The Holy Express

Open Wide Your Mouth

2009-05-17T14:10:00.002+08:00

Date: 16 May 2009
Speaker: Rev Dr Kim Sung Hae
Venue: City Harvest Church

Psalm 81:10
I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

God cannot bless us unless we first open wide our mouths.

1) God fills us with His love.

Luke 15:22-23
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

3 John 1:12
Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.

2) God fills us with strong faith.

Mark 10:27
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

3) God fills us with miracles.

Mark 9:23
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

4) God fills our lives with abundance.

Matthew 7:11
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 good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 23:1-2
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

Godly Motherhood

2009-05-10T16:41:00.002+08:00

Date: 09 May 2009
Speaker: Pastor Derek Dunn
Venue: City Harvest Church

2 Timothy 1:3-5
I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Titus 2:1-5
But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

A godly woman has the ministry of teaching. A godly mother should teach about the scriptures, about salvation and about prayer.

Proverbs 6:20-22
My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
When you roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.

2 Timothy 1:5
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

A godly woman has the ministry of loving. A godly mother should love her husband and love her children.

Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

1 Thessalonians 2:7
But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

A godly woman has the ministry of building.

Titus 2:5
to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

How To Come Out Of This Recession Richer Than When You Went In

2009-04-26T14:56:00.002+08:00

Date: 25 April 2009
Speaker: Rev Dr John Avanzini
Venue: City Harvest Church

Endtime wealth transfer from the World into the Church.

Psalm 66:12-14
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay You my vows,
Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.

Psalm 91:7-11
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.

Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:8
“ Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘ In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.

Deuteronomy 23:21
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Genesis 41:53-55
Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”

Genesis 47:5-6
Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”

Ecclesiastes 5:18-19
Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

Stage 1 of recession: When the liquid assets go first.

Genesis 47:13-15
Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”

Stage 2 of recession: When the things that are maintained by money go.

Genesis 47:15-17
So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”
Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.

Stage 3 of recession: When businesses and real estates go.

Genesis 47:18
When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

Genesis 47:27
So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;

1 Chronicles 12:32
of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;

Love Busters 2

2009-04-26T14:34:00.002+08:00

Date: 18 April 2009
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Timothy 3:1-2
This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;

1 Timothy 3:4-5
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);

1 Timothy 3:12
Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

Next most important relationship after our relationship with God is our relationship with our family. Your career should support your marriage, not the other way around.

Set aside time for your spouse away from the kids. Have a policy of undivided attention, and give 15hours a week given to each other to meet each others' important emotional needs.

1 Corinthians 7:3-5
Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Promise to care (for each others' needs).

Promise of time (for undivided attention and privacy).

Promise to protect (the marriage from the potential love busters).

Good Friday & Easter

2009-04-12T18:22:00.002+08:00

Date: 11 April 2009
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

John 20:11-15
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Are you weeping because of sickness and disease?

Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Are you weeping because of financial burden and debt?

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Galatians 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

Are you weeping because of emotional despair?

Are you weeping because of sin in your soul?

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love Busters 1

2009-04-05T15:15:00.001+08:00

Date: 04 April 2009
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Love destroyers:
Selfish demands
Disrespectful judgements
Angry outbursts
Dishonesty
Annoying habits
Independent behaviour

Proverbs 24:26
He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

Honesty provides a clear roadmap to resolving conflicts. Honesty meets an important emotional need. Dishonesty is offensive.

People lie to protect. People lie to look good. People lie to avoid trouble. People lie out of compulsion.

Proverbs 28:18
Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved,
But he who is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

Ephesians 4:15
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Have a policy of radical honesty and a policy of joint agreement.

Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

In marriage, there should be interdependence.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Compatibility has to be created on purpose.

Spouse before parents.

Now Is The Time

2009-03-28T19:29:00.000+08:00

Date: 28 March 2009
Speaker: Rev Dr Phil Pringle
Venue: City Harvest Church

God only asks us to step out into the water when there is a storm.

The purpose of trials coming into your life is to make you a bigger man on the inside, to develop patience, to increase our capacity.

You can't control what comes into your life, but you can control how you respond it.

When God wants to enlarge your capacity, He gives you situations and problems to stretch your capacity. You are enlarged by going through trials.

Jeremiah 1:4-12
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
“ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Then said I:

“ Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

But the Lord said to me:

“ Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:

“ Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

Our Calling is to build and to plant Churches.

Your words and your views shape your world.

Together Stronger! (Men's Conference 2009)

2009-03-28T17:27:00.002+08:00

Date: 27 March 2009
Speaker: Rev Dr Phil Pringle
Venue: City Harvest Church

Joel 3:9-10
Proclaim this among the nations:
“ Prepare for war!
Wake up the mighty men,
Let all the men of war draw near,
Let them come up.
Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”

The reason why problems come into your world is because God is trying to awaken the mighty man within you.

This is the season of fulfillment (of divine plans). Right now is the time to wake up!

In the bible, the first thing which God saw that was not good was Man's solitude. It is not good to be on your own. You got to have mighty men in your life. Together stronger! When you are connected, you are strong!

1 Chronicles 11:22-23
Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.

When you're the one suffering, you should be the one praying for yourself.

If you are a mighty man, you are going to start a generation of mighty men after you!

We should stop defending and start attacking! Faith is having the courage inside you to fight the battle. You got to put up a good fight!

Making Marriage Work

2009-02-16T14:23:00.000+08:00

Date: 16 February 2009
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Corinthians 7:3
Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

Top need of women = Affection
Top need of men = Sexual Fulfillment

2nd need of women = Conversation
2nd need of men = Recreational Companionship

3rd need of women = Honesty & Openness
3rd need of men = Attractive Spouse

Communication is key to the success of a relationship. Spend at least 15hours a week conversing with your partner in private. When you communicate, you get to find out their needs and whether you have met those needs.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Women want verbal attention. Don't just talk about yourself.

Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Men need recreational time weekly to keep going. Spend at least 15hours a week together on recreational activities. Giver each other your undivided attention.

Share your burdens with each other. Do not lie. Getting found out will cause irreversible damage. Be truthful.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Be attractive to your partner. Eg, weight control, make up, hair style, clothes, cosmetic surgery.

Your self-esteem is the foundation of your life.

Prayer

2009-01-19T14:51:00.003+08:00

Date: 17 January 2009
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Habakkuk 2:1-3
I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

“ Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

We are of both the spiritual and the natural realm. The moment God breathe into Adam, mankind became a spirit being. God lives in you, therefore prayer should be as essential to your daily life as eating, drinking and sleeping.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Life on earth is a preparation for life in eternity.

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Mark 10:24
And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

How should we pray?

1) Be open to hear God in your prayers.

Acts 9:8-12
Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

2) Be specific in your prayers.

3) Be persistent in your prayers.

Luke 11:5-8
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Exodus 24:12
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

God wants Moses' body, soul and spirit to all be there, not just physically present.

Luke 11:9-13
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Education, Creativity and Character

2009-01-04T17:45:00.000+08:00

Date: 03 January 2009
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

The strength of City Harvest Church lies not in our size or assets, but in the sum total of the education, creativity and character of our people.

Knowledge is power.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

God is a very creative God. He created the universe and the whole ecological biodiversity within it.

Our attitude determines our altitude.

Goals of every believer: Prayer, Ministry, Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship.

Relationships determine your happiness, success and character.

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

Christmas

2008-12-30T08:30:00.003+08:00

Date: 20 December 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

John 1:4-5
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Let Jesus make you a person of vision.

Let Jesus make you a person of value.

Increase your value through education, equipping and experience.

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Our mirror is the Bible. You have to read and study it to be transformed and changed.

Let Jesus make you a person of compassion.

Compassion for a world without vision.

Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.

Isaiah 60:19-20
“ The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.

Isaiah 58:10
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Fishers Of Men

2008-12-13T23:40:00.000+08:00

Date: 13 December 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 5:1-10
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

To be fishers of men, you have to get out of your comfort zone.
To be fishers of men, you have to take risks to get great harvests.
To be fishers of men, you have to reach out and take action.

The effort you put in determines the result you are going to get. Your result always follow after your action.

Be prepared to expect the unexpected.

God's revelation to us is progressive. Everything happens for a reason.

Genesis 1:3-26
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

First day > Light : Darkness
Second day > Sky : Water
Third day > Land : Sea
Fourth day > Sun : Moon
Fifth day > Birds : Fishes
Sixth day > Animals : Humans
Seventh day > Rest

Notice that the first 3 days were for separation and the following 3 days were for filling in. Separation was in preparation for the filling.

We see from the 2D, God sees from the 3D. He looks at our lives from the bigger picture. He sees the beginning and the end. Every situation will work out for your good.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

John 14:16-18
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 15:13-15
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Matthew 14:14
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

Nehemiah 6:1-16
Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall, and that there were no breaks left in it (though at that time I had not hung the doors in the gates), that Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm.
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”
But they sent me this message four times, and I answered them in the same manner.
Then Sanballat sent his servant to me as before, the fifth time, with an open letter in his hand. In it was written:
It is reported among the nations, and Geshem says, that you and the Jews plan to rebel; therefore, according to these rumors, you are rebuilding the wall, that you may be their king. And you have also appointed prophets to proclaim concerning you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah!” Now these matters will be reported to the king. So come, therefore, and let us consult together.
Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart.”
For they all were trying to make us afraid, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will not be done.”
Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
Afterward I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was a secret informer; and he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you; indeed, at night they will come to kill you.”
And I said, “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in!” Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid.

So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.

Giving Thanks

2008-11-29T19:50:00.000+08:00

Date: 29 November 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Ephesians 1:15-16
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

Thanking God:

1) Love.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,

What you do not guard, you lose.

2) Generosity.

John 16:21
A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

The more you give, the more you receive. Its is more blessed to give than to receive. God is a giver, not a taker. Nobody can outgive Him.

3) Faith.

James 2:17
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Romans 1:8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Faith is action done. Without faith, it is impossible to seek Him.

4) Vision.

Isaiah 43:18
“ Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.

Thanking God for the past, looking forward to the future.

5) Love for the lost.

Matthew 18:19-20
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Asia Conference 2008: Seeds And Weeds

2008-11-23T22:06:00.000+08:00

Date: 23 November 2008
Speaker: A.R. Bernard
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Matthew 13:24-30
Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Matthew 13:36-43
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Good seeds = Children of God.
Field = World (Culture).
Weeds = Devil.
Harvest = End of the world.

God sowed us into culture to grow, to germinate, then to impact the culture. He is not afraid to leave us here. Infact, He wants us to grow side-by-side with the weeds.

We are to insulate so as to penetrate.

John 17:15-18
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

We are the Word of God in body, we are to relate His Word to other people. Relationship (the human relationship) preceeds ministry (the relating of the Word).

We cannot grow in isolation, we can only grow in community. We should support those Christians who are in the culture. However oftenly because of religion, churches become judgemental.

Jeremiah 29:4-7
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

Babylon symbolizes Culture.

God wants us to work for the peace and prosperity of the culture. But you got to have a strategy.

Characteristics of a culture:
- Beliefs
- Customs
- Language
- Arts and Music
- Literature
- Institutions (family, religious, political, educational, economical)

You must understand a culture fully only then can you go in and make a change to the culture.

Jesus was God at work in the culture. He was in the culture but He never threw away the Church. He understood the balance.

Asia Conference 2008: The Love Of God

2008-11-23T21:53:00.000+08:00

Date: 22 November 2008
Speaker: Benny Hinn
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin.

Holiness is what light does to darkness. God is light, and He judges darkness by expelling it. Sin is darkness and righteousness is light.

Psalm 14:2-3
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ezekiel 18:4
“ Behold, all souls are Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.

Psalm 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.

Jesus knows what we are going through and He interceeds for us before God. He took our place on the Cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

True salvation requires a face-to-face encounter with Jesus.
True salvation requires a personal revelation of the Holy Spirit by the Holy Spirit.
True salvation requires a confession of Him as the Messiah.
True salvation requires a confession of him publically as the Messiah.

Occassions of wealth transfers in the Bible:

1) Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

2) Genesis 26:16
And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

3) Genesis 31:6-9
And you know that with all my might I have served your father. Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me. If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked. So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

4) Genesis 41:44
Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

5) Exodus 12:35
Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.

6) 1 Kings 10:23
So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.

Proverbs 13:23
Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is waste.

Job 5:19-22
He shall deliver you in six troubles,
Yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

In famine He shall redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.

You shall laugh at destruction and famine,
And you shall not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

God always blesses His people in times of famine. It shall not affect you.

The annointing of God is for war against the enemy. But the annointing you received last time will not work now, every annointing has a season except those by fire. Threats increase the annointing.

7 keys to annointing from God. (1 Kings 19)
- You must be called.
- You must be courageous, bold, determined, fearless, have the heart of a warrior, know how to use the sword of the Spirit.
- You must know how to pray and interceed.
- You must serve faithfully to another man or ministry.
- You must have no reluctance.
- You must renounce your past.
- You must serve when the time comes.

Faith is not your destination, but is the way to your destination.

Psalm 89:20
I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,

Job 29:6
When my steps were bathed with cream,
And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Songwriting for Praise And Worship

2008-11-23T21:28:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: Jeff Crabtree, Gan Khek Chyan
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Anatomy Of A Song

1) The elements of a song.

- Principle: Melody and lyrics heard in a sequence in the context of harmony and rhythm.
- Application: The effect of context: form, chords, tempos, grooves.
- Techniques: Repetition, variation and harmonic substitution.

2) The hook.

- Principle: Melody and lyrics can combine together to form an irresistibly attractive combination.
- Application: The hook is the centerpiece of the music.
- Techniques: The secret of writing hooks. Learn to use the pentatonic scale, rhythm and idiomatic expression.

3) The image.

- Principle: The purpose of constructing lyrics is to awaken the imagination.
- Application: Imagery is the centerpiece of the lyrics.
- Techniques: Construction of imagery-descriptive, simile and metaphore. You are using the power of narrative.

4) The emotion.

- Principle: The purpose of music is to create an emotional landscape.
- Application: Music is a symbolic language of emotional impact. Changes in emotion are made through subtle nuances in the composition of the music.
- Techniques: Comparison of production techniques on the emotional language of music (ie. psycho-acoustics).

Tools For Songwriting

1) Tools for lyrics.

- Thesaurus.
- Rhymer Dictionary.
- Different versions of the Bible.

2) Melody.

- Listening widely to different genres of music.
- Music software (Garrage Band).
- Using different instruments for writing.

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Art Of Worship Leading

2008-11-23T14:47:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: Annabel Soh, Alison Yap
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Characteristics Of A Good Worship Leader

1) Lifestyle of a worshipper

2) Heart and character

- A contrite heart

David was quick to admit his mistakes and to repent. He has a soft, broken and contrite heart.

Psalm 51:16-17
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

A broken and contrite heart is inclined toward God, repents quickly and is able to receive forgiveness openly. It is a heart that always remain broken unto the Lord.

Brokenness or humility is the critical ingredient that a worship leader needs to have to be able to lead others into God's presence.

A proud heart is of no use to God. If pride continues to live in a heart, God will find a way to break it. It is not all about "me" as a worship leader. It is about the congregation, the people. No matter how talented or experienced we are, we need to humble ourselves so that His Spirit can move freely through us.

- A forgiving heart

With brokenness, comes the ability to forgive and be forgiven.

3) Faithfulness

Technical Components To A Good Worship Session

1) Song choice
2) Sequence and dynamics
3) Vocal ability

Asia Conference 2008: Loving God Wholeheartedly, Loving People Fervently

2008-11-23T14:36:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Christ in Culture. How do we as Christians react to the culture of the world?

Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.

Isaiah 60:9
Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
Because He has glorified you.

Isaiah 60:13-14
“ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the place of My feet glorious.
Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 60:19
“ The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.

Isaiah 60:22
A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”

Hebrews 11:10
for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:13-14
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.

Hebrews 11:16
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Heaven is a holy city. Isaiah 60 calls it a holy city, a centre of commerce. Revelations 21 calls it the new Jerusalem.

Camels, ships and wood are not jut symbols of worldly power and wealth, but they are also signs of pagan worship.

Isaiah 2:12-16
For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.

God is going to judge the camels and ships and wood. When He judges, it is meant to build up, it is going to be a fire of purification. Judgement is not meant to destroy but to purify and to redeem.

Isaiah 10:34
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

Isaiah 60:6-7
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar,
And I will glorify the house of My glory.

Isaiah 60:9
Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
Because He has glorified you.

Isaiah 60:13
“ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the place of My feet glorious.

The camels, ships and wood will be brought into the Holy City before the Lord, for His glory, to beautify the House of God.

Our God is not a destroyer, He is a redeemer. His desire is to bring about conversion and redemption.

Revelation 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:5
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

Revelation 21:24
And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.

Revelation 21:26
And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

God is in the business of making all things new. Renewal, redemption, restoration.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The way we seek should not be one of passively waiting for heaven to return, but to actively seek, going beyond the four walls of the Church to redeem the world.

Matthew 23:11-12
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Isaiah 58:10
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

How do you shine your light? Serve the wounded.

Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Revelation 21:23-25
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

Asia Conference 2008: Speaking To The Valley Of Dry Bones

2008-11-23T14:09:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: Phil Pringle
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Revelation is..

Knowing who we are in Christ.
Knowing what we are called to do.
Knowing when to do it.
Knowing who to do it with.

Asia Conference 2008: Christ In Culture

2008-11-23T14:06:00.001+08:00

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: A.R. Bernard
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Many churchs' relationship with culture has always been one of imitation (imitating the culture) and isolation (isolating themselves from culture).

Man fell from the created good. Jesus came to reconcil us not just with God, but also with the created good.

Instead of imitation, there should be insulation. Insulation is spiritual layering so that even when you are in a salty lake, the saltiness does not get to you. Insulation keeps the cold out and the heat in.

Instead of isolation, there should be penetration. Penetration is stealthily entering the culture with all the qualifications necessary, and once entering you inject the spiritual element into the culture to change and influence it.

Insulation and penetration is what being a Salt and Light of the world is all about.

You can learn all about the culture but never compromise your spiritual disciplines.

Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel answered and said:

“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

The finger of God is the sign of God's work in the society, that something greater is going on or is going to happen.

Acts 1:7
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

Times = Chrono = The sequential order, a space or period.
Seasons = Kairos = A moment in history where there is a collective sense of deeply meaningful change in the air.
Metanoia = A radical change in mindset and consciousness.

Ways God works in human affairs:
- Through natural order (established principles)
- Through conscience (sense of what is right and wrong)
- Through miracles (miracles supercede all other laws, miracles are divine intervention to prayers and cries)
- Through providence (when God breaks into the normal sequential way, something that would not have happened normally, happens)

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Cell Group Leadership

2008-11-20T23:16:00.000+08:00

Date: 20 November 2008
Speaker: Derek Dunn
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Ezekiel 22:30
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

Five Roles Of Effective Cell Group Leaders

Role 1: A CG leader is a Leader.

Leader- A man or woman who has the capacity to translate vision into reality.

A good leader must be able to motivate others, influence others, communicate with the people (through word, gesture and spirit). A good leader must be decisive. A good leader must be a man of faith, of confidence, of vision and of conviction.

Romans 8:38
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

Goals reflect visions. Goals must be specific, realistic, measurable and made by faith.

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

Judges 5:2
“When leaders lead in Israel,
When the people willingly offer themselves,
Bless the Lord!

Role 2: A CG leader is a Servant.

He is a ruler by his ability to serve others their meal.

Luke 12:42
And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

Matthew 20:25-28
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Church leadership is very different from secular, worldly leadership. It is based on service (not control), sacrifice (not something you do for selfish, personal gain).

Role 3: A CG leader is a Father.

The three most fundamental needs of modern man in our days:
Identity, self-worth, security.

The real model of fatherhood is found in God. And Jesus came to show us the Father through demonstrating:
Compassion: Multitudes like sheep without a shepherd.
Concern: Ate with sinners, drunkards, prostitutes, etc.
Willingness: Touching the leper, etc.
Warmth: Mary and Martha's case.
Forgiveness: Adulterous woman.
Tenderness: Defending Mary's brokenness - perfume incident.
Sensitivity: Woman with the issue of blood.

Role 4: A CG leader is a Shepherd.

Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

Role 5: A CG leader is an Example.

1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Speech, Conduct, Love (for God and for others), Spirit (what you have on the inside, attitude, spiritual life), Faith, Purity, Consistency.

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Effective Counseling

2008-11-20T22:56:00.001+08:00

Date: 20 November 2008
Speaker: Mike Connell, Joy Connell
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Luke 10:30-37
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 24:13-15
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

You have to establish a bridge to the other party before counselling can begin.

Identifying The Problem

1) The Iceberg Illustration.

10% seen: behaviour and actions. 90% unseen: feelings, beliefs, assumptions, expectations, judgements.

2) Listen with your heart.

Proverbs 18:13
He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.

3) Ask questions.

Genesis 3:9-11
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

4) Listen to the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Key Skills:
Help the person identify and express what they are feeling.
Help the person identify and express what they are thinking.
Help the person identify and express how they are behaving.

Recognising Hindrances And Exploring Issues

1) The Blame Game
Feelings of resentment, anger and bitterness.
Inability to see the situation clearly.
Feelings of powerlessness.
Tendency to think and act like a victim.

2) Confrontation
a) Identify negative or destructive patterns.
b) Clarify the issues.
c) Help the person face the truth/reality.
d) Determine what has been done before to resolve the problem.
e) Identify the choices that they have.
f) Be gentle and non-judgemental.

Key Skills:
1) See what the issues are.
2) See their contributions.
3) Take responsibility of their contributions.
4) See the possible choices they have.

Encouraging Change

1) Give directions.
2) People always have a choice.
3) Offer support.
4) Know your limits.

Asia Conference 2008: Spirit Powered Living

2008-11-20T22:34:00.000+08:00

Date: 20 November 2008
Speaker: Phil Pringle
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Ezekiel 37:1-10
The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Revelation is knowing who you are in Christ.

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Effective Evangelism

2008-11-20T22:30:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 November 2008
Speaker: Abraham Ku, Tan Seow How
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Step 1: Incubation > Step 2: Invitation > Step 3: Integration

Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

A sequence of events for creation and re-creation of the earth:
1) Creation.
2) The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
3) The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
4) The Word of God was spoken.
5) The earth was recreated.

A sequence of events for the redemption and salvation of man:
1) We are born.
2) We are in sin - without spiritual form, living with a Christ-less void in our hearts and walking in darkness.
3) The Spirit of God began hovering over our lives and doing a work in our hearts.
4) The Word of God was spoken into our hearts and spirits.
5) We are saved - recreated in the Spirit.

In Hebrew, 'hover' = 'Rachaph' = to brood.

Pray, fast and spiritually adopt a person.

Asia Conference 2008 (Electives): Choosing The Right Partner In Life

2008-11-20T22:19:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 November 2008
Speaker: Wu Yuzhuang, Audrey Ng
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

God does not choose for you your mate. You do the choosing yourself.

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 25:2
These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

The Bible order is always in this order: God > Family > Job

Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

God gives each of us a marriage partner to help us and bless us in our walk with Him.

Genesis 2:20
So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

How do you know if a person can be a lifelong partner?

1) Physical Attraction

Keep yourself fit and healthy.
Make effort to groom yourself.

2) Communication Attraction

Communication is the basis of life.
It can be carried out in 3 ways: By word (conversation), by gesture (actions / body language), by spirit (2 Cor 6:14-15 / belief).

3) Spiritual Attraction

3 C's: Christian, Commitment to the Lord, Compatible Calling.

Asia Conference 2008: Being In The World But Not Of The World

2008-11-20T22:06:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 November 2008
Speaker: Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Acts 17:16-17
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

Paul did not despise the culture of the lost. He was faithful to His God, but he was flexible in connecting to the world. We were told to take dominion, not to be afraid to engage the world.

Holiness is not measured by the outward appearance. It is an attitude of your heart, holiness is obedience.

Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

John 17:15
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

John 17:18
As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Light shines the brightest when amongst darkness.

1st Space - The Church

Most of us are in the 1st Space. We naturally gravitate toward and stay there because we feel safe and secure in it. We need to make the 1st Space more friendly to the lost.

2nd Space - The Marketplace (business, education, government, arts and entertainment, mass media)

This is where we live in for most of the week. More time is spent there than in the 1st Space. The 1st Space is the training place in preparation for the 2nd Space.

Acts 17:18-19
Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

3rd Space - The Elite Circle

This is the realm for the society's elites. Wealthy, influencial and powerful people, principalities of power. You cannot access this Space at will. You have to be taken in. You have to earn the right to be invited in.

Acts 17:22-34
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Types of non-believers you will meet:
People who will mock you.
People who are unsure but wants to know more.

When moving into the 3rd Space, you are bound to get criticized and misunderstood. But persevere and press on!

Don't be so pre-occupied with being in the 1st Space that you forget about moving in to the 2nd, or even hate those moving into the 3rd.

Manifestations

2008-11-02T19:26:00.000+08:00

Date: 01 November 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

As a man thinks, so is he. What you have heard forms the foundation for faith.

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Biblical manifestation in its simplest form: Logos (the written Word) becoming Rhemas (the living Word for you).

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Manifestation in its highest form: The Word becomes flesh.

It is immoral to put a creature in an environment contrary to its basic nature.

If God is not successful in the first place, He cannot give you success.

Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

It is an atrocity for Christians to live in lack and insufficiency.

Luke 1:26-38
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

The unusual response brought about the manifestation. For every biblical manifestation, there will always first be an unusual response.

Breakthrough = A sudden burst of power that takes you past the previous point of resistance.

Fourth Dimension Living

2008-10-19T16:31:00.001+08:00

Date: 18 October 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

Jesus always start with the heart. It is the place where faith, hope and love begins. He wants to heal and soften our hearts.

The heart works on 4 levels:
- Thinking
- Visions and Dreams
- Faith
- Speech

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

E = M x C(2)
Power of God = Masses of People x Prayer of the People

God moves when you move. You have to make the first step.

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Believing means choosing. Choose to use the faith in your heart. The fourth dimension is the space of the Holy Spirit. God only listens to focused, persistent, specific prayers.

Genesis 30:32-43
Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.”
And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!” So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.
Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock.
And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Mindset of Creativity

2008-10-12T11:50:00.000+08:00

Date: 12 October 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Exodus 3:13-14
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

"I AM" speaks of a God who is without a beginning and an ending, and who is always constant.
"I AM" in hebrews = "Yahweh" = Redeemer

Exodus 6:1-3
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.

"God Almighty" in hebrews = "El Shaddai"
"Jehovah Jireh" = God of provision
"Jehovah Rapha" = God of healing
God went from El Shaddai to Yahweh to Jesus (Yeshua).

Matthew 19:1-8
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

In any problem, always go back to the beginning to seek the solution. The purpose for our redemption was to bring us back to the beginning.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning, God revealed himself as Elohim (God the Creator). God is a God of creativity, and so we are to be creative like He is. Tap into His creativity and bring it into your Marketplace to redeem it.

Stop having the mindset of scarcity. God is a God of abundance. With so many new millionaires coming up every moment, why can't it be you?

So long as you stay in the land of promise, God promises that you will not be destroyed.

Genesis 26:1
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

Do not move into fear.

Genesis 26:2
Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you.

Through you, your whole community will be blessed.

Genesis 26:3-6
Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”
So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

Genesis 26:12-14
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.

Isaac had his priorities right, and that led to his success in life. God > Family > Ministry/Business.

Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Breaking the Curse of Debt

2008-10-05T20:19:00.000+08:00

Date: 04 October 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 16:13
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

You cannot serve God and mammon (the god of debt).

Borrowing is not a sin, but God does not want us to become slaves to our debts.

Loan vs Debt.
Serviceable vs Unserviceable
Appreciation vs Depreciation

Deuteronomy 15:6
For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.
Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Psalm 37:21
The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.

Be a good servant to God, not to men.

Proverbs 22:6-7
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.

Nehemiah 5:3-6
There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

Nehemiah 5:11-12
Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”
So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.

1. Keep good records.

Proverbs 27:23-24
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

Ignorance + Easy Borrowing = Disaster!

Know what i own.
Know what i owe.
Know what i earn.
Know where it goes.

2. Plan my spending.

Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

Proverbs 21:20
There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.

Have a budget.

3. Reduce my debts rapidly.

Proverbs 3:27-28
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
Do not say to your neighbor,

“ Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.

4. Pay my tithes faithfully to the house of God.

Nehemiah 13:10-12
I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.

Malachi 3:10-11
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,

“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
“ 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;

1) Your church will become a blessing to all.
2) Heaven will be open over you.
3) Satan will be rebuked away.
4) Your hard work will bear fruit.
5) Your investments will prosper.

5. Give my best offerings to God.

Sowing comes before reaping.

2 Kings 4:1-2
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

2 Kings 4:7
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Success always comes behind small increaments.

10 Reasons Why God Wants You To Prosper

2008-09-28T22:17:00.004+08:00

Date: 27 September 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Deuteronomy 8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

1) God wants you to prosper because it is His nature.

Genesis 17:1-2
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”

2) God wants you to prosper so He can establish His covenant on earth.

Deuteronomy 8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

3) God wants you to prosper so you can provide for His church.

Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,

“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

4) God wants you to prosper to keep finances out of the devil's control.

Malachi 3:11
“ 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;

5)God wants you to prosper so you can help the poor.

Proverbs 19:17
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.

6) God wants you to prosper so you can honor and glorify Him.

Proverbs 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.

7) God wants you to prosper so you can leave an inheritance for your family.

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

8) God wants you to prosper so you can prove the sincerity of your love.

2 Corinthians 8:8
I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

9) God wants you to prosper so you can lead and influence society.

Deuteronomy 28:11-13
And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.

10) God wants you to prosper because He is a good God and He wants to bless His children.

Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually,
“Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Our goal in life is to prosper and have success. God always works in His ways, He is never random.

Matthew 25:14-15
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

Stewardship. He wants to prosper you but God wants to know can He entrust you with His money. He never tests you in the much, but He always tests you in the little.

Matthew 25:20-23
“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Luke 19:17-19
And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

Luke 12:15-21
And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

A steward is a manager, but not the owner.

Haggai 2:8
‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.

1 Chronicles 29:1
Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.

1 Chronicles 29:14
But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You,
And of Your own we have given You.

1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Grace means the law is now written on our hearts.

God will not deposit into us unless He knows He can withdraw from us. Build God's house first and God will build yours.

Sonship (Part 2)

2008-09-21T15:55:00.000+08:00

Date: 20 September 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

There is difference between sons and servants.

Galatians 4:1
Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,

Being sons is a big deal to God.

Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:6-7
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Characteristics of a Son

1) A son carries the genetic code of his House in him.

Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Genesis 13:5-7
Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

Like father like son. The relationship cannot be forced, and it must be a 2-way relationship.

Lot was a self-centered man. Like many of us, he lived for himself and not for his family and his house.

2) A son serves the vision of his House.

Though the 318 men were not Abram's real children, they inherited his spiritual DNA.

Genesis 14:14
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

Philippians 2:19-20
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.

"Like-minded" = Carrying the same mindset.

Sons are rare.

Philippians 2:21
For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

Your worthiness as a son is shown in the way you serve your House's vision.

Philippians 2:22
But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.

3) A son shares in the pride of the House.

Sons and daughters are to be proud of their parents.

Proverbs 17:6
Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.

4) A son accepts discipline in the House.

Hebrews 12:5-6
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“ My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Hebrews 12:7
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

5) A son gives birth to children.

Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Sonship

2008-09-14T12:54:00.000+08:00

Date: 13 September 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Psalm 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

The Church is built on Jesus. It is more than just the brick and cement, it is about the people.

Psalm 127:3-5
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

The Church is like a spiritual family. God builds generationally, and He builds through mature relationships.

"Children" in heb = Sons, builders of the family name.

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

"Sons" in heb = A matured person who can undertake responsiblities.

Maturity, in the spirit.

Having the capacity to carry God's will, visions and dreams without fainting.

Hebrews 3:1-6
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

God does not build on slaves, He builds on sons. A spiritual son or daughter carries the spiritual DNA of his/her church. The attitude, faith and values.

1 Corinthians 15:42-43
So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

If you are a member of a church yet you do not share the culture of the family, it is a rather sad thing.

Philippians 2:19-22
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.

"Like-minded" in greek = Carrying the same spirit, same annointing, same attitude in life.

A son shares the DNA of his father.

A servant has to be instructed, but a son does so without having to be told.

Luke 16:11-12
Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches (blessings and annointing and power of God)? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

Promotions come.. 1) When you are faithful in the least of all. 2) When you are faithful in your finances. 3) When you are faithful in your Father's vision.

The only way to exaltation is through humility.

Joining a Church is like being in discipleship and like falling in love. It requires a 2-way relationship.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Genesis 12:7-8
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

"Bethel" = The House of God.

Genesis 13:1-4
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

Genesis 28:10-12
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Genesis 28:16-17
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”

Genesis 28:18-19
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.

The House of God is a place of visions and dreams. The House of God is the gate of heaven. The House of God is the altar of God on the earth. It is the place where God meets us, and we meet God.

Genesis 28:20-21
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.

Genesis 28:22
And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

Jacab made a vow and he gave a tithe to the Lord.

How To Possess Your Future

2008-09-14T12:36:00.000+08:00

Date: 12 September 2008
Speaker: Sister Pamela
Venue: My Home

Possess = Taking ownership

Joshua 1:1-11
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

What is in Joshua's future? Just like everyone else', it is a mixture of blessings and battles.

How are we to possess our future?

1) Set up a plan.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

God spoke to Joshua.

Joshua 1:2-3
“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.

Joshua's reply of immediacy.

Joshua 1:11
“Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”

The future belongs to those who prepares for it.

"Moses My servant is dead." = In order to advance, you must let go of your past.

2) Stay in the Word.

It is very easy to side-track from God's Word.

Joshua 1:7
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

Place your vision infront of you as a guide and goal, and run towards it.

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth (constantly encourage and edify each other), but you shall meditate in it day and night (think about His Word regularly), that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it (have spiritual obedience). For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

How much of your time do you set aside for God? Avail yourself for God.

3) Step out in faith.

Faith is an action, not just a belief.

"Be strong and couragous" was repeated 3 times through verses 6,7 and 9.

When you want to step out in faith, the devil will distract and discourage you. Therefore, be strong and courageous!

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Courage is moving ahead inspite of your fears.

Joshua was a great man because he was committed to a great God. God and us make the best team.

Changing Our Mindsets

2008-09-07T14:04:00.001+08:00

Date: 06 September 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God is not our problem, He is on our side. Right thinking produces right living.

If you put on the mind of God, you will know your future and destiny.

Put away defeated, critical and negative thoughts. Think victoriously, positively and generously.

1) We need to change the way we think about who we are in God.

Matthew 14:25-32
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Come to Him and learn from Him.

As much as we have faith in God, God has faith in you. So have faith in yourself.

John 15:16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

He chooses not only the best, but also those beneath. Remove self-doubt and understand who you are in Christ.

2) We need to change the way we think about what is important to God.

While it is important to save souls, it is more important to groom them up in the Lord. Sometimes we are busy with doing so many things for God that we forgot what is most important in His eyes.

3) Change the way we think about our giving to God.

When we do something, do we do it out of duty or out of faith and love? God does not want our empty works, He wants our hearts.

Psalm 50:12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

Faith will Change the Negatives in your World

2008-08-31T12:20:00.000+08:00

Date: 31 August 2008
Speaker: Rev Casey Treat
Venue: City Harvest Church

Negative circumstances will never go away, but we can overcome them. Face your world with faith. Overcome negative circumstances in the name of Jesus.

Romans 8:18-22
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

Galatians 3:14
that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Romans 4:17
(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Romans 10:8
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

Fatih has to be in both your heart and your mouth. Believe it in your heart, confess it with your mouth. Call things that are not, as though they were.

Romans 4:19-21
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.

Mark 11:22-23
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

To be Christ-like is to believe in your heart, to have faith and speak to your mountains.

Matthew 8:6-10
saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”
And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Matthew 9:2
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

Matthew 9:28-29
And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.”

Faith will frame your future. Your future is decided by what is in your heart. Just as we have been made in the likeness of God, we have the power to shape our future.

Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Just as God did in Genesis, speak life and light into your world! Frame your world with the promises of God. Speak his will into your life!

Matthew 12:33
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Matthew 12:35
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart[a] brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

Build faith into your heart and speak it out!

2 Corinthians 4:13
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Faith for Successful Living

2008-08-31T10:37:00.000+08:00

Date: 30 August 2008
Speaker: Rev Casey Treat
Venue: City Harvest Church

Mark 9:22-23
And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Success = Living with purpose, fulfilling God's destiny for your life.

What you believe decides what He can do in your life.

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

"Issues" = The borders of your life.

Mark 6:3-6
Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

"He couldn't", because they would not believe.

Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

"The just shall live by faith." is repeated 4 times throughout the bible.

The gospel is the power of God to those who believe.

Faith is your connection to God. Everything you do, do it by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

"By grace", "through faith" = Without faith you cannot have grace.

John 6:29
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Romans 10:8-10
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Believe makes reality.

Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith is like a spiritual muscle. Exercise your muscles to develop greater abilities.

It is a choice to believe, it is a choice to doubt.

James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Faith changes negative circumstances. Faith frames your future.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Knowing God and Walking in His Ways

2008-08-31T10:18:00.000+08:00

Date: 29 August 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: My Home

If you want to have a relationship with God, just like with anyone else, you need to commune with Him.

The supreme goal of Christian living is to get to know God intimately.

Philippians 3:7-14
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If you choose not to know God more, He is really just like a stranger.

John 17:3
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Ephesians 2:14
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

If all you know is doctorines and philosophies, then you are really missing out on what God wants you to have.

Have an ongoing relationship with Him; Have a daily walk with God. Invest your time.

Exodus 18:20
And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.

"way" = heb. "derek" = a manner of life, an action.
"show" = heb. "yada" = to know by seeing, demonstrating by your lifestyle.
The "walk" followed by the "do" = God is not so concerned about what you do, but how you do the do.

Psalm 103:7
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

Psalm 145:17
The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.

That is God's manner of life and mode of action.

What kind of life do you want to live with God?

First the way then the work. Before Jesus gave us the Great Commission, He gave us the Great Commandment.

Every step you take, where are you heading?

Jeremiah 18:15
“ Because My people have forgotten Me,
They have burned incense to worthless idols.
And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways,
From the ancient paths,
To walk in pathways and not on a highway,

Isaiah 35:8-9
A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,

Every decision that you make, there is going to be due consequence.

The Church is Expected to War

2008-08-17T12:17:00.001+08:00

Date: 17 August 2008
Speaker: Dr. C. Peter Wagner
Venue: City Harvest Church

Warfare is part of the Church.

Matthew 10:34
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

Although Jesus is known as the Prince of Peace, but he brings along judgement because in the real world manytimes peace can only be achieved through war.

1 Samuel 15:1-3
Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

1 Samuel 15:9-11
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.

1 Samuel 15:26
But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

Peace will not come until the war is won.

D Day; The turning point of the war. Once you have secured that point, though the war may not have ended, but you have already won the war.

The biblical framework of the war

Revelation 12:7-9
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:12
Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The devil took the war from heaven down to earth. He now wages war against God's children.

What wins this war? 1) What Jesus has already done on the Cross. 2) What we say. 3) What we do about it.

The divine command to war

Going to war as a believer is not an option. And when the army goes out to war, not everyone is placed at the frontline. Some play the support role. Be placed where you are supposed to be, according to your spiritual gifts.

Get guidance from the Holy Spirit. He will speak to you individually, to your family, and to your Church.

Intercessors (open the gates of heaven) > Prophets (hears from God) > Apostles (strategise and put the body of Christ in order)

The strategic theatres of war

Ground level (deliverance ministry of casting out demons) > Occult level (deals with organised forces of darkness, magic and witchcraft) > Strategic level (deals with principalities and powers of darkness and territorial spirits)

Applying the 7M Mandate

2008-08-17T10:02:00.001+08:00

Date: 16 August 2008
Speaker: Dr. C. Peter Wagner
Venue: City Harvest Church

The 7M (mountains/ moulders of culture) Mandate: Religion, Family, Education, Media, Government, Arts and Entertainment, Business. If we want to change the society and culture, we must first conquer these 7 mountains.

Instead of leaving the other mountains and scaling the religion mountain, rise up in your mountain. People at the top of their mountain have got influence and dominion over their mountain. God wants us to take control of our mountain and let the values of the Kingdom of God be established in the society.

Titus 3:5
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

3 stages of renewal:

1) Awareness (renewing your mind)

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

We have to go through a paradigm shift.

2) Identification (renewing your commitment)

3) Application (renewing your practice)

"Kingdom-minded" and "Kingdom-motivated" people are the people whom God is looking for.

Your mountain is your marketplace, what you do in your mountain is your ministry.

The religion mountain is like a nuclear church and the other 6 mountains are like extended churches.

By being at the top > Gaining respect from the peers > Gain the power to influence > Gain the power to change!

Spirituality determines your influence in the religion mountain, but it is success that determines your influence in the other 6 mountains. And money is what determines success, because this is what the world operates on.

Convergence Theory (to spend most of your time doing what you are good at and what you are supposed to do so as to maximise your potential.)

The best thing to do in life is to get rich. Wealth enables you to do what you want to do.

Set yourself a goal to have at least 5 different sources of income.

Transform, accumulate, dominate.

Constraint Theory (to discover your ceiling and analyse what keeps you under your ceiling.)

Eg. spiritual constraints, relational constraints, financial constraints, lifestyle, character, attitude, personality, geographical location, tithing and offering, curses.

Triangulation Theory (for 7M leaders to align themselves with apostles and prophets, and to have intercessors fighting for them in spiritual warfares)

Servanthood

2008-08-10T20:43:00.000+08:00

Date: 10 August 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Genesis 24:16
Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.

7 Servanthood Qualities

1) Servanthood is Willing.

Genesis 24:18-19
So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

"I Will"

Genuine serving is borne out of love for God.

Energy always follow the willing.

Genesis 24:58
Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”

Psalm 110:3
Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.

Salvation comes to the willing.

2) Servanthood Excels.

Genesis 24:19
And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”

I will serve all the way.

Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Whenever you do something, do it well.

God does not just give you enough. He blesses you exceedingly and abundantly, twentyfold fiftyfold and a hundredfold.

"Excellence" = to exceed all expectations and to give attention to details that leads to superior performance.

3) Servanthood is Swift.

Genesis 24:18
So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.

Genesis 24:20
Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Time is more valuable than money.

4) Servanthood is Never Convenient.

Luke 17:7-8
And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?

Serving God and serving people will never be convenient.

5) Servanthood is Honouring.

Genesis 24:18
So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.

Honoring is in the way we present ourselves.

Luke 14:8
“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;

A man of God is a lover of hospitality. Friendly, happy, generous.

6) Servanthood is Work.

Destiny is not what you know, but how you serve.

Rebekah did not serve for the money, but as she served, financial blessings came into her life.

7) Servanthood is Caring For People.

"Stranger" = People living outside our circle.

Hebrews 13:1-2
Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

Do not let love end.

Serve strangers, for by doing so you may have unknowingly serves the Messenger of God.

Rebekah's character and attitude was pleasing in God's eyes.

Running the Race to Win

2008-07-27T19:23:00.001+08:00

Date: 26 July 2008
Speaker: Pastor Derek Dunn
Venue: City Harvest Church

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

If you don't run, you can never win.

Along the race of life as you follow Jesus, there lies many difficulties and obstacles. But amidst all these, we shall emerge victorious.

2 Timothy 4:6-8
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

At the beginning, you are full of energy and excited. But as you go on, some get tired, some due to the lack of proper stability, they fizzle out.

Don't lose faith!

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Philippians 3:14
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 4:19
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

For radical changes, you must go through radical pain. Trials shape you into a better person. We need to develop consistency.

Why people fall away?
- Dehydration (of the Holy Spirit)
- Falling and getting hurt
- Burning out and exhaustion
- Losing sight of the finish line

5 keys to finishing the race of life:

1) Know what fills and drains your tank. (people, activity, thoughts)

2) Understand the law of balance in life.

Daniel 5:27
TEKEK: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;

3) Lead and serve out the Rest.

Exodus 20:9-10
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Take time out to re-focus.

4) Find your lightning rod. (people who are spiritually matured)

Proverbs 11:14
Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

5) Discipline your daily devotions.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20
“Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

Daily bathing with SOAP.
S- Scripture
O- Observation about it
A- Application
P- Prayer for your life

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah

Have daily encounters with God.

God is Able

2008-07-27T18:34:00.000+08:00

Date: 25 July 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: Chris'

God is all-powerful, and He wants to empower you.

2 Timothy 3:1
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

When we have the Holy Spirit in us, we can have the victory.

Romans 8:37-39
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It all depends on who and where we focus our sights on.

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

God is omnipotent. he possesses infinite, complete and perfect powers.

Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

When faced with a problem, who do you go to first?

1) God is able to save us completely.

Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We should seek his forgiveness daily.

1 Peter 1:5
who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
2) God is able to keep us from sin.

Jude 1:24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

Hebrews 2:18
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

He has been through all temptations Himself. He understands what we are going through.

Lay hold of His power and might.

3) God is able to supply all our needs.

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Have faith in Him. He only give good gifts to His children.

4) God is able to heal our diseases.

Matthew 9:27-31
When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it. ” But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

He is able to heal us, but firstly we got to believe.

5) God is able to deliver us from death.

Daniel 3:17
If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

Hebrews 5:7
who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

God has power over all. He is able to deliver us.

Choose how you think and how you feel.

Men And Women

2008-07-19T10:18:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 July 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil challenged God's integrity; To undermine His authority.

Men and women are supposed to be a team, and they are given the ability to have dominion over all earth.

Genesis 3:11-12
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

From that moment on, there was a tear in the relationship.

Genesis 3:14-16
So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“ Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you."

When God blessed men and women, He gave them dominion over the world, but now they are trying to dominate each other.

Men + Women = Christ + Church

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

After Adam was cut off from God, the blessing did not stop immediately but slowly dwindled noticeably. Adam lived 930 years. Seth 912 years. Enosh 905 years.

When life diminishes, light dims.

John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

We need to be born again. The life of God now then resides in us. When the Holy Spirit lives in you, you start speaking in Tongues and start seeing visions and dreams.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to you on your new birth, to have dominion over the world (our original purpose).

Upon moving in the Spirit, start moving in the Gifts of the Spirit as well.

2 Corinthians 5:16
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

Hebrews 5:13-14
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

You have to pray and connect yourself to God. Learn to hear His voice.

John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Security

2008-07-13T15:34:00.001+08:00

Date: 12 July 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Exodus 17:8-13
Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

The power did not come though the rod, but through the man holding the rod. God does not work through methods, but through ordinary people to do His works.

Victory of a Church is through its congregation.

Servanthood is the key to breakthroughs and successes. And it takes security to serve.

4 areas we need to be secured in:

1) Self-image (how we see ourselves)

Our image is how we see ourselves in our imaginations. People who have good self image can have confidence yet humility. We conform to the image we have of ourselves. We need to have a revelation of God's image for we possess His blessings, powers and strength. How you see yourself will be how your life will be lived.

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

2) Self-worth (how we value ourselves)

Gow knows every detail about you. You are worth His Son, for He sent His Son to die for you.

Romans 8:31-32
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

3) Self-esteem (how we feel about ourselves)

Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

“ Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.

You make decisions by the feelings and emotions from your heart.

1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Encounters with God is so important. And faith only works by love.

4) Self-respect (how i honor my dignity)

We are children of the Most High God. We are royalties. We should live with a higher standard of morality and carry ourselves in a different way. not because of the Church, but because of the Father. We do not have to conform to the world.

Servanthood is not being servile. You do not have to humiliate others just to show that you are better. You do not have to win all the time.

Overcoming Disappointments

2008-07-06T12:07:00.000+08:00

Date: 05 July 2008
Speaker: Rev Mike Connell
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 4:18
“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

He has come to reconcile with us. He has come to heal the brokenhearted. He has come to set free those who are bound.

Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God does not want you to simply survive. He wants you to overcome.

Having disappointments, you carry the grieve and anger inside. Having disappointments, you'll react to the hurt. Having disappointments, you'll become withdrawn to people and to God. However, Jesus has already taken all the grieve and hurt for us at the Cross.

1 Samuel 30:1-4
Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

The hardened soldiers wept.

1 Samuel 30:6
Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

God gave you emotions. He has emotions too!

Mark 3:5
And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.

Hebrews 5:7
who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

Emotions are indicators of our hearts' condition.

Dealing with disappointments.

Luke 24:13-21
Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

The disciples had disappointments and had expectations of what God should do.

Symptoms of disappointments:
- You flock together with disappointed people
- You tend to ask yourself, 'why me'
- You don't recognise God's touch
- You are drawing back from potential hurts
- You carry a perpetual sad look

Jesus first asked about their feelings, so as to open up their hearts to Him. Hesus then focused on the Word, on Himself and on the Promises.

Dealing with disappointments:

- Coming into the presence of God (praying in tongues and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you).

- Face your disappointments honestly.

- Express your emotions to God (grief before Him).

- Ask yourself 'how have i reacted', 'do i need to forgive someone'.

- Re-focus on God and on His Word.

Dealing With Emotional Wounds And Inner Vows

2008-07-06T11:50:00.000+08:00

Date: 04 July 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: My House

Every adult was once a child and that fact has an important bearing on our lives till today. Deep within our souls, we all carry our 'inner child of the past'. This is a set of feelings and attitudes brought from our childhood, which causes us to see things with a double vision. Rational (adult) yet emotional (child).

Subconsciously, your emotional programming is responsible for 1) Your value system concerning love and relationship 2) The awkwardness you may have in relating to people 3) The way you express love to others, especially your husband or wife 4) The way you 'protect' yourself whenever you sense you are getting hurt or disappointed.

Reasons why we repeat the toxic attitudes of our parents:

1) Learnt behaviours

2) Bitterroot judgement (a seed of deep resentment that has grown into a full-blown character flaw in your life, making you do the very thing you detest in an offender)

Hebrews 12:14-15
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Luke 6:37
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

3) Emotional wounds from childhood (sexual trauma, physical or verbal abuse, parental absence, parents who are emotionally shutdown, control and manipulation)

4) Inner vows (a pre-determination set by the mind and the heart in your childhood that will subconsciously direct your whole adult life)

Matthew 5:34
But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

How do you deal with these deadfalls?

1) Confess that you have a problem.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2) Forgive those who have hurt you, especially your parents.

Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

3) Ask God to forgive you for harbouring resentment, bitterness and judgement toward people, yourself and perhaps even God himself.

Mark 11:25-26
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

4) Release all your hurt to our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5:7
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

5) Receive healing from Jesus.

Luke 4:18
“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

6) Reconcile wherever possible.

Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

7) Make restitution wherever possible.

Luke 19:8
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

Ephesians 4:28
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Life And Light

2008-06-29T09:07:00.000+08:00

Date: 28 June 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

John 1:1-4
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.

Genesis 5:1-2
This is the written account of the descendants of Adam. When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.”

God created mankind; Outwardly like Him (His image), and inwardly like Him (His likeness). Inwardly we have His spirit life (His presence) and His moral likeness (His standard of holiness).

God is a God of purpose. He had a purpose for creating Males before Females.

Roles are determined by society, and purposes are determined by God. A real Man is not based on his roles, but based on his purposes.

The purpose of a thing is in the mind of the maker. The purpose of a thing determines its potential. The potential of a thing reveals its purpose. Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.

Men was taken from the ground. Women was from Men's ribs. Being from the ground, Men play the foundation role in things that God wants to do.

1 Corinthians 3:11
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Adam was put in a garden (a place where God's presence is). Connect yourselves with God.

Adam was given instructions. He was expected to communicate with and to teach Eve.

Genesis 2:15-16
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

Adam was given the garden to tend to. He was expected to bring productivity and fruitfulness.

Adam was given the garden to keep and protect. He was expected to be its protector.

Genesis 2:19-20
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

Adam was asked to name the birds and the beasts of the fields. He was expected to take on leadership and ownership roles.

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God tasked Men to bring His light into the world, but Men cannot do it alone, Women are to be his helper.

Genesis 2:16-17
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (loss of life).”

The Holy of Holies contains the Ark, which represents the presence of God and His 10 Commandments.

John 4:23-24
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

2 Corinthians 4:3-7
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

You need to reclaim your lost visions and purposes. You need to restore the purpose for which you were created for. The world is crying out for help.

Romans 8:19-20
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;

Being A True Friend

2008-06-29T08:12:00.000+08:00

Date: 27 June 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: My Home

Real friendships are never accidental.

2 types of friendship. Casual (which are the result of circumstances) and Close Friends (which are the result of choices). You got to choose carefully who to be your close friends.

Proverbs 12:26
The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

People not to be close to: Lazy people, angry people, immoral people, greedy people, unbelievers.

Proverbs 15:19
The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

1 Corinthians 5:9
I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

Proverbs 1:10-19
My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
Surely, in vain the net is spread
In the sight of any bird;
But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

However, we are to love everyone.

3 things to look out for in a close friend:

Look for those who will help me to be wiser.

Proverbs 13:20
He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

Look for those who will help me share my burdens.

Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Look for those who will help me grow spiritually.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

We musy be a true friend and attractive as a person.

Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Soul-winning is relational. Serve one another, esteem others above yourself, love your neighbour as yourself.

1 Corinthians 15:23
But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Forgive each other.
Refresh each other.
Invest in each other.
Encourage each other.
Nurture each other.
Depend on each other.
Share with each other.
Help each other.
Inspire each other.
Pray for each other.

Fathers

2008-06-15T17:54:00.000+08:00

Date: 14 June 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 6:9
In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

A good father has a respected position.

We should respect our fathers.

Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

A good father has a wonderful plan.

Good ideas aren't always God's ideas.

Father are leaders for the family members to follow.

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

A good father provides.

Philippians 4:19
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

A good father provides for the emotional needs of his child.

To be a good dad: Find an activity to do together regularly. Help the child develop hobbies and interests. Mentor more and discipline less during the teenage years. Talk to the child and be a good listener. Love your child's mother with all your heart. A child is never too old to be told, I Love You.

Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

A good father pardons.

Matthew 6:13
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

A good father protects.

Prosperity

2008-06-08T18:23:00.000+08:00

Date: 07 June 2008
Speaker: Rev Dr Robb Thompson
Venue: City Harvest Church

The most celebrated demon in all of hell was the one assigned to convince you that God wanted you poor.

Psalm 65:11
You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.

Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy and be glad,
Who favor my righteous cause;
And let them say continually,
“Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Psalm 66:12
You have caused men to ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

Without money, you can't do anything.

Acts 20:35
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Shut the month of the devil.

Prosperity is having more than enough provision to fulfill what God requires.

Deuteronomy 8:18
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:

“ He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

Philippians 4:11-19
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

A person's belief is seen through his actions.

Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Repentance is changing from 'what i think' to 'what God thinks'.

2 Corinthians 8:1
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:

Philippians 4:15
Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

The greatest man in your life is the man who teaches you how to unlock your future.

The law of the first- Whatever you do first, determines what happens next.

God will never give you a future that makes Him unneccessary.

Deuteronomy 8:7-17
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Philippians 1:29
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

Deuteronomy 8:3
So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

The only cure for ingratitude is loss.

A life without harvest is proof that you have invested in the wrong people.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

2 Chronicles 20:35-37
After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted very wickedly. And he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion Geber. But Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” Then the ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Giving to God what belongs to Him, guarantees Him giving to you what grace provides.

Leviticus 27:30
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.

Malachi 3:6-10
“ For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“ But you said,

‘ In what way shall we return?’

“ Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,

‘ In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,

“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Built To Last (2) - The Jesus DNA

2008-06-01T13:14:00.000+08:00

Date: 31 May 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Corinthians 4:14-16
I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

Build on the right values. Inject Jesus' DNA into the society.

V- Visible
A- Attract
L- Lead
U- Unite
E- Establish
S- Standard

The Church's DNA is made up of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

DNA: 1) contains all the genetic information for a body to function, grow and reproduce. 2) is a set of blueprints containing instructions. 3) contains 4 chemical bases. 4) identifies who you are. 5) defines your personality. 5) organized into structures called chromozomes. 6) the speed in which the DNA is replaced is the speed at which the person grows. 7) passed from the parents to the children.

Jesus' DNA contains Faith, Hope and Love; Making up Servanthood.

Nimrod (Tower of Babel) (self-centred)

Genesis 10:8-10
Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Genesis 11:1-9
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Abraham (all about others)

Genesis 26:24
And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.”

Numbers 12:7-8
Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.

I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

Numbers 14:24
But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

Nimrod was here as a dictator and an oppressor. Abraham was here as a servant.

Isaiah 41:8
“ But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.

Exodus 33:11
So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

Philippians 2:25-30
Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.

Epaphroditus = brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, messenger, minister. He was a producer Christian!

Visible love opens invisible hearts.

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Romans 11:36
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

L.I.F.E.

2008-05-25T11:34:00.000+08:00

Date: 24 May 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

He wants to bless us. But more so, he wants to bless others through us.

L -> Leaving to cleave

To come out of the world and into God's kingdom.

Enter into a union with God.

I -> Intimacy with God

Moving into the holy of holies.

F -> Faith in God

To wholly follow the Lord.

Fidelity, loyalty and trust.

Numbers 32:11
‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me,

Trials are only for the moment. Rewards and victories are forever.

Genesis 13:2
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Genesis 13:5-6
Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.

The blessings of the Lord will come upon you.

E -> Example through brokenness

2 Corinthians 4:7-12
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.

Life comes out of death.

John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Isaiah 53:3-5
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

2 Corinthians 4:13-14
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,”we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

Through your brokenness, you can bring life into the world.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Hebrews 2:14-18
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Genesis 22:16-18
and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Hebrews 10:7
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”

Hearing From God

2008-05-25T11:14:00.000+08:00

Date: 23 May 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: My House

John 8:26-29
I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Jesus has a very close relationship with God.

To hear God's voice, you must believe that there is a God who is alive. He can communicate with the people. God will speak to those who seek Him. We can recognise His voice when He speaks.

How does the Holy Spirit speak to you?

1) He quietly impresses.

Mark 2:8
But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

Acts 14:9
This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

2) He prompts gently.

Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

3) He stirs us up.

Acts 17:16
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

Habakkuk 1:1-2
The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

O Lord, how long shall I cry,
And You will not hear?
Even cry out to You, “Violence!”
And You will not save.

4) He moves our conscience.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

To rule, is to be an empire.

5) He reminds us of scriptures.

John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Jabez

2008-05-19T00:30:00.000+08:00

Date: 17 May 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

He was a man of prayer.

2 Chronicles 7:14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Prayer is the answer to success. Fasting is an act of humility.

Seek the healer instead of the healing. Get connected to Him and have a relationship with Him.

10 reasons why we should pray:

1) Temptations are overcomed through prayer.

Matthew 26:40-41
Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

2) Your heart is softened toward God through prayer.

Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

3) God is found through prayer.

Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.

4) Life gets refreshed through prayer.

Amos 5:4
For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“ Seek Me and live;

5) Soul gets encouraged through prayer.

Luke 18:1
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,

6) Persistence is built through prayer.

Romans 12:12
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

7) The Holy Spirit empowers you through prayer.

Ephesians 6:14
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

8) Anxiety is defeated through prayer.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

9) Revival comes through prayer.

Acts 1:14
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

10) You will shake the world through prayer.

Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

Pure Hearts

2008-05-18T12:59:00.000+08:00

Date: 15 May 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: My House

Revelation 22:10-12
And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Leviticus 19:19
‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.

We should come before God with no mixture in our hearts.

1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?

1 Samuel 10:10-11
When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1 Samuel 16:23
And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

1 Samuel 19:23
So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

Saul was a man full of mixture.

1 Samuel 28:3
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

1 Samuel 28:7
Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

John 16:8
And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

As Christians, we need to have peace with all men. As Christians, we need to be holy; Inward cleanliness.

Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

To obey is better than to sacrifice.

1 Samuel 15:22
So Samuel said:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

Cellgroup T-Shirt Design

2008-05-18T11:18:00.001+08:00

Blessed Women

2008-05-12T00:11:00.000+08:00

Date: 10 May 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Samuel 1:1-2
Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

1 Samuel 1:6
And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb.

Amidst all the darkness, Hannah was dedicated to God.

She was a woman of prayer.

1 Samuel 1:7
So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

1 Samuel 1:11
Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

Amidst all ther darkness, Hannah was dedicated to her husband.

Despite all that her husband did to her, she forgave him.

1 Samuel 1:5
But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb.

1 Samuel 1:19
Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.

Amidst all the darkness, Hannah was dedicated to her child.

She mothered her child well.

1 Samuel 3:1
Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.

Hannah was a blessing to her generation.

Moving In The Spirit

2008-05-11T23:50:00.000+08:00

Date: 09 May 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: Chris'

He walks beside us.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Moving in the Spirit is an attitude of faith.

2 Corinthians 4:13
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,

1 John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Moving in the Spirit and the attitude of faith goes together.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

When you pray, the Holy Spirit will show you your needs.

We need to believe that we have received them in the Spirit before we receive them in the natural.

Moving in the Spirit is seeing visions and dreams.

The Holy Spirit communicates with you through visions and dreams.

Moving in the Spirit is making room for God's power to touch you.

Genesis 21:17-19
And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.

Being too engrossed with negativity, you have stopped God's power from reaching you.

The power of God is not based on your own powers. Do not rely solely on your own strength.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Moving in the Spirit is having a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

To be in unity with Him, and to fellowship with Him.

Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

Job 22:21
“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.

David loved the presence of God.

Psalm 27:4
One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

God wants us to have an intimate connection with Him.

Miracles, signs and wonders will follow you.

Soul Winning

2008-05-04T23:17:00.000+08:00

Date: 03 May 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 19:10
for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Soul winning is your primary purpose.

1) Spiritually Fruitful (being able to have spiritual birth)

Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

As we can see, we are created in His image. God loves to create and give life, we should be like Him.

Dust > Man (Adam)
Man (Adam) > Woman (Eve)
Woman (Mary) > God (Jesus)
Man + Woman > Man + Woman
Man + God > Eternal Life

John 15:1
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

John 15:6
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

God hates unfruitfulness.

2) Spiritual Adoption (praying in the Spirit)

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Gestation > Pray until something happens > Born Again

Soul winning is a co-mission. Winning the lost with a group and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 16:18-19
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:16-20
But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Body of Christ > Groups of 2 and 3 > Offices, schools, homes, army camps, communities

Matthew 9:37-38
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Send (in greek, Ekballo) means to eject, to expel.
Send (in greek, Apostello) means sending out of the disciple.

3) Spiritual Empowerment (working with the Holy Spirit)

Genesis 1:2
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

"Hovering"; The Holy Spirit was present.

Popcorn Effect: When salvation comes, it will come not just singularly, but in great numbers.

1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Prayer gives you access to the mind of God.

Matthew 27:50-51
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

2 Corinthians 3:14-16
But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Hebrews 6:19
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,

Prayer

2008-04-27T12:35:00.000+08:00

Date: 26 April 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Chronicles 4:9
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

Honorable in hebrews means, glory, substance and weight.

1 Chronicles 4:10
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

He sought after God's kingdom first, then for the enlargement of his influence, then for the anointing of God to be on him, then wait for God's victory over, then for victory over temptations.

Without prayer you cannot connect with God.

To do great things in life, Prayer must become a big part of your life.

Prayer must be disciplined. (desire > discipline > spiritual delight)

Mark 16:15
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

As your engage culture, He will help you solve the problems that you encounter. He will give you the ability to speak in tongues.

5 purposes of Tongues:
- for self-edification (to charge up yourself)
- for praise and worship (Acts 2:11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.)
- for intercession (on behalf of people. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.)
- for spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints)
- for revelation (1 Corinthians 14:15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.) (Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.) (Acts 2:16-17 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.)

Why We Should Pray

2008-04-27T11:42:00.002+08:00

Date: 25 April 2008
Speaker: Sister Evangeline
Venue: Chris'

God hears our prayers and He answers.

Prayer builds up your relationship with God.

1) I pray because God wants to meet with me.

Just as your parents want to meet with you, God wants to meet with you.

Ministry unto the Lord (serving God in prayer) must come before ministry unto the people.

Luke 10:41
And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

Prioritize, put God first. Everything else will fall into place.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Do what is pleasing in the eyes of God.

2) I pray to maintain the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

By speaking in Tongues.

When you focus in your prayer, the Holy Spirit will lead you and pray through you.

When you do not pray enough, you will not be able to weather life's storms.

Mark 14:37-38
Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

There is power in tarrying in God's presence.

3) Through prayer, i can win the lost.

Mark 3:27
No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

How to pray:
Be clear about what you want.
Pray with your heart.
Present your burdens unto the Lord.
When you pray in the Spirit, learn to pray with understanding.
Be persistent for something that God has been impressing in your heart, until you sense a breakthrough.

The Message Of Forgiveness

2008-03-22T12:56:00.001+08:00

Date: 22 March 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Have faith in God, your self, your destiny, your future.

"author" in greek, means pathfinder. "finisher", means perfector.

He understood the price of fulfilling His destiny.

Acts 2:17
‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

Hebrews 12:3
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Many great people have had to endure great obstacles and barriers before they achieve great things. Example: Joseph, Abraham, Moses, Simon Peter.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Shame robs you of the motivation to seek care. You lose the joy for living. you start to feel helpless.

Shame robs you of healthy relationships. You always want to hide yourself and your past. You shutdown your ability to express yourself.

Shame causes anger and aggression.

Shame causes psychological problems.

Shame causes problematic moral behaviours.

Focus our sights upon Jesus. For our sins, Jesus accepted all rejections. Jesus endured all verbal abuses. Jesus endured all physical abusus.

Isaiah 53:3-5
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Anything you can feel, God can heal.

Christ allowed himself to be crucified so that we can be clothed in His righteousness.

Increasing The Annointing In Your Life

2008-03-16T00:45:00.000+08:00

Date: 16 March 2008
Speaker: Rev Dr Phil Pringle
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 4:1-19
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:

` He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The price for annointing could be payment for the rest of your life.

Whatever situation you may encounter, was all allowed by God. He never gives you something you cannot handle.

Annointing comes after victory over trial. Trials are God's gifts to you, that He knows you can overcome it and that He may pour His annointing on you through it.

Things go wrong when you're in the Will of God.

The world can only be changed and shaped by people who are highly annointed in their lives.

When you love the Word, you'll begin to love Man.

Psalm 119:35
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.

Jesus was alone and hungry. When you're hungry, you tend to compromise your values. But Jesus did not.

No trial lasts forever. It will eventually end.

Keep your focus on God to remain firm in this world.

Mark 4:17
and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

Whatever you act on, you strengthen.

When God speaks to you, you move into a trial.

Jesus used the Bible to rebuke the devil.

To have victory over trials, you have to walk by what is written in the Bible.

Servanthood

2008-03-02T15:10:00.000+08:00

Date: 01 March 2008
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

John 13:3
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

You have to know your power, position and purpose.

He who created the heavens and the earth, was willing to serve at the lowest.

John 13:4-5
rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Use your talents, gifts and abilities to serve. Giving of one's own life to make the life of another better.

Servanthood is the key to promotion.

Philippians 2:5-7
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:12-15
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

It is easy to serve christian superiors, but are you willing to serve non-christians as unto the Lord?

Servanthood is the key to authority.

Luke 19:16-19
Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

Servanthood is the key to destiny.

Genesis 24:15-20
And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Genesis 24:22
So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,

Servanthood will cause you to prosper.

Genesis 24:53
Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

Serving God and excelling in the world should be done simultaneously.

Fear

2008-02-23T23:41:00.000+08:00

Date: 23 February 2008
Speaker: Rev Dr Ulf Ekman
Venue: City Harvest Church

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Mark 4:35-41
On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Fear is a spirit, an influence, a weapon of the devil, a culture, an environment.

When you are born again, the Spirit of God comes into us. And when it comes in, it drives out the spirit of fear.

Fear will take you away from the right people at the right time. Fear limits your potential and purpose.

Genesis 3:6-13
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Fear is the opposite of faith. We fear because we are selfish and rebellious, shifting our focus from God to ourselves.

Love is defined as being unselfish and God-centered.

The devil will test you, because he knows your weaknesses.

God is for me, who can be against me?

The Lord is my helper, who shall i fear?

Kill fear, or fear will kill us.

Built To Last

2008-02-17T17:42:00.000+08:00

Date: 17 February 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

2 Peter 1:5-11
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 12:25
But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

Values:

Loyalty (choosing who to align yourself with.)

Commitment (putting action, time and effort to your purposes.)

Respect (submission to authority.)

Philippians 2:5-9
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

Accountability (communication / staying connected.)

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Family (balanced life.)

The strength of a man is not on how many buddies he has, but on how much of a buddy he is to his children. And when a man builds his home on the right values, there is security.

Love (forgiveness / mercy / grace.)

Matthew 12:20
A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;

1 John 3:15
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Faithfulness (trustworthiness.)

Luke 16:10-12
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Hardwork (diligence.)

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

Ephesians 4:28
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Integrity (truthfulness.)

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Matthew 9:12-13
When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Generous (giving.)

Acts 20:35
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Timothy 6:6-8
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

2 Timothy 3:1-4
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

VALUES of having values:
Visible
Attract
Lead
Unite
Establish
Standard

Fortitude

2008-02-03T00:21:00.000+08:00

Date: 2 February 2008
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Fortitude = Strength of mind that enables someone to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.

Hebrews 10:35-36
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

2 Corinthians 6:4
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,

2 Timothy 3:10
But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,

How do you develope endurance?

E Embrace God's purpose in your situation. Character, faith and salvation are important.

1 Peter 1:7
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

James 1:3-4
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Romans 5:3-4
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

N Nurture your spiritual roots. Circumstances will eventually change one day, but His word never will.

Mark 4:17
and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

Luke 8:15
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

D Direct your attention to Jesus Christ. God is always your solution.

Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Hebrews 12:2
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

U You must use your experience to help others. Your greatest life message comes out from your weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 1:6
Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

2 Timothy 2:10
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

R Rely on God's power. You don't know God's all you need, until God's all you've got.

Colossians 1:11
strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Romans 12:12
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

E Expect God to bless you. By your faith, you determine how much God can do for you.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 5:11
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Hebrews 10:36
For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:

God didn't send you to enter the race. He sent you to finish the race.

The Holy Spirit

2008-01-27T01:03:00.000+08:00

Date: 27 January 2008
Speaker: Rev Dr A R Bernard
Venue: City Harvest Church

Acts 9:31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

By having the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, we get multiplication.

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

The success of any ministry is due to the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you can now see clearly what you could not see before.

Things We Can Learn From The Ants

2008-01-20T19:51:00.000+08:00

Date: 20 January 2008
Speaker: Pastor Nicky
Venue: Cornerstone Church

Proverbs 30:24-28
There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;
The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;
The spider skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

7 things regarding the ants
Ants have initiative.
Ants can discern times and seasons.
Ants can carry load many times its weight.
Ants ignore the past and the present, and keep their focus on the future.
Ants work quietly.
Each ant supplies its contributions to its colony.
Ants have perseverance.

Self-Esteem

2008-01-19T22:57:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 January 2008
Speaker: Sister Pat
Venue: Pat's

Matthew 13:20-21
But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

God wants us to have confidence in life.

2 Samuel 22:36
“You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

1 John 5:14
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

7 truths about self-esteem

Humility is not the same as humiliation.

Humility is recognising who we are, God's children; And accepting our strengths and weaknesses. Humiliation is a sense of shame and embarrassment.

Putting off the sinful nature is not the same as putting down yourself.

Ephesians 4:22-24
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Self-denial is not the same as self-degradation.

Self-denial is being willing to set aside your sinful nature; And self-degradation is cheapening yourself.

Unworthy is not the same as worthless.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Self-love is not the same as selfishness.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Self-affirmation is not the same as self-conceit.

Self-affirmation is knowing that you can; Self-conceit is pride.

Self-awareness is not the same as self-exalt.

Fishers of Men

2007-10-21T16:36:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 October 2007
Speaker: Pastor Tan Ye Peng
Venue: City Harvest Church

Luke 5:1-3
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

Luke 5:10
and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”

God did not just stay in heaven. He came down to be with the fallen humanity. To be a Fisher of Men, is to be like Jesus. To really 'fish', you have to go right into the 'ocean'. And Jesus won the war on earth starting from servanthood.

Philippians 2:7-8
but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

1) Be hospitable to one another.

1 Peter 4:9
Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

2) Care for one another.

1 Corinthians 12:25
that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

3) Pray for one another.

James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

4) Restore one another.

James 5:19-20
Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

5) Teach and admonish one another.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

6) Serve one another.

Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Getting Real

2007-10-14T15:45:00.000+08:00

Date: 14 October 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

2 Corinthians 4:18
While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Everything on earth is temporary. Step into the spiritual realm. Circumstance is also temporary. Don't get attached to your circumstances, they come and go.

If you are not careful, your reality could become a limiter to your life.

Proverbs 23:6-7
Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “ Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Reality is not fixed, and is different for every person.

Genesis 39:1-3
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. (even a servant can be prosperous!)

The greatest prison is in your mind.

John 3:12-13
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Noone has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Romans 10:10-15
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Tithe & Offering

2007-10-14T15:32:00.000+08:00

Date: 7 October 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Malachi 1:1
The burden (a very sad and compelling word) of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

Malachi 1:2
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; (they are questioning God's faithfulness)

Malachi 1:6
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

To honor someone, means to pay tribute to the person as a recognition of the value of that person. Our faith has to be backed up with our offerings, or else it is empty faith.

Malachi 1:7
“You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, ‘ In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ (the leaders have no more passion for God. they think that God will accept whatever they offer Him.)

Malachi 1:8
And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” says the Lord of hosts. (an offering is supposed to have vision, energy and must be able to help the church advance.)

Malachi 1:10-11
“Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the Lord of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands. For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. (God is not hard up for your offerings. He will not go hungry without it.)

Malachi 1:12-13
“But you profane it, In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” says the Lord. (You are not just giving to the church, you are giving to God.)

Tithe = 10% of our increase.

1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Malachi 3:9-12, 16-18
You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation (tithing is not just for the individual). Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it (God will give you favour to go after your dreams). “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 (your hard work will bear fruit); And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name (God remembers and knows. The Book of Remembrance is for those who tithes). “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him (Jewels = You will be set apart from the world. The prosperity of this world may come to an end, but when you step into God's prosperity, the doors of abundance will never shut on you).

The Church

2007-09-23T17:37:00.000+08:00

Date: 22 September 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man; The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Genesis 26:1-6
There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. [Gerar was a pegan city.] Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. [Do not panic with the rest of the world. Stay in your faith.] Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

Genesis 26:12-14
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. [Note that Isaac sowed seeds despite the famine.] The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ["prosperity" was mentioned thrice in this verse.] for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. [Isaac lived in glory, and was a testimony of God's goodness.]

Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. [He first built his altar, then took care of his family's needs, finally, instructing his servants. God, family, career/ministry; This is the right order.]

Genesis 28:10-22
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. [The house of God, is a place of visions where you can connect to God.] And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” [The house of God, is where the Holy Spirit will show you revelations.] Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” [The house of god, is the gateway to heaven where you can meet God.] Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

2 Samuel 24:18-25
And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” [You cannot give God that, which costs you nothing.] Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel. [an attitude of love and sacrifice.]

The altar is where the power of heaven is going to pour down to the people.

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. [The battle is between the kingdom of God and hell.]

1) Spiritual Maturity- We will always be giving because we want to be like Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:7
But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

2) Spiritual Revival- As the people strive to rebuild the temple, revival came.

Ezra 9:9
For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

3) Spiritual Purpose- As soon as we get connected to Him, the Spirit of revival will come.

2 Corinthians 8:5
And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

Malachi 3:10-12
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. [Tithing keeps the church going, heaven will be over you, and prosperity will be poured out on you.] “ 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; [God will keep the devil from you, and you will prosper at work.] And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. [Your legacy will be felt all around the world.]

The Promised Land

2007-09-17T11:53:00.000+08:00

Date: 16 September 2007
Speaker: Pastor Derrick
Venue: City Harvest Church

Deuteronomy 6:10-12
“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Joshua 4:7
Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

The memorial stones are meant to remind the people of what the Lord has done for them, for the people to share with the following generations, and also to serve as a signpost to the lost world.

Psalm 103:2-3
Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,

Joshua 4:21-24
Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

4 points about blessing and influence:

Influence is the aim of God.

Luke 12:35-38
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

Influence must be built upon.

Proverbs 11:11
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

Influence can be lost.

Jeremiah 15:19
Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them.

Influence comes through commitment.

Acts 26:19
“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

Psalm 71:16-18
I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.

Life Without Limbs

2007-09-09T14:20:00.000+08:00

Date: 9 September 2007
Speaker: Nick Vujicic
Venue: City Harvest Church

Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Every man wants to know that he is loved and that everything will be alright.

Things may not seem to make sense in your life, but in God's eyes, it is a perfect plan.

God's grace is sufficient.

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:9
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

If you set your sights on temporary things, your happiness will also be temporary.

Balance In Relationship

2007-08-26T16:52:00.000+08:00

Date: 26 August 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 7:1-12
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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 good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

1) The danger of being judgemental.

a) To be judgemental is to be censorious. "Censorious" is the eager inclination to criticize, disapprove of, find fault with people. It is to be harsh and condemning of others.

Romans 14:4
Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

1 Corinthians 4:4-5
For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

b) To be judgemental is to be a hypocrite.

1 Corinthians 11:31
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

Matthew 18:15
“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

c) A judgmental attitude betrays an unbroken spirit.

2) The danger of being undiscriminating.

2 Peter 2:22
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

3) The danger of lacking persistence.

Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Jeremiah 29:13
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

a) Prayer requires stamina.

b) Prayer needs to be specific.

James 4:2
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

Mark 11:22-24
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

c) Prayer needs persistent trust.

Matthew 7:9-11
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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 good things to those who ask Him!

John 15:7
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

4) The golden rule- Whatever good you want others to do unto you, first do unto them.

5) If you have been praying for something but never received it, it does not mean that God did not hear it. Instead, it means that either He has something better prepared for you or, the thing you asked for is not good for you.

The Love Of God

2007-08-20T00:39:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 August 2007
Speaker: Dr Joyce Meyer
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 22:36-38
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.

Loving God is more than just words. It is to obey His commandments and fulfilling His Will for you.

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Matthew 22:39-40
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

He sent His son for you, so who are you to despise yourself? You are not free until you know that you do not have to impress anybody. God wants you to let Him flow through you and become a blessing to the other people around you.

1 Corinthians 12:31
But earnestly desire the best gifts (which is, Love). And yet I show you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 14:1
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

You may be well-clothed on the outside, but on the inside you are in rags. God looks at your Spirit, and so does Satan.

Mark 8:34
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Be willing to die to self.

Revelation 16:15
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

Meet people's needs and treat people right.

Love your enemies, feed them and bless them.

David- Winning When Others Are Trying To Keep You Down

2007-08-05T19:28:00.000+08:00

Date: 5 August 2007
Speaker: Apostle Lawrence Khong
Venue: Faith Community Baptist Church

1 Samuel 16:6-13
So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

David overcame all obstacles and fulfilled God's Will for him; So can we!

Man looks at the flesh, God looks at our hearts. Do not care how others look at you, but how God looks at you.

Why can David overcome and fulfill?
- You are God's choice. You are special in His eyes.
- Its your choice. You are to decide whether to accept His choice.
- Your victory brings victory to others.

Deliverance

2007-07-29T15:48:00.000+08:00

Date: 29 July 2007
Speaker: Rev Mike Connell
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 12:28
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Matthew 12:22
Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

Matthew 12:26
If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Doorways for evil into your life:
1) Generational curses
2) Idolatory
3) Spiritism
4) Personal habitual sins
5) Sexual sins
6) Rejection
7) Abusive or controlling relationships
8) Abortion
9) Trauma

Jesus demonstrated His power over the evil. He died for us so that the power of sin over us can be brokened. Come to Jesus in faith, repent and renounce the devil.

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Exceeding Righteousness

2007-07-09T19:03:00.000+08:00

Date: 8 July 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 5:20
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

The righteousness of the Pharisees was external obedience, a rigid conformity to the letter of the Law. The righteousness that Jesus wants is much deeper, it is the inward righteousness of the heart, mind and motives.

The scribes and Pharisees were trying to "relax" and reduce the moral demands of God's commandments. Restricting the commandments and extending the permissions of the law. All Jesus was trying to do, is to restore the integrity of the law.

Radical Truthfulness

Psalm 76:11
Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.

An oath has to do with a person's future action. A vow has to do with objects and their use.

Numbers 30:2
If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Do not be flippant in the holy things of god. Do not say anything unless you have sincerely thought it through.

Oath-taking is permitted. But do not make swearing or oath-taking a normal part of your everyday conversation.
Non-retaliative Love

Love for the one who is evil, and love for our enemy.

God had established the courts of law, so that noone would take personal revenge. The Principle of Retribution is in Matthew 5:38.

Matthew 5:38
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

Our relationships with one another are to be based on love, not justice. The New Testament teaches us to resist the Devil but not to resist the person who wrongs you. Our response when being wronged, must never be retaliation or revenge.

When you are insulted, forgive and show grace! When you are bullied and persecuted, forgive and show grace! When you are publically humiliated, forgive and show grace!

Matthew 5:40
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.

Matthew 5:41
And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

1 Peter 2:21,23
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.. who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

"We are to be the anvil when bad men are the hammers." -Charles Spurgeon

Romans 12:17-21
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Active Love

Leviticus 19:17-18
‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

The scribes and Pharisees were teaching "limited" love, but what Jesus wanted was "unlimited" love. Love your enemies, bless your enemies, do good to your enemies, pray for your enemies.

The calling of the Christian is to outstrip the non-Christians in virtue.

Matthew 5:46-47
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?

Our righteousness must exceed the scribes' and Pharisees'.

Matthew 5:20
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Our love must surpass the Gentiles.

Luke 10:27
So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

As we engage the world, we cannot be just like the world in our attitudes and motives. We have to be more!

Seven Characteristics In Reaching The Lost For Jesus

2007-07-09T15:35:00.000+08:00

Date: 7 July 2007
Speaker: Patricia
Venue: Patricia's

Mark 2:1-5
And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Mark 2:11-12
“I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

1) Compassion

The four friends of the paralytic man had compassion for their friend. Whoever has compassion, God will give the harvest to him.

In 1 Kings 3, the story of two women who were fighting over their rights to own a child. v26 "She yearned with compassion"

2) Faith

Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

The guy was a paralytic, he could not help himself. He needed help from someone who had faith to believe for his healing. Sometimes, your faith is what helps them casr the deciding vote. Your faith leads you to pray, and prayer works.

Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

3) Action

Mark 2:3
Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

"came", "bringing", "carried by" are all action words.

4) Persistence

Mark 2:4
And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

The friends of the paralytic man did not let difficulties deter them.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

5) Creativity

Mark 2:4
And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

When their friends saw that the place was full, they creatively thought of a solution.

6) Cooperation

Two is better than one. You will have more prayer and emotional support. Infact, studies have shown that people come to Christ faster when they are in the context of a supportive group environment. Relationship is always the key to bringing people to Jesus. It starts with people in our circle of influence.

7) Sacrifice

The church is the only society that exists for the benefit of the non-members. -William Temple

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The 7-M Mandate

2007-07-02T19:18:00.000+08:00

Date: 1 July 2007
Speaker: Dr Peter Wagner
Venue: City Harvest Church

The demands of the apostolic age (which refers to the present) are government, wealth transfer, warfare and teaching. The 7-M Mandate integrates the different divisions.

7-M refers to the 7 Mountains (aka the Moulders of Culture); Religion, family, government, media, arts and entertainment, education and business. They must be conquered at the same time. At the top of each mountain, there needs to be a kingdom-minded ruler.

We must identify the Church in the workplace. We must identify the Apostles in the workplace. We must connect the Apostles across the 7 Mountains.

Our primary mission is to equip each other.

Ephesians 4
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Our goal is transformation. We will not transform the society just by conquering 1 Mountain.

We measure our progress by renewal.

Titus 3:5
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

1) Awareness, 2) Identification, 3) Application.

Putting God First

2007-07-02T19:06:00.000+08:00

Date: 30 June 2007
Speaker: Yuzhen
Venue: SengChong's

Your attitude matters most. Our hearts must contain the right values, eg the 10 Commandments.

Consider God's feelings first in every situation.

Mark 12:29-30
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Give God's glory the first thought in every task.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Seek God's kingdom purposes first in your everyday life.

Lean on God's wisdom first, in your every decision.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Three Uses Of God's Law

2007-06-25T11:46:00.000+08:00

Date: 17 June 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 5:17-20
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

In Exodus 19, God gave Israel "The Law", which is also commonly known as the "law of Moses". The One who gave the law is God, Moses was merely the messenger.

First use: The law as a restrainer (to prevent people from hurting one another).

1 Timothy 1:9-10
knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

Second use: The law as a mirror.

Purposes: To reveal to us God's righteousness. To reveal to us our sins.

As good as the human conscience is, it has 2 weaknesses: The conscience can be weakened, defiled and seared. The conscience can be subjectively influenced by our upbringing, education and experience.

The law was given to human Man, to convince him of his guilt and through that process, bring us to Christ. The law has no power to save us when we sin. Due to the wickedness and rebellion of the human heart, the presence of the law sometimes actually inflames us to sin even more.

The knowledge of the law has the purpose of moving us to seek grace from Christ.

The law does not just have an evangelistic purpose of bringing the unsaved to Christ. Even the believers need the law. That is why even when a person becomes a believer, the Holy Spirit still wants the law engraved in his heart.

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

The law in our hearts has 2 benefits: The law counsels and instructs the believer to make daily progress in doing the will of God. The law encourages the believer to live a life of obedience.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 1:2-3
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

Third use: The law as a teacher to guide believers in their new obedience to the Lord.

Releasing The Glory In You

2007-06-23T11:31:00.000+08:00

Date: 17 June 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong
Venue: City Harvest Church

Almost 400 times, the Bible says that God has great glory.

1) God has given glory to all His creation.

Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2) All creation is to manifest the glory it contains.

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

3) Man is the ultimate display of God's glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

4) Glory is released by hard work.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

5) Glory is seldom revealed without overcoming a problem or an obstacle.

John 11:4
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

6) Just as Jesus did, our whole goal in life is to pursue our "moment of glory".

John 12:23
But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

The Race

2007-06-23T11:02:00.000+08:00

Date: 16 June 2007
Speaker: Yuzhen
Venue: Riverwalk

1 Corinthians 9:24-26
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.

As the race progresses, the number of runners decrease. God wants us to be finishers of this race.

2 Corinthians 8:11
but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

When we try to do something for God, we often face disappointments and will start to doubt ourselves.

Why people often fail to do something for God? Fatigue, frustration, failure and fear.

Keys to be a good finisher:
1) Stop making excuses.
2) Once you find that you are off-track, start over immediately.

Traps which hinder us from starting over:
1) Perfectionism.
2) Procrastination.

Focus on the gain and not the pain.

Depend on God to help you.

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Marketplace Christian

2007-06-10T21:49:00.000+08:00

Date: 10 June 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The "cultural mandate" is about creatively releasing what God has gifted you, and using it for His glory in the "marketplace". The marketplace is made up of businesses, education, governmental, arts and media.

Luke 18:35-43
Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Luke 19:1-10
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Only specific prayers are answered. Ask and you shall receive.

Relationship precedes ministry. Before you earn the right to speak into a person's life, you need to earn that person's trust and friendship.

From Luke 10:5-9, the order for effective evangelism is blessing, fellowshipping, meeting their needs and then preaching.

By impacting Zacchaeus (who was of a higher significance in the marketplace, as compared to the blind man), Jesus impacted the entire economy of the city.

What was lost in the Garden of Eden?
1) Man's relationship with God.
2) Our relationship with each other.
3)The marketplace.

However when Zacchaeus was saved, his industry got converted for God's glory.

Luke 19:12-13
Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

The Parable of the Talents

Luke 19:15
“And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

From Luke 19:15, we can see that Jesus is big on "return on investments".

From this parable, Jesus teaches us 5 valuable lessons:

1) God expects us to excel in our careers and prosper in our businesses, even in a world that has rebelled against the Lordship of Christ.

2) Jesus is looking for measurable progress in reasonable time.

3) The degree you excel and prosper in the marketplace, is the degree you have influence and authority over cities.

4) The authority over cities is not mandated, it is earned.

5) Influence and respect comes through servanthood.

As you work, you are serving God. Every church member is a minister. You are in ministry because as you do them, you are serving people.

Ephesians 4:11-12
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

A job is just a means to earn money. A job becomes a ministry when God leads you into the area and you take the voice of God, the anointing of God, and the biblical principles into the workplace with you.

Renew Your Life To The Lord

2007-06-09T21:56:00.000+08:00

Date: 9 June 2007
Speaker: Alexis
Venue: Janelle's

Psalm 65:4
Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.

Psalm 65:11
You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.

When you begin to plant yourself in the house of God, the windows of Heaven will pour down upon you.

How to get to the next level?

1) Renew your love for the Lord.

Genesis 35:1
Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

Genesis 35:3
Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”

Altar, refers to the making of a fresh commitment to God.
Bethel, refers to the house of God.

2) Release your future to Him.

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Worry about nothing; Pray about everything; Thank God in all things.

Why should we praise God?
He has a purpose far greater than your problems.
He will give you the power to overcome.
You will grow more spiritual and matured.
To remain open for new things to come.

Isaiah 43:18-19
“ Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Mark 2:22
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; Or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

Salt & Light

2007-06-03T19:06:00.000+08:00

Date: 27 May 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Salt and light represents our influence for good in the world.

Salt preserves. Salt purifies. Salt heals. Salt flavors. Salt melts ice. Salt gives energy. Salt creates thirst.

To be effective, the salt must retain its saltiness. The only way salt (sodium chloride) can lose its property, is when it gets contaminated by impurities.

There will always be difference between believers and unbelievers. The moment we become indistinguishable in our value system, it means that we have compromised and lost the power to influence.

Light illuminates. Light promotes life. Light awakens us from sleep. Light provides vision. Light is persistent. Light attracts. Light solves problems.

How do we shine in the world?

As prophets. We are to reveal to the world the talents, gifts and abilites that God has given each of us; For His glory.

As priests. We are to serve all mankind in society; By elevating their self-esteem, by enhancing their quality of life, by captivating all mankind with joy and delight.

As kings. We are to handle culture in a leadership role that brings the kingdom of God into our world. The power to lead, is the power to validate norms.

Engaging culture is not seeking the approval of that culture. Seeking approval will usually end up in compromise.

The message is sacred, but the method is not.

The Pure in Heart

2007-05-21T01:39:00.000+08:00

Date: 20 May 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

James 4:8
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Your attitude is the most genuine expression of your love for God.

A "pure heart" means a heart without mixed motives or divided loyalties. It is a heart of singleness in devotion to God.

Psalms 86:11
Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Saul had a divided heart, he was a man of partial obedience. Partial obedience is rebellion.

It is one thing to enter the kingdom of God, but what God really wants is for us to inherit the kingdom.

Galatians 4:6-7
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Alot of Christians don't walk in the Holy Spirit. They try to justify partial obedience. God is looking for complete obedience in His people.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

There are many Christians today who are spiritually barren. They don't bear fruit for the Lord because: (a) they are not resolute, (b) they are not making the right choices, and (c) they are not wholehearted in their pursuit of God.

The Greek word for "see" in Matthew 5:8 means to see God remarkably clearly and to experience Him in a most intimate way; Like Abraham, Moses, Enoch and Paul did.

Purity and holiness are not achieved by rejecting or abstaining from things in life, especially those things that God has created to be good, colorful and beautiful.

Holiness is the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. It is the inner attitude of total devotion to the Lord.

Psalms 24:3-4
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.

To have "clean hands" is to have integrity, to integrate your faith into all your business and life dealings.

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Growing in Passion for the Lord

2007-05-21T01:12:00.000+08:00

Date: 19 May 2007
Speaker: Jiahui
Venue: SengChong's House

The Church is a living thing. Just like any other living thing, if they are healthy they will grow.

When the members are healthy, the cellgroup will be healthy. When the cellgroups are healthy, the church will be healthy.

How do you know if you are growing in your faith?

John 2:17
Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

A healthy church begins with her passion for God.

Passion= an intense emotion, strong feeling, great devotion, definite conviction which fuels and motivates us toward compelling actions.

Romans 12:11
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

2 Corinthians 7:11
For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

2 Corinthians 9:2
for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.

Acts 2:40-47
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received His word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Areas to be passionate about:

1) We need to be passionate about our spiritual devotion.

Acts 2:41-42
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

2) We need to be passionate about our services to others.

Acts 2:44
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,

3) We need to be passionate about our own lives.

Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The Power Of Brokenness

2007-05-07T19:37:00.000+08:00

Date: 6 May 2007
Speaker: Pastor Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church

Blessed are those who mourn. (grieving over our sins)

2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Without brokenness, you cannot release the presence of God within you.

John 12:1-8
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Without brokenness, you cannot be touched by the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:26
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

Without brokenness, you cannot be used mightily by God.

Jonah 2:3-10
For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God. “ When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. “ Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Without brokenness, you cannot wrestle with Christ in life.

Genesis 32:28
And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; For you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Hindrances to brokenness:
* Not recognizing the dealing hands of God.
* Holding back by self-love.
* Confession of sin.
* Conversion.
- forsaking: the actual leaving behind of former sins and value system.
- restitution: the paying back, compensation for a loss, damage or injury.
- reconciliation: the ending of conflict or renewing of a friendly relationship.
- good works.
- serving God.