We round up another year of church planting in the UK with a Christmas celebration service in London yesterday. It was also attended by our people in Birmingham, Bristol, Hatfield, Reading and Ealing. It was great service with lots of joy and a wonderful Christmas spirit. I sincerely thank everyone in the UK for their dedication and hardwork in the past year!
My Christmas message was on Jesus God the Son, the last of 3 messages on the God of Trinity. Heb. 1(1-3) gives a pretty comprehensive description about the Son of God. One of them is that Jesus holds the universe and everything in it together "sustaining all things by his powerful word", including our breath. It is comforting to know that our life is in God's hands.
As I am writing, my 96 year old father had another heart attack and is recovering in hospital in Vancouver. 11 years ago, he had quite a serious one a few days before Christmas. I flew over from Hong Kong, arriving on Christmas Eve. He was sleeping when I arrived. I laid my hand on his heart and asked God to heal him. The next morning he woke up completely healed. It was a beautiful white Christmas morning. The doctor said the recovery was miraculous. May be he did not know that our God works miracles. :o) My father has since enjoyed a normal & active life. I know in my heart that my father's life is in God's hands. He is a born-again Christian and has lived a full life. It is up to God to determine his hours on this side of eternity and I have complete peace about it.
True peace is a precious commodity that only Jesus can give, not financial security, not possessions. I have experienced that peace through many tough times in my Christian walk, especially in the past 9 years of church planting. It brought great joy each time one came through the valley of darkness and one's faith was strengthened. I sense that God is training us to be stronger by giving us tougher trials as we progress. This prepares us to do greater thing for Him and only He gets the glory!
Without fail, "the LORD will hear when I call to him.......trust in the LORD..........Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." [Ps 4:1-8 NIV] There is no safer place to dwell than the presence of God.
"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.......onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." [Exod 25:1-9 NIV] We are temples of God the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer and desire that my life measures up to God's gold standard that He specified to Moses in making the tabernacle so that I may have the favour of His presence!
When one tries to advance God's Kingdom, the devil will do everything to stop it. Apostle Paul faced opposition time and time again. "My accusers........cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way........and I have the same hope in God as these men.......So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." [Acts 24:12-16 NIV] But Paul always maintain the right attitude in facing adversity by keeping a clear conscience before God and man.
Let us understand that our God is the Lord of the Universe. The victory of our life is in His hands. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." [Prov 21:1-3,30,31 NIV]
My Christmas message was on Jesus God the Son, the last of 3 messages on the God of Trinity. Heb. 1(1-3) gives a pretty comprehensive description about the Son of God. One of them is that Jesus holds the universe and everything in it together "sustaining all things by his powerful word", including our breath. It is comforting to know that our life is in God's hands.
As I am writing, my 96 year old father had another heart attack and is recovering in hospital in Vancouver. 11 years ago, he had quite a serious one a few days before Christmas. I flew over from Hong Kong, arriving on Christmas Eve. He was sleeping when I arrived. I laid my hand on his heart and asked God to heal him. The next morning he woke up completely healed. It was a beautiful white Christmas morning. The doctor said the recovery was miraculous. May be he did not know that our God works miracles. :o) My father has since enjoyed a normal & active life. I know in my heart that my father's life is in God's hands. He is a born-again Christian and has lived a full life. It is up to God to determine his hours on this side of eternity and I have complete peace about it.
True peace is a precious commodity that only Jesus can give, not financial security, not possessions. I have experienced that peace through many tough times in my Christian walk, especially in the past 9 years of church planting. It brought great joy each time one came through the valley of darkness and one's faith was strengthened. I sense that God is training us to be stronger by giving us tougher trials as we progress. This prepares us to do greater thing for Him and only He gets the glory!
Without fail, "the LORD will hear when I call to him.......trust in the LORD..........Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." [Ps 4:1-8 NIV] There is no safer place to dwell than the presence of God.
"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.......onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." [Exod 25:1-9 NIV] We are temples of God the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer and desire that my life measures up to God's gold standard that He specified to Moses in making the tabernacle so that I may have the favour of His presence!
When one tries to advance God's Kingdom, the devil will do everything to stop it. Apostle Paul faced opposition time and time again. "My accusers........cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way........and I have the same hope in God as these men.......So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." [Acts 24:12-16 NIV] But Paul always maintain the right attitude in facing adversity by keeping a clear conscience before God and man.
Let us understand that our God is the Lord of the Universe. The victory of our life is in His hands. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." [Prov 21:1-3,30,31 NIV]
Amen.
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