Weeks 09 - 11(07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

For many years I have a burden for the city of Birmingham, the 2nd largest city in the UK with a population of over one million. At the beginning of this year, God opened a door for 2 brothers Nong & Kyu to study PhD there. I went to visit them last Saturday and we had a powerful time praying for the city!

Birmingham is a spiritual stronghold that needed God's power to have a breakthrough for the Gospel. I was so glad to see God moving in the city by blessing the growth of the Vineyard church there. They rent an old church building right in the heart of the shopping centre - the Bull Ring and is attracting a lot of interests. Praise the Lord!

We started the morning praying & worshipping God in Kyu's flat. Then we went praying at the 2 universities where Nong & Kyu studied, and met up with their care group visitor. We also prayed in the city - the shopping district and around the Government house. When we were in the Bull Ring, I saw the powerful looking bull. The Lord led me to put my hand on the horn and symbolically subdued the spiritual stronghold to His Lordship [see pic]. I felt that the Lord had shown me that He is far more powerful than the enemy, which is binding the souls of the city. I believe the souls will be set free one by one in the days to come!

More recently, I also felt the Lord telling me and the church to live in His presence and His power by leading a blameless life. 'I will sing of your love and justice....O LORD.....I will be careful to lead a blameless life.....I will set before my eyes no vile thing......I will have nothing to do with evil......' [Psalm 101:1-8 NIV]

I also encourage people in the church to believe in the miracles and power of God, which is throughout the whole Bible. One of them was when men became proud and tried to glorify themselves by building a tower that reaches to the heavens, God confused their language. 'The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.....the LORD confused the language of the whole world......'[Gen. 11:1-9 NIV]

Jesus demostrated God's power to Simon, the professional fisherman, by catching a lot of fish that Simon failed to catch. 'Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break......'[Luke 5:1-11 NIV]

Let us have faith to believe in a God of miracles and power. I have witnessed God's miracle in His provision in my life, and I am convinced that no children of God should live in lack. But we must be wise not to live beyond our means. 'In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.'[Prov. 21:20,21 NIV]

Amen!

Weeks 07 & 08 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Our two offices in Croydon have recently moved into a new building - more central and of higher quality. The two offices have become one with a combined staff of about 140, occupying 2 floors. The Director in charge of the move did a great job and the move went like a dream. Then I learnt last week that he was leaving the company, because someone else has overtaken him in promotion!

In fact there is nothing new in this. People climbing the corporate ladder are in a rat race and I have been there before. When one gets to the top of the ladder, the view is no necessary better than that lower down! [Eccl 2:10-11 NIV] describes it really well - "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."

Before I came to London for church planting, I wrote to about 300 of my business associates about my decision. I got about 30 replies back, mostly surprised by the news. But quite a few were really complementary, with one commenting that "as we climb the ladder, we could lead a better life but the main goal in life has always been questionable."

I am glad that, although I am back in the business world, I am able to detach myself from the rat race. All I do is to be a good witness and pray for my colleagues that one day they will find true meaning and happiness in life when they know the Lord! "......the LORD......has done marvelous things.....The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations....."[Ps 98:1-3 NIV]

I was sharing in church last Sunday about God's sign of covenant through the rainbow - "God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature......I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."[Gen 9:12-17 NIV] And you know what, as I looked out of the office window this week on Wednesday, there before my eyes was a rainbow [see pic]. It put a big smile on my face.:o)

It is my dream and hope that as we "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation......whoever believes.....will be saved.....And these signs will accompany those who believe.......drive out demons.....speak in new tongues.......sick people..will get well."[Mark 16:15-20 NIV]

It is assuring to know that "the LORD works out everything for his own ends"[Prov 16:4-5 NIV]. Before too long, we will see the plan of God being accomplished before our eyes.

Amen!