Watch Out for the Seeking Faith

Luke 5:18-20

18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 

Too often, churches nowadays are becoming exclusive and isolated to the real world as they create and build themselves with their services and ministries. We want to make sure we are always the first to glance the beauty of our God where we want to surround the church in every place we can fit in and leaving no space for others to even squeeze themselves just to have a look of Jesus. We think mostly that we are the first to be called and so we must always the first to lead. We all loved to be in the front row, especially if an opportunity to witness an awesome Broadway play, to lead a project in our workplaces, to be the best in our talents, to be recognised, and there is no difference in the church services and ministries.

How about the seekers? How they will find Jesus if people surrounding Him is blocking their way in? Are we so exclusive that others can't join us? Or are we thinking that we are far righteous than anyone who does not belong to our church. God has a reminder to us in Luke 5:18-20 that people of seeking faith will find their way in no matter what. It somehow can be referred to the saying that "if there is a will, there is a way." However, he wants us to give ways and space easier for people to access Jesus as that is the very first step for every seeker to know Him. Without such, it is difficult for us to bring the lost souls to Him.

Any doctrinal traditions, norms, and practices should not be enforced immediately to anyone entering the church to know more of Christ. The core belief is important, however, it should allow to be questioned when necessary as it will speak for itself if true and from God. The most important is that we let our community of believers to allow outside people to immediately access God for repentance and forgiveness where Jesus saving grace has offered, both in active or passive sharing of the Good News of Salvation through Christ, the Messiah. Remember in verse 20, Jesus loves forgiving us as He came to reconcile us back to God in everlasting relationship with Him. 

Always keep the way toward Jesus open at all times as it will reflects our church how welcoming are we for every seeking lost souls with faith. God bless everyone!

Warning to the believers

Luke 13:6-9

6 Then Jesus told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, 'For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?' 8 But the worker answered him, 'Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it.9 Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Jesus parable in Luke 13:6-9 is indeed a warning to all of us who claims to be Christians. We are being nurtured by God's mercy and grace as He shared us His salvation. We are fed in His soil as we continue to live together in His tree, His church. God gave us time to grow and I always believe that He has given us many opportunities as well for us to learn, develop, and accomplish victory with God's favor and blessings. However, God is also looking for ourselves to bear fruits of His kind. 

Jesus, who intercedes us to the Father day and night to spare us from cutting down in his vineyard, shows his unconditional loyal love and kindness. He is very willing to give us another chance to be cultivated and be fed so that we can bear fruits as what God's desires for us. But what fruit is God's desire and how can we be restored in healthy spiritual condition to bear such fruits. Paul gave us a generic fruits that we can have as listed in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." These are the fruits of God's kind. How? Because it simply comes from the Spirit of God. 

Jesus made a promise that after His three-years Ministry here on earth, he will dig into hardened hearts of His people and will release to us The Holy Spirit. Christian should desire to have the Spirit of God to dwell and live together in our daily lives. Only then that we will start to bloom, first in flowers which cloth us with beauty of our increasing faith which is the confidence and assurance of abundant blessings and use them well. In doing so, we will reap the fruits that God is sowing for us which is His Holy Spirit. These gift will be ready in the day you will present yourself to God. Then, He will decide not to cut you down but to keep you up instead. 

God bless everyone!

God exists and He is our Creator

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Many Christians have neglected the power of the first ten words in the Bible which says "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." We simply use or associate these words as the primary reference to the theoretical and theological explanation of creation (creationism) to compete with the theory of evolution. We have a strong belief that these statements are just for mere reference to support our faith in creationism.

These words indeed bear the very nature of our God that He exists prior to his creation and that clearly signified in these words of the Bible. It characterised the omnipresent and transcendent nature of our God and the clear authorship of the created object which bears the concept called trilogy of trilogy. The trilogy of trilogy refers to the object measured in time, space, and matters which interrelated but cannot stand on its own. Time refers to past, present, future. Space refers to length, width, and height. Matters or content refers to solid, liquid, and gas. Every objects bears this vivid measurement which clearly imparted by its author, our God. "In the beginning" - refers to time, "God created the heavens" - refers to space, "and the earth" - refers to matter. 

An object always has the time, space, and matter. If anyone or anything that can separate and stand without the others is indeed the only divine being, whom I believe is our God alone. We cannot measure God's existence, His Glory, and His Love. These are the characters He bears that only He can stand it separately. No one ever knows the time before the beginning, the glory of heavens and love of God to people He created here on earth. With this, we are confident to answer the question of where God came from. As this kind of question is subjective and is not even allowed to ask to our Creator.

Like us who can create things such as computers, we imparted a part of us and let it run by itself. The computer is limited with its designed function and purpose. We do not participate anymore when it runs, unless it is in trouble, we help to fix it. But if we ask the computer where your creator came from? Unless the creator stored such information to it, it will not be answered and probably bug down when it tried so hard to find the answer. However, it can only say proudly, I am created in His image and that is enough from me.

Do not get yourself stuck in this question; our Author has its own rights not to reveal all the mysteries He holds. God existed, exist, and will exist in the manner He wants and no creations are allowed to question it unless He himself revealed it. In John 3:8, Jesus revealed this wisdom too "The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 

God bless you all!

Jesus, The True Word of God

The questioning of the reliability of every word written in the Bible is becoming popular nowadays. It seems to be hard for a person to believe that scriptures written are indeed true or even accurate at the very least, especially now that technologies and science are advancing. This issue is not even new in today's generation, it had existed then in earlier generations, and this notion seems to be widely spreading. God became silent for many years without messages, visions, and words given to any prophets or priests.

And without any voice being heard from God, His past words are being forgotten and sometimes people consider irrelevant. If that period, which is not long enough compare to where we are now in this generation, can doubt about God’s word; How much more in our current generations? God made a promise that He will send a Saviour and that He will restore the broken relationship between man and God. 

Mary, the mother of Jesus on earth, is not an exception to this social dilemma. She even asked the angel who deliver the good news to her of how those news will happen to her as she is not even married to anyone to bear a child. The angel of the Lord simply answered in this way.

Luke 1:35-37

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

God is a spirit, and the Holy Spirit himself when He comes upon us will not only enable us but also empower and qualifies us. God can break his own natural law as He himself created it just to let His plan prevail. He works in words. At a slip of the word in His tongue, the world and man here created. In His word, when relayed through the prophets were happening. If this can be done, what is the reason it will not happen to Mary? The angel of the Lord indeed reminded Mary about God’s power, first, of what happened to her cousin Elizabeth. And second, in verse 37; “for no word from God will ever fail.” 

Jesus who is in the beginning and a Word, has also not failed us. He is the true Bible of God that formed into human to be our salvation. He who listens to Him, understand Him, and put their faith in Him will inherit eternal life with Him. 

God bless us all.

God's Favour is led by His Spirit

Mothers are truly exceptional, no offense to their husbands but they are indeed the only human beings who are capable to bear pain that can almost kill themselves and yet smile after seeing their babies in their arms, who once inside their womb for about nine months. Amazing isn’t it? Surpassing this challenge is indeed a miracle for me, that’s why I salute our mothers out there, my full respect are all yours. I believe mothers can survive impossibilities; they have the ability to accept anything and everything for the sake of their children to be borne and living. They just simply love their kids. 

Mary (the mother of Jesus), on the other hand, has a different case as she bore Jesus in her womb while she was still a virgin. She has not engaged yet in any sexual relation and is about to get married. In that time, that is something to be ashamed of knowing that a young lady was pregnant without a husband yet. But God has a greater plan for her and help her to get out of shame without even suspecting that Jesus is not a son of Joseph but of God. (Read the story in Luke 1:26-38). Mary has found favour from God and has chosen to accept God’s favour to bring in her womb the son of God, Jesus who is now our Saviour. 

Mary’s challenge is not from the time of her acceptance but whether God will be true about His plan. It all started when she finally feel Jesus is actually in her womb and growing, that the plan of God will be taking place. She can make a choice on her pre-natal period to continue or not her pregnancy, but the decision remains to her. And we knew she delivered Baby Jesus safe and healthy. 

We can learn this very important character from Mary, which is the ability to stand firm about the decisions she made. Doubt is inevitable in every choice we take but only FAITH can lead us into action to complete it. There will be many questions that may arise in our heads but may not be answered in real time. This simply adds to our doubts and will keep us away from accepting the call of our God. 

When God is calling us to do a certain task for his ministry, He will show us favour. And where God’s favour is, there His Spirit is as well (v. 28). Since God’s Spirit is within you, His might and power will help you to do His will --- perfectly executed, in precision, and on time (v. 35). Grace is always freely given by God but favour is His gift and His favour that is packaged with His Spirit and everything that it can do and accomplish. But this all start in humbleness and submission like Mary when she accepted it, saying. “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” (v.38). A simple decision (though full of doubts) have changed the world.

God bless you all!

Stillness and Silence - Let God be God in us

Stillness and silence are the two important disciplines that Christian must integrate to themselves as part of their daily walk of faith, in service to our God and to our neighbours in the communion with the Holy Spirit. These two looks to be similar but in reality are completely different in purpose and in need, however, these are very close to each other that both are mostly dependent to each other.

Silence is the practice of being quiet before our God of every inner or outer self-voices and being attentive to His Voice (or Words). Stillness is the practice of releasing our dependence to ourselves and relying solely to God in every aspect of our lives. While we are busy dealing in our lives and the lives with our families and friends, church ministries and activities, social communities, and personal ambitions; we are forgetting to set a time for being quiet and calm especially when the stress levels are high.

God’s invitation in Psalms 46:10, is asking us to trust in Him. He offered peace and refuge to those who find stillness with Him. He allows us to be audible that we can listen to him more clearly of what He wants to do in our lives rather than just occupied by many self-plans in our own lives. He wants to get ownership of us and provide sovereignty in Lordship to us. He simply want to be known as our God.

When was the last time we heard God’s voice? When was the last time we set our trust in Him? Be quiet and be still, let God be God in us!

God bless us all!

Psalm 46 (NIV)

1 God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

2016: Year of Spiritual Momentum

Remembering our church' humble beginning, we actually started as a home church in our Point Cook residence and our very first service, though attended by Narre Warren delegations with a spirit of celebrations, were not more than ten (10) person who were from West Melbourne area. Everyone are really happy to witness this breakthrough in FBGC-IAFB Australia and they were congratulating us as we opened this worship service. However, that was only temporary as the succeeding services were attended only by few and always with the same familiar faces. 

I was then beginning to ask our God, is this really going to progress or not. First, it was planted in a young town of Point Cook, although it is a progressing suburb, there are only few people that we know in this area and to complicates things, everyone of us are amateur in church planting. Second, I am not really an active evangelist although but thank God we have one who are so eager and passionate about his calling as an evangelist. Third, I was just a newly ordained pastor of this church and I am totally clueless of how to lead our Church. Lastly, our pioneering members are indeed newly converts.

I keep on praying to God and asking Him for more wisdom and fresh revelation of His Word that at least in ministering to His people, they will remain and continue to their faith and be equipped as we continue to build God's church in this area. Four months after, our place of worship were moved from our home to one of the Community Room in Featherbrook Community Centre and seven months later occupied the whole centre. And Now, a month before our First Anniversary; here is the ministry of God, remain standing and still growing from less than 10 persons, God draws more souls to Jesus and our strength increases 500 percent to 45-50 including the children. Indeed, the younger people are outnumbering the adults which gives me a vision that God is continuously blooming his vineyard in FBGC Point Cook.

I was reminded by Apostle Paul in his epistle at 1 Cor 7:20 when he wrote that "Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them." Our branches is rooted not in our own works but to Vine of God, our Lord Jesus, that as we keep Him to be the Core of our Faith as a church, He will take care of us and the rest of what our church needs. Instead of missing the joy in serving our God, why we don't simply enjoy it and focus in wholehearted service to the Lord while He continue to equip ourselves in preparation for the higher level of service in His ministry. He can bring us to anywhere He want whether we like it or not. It may look like difficult to grow, but with Jesus, this fear will be overcome by His abundant love.

As we face the new year with a new theme of Year of Spiritual Momentum, let us continue the work of God's hand in our lives not only in our church but also to our daily lives. Last year was a Spiritual Breakthrough and everyone receives our freedom from any bondages of sin through the love of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. And moving forward, we will continue the flame burning in our hearts to do the work of His ministries so that we can glorify our God through the empowering of His Spirit that works within us. I pray to you that "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph3:20-21).

God bless us all!

Follow, Submit and Obey

(Matthew 8:1-4)

1 After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him.

2 And a leper approached, and bowed low before him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

3 He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, "I am willing. Be clean!" Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 Then Jesus said to him, "See that you do not speak to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

When I come across the book of Matthew 8:1-5; it seems to be a very similar, simple, or familiar story from the collections of different stories in the Bible. But as much as I wanted to understand its message, there was a wonderful revelation that comes in my mind. And this story helps me to realize the obedience to God's authority and commands.

Indeed, the story is all about the man who has leprosy but was healed. During that time, the worst and poorest thing that may call a person the most unclean is when you are infected with this kind of disease. You are considered as the most sinful or cursed person during those times. And considering that this man will follow Jesus together with the crowd, he really needs courage to do it as he will definitely be humiliated and embarrassed.

The leper is teaching us that we can follow Jesus, no matter who we are. We all fall short before God's Glory, and none can ever surpass Him. Following Him needs to give some effort. As people gathered in crowd to follow Jesus in the mountain, which represents an obstacle, and so are we. As we look forward to God's glory on top of the mountain, it gives us strength and courage to move forward taking a step little by little until we reach his destination.

Following Jesus, is also imitating him. We allow Him to influence us through His example. Jesus himself set an example of living in righteousness while we are here on earth, therefore, we can also achieve the same. We have to travel the path which He has also taken to reach such holiness even how huge is the obstacles. At the end of the day, you will be on top of your own mountain.

Following Jesus is equally the same as being obedient to Him. But it doesn't stop from there. The leper's desire to approach Jesus is to take the opportunity to commune and converse with God. Its the only way to voice out our heart's content. And it's also our way to understand the will of God. We have to talk to God, we have to approach Him. It is a perfect example that access to God doesn't require anything to offer, nothing but humbleness to move a little step forward and pray. But we have to learn from the leper's prayer. He is seeking the will of God as he wish for healing, he asks for God's will. He seeks for God's purpose and plans before his own plan. He respect the possible answers from God, it could be a Yes or it could be a No.

Was the answer received when the leper was asked for his healing? Yes, and He answered according to his will. If it is God's will, the answer is instant. Immediately, you will receive what you were asking from God if that aligns with God's will. Nothing can stop the perfect will of God, even if it’s impossible. This is what the healing of the leper proves that No one can stop the will of the Lord. But in this scene, the leper asked for the will of God rather than to start asking for his own healing from the beginning of his approach.

And so, the leper received healing. Jesus instantly healed him for his wilful submission to the will of God. After that, Jesus has commanded him to keep it to his self but go to priest and give offering to his temple as his testimony for the goodness of the Lord in him. This is the greatest challenge for everyone, to obey what the Lord has instructed us to do even if it's already as clear as water to understand. The story stops there, I myself, not very sure if he did it. But one thing that reveals to me, that this passage talks to me straight from my heart, that God is a God of chances, of opportunities, and of possibilities. To follow Jesus and His footstep is the beginning, but to obey Him is the testimony of God's great will in our life.

I want to challenge myself and maybe everyone of us, be brave to do the command of God as he continuously bless us, now and the days to come!

God bless you  all!

Remain Where You Are

Remembering our church' humble beginning, we actually started as a home church in our Point Cook residence and our very first service, though attended by Narre Warren delegations with a spirit of celebrations, were not more than ten (10) person who were from West Melbourne area. Everyone are really happy to witness this breakthrough in FBGC-IAFB Australia and they were congratulating us as we opened this worship service. However, that was only temporary as the succeeding services were attended only by few and always with the same familiar faces.

I was then beginning to ask our God, is this really going to progress or not. First, it was planted in a young town of Point Cook, although it is a progressing suburb, there are only few people that we know in this area and to complicates things, everyone of us are amateur in church planting. Second, I am not really an active evangelist although but thank God we have one who are so eager and passionate about his calling as an evangelist. Third, I was just a newly ordained pastor of this church and I am totally clueless of how to lead our Church. Lastly, our pioneering members are indeed newly converts.

I keep on praying to God and asking Him for more wisdom and fresh revelation of His Word that at least in ministering to His people, they will remain and continue to their faith and be equipped as we continue to build God's church in this area. Four months after, our place of worship were moved from our home to one of the Community Room in Featherbrook Community Centre and seven months later occupied the whole centre. And Now, a month before our First Anniversary; here is the ministry of God, remain standing and still growing from less than 10 persons, God draws more souls to Jesus and our strength increases 500 percent to 45-50 including the children. Indeed, the younger people are outnumbering the adults which gives me a vision that God is continuously blooming his vineyard in FBGC Point Cook.

I was reminded by Apostle Paul in his epistle at 1 Cor 7:20 when he wrote that "Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them." Our branches is rooted not in our own works but to Vine of God, our Lord Jesus, that as we keep Him to be the Core of our Faith as a church, He will take care of us and the rest of what our church needs. Instead of missing the joy in serving our God, why we don't simply enjoy it and focus in wholehearted service to the Lord while He continue to equip ourselves in preparation for the higher level of service in His ministry. He can bring us to anywhere He want whether we like it or not. It may look like difficult to grow, but with Jesus, this fear will be overcome by His abundant love.

As we face the new year with a new theme of Year of Spiritual Momentum, let us continue the work of God's hand in our lives not only in our church but also to our daily lives. Last year was a Spiritual Breakthrough and everyone receives our freedom from any bondage of sin through the love of Jesus in all aspects of our lives. And moving forward, we will continue the flame burning in our hearts to do the work of His ministries so that we can glorify our God through the empowering of His Spirit that works within us. I pray to you that "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:20-21).

God bless us all!

Wisdom: Comes From And Brings Down --- Heaven

Our current generation is now living a life affected mostly by the advancement of technologies, which are evolving too fast, dynamic, and influential. We can't deny it in our daily lives, personal, family, work, community, even here in our church. These enhances our living becoming more productive in doing other more important things to do. Moreover, people nowadays are becoming more intellectual, radical, social (at least in Virtual Space).

However, its danger is it also affects our wisdom. The thoughts in the mind reasons purely by what is in the mind injected by our studies, profession, and with these advanced technologies. We tend to equate them as wisdom, therefore, Atheist are now becoming more popular belief in this world. They nullify God because there is no more space left in our brain to know Him. 

Wisdom does not only comes in the mind, if it is, it's purely knowledge or intelligence. Wisdom only comes from our God, he delivered it through our experiences in our lives, through our hearts, and through His Spirit. If we talked spiritual matters to non-spiritual people, we talk non-sense to them. Because first, they are not interested to it as they wanted to occupy their mind with what the world's knowledge has to offer only. Second, they do not want to hear about Jesus and His teachings to trigger convictions to their heart. Lastly, they do not acknowledge a Divine guidance that everything they will do is a decision and action to be executed by themselves alone.

I am reminded in James 3:17 "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." The brother of Jesus who are among the people who doubted Christ when He was advancing His ministry here on earth, are now rebuked when Jesus show Himself alive and being true to about everything He and all the prophets had prophesied. But thank God, James has learned and told us where the wisdom will come from and what it bears. Apart from these categories are merely reasoning of pure intelligence.

We are not ask by God to rebel to anyone who do not believe in Him, indeed, he want us to maintain a good relationship with Him, do good works to them, that for every good things we do will be a slap on their face. Jesus' only desire is for us to preach His word and let it be heard in the ends of the world. But if we do these things, let the Holy Spirit of God lead us and share with us His wisdom. So that when we speak, it will show it purity, love of peace, considerations, submission, mercy, good fruits, justice and sincerity. 

God bless everyone!