Weeks 07 & 08 (11) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

In my first message in 2011, I shared that “God has been trying to get our attention for a while now – financial crisis, wars and famines, but do not be surprised to see greater distresses around the globe, from 2011 onwards, before the eventual Day of the Lord!”

Some of the signs of the end of time were described in [Matthew 24]:

[Matt 24:7-8 NIV]

7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

8 All these are the beginning of birth-pains.

In 2010, there were 26 major earthquakes, averaging more than 2 a month. Since the start of 2011, we already recorded 5 major earthquakes in January alone!

Besides the natural disasters, the most significant events in 2011 so far has been the uprising of peoples’ power in countries ruled by authoritarian governments like Tunisia and Egypt. We are seeing similar protests in Libya, where the Government deployed tanks & fighter jets in an attempt to put down the uprising.

This open defiance of protesters against authoritarian government in the Middle East has spread to Morocco and Iraqi……...

[Matthew 24] went on to say:

[Matt 24:12-14 NIV]

12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

One sure sign is “the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations”.

As Christians, we should do 2 things both now and in the days to come:

1) Do not fear what have been happening and what are to come, no matter how stressful they seem. Find peace in God. Stand firm in our faith to the end.

2) Preach the gospel as a testimony to all nations, wherever God puts us. Depend on God’s grace and anointing.

I have made up my mind to do just that :)

Because of your great love and your gift of salvation “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever……The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands….The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God. But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men.” [Ps 9:1-5, 15-20 NIV]

God’s ways can be difficult to fathom with our human mind at times. It includes things that seem bad at the time. One example was God commanded the Israelites to be taken as captives to Babylon. “…….This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity……[Jer 29:1-14 NIV]. Our job is to trust and obey!

Another example was God’s call to Paul to serve Him, although Paul used to persecute Christians big time. "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense…..Then Paul said: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied……"'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.' [Acts 22:1-21 NIV]

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair — every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, [Prov 2:1-12 NIV]

Amen and amen!

Weeks 05 & 06 (11) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

In my last message, I shared about the opening God has created for me to join a medium size consulting company at 633 King’s Road, on the 15th floor.

It is a modern 35 story office building, opened in 2007. I have since found out that an English speaking church - Island ECC (Evangelical Community Church) is housed on the 1st & 2nd floors. On the 10th floor housed the All Nations House of Prayers under the Incubator Ministries!

The building is a spiritual lighthouse for God in Hong Kong!

And I believe that God has called me to work in this building for a very special purpose. Let me explain.

There is a prayer group in the company I work for. Every Thursday, a number of them come together to pray at the All Nations House of Prayers on the 10th Floor. I have joined them 3 times so far. For the first 2 times, we prayed for personal needs. On the 3rd time, I suggested that we shared about their views of the company.

One senior architect who joined the meeting shared that the company lacked system. Although senior architects play the role of project managers, oversee the running of projects and co-ordinate inputs from architects, engineers and quantity surveyors, she finds a lack of co-operation from the engineers and the quantity surveyors. Although all 3 disciplines are from the same company, the clients often comment that they seem to be dealing with 3 different companies. It is an issue of disunity!

I asked those present to start praying for a better system and for the senior management.

I am finding the same issues with the projects under my control. The lack of system created many problems, resulting in “fire-fighting” all the time!

One major problem is leadership, or the lack of it! Everyone is left to one’s own devices, working long hours but not seeing the results needed to progress the projects satisfactorily!

As I sought the Lord for wisdom in how I could help to improve the situation, I felt in my heart that the company needed a major overhaul. The management style and company culture both needed to be reformed.

I believe God has called me at this time to be His light in the marketplace, starting with this company. I know God has taught us many of His principles in the Bible, in the management of projects, personnel, finance, clients etc.. All successful companies understood and practice these principles, including non-Christian ones.

I have some ideas already, but I will share more when I start to see results, hopefully in the not too distant future :)

I will first commit them to the Lord in prayers!

Jesus says “I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him [Ps 2:1-12 NIV]. God the Father has anointed His Son Jesus with all authority and power. He answered Jesus’ prayers. We, as Jesus co-heirs, can have the same power and authority. Yes, we shall see God anointing His children to do His bidding on earth, all the way till the end of time. But be sure to serve the Almighty God with integrity and a sincere heart, because no one can deceive God!

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise me, 'The LORD says: You will have peace.' And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, 'No harm will come to you.'………See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly……..But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds” [Jer 23:16-40 NIV]. Let us hear God clearly and prophesy only what are from the Lord!

Hearing God includes knowing when to move on. When a servant of God is not welcome in one location, God will open other doors. I find the same with my marketplace ministry since my return to Hong Kong 12 months ago. “After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila…who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla……Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks……But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God” [Acts 18:1-17 NIV].

Hearing God includes heeding God’s words of wisdom which are abundant in Proverbs. “He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor…..He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance…….He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy…….He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty……..He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favour than he who has a flattering tongue…….He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. [Prov 28:7,8,10,13,18,19,23,24,26,27 NIV]

Amen and amen!