Episodit
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The Holy Spirit has given us the Antioch Church model for a purpose. Generosity was the hallmark of the Antioch Church. The more generous they were, the more dynamic they became! People who give sacrificially to strengthen the local churchâto care for the poor and needy, especially the little childrenâwill become the most dynamic, powerful and blessed people around!
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God the Father, through the Son, pours out the Holy Spirit on all flesh as âthe breath of lifeâ. As God âinhalesâ, the Holy Spirit draws us into an ever-deepening communion and intimacy with the Father. As His love overwhelms us and overflows out of us, God then âexhalesââsending us out by the power of the Spirit, to share His love with others.
God has greater things in store for usâso more than ever, we need a revelation of His love, which is the secret of the Christian life! -
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God's salvation plan for us is holisticâit is total salvation in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies. Every day, He is transforming us into Christlikeness. Central to our transformation process is to suffer with Jesus. To follow Jesus, we must not be afraid of self-sacrifice and hardship.
In this sermon, I'll be challenging us to not be stunted in our Christian growth. He prepares us for the kinds of sufferings believers will experience in this lifetime, and exhorts us to be unafraid, fully assured that our present pains cannot be compared to the great destiny that God has prepared for us! -
âAnd now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is loveâ (1 Cor. 13:13). Sharing from this well-known verse, I pray that you'll be encouraged to rededicate your life to God and go from glory to gloryâin faith, hope, and loveâallowing God to have His way fully in and among us. Glorious days are ahead of us!
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One of the most important revelations we must have is to know who we are in God and the authority we have in His name.
The Christian life is essentially the life in Christ and in the Spirit â to live within the sphere of Christ's and the Holy Spirit's control and power. The deeper we abide in Christ, and the deeper we live and walk in the Spirit, the more we are transformed into an ever-deepening union with God! -
Your soul is the beautiful garden that God walks in. It is meant to be filled with His beauty, light and life. Unfortunately, sin so easily darkens the soul.
In this sermon. I'll share the good news of how we can ask the Holy Spirit, who is our Helper, for two gifts: 1) the fear of the LORD; and 2) the mirror of humility. God yearns for us to have them because when they are present in our souls, they allow us to set a spiritual distance between us and our sins. We will come to a place where we are no longer attached to our sins because we want something more fulfilling than those sinsâGod Himself! -
In the beginning, men and women were created equal in God's image, and both were made to be co-leaders, to âruleâ over Godâs creation (Gen. 1:27-28). However, when sin came into the picture, everything changed. With the curse of the fall (Gen. 3:16), discrimination of all kinds seeped in.
When the Day of Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit broke every barrier that is destructive to the fulfilment of Godâs kingdom on earth. He elevated the status of women, the elderly, and the poor, making us one in Christ! Not only did the Holy Spirit give us new life, but He also equalised the partnership between men and women, restoring us to Godâs original plan.
As biblical Pentecostals, we believe that both men and women are equally redeemed by Jesus and equally gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve Him, both at home and in the church. We must live in mutual submission, mutual love, mutual authority, and mutual honour. -
This sermon is an exhortation for mothers, taking reference from Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Like many Moms, Mary must have faced all kinds of anxiety and inaccuracies. Yet, despite all the challenges, she had perfect faith, selfless in her love and devotion to Jesus. I'll share four qualities of motherhood that Mary possessed.
She was a caring mother, as seen in her risking the odds and fleeing to Egypt just to protect Jesus. She was a supportive mother, a quality evident in the wedding at Cana and all throughout Jesusâ earthly ministry. Mary was a nurturing mother, and this was the key to Jesusâ spiritual development. Finally, Mary was a loving mother, patient and long suffering. Watching Jesus suffer and die on the cross must have been the most painful experience, but she never left His side.
Letâs shower our Attention, Affection and Appreciation on our Moms and let them know they are loved! -
Bad things happen in life, but Christians must learn to walk through dark seasons and to persevere through pain. I'll share four lessons drawing from the life story of Joseph.
One, God is always with us in our dark times, nothing can separate you from His love. Two, God has a purpose for allowing dark times in our lives. Without suffering it is impossible to become more like Jesus. Three, dark times will last as long as necessary for God to accomplish His purpose to change you and make you a person of destiny. Finally, in the darkness, we must walk towards the light. Joseph continually kept his focus on God and on His promises, which kept him going through the dark times.
Be encouraged by this message that God never plays games with your life, but what the devil means for evil, God intends it for good. -
In this sermon, I'll explain why it is crucial for every believer to have faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6).
What does it mean to have faith? Faith means focusâto keep oneâs focus on Godâs love, His word and His promises; to not be distracted from God, despite what one sees or feels. There are three levels of faith: little faith (Matt 8:23) is when you struggle to believe, when you are distracted by whatâs going on around you and cannot focus on God. Great faith is strong and unwavering faith in the face of circumstances, such as the faith of the centurion in Matt 8:5-10 and the Canaanite woman (Matt 15:22-28). The highest level of faith is perfect faith, which is trusting obedience regardless of outcome. Perfect faith is when we can obey God whether or not we are healed or blessed, just like Jesus.
Be encouraged by this message to grow in your faith in God! -
While the four stages of the Christian journeyâawakening, purgation, illumination and unionâlead us to the great joy of theosis, this is not easily achieved. This sermon teaches the ultimate experience for the rare Christian: having the full measure of Christlikeness will not be possible without the dark night of the senses and of the soul. The dark nights are periods of detachment caused or allowed by God to wean us away from the things of this world. During such times He may even withdraw His blessings and hide His face. God wants to bring us to the point where we need nothing and no-one but Him, the point where even if He withdraws Himself we can still continue to love and long for Him just as Jesus did.
Let this message encourage you to be unafraid of suffering and to be willing to let go of anything that stands in the way of Your love for God and His will. -
In this sermon, I'm continuing my sermon on the three things that happen in silence and solitude, the first two being meditation and contemplation. The third and most precious of these is union with God. Meditation is applying oneâs mind to the word of God. Contemplation is loving God without words or agenda. Union is becoming one with God in love and likeness. This is Godâs desire, that we come into a loving union with Him. In fact, it is the end goal of salvation: Jesus went to the cross so that we can experience divine unionâtheosisâwith the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is only when we increasingly unite with the Godhead that we are more and perfected in love, and more like Jesus.
Let this message draw you into a time of silence and solitude, and into union with God. -
In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus never rebuked Martha for being busy. Her problem was, even when Jesus was sitting in front of her, she was anxious and angry, too busy and distracted to focus on Him. This sermon captures the essence of why silence and solitude are essential to a believerâs life. We must be silent enough to listen to God, and we must have enough solitude to connect with the Holy Spirit. The secret ingredient to a balanced and happy life is God Himself: it is in His presence that there is joy and freedom.
Three things happen when we are by ourselves in Godâs presence, and I'll cover two here: one is meditation, which is applying your mind to the word of God and two is contemplation, which is to come into Godâs presence with no agenda, enjoying Him and experiencing His love for you. -
Most of us wear our busyness like a badge of honourâthe busier we are, the more we feel like an achiever. But being too busy causes anxiety and burnout; we have no time for our family and worse, we have no time for God. If we are seeking balance in our life, the answer is to slow down. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus tells believers He will give us rest, which is to slow down; He invites us to learn from Him.
Adapting from John Mark Comerâs teaching on âSlowingâ, I'll be sharing five things we must learn from Jesus: to adopt slow-down spirituality, to faithfully observe the Sabbath rest, to practice silence and solitude, to make devotional prayers (not just intercession and petition) and to develop detachment, which is to be content in any situation.
If we can slow down and follow Jesusâ unhurried pace of life, we will be changed, we will find His yoke easy and His burden light. -
One of the greatest challenges to our faith is when we go through suffering, yet our most urgent search for God happens when we are in pain.
This sermon will unpack the purpose of suffering, which is to transform us to be more like Jesus. Very few people in history suffered like Job: until the day he died, he never knew the reason he had to suffer, yet he loved God for who He was and not for His blessings. Godâs purpose for us cannot be stopped (Job 42:1), and He has a purpose when we face hardshipâHe is working out something glorious in us. No matter how deep our pain is, Godâs love for us goes even deeper. Jesus is with us daily in our suffering; nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
If you are going through a hard time in life, let this sermon encourage and empower you to hold on to your faith and trust in the Lord, having eternity in your heart. -
The twelfth statement of the Apostlesâ Creed is this: I believe in the life everlasting. Amen.
Eternal life or "zoe" in Greek is a promise from God to His people who believe and have faith in Him. While the apostle John says that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life now (John 3:16; 1 John 5:11, 13), the Bible also clearly teaches that eternal life is a gift in the future. Those who believe in Jesus experience a little measure today but the fullness of it is reserved for the future, at the return of Christ.
This is the whole purpose of our Christian faith â not merely to be forgiven of our sins and becoming successful in the this lifetime. The end purpose of our salvation is to come into a loving communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, sharing in the fullness of the divine life. This "zoe" is an ever-deepening intimacy with the LORD and the experiencing of ever-growing love, joy, and peace from now till all eternity. Hallelujah! -
The eleventh statement of the Apostlesâ Creed is this: I believe in the resurrection of the body.
The Bible teaches that our hope is not fixed on the fact that we go to heaven when we die, but that God will raise us from the dead to be with Christ forever in our resurrected bodies (Rom. 8:23). It is a bodily resurrection where we will be given new spiritual bodies which are immortal, just like Jesusâ own body on Easter Sunday!
With our new resurrected bodies in the new heaven and new earth, we will be able to fully express ourselves and completely obey and fulfil Godâs will and purpose for all eternity. Being swallowed up by the life of the Holy Spirit, we are at last fully baptised in the Spirit and have Him without measure (2 Cor. 5:4). Wow!
Until then, may we regularly confess this statement in the Apostle's Creed with our eyes fixed on that glorious day! -
The tenth statement of the Apostlesâ Creed is this: I believe in the forgiveness of sins.
The word âforgivenessâ in the Greek is đđ„đđđđąđ which means to let go of a debt, to release it, and send the wrong or sin far, far away. Forgiveness is an expression of love. Because of His great love for us, in Christ we can find forgiveness (Col. 1:14). In fact, this is what Easter is all about. By dying on the cross, Jesus cancels out sinâs penalty. All the evils we have done, the right things we have failed to do, and the horrible attitudes we have expressed to God and to others have been erased and wiped off the record!
Likewise, we must learn to keep no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). Jesus says we forgive as many times as necessary (Matt. 18:22). Because love and forgiveness are synonymous, to be a loving person is to live in a constant atmosphere and attitude of forgiveness. Every time we recite this statement in the Apostlesâ Creed, let us renew our commitment to walk in a constant atmosphere of forgiveness! -
The ninth statement of the Apostlesâ Creed is this: I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.
The word âcatholicâ comes from the Greek word katholikos, which means âuniversalâ. The Christian church is universal because it doesnât belong to any one nation but to all nations of the world. The church is not a building of brick and mortar, or a religious organisation, it comprises us â the believers of Jesus Christ. We share in the âcommunion of the saintsâ, a sacred bond of love and fellowship by the Holy Spirit, uniting all true believers in Christ in His body. -
The eighth statement of the Apostlesâ Creed is this: I believe in the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. When Jesus took on human flesh and lived on earth, the Spirit was absolutely central in Jesusâ life. Jesus lived completely dependent on the Holy Spirit from His conception to His ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus has set the âgold standardâ (of a Spirit-filled life) for us to follow and imitate!
We need the Holy Spirit so much more each day. The next time you utter âI believe in the Holy Spirit,â let it be a genuine cry from your heart for more of His person, presence, and power in your life. - Näytä enemmän
