Walk with Faith

Pastor Peter Soratana

In Psalms 119:105, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light on my path.

Nowadays we may not use torchlight. In Thailand we use street lamps and car light as we travel. There are lights all over the city and it's bright. Sometimes we rely so much on the lamp post that we did not realise our headlights are not working. Only in darkness do we realise the headlights are not working. Without the headlights we cannot move on.

The word of God is like that light. Many times we can still go on with our lives because we rely on the street lamps in the cities. When we are in the dark, then we realise we need the light from the word.

There was one time I needed to travel from Bangkok to a place that's dark in the mountains. It's the first time we went there. We started to question the villagers how to get there. They gave directions but the best is to stay overnight. But I needed to leave because I needed to preach the next day.

The way became darker and darker and we relied on the headlights. The road has lots of bends so we had to move slowly. Near midnight it was full of fog and we could not see. The headlights shined on the fog so we cannot see the way. So we used fog lights. The moment we on the fog light, the light became so bright we could see the way.

Apart from the word of God that we rely on, we also need a special word from God so that we can break through the fog. We cannot just rely on our knowledge but based on the word of God through the relationship we have with God. It's the word of God through our experience. Something we can pull from our heart and apply it.

We sometimes just open the Bible when in trouble to look for the word of God. And we can't find it. At the end of the sermon I will call on a person to share his testimony. I want to tell you problems exist not just to war against the Christians but also everyone. Health, relationship, finance, problems in school which attacks us. Problems come with sin. Because everyone sin and fall short of the glory of God. Those who fall in sin are slaves to the sin. And there's no way to escape the sin that strangles you.

A lot of people try to be a good person to escape from sin. Or try all kinds of things. Like accumulate a lot of money to break free from sin. Some people try by going to certain places or worship idols. Or be involved in charity to break free from sin. Everything that belongs to the slave belongs to the master. All the goodness the slave does belongs to the master. So all the good things the slave does cannot break free from the master. But there is a higher power and we need this higher power to buy you out.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

All of you have been bought from sin and all of you have been bought from the master. God uses his status as King of kings to buy you out. But nobody seems to realise that and still act like a slave. Some change from Buddhism to Christianity but still live as a slave. God has bought you with the high price in Jesus Christ. God bought you expecting nothing in return. So how should you respond? Just believe in what God has done for you. God has bought and paid for you so you are no longer a slave.

Sickness belongs to a slave. Fighting with one another belongs to a slave. We don't have to fight each other. God has enough gifts for everyone so no need to be jealous of anyone.

We often have enemies surrounding us. Like receiving a letter of termination. There are different sorts of problems but it's how we response to these problems. We may respond with worries. And do not know how to handle the problem. Or you go to a doctor and is told you have a problem and we believe what the doctors say. And believe what is happening to us. Or you read a letter and and is told your son's application to a school is rejected. We respond with shock. This is the response in the example of 1King 6. Or blame the servant of God. And refuse to accept our mistakes but blame others.

In 2 Chronicles King Jehoshaphat faced the same problem when surrounded by enemies. But King Jehoshaphat seek help from God. A different kind of response from two different kings.

I'd like to invite my wife Pinky. We have been together 9 years. God is alive and he's been dealing with our problems all these years. When Pinky was pregnant three months, the doctors told us all is well and it's a boy. 95%. So we decided to name our life child as Peniel, the face of God. Someone that God will use in future. At the 4th month we consulted the doctor again and we found something's wrong. The kidney of the baby is not working. The left side is bigger and the right side is smaller than normal. Both kidneys are not working. The doctor told us to abort and that he will pay for all the bills.

He wanted to send us to KL and to provide us accommodation apart from paying for the bill. Everything seemed like a blessing because all will be paid and we were told we can try again. But we trust in God. He promised that he will bless us and it will not come with sorrow. And the child is a blessing. God will take care of it and we believed. The doctor say he won't take care of us anymore and told us to consult another doctor. We believed that when we come for an ultrasound all will be normal. But the second doctor told us the same diagnosis as the first doctor.

Many people may respond and say this had to be true because both doctors said the same things. But not us. We consulted a third doctor at Island Hospital and God blessed us with someone who sponsored us. We hoped for a change but it was the same. Both kidneys not working. And the doctor said he will do the abortion. It seems right because we can do it here instead of KL. But no, we trusted in God. If we trust in God we will continue to walk with him. It's like driving the car without a headlight. We believe God will help us to turn the situation into good.

So we decided to consult the 4th doctor and we found a Christian doctor. We had to go to Butterworth and after the ultrasound, the same thing, both kidneys not working. But the doctor didn't say abort. He said we can trust God and not worry but to praise him.

We consulted the same doctor the 5th time which was the same result. We came to church and some people felt sympathy and some were negative like that we were not good servants of God. Must be the punishment of God. So some wanted us to return back to Thailand and they will take over the ministry. We still love them and forgive them. But what they told us was contradictory but we tell people about our child and all is good.

We felt pressurised by church members to move back to Thailand. But we had to be strong and appear cheerful as it will affect the health of the baby. But we didn't receive the love and support from the surrounding but we have God. Every morning we praise God and we put our hands on the child and prayed that through his stripes Peniel will have life and will be born strong. We spoke goodness on our child. We did not let the ultrasound play on our mind.

We believed that the child will be healthy and strong. If you believe you will see greater things. At 7 months during the usual check up, everything was still the same despite the prayers and trust. But our faith still remains and we believe in God that this blessing will not come with sorrow. We did not believe in what we see. We continued to put our hands on the child.

Some people will give up after 7 months because nothing have changed. But we continue to trust God because God will not fail. God will accomplish what he desires.

On the 8th month the doctor examined and there was a smile on the face of the doctor and he said God has changed the situation. The big kidney became normal and the smaller kidney became bigger and was working. And the doctor say 2 more weeks for delivery. Because the child is big at 3 kilos and is good to deliver on 8 and a half month.

When we arrived to church we were questioned again. If we still want to remain in this church and still want to deliver, they will not pay for anything. When delivery came we only had RM50. We went to BM and was clueless. Those called to the counter paid the deposit and went for delivery. We did not know there was a deposit needed. We just trusted God to provide.

When the nurse called and we went to the counter, she told us to go to the labour room without asking for a deposit. The nurse asked if we wanted 4 bedded or single. To save cost we asked for 4 bedded room but she said 4 bedded full so we had to take the single room with only RM50.

And she asked what milk we wanted and we had no idea. She showed us the most expensive milk. We only had RM50. In the room, a Thai lady asked us if we had money to pay for the bill we said we only have RM50. She said you'll be here 3 days so she said she'll loan us and transfer some money. But the Bible says we will not be a debtor so we said no. As the lady said she wanted to lend us the money a message came in to Pinky's phone and a church member sent a message to congratulate us, told me to take a good rest and the day we leave the hospital he will fetch us and take care of all the bills.

With the problems with our child we got a special Visa. We are often questioned why we come so often but with Peniel's problem we can come in and out without problems. Hallelujah.

The hand of God is not short nor his ear deaf that he cannot help you. There is two ways to choose. Choose the easier way of the world and walk traditionally and walk according to the majority or you want to choose to walk with Jesus. If you choose to walk with Jesus  you have to walk with faith. If you don't walk with faith it is not possible to please God. Let the word of God today encourage you. Through our testimony it's not that we are special. God does not choose special people but it's about how we choose to respond to God. We choose to be obedient and trust God. It's not just based on the knowledge of the word of God but on how we respond to him.

TOP’s 36th Anniversary and 3rd Floor Dedication Service

Rev Clement Wong

Today I am not going to be talking about money but about the church. I'd like to read one verse to you so it won't take long. You've got lunch right. But still got time for one or two stories right. 

One Sunday morning the pastor was greeting the people and one lady shook the pastors hand and noticed there was a player on the pastors chin. She asked what happened and the pastor said he was concentrating on his sermon while shaving and cut himself. The lady told the pastor next time concentrate on your shavings and cut your sermon. 

Then another lady came and shook the pastors hand. The lady said this morning your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God. The pastor was so happy because for 25 years nobody commended him. He was so excited and happy. He asked the lady how did it reminded her? She said it reminded her the peace of God because it surpasses all understanding and it reminded her of the love of God because it endureth forever. 

Acts 9:31

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord."

The bible tells us that the church will multiply. Somebody multiply the church and we all know it is God or the Holy Spirit. It is the work of God that the church grew. So he's talking about the church being multiplied by God. It was a growing and victorious church. What makes the church grow and be vibrant?

I want to congratulate you that this third floor is a mark of your growth. There are four keys to church growth. All these four keys are found in this verse. 

1. The churches throughout all Galilean and Samaria had peace. 

What peace? At that time it was a persecuted church with a lot of troubles. Many had to give their lives for their faith. Many were killed and imprisoned. It tells me that it is a church that had peace and unity. Every church must have unity. We must minimise all kinds of talk and division. We must recognise and love one another. We cannot like everybody in church. But we must love everyone in church.

Some people are weird. Some are not human beings. Like from outer space but we must love everybody even if we cannot like everybody. There is no one like you. There is only one of you. That is because God thinks one of you is enough. God made all of us different so we cannot always agree. Even husbands and wives cannot agree all the time. 

Even husband and wife quarrel all the time. I meant once a while. There was a couple who was married 50 years and they said they have never quarrelled before so many people came to see how it happened. It is a miracle. So they asked the husband how is it possible? He said it happened 50 years ago. We went horse riding and were happily riding and my wife's horse slipped and tumbled. Then I heard the wife said once. I thought she's funny talking to horses. So we rode along and the wife tumbled again and the wife said twice. And the third time the horse tumbled. She got down from the horse and shot the horse - bang! So I scolded my wife how can she do that. And she turned to me and said once. And I never quarrelled with her again. 

I am a nice pastor. When I go out with my friends they pay and I pray. Yet there are some who don't like me. That is life. If two person agree with everything, then one of them is not necessary. 

Have you heard of the four blind men?

They were describing how an elephant look like. The first one said the elephant is like a hose. Very flexible and has air on one side. 

The second man don't agree. He said the elephant is like a fan. When it moves it's quite windy. 

The third blind man said the elephant is like a tree trunk. And the three trunk can move. 

The fourth said the elephant is like a rope with a little hair at the end and smelly. 

They got into a heated argument and went their separate way. How silly. If they put all their views together they will have an elephant. That's why we need one another so that we can see different views. 

The church must have one vision and one mind. We can be from different background but with one vision. To reach the community for Christ. Every church must have peace. Can you love one another? Amen?

2. The church were edified

That's why we do church. We want to encourage and build up one another. That everyone can grow in Christ to become more like Jesus. We don't want to discourage. Even in preaching we speak life. That there is life, hope and peace. That we go back lifted up. We're not in church to talk about people. Small minded people always talk about problems. How it cannot be done. But God wants us to think about how it can be done. Medium mind speaks about people. We come to church we note what people wear, say or do. We come to church talk talk talk. Then we talk about the leaders. Then the pastor. After talk about the pastor we talk about the children. We think pastor’s kid is born sinless. All pastors children are born sinners. They say wah, pastor's children are so naughty. Why? Because pastor's children mix with the board members children. (laughs)

Big people talk about purpose. What's the purpose of the renovation? Why talk about money? If you give money then we don't talk lo. The bible has four verses that talk about money. Money takes more effort to enter our head and heart. When we talk about prayer everybody say amen. When we talk about money it's no-man! Lets edify one another. The more you give, the Lord will bless you. 

There are two good friends. One is one dollar. The other is one hundred dollars. The hundred dollar met one dollar and said wah, long time didn't meet. Almost ten years. One dollar asked hundred dollars, where have you been? One hundred dollars said oh I went all over the world flying first class and business class. Eat at the finest restaurants. Stayed at 5-star hotels. So you tell me one dollar. How is life? One dollar said oh life has not been good. I fly only twice in the last ten years and ate at hawker stalls. I stayed in budget hotels and in dirty places. But one day the wind blew me all over and a boy picked me up and put me in his pocket. In all the places I go I know I always end up in the same place. The church. Can understand what I mean or not? You think one dollar so big ar? 

In church let’s edify one another. Speak something nice. Encourage one another. If you have a wife and she cooks for you. Encouragement do wonders. The more you praise the harder she works. And the more she cooks for you. If you always complain, she has no more mood to cook for you. If the song leader worship lead, encourage the worship leader. Or your pastor. Tell him you feel the peace and love of God. No no no, this one spiritual one. Don't just pick fault. 

One day somebody was sleeping and a person put some belacan on his nose. Everywhere he went was smelly. What's the truth. He was smelly himself. Some Christian goes from church to church. Cruisematic. Every where they go, church no good. When you talk to them very spiritual. This couple has gone to seven churches looking for the perfect church. When you find the perfect church, don't go in. Because you will make it imperfect. 

3. They had the fear of God 

In the church there must be the fear of God. What is the fear of God? It's very simple, obey God. 

One day we had a call from a member. He love his girlfriend more than his wife. He is not a Muslim. He divorced his wife and married the girl. So the church kicked him out. He came to me and asked if the church will accept him. I told him it's not if the church will accept him or not. But whether God accept him or not? Whether he will go to heaven. And he went away and never called again. We must deal with issues. 

There's cancer in church. When there's cancer you have to cut. We talk to people. Those who are homosexual or other problems. We talk to them and help them. We have to deal with them. You cannot say they contribute money so have to compromise. I don't care if you have money or no money. Datuk or nenek. Nobody is bigger than God. If there is no fear of God and compromise with men we will not grow. 

4. The church had the comfort of the Holy Spirit

We thank God for this place. Everything is so nice. But they must never replace the power of the Holy Spirit. The church needs the power of God. Some churches have so much money they are comfortable. But people comes in they are not changed. We need to see miracles. People set free. The lame walk, the deaf hear. The spirit of God in our church. We thank God for good worship. The music today is so good. We have so much but no power of the Holy Spirit. We can have all these but only God can change life. To heal relationships. We need the presence of God. In the midst of what we do, we work hard to get the people in but if they don't sense the touch of God or the reality of God this is just a show. So we must ask God to come in. That's why we must be prayerful people. In the midst of the show we have to tell God, we need you. We need him to be in our midst. 

Four things. 

The church had the peace of God

The church were edified

The church had the fear of God

The church had the comfort of the Holy Spirit 

I pray that this church will continue to grow. We take a pledge in a while. Give to God generously. He never fail to provide. He will bless you abundantly. 

The new Third Floor Sanctuary was filled to the brim.

Rev Gideon Lee welcoming the congregation before introducing Rev Clement, AOG's Northern Superintendent,

The Hokkien section gave a spirited presentation.

The young adults and youth presents a creative and meaningful skit.

After the service, all adjourned to Stone Bay Restaurant for our Anniversary lunch.

Do Not Worry

Rev Gideon Lee

How many of your know God is a practical God?

Matthew 6:25-34

"Do Not Worry

6:25-33pp – Lk 12:22-31

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Put your finger here while we turn to the book of Philippians. We are studying this book at the cell. 

Philippians 4:1-9

"​1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

Exhortations

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

We cannot rejoice with a sour face. It says here let people see you rejoicing.

After the World War Two, the world entered another phase of its history. How many of you remember what's the Cold War? Russia and USA was in an arms race. They were ready to create World War Three. They were ready to launch nuclear missiles at one another. They had this thing called MAD, Mutual Assured Destruction. People build nuclear shelters and bunkers out of fear. 

There was a magazine launched then. MAD Magazine. You remember that? And the tagline was Alfred E. Neuman's, "What? Me Worry?", the guy on its cover. This magazine was launched to help people become more light hearted with its humour. The magazine poked fun at situations then. This tagline should belong to the Christians. Because the Lord says to us do not fear. It is not the absence of fear but fear not. 

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

God has given us more important things than clothing and food. Life is more important than that. Don't worry about the none essentials. 

We all like new clothes but if we don't have good health or don't bath ourselves we will still smell. And we all know we like food but there are other things that are more important. The life that God has given us is more important. Our physical health, our spiritual health. 

God has provided us with food and clothing, don't you think he will take care of what's important in your life? Everything that comes our way God has taken care of us. He will do that. 

We need to have a heart of thanksgiving and count our blessings. As we recount the goodness of God, we will rejoice. 

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 

We are more valuable than birds. Yet some of us behave like chicken. We need to know our position of who we are in Christ. Worrying is useless and counter productive. 

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

When we worry our blood pressure goes up and we can't sleep. Worry is never productive. It's useless. God knows how to take care of his children and God wants to. 

When we worry it is because we have little faith. The root of worry is unbelief. I pray that we will not be someone of little faith. If we continue to worry we will be like the pagans. But we know God cares for us. We have a God unlike the pagans. We are not like the pagans and behave as if we do not have a God. 

Worry is like sitting on a rocking chair. It keeps you busy but you are going nowhere. 

I used to keep birds. This bird is "Murai", long tailed bird and it sings very well. My house was like a zoo. It was said that when Noah released the animals, I was there to collect them. It's expensive and sings so well. I no longer keep them. I used to live in Klang and apart from "bak kut teh" are have lots of crows. So there are expensive and cheap birds like the common sparrows. There are parrots that cost a few thousands and God says we are more valuable than these birds. 

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

The remedy is to seek the kingdom of God. What pleases or touches the heart of God. All these things will be added unto you. He is not the gift. He is the giver. God is saying if you mind his business, he will mind your business. 

Let's not worry. Paul in Philippians was in jail. How many of you have been into prison before. I know bro Vive was in prison before, not that he went in but visited. 

I went to a prison in Cambodia before. It was a maximum prison for the worst of the worst. They have no parole and will probably die in there. And in there were inmates dying of HIV. 

The government didn't know what to do with them. This church, or rather a cell there would bring gifts to these HIV inmates. One can of rice, two or three eggs, salt and sugar and a can of sardines. For about thirty to fifty of them. Dying and wasting away in prison. This person found favour with the warden and he allows him to go and help. They were not even segregated so the disease could easily spread. And this man raised funds to build walls to segregate them. And many came to the Lord. 

Prison is not a nice place and Paul was in there yet he rejoiced. Paul tells them to rejoice always and yet again rejoice. He didn't say sometimes or when things are going well. He said always. What does always mean? Always. 

What did Paul see? What did he understood? The first thing we need to know is that the Lord is near. Sometimes in the midst of our problems we think that God is far away. God is where he was. God was with him. Why worry? God understood this. After this he was on his way to Rome to be executed. Not freedom. He was on his way to martyrdom. Yet he rejoiced. He trust that he knows what God is doing. That his God is near. This is something simple yet we often don't see it. It may seem hopeless but it not, as God is near. 

Second thing is that we need to focus on the good and not the bad. 

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.

He can look at the worst of his circumstances yet he is able to look at the good in his circumstances. It's like we look at a cup whether it's half full or half empty. As we change our perspective, the situation begins to change and turn around. In every circumstances there is always good and bad. But as human beings we often look at the negatives.

This morning they collected car parking for those without stickers at RM2 per hour. I was a bit upset because I said they did not inform me earlier. But bro Tommy said pastor, look at the bright side. It's a good thing because now everybody will get a sticker and put it on and everybody will know TOP. If we focus on the negative we will just be giving in to worry. 

Same goes to our church. Is there a perfect church? No? If we look at the negatives, we will have many things to say. But if we talk about what's good and praiseworthy and things that are right and admirable, the church will take off. I know that there are many things that needs to improve but let's look at the bright side. Who will build the church? He will build the church. I look at our worship team and I think they're one of the best. I like our tambourine dancers. Some say it's old fashion but I think they're awesome. I like our third floor and I look forward to the fourth floor. I am imagining our sanctuary facing this side. With the mother's room at this end. And to raise the ceiling. Dare to dream with me. Let's look at what's good. 

Remember that God is near. To focus on the good things. 

Last but not least, trust in God's promise and provision. 

9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Paul didn't miss anything. He asks us to put it into practice. Everything that we have learned put them into practice. 

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

With thanksgiving. We need an attitude of gratitude. We need to learn to develop that. That's what is meant to count our blessings and name them one by one. With prayer and supplication we bring everything to God. And I like verse 7, the peace of God. Not the power or the strength of God. A peace that transcends all understanding even in areas where we should be worrying. 

Whatever is happening to you, the battle starts in your head and heart but we can come out victorious. We need to stop worrying and let God take over. 

God's Will for You in Christ Jesus

Sis Melinda Song

INTRODUCTION

Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed. 

One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. "Why do you toss the stick more than once?" someone asked. "Because," replied the woman, "it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right." She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go! 

The will of God is a topic close to every believer’s heart. People often wonder what God's will is but very often we often try to disguise our will as God’s will. But God's will is revealed in Bible through His commands, prohibitions and principles to live by.

Today let us see what is “God’s Will For You In Christ Jesus.”

Here are some instances in the New Testament that clearly spell out the will of God for us.

1 Thessalonians 4:3  It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:15  For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

Today we will be looking at God’s will for us as found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.This verse is very special to me because it is one of the earliest memory verses that I learnt. It was easy to learn because we sang it as one of the scripture in songs.

These three brief commands in scripture are easy to understand, but they are incredibly difficult to put into practice in our lives. No wonder Mark Twain said, "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

Today we shall attempt to work out how we are to "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks ..."

In verse, 16, we are commanded to “be joyful always” which is…

Constant Joy

We can surely rejoice when there’s something good to rejoice about but to be always rejoice makes no sense.  Why would you rejoice when something terrible has happened? And yet…

Joy is a command, not an option.

Phil. 3:1  Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord

Phil. 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again: Rejoice!

Paul knew what it was like to suffer. It was in the midst of suffering, grief and heartache that he wrote “rejoice always.” That is not the natural reaction to the suffering and adversity.

a.         For Paul, rejoicing is not some form of sugar-coated happiness.  It is not passive acceptance, a sentimental emotion or some form of denial or avoidance. It definitely does not mean wearing a silly grin on our face.

b.         Also, Paul’s words “rejoice always” do not mean never cry. There is a legitimate place for grief in the life of the Christian. The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept.”  Jesus wept and so should we.  We will never be able to rejoice in God unless we are able to weep with God.

Psalm 30:5b  …weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

For Paul, “rejoicing” is being able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, even though your eyes are filed with tears, because you know that God is with you. One of the most uplifting verses in the Bible is found in…

Hab. 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.

If joy is a command and obedience a choice. 


I choose joy... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. (Max Lucado)

But why does God give this seemingly ridiculous command?

Joy is essential for our well-being.

Neh. 8:10b  …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Prov. 17:22  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Is it possible to obey this command? Yes, it is possible because…

Joy is found in Jesus, our Saviour and Joy Giver.

Ps. 51:12  Restore to me the joy of your salvation…

When was the last time you laughed for the sheer joy of your salvation? To be filled with God is to be filled with joy. 

Ps. 16: 11  You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with JOY IN YOUR PRESENCE, with ETERNAL pleasures at your right hand.

Joy is not the absence of suffering. It is the presence of God. (Robert Schuller)

Jn. 17:13b …that they may have the FULL MEASURE OF MY JOY in them.

Happiness depends on happenings; joy depends on Christ. It is God’s will for you IN Christ Jesus. 

There is also a second reason why joy is possible. It is because…

Joy is the fruit of the Spirit.

Matt. 7:20  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Gal. 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Joy is the hallmark of a Christian because it is the fruit of our abiding in Christ. It is a deep settled confidence that God is in control of every area of your life.

I believe God, through His Spirit, grants us love, joy, and peace no matter what is happening in our lives. As Christians, we shouldn't expect our joy to always feel like happiness, but instead recognize joy as inner security – a safeness in our life with Christ. (Jill Briscoe)

Illustration:  Consider the story of one young man. He was often sick as a baby. He was always small, puny some would say. As a youth he was always frail and delicate. He was not able to play sports with the other boys his age. Eventually he entered the ministry. But his health was so fragile, he was unable to serve his growing congregation.

Amazingly, he did not dwell on his troubles. In fact, his spirit soared. His only real complaint was the poor quality of the hymns of his day. He felt they did not convey hope and joy. Someone challenged him to write better ones. He did. He wrote over 600 hymns, most of them hymns of praise.

When his health collapsed completely in 1748, he left one of the most remarkable collection of hymns the world has ever known. His name was Isaac Watts. In a few weeks we will be singing one of his most famous hymns, "Joy to the World!" Isaac Watts discovered joy in his life because he knew that God would never desert him. He was able to live his life with all sorts of health problems feeling close to God and Jesus. He had joy deep in his heart.

The Christian can rejoice always because their joy isn’t based in circumstances, but in God. Circumstances change, but God doesn’t.

And the key to Constant Joy is…

Ceaseless Prayer.

John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Pray Continually

Paul’s exhortation here is confusing.  Is he asking us to always be reciting prayers and spending our time in prayer at the expense of our families, employment, and other responsibilities?  Don’t we have to sleep?

There are 3 possible meanings of “praying continually.”

1.  Prayer is an attitude born out of a relationship. The very spirit and essence of prayer is a deep, abiding communion and dependence on God, and awareness of being in His presence throughout each day that should permeate all we do.

Henri Nouwen, renowned author and priest, wrote this about prayer; “To pray, I think, does not primarily mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people.” Nouwen writes that our prayer should not be a compartmentalization of our life. Constant prayer means to think and live in the presence of God. To think and live in the presence of God. This is not only something that the Christian should desire, but is something we need to make it through each day. If we divide our lives into our time and God’s time, then we remove God from our daily life and put God in a pious niche where we can think pious thoughts and feel pious feelings. (Nouwen, Henri J.M. “Unceasing Prayer”)

Ceaseless prayer is possible because its foundation is the relationship we have with a loving, caring, powerful and good God.

Jesus is our constant companion, albeit an invisible one, always at our side. We should respond to him as we would to a visible friend who was your constant companion.

2.  It means being consistent and persistent in prayer. The same Greek word for “continually” is used in Romans 1:9-10a, where Paul says, “God whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times.” Paul certainly did not keep mentioning the Romans in his prayers to the exclusion of all other prayer needs. So “continually” doesn’t mean that we have to be mentally or verbally praying all the time. It means we should pray over and over, and often. Our default mental state should be: “O God, help…”

Having "set times" to pray can help create the habit of praying, e.g., Daniel. Praying "spontaneously" as needs arise develops the disposition to pray in every circumstance. Together they make up ceaseless prayer.

Illustration: A story is told about a priest, a minister and a guru who sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a telephone repairman worked nearby.

"Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said.

"No," said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"You're both wrong," the guru said. "The most effective prayer position is lying face down on the floor."

The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best prayin' I ever did was when I was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

It doesn’t matter how, or when, you do it, just do it! Don’t wait until you are hanging upside down!

3.  It means not giving up on prayer. It was in the midst of grief, pain and heartache that Paul said “pray continually.” In other words, don’t let circumstances keep you from seeing God.  Don’t let circumstances cause you to turn away from God.  Keep on praying.  Keep on trusting.  Keep on seeking God.  God is most near in the most difficult times.  In these times when God may seem silent, our prayers keep us focused on the reality of Christ.

In Lu. 18:1-8, Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow. In v. 1, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

Don’t stop praying. Never reach a point where you lose hope. Bro. Hooi prayed for 35 years and he saw his parents saved. Your miracle could be just round the corner. God is not slow in keeping His promise (2 Pet. 3:9). His timing is always perfect.  Meanwhile His grace is sufficient to carry us through.

Someone once asked me “If God is in control, why pray?” There are plenty of theological reasons for prayer but in simple terms…

In prayer we find the peace of God.

Phil. 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Peace comes because prayer brings the presence of God into our circumstances. Prayer invites God into our and others lives, and into the situations, burdens, and challenges of them. 

Peace comes because prayer turns our focus from our circumstances to God who is in control. Prayer tells God that we need Him, we want Him, that we're not in control, and that we trust in Him for our lives and the lives of those near and dear to our hearts. 

Prayer changes things, but more importantly, prayer changes us. Prayer is for our benefit, not God’s! That is why we should pray continually.

Joseph M. Scriven wasn’t exaggerating when he wrote of the benefits of prayer in the hymn “What a Friend we have in Jesus!”

Prayer is to your soul, what breathing is to your body.  If you do not breathe, you cannot live.  If you do not pray, your soul will cease to thrive. Prayer is an integral part of abiding in the Lord. We need to live in a constant state of continual communication with God. 

Praying should come as naturally to a Christian and breathing.  Scripture doesn't ask us to do anything impossible.  In fact, Jesus told us that "with God - all things are possible” and Rom. 8:26-28 assures us that the Spirit intercedes for us and helps us to pray.

“When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude.” (Spurgeon)

Giving thanks in all circumstances.

Continual Thanksgiving  is meant to be a way of life for a child of God!

There are 4 types of people.

1. Those who constantly complain.

Illustration: In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side--and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. A tourist who was watching this procedure commented to his Mexican friend and guide: "I imagine that they think old Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply such ample, clean hot and cold water here side by side for their free use." The guide replied, "No señor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap. " - James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 261-262.

2. Those who never give thanks. They take things for granted.

Illustration: Two friends met in the street. One man looked rather forlorn and down in the mouth.  The other man asked, "Hey, how come you look like the whole world caved in?"

The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me ten thousand dollars."

"I'm sorry to hear about the death, but a bit of good luck for you, eh?"

"Hold on, I'm just getting started.  Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked the bucket and left me twenty thousand, free and clear."

"Well, you can't be disappointed with that!"

"Yep. But, last week my grandfather passed away. I inherited almost one hundred thousand dollars."

"Incredible!  So how come you look so glum?"

"Well, this week ... nothing!"

3. Those who only give thanks for obvious blessings. That is most of us.

4. Those who give thanks in all circumstances. That is what God wants of us.

When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. (Gilbert K. Chesterton)

But first let us establish 2 important facts:

1. Ingratitude displeases God

Rom. 1:18-21b  The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…

2. Gratitude is not natural to the human race

We have to teach children to say “please” and “thank you’.

Lu. 17:17-18  Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Illustration: Why did only one man cleansed from leprosy return to thank Jesus? Someone has made a list of nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return:

One waited to see if the cure was real.

One waited to see if it would last.

One said he would see Jesus later.

One decided that he had never had leprosy in the first place.

One said he would have gotten well anyway.

One gave the glory to the priests.

One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything."

One said, "Any rabbi could have done it."

One said, "I was already much improved."

That's not surprising, is it? I doubt that more than ten percent of us are ever truly grateful to God. In fact, it often seems that the more we have, the less gratitude we feel.

2 Tim. 3:1-5  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

Gratitude is a spiritual exercise

Eph. 5:18b-20  …be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It all begins with being filled with the Spirit who refocuses our attention away from ourselves and from our circumstances to God and reinforces our faith.

Rom. 8:9  You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

An attitude of gratitude is important because:  

1.Thankfulness acknowledges that God is our provider.

2. Thankfulness prevents a complaining spirit.

3. Thankfulness creates a positive outlook on life.

4. Thankfulness invites joy to dwell in our hearts.  (Kent Crockett, Making Today Count for Eternity, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 161)

Thanksgiving is the best way to dig ourselves out of the doldrums of discouragement. When we're discouraged or overwhelmed, we don’t feel like thanking God. But thanking the Lord for all He's done, is doing, and will do in due time, is the fastest way to change one's attitude and reenergize.

We don’t give thanks for everything, but in everything. We recognize God’s sovereign hand is in charge, and not blind fate or chance.

We give thanks about everything knowing that God is working all things together for good for His people who love Him (Rom.8:28)

3 reasons why we must learn to be thankful [Slide 20]

1. We must learn to be thankful or we become bitter.

2. We must learn to be thankful or we will become discouraged.

3. We must learn to be thankful or we will grow arrogant and self-satisfied.

So what is God’s will for you? [Slide 21]

Be joyful always

Pray continually

Give thanks in all circumstances in Christ Jesus

We are told to do all these because it is the will of God. The thought isn’t “this is God’s will, so you must do it.” The thought is rather “this is God’s will, so you can do it.” It isn’t easy to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks, but we can do it because it is God’s will.

The key words here are “in Christ Jesus.” We can do it because we are in Christ.

Pastor Gideon praying for the missions team going to Sarawak.

Sis Melinda praying for newly weds Sam and Cat who will be starting their married life in Adelaide, Australia.