Reading God's word is just like installing an antivirus on your computer.
New computers may come with no antivirus or with limited antivirus. In the same way, when we come into the world, we might not have the knowledge of the Word of God (the Word of God is always with and around us) or we might have it (though in a limited way) while we were growing up in a Christian family.
However, there are always people who wants to wreck havoc in our lives and create viruses. And new viruses are added each day. In the spiritual realm, satan does that. While some links, softwares and pirated warez looks tempting and nice, it has an army of viruses waiting behind to do the damage it has been programmed for.
It is thus crucial that we find the right antivirus and that's not the end; we need ensure it is updated so when a new virus tries to enter our system, we can nip it in its bud and/or clean it. God gives this antivirus and it's His word and it's free. No need for annual subscription to renew license, it's free.
Do you have the right antivirus software and are you updating it to deal with new challenges? If not, it's little wonder that damage is sometimes done and systems can halt and jam and even die.
And even though you do not have antivirus, are on a much limited antivirus, have not updated it and/or have been infected, there's nothing that God's antivirus cannot rectify and it's never too late to install the right one and update it to God's antivirus.
Satan longs to disarm us of God's antivirus or to have us stop updating it as he throws old tricks (new packaging) at us.
God's Word is a gateway which prevents unnecessary infection, and even though infection has taken place, He can rectify it because the Programmer created you and gave the antivirus; His word.
No wonder it's called B.I.B.L.E: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NKJV)
Our Daily Bread today reminds us of the age old strategy of Satan which is still at work today, rather successfully at times; setting himself against everything God is and says. "(The) problem is that we, like Adam and Eve, believe Satan’s lies. And when we do, our loyalty (and faith) to God is compromised. Then our enemy slithers off to his next assignment, leaving us alone to face our regrets and the realization that his lies have seduced us away from our truest and dearest Friend. Who have you been listening to lately?". What are some lies you are falling prey to recently?
Thinking back, I really thank God for the trip and have come to realize how much I had been blessed through the trip. Even though it may sound cliché, but on hindsight, as I am sitting here typing this reflection, I have come to realize how God is in control all the time and I would say that this is the greatest take away for me.
Philippains 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Mark 10: 27 (NIV) Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
God’s Timing & Plans
I recall a year ago when I was doing cell planning for 2009 and I remember putting down, as one of the goals for the cell, that our cell would take up a mission trip together. Frankly, at that time, I wasn’t much hopeful that this would happen but nonetheless, I remember telling myself it is a good goal to work towards anyway and I do long to be able to anchor a mission trip together with my cell.
Fast forward almost a year later and I found myself prompted to ask my cell if they wanted to anchor a mission trip together. Initially, only 3 indicated interest and chances of it happening seemed so slim. I recall sharing with Min Qin, my fiancée, how I look forward to be able to join the trip. But as we are scheduled to go for marriage preparation course in church, we would only end on 27 Sep, which also happens to be the last day of missions. But, I thank God for working things out and soon, we were told that our marriage preparation course would end a week earlier instead. So that would mean that both me and Min Qin would be able to join the other 3 trippers for the mission trip. Soon, Chek Shih, our Area Overseer, also told us that he would like to join us for the trip too, bringing the number of trippers up to 6 persons. And so we have a mission team! Thinking back, it is amazing how God has worked things out, because the early conclusion of the marriage preparation has availed me, Min Qin and also Chek Shih (who is helping as a facilitator for the marriage preparation course). At the same time, the KAIROS course has also ended on the Saturday before the trip, a timely “graduation” as Min Qin and Trina (who helped out as KAIROS table hosts) and Joyce, were “launched” into missions just a few days later. All in all, it is amazing to note the timeliness of everything.
Anxiety Brews…
The pre-trip preparation was somewhat nerve-wrecking because we did not know what to expect. With only 2 out of the 6 trippers having experience with mission, and with less than two weeks left to the trip following the missions briefing, we started off feeling lost and not knowing what to do. And the thought of 6 of us setting foot onto unfamiliar grounds and meeting people we have yet to meet was enough to bring about much anxiety for me.
Spiritual Warfare
I recall the few weeks prior to the trip, the team started to meet with lots of challenges. For me, I was suddenly entering into the peak period of my work and there was a sudden increase in stress at work, so much so I wasn’t sleeping well at night and was even getting worried about going to work. Soon, I also learnt that my dad was not feeling well and was developing high fever and we had to rush him to the Accidents and Emergency and was warded for pneumonia. Along the way to A&E, my mum also got injured when she tried to get into the taxi and she accidentally knocked her face against the corner of the door. But thank God she is OK. Soon, I also came down with a bad case of flu which plagued me for days up till the eve of the trip. On my way back from the doctor’s, I had also suffered a rather deep cut on my finger as I dug for the key to my house. Things came to a point where I was so overwhelmed by stress at work, at having to deal with my father’s hospitalization, my illness and preparing for the mission trip, that I began to wonder how I am going to cope with it all. I remember turning to God and praying for Him to help me.
One night, I remember being rudely awakened by a nightmare which seemed so real. I had dreamt of a little girl but there is this evilness that I can sense in her and she held on tightly to my arm and threatened me to forsake God. I woke up in cold sweat and panting. This was the first time I had experienced something like this and as I laid there gasping, I could feel a physical pain where the girl had held on to me. The nightmare had been so real that fear began to grip me and I had to do something. I remember bringing out my bible and started to read and meditate on Psalm 23. Soon after, I felt the peace of God returning and I was able to fall back into sleep without much problem.
By this time, I was feeling overwhelmed but the more it got difficult for me, the more I was convinced that I needed to engage in spiritual warfare and pray. I remember one of our cell members commenting in an email that the fact that we are facing so much spiritual attacks does goes to show that we are most probably on the right track. Soon, I have also learnt about my sister having to deal with exhaustion both at work and with preparing for the children’s programme for the mission and there was generally quite a bit of anxiety among the trippers and people were also falling sick, even up to the eve of the trip.
As a team, we decided to fast and pray for the trip and also engaged fellow colleagues, friends, loved ones and cell members as prayer warriors to pray along with us. We were blessed when many of them willingly agreed to pray along for us. Frankly, I felt that we would not have been able to survive the whole trip without our prayer warriors and to that we give thanks to God for; we give thanks for every single one of them. The trip went smoothly because it was bathed in prayer. Talking about the power of prayer!
The Many Willing Helping Hands
As we slowly approached the day of the mission trip, I continue to see how God continued to journey with us and blessed us. It was amazing seeing how much He has helped us to achieve within a short period of time of 12 days; amidst all the stresses and anxiety and work, we had managed to meet up to practice Malay praise and worship songs, bought all the necessary logistics and work on the props for the Sunday school. It was also amazing how God has brought people into our midst to help prepare us for the trip, including Eric and Lydia, who came to share with us their experience in previous trips and taught us Malay praise and worship songs and children action songs. We also thank God for the many cell members who have came forward to help us, including, Jeslyn, in offering her creative skills and helping us to do up the giant worship song sheets; Kent, Elly and Raymond in helping us to do up the backdrop for the skit and cut up stickers for the children. Even though it seemed like a tight deadline to have everything done up, I thank God for unity and also for joy as we went about the shopping and doing the preparations. I thank God for protecting the relationships between all the brothers and sisters and how it seemed the preparations have also brought about much bonding between the trippers.
Dealing with Anxiety
Personally, I also thank God for how he ministered to me during this period. Throughout the whole period of preparation, I can see how the team members are all so focused on doing their best to ensure the success of the trip. I do not deny that this brought with it quite a bit anxiety and stress as we thought “there are so many things to do but yet so little time”. This is especially true for me because, call it occupational hazard, I am a person who is very particular about planning as I do extensive planning to ensure success in my role at work. So by this time, I was getting all edgy with so many things to do but yet having so little time to plan. We literally had to plan as we did our preparation. But throughout the preparation phase, I sensed from God through my quiet time, how we should not focus on the wrong things and ultimately, it is not about how well the things run but it is about how both we and the people we are ministering to are blessed. Things became more crystallized when I found myself in a situation where I had to share about what God has placed on my heart, to encourage one of our trippers about this. Talking about a steep learning curve! So, it’s amazing how God has first ministered to me, and then, as if to drive the point in, caused me to minister to another.
Throughout the preparation phase, I continued to seek God to give me His word so I can encourage our trippers. So, in my quiet time, He continued to speak to me through Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 62:10 and Isaiah 40:10 and reminded me that all we need to do is to just focused on preparing the way for Him and for His people to come to Him and how we are to continue to trust in Him that He will strengthen us and help us.
Prepare the way for Him
Isaiah 40:3 (NIV)
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
Prepare the way for His people to come to Him
Isaiah 62:10 (NIV)
Pass through, pass through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner for the nations.
Continue to trust in God that He will be with us as we go forth
Isaiah 40:10 (NIV)
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
In fact, God continued to minister to me through His word and through people even throughout the trip. I recall that on the first day in Melaka, as we were doing some last minute shopping at the local shopping mall, we entered a Christian bookshop. There, my sister came up to me with a devotional book and pointed out to me how the devotional for the day and the day before was just so timely and appropriate; about not focusing on the wrong things but on worshipping God through what we do. That evening, we had a powerful time of worship, which I sensed further drove this point deep into the hearts of our trippers.
The Body of Christ; One Body Many Parts
I thank God for blessing the team with wisdom and for how each member of the team joyfully brought their giftings to bless one another. I thank God for using me and my skills in planning to put the trip together, though I have come to realize how my planning skills was of no use midway through the trip and realized I had to rely on my other members and God). I thank God for using my meticulousness in managing the mission fund. I thank God for sustaining me through His word, and as much as I was encouraged spiritually, I do hope that I had also been able to encourage the team spiritually too. I thank God for Joyce for her skills and experience in working with children and how this came in handy in planning the children’s programme for the trip as she willing offered her skills and experience. I thank God for Trina for her desire to serve, for her supportive role she played in the team; always ready to serve in any way and also the insights she brings to the team. I thank God for Chek Shih for his ability to confidently drive us around, for being the fatherly figure thus reassuring us, for his ability to translate for us, for his extrovertedness in engaging the Orang Aslis, and also for his humor in bringing much light hearted moments to the trip. I also thank God for Daniel for the joy and enthusiasm he injects to the team and for his willingness to plan out the programme and also his quick-mindedness in responding to situations. I thank God for Min Qin for her enthusiasm, joy, her support to me during the time of trip preparation, her quick-mindedness and her facilitation of the powerful time of worship on Friday evening which spoke into the hearts of the team and also in planning the worship for the trip and drafting out the mission trippers’ booklet. I also thank God for the various people He has placed to support us as well, including the many who supported us in our preparation and pray for us, including Kent, who provided me assurance when he offered to be the contact person in Singapore should my parents need help and James and Joyce Marissa who graciously agreed to help facilitate cell in my absence. God made it very clear to me how he has given each and every one of us different giftings, experiences, skills and how, when we are willing, we complement one another and can achieve much in His ministry. In fact, this was really beyond what I could have imagined because in the early stages of planning, I was still concerned how we are going to pull off the trip when I realized we only had a small team, we did not really have the time to practice worshipping in Malay with the guitar and we might not have someone who could speak Malay. But God provided and showed us that as we set forth to do His work, He provides. And as the body of Christ is willing to be a part, things are achieved.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 14, 25-27 (NIV) There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good… Now the body is not made up of one part but of many… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
God’s Presence
I thank God for His presence with us throughout the trip, not only protecting us; granting us journey mercies, but even in ministering to us through a powerful time of worship on Friday, when the word came how we just needed to focus our attention on praising His name as we embarked on our projects starting the next day and not on anything else.
We thank God for his presence at Sungei Mering when we were caught by surprise and were asked to facilitate a children’s programme but yet without any plans. Nonetheless, we managed to pull together a whole programme and engaged the children. We just trust God and one another and sprung into action. And before we know it, we had managed to engage the children with action songs and the adults were finishing their sharing. By this point, I sensed God teaching me how I need to sometimes learn to rely on Him.
And I thank God for His presence with me on Sunday, as I stepped out to share my testimony with the Orang Asli. There was just a sense of peace and confidence as I faced the people, contrary to how I would feel when usually sharing in public and especially to a group of people I do not know. God gave me the words to speak and blessed my heart and gave me peace, that I found myself confidently sharing and even daring to interact a little with the locals as I shared.
Takeaways
I also thank God for the various takeaways I brought home with me:
Renewed Spiritual Fervor Throughout the trip, I am inspired by Pastor Joseph and his team. I have had the opportunity to chat with Pastor Joseph on Friday when we first met him. I have come to be encouraged by this man, who, despite the challenges faced in his ministry with the Orang Aslis (ranging from their indifference to disruptions from the police and authorities), he continued to hold on to his ministry for years; building rapport with the Orang Asli one by one, spanning his ministry over 17 kampungs over long distances. And yet, he has but a lean team of himself, his wife and 2 other helpers. It does make me ashamed of how I have come to lament and complain when faced with small challenges in ministry to just a small number of people, in blessed Singapore.
It was also amazing seeing Pastor Joseph’s helpers worship the Lord on Sunday. As another of my trippers has remarked: “they have nothing to gain out of their ministry but yet they are putting in so much to serve the Lord”, reaching out to people who might reject them but yet holding on. As I saw his helpers worship and one of them worshipping in tears, I come to realize how each one of them must have a story behind them, an encounter with God, which motivates and sustains them. As for me, I am reminded again as we shared our testimonies on Friday evening, that I have a story too and a rather powerful encounter with God. But because I am rarely revisiting it nowadays, I seem might be slowly forgetting about how God is so real in my life. I need to continue to remember what the Lord has done in my life and am thinking that it might be good for me to revisit my story on an annual basis during my spiritual retreat while continuing to be aware of how real God is in my life every single day.
Psalm 77:11-12 (NIV)
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
“One-Truth-At-A-Time”
Pastor Joseph also shared about his ministry principle of sharing one bible truth at a time to the Orang Asli. I guess it is a real reality check for me to take a step back sometimes in ministry and how sometimes packing too many truth into one sharing might not be helpful and I need to cater to varying levels of spiritual growth.
We are linked to one another to God During the trip, I had the chance to chat with Pastor Joseph and in the midst of talking, I had come to learn that he was classmates with an officer in The Salvation Army, where I work. This officer is also the same one who persisted and shared Christ with him, bringing him to Christ. Talking about a small world! And now he is here, reaching out to, ministering to and blessing many others.
Much later in the trip, I recall Chek Shih sharing how we are all part of God’s link in reaching out to His people; that we can choose to be a strong link, the weakest link or the missing link.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Even after I returned to work from mission trip, this continue to speak strongly to me when I heard my colleagues share how one of them shared her testimony during Alpha course the week before and as a result, someone who used to be resistant to receiving Christ, was touched and chose to receive Christ that very week. My colleague had shared that the pastor who approached her mentioned that he was prompted to ask her to share her testimony and how she, despite feeling her testimony is just a simple one, was also led by the Spirit to accept the invitation to share. And after she had shared, God used her testimony to touch the life of this lady who subsequently decided to accept Christ. Nothing is impossible for God.
Beware of cultural Assumption I have come to also realized how sometimes I would bring cultural assumptions into the missions field, just as how I nearly asked a boy who was doing some colouring to use orange for skin when I realized that their cultural understand of skin colour is dark brown. And God made each and every person they way they are, despite differences in skin colour, lifestyle, habits etc. I have learnt that I needed to be mindful of my cultural assumptions I bring into missions.
Breakthroughs I thank God for the breakthroughs in trip. At the beginning of the trip, I was feeling really lousy at not being able to engage the children and retreating again into my introvertedness. But as I reached the second project site at Sungei Mering, I remember telling myself that there is nothing to lose and I just needed to trust God. I did managed to break out of my negativity and became more engaged with the locals as we sang and danced to Malay praise songs.
Similarly, I had initially also intended not to share my testimony because the Pastor was telling us on Saturday that we can choose what we wanted to share with the locals, either a testimony or a song item etc. But after hearing him share about his challenges with the Orang Asli and how he would like to bring them to a deeper level of worship of God; from worshipping God for the goodness they received, to worshipping God for His greatness, I decided to just trust God and hoped to share and encourage them. At that very moment, God placed in my heart a burden and it became far too difficult for me to say no to share.
I was glad that I took the step of faith and could sense His peace upon me as I began to share my testimony with confidence on Sunday. Even though it was just a short version of my testimony, I trust God to be able to use it mightily according to His will.
Frankly, I can go on and on… but I just want to thank God for:
journey mercies and how despite plans and project sites were changed, we did not get lost and managed to always find our way to different places.
exposure to working with children on Saturday as we observed the our Malaysian brothers and sisters engage the children and how this has helped us to prepare ourselves for our second project at Sg Mering and also for Sunday School.
blessings over the trippers’ health and there was no major health problems during the trip, with the exception of me having a breakout of rashes on my neck, which cleared up soon.
friendly locals who welcomed us
unity and bonding not only within the team but also with Pastor Joseph and his team there. There was even a time where the team spontaneously burst out singing hymns as we made our way to Sunday service.
food credits for our hotel stay and so we had got to enjoyed a good sumptuous Japanese buffet on the evening of day 2.
energy and being able to sustain through the few days despite having little sleep with all the preparation the previous nights e.g. rehearsal for skit etc.
time for fellowship and a little eating and shopping on Sunday after finishing off with Sunday service.
touching me as I worshipped the Lord in the midst of people of a different culture, even though I did not understand them. It was amazing and awesome to see people of different tongues worshipping the Lord together. And I can’t imagine how it would be like on the day of Christ’s return when people of every nation and tongue worship and praise Him.
enough funds and how there is even remaining money from our fund.
the good rest I had at the trip, being away from all my work and challenges in Singapore.
Jesus warns about false prophets and teachers; the challenges we face today is not only worldly values which impacts lives but also a watering down of the gospel to fit our livestyles, to justify our lives and/or to manage our sins.
But the gospel of Jesus Christ is radically simple. Are we preaching the true gospel of Jesus?
"Living and Sharing the True Gospel of Jesus" by Dr Corne Bekker (19 July 2009)
In this sermon, Dr Corne Bekker address Riverlife Church on the impending revival and what to look out for as the enemy will come to counter the work of God.
He also shares from Mark how we are to live and share the true gospel of Jesus.
Luke 10:38-41 (NIV) As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!""Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
My Realisation that "I Am Tired" I am tried... yes, I have to admit that as I was going through devotion last week, I have come to realise that my life is filled with so many things; appointments, to-dos, meetings, trainings, planning etc that I am beginning to feel drained.
And what came out during my devotion last week came as a timely reminder from the Lord as I focused on the topic of simplicity throughout the week. And as if to reinforce the reminder, a recent sms conversation with a friend further emphasized how I needed to do something about this.
A few weeks back, one of my friends asked to meet up, since it has been ages since we last met each other. My natural response was to take out my diary and after looking through my diary, I messaged him back "let's meet on 8 August" - the day this conversation took place was 8 July. Well, no choice, that was the next available date I have given all the things I had to go and attend to and the dates I had to set aside for other things.
Not surprisingly, my friend responded something to the effect "Wow, you very busy hor? have to wait one month to meet up with you!" The sms initially made me chuckle but then made me realised how there is truth in it as well and I was indeed "very busy".
Does this seem familiar? Or maybe you have yet to come to the same stage as me but is well on the way there.
The Desire to Simplify our Lives In an observation in my devotion last week, the author commented how we have all become "anxious, overwhelmed, overworked... and the more we fill our lives with time saving devices and time saving strategies, the more rushed we feel...".
In another observation, he confidently mentioned that whenever people ask us "Hi how are you?", our response would be something like "Oh, doing fine la, just busy, busy busy. You know packed schedules, lots of meetings, people to see, places to go".
Are you tired? Maybe, some of us has come to the stage where we are so tired, we want to just simplify our lives. And the bible seems to have lots of suggestions how we can do just that. I have learnt that:
The Need to See the Eventuality of Life (Setting Things in Perspective) "Imagine for a moment that your physician announced that you had only six months to live. Close your eyes for sixty seconds, put yourself in that position, and wait for the thouthgs and feelings to arise. Among other things, I bet your perspective changed and your values shifted... the notion that your earthly life has a definite end gives you perspective and a sense of urgency about the things that matter most".
Romans 13: 11-14 (NIV) 11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Without eternal perspective, we seem to be still asleep, living each day as it is and living to help ourselves make our lives on earth better. Well, nothing wrong with that but then we are reminded that we have life beyond death as well and what are we doing about it? Paul asked us to wake up and live each day clothed with the Lord Jesus as we live righteously. That is what God desires, that He "did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life" (1 Thessolonians 4:7) and to "be holy and blameless in his sight" (Ephesians 1:4).
Today is the only day guaranteed to you, yesterday is over and tomorrow may never come...
If there are anything which we have yet to repent of, ask God to help you identify these which may stand in your way of drawing to Him and experiencing His love, grace, mercy, plans and power in your life.
The Need for Focus on the Inner (Ask: Am I Focusing on the Right Things?) "We often get it backwards by attempting to start on the outside and moving inwards. Sometimes we can start by giving up certain behaviours and responsibilities, but ultimately its an illusion to think we can surrender possessions, wealth, or even a busy schedule without also having an inner change... simplicity begins by having a single purpose in life... when you stray away from God, you get caught up in the world's system and lose sight of your main purpose" which is to love God and His people (see the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-31).
Matthew 6:19-21 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Science and psychology has shown that a person's inner world is real and can have great impact on our lives. We act based on what is happening on our inner worlds. So in our inner worlds, where do we focus? Do we focus on the eternal or do we focus on things of the world to quench our thirst at the depth of our souls?
Do we "expend much of our emotional and physcial energy buying things we don't necessarily need, with money we certainly don't have, in order to impress people that we don't even like" in this world system of 3"i"s that speaks of "increasing your possessions, impressing others and indulging youself"?
What is your purpose, what is your priorities, definition of success, perspective of life?
The Need to Guard Against the Enemy's Tactics / Refute the Enemy's Lies (Ask: Am I Duped?) "Someone once asked billionaire Nelson Rockefeller how much money it would take to satisfy a man. His answer: 'Just a little bit more!'... Perhaps one of the most powerful lies of Satan is the notion that something outside ourselves (money, possessions) can fill the thirst deep within".
What brings us joy and happiness? Is it the tangible? well, I don't doubt, to a certain extent. But then, ultimately, the intangible given by God gives us meaning and purpose in life. It only goes to show we are not made to live life as mere creature comfort chasers.
Thank God for all the non-material possesions that we have: our life, our health, our senses, our giftings, skills, talents, nature and the world around us, friendships and love from relationships, our salvation from the Lord and many others. Begin with a heart of thanksgiving to see what God has placed in your life.
1 Thessolonians 5:16-18 (NIV) 16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Want to be joyful? Start by giving thanks for all the things God has given you. God wants us to remember lest we forget of His love, grace, mercies and blessings just as the Israelite forgotten how He had delivered them, much like us.
At two places in the early parts of the bible, we see how God knows we are forgetful people and wants us to be reminded of what He did for us so we will not stary away from Him
Exodus 16:32 (NIV) - After God gives manna to the Israellites in the wilderness... 32 Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.' "
Joshua 4:20-24 (NIV) - After God held the Jordan River so the Israllites can cross... 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."
So, God is always present in your life, we just have to be more God-aware and refute the lies of the enemy that God cannot satisfy us and we only need material possessions to make us happy; that God cannot satisfy us.
For me, another area which I have found the enemy working is in the area of self-esteem. For many years, I have low self-esteem and I relied on others' affirmation of me to make myself feel good. I felt I was not good enough and worked hard to earn my affirmation. Well, the story went that I became burnt out and started to see how I was in a state I cannot save myself anymore and this is when I let God come into the picture to restore me. Well, my "homecoming" testimony in a nutshell.
Sometimes, the devil do also use negative self-talk to distract us. "You are not worthy", "you are insignificant" etc and the result is that we get more and more distracted from seeking God because we need to validate ourselves and start to rely on external sources to do so. For some of us, it might be work, for some of us, it might be ministry or even for some of us, both... There is nothing wrong with work and ministry but then, just that it can be a distraction for us, making us so so drained we put seeking God a second priority.
"God, I am tired and maybe I will miss church service just this once" or "God, I am exhausted today with ministry so I will rest my body and skip quiet time perhaps just this once". Soon we drift further and further away.
Yes, God do call us to work and ministry but then if it is taking you away from seeking God and growing your love for both Him and His people, then, most probably it is a smoke screen.
You are worthy and God loves you, each and every one of you.
John 3:16 (NIV) - What God did for us in love 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Ephesians 1:4-6 (NIV) - We are adopted as His children ... In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Jeremiah 31:3ff (NIV) - Despite Israel's continued disobedience, God still love them ... "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. 4 I will build you up again..."
and there are tonnes of other bible references which shows God's love for us.
So we need to know our identity in Christ and refute the enemy's lies and counter the enemy's strategies. Jesus, when He was tempted at the start of His ministry by the devil, knew this and countered with 3 strong words "it is written..." (see Matthew 4). He knew the word of God and the tactics of the devil in wanting to throw Him off His feet. In the same way, the devil will try all ways, including using smoke screens, to distract us from drawing to God.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV) 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
The Need to Trust in the Lord (Learn to Trust in God) By this time, if you have been more God-aware, it would be not difficult to trust in the Lord because you will see Him at work in your life and will believe that whatever happens, He is always there. And verses such as Hebrews 13:5-6 will just resonates in your heart:
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV) "God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Yes, the bible did say, lean not on your own understanding because sometimes, we may never understand why we are put in certain situations. But we need to know that "God is at work in your life and that He has grand purposes for you. Recognize that God is sovereign and ultimately in control of all things. Have confidence that God is even involved in the situations that seem to be difficult or negative... He is intimately involved with you and aware of every details of your life, working everything out according to His purpose".
Romans 8:28 (NIV) 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Yes, for some of us, trusting in the Lord comes naturally but yet for some of us, trust in the Lord comes whenever we can no longer handle things and just "let go and let God". Just like in Luke 8, Jesus and His disciples went on a boat to the other side of the lake and was hit by a storm. Even though with Jesus on board, the disciples panicked (well, I would do the same too if I was there). But Jesus asks in Luke 8:25 "Where is your faith?". For some of us, we come into an encounter to trust God during a storm and when we realised we can no longer handle it ourselves.
"Don't you hate it when you lose your keys? Just as I (Sam) was walking out the door the other day, I realized I didn't have them. I was going to be late to an important meeting. I had things to do and people to see. But I couldn't even leave my house without my key: keys to my car, keys to my office, keys to my files. I was paralyzed and helpess without them. All of a sudden my fast-paced world came to a screeching halt. I had to immediately align my priorities, and I was consumed with my task - to find my keys. It seems a simple task- to find my otherwise insignificant and unappreciated keys-but it became an essential and mandatory part of my day".
Sometimes, we treat God like the keys. But unlike keys, God is significant but still we overlook, do not appreciate and sometimes even taken God for granted. But in times, of crisis, we just have to refocus our priorities to recognise we can no longer deal with it alone.
Sometimes, it takes a crisis but sometimes, it also takes a community to help us to trust in the Lord. For me, I have come to realise the power of community as each week, we come together to do life as a cell and allowing God to minister to us through one another. It is also powerful to see how God is at work in each and others' life and sometimes, when I am going through a tough week but hears how God is real in anothers' life or even help another to overcome difficulty, it makes me so much more say "God, I know you are real. Come and work in my life and help me through this situation". And the amazing thing is that, all these are working even though we do not necessarily see them.
The Need to Make the Decision (Seek God First) Just like in the beginning of the article, we started with the account of Jesus at the home of Martha and Mary, we shall conclude also with this passage and look at the truths.
The passage gives us insight into a sharp contrast between that of Martha and Mary. Despite opening the house to Jesus, Martha became busy and distracted with the preparation in the kitchen while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to Him. Sure enough, we can justify to say that Martha would like to honour Jesus but here Jesus shows us that all we need it sometimes to learn to sit at His feet and listen to His words. We can be like Martha, opening our hearts to God and allowing Him to come in, but yet allowing the distractions of the world to pull us away. Jesus saw the opportunity to teach Martha that we need not worry but first seek Him and all else will fall in place.
Matthew 6:24 (NIV) 24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV) 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Make the choice to choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and be still to know that as we seek Him and His kingdom and His righteousness, things are in His hands. Don't just slow down but choose to sit at His feet.
But I know at times, fear will grip you again and concerns and doubts and worries will come again. And that is where the need to guard against the enemy comes again and to see God at work in your life and to trust Him.
Psalm 46:10 (NIV) "Be still, and know that I am God"
This topic has been on my heart for sometime now. Christ had given ample warning of false prophets in the world:
1 John 4:1 1.Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:1-3 1. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
Mark 13: 5-6, 22-23: 5. Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 22. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
Matthew 7:15-16: 15. "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Matthew 24:11, 24: 11. and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 24. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25. See, I have told you ahead of time.
And recently, I have yet again been reminded of my friend who is currently in a cult. More than 2 years ago, having came back from backsliding for 15 years and having just came to Riverlife Church, I was invited by my friend to visit his church and I did. But I thank God for His spiritual covering when I was there, helping me to recognise that something was just not right. For 2 over years now, God has placed that burden on my heart to reach out to my friend and also the many who have been misled. And I have come to realise that the spiritual battle is a real one. Having spoken to my friend, I have come to realise how a deep conviction they have in what they have been told to believe; being misled from the real and consistent message of the bible. God is continuing to put this burden in my heart and I do ask that you help pray for discernment and salvation for my friend and also for the many who have been deceived.
I was just doing some research on my friend's cult and came across even more shocking materials on false prophets and Christs. It is really scary what is happening and I really hope that you all will continue to draw near to God and ask for spiritual covering, discernment and wisdom to see what is of Him and what is not of Him as we also pray for the many others who have been misled to draw back to Him.
Remember to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) in helping to deal with spiritual deceit and attacks.
Love unfailing Overtaking my heart You take me in Finding peace again Fear is lost in all you are
And I would give the world to tell you're story 'Cause I know that you've called me I know that you've called me I've lost myself for good within your promise And I won't hide it I won't hide it
Jesus, I believe in You And I would go, to the ends of the earth To the ends of the earth For you alone are the son of God And all the world will see That You are God You are God
Amazing Love
I’m forgiven because You were forsaken, I’m accepted, You were condemned. I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me, Because You died and rose again.
(Chorus) Amazing love, How can it be That You, my King, would die for me? Amazing love, I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor You, In all I do, I honor You.
Making a Difference
Won't you Lord take a look at our hands Everything we have, use it for Your plan Won't you Lord, take a look at our hearts Mould it, refine it, as You set us apart
(Chorus) We want to run to the altar and catch the fire To stand in the gap Between the living and the dead Give us a heart of compassion For a world without vision We will make a difference Bringing hope to our land
You Laid Aside Your Majesty
You laid aside Your majesty, gave up everything for me. Suffered at the hands of those you had created.
You took away my guilt and shame, When You died and rose again. Now today you reign, and heaven and earth exalt you.
I really want to worship you my Lord, You have won my heart and I am yours. Forever and ever, I will love you. You are the only one who died for me, Gave Your life to set me free. So I lift my voice to you in ador - a - tion.
Beautiful Saviour
Jesus, Beautiful Saviour, God of all Majesty, Risen king, Lamb of God, Holy and righteous, Blessed redeemer, Bright morning star
All the heavens shout your praise, All creation bow to worship You
How wonderful, how beautiful, Name above every name, exalted high How wonderful, how beautiful, Jesus your name, name above every name, Jesus
I will sing forever, Jesus I love you, Jesus I love you
Hi everyone!
Thanks for being a part of cell yesterday and for participating. I do not know how it was for you but personally for me, it was a wonderful time of worship, sharing, learning the heart of God and most importantly seeing how God works.
Prior to the start of cell, I kept praying because I am always nervous about facilitating cell and I also confess that I am no expert in the area of evangelism; I was worried that the discussion will not take off. But, in no time, I have come to realise how everything came together so nicely, including the choice of worship songs, the preparation, the verses to be shared, the people brought together to share and edify, icebreaker, fellowship and discussion. Everyone played a part in making a difference yesterday and I thank God for everything, including our sister Min Qin, who has not forgotten about us and prayed alongside with us as well (Hello there Min Qin!!!)
Anyway, would like to share my thoughts on our discussion on evangelism yesterday. Feel free to share your comments too as we edify one another on.
The Struggle with Evangelism Have you ever thought about what evangelism is about? Why evangelism? What emotions does it trigger when we talk about evangelism? What is the big deal about it?
For some, when one talks about evangelism, thoughts such as:
"others can do it"
"i'll try my best"
"sian ah, again? It's that time of the year again?!"
"huh? I do not know what to say?"
"people may think I am pushy, better don't share"
It becomes very clear that evangelism seems to be something which people struggle with; not only Christians but also pre-believers, some have their "memorable" experiences with who they described as "pushy" Christians.
What's the Big Deal about Evangelism? Why Evangelism? But, I am not here to judge whether being pushy is right or wrong. Let's take a step back and the question that keeps coming to mind is: What's the big deal about evangelism? Why evangelism? We all know the Great Commission in Matthew 28:
18. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
But then, what's the big deal? Why do we need to evangelize?
Did not the bible say in Ephesians 4:11-13:
11. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12. to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Me? An evangelist? No no, I think you are mistaken... I struggle with even talking to people, let alone evangelism. I have checked the dictionary and according to dictionary.com, some of the definitions I get about evangelism is that it is about "zealous preaching and dissemination of the gospel" (note the word "zealous"). But yet, aren't the disciples of Jesus also told to be witnesses?
Acts 1:8 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
In fact, in the end, not only the disciples but even the many people who encountered Jesus after his resurrection became his witness:
Acts: 13:27-31 - 27. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30. But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
Acts 10:41-43 - 41. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
"You May be the Only Bible Someone Ever Opens" So there may lie the starting point of it all, witnessing. Consider your life after knowing Christ, what is different? For me, it becomes very clear how much life is different and purposeful and how God is so real, after coming back from backsliding for close to 15 years. It was a great contrast. For many of us, we have life stories of transformation by Christ and that maybe where you can start; your life story, your testimony. Because, ultimately, that is something that people cannot dispute and you yourself know it very clearly.
Think about it, what is the bible all about? It is more than a storybook but bears the stories of many "spiritual mentors" (as Pastor Benny Ho might call them) who shows the way and share their testimonies with you. It is a book of spiritual journals of many, the testimony of the power, love and faithfulness of God, trying to bring people back to Him and a chronicle of God's instructions and commandments to His people who He cares and love for (maybe that's why some call the bible "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). You yourself can be one such testimony and a walking bible, as you reach out to many others to share your story, of the power, love and faithfulness of God and of His principles for you. I love it the way someone puts it: you may well be the only bible that someone ever opens.
How did you come to know Christ? Chances are that someone has taken the step, directly or indirectly. Hence, you can be that someone who makes the difference too.
Keep Walking Frankly, I have found that recounting your testimony is not only beneficial to the one your are reaching out to, but also serves to remind us of how real and faithful God is. We can be like the Israelites who quickly forgets how God had delivered them from Egypt or we take account of our testimonies of our walk with the Lord, just as how Moses had instructed the Israelites to:
Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt." (Exodus 16:32)
and Joshua had instructed for 12 stones to be collected from the middle of the Jordan as a reminder to future generations of how God had brought them across the Jordan river (Joshua 4). Once reconciled with God, we will need to constantly be reminded in our spiritual journey, how God has been so real in our lives. So use your testimonies to edify and encourage yourself and others, including pre-believers and believers. This is also why I am encouraging you all to keep accounts of your thanksgivings and testimonies because through that, you would edify yourselves.
The Heart of Evangelism But yet, that only explains part of the question and being a walking bible to edify yourselves and others would be a good "by-product", if I may use the word, of witnessing. The question is still why witness?
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 The Ministry of Reconciliation
11. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19. that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
If you have followed the discussion on what the Christian faith is about, you would have realise that the Christian faith is not about a religion or a ritual but it is a relationship with God who created you. And God's heart is to reconcile you to Him as He would also like to reconcile many others to Him.
So now that we know God's heart for you and everyone else; that it does not stop at your reconciliation with God, but with continues with growing in righteousness through Christ-like living and also with the ministry of reconciliation with God. Another way of looking at it is this: Psalm 34:8a tells us to "taste and see that the LORD is good". Once you have tasted to see that the Lord is good; once you life is being transformed, do you not want to share the good news with others? It is just like they say: "if you have found the cure for AIDS, will you not share with others?"
What will you do now since you know the heart of God for you and the lost? 2 Peter 3:9 also reminds us how God loves everyone and does not want everyone to perish but to come to repentence. I will always remember the turning point in my ministry when I started to realise how God has placed in my heart the burden for people's spiritual growth and how I have come to realisation during one service when I prayed for a teenager who so desired to draw back to God and I teared with him as we prayed. And this burden just came from the Lord because I remembered how I started my ministry and felt it so much as a burden more than anything else but things changed and the burden was placed in me.
So a summary at this point in time.
Why witness? I see it as:
because this is God's heart and we have been called into the ministry of reconciliation;
because the process of witnessing helps us to continue to be God-aware in our lives
because we may well be the only bible others may open
What Helps in Evangelism? So what helps? For me, relfecting upon the times when God brought someone to reach out to, I have found that the following has helped me in responding to that prompting:
Knowing the heart of God for you and the lost (as discussed earlier)
Be God-aware and thankful; being convinced of God's "realness" and goodness (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and as discussed slightly under "Keep Walking")
Being ready to share (2 Timothy 4:2) and to engage in spiritual warfare, especially with prayer (Ephesians 6:18-20). Spiritual warfare is real as I would testify of the things which happened to me the moment I took up cell leadership and as many missionaries will testify.
Being obedient - God may send someone to you but you need to be aware of the prompting and willing to act
Believing that God is in control - One of the things which has helped me feel less uptight about evangelism is how I have come to realise that evangelism is (i) taking the initiative to share Christ with another, (ii) in the power of the Holy Spirit and (iii) leaving the rest to God. Realise that you are not alone in this and that God is with you. If His heart is for reconciliation, what more will He help you to reach out to others at the right time? I have come to realisation about how God is in control during the times:
I see how He has provided me opportunities after opportunities to share about Him and sometimes it was even initiated by others who I would less expect to ask about Him and some from other faiths
at a missions trip in 2007 when I realised how everything is in His hands and things just clicked together so well,
how several times His words ministered to me including one time when someone suddenly felt prompted to send me an sms which just said "1 Cor 15:58" (this person seldom sms me) and it was timely reminder, seconds after i ended an upsetting sms with another person, how He spoke to me from Isaiah 41:10 when I was on the verge of giving up on my ministry and several other times when God just prompted me to send verses to people,
His word speak to me week after week and how He continue to uphold the cell during a time it was undergoing crisis
How He used my past circumstances and experience to minister to others
How he comforted and guided me through an outreach to a friend from a cult
How he put words into my mouth to encourage people when necessary
and that's just touching the iceberg. Recognise you are not in this alone and it is partnership with God. Again, I thank God for the 2 timely verses given to me through my sister from Our Daily Bread; one about the ministry of reconciliation (discussed above) and one from yesterday's devotion on following Jesus first and then becoming Fishers of Men; the emphasis here is not about the skills (this you can get from practice, books and Christian Education courses like "Becoming Fishers of Men") more than who you follow.
And yet, another good devotion which ministered to me was from the "Our Daily Bread" devotion on 30 July 1997 on how likened to baking a cake, we can simply mix the ingredients but the oven is the one which bakes the cake, not us.
So trust that God is in control and can use you, your experiences, circumstances and a variety of people to reach out to His people. And with regards to different styles of evangelism, I believe in Romans 8:28 and believe that God will send different people, different circumstances to help draw people back to Him, and sometimes a person may be ready and might need a little push. So everyone has a part to play, just that we need to pray about it and discern how we should work in partnership with God.
What Evangelism is NOT? I think it might be good to also remember what evangelism is not. In my opinion, evangelism is:
NOT Conversion of people but rather bringing people back in reconciliation with God, through repentence of sin which later brings about restoration of relationship with God. As we have shared yesterday, a relationship with God develops when a person goes into church and the church goes into the person.
NOT about numbers, quotas, membership
NOT merely about events and programmes
NOT rushing headlong, spewing out bible verses indiscriminately
NOT about how "I am more holy than you"
If it is anything, it should be done out of love and concern for another. Pray for God to put in your heart people who you can reach out to and reveal to you how you can do so. Someone has once said, people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. And if you are looking for a guideline to help you, why not start with something which Riverlife uses: Pray, Care, Share and Invite. You can always start with your testimony and genuinely care for the person and when the Spirit prompts and provides the opportunity, share and invite them.
A Vision for the Cell I have previously shared how God had placed a vision in my heart how this cell is to reach out to the people who are struggling, backslided and been misled and let's start praying that God will continue to do His work in this cell and let us continue to want to play a part in His work to bring people back to Him. With Easter coming, pray for people who God has set in your heart to be able to receive Him, pray for opportunities to share and invite people, pray for the people preparing for the event, pray for spiritual covering and for hearts to be ready to receive God.
