Tuesday 24 April 2007

Weeks 14 & 15 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

We experienced a 10-day heat wave since Easter Friday. We had amazingly warm weather during the Easter Camp - the best since Kim & I came to London in 1998. The Camp itself was also the best one so far. Ps. PN and his family joined us during this time. It was their first visit to the UK and it was an added blessing to the whole event.

The theme was on A Bonded (Covenant) Church. God was with us all the way and I believe everyone was touched by God in different ways. One thing common to all is the bondedness (unity), even after the camp. The church is spiritually on fire, symbolised by the camp fire we had one evening (see pic). We had so much fun. All praises to God! For more pics, visit http://uk.new.photos.yahoo.com/neo21/albums.
As I shared in the beginning of the year, 2007 is a crucial year for the Church. Cindy Jacob called it The Year of Finishing. God will enable us to accomplish great things for Him. In parallel, the devil will work 24/7 to stop them from happening. Some of us have experienced some setback in our personal lives & ministries. I was therefore really thankful to God that, through the camp, He demonstrated that He has never forsaken us. It was like a mini revival!

God's love and faithfulness make me sing. "I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.......Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies [Ps 108:1-6,12-13 NIV]." It is so essential to know that it is the help of God that will give us victory, not men.

When our faith is challenged in difficult times, we can find strength and resolve in God's Word, even when the Word sounded incredible at times. "Abraham.....laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"......Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him [Gen 17:17-22 NIV]." If we have to make a choice between man's wisdom and God's Word, let us put our faith in His Word.

It is interesting to know that God has kept His mysteries from the wise & learned but reveals them to those with child-like faith. ".... Jesus....through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure [Luke 10:17-24 NIV]." Indeed, when we approach the Word of God with child-like faith, we can understand God's plan & purpose for this world.

One of that plan & purpose is advancing the Kingdom of God through building His Church (God's people). "He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.......Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds [Prov 27:12, 18 & 23 NIV];" God will bless and honour those who do just that.

Tuesday 3 April 2007

Weeks 12 & 13 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance


A historical moment took place in the UK a few days ago when Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams sat down and agreed to sharing power in governing N. Ireland starting 8th May (see pic). Ian is a Protestant priest turned politician, leading the Democratic Unionists Party (DUP), the largest political party in N. Ireland. Gerry Adams is leader of Sinn Fein, the 2nd largest party who used to support the IRA (representing the Catholics) arms struggle against British rule. Ian had always branded Sinn Fein as terrorists and did not accept them as a credible political party. It is a miracle that the two have agreed to rule N. Ireland jointly. It is the power of forgiveness!

This week echoes the most significant week in the history of mankind when Jesus entered triumphantly into Jerusalem riding a little donkey some 2000 years ago, preparing to pay the Price of Forgiveness on behalf of all men. The price cost God's Son's life. This wonderful act paved the way for receiving God's Forgiveness of our sins and empowers us to forgive others of their wrongs!

Forgiveness is the hallmark of Christianity and anyone who does not forgive cannot claim to a Christian, in the truest sense of its spirit. Broken relationship can be mended through forgiveness. Normal relationship can be enriched through a forgiving spirit. God understood its importance and He was willing to allow His Son to suffer for it. "Praise the LORD ..... who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion ...... he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities....." [Ps 103:1-22 NIV]


God is a God of blessings for those who obey Him. The obedience was initiated by God through His Son's example, even to the extent of dying on the cross. That same obedience was seen in Abraham when God asked him to leave home and go to a foreign land. "The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country...... I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." [Gen 12:1-3 NIV]. We are the offspring of Abraham and we are God's blessed people when we walk in obedience.

That obedience applies to following Jesus. It is a tough choice sometimes between God and our personal affairs. But Jesus made it plain. "Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." [Luke 9:57-62 NIV]. I can testify to God's tremendous blessings in my life, my family and my ministry when I follow Jesus fully in obedience.

May this Easter season renew our love for Jesus as we meditate on what He went through this week some 2000 years ago and what He has done for us on the cross. May this message be "like the coolness of snow at harvest time....refreshes the spirit.......like cold water to a weary soul.....from a distant land." [Prov 25:12-14,18-20,25-26,28 NIV]


Have a wonderful Easter!