Come Boldly To The Throne Of Grace!

Hi folks

How many of you remember that worldly Christmas song "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"? I have been listening to it since I was a kid and the part that stuck most in mind is "He's making a list and checking it twice, going to find out who's naughty or nice... he knows if you been good or bad so be good for goodness sake"  If you are nice you'll get a present, if you are naughty you'll get nothing.

Thank God our Heavenly Father is NOT like that!

While we are still naughty He gave His one and only Son that we may receive the ultimate present from Him: our salvation!! (John 3:16,17, Rom 5:8)
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."  (Joh 3:16,17 NASB)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (Rom 5:8 NASB)
So if God "who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"  (Rom 8:32 NASB)

Is there anything in heaven more precious than Jesus?  I don't think so right?  So if God has given us Jesus, who is more precious than anything else in the whole universe, would He not also give us all good things?
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!  (Mat 7:11 NASB)
So my brothers and sisters, you receiving a miracle has NOTHING to do with your PERFORMANCE! It has everything to do with Jesus' performance (ie His finished work on the cross) and your FAITH in that finished work.

Do you believe that you stand righteous before God because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross?  By His one sacrifice on the cross we have been made holy you know? (Heb 10:10)  In fact our righteous is God's own righteous! (2 Cor 5:21) You can't get more righteous than that!  :-) 

When God looks at you, He does not make a list and check it twice, going to find out if you are naughty or nice.  In fact, He does NOT REMEMBER ANY of THEM!
"AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." (Heb 10:17 NASB)
Hallelujah!!

So my friends, do not think that because you blew it yesterday, you do not deserve to ask God to help you in your need today.  Repent (ie change your mind & turn to back to God), thank Him for the forgiveness already bought for you by the blood of Christ on the cross and confess that you are the righteousness of God in Christ!

So have faith.  Have faith not in your own strength to perform for His blessings but have faith in the blood of Christ, that one perfect sacrifice that cleansed you from all your sins (past, present and future), made you holy and clothed you with God's righteousness, and qualified you for all the promises of God in Christ!

"For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." (2Co 1:20 NASB)

Now, if you are THAT right with God, what is stopping you from going to God for His help? And there is NOTHING to stop God from helping you in Jesus Name!
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Heb 4:16 NKJV)
Hallelujah!!

For His Glory!

Being An Overcomer!

Hi folks

Yes, it is tough being a Christian in the workplace.  Sometimes I think about quiting and seek the shelter of my church or some other Christian ministry so that I can work among Christians and not have to face the evil in the world.  But we are all called to be ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20).  Are ambassadors stationed in their own country or in a foreign country?  Right, you get my point.

Our workplace is our foreign country.  We are representatives of Christ in that country.  We are placed there to meet the needs of the people through Christ.  As ambassadors our message is the message of reconciliation, that God is not holding their sins against them anymore in Christ (2Cor 5:19).  But it is not just with words that we proclaim this but also in the way we conduct our lives.

When Jesus ministered, yes, He taught in the temples, but He spent much time outside the temples in the marketplace, with the common folks like the fishermen and tax collectors, meeting people going about their business.

He was not a Sabbath rabbi (equivalent of a modern day Sunday Cell Grp Leader).  He did not hole himself up in the temple just to debate with the Pharisees and other teachers of the law.  He was out in the world, meeting the needs of people, showing them the way, teaching them, healing them, forgiving them, saving them.

So it is really not about what we do (whether full time in church or as a foreign missionary or in our workplace) but about being ambassadors for Christ wherever He placed us.  Even the Apostle Paul worked as a tent maker for a time while evangelising and planting churches.

Ultimately we are to fulfill the Great Commission to go make disciples of all nations, yes, even in our workplace, not just in our CG.

So how do we do it in our workplace full of non-believers?

Remember Jesus said we are the salt of the earth (Mt 5:13) and light of the world (Mt 5:14)?

So why salt?

During Jesus' time, they had no refridgerators.  They used salt to preserve food like fish, to prevent them from getting corrupted and spoilt.

Similarly, we are to preserve the good in our workplace, to prevent our workplace from degenerating into a den of thieves.  Look at what is happening in some of the world's largest companies like Enron.  When a company falls like that, it causes hardship and suffering to many thousands of innocent people, employees, customers and shareholders, and don't forget their families too!

Also, salt needs to be spread all over the fish to preserve the whole fish.  What if all the salt congregates in one corner?  It will become quite useless right?  :-)   So we need to be IN the world to be effective, not getting cozy and comfortable in church or CG or just among Christians.

So how are we to be effective?  Simply by being the light
[Jesus said] "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed." (John 3:19-20 NIV)
So what does it mean to be the light?  By living by the truth
"...whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."  (John 3:21 NIV)

[Jesus encourages us to] "let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Mt 5:16 NASB)
Hey, it is not going to be easy.  But let us look to Jesus who has overcome the world!
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (Jn 16:33 NASB)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  (1Jn 5:4,5 NASB)
And we who believes that Jesus is the Son of God are overcomers! Hallelujah!!

For His Glory!

Be Supernatural God's Way

Hi folks

If you are like me years ago, you will shy away from trying to do the supernatural.  I have always believed that God is almighty, able to do anything and everything.  But I have never believed that I would be able to perform those miracles that Jesus and the apostles did.

If you re-read my last sentence carefully, you will realise as I do now my erroneous understanding.  It is NOT me performing the miracles but God who performs the miracle.... through MY obedience!

Say what?  Yes, by being obedient to the Word. For example Jesus says in Mark 16:15,17-18
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.... And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mk 16:15,17-18)
Then what happened when the disciples went out to preach?
"Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mk 16:20)
The Lord worked with them and confirmed His own word!  It is the Lord that performs the miracles!

So my part is to lay hands... and the Lord will heal. My part is to preach the gospel, plant that seed into my friend's heart... and the Holy Spirit will convict him.

Easier said then done right?  I know how you feel... many times when I am with my friends (especially non-Christians) and they say they are ill or not feeling well, I am prompted in my spirit to stretch out my hand and say to them "Would you like me to pray for you?" but I did NOTHING! Cold sweat will break out and my hands will freeze and I'll stuff them deeper into my pocket!  What if they don't recover??!!  What if I can't heal them?!  Ah ha!! Still my old erroneous thinking!  It is NOT me!  I got to TRUST the Lord to be able to do it
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Rom 10:11)
Hey, by God's grace I am working on it!

Some time ago, my 2nd daughter Grace was diagnosed to have a high level of protein in her urine.  My wife saw the results of the test strip with her own eyes and she was very concerned as it was almost at the top of the scale. The doctor asked her to collect a bottle of urine first thing the next morning to send to the lab for further tests.  That night, after doing devotion with my 2 girls, my eldest daughter Rachel and I laid our hands on Grace and prayed.  We prayed a prayer of faith and Grace received her healing by thanking God for healing her in Jesus' name.

The next morning, we collected the urine and sent it to the doctor.  3 days later, the doctor called, sounding surprised that there was not a single trace of protein in her urine!  Praise the Lord!

Hey, I don't do the supernatural, but it is great to be a part of it!

So let us be obedient to the Word so that God can do His miracles!

For His Glory!

Did God know Adam was going to sin?

At my last cell meeting on Saturday, a number of interesting questions arose.

One was did God know Adam was going to sin? If He did why did He still create him?

God choose us before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4), He knows what we are going to say even before we say it (Ps 139:4), He wrote down all the days of our lives in His book even before we were formed (Ps 139:16).... God declares the end from the beginning (Is 46:10).

Yes, He knew Adam was going to sin. He knew we are all going to sin and fall away. He knew all the choices you and I are going to make in our entire life, even if we don't know it yet.

And as the discussion went on, the Holy Spirit dropped a revelation of the love of Christ in my heart.

It was like I overheard this conversation:

Heavenly Father: Jesus, if you create Adam, we know he is going to sin and fall away right?
Jesus: Yes Father, I know.
Father: If Adam sins, you know the consequences right?
Jesus: Yes, I know. But not my will but yours be done, I will empty myself, taking the form of a bond-servant and be made in the likeness of man... to be the sacrifice for Adam's sins, even death on a cross.

And in His great love, Jesus created all things..... even while knowing He will have to go to the cross....

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him... and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; (Col 1:16, 20 NASB)

Oh the great love of our Lord! Even though He knew Adam will sin, He still loved us enough to create us, knowing full well that He will then have to suffer and DIE to redeem us!!

My eyes teared as I was sharing that with my cell. And I fall deeper in love with my Lord.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father... that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:14,17b-19 NASB)

Hallelujah!!! Jesus is indeed worthy of all our adoration, praise and worship!!

For His Glory!

Awake To Righteousness!

Beloved,

How do you think people would respond to this question "Who am I?" Often they'd respond with statements like "I am a teacher, I teach at a school" or "I am a doctor, I work at the hospital" or "I am a student, I study at MGS". Don't you think answers like these are more suitable to the question "What do you do?" People naturally identify themselves by what they do. In other words, people do what they think they are.

Therefore it follows that if you know you are a policeman, you will act like one. If you know you are a doctor, you will act like one. If you know you are a teacher, you'd act like one, definitely not like one of the students right? :-) Even a student when appointed a prefect will act like a prefect, no longer an ordinary student.

This is also especially true in children. If a child thinks he is naughty, he will be. If he thinks he is caring, he will be. If she thinks she is a dancer, she'll dance. So be careful what we say to our kids. If we want him to be caring and loving, tell him "You are a caring and loving boy" and watch that seed you planted in his heart grow :-) Has anyone seen a boy become good by telling him over and over how naughty he is? It just reinforces what he thinks of himself. What he needs to know is that he is a good boy so he can grow into one. :-) Use phrases like "You are a good boy and good boys don't punch others" instead of "Why are you so naughty? Punching is bad! You naughty boy!"

Have you ever wondered how people change once their "role" changes? A swinging bachelor one year can change to become a loving husband the next year and into a responsible father the following year. That is if he accepts the role he is being put into. If he does not accept that role, he may try his best to be a loving husband or a responsible father, he will burn out from all that trying. He may in fact feel trapped in that situation and may long for escape... because in his mind he still thinks he is a swinging bachelor.

This is also why some people who have been retrenched or retired struggle very hard to get back on their feet. They are so used to being the person they thought they were by what they used to do. So when they stop what they were doing, they become lost, they don't know who they are anymore. They lose their sense of self-worth and confidence and it really becomes a slippery slope from thereon.

But do you know that this part of human nature is the key between living a victorious Christian life or a defeated Christian life?

Usually when we get to church to listen to a sermon, the pastor will exhort us to live good lives, love our spouses and children, join a cell, participate in some church outreach program, don't cheat, don't steal, deal honestly in business etc, and rightly so! We have lists & lists of good behaviour we know we have to keep if we are to be good Christians. But in our minds we know we are not really capable of keeping them all right? We sincerely try, and some of us try very hard... but we sometimes still fail... and we think we become sinners/unrighteous again, we repent, ask God for forgiveness and for strength not to do it again, then hope for the best the next time around right? We are righteous until the next sin and then we have to ask for forgiveness and strength all over again.

That, my friend, is living a defeated Christian life... wondering when we will next sin does not give us much hope for the future does it? These cycles of defeat makes us wonder what is so great about living the Christian life?

But that really is the problem. In our minds we think we are still sinners... ever heard the phrase "We are sinners saved by grace"? If we still think we are sinners, then guess what, we will sin. I really cannot agree with that phrase. I can't find anything in the New Testament to support it. I'd make an adjustment and say "We were sinners, saved by grace, made righteous to live as saints for the glory of God". Amen?

This is the way God made us, it is how we are wired up... We become who we think or know or believe we are. Right believing will produce right living.

Who does the bible say we are? Still sinners? No!! The bible says we are a new creature in Christ, the old things has passed away, new things has come. (2 Cor 5:17 NASB) If we know and believe we are a new creation, born again in the spirit, we are no longer sinners! Just like a frog is no longer a tadpole, a butterfly is no longer a caterpillar. We may fall into sin but God does not see us as sinners anymore! In fact, He does not even remember it! (Heb 10:17)

Now, what if you know you have been declared righteous by Jesus' blood, not by your works? (Rom 5:9)
What if you know you are the righteousness of God in Christ? (2 Cor 5:21)
What if you know that the righteous man has God's blessings on his head? (Pro 10:6)
What about if you know if you a king? And a priest? (1 Pet 2:9)
And what about if you know you are a child of the Most High God? (John 1:12)
What if you know your big brother is Jesus? And you are co-heirs of God with Him? (Rom 8:17)
What if you know you are seated with Christ at the right hand of God? (Eph 2:6) Above ALL principalities and powers? (Eph 1:21)

How will knowing and believing all these facts about yourself change the way you live?

In other words, we should NOT be trying to do righteous acts to become righteous. We do righteous acts because we ARE righteous. We act like royal priests because we ARE. We begin from a position of righteousness therefore our acts or fruits will follow.

Notice how the apostle Paul spends all the early chapters in his letters explaining to the saints their position in Christ before telling them what is right and wrong behaviour in the later chapters? To the saints in Corinth who were committing adultery with temple prostitutes, he could have told them to "repent of your sins and seek forgiveness!", instead he reminded them of who they are; "do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19 NASB) He focused not on right doing... but rather on right being or right believing. When the Corinthians believe that their body is the temple of God (right being), they will not want to defile it with prostitutes any longer (right doing). Hallelujah!

Or when husbands know that they are to their wives as what Christ is to the church, they will give up their lives for her (Eph 5:25). And when wives realise that their husband is to them what Christ is to the church, she will submit to him (Eph 5:23,24). Hallelujah!

So my friends, it is all about right believing, right thinking. The practical advise Paul gave us can be found in Rom 8:6 and Rom 12:2. I like the translation in NASB of Rom 8:6 which reads

"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" (Rom 8:6 NASB)

We are to wake up every morning and decide to set our mind on the Spirit, not on the flesh. When we think we are sinners trying to do good deeds, we are setting our minds on the flesh, our efforts. However when we think that by the finished work of Christ on the Cross, we are new creatures, righteous and blameless before God, we set our minds on the Spirit and our fruit will be life and peace.

So does that mean we won't ever sin again? Well, even if we do commit a sinful act, it does not change who we are, which is the righteous of God in Christ. When a butterfly falls into a heap of dung, does it turn into a housefly? No, it remains a butterfly, however it won't remain in the dung, it will just fly away back among the flowers where it belongs. Likewise for us, if we do fall into sin, we don't suddenly transform from being a saint to a sinner. Let's just get up, remind ourselves who we are in Christ and move on; for there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).

But my friends, I believe that we all can live victorious, righteous life on earth! The key is not to focus on the right deeds we need to do (ie keeping the law) but to focus our minds to know the love of Christ (Eph 3:19), what His love accomplished for us on the cross, which will result in love acts flowing out of us; for we love because He has first loved us (1 John 4:19).

When we focus on trying to do good deeds, it is like trying to keep the law. And Paul states that the power or strength of sin is the law! (1 Cor 15:56) Believe it or not, when we try to keep the law, it actually activates our flesh and gives strength to sin. Read about how Paul struggled to keep the 10th commandment in Rom 7.

So don't focus on what we should or should not do but focus on the love of Christ, what he did for us, which resulted in who we are in Christ, the righteousness of God. As we focus on "we are the righteousness of God in Christ", sin will lose its strength over you and you will lose that desire to want to indulge in that sin.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Rom 6:14 NASB)

So do not put yourself back "under law", that is trying to do good to be righteous, but be "under grace", trusting in His abundance of grace and accepting righteousness as a gift! (Rom 5:17)

That is why Paul later in Romans exhort us to renew our mind!

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2 NASB)

This verse makes it very clear that we transforms ourselves by renewing our mind. In another place in 2 Cor 10:4,5, Paul talks about destroying mental fortresses/strongholds of wrong thinking and speculations.

My beloved friends, when you know and believe you are all that the Bible declares you are in Christ, you will REIGN IN LIFE! In THIS life, not the life you get one day in heaven. :-) And you will not only reign over sin in your life, but you will reign in all areas of your life. There are blessings and promises that cover every area of your life that God has given to the righteous. And they are all YES to you in Christ! (2 Cor 1:20) Hallelujah!

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:17 NASB)

Spend your time learning, believing and receiving all you can about the abundant grace showered upon you and the gift righteousness that has been given to you. You can only become who God says you are when you really think and believe it.

Let us all therefore "awake to righteousness and sin not!" (1 Cor 15:34 KJV)

For His Glory!

Give Out Of Abundance!

Beloved,

In my previous post I suggested that what we do with the remaining 90% of our income after we have brought the tithe to God, is really about how we live our Christian lives isn't it? It is because almost every aspect of our lives is impacted by money and our attitude towards it.

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, 'DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"

And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.

And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mar 10:17-23 NASB)

What Jesus was trying to teach here is NOT that we have to sell everything to follow him BUT that we cannot make MONEY our God. That rich man said he kept all the commandments that Jesus stated. But when he could not let go of his riches, he failed to keep the 1st commandment:

"You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exo 20:3 NASB)

Now, Jesus did NOT teach that being wealthy is bad or that the wealthy cannot enter the kingdom, just hard. He is not against us having money but He is against money having us.

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1Ti 6:10 NASB)

We cannot emphasis more the dangers of letting money become our god.

May I suggest to you all that God's plan for helping us strike a healthy attitude towards money and wealth is simply to give it away for His glory! :-)

Some of my key guiding verses when it comes to wealth/money are taken from 2 Cor 9:6-11.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed
in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Cor 9:6-7 NASB)

Now isn't it amazing that Paul relates the principle of seed-time and harvest to giving? Giving is like planting seed. Whatever seed we plant (ie give away), we will reap a harvest later. With that harvest in, we will then have more seed to plant, which will result in an even bigger harvest, and even more seed to plant later!

This my friends, is the economics of the kingdom of God! :-)

"But I don't have enough to give! I barely have enough to tithe!" Opps! Erroneous statement, we should ALWAYS have enough to tithe. Refer to previous post for explanation on tithe. :-)

Look, God understands that we have needs to meet, so He does not demand that we give more than we are able. How can we honestly give cheerfully if we do not have enough left to buy milk powder right? He wants us to purpose in our heart, ie be deliberate in our giving, being good stewards and thus be able to give cheerfully.

Therefore do not feel compelled or pressured to give and then give grudgingly (ie unwillingly). When the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to this truth, it set me free from guilt whenever I find that I am unable to or feel like giving.

If you have not purposed to give, and you are not willing to give, for goodness sake DON'T give! Don't feel pressured or compelled when the offering bag comes around to you or when people come up to you for donations. Please don't give out of guilt or compulsion. God wants us to give cheerfully, even hilarously enjoy giving... because that is how He gives!

Let me say that again... God enjoys giving! I want you to banish from your heart any thought that may suggest that God gives grudgingly or unwillingly.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; (2Cor 9:8 NASB)

This is my favourite verse on money, prosperity, giving. It says that as we purpose to give, God is able to make ALL His grace abound to us so that ALL our needs will be met and we can give out of ABUNDANCE... not out of poverty or lack! Do you remember those fund raising campaigns like "Sacrifice your lunch and give to ......"? This is what I call a "poverty mentality", thinking that there are only limited funds to go around. Our God is not POOR! Our God is able to provide for our lunch AND enable us to give out of our abundance!

So having all sufficiency in everything, we will have an abundance for every good deed. Problem with us is that we tend to mistake our wants as needs. This is where many Christians struggle. We need to get ourselves to a place where we can say to our Lord that "I have been crucified with Christ, the world has no hold on me anymore... I have overcome the world!" (Gal 2:20, 1 John 2:16, 5:4,5) If we are lusting after the world, no amount of money will satisfy that lust.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor 9:10-11 NASB)

Notice that it is God who provides the seed for sowing and bread for food. Why separate mention of seed and bread? It means that God supplies BOTH for our needs and our giving! Even our giving is given by God! We do not have to sacrifice any of our needs in order to give! What an amazingly wonderful God!

And notice that God will not only supply but also multiply our seed for sowing! So the seed He has supplied, He will also multiply. So that means He will be able to grow my investments and savings, so I will have more to give.

And only that, we will be ENRICHED in EVERYTHING (not just money) for all liberality, ie for all generosity. God wants His people to be generous people... giving graciously like He does. We are to give our money, our time, our care, our things, our home, our hospitality, our prayers.... we will be enriched in everything so we can give generously!

Ultimately it is to produce thanksgiving to God. All good works give glory to God. You know what? We exist primarily to give glory to God. Let us not forget that.

And it all begins when we plant that first seed...

Hallelujah!

I find all throughout the bible that the biblical purpose for money is always in relation to giving and doing good works. It is never about accumulating it for our own self, or for our family or even for our church.

You see, when we become generous and are able to give away, it is because we believe He is generous and we trust in His willing supply. But when we become stingy (some people call it prudent :-)) and horde our money, it is because we don't believe He is generous and is willing supply. We are in effect trusting in our savings, not on God's supply.

The question should NOT be "Is it wrong to seek riches?", it should really be "How much can we give? What good works can we do that will result in thanksgiving to God?" When we ask those questions, God will cause all grace to abound to us and multiply our seed for sowing!

And the amazing promise of verse 6 is that when we sow BOUNTIFULLY, God will enable us to WILL REAP BOUNTIFULLY!

I tell you we can never out give God! Indeed, God is looking for such people for Him to bless the world through them.

So instead of quibbling over our tithe and asking "Do we tithe 10% nett or gross? Before or after tax?" We should be challenging each other to bring the TOTAL TITHE (ie 10% GROSS) and see who can give more ABOVE that :-)

Can we be like Rick Warren, who challenges himself to give 1% more every year? Can we get to a point where we KEEP only 10% of our income? Can you imagine giving 80% of all your income? (not counting tithe lah!)

Hey, I tell you when we get to that point, that 10% we keep is going to be much, much, much, much more than the 80% we are keeping today!

We can never out give God man!

For His Glory!

Is Tithing An Old Covenant Law?

Beloved...

Is tithing for New Covenant Christians? Or is it something only relevant to the Old Covenant? Isn't tithing done away along with the Old Covenant when Jesus established the New Covenant? As New Covenant Christians, doesn't everything we have belongs to God? So do we still have to give a calculated 10%?

I used to feel that way too as members of the New Covenant. However back in 2002 I was moved by the Spirit to search and learn more about tithing. And these are some of my findings. It has not changed the way I feel about the New Covenant, but it has certainly helped me see the tithe (literally means "a tenth") in its proper perspective and how relevant it is to me as a New Covenant Christian.

1. Tithing was not created with the Law of Moses. It existed long before the God gave the Law through Moses. So the tithe was NOT established as part of the Old Covenant.
   
• Cain and Able brought their firstfruits to God
• Abraham brought 10% to Melchizedek, 400+ years before the Law of Moses
• Jesus is now our High Priest. If Abraham gives a tithe to Melchizedek, how much more should we as Jesus is of the order of Melchizedek? (Heb 7:17)


2. The Tithe belongs to the LORD
   
• Mal 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me."
• How can God consider man stealing from Him if it does not belong to Him in the first place?
• Mal 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse..."
• We "bring" our tithes to God, not GIVE.


3. Tithing is an act of worship to the LORD
   
• Tithing is an acknowledgement of the worthiness of our Lord
• Heb 7:4 "Just think how great he was: Even the patriach Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!"
• Heb 7:7 "without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater"
• that is why we bring the firstfruits, the BEST of our increase to honor the LORD. We don't bring what is left over at the end of the month, that is dishonoring Him.
• Some of us ask do we calculate the tithe based on Gross (ie Total) pay or Nett take home pay? Should we include Employer's CPF contribution? What about bank interests and dividends?
• The question really should be "Who do we honor FIRST with our wealth?" Do we pay the taxman, the mortgage, the car loan or CPF before God?
• No! We should honor God first before all else!
• Pro 3:9 "Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;"
  


4. There is a difference between Tithe (the first tenth) and Offerings
   
• Mal 3:8 "...in tithes and offerings..."
  
• the Tithe is the first tenth (firstfruits) of all our increase, an offering is anything beyond that. That is why God wants us to GIVE offerings cheerfully, or as my pastor would translate it "hilarously", as in 2 Cor 9:7. Here Paul was talking about the offerings given to his mission ministry, not about the tithe brought to the local church.


5. Tithing comes with a promise
   
• Mal 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse... see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it"
• Pr 3:9-10 "Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." (NKJV)
• If you read Mal 3:9-11, that 10% is all God asks to have the legal right to "rebuke the devourer" (NKJV), ie the curse that the devil will enforce that will cause you financial ruin. This curse was put on the earth when man fell (Gen 3:17). Everything we have comes from the ground: food, raw materials for making cars, buildings, clothes, medicine, even semiconductors etc. Even the paper money is printed on comes from the tree that grows from the ground.
  
• "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; " Mal 3:11 (NKJV)


6. Offering (ie giving) also comes with a promise
• 2 Cor 9:6 "whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously"


7. The best part is that God promises to provide for our Offering!!
   
• 2 Cor 9:8,10,11 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;... Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God." (NASB)
  
  
8. God chose to gave the Tithe to the priesthood not man
   
• Num 18:21 "Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting."
• As far as we are concerned, we bring the tithe to God, NOT to the priesthood for services rendered.
• Likewise we do not tithe to the church, even though the church has a budget to meet.
• If we think that way, we totally misunderstand the purpose of the tithe and cheapen it. I think that may be why so little Christians tithe.
• It was God who chose to provide for the priesthood with the tithe in the Old Covenant days as the tribe of Levi does not have an inheritance of land in Israel.
• But don't get distracted from the main purpose of the tithe... it is NOT to feed the pastor :-) It is to honor the Lord and to allow Him to bless us to be a blessing to the nations.
  

Don't get hung up on the "ritual" of giving 10%. Just do it for all the above reasons. Those of you who feel that as children of God under the New Covenant, ALL of our wealth belongs to Jesus, GREAT, so do I! So do you give it all away? Not necessarily. It is just not practical is it? And God knows that too. That is why God wants us to be cheerful givers... hard to be cheerful when you have no money to buy milk for your baby when you have given away your last dollar right? :-) He wants us to give purposefully, not grudgingly. If we can determine in our hearts who and how to give, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can truly give with a cheerful heart for we can see the joy it brings to the receiver or the fruits the giving produces.

But we are talking about tithing here, not offerings. Offerings is another topic which I will share about in another message. If we honestly think about it, what we do with the 90% is really about how we live out the Christian life isn't it?

For His Glory!

What is praying in the spirit?

Beloved,

I used to wonder what is meant by praying in the Spirit. It is something I felt I need to be able to do as a Christian because the Bible exhorts us to pray at all times in the Spirit for the saints:

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times
in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the
alert with all perseverance and petition for all
the saints" (Eph 6:18 - NASB)

And the Bible further exhorts us to build our faith up by praying in the Spirit:

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jud 1:20 - NASB)

I heard a number of possible explanations for what it means to pray in the Spirit, for example prayer that is very emotional and intense, or praying when (or until) we have a strong sense of God's or the Spirit's presence.

But I want to know what the Bible says about it. Like one pastor once said, we got to let the Bible interpret the Bible, not use our own logic or wisdom.

So I fired up my e-Sword PC Bible and did a search on "pray" and "spirit". And I found that the phrases "pray(ing) in the spirit", "pray with the spirit" only appears in the New Testament! It does not appear in the Old Testament.

So it is something that only New Covenant believers can do. And the big difference has to be our baptism in the Holy Spirit.

One of the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the ability to pray in other tongues. And as Paul clearly stated in 1 Cor 14:14, it is his spirit that is praying with he prays in tongues.

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays" (1Co 14:14 - NASB)

So my conclusion has to be that when we are exhorted to pray in the spirit, we do it by praying in tongues.

We should not resist speaking/praying in tongues just because our mind tells us it is illogical, silly or meaningless. Paul tells us that when we speak in a tongue, we are speaking to God!!

"For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men
but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit
he speaks mysteries." (1Co 14:2 - NASB)

And not only are we speaking mysteries to God, we are actually praying the WILL OF GOD for the saints!

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the
Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too
deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows
what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes
for the saints according to the will of God." (Rom 8:26,27 - NASB)

Have you always wondered how we can "pray without ceasing" (1Th 5:17 - NASB)? I have wondered for many years! I have trouble praying just 10 mins! I run out of words to pray very quickly. Especially when I don't have a prayer list like those I get from church or mission organisations. Even then I can go through a full page in 15 mins or less.

But now I know how! By praying in tongues I can practically pray all the time because the Spirit Himself is interceding for me. I can pray quietly under my breath wherever I am and during whatever I am doing.

Does my mind need to know what the Spirit is praying through me? No need because God does... but I can easily pray for anyone and everyone I can think of even if I don't know any specific prayer requests. I can even pray for strangers I meet on the road as the Spirit leads. Sometimes when I see a person walking along the road with a heavy heart, I will pray in the Spirit for that person. In English I may begin by saying "Father, have mercy on that person..." and then I will continue in tongues because the Spirit knows how to pray for that person. I will continue to pray in tongues for that person until I sense a peace or a release of that burden in my spirit, then I can move on to pray for other things.

Now there is a life to my prayer life! There is a joy and a refreshing whenever I pray in tongues. Even when I think I am praying for someone else, I am sure the Spirit is praying for me too!

"One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" (1Co 14:4 - NASB)

So don't resist speaking in tongues. After all, speaking in other tongues is something our Lord Jesus says all believers can do:

"These signs will accompany those who have believed:
in My name they will cast out demons, they will
speak with new tongues" (Mar 16:17 - NASB)

For His Glory!