the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"

The Heart of the Lord

2011-11-30T17:33:00.001-08:00

When He put two trees in the Garden, He honored them as people of free will but made Himself vulnerable to their bad choices.

"Do you want to carry My heart?"

"Yes Lord, I want to."

"Then you have to first give Me your heart. Will you trust Me with your heart? Will you trust me to protect your heart? Will you make your heart vulnerable? Will you trust Me to not drop your heart, not allow it to be dirtied or hurt?"

"Yes Lord, I want to live with Your heart beating in my chest cavity. Give me the sledgehammer of Love and Truth to break down all the walls i have built around my own heart! I give You my heart!"

Overflowing

2011-06-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

-Acts 5:14-15

When Peter's shadow healed the sick, he didn't do anything other than just passed by. He didn't even pray. Peter just got so full of Holy Spirit that He overflowed.

Your shadow will release whatever overshadows you. - Bill Johnson

Father's Love Letter

2011-05-19T02:21:00.000-07:00

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Abiding Love

2011-05-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

I choose to live in the environment of love.

I choose to live the lifestyle of love.

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. - 1 John 4:17, The Message

Hanging around the throne..

2010-06-21T03:36:00.000-07:00

I realise that the Father do not need His children to do anything for Him. He just want their kids to enjoy being with Him, enjoy His love, having fun.

Then comes a point in time when the kids began to catch their Father's heart and want to run alongside Him in accomplishing His business.

Teach me to work with Him and not for Him. I want to be a child.

When do they get to choose?

2010-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hitler persuaded the German people to destroy more than 6 million Jews in WWII. He convinced them that Jews were not humans and then exterminated them like rats.

Americans enslaved tortured and killed millions of Africans. They were dehumanized so that the American Constitution didnt apply to them and then they were treated worse than animals.

Native American Indians were hunted like wild animals, driven out of their own land, their villages burned, their women raped and their children slaughtered. People were made to believe that Native americans were wild savages, not real human beings and then they were brutalised without any conviction of wrongdoing.

Do we understand how we have persuaded mothers to kill their own babies? We took the word 'fetus', which is the Latin word for 'offspring' and redefined it to dehumanize the unborn. We told mothers, “This is not really a baby you are carrying in your belly, it's a fetus, tissue that suddenly forms into a human beings just seconds before it exits the womb."

In doing so, we were able to assert that in the issue of abortion, there is only one person's human rights to consider and then we convinced mothers that disposing of fetal tissue(terminating the life of their babies) was a woman's right. Our constitution no longer protects the unborn because they are not real people. They are just lifeless blobs of tissue.

Jews, Native Americans, African Americans should be the greatest defenders of the unborn on the planet. After all they know what's it like for society to redefine them so that they can destroy these races. But ironically, they have the highest abortion rates in America. Somebody is still trying to exterminate their people and they don't even realise it. The names have changed but the plot remains the same.

When a pregant woman is murdered, constitution states that it is a double murder. Is there anything else, anywhere else in the world that is defined by the circumstances of its termination rather than the origin of its conception? For instance, imagine running a vehicle into a wall and then if you did it on purpose, call it an iron old mineral deposit but if you did it by accident, call it an automobile. How stupid would it be to classify a vehicle by its termination rather than its conception? The people who need most protection, because they have no voice and no vote, are screaming silently as they are terminated in their mothers' wombs.

The injustice continues when we call those who are pro-abortion, pro-choice. The question isn't whether a woman gets to choose, it's when she gets to choose. In nearly every case, the act of sexual intercourse that resulted in conception was a choice made by a man and a woman, an act of their wills (assault rape pregnancies are extremely rare). But pro-choice advocates insist that conception is something that is caught, a disease, something that couldnt be helped. When does the child's will matter? When do they get to choose?

We owe the world an encounter with God

2010-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

Recognise what God has already given to us...

Most boredness in prayer is due to us praying for things we already have...

We cry out for an outpouring without realising that we are knee-deep in water...

Water attracts water...

Most closed heavens are in between the ears...

Step out in faith with what we already have and we will see an outpouring...

We owe the world an encounter with God.

You don't win them by being legalistic, you win them by loving them.

2009-09-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

He is the God of miracles Part 5

2009-09-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

He is the God of miracles Part 4

2009-09-09T09:06:00.001-07:00

He is the God of miracles Part 3

2009-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

He is the God of miracles Part 2

2009-09-09T09:03:00.001-07:00

He is the God of miracles Part 1

2009-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Welsh Revival

2009-08-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

A century ago Wales experienced the last National Religious Revival, a revival that brought in an extra 100,000 new converts according to the estimates of the time, and a movement that quickly spread to the 4 corners of the World. Yet that great move of the Spirit had very small beginnings. Beginnings that didn’t always involve the great preachers of the day – erudite and educated as they were, but instead included, for instance a young teenager from New Quay, Cardigan – Florrie Evans – who in a youth meeting in February 1904 declared publicly that she loved the Lord Jesus with all her heart. With these words the Spirit seemed to fall on the meeting and the fire quickly spread to other young people in the Cardiganshire area.

In September of the same year, an Evangelist Seth Joshua was addressing a Convention which included these young people at Blaenanerch just 5 miles north of Cardigan. Seth himself had been praying for years that God would raise up a young man from the pits to revive the churches – little did he know that on Thursday September 29th 1904 his prayer was to be answered in a life changing experience for one 26 year old student, Evan Roberts.

For years Evan had been a faithful member of Moriah Calvinistic Methodist church at Loughor, he was a Sunday School Superintendent, a consciencious reader of the main theological works of his day, and more than that he had been praying for revival for over 11 years. Having been converted as a young teenager, he continued to pray regularly that God would visit again the nation in Revival Power. Determined to do his part, he felt compelled to go into the Calvinistic Methodist Ministry and on September 13th 1904 he became a pupil of the Newcastle Emlyn Grammar School to prepare for Trefecca Theological College.

It was only 2½ weeks after arriving that he found himself at Blaenanerch – and at a crossroads in his spiritual experience. A spiritual experience which would lead him back to the young people of his own church Moriah Loughor where he shared his experience and encouraged them to be open to God’s Spirit. Within two weeks the Welsh Revival was national news and before long, Evan Roberts and his brother Dan and his best friend Sidney were travelling the country conducting Revival Meetings and they were meetings with a difference. Meetings which broke the conventional and bi-passed the traditional – often the ministers just sat down unable to preach or even to understand what storm had arrived in their usually sedate temples.

Souls were saved, individual lives were changed and Society itself was changed.

Countless numbers of souls were saved. No records were kept of the actual number converted, but 150,000 is a very conservative estimate during the first six months.

Wales again became a God-fearing nation.

People, thousands of them, were saved. There are men and women still in our churches today whose parents or grandparents' testimonies were that they were converted in the Revival in 1904 or 1905.

Not only were individual lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but whole communities were changed indeed society itself was changed - Wales was again a God-fearing nation.

Public houses became almost empty. Men and women who used to waste their money in getting drunk were now saving it, giving it to help their churches, buying clothes and food for their families. And not only drunkenness, but stealing and other offences grew less and less so that often a magistrate came to court and found there were no cases for him.

Men whose language had been filthy before learnt to talk purely. It is related that not only did the colliers put in a better day's work, but also that the pit ponies turned disobedient! The ponies were so used to being cursed and sworn at that they just didn't understand when orders were given in kind, clean words! The dark tunnels underground in the mines echoed with the sounds of prayer and hymns, instead of oaths and nasty jokes and gossip.

People who had been careless about paying their bills, or paying back money they had borrowed, paid up all they owed. People who had not been friends for a long time because of something that had happened in the past, forgot their quarrels and were happy together again. In fact, Evan Roberts used to say that there could be no blessing on anyone who had unkind thoughts about anyone else.

The Great Moravian Revival

2009-08-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

The Moravian revival of 1727 was thus preceded and then sustained by extraordinary praying. A spirit of grace, unity and supplications grew among them.

On 16 July, many of the community covenanted together on their own accord to meet often to pour out their hearts in prayer and hymns.

On 5 August, the Count spent the whole night in prayer with about twelve or fourteen others following a large meeting for prayer at midnight where great emotion prevailed.

On Sunday, 10 August, Pastor Rothe, while leading the service at Herrnhut, was overwhelmed by the power of the Lord about noon. He sank down into the dust before God. So did the whole congregation. They continued till midnight in prayer and singing, weeping and praying.

On Wednesday, 13 August, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them all. Their prayers were answered in ways far beyond anyone's expectations. Many of them decided to set aside certain times for continued earnest prayer. A Moravian historian wrote that Church history abounds in records of special outpourings of the Holy Ghost, and verily the thirteenth of August 1727, was a day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We saw the hand of God and His wonders, and we were all under the cloud of our fathers baptized with their Spirit. The Holy Ghost came upon us and in those days great signs and wonders took place in our midst. From that time scarcely a day passed but what we beheld His almighty workings amongst us. A great hunger after the Word of God took possession of us so that we had to have three services every day, viz. 5.0 and 7.30 a.m. and 9.0 p.m. Every one desired above everything else that the Holy Spirit might have full control. Selflove and self-will, as well as all disobedience disappeared and an overwhelming flood of grace swept us all out into the great ocean of Divine Love.

No one present could tell exactly what happened on that Wednesday morning, 13 August 1727 at the specially called Communion service. They hardly knew if they had been on earth or in heaven.

Count Nicholas Zinzendorf, the young leader of that community, gave this account many years later:
We needed to come to the Communion with a sense of the loving nearness of the Saviour. This was the great comfort which has made this day a generation ago to be a festival, because on this day twenty-seven years ago the Congregation of Herrnhut, assembled for communion (at the Berthelsdorf church) were all dissatisfied with themselves. They had quit judging each other because they had become convinced, each one, of his lack of worth in the sight of God and each felt himself at this Communion to be view of the noble countenance of the Saviour. O head so full of bruises, So full of pain and scorn. In this view of the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, their hearts told them that He would be their patron and their priest who was at once changing their tears into oil of gladness and their misery into happiness. This firm confidence changed them in a single moment into happy people which they are to this day, and into their happiness they have since led may thousands of others through the memory and help which the heavenly grace once given to themselves, so many thousand times confirmed to them since then .

Zinzendorf described it as 'a sense of the nearness of Christ' given to everyone present, and also to others of their community who were working elsewhere at the time.
The congregation was young. Zinzendorf, the human leader, was 27, which was about the average age of the group.

On 26 August, twentyfour men and twentyfour women covenanted together to continue praying in intervals of one hour each, day and night, each hour allocated by lots to different people.

On 27 August, this new regulation began. Others joined the intercessors and the number involved increased to seventyseven. They all carefully observed the hour which had been appointed for them. The intercessors had a weekly meeting where prayer needs were given to them.

The children, also touched powerfully by God, began a similar plan among themselves. Those who heard their infant supplications were deeply moved. The children's prayers and supplications had a powerful effect on the whole community

That astonishing prayer meeting beginning in 1727 went on for one hundred years. It was unique. Known as the Hourly Intercession, it involved relays of men and women in prayer without ceasing made to God. That prayer also led to action, especially evangelism. More than one hundred missionaries left that village community in the next twentyfive years, all constantly supported in prayer.

walking on water

2009-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Water longs to be walked on again and i long to walk on water. To do the impossible, to see the impossible being done, to live a life of faith.

I don't want to just read the Bible but to live in the Bible, to see the Bible unfolding before my very eyes, the dead raised, blind see, lame walk, deaf hear, demons cast out, whole nations saved!

Jesus promised greater works and greater works i want to see. Cancer must be broken off people's lives, food must be multiplied to feed the poor and hungry. Revival must come to whole cities and nations!

Life is too short to be mundane and predictable.

4 Keys to Empowering Youth To Move In The Supernatural

2009-08-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

By Ps Banning Liebscher

Many pastors long to see their youth and young adults walk in power, healing and the prophetic, especially outside the church. No longer satisfied to build traditional youth ministries, they are stirred to impact their cities and regions. They long to see nearby campuses saturated in God’s glory, lives surrendered to Jesus and a culture reflecting the kingdom of God. For this vision to become a reality, however, they usually need a different set of tools. That’s why one of the most frequent questions I get from youth pastors is: “How can I release the supernatural in my ministry?”

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus makes it clear that one of the main keys to seeing God’s glory invade a city is a people shining their light—o those around encounter their works. That word works isn’t referring to everyday deeds, but rather what Jesus demonstrated throughout His ministry as the sick were healed, dead raised, lame walked and blind received sight. As we manifest God’s
power by laying hands on the diseased, prophesying over the broken and radically loving the lonely, our light will blaze through the darkness.

If we’re going to empower young people to transform cities and campuses for Jesus, our methods must move beyond holding events to equipping lifestyles. As grateful as I am for the testimonies of the supernatural at our conferences, I’m only truly satisfied when I see these encounters multiply in and through the lives of the attendees when they return home. Though we’re still learning every day how to do this, here are a few keys we’ve discovered along the way that are especially pertinent to pastors.

1. Demonstrate God’s extravagant love. Healing, prophetic ministry, and signs and wonders are all extremely exhilarating. It’s an amazing experience when you lay hands on someone with scoliosis and watch as his back literally straightens out. As healings and prophecy begin to flow, however, it’s just as crucial that we contend for love toremain the core reason and motivation for ministering in power. Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith works through love. Faith to demonstrate the power of God flows through love. The kingdom we represent is founded in love, and we are called to display it not only in word, but also in power (see 1 Cor. 4:20). Signs and wonders are to point people toward a greater reality: the extravagant love of God. If we don’t equip our youth and young adults to ground their walk in love, healing becomes just another fad that’s temporarily fun, but with no lasting effect.

2. Teach that the anointing is for everyone. Whether your spiritual hero is John G. Lake, Oral Roberts or Kathryn Kuhlman, know that that same level of anointing is available to all who are hungry for it. My senior pastor, Bill Johnson, describes it this way: “God gives certain individuals a ‘spike’ in human experience, not so they can merely gather people around themselves to minister to them, but that they would be positioned with favor to equip the saints, so that their ‘high point’ becomes the new norm.” The anointing is available for everyone—young and old, extrovert and introvert, new and mature Christian. And as pastors, it’s a matter of nurturing that anointing when we ...

3. Make room. Our young people must be given the opportunity to step out in the anointing. Whether it’s having them pray for one another during a meeting or on their campuses, they need frequent opportunities to experience this reality. At our church we intentionally make room for the supernatural. In every service we pray for the sick and expect miracles. We have this same focus with the youth ministry, where my leaders and I model it and do it with the youth. We regularly give part of every meeting for words of knowledge, healing prayer, prophetic opportunities, etc.

I encourage you to reassess your agenda and rearrange your schedule to offer as many occasions as possible for your young people to lay hands on those in need of a physical healing. The more you make room for it in their lives, the more it will happen naturally elsewhere and become a lifestyle.

4. Develop a culture of risk. Recently a group of university students were frustrated by their lack of breakthroughs in seeing healing. These young adults were passionately “pressing in” to see healing, but never actually “stepping out” to pray for people. They were crying out for God to move—but they weren’t moving! Their mindset was one I see frequently: “If we persevere long enough in prayer, God’s anointing will surely fall from heaven and we’ll obtain results.” Although I firmly believe we need to reach for a greater anointing, we each have an anointing to minister supernaturally available right now. But it requires us to position ourselves to take risks. When you’re faithful with what you currently have, the Lord entrusts you with more. As leaders we are responsible for nurturing a ministry environment that both encourages and necessitates risk. In the midst of their insecurities, students thrive when we come alongside and call out the greatness in them as they take risks in the supernatural. If we expect young people to take such risks outside the walls of the church, we must give them opportunities inside the church to develop. And as they learn to venture out within in a safe environment, their
confidence grows in public.

For example, train your young people in healing and the prophetic, and then push them to give words of knowledge or prophesy over their peers. When someone needs healing, ask your students to pray for the person. They might be scared and nervous, but stand with them and champion their courage.

You’ll likely find that many are afraid to fail. This is one of the main reasons why many youth and young adults never see God’s power demonstrated in their lives. They are frozen by the thought, “What if I step out and nothing happens?” This fear must be overcome. Strengthen them to conquer this fear.

Many times the results we seek are on the other side of persistence. I’ve heard that John Wimber prayed for 1,000 people before he saw his first breakthrough in healing. The more young people take risks and God shows up in answer to their prayers, the more they will mature into expressing a supernatural lifestyle.

Banning Liebscher is the director of Jesus Culture, Youth Ministry of Bethel Church at Redding, California, along with his wife, SeaJay.

Yay God!!

2009-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

What a glorious day!

Well, it depends on how you see it. I think it's glorious.

The depth of what the Lord has done for us on the cross.

The depth of His redemption.

The depth of His restoration.

The depth of His love, grace and mercy.

The depth of His victory.

It's so fulfilling when you see the life changed:

"today i feel such a release and i feel different. my mother ask me how come i am different today."

To use the words of Austin, "I CANNOT TAKE IT!!!"

Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!

The revival that never ends.

2009-06-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

A young woman is Redding, California, saw herself in the arms of the Father in a vision. She saw the Heavenly Father reading a book. The Father asked her, "Do you want to know what I'm reading?" She said, "Yes!" The Father said, "I am reading the book on revivals. Do you want me to read to you?" She said, "Yes!" He said, "What would you like for Me to read?" She said, "Read to me about the revival of the 2000s, not the 1800s or 1900s!" The Father said, "Oh! You mean the one that never ended?"

Poverty

2009-06-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

There's a power in poverty that breaks principalities
And brings the authorities down to their knees
There's a brewing frustration and ageless temptation
To fight for control by some manipulation
But the God of the kingdoms and the God of the Nations
The God of creation sends His revelation
Through the homeless and penniless Jesus the son
The poor will inherit the Kingdom to come
Where will we turn when our world falls apart
And all of the treasures we've stored in our barns
Can't buy the Kingdom of God?
Who will we praise when we've praised all our lives
Men who build Kingdoms and men who build fame
What will we fear when all that remains
Is God on His throne, with a child in His arms, and love in His eyes
And the sound of His heart cries

Day 8, 20th April 2009

2009-05-28T23:24:00.001-07:00

Shopping, great fellowship, great food and then it's back home for us. Looking forward to coming again.

55 million souls!

Day 7, 19th April 2009

2009-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's truly awesome just to worship God together with the church. They are a worshipping church and a worshipping church will get the attention of the Eagle! It's so great to see so many hungry people in that nation gathered together on a Sunday morning. We spoke at the 3 services, had a great time in the presence of God and fellowshipping with the saints, not forgetting the superb meals prepared by the pastor's wife.

Day 6, April 18th 2009

2009-05-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

It was the first day of the week we had more than 5 hours to sleep. The whole of Saturday morning was free so we can wake up a bit later, enjoyed our buffet breakfast before we went shopping. The moment you step out of the nice Parkroyal Hotel, poverty greets you in the face. Just minutes from the Parkroyal and the posh Traders Hotel is a slum hidden behind a high wall, what a contrast. I can still remember how to walk to the market from the hotel. We bought nice cheap T-shirts and some souvenirs before we headed back to the hotel for some "body maintenance" to prepare for the youth service in the evening. It's great to be back at the church worshipping with the youths. God wants the youths to be plugged into Him 24/7 and not just at a camp or major event. He moved in such an amazing, convicting the hearts of the people to keep the fire burning everyday of their lives. After the service, we had a nice dinner and fellowship with the leaders at the J-O stall.

"Desperate" Camp Day 5, April 17th 2009

2009-05-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Had a awesome time worshipping together with the Burmese brethren in the morning worship time. The various workshops were powerful as usual. Left the place without before lunch time to send Ps James and Josiah back to the hotel to check out as they are returning today on the afternoon flight. Had a brief respite from the hot weather at the airport. It rained heavily on our way back to the camp site due to a cyclone in nearby Bangladesh. The guys were actually playing and bathing in the rain together with the male leaders and campers, they are half Burmese already! I spoke on supernatural courage during the last night session. The campers were still hungry for more of God despite it being the last session. God moved powerfully and deposited in the hearts of the young people a burden to see their nation saved. After such a memorable and enjoyable camp, we felt really close to the youths by now, it was a little sad to come to the end of the camp. After some photo taking we left for the hotel for a much needed rest.

"Desperate" Camp Day 4, April 16th 2009

2009-04-23T06:10:00.001-07:00

Games with the campers were really fun. They were the most sporting and enthusiastic group of campers ever! What God was doing at this camp was just amazing as well! The spiritual realm was opened up to many people. Some saw angels worshipping together with us, others saw their unsaved loved ones on their way to hell, yet another saw the Lord Himself walking among us and laying hands on everyone. Ps James prayed prophetically and the Spirit of God literally fell upon us at the night rally. People were getting set free from bondages, hearts set on fire. Many were getting visions and visitations from the Lord, some were so "drunk" in the Spirit that they couldn't even get up till late into the night. Even those who just got saved during the camp were on their faces weeping before God. The glory of God just broke out in that place and even all of us Singaporeans were on our faces crying our eyes out. The heavens are open over that nation!

"Desperate" Camp Day 3, April 15th 2009

2009-04-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the picture of the vehicle we rode in and you will know why those who sat behind will get wet. Ps James taught at the Salvation class this morning so i went over to teach the discipleship class. It was such an experience worshipping with them. They are just so passionate and hungry for God. Even in the different morning classes God was moving and touching lives. The campers were encountering God and weeping before God even in the teaching classes. What an awesome God we serve! Ps James spoke at the night rally on the fire of God. It was really funny yet powerful. The fire of God fell during the altar call, people received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues for the first time. Hearts were set on fire for Jesus. The fire of God fell upon a shy and quiet girl. She began to worship and cry out at the top of her voice. The Spirit of God was still touching many till late into the night in the bunks.

"Desperate" Camp Day 2, April 14th 2009

2009-04-22T09:49:00.001-07:00

Woke up at 5.30am, rushed through our buffet breakfast and left for the campsite. Campers were divided into 3 groups for the morning sessions. Salvation class for the non-believers and new believers. Believers class for the growing believers and Discipleship class for the growing disciples. I taught at the salvation class, Joel spoke at the Believers class and Andre and Andrew taught at the Discipleship class. Had a simple yet very enjoyable lunch with the camp committee. Left for the airport immediately after lunch with Joseph to pick up Ps James and Josiah. Left the guys to run the games. Ps James got a very wet welcome from a group of youths who would not let our vehicle pass until they had gotten us wet. The message for the night was "Daniel the Overcomer" Ps James was funny, engaging yet powerful and convicting at the same time. It's going to be a life transforming camp.

"Desperate" Camp Day 1, April 13th 2009

2009-04-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Reached at about 4pm. Checked in quickly at Parkroyal then left for the campsite, 1.5 hours away. It was the first day of water festival so poor Andrew, Andre and Joel got wet already. I sat in front with the windows wound up so...haha. Reached the campsite at about 7.30pm. There were about 70 plus youths at the camp. I spoke on the 4 characteristics of desperate people. The people were so hungry for God, it's inspiring. The long, bumpy and dusty ride back to Parkroyal after the session left our faces, hair and nostrils black. No time for dinner today so we had to order room service, amazing pizza! Had 5 hours to sleep...

Young ones standing for righteousness

2009-02-23T07:47:00.000-08:00

"You shall receive power..."

2009-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

What does Acts 1:8 say? "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." It says "you shall receive power", power to do what? Invite people to church? Some might argue against this but i don't even think we need power to invite people to church. Have great programs, great publicity and maybe some free food, people will come to church!

The Holy Spirit was upon Jesus when He was on earth. He had power. What did He do everywhere He went? Can you imagine Jesus going up to blind Bartimaeus and saying, "Bart, come with Me to our service this sunday, there is a great anointing for healing in our temple, you will receive your healing then."? Imagine Jesus saying to Zacchaeus, "Zach, come down from that tree, come to our cell meeting at Peter's house on saturday, your life will be changed, you will no longer love money." Jesus had power and He provided the breakthrough for these people right there and then. He broke the power of sin and infirmity, He broke the power of the devil over people's lives right there and then.

If we are baptised in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has come upon us, according to His word in Acts 1:8, we have power. Acts 10:38 says, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Jesus had power to undo the works of the devil upon people's lives. We have power, the same power to undo the works of the enemy in people's lives. We have power and we don't know it, we don't realise it. We have power to represent Jesus, bring heaven to earth, break the devil's hold upon people's lives wherever we go!

What do we do when we hear people falling into sexual immorality, addictions etc? What happens when we hear of people broken by diseases and infirmities? We have power to break the enemy's hold upon their lives! Are there people struggling with pornography, falling into sexual immorality in heaven? No! Are there sicknesses, diseases, cancer, blindness, mental illnesses in heaven? No! We are called to bring heaven to earth. That is our assignment. If there are things happening on earth that are not happening in heaven, they must stop.

Luke, you wrote the book of Luke and you wrote the book of Acts. Why didn't you mention Jesus saying "you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." in Luke 24? Why did you include this verse in Acts but not in Luke? Exactly, because Acts is the book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 1:8 is the perfect introduction to the book of Acts, we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us, the beginning of us taking action to break the power of darkness. Peter preached and 3000 got saved, "you shall receive power..." Peter and John healed the lame man at gate Beautiful, "you shall receive power..." The shadow of Peter healed the sick, "you shall receive power..." Stephen, Philip performing great miracles, "you shall receive power..." Dorcas rose from the dead, "you shall receive power..." Paul and Silas delivered from the dungeon, "you shall receive power..." Paul casting out the demon of divination from the girl, "you shall receive power..."

Bill Johnson said it this way, "You've probably heard a brother or sister in the Lord say, 'you should read this book. It's really good but you've got to be careful because the guy has a strange doctrine on such and such point.' But has anyone ever given you a book or tape and said, 'This guy's teaching is great, but be careful because he has never raised the dead. Cancer doesn't leave people's bodies when he prays.'?"

Be careful when you read this post, because i have not seen cancer healed, blind eyes open, the dead raise, the lame walk, demons fleeing from people's lives, sin, addictions, infirmities breaking off people's lives when i pray for them, yet...

Bringing Heaven to Earth Part 3

2009-01-20T02:17:00.000-08:00

Bringing Heaven to Earth, Part 2 - Bill Johnson

2009-01-14T08:34:00.000-08:00

Bringing Heaven to Earth, Part 1 - Bill Johnson

2009-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

Loving God more and loving people more..

2009-01-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

We admire them, admire what they are doing, read about them, visit their blog, talk about them, listen to their sermons, look at the pictures of what they are doing............it's time we do what they are doing...see the mircales they are seeing....experience God the way they are experiencing Him...

Myanmar Day 5 - Revival!

2008-12-18T04:26:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday and half of our team had to go to another province to speak at one of the daughter churches. Janice, Jonathan and Candy went and they came back with some funny stories. Not forgetting, God moved mightily in the service there, lives were set on fire and a lady was wonderfully delivered! The rest of us spoke at the morning and evening services back at Cornerstone Yangon. Again, it was wonderful to be worshipping God together with the Burmese people. God moved in the services, we were all deeply impacted, Singaporeans included. God gave some of us a deep burden for Myanmar. I was feeling weak and sick the whole day but God sustained me through the 2 services. It was amazing, i felt strong the moment worship started and the moment the service closed, i just slumped onto the pew, totally weak and faint. It was our last night at the church, we spent a long time taking photographs, exchanging and email addresses. We went back straight to the hotel without going for dinner as i was too sick. The rest of the team had to order the expensive room service!

Myanmar Day 4 - D.L.S.

2008-12-18T04:04:00.000-08:00

We attended 2 of the church members' wedding. It was a traditional ceremony, nothing like the sort we have in Singapore. After the ceremony, we had some pastry and ice cream! The first time i had ice cream in Myanmar! It was really nice, milky with some nuts and fruits inside, i had 3 scoops! Next we visited one of Iron Cross' guitarist and took a photo with him. They are the most famous band in Myanmar. Most of us were tired and i was starting to feel sick so we went to the church and rested till the youth service in the afternoon. It was an awesome time worshipping with the Burmese young people. The presence of God was stronger than what i had felt for a long time. It's worth every cent just to fly all the way there just to be in the presence of God with them...

(my camera ran out of batteries today so no photos..will upload some soon from the others' cameras)

Myanmar Day 3 - Jesus loves the little children..

2008-12-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

We visited 3 of the Ignite churches, it was a good time fellowshipping and connecting with the pastors and leaders. It was really inspiring to see their heart to win the youths of this nation despite the many challenges. The highlight of the day was the visit to the orphanage. It was a long day and night has already fallen when we reached the orphanage. We were all tired physically but spiritually revived to see the simple faith and exuberance of the children. 5 of the kids' parents died in the cyclone Nargis. We sense God's loving presence with the children, many lives were deeply impacted that night, including ours. We prayed for a boy who couldn't hear and he could hear after that! He was happy and so were we! Prayed for a boy who was HIV positive, believe that Jesus had healed him. The lady taking care of the children was healed of a pain in her arm as well! We left the orphanage with tears in our eyes, wished we could spend the next few days with the kids..

Myanmar Day 2 - Pom! Pa! Ling!

2008-12-16T04:38:00.000-08:00

Breakfast at the hotel, then off we go to the church. I was so excited to be back at the church again! Met up with Joseph, Mary, Thandar, Mo Mo, Arnold, Phyo Lay, Soe Moe, Ko Phyo and Rosy. We prayed and set off for the zoo. The zoo wasn't fantastic, but the fellowship with the youth leaders was! This was certainly one of the best parts of the trip. Having fun together and sharing hearts and dreams together...

Myanmar Day 1 - Hotpot Dinner

2008-12-16T03:51:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Yangon at about 4pm Yangon time. All six of us squeezed into one taxi and set off to our nice and "not-so-mission-trip-like" Parkroyal Hotel. We checked into the hotel, rested for a while and went for a nice hotpot dinner with Joseph, Mary and Mo Mo. One of us ate lots of crabs!

There's no victory without hearts of purity

2008-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Joshua on his face before the Lord
Frightened by the Amorites' swift sword
God said Joshua take a stand
Remember my command:
There is no victory without hearts of purity

Spirit of God
Spirit of purity
Spirit who knows
Spirit who sees
Fire from Heaven, come
Redeeming presence, come

You and I have heard the
Tempter's plea
That sin will only hurt if
Someone sees
So we fight the fight to win
Forgetting once again
There is no victory without
Hearts of purity

So before we go to battle
We want to make sure
That we're clean
We want to get our house in order
And have hearts of purity

Affirmation VS Correction

2008-09-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

I realised what a negative creature i am. I never fail to see the negative and the bad points quicker than i see the good and positive.

Yesterday morning i met up with one of my girls before service and i greeted her not with a "Good morning", "Good to see you", "You look wonderful today", or even a "Hi". I greeted her with "Your skirt today very short hor?" It's another one of my "oops, what did i say, what did i do?" moments. It's one of those times when the words just fly out of my mouth faster than my brain can process them. Immediately after i said those words i was like "argh, peh han, must you be so critical, must you spot her bad point a thousand miles away?" Her skirt indeed is short and i'm not wrong in telling her that she should not be wearing such a short skirt but why can't the first thing that comes to my mind be a praise and affirmation?

This reminds me of another one of those "oops, what did i say, what did i do?" moments that i had. I was giving Maths tuition to 2 girls, so i asked them how did they do for their exams. One of them scored higher than the other so i said to the one who scored higher, "So you are the better one." I tried to grab the words and stuff them back into my mouth but i failed, they travelled at 330 metres per second. I was like, "peh han, what have you done again? Thanks for battering the self-esteem of the other girl and making her feel inferior." I am a priest of those i lead and i'd better bless and not curse, lift up and not put down.

How many of us have been reprimanded in our lives for not taking the trash out, for not washing the dishes, for not tidying our room, for not handing in work on time? Most of us i guessed, but how many of us have received praise for doing the right things? We will say that it's only their duty and responsibility to do right so no praise and commendation is needed. We never fail to criticise, correct, rebuke, discipline for the wrong that people do but we don't praise them for the right that they do. I have discovered that if we praise and affirm ten, even a hundred times for every correction, rebuke, disciplining we dish out, that single correction, rebuke and disciplining will be treasured and received much, much more.

I remember growing up as a believer even until today, those times when i come to church with issues in my life, areas in which i have fallen, completely sure that anyone with just a drop of prophetic gifting in their lives will tell me how displeased God is with me, how much much i need to change etc etc. However, each time when i feel like i have 10000 areas in my life i need to change, He surprised me by telling me how much He loves me, giving me words about the greatness of my destiny, giving me words of the great things He will use me to do. Maybe God is not like us negative creatures at all...

Ho Chi Minh City Day 5

2008-09-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Our last few hours in Vietnam, we had breakfast at the hotel then went shopping for a while, went back to the room to take a rest then checked out and left for the airport. I must admit i'm very impressed by how nice the airport is. We had lunch at this food outlet that serves Singaporean food, then went to a cafe for 'illy' coffee.

i'm back and raring to go...

Ho Chi Minh City Day 4

2008-09-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Our fourth day in Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon as the locals call it. We went to a place they call "fashion street" to shop. Basically today we just shopped, ate, shopped, ate..i'm amazed at how developed this city is. They have KFC, Pizza Hut, Gloria Jeans coffee, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Mango, Bossini, Giordano, Adidas, Nike, Kappa, etc, etc, stores here. The shopping malls are nice and there nice big cars on the roads. What a big difference in affluence levels here and a neighbouring country not far away. I guessed it's Vietnam's open-door policy that made the difference. The people here seemed happy, carefree and surprisingly trendy. On the other hand, i realised that the young people here are more exposed to the worldly and materialistic culture...

Ho Chi Minh City Day 3

2008-09-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

We went to the Mekong River today, enjoy the photos. As a sidenote, there are 4.5 million motorcycles in Ho Chi Minh City, as many motorcycles as there are people in Singapore!

Ho Chi Minh City Day 2

2008-09-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the Central Post Office, Notredame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh Market and American War Museum, lots of photos so i'm just posting a few..

Ho Chi Minh City Day 1

2008-09-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

First day in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam...ate my first bowl of Pho, shopped a little. Some snapshots..

Traffic is scary and coffee is superb! haha!

When a hero lets you down...

2008-08-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

For every single person that is fake and leaving a lie, there are a thousand others who are real and burning torches for the Lord.

I have been worshipping with that song a lot these few days and it makes me feel how great God is and how small man is.

My heart goes out to the people of that awesome nation. That nation that has been so gifted and anointed when it comes to worship, that nation that has led the world in worship for so many years, that nation that has literally shaken the planet with their music.

God desires pure worship, may they come back purer and stronger than ever before.

I refuse to make a negative or critical comment about the two high-profile men of God who have made major slip-ups. King Saul was anything but a righteous king. Yet David honoured him in a dirge.

"The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon - Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph." 2 Samuel 1:19-20

David did not call him a disobedient, spiritist, medium-seeking king, he called Saul mighty, the beauty of Israel. Gath, Ashkelon and the uncircumcised Philistines may mock and rejoice, but may their mocking and rejoicing not be a result of David's failure to protect and honour his predecessor.

The world may mock at the two men of God's moral failures but i will not join them. And may i not say anything that the world can use to pour scorn on the two men of God.

The sharks are waiting to punish and tear them apart but Bill Johnson said it so aptly, "The core of biblical discipline is restoration, not punishment."

Has Beens?

2008-07-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

France just celebrated their 10th anniversary of winning the World Cup. The Stade de France was full again just like 10 years ago, all the stars of the 1998 team were there and they played a celebratory match against a team made up of football legends.

It was a happy occasion and will continue to be a happy occasion until maybe one of them stops and realises that that means it has been 10 years since France last won anything! They have been through 2 editions of the World Cup and 2 editions of the Europrean Championships without winning anything! They have not improved for the past 10 years since their victory!

Maybe it's normal to them to remember their famous victory 10 years ago but it seems funny to me. Hopefully they don't go on to celebrate their 15th or 20th anniversary of winning the World Cup, it will be a meaningless event while the other countries are passing them by, leaving France to look back at what HAS BEEN, 10 years ago. They failed to realise that they are no longer a force to be reckoned with in the footballing world. They can continue to celebrate their 11th, 12th, 13th anniversary of winning the World Cup, i'm sure Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Holland and all the other footballing powers won't mind.

We have 400 people in the youth ministry today. 5, 10 years down the road, are we going to look back and remember those were the days when we had 400? Are we going to reminisce what the Spirit of God USED TO do? The first generation sees a move of God, the second generation talks about it and the third generation builds a museum to it.

Before we start celebrating what USED TO be, before we build a monument and a museum to it, stop and think, are we STILL making an impact?

Passed..

2008-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a snapshot of my IPPT results. Let me show off a little, it's the first time i passed my IPPT in the 5 years that i have ORD.

I'm happy that i passed, firstly my IPPT for this year is cleared and secondly i don't have to attend remedial training anymore.

I actually failed standing broad jump at the first try. I jumped a miserable 207cm for both attempts. Needing only a 212cm to pass and feeling confident that i can pass my 2.4 run, i asked the PTI for another try. He kindly gave me 2 more attempts. The first time, 207cm again. I thought to myself, could this be it? Then the last and final jump, i did 216cm. I'm happy, i said a happy thank you to the kind PTI and proceeded to my 2.4 run.

I'm confident that i can pass my 2.4 but just to make sure i make it i ran slightly faster than the trial run last sunday. I super disliked the want to die but won't die kind of feeling when i'm running. I kept praying and telling myself i must pass and not waste time coming back for remedial training anymore. It helped, i'm so thankful that i passed, got incentive some more. For those of you who don't know, i shall not say how much lest you ask me for treat, it's not much also.

I'm happy, ha ha...

He's real..

2008-07-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Read an article this morning about a well-known pastor in Singapore. Heard him preach before, great speaker, pastors a megachurch. A prominent figure in the local Christian community but has drawn a considerable amount of flak for his unorthodox way of preaching the gospel and spreading the message of love through his entertainment shows.

I must i admit i had my personal hang-ups regarding his entertainment shows. I thought to myself, "Must we preach the gospel this way?" However, after having read the article this morning, i seem to have gone through a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy session. I am actually impressed with the man, i sensed respect swelling up in my heart. I have decided to not be judgmental, I'm not in the position to judge anway, he is God's man. I looked beyond the outward and peeked into the heart of the man. Here's a man who wants to impact his community. Here's a man who is secure and strong enough to stand by what he feels God has placed in his heart to do even if it offends people.

"Given my profile, there will always be people who don't like me. Don't make life so difficult for yourself, go find something that you like, i'm not the only pastor in town.", he says.

What impressed me the most was that he's a man who is honest enough to share on the national newspaper that he has a daughter who has a son born out of wedlock. He is transparent enough to say that when he found out his daughter got pregnant, he was heartbroken and wanted to kick her out of the house but eventually forgave her and now the grandson is the apple of his eye.

"I don't hold grudges. Whatever you've done, whether you've taken drugs or committed a crime, if you say 'i'm wrong, please help me', i will bend backwards to help you. This is my job. But if you continue to sleep around or beat up your wife, then i'll say, leave my church. I will not help you but i will help your wife to get a divorce."

He's a pastor, he's real, no magic, no tricks, no illusion..

More, Lord..

2008-06-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

"If God doesn't send revival to America soon, Lou Engle might get burned out."

What a statement.

This man is working so hard to see revival come to America that if it doesn't happen soon, he might just run out of gas, fatigued.

Are we willing to work a little bit harder to ensure that the follow-ups come?
Are we willing to work a little bit harder to see newcomers every week?
Are will willing to work a little bit harder to see the school outreaches grow?
Are will willing to work a little bit harder to pioneer new school outreaches?
Are we willing to work a little bit harder to see the cells grow?
Are will willing to work a little bit harder to see the zone grow?
Are will willing to work a little bit harder to win this generation?

Jeanne Mayo said that the 3 legs of the ministry stool are..
1. Work your guts out. (work as hard as you can)
2. Pray your guts out. (pray as hard as you can)
3. Love your guts out. (love the people as much as you can)

Lord pour out Your Spirit!

2008-06-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we had! People were getting set free, crying out for revival. We learned about our authority in Christ, learned to take authority over demonic spirits, learned how to minister deliverance to people. It was a glorious and amazing time. It was such an awesome experience that it's easy and tempting for us to park in that experience and feed upon dove's dung (what the Holy Spirit used to do) like in 2 Kings 6.

I believe God taught us an aspect of His power that we had not known. He introduced and taught us to use a weapon that has long been in His arsenal. Glorious as the encounter retreat was, i refused to live in last week and refused to let it be an end in inself. The end is for the nations to be saved! The encounter retreat is over, now let's go for souls, for schools, for nations.

With our new found knowledge in the deliverance ministry, it's time to bring God's deliverance to a whole generation. I believe the Lord is saying to us to bring His deliverance to our families, our schools, this nation and to the nations of Asia. Anybody wants North Korea, a country labelled as part of the axis of evil and forgotten by the world? Anybody wants Bangladesh, a nation torn apart by poverty? Anybody wants Tibet, Nepal, India, Laos, Myanmar? Anybody wants the millions of children in the Mekong Region bound by child slavery and prostitution?

I have been hearing testimonies of what God is doing in Lakeland, Florida and people are getting saved, healed, delivered on the streets. A 19 year old young man was miraculously healed from Down's Syndrome, got on the stage and testified that he could still remember how he felt all these years growing up with Down's Syndrome. Why can't He heal the students from Northlight? Why can't He heal those suffering from autism here in Singapore? Why not here? Why not now?

Ten things to show your security..

2008-06-10T02:22:00.001-07:00

1. You don't need praise.
2. You don't mind others receiving praise.
3. You don't have to be seen.
4. You don't have to be heard.
5. You serve because you enjoy it.
6. You're the first to help and last to sit.
7. You have an acute sense of others' needs.
8. You desire much but will only ask for little.
9. You realise that winning consists of losing.
10. You hold your head up high, your pride down low and your spirit keeps soaring.

It's all about His glory..

2008-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

What an amazing time! We were just worshipping, worshipping, then without knowing it, it's 10pm, 2 hours have passed! I love every moment of it except for the tired hands, legs and throat. I need more practice considering that in heaven's all about worship. I think i can just do that for service every week!

It's all about His glory, all about His presence. I dream of the day when i will stand upon the sea of glass before the throne of God together with the angels and multitudes upon multitudes of people from every nation, tribe, tongue, worshipping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with tw0 he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke."

When was the last time when all of God can come into our services instead of just a part of Him or just an attribute of Him? Men of God have seen visions of heaven and they said the LORD sits miles high on a throne surrounded by countless number of angel. He taps His finger and millions pour out on assignment. Another said that as the angels and elders bow before His throne in worship, they rise and everytime as they rise they see another aspect of His glory that they have never seen before, awestruck they bow and cry, "holy, holy, holy is the LORD God almighty"

I want to see heaven, i want to see the place where the only light is His glory, i want to see Him. Let me be in a service where His glory comes down!

I can't understand the pressure and the struggles that the worship ministry goes through but i just want to say that we, the congregation, are on the same side as you. We are not here to critique you, we are not here to review your performance, we are not here to be entertained. Let's go for His glory, together.

God is not that hard to persuade

2008-05-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

God will disrupt perfection to restore passion..

Why does God use people with questionable lifestyles to move in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit? I don't know and i don't bother to major on why and how God can use someone with questionable lifestyles and practices. If God moves, the glory of God breaks out, miracles happen, i love it and i will just enjoy it.

Gold dust appear all over the place? Feathers fall from the sky?
The first thought that comes to my mind is "what is the purpose for all these phenomenon?" But i have decided not to find the spiritual reasoning for things happening. God is God, He can do whatever He wants. If the King of Glory is in the house, He wants to throw some gold around the place, i will gladly enjoy His presence. People are getting healed, delivered, saved. Creative miracles are happening, the dead is raised. I will major on the major and minor on the minor. If He is doing it, i will like it.

Lazarus was sick, Jesus delayed coming for 2 days. When He came, Martha said "If you are here, my brother would not have died.." Jesus said "He will live again." Martha said "I know he will live again in the resurrection at the last days." Martha was absolutely theologically accurate, she got her spiritual reasoning correct, the dead will rise again at the end of the age but she did not grab at the rhema word from the Lord.

Let's ask for more and expect to receive more. Don't let our minds limit what God can do. Position ourselves to receive more, God is not that hard to persuade.

The Spirit of God moved in a powerful way that we have never experienced before last year when Jill Austin came. Did it start then? Nope..

Did it all started when Heidi Baker came and left such a love for people in our hearts? Nope..

We had arguably the most powerful camp in 2005 when Pat Schatzline and Jayme Montera came. I have never seen someone with such an amazing anointing upon their lives like Ps Pat and Ps Jayme before then. But still it did not start there.

Did it start when Bonnke came for the first Fire Conference in 2002 and the fire of God fell in such a powerful way? Nope..

Did it all start at Enlisted Camp? Did it start in the early 90s when the Spirit of God moved in a powerful way in our church? Did it start when Rodney Howard Browne came to Singapore in the early 90s? Did it start with the Charismatic Renewal sparked off by 4 teenage boys? Did it all started when Ps Bailey came to Singapore in early 80s? What about Randy Clark at Toronto? It didn't start there either..

John Wimber in the 80s? Nope..

The Jesus People Movement in the 60s? It didn't start there either..

It didn't start with the Latter Rain Movement in 1948 either..

Billy Graham, Oral Roberts in the 40s? Nope..

In 1906, the Spirit of God fell in a building in Azusa Street as a group of people began to cry out to God, impacted almost the whole world and was called the greatest revival in history but it didn't start there as well..

In 1904, Spirit of God fell upon Wales as a young man by the name of Evan Roberts cried out "Bend me!" He wrote on national newsapers that revival is coming and hearts began to burn. But still it did not start there..

The fire that burns in us is the original flame from the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. It all started when the Holy Spirit's fire fell on the 120 in the Upper Room. It's the same fire and it's increasing in intensity, it's increasing in demands, it's increasing in impact.

What does more look like? I don't know. All i know is that there is more...

Too tough to swallow

2008-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

Today i had bible study with Sutieng and Lay Yi. After which we went to the food fair at Singapore Expo. I can't believe i spent $4 in the first 10 minutes there. But the drinks are free cos i cheapo go take all the samples. I enjoy giving bible study one on one or to a small group, so fun. I saw Lay Yi taking down lotsa notes even though i already printed out for them. I'm so glad to see her hungry to learn more. That's what i live for, to see young people encountering God and living for Him! And she's only Primary 6! She has really encountered God over the last few weeks.

I'm so excited to see the younger ones encounter God. When God moves, there are usually a few groups of people...people who move on with God, people who are moving on with God but they are struggling a little behind, then there are those who don't want to move on. I see a lot of the newer ones encountering God and moving on with Him, i see some who are struggling a little and there are a few who choose not to move on with Him. John 6:66-67 says, "After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?" "(The Message Bible). This incident happened when Jesus was progressing to a new level of His earthly ministry. Let's set a high standard, when God moves, some people may choose to leave, but the remnant will be so much stronger.

What do i do when people choose to go their own way? I seriously don't know. Talked to them, prayed for them, cried over them. My heart and mind tells me i can't leave them behind even if they choose otherwise but....

I seemed to hear the Lord say, "Forget the old, i'm doing a new thing."

Do 2 people walk hand in hand if they aren't going to the same place?

2008-05-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

Amos 3:3 says "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

Can 2 persons walk hand in hand if they are not heading in the same direction? Can 2 buffaloes be yoked together if they are heading in different directions? Can 2 persons be close friends if they have different mindsets, different beliefs, different values, different vision in life? Can we walk with God if what we want to do and what God wants to do is different?

I'm sure all of us have had people whom we are close to but at some point in life they decided to go a different direction, they begin to have different priorities in life. I'm sure all of us have a person in our lives whom we think understand us, has the same passions, share the same dreams and aspirations. Then all of a sudden, people choose to go another direction. How can 2 be close when they don't have many things in common anymore? When you do not have things in common anymore, what do you talk about when you meet?

I want to talk about revival, i want to talk about the nations, i want to talk about how we can win this generation, i want to talk about Jesus. If that is not what fires you, what can we talk about? Small, superficial talk? i can but then that's not what i really want.

A few verses later in Amos 3:6, the bible says "If there is calamity in the city, will not the Lord have done it?" In just a week, almost 200000 people lost their lives in Asia, God is shaking the nations and preparing them for revival. Amos 3:7 says "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets." A prophetic minister made this statement, "God has few friends in Asia." Well, He can't be friends with us if He can't agree with us. Friendship with the world is enmity with God...

Will we agree with Him?

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 8

2008-05-22T05:46:00.001-07:00

19th April, Saturday...

This is our last few moments in myanmar before going back to singapore. we woke up at 7am to go for the buffet breakfast at 7.30. I seriously ate a lot. Saw thiha and Susanna came at 8.30 to pick us up. Shopping! They brought us to Bogyoke Aung San market to shop. I bought a pair of jade chopsticks for my mum and longis for myself, my dad and my brother. anyway longis are traditional costumes that burmese men wear. its like sarong. we had a good time shopping, the stuff are really cheap. then we had tea, durians and some pork rolls at a roadside stall. went back to the hotel for a while. saw thiha, myself and jeremy watched discovery channel a while and then we checked out at 1pm. our flight home is at 4.30pm so we had about 1.5 hours to go before we had to be at the airport. we just sat at the hotel lobby and chatted with saw thiha and susanna. we left for the airport at about 2.30pm. we checked in our baggages, said our goodbyes and proceeded to board the plane for home. its my best trip so far, i cant forget what God did at this trip. i think i have fallen in love with myanmar, till next time....

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 7

2008-05-22T05:43:00.000-07:00

18th April, Friday...

We left for Yangon at 5.30am. the trip back wasnt as eventful as the one to thaton. i slept most of the time, woke up, listened to ipod, slept again, stopped for lunch briefly. looking forward to being back in yangon and shopping! reached yangon at about 1pm. dropped esther at her school to check her exam results, she got first again and she was really happy. ps san min came to greet us briefly and saw thiha said that ps san min is funnyman no 5 hahahha. went back to parkroyal hotel, checked in, washed up and relaxed in the 5 star hotel. jeremy and a few of the girls went shopping. i watched tv for a while as they were showing wrestlemania hahaha. then i slept. ps san min, wife, saw thiha and susanna picked us up at 6.30 to go for dinner. brought us to a really nice restaurant for a good meal. it was the best meal we had for days other than the lunch at saw thiha's father house. me and jeremy watched discovery channel for a while before we slept. packed up everything and got ready to go shopping the next morning before going back to singapore.

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 6

2008-05-22T05:24:00.001-07:00

17th April, Thursday...

The power wasnt cut but we still woke up at 6am cos we are having a hiking game today so we had to be at the foot of the hill early. we got wet again from the people enjoying their water festival. i was really upset at the adults who were blocking our vehicles and splashing everyone wet, nevermind the youths and kids having fun but the adults splashing water at people are really irritating. we gathered at the foot of mount goh and had a short briefing on the rules of the game and what they had to accomplish. team singapore and the camp comm started out first. tongneng and lavonne stayed at the foot of the hill to sleep, slackers. we reached the half way mark and stopped. jeremy and the rest of the camp comm went all the way to the summit. the nuns actually invited me and priscilla into their house and offered us food and drink. saw thiha bought breakfast of french toast for us to eat at the halfway mark. then the campers came up, gave them some clues where to go and asked them to do some cheers, took photos with them then they proceeded to the summit. heard that some of the boys caught a wild cat while at the summit. they all left their group identity at the summit as a sign that they have conquered the mountain. priscilla, me, pearl, saw thiha and pastor agoh stayed at the half way mark. pastor agoh started climbing a tree and asked us to take a photo of him haha, he's really funny. i joined him up the tree and took a photo together. i didnt know how to climb down after that! subsequently we chatted, i asked pastor agoh and saw thiha about the legal system of myanmar. it was an interesting and v funny talk. i dont think i should write down what we spoke about, hahaha. after the hiking game, we were treated to a sumptuous lunch at saw thiha's father house. we had fried chicken, fish, roasted beef, vegetables, potato wedges, pig trotters soup and soft drinks! amazing spread but many of us are sick so didnt really eat much. but i had my fill, the fried chicken is really nice! then we went back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the final session. i actually wanted to share something practical and simple on how to stay on fire for God but then i felt led to share something else. so i spoke from 2 kings 4 about the woman who had only a little jar of oil but as long as they brought in empty vessels the oil will never run out. shared with the campers that they may not have much materially but they had a little of the anointing and presence of God, as long as keep bringing in people who are empty, the oil will never run out. prayed for the pastors and leaders at the end of it and they in turn prayed for their members. it was a powerful time, there was such a prophetic flow in that place and people were just encountering God. at the end of the prayer time we had a time of celebration and praise. we cleared all the chairs and turned that place into a dance floor unto the Lord. it was really fun and the joy of the Lord is in that place, nevermind we were all perspiring after that. we were singing, dancing, doing all kinds of actions praising Him! that was the last sessions, also our last night in thaton so the campers were all busy taking photos after that. we slept early this night as we had to take a bus back to yangon the next morning at 5.30am. Thank God the power did not trip the last 2 nights we were there.

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 5

2008-05-22T05:01:00.001-07:00

16th April, Wednesday...

Woke up early again cos it was too hot and too many mosquito bites. Pastor Agoh picked us up to go to the church. We had to hang on the outside of the vehicle again, real fun, wind blowing on ur face. We had breakfast at another outlet near the church. we had noodles in curry gravy with onions. it tasted like laksa. the tea was nice, i drank lots of it. we shared with saw thiha how we felt about the sessions so far and found out from him that the youths in thaton are not used to altar calls, some of them are not filled with the Spirit and there are some who are not even saved. maybe thats the reason for the "blockage" we felt during the ministry time so far. fabian shared at the first morning session. it was a fantastic sharing on God's plan and purpose for our lives. He ended with a powerful personal testimony. I really felt that today is the day of breakthrough and i felt God placed in my heart what i should share tonight. Tongneng spoke at the second morning session on passion. Fantastic message. Something real funny happened during his sharing. tongneng was talking about passionate people not giving up. so he used the illustration of manchester united last minute victory over bayern munich in the 1999 champions league final. he was saying, bayern munich was 1-0 up until the 89th minute then man utd scored, so he asked the crowd whats the score? Saw thiha was translating for him and so he was supposed to translate what tongneng said but when tongneng asked them whats the score, instead of translating, saw thiha replied excitedly "1-1!" hahahahha we all started laughing. he said later that he was too excited thats why he just replied 1-1 instead of translating what tongneng said. in the afternoon we played outdoor station games. we got all dirty and wet, it was alot of fun! the campers were the most sporting, they totally enjoyed themselves. when the games ended, they actually asked for more games, so we played the ding ding pui pui pui game again. hahaha so fun watching them doing all the actions. i spoke about the fire of God at the night session. Thank God He sent His fire, that was the breakthrough we have been praying for. The campers were all crying out to God for their city and for the nation of myanmar, the fire of God fell in that place and we believed all the campers were ignited with a holy fire! Even the older folks were crying out to God for the fire! There was a powerful move of God and it was awesome seeing the myanmarese young ppl rocked by God! Pastor Agoh drove us back after the session and we found out a bit more about him. For the past few days we have really seen him around, reason being he was conducting 2 seminars elsewhere in thaton and also the authorities have been calling him up every hourly everyday to interrogate him. they just asked him the same thing, why are foreigners there? what are they doing there? and we found out that when we were playing outdoor games, the police actually thought we were rioting as we were making alot of noise. 15 policemen came with batons but pastor agoh stopped them from coming near the church in time as he recognised them. he explained that we were just playing games and so the policemen left. pastor agoh said that he actually loved to fellowship with us and that he is a funnyman hahha. we will find out soon after that he is really thaton's funnyman no 1! fabian and alina were next to fall sick. puking and having diarrhoea, they were so weak that they had to stay at the hotel to rest.

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 4

2008-05-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

15th April, Tuesday...

Woke up at 6am also cos the power was cut again. We proceeded to the church, got wet again. Then Saw Thiha brought us for breakfast at a food outlet near the church. We had what was the burmese version of prata with a nice dip made from beans. Then we had our first morning sessions. The praise and worship again was awesome, my faourite part of the sessions. Jeremy spoke at the first morning session, he shared well. He shared on Jesus cleansing the leper. tongneng spoke at the childrens session, priscilla, pearl and alina helped out with the children. I spoke at the second morning session, Shared on the Heavenly Father's love. Gave a call for those who have never felt the Father's love and also for those youths who are orphans. An elderly lady came up to the altar, prayed for them all and really felt God healing them with His love. Then we had lunch and then we had indoor games. There were 8 groups, and i must add that the campers are the most sporting i have ever seen. They cheered passionately and participated fully in the games. We played some old games with them, like the hunter squirrel game and the ding ding pui pui pui game we played last year at audacious camp. it was alot of fun. After the games we went back to the hotel, wanted to sleep but we all couldnt cos the power was out and it was too hot to sleep. so we managed only to rest a little while before the night session. Me and jeremy spent about an hour praying for the night session before taking a nap. Pastor Agoh picked us up using a different jeep. it was a smaller one so me and fabian had to just stand and hang outside the vehicle, interesting experience but tiring on the arms. We had dinner at the church. I must add that the food is good considering they do not always have such good food. We had beef! Tongneng spoke at the night session on "rise up and walk".Again i enjoyed totally the burmese praise and worship. It was an awesome message by tongneng, the response was good but then again we felt the breakthrough wasnt there yet. Keeping praying, 2 more days to go. Poor tongneng was the first among us to fall sick, he felt totally weak and had stomache immediately after speaking and started having diarrhoea and fever in the night.

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 3

2008-05-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

14th April, Monday...

The power at the hotel was cut at 6am, no fan, no aircon, it was too hot to sleep so me n Jeremy woke up at 6am. Washed up and went down to wait for Saw Thiha to pick us up. Took Pastor Agoh's "mercedes benz" to look at the campsite. Its open air so this time we got really wet from the people out to enjoy their water festival. We had breakfast at the campsite which is also Pastor Agoh's church. I seriously cant remember what we ate. After that we spent a short while praying at the place where we were to have our camp sessions. I remembered i was really excited, can't wait for the first session to start at night. After praying, we went to recce at this mountain where we are to have our hiking game. Can't believe that we are acutally climbing a mountain in Myanmar. Its called Mount Goh, which means mountain of god. Its filled with pagodas and monasteries. Its about as high as Bukit Timah but the terrain makes it harder to climb. We took a rest at the halfway mark. There was a monastery there and the nuns actually offered us tea. They wanted to serve us lunch as well but we declined their kind offer. Took some photos with the kids there and then proceeded to the summit. I wanted to conserve my energy for the night session so i didnt go all the way up. Alina went down with me to the foot where Susanna, Joshua and Angela were waiting. After the recce, we went back to the church for lunch and then back to the hotel to rest for the night session. We had dinner at the church and then it was the first session. About 100 youths were there plus some adults and 10 plus children, mostly orphans. The praise and worship was awesome. Looking at the way the burmese people worship leaves me speechless. I spoke about the cross. Did a little drama sermon illustration as well. The response was good but somehow we felt there was no breakthrough during the altar call. Maybe its the first session so we will just keep praying and asking God to move. Went back to the hotel and they changed a bigger room with our own toilets for us. The room is bigger which is not good cos the air con keeps tripping so the room is hot!

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 2

2008-05-22T02:54:00.001-07:00

13th April, Sunday...

Woke up at 7am, went down to have our buffet breakfast at 7.30. We took our time and enjoyed the spread, the omelette is really nice. Saw Thiha picked us up at 8.30am and we headed down to the church. Saturday was the first day of water festival but i didnt get wet yesterday, only Priscilla and Jeremy. But today the inevitable happened, most of us got wet. The driver of our taxi was really cool, he took a bucket of water on his face but he did not even flinch, just continued driving and proceeded to wipe the water off his face with his hands. I spoke at the pre service bible study at 9am, Lavonne, Tongneng and Fabian discussed the games for the camp with Joseph and the camp comm while Priscilla, Alina, Pearl and Jeremy helped out at their Sunday School. After that we had lunch at the church, Ps San Min and the leaders da-bao for us cos we had to leave immediately after that to take a 7 hour bus ride to Thaton, a city in Mon State, southeast of Yangon. The bus ride is real fun, its a crowded, non air con bus, many times we had to close the windows cos people were trying to splash water into the bus so it was really sauna. Many funny stories along the bus trip, cheesy Burmese music videos and a drunk monk who was eventually thrown off the bus. There was a picture of buddha on the front of the bus and a line that says, "lord buddha, the unrivalled one", tongneng was really amused by this. Reached Thaton at about 9.30pm. Pastor Agoh from Thaton took us to our "1000 star hotel" in his "mercedes benz", thats what Yangon funnyman no 1 Saw Thiha said about the hotel and the jeep. Well, it wasn't really a hotel, sort of like a motel. Tongneng and Fabian were praying on the way that there will be soccer on the tv at the hotel. They were elated to realise there really is, so they watched Man U vs Arsenal at the main hall. 3 policemen were acutally there waiting for us to arrive, Saw Thiha handed over photocopies of our passports and they left after that. Guessed its sensitive cos we are foreigners. The hotel is not too bad except for the power that keeps tripping. Had a debrief in Lavonne and Pearl's room cos theirs is the biggest then we slept. Our first night in Thaton....

Devoted Camp, Thaton, Myanmar - Day 1

2008-05-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Let me just share about the trip here...

12th April, Saturday...

We reached Yangon after a 2.5hours flight. The food on Silkair was good, complete with ice-cream some more. The airport in Yangon is really nice now, looks like our own T3, newly completed, heard that its built by Singaporean architects. Really hot there, 39 degrees celsius. We touched down at 3.45pm Yangon time and went straight to Cornerstone Yangon for their youth service. Really excited to be back. Tongneng spoke at the youth service and exhorted the youths to prepare their hearts for the up-coming camp in Thaton. Then we went for dinner, delicious Burmese dish called J-O (thats how it sounds like but not the actual spelling). Its rice vermicelli in a nice clear soup with vegetables, chicken, quail's eggs, meatballs and topped with a nice half cooked egg. Then we checked into Parkroyal Hotel for the night. Parkroyal is really nice, Pearl remarked that it seems 'sinful' to stay at a place as nice as Parkroyal while on a missions trip hahaha. We had a little debrief in me and Jeremy's room to talk about the program for the next day, watched a little WWE on tv then we slept.