle” and the text is taken from…

Luke 1:5-25, NIV

1 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

19 The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

Of the four Gospel writers, Luke gives us the most detailed account of Jesus’ birth, childhood and development. He begins his Christmas story by introducing us to two people, the parents of John the Baptist, who are “On the Brink of a Miracle”. 

1.     A godly couple (v. 5-6)

1 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

Zechariah was one of about 20,000 priests serving the temple who were divided by King David into 24 divisions (1 Chron. 23-24) due to their large number. Each division would serve in the temple one week at a time, twice a year. Thus a priest could only serve once in his lifetime.

Unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites, Zechariah and Elizabeth were a godly couple who pleased God with lives of outward compliance with inward obedience.

2.     BUT (v. 7)

7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Having children was seen as a blessing from God in the Jewish culture – an indication of divine favour. So being childless was a great disappointment to them and a disgrace for Elizabeth (v. 21)

There was little hope of things changing as they were old. The possibility of a touch from God was remote. Do you ever feel that it’s just time to give up? Yet childlessness was a theme repeated throughout the Old Testament, as with Sarah, Rebekah, Manoah’s wife, and Hannah. God can turn around the situation.

TRUST GOD WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND

Some of you, despite being faithful, are disappointed because of unanswered prayers. You don’t understand why things are happening against you and that is where you need faith to trust God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

You may be facing a dead-end situation right now—financial, emotional, or relational, but if you will trust God He will make a way for you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. This is what a walk of faith is about: you trust God even when you do not seem to understand.

A WORD OF CAUTION! Barrenness was considered a sign of God¡¦s disfavour and punishment so this couple lived with shame because there are some who probably suspected them of serious secret sin. Often we look at people and their difficult situation and blame or condemn them. We look at a couple who haven’t had children and wonder what is wrong? We look at families whose children are turning away from God and people condemn them for not being good parents. We look at couples who have separated or divorced and wonder what they’ve done wrong.

It is all too easy to lay blame on people and condemn them, but here is a couple who were God fearing, who were right with God, yet they didn’t have all the “blessings” we think they should have. The lesson? Even righteous people live with disappointments and hurt and instead of making that greater, we need to empathize with them and support them in their pain.

Zacharias could also have gotten rid of Elizabeth and married a younger woman to have children but he didn’t. Instead he honoured the covenant of marriage and committed the situation to God, the one person who could do something about it.

3.    A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (vv. 8-10)

8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Each morning lots were cast to decide on the priest who would enter the holy place, bearing burning coals from the bronze altar in the temple court, to burn incense which symbolised the prayers of God’s people rising toward heaven. That day the lot fell to Zechariah

HAVE THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE

In spite of uncertainties, in spite shame in the society; Zechariah not only believed God but he faithfully went to the temple to perform his duties as a priest.

It is important to have the right perspective/attitude when waiting for your promise. The problem with many of us is that when things don’t work out as we plan, we get discouraged, lose our joy and our spiritual life goes downhill. Such people are no more seen at church.

Zechariah DID NOT GIVE UP. We have to keep doing good despite the bad happening in your life.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”

God is looking for people like this today. You may be facing a hopeless situation, an unanswered prayer but can you praise God in spite of the problem?

God has a set time for your breakthrough, but if you want that victory in God’s time, you need to have the right perspective.

Remember the 12 spies? Just because the majority had the wrong perspective, out of the 2 million people who were camped next door to the Promised Land, only 2 made it to the Promised Land just because of the right perspective. Many times it is our perspective that stops our breakthrough.

You show up (that is faith) and God (your faithful God) will show up!

That day was Zechariah’s day! God was ready to make His move. Had Zechariah given up he would have lost his appointment with God.

4.     An Angel shows up! (vv. 11-13)

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.

WAIT FOR GOD

Maybe you are waiting for a breakthrough. God is telling you, “Fear not, your prayers have been answered. Today is the day of your deliverance.” Zechariah trusted God in the impossible, kept the right perspective, continued with his devotions and worship, and God decided to step in.

Some of you are discouraged because your prayers are not answered but what if God showed you His side of the story?

Maybe you are praying for your marriage and God is telling that on January 12, 2018, at 3.00 pm you are going to meet the person of your dreams. You will not be discouraged. You will be all excited and relaxed. Why? You know the big day is coming.

God promises that there are set times in our future, but he does not tell us when they will be. There is a set time for the problem to turn around, a set time for your healing, for your promotion, for your breakthrough.

It maybe tomorrow, next week, or a year from now, but when you understand the time has already been set it takes all the pressure off. Do you trust God when you do not understand. Will you continue to do worship God like Zechariah? That is when God works, so don’t give up. You are on the brink of a miracle!

5.     The Angel’s Prophecy (vv. 14-17)

14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Elijah, like John the Baptist, was known for his bold, uncompromising stand for the Word of God—even in the face of a ruthless monarch. The final two verses of the Old Testament (Mal. 4:5-6) had promised the return of Elijah before the Day of the Lord.

GOD HAS A GREATER PURPOSE FOR THE DELAY

John’s birth is not merely a nice story of an old couple having a baby. It is about the fulfillment of prophecy; it is about the special role the child is going to play in the unfolding of God’s eternal plan of redemption for his people and the whole world. God had a greater purpose for Zechariah’s delay.

It would be good for us in the Christmas season to grasp the big picture that our lives fit in to. When we raise the issue of why certain things happen to us – whether good or bad – we fall back on Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We then look for the good thing in the situation.

6.     Zechariah’s lack of faith (v. 18)

18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

Zechariah was questioning God’s ability to fulfill His own Word! He totally dismissed the idea that God can enable an old couple to have a baby even though there is certainly precedent for that in the account of what God did for Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18:9-15).

Unbelief is the reason that some prayers are not answered. But let this encourage us also: Even blameless people slip up. God is a God of patience and continues to work with us and often despite us.

7.     The result of unbelief (vv. 19-22)

19 "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

Zechariah doubted God and a sign of silence was given. When Zechariah came out dumb the people outside realised that something extraordinary had happened to him.

8.    Elizabeth became pregnant (v. 23-25)

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

God is faithful. His promises never fail! The Lord is your glory and the lifter of your head and He shall take away your disgrace.

Conclusion

Advent begins with Zechariah – God remembers.

It begins with Elizabeth – God is my oath, and

it begins with the birth of John – God has been gracious.

They remind us that from the beginning God has been the author of a story that results in bringing hope into the midst of a dark world to those who will call upon the name of our coming Savior – Jesus.

When it might seem like God has forgotten His people, God remembers.

It reminds us that God is faithful to carry out His oath that He made with Adam and Abraham and every generation of His people throughout history to send a Savior, the Messiah, who would bring hope to all.

And it reminds us that God delights in extending His grace to us.

Whatever your disappointment is at the moment, God has a set time for your situation and when He answers, He not only takes care of your need but it will be for a greater purpose.

Are you in the same situation as Zechariah and Elizabeth - literally they had given up the hope? Don’t give up! Nothing is impossible for God.

He can reach down and touch you at the most unexpected time in your life. God’s touch always comes in God’s perfect time. Don’t give up! Today you are standing on the brink of a miracle. Come and we shall stand in prayer with you.

Sufficient for Ministry

Bro Kenny Song

Over the last 8 months, me and my wife in particular have been undertaking some new journeys. We are really experiencing some stretching and it's all thanks to our Pastor Ronald and Jasmine.

When Pastor Ronald first moot the idea of raising pastors from within TOP, two names just seemed to naturally pop into my mind. Without consulting them, I told Ps Ronald ya, I've got two names. It is very easy to volunteer names you know? I guess you all can guess which two names that was. Pastor Ron was saying that instead of looking for a pastor, we should consider looking for someone in-house.

Personally, I'm a believer of that because I run a business. And when we run a business, rather than bringing in talents, we prefer to nurture talents from within and give them the opportunity to rise up. The reason is because they understand the culture of my company, they already know the people within the company and you have less risks. It made sense to me but strangely I never saw it from the perspective of the church. I saw it in my business but I never considered that there are sons and daughters in this church that can rise up to that role. So I volunteered the two of them and a lot has happened over the last 8 months. When I look back I am really in awe how God led the people involved up till this stage.

I spoke to Bro Koay if this is something he would consider, and he told me he was already being headhunted by the Methodist because they are building a new campus and is looking for Christian lecturers. Because he is going to retire this year. And Bro Koay shared with me that if he had a choice he would of course want to serve at TOP because this is the only church he knew and belongs to. That gave me the confidence that we are on track.

Then my wife. Of course I don't think there's anyone who knows my wife better than me. I've always felt that a day would come when she would serve God in a greater measure, but never in my mid I would have envisioned or seen her as a pastor. It came to a point where both of them had to make a decision. But it was not an easy one. Because it's life-changing. When both of them met Ps Ron, you all heard the story, our bro Koay at that time went through yes, no, no, yes, no and yes! And in the end he said yes!

When my wife also said yes, Pastor Ron called me to ask whether I will release my wife. The first question I ask her was "do you sense the call?" She said yes, and who am I to refuse, I'm going to have to deal with God and believe me, he's the BIG BOSS and you don't mess with the BIG BOSS. So I gave my blessing even though at the back of my mind, she's still very much needed in my business as a key person. I just believe that as we take care of God's business, God will take care of our business.

But once you say yes, the feeling of inadequacy or insufficiency can sometimes dawn on you. Naturally, because it is a life-changing decision, answering the call not to man, or the church but to God.

Which brings me to today's message. I titled it "Sufficient for Ministry". We all often feel inadequate when we look at the tasks before us. I know I sometimes feel like that. But as we look into the word of God, it brings great comfort to know that God is NEVER limited by our insufficiency.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Noticed Paul talks about his personal insufficiency, and yet he balanced it with the fact that his sufficiency is from God. And everyone here in leadership position may find the task at hand overwhelming and you may feel inadequate, just like how Paul did in this passage.

PAUL’S PERSONAL INSUFFICIENCY (v. 5a)

Paul was a confident man. Saul of Tarsus referred to himself as being "of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee. He was a learned man and a persecutor of the church.

Confidence, however, is one thing; claims of self-sufficiency are quite another. So Paul was quick to renounce any measure of self-sufficiency, saying, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us” (v. 5a). Paul was sincere.

By emphasising his insufficiency, Paul consciously relate to Moses’ insistence of his inadequacy when God called him to lead Israel. Remember Moses?

But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my LORD, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the LORD said to him,

“Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”  (Exodus 4:10-12)

Subsequently, Moses proved that in spite of his natural insufficiency, God made him sufficient. This pattern (human insufficiency — divine sufficiency) became the pattern for the calls of the great prophets of Israel.

Gideon’s insufficiency (“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house,” Judges 6:15), was met with the Lord’s sufficiency (“And the LORD said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man,’” v. 16).

Isaiah’s insufficiency (“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!,” Isaiah 6:5), was countered by one of the Lord’s seraphim bearing a burning coal with which he touched Isaiah’s mouth (cf. vv. 6, 7).

Jeremiah’s insufficiency (“Ah, LORD GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth,” Jeremiah 1:6) was allayed by the Lord (“But the LORD said to me, 'Do not say "I am only a youth"; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak (v. 7)

God can achieve his purpose either through the absence of human power and resources, or the abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on him made possible the unique display of his power and grace. He chose and used somebodies only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources. - Oswald Chambers

Grandfather story time. I was playing with Caden one time and he wanted to keep one of his toys on a shelf that was beyond him. He stretched all he can but cannot reach. He tiptoe also cannot reach. And he's not allowed to climb on chairs so he got really frustrated.

So grandpa came to the rescue. I told him to take his toy, then I carried him up and told him to put back the toy himself.

Did I do it for him? No. Did he put back the toy himself? Yes. Could he have done it on his own? No.

Moral of the story? I love my grandson and will of course help him when he can't do it on his own. All he has to do is ask.

So Christ will carry you and all your burdens, if you will let Him.”

There is nothing wrong in having and honing our gifts or abilities. It is just that we should not put our dependence on it instead of reliance in God. Our help comes from the Lord.

PAUL’S GOD-GIVEN SUFFICIENCY (vv. 5b, 6)

Only a man like the Apostle Paul, is humbly aware of his complete weakness can know and prove the total sufficiency of God’s grace. Thus Paul is able to balance his negative declaration, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves,” with the positive counterpoint, “but our sufficiency is from God” (v. 5). And Paul goes on to explain that his sufficiency comes from two things:

1) the sufficiency of the new covenant

2) the sufficiency of the Spirit.

New-covenant sufficiency.

First, the new covenant of Christ was and is a ministry of transformation, whereas the old covenant of Moses did not bring about transformation.

The old covenant began auspiciously, as in Exodus, with the giving of the Ten Commandments (cf. Exodus 19, 20), the reading of the Book of the Covenant (cf. Exodus 20:18 — 23:33), and the people’s unanimous response, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do” (24:3). Following the people’s promise, everything of significance was doused with the blood of the inaugural sacrifices — half the blood on the altar and the other half on the people and the Book of the Covenant (cf. 24:6, 8). The reason for this blood-drenching was to emphasize the seriousness of sin and to teach that the payment for sin is death.

But the weakness of the old covenant became immediately apparent. The people who promised “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do,” and again, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” couldn’t do it for one day (24:3, 7)! This is because though the old covenant law was good, it was an external ordinance, and the blood of animal sacrifice could not take away sin.

After generations of repeated failure, God promised a new covenant to Jeremiah, recorded in 31:31-34, which prophesied the contours of transformation:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbour and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

The promise of internal renewal (the Law within, an intimacy with God, a personal relationship with God, and true forgiveness) all prophesied radical transformation.

Then, when Christ came to the final hours of his life and held up the cup at Passover saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20), it was as if he laid his hand on that passage in Jeremiah and said, “This day this Scripture is fulfilled before your eyes.” Jesus Christ effects the radical transformation of the new covenant by his shed blood. Millions of such transformations have been worked in the lives of men and women for the last 2,000 years, and we ourselves share the same transformation in Christ.

Paul’s point, in respect to himself, is that at the moment of his conversion and calling he had been made a minister of the new covenant. At Paul’s conversion Christ had said:

“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles — to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:15-18)

The Paul was thrilled over this. As he later wrote to Timothy, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1 Timothy 1:12, 13).

Can we imagine Paul's feeling? It was a privileged to be called of God, to serve him.

Sometimes, we feel that we are doing God a favour by serving. Especially when we are gifted in certain natural talents that make it so easy to excel in those areas. We need to be careful. We serve because we love him and we are willing vessels for him to fulfil his kingdom purposes. Nothing else. It's so easy to get carried away when we are praised for doing a good job. Don't get me wrong, encouragement is biblical, taking God's glory is not. We are called to encourage one another, but we need to acknowledge that without God, all we do is just performance.

And herein lay Paul’s adequacy. It was totally of God — “but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant” (3:6). Like Moses and the Old Testament prophets after him, Paul also was made “sufficient in spite of insufficiency by the grace of God”. This universal principle has been the experience of God’s faithful servants.

“God chose me because I was weak enough. God does not do his work by large committees. He trains somebody to be quiet enough, and little enough, and then uses him.” - Hudson Taylor

Paul lived out his ministry with the unlimited sufficiency of the new covenant. The transforming power of the gospel attended all his ministry — transformation in many places including Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, and even Rome — always with an inward change of the believer.

Holy Spirit sufficiency.

The corresponding promise to Jeremiah’s prophecy of the new covenant was Ezekiel’s promise of the Spirit:

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26, 27)

We referenced this scripture in Lesson 3 at Care Group Friday night.

And Paul references this promise as we see in verse 6 in its entirety: “who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The problem with the old covenant was that the written Law (here called “the letter”) provided no power to obey it because it was not accompanied by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.

Last night, at Care Group, we discussed on what is one of the most important function of the Holy Spirit, and as usual, our teacher-pastor Koay said it was "Empowerment".

The Law wasn’t bad. In fact, it was the holy, just, and good expression of God’s will, and innately spiritual (cf. Romans 7:12, 14). And the Law itself did not kill. Rather it was the Law without the Spirit (the Law as “letter”) that killed.

Under the new covenant through Christ, that condition changed for the better by means of the Holy Spirit who writes “not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (v. 3b) and therefore enables the obedience of which Ezekiel prophesied: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:27).

Paul had an tremendous advantage over Moses. Moses was charged to minister the Law to a stiff-necked people who would not obey it, but Paul was called to minister in the transforming power of the Spirit to a people who would be empowered to keep the Law under the new covenant.

I'm sure all Pastors will prefer to be in Paul's shoes rather than Moses. And the good news is that they are!

What a glory it is to proclaim the gospel of the new covenant in Christ’s blood — to proclaim radical transformation (“If any man in Christ, new creation!,” 2 Corinthians 5:17, literal translation) — to proclaim the Spirit’s empowerment to keep God’s statutes — to preach complete forgiveness.

When I was first saved, I had the privilege of going to Billy Graham's crusade in Singapore. So many responded at the altar call with the song "Just as I am…" was sung. He preached a powerful salvation message. Never could I have imagined that someone like Billy Graham could have felt inadequate delivering a sermon.

In August 1955 someone wrote a letter to The Times deploring Billy Graham’s recent invitation to preach at Cambridge University. Billy Graham’s approach, he argued, would be “unthinkable before a university audience . . . it would be laughed out of court.”

Mr Billy, age thirty-six, was experienced, but the thought of speaking at Cambridge weighed heavily upon him. His biographer William Martin notes:

Graham, ever insecure about his lack of advanced theological education, dreaded the meetings and feared that a poor showing might do serious harm to his ministry and affect ‘which way the tide will turn in Britain.’ Had he been able to do so without a complete loss of face, he would have cancelled the meetings or persuaded some better-qualified man to replace him.

40 years later in his biography, he wrote:

I have been deeply concerned and in much thought about our Cambridge mission this autumn.... I do not know that I have ever felt more inadequate and totally unprepared for a mission. As I think over the possibility for messages, I realize how shallow and weak my presentations are. In fact, I was so overwhelmed with my unpreparedness that I almost decided to cancel my appearance, but because plans have gone so far perhaps it is best to go through with it.... However, it is my prayer that I shall come in the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit.

The great evangelist chronicled his weakness and his need of the Spirit’s power. Billy’s arrival in Cambridge was unsettling. The opening night was Sunday, November 6, the day after Guy Fawkes Day, a day of fireworks, bonfires, and general revelry. Billy met with C. S. Lewis, newly arrived in Cambridge, and the conversation went well, though Lewis’s parting remark was unsettling: “You know you have many critics, but I have never met one of your critics who knows you personally.”

Billy Graham preached for three nights, but the results were modest. His sermons were, by his own estimation, too academic. He knew that he was not getting through to the students’ hearts. He felt he was preaching to please his audience rather than the Holy Spirit. So Billy Graham sought the Lord.

On his third sermon, Billy Graham set aside his university-focused sermons and preached to ordinary human souls. Billy Graham’s weakness plus the all-sufficient, transforming gospel of the new covenant plus his dependence upon the Holy Spirit crafted a mighty ministry in Cambridge. Afterward John Stott wrote his praying congregation, “Only eternity will finally reveal, how much was accomplished during that week.” Another great evangelist came to Christ that week, David Watson.

Those whom God uses have always been aware of their insufficiency and weakness, be it Moses or Gideon or Isaiah or Jeremiah or Paul or Peter or John. And it was their insufficiency that invited the sufficiency of God.

God is not looking for gifted people or people who are self-sufficient. He is looking for inadequate people who will give their weakness to him and open themselves to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the transforming grace of the new covenant.

If God is calling you, do not hide behind your weakness. I don’t know what he may be calling you to do — it may be missions, it may be teaching a Sunday school class, it may be ministering to children, it may be to serve wit the worship team, it may be stepping up at work or doing something you sense a call to do. But if he’s calling you, don’t say you cannot — your weakness is the ground for his calling. Follow God, and he will use your weakness as an occasion for his power.

And if you are feeling terrifying stirrings within your soul as he nudges you outside your comfort zone, where you will be out of your depth (but you know that he is calling you), give your weakness to him and accept his sufficiency.

This is the way it was for Moses and for all the prophets and for the apostles and for all who follow in their stead — everyone who serves the Lord. God uses people who are weak because of their unique ability to depend upon him. Remember, there are no failures in the work of God. It's impact can only be measured in eternity.

I just want to say this for our two pastors. They are gifted and they are very different. My wife is a natural leader in the sense that she can plan things and execute them and she's got good administrative skills. Our Pastor Koay is a teacher. He opens his mouth he must teach already. But those are their natural gifting. And I believe God has given those gifts. But one day, they are going to realise it is not about our abilities. It is not about the gifts that we have. It is about God working through us and there will come a point of time when they are going to feel insufficient and that on their own, they cannot do it.

But the comfort is this, they are in the same company as Paul. Take comfort in the fact that as we serve, it is mandatory that we rely upon God to take us through. Amen!

The Temporary Necessity

Pastor Peter Seow

Good morning, my name is Peter Seow and I bring you greetings from Canning Methodist Church. I grew up in church, Sunday School, Youth Group, I grew up in Church services and is one of the musician in our band. Thank you musicians for a great job today. We worship God together not just with our voices but also with our instruments.

I came to answer the call for full time ministry and I started with children's ministry, and my wife served the youth. Very good ministry. I pass the children to her youth for her to bring them up. We did that for many years but before that I was a music teacher at Yamaha Music School. But I gave that up and became a full time minister.

At that time I though God, I've gone full time already, I've sacrificed earning lots of money. I have a lot of joy serving in church and I thought that was it. That I will grow old in church and enjoy my retirement in serving God.

But that was not so. When teaching Sunday School one time on Missions Month and I challenged the kids if you hear God's call, don't reject it although you're young, God can still use you. Right after that I heard God speak to my heart, what about you Peter? If I call you will you go? I said no la God, I serve you full time already, my work is here.

Next year, same thing again, Mission's Month, I began to preach and also challenged the children to response to God's call. Then God spoke to me also. At the end I said, if I can preach it, I must live it. And so I said I will do that and I will answer the call.

And I searched for Mission organisations to join. So I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators because I feel that if I should do missions, the Word of God is important and the Word of God is eternal, it would not be destroyed. And at Wycliffe they translate the word of God into the language that the people are speaking.

I have some slides to show my family. When we answered the call to go missions our kids were quite small. Like 2 years old and the eldest was 9. Now they are all quite grown. David is the eldest, he's 22, Daryl is 19 and Hannah is 15. The first 2 have already gone to university and we have Hannah with us at Papua.

History of the Gospel in Papua 

In 1855, two German missionaries - Otto and Geisler, landed on Mansinam Island, Papua.

They knelt, prayed and claimed Papua for God The Gospel spread - first to coastal areas and then to the highlands.

Local believers became evangelists bringing the Good News to the highlands interior.

The Gospel in Danama

We work with a people group called the Walak. They are from the central highlands and about 5,000 strong, not more than 10,000. When the missionaries went to the highlands, the village chief Tenggino who is now about 60 years old, rejected it because he was not sure what kind of news it was. When the local evangelists came he killed some of them.

It was only after years later he heard the gospel and then received it and not only him but the whole village. They burnt all their charms and they turned to the saving love of Jesus Christ.

But because God is not in their own language it's like a foreign religion. So it's preached in Bahasa Indonesia but that's it their language. Their language is Walak. But there's no Scripture or writing system in Walak. That language has sounds that we don't have. It was strange to my ears when I first heard it. And we had to analyse the language and work out a language system for them.

Here I'm with Tenggino and Minagi. Tenggino the village chief was a warrior. He used to fight and kill and conquer other villages and protect his own village. But since the gospel came he has become a very gentle spirited person. But he is very strong. He wants the Bible in his own language. We are keen to bring the word of God to them if not by reading, by hearing. 

Types of Translation Programs 

1. Traditional translation 

You live in the village spend 20 years, learn the language, their writing system and after 20 or 25 years the nNew Testament is published. Not even the Old Testament. That's how long it takes.

2. Mother Tongue Translation

Work with a local speaker where together he does the translation because he understands the language. All you have to do is give him the education and he works on his own and you're the consultant helping him to translate. That's faster, maybe 15 or 10 years.

3. Oral Translation 

This is what we're doing now. We want them to get the word of God as soon as they can. We translate through speech. We record it, put it in the computer and analyse it, checked and work on it and bring it to the village. So they get to hear the word of God.

One Story  

1. A basic set of 25 stories are first drafted in Indonesian so that it can be translated into the local languages that need it.

2. We have 6 languages that come together 4 times a year for a month at a time. 

3. A consultantnt is at hand to check their work.

4. Computers are used to record and input data. Wireless network provide a repository so that all data is saved on local server. 

5. Checks are done and feedback given by consultant. Materials are the corrected and revised.

Revelation 7:9-12 (NKJV)

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,

Be to our God forever and ever.

Amen.”

It's amazing verse that shows what it's like at the end of the age. After being there for 12-13 years, I'd like to make a proposition to the church. Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. It's not the main priority. The mission call is to meet a target or goal. Missions is only the vehicle to that goal. What is the ultimate goal? What has God called you to do ultimately. Worshippers.

God wants us to be worshippers.

John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad!

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”

“Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God….

Like all great works of art like movies or novel, it's the last scene where the lasting impressions happen. It's meant to leave a lasting impression or impact on the people. That's like what we read in the final pages of Revelations 9.

The scene or finale ends with worship. People of all nations and different tribes and tongues all together worshipping God. That's what we will be doing when we get to heaven. This is what happens when Jesus returns. A new heaven and new earth is established. People worshipping God our creator. So why is missions important?

… But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish.”

Worship also the fuel to missions.

I led worship in church as a youth for many years. And I can say that it was worship that fuelled me to missions. How can I sing and not be prepared to do what we sang. So we challenged ourselves, Angie and I and we said if we can sing that, we can do that. Worship is the fuel for missions.

How can we preach God if we don't cherish God? I cannot sell an iPhone if I'm using an Android.I sell iPhone but I like Android. Cannot work right? It does not make sense.

Why is missions important?

There are still many tribes and people yet to be represented before the throne of God, that have not been reached. If they can't get the good news, they cannot believe in him and if they cannot believe in him, they cannot call on him and if they cannot call on him, they cannot be saved and if they cannot be saved how can they worship God?

“The story of missions the whole world over shows that the success or failure of missions has always been dependent on whether those brought to Christ had the Scriptures in their own language or not.”  G. Campbell Morgan

If you do missions in China, you will preach in Mandarin. But if you go to a small village that speaks Han you'll need to preach in Han. This kind of thinking. If they cannot read the Scripture on their language how can they hear?

As of September 2016:

• 6,909 living languages (Ethnologue)
• 636 languages with full Bible translated
• 1,442 languages with New Testament translated
• 1,145 Bible portions or stories translated

=> At least some portion of the Bible has been translated into 3,223 languages.

<    50% of the world’s languages.

There's still a lot of work to be done and that's what we are doing at Wycliffe. And many other organisations are doing the he same also.

What is the goal of missions?

The gladness of people in the greatness of God.

The Psalmist proclaims let all the people praise Thee O God. Let the nations be glad and sings for joy. This is a very well used verse. This God that pursued us with his love, loved us so much that he sent his only son who talked to us and crucified on the cross and in doing so he redeemed all of humanity that they may be reconciled back to their creator. This is a very basic message of what we believe in as Christians. It's good to be reminded that there are many others who do not know this fact.

I've been a Christian now for 40 years. Every time and I pause and think and reflect on what God has done for me I'm deeply touched. I remember I was not who I was 40 years ago. I was a sinner. Rotten and dirty. I know I am. I know the thoughts in my heart and mind and I do struggle just like you too. When we got older we forget that we came from that state. We haven't arrived yet, we're still being sanctified and renewed daily. On our own we are helpless.

But God knows that, and it took him to came down to lift us up. We cannot climb up. He stooped down to save us. It was this God that created the heaven and the earth coming down to save us. Isn't that amazing. It's so amazing. That's why we sing that song Amazon Love and the sacrifice that he's given for us. Not everyone knows this fact.

More than half the world's population still need to know about Christ. These people have no one to tell them there is a way out. Will you respond and speak life to this people and bring the good news to them.

How should missions be carried out?

It should come from a point of passion. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching.

I want to end with a story in Papua. Although man does the work of mission, ultimately it is God who does the work.

Mission is supremely the work of God.

This is the story of Stan Dale and Phil Masters.

These two has been serving in Papua for many years back in the 1950s. They have reached the Dani people and they wanted to go to the Yali prople. They are very fierce warriors and they are scary too because they also eat human flesh. They believe if they eat their enemies, they'll gain their power. Their believes turns them to their animalistic side of their spiritual being.

These two families wanted to make contact with the Yali people. The Yali people out of fear conspired to kill these two. They shot him with an arrow and technically should have died but didn't. So they were also very frightened of them because they didn't die and they have white coloured skin.

So as they went back after meeting the people they were ambushed. Stan Dale stayed back to talk to the Yali people and he put his hands up and said don't shoot. But one of the Yali shot him from behind and it hit his armpit and he pulled the arrow out and broke it and threw it away. Then more shot arrows at him but Stan just pulled the arrow out and broke it. They got more panic as he was not dying. They became desperate. At the end of it they counted as many as 50-60 arrows were shot at him Stan knew he won't survive this. At last he dropped and died.

Next was Phil. As the tribe surrounded him he didn't run and just stood there with arms open. They shot him. They were surprised because usually the enemies run. It got them curious. The news got all around the world and more than ever people were praying for the Yali people than ever before.

The missions authorities went in and arrested those people who they heard were the killers. Killed 5 of them and put one in prison. With all these violence, that Valley was closed and that no gospel was going to go through.

God's plan was different from man's plan.

A few months later, a family called the Newmans had a missionary pilot took them to go to Mulia. This was a new Canadian pilot who was a professional and a good pilot. He was new to the place. At that time it was hard to read the Papua terrain. It was bad weather and instead of landing on Mulia it crashed in the same Valley. All died except for one boy Paul. Nine year old Paul Newman knew he was the only one alive. He lost his glasses and couldn't see and wandered in the valley for a few hours.

Then he came across a Yali man called Kusaho. He was one of the few that was against the killing of the missionaries. Kusaho saw this white boy and he said he must protect this white boy. He took him in and protected him for a few days. Here's an amazing story because here is a primitive Yali taking in a white boy.

The rescue mission in helicopter came and they saw that the plane crashed and probably no survivors. Two weeks earlier two expats were killed here so they are keen to quickly leave.  But then as they were preparing to leave, they saw this white boy running towards them, Paul Newman. And they were so surprised and shock that there was a survivor. Then they heard the story of Kusaho and how he protected the boy. A bridge was build from there.

The missionaries convinced the Indonesian government to release that one Yali man because he knew NP matter. Two years later, the Yali people invited the missionaries to visit them. God opened the door that was shut tight. It was God who guided all these things. He managed all these situations. We are just blessed to be called to this mission.

Although Stan is dead his son is there doing pastoral work and translating the Bible. Because God is doing the work there is no failure. We cannot not go just because we fear failure. We just need to be obedient and just work alongside God. He determines the end.

We can enter alongside our Master in this work in different ways:

• We can go to the mission field
• We can give to the missionaries and the mission organisations
• We can pray for the missionaries and for their work

ALL of us can do something.

All of us can do something. Because want to see the nations worship God.