To Become One

Rev Graeme Lauridsen

Thank for the opportunity to share.

Background:

Family, NZ - pastor and leader with AG 25 years.

2010 - after 15 years

Acts 13:46 (NIV)

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you

first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn

to the Gentiles.

Resign and step out in faith…

Hebrews 11:8 (NIV)

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his

inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

Began the journey - what would it mean to turn to the gentiles?

Began to dream. To fulfil the great commission in our lifetime.

What would a church dedicated to reaching lost people look like?

What a journey the past four years have been!

• Made a shift to Melbourne, Australia.
• Began to work with a number of large churches in Melbourne and Adelaide exploring new initiatives in reaching unchurched people.
• Established a number of what we call "redemptive communities" amongst people groups like asylum seekers, refugees, single parent families, the elderly, and university students.
• Seeing some remarkable stories of salvation.
• We have begin the development of an online training programme for the unchurched

We are living in some of the most exciting days in the history of the church.

But this morning, I want to share with you a surprising direction God took us in our journey

of turning to the gentiles.

In a sense, when God spoke to us to resign from leading a local church and turn to the

gentiles, I had lots of ideas on what that might look like.

But then I had a phone call - Danny Guglielmucci - need your help to lead and bring health

to a church in Melbourne. So we became campus pastors for Danny and began the process of bringing health and unity to the congregation.

After 18 months - another phone call - large church - senior pastor in serious burnout -

could we come for six months. Six months became twelve, then eighteen, then two years.

This church was a church of factions. One group met on Sunday, another on a Wednesday

- with completely different views on what the church should be like. Some people were

followers of this leader, another of that leader.

If I made a decision of any kind, one group would love me, and another would loathe me.

I was faced with the task of bringing unity and reconciliation. Many stayed, some left, many other new people came. The church came into unity and health.

But I was left wondering - what has this to do with turning to the gentiles?

God called me to leave a church - to turn to the gentiles, only to then ask me to turn to the

church.

Such a contradiction - until one morning I was reading through John 17.

In this passage Jesus is praying for the disciples before His arrest in the garden of

Gethsemane….

John 17:20-23 (NIV)

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their

message,21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May

they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.221 have given them

the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—231 in them and you in

me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent

me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

I think one of the most powerful words in the Bible is the word "then”.

Jesus is praying that the church might be "one".....that they may he brought to complete

unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have

loved me.

God had called me to turn to the gentiles. He had called me to champion the cause of the great commission

Having done so - I needed to understand one important truth - for the local church to reach

fulfil the great commission, they must first be ONE.

.....that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me

and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prayer was that His followers might be ONE - in complete unity - and only then would

the world know that the father sent the son.

This morning - I hope to bring you a greater understanding around the call of God for the

church to be one - in complete unity - as the foundation upon which the great commission

will be fulfilled - and I believe, in our lifetime!

Come with me to the book of Ephesians.

1 want to take you on a quick journey through this letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in

Ephesus, and I would like to demonstrate to you the power of being one as a church.

Ephesians 3:2-6 (NIV)

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 

Paul is talking about a mystery that had been hidden for all of history - which was now being revealed. Paul is unlocking the great purpose of the gospel. He is revealing the great hidden mystery of God's plan. That there is no longer Jew and Gentile. No longer Jew and Palestinian.

But through Christ - there is now one body of believers. You will find here a key word - "together".

Heirs together, members together, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

The theme of the letter to the Ephesians is the word Together. Together with Christ and together

with one another.

Go back a chapter.....

Ephesians 2:12-15 (NIV)

remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.   But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,

Can you see the mystery of the gospel here?

In Christ, God was creating in Himself one new humanity. No longer a dividing wall of hostility.

Isn't it interesting that this is the very battle going on in the Middle East. A wall of hostility between two peoples, Jesus came to bring down that wall of hostility so that there might be one new humanity in Himself!

One people - TOGETHER.

In Christ, God is creating a new community - a new nation - a new humanity - a new people.

This is the great mystery of the gospel.

That’s why Peter writes this in…..

1 Peter 2:10 (NIV)

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You are now the people of God.

So - the mystery of the gospel is that God was creating in himself a new people in Christ.

Let's move to Eph 2…..

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,   built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Now - stay with me here this morning…

This whole letter to the Ephesian Church is unfolding a mystery that has been hidden until this time.

That in Christ a dividing wall is being brought down. That there would no longer be two people groups on the earth - Jew and gentile - but one new humanity.

This new nation - this new body of believers would...no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household. This is why Jesus could say - that when you and I become one - we are fulfilling the mystery of the gospel - so that the whole world may know that the father sent the son and loves them.

Now - notice this - 

this whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him

you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit

I mean - how many get this?

In Christ, God is making one new people - one new community -one new humanity - and GOD is

going to build this new body of believers together - to become a dwelling in which God lives by his

Spirit

Somebody say WOW!

We are being built together to be God's dwelling place.

NOT just individually - but TOGETHER.

TOGETHER - a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit

Church - this is the great mystery. You and I together - united - in community - and in that place - we become God's dwelling place on the earth. That is such a wow statement right there! If we were to read together of the day of Pentecost - notice three things

1. The people were TOGETHER in ONE ACCORD
2. They were FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT - becoming the dwelling place of God by His Spirit
3. 3000 people from every nation were added to their number.

We were born again to be one - that the world may know...

So - Paul then says this to the Ephesians church….

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Why?

Because the mystery of the Gospel is that God is making one new people that will fulfil the great

commission - therefore it's important that we keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

THROUGH THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL, WE ARE A COMMUNITY, INVITING OTHERS INTO COMMUNITY!

TOGETHER - we are a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit - and we invite outsiders to become

part of that dwelling place.

Paul goes on….

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 

Paul is passionate about this new people - this new humanity - this new together - build one another up, get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander-be kind, compassionate, forgiving…. Then he challenges not to .... grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

It's like he makes the point - God is so passionate about this new humanity - this new citizenship -

that when we slander one another, are angry and unforgiving - the Holy Spirit is grieved.

We were born again for community.

TOGETHER - we are a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit

We have to keep that together.

Paul continues on this theme…..

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV)

1 Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Walk in the way of love.

Let me make this very simple - when we reach beyond our walls - we are inviting others into

community. So Paul is passionately calling the Ephesian church to be the kind of GOD community into which we can invite others.

Keeping the unity of the Spirit.

Now - It is in this context that we reach this great crescendo in Paul's letter to the Ephesians…

Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

So, what can we take from this?

This passage almost looks out of place - just spiritual warfare - but what if we keep it in the context

of "together”?

The context is the mystery of the gospel - one new humanity - built together as the dwelling place

of God on the earth-

So this is where the enemy will always attack. To divide what God has united. What God loves, the devil hates. So the devil will attempt to sow division within you.

So, when our relationships come under attack -be aware of this:

...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against

the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Listen to me - often times when we think it is about flesh and blood - different opinions, offenses

and arguments - It is not just flesh and blood. It is a spiritual war to destroy your unity!

So - Paul's advice is this:

Ephesians 6:13-18 (NIV)

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

This morning - take this passage around the armour of God - and share a process whereby we can

keep the unity of the spirit. A process through which we can reconcile with others. A process of how to resolve offences.

This process has two outworking's - first one on one - then if you are unsuccessful, with a mediator.

Matthew 18:15-17 (NIV)

"If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

So - how do we reconcile our differences and maintain the unity - the oneness - the together - we

have in the spirit?

Step one…

1. Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

The beginning of reconciliation is always to talk about the truth. If you have been hurt - just talk to the person. It may just be a misunderstanding. The truth might be that you misunderstood their motive? And carry your own truth. What is my role in this? Did I lose my temper? Did I have a part to play?

Sometimes when embracing the truth - you don't even need to approach the other person.

Sometimes the truth is, I am being over sensitive. There is now real issue here. I need to get over myself - and let this go. This is only an issue with me. But whether we approach the person, or decide this issue is only me - we need to embrace the truth about what is going on. must.

I have an older brother who 25 years ago came to the conclusion that anyone who believed in the

baptism in the Holy Spirit is of the devil, and that any Pentecostal church is a cult. Of course, by that definition I am therefore a cult leader. Any Christmas cards are sent back, as I believe in a different Jesus to the one he believes in.

Of course, in the earlier days we tried to discuss this, but there was simply no movement in his

decision. The thing is - for me to move on, I needed to put on the belt of truth. This was costing me an important relationship - but the truth would give me a foundation to build a healthy future.

I remember another situation - I was in a board meeting type situation (not here) - something had

happened that made me really angry - and I snapped. Wasn't a big deal - no brawling - but I knew

someone was hurt. I had to begin with the truth. "I was out of line”. I have to tell you - the number of times I had to go down the hallway to apologise to my kids when growing up - to embrace and own the truth. Sorry I over-reacted.

Marriage - how hard it is to say - I was wrong! Keeping the unity of the spirit begins with embracing the truth!

Interesting - Roman Soldier - It was the belt that held the scabbard, without which there would be no place to put a sword - The Matthew Henry Commentary says the belt "girds on [secures] all the other pieces of our armour. All the other armour hangs on truth.

To take a stand for healthy relationships - to experience true reconciliation - always look for an

opportunity to begin with the truth. When it is a broken relationship, to sit down and listen to each other. Only with the belt of truth securely fixed can we move to the next step. Truth on its own will not complete reconciliation!

2. The breastplate of righteousness in place.

The breastplate of righteousness covers the heart.

Once we have aired the truth - forgiveness is paramount.

Jesus said this….

Matthew 6:15 (NIV)

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Whatever the outcome of step one - you cover your heart with righteousness by forgiving. Sometimes step one is a disaster - but you have tried. You have acknowledged truth. We need to forgive in order to move on. No bitterness. No resolution - but the breastplate of righteousness demands that I forgive.

My Dad is in prison in NZ. Unfortunately I became aware of his offending and was required to testify for the prosecution at his court case. Of course, that was a very difficult thing to do - but sometimes we need to both honour our parents while at the same time take a stand for the victims of their actions. It was a nightmare season. There was a lot of hurt in every direction. The breastplate of righteousness demanded that at the end of the season, I forgive. That I continue to pray for and reach out to my Dad.

Truth and forgiveness are bedfellows in reconciliation. Then to step three….

3. Your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Another way this phrase could be translated - is to be ready to walk the path of peace. We have shared our truth by talking things through - we have offered forgiveness - now walk in. Let’s not cross the street when we see each other coming. Speaking of my brother - after ten years of silence - drove up his drive. Ten daughters - one son.

Next we get to step four…

4. Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Because I have acknowledged the truth. Because we have the breast place of righteousness through forgiveness. Because we are now committed to walking in peace. We can now take up the shield of faith.

Shared last week - interesting thing about shields in Paul's day.

Roman army - shields were made to stand together and make up a shield wall. The shield is not just to cover ourselves, but to cover each other. In fact - in a shield wall, you shield covers the person on your left!

Can I ask you this - have you been hurt along the way? Have you been treated unjustly? Falsely accused? When that person who hurt you comes up in gossip - can you defend them?

Jesus called us in Matt 5 - to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Joseph - sold as a slave, falsely accused of rape - imprisoned. When his fortunes turned - marred - first son - Ephraim - make me forget. So while we are still in reconciliation - we make a commitment to be each other's shield of faith. May be a tough call. 

Then we go to step five….

5. Take the helmet of salvation.

The helmet of salvation covers the mind. It is a commitment to stop rehearsing this offence in my mind. I'm not going to go over it again, and again, and again. Sometimes you don't get a satisfactory response from the person who hurt you.

They are not sorry. They don't even get it.

Remember one time - older brother shouting at me - I needed to repent. I was going to hell.

Nothing I could say could change his mind. I would rehearse the conversation. How could he? Not fair. Wouldn't listen. - Put on the helmet of salvation and move on. Time to let it go.

2 Corinthians 10:5.... and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Sometimes it is yourself you need to forgive. Yes - you blew it in the past - God has forgiven you - stop rehearsing it in your mind.

Then we come to step 6….

6. and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

So far everything has been dealing with the past. We have dealt with the issue.

Truth - righteousness - walking in peace - shield of faith - Helmet of salvation over my mind......

Here is what I think….

Until we are prepared to resolve our differences, we are unable to fully embrace the future. Until we can let go of the past, the past becomes the enemy of our future.

1 Timothy 1:18 (NKJV)

This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

Reconciling with offence positions us to take God's word into the future. By embracing the Word which is the Sword of the Spirit, we are saying, we are not going to go back here.

7. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

First - pray with or for the person you are reconciling with. Praying for my dad. Resolving offence does wonders for your prayer life.

Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)

'Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Then finally….

8. Be alert (watchful) and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Let's be watchful. Let’s be alert - on guard. Why? Because you and I together are God's dwelling place by His Spirit.

The mystery of the gospel is that we become one - a new humanity, and then the world will know…!

Many thanks Rev Graeme Lauridsen for sharing his sermon notes with us.

"Sinat Chinam" Baseless Hatred

Pastor Pauline Ding

Thank God for all those that came to support the Teluk Kumbar work. We have up to 30 people coming from TOP. We look forward to the official opening. We hope all of you will come to participate. I hope some of you can come and present something special. Maybe the worship team can take note. It is a miracle, this baby at Teluk Kumbar. We also invited other friends from other churches to come on that day. 

I now ask Sis Melinda to come and pray for me as this is a hard message. 

Do you know why this is very hard for me to share? Because I am still struggling to practice this in my life. I was actually thinking of something else but nothing came out but in the last few days, someone said something "it's easy for the speaker to speak but it is difficult to practice what they speak" and that confirmed what I needed to say. 

This word is a Hebrew word and I'm not a Hebrew scholar so I had to do a lot of study and was very stressed. And I ended up with these two pages. 

That word is called "Sinat Chinam", Hebrew word for baseless hatred. To hate without a cause. 

You hate me because of the dress I wear. Or because I'm a different race from you. Or I speak the wrong words. Where people hate each other for no good cause. Like you look at the face and you don't like the person already. 

I had this problem when I was young. I used to withdraw from white people. Because they behave different. Or those who are educated in Chinese school. I withdrew from them because they think different. But I mix with them because I play volleyball and they are good in volleyball. But I hate it. 

I am now struggling with people who speak different. People who speak nonsense. That's why I need to share this as I am struggling with this. 

According to Jewish tradition the destruction of the Jewish temple was because of Sinat Chinam. Disobedience to God's law was a reason. In Ezekiel at chapter 40 you'll read that they were given exact measurements to build the temple. 

Why? Was God telling Ezekiel that the temple will be rebuilt? The second temple is different from the one that Ezekiel spoke about. It was built when the people were only partially repentant. That's why it could not be perfect. That's why after Malachi there was 400 years of silence. 

The second temple, Jesus said that it will be destroyed again and not one stone left. And it was fulfilled as the temple was destroyed and Israel was dispersed all over the world. Recently they came back and they are now trying to build the third temple. 

They cannot build it yet because now the mosque is sitting on that ground. They have all things ready but they cannot build yet. 

God is waiting for the Jews to come to total repentance. And he is purging them. As I read on the internet I see that God is purging the Jews. For honest reporting, you need to see the other side of the story. Local news says Israel is bad. But we need to see the other side of the story. 

There are many Jews who are becoming Christians. They are called the messianic Jews. The Jews have to embrace the whole world in God's love. Our bible came from Israel and preserved by the Jews. They are special people we can learn from. It is difficult for us to understand the bible according to our own culture. That's why we do not get it perfect. We need to go back to the roots of our believe which the people of Israel knows. 

Malaysian side is saying the Jews were killing the Palestinian. Yesterday more than 170 was killed. A few weeks ago three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped. Israel sent their ground forces to hunt for the three. Because of that they discovered many Hamas tunnels. They used these tunnels to go into Israel to attack them. After a few weeks they discovered the teenagers were murdered in cold blood. Of course some of the Israelites want revenge and killed an Arab teenager. In KL, many came to Dataran to protest against the fighting. But the ones that do not want to stop are the Hamas. The terrorist in Gaza. 

When a ceasefire was called, Israel obeyed but Hamas continued to shoot their rockets. I needed to share because some of you don't know what's happening. Israel gave them an ultimatum that if they don't stop they will come in and take over Gaza. And the civilians were told to evacuate but the Hamas did not allow them to evacuate so there were many casualties. 

Rockets that were targeted at Israel was intercepted. Almost 90% of them. And those that were not intercepted, Hamas said their God diverted the missiles so the target were not hit. Praise God. It was reported on the world news. 

So where do we fit in? We do not take sides. In a quarrel, both sides also wrong. In Israel there are those who do wrong. Of course. In Malaysia there are those who do wrong. In the church there are people who do wrong. But look at what God is doing. 

Ezekiel 43:10-11

10 “Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, 11 and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple–its arrangement, its exits and entrances–its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.

They were in exile with no temple but when they write down these measurements, it is the same like as if they were building it. Just like Bro Wilbur showed me drawings of my office in drawings I see it. 

So as they were building it God brought shame to their hearts. It is not the outward form. It comes into the heart. God wants them to repent as they do it. Just like when we took communion, we contemplate. We look inwards and we see our sin. 

I am an end time preacher. I have to preach like John the Baptist. God wants a pure bride. A bride that is ready. Because the church is not pure enough. It comes from the heart and God wants to deal with us. We are not yet ready to love everybody. 

Revelation 7:9

The Great Multitude in White Robes 9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

I work a lot with Filipinos and Malays and there are some traits I hate. I say 90% of them are like that. The Vietnamese also. A brother bought plane ticket for him and he missed the plane. They are always late. It's all about their way. They are laid back people. You can't get them to do much things. 

But God wants all people to come into his kingdom. 

"Ahavat Chinam" Hebrew for baseless love. Starts from noting in one's mind the positive traits without whitewashing the less desirable ones. This is what God wants us to learn. It's like agape love. Unconditional love. 

God is love so he wants us to love. 

Romans 15:7

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

We are all different from the Jews. We are Gentiles yet God accepted us. The way that we are with all our hang ups. He wants us to do likewise. Love your neighbour as yourself. 

1 Peter 4:7-8

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

I was put through their school of experience. When God asked me to adopt an Indian as a son from the streets. A drug addict. An alien that came into my house. He was not a Malaysian. He came and became a Christian. I had one year to take care of him. I worked with drug addicts for more than 30 years. They are very hard to change. I was given one year to change this guy. He was a typical sinner. Very good in cheating and mischievous. And I adopted him into my home. I went through hell but as I went through this baseless love I learnt. 

After one year I became love personified. He did so many nasty things and I did not understand myself. He wanted me to hate him. He did not believe anyone could love him. He tore three bibles. He desecrated the bible when he urine on it. But I couldn't hate or be angry of him. I felt like I was a fool for Christ to deal with this guy. 

He was a very traumatic person. He became suicidal and I lived on the 9th floor. He was on a chair at the balcony. I told him "you want to die please don't die in my house" (laughs).

This person was not the same as the rest of them. I was a professional counsellor but with this person, I changed my methods as I treated him like my own son. Professionally you can change a person in 6 years. But for him with a different method he changed in one year. He said your love has conquered me. I have not seen anyone who was as grateful as him. Just as Jesus said, grateful when much is forgiven. The rest I counselled never came back and gave me bananas also. 

He also made me cried like I never cried before. But he also made me laugh like never before. To teach me to love him. He is now in heaven as he had HIV. I wanted to put a photo of him out there but didn't get to do it. 

I have a three godson. There was one his heart was full of pain. He felt no one can love him. He was always talking about his friends and family and he always curse them. At the beginning i never corrected him. After about one month of building a relationship with him, I asked him a favour. He said sure. I said can you stop saying foul words and immediately he felt ashamed. And he just took out his hands and he said okay to me. You do not need to keep correcting them. Before they know you can trust them you cannot change them. 

I could love this boy because I only focused my attention on his good points. Many said he is a liar. But I focused on his good points. When he was baptised and was given 50 ringgit, he took me shopping because he was thankful. I bought a shoe that cost 30 ringgit and I still keep it for sentimental reasons. 

If we are to learn to love people, don't look at how they are like. They didn't do anything wrong to you. 

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth]. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 AMP)

Someone said to me you better make sure the work in Teluk Kumbar is a success because someone is waiting for you to fail. I don't know this person. I just want to obey. It's not about me as it's about God. There are more people that is more talented than me. I am a nobody. I can only think it's jealousy. So let's stop the animosity. So that we can all go home to God as a family of love. 

Selfless Obedience

Bro Vive Supramaniam

It is a privilege to be able to deliver the word of God this morning. I have been having an invitation at least once a month to minister and it has enlarged me and I am thankful. Our pastor is ministering at a church camp in Ipoh and sister Melinda is ministering at Haggai. We also just had 6 heroes who just came back from Nasi Thong. A lot of hard work I was told. They had to plant 30 poles weighing up to 30 kg each. They had to dig the ground first. Worst were the barb wires. So we thank God that Topians are everywhere answering the call to serve. 

I titled my message 'Selfless Obedience'. The two clips talks about Abraham and Jesus. It talks about sacrifice. But before the sacrifice there was obedience. Abraham obeyed and sacrificed his son and Jesus obeyed and went to the cross. 

The bible says a lot about obedience. The Ten Commandments spoke about this commandments and we see how important the concept of obedience was to God. Deuteronomy 11:26–28 sums it up like this: "Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed."

What is obedience? 

To understand the term you need to go back to the bible dictionary. 

According to Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary a succinct definition of biblical obedience is "to hear God's Word and act accordingly.” 

Eerdman's Bible Dictionary says, "True 'hearing,' or obedience, and involves the physical hearing that inspires the hearer, and a belief or trust that in turn motivates the hearer to act in accordance with the speaker's desires."

Biblical (Hebrew) - shama means “to hear intelligently; to consider and consent with contentment; to diligently discern and perceive with the ear; to give ear”

Biblical (Greek) – hupakouo means “to listen attentively; to heed or conform to a command or authority”

In summary, biblical obedience means, simply, to hear, trust, submit and surrender to God and obey his Word.

In 1Samuel 15 we will go through the life of king Saul and his obedience to God. Let's read the whole chapter. 

1 Samuel 15

Saul Spares King Agag 1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ” 4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. Saul Rejected as King 10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. 12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” 17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.” 30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord. 32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

This gives us a picture of a king who disobeyed instructions given to him by the prophet Samuel. King Saul was given a clear instruction through Prophet Samuel to destroy the Amalekites and EVERTHING that belong to them. This was because of what the Amalekites have done to the people of Israel years before, when they came out from Egypt. Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Gen.36: 12). His descendants, called, Amalekites, were the relentless enemies of Israel. We read in Exodus 17:8–16 When Israel came out of Egypt and passed through the wilderness, the Amalekites attacked them. God gave the Israelites victory, but the evil was never forgotten. 

We know from Deuteronomy 25:18 that this attack is cowardly because they attack from behind, preying upon stragglers who are faint and weary. God gives the Israelites victory over the Amalekite army, but this does not wipe out the entire nation. God specifically commands that a future generation blot out the memory of this people, and this command is recorded for Israel’s posterity.

God command that in future they will be destroyed. God gave king Saul specific commands to destroy them. 

In Deuteronomy 25:17–19 God said,

Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way, when you were faint and weary, and cut off at your rear all who lagged behind you; and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

He started well to attack and to destroy them. But he did not kill Agag and some of the choice livestock. He spared Agag and his family. Because of this disobedience it affected the Israelites in the future. 

1. Partial obedience is disobedience. 

Saul does most of what God has instructed him to do but he did not obey God completely. And Samuel saw this as sin. Saul only obeyed God’s command to the point that it made sense to him. Saul figured it was unreasonable to destroy the fine livestock. He probably thought that was just an oversight on God’s part. Saul assumed that God wouldn’t mind if he spared Agag, the king, as a trophy of his great victory.

Why did he spare Agag? The king of the enemy is the biggest prize of winning a war. 

When Germany won the World Cup, what did they do? They paraded the trophy in an open top bus. They were celebrating. It is the same in the past, they will parade the enemy king and to show them off. They will humiliate the king of the enemy. 

Saul’s disobedience does not stem from compassion. I think we may safely assume that Saul’s sparing of Agag, along with his sparing of the best of the flocks and herds of the Amalekites, is really self-serving.

First, Saul doesn’t even see what he did as wrong. In verse 13, he says “I have carried out the Lord’s instructions…” He has? Second, in verse 14, he blame-shifts and denies disobeying. Samuel confronts him with the sounds of bleeting sheep and the lowing of cattle. Samuel can hear the animals. He knows they have survived. If Saul had carried out the Lord’s command, there would be no animals left and certainly not Agag, their king.  In verse 15, he shifts the blame onto the soldiers. Then he reaffirms that he totally destroyed the rest. How could he have “totally destroyed” some, but not all? He’s admitting that he didn’t completely carry out the task, while at the same time saying he did carry it out.

Third, Saul again says he obeyed and refuses to repent. After Samuel calls him out in verses 17-19, in verse 20, he says, “But I did obey the Lord.” He’s still not willing to admit he’s done anything wrong. Saul even offered "godly" reason for his actions. He hadn't done what God told him, and yet he tries to portray himself so wonderfully. When Samuel asked about the presence of the spoils, Saul blamed the disobedience on his soldiers, rationalising that they were preserved for sacrifice to the “LORD your God.”

Was God pleased? God was not pleased. Can we make the same mistake? Can we disobey God and convince ourselves that we obeyed God? 

John Woodhouse wrote the following in his book titled “1 Samuel” - "Has it ever crossed your mind that you might compensate for some disobedience to God's word with regular churchgoing or generous giving or even disciplined praying and Bible reading?"

The Road of Disobedience is littered with Excuses. Saul has a lot of excuses and some of it seems to be very religious. Do we have excuses today? When we did not obey him completely do we give excuses? We got to check our heart and our motive. Are we really obeying God?

After all the excuses, Samuel says this, to obey is better than sacrifice. Rebellion some say is as bad as witchcraft. The consequence of Saul's sin is that he was rejected by God as king. It led to Saul's downfall. In 1Samuel 13 he also disobeyed God so this is not the first time. Partial obedience is also classified as rejecting the Word of God (verse 26).

To know what God commands us to do (or not to do), and then to disobey, is to willfully rebel against God. No ritualistic worship, no ceremonial activity, overrides the evil of such sin. 

2. Obedience is not optional. 

The day we are saved we obey. Obedience is action. It is being submissive to God. Hearing his word and doing it. In 1Samuel 15, Saul had very good instructions. 1Samuel 15: 1 “Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.” I want to rephrase Samuel’s reminder: “Saul, it was God Who made you king over Israel. Because of that fact, you are obliged to obey His commands.”

King Saul was given a clear and precise instruction. The Orders (verses 1-5) was clear. God was not vague in His command. God called Saul, very specifically, to destroy the Amalekite nation. But he choose to disobey

Christ was the perfect example of obedience. He was perfectly obedient to God. The selfless obedience of Jesus Christ to the will of God his Father, through which the redemption of humanity is accomplished. Christ sets an example which believers are called to imitate.

He became man, he humbled himself, and he became obedient to death—death on a cross, Philippians 2:8. Jesus came and obeyed for us, precisely because he knew we couldn’t do it on our own. Jesus alone is the truly obedient one.

Our motive to obedience is love. It is our expression of love to God. The world view obedience in a very negative light. The world view it as something that is being forced. They perform it out of concern of punishment. Children when asked to clean their room does it for fear of being punished. 

Obedience starts with love. If you love me you will obey what I commanded. As his disciples, we follow Christ's example as well as his commands. Our motivation for obedience is love:

We see obedience in relationship to fearing God but God sees it as motivated by love. Love is the underpinning of our love for God in an outward expression. We don't obey him because we have to but because we want to. 

Just as God did not make Saul king of Israel because his own merits, neither are we God’s children today on the basis of any personal merits of our own. 

Our sins have been forgiven simply because of the marvelous grace of God (Eph 2:8-9). The Apostle Paul goes further, and adds, “…Ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor 6:19b, 20).

TOP is going through a series of evangelism. In cell groups too. To bring the good news to the world. That's a commandment given to us. Are we obeying the great commission? Do we take it upon ourself to obey?

MH17 tells us the fragility of life. I pray that all of us will be bold to share the word of God. That we will take every opportunity to obey God. There are many other commandments we are called to obey. Our obedience is always in alignment with God's word. 

Obedience is crucial in the Christian life. Sacrifice without obedience is simply an outward performance of a religious duty or act.

A study of the Bible and of human history reveals that man's obedience to God's will has always brought man happiness, and disobedience has always brought unhappiness. 

For this reason we have in the Bible an emphasis on obedience. God said, "The things I command you, observe to do". Deuteronomy 12:32. Again, "If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land". Isaiah 1:19.

Christ himself set the example of obedience to the Father's will. 

"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him". Hebrews 5:8,9. 

Christ said, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" John 6:38. 

Christ said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven" Matthew 7:21.

True obedience flow from our heart in gratitude for the grace we have received from the Lord. 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1

Friends, this account in history reminds us that although we have a choice, obedience is not optional!  Those who belong to God obey Him. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to Him. - Colossians 2:6

I grew up near an airfield and I lived to see fighter jets. I wanted to be a pilot but my mother said no. More fighter jet crash in training than in a war (laughs). A MIG29 fighter jet is an amazing aircraft with incredible capabilities. But there is one thing that a fighter pilot requires above all else. That the aircraft reacts completely to his control. The fighter pilot has the control stick to steer the plane and every action the plane has to response. Can you imagine what would happen to the plane of it refused to follow the commands of the pilot? It had to respond to how the pilot wants to control the plane. If it were to have "a mind of its own" regardless of how remarkable that might sound, it would end up grounded. 

Same with our mind. How many of you know that the Lord wants us to obey him? He wants is to obey him, calling us to a selfless obedience. He wants us to serve him and to give our very best. 

Disobedience brings defeat, discouragement and ultimately death. In contrast the Outcome of Obedience is victorious life in Christ Jesus. 

A child of God is able, with a heart after God’s own, to learn to walk in the path of obedience.

Bro Vive delivering his hard hitting message.

How To Make Your Walls Fall Down Flat Part 2

Rev Gideon Lee

III. v.3-5 ISRAEL HAD A PARTNER

A. Israel's partner was none other than God Himself! He was in absolute control of the battle, He was leading them, and He was the guarantee of their victory!

(Ill. The visit of the Captain of the Lord's Host - Josh. 5:13-15. Remember that He came to tell Joshua that He did not come to take sides, He came to take over!)

B. As we face our walled cities and the obstacles of our lives, it is a blessing to know that we do not have to face them alone, Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5, or in our own strength, John 16:13; Phil. 4:13!

C. No obstacle is insurmountable as long as we face it in the Lord!

(Ill. A moment ago, we spoke of the power of God's promises. For a moment, let's talk about the weapons we have been given to fight the battles.

1. The Word of God - You and I have been blessed by the Lord in that He has given us a perfect, inspired, infallible, inerrant record of His Word. The Word of God is called the "logos". This word speaks of the entirety of the revealed word of God. It speaks of your Bible. When Paul was listing the armor that is to be worn by the saints as they battle the enemy, he mentions the one offensive weapon we have and that is the Word of God, Eph. 6:17. You see, the Bible is like a vast armory. In this armory there are weapons of every description. They have been specifically designed to fight particular battles. It is interesting to note that when Paul mentions the Word of God as a weapon of spiritual warfare, He does not use the word "logos". He, instead, uses the word "rhema". This word means a particular Word of God. If we continue to think of the Bible as an armory filled with swords of all descriptions, then the "rhema" would be a particular sword for a particular battle. This truth is illustrated by the Lord Jesus Christ on the Mount of Temptation. When the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread, Jesus responded by saying, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Here, Jesus also used the word "rhema". Each time the devil attacked our Lord, Jesus walked into the armory of the Word of God and chose just the right sword for each attack. Each time, Jesus went into the Deuteronomy section of the armory and carefully selected just the right sword He need to stick the devil.

Folk, the same principle will work for you and me! God has a word for what you are facing. However, if you don't know your way around the armory, then you will not be able to select the right sword. It is imperative that we learn this Book so that when the day of battle arises, we will be able to grab the right sword and vanquish our enemies!

2. Prayer - Far too often we ignore the great power that has been given to us in prayer! Prayer is far more than me just taking my grocery list to the Lord and reading it off. Prayer is my entering into a conversation with the God of the universe. I speak to Him and He speaks to me. I am able to tell Him about what is on my heart and He is able to tell me what is on His heart. Prayer has the ability to get things done! You see, we have been given some pretty awesome promises in the arena of prayer.

A. God has promised that He will hear our prayers - Jer. 33:3; Isa. 65:24.

B. God has promised that He will answer our prayers - John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14-15.

C. God has promised that He will help us pray - Rom. 8:26-27. (Ill. Essentially all true prayer begins with God. He speaks to our hearts and we offer the prayer He lead us to pray back up unto Him. This is the way to pray in the will of the Father!)

(Ill. The power of our prayers - J. Sidlow Baxter - "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our argument, but they are helpless against our prayers!" (Ill. Hannah, Samson, Elijah, Elisha, Abraham, etc. Thank God, prayer has the potential to change any situation! It is sad, however, that prayer is given such a minor role in the modern church. The old fashioned prayer meeting has gone the way of the horse and buggy. But, you mark it down, those churches and individuals who have held onto the promises, power and the practice of prayer are seeing their walled cities conquered!)

I. Israel Had A Problem
II. Israel Had A Promise
III. Israel Had A Partner

IV. v.6-21 ISRAEL PREVAILED

A. Ill. The context. Israel marched around the city in obedience to the Lord and they prevailed! (Ill. The absurdity of the command! Can you imagine how the people in Jericho must have reacted? They saw the armies of Israel approaching their city and they probably thought that they were about to be invaded by the enemy. Then, just as Israel came near the city, they turned and began to march around the walls. I can see those inside Jericho as they ran to see where the Israelites would mount their attack. However, instead of attacking, the soldiers, and the priests merely marched around the city one time. All that was heard was the sound of the ram's horn trumpets and the pounding of the soldier's feet upon the ground. This was repeated for 6 days. By this time, the people in Jericho were no doubt mocking and jeering the Israelites. Then on the seventh day, they compassed the city seven times. When they had finished that seventh lap, the priests gave a long blast on the trumpets and the people of Israel shouted with a great shout! It wasn't the shout of an attacking army, it wasn't a shout of fear, but it was a shout raised in praise to their God Who had promised them the victory. When the people shouted, the walls fell down flat and Israel ran into the city and utterly destroyed it. Theirs was a great victory!)

B. There are some reasons why Israel experienced victory at Jericho:

1. They had a Word from God - (v.2-6) 2 Tim. 2:15; John 16:13

2. They believed God - (v.8-20) God said it, that settled it! Do we really believe God? Mark 11:22; Matt. 21:21-22!

3. They acted in faith - (Ill. Heb. 11:1; 11:6) (Ill. I John 5:14-15, James 1:8)

4. They did it God's way - (Ill. This is the secret to success!) His way may seem too hard, too slow, or as in this case too foolish, but His way is always the best way! (Ill. Isa. 55:8-9)

5. God gave them the victory - (v.20-21)

C. God's church will prevail, Matt. 16:18; God's people will prevail! You can prevail in whatever situation you are facing right now! Take a lesson from Israel, God has promised us the victory - 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 John 5:4

Conclusion: What kind of walled city are you facing right now? Does it appear to be unconquerable? Do the walls look too high and do they appear too thick? Does it seem that victory is absolutely impossible in your case? Let me remind you that if your walls haven't already fallen down flat, they can! They can fall right now! You need to take a lesson from Israel and start handling your Jericho's God's way. Will you come before Him this morning with whatever your need is? Will you bring it to Jesus right now! He excels in doing the undoable! He can poss the impossible, think the unthinkable, do the undoable! He is still a miracle working God! Greater than obstacle, able to move any mountain, stronger than any barrier you might face today. Bring it to Him and watch Him work it out!

Many thanks to pastor Gideon for his notes for this week's sermon.

PEACE in a Troubled World

Kenny Song

Your pastor messaged me two weeks ago and asked what I am going to preach about? Not another Titanic he laughed. Maybe the World Cup? I was honest with him. I said I don’t know yet.

But today I know. If not I wouldn’t be up here. It is something that was stirring in my heart for the past week. And the tragedy that just happened made it all the more relevant. We are all saddened by the MH17 tragedy, especially since MH370 is still unresolved. Then on Friday’s cell, I saw how important it was for our members when they are going through personal struggles. And yesterday, someone posted the particular scripture that I am using for today’s message. I know today, God has a word for some of you here.

So what is the topic? What is the one thing that the world have tried to find but it has been elusive. What is the one thing that men and women seek but cannot find?

Church, that word is PEACE. 

But first of all, let me qualify what we mean when we say Peace. Here is what the dictionary says.

1. freedom from disturbance; tranquillity, calmness, restfulness
2. a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.

That is the world’s definition of Peace. Notice, it is the absence of something. Absence of disturbance or trouble. Absence of war or conflict.

That is NOT the peace I want to talk about.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Note that here it is not the absence of something. It is the presence of a person. The presence of God. The presence of Jesus. The presence of a saviour. THIS is the peace I want to talk about this morning.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

While the world screams anxiety, anger, frustration, loss and more, God enters into our midst and says, "My peace I leave with you,” and humanity needs it so.

The world is in turmoil. There is war all the time at different places of the world. Right now, Israel is surrounded by enemies on all sides and the conflict is escalating. The war around Ukraine and Russia is said to have caused the shooting down of MH17. Back home, we have other crisis. Religious and racial tension. Political instability. Economic uncertainty. Rising cost of living. Our weakening education system. 

I am not even talking about our personal problems. Our work. Our relationships. Our finances. Christians and non Christians alike struggles with these issues. So what is the difference?

I think if Pastor Roland is here, he may ask me to step down already.

It is a picture of gloom isn’t it? The world we live in is not all rosy and nice. It is a world with full of troubles. Is it a surprise? What did Jesus say? “In this world you will have trouble”. He is talking to the ones that believes in Him. So christians, we are not spared of troubles.

That is why I never tell an unbeliever, if you accept Jesus, all your troubles will be gone. Your life will be perfect. There will be no more sorrow, or heartache, or pain. That’s a lie. Anyone here who no longer has problems the day you become a Christian please put up your hand. Anyone? I’ll want to know your God (laughs).

We know that’s not true. And I can see it in my own family. How many of you remember the testimony of my family’s salvation the last time I shared? That was Part 1. It was wonderful right? You may say how wonderful, the whole family saved in one night. Wow!

Well, here is Part 2 and it is not so nice.

My father was an only son. So he was very fervent in ancestral worship. It was left to him to continue that. That was one of the struggles he had in becoming a Christian. It was a major hurdle for him. 

The first night after we attended church having travelled from Alor Star, we slept at my brother's house. He was sleeping downstairs. In the middle of the night, we heard him scream. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! We all ran out and he told us that he dreamt that his father (my grandfather) took a big piece of wood and hit my father for abandoning him. For betraying him by becoming a Christian.

But to our surprise, he just told us to go back to sleep. It's okay. I have called out to Jesus. He had the peace of God. That was very unlike the father I knew. My father before he became a Christian was a worrier and a fearful man.

Then back in Alor Star a few weeks later, the police arrived at our house one evening and arrested my brother for CBT. A crime he committed before he became a christian. I heard my brother told his wife when he was handcuffed away, he said don't worry. Everything will be alright. We believe in Jesus now. 

The miracle was that the arrest was on a Friday in Alor Star so it was a holiday and no press was there. Then he was moved to Penang for court hearing and arrived Sunday, which was a holiday in Penang and again no press was there. It never appeared in the newspapers. God was merciful.

In prison, my brother was placed in a cell with a man on death row. So my brother shared about his salvation and about Jesus. This man finally asked my brother, who is this Jesus you are talking about? In prison, they had only packed rice with curry. So they would keep the paper wrapper in order to use it to clean themselves or have something to read. My brother kept his papers on a window sill. When this man asked him, my brother felt the prompting to look at those papers. Lo and behold, on one of the paper was a painting of Jesus and his 12 disciples at the last supper. My brother showed the man and told him this is the Jesus that can save his soul. That was my brother’s last supper in prison after his case was settled and he was discharge.

My brother today is actively serving God in church and he has been delivered from his gambling vice.

Our relative's accusation was that bad things happened to our family because we became Christians. But in spite of all these challenges as babes in Christ, we learnt one thing. We have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back no turning back. And through it, we put our trust in Him and his PEACE that surpasses all understanding was our portion. It is very hard to describe how at those times, we really felt God’s peace as a family.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Song family experienced that first hand. And we saw for the first time what scripture meant when it says:

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

So today, I am going to lift the gloom off how we see the world by helping you turn your eyes upon Jesus. Peace I leave with you. That’s what He promised us. And how do we attain this peace?

Just now we read in Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The answer is in the verse before that. Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I remember the day when we took Papa Song to the hospital for the doctor to tell him he has pancreatic cancer. My father used to be an anxious person. He is a worrier. At one time he was under medication after a near nervous breakdown. His experience of being on the death train to work on the Burma railroads during the Japanese occupation impacted him greatly. But on that day when the bad news was told to him, he was a changed man. He was a man that loved God and trust Him, even if it meant looking at death face to face. He had PEACE that surpasses all understanding.

He said if God extends his life he is ready to continue to serve him. If not, he is ready to go home. That is a peace no man can give except Jesus.

Are you going through some struggles in your life? Are there storms that are raging in your life and it seems hopeless. If it is troubling you, I want to remind you of this passage in the bible.

Mark 4:35-41

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”[a] 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

These were fishermen so they are not unaccustomed to raging seas. But this must have been a huge storm. Maybe much like what you are going through. Storms of financial crisis. Health struggles. Relationship breakdowns. Just remember this.

You are not alone in the boat. Jesus in on board with you. The bible says he will never leave or forsake you.

Second, he spoke Peace, be still and the storm heed his command. He can stop that raging storm in your life. You just need to trust him.

I want to end with this little thought. When you sometimes makes a call to a service centre for technical help or for online banking, you hear these word, "sila tekan 1 untuk Bahasa Malaysia, please press 2 for English" (laughs). Then it goes through several other commands before the dreaded "please hold" and you hear their advertisements. Then comes, "We’re sorry, but all our service personnel are busy, please hold" (more laughs). And this can carry on for a while. And you ask, give up la, and you put down the phone. 

Maybe that's what they want you to do. And your problem is not resolved. So after a while you decided try again. And you hear once more “sila tekan 1" (laughs).

What I am trying to tell you is that in the storms of your life, let his peace reign in you while you wait upon him. Don’t hang up. God’s line is never faulty or disconnected. He is never too busy. It is all about His timing and his timing is always perfect. Don’t hang up, because he won’t hang up on you.

And while you wait upon Him, have this assurance that he will carry you through. His grace will always be sufficient for you. And rest in Him knowing that our father in heaven always reserve the best for his children.

Many thanks to my interpreter Mallyssa