Spiritual Nourishment

Dated: 23 Aug 2009

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 1 Peter 2:1-3

One unchanging law of life is that as soon as a baby is born, the first and greatest need of that new birth is nourishment to sustain it. That means that even if a baby is born sound and healthy, it would still die unless it quickly receives nourishment upon delivery.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. God’s Word will produce within the human soul a new kind of life. This new nature immediately requires the spiritual nourishment found in the Word of God. For newborn spiritual babes in Christ, God’s appointed nourishment is “the pure milk of the word” (1 Pet. 2:2). This “milk” is a necessity for continued life and growth.

In the natural, no matter how pure the milk is, if it comes into contact with anything sour, it turns bad quickly. That is why there is a warning attached by Peter: if we do not lay aside the sour and corrupted elements of the old life—malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, evil speaking (2:1)—the beneficial effects of the Word of God cannot work within us. Spiritual milk is for the baby Christian. But it is not God’s will that Christians remain spiritual babes for too long. As that baby Christian begins to grow, he needs to stop drinking milk and start eating bread. What is God’s appointed spiritual bread? “Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

But don’t stop there. If you wish to mature spiritually, you must learn the whole Bible, not just the more familiar portions of the Scripture. Beyond milk and bread, God’s Word also provides solid food.

The writer of Hebrews rebuked the Jewish believers for only feeding on milk and never progressing to solid food (Heb. 5:12-13). What a picture of many professing Christians and church members today. They often own a Bible and have attended church for many years, yet they know so little of what the Bible teaches. They are immature, with very little spiritual experiences. After many years, they are still spiritual babes, unable to digest any kind of teaching that goes beyond the “milk stage.”

There is a remedy. You need to have your “senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (5:14). That means engaging in a regular and systematic study of the whole counsel of God’s Word that will develop and mature our spiritual senses. As you get really serious with studying and living out the Word of God, you will fi nd yourself growing spiritually mature by leaps and bounds.

Spiritual Atmosphere - 21 Jun 09

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

The word “communion” comes from the root word “commute,” which means to travel. The communion of the Holy Spirit therefore refers to the moving in the Spirit. But before you can move powerfully in the Spirit, you must become familiar and comfortable with the realm or environment of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual atmosphere is something very real. We live under its influence all the time. There are times when you may come into a room and you feel so uncomfortable that you just want to run out as fast as you possibly can. Then there are other times when you come into a room and you can sense the presence and the power of God. When the Holy Spirit fills a room, exciting and powerful things happen. King Saul was totally transformed when he encountered a prophetic atmosphere (1 Sam. 10:6). One hundred and twenty priests collapsed instantly when the glory of the Lord descended upon Solomon’s temple (2 Chr. 5:12-14).

We must become skillful in discerning the moving of the Holy Spirit and the type of spiritual atmosphere we are in. A sign of spiritual maturity is knowing how to move with the “mood” and “tempo” of the Holy Spirit. Moving correctly with the “feel” of the spiritual atmosphere is so vital. There are a few ways by which we can build a strong spiritual atmosphere around us every day:

(1) Praise and worship. Heartfelt praise and worship always brings down the presence of God (Ps. 22:3; 2 Kin. 3:14-15).

(2) Attitude of faith. When we come before God, we need to let go of our fears, anxieties and worries. An attitude of faith helps us to let go and let God (Ps. 46:10).

(3) Waiting on the Lord. The head moves quickly but the heart moves slowly. The longest distance is usually between the head and the heart. We should daily wait before the Lord until we can “feel” the presence of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. Learn to delight in a prolonged worship time or prayer time before God. Give time for the words of our song or prayer to move from our head to our heart.

(4) Spiritual actions. Our clapping, kneeling, bowing and faith confessions create powerful Spirit-filled atmospheres. The lifting up of our hands is not just a nice worshipful act; it often brings down the anointing of the Lord (Ex. 17:8-13). As you learn to commune with the Holy Spirit in His tangible presence, He will take you on an adventure into the exciting realm of vision and dreams, miracles and the supernatural.

Church Worship - 19 Jun 09

Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” 1 Chronicles 15:2

Let us look at the way David established the tabernacle-which is a picture of the church. This is the way God desires for us to come into His presence in a church gathering.

(1) David prepared a place for the ark (1 Chr. 15:1). We need to be people who will prepare our hearts to worship. Jesus, the ark of God, now dwells in the midst of us (Matt. 18:20).

(2) David pitched a tent. David built a tabernacle, the house of the Lord. God’s presence is indeed everywhere but He chooses to make His glory and power known in His house-the church.

(3) The Levites shouldered the ark (1 Chr. 15:2). The shoulder in Scripture is symbolic of responsibility. All of us need to learn to bear the responsibility of shouldering the presence of God in our lives. Too often, we leave that to the “professional” pastors and preachers to do it on our behalf. In the new covenant, we are all Levites for we are called into a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). We need to know God for ourselves, and be involved in a personal revival. We need to learn how to live in the Spirit and know the abiding presence of God at all times.

(4) The people gathered together (1 Chr. 15:3). The place of agreement is the place of power. When church members come together in true unity, God commands His blessing among them (Ps. 133).

(5) They sanctifi ed themselves (1 Chr. 15:12). God will not trust His glory and presence to those who live in sin. We are told to sanctify ourselves and not to wait for an “easy” blessing or cleansing from God. Without holiness, no one can see God.

(6) They worshiped God in proper order (15:13). In worship, there is a need for order. We need to obey God in our preparation and approach to His presence. Out of our obedience comes security and confi dence in His presence.

(7) Singers and musicians were appointed (15:16). Skillful Levites were placed in their positions. Worship leading is a serious ministry and it is not meant for anyone who just wants to “have a go” at the musical instruments.

(8) David the king was willing to be a priest (15:27). David was already the king of Judah, and he was soon going to be crowned the king over all Israel. But in the presence of the Lord, he humbled himself and operated as a priest. You may be a very successful person in society or in the corporate world. But when you come into God’s presence, you must be willing to humble yourself, put down all your titles and achievements, and like David, humbly minister to the Lord.

Carriers of God's Presence - 18 Jun 09

And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. 1 Chronicles 13:6

There was a period of time when the ark of the Lord was in captivity. The ark represented God’s presence to the people of Israel. But for 20 years, the ark was stolen and taken away by the Philistines. On the way back to Jerusalem, David decided to put the ark on a cart and that resulted in a tragedy. God’s presence cannot be carried on man-made traditions and methods. The presence of God is to be carried upon the shoulders of priests. Today, we are the priesthood of God. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

As believers, we are to carry the presence of God in our lives. We are to touch our world with the presence and the power of God (2 Cor. 2:14-15). We are the fragrance of Christ to believers and unbelievers. When the presence of God is upon you, people are affected when they are near you. Jesus carried a strong presence and power of God. The multitudes thronged Him, the children loved Him and they wanted to follow Him wherever He went.

People must be able to see the presence and power of God in your life. Paul says, “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

How do you carry the presence of God?

(1) The presence of God comes through worship (Ps. 95:2, 6).

(2) The presence of God flows through a contrite heart (Ps. 34:18).

(3) The presence of God dwells in an atmosphere of holiness (Deut. 23:14). Make it a point to spend time in worship everyday. As you walk in humility, purity and holiness, God’s presence will be manifested in a greater way in your life. You will experience His power fl owing through you, empowering you to touch your world for Christ.

A Living Sacrifice

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

The Bible says that we are all called the moment we are saved (2 Tim. 1:9). So what is your calling in life? How do you discover your calling? The answer is found in Romans 12:1. The chapter begins with the word “therefore.” That means that the apostle Paul starts off by urging the believers in Rome: “Now based on all that you have known from chapters 1-11, of what God has done for you through Jesus Christ, it is time for you to get serious with the Lord. Start living the kind of life you should be living. Start becoming the person you’re supposed to be!”

The first thing you need to do is to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (12:1). What does God want? More than your love and worship, He wants your body. God wants you to put your body on His altar as a living sacrifice. That means that while you are still breathing and kicking, place your body at His disposal. Let Him live His life through you. Don’t worry if you think your body is not good enough for the Lord’s service. It may be ravaged by drugs, sicknesses and immorality. But Jesus says that anything that is placed on the altar of God becomes holy (Matt. 23:19). The moment you give Him your body, it becomes holy unto the Lord-”acceptable to God.” You will realize that the moment you hand over your body as a vessel for His use, your mind gets renewed (Rom. 12:2). You start thinking in a different way. The calling of God becomes clearer and clearer. You will begin “to prove”-which means “to experience” in the Greek-the calling of God in your life. You will learn that His calling for you is “good” (12:2)-God never plans anything bad for His children. It is “acceptable”-the more you experience it, the more you will like it and accept it. Ultimately, it is “perfect”-it will satisfy every longing and meet every need you have.

God is a realist. He doesn’t expect you to just “talk the talk,” He wants you to “walk the walk!” Let Him have free reign over your body. Be His hands, His feet, His eyes and His mouthpiece to the dying world. The moment you do that, His calling for you will become most obvious.

Crucifying The Old Man

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Romans 6:6

How can we ever come to a place where we seldom or hardly sin? The key is found in Romans 6:6 where it says that our old man needs to be crucified with Christ. What does that mean? Let me illustrate with this example:

Say there is this terrible man who drinks heavily and smokes a lot. He watches pornography on television all the time. He visits sleazy massage parlors and constantly cheats on his wife. Whenever he is in a bad mood or comes home drunk, he becomes violent and beats up his wife and kids. And whenever his wife and children come back from church, he would use the vilest profanities and start cursing God.

One Sunday morning, his wife and kids have gone to church and the man is watching pornography on television again. He has a glass of whiskey in his hand and a cigar in his mouth.

That Sunday, his family has a wonderful time in church. But as they approach home, they become very fearful. Would daddy be drunk when we enter the door? Would he beat us up again? But when they step into the house, they are shocked. The cigar and whiskey are by the table but the man is not smoking or drinking. The television is on but he is not watching it either. He didn’t shout, curse or swear at them. He didn’t get violent or beat them up. What happened?

The man had just died of a heart attack! And when he died, he also became dead to sin-to all his bad habits and vices!

The Bible says that at Calvary, Jesus took your old nature, the old man, the “old you”-who likes to sin, rebel, lie-and nailed it together with Him to the cross. In exchange, the new man, the nature of God in Christ, becomes alive in us. When we live out the life of the new man, the power of sin has no more hold on us.

A very important truth is that Romans 6:6 starts with the word “knowing.” That word means “knowledge by experience” or “knowledge by supernatural revelation.” That is why it is so crucial to have personal encounters with the presence and the power of God. Religious information to your head alone will not help you become victorious. You need daily encounters with God to live out the overcoming life in Christ.

Chicken Hotpot at Novena Square

Its Mother's Day today! So my family decided to dine out at somewhere nice. We were at Novena Square where we came about this new eating place call "Chicken Hotpot". Its a small eating area and we don't really know what is it about, but decided to go ahead and eat as it seems like some good stuff. It has franchised all over the world, very good reviews from Shanghai and Hong Kong and even from our very own Singapore's "Food Detectives". Little did I know that I'm in for a pleasant surprise =)

We've ordered a medium chicken hotpot and a small beef hotpot for me. When it arrived, we were fooled by it's initial look. It look nothing more like just claypot chicken with meat and not much of soup based. My mum was asking me how do we even do hotpot steamboat like this? (There is a fridge with other side-dishes if you want). As we were eating, the service crew came over to add in more soup based to almost the brim. By now, we were already enjoying the tender beef and chickens. After which, I went over to the fridge to grab a plate of duo meow and some mixed meat.

Oh just a little about the fridge. Besides eating from just whatever you have in the hotpot, you can also take side-dishes from the fridge. The range is as follows:
$1 - Vegetables: From duo meow to mushrooms and all sorts of vegetables including bitter gound.
$2 - Meats: Ranging from fish meat to lap chiong and some other stuff
$3 - Mixed meat, beef strips and other more expensive stuffs.

Then with these, you can make your own hotpot steamboat. Its really delicious, especially the beef hotpot. No regrets! With more soup based been added in and with its original herbs and spices, I was literally sipping the soup dry but the service crew keep topping up the soup for me. Oh btw, the service there is good too. The service crews will keep walking around and top up the soup-base for you before it runs low, without you having to ask them. The boss also served us and asked if we like the food. When my parents had finish eating their meal, I'm still guiltly sipping the soup and searching for bits and pieces of beef bits and duo meow in the soup like a glutton =p

When we paid the bill, we realized there isn't even any service charge and we weren't charged for the wet tissues either. Quite a good deal yeah?

My personal recommendation: If you are a meat lover, order a medium beef hotpot, go for beef stripes, duo meow and tao pok. Satisfaction guarantee!

Too bad I dun have a camera phone, can't take any pictures. But if you want to know more info, do visit www.chickenhotpot.com. There is one more outlet in Shenton Way.

Daily Devotion: Power, Sex and Money

But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, “You shall not return that way again.” Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Deuteronomy 17:16-17

Hundreds of years before Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel, these provisions were made concerning the king’s character.

First of all, a king should not be given to the lust of power. Leaders who are inwardly insecure are always clamoring for power, prominence and position. Jesus says that leadership is not lordship, but servanthood: “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). Decide to be a servant-leader today.

Secondly, a king must not have a weakness for the opposite sex. Biblical leaders like Samson, David and Solomon all fell in this area. Next to the Lord, the most important relationship you would ever have is the one with your spouse. Communication is the key to life. Put aside quality time each day to share your thoughts, feelings, desires and visions with each other. Have consistent, healthy sexual relations in your marriage. “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor. 7:5). In other words, sex is effective spiritual warfare against the temptation for adultery. What do you do when you have lost the “first love” for your spouse? Jesus says, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5). That means that you need to go back to the beginning activities of your relationship. Start courting each other again. Keep the romance in your marriage strong.

Finally, a king must never have a soft spot for money. Paul says, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13). While you are to desire the multiplication of your fi nances, learn to live within your means. Work out a plan to get out of debt as soon as you can. Be a tither and a generous giver in the church. Giving is always effective in dealing with the lust for money. A king should be a person of the Word, and a person of humility and accountability. These same character qualities are needed for all godly leaders in our time.

Taken from Pst Kong's Daily Devotion dated 29 Mar 09

Tiny Clip-on TV

This is the latest invention from Japan. Now we can watch tv programs wherever we go. Est price is 1k. Wonder if it's a hot product when it comes to Singapore.

Judy Jacobs - Because of who You are

This is beautiful song written by Judy Jacobs.

Because Of Who You Are
Because of who You are, I give You glory
Because of who You are, I give you praise
Because of who You are, I will lift my voice and say
Lord I worship You because of who You are
Lord, I worship You because of who You are

Jehovah Jireh, my provider
Jehovah Nissi, You reign in victory
Jehovah Shalom, my prince of peace
And I worship You because of who You are

Jehovah Rapha, You're my healer
Jehovah Shammah, You're always with me
Jehovah Sabaoth, You're my strong deliverer

Holy Are You Lord

Terry Macalmon - Holy Are You Lord

Hear the sound of heaven, like the sound of many waters
It's the sound of worship, coming from the throne
Cries of adoration, as men from every nation
Lift their voice to make His glory known, singing


Chorus:
Holy, holy, holy are you Lord
Holy, holy, holy are you Lord
The elders and angels bow
The redeemed worship you now
Holy, holy, holy are you Lord

Rihanna's Umbrella - Hokkien Version

This is the hokkien version of the ever-popular Umbrella Song, spoof by the Papaya Sisters during STAGE, a yearly performance that spoof various famous events, issues or even songs =)

Power of Your Name

Lyrics:
Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Let Your Kingdom come
Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can't be what You saw
Let Your Kingdom come
Here in my heart

I will live
To carry your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
I will give
With the life that I'd been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your Name

Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Let Your Kingdom come
Lord break this heart

I will live
To carry your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
I will give
With the life that I'd been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your Name

Your Name
Is a shelter for the hurting
Jesus Your Name
Is a refuge for the weak
Only Your Name
Can redeem the undeserving
Jesus Your Name
Holds everything I need

I will live
To carry your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
I will give
With the life that I'd been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your Name