God's Work by God's Power

Pastor Melinda Song

Zechariah 4:1-6 (NIV)

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

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

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

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

“No, my lord,” I replied.

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

INTRODUCTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First we have to recognise that there will be…

A. THE PROBLEM(S)

Zechariah 4:7 (NIV)

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

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

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

- lack of finance or human resources

- obstacles  

- threats

- opposition   

- discouragement

- doubt/unbelief

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

B. THE PROMISE

1. It is NOT BY MIGHT!

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

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

a. Not by might of NUMBERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Psalm 20:7

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

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

b. Not by might of MONEY

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

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

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

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

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

1. It is NOT BY MIGHT, and

2. It is NOT BY POWER!

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

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

a. Not by power of HUMAN WISDOM

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

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

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

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

1 Corinthians 1:24b-31

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BUT BY MY SPIRIT says the Lord Almighty.

C. THE POWER

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

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

ILLUSTRATION: THE POWER MUST BE USED

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Source: Living Beyond Your Capacity, Paul Chappell)

Look again at the lampstand.

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

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

Luke 11:13

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

Luke 24:49

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONCLUSION

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

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

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

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

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

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

Therefore we need to get together.

It is not by might

It is not by power

But by His Spirit.

How Were the Wise Men Wise?

Pastor Melinda Song

Matthew 2:1-12, NKJV

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, inthe land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”[a]

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

INTRODUCTION

In Matthew chapter 2, the Christmas story has jumped ahead about two years. Matthew chapter 1 closed with the baby Jesus being born and named, but now in chapter 2 Jesus is called a “child” (2:8,10) and the family is living in a house in Bethlehem.

By comparing the birth stories of Jesus in Matthew and Luke it appears that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Then they presented Him at the temple before heading back to Nazareth (2:39). Later on they decided to move to Bethlehem as that’s where they were living in Matthew 2.

Then came “wise men from the East.”

A. Who Were The Wise Men?

Not much is known about these wise men. We are used to singing:

"We three kings of Orient are

bearing gifts, we traverse afar..."

They weren't kings and neither were there three of them.

These men are described as "Wise men" (NRSV, KJV) or "Magi" (NIV). The word is magos, "a Persian or Babylonian wise man and priest, who was expert in astrology, interpretation of dreams, and various other occult arts."

They came from "the east”, probably from Babylon, Persia or the Arabian desert. At any rate, they were men of wisdom and learning from an exotic, far away land bringing a caravan into the capital city of the Jews, seeking a newborn king.

The Biblical record says little about who these men were. 

B. How Were The Wise Men Wise?

They were wise to seek Jesus

v. 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

There are numerous theories on what the star was. People have speculated that it could be a  supernova, an explosion in an existing star that for several weeks or months gives out a great deal of light. However, there is no historical record of a supernova just before Jesus' birth date.

Or it could have been a comet but astronomers have calculated that Halley's comet would have been visible in 12-11 BC, which was years before Jesus' birth at around 6 BC.

There was a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars that occurred in 7-6 BC, and mention seems to have been made of this in some ancient texts but there is no evidence that such a conjunction of planets would have been actually referred to as a "star."

We just don't know enough to say authoritatively exactly what the Star of Bethlehem was.

The Magi, although Gentile, may have linked the star to “the King of the Jews” through studying the OT and other Jewish writings. They could have been exposed to some Old Testament prophecies from some of the Jews who had settled in the east during the Babylonian exile.

They were watching and waiting for signs of the fulfilment of Number 24:17 which says, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” So when God sent the star that pointed the way to Jesus, left their homes, their families, and at great expense travelled hundreds of miles to follow the star in search for the King of the Jews.

Even today, 2,000 years later, wise men still come to Jesus! 

Application: We each must make our own journey to find Jesus, to meet him personally, and make him a living reality in our lives.

Today we are glad to have four great examples in our midst today who are following in obedience to Jesus through water baptism. 

If you have been waiting to come to Jesus for salvation, delay no longer, just come to Him today! He waits to save those who will call on Him!

For those of us who are already Christians…

Daniel 12:3

Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,

And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

You can be the star lighting the way for many to come into salvation.

They were wise to worship Jesus

v. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When they saw Jesus, they worshipped Him. Why? Because He is God and He is worthy of worship and He demands worship and we are happier when we worship Him.

The purpose that these Gentiles from a faraway land travelled perhaps hundreds of miles was to worship a baby born of peasant woman in a manger.  The point of this story is that we ought to worship Jesus as well.

Application: Christians are not simply those who believe in Jesus. Christians are those who know, love, trust and worship Jesus. Christianity and Christmas is about worship of a God who loves us so much that He came and dwelt among us.

This story teaches us what real worship involves. Real worship always involves giving.

These Magi brought Christ their best gifts, gifts fit for a king. They were willing to use their TREASURES to make the long journey to see the King. They also carried fantastic treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh to present to Christ.

The Magi used the gifts of their TALENTS too! They were men who knew the heavens. They understood that the star they were seeing was a special sign and then acted on that knowledge.

The Wise Men were wise, because they gave Jesus their gift of TIME. They took time off to make a journey of maybe months or years to Bethlehem.

These gifts represent a great sacrifice. The Magi gave the best they had. They came to the Messiah prepared to give. If we want to experience Jesus, then we must worship him and make sacrifices to put him first in our lives. We must be willing to sacrifice our time, our talents, and our treasure for Christ.

They were wise to obey God

v. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Lord commanded to return to their country by another route – it may have been an unfamiliar route, or less convenient, or more costly, or more dangerous one. They are sensitive to God’s leading and they are more than willing to submit to His plans and respond with obedience when He speaks.

Application: Sometimes what God calls us to do is unfamiliar and inconvenient and uncomfortable, sometimes it’s risky or costly or dangerous but if we want to really experience Christ we must submit to his Lordship.

CONCLUSION

The wisdom of Christmas is this:

1. The wise seek Jesus

2. The wise worship Jesus

3. The wise obey God

As God called the wise men to Christ by a star in the sky, He continues to call people to Himself through His servants and the word of God.

We are led to the same Christ as were the Magi, not for the gifts that we would bring to Him, but for the gifts that He would give to us, the gifts of forgiveness and life and salvation that are greater than all of the gold, frankincense and myrrh in the world.

Christianity and Christmas is about worship. The Savior has come. He has called us out of the darkness of sin. He has delivered us from the darkness of death. He has given us his Son. Wise is the man who worships the Christ the Lord in humble faith!

On this Christmas Day, let us worship Jesus because of Who He is. 

Emotional Healing

Pastor Yoong Ying Wah

It's a pleasure to be here this morning. A little bit of introduction. I'm married with one wife, that's important to know nowadays and two children and two grandchildren. My grandson is already 6 years old and my granddaughter is 3 plus. I've been living in Melbourne for the last 28 years.

Some churches bring me in for one whole week where I may do three sessions of counselling a day. And some churches have been bringing me in for the last 14 years. I've not come out to Penang for years and years except for the last few months I come about two times. I come not only for individual counselling but also for special meetings and weekend meetings. They also have different cell groups taking me out for breakfast, lunch and dinner and when you minister to one person, you bless everybody in the group because everybody knows that person.

An example was 2 years ago, I flew to KK after transit in KL so I told them tomorrow please no counselling because I was too tired. Just take me out for the 3 meals. So one pastor brought 3 ladies to come along and before I could start on my Char Koay Teow in KK, I felt God asking me to talk to a lady on my right.

I asked her why do you worry about money when God has given you so much money? Money should be the last thing you're worried about. Wah…she panicked and said I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be worried about money. I think I took up my mother's habit. Blame the mother. The mother was not there to defend herself. So when I wanted to start on my Koay Teow again, I saw something in my spirit and I asked why you keep scolding your husband. He's the nicest man you can ever find in this world. Wah, she almost burst into tears.

Had it been somebody I'm church telling her that she'd probably say you go and mind your own business. But I don’t know her. She said ya, I keep worrying about money so I take out my stress all on him. I spoke to one person, 4 people repented. Sometimes we think counselling we just sit down but this just saved me two hours of counselling because God just cut I'm like that.

And she had to be a very brave woman not to change after that. Sometimes we have very set ideas, so I told God I want to be creative. You'll never know what hits you. God is creative. We are the one that make God so boring. Some people go up to the pulpit and we say aiyah we know what he's going to talk about. I hope I'm not one of them.

Sometimes we have very set ideas but God is a creative God. Through the years, over 20 years, I've counselled many emotional healing on individual cases. You can't imagine the pain I come across. All kinds of depression, suicidal cases and those sexually abused people.

Then drop there I went into severe marriages issues. I've never met somebody who married to torture the other person. But a good marriage is more than just good intentions. You must know how to make it work. So a lot of people do not know sad to say but they don't ask for help. Most of the cases that comes to me already ICU cases. Incentive care. Terminal. The pulse is already about to become straight line. They try to fix it themselves so they medicate. So instead of helping themselves they poison themselves. So they end up in ICU. By the time I come in to find out what poison have they been taking and all the he wrong ways of dealing with each other.

Last few year I've also been doing ladies seminars. It's very interesting because a lot of things I don't plan. Now I'm moving into the youths too.

The youth ministry to really reset the thinking of young people. Yesterday I spoke about what it means by falling in love. What is chemistry? Examine and remove all these myth about chemistry and so on and so forth. And to give them the biblical standards of proper understanding. This world has a lot of voices for the young people. God has open the door for me to speak to the youth to readjust them. So instead of just looking at the pure beauty of a girl we should be looking at the inner beauty. The world tune the mind at the outside beauty. I always say guys, you can get the most beautiful dog in the world but if it keeps biting you, don't care how beautiful you'll still kick it away.

I never wanted to write books, but in the last few years I wrote books mainly for ladies. About emotional meltdown and how to change your husband without nagging and how to forget the past and so on. We always tell people to forget the past but how?

Two years ago one Singaporean bought my book and wanted to meet me with her husband. When I landed from KL, I saw on the cover of the Business Times was a full page of them and their family fortune. I am a simple man and don't have that kind of air. I have nothing tangible to offer them. They actually wanted intangible wealth. They realised that their tangible wealth can cover only a certain distance. God has been teaching me to lay hold of intangible wealth. Look for gems in the darkness. I was wondering what God was leading me to.

Last year in PJ, an American came to stay in a house I was staying in. He was there for 2 weeks. One night his host cannot have him so my host had him on board. And while fellowshipping he asked me about my life story. And he told me to write everything into a book and he said if I've nobody to edit for me he said to send to him and he'd pay for it to be edited. I was so shocked he was so keen on my life story.

He's a professor of missions for 36 years in charge of a doctorate programme at a seminary. Little did he know I started writing 6 months ago but halfway I stopped because I was not sure and had no bearing. It was God who sent this man for one night to come to the he house to tell me to finish it. So I told God I'll finish it. But I hated writing books because so much details.

Two days later in a cell group I asked one person if he knew anyone who could edit my book for me and he said he's a book publisher. Give it to me. I almost cried at Starbucks but men don't cry publicly. We only cry in the shower.

For many years as I counsel people one on one, some people can just fall asleep. I was offended because someone is talking and they find it boring. Then I realised that everyone who fall asleep are demonised or demon possessed. The demon would knock off their conscious mind. Because when I speak the word, it cuts like a surgical knife. When I counsel I cut like a surgical knife. I am a spiritual surgeon. I cut line upon line. Their conscious mind were knocked off so they cannot hear the words that is coming out. I don't look for demons. They will appear and knock off that person's conscious mind.

So this morning anyone feeling sleepy? Too early to do any deliverance. I always tell people when I speak nobody fall asleep. It's not that I'm very good, it's just that people dare not fall asleep.

Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

To do the work of God you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. A man of the word is made at the Bible College. But the man of God is made in the wilderness. In the wilderness God destroys you. You come out depending on the Holy Spirit. But the man of God and depend on the theology. Nothing wrong with that. But too often some of us take our brain and our knowledge as God. We treat out knowledge and our mind as though it's God. No. What is bigger than your mind and all the experience that you have gone through?

 As a young boy, I grew up in Kuala Lumpur and once in a whole I'll followed my father to Stadium Negara.
At about 6.30 in the morning, when the air once upon a time still fresh. Up there I saw all these old men doing Tai Chi. As a curious young man I was wondering what they were doing. They say it's good for blood circulation as you move your arms and legs. Also it is good for self defence when your enemy attack you take his force and pushbutton away. And you are left unharmed.

We Christians may not do physical Tai Chi. But a lot of us do spiritual Tai Chi. When the word of God come from the he pulpit to you, you say that word is for this fellow, so accurate and you hope he's paying attention. What you did was when you got the word of God you pushbutton away to someone else. They will say this word is for you. This is not for me. And when they leave the service they wonder why God never speak to me.

God does not gossip to you about somebody else problem. If he speaks he speaks to you not about someone else. He loves you and wants to help you change. So tardy every word is meant for you, not for your neighbour.

How many of you come to the church to torture or intentionally give your pastor problems? How many of you decided not to grow spiritually for the next ten years? It is illogical. Nobody intentionally do all of that. We never come to church to do it intentionally. But what is the reality? Some goes from church to church and criticise. After criticising, then go to another one.

It is important to know how to administer emotional healing. Nobody intentionally want to hurt another.

There's this man who had cheese on his beard. He went to the room and he said the room smells funny. Then he went on to the kitchen and he said his kitchen also smelled funny. Then he went into the living room and even the living room smelled funny. Looks like the whole house smelled funny. So he said he better go get some fresh air. He went out to the verandah, sniff sniff sniff and he said the whole world stinks. To him the whole world stinks. It's not because the whole world stinks but it's because he did not remove it from himself. Often we have something we are to deal with and we did not remove it in our life.

What you know about yourself consciously may not not necessarily be the truth about yourself. You may not be who you think you are. In counselling I realised 95% of those who think that that's the problem is actually not the actual problem.

One time I spoke to a church at Sungai Buluh In Selangor. It's a place where leprosy is treated. Leprosy is where you do not have feeling so when you scrape yourself you don't feel it. The same with many churches. They are so wounded they don't feel anymore. They built walls and say they don't want to feel anymore. So that they can't be hurt but at the same time can't be loved. In that state they can't feel other people so when they step on other people's toes they don't even know. They are shocked and said I did not hurt you. What's wrong with you? That's because they have emotional leprosy. Who's the real you and real me?

Computer. What's the real computer? The real computer is not just the screen. It's the screen and the CPU but many think it's just the screen.

If knowing the truth brings freedom then why are Christians who is more than qualified still struggling?

Two days ago I was supposed to fly in to Singapore to help a couple. One of them the in-law asked me to go down to help their son-in-law and daughter. That son-in-law speaks in 150 countries. A big Christian organisation. And he also speaks in all the churches in Singapore. A strings of qualifications, Masters in Psychology and counselling. To him, he said he tried to fix his marriage and he said if he can't nobody can. He wanted to divorce his wife actually. He trusted his knowledge but it's more than that.

One time, God showdown me the pictures of a horse. There was this horse that was galloping on the spot. And the people asked the horse why are you running on the spot? The horse was tied by a thick rope to a stake. All Christians want to advance but because of unresolved issues, you keep galloping on the spot. Cut off the rope for people and you'll see them move forward.

Head knowledge does not change how you live life. It just change how you think about yourself. Many decisions we make is because of our unconscious mind.

Many think they think it's what they know because they read the bible. Moments of discovery comes when it expose what you know in your conscious mind and what your unconscious mind does.

Otherwise it's just head knowledge. They you just know it but you are not it. You know of it but you can't do it. You talk it but you don't walk it. Many Christians are in this kind of state. The devil is a better theologian than many of us. He has been around and even used the word against Jesus. Although he knows the word of God he's still the devil. You may know the word of God but you may not change.

You make me so angry. You make me angry when I'm a nice man. We blame others for our actions. I had this man who came to talk to me and asked me to talk to his wife so that he does not have to beat her. He blamed his aggressiveness on his wife. I was wondering and asked him why she is so powerful  can make him beat her but cannot make him love her? It is obviously not in her hands. He's blaming her for beating her.

It's the example of a tiger cage. No matter how I rattle the tiger cage, you won't hear a tiger roar if there's no tiger in there. Too many of you already have a tiger in there. God send somebody to rattle that tiger cage of yours to have you deal with that tiger in there. But we ended up blaming the messenger from God.

What is your unconscious thought? It was once your conscious thought. It was pushed aside and became unconscious thought because it was suppressed. And as Christians as you grow in the word of God that became alive in us, but so are your past issues. The main reasons why Christians failed to progress is that they often blame the devil. Too often we blame it on the devil. Because of the emotional mess in us we self destruct. Most Christians self destruct because of emotional problems never dealt with. Your wounded self.

One day a lady came to see me because she had a new found love in Melbourne. She was having an affair with a colleague. She didn't want a divorce because of a bad name to her family. But she still wants to enjoy this new found love. As I talked to her I realised she was not intending to give him up. So I had to tell her God said if you repent I will restore you but if you insists on going your way I'll let you go. All of us Christians have the hand of God covering us. The anger of God is not coming to slap your backside but to let you go. My grace and mercy kept you but it's not a license to live in sin. To sin deliberately. If you continue I'll let you go.

That lady who committed adultery suddenly called the church to complain about me. The moment God let you go, you're no longer under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

In another case a wife really hate the husband. He could not understand because he took her for a holiday and even bought her a new car. She insisted on sleeping in another room. She went to a lawyer and wanted to divorce her husband. The lawyer brought her to Christ and found her someone to guide her on what a good Christian wife should do to her husband. She learnt all those things and still hate the husband. This time worst. Now you know what you're supposed to do and you can't do it. So she became suicidal. It was tormenting.

She could not even stand the husband touching her at all. We happened to know the person who was following her up so typical of me I just asked if you've heard of any lady who doesn't want her husband to touch her. She jumped up when she realised this was a divine appointment.

So I met her and I asked why do you hate your husband? She said I hate my husband because he asked me to do banking and to drive here and there in the hot sun. I asked if I can pray for her.

Holy Spirit come and search her heart. After a while she said yes I remembered 5 years ago he did this to me so I hate him. So I prayed Holy Spirit search deeper. I remember now, 10 years a go he did this to me. Holy Spirit search deeper. And then suddenly, she just cried out.

17 or 18 years ago when they were still boyfriend and girlfriend he imposed himself on her sexually. And she said when that feeling came out it felt like it just happened seconds ago. The feeling is so real and the anger she had on him as a boyfriend then is still very much alive. So much so that even though the husband has changed to be a better person what had locked up in the unconscious she couldn't forgive him. And it came out finally.

I asked if she wants to forgive her husband and she said she always wanted to forgive him but I didn't know what it was. Now I know. So I prayed for her. She went home told the husband come back to the room. That night, Tarzan met Jane. Imagine that. But don't imagine too hard alright.

A marriage about to be destroyed because of one thing that happened a long long time ago was saved. The root was not dealt with.

Some things that hold us are personal secrets. One of the worst is sexual mistakes. You normally cannot pray it away. You need someone else to pray with you. Especially for young girls. For the young man it's enjoyment but for the girls it'll mess you up.

What you don't talk out you will act out. External things don't help you. It is important you seek help and deal with it.

Many people are corrupt in their mind. That's why they cannot get rid of it until somebody talk and pray with them.

If you wonder why you can't move forward seek help. Talk to God and God will arrange a suitable person for you.

Pastor Yoong Ying Wah praying for the congregation.