From Shepherd(Previous)

Speaking Boldly For the Lord

2012-02-06T21:45:00.000+08:00

5th Feb, 2012
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 14:1-7
Main idea: Speak boldly for the Lord
Objective: To teach the congregation to depend on the Holy Spirit to speak boldly for Jesus.

A. Introduction
- Total population of Sabah, according to 2010 Malaysia Census, 3.2 million.
- Bumiputera (indigenous people) and citizens – 2.3 million; foreigners – 0.9 million
- Religions: Islam – 2.1 million; Christianity – 0.85 million; Buddhism – 0.2 million
- Let us see the breakdown: Malays – Islam – 0.18 millions
- Kadazans/ Dusuns, 0.57 million: Christians – 0.43 millions; Islam – 013 million
- Bajaus, 0.45 million: Islam – 0.43; Christianity – 0.02.
- Muruts, 0.1 million: Islam – 0.02 million; Christianity – 0.08 million
- Chinese, 0.3 million: Islam – 0.01 million; Christianity – 0.1 million; Buddhism – 0.2 million.
- Other bumiputera, 0.66 million: Islam - 0.53 million; Christianity – 0.12 million
- Foreigners, 0.9 million: Islam – 0.75 million; Christianity – 0.12 million
- I want to give you an overall picture of the Sabah population in terms of her religious beliefs, so that you know the target groups you need to reach out and speak boldly for Jesus in an Islamic environment like this. You also find that about 60% of Chinese have not come to be saved yet. So, your decision to start the Mandarin service is a very good move.

B. Speaking boldly for the Lord
- One way to help people or to draw people to the Lord or to the mandarin service, is to speak boldly for Jesus. If people do not know Jesus can save them from their sins and hell, how can they believe, repent and live a holy life. An information on the salvation in Christ and Christ alone must naturally come from disciples of Jesus like you and me.
- This was very much in the mind and practice of apostles of Paul and Barnabas in chapter 14 of Acts today. Take note, they were still continuing their first missionary journey, and persevere, continuing the preaching of gospel despite opposition and persecution at the end of last chapter, in Pisidian Antioch.
- This is a great mission point for me to learn as a disciple of Jesus, I learn from apostle Paul, when people reject the good news of Christ’s salvation, I must not give up preaching to them or some other people. If Jesus is the true saviour, why should I give up preaching Him? Because I truly believe in a true Saviour, I am never tired of preaching Christ. I shall never be tired of pursuing something is the truth!
- In verse 1 of chapter 14, Luke said Paul and Barnabas went as usual preaching the gospel in the synagogue at Iconium, and they were so effective that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
- But then, the scenario changed in verse 2 because those Jews who refused to believe the gospel stirred up the Gentiles to go against the apostles. We can understand why as the apostles were pulling away the Judaism believers and exerting influence of Christianity and establishing Christianity. Being threatened, and of course, to the zealous Judaism Jews, it was a battle of truth. Was Jesus the messiah? Was Jesus God?
- Despite the opposition, in verse 3, Luke still recorded they spent considerable time at Iconium, speaking boldly for the Lord (my emphasis today), the gospel of salvation, and Jesus confirmed their message of the gospel by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. Can we expect Jesus to do the same with us when we preach the gospel like Paul and Barnabas? Biblically, signs and wonders follow those who preach the gospel. Therefore, grasp every opportunity to pray for the sick, for the most difficult problem to be overcome, for the impossible to happen; so that it enhances the spread of the gospel, Jesus is glorified. Will you exercise your faith like this?
- How the apostles could be so bold in speaking the message of the gospel in view of the possible persecution of death? In verse 5, we were informed that there was a plan to stone them. It was a threat of death!
- May I ask you why the apostles were so brave in speaking the message despite the threat of death? I believe you know the answer. I pray that you are able to experience it as you obey Jesus to preach the gospel. The answer is none other than the empowerment by the Holy Spirit.
- Before chapter 14 today, at the end of chapter 13, we were told in verse 52, the disciples were filled by the Holy Spirit in the midst of preaching the gospel and facing persecution.
- In fact, apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians said it so well, in chapter 2 verses 4 and 5, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
- I strongly believe that it was not Paul’s spirit of timidity that caused them to flee Iconium when they discovered the plot to kill them. I believe that with their close relationship with Jesus, they knew it was not the time, the kairos, to die as martyrs yet, for Jesus still desired them to preach the good news at Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding country in verses 6 and 7.
- My prayer to Jesus is this, the day He thinks that I have no more use to Him on earth, He should just take my life. If I am living, there must be a godly purpose for me to fulfil on earth every day. Will you pray the same prayer with me? Our attitude on earth should be as long as we live, Jesus desires us to preach the gospel to the lost and unsaved.
- Therefore, while you are on earth, can you make full use of your life to speak boldly for Jesus?

C. Applications
- I have preached to you that you have the Holy Spirit but many of us are not filled the spirit. You need to pray to be filled by the Spirit to be bold to do Jesus’ job.
- If you are giving yourself all the excuses like you have no time; you are scared to tell people about Jesus; people will not want to believe or come to church; faith in Jesus is a personal matter; it is not the time yet; you do not know how to preach the gospel, you dare not invite, etc, I would really say it from my heart that you have not ask the Holy Spirit to fill you to preach the gospel yet.
- I pray that you will repent from it. My appeal to you today is simply this: ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and empower you to speak boldly your testimony of how good is Jesus to you; and you invite them to come to faith in Jesus.
- Can you bear testimony of how good is Jesus to you? How real is Jesus to you? How Jesus bless you in your business? As a mother? As a father? In your career? Protect you?
- Share your testimony and keep inviting them to your small group our church activity our Sunday services.
- As Jesus has paid the penalty for your sins and give you eternal hope of salvation, will you now obey Him and present Him to others who are so lost and who are on the way to hell?

D. Conclusion
- It will be an irony, if we have the Holy Spirit and not be filled to speak boldly for Jesus.
- It will be a greater irony, if Jesus is so good to us, and yet, we behave as if Jesus has never blessed us at all.
- If others do not get to hear our testimonies, how do they know Jesus and be saved and become His disciples.

E. Questions for Discussion
- (1). Discuss some opportunities we can grasp to share our testimonies with backslide Christians and non-Christians.
- (2). Spell out some names whom we want to reach out and help them to know Jesus and pray for them in the small group.

My 2012 New Year Resolutions

2012-01-09T13:31:00.000+08:00

Dear brothers and sisters,

Praise the Lord for 2012.

I look forward to writing my pastoral thesis proposal and its completion by this year. Thanks very much for your prayer support and words of encouragement I received in face book and emails. My face book account name is Hui Seng Law. I have successfully completed 9 subjects which help my thesis writing very much. I have also completed my 2 Master of Theology examinations and I am waiting for my results. I have set my thesis proposal to be on 3rd February, 2012.

Do remember me again in your prayers. Praise the Lord and thank Him for sustaining my wife who coped with all the stress of taking care of 4 children without me in Miri, despite her heart valve leakage condition. Please pray that Jesus will continue to sustain her, and the children are understanding and be obedient to help out in the house chores. Pray for me that I am able to organize all the relevant information from the 8 subjects which I have put in lots of effort, to write a thesis on developing a BM speaking pastoral model among Iban Christians in Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference.

My new year resolutions continue to be the same as last year, except I will be more focused on reaching out to mother side relative, the Chieng’s family. Firstly, I shall continue to read the word of God and write reflection, from the book of Ruth onwards. Secondly, I shall evangelize the Chieng’s family with the help of Agape Methodist Church Mandarin service. Thirdly, I shall continue to read on how to bring up boys and girls in God’s way. Fourthly, I shall continue to encourage 2 persons a day.

Together, may we persevere to fear and love Jesus in 2012, by going out to make disciples of all nations.
A Faithful disciple of Jesus,

Pastor Law Hui Seng
(9th Jan, 2012. STS KK)
Posted By Teresa Han

Filled with Holy Spirit

2012-01-09T13:26:00.000+08:00

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

AMC Sermon Filled with Holy Spirit 8th Jan, 2012

Acts 13:4-13

Main Idea: Be filled with Holy Spirit to serve Jesus Christ

Objectives:
A. Teach the congregation to be filled with Holy Spirit to serve Jesus.

B. The congregation to learn the effects of being filled with Holy Spirit.

A. Introduction
- Too many disciples of Jesus Christ in the Methodist churches in Sabah and Sarawak have not discovered the powerful impacts of being filled with Holy Spirit.
- I pray that today’s passage will inspire you to desire to be filled with Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, to serve Jesus in the church and out there in the world to make disciples of all nations.
- All the more now, you have the afternoon Mandarin service, you have made a historical decision, that will cause many people to come to this (Agape Methodist church) and be saved and become disciples of Jesus, not just believers and Christians. You must desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit to go out there to touch people’s life and invite them into the kingdom.
- Let us see how Apostle Paul was so filled with Holy Spirit to serve the cause of Jesus.
- Before that, let us turn to the Jerusalem map at the back of the bible to see Apostle Paul first missionary route so that you can imagine the hard efforts involved by him.
- You see to the north of Jerusalem, there is a place called Antioch, from here, you go south-west, you see a place called, Seleucia, the sea port of Antioch. It is from here that apostle Paul, Barnabas and John (a cousin of Barnabas, a helper) departed went on sea journey to a big island called Cyprus. Many Jews lived there. Gospel had been preached there by disciples who were persecuted in connection to the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 11:19. May be the team was asked to follow up on the converts. May be they had to travel for months before they reached Salamis, on the eastern side of the island Cyprus. As they arrived Salamis, verse 6, they travelled through the whole island, and we can assume they preached the gospel along the way. Then, finally, they reached Paphos, on the western side of the island. We are going to look at what happened there later on. But, for now, I want point out that, from this town, the team continued their first missionary to Perga in Pamphylia, at the mainland, where John left them and returned to Jerusalem in verse 13. From there, you will notice, Paul and the team continued their maiden missionary trip.
- What happened at Paphos before they left for Perga? Along the whole journey from Salamis to Paphos there must be a lot of stops, rest and preaching of the word of God, but Luke, the author kept no records of the events. May be no significant events worth the mention, but when it comes to Paphos, Luke highligted this encounter of Paul with Elymas.

B. Paul’s encounter with Elymas
- It is very interesting to take note that Paul from this passage onwards, he is playing key mission roles in the book of Acts. It is here in this passage (verse 9) his name was changed from Saul (a Hebrew name which means asked of God) to Paul (Hellenistic name which means little). It could mean that from now on, he would reach out to the Gentiles as he was called by Jesus to do it in Chapter 9:15. Jesus chosen instrument to make disciples among the Gentiles was in action now. But for this passage, it was his encounter with a Jew, before he encountered the Gentiles in his other parts of mission.
- Let us see what happened at the mission field, at Paphos, where it was so significant that Luke wrote it down. In encountering Elymas, Paul was filled by the Holy Spirit (verse 9), the verse where I get my sermon title from. I regard this verse as the key verse as it is the verse where everything falls into place. Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul would not be able to do mission with the proconsul, may be the governor of Cyprus. Anyway, right from verse 4, Luke says Pauls and Barnabas were sent by Holy Spirit to go for the mission. In verses 2 and 3, they say that, the commissioning of the 2 was as a result of Holy Spirit’s instruction, which happened during worshipping the Lord and fasting. For this matter, I strongly believe that when we worship Jesus on a Sunday service like this, we must expect the Holy Spirit to speak to us also. Do you say Amen to this? I start to reach out to my mother side uncle’s children (who are my cousins) and their children after I heard the Holy Spirit used a still small voice in my heart to tell me to invite them for last year moon cake evangelistic meeting during a service here at Agape Methodist.
- Now, why Paul was so harsh on Elymas, pronouncing something like a curse on him? In verses 10 and 11, it says, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery...Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” What was at stake that caused Paul to be so daring to pronounce such punishment on Elymas?
- I can understand why, and what is at stake. The proconsul, the governor, Sergius Paulus, he could be the most powerful person in the political position under the Roman empire at Cyprus, and he showed interest in the word of God. In verse 7, it says, he sent for Paul and Barnabas because he wanted to hear the word of God. What an opportunity to grasp! If the Chief Minister of Sabah, Musa comes to you and expresses interest in the gospel, as you do mission, what do you do? I am sure you will by all means help him to know Jesus personally.
- However, in this case, there was another, very influential person called Elymas, Jewish the sorcerer, in verse 8, we are told that he tried to pull away the proconsul from coming to the faith of Jesus. Before this, the proconsul must have mixed with Elymas who could do some supernatural power, and satisfied the interests of proconsul. Directly, Elymas gained some economic interest from the proconsul also. Elymas knew very well, the influence of God’s word on him would cause the loss of economic support for him. Therefore, he tried hard to prevent Paul and Barnabas influence on him.
- At the same time, Paul, who was directed by God to do mission knew the spiritual warfare involved. Based on the pronouncement of the punishment, you can see that Paul had discerned the devil at work behind Elymas if not, he would not call Elymas, a child of the devil, an enemy of everything that is right, full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. You think Paul and Barnabas were able to counter Elymas who empowered by the devil, with their human flesh wisdom, strength and might?
- How could Paul know the devil behind Elymas? Unless God helped him to discern. How could Paul be so courageous to pronounce a punishment on Elymas? He had no authority to do it. Unless God gave him the courage. At this critical moment, this is where in verse 9, Paul was filled by the Holy Spirit to do pronouncement. Take note of the supernatural power that Paul received after being filled with the Holy Spirit, receiving discernment and courage. The effects of being filled with Holy Spirit were Paul was blessed with courage and discernment. I believe, as you serve Christ, as you learn to love others and reach out to others for Christ’s sake, it does not matter who are they, Jesus Christ will be there to fill you with the Holy Spirit and give you courage and discernment. Do you say amen to that? You got to believe it and ask for it.
- I always get courage to pray spiritual warfare prayer and fight the devil head on in praying for the sick, in Iban and Penan long houses, in removing charms of all kinds and burning them. I always experience Jesus’ protection in terms of journey mercy, good health and wisdom to minister on mission trip. One of the questions that the Holy Spirit always remind me to ask when I pray for the sick and the troubled is always, what sin have you committed. If the person is not able to tell me, as the Holy Spirit leads me, I ask about, what wrong one has done, any conflicts with people, any enemy, any hatred, any greed, any pride, etc. I strongly believe that as I apply the teachings of James 5, as people confess their sins, Jesus will heal them; and the devil will not have any foothold to attack us. As we confess our sins and repent, Jesus forgives and heals. If their sickness continues after I pray, I always remind them to consult a doctor as not all sicknesses are due to our sins or the devil.
- Now, we know the immediate effect of the pronouncement of the punishment. In verses 11b, it says, “Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.” It was an evidence of the Holy Spirit at work so mightily.
- Now, what is the ultimate result of Paul being filled with the Holy Spirit? The answer is found in verse 12, “When the proconsul saw what happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” You see the powerful role of the Holy Spirit in converting an intelligent and powerful like Sergius Paulus?
- I pray that the sermon today on being filled with Holy Spirit is not for information and knowledge, it is for practice.

C. Applications
- On the practice of being filled with Holy Spirit, I think you want to know whether the Holy Spirit fills every Christian or not? My answer is very simple and I always emphasize this. As you come to know Christ, your life is transformed, you are born again, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Then, as you serve the purpose of Christ, you ask for the Holy Spirit to fill you, He will fill you and empower you to do his work. Luke 11:11-13 Jesus teaches us, “which of your fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
- One application you can do with this verse is that our heavenly father will fill us with the Holy Spirit as we ask Him.
- The trouble with a lot of us is we do not even ask. Now, why? May I ask you now, why? If you are ignorant of the teaching, after today, you should just ask as Jesus leads you.
- But, a lot of us do not ask because we feel we are not up to the mark to the mission of Jesus yet. This is a wrong thinking, and sometimes it is an excuse. Jesus can use any child of Him to accomplish His purpose. You need to exercise your faith to step forward and answer the call of Jesus, like Paul and Barnabas.
- Some of us are just to preoccupied with worldly things that we are all the time distracted from drawing near to Jesus and how can we even think of praying for Jesus to fill us with Holy Spirit to do His mission?
- Some of us under certain bondage of a sin, which you have not let go and allow Jesus to forgive you and you repent, and the devil always get you. To this group of children of God, I urge you, all the more, you must ask Jesus to fill you with His Spirit to overcome the evil power?

D. Conclusion and action
- Can you now humble yourself, take a step of faith, and fill free to follow me in a prayer which asks Jesus to fill you to serve Him? If after listening to the sermon, you have heard the Holy Spirit telling you in your heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit to reach out to others, to solve your problems and to repent from your sins, please follow me in prayers.
- Lord Jesus Christ, I hear your calling to ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit, the spirit who filled apostle Paul to also fill me. I sincerely desire you to give me courage to open my mouth to give testimony about how you have blessed and invite them to come for small groups, fellowship and the Sunday services. I sincerely desire you to empower me to solve all my personal problems. I sincerely desire you to forgive me from all my sins and I repent from them. In Christ’s most powerful name I pray, Amen.”

Questions for discussion

1. Share some other effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. Share your experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. Share the verses from Acts 1 to 12 that touch on the doctrine of being filled with Holy Spirit.

By Rev Law Hui Seng

Praying for the Sick

2011-10-04T21:03:00.001+08:00

‎Monday, ‎3 ‎October, ‎2011
AMC Praying for the Sick
Kota Kinabalu
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 9:36-43; James 5:13-16
Main Idea: Pray for the Sick
Objectives: a. To exercise faith to pray for healing of the sick.

A. Introduction
- What is the first thing you do when you get sick?
- Some of us may go to Jesus to ask for healing and get healed. Sister Lisa did it and she got healed from heart problem and thyroid.
- Some of us did not pray at all when get sick and you to see a doctor straight away.
- I hope that after the sermon today, you will change the order. The first thing you do is to pray for healing first. With all due respect, to doctors who are present here, God also uses medicine to heal or to bring about recovery in health.
- The bible, especially the New Testament talks about praying for the sick, healing the sick and raising the dead.
- Let us study the 2 passages today to learn more about praying for the sick. At the end of the day, after the sermon, I pray that you will love to pray for the sick.

B. Peter Raised the Dead
- Acts 9:36-43, the main event was about apostle Peter raising the dead woman called Tabitha (or Dorcas). She was probably one fruit of Philip in chapter 8:26-40 (after the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem where they scattered) to preach the gospel all over the towns. You still remember, after Philip baptized the Ethiopian, he was taken away by the Holy Spirit. Then he appeared again in Azotus, 8:40, says, he travelled about preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
- I believe Philip preached at Joppa, one of the towns, on his way to Caesarea up North.
- His preaching was very powerful and it resulted in conversion of a group of people, including Dorcas.
- After conversion, she was zealously serving Christ by doing good and helping the poor.
- In verse 37, we are told she became sick and died, and fellow disciples who might have been converted the effort of Philip quickly sent for apostle Peter who was at the nearby town of Lydda. Her body was delayed for burial for the purpose of prayer of Peter.
- Immediately before the paragraph today, we read that Peter healed Aeneas who bed-ridden miraculously. The news of the great work of Jesus through Peter must have spread to Joppa which was just a few miles away from Lydda.
- I believe Peter was told by these 2 disciples of great faith that Dorcs was dead and needed to be prayed for. By faith, Peter responded to the urgent to pray despite the death! Take note, it was out of faith, Peter went. Otherwise, there was no need to go as Dorcas was dead!
- The widows showed Peter the clothing and robes, probably she had made for the poor. These widows who were crying probably were ministered by Dorcas before.
- Peter, an apostle of great faith, now, faced with the impossible task of raising the dead.
- When Peter was with Jesus, probably he had witnessed how Jesus raised the deads. (Matthew 9:24-25, Jesus raised the dead daughter of a ruler. Jesus said, "The girl is not dead but asleep." After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up; Luke 7:11-17 is about raising the dead son of a widow - Jesus simply commanded, "Young man, I say to you, get up!"; John 11:1-44, Lazarus was dead for 4 days, Jesus commanded, "Lazarus come out!"
- Peter exercised his faith according to pattern of Jesus raising the dead. He sent the crowd out of the room as he learnt from Jesus, he just commanded like Jesus, "Tabitha, get up." And miracle happened.
- In verse 42, it said the miracle caused many people to believe in Jesus. Notice the purpose of raising the dead is to cause people to come to Jesus in faith.
- Then, in verse 43, it was specifically mentioned Peter stayed with an unclean man Simon, a tanner, treating animal skins for sale; it showed Peter's (a Jew) willingness to mix with the unclean as Simon treated unclean animal skin. He was prepared for the vision of eating the unclean animal in the next chapter.
- I want you to especially take note of the faith that Peter exercise to raise the dead. I am not preaching to you to raise the dead, but I am preaching to you to at least exercise your faith to pray for the sick and heal them.
- You may not have Peter's faith of raising the dead. But you are all challenged to exercise your faith to pray for healing of the sick.

C. How to pray for the sick by Faith
- It was something practiced in the early church.
- James 5:13-16, a passage that is very dear to my hear. I have been using it minister the sick and pray according for at least 10 years now.
- James is a letter written by the oldest brother of Jesus, a leader of the important council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13).
- The instruction by James to the sick, was to call the elders of the church to pray and anoint him in the name of the Lord. Today, in our church, we have church leaders (Local Church Executive Committee) and they are equivalent to church elders.
- The promise is this, in verse 15, it says the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
- What preparation we have to do before we pray for the sick? James says in verse 16, elders and the sick need to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful an effective.
- Take note of the faith and holiness involved in praying for the sick.
- Now, I want to ask question why is it that the sick person and even the elders have to confess our sins?
- I believe it has to do with the holiness needed to usher in the healing power of God.
- The other reason could be the connection between sin and sickness. Your anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred, your worries, your sin of gluttony (of which I used to commit as I overeat), you smoke cigarette, you drink too much alcohol, you do not rest well, you commit adultery and get all the sexual diseases; our sins cause our body immunity system to go down and subject ourselves to all the attack of virus and germs.
- We do not take care of our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we sin against God.
- We repent from our sins, God will heal.
- As I pray for the sick, I always ask God for the forgiveness of my own sins first and I command the sickness or certain spirit (e.g., hatred, anger, lie, lust, jealousy, unforgiveness) to leave.
- On top of healing, then, I pray for Jesus to fill the person with love, faith, joy, etc.
- In all these, you got to believe Jesus heals.
- Personally, as I pray for the sick, as far as possible I lay hands on their forehead as I anoint them with olive oil.
- In some cases, I even lay hands on the affected partis as it is more personal to do so.

D. Applications
- (1) You really need to believe that Jesus heals. You must have the faith before you can pray for the sick. After your prayers, after the patient gets well or nor, we leave it to Jesus. Your role is to exercise your faith. Start to pray for healing for yourself when you are sick; then, your family members; then, come in person to pray for the sick.
- (2) When there is a healing, you can give a testimony of God's healing. Remember you are just an instrument, you are not a healer, Jesus is the healer.
- (3) There are people who are gifted to heal. If Jesus has given the gift of healing to you by all means, use it. 1Cor 12:9, specifically mentions gifts of healing. As there are so many kinds of sickness, Jesus distributes each gift of healing to a particular person whom he choose to use. Matthew 10:1 talks about Jesus giving authority to His 12 disciples to drive out evil spirits and to heal the sickness and every disease. I believe we are all authorize to pray for the sick to heal! Do you?

E. Conclusion
- Sickness and diseases will remind us of our mortality, weakness and fragility of life and physical body.
- When we are willing to exercise our faith to pray for the sick and healings happen, it helps people to come to know Jesus and be saved eternally and become His disciples.
- Those who are Christians who healed, we become more committted to serve Jesus.

Living in the Fear of God

2011-09-21T20:50:00.000+08:00

AMC
18th Sept, 2011
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 9:31 Main Idea: Fear of God
Objectives:
a. To challenge the congregation to fear God more than anything else.
b. To teach the congregation how to fear God - Christ.

A. Introduction
- Fear of death, dog bite, pain, height, snake, business failure, loss of job, conflicts with people, etc. I guarantee you all these fears will drain away your energy.
- Most probably, all these fears lead to other negative effects like shock, being immobilized, feeling that you don’t what to do with yourself, scared, and felt cold.
- There is another kind of fear which the whole bible is talking about, that is very different in its meaning and effects on human beings, i.e., the fear of God.
- It is something Christians throughout all generations must practice as a way of life.
- That is the main idea of the verse today. Acts 9:31 “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of God.”
- Let us study the context of this fear of God. How this fear of God came about among the early disciples?

B. The context of fear of God among the early disciples
- This one verse is full of meaning and significance.
- The word ‘Then’ tells us that this statement is a development of the previous events.
- It could be events from chapters 1 to 9, coming down of Holy Spirit; conversion of 3,000 after preaching of Peter; continuous preaching of gospel by apostles and disciples; persecutions of Christians; the scatter of Christians; conversion of Saul and his aggressive preaching in Jerusalem and other places.
- You can imagine the impacts of the gospel as a result of Holy Spirit work, preaching of the gospel by the disciples in the church throughout Judae, Galilee, and Samaria. The term here is ‘church’ in singular. It is the church in unity. There were several new congregations spreading out in those 3 different places but there was one church only; other than congregations in Jerusalem and Antioch and other places.
- Luke summarized that Christianity had spread to Judea, Galilee and Samaria, where traditionally, people there were not in good terms with the Jews.
- It was expected by Jesus as the disciples and apostles were given the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8, they were empowered to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, ...
- For a period of time, the church enjoyed peace, we don’t know for how long?
- But we know it is definitely owing to the work of the Holy Spirit as Luke says, ‘the church was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit.’
- Take note of how Luke attributed the church growth to the work of Holy Spirit.
- Then the verse, further says, ‘...grow in numbers...’
- I believe that the early church as they experience conversion because of the work of the Holy Spirit, people of all kinds of languages, races and nationalities were involved; otherwise, the verse will not say. ‘...throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria...’
- And then, the verse ends with, ‘...living in the fear of God’; what is the meaning of fear of God?

C. Meaning of fear of God
- With all the personal encounter of the apostles and disciples with Jesus when He was physically present with the apostles; experience of the power of Holy Spirit in converting 3,000 through Peter’s preaching; healing of crippled beggar by Peter, the punishing death sentence on Ananias and Sapphira by the Holy Spirit; the great personal encounter of Saul with Jesus, all these lead to one thing – the reality of Jesus Christ.
- Disciples, apostles, new converts, and even non-Christians were awe-stricken, amazed; Luke cannot help but conclude at this stage, the church was living in fear of God. What is the meaning of living in fear of God?
- It is simply this: the church which made of disciples of Jesus submitting their lordship to Christ. That is to say walking a path, a life by submitting our lives to Christ; allowing Jesus to be our masters. We allow Jesus to have the final say about how we use our lives.
- To put it very simply living in fear of God is to obey Christ and Christ alone.

D. Applications and Challenge
- The process of living in fear of God, can only begin after conversion to Christ; if you have not personally known Christ, you will not be convinced to fear Him.
- A lot of people out there give these common complaints for being unwilling to become Christians: freedom will be limited (e.g., no gambling, no drunkenness, no corruption, no cheating and dishonesty, no practice of adultery, etc).
- They have not tested the goodness of Christ; joy of obeying Christ; freedom from sin; power over the devil; not scare of death, etc.
- Now, with all my knowledge of reading the bible; experience in answered prayers; my personal experience with Christ and my personal relationship with Christ, I preach to you that if you are to live a life of fearing God in the person of Christ, you got to be convinced that Jesus Christ is God, the master, the Lord, the King of Kings of your life.
-Notice I do not use the word ‘believe’ because you may believe Jesus is your Lord, with knowledge, but you may not be convinced, you will not see the reasons why you need to do it.
- Let me help you here, if Jesus is not the master of your life, a Christian can sing, pray, and can shout the loudest the name of Jesus, and he still goes out of the church and do all the illegal business; involved in unholy relationships; enjoy the lust of the eyes and the flesh. There is no obedience to Jesus at all in his life; no fear of Christ at all.
- My son Elliot, a dyslexia, now Primary 6, more than 2 years ago, when asked by me why he did not steal in a stationery shop as I let him to go freely shopping around; he said the temptation was there but he did not do it because God was not please with it. That is fear God!
- I fear Christ more than anything else because I am convinced he has forgiven my sins and loved me as an imperfect disciple, husband, father and a pastor, He accepts me just as I am. He is truly God; the resurrected Christ, who proved to be Almighty, who gives me eternal life.
- Allow me to humbly tell you how I fear Christ; I accept people who are in troubles; sinners, as they are. I never give up on them as they seek my counsel. I do it because Jesus Christ has not given up on any sinner. Can I be an example to you in this area of my life?
- As I get older, I tend to be more and more forgetful, I told Jesus, anything I remember to do; anything I am reminded to do, it is His call for me to do it.
- Another way I fear Christ is this, any sin (e.g., pride, selfishness, jealousy, unclean thoughts, ange) that comes to me in thoughts, attitudes, and actions that Jesus alerts me, I will confess immediately and ask Jesus for forgiveness. As a result, I confess, I admit my wrongs, I say sorry to people, I allow others to correct me without being offended. Will you join me in doing it for Jesus?
- You can guess what are the outcomes of a life living in fear of God? Please give me some answers.
- Personally, I experience joy, peace in my hearts and mind, harmonious relationships with people and most important of all, as I fear Christ, I am prepared to die anytime. I told Jesus about it.
- My commitment to Jesus at the ordination as an elder 11 years ago, was, if my life is of no more use to Him, He can just take me home.
- Can you do the same with me?

E. Conclusion
- Brothers and sisters, when you fear Christ, when Jesus is your Lord, your master, you have everything, you are most powerful for Christ.
- When you miss Christ, you miss everything, you will struggle with your sins, and you are not powerful for Christ.

Who is Saul?

2011-08-16T21:08:00.000+08:00

AMC
Saturday, 6 August, 2011
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 9: 1-9 Main Idea: God transforms you
Objectives: a. To help the congregation to see that God is a God who transforms.

b. To demonstrate to the congregation that our sinful nature call for the need of Jesus in our lives. The need for disciples of Jesus to do mission.

A. Introduction
- Have you ever felt someone who is so sinful, so evil? Ever felt the world out there so evil, so sinful? Or may be, you yourself feel so bad about yourself. You could not overcome your sinful desires and you sin against God.

- When feelings and experiences like that happen, how do you deal with it? Some Christians, for example, when they get it, they can feel so disappointed that they just give up their faiths; they leave the church; they could not explain the inner struggles of sins and they just become cold towards God, Jesus, the bible, even the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They just let the why hanging in the air in their hearts. They allow a lot of doubts, hopelessness and unanswered questions bothered them. They allow themselves to be hurt, depressed, and refuse to find an answer, or refuse to accept an answer. They become their own greatest enemy.

- Today, I pray that the great encounter of one of the greatest servants of God in the New Testament with God will help us to find some answers to those questions. I pray that as we study the great encounter of Saul with Jesus, you will see and understand Jesus, our God as the transforming God.

- That is why, I entitle my sermon, "Who is Saul?" I do not call it "Who was Saul?" because it only talked about Saul in the past. I use the present tense ‘is’ because the conversion of the old Saul by Jesus is relevant to us to today in the 21st century. I still use the name Saul before the conversion because I want to show that despite his bad past records and the sinful past, Jesus still forgives and uses him.

- I pray that you do understand the significance of the title and it is not too complicated for you. So, who was Saul? May be you know the answers already. Today Who is Saul to you? Are you interested to understand him better today in your situation? I pray that you do.

B. Who was Saul? (Explanation of his background)
- Before the passage today in Acts 7: 58, we are told that disciple of Jesus, Stephen, was dragged out of the city of Jerusalem, and he was stoned to death, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And in 8: 1, we are told Saul was there giving approval to Stephen’s death. Who was this Saul so merciless and who wanted to see Stephen dead? Beside this account, we may not be able to find other accounts in the NT about his approval of killings of Christians.

- However, in the passage today, in verses 1 to 2, we are told he was continually and actively breathing murderous threats against Jesus’ disciples; he obtained approval letters from high priest to catch Christians at Damascus and put them in jail at Jerusalem.

- We know from previous preaching that the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Sanhedrin could not accept Jesus as Messiah. Both the disciples and the Jews believed God was on their side and pushed for what they believed. It was a ideological difference; a theological divide, that led to the martyrdom of Stephen.

- The tension, the difference and the divide also affected this staunch Pharisee, young Saul very badly. Probably in those, any religious Jews knew their faith was been attacked by disciples of Jesus and it was their responsibility to defend their Judaism faith and not allowed Christians to blasphemy their God of Yahweh. Saul was in the same shoes.

- You see how eventually Saul confessed in his letter to the Philippians in 3: 5-6 how he was a jealous Jew. He said he was circumcised on the 8th day; regarded himself as a people of Israel; belonged to the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; with regard to law, a Pharisee; zealously persecuting the church; with regard to legalistic righteousness, faultless.

- The ideological and the theological crash of Saul with disciples of Jesus was the heart of matter. You can imagine the stubbornness of Saul in what he believed about Judaism and how he genuinely and sincerely defended his faith. You really cannot blame him for the holiness of God of Yahweh was at stake. May be if you are honest, if you were Saul, you would do the same.

- He was real stubborn about his defense of his faith. It was his theological stand, a stand he was very proud and all Pharisees were religiously proud. There was no way you could expect him to change that stubborn stand and conviction. In fact, all religious Jews until today still very kept it. He was stubbornly, deadly strong about it. Can you convert a person like Saul to Jesus?

- So, you know, in terms of our human eyesight, following all logic and theological reasoning, with the best philosophy and psychology you can have, do you expect Saul to change his well founded, theologically grounded minded? Humanly speaking, it is impossible and it takes a divine intervention, a miracle to happen.

- At this point I wanted to ask a question why is it that Jesus was not satisfied with the 11 apostles and many disciples whom He left behind to reach out to the Gentiles and the rest of the world? Why Jesus had to target Saul, so stubborn and the least possible candidate to do His mission work? Honestly, I do not know the answer as I am not Jesus. Only Jesus knows the answer.

- I do not want to speculate the reasons behind the act of God by Jesus. However, based on my reading of the NT, I dare say Jesus who is God can choose anybody on earth to do His will and mission on earth, including a person from another religion. I strongly believe without a single doubt that He transforms whoever He wants to use. It is His prerogative to do it. Do you have the same conviction and faith as me? For this reason, I hope you do not mind I preach like this to you, God can use the greatest sinner in this world to serve Him.

- God in the person of Jesus chose to use Saul, the most unlikely candidate, a great persecutor of Jesus, the church of Jesus! It blows our mind. It is unbelievable. But it happened. You know how it happened Saul. You know how Jesus break in history again and break down Saul; how Jesus ‘cracked’ Saul mindset and disbelief in Him.

- From verses 3 to 6, the precious record of Luke said that while Saul was reaching Damascus to catch more Christians, he suddenly experienced a light flashed from heaven, he fell to the ground and he heard a voice said to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" To this, Saul, just like any other human being, when you are accused like that and you do not see where the voice is coming from, of course, you want to find out who ask and accuse you like that. In this case, Saul was strike with awe and he experienced something supernatural as a Pharisee whose faith was in Yahweh, he naturally and logically asked, "Who are you, Lord?"

- This was when Jesus answered, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now, get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Then, we are told Saul could not open his eyes as he got up from the ground and he was blind for 3 days. You can imagine the deepest reflection about that encounter and the repentance that happened and how he would plan to serve Jesus and preach Him with all conviction and faith.

(C). Applications and Responses
- A few points of applications I pray you will buy about Saul’s great encounter with Jesus.
- Firstly, Jesus decides to personally appear to Saul, the great church persecutor, the most stubborn follower of Yahweh, the most unlikely candidate Jesus should choose, in order to prove to him that the resurrection Jesus, the Messiah was real and the truth that he must not deny. This hardest nut mindset must be cracked that way in order for Jesus to use him.

- Does this point inspires you to believe with all conviction as we preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations, the hardest mindset, the most difficult sinful habits, attitudes and bondages, the most difficult cultural barriers will not stand a personal encounter with Jesus? So, we see the point of healings, appearance of Jesus to people, miracles given by Jesus, etc.

- Secondly, Jesus was the one who transformed Saul by breaking into the history and broke his stubborn mindset. Therefore, it was very important for Jesus to claim as such. If Jesus did not say, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting" there may not be a transformation effect. That personal appearance of Jesus to Saul was most crucial to turn tide of history, to change the course of history. Take note nobody transformed Saul except Jesus. We need to believe this is still the same today. Do not use your human power to change things, call on Jesus’ power. Only Jesus can transform lives. I know most of us are very frustrated when your husbands, wives, children, parents, students, colleagues, neighbors, and your own-self do not repent; change attitudes; not united in one heart with you; you may think that it is hopeless and helpless.

- You must come before Jesus and believe that He can do the transformation for you in His timing. Utilize the power of prayers. My late grandfather who used to believe that Mao Tze Tung saved the whole world finally accepted Christ and got baptized before he left this world. My Primary 6 twins were not serious about education and I prayed for a breakthrough, now I see they realized it. From now on, I believe they improve much more in studies. It happened to my eldest daughter, Grace. I pray for me and my wife to be united to discipline our children for a few years and it happened this year.

- Thirdly, in view of Saul was one of the enemies of God, Jesus still forgave him and used Him, we must now believe with strong faith and actions (and not condemn) the most evil and sinful people in this world can be forgiven by Jesus and they will repent.

- Can you develop this foresight, mindset and the faith to see it? Can you practice this on someone now? You must be like Jesus, though you cannot be Jesus, no matter, how terrible, how evil, how sinful he or she is; the whole political system; whole society; whole company; whole family; whole group of people like the prostitutes, the gangsters, corrupted people, gamblers, Jesus will save them and cause them to repent. The Jesus who forgave Saul will do so for them.

- I pray that this precious point help you to see that people out there need Jesus. When you see people who are poor, and oppressed, practicing corruption, unemployed, depressed, you see people need Jesus, you need to do mission, you need to act on behalf of Jesus.

(D). Conclusion
- Can Jesus count on you to bring that little transformation needed in yourself, in your family, in your company and in your society? If not, question yourself, how come the Jesus is not powerful in your life. I strongly believe Jesus who converted and transformed Saul can equally convert and transform you and me and anybody out there.

- Can you say Amen to it?

Jesus - the Righteous One

2011-07-12T23:11:00.000+08:00

AMC Sermon
3rd July, 2011
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 7: 1- 53.

Main Idea: Jesus, the centre of focus of Christianity
Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to honour Jesus as Stephen in everyday life. b. To challenge the congregation to be righteous as Jesus is righteous.

A. Introduction
- Jesus is the centre of focus in our faith. You remove Jesus away, you do not have Christianity on earth. You cannot consider yourself as a Christian if you do not believe that Jesus is God, the Almighty God who is in-charge of your life. For the Agape Methodist church or any Church, if Jesus is not at all worshipped, I guarantee you nobody will come to Agape Methodist Church. This is simply because people believe Jesus is the true God and they desire to worship.
- You take Jesus out of your faith; I assure you will have nothing left. You have nothing to be proud of. Everything in Christianity and anything to do with church becomes meaningless without Jesus!
- If Jesus, a real person, a real human being, who desires to be personal with each of us is set aside, the so called religion, Christianity will collapse any time. Jesus matters so much to Christianity.
- The long passage today really inspires us to take the person of Jesus, seriously, and all the more personally. I pray that at the end of the day, you will take Jesus so seriously and personally like Jesus’ disciple, Stephen.
- Let us see how he took Jesus so personally.

B. Explanation of how Stephen took Jesus so personally
- Remember Stephen in chapter 6 was one of those selected by the Apostles, to do the ministry of taking care of the widows; full of Spirit and wisdom; full of faith and the Spirit; full of grace and power. He did wonders and miraculous signs. He was arrested and handed over to the Jewish Sanhedrin by the members of the synagogue of the Freedmen to be questioned and confronted in every sense for his new faith in the resurrected Jesus, the Jesus who died, buried and resurrected.
- They accused him of blaspheming against Moses and against God. They conspired to accuse Stephen of speaking against the Holy place of the temple and also speaking against the Law of Moses.
- Now in chapter 7 verse 1, the high priest asked, “Are these charges true?” For the Jews, blasphemy against the Law of Moses which was given by God was equivalent to blasphemy against God. The punishment was death sentence. Can you imagine how critical is the question and all the more the answer. A Yes to the question means death. That was what was at stake. If you were Stephen who had probably witnessed the resurrected Jesus, what would you say?
- This was question of the truth or not. This was when the Jews from the Sanhedrin believed Jesus was not God; the dead could not resurrect. That was the truth, the whole truth. That was the conviction of the Jewish highest religious body. On the other hand, Stephen and the rest of the disciples and apostles, believed Jesus who died, buried, and resurrected; He is sent by God, the Yahweh, He is the Messiah, the Saviour; Jesus is God. This is the truth, the whole truth which cannot be denied and compromised. That was the conviction of the disciples and apostles of Jesus.
- Therefore, it was a question of the truth. It was a battle of truth. What is the truth? The truth of whether Jesus had resurrected and He is God was at stake right at the confrontation of the Sanhedrin.
- Stephen knew the moment had come for him to make his defence that Jesus is God, the Righteous One, the son of God, sent by God the Father that is the truth. Stephen knew his Jewish heritage and the origin of Judaism. Before he answered yes to the charge, he traced back to the history of the faith of their own Jewish ancestors, right from Abraham to Moses and the later prophets. Highlighting God’s call of Abraham to the Promised Land for his descendents. Highlighting major Jewish historical events which helped to trace the roots of their faith in their forefather’s God, God of Abraham.
- Highlighting the circumcision covenant that God made with Abraham. Highlighting Isaac who became the father of Jacob who became the father of the 12 patriarchs. How Joseph and the whole family (patriarch) migrated to Egypt because famine and how their descendents were ill treated and oppressed (400 years). How God raised Moses to deliver the Israelites with signs and wonders at the Red Sea and 40 years at wilderness before entering the Promised Land. God gave his word to Moses at Mt Sinai and how their ancestors disobeyed God by worshipping idols. How God instructed them to build the tabernacle and remained with David and eventually Solomon built the temple.
- After giving a brief history of Jewish faith to show how Jesus was linked to the God of Abraham, he now turned his defence into attack. I strongly believe he was filled by the Holy Spirit to have courage to prepare for the worst, the death, after answering yes to the charge.
- You see how he turned the defence into attack and at the same time link God of Abraham with Jesus and at the same time, he answered Jesus was God, the Righteous One.
- For the Sanhedrin, linking Jesus with God was blasphemy, for Stephen and apostles, it is the truth, not a blasphemy, and it was a huge theological difference, a difference that could not be compromised. For both sides, it was a great offense to God. For both sides, they want to their lives to ‘bet’ on it. That means they were willing to die for what they believe, they want to die a death of martyrdom for what they believe. Do you see the great convictions from both sides? How can you blasphemy my God? You see the great battle for truth.
- Obviously, Stephen was prepared to die for what he believed about Jesus, if not, he would not attack the Sanhedrin and crucify them like this (verses 51 to 53), “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him – you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
- What an intimidating, sarcastic and daring attack on the top Jewish religious leaders. The attack was very serious, it meant they were circumcised outwardly which supposed to make them holy and close to God but now Stephen said they were uncircumcised in their hearts, they were most unholy in their hearts; they outwardly seemed to obey the law and Stephen accused them they did not obey the law inwardly.
- It was outright humiliation; most unacceptable accusations according to Jewish theology, the stage was set for a death sentence according to the Mosaic Law!

C. Applications and Actions
- What is the big deal about this Righteous One that deserves Stephen to stake his life on it? Why not Stephen played smart and gave a so called white lie answer in modern terms since his life was at stake? Like what Chinese proverbs say, “Keep the green hill and you will not afraid that there will not be wood to burn.” Tell a lie, save your life, and you can continue to serve Jesus. Why not he just denied it, like Apostle Peter denying his relationship with Jesus 3 times? Why he didn’t just keep silent and save his life as silence is gold in our modern understanding?
- My personal reflection which I want to share and preach to you is this: Firstly, I strongly believe that when you are so filled by Holy Spirit, you are so intimate with Jesus, you will be so focused on Jesus and whatever He desires you to do, you will do, you will not use your mind to think of negative things like denying, lying, play smart, you will go all the way out to make sacrifice for Jesus, including your life. Secondly, the powerful reality of the resurrected Christ was such strong evidence that how could you deny the divinity of Jesus. Stephen encountered Jesus in such a personal manner, real manner. How could he deny the divinity of Jesus? How could he say Jesus is not God?
- No wonder at the end of the day, in his attack on the Sanhedrin, he called Jesus the Righteous One, the Son of God, sent by God. The one is who is always right, the Righteous One, who never sins.
- To such a God, Stephen was willing to die for Him; he wanted to honour Jesus so much so that he was willing to pay the price of death. Rather than at the crucial moments, choosing to dishonour Him by denying Him.
- Brothers and sisters, by now, I pray that you will find in life, in everyday, our life has everything to do with Jesus. Can you honour Jesus with your life? Especially at crucial moments? When you are entrusted with big amount of money? When you are alone out there, as a married person or a single person, do you relate to opposite sex with all holiness? When you are angry, do you use foul language? When people are poorer than you, less qualified than you, do you look down on them? When you are taken advantage, hurt, defeated, embarrassed, do you take revenge, hate, fight back and show your true colour? When you are given a certain kind of trust, a position of trust, do you abuse the trust? When your children give your all the troubles and frustrations, do you dismiss them as stupid? All these, you see, in our everyday life, if your answer is Yes, you are not honouring.
- As a disciple of Jesus, if your answer to all these is a definite Yes, you really bring shame to Jesus; you really sell Jesus away; you really deny Jesus as your God; Jesus is not your master; Jesus is not personal to you; Jesus is not living in your life. Jesus is not there in your life. Of course people cannot see the presence of Jesus in your life.
- On the other hand, if your answer is no to all those questions, of course, you honour Jesus. You are very powerful for Jesus. People will become attracted to your life as you offer Jesus to them. Because you have righteousness of Jesus which they do not have. They want to come to this Agape Methodist to see what Jesus has done to your life and they want to learn. You will be like Jesus, people see righteousness in you. So, by all means your life must smell Jesus. Can you?
- Since Jesus is the righteous one, your life needs to be righteous like Him. It does not mean you need to be perfect. If you can be perfect, then, you do not need the Almighty God anymore. It is exactly you are not perfect, you need Jesus to forgive you; to empower you with His Spirit; to enlighten you with His word, etc. Though you are not perfect, you work towards being righteous; doing things right. When you answer no to the above questions, you do it right.
- What if you do it wrong? You answer yes to some of the questions above. Remember you have Jesus to turn to, you can do self-correction; you can delete and give the right answer with the help of Jesus; you can say sorry; you can ask for forgiveness; you can compensate (like Zacchaeus, he paid back double to people whom he wronged); you can repent; you can turn around; you can start all over and do it right with the help of Jesus and His Church.

D. Conclusion
- Do you now see the presence of Jesus is at stake all the time in your life? It is not only when you come to church on Sunday; not only when you do not serve Him.
- Stephen honoured Jesus with his life as he felt worth to do so. Are you now convinced that Jesus is worth your life investment, your honour, your living for Him? I pray you honour Jesus with your life on earth.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Share as many reasons as you can how convinced you are to honour Jesus in your life.
2. Share testimonies of how you honour Jesus in the past or how you plan to honour Jesus.

A Man Full of Grace and Power

2011-06-25T23:33:00.000+08:00

19th June, 2011

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 6: 8-15

Main Idea: Be a man full of grace and power

Objective: To challenge the congregation to be full of grace and power for Christ.

A. Introduction

- Every time I preach from the book of Acts, I am so excited because what happened in the early church history with the apostles and disciples were so real and so powerful. What happened then set the agenda and mission for the church of Christ today. It sets the model for us how Christ’s church should behave in the world today.

- And I always believe in one conviction, that is, what happened then, can also happen today in the Church where Jesus is the head. It can also happen in the Methodist churches. It may not be an exact repetition in terms of the incidents that happened. I strongly believe that the ways and means that God worked through the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus) in those days will also work today. Do you say Amen with me?

- The reason is very simple. If the Holy Spirit who worked in the early church history does not work today in His similar empowerment, how can Christ’s disciples like you and me, and any disciple of Christ out there in the world save the lost and make disciples of all nations in this age of increasing work of the devil and the increasing evil hearts of human beings.

- When you see top politicians in the middle east countries like Libya, Syria, and Yemen can be so evil in ordering of killing of civilians in protests; you see how these top politicians are so power hungry; you see civilians fight against civilians; you see how lots of politicians are so immoral in their relationships; you see the increasing percentage of people and even Christians who are practicing homosexual and how they fight to legalize it; you see the jihad bombing by extremists and terrorists; when you see the free practice of sex among teenagers and adults, Christians and non-Christians, you cannot help but believe if there is no empowerment of the Holy Spirit on the Christians and disciples of Jesus in our days, you cannot fight the powerful devil and the powerful sins at work in our society and in the world.

- No wonder, the bible describes a disciple of Jesus like Stephen, as a man full of God’s grace and power in Acts 6: 8. Let us see what was happening to him. Like I strongly preached in my earlier sermons and very much today, the Holy Spirit who worked in the early disciples of Jesus also work in us, as disciples of Jesus today.

- This is how significant today’s passage is to us. I pray that at the end of the day, we are ready to work towards being a man full of God’s grace and power.

B. Explanation on how Stephen became a man full of God’s grace and power

- I am very excited to tell you how an early disciple like Stephen was full of God’s grace and power. You will not know how if you do not refer to the context in chapter 6 verses 5 to 7 which told us how Stephen (a man full of faith and of Holy Spirit) and other 6 disciples who were presented to the apostles and they were prayed and laid hands on them. These 7 were chosen because the apostles could not cope with distribution of food to the needy Grecian Jewish widows. They overlooked their needs as a result of lack of manpower to minister to their needs.

- The early apostles believed that their main ministry should be the preaching of God’s word and so they set 2 criteria of full of Spirit and wisdom to choose the 7 disciples.

- You find that in verses 3 and 5, these 7 disciples were described as full of the Spirit and wisdom; and full of faith and the Holy Spirit. And now in the passage today, it says especially about Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power.

- I strongly believe that according to the context, the power that Stephen received was from the Holy Spirit mentioned in verses 3 and 5; and it has to do with the apostles’ prayer and laying of hands in verse 6. Therefore, all of us who are so called Methodists, being empowered by the Holy Spirit must take prayers and laying of hands seriously. Especially laying of hands is not commonly practiced in the Methodist churches in Sarawak and may be here in Sabah, we know, how much power we miss.

- Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying by simply laying of hands by anybody, the empowerment will come. I believe when pastors and church leaders take time to pray and lay hands (together), God empowers brothers and sisters to make disciples of all nations, to do our powerful ministry.

- Next, what is this whole idea of fullness? Full of God’s grace and power. Notice the grace and power are from God, not from the devil. So, it is definitely used to build up a person or the body of Christ. It is full because God has given the 100% empowerment for the purpose of serving the body of Christ or anybody out there, for the purpose of mission, for the purposes of whatever ministry that leads to salvation of the lost.

- Bishop Hwa Yung said, “When you are filled by the Holy Spirit, it is just like a cup that is full of water or it overflows. It is just like a sunken ship, the inside of the whole ship is full of water and the outside of the ship is also full of water. The ship is filled by water all over its body, inside and outside. So, it is the same when a disciple of Jesus is full of the Spirit”

- So, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for ministry has to be full of God’s power, only then, you can do the job. It has to be full of power to do the job, it cannot be half full of power. It cannot be alang-alang, not an absolute empowerment. Look at the early disciple like Stephen, how he was full of power given by the Holy Spirit to serve.

- In verses 9 and 10, the author said, Stephen performed great wonders and miraculous signs. Great learned Jewish religious persons from all over the places argued with Stephen and confronted him with the divinity of Christ, I believe. They could not defeat Stephen in their argument as it says; they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Such was the amazing results of empowerment by the Holy Spirit for Stephen.

- They even resorted to dirty tactic of conspiracy and accusing Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, the unpardonable sin in verse 11; in verse 12, we see that they even stirred up the people, the elders and the teachers of the law to arrest Stephen and brought him to the Jewish authority, the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses to accuse Stephen of attacking the law and amending the law of Moses so that Stephen could be found guilty in verses 13 and 14.

- In the midst of the conspiracy and false accusations, and with all the tension and hostile atmosphere, even the Sanhedrin saw Stephen’s face was like the angel in verse 15. You cannot explain Stephen’s calmness, wisdom and courage in the midst of the conflict, unless you believe he was 100% full of the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

- Next, what is this grace in this context? It is a very general term in this context. Stephen was not only full of power but he was full of grace. I love this word grace so much so that I even name my daughter grace. It is also in my prayer most of the times. It really means/represents all the blessings you can imagine or you cannot imagine that God desires to bestow on the world, all the more, on His children or disciples who need it to do mission to save the lost! It is all freely given to those who need it to do God’s will on earth. You name it, what do you need in mission? Courage, wisdom, faith, forgiveness, material resources, strength and power in overcoming enemies, overcoming fear of death, etc, full grace of God will provide all that.

C. Relationships the passage with the church and your personal life

- Do you see the relevancy of Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, with Agape Methodist Church and your own personal life?

- Does the Methodist church in Sabah; the Agape Methodist Church brothers and sisters, disciples of Jesus here today believe strongly we must produce disciples who are full of God’s grace and power?

- If this kind of faith is not in the church and inside each one of us, no wonder you do not experience the reality of the almighty God.

- On the other hand, if you do not believe there is such a thing as you can be full of God’s grace and power, then, I may be giving you wrong teaching and according to the book James 3: 1, I will be judged more severely.

- I make sure it is a correct teaching, only then, I dare to challenge and inspire you and tell it has everything to do with your life.

- One sister who ministered with me on Friday shared a testimony with me in the process of home to a non-Christian family. She is truly a disciple of Jesus who is full of God’s grace and power. She is also an associate lay leader of a Methodist church. She testified that there was one time as she ministered to a new born baby who always cried non-stop after 12 at night and, as she prayed for the mother, the Holy Spirit told her that the mother had watched lots of violent and ghost movies before she delivered the baby. Upon her confession and prayers to bind the work of the devil, the baby was healed from crying! If she was not full of the Spirit she could not defeat the attack of the devil on the baby and the mother.

- You need to be full of God’s grace and power.

D. Applications and Responses

- Now, you must also not think that to be full of God’s grace and power is a matter of prayers and laying of hands by pastor and church leaders.

- You need to work towards being full of God’s grace and power.

- We as children of God are all entitled to be full of God’s grace and power. But how come not all of us have it. One of the simplest and most natural reasons is a lot of us do not even believe in the possibility of it and so, we do not work towards it.

- You know the purposes of God’s grace and power for you. It is not for your main-main, for fun; to show that you are powerful; to glorify yourself. Remember what spiritual gifts God bestowed upon you, it is very much for the purpose of building up the body of Christ which in turn empowers us to make disciples of all nations. It must always lead to the lost (people who are heading for hell) being saved and becoming disciples of Jesus.

- After you know the divine purpose of being full of God’s grace and power, the next step is you need to honestly tell God you believe in it and work towards it. In other words, as part of your response to the sermon today, you need to tell God, “I desire to be full of God’s grace and power.”

- In your preparation towards, one very important Christian character that Jesus expects you to develop is your willingness to make sacrifice for His kingdom’s sake.

- I agree with the German theologian, Bonhoeffer, who died of martyrdom, who wrote the famous book, the Cost of Disciple, that lots of Christians are going for cheap grace only, in his article “Costly Grace”. We have blown our understanding of God’s grace to such an understanding that grace of God has become so unconditional, so cheap, that it becomes grace without price, grace without cost. A lot of Christians have forgotten or neglected the great truth that Jesus had suffered so much for our sin. It takes Christ’s great suffering on the cross in order for Him to bless us with His grace of forgiveness.

- Therefore, you see Christians who can afford to sin again and again have believed in so called cheap grace and continue to live in sin. Bonhoeffer said, “Grace without the cross, grace without discipleship, grace without Jesus Christ.”

- Brothers and sisters, if we are to be full of God’s grace, we need to keep to costly grace. On the one hand, it is free grace of Jesus for us, but the channel for us to be full of God’s grace is sacrifice.

- This sacrifice on our part is not a condition to deserve grace; not a merit for grace; not use it to exchange for grace; not it to earn grace.

- This willing sacrifice on our part is model after Jesus self-sacrifice on the cross, whereby we are willing to submit our lives to Jesus to do the right thing (teachings as commanded by Jesus); we willingly give up all our wrongs, sins, trespasses, bad habits, etc. You need to give up your selfishness, greed, self-centeredness, hatred, lusts, etc, to Jesus, not in exchange for grace (full), but, make yourself or you get ready to become a channel for God’s grace to flow to you.

- As I let go of my complaints of my wife of not submissive and overlook her mistakes and I try to do as much housework for my wife as she requested, I experience more of God’s grace both in my life and my wife! It is simply amazing. May I elaborate and I pray that you will experience it also. I do not mean I do not have problems with my wife anymore. As I learn not to condemn her for mistakes of nurturing our children, we now have found solid answers of how to educate our children. We are now united in one heart to educate them. This is God’s grace for us. You can imagine the frustrations and anxiety we experienced when disagree on how to educate our children.

- When I do not complain that my wife is not submissive, my must have felt the space and freedom to be herself. She appreciates more for the freedom I give her and observes her own boundaries in spending. We experience God’s grace more in the sense of greater closeness and unity as family.

- As I give up my worries for Pujut Primary School Girls’ Brigade 100 girls (opposite Grace Methodist Church, Miri) who need manpower to help, I just entrusted it to Jesus, God raised 4 Pujut Primary School teachers to step forward to do the job.

- So, you see as you give up your control, your sins, you submit your life to Jesus, He will fill you with His grace. What more to say the power you need to do ministry.

- Can you pay the price of sacrifice, humble yourself at the feet of Jesus, then, you become a channel of God’s grace and power?

E. Conclusion

- If not, as you want to be in control of your life, as you use your life to sin against yourself, others and God, rather than you become a channel of God’s grace and power, you block it altogether.

- I pray that, right now, you realize what go wrong with your life. You repent and be full of God’s grace and power like the disciple, Stephen.

F. Questions for discussion

1. Discuss how you prepare yourself to become a channel of God’s grace and power.

2. Share (if there is) how you experience God’s grace and power. You may not be full of God’s grace and power but you did experience His grace and power. It is a very good start and I pray that you will eventually experience fullness of God’s grace and power.

Can your life testifies for Christ?

2011-06-04T22:50:00.000+08:00

29th May, 2011
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

John 5: 31-47
Main Idea: Your life needs to testify for Christ.

Objectives: a. Need to challenge the congregation on the necessity to testify for Christ. b. Need to challenge the congregation to stop practicing corruption and stand up against it.

A. Introduction
- Do you still remember my last sermon preached on 26th December, 2010? It was based on John 5: 16-30. Do you still remember the title of my sermon? (Jesus is equal to God) Let me give you a clue. It is something to do with my trademark sermons. (Okay, it is about building a personal relationship with Jesus; your Christian identity; make disciples of all nations, missions) You always get to hear them in my sermons.
- Today, I am going to proceed from my last sermon. I continue from there. I hope that each time I come back to GMC I preach from there for the gospel of John has a lot to offer to GMC. This is my only chance to I choose to preach to you this year and yet I decide to continue with the gospel of John. I pray that this continuity will impact your lives for Christ.
- I pray that after a break of 5 months plus, though I may not preach new things, with my 5 months plus learning, I pray that with a few new insights which I learnt from my learned lecturers and books, you will be greatly challenged to testify for Christ. The title of my sermon to you.
- The passage today is all about Jesus’ word. It is still very much in the context of His conflict with the Jewish religious authorities, where His divinity was challenged. He claimed to be God but He was rejected as God. You see how He dealt with them.

B. Explanation of Text
- Jesus knew the Jewish religious authorities would not accept Him as the son of God. Then, Jesus argued with the Jewish religious authorities that John the Baptist had testified (verses 32 to 34) for Him. He even sacrificed his life in testifying for Jesus but they did not grip the truth that Jesus was God (verse 35).
- Jesus still wanted to quote the weightier testimony of what God the Father had done through Him in all the miracles and mission when He referred to the very work that the Father had given Him in verse 36.
- Jesus further emphasized that His Father had sent Him to testify about Him but they had never heard His father or heard His Father’s voice in the written scripture like the Old Testament and also His Father’s voice of approval at Jesus’ baptism at Jordan River; and also they did not see His form. This may refer to their lack of spiritual perception about Jesus being God. (verses 37 -38)
- Jesus further accused them of studying the Scripture, but they did not recognize the one to whom the Scripture bears supreme testimony. They read the scripture that revealed the promised Messiah who was in the person of Jesus, whom Jesus Himself claimed but they could not recognize. God the Father Himself revealed and testified through the scripture but they could not agree that Jesus was sent by God the Father. (verses 40 -41)
- The revelation God gave to Moses was inseparable from the revelation God gave through Jesus. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus told by Jesus, the rich man who was in torment in seoul (hell), he appealed to father Abraham to send Lazarus who also died to preach to his 5 brothers on earth so that they would not come to the place of torment like him. Father Abraham replied in Luke 16: 31, “… If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
- The Scriptures that Jesus referred to were most probably the Mosaic Laws and they bore testimonies and yet the Jewish religious authorities could not accept them. Jesus really confronted them in their faces they accepted men’s praise and made no effort to obtain God’s praise. How could they not accepted the testimonies of Moses and then, Jesus even went to the extent of telling them on behalf of Moses that he was accusing them of their mistake of not recognizing Jesus as God. (verses 42 -45)
- Therefore, now, Jesus was very frustrated with them, Jesus laid everything on the table and told them the simple logical conclusion which they need to get it right in verses 46 and 47, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
- I see this passage of the personal word from Jesus is all talking about John the Baptist, God the Father, the Scriptures and even Moses testifying God in the person of Jesus, the divinity of Jesus.
- Most of the Jews in Jesus’ time could not accept the most powerful testimonies about Jesus. Today, it is still a great challenge for people to accept the divinity of Jesus. Why?

C. Applications and Actions
- Why people of all nations, especially those who are most educated, cannot accept the divinity of Jesus? One reason is definitely because most scientific minds cannot accept illogical things like resurrection of the dead and eternal life. Another more important reason could be if take Jesus as God, savior and the master of their lives, then, they feel like they cannot be free to live their self-centered life.
- What about we Christians? Yes, we accept the divinity of Christ. But, most of us do not go all the way out to testify the divinity of Jesus. To show people in our family, in our office and in our society that Jesus is almighty God; Jesus is living. For our life to testify Christ, we need to show Jesus is living in our lives.
- Is your life testifying for Christ?
- This is where I want to share a new insight with you. Evangelicals like Methodists who emphasize on the importance of preaching the gospel of salvation. We desire people to be saved from their sins like hatred, greed, self-centeredness, jealousy, self-pity, pride, etc. We show people how to overcome sins of pride, greed etc. We desire their souls to be saved for eternal life.
- Brothers and sisters that is only the salvation of individuals. The spiritual aspect of salvation. We normally testify for Jesus in terms of spiritual salvation of the lost. This is actually a narrow understanding of the gospel. This is the so called trademark of the church.
- There is another aspect of the gospel which the society needs very much. It is the social aspect of the gospel. It is an aspect of the gospel which Jesus emphasizes very much but we always tend to neglect and not do much because it requires us to dirty our hands; it requires us to go the extra mile.
- It is very much about salvation of people from poverty, injustice, marginalization, oppression, corruption, etc. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ does not only save people from their individual sins and eternal punishment in hell, it also very saves them from poverty, injustice, marginalization, oppression, corruption, etc. You see my point?
- Jesus Christ our Lord has highlighted the social salvation aspect of the gospel when He said in Luke 4: 18, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor…”
- Please do not misunderstand Jesus, let us do not think that what Jesus means is only preaching the gospel of salvation from individual sins only. What Jesus also very much means is this: we need to help people to come out of their poverty.
- I want to concentrate on the poverty. Can our church, Methodist church and all other churches, your life testify for Christ in bringing about social changes to the issues of poverty?
- Can our church address the issue of poverty in our society? The poor are everywhere in the town. Many of them are indigenous people, though some of them are also Chinese. They are at our doorstep, near our homes, church, even in your office. Can your life testify to them that Jesus loves them?
- One faithful disciple of Jesus, a Christian lawyer in Hong Kong, wrote a article called sins against. It is a new term he created to draw Christian attention to the poor people and make disciples of them. Who are the sins against? These are the poor in the society whom we left them to suffer in hunger, thirst, lack of shelter, education, etc. Spiritually, we sin against them because we see their needs we do not anything to help them. In other words, owing to our selfishness and self-centeredness, our sins caused us not to help them. One of these days, these sins against will stand up and accuse Christians of not helping them. When they are so desperate, they may even threaten the living of all of us who are having a descent living.
- How can we help them to overcome their poverty? It is definitely not a matter of feeding them; giving them money; not a matter of taking temporary measures.
- I strongly feel that the church must put in collective effort to help them to come out of poverty by looking into the great area of education of their children. The Chinese in Sarawak have prospered because our ancestors have worked hard on our education. We need to work on this same vision for the poor people in Miri here.
- With higher education, not only the poor will have a better job, but, they are well trained to think about how to live a proper life; how to overcome superstitions; how to overcome poverty; how to manage their money; how to educate their next generation, etc.
- Can the social concerns committee and missions committee and the whole LCEC do it at the district level a tuition centre for the poor in Tudan and Permyjaya? Mobilizing manpower from all Methodist Churches and all those in Miri who are keen to help. A few of us in GMC are doing it minor scale like learning English for fun and doing reading bus. I am willing to come in to advise if you are keen about it.
- We must challenge ourselves to help the poor through education so much so our GMC church trademark or Methodist Church trademark is helping
- the poor to overcome poverty. By the way, as a result of Tudan Methodist church effort in nurturing Ibans at Tudan and Permyjaya. One Iban student scored 3A 1B in his STPM and he is now applying to go for local university. This is a vision which I am always giving them.
- Those of you who are professionals, businessmen or women, or if you are in leadership position, can you influence your company to every year set aside some budget to help the poor in anyway, especially, for example to pay for their miscellaneous fees, tuition fees for their week subjects, etc.
- The best is to do something along the line of social concerns for the poor.
- Any brave souls who are willing to do it? Can you speak out for the poor? Can you invest your life in doing mission among the poor? Can you enjoy a little less and give 2 hours to give tuition to the poor in English, Maths, Science? Jesus today says, “ I am on the side of the poor, I am with the poor, I am living with them, come and visit Me?” Will you visit the poor today after the church service and do something for them? If you are touched by the Holy Spirit to do something for the poor and you believe God has given a vision, you must commit it to prayer, and let the church know so that we commit it to prayer also so that GMC or the district can plan to make it happen.

D. Conclusion
- Can your life be a little bit less selfish and share with others, especially the poor? Remember, in whatever you can. When you do that, you testify for Jesus.
- Some of you who are always worried and depressed, anxious about yourself, your children, your husbands, your wives, your work, etc, in the name of Jesus, I preach to you, go and spend sometime with the poor people out, then, you see for yourself, whether, you are still as worried, anxious, and depressed.
- As you are willing to testify for Christ among the poor, Jesus bless you with joy and good health.
- Come and test Jesus, if you help the poor, whether Jesus will give joy or not.

E. Questions for Small Group Discussion
1. Discuss the various aspects of poverty of the poor. Try to explain why they end up in poverty.
2. Then (related to question 1), discover for yourself, what are the opportunities available for you to do mission as an individual; as small group; as a family; as a church.

Live a life worthy of the Lord

2011-05-22T22:13:00.000+08:00

Brunei Sermon Live a life worthy of the Lord
22nd May, 2011

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Colossians 1: 3-14
Main Idea: the process of spiritual growth

Objectives:
a. To teach the congregation of the process of spiritual growth
b. To challenge the church members to be transformed in their lives.
c. To teach them to live a life worthy of the Lord.

A. Introduction
- Those of you who have been baptized in the last 10 years, pls indicate by putting up your hands? 20 years?
- After you are baptized, have you been serving Jesus? What have you done for Jesus?
- May be some of us ask this question in your heart: Why is that after you are baptized; you still need to grow spiritually; serve God; you need to be transformed in your lives; you need to do evangelism and missions both locally and overseas; do social concerns; attend Sunday service; tithing; prayers?
- I am already saved, I just wait to go to heaven. I have my passport to go heaven, why do I still have to go through all those troubles? Have you asked like this? The answer is found in the bible passage today.
- Apostle Paul in this morning’s passage, he said a prayer that showed us how our spiritual life should grow. You must go through that process and there is no short cut.
- Let us read what Apostle Paul exhorted the Colossians in verses 9 and 10 together, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, …”
- Why Apostle Paul prayed like this? This had very much to do with the problems and challenges faced by the Colossian Christians at that time in the first century.

B. Background & Explanation of the Text
- At that time the Colossian Christians faced the heretic Gnosticism teaching. Believers of Gnosticism believed that the material, the body of human beings, and all that could be seen were evil. God who cannot be seen is good and spiritual. Human beings can only be in contact with God using our thinking power.
- This produces 2 kinds of thinking. One thinking is our mind power is more powerful than the body. People who subscribe to this thinking end up practicing self-denial exercises such as withdrawing from sex, not eating, not resting, not enjoying life, and not live a normal life. A believer will isolate himself from others, not married and not even take bath, etc.
- Another thinking is this: Since our body is evil, people will take the liberty to enjoy himself, he takes the liberty to get drunk, overeat, practice free sex, to be greedy, etc, because whatever they do, it will not affect their inner spirit, inner life.
- Apostle Paul knew the Colossian Christians were misled. He addressed Epaphras as dear fellow servant, faithful minister of Christ in verse 7. Epaphras must have shared the problems of the Colossian Christians with Apostle Paul.
- We know they communicated because in verse 8, Paul said, “and who also told us of your love in the spirit.”
- In order to lead the Colossian Christians out of Gnosticism influence, Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians kept emphasizing Jesus is the gospel of word becomes flesh. God is unseen; He becomes a human being in the person of Jesus. Since God lives in a body, so, the body is not evil anymore. Also, Jesus has the power to save us from the power of darkness, leading us to the kingdom of God, saved and our sins are forgiven. This is very much emphasized in verses 13 and 14.
- In order to help the Colossian Christians not to go astray, and they really believed what Jesus had done on His life and on the cross, Apostle Paul taught them how to grow spiritually and correctly.
- Apostle Paul taught the Colossian Christians and all of us a cycle of 5 steps of spiritual growth.

C. Application and Actions
- Firstly, you need to ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will as Apostle said in verse 9b. You must know the word of God for you, His will for you. You must read the word of God for it tells you His will for you. Can you give me a few examples of God’s will for you according to the bible?
- Secondly, God fills you with knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding in verse 9c. Now, yes, God fills you with His will but according to verse 9c today, He also gives you spiritual wisdom and understanding. It means through the help of the Holy Spirit God helps you to understand His word. It means God, through the Spirit of Jesus helps you to understand a word, a phrase, a sentence or a passage of he bible. This year, as I read Exodus 36 to 38, I was amazed by the promises that God made to Hebrew people in providing the expertise and all the metal and material needed to make the tabernacle, the ark, the lamp stand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, etc. God spoke to me powerfully and I understood His message even though these technical chapters are on how to make those instruments of worship. I received the powerful message that if I am doing God’s will, God will provide all the manpower and resources needed to do His will.
- I also read from Leviticus chapters 1 to 5 recently, God is very particular about every sin you committed. For the Hebrew people, for every sin committed, they need to do a sacrifice of an animal or birds or flour.
- Can you give me some examples of the word of God which you understand and remember? Only when you know, understand, then, you can use it, apply in your life. I understand the concepts of making of disciples of all nations. So, I reach out to people regardless of races, skin colors, languages and religions. I reach out to Ibans in Bahasa Malaysia. Last Sunday I preached in BM to Tudan Methodist Church members who are Ibans. I prayed and counseled for 15 of them one by one for about 2 hours. On Thursday, I joined Rev Chan Jing Mei, the lady pastor in charge of the Church in visiting 5 Ibans. It is all because the bible says nations, not nation, not just the Chinese. I understand and remember, and so I can do it. Do you know your bible well? Do you have the discipline to read it? Do you attend seminars to equip yourself with the word of God to serve Him?
- As you read the bible, you need to ask yourself these questions: what has the word of God to do with my life? I can apply to which area of my life? Finance? Family? Work and career? Nurturing children? Ministry in Church? Missions and evangelism? Social concerns?
- I believe that every passage that you read in the bible, there is God’s message for you. I always write down the message after I got it. I have a spiritual journal to do it. You can read a passage and write down the verse, or word or phrase which God speaks to you. Write a sentence or two to say how you apply it in your life.
- Thirdly, the next step of the spiritual cycle is to live a life worthy of the Lord (verse 10). The sermon title is taken from this verse. Why this verse? This is because in our spiritual growth journey/ process, ultimately, it requires you, believers and all of us as Disciples of Christ, to be transformed in our lives. This is very much related to actions. Apostle Paul taught in this prayer for the Colossian Christians that after you know the word of God, understand it, you need to apply it. You need to apply it in your life. There must be actions in your life based on the word of God. Therefore, he said in verse 10, “…live a life worthy of the Lord…” God’s word is so good, so meaningful, so full of inspirations, but if you do not have any action to practice it, everything still remain zero. Especially your life transformation will remain zero.
- Furthermore, your actions must be worthy of Christ. How? When you made a decision, is it according to your conscience? What about others? A lot of Christians when they made a decision they never ask Jesus whether He is Okay with it or not. We Christians, when we make a decision, or take an action, we must get Yes from 3 persons (your conscience, others who are affected or not affected and most important of all, Jesus). Do that you will become a strong and matured Disciple of Jesus.
- In the name of Jesus I tell you, in your daily life, when you are full of care and love towards others, you are full of Christ’s testimonies in your life, you do what you promise, you are consistent in your word and action, when you invite people to come to attend church special program, they will come.
- A lot of Christians or disciples of Jesus do not grow because they cannot breach the gap between step 2 and step 3. That is after they understood the word, they never apply it. Are you one of those? After today, which part of God’s word are you applying? No application of God’s word, no life transformation, no life testimonies to show to people. As a result, people cannot see how good Christianity or Jesus is to their life.
- Fourthly, our spiritual life must reach a stage or step where we can do what Apostle says in 10b and c, “ …may please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, …” This is very much related to step 3 where we need to live a life worthy of Jesus. After you apply what you learn about God’s word, your life is worthy of Christ, you will surely bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5: 22, 23). You will surely make disciples of all nations. You will surely do mission in the name of Jesus.
- Fifthly, we will reach a stage like what Apostle Paul said in verse 10 d, “… growing in the knowledge of God.” Our spiritual growth will reach a stage or step, where we will know, understand and experience God in a deeper manner. We will have an intimate relationship with Jesus. We can experience God because He is the Holy Spirit, He lives in our hearts, and He empowers us to overcome our flesh and lusts. Otherwise, Apostle Paul will not be able to say in verses 11, 12 “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
- With all humility and I want to boast about what Jesus has done in life, I want to say to you how I experience Jesus and God, almighty. When I am able to love my wife, my 4 children, I experience Jesus in a personal manner. When I am able to forgive someone like a church leader, my wife, someone I do not like, I experience Jesus in my life. When I am able to care for an Iban like lay my hands on him or her, I experience Jesus and I find Him so real in my life.
- So, what is the secret of experiencing God? Can you tell me? It can happen to all Christians, provide you …. You obey Jesus; you practice the word of God. Is it a secret to know? I hope it is not a secret to you.

D. Conclusion
- There is life in God’s word. Applying God’s word in your life is the right thing to do; it is the right attitude towards God’s word.
- Otherwise, no matter how much bible reading, prayer, Sunday Schools, bible studies, seminars, fellowships, church activities, will be just social activities.

AGM Honor Your Parents

2011-05-10T23:23:00.000+08:00

8th May, 2011.
Parents’ Sunday

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Ephesians 6: 1-4
Main Idea: Honoring parents is God’s command.

Objective: a. To teach the congregation to obey the age old command of God, to honor our parents.
b. To teach parents not to exasperate our children.
c. To bring up our children in the training and instruction of the Lord.

A. Introduction
- Why is it that Methodist Churches in Sarawak and Sabah every year dedicates one Sunday to do Parents’ Sunday? Can you answer please? Is it because it is an appropriate program as so many others are doing it, so, we must not be left out? We do it for our children and ourselves to show that we are important?
- The most important biblical reason for the church (not from the commercial point of view) is it is a one of the Ten Commandments we need to obey.
- The church needs to make sure that we as disciples of Jesus we must teach ourselves to honor parents. It is stated in the Old Testament and it is repeated in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke, by Jesus). That will teach us on the importance of the commandment.
- Jesus affirmed the law (commandment to honor parents), He fulfilled the law, as He Himself had said. And now Apostle Paul reinforced it for the teaching of the universal church.
- Let us now take a close look at Ephesians 6: 1-4 to study the command to honor your parents.

B. Explanation of Ephesians 6: 1-4
- Before the passage today, Apostle Paul wrote a great passage on husband and wife relationship, Ephesians 5: 22-33, emphasizing very much on husband, love your wife and , wife, submit to your husband, very much in the context of Ephesians 5: 21, which says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
- Based on that principle, Apostle Paul urged the husband to love his wife and his wife to submit to her wife. Now, using the same principle, he is now urging children to honor our parents. Therefore, to honor parents is to fear God; to revere Christ. Is this good news in Christ? Honoring parents is honoring God in the person of Christ. Honoring God is a very spiritual act.
- When Apostle Paul addressed the children in verse 1, he referred to children who were responsible members of the congregation in Ephesus then. This is an imperative absolute obedience, it must be done in the context of one’s submission to Christ, as the command said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.” And this is part of Christian discipleship.
- The motivation for such obedience was because it was right, Apostle Paul appealed to a general sense of what was fitting and right in the Graeco-Roman ethics.
- To support his exhortation for children to obey parents he quoted the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother.” From the Old Testament (Exodus 20: 12). Honoring one’s parents in the Old Testament reflected one’s relationship with Yahweh. In the Old Testament, honoring one’s parents means obeying them; dishonoring them means disobeying them.
- Take note, in the Old Testament, for children living with parents; it meant obeying father and mother. For adults who left home, it involved a respectful attitude and care for them in their old age. I want advise all of us to do the same.
- Apostle Paul in the context of the Ephesian Christian community, he taught them that obeying parents, honoring parents, were their Christian commitment ‘in the Lord’. It is an example of submission that arouse out of a godly fear of Christ (5:21).
- This submission is a distinguishing mark of those who are filled by the Holy Spirit, which he taught the Ephesians in 5: 18, which says, “… be filled with the Spirit.”
- In exhorting the Ephesian Christians to honor their parents and of course all us today, he quoted from Exodus 20: 12 the second part, where it promised the Hebrews of long life in the Promised Land. But here, Apostle Paul said in verse 3, “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
- Today, based on Apostle Paul’s teaching, we Christians believe that honoring parents will give you long life on earth. My observation is it is generally very true, assuming everything else is equal.
- Next, probably to balance up the situation at that time, where in Hellenistic Judaism culture, severe cruel inhuman punishment could be given to children who disobeyed their parents. Probably this could happen to parents who abused their authority and went overboard and punished their children harshly.
- That might be one of the important reasons for Apostle Paul to say in verse 4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
- Negatively, Apostle Paul exhorted the fathers and of course all of us parents today, not to provoke our children to anger. Now, it was and it is one very important concern of the Apostle for the Ephesian Christians as prolonged anger could be used by Satan to achieve its end in chapter 4 verses 26 and 27, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
- After reminding the fathers not to provoke their children to anger, Apostle Paul complemented the negative by a positive urge to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. This is basically to teach and discipline their children in the fear of the Lord. What Apostle Paul wanted to drive home was for parents, fathers, all the more to teach and discipline their children to obey Jesus most important of all, not only to obey and honor parents. That is why he said in the training and instruction of the Lord. He wanted Christian parents to be different from the non-Christian in that they need to be educators who led their children to be loyal to Christ as the Lord of their life.

C. Relationship of the passage with your life
- Do you see that the passage today is relevant to your life?
- Do you see the importance of the command to honor your parents in your life as Apostle taught? I pray that you do.
- Do you see why you must control your anger in front of your children when you nurture and educate them in the Lord?
- You see the point why you must teach and discipline your children to obey Jesus as the Lord and master of their lives?

D. Applications and actions
- Those of you who are honoring your parents, keep it up. Remember you are fearing/revering Christ, by honoring your parents. Some of us may have problems with our parents, you may not in talking terms with them for the reasons best known to you, you are not honoring your parents. Do ask God for forgiveness and ask your parents for forgiveness for you have not honored them. All of us who are adults here, do take care your parents as your parents age, it is one of the best ways to honor your parents. By no means, we burn paper money to worship them during Ching Ming after they leave this world as an act of filial piety. We only worship Christ our Lord.
- The second point of application is this: do not provoke your children to be angry with you. Have you any of these wrong attitudes, words and actions? Excessive severe discipline, unreasonable harsh demands, unfairness among your children, constant nagging and condemnation, subjecting your children to humiliation, and all forms of gross insensitivity to your children’s needs and sensibilities. If you have been guilty in any of these, do humble yourself before Christ and your children and even ask them for forgiveness.
- The third point of application and action is this: train your children to be faithful to Jesus as their Lord of their lives. I believe all of us understand the importance of education for our children. But I think not all of us realize the importance of our children in fearing/revering Jesus. We may not be giving a good life example to our children in terms of fearing, trusting and loving Jesus. I pray for my children and pray with them for thanksgiving, and needs. I get them to thank God for our meals. I get them to say sorry to one another when there is a conflict. I get them to express gratitude to their mom for the meals my wife cook. I get them to say thank you when they receive things from others. I build up godly characters in their lives so that as they grow up, they will always keep close to Jesus and allow Jesus to be the Lord of their lives. What about you?

E. Conclusion
- The word of God today is so practical and yet it is very challenging. It is so because we know it and yet we are practicing it.
- In fact, you lose nothing by honoring your parents; by not provoking your children to be angry; by training your children to be faithful to Jesus as the Lord of their lives.
- On the other hand, eventually, you will have reasons to regret if you do not practice them. The worst is sins will come knocking at your door, we all suffer the consequences of disobeying Jesus’ word.

F. Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Discuss you bring up your children in the training and instruction of the Lord? That is how do you disciple them to revere Jesus as the master/ Lord of their lives so that they will never leave Jesus?
2. How do you avoid provoking your children to anger? (If they are angry until sunset, the devil can have a foothold in their lives to attack them and you)

To serve God by the name of Jesus

2011-04-08T19:13:00.000+08:00

Agape Methodist Church By the Name of Jesus 3rd April, 2011
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 4:1-22

Main Idea: To serve God by the name of Jesus.

Objective: To teach that we need to be filled by the Holy Spirit to serve in Christ’s name

A. Introduction
- When a traffic police stands right in the middle of the road and starts to direct the traffic with his hand signals will the public and the drivers follow the instructions? Yes. Why? It is because he is trusted with authority by the government to do it. The authority is given to them by the law of the country. All that the traffic police need to do is to exercise the authority.
- When you serve in the church as Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) leaders; you serve in your family as husbands, wives, parents and children; in your small group as leaders and members; in Sunday School as teachers; in Methodist Junior Youth Fellowship as Committee members; in your companies, as you serve your clients or when you do business, etc, by what authority you serve God? By what authority you do it?
- For the church ministries, some of us may say, by the authority of the scripture, election, appointment by pastor or LCEC or you volunteer to do it, etc. At home, by the authority of the scripture, husband loves the wife, wife submits to the husband, parents nurture their children, children honours and obey their parents. For our career and working in office, we say it is by the authority of company rules, law of the country, etc. You acted based on these authorities, all of them, by themselves, are not wrong.
- After today, you must challenge yourself to add in the dimension of the authority by Jesus name when you serve God and people. You will understand the whole world of difference when you serve God and people by the name of Jesus as you see how the early apostles did it in the book of Acts and all the more the passage today.

B. Explanation of the text
- Even in chapter 3 verses 12 and 16, Apostle Peter said to the Israelites who were astonished that they did not heal the crippled beggar by their own power or godliness, it was done in Jesus’ name and the faith that came through him that had given complete healing to the beggar (cripple).
- After the healing event, it caused quite a stir in the town. Apostles Peter and John went on to preach all over the places about the death and resurrection of Jesus with all the excitement because they had seen with their own eyes how He resurrected. Their preaching was so powerful that the number of men (not including women and children yet) who came to follow Jesus grew to 5,000 (verse 4), an alarming figure by any standard in those days. Probably a lot of Jews were switching over to follow Christ, and the Jewish high ranking religious leadership like the priests, Sadduccees (not believe in the resurrection of the dead), elders and teachers of the law must have felt the threat of Jesus’ followers to their religion of Judaism and might be even their positions.
- The 3 groups (rulers, elders and the teachers of the law) made up the Sanhedrin, Israel’s Supreme Court.
- The next day, they managed to bring both Apostle Peter and Apostle John before the high priest to be questioned. You can imagine by now the burning question they wanted to ask. They were so mad by the preaching and healing as they caused great impact among the Israelites and the society in Jerusalem.
- So, they asked in verse 7, “By what power or what name did you do this?” The Jewish religious leaders really wanted to know by what authority the apostles did the healing especially.
- In verses 8 and 10, it says Peter was filled by the Holy Spirit, with courage, I believe without fear, he answered straight into the face of these high ranking Jewish religious leaders, it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom they had crucified but God raised Him from death, it was Jesus who healed the crippled beggar. Peter was so full of courage (as he was filled by the Holy Spirit) that he even dared to blame the religious leaders for the death of Jesus!
- Brothers and sisters, you understand the difference the Holy Spirit made to Apostle Peter and Apostle John. They were so courageous that even the whole of Sanhedrin noticed it because they were unschooled, ordinary men; they were not trained in the rabbinic school (verses 13). Yet they were able to demonstrate some authority and power of Jesus.
- The Sanhedrin was astonished by the courage shown by the two of them. They took note they were with Jesus before and they could not deny the powerful work of healing by them as this person was over 40 years old (verse 22). Normally, healing at such an advanced age at that time did not take place. The miracle was simply outstanding and they could not deny it. Everybody in Jerusalem knew it (verse 16).
- What makes the difference? The 2 apostles were filled by the Holy Spirit.
- The Sanhedrin could not punish them for the miracle but at the same time, they were very worried that the teaching on the resurrection of Jesus and in His name would influence more people. Therefore, they warned them not to teach in the authority of the name of Jesus anymore. You see, even the Sanhedrin knew very well it was the name of Jesus that carried the weight!
- Brothers and sisters, in serving God, in ministry, you need to do it in Jesus’ name, there is divine power, sacred power in Jesus’ name. Do not miss this key point of the passage today.
- Now, despite the warning, because Peter and John were filled by the Holy Spirit, they were not silenced by the so called authoritative religious figures. In fact, they even became more daring and courageous. They replied to the Sanhedrin in a form of challenge in verses 19 and 20 which you and I need to take up, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
- Based on a counter challenge to the so called Jewish religious authority which governed all Israelites’ religious life, now, Peter and John were no more abide by it, they, in fact, drop it and take on a new authority in the name of Jesus to continue to heal the sick, do deliverance, teach resurrection of Jesus and to set the captives free. This is a complete 100% paradigm shift in terms of the authority for what they are doing.
- The Sanhedrin still gave further threats and they could not punish them because lots of people in Jerusalem were very excited about Jesus and praising God for the great miracle. Then Peter and John were released.

C. Applications
- Do you see the relevance of this passage with your life and ministry? In the beginning I say,” You will understand the whole world of difference when you serve God and people by the name of Jesus as you see how the early apostles did it in the book of Acts and all the more the passage today.”
- The word of God, which I preach to you today, is not only for your ears to hear only; for information and knowledge only; it is very much for your life transformation. You must ask yourself what the passage requires you to do after the service. What changes in thinking, attitude, actions, motives, purposes of your life, convictions, values, etc, you need to take? What sin to repent from? Most important of all, you need to ask yourself, what is the big deal about serving God (Jesus) by the name of Jesus Christ? What do I lose if the authority of Jesus’ name is missing in my life and ministry?
- By now, you should be awakened in your soul that serving in any way in church, at home and at work and in the society in any capacity, without the authority of Jesus’ name, you definitely have no power to overcome all the odds, temptations to lie, to be a hypocrite, to commit adultery, to watch pornography, to curse, to hate, to be jealous, to look down on others, to betray, etc. By our nature, we give all the excuses to fall into the temptations and sin, however, when we are filled by the Holy Spirit, we have all the power, the divine power, Jesus power, the sacred power to overcome temptations and fight against all the odds.
- If you still do not get my message of the importance and meaning of the name of Jesus, the big deal about Jesus’ name, the authority of Jesus’ name, please imagine with me this illustration, I beg you. Do not miss this point!
- Some people curse people when they have been offended, hurt, trespassed, denied certain interest, physical hurt caused, pains caused, misunderstanding, shamed suffered, etc. Have you ever cursed someone before in your heart or with your mouth? What is your thinking, attitude, hope and wish, your greatest heart desire about your opponent? You desire with your greatest strength, hope, wish, expectation, with the strongest determination, power, you desire that person dead in the worst scenario, he suffers like you suffer, hurt as much as you do and may be even more, he will fail in his business, marriage, his children will be knocked by cars, you desire with your strongest desire all the bad and evil things that will happen. You can imagine all the negative things and thoughts that will happen to your opponents.
- In fact, when you curse, you are calling on the authority of the devil, you are appealing to the devil to come and ‘bestow’ evil things on that person. In other words, you act in the power, authority, and the name of the devil to influence your opponent.
- Now, in the name of Jesus, in the authority of the name of Jesus I preach to you, do not curse, do not hate, do not sin against others, but use all your heart desire like your heart desire to curse or to hate someone and convert it and ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, to be empowered by the Jesus Spirit to love, to care, heal, to forgive, to show understanding, to reconcile, to nurture, to help, to counsel, etc, by the name of Jesus. Serve God in the name of Jesus.

D. Your action
- Can you now serve God in the LCEC, as Sunday School teachers, MJYF committee members, children, parents and husbands and children, your clients, colleagues, etc by the name of Jesus?
- At times, out of frustration and anger, my sinful desire appeared and I wanted to say something to hurt my wife. I wanted to give her a good scolding for all the mistakes. When my sinful nature is operating, I always thought it was her faults, not my faults at all, etc. However, in those critical times, most of the times, I had victory over the devil, because I did not end up calling on the power of the devil to influence my wife. On the other hand, I call on the name of Jesus and I always say in my heart I want to love her, understand her, forgive her, help her, and overlook her mistakes, by the name of Jesus. Sometimes, I even say sorry to my wife. When you go home, will you do that to your family members? Not based on Pastor Law’s authority, but Jesus’ authority. He desires you to do it. Start today, now, later, in the car, over the meal tables, etc.
- When you serve in the church, you do it by the name of Jesus, your heart desire, expectations, goals, will be all motivated by Jesus, your brothers and sisters in church and even non-Christians who are your clients, they will feel that you are very different? Why they feel that way, because they are affected by the power coming out of your life to them when you serve by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
- Today, when you leave the church, will you have this new conviction to do it on everybody whom you are in contact? Will you say Amen to it?

E. Conclusion
- In life, you have so many things to do, you need to major on important things, and living a life on earth by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is something you cannot afford to miss.
- It must be underlying everything you do; the bottom for everything you do; the motive for everything you do. Do it and see if there is anything wonderful that happens in your life and others’ life. I bet when you get it, you will want more and more of Jesus Christ.
Questions for Small Group Discussion
1. Discuss what are the implications of serving God by the name of Jesus Christ? Share your practical experience.
2. What difficulties, temptations and struggles you normally encounter when you desire to serve God in Jesus’ name? How do you normally overcome? How do we overcome it as a faith community?
3. After tonight’s bible studies based on Acts 4:1-22, what change or action you want to take to help you to serve Christ by His name?

Irreplaceable Fellowship

2011-03-08T20:28:00.002+08:00

Agape Methodist Church Irreplaceable Fellowship 5^th Mac, 2011

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 2:41-47

Main Idea: The Importance of Fellowship among Christians/ disciples of Jesus

Objectives: a. To teach the importance of fellowship in Church and its theological reason. b. To show the congregation how to fellowship in a biblical sense and do it.

A. Introduction

- After being an English speaking for 16 years in 4 English congregations in Bintulu (1995 to 1997), Kuching (1998 to 2001) and Miri (2002 to 2010), I always felt we need to work harder on fellowship in the church; we need to do more fellowship like that of apostles and disciples of Jesus in the book of Acts; all the more as it was mentioned in the passage today.

- May be this church has no problem in the area of fellowship; may be those churches which I pastor last time have improved in their fellowship.

- Whatever it is, I say we need to work harder because LCEC leaders (pastor is also included) tend to disagree and differ in doing ministry from one another. LCEC leaders seem not to discern the strong burden in their pastor’s heart for certain ministry; pastor may not know the actual reasons of the disagreement; pastor may not know the reasons for the struggles in their careers which may affect their view of ministry in church; church leaders or pastor may not know even most of our fellow church members’ name especially if a church is more than 100 persons; not to mention to understand their needs.

- I pray that as we learn from the early’s disciples and apostles’ fellowship, we will be challenged to work harder at our fellowship regardless of whether we have a problem or not.

- I name the sermon today as “Irreplaceable Fellowship” because it was something the early apostles and disciples emphasized all the time and it was something they could not do without. We cannot avoid modelling them as it was the most natural way the early disciples and apostles got close with one another and grew in spiritual maturity and impacted the non-Christian world at that time. I dare say that without the fellowship at that time, the gospel may not spread as far those countries in the Mediterranean seas.

- Let us see the exciting background leading towards the passage today.

B. Background of the early Disciples’ Fellowship

- Remember before the passage today, the 120 apostles and disciples of Jesus received the Holy Spirit in the most spectacular manner. After that apostle Peter preached the Holy Spirit empowered sermon which resulted in people from different nations far and near, including the Jews, experienced the cutting of their hearts, and they asked Peter in verse 37, “Brother, what shall we do?” Peter, still under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, answered in verses 38, 39, “ Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

- Obviously, the people acted in repentance for verse 41 in today’s passage says, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Wasn’t that exciting? Although these people who repented after listening to the sermon of Peter did not see Jesus with their own eyes, they repented because Jesus was real to them.

- After the conversions, what do you expect them to do? Some might have gone back home; a lot must have come from Jerusalem. Do you expect them to keep quiet and do nothing about their new found faith? Do you think they can afford to forget totally about the heart cutting experience; how they were convicted of their sins and repented; and not talk about it with their loved ones? No, no and no.

- Praise the Lord for the record in the book of Acts is very clear about their response after they return home.

C. Exegesis of the Passage

- In verse 42, the author Luke recorded with all the excitement , I can imagine, what happened to the new believers after they dispersed from the audience of Peter’s preaching, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Take note, all these 4 elements of Christian and spiritual practice started right there and then. The breaking of bread probably included having meal together and the holy communion which was commanded by Jesus for His apostles and disciples.

- The 4 elements of spiritual practices look so easy, simple and require not much effort to get together, each one of them is distinct in its function and meaning from others. Each time they gathered together, it was unavoidable that they taught and learnt the apostles’ teaching by word of mouths and recall from memory all the teachings of Jesus to the 11 apostles.

- They were very close in fellowship. In fact, in verses 44 to 47, we were told that they were so close and sympathized with one another in terms of great sharing of their possessions as they had everything in common. They sold their possessions and gave to everyone as he had need. Every day they met at temple courts. Most probably, they looked forward to see each other in the temple courts.

- They always met together for meals with sincere and glad hearts; also for the purpose of breaking of bread in terms of the Lord’s Supper/ Holy Communion as we called it today.

- And they praised God regularly.

- However, I do not know if you notice or not, each time they gathered for the 4 elements of spiritual practice, each one of them was undergirded by fellowship. In apostolic teaching, you need to do fellowship, you need to interact, exchange and sharing of ideas, asked questions, clear the doubts, and you have fellowship.

- When it came to the meals or the Lord’s Supper, you need to speak to one another in confession of sins, you need to pray to God and ask God for forgiveness, you need to share the food.

- In prayer, you need to fellowship, you associate and participate in the lives of others as you are asked to pray for others and others pray for you; you thank God and praise God, etc.

- The concept of fellowship, the Greek word is kononia. It means association, participation, sharing. However, when this word was used in the early apostles and disciples, it carried with it a great spiritual significance. You need to be conscious and be greatly aware of it. The early believers, the disciples and apostles had the Holy Spirit in their lives. In verse 39, Peter who was empowered by the Holy Spirit preached to those who repented would receive the Holy Spirit. In others, when the early believers met, they had the Holy Spirit who lived in them. That means the presence of the Holy Spirit in their fellowship whenever they gathered.

- Otherwise, you cannot explain the unusual phenomenon of many miraculous signs and wonders which were done by the apostles in verse 43. You cannot explain the glad and sincere hearts in breaking of bread; and enjoyed the favour of all the people, I believe including the non-Christian loved ones, relatives and friends and neighbours very much notice the differences in them. And in verse 47, it says, “... the Lord added to their number daily those who were saved.” It was the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit who was present in the believers who caused the conversions of family members, neighbours, friends and many others.

- It was the spiritual fellowship (unlike any other social gatherings which do not the presence of the Holy Spirit), the presence of the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit who produced all the effects of conversions.

D. Applications

- This has very serious implications for the universal church of Christ on earth, do you know that?

- One very serious implication of the passage today is, you and I got to believe with the might of your heart, mind, soul and everything inside us that whenever Christians and disciples of Jesus like you and me gather in fellowship in Christ’s name, the mighty Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ is among us, that same Spirit who did miraculous signs and wonders, is also with us, doing His work, in no lesser degree than what happened at that time? Do you have the faith to say Amen to that?

- For the reason of the presence of the Holy Spirit, I always tell people that, “When God’s people gather together, there are always wonderful things that happen!” It has become a spiritual slogan in my life and I hope it is the same for you. Can you repeat it after me and remember it so that you are very conscious of the work of the Holy Spirit in any fellowship.

- But wait a minute, why is it that the miraculous signs and wonders, the filling with awe, the favour of all people and the addition of people to our church daily are not happening?

- The top reason based on the passage today is majority of brothers and sisters are not able to practise meeting and fellowshipping everyday as verse 46, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts...” Because we have not met as often as we must, the presence of the Holy Spirit is weak among us, so we now see less of miraculous signs and wonders, daily conversions, etc.

- How can we expect God to move if a church as a whole does not pray much? We do not even pray for conversions or salvations of the people around us, how can we expect God to touch lives? Even if we pray for them, we may be lukewarm in our prayers. Some of us may even feel that we are not up to the mark to evangelize to the people whom we know who have needs because we have disobedient.

- The sermon today really calls us not to cut down on fellowship but we must increase our fellowship in every manner possible.

- I want to encourage all of you to join a cell group where the 4 elements (apostolic teaching in the form of bible studies; fellowship as explained; refreshment; and much prayer) of spiritual practice are done. You may not Holy have Communion when you meet weekly but you can have simple refreshment.

- I believe when the new believers and apostles and disciples met in fellowship in the early days they always could not wait to witness to one another about God in the person of Jesus was doing in their lives. They were so excited to tell it day in and day out. The people around them could see the great transformation in their lives and so the believers invited them to join their fellowship, they would just go and see for themselves why their lives were transformed. Furthermore, they were blessed by the deeds (sharing of goods) of the believers; they felt loved by this God of the Christians through the deeds of the Christians.

- Similarly, when you all get together, you must go for deeper fellowship. It means your bible studies, prayer, fellowship and refreshment must first and foremost, focus on what Jesus is doing in your life. Link everything to it and make sure that it is reflected in your lives after the cell group. It means your witness and your everyday life must be consistent.

- Next, in a deeper fellowship, you must always learn to be open and transparent with one another. You got to be open about your struggles; even confession of sins as you are led by the Spirit to do it; your weaknesses; your difficulties and needs, so that your cell group members can support and pray for you. When you acknowledge your vulnerabilities before man and God, you show that you need God very much in your lives, you learn to depend on God with humility and let go of your pride. When you do that in a cell group, the presence of the Spirit of Jesus will be strongly felt as we pray for one another. And as cell group members commit to pray and help and support in any way possible, you see wonderful things happened. You see Jesus at work in your life and in others’ life.

- When a cell group is open enough to share personal things for prayer, do not condemn him or her, come in and support by all means. It is a wonderful opportunity to share how Jesus loves you with him or her.

- One word of conscious, by all means keep all the details to yourself and only use the details to pray and glorify God.

- Soon, you find that your cell group will multiply because new people are touched by your love for them and they will come and stay and be saved.

- As you pay the price to do it, at the end of the day, you will experience revival in the making in Agape Methodist Church!

E. Conclusion

- You see why I entitled my sermon “Irreplaceable Fellowship.” You miss the fellowship where the Holy Spirit is present, you miss so much.

- I preach to you today in Jesus’ name, failure for you to come for deeper fellowship, you cannot be a strong disciple of Jesus. In fact, you will become a weaker Christian or a disciple of Jesus when you are alone.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

2011-02-07T20:57:00.000+08:00

6th February, 2011

AMC

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 2:14-24

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

21 And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[c]

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Main Idea: Jesus saves

Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit like apostle Peter to reach out people for Christ. b. To teach the congregation that Jesus saves mankind from their sins and hell.

A. Introduction

- What is more precious than a human soul? A human soul is so precious because it exists for eternity. Once it comes into being, it goes on for eternity. The great question, the ultimate question every human must answer is where his soul or her soul going to spend his or her eternity. Hell or heaven?

- Nothing is more precious than a human soul. What can compare the worth of salvation of a human soul which spends his eternity with Jesus in heaven? What is more valuable than the salvation of human souls with Jesus? Whatever you can see and touch on earth; whatever position, wealth, status, and fame, qualification, education and knowledge, your children, etc you have worked so hard all this while, does not worth anything by themselves when it comes to comparison with eternity. This is because you cannot bring anything into eternity with you but your soul last for eternity!

- Therefore, the most important business in this world must be the business of salvation of souls. Our most ultimate concern is whether souls are saved or not, not any other things. Yes, all other things are important for living. But if you are not preparing yourself for the day that you will enter into eternity and you still focus on all the worldliness as the top priority in your life now, when the day comes later on, you will only be filled with regrets of all kinds. Some regret that they now do not know where their souls will go because they are never prepared for it. Some regret that they have spent their lives on wrong priorities and they do not do much to bring with them into eternity.

- Praise the Lord for Jesus who makes all the difference for the purpose of our salvation for eternity! Apostle Peter even quoted the Old Testament prophet, Joel, who prophesied about the plan of salvation of God through Jesus, in verse 21, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Let us study the context for such quote. I pray that you will be challenged to call on the name of the Lord and find Jesus so real in your life and you will keep getting others to do it also.

B. Peter’s explanation of the phenomenon of the Holy Spirit (verses 14-21)

- Peter and the 11 apostles were very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Since there was a great crowd who assembled around them as a result of the mighty manifestation of the Holy Spirit, he grasped the opportunity to explain and preach on the person of Jesus Christ. The crowd was made up of Jews and those who lived in Jerusalem (verse 14b).

- Appealing to logic, he explained that the 120 disciples of Jesus could not be drunk because it was 9 o’clock in the morning (verse 15). As the disciples were Jews and they did not eat and drink so early in the morning. They could not be drunk!

- Then, Peter appealed to the authority of the Old Testament and quoted the relevant prophesies by Prophet Joel (verses 17-21).

- He needed to appeal to the Old Testament for the Holy Spirit phenomenon as the Jews in the crowd needed it for the purpose of authentication. Apostle Peter attributed the disciples’ ability to preach and declare the wonders of God in different tongues from their own mother tongues as the work of the Holy Spirit sent by God through Prophet Joel.

- I believe a lot of Jews were later on convinced and believed that it was the work of the Holy Spirit as some of them were cut to their hearts and asked what needed to be done after listening to Peter’s sermon (verse 37). They called Peter, brother.

- After appealing to the Old Testament, he got his perspective of the Holy Spirit, now, with all convictions, empowered by the Holy Spirit, he preached on the person of Jesus Christ. This was the person whom he and the rest of the disciples and apostles banked on for salvation of mankind.

C. Basis of Christ’s authority as God (verses 22-24).

- I strongly believe that, by now, Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, he was ready to preach with all the fire, convictions, courage, without fear of death, to tell his audience especially the Jews where his authority of preaching was coming from.

- Before the Pentecost he was such a timid, when his master, Jesus, was arrested by the soldiers, he denied his relationship with Him 3 times, now, because of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, he was a completely different person, apostle.

- With all the courage, he spoke right into the face of the Jews in the crowd and literally told them this Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified had been sent from God as He had done miracles, wonders and signs witnessed by them. And raised Him from the dead, and now there was no way for death to defeat Him. He has defeated the death (verses 22-24).

- He really desired to tell the audience Jesus Christ was God sent and He is God.

D. Explanation of verse 21

- No wonder apostle Paul quoted Prophet Joel in verse 21, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” After experiencing the reality of the resurrected Christ, who proved He was sent by God and justified everything He had taught the apostles in His lifetime, Peter now went out all the way without fear of death to preach, Jesus saved man from his sins. With excitement and all conviction he quoted Prophet Joel, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

- Brothers and sisters, how much weight and belief you put into this authoritative word of God, Jesus saves? Save from what? Of course, sins of mankind! This is exactly the reason for the coming of Jesus. We have no power to overcome sin, unless we turn to Jesus and humble ourselves to allow Jesus to forgive our sins, be cleansed by His blood and repent.

- I strongly believe in the power of Jesus to forgive sin. When you call on Him with all sincerity and genuineness, Jesus exercises His grace and power to forgive your sins and the sins of mankind! My belief and conviction are very much illustrated by this true story!

- A prostitute came to this church and genuinely repented and became a Christian, a child of God. As she served in the church, the pastor’s son fell in love with her and desired to marry her! It was a big news in the church. The church leadership disagreed with his decision and they called for a church committee to deliberate on the case! During the meeting, they discuss all about the implications of the marriage and the social stigmas that came along with it. The pastor son stood up and said his piece, “What is being tested today is the blood of Jesus! Can the blood of Jesus cleanse the sins of my fiancé?” Brothers and sisters, how much do you believe in the power of Jesus and His shed sacrificial blood on the cross to cleanse and forgive our sin?

- My challenge to you is this: If you are forgiving towards peoples’ mistakes and sins (like hurts and pains that they caused you), you prove your conviction and belief; when you see others need (who may have rebellious children, marriage crisis, unforgiveness, hatred, etc ) Jesus very much in their lives, you lead them to Christ, you prove yourself of the power of Jesus’ blood. Otherwise, your talk about Jesus is just lip service.

- Calling on the name of Jesus is not just here said! It is not just a matter of calling only. When a person, like you and me call on Jesus, it includes faith, strong belief that Jesus can forgive our sins; strong trust that He forgives. It is not the kind of lip service that Jesus taught his disciples and people in Mathew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven.’

- Therefore, calling on Jesus is not a matter of mentioning the name only. You call on Jesus and be saved by doing God’s will. If you call on Jesus just for the name’s sake and show no sign of repentance, sorry, you cannot be saved!

- Let us now apply this passage into our Christian life.

E. Applications

- Let me ask you before the applications. Do you find that God’s word is so good and so real? Do you have this hope and desire that you also want to experience the reality of the truth of the word of God. In short, you just want to experience God, Jesus in a personal manner!

- A lot of Christians do not realize that experiencing God is not just finding an experience with God. Some asked God when they would get a miracle and then, they would believe Jesus and accept Him. Some Christians asked Jesus for a miracle, then, they would grow in their faith. We got the order all wrong. Yes, you can always ask for a miracle, in fact, you pray for whatever you want. However, spiritually, when it comes to our God, in the person of Jesus, when it comes to experiencing Him, the order is to obey Him, to practise His word, first and foremost, then, the experience will come, miracle will come.

- Take for instance; when you obey Jesus in forgiving someone, you experience how God set you free from bondage of unforgiveness and bitterness; and you experience joy. When you experience how real is Jesus when you receive an answer in prayer from Him on how to solve a problem. When you are willing to live a righteous life and do the will of Jesus, Jesus will help to see lots of impossible things to become possible.

- I pray that now you see the importance of applying word of God after every sermon.

- The first point of application for today is this: since Jesus is so powerful in overcoming our sins, then, we should feel the need for Him in our lives. Most of the times, when we ended in sins, we turned to all the so called human wisdom and even sinful methods to solve our problems. How many of us use a lie to cover up a lie? We dare not confess we have lied! So, before God and man, we lied! How do you expect the powerful Holy Spirit whom apostle Peter to fill and empower you to witness for Jesus! When we face a situation of choosing the truth or the sin, and lots of personal interests and pride are at stake, we must, by all means feel the need for Jesus and quickly turn to Jesus for an answer. Always ask Jesus what need to be done now. I pray that Jesus will show you His authoritative word and you know what to do next.

- Secondly, if Jesus can save, then, by all means, we must be instrumental in helping others to find Jesus. Look around you and see the people who need Jesus. They can be the poor people; people in great financial loss; people who are in illness; people who are in jail; widow or widower who are struggling with their children; people who have marital trouble for the mistakes they made; the divorced; people who are addicted to pornography; people who are depressed, etc. They need love, will offer the love of Jesus to them. Will you buy them a lunch; invite them to a small group; invite them to church?

- We need to see that if people are not saved from their sins, and repented from their sins, eventually they face the eternal judgement in hell! Where worms will not die, fire will not goes off.

F. Conclusion

- Can yourself first and foremost, come to Jesus and feel the great need for Jesus to forgive your sins and repent? Then, I pray that you will find Jesus is so real in your life as you are transformed by His word as you obey Him, you will not be able to hold your joy that you will be so excited to help others to call on the name

Our Life Time Goal

2011-02-04T21:50:00.000+08:00

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Our Life Time Goal: To Glorify God (1Cor 10:31) & To Be Like God (1Cor11:1)

1Cor 10:31; 11:1 30th Jan, 2011.

Main idea: To glorify God and be like Him

Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to glorify God by being Christ-like. b. To teach the congregation to be Christ-like in all godly characters.

A. Introduction

- Have you ever asked yourself why am I here on earth? What is the meaning of my life on earth? What do I want to achieve when I am living? In other words, what is your life time goal? If we are able to answer this kind of crucial questions in view of God whom we are answerable to, at the end of the day, at our deathbeds, we will have no regret. In fact, those of us who are very certain of the answers, we are very confident of seeing Jesus anytime and allow Him to take us home any time. We are not afraid of death. Your life on earth can only live for one time, like a coin, you can use it for one time. What do you do with your life on earth?

- As long as you have a mind you will ask about it.

- I believe all of you as adults you have asked those questions. You have given yourself answers. Some of us are very satisfied with your own answers as a Christian. May be some of us are still searching for a good answer. Some of us, I bet, you will reexamine your answers after a life crisis like in a serious illness; financial loss; marital problem; serious relationship problem with your colleagues; a broken heart, etc.

- Unfortunately, a lot of people only begin to think more seriously about our life meaning and purpose only when we are strike by crisis. However, Christians look at life crisis as opportunity for spiritual growth.

- Yes, pains, illness, hurts, disappointments, loss and death of loved ones, and distress, are most unwelcomed in our lives. However, when it comes, you must remember to examine your life especially your life goal on earth. Do not waste an opportunity to grow as a Christian; a disciple of Jesus.

- People like, mentor minister, Lee Kuan Yew, his life time goal is to build a nation of Singapore. He said that Singapore was still not a nation yet! It is because her people still think in terms of race! You see his life time goal is so challenging.

- What about Jesus life time goal? Can you give the answer? To save the world from their sins and enter into eternity with Him! Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (New Revised Standard Version, NRSV)

- Praise the Lord, the authoritative word of God (the Bible) has the best answers to our search for our life time goal. Whatever life time goal; life purpose; meaning of life you have set for yourself, it cannot deviate from the biblical teaching, “To glorify God and to be like God.” These passages, 1Cor 10:31; 11:1 will challenge us and teach us to do it.

B. Explanation of the passages

- Apostle Paul said in 1Cor 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (NRSV) This verse was said in the context of the issue of whether Christians could eat food offered to the idols.

- In facing the issue of whether Christians could eat the meat (that was sold in the market that might be offered to the idols) or the food (which might have been offered to the idols) which was laid before the Christians upon accepting the invitation to the non-Christian functions (verses 23 – 30), Paul offered very firmed answers. These answers also become our practice today.

- His guiding principles are very clear in verses 23 – 24: All things are lawful but not all things are beneficial; but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other. So, he applied the principles into the food offered to the idols situation. He taught the Corinthians, for the sake of not offending the conscience of the neighbors who told them the food had been offered to idols, the Corinthians should not eat it. If they ate it, then, the act would not be beneficial; not building up, the neighbors. If they did not eat it, then, they really thought of the advantage of others.

- It is in this context, that Apostle Paul said, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” After this careful instruction, he went on in verses 32 and 33 to urge the Corinthians not offend the Jews, the Greeks, and fellow Christians (the church of God). He even dared to use himself as an example, he was pleasing everyone and not seeking his own advantage and he sought the advantage of others so that others may be saved.

- In the midst of dealing with the issue of food offered to idols, he taught and challenge Corinthians to glorify God (as their life time goal) in whatever they did; yet at the same time, he was so mission minded (part of his life time goal also), he wanted to make sure these people whom the Corinthians had in contact to be saved!

- Can you also do the same during this Chinese New Year as you do your reunion and visitations? Make sure that you glorify God in whatever you do in CNY. Make sure you do not gamble, get drunk, curse, throw tantrum, quarrel with relatives and friends, etc. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

- After Apostle Paul taught and challenged the Corinthians to glorify God, he went to say something quite tangible to help the Corinthians to glorify God. He exhorted them to imitate him as he imitate Christ, in 1Cor 11:1, he said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (NRSB) This is tangible because it answers the question of how to glorify God, an abstract concept/ idea.

- Apostle Paul now said, for the sake of glorifying God, you look at me how and I show you to do it. He told the Corinthian Christians, “You all must learn to be like me as I learn to be Christ-like.” The Corinthian Christians learn to be like Christ through the concrete model of Paul. He showed them how to be like Christ who is God. So, whatever he was doing to glorify God in the person of Christ, they would follow, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

C. Applications

- Our life time goal is to glorify God and be like Christ who is God. You can see from here, the best model to follow to glorify God is Christ our Lord and master.

To glorify God in the person of Jesus is to honor, respect and submit our lives to Him. You will say, “Here I am Jesus, my life is at your disposal, use me at whatever cost.” You will constantly be bothered by the question whether you are pleasing to him with what you do.

- Even Apostle Paul had to follow Christ and imitate Him.

- As Christ is the best model for Apostle Paul, Christ must be our best model. Christ is my best model. Each time a situation requires me to make sacrifice, as I do my human calculations, I always ended with the conclusion that it is not worth it. But when I am reminded by the authoritative word of God in the bible, in the midst of God’s calling to do lots of counseling, to preach a sermon to point out the sins of congregation and challenge people to repent, to go the extra mile to pray for the sick and do follow up, to choose honesty, to choose forgiveness, etc, I stick to/ hold on to Christ on the cross, He gives me the best example of a godly model of what it means to sacrifice. I am convinced by His sacrifice and love for me on the cross. Each time I need to make sacrifice in terms of spending less time for myself, for my family, paying less attention to my own interest, exercise less for my health, etc, I understand why Jesus had to die. He needed to die so that His disciples and apostles at that time understood the price they had to pay to follow Him to do His mission. Today, as I preach to you, I understand why Jesus has to make a life sacrifice like that. For Jesus, no sacrifice, there is no forgiveness for all of us, we all will not get that love of Jesus. How people get blessed by me and you? Unless I sacrifice and you sacrifice, make time for others, they will not come to know the Jesus whom we believe who will give them eternal life and salvation.

- So, are you convinced why you need Jesus to be your best model so badly? Why you need to be like Christ so badly? In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that by all means you get personal with Him. As you get personal with Him, you cannot help but your life has to show godly characters, that are like the characters of Christ.

- As you glorify God in your life, one mandatory thing you must do is to reflect all the Christ-like characters in your life. If you claim that you are a disciple of Jesus, a follower of Jesus, you want to glorify God in your life, prove yourself with your godly characters. You need to take a close look of all the characters of Christ in his life time and especially when he was crucified on the cross.

- You need to name them and ask the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit to empower you to express them in your lives. The greatest character of Christ is love, a character which all the other characters built on. You can go on to list other great characters like sacrifice, humility, forgiveness, faith, joy, merciful, gracious, patient, compassionate for the lost, wise, honest, responsible, etc.

- Do you know or not, like it or not, you as a Christian or a disciple of Christ, your Christ-like characters are tested by the world every day? Satan loves to see you fail the test! Take for instance; when you do not forgive, you do not glorify God, you put Jesus to shame. You make Jesus so powerless! People will question what Jesus is doing in your life. What the church/ the pastor is doing in your life?

- However, if you are keeping a close relationship with God in the person of Jesus, you are empowered to forgive your wife, husband, your children, your colleagues, your neighbors, your enemies, etc, people will Jesus in your; the power of Jesus in your; people will be attracted to know what makes you so powerful; people would question their own faith and start to challenge their own faiths and they will turn around ask you for your Jesus! In all these, you glorify God.

D. Conclusion

- Have you heard God in the person of Jesus speaking to you today? As a disciple of Jesus, do you now understand what is stake everyday?

- As Jesus has done so much sacrifice for you, He paid for your life salvation with His life, is it too much for Him to ask you to stand up for Him and glorify Him every day with your life?

The Element of Faith

2010-12-18T20:22:00.000+08:00

12th Dec, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 5:1-15

Main Idea: Exercise your faith

A. Introduction

- In Christianity (in our personal relationship with Jesus), the element of faith is a great subject because it is something powerful, challenging and mysterious. It is powerful because it can accomplish unbelievable things (miracles) for Jesus. It is challenging because many think that it is difficult to do and normally we do not persevere in expecting God to show up; also because most of the times, we believe by sight. We want it to happen immediately after we pray and do. It is mysterious because you may not understand how it works (how God works out things) when things are happening. You just have to attribute them to God.

- The word of God always reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Why we have to please God? I have always this question. The answer must be because He desires us to obey Him. He knows what is the best for us. So, we must please God in order to obey God. When you please God, you exercise your faith.

- Let us see a significant case on exercise of faith in today’s passage.

B. The process that led to healing

- Let us see how Jesus healed an invalid. He was physically very weak because of his sickness. He could not move about. He could not be the first person to jump into the pool when the water stirred. Whoever was the first one to jump the stirring waters, he would be healed of his sickness as the tradition went.

- Jesus asked him whether he wanted to get well in verse 6. He did not give a positive answer to the son of God, Jesus, who can heal. I believe he even did not know who was Jesus. In verse 7, we were told that his focus was the stirring pool. He just said he was not in time to be the first one to go in as the others were so much faster than him.

- Then, in verse 8, we can see that despite the lack of faith for the invalid, Jesus still decided to heal him and so He said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Usually it takes faith for Jesus to heal (Mk 5:34). In this case, the invalid as shown by verse 13, he did not even know who Jesus was, Jesus healed him. Isn’t it amazing! If Jesus desires to heal anyone, he will do it. So, can you put faith to practice and pray for the healing of the sick so that Jesus can release the divine power of healing upon you.

- What happened after Jesus commanded the invalid to get up and walk? The word of God ins verse 9 says, “The man was cured.” You may wondering by now why I entitle my sermon as the element of faith based on this passage as the invalid does not have in Jesus to get healed for he did not even know who was Jesus!

- The last part of verse 9 explains the sermon title. It says, “… he picked up his mat and walked.” Brothers and sisters, if after the invalid was healed by Jesus, he refused to believe as he was an invalid for 38 years already, you think he was healed or not. For whatever reason he stood up, there must be the element of faith in Jesus. He might not have known Jesus at first, he eventually he knew as Jesus introduced himself in verse 14 later on.

- Therefore, it was very the faith element of the invalid that made him stood up. Sometimes, when you do not even pray for your healing of your sickness, you get well, do you attribute it to Jesus?

- Now, eventually, after the healing when the invalid showed himself around, the legalistic Jews condemned the healing because he was healed on Sabbath day. The Jews misinterpreted the Sabbath and they do not allow people to heal on Sabbath day.

- My point now is that encounter must have caused the healed person to think about Jesus. Eventually Jesus met him and told him not to sin again or else something worse may happen to him again. Brothers and sisters, do you believe your sin can cause to be sick? In this case Jesus says so! Let me give you examples, you worry too much and get depressed, you will get mental diseases; when you are so negative in your outlook of life, you are not happy, your body produces lot of toxic which destroy your body immunity system and then, all kinds of diseases including, all kinds of cancer will come.

- This person who was healed, in verse 15, eventually, he knew the real identity of Jesus and what happened next? He went around, giving witness that Jesus made him well. Brothers and sisters, when you are healed, you must do likewise. Do not just attribute your healing to medicine.

C. Applications

- In view of this passage, how can you exercise your faith like the invalid? Of course, you must pray for healing of your sickness. I have taught you to do it based on James 5, where you need to confess your sins and lay hand on the sick for healing because the prayer of a righteous person will heal. That is the promise of the scripture. Please also take note that we also must see doctor for medication; and seeing doctor is not lack of faith for God also uses doctor to bring about healing. This is our Methodist stand.

- However, do not just exercise your little faith in sickness only. Take note that in Hebrews 11:1,” Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” You do not see it is there yet, and yet you believe God will do it in His timing! This is faith. I find that it is such a practical definition that I always use it in my life, my family, my ministry, when I make disciples of all nations.

- I get you to pray for 100 girls and 100 boys on Thursday night prayer meeting and now it happened for 100 girls. Now, we need to trust God for more brothers and sisters to step forward to do the ministry at Pujut school on Wednesday afternoon at 2.30pm when the school reopens. Anybody who is willing to forward by faith? I now get you to pray by faith that God will provide the helpers and officers.

- The reading bus and alpha in Tudan have resulted in lots of children coming to Tudan Church, how can we keep them after reading bus. Sister Chew Moi want to give English tuition to them. Praise the Lord 2 have signed up. If 100 children turned up, they cannot cope. Can we exercise our faith that God will provide, by prayer? This is great opportunity to use our English ability to make them disciples of Jesus. You see the power of exercising our faith, so many others are blessed. Our personal relationship with Jesus must result in bring blessing to ourselves. If that is so, we are so matured a disciple of Jesus yet. When you pay the price to bless others with your money, time and energy, your expertise ability, you are much more powerful and matured for Jesus.

- No matter, how you exercise your faith, one thing I cannot afford not to preach and teach you, you must do it based on the word of God or focus on the person of Jesus. Failure to do it, you are not exercising your faith. You are just doing some activities. If it is not based on God’s word, you must not even pray and do it. Do you realize that I get you to pray based on God’s word of making disciples of all nations?

- One great implication of my preaching today is you must not depend human calculations as you do and pray by faith. Do not calculate in such a way that you do not put faith into your ministry. When we do not have manpower to do certain things, do not say no to it. Say yes, to it and trust God to supply the manpower, or whatever resources.

D. Conclusion

- Living by faith, the secret of a joyful life.

My food is to do the Father’s Will

2010-11-09T22:12:00.000+08:00

7th November, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 4:27-38

Main Idea: We are fed by doing God’s will.

Objectives: a. To explain the reason for the food. b. to challenge the congregation to do the father’s will in our society.

A. Introduction

- You need food to survive. Food is vitally important to us as human beings. Without food, you will die of hunger. The physical food here is not the emphasis of Jesus. Jesus uses our human need for the physical food to bring out a dying/desperate need of Christians (His disciples).

- What is this desperate need of disciples of Jesus?

B. What is Jesus’ food all about?

- It is about the spiritual food that each disciple of Jesus needs. We need to be fed spiritual food by Jesus.

- This spiritual food which Jesus emphasizes is all about doing the father’s will. Jesus uses the food, the spiritual food to inspire us and challenge us to do the father’s will. Doing the father’s will is our spiritual food.

C. Why doing the Father’s will become the food?

- Let us see the context (verses 27 to 30) to know the reason why doing the Father’s will become the food. The Samaritan woman with 5 husbands at the well had a great encounter with Jesus which transformed her life. She even urged people to come to see Jesus, whom she regarded as Christ (Messiah).

- The disciples were unhappy that Jesus talked with her as she was unclean. Jewish (God’s) people were clean and the others were not clean. The disciples question Jesus for the conversation with the woman.

- I believe Jesus remembered very much the disciples question and He was trying to use the occasion to teach them something crucial. His opportunity came when the disciples urged him to take some food in verse 31. He grasped the kairos (time) moment again to tell his disciples in verse 32, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

- The disciples still did not know what the food was all about . So, they answered in verse 33, “Could someone have brought him food?”

- Then Jesus grasped the opportunity to explain that His food is to do the will of the father in verse 34, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

- Then, from verses 35 to 38, Jesus elaborated further on the food. It is about saving souls for eternity. The disciples talked about waiting for 4 months before the harvest of the wheat but Jesus is talking about the urgency of harvesting people for eternal life. The people out there were ripe for harvest. They were ready for salvation, like the immoral Samaritan woman.

- Most probably John the Baptist had done the hard work of sowing the seeds of repentance and now Jesus and the disciples can reap the harvest. That is why Jesus said in verse 38, “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

- So, the food is really referring to spreading the gospel of salvation and people are saved for eternity.

D. Why doing the Father’s will become the food?

- Isn’t reading bible, the word of God, listening to sermon, etc , our food? How come doing God’s will in terms of saving the lost become our food?

- Let us learn a new insight about spiritual food today. The new insight is this: by bringing people into the kingdom of God, we are spiritually satisfied; our life purpose on earth is fulfilled. We are spiritually nurtured. So, can you work hard on our Alpha project? We need to pray and do some work for the star fish on the beach before the Alpha course next year.

E. Why the need to do the Father’s will?

- The answer is found in verse 35. The fields are ripe for harvest.

- Do you see the needs of the people out there. I pray that when you see the immorality, how rebellious are the teenagers; the drug abuse; Aids; the sick and dying; corruption, you see the fields ripe for harvest.

F. Applications

- You must now learn to understand why Jesus’ food is to do the Father’s will in our society.

- If you have been reading bible and doing prayer, listen to sermon after sermon, you are still not satisfied spiritually, I put it to you that it could well be you have practiced the will of our Father yet. His will for you to bring the lost into the kingdom of God.

G. Conclusion.

- My food is to the Father’s will – can you claim that?

Desire Living Water (73)

2010-10-26T18:38:00.000+08:00

24th October, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 4:1-26

Main Idea: Only Jesus gives living water

Objectives: a. To teach the congregation to desire the living water as the Samaritan woman. b. To teach that the way to desire the living water is through worshipping Jesus in Spirit and truth.

A. Introduction

- Human beings are created by God with the potential to desire anything. God, the creator, gives us freewill to desire and do anything. God does not create us to be like a robot.

- What do you desire in life (in next 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years on earth)? Your desires in life will affect your life pursuit? It will decide how you spend your life, money, energy and time. If you desire something that is not godly (like pornography, hypocrite, greed), you will become one. You will do the things according to the pornography; you will be one kind in church and totally another different person out there; as desire greed, you will cheat all the way, you will overwork, etc.

- You need to set the boundary of your desires. As disciples of Jesus, you need to make sure you desire the right and godly thing.

- Today, I preach to you that you need to desire the living water given by Jesus. Do you desire the living water?

B. What is the Living Water of Jesus?

- Let us see the context of this living water given by Jesus. Jesus approached the Samaritan woman for water. The woman knew Jesus was a Jew and it was ceremonially unclean for a Jew to use a drinking vessel handled by a Samaritan (verse 9 ).

- Jesus ignored the unclean law and reached out the Samaritan woman by engaging her in a great conversation on living water. He offered her living water and challenged her to know him (verse 10).

- From the response of Samaritan woman, you know she did not understand Jesus’ meaning of living water. She thought it was still very much the physical water from the well (verse 11).

- Then, Jesus made himself very clear in verses 13 and 14, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The living water here is interpreted as the Holy Spirit as in chapter 7:38, 39.

- In verse 15, from the response of the Samaritan woman, we see she still misunderstood Jesus’ living water but this time, it created in her a desire to go for it. She requested Jesus for the living water.

- Jesus, being God also, of course knew why this woman needed the living water very much. In verses 16, 17 and 18, Jesus called for her husband to come and she confessed she had no husband and Jesus pointed her immorality.

- The woman discovered the great prophetic power of Jesus and regarded her as a prophet and she did not want to engage Jesus in a morality or immorality talk. Instead, she started to get religious and engaged Jesus in the venue of a religious worship.

- Could this be our tendency also? When we have sinned against God, when others pointed our sins, we do not to admit it and we switch to other spiritual topics. We pretend to be spiritual. We use something spiritual to cover our sin!

- But, Jesus made good the most ungoldly switch in verses 21 to 24. He took the golden opportunity (crucial moment, the kairos moment) to lead her to salvation in God the Father. Directing her on how to come to salvation in God the Father. The way is by worshipping the Father in spirit and truth for God is spirit in verses 23 and 24. And this is the kind of worshipper whom God is seeking for.

- To this, the Samaritan woman suddenly came to realize who was Jesus actually! She knew Jesus as the Messiah whom the Jews had been waiting for.

- As I reflected upon this great passage on the word of God, I asked myself why Jesus tried to link the immorality of the Samaritan woman to worship?

- I believe the answer has to be this: Jesus really saw the sinfulness (immorality of having 5 husbands) that deserved God’s intervention. Unless this woman came to God, otherwise, her soul would be lost for eternity in hell. She needed to come to terms with God by worshipping him in spirit and truth. Jesus really wanted to direct her desire for living water to desire to worship God.

- Brothers and sisters, do you see the same as Jesus? When you see the sinfulness of ourselves and society, do you feel the need of these people for salvation in Jesus? Do you see your own need for Jesus’ forgiveness of your sins?

C. Applications

- My first point of application now is the immorality that caused the Samaritan woman to desire the living water. Because of her immorality, she started to feel the need for God to forgive her sin. Eventually, in the later passages, you find that she must have really repented as she ashamedly announced the arrival of Messiah. In fact, in verse 39, we are told that many Samaritans believed Jesus because of her. Brothers and sisters, does your sinfulness get to desire God’s forgiveness like this woman? Church nowadays need this very much. We are not at all powerful disciples of Jesus because we are bonded by your sinfulness.

- Secondly, will you desire the living water like the Samaritan woman? I believe, in the face of Jesus, she felt she was completely morally bankrupt; she needed God’s forgiveness very much. Do you have that kind of desire?

- Thirdly, the way to desire the living water is through worshipping Jesus in spirit and truth. You have to come before God with your inner your spirit with all honesty.

D. Conclusion

- The water can become living because Jesus is living God. Desire Jesus the living water more than anything in life.

He must become greater; I must become less

2010-10-19T17:46:00.000+08:00

17th October, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 3:22-36

Main Idea: To show Jesus must become greater in our lives and we must become less.

Objectives: a. To show human tendency to become greater b. To show that we as disciples of Jesus must become less and He must become greater in our lives.

A. Introduction

- When you are sinful, you are so proud of yourself, Jesus becomes less in you. When you are sinful, (fill with pride because you are right all the time, the others are wrong; not willing to let go of your wrong mindset; you are lying and keep lying; there is unforgiveness, hatred, etc), you will like to have the final say about your lives, you ignore all the truths, all that Jesus requires you, you compromise on the word of God, of course Jesus has less and less say in your lives, Jesus becomes less in your lives.

- Sin put you yourself at the centre of your life and it means self-centeredness and pride taking over your life.

- You face all the consequences of self-centeredness and pride.

- Study the Chinese character of smelly. The word self is above the word big and with a dot in the middle, it means smelly. When you are big, you are smelly!

- We desperately need to learn from John the Baptist to allow Jesus to become greater in our lives.

B. Mentality of John the Baptists’ disciples.

- Now, we understand from the context that John the Baptist and Jesus and their disciples were doing ministry and baptism at the same time. John’s disciples developed an argument with a Jew on the ceremonial washing and they consulted him. They pointed out that Jesus was also baptizing like him and everyone is going to Jesus to receive baptism in verse 26.

- As disciples of John, it is very natural to develop the sin of jealousy towards Jesus because those who received baptism by their teachers were getting less and less. Or, even nobody came to John for baptism. Their teacher was becoming less important now! Their teacher could even be replaced by Jesus!

- Praise the Lord John the Baptist knew very well his own identity and his mission was to prepare the way for Jesus. He was not at all threatened by the presence of Jesus.

C. John the Baptist’s attitude towards Jesus.

- Let us see the attitude of John towards Jesus in verses 27 to 36. His attitude toward Jesus is the title of this sermon, in verse 30, “He must become greater; I must become less.”

- How John can develop such attitude towards Jesus? The skill behind it is like this: John, right from the beginning of his ministry knew that his mission from God was to prepare for the coming of Jesus. But most important of all, he was willing to do the God given mission for Jesus because he knew thoroughly who was Jesus. His knowledge of Jesus allows to develop the godly attitude of “He must become greater; I must become less.”

- In verse 27, John recognized that Jesus was mandated by the heaven to do what need to be done. Verse 27 John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”

- From verse 28, John also recognized he was the Christ but he just sent ahead of Jesus. In verse 29, he likened himself to be the friend to the bridegroom (Jesus), so, when he heard that Jesus was coming, he was overjoyed and he felt his job was complete when he was able to prepare the way for Jesus.

- You see how well he knew Jesus from verses 31 to 36: in verse 31, Jesus is the one from above is above all; in verse 32, Jesus has personal experience that is coming from God; in verse 33, the people also accepted Jesus as coming from God and it was for the purpose of salvation; in verse 34, Jesus spoke the word of God and the Holy Spirit empowered Him to do so; in verse 35, God the Father loves Jesus, the Son, and God has put everything in His hands; and in verse 36, John recognized Jesus as eternal life giver, as Savior.

- This thorough knowledge concerning the real person and God in Jesus of John allowed him to develop the humble attitude of Jesus must increase in his life and he himself must decrease. This must be our attitude towards Jesus.

D. Applications.

- How do you allow Jesus to be greater inside you?

- First and foremost, you need to realize who Jesus Christ is, as John the Baptist realizes who Jesus Christ is.

- To do that you need to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus. Most of the times, we only have head knowledge of Jesus. We may know and believe in a superficial manner how good, powerful, merciful, gracious, all knowing, is He, etc. But we never allow Him to have a final say about how we should live our lives (if He says, we lie anywhere and even allows the devil to have the final say in our lives; we allow devil to work more than Jesus work in our lives). So, since our lives are not transformed, we do not find Jesus real in our lives.

- How do we transfer the head knowledge of Jesus and allow it to touch our hearts, move our hands and legs to obey Him? Not to be so self-centered? Allowed Jesus greater space in our lives?

- For a lot of people, because God disciplines His children, God has to use crisis to break down our pride, self-centeredness, to hit us, to wake us up so that we obey Him.

- Can we do without this alternative as it is too painful?

- Can we use a more gentle path of reasoning with God’s word? Can we do lots of dialogue with God? Why I still have this sin, weakness, struggles, pride, pain, etc? What are the consequences for my disobedience? What can Jesus do to me if I obey Him? How much do I want to suffer before I let go and let God, in the person of Jesus to have the final say in my life?

- As you dialogue with Jesus, may be you will give up the greater financial gain in order to deal with greed in your life; give up your face in order to deal with your pride in your lives; give up the woman in order to experience joy in marriage; give the man in order to experience joy in marriage; give up hatred, bitterness and unforgivenss in order to be reconciled with people around you, etc.

- When you give up the rubbish, the sins in your life, Jesus will become greater in your life. If not, in your bondage to sin, do you think, do you expect to be greater in your life?

- Secondly, then, we need to realize how much we need Jesus in our lives. Most of the times, we do not feel the need for Jesus because we do not regard Jesus the master of our life; as our God who has the final say about how we make decision; as a result, we do not fill the need for him.

- Personally, as I stay close to Jesus because of the authority of God, everyday, I find that I face temptation to lie, to be pride, to condemn and not love, to gossip, to pull down others and show people how great I am, I feel that I need Jesus very much. I always go him and have dialogue with him. If I leave anything godly behind, after my 9 years in GMC, it is this one precious thing, the art of doing dialogue with Jesus. Do that, you will find that your live will allow greater space for Jesus. Jesus will become greater in you.

E. Conclusion.

- If Jesus is not becoming greater inside you then you are growing “Bigger” inside. Then, you miss Jesus totally. One great consequence is there will be no joy in your life. You are just living a sinful life.

Repentance (Social Concerns 5)

2010-10-04T17:56:00.001+08:00

3rd October, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Luke 23:26-42

Main Idea: The need for human kind to repent

Objectives: a. To teach the meaning of repentance so that we all repent from our unholiness. b. To help the congregation to see the repentant and unrepentant people from Jesus’ perspective.

A. Introduction

- Today we will read the last 2 social principles of the Methodist Book of Discipline, Peace and World Order; and Political Life.

- May we read it with a mission to transform our society with scriptural holiness? I shall focus on the criminal and restorative justice but I will not be that specific as it is.

- On the criminal and restorative justice, the book of Discipline says, “In the love of Christ, who came to save those who are lost and vulnerable, we urge the creation of a genuinely new system for the care of restoration of victims, offenders, criminal justice officials, and the community as a whole. Restoration justice grows out of biblical authority, which emphasizes a right relationship with God, self, and community. When such relationships are violated or broken through crime, opportunities are created to make things right.”

- I will imply from that point and emphasize on the scriptural holiness of repentance, something the whole society, including you and me need so much.

- Today, if you think you do not need repentance in your life right now, you are wrong and I am sorry to say to you your life will not get better. If you have sin in your life and not repent, how can God bless you and you get better.

- I pray that you will not think that only the criminals need to repent and you do not need to repent. I pray that at the end of my sermon, everyone of us will feel the need to repent from something that is not right in the eye of God, or according to the word of God, the bible.

- I pray that Jesus uses me to enlighten you on the subject. The passage that God impresses on my heart is Luke 23:26-42. May this passage inspire you to go for repentance and help you to help people to repent?

B. What is the difference between the two criminals?

- As we face the great passage of Jesus’ conversation with the criminals, we must thank God for it inspires us to see the criminals and all who those evil or sinful people in a very different light. How do you see the criminals in our society?

- Most of us see them as people who have broken the laws and deserve punishment? Some of us who are more compassionate will see them as victims of modernization and environment. Some see them as they deserve many more times of punishment. Some even see them as hopeless cases. I do not blame you for all such perceptions. We may have been trained to perceive them like this.

- Jesus’ experience today at the cross must challenge us to change our perceptions about the criminals. I have done the reflection and meditation from verse 26 till verse 46. I thank God for the great the communication between me and Jesus in this valuable passage. Only Luke recorded the conversation between Jesus and the 2 criminals; Matthew only mentioned there were 2 robbers crucified with Jesus. Thank God for the precious record in Luke.

- I asked the question in meditation, “What is the difference between the two criminals?

- You see the difference in these 3 verses, 39,40 and 41. The one in verse 39 says, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!? You can see even in hour of death, he was full of pride and unbelief. He still believed he was in control of the situation. Out of pride, he challenged Christ to come down from the cross like others. He insulted Jesus.

- The other criminal in verse 40 says, “Don’t you fear God … since you under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” You see the difference. This man on the cross before he died, he repented. He confessed his wrong, his sin. He feared God. He was remorseful; felt regret about the crimes he committed. He even urged his fellow criminals to do likewise. The first criminal was unrepentant and the later criminal repented!

- No wonder Jesus gathered all His strength in the dying moment, to declare and respond to the 2 criminals, and (especially to the second one) who might have committed the same crime and sin in verse 43, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” You see how Jesus forgives the criminal and accepted him into the paradise.

- Our God accepted repentant people into paradise and of course, heaven eventually. Theologically, paradise is believed to be a temporary place where all those who repented and saved in the arm of Jesus will end up there first before the great judgment by Jesus when He comes the second time.

- Now let us see how Jesus further sees the sinners of this world in verse 34 in his dying hour, suffering hour in great pain. Those are His most powerful words, precious and valuable words, words worth our attention; words that must transform our lives; words that must shape our perception of the criminals and sinners like you and me and all others out there.

- Jesus says in verse 34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” This is most inspiring for personal relationship with God. It teaches me and I pray that it also teaches you on how we must see the sinners in us and all others.

- The great implication is this, no matter how evil and sinful we are, God is all the time forgiving towards us. Can you see the criminals and sinners in this light? Then, it will help you to do a lot of evangelism and missions. When you see people as those who are qualified to be forgiven by God, you will be so powerful for Jesus, you will Christ disciples to help them to know God and become Jesus’ disciples.

C. Applications

- We need to repent from our unholiness, e.g., unwillingness to recognize our sinfulness like pride, greed, self-centeredness, etc. The way to do it is to do self examination of everything you say and do. Watch out for your own attitudes, hearts, mindset, perceptions, personality, and character. See if there is any flaws, come to Jesus and repent.

- How Jesus sees a criminal should help us to minister to both the repentant and unrepentant people. You will love everybody, even your enemies if you obey Jesus’ teaching.

D. Conclusion May Jesus help you to repent from our unholiness. Only then, we can help others to repent.

Do you love Jesus? (Social Concerns 4)

2010-09-28T21:21:00.000+08:00

26th September, 2010

Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 21:15-19

Main Idea: To love the sheep of Jesus

Objectives: a. To stir awareness in the congregation to make disciples of Penans b. To inspire the congregation to love Jesus by loving Jesus.

A. Introduction

- The social principle we are dealing with today is on Human Rights and Responsibilities.

- You can do so many missions by defending the rights of humanity in our society. It is a tendency everywhere to neglect the weak or to easily push them aside. Owing to our sinful nature, the strong tends to get stronger in every aspect of life; the weak tend to get weaker and so, there is a place to defend the rights of the weak.

- Let us read the shorter principle today on Human Rights and Responsibilities. Read it with conviction and do what it says. Do not just provide the lip service.

- I pray that you will understand why we need to defend the rights of those mentioned in the principle. These are the people who have no chance to voice out; may have nobody to pay attention and fight for their rights; the physically weak; may not receive as much human love or the love of Jesus through you and me.

- Today, I just want to focus on the rights of ethnic minorities. What is stated in the book of discipline is very challenging. You and I need to make a lot of sacrifice to make it happened in our society. It says, “We affirm the rights of those who belong to ethnic minorities. They should be given equal treatment in employment, promotion, remuneration, compensation, education, voting, in positions of leadership and all other citizenship privileges, including freedom of religion. They should not be marginalized, intimidated or discriminated by any party in whatever way.”

- The ethnic minority I want to focus on is the Penan tribal group. My dealing with Pastor Tom Gatum of Pa Adang, Lawas, tells me that there are about 15,000 of them throughout Sarawak. They could be more as many of them do not have identity cards yet.

- Why Board of Evangelism wants to do missions among them? It is not only because they are the ethnic minority; also very much because they used to be nomads who lived in jungle and now they tried to settle down in long houses. They still struggle very much to survive as a human race despite the government effort to help them. Many of them still struggle to find food; most of them who live in jungles and long houses, they do not have the knowledge and skill of farming. I hope I am not underestimating and degrading when I tell you their problems and struggles. On the other hand, my purpose to teach you to do missions among them.

- Some examples of their behavior, they may chop down a tree that bears fruit; as a result of lack of knowledge of danger of drinking alcohol, they love to drink and get drunk; owing to lack of knowledge on family, they get married very early, even in their teenaged years; some long houses located near the timber camps, majority of their men do not go to work; I am sorry to tell you that in most cases their children are not going to school like our children; they do not have the means to do it because they do not how to plan to use their money which they get from the timber companies; many of them do not even have the primary school education, etc.

- You see why the social principle says we must affirm the rights of the ethnic minority in education and other citizenship privileges? Do you hear the cry of the Penan people? Do you see why we need to offer the love of Jesus; Jesus to them?

- Do you see Jesus has to ask Peter 3 times, “Do you love me?”

B. Jesus also asks you, “Do you love me?”

- Each time Jesus expected apostle Peter, “Feed my lambs; take care of my sheep; feed my sheep.”

- Jesus asked Peter in verse 15, “Do you truly love me more than these?” What are these? It could be his love for fellow human beings; people’s love for him; the fishing career.

- Why repeatedly 3 times like that? You could see that Peter was impatient in answering Jesus. He answered in 3 responses, “Lord, you know I love you.”

- Probably Jesus wanted to reinforce Peter’s love for him after the great denial (3 times) before the crucifixion. Jesus understands our human weaknesses, Peter’ weakness. Probably Jesus is preparing him for martyrdom in preaching the gospel. This is indicated in verse 19, “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

- Each time Jesus wanted Peter to pay attention to “my lambs; my sheep.” I strongly believe that Jesus desired Peter to express his love for Him by taking care of the lambs and the sheep.

- Today, as disciples of Jesus, we are expected to do the same. The Penans are the lambs and the sheep of Jesus. We need to feed them with the word of God through education and the gospel.

C. Applications

- What you can do for the ethnic minority Penans? First and foremost, you need to pray for the missionaries to go there and serve long term in the area of education and preaching the gospel. then, when you have a chance, you must go in to visit them and love them through social concerns. Go and read more about Penans in the internet and develop your compassion for them. You may even write article about them in the connection. Will you?

- Win the Penans today, their future generations will be disciples of Jesus.

D. Conclusion

- Penans Jesus in every where. Will you be there for them?

Jesus Loves the Sick (Social Concerns 3)

2010-09-21T19:09:00.000+08:00

19th Sept, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Matthew 10:5-10

Main Idea: Reach out to the Sick

Objectives: a. To teach the congregation to reach out to the sick as Jesus loves the sick. b. To teach the causes of sickness.

A. Introduction

- The Methodist book of discipline has a big section on the social principle of the Church and General Welfare. Let us read it with conviction and allow it to influence our daily living.

- There are many answers to the issues we face in our society. Our stands for those issues are very clear. I pray that you will stand by them and promote them. Let us read them now.

- For my third social concern sermon today, I shall concentrate on the area of reaching out to the sick. The social principle on the church and General Welfare has a section on mental health and medical care. Let me quote the relevant parts. “…We strongly favor the healing ministries of the church… We believe that adequate facilities with professionally trained staff must be made available for the emotionally ill and the mentally retarded of every community. We also believe that churches may become spiritual centers of healing through worship, pastoral concern, and volunteer service for the emotionally ill.”

- How far have you reached out to the sick and lost? By the sick, I mean those who are physically, emotionally and psychological sick. Sometimes, they do not know God yet and they do not have proper life purposes on earth yet, and so they are lost. Have you grasped the opportunity to visit the sick and pray for them?

- It is Jesus’ priority to heal the sick. You can see that in today’s passage.

B. What can Jesus do with the sick?

- In Matthew 10 verse 1, we see that Jesus literally mobilized His 12 disciples and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. One implication for us here on this series of sermon on social concerns is this, the church needs to care for the sick. The church of Jesus is made up of disciples like and me, we need to heal the sick. That is the command that Jesus has given to disciples like you and me. Will you do it?

- And in verses 7 and 8 today, you see the clear command of Jesus for His 12 disciples and you and me, “As you go, preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” And the ministry should be done with no expenses. In verses 9 and 10, the disciples were told not to bring along any financial means and facility to support themselves, for God will supply their needs through the people, “… for the worker is worth his keep.”

- Do you see the great priority that Jesus gives to the sick? I hope you do and you will reach out to the sick as commanded by Jesus.

- As I meditate on this passage, I ask why Jesus heals the sick. My answer is very simple. He loves the sick. He has compassion for the sick people. He does see the sick as people who are troublesome for him to deal to with him. He even gives special command to the disciples like you and me to heal them.

- As I reflect more, I just feel that Jesus is very down to earth, He desires to meet the deepest need of people. Brothers and sisters, this is the nature of our faith, our relationship with Jesus (God), our God desires us to meet the human needs of people. So, what people need, we must meet the need. When people are sick, they need healing.

- In our society, of course we have all kinds of sickness like cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, diseases caused by germs, bacteria, and viruses, etc. We are also at a stage where life is getting more and more stressful because we want to pursue a higher standard of living. We now also witness the fact that mental health problem is on the increase.

- There are more than ever, more and more people are getting depressed, emotionally ill and mentally ill. In most cases they need a lot of encouragement, support, and most important of all love, and attention. What can you do?

C. Applications

- When you see depressed people, do not do any finger pointing anymore. Do not condemn them any more. Let us reach out to them for Christ, whether they are Christians or not.

- In most cases, the causes of mental sickness could be due to unhealed hurts and the patients are depressed about it. They become very negative and depressed, even become suicidal. They just cannot come out of the negative thinking and I always believe it takes God’s intervention to happen. In serious cases, they need medication. But that is not all, they need lots of love and attention in order to recover. So, you need to do lots of listening, counselling, prayer, etc.

- In view of the need of the sick people of all kinds, God may be calling you to become counselors, doctors, dentists, nurses, pastors, etc.

- As an ordinary disciple of Jesus, can you express your love by visiting and praying for the sick? Most importantly, you need the compassion for them and then, you need to spend the time with them.

D. Conclusion

- Can you be Jesus to the sick?

Be a good tree (68) Social concerns (2)

2010-09-14T22:22:00.000+08:00

12th September, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Luke 6:43-45

Main Idea: To teach the congregation not to practice corruption.

Objectives: a. To explain the meaning of a good tree. b. To teach the congregation not to practice corruption.

A. Introduction

- The second social principle of the social creed is about Christianity and the economic order. Let us read it with understanding and allow it to impact our lives. This second principle is very rich in its content. It is touching on political power, corruption, property and acquisition of wealth, poverty and employment, workers and bargaining powers, consumerism, rural and urban life, mission and Christian vocation!

- I shall focus on corruption on this series of sermon on Social Concerns. Let me justify myself. First and foremost, it is for the purpose of awareness and we must not become part of it. Secondly, it is a serious problem that affects the allocation of resources of our country. Take a look at the part of the social principle that talks about corruption:

- “We are gravely concerned about the seriousness of problems and threats posed by corruption to the stability and security of societies, undermining the institutions and values of democracy, ethical values and justice and jeopardizing sustainable development, the rule of law and the administration of justice. We are also seriously concerned that most of the time, the least privileged bear the highest cost of corruption when the state’s financial resources are inefficiently allocated and wasted. The church stands against all forms of corruption in her Endeavour to be the salt and light of the world. The church advocates and promotes integrity, accountability, and proper management of public affairs and public property and to this end the church rejects and will not participate in the giving and receiving of bribes. The church supports all comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach to prevent and combat corruption effectively”. (Page 34, Methodist Book of Discipline, 2008)

- It is in the context of corruption that I use the scriptural text today.

- I liken a person who does not practice corruption to a good tree that bears good fruit.

B. How destructive is corruption in Malaysia?

- You may ask what is corruption or bribery. Its simple definition is to intentionally give a reward in monetary form or other forms with the understanding that the other party will give you the project , license, or any business deal the giver of bribe desires for. The bribe can be given so that you become the preferred candidate or it is done to speed up a process of application for a particular permit, approval, license, etc. Take for instance; you give a bribe secretly to one government officer so that you can a project to supply something to his department. It is a sin because both of you bypass the principles of transparency, justice and accountability. A small example will be to give a small amount to a traffic police so that he will not “saman” for your traffic offence. It is a sin because as a responsible citizen you have disobeyed a traffic rule which is designed for the safety of road users. You also have contributed to making the police committing a sin.

- What is so destructive about corruption in Malaysia? What is at stake is not only a sin. When everybody is doing it, when people from top to bottom are doing it, then, ultimately, wealth will concentrate in a few hands throughout the country. It results in very unequal distribution of wealth given by God to all the citizens in the country. It is what the book of discipline says, “the state’s financial resources are inefficiently allocated and wasted.” Eventually, the poor will get poorer and powerless and the rich will get richer and more powerful. In the end, the poor may not stand it any longer, they will not only commit crime, they will organize demonstration and violence!

C. Applications

- A good tree produces good fruit. Christians, in essence, by nature, after salvation, as we walk through our journey of faith, we must live a life of holiness, God fearing, a life of godly characters. Jesus likens us to a good tree.

- So, Jesus teaches in verse 43, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” When we are dealing with plant life, it is clear that each tree has its characteristic fruit. You cannot pick a certain type of fruit from any tree but its own. All other trees grow different fruit.

- Good people, good Christians, like good trees, produce good fruit. He produces his fruit out of the good treasure of his heart. It is what he has in his heart, in his inner life that determines what fruit his life will yield. So, also with an evil person, his inner evil can produce only evil

- The principle stated in the end is out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Our words reveal what is in our heart.

- People whose hearts are filled with greed will no doubt produce words of corruption and leading to bribery. No greed in the heart, there will be no bribery. A good heart, a good tree will not practice bribery.

- How to fight against corruption? You need to ask your what good will you gain by bribery. You have sold away your Christian characters like contentment, honesty, accountability, etc. You put the name of Jesus to shame, you take on greed, dishonesty, hypocrisy, self-centeredness, etc. You distant yourself from God and the person of Jesus, you sin against him. You may be richer, but you may not have peace in heart, you cannot face Jesus; etc.

- Remember, your godly characters are at stake when you compromise your Christian values. You sold away dignity and identity as Christians. Can you face Jesus’ judgments?

D. Conclusion

- Be a good tree that is grounded in the word of God. When your holiness is rooted in the word of God, you will not bribe. You shall be a great testimony for Jesus. People will know Christians, disciples of Jesus will not both receive or give bribe.

GMC Sermon Reading and Writing/typing(66)

2010-08-30T20:10:00.001+08:00

29th August, 2010
Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Col 1:28

Main Idea: Read and write to give testimonies

Objectives: To challenge the congregation to read (listen to spiritual talks in DVDs) Christian literature and write testimonies to witness for Christ.

A. Introduction

- Who among us cannot read and write? I think all of you can do both. For the younger ones, I believe you can write in 3 languages (BM, Chinese, and English). For those of you in the 40s and above, you can read and write at least in English. God does not give you the reading and writing abilities just for the purpose of making a living. I pray that today’s sermon will help you to realize that you must use your reading and writing abilities to witness for Jesus.

- Reading and writing are powerful tools that you can capitalize to make a difference for Jesus.

- Paul in Colossians 1:28, exhorted us to claim Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom.

- Reading and writing are part of wisdom given by God for us to proclaim Christ.

- This great letter of apostle tells us how he labored for the Church.

B. How apostle Paul labored for the Church

- In verse 24, chapter 1, Paul suffered for the church. You cannot understand why he still rejoiced when he suffered unless you believe that the presence of Christ with him.

- He said in verse 24, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s affliction, for the sake of his body, which is the church.”

- Next in verse 25, see how he as a tent maker, see how he regarded himself as a servant of the church. The church at that time being young, they did not pay him anything to support. He still labored with strong sense of God’s calling.

- You see what he said in verse 25, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness –“ He believed he was called by God to preach His word to the Colossians. Do you think that God only called apostles and pastors or those who so called serve God full time. If you think so, then, it is wrong thinking and you need to repent. Paul was a tent maker and yet he preached the word of God everywhere he went.

- If you do not believe that God also very much calls His disciples and lay people in GMC, then, you cannot explain why He gave the great commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19, “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey anything I have commanded you …”

- Paul took the commission seriously and so must we. He regarded himself as a servant of the church to bring God’s word to the Colossians. He believed that the mysteries of God had been revealed to him and then it was up to him to the mysteries to the Gentiles (verses 26 and 27). That is why in verses 28 and 29 you heard him said, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

- Can you think of a way, a wisdom which Paul talked about to present Christ, God’s word to other people? Some of us are actively in missions in long houses, overseas; reaching out to your colleagues and try to invite them to church services; I believe you pray for your friends and relatives for their salvation; etc. Recently, with the visit of pastor Cheli, we receive the inspiration to do reading bus (mobile) at Tudan Methodist Church, among the indigenous people of Tudan. The wisdom that God has given us is teaching children how to read English and preach the gospel using Alpha. The mission committee will begin the project in October. For now, we need people to contribute literature like Lady Bird series. Let us pray that many Indigenous people in Tudan will be blessed with improved English so that they come to know Jesus and become His disciples.

- Today is once a year Christian Literature Sunday. A Sunday we need to emphasize the importance of Christian Literature in our disciple making ministry. May be when you hear this two words, it is all about written words in book form, magazines, newsletters; today you also find God’s word very much typed and found in the internet, websites, blogs, even face books, in electronic forms. Praise the Lord for the word of God is so readily available!

- What you can do with all the numerous of forms of written word of God. God has given us the wisdom of using electronic devices to spread His word. Can you use it?

C. Applications

- First and foremost, you must read the written word of God in the bible. That is most fundamental, only when you are familiar with the word of God, then, you can share it with others. You must do this homework first.

- You can read Christian literature like on a special topics like marriage, raising children, great bibliographies of God’s servants throughout the centuries, prayer, etc.

- You can read Christian literature like Connection, Methodist Message, etc. Very few people become friends of Methodist Message from our church. They are appealing to us again.

- You can also write your testimonies and put articles in websites an face books so that you can proclaim Christ.

D. Conclusion

- Before you go to see Jesus, use your reading and writing abilities to make a difference for Jesus.

Trinity (Part 2 of 2)

2010-08-16T21:19:00.000+08:00

15th August, 2010

(preached at SMCGC)
Written By rev Law Hui Seng
Posted By Teresa Han

Main Idea: doctrine of Trinity

Objectives: To help the congregation to understand doctrine of Trinity in balance.

A. Introduction

- In my last sermon, I preached to you the persons of Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit.

- For Jesus, I emphasized that He was a man; had personality; He is God; and the same for the Holy Spirit.

- Today, I shall give you a balance view of Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Spirit both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

B. Trinity implicit in OT and Trinity explicit in NT.

- The general term for God in the Hebrew word is Elohim, in plural. It refers to the transcendence of God: His power and ‘otherness’. He creates by means of the Word and spirit.

- Genesis 1: 1-3, “…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light…”

- The teaching becomes clearer in Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, …”

- In the NT the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets 2Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke form as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

C. The Trinitarian Implications in the NT

- The preaching of John the Baptist: Repentance toward God (Matthew 3:2, 7-8); Faith in a coming Messiah (Matthew 3:11); baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11).

- The baptism of Jesus: The Father’s voice from heaven (Mathew 3:17); the Spirit like a dove (Mathew 3:16). The announcement of Jesus’ birth: the work of the Spirit in the incarnation (Luke 1:35); Jesus would be called the son of God (Luke 1:35).

- The baptismal formula (Mathew 28:19).

- The relationship between the Father and Son: The Word was ‘with’ God shows a Trinitarian relationship. No one knew the Son except the Father, and vice versa (Mathew 11:27). The Father sent the Son (John 6:44).

D. Relationship between the persons of the Godhead.

- They heap praise upon each other.

- Father: glorifies the Son (Mathew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:20-23).

- Jesus: honors the Father (John 5:19, 30-31; 12:28).

- Spirit: honors the Son (John 15:26; 16:8-10, 14)

- Intercession is made for us by both the Son and the Spirit.

- By the Spirit (Romans 8:26-27)

- By the Son (Romans 8:31ff; Hebrews 7:25)

- There is no rivalry in the Trinity. You can pray to any person of the Godhead. Jesus said to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9ff). But in the bible there are prayers addressed to Jesus (Luke23:42; Acts 7:59).

E. Conclusion

- The doctrine of Trinity is central to the Christian faith. Any teaching that does not affirm the Trinity is heresy. It means false teaching not according to the bible.

Where Are the Other Nine?

2010-08-10T21:28:00.000+08:00

8th August, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Luke 17:11-19

Main Idea: Thanksgiving

Objective: To teach the congregation to develop a heart of thanksgiving to God in our daily life.

A. Introduction

- Christians/ disciples of Jesus must thank God for what He has done for us.

- I love to thank to God (my Lord/ master) for what He has done in my life everyday. I offer myself as an example to you all in my area of thanksgiving to God in my life. I would like to share with you more later when it comes to application. Thanksgiving to God is very much part of my life, then, it is worth sharing it with you.

- Many Christians do not have that habit and do it once a while. When was the last time you open your mouth and say a prayer to thank God for what He has done for you? Lots of us do not say grace before we eat, so, we seldom thank God.

- The scriptural passage today has very powerful teaching about the need for Christians’ disciples of Jesus to do thanksgiving. It is our Lord’s teaching.

- I am always motivated by the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus told in the passage. I always remind myself not to the other 9. That is why my sermon title this morning isjust as what Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine?”

- The challenge is will you not become one of the nine?

B. The difference between the one Samaritan leper and the nine Jewish lepers

- In those days, leprosy was an uncurable disease. The disease carriers were all isolated from family members and they did not only suffer the physical pain of the disease as the flesh get decay; they were totally isolated from family members and no love would be shown to them as it was a contagious disease. They also suffered the in isolation.

- Jesus healed diseases all over the places in His time and the ten lepers knew it and they grasped the opportunity when they came across Jesus.

- You see the demonstration of Jesus’ healing power. As the 10 lepers could not get near Him and be touched by Him because it was required by the unclean law as it was a contagious disease. They stood at a distance and shouted to Jesus to ask Him for mercy. Jesus did not even get near to touch and He just told them to show them to the priests. Only after the priests examined them and they certified disease free, they could go home and be united with family members.

- You can imagine the excitement of being healed right on the spot. If you were one of the 10 lepers, what would you do immediately? May be you would like to thank Jesus immediately, right?

- But only one Samaritan (a mixture of Jews and Gentile descent) who did not get carried away with the excitement and immediately thanked and praised Jesus. The rest of the Jewish lepers (probably) forgot all about it. Their ingratitude was a concern to Jesus, that was why Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?... give praise to God except this foreigner?”

- You see Jesus expects gratitude from the other 9 also. Will you become the other nine?

C. Applications

- Do you see the need to thank God for what He has done for you? Personally, I give thank to God for everything in my life. As my heart tells me in gratitude, I will say it out with my mouth the moment I feel it. It ranges from food to relationships and all that have achieved for Christ. I thank God always and I find that it helps me to become very intimate with Jesus. Will you do the same?

- Thanksgiving is an act that strengthen your relationship with God. This is because you acknowledge his presence in your life. As you obey him, you do more and more of thanksgiving. Some Christians would like to express their gratitude to God with an offering.

D. Conclusion

- Thanksgiving matters to God.

Are you born again?

2010-08-10T21:26:00.000+08:00

1st August, 2010.

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Main Idea: Born again through Jesus Christ

Objectives: a. To teach the need for people to be born again. B. To explain the meaning of born again. C. To change people to be born again.

A. Introduction

- Christianity is very relevant to our everyday life because it meets the need of the world which is full of sin. We need to find the answers to our problem of sin.

- Different religions and beliefs and world philosophy have all try to give answers.

- And today, we see one answer or the best answer Christianity is giving the world, to solve the problem of sin.

- It has to do with the question of: Are you born again?

B. Born Again

- This question arises out of the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a member of the powerful Jewish ruling council. He must be one of those Jews who was attracted to Jesus’ teaching and miracles and believed Jesus was sent by God. At the same time, he feared persecution by fellow Jews if he identified with Jesus in any way.

- So, he came secretly at night to ask Jesus about kingdom of God. Jesus recognized the visitor’s heart as He is God who is all knowing. He recognized the spiritual hunger for the kingdom of God. This was where Jesus took the opportunity to teach him that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he was born again.

- New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) translated it as “You must be born from above.” Both the meanings of born again and born from above refer to how Jesus saves individuals from sins and forgiveness of his/ her sins.

- Naturally, Nicodemus misunderstood the meaning of Jesus and he thought one could not go back to his mother’s womb in order to be born again. So, Nicodemus asked, “How can one be born again?” This is where Jesus, being the word became flesh, grasped the opportunity to teach him and the world today and anybody who read this book of John will know answer in verse 5, “born of water of Spirit.”

- The water here refers to at least 2 meanings. One who is born of water means being baptized by water and life being transformed by the living word of God. Water here also refers to living word of God because Jesus Himself is living water. He offers the Samaritan woman living water that will not cause her to thirst. It is the living word of God.

- Jesus wanted to lead him into a personal relationship with Him. And for this to happen, it takes both the word and God’s Spirit, the wind, the pneuma. The action of the wind of God.

- It takes both the word of God and the Spirit of God together to transform a person’s life, to help him to repent to become a new person.

- Jesus went on to liken himself to bronze snake that Moses lifted up upon the instruction of God in the Old Testament for Israelites who received snake bites and the moment they look at the bronze snake, they would be saved and healed.

- Jesus is hinting that people who come into a personal faith in Him who would be crucified and lifted up high on the cross one and anyone who come to accept him and repent in Him shall have eternal life.

- He makes Himself very clear in verse 13 that he is the Son of Man coming from heaven. Then in this context, he says in verse 16, he says He is the only Son of God sent by God, to love the world, every human being. Not to condemn the world but to save the world and gives anyone who come to Jesus eternal life and salvation.

- He also equates Himself to the light of the world, in a world of darkness. He challenges people to come to this light and live by the light, do not do evil for the evil deeds cannot stand the test of the light. A person who is saved will live in the light.

C. Applications

- In view of the water (word of God), what should be our attitude towards the word of God? Do you believe and accept Jesus as the living water, word of God? If so, then, our attitude towards the bible must be that we are under the authority of the bible. we must obey all the teaching in it; not part of it. And this takes a life time.

- If born again is so crucial in deciding whether you enter the Kingdom of God or heaven, then, you have to be sure you are born again.

D. Conclusion

- The best life policy is to live a life in obedience to God’s word.

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me… (Missions Sunday)

2010-07-26T22:06:00.000+08:00

11^th July, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Main point: The Holy Spirit empowers us to do missions.

Objectives: a. To teach that we need to be filled by The Holy Spirit like Jesus to preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to heal the blind and to release the oppressed. b. To list out the areas that we can do missions.

A. Introduction

- At the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry/ missions on earth, the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke all say that Jesus is tempted by the devil and only Luke says He is full of the Holy Spirit in verse of Chapter 4 today. This is very significant for Luke and this is emphasis for this gospel. The temptation happens after He fasted for 40 days. He passed the test of the temptation by the devil.

- I want you to take note in verse 14 that Luke says Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. He went to Galilee and then, His own hometown, Nazareth, and of course, eventually, He went to lots of other towns to do His missions on earth. The scripture said he taught in synagogues and the audience praised Him for His teaching in verse 15.

- Then, one day, may be as usual, being a good teacher, a Jew (Jews worshipped Yahweh in synagogues), He was especially privileged to be allowed to read a portion of the Jewish scripture. This portion happened to be from Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

- As the congregation of the synagogue focused their attention on him, in verse 21, Jesus dared to claim, “… Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Out of so many verses in Old Testament scriptures, how could He be sure this portion of the Book of Isaiah was referring to Him? I can only say unless He is sent by God the Father, otherwise, He was not in the position to claim.

- This portion of Isaiah strikes me very much because it is exactly the mission of Jesus on earth. It was foretold in the OT and now, it was fulfilled in Jesus. As it is the mission of Jesus; and I am taught by apostle Paul in his epistles to be like Christ, as part of my discipleship, I must do what Jesus has been called by God to do. Not only me, as long as those who called ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus, disciples of Jesus, must we do the missions that Jesus had done on earth!

- Notice only when the Spirit is on Jesus, only then, He is able to do the mission on earth. Today, as a disciple of Jesus, I can also do it because the Spirit of God is also on me. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The word of Jesus, promised that we can receive power to do missions when the Holy Spirit comes on us.

- Is the Holy Spirit on you or not? If not, you cannot do it?

B. The Spirit of the Lord is on Jesus.

- John’s gospel talks about Jesus His disciples to do greater works than Him. I cannot understand what Jesus means if not disciples of Jesus are not filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

- The needs out there even in Jesus’ time were huge. Today, in our situation, It is thousands of times worse and Jesus know it and that is He commissions us in Matthew 28:19 and 20 to make disciples of all nations. That is why he gives the Holy Spirit, we cannot do it. The devils are powerful, disciples of Jesus easily give up. Look at how apostle Peter gave up by denying Christ after Christ was arrested before he was filled by the Holy Spirit.

- Today, we need to ask our selves what it means to be like Jesus to preach the good news to the poor. People who do not have enough to eat; those who have no job and struggle to survive as a family; children who drop of school because they cannot pay minimum expenses; most probably those who steal and rob in order to survive and of course according to our human nature, we always condemn them, etc. I always tell me if you have been robed or your goods have been stolen, it is God telling you to do missions.

- Why Jesus particularly mention the poor, not the rich here? Most probably they need it more than anyone else, but honestly, the good news is more receptive to the poor than the rich. The rich tend to say they do not need God whey they have all the material things.

- Who are the prisoners? Yes, they definitely refer to the prisoners in the prisons but what about those whose souls are imprisoned? The depressed, the hurt, people who have all the bitterness, rejection, etc. They are in everywhere in bondage and imprisoned.

- Who are the blind? Yes, it refers to the physically blind. But what about those who cannot see the truth of the love of God, see the need for eternal life, etc.

- Who are the oppressed? Those who work very hard but being paid very little; who are powerless who have no right to speak out; etc.

C. Applications

- What does it mean for the Spirit of the Lord to come on you? It means you will receive power to overcome all obstacle to preach the gospel so that people become disciples of Christ. You need the power to pray to defeat devil, to heal the sick, to help people to overcome their problems, to help people to see the need of salvation, etc. When you get it, you will not feel tired of doing God’s work; you will give up; you will have all the energy to do it; you will have joy and strong faith and strength to do it, etc.

- What can you do when the Holy Spirit empowers you? Look around you and discern the needs around; the unsaved around you; yourself; the poor in the town; Penans of Ulu Belaga; Ibans in the long houses; students; workers from Indonesia, china, etc; Cambodia needs for English teachers; Indonesia’s need for Mandarin speaking missionaries and pastors; etc.

D. Conclusion

- Will you equip yourself to respond?

The Lord Calls Samuel

2010-06-29T22:49:00.000+08:00

27th June, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

1Samuel 3:1-21

Main Idea: God calls people to serve His purpose.

Objectives: a. To examine what is God’s calling. b. To challenge the congregation to respond to God’s calling to serve His purpose.

A. Introduction

- Have ever experienced God’s calling to do something? By this, I mean according to the teaching of the overall scripture, there is such a thing as you will have personal encounter with God and being sure of what he or she is told to do for God in life.

- It is so exciting, challenging, and so fill with joy when you get it.

- I am using this great passage of God’s calling of the boy, Samuel to illustrate to you what it means by God’s calling.

B. The Lord calls Samuel.

- In the first place, little baby Samuel came to this world as a result of her mother’s (Hannah) much prayer as she could not conceive a child. In chapter 1, we read that Hannah even prayed that if she was given a child by God, then, she would dedicate him to serve God throughout his life. Look at her vow to God, “…O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord of all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” In those days, Israelites could make vows to God with uncut long hair to symbolize the dedication of their life to God. Normally, it was for a period of time but in this case it was for the rest of Samuel’s life and it was done by a mother on behalf of a unborn child.

- Hannah conceived and Samuel was born. She kept her vow with God and sent him to the priest Eli, of the temple.

- Samuel served in the temple under the guidance of the priest, Eli, as a small boy. Chapter 3 says in the midst of rare visions in those days, the Lord called Samuel 3 times to serve His purpose. In this case, it was to prophesy to the Israelites what God would do to them and also, specifically, what he would do to the Eli’s family (verses 11-14).

- For the first 2 verbal calling, the boy Samuel had mistaken them for Eli’s calling because verse 7 says Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. It means Samuel had not experienced God directly.

- With the guidance and mentor of the priest, Eli, the boy Samuel, finally responded to God’s calling (verses 8b – 9). The boy acted according the guidance and responded to God, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” We need to do this to our young people also.

- The calling was affirmed by the recognition of Israelites. Not only God fulfilled everything that He wanted Samuel to prophesy but in verse 20 we are told that the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized as prophet. Verse 21 continues to say the Lord revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

- So, this is really a biblical example of God’s calling for person to serve His purpose.

C. Applications

- Let us learn the first point of God’s nature of calling. It is basically coming from God (not human desires) and in this case God spoke with a audible voice. It is very specifically for His purpose, like in this case for the purpose of God doing something for Israelites and how God wanted to discipline Eli’s family.

- Secondly, the passage today implies that God calls everyone at every moment to serve Him in his purpose. So, are you sensitive to His calling? Is your present position/ job God’s calling? If not, leave it and find one that God calls you. How do you know God calls you to serve Him at your present vocation?

- Thirdly, there is the implication of the passage that God can call any of you to be full time pastors and missionaries. Can our parents be like Hannah or the priest Eli, to guide our children to respond to God’s calling as pastors and missionaries if God calls them?

D. Conclusion.

- As God calls Samuel to serve Him as a prophet, so God calls you to serve in the area which is pleasing to Him.

Have you any influence?

2010-06-09T21:57:00.000+08:00

6th June, 2010.

Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Main Idea: Need to exercise our influence in the society for Christ.

Objectives: To challenge the congregation to respond to Christ’s teaching on salt and light by prayer, evangelism, witness and protest.

A. Introduction

- I see 2 worlds; tensions…

- One world is like this: a world of Christians who come to church for service on Sunday; for ministry of all kinds like prayer, Sunday School, Youth Ministry, BB, GB, small group, etc; and we can be good at the ministry; and our lives are transformed by the word of God. There is certain degree of holiness in this world. Another world is like this: this other world of secularism and godlessness and it contains all other religions and Christians unavoidably live in it. For most Christians who are living in the second world, most of us out there put in very little effort to impact the second with our holiness and biblical values. In other words, we have no influence over their lives. We have not shown them for examples, what are biblical examples of honesty, integrity, accountability, humility, love, forgiveness, etc. In a lot of cases, we are secularized, we become as dirty, dishonest, angry, revengeful, immoral, depressed as if we have no Jesus, etc.

- I see lots of tensions among Christians: there is this great gospel of salvation and God’s love in our hands and we have the answers to man’s hopelessness and we want put across to people around us but we do not how to do it. Our lives are transformed by God’s word in the bible and we others to experience the same but it is not happening to our loved ones, friends, colleagues and relatives. May be we often find our worship is so enriching but we are not so courageous to invite others to come and share with us. I find that we have little influence in helping others to know Jesus and become His disciples. That is why the sermon topic: Have you any influence?

- Today, as your pastor, your shepherd, I ask God in the person of Jesus to help me to help you to breach the gap; to influence for Christ; to stand up for Christ. A gap some of us have realized long time ago and you are still very much struggling to overcome. May be some of us are still not aware of it. I pray that this sermon on salt and light teaching of Jesus (a small part of teachings by Jesus on the sermon of the mount) will help you to meet the need of breaching the gap.

B. Salt and Light.

- Everybody is familiar with salt and light. They are found in our house. Jesus as boy in Nazareth must often watch his mother Mary use salt as a preservative in the kitchen and light the lamps when the sun went down. He knew their practical usefulness.

- So, Jesus used these images later to show the influence of His disciples on the human society. At that time, his disciples were very few and yet he expected them to do it for the whole earth. What did he mean? At least 4 truths from this teaching of salt and light of Jesus must be emphasized:

- Firstly, Christians (disciples of Jesus) are fundamentally different from non-Christians. The images of salt and light set the 2 communities of Christians and non-Christians apart. There is a clear cut difference between Christians and that of the non-Christians. Jesus is really teaching that the world which we live in; the world his disciples were living at his time was and is dark (gelap), but his disciples at that time and all of us Christians (and disciples) now must be the light in the world. Brothers and sisters, you must be the light in the world. The world is morally decaying very much! Look at how people practice free sex (sex before marriage; sex with others even after marriage; how Aids spread through immoral sex; homosexual sex, etc); how people abuse drug and alcohol; how people, politicians, businessmen, even ordinary people become so greedy; how people of one religion hate and kill people of another religion. You see how decay and dark the world is!

- You see why Jesus calls His disciples and all of us as His disciples to be salt and light. Jesus calls you to be differentiated from darkness and decay. God in the person of Jesus is calling you to be holy, set apart, different and stand up for Jesus everyday. God is calling us all the time, every minute, every second, every moment to be holy, because He says, “I am holy.”

- Secondly, Christians must permeate non-Christian society. Although Christians are morally and spiritually distinct from non-Christians, they are not to socially segregated, separated from the rest of the society. On the other hand, their light must into the darkness, the sinfulness of the world. Their salt must soak into the decaying world, the decaying meat. The lamb does no good if it stays under the bed, and the salt does no good if it stays in the salt container. Similarly, Christians must enter the society and mix with the society and become immersed in its life. We must let our light shines so that our good deeds, good behavior are seen. People see Jesus in us and we are pointing people, showing them the way to the savior.

- Thirdly, Christians can influence non-Christian society. Before the days of refrigeration, salt was the best known preservative. Either it was rubbed into fish and meat, or they were left to soak in it. In this way the decaying process was retarded. Light is even more obviously effective; when the light is switched on, the darkness is actually dispelled. Jesus is really saying that Christians and His disciples can prevent social decay and dispel the darkness of evil.

- In Sarawak, we have 41% Christians in a population of 2.4 million, have you prevented the society from social decay? As our population increases, it looks like we become more and more morally not right. You see more and more of illegal trade; rape; corruption; injustice; cheating cases on money; prostitution; gangsterism; selling of illegal drug; etc. Where is our Christian influence? Whose fault is it? Who to blame?

- We always blame others. If the house is dark when night comes, there is no sense in blaming the house, for that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is “Where is the light?”

- If he meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense in blaming the meat, for that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is “Where is the salt?”

- Similarly, if society deteriorates and its moral standards decline, until it becomes like dark night or stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming the society, for that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked. Jesus has taught us to be salt and light; and therefore, if darkness and rottenness still prevail in our society, it is our fault and we must accept the blame.

- Fourthly, Christians must retain our Christian distinctiveness. If salt does not retain its saltiness, it is good for nothing. If light does not retain its brightness, it becomes ineffective. So we claim to be Christ’s followers have to fulfill 2 conditions if we are to obey Christ. On one hand, we have to permeate non-Christian society, and immerse ourselves in the life of the world. On the other hand, while doing so, we have to avoid becoming assimilated to the world. We must retain our Christian convictions, values, standards and lifestyle. These are the things that help us to be influential, and to be salt and light.

- But how can we exert some influence for Christ? What does it mean in practice to be the world’s salt and light? What can we do for social change?

- Brothers and sisters, we must pray and do evangelism; we must witness and protest.

C. Prayer and Evangelism.

- Firstly, in order to influence our society, we must pray a lot as there is power in prayer. I beg you not to dismiss it just as a holy act; I beg you not to underestimate its importance in causing people to come to know Christ and be saved. I have preached to you all power, wisdom, faith and resources of God almighty is available to Christians; unless we pray, and we have no access to them. We cannot read the bible without being impressed by its constant emphasis on the effectiveness of prayer. James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Matthew 18:19, Jesus says, “…if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven.” We may not understand fully the rationale of intercession. But somehow it enables us to enter the field of spiritual conflict, and to align ourselves with the good purpose of God, so that his power is released and the principalities of evil are bound.

- The Filipino dictator, President Marcos, was as a result of the power of prayer, not people power as claimed. How could the machine guns and tanks fired at 2 milliion human barricades who were unarmed civilians, Roman Catholics and Protestants, who prayed! You see the power of prayer?

- Our churches must pray for those who are corrupted and injustice to be removed from power and authority. 1Timothy 2:1-4 actually urged us to pray for our authorities so that there may be peace and harmony in our country.

- With prayer, we must bring along the gospel as it is powerful. So, we must do evangelism. Gospel changes peoples’ lives. Have your lives being changed by the gospel? Every Christian must be able to echo Paul’s words with conviction, Roman 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”

D. Witness and Protest

- We see the power of the gospel in transforming life. In fact, gospel is made up of truth. All truth is powerful. God’s truth is much more mighty than the devil’s crooked lies. We should never be afraid of the truth. Nor do we ever need to be afraid for the truth. For God watches over the truths and He will never allow the truth to be suppressed.

- As Paul put it, “we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth” (2Corinthians 13: 8)

- We Christians and disciples are all called like our Master, Jesus, to bear witness to the truth.

- We must also protest if we find something not truthful. We may voice it or we write against it or we do not want to participate in it. So, are you for the truth of anything? Not just on matters concerning God, but also matters on every day life, like whether somebody has done something or say something. If you are there, can you witness for the truth?

E. Conclusion.

- You see why if you are putting in all the effort to be salt and light, you can make our society better in every sense? Your salt and light are at stake today.

The Trinity (Part 1 of 2)

2010-06-07T00:17:00.000+08:00

30th May, 2010

Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; John 14:16; 16: 8, 12-16; 1Corinthians 12: 4-6.

Main Idea: The Trinitarian God is really one God.

Objectives: a. To help you to appreciate the Trinitarian God and build a strong personal relationship with Him. b. To help you to clear your confusion about the Trinitarian God.

A. Introduction.

- The word ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible. It is a theological term not a biblical term. By theological we mean that it is a term which best expresses what we believe the bible teaches. By not biblical we mean that the word itself is never used in Scripture. But it is definitely pure biblical teaching!

- The gist of the Trinity teaching is like this: one God in 3 persons: Father, Son, Spirit. God is one in his essential being but in this being there are 3 persons. Though they are 3 persons they do not compete with each other. God reveal him self to human beings like us in 3 forms.

- The 3 persons are distinctly clear in the one true God. The Father is 100% God, the Son is 100% God and the Spirit is 100% God.

- The Apostles’ Creed was one of the earliest creeds and shows the belief in the Father, Son and Spirit. You still remember, “I believe in God the Father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, …”

- A word of caution: do not allow Muslims or Cultists to accuse you of believing in 3 gods. This is their simplistic way of making you feel stupid or confused.

B. To understand the Trinity we begin with Jesus (John 1:1)

- John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.”

- Was he a person? Yes. He was a man. 1Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” He had personality: He had feelings. Matthew 14:14 “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” He had a mind. Philippians 2:5 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

- Was he God? Yes. He existed from the beginning (John 1:1). He was creator. John 1:3 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. He was fully God (John 1:1).

- He was worshipped Matthew 2:2 “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” He forgave sins. Matthew 9:2 “Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

C. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead.

- The Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as another paraclete. John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever”

- A paraclete (Greek, parakletos) is one who comes alongside. When Jesus called the Holy Spirit ‘another’ paraclete, it means the Holy Spirit is a person just as much as Jesus is a person.

- Take note the Holy Spirit is never an ‘it’ but a ‘he’. John 16:8, 12-14 “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment…I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.”

- Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words that cannot express.”

- The Holy Spirit has personality. Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

- The Holy Spirit has feelings. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

- The Holy Spirit has a will. Acts 16: 6-7 “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”

- The Holy Spirit is God. He is creator. Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

- He is called God. 1Corinthians 12: 4-6 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

- For today, we can see distinctly the Trinitarian godhead. I pray that you will see that the Trinitarian Godhead is real to you. It is not something for your knowledge and information only. I pray that as you are clear of the Godhead in 3 persons, the next time I preach to you the second part, you will find Trinity is very practical, it is in your life.

D. Conclusion.

- You see why it has to be Trinity? He can get personal with you and He is real to you.

What is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple?

2010-05-25T23:43:00.001+08:00

23rd May, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Aldersgate’s Sunday

John 2:12-25

Main Idea: The special relationship of Jesus with God

Objectives: a. To teach that we need a special relationship with God like Jesus. b. To teach that our bodies are temple of God and we need to take good care of it.

A. Introduction

- This is one of the rare occasions in the 4 gospels where Jesus was angry, aggressive and he cleared the temple as if he had the authority to do it.

- On what ground Jesus clears the temple as recorded?

- This is where we need to examine some background information and; we have to some explanation on what he says.

B. What is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple?

- Now, why Jesus was so angry with what happened in the temple courts? Verse 14 says, “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.”

- The temple here signifies the whole of temple and its surrounding areas. This includes the various courts as well as the holy place. The trading must have been done in the outer courtyard, the court of the Gentiles. The reason for the practice was at the convenience of those who could buy the sacrificial animal. People who came to worship from a distance, they could not bring with them the sacrificial animal.

- Money changers also took the opportunity because worshippers are only allowed to do money offerings in the approved currency. The other currencies were not acceptable was because they bore the Emperor’s image or they contained the image of idols. For whatever the reason, the rule required that money changers must be somewhere at work!

- Jesus made a whip from cords and used it to drive out all the traders with their goods, including the animals meant for trading purpose. He also overturned the tables of the money changers.

- It is clear that it was not so much the physical force that was used as a moral power to empty the courts. One commentator (H. E. W. Turner) said it was the blazing anger of the selfless Christ rather than the weapon which really cleared the temple courts of their noisiness and the mixture of all other goods.

- Who was Jesus who dared to do it? On what ground, what authority he could do it? Who asked him to do it? Was he not afraid of the consequence of his action?

- Simply put, what is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple? The answer is found in verse 16 and the verses that follow. In verse 16, Jesus said to those who sold doves, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?”

- What Jesus objected was the practice of trading at the temple courts. His motive was the reverence for my Father’s house. The temple court was supposed to be a place where Gentiles might go to pray or meditate in the temple. They could do it with peace. But now, it had been turned into a market place, which certainly affected the atmosphere of temple worship.

- Upon seeing the action of Jesus, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9 which says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” It is very clear again and again throughout the gospel of John, the writer’s aim is to show Jesus to be the Messiah. John wanted to show Jesus’ actions throughout the gospel as having a special relationship with God. John wanted to show that Jesus behaved like that because of His calling as Messiah. John is showing the readers, may be all the more, the Jews, at that time, that in Jesus, God is working out His purposes of salvation for mankind.

- So, in theological term, Jesus clearing the temple was a messianic action.

- In verse 18, we see the Jews demanded that Jesus authenticated His action with a miraculous sign. The Jews expected their Messiah to perform mighty miracles to prove that He was Messiah!

- But Jesus was to be manipulated by the Jews at their timing. He had his own timing to prove so. So He said in verse 19, “Destroy the temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

- Brothers and sisters, you see again and again, in Jesus’ ministry, He is all the time focused on His mission of salvation on earth. It is number one thing we need to give ourselves priority also.

- The Jews had mistaken what he said to refer to the physical temple which took 46 years to build.

- But, after the death of Jesus, His disciples knew then came to understand what Jesus meant by the statement he made, “Destroy the temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

- They knew that the temple referred to his body. His body was to be a sacrifice for man’s sin once and for all, to bring about forgiveness of our sins.

- Jesus’ word for temple denotes the shrine, the sanctuary, the very place where a deity, a god lives. It may be applied to us as believers also. It is advocated by apostle in 1Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” For this reason, today, I preach to you in the name of Jesus, your bodies are temple of God. Do not sin with your bodies. Your bodies are holy temple of God.

- No matter what, Jesus’ use of the word, temple probably implies that God lives in him in a very special way.

C. Applications

- a. John Wesley’s special relationship with God is like that of Jesus’ special relationship with God. Please do not misunderstand me. I mean John Wesley modeled after Christ’s relationship with God, the father. Can you also do the same? Take a look of Wesleyan movement on holiness through class, society and bands. He mobilized Christians to strike personal relationship with God through these means.

- B. Your body is a temple of God just like Jesus’ body is a temple of God. Do you see how sacred is your body. If only realize it more and more, otherwise, we will sin more and more using body. Sometimes, we treat our body like a pig treats its body. A pig, after it is washed, it will literally gets itself dirty again and again.

D. Conclusion

- Do you see how precious and important are you in the sight of God? Do you still want to sin with your body, mind and soul?

What is the big deal about Jesus changes water into wine?

2010-05-18T23:53:00.000+08:00

16th May, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

John 2:1-12

Main Idea: Water is changed to wine revealed the glory of Jesus.

Objectives: a). To teach that miracle always reveals the glory of Jesus. b). To challenge the congregation to do the mission that Jesus has done on earth.

A. Introduction

- I believe we are all attracted by miracles. We believe in miracles, otherwise, we cannot be here praying to God in the name of Jesus and listening to sermons and worshipping God. We believe in the miracles of the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of Jesus, for example.

- For us Christians, as disciples of Jesus, all miracles must lead us to believe in God in the person of Jesus and obey Him and He is glorified.

- By no means, miracle performers are glorified. If we do so, then, we face the danger of making a person God/ deify a person/ make a person deity. This is against the first and second commandments.

- Let us take a close look at the miracle of Jesus changes water into wine and how it glorifies Him.

B. The first powerful miracle of Jesus – Changes water into wine.

- The context was a Jewish wedding feast. It was a custom even among poor people because the guests brought gifts, including provisions. Jesus and his disciples would have been viewed as family for this purpose. However, they had no gifts to bring along. That would have caused Jesus’ mother, Mary to draw his attention to the situation. It was hardly a plea for a miracle, but he had some responsibility for it, and surely he could do something to meet it!

- Jesus’ reply was in verse 4, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?...”My time has not yet come.” This is probably Jesus also shares his mother’s concerns. And here, the hour refers to his task of bringing the kingdom of God, which will climax in his death and resurrection. The work of bringing God’s kingdom has been given by his Father, and the Father alone can determine when it begins, not his mother.

- The instrument used in meeting the need of wine is clearly significant in a Jewish setting. Jars of water originally designed for the purpose of ritual cleansing for people who come to the wedding feast, now, after Jesus prayed over them, they become jars of wine for the purpose of celebrating the mercies of God. Among the holy, pious Jews, wine was almost exclusively used for religious purposes.

- As I meditate on the passage, I asked the question, “What is the big deal about Jesus changes water into wine?” The answer is found in verse 11, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

- What is the big deal? The miracle of changes water into is to manifest the glory of Jesus. This great account of the first display of glory of Jesus by miraculously providing enough wine in an embarrassing situation may point to the full salvation that Jesus come to bring. As people were distressed from the situation of embarrassment, from no wine, John, the author wanted to use the provision of wine to testify for Christ’s saving mission in the world. This, Jesus knew right from the beginning. And He focused on it and he even used this miracle to show it.

- Please take note that the result of the miracle, the wine, is for everybody, all the peoples who come to the wedding feast. The wine here symbolizes the kingdom of God, the eternal life, which Jesus offers is for everybody. Eventually, this eternal life is made known to Nicodemus in Chapter 3.

C. Applications

- Let us not just become amazed by this miracle, by all means, let it impacts our life.

- Firstly, you can see that miracles have their godly purpose. A miracle that is performed by God must glorify Him, not any other human being. This is our Christian theology. It must always draw people to God in the person of Jesus, especially salvation in Christ. In this wine miracle, verse 11 says, “…Jesus disciples put their faith in him.” Otherwise, all miracles will remain as mere satisfaction of our human desire for entertainment, not more than a cinema show!

- Secondly, the wine miracle shows that Jesus is glorified in order to show mission in this world. He showed the miracle to demonstrate God’s power in providing salvation. Right from the beginning, he had this mission in his mind. He is full of strong sense of mission. All his miracles recorded and not recorded point all human beings to salvation in God; get people to worship God; get people to become disciples of Jesus. Will the choir presentation; choir ministry which we want to begin again show people the path to God; salvation in God?

- The wine miracle must help us to be like Jesus to be full of strong sense of missions on earth. Do you live for Jesus sense of mission on earth? If you do, you will great transformation in life. If you live for yourself, and yourself only, you will have no answers for your problems of selfishness, greed, hatred, anger, etc.

- Thirdly, “your life can change water into wine.” I put this sentence in quote and unquote. What it means is this, our lives can impact others life as hold dear the mission of Jesus to your heart. As you sacrifice for Jesus, people will be impacted by your life, as you give yourself to others. As you give yourself to others, you become a miracle, you change water into wine.

D. Conclusion

- Can all that you achieve in life be attributed to Jesus? If so, you are a miracle.

Accountable Parents Raise Accountable Kids

2010-05-03T12:47:00.004+08:00

2nd May, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Ephesians 5: 31

Main Idea: To be accountable to our children

Objective: To teach the congregation to use their life example to impart in their children’s life the character of accountability.

A. Introduction.

- Today I do not preach as if I am there and I already master the subject. I am very much working towards it.

- Do you find any trouble in getting your children to tidy up their rooms; throw the garbage; clean dishes and plates after eating; getting them to do their homework; training them to put back the items used, etc?

- This is actually to do with responsibility, also called accountability.

- However, it is a great character for the practice of our life. It is not popular among our children. It is easier to do your own things and not have to answer to anyone. But that is not how life works.

- Without accountability, society would be chaotic. Without accountability, homes can degenerate into chaos. Many have this problem because a family member refuses to act responsibility toward the rest of the family.

- My sermon title this morning (evening) is accountable parents raise accountable kids. Can you be accountable to your children in order to use yourself as an example to train them to be accountable, as a character?

- The bible teaches us on the value and character of accountability.

B. Accountability involves submission and obedience.

- I agree with Josh McDowell and Dick Day in their book, “How to be a hero to your kids” that says, “Accountability is closely associated with 2 biblical concepts of submission and obedience. “ If I am willing to be accountable, that means I am humble enough to submit to others and obey, please or serve them. This is our reverence for Christ.

- Apostle Paul listed ways to live a lifestyle of being filled with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” It is so spiritual, God fearing to be submissive to others. It is very spiritual to be accountable to others. It is a godly character.

- Becoming accountable and responsible is a crucial part of growing up and becoming a mature, balanced human being.

- To be accountable means submitting to others and ministering to their needs rather than always being worried about your own need.

- It takes a secure person who knows he is accepted, a person who feels significant because he has been show genuine appreciation. If we accept and appreciate our kids they can learn to be accountable.

- So, can you be accountable to your kids? The best way to teach accountability to your children is through your example. It is not them in charge and you have to be under them. It is about being humble and submissive enough to give your children permission to call you to account when you act in an unloving, irresponsible manner.

- Yes, they may not be always fair in what they think is “unloving,” and they may often see things from their child’s point of view, but making yourself accountable to your children provides an invaluable bridge of communication between the 2 of you. As your child or whoever you look after, watches you be accountable, he will learn to be accountable. You and I need to do effective role modeling before our children or those who are under us.

- My wife reminds me of my promise to my children and holds me accountable. My children observes it and learn. She reminds me not to promise something to my children and later I cannot fulfill it. Unless I am very sure it is going to happen, otherwise, do not say anything to promise.

C. Kids aren’t afraid to hold you accountable.

- My kids hold me accountable for what I do and say. I told them to practice orderliness in making beds and tidy up their room. There was one time I did not do my job, and I ask them to do it. They reply that I had not done either. They hold me accountable. I have to do it. I still struggle on this and sometimes I forget to do it.

- Every Monday, as long as I am around, my kids hold me accountable to bring one person out for special appointment. Praise the Lord most of the times I make it and I teach them accountability. Dad is responsible for what he says.

D. Good intentions don’t automatically become reality.

- However, how do I deal with the question of how can be a father, a husband, who is supposed to the head of the family, the leader in the family, and at the same time, be subjected myself to my wife and children.

- I believe I am a servant-leader who is strong, matured and humble enough to say to my wife and children, “I want you to hold me accountable.”

E. Accountability and role-modeling go together.

- Brothers and sisters, as you are accountable to your children or children who are under you, then, you are providing a very good example to your children or children who are under you. You may be a grandmother, an auntie, an uncle, a teacher, etc. You are in a position to influence the children who are under you for Christ as you give good modeling to them through your accountability.

F. Being accountable makes discipline easier.

- Being accountable to your kids or those kids who are under you, may put you in some tight spots, but it also lays groundwork for following through with discipline when it really counts.

- Because through your accountability, they really know that you are close with them and love them, you earn their respect; they will take your discipline positively.

- As I am accountable to my children, and when I ask them to say sorry to one another in the family, they do it. By the way, I also say sorry to my children to my wife and children. Nowadays, we practice like this: one has to say, “I am sorry and the other has to say, I forgive you.” This is to make sure each one of us mean it from our heart. We learn from Rev Thomas Lau.

G. Being accountable takes humility and patience.

- As you humble yourself in accountability, you need to be patient also with one another. And your family will grow in relationships and your family will be happy.

- Do you owe an apology to your family? Have you failed in anyway in your accountability to each of them? Have you been humble and patient with your children and wife and husband or those kids under you?

H. Conclusion.

- I pray that you will realize the big deal about accountability.

- If you are practicing it is your reverence for Jesus. It is living according to the word of God.

- It is a great character.

Train a child in the way he should go

2010-04-26T08:07:00.001+08:00

25th April, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Proverbs 22:6

Main idea: Train a child to fear God

Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to give priority to train a child to fear God. b. To challenge the congregation to train a child in his or her characters.

A. Introduction

- How challenging is it to nurture (or disciple) your children? Some of you may face babies or young children who used to get sick and you became very anxious; children who have behavioral problems like computer games addiction; watching pornography; stealing; lying; cheating; not respecting people; wasting money; disability to appreciate what has been done for their good; fighting with others in school or even in Sunday school; do not realize the importance of education and character development though you try to discipline and train them, etc. Your children may have kept disobeying you? As you look back, do you ask what has gone wrong?

- Let me preach to you this morning (evening) that it is because of the major reason that we have given wrong things to a child. We have given so many things like computer games, education. Clothing, food and nutrition, best comfort, best school and the best facility, etc, but we have either fail to train our children in the way they should go or we neglect to train them in the way they should go.

- Brothers and sisters, we can be successful in our careers, we may live in comfortable homes and driving nice cars, but if our children (the next generation) are not trained in the way they should go, we will have no peace, harmony at home; we may not enjoy our old age.

- Please do not misunderstand me. It is not a burden to be parents and therefore, you do not want become parents. It is a privilege given by God to be parents. Family with children is God’s idea and it is instituted by God.

- Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

B. How to train a child in the way he should go?

- What is the meaning of training here? Training means you need to be dedicated and committed to repeat over and over again what is right, it may repeating an action, an attitude, a idea, a pattern of thinking or behavior, etc. Now, remember, these repetitions are for the purpose of doing the right things or the truths. For Christians, we say, to do what God desires us to do in the Bible. And this is everything to do with the next phrase, in the way.

- What is the way? The right way, the way of wisdom (Proverbs 4:11 ‘I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.’), not children’s way.

- When you train your children in right way, then, proverbs, you equip your children throughout his life or her life that he or she will always stick to doing the right things. Of course, until old age, he will not depart from it.

C. Applications

- For us Christians, we have the bible in our hands; it is a privilege for us to own it. It is the authority and basis of how we train a child he should go. The bible says we must train our children to fear God/ honor God/ obey God. How? I find that there is a lot homework to do. This is the homework and the constant challenge.

- Proverbs 3:5,6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your won own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.’ Can you train your children to do it? To fear God like that?

- The second point of application is the right way is the way of characters. As you train your children to form the concept of fear of God in his life, you must show him how this God whom he fears is expressed in his life. How God in the person of Jesus is shown in his life? How his life reflect Jesus? It has to be the godly characters. And these characters building like responsibility, love, honesty, compassion, boldness, patience, obedience, humility, etc, really take time and it is a long process. We need the filling of the holy spirit to do it. You need to do a lot of modeling.

- You need to spend time with them in order to bring across the fear of God and do character building.

- Listen to this powerful illustration of an axe cutter to show you how we must prepare our children to face the sinful world and stand up for Jesus and become His strong disciples. It shows the importance of training our children to be God fearing and in character building. This wood cutter can use an axe to produce the maximum numbers of trees he cut everyday. From the start, it is 100 trees everyday. After a while, the production decreases to 20, 30 and 10. He is fired from his job. He wanted to kill himself and but he met a sage, a holy man, a wise man. This wise man just laughed and laughed at him, telling him not to be so stupid to get suicide, but he just need to find out the reason for the decrease in production. The answer is because he has not sharpened the axe, the tool.

- As your children are facing the world, have you given them a sharp axe in the form a godly character, God fearing and with all godly characters? Do not think that education along will make the axe sharp enough.

~~D. Conclusion~~

- Are you convinced to train your children to fear God and build up in his godly characters.

How to live as husbands and wives (Family value, series 1)

2010-04-22T01:02:00.000+08:00

18th April, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

1Peter 3:1-7

Main Idea: Fear God in your marriage

Objectives: a. To challenge husbands and wives to fear God in their marriage. b. To teach husbands and wives how to treat one another.

A. Introduction

- For those of you who are married, have you faced any challenges in your marriage? Any disagreements? Any tensions? Any Frustrations? Any hurts?

- You may be seeking answers to your challenges and you may find that you face deadlock. You do not seem to find a way out and some of you may think of ending your marriage.

- If your marriage is very good and happy, then, I must congratulate you and you may like to share with others in small groups and in other occasions. You must especially witness about your marriage in front of other people.

- Today, we are embarking on a passage out of only a few marriage passages in the bible. I pray that it will inspire you to be better wives and husbands.

- Let us see what 1Peter 3:1-7 tells us how to live together as husbands and wives.

B. Wives, be submissive to your husbands (verse 1)

- This passage on marriage is very much in the context of Chapter 2. What has been said by Apostle Peter there affects the present passage. Especially in 2:13, 14, Peter urged the readers, for the sake of God, to submit themselves to every authority instituted among men, namely the king, supreme authority, governors, etc.

- That is why in verse 1 here chapter 3, Peter says, “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands…” You see the submission done in the context of submitting to authorities instituted in those days.

- Now, please do not misunderstand the passage as encouraging you to get married with non-Christians. The context at that was such that there were Christian wives who were converted to Christianity and then, they had to face their unbelieving husband.

- Their submission to their husbands was made very challenging because the common practice in that society was for wives to follow the husband’s religion. Now, Peter really addressed this issue.

- He teaches them to submit to their husbands who do not believe in the instruction of God’s word. How the wives were to do it? It was an uphill task. The answer is not to verbally preach to them and won them over to Christianity. It was done through the behavior of the wives, as taught in verse 1b, “…they may be won over without words by he behavior of their wives,…”

- The submission of the wives through behavior would help their husbands to see their purity and reverence to their God (verse 2). They should not emphasize outward appearance like braided hair and wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes (verse 3). Instead, they should emphasize the inner self beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight (verse 4).

- Why? It is because the holy women the past like Sarah who put their hope in God submitted to their husband and do what is right and do not give way to fear (verses 5, 6). Now, from these 2 verses, you see that the Christian wives are not to submit to their husbands that they need to embrace the husbands’ religion. Otherwise, apostle Peter cannot use the example of Sarah, who fear God. What they need to do now is to respect the husbands for their belief and the same time, they need to prove to their all the godly characters like purity, reverence, not emphasizing outward wear, be gentle and quiet in spirit, and they would do fine.

- I can see that what apostle demands of Christian wives at the time and also very today is this: in wives, there must be a strong sense of fear of God. Otherwise, you cannot understand why he asks wives to be submissive to husbands (for it is commanded by God to submit to authorities), to be pure and reverent, and to be gentle and quiet in spirit. All these characters point wives Godward, fear God/ respect God/ honor God. Is this also relevant for today?

C. Husbands, be considerate as you live with your wives (verse 7).

- Then, the instruction for the husband is very brief. I can understand why it is such a short paragraph. For if a husband is already a Christian, then, it is not so much of an issue because the norm of the society is for the wives to follow the husband’s religion.

- However, if the wives are not Christians yet, the husbands cannot force her to accept his religion also, as he instruction says that husbands need to treat their wives with respect as the weaker partners. They are supposed to be co-heirs of God’s salvation in the eternal life. As husband respect their wives as a weaker partner, then, the husbands will not be hindered in prayers. In his worship and belief of God, service for Jesus.

- Again, like the Christian wives, Christian husbands who treat their wives with respect, Peter similarly brought out the point that they must fear God in their marriage. They respect their wives because God desires theme to do so.

- I strongly believe that as husbands and wives fear God, no matter how we are challenged in our marriage, there is going to be a way out.

D. Applications

- How wives submit to their husbands? How do you fear God in your marriage? I strongly feel that all our problems of submission have to do with our sin of self-centeredness. It can be the problem of husband and wife. If you are willing to go to God with self-centeredness with lots of prayer and seeking God for a way out, as you fear God by obeying His commands in the bible, you will let go and you will submit to your husbands.

- How husbands are considerate towards their wives and respect them as weaker partner? How do you fear God in your marriage? Why husbands do not respect their wives, not love them? Again, it can be deal to self-centeredness of both sides. Can you deal with that sin by producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit? When you do so, of course you will love and respect your wives.

E. Conclusion.

- You see why I keep emphasizing fearing God in your marriage. You need to keep telling yourself, in God’s word, He expect you to do this and that.

Are You Alive To God In Christ?

2010-04-06T21:25:00.001+08:00

4^th April, 2010

Romans 6:1-14

Main Idea: Be A Living Disciple of Jesus

Objectives a. To teach that disciples of Jesus cannot go on sinning against God. b. To teach the congregation on to be alive to God in Christ.

A. Introduction

- Have you ever kept on sinning against God in the person of Jesus? You know it is wrong, you just keep doing it.

- You can be doing it just because you always have Jesus to forgive your sins. After all, Jesus is very forgiving. You reason with yourself, you are not a perfect person, you sin first, and then, Jesus will definitely forgive you as He promises in the bible. And so, some Christians have the mindset that on Monday to Saturday, they take their liberty to sin against Jesus and they believe that however much the sin is, on Sunday, once they ask for forgiveness of their sins, all their sins are cleansed.

- This is exactly the practical issue of holiness that apostle Paul is dealing with in today’s passage.

- That is why he ask the question in verse 1, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

B. Shall we go on sinning?

- Apostle Paul immediately gives the answer in verse 2, “By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” He is really telling Christians can no longer live in sin. How can you as a Christian sin against Jesus habitually from Monday to Saturday?

- He justifies his answer with the following verses in the passage. It is eye opening and there is great learning and reminder for all of us today in this Easter. Through verses 3 to 4 he teaches that the readers then and of course all of us today since we are baptized into Christ’s death, we are now buried with Him. And now, we are raised from the dead through the glory of the Father and now we can live a new life.

- A Christian, after being converted, after going through baptism, he now must live a new life, a different life from before his conversion. He is no more the same person as before, who had no power over sin, who sinned against God all the time. Now, let us from verses 5 to 10, how Paul explains about the new life, new creation in us as a Christian.

- As Paul explains in detail about the implications of baptism, he says in verse 5 that when we are baptized in Christ, in His death, we are also united with Him in His resurrection. This resurrected life, new life, is a life where our old self, the life before conversion, which was crucified with Christ. Now, this new life, new body is no more a slave to sin. If you, after conversion, you still habitually sin against Jesus from Monday till Saturday, and you expect Jesus to forgive on Sunday, then, I like to question your conversion. Was it a genuine conversion? Because a new life in Christ is no longer a slave to sin. Because in verse 7, it says, anyone who has died in Christ and buried with Christ has been freed from sin.

- So, Paul now emphasizes that this new life has Christ who rose from the dead is now living in a Christian. And this Christ who died once for our sin will not die again, He died to sin once for all. Paul is really teaching that since this resurrected Christ is now living in us, He gets us to live unto God.

- The powerful Christ who overcomes death and sin, the resurrection power of God is now in us, can we now choose to continue to live in sin. Paul’s answer is strictly no.

- That is why in verse 11, he says, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Once you have the resurrected Christ in you, you have the resurrection power (the power which raised Jesus from the dead), you will choose to live a new life, you will be alive to God in Christ. You will have all the power to overcome your sinfulness.

- Then, Paul goes on to show his readers and all of us today how we can be alive to God in Christ today in verses 12 to 14. Now, before I go into the details of how to be alive to God in Christ, you must remember that I keep telling you that Paul says the resurrected Christ is living you and so I keep telling you that the resurrection power that caused Jesus to rise from dead is also in you. With this resurrected Christ living in you, any temptations that come along, do you believe you overcome them or not?

- No wonder, Paul can remind you and me in verse 12, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desire.” If his readers had no means to overcome temptations and sins, Paul could not teach that.

- Not to mention verse 13, “Do not offer the parts of body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life…” But now, in later part of verse 13 he is able to say, “…and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” How can this be done, because of the resurrected Christ, who is living, who has the resurrection power.

- Of course now, sin cannot be our master as Paul says in verse 14. As we are under the forgiving grace of Christ, not law, where we have to hard to obey the law.

- I can read and understand from verses 12 to 14 that we ourselves to exercise our will power, as Paul reminds us, “… do not let sin reign in your mortal body… Do not offer the parts of your body to sin… offer yourselves to God…offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” All these words and phrases show that we need to use our willpower to choose to be righteous, only the resurrection power becomes effective in us.

- This is how you can be live in God in Christ.

- With explanation of the text today, may I preach in the same of Jesus Christ to you that if you choose to continue to sin against Jesus from Monday till Saturday, then, on Sunday, you expect Jesus to forgive you sins again and again, then, you are proclaiming to the whole world, to the people around you, your loved ones, relatives, your colleagues, your neighbors, etc, your Christ is dead. Your Christ is not relevant to your life at all; your Christ cannot save you from your sin; your Christ is not a living God; your Christ is your slave who is made to forgive your sin at your command; and the most scary implication is this: YOU ARE YOUR OWN GOD AT THE CENTRE OF YOUR LIFE, YOU ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN JESUS IN YOUR LIFE!

- If we sin against God habitually all the time, we end up we are all the time we are the ones who crucify all the time and we do not want Him to resurrect!

C. Applications

- Let us do some very serious applications now with the above teaching of Paul on how to be alive to God in Christ.

- (1). To be alive to God in Christ, you need to exercise your will power to do God’s word and at the same time you need to be empowered by the Spirit of Christ (the resurrected Christ); (Romans 8:5-11). God does not force you to do the righteous. If so, He should have made you to be a robot. He gives you the freewill to choose the right thing. When you choose the wrong path, way, ideas, sins, etc, you suffer the consequences. That is universal truth. But when you need to choose the right paths, choose to do His will and you encounter difficulties, you have the resurrection power of Christ, you have the Christ living in you to help you. Let us read Romans 8:5-11. You see the spirit of Christ help you to overcome sin?

- (2). To be alive to God in Christ, you need to be like a living fish in the sea; not a dead fish, a salted fish. We are all living in a fallen world, a sinful world. But we can be a most powerful disciple of Jesus with the Christ who lives in us and we can choose a life that is not sinful like the rest of the sinful world. We can be like a living fish living in a salty sea, without being salty. Only with the help of the living Christ, resurrected Christ living us in helping us to overcome sin and temptation. Unlike a dead fish, a dead Christian, who has no Christ in him, of course, now, salt, the sin of the world can now enter his body and become salted, sinful. Brothers and sisters, without the empowerment and presence of the resurrected Christ in you, you become a dead salted sinful Christian/ fish.

D. Conclusion

- You need to constantly prove to the world, the people around you wherever you go that you are alive to God in Christ. Can you now see why Jesus matters so much to you?