Your Thinking Releases His Power

Your Thinking Releases His Power

Recently, I have been having vision (day) and dream (night) on 'thinking'. If young men see visions and old men dream dreams, I must be somewhere in between. Lol.

I felt the Spirit speaking to me, "While the power of God is in your heart (Jn 7:38), it is in your thinking that opens or restricts the flow."

In the dream, I had series of events. Wherever I went, I could simply use my thinking to literally move things around. I think sci-fi movies copied Christianity. We had to be the originators.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. - Eph 3:20

This passage, when read in English, does not do justice to the Scripture. It has diluted the meaning, the richness and the power of this passage.

While God is able (root word of dunamis) to do over and beyond all that we 'ask' or 'think', He can't do it without our cooperation. It is according to the dunamis through the Holy Spirit that 'works' in us (Acts 1:8).

The word 'works' in Greek means 'to be operative or put forth power so that it is effectual'. In this context, it speaks of 'the dative of person in whose mind a thing shows itself active.'

Note 1: This power brings about the result that we want to see, in any circumstance. If it is not operative, it is present but it is not effectual.

Note 2: In this context, the mind of the person is involved. One might think that it's simply about seeing with the mind's eyes (a thing shows itself active). But I like to suggest that it is more than that. Because the principle of seeing does not work for me.

Since Eph 3:20 involves our cooperation, we observe two things. 'Ask' or 'Think'.

The word 'ask' in Greek is 'aiteo' which consists of 'ask, request, demand'. It is best represented by this passage in 1 John.

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. - 1 Jn 5:14-15

This has to be the confidence of declaring and speaking His will. And it is simple.

The word 'think' in Greek has to do with 'considering' and 'perceiving'. It is not just an English word, which only means what you think.

The word 'noiéō', where 'think' is from, is about what you consider ----- 'to apply mental effort needed to reach "bottom-line" conclusions'.

In other words, you consider with conclusion. Your consideration has conclusion. You are thinking with value-judgment. This is like God because we are created in His image. God never thinks without conclusion because His thoughts create something out of nothing without shrinking back.

Each time we think with conclusion/judgment according to His will, the power of the Spirit is made operative and effectual and it brings about the result that we want to see, where it lines up with His Word.

Summary of the Story of God and Man

 Before Creation:

- God holds the ultimate Dominion as He sits on the Throne (Dan 4:34)

- God created everything that is good (Gen 1:31; 1 Tim 4:4) including Lucifier (Col 1:16-17). Lucifier was blameless when he was created and he was already in Eden, the garden of God (Eze 28:12-15)

- Lucifer, the anointed guardian cherub wanted God's Dominion and Throne (Isa 14:13-15). He had the free will to turn against God (Rev 12:7-10; Isaiah 14:12; Jude 6)

At Creation:

- God is so full of love and glory that He created the earth, Adam & Eve in His image (Gen 1:26; Isa 43:7)
- God handed His dominion on earth (not heaven) fully to Man. Man could thus make any decision on earth with God-given dominion. The earth was now under Man (Gen 1:26; Ps 115:16; Gen 2:19-20)
- Lucifer knew that God loves Man deeply and if he could cause Man to fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), he could:
    a) Usurp Man's dominion on earth and take over the earth (Luke 4:6; 1 Jn 5:19)
    b) Usurp God's dominion in heaven IF God were to save His beloved Man by any means from heaven (Isa 14:14)
- God cannot go against the integrity of His Word (Ps 138:2; Isa 55:11; Heb 6:18) or two things would happen:
    a) The Universe will break apart (Heb 1:3)
    b) The foundation of His Throne will break apart (Ps 89:14)
- This is the reason that God had to send Jesus on earth, in order not to break His Word, because the dominion on earth had been entrusted to Man. Therefore, God had to use Man to abide by the Word He had spoken. God had to use Man to take dominion on earth. Jesus, while fully God, is also fully Man on earth (Phil 2:6-8). He is the Son of Man.

At Redemption:
- Jesus showed us God's dominion on earth throughout the Gospel (Matt 4:34; 12:28). He demonstrated dominion over sickness, demons, finances, storm & waves, lack of food, death, etc. He showed us what dominion looks like if it were not usurped. He showed us the original intention & purpose of God (Gen 1:26)
- As the Last Adam, Jesus came to fulfill what the First Adam failed (Matt 5:17). He had to walk in perfection to redeem the imperfection of Man (Rom 5:15-19). He became sin on the Cross so that He could restore Righteousness and the image of God in us (2 Cor 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Cor 1:30-31)
- The Last Adam redeemed the First Adam and restored God's dominion to Man on earth (Matt 28:18-20)
- God, in His manifold wisdom, saved Man (First Adam) through Man (Last Adam) (Eph 3:8-12) while keeping His Word (at Creation). For God changes not.

For believers:
- We are to continue to exercise and enforce God's dominion on earth until Christ returns (Matt 10:8; Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 10:18-19; 1 Cor 15:24-28; Daniel 7:13-14)
- This is the reason for the Lord's Prayer: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10)
- The earth is to look like heaven in every aspect. If it isn't, we keep taking dominion in every area. The responsibility lies with Man, not God. For earth has been entrusted to us (Ps 115:16) and dominion has been restored to us.

God has the power to easily destroy the earth and restart everything. But He didn't and couldn't, because He promised not to do it (Gen 8:21) and He must keep His Word to let Man handle the earth. Christ hasn't returned because of God's mercy to Man (2 Peter 3:9). But once Man has taken dominion through Christ (Col 1:27) on earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom (Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 4:20), the end will come (Matt 24:14; 1 Cor 15:24).

For non-believers:
- From history till now, Man continues to yearn for dominion (it is an inborn desire) all over the world. But without Christ, it is a demonic and twisted dominion, which is rooted from Satan (Lucifier). You see it everywhere ----- wars, pandemic, big pharmas, slaveries, etc. To drive it nearer to home... your boss, your business partners, your colleagues, etc. It's everywhere because people are walking in twisted dominion (which is Satan's idea).

- Everything we see on earth right now is a war between two kingdoms: God's Kingdom and the kingdom of darkness. The fight is not flesh and blood (Eph 6:12). There are only two parties: People walking in God's dominion and people walking in twisted satanic dominion.

Only born-again believers can walk in God-given dominion and establish His Kingdom and Righteousness on earth (Matt 6:33; Rom 14:17). And this is the privilege and responsibility we have ---- to be enlisted by the Lord of hosts to be His armies.

How Do You Hear The Voice of God?

How Do You Hear The Voice of God?

The voice of God sounds the same as your own voice.

The voice of the devil sounds the same as your own voice.

The voice of your mind sounds the same as your own voice.

What is that so?

Because these voices come from within you. If it comes from outside in, it will be easy to differentiate. But it comes from inside out, so the sound will always be the same.

Therefore, you don't differentiate the voice of God by HOW it sounds. You differentiate by the Word of God and the Will of God.

If you want to know the will of God, read the Word.

If you want to do the will of God, do the Word. - Lester Sumrall

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God... - John 7:17

The more you do the Word, which is His will, the more you know Truth (interpretation).

This is the key to hear the voice of God. You can't grow in hearing His voice by simply spending alot of time in prayer. Because if you do not read His Word and do His Word (His will), you cannot discern Truth, and thus, you cannot differentiate if the voice comes from yourself, the devil or God.

This is why you see the so-called prophets, the prophetic people, men and women of prayer & intercession saying that they are hearing the voice of God, when they actually don't, because they do not know the Word and they miss His will (thus missing His voice).

Your theology affects your hearing greatly.

The Kingdom Impacts Your Democratic View

The Gospel of salvation merely meets the spiritual needs of people. It preaches a message of "Jesus died FOR you. Believe Him and you shall be saved (aka go to heaven after you die). But the same people who heard the Gospel of salvation are going through hell on earth when they struggle to live in this life, because their basic practical needs are not met. This is a powerless gospel.

The Gospel of the Kingdom not only meets their spiritual needs, but also their practical needs so that the Kingdom of heaven can be reflected on the earth. Jesus taught, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It preaches a message of "Jesus died FOR you and AS you. Believe Him and give your life to Him so that He can live through you." And in order for Him to live through you to represent His Kingdom on earth, you will have all your needs met (Phil 4:19).

Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, provided food, etc to meet the practical needs of the people while He preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. He was concerned with the society because people mattered to Him.

Your democratic view is largely affected by the way you understand the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Good Report

Good Report

On many occasions, people requested for the ministry of healing after they have done one of the followings:

1) Went for a medical test and they were waiting for the medical report to be out

2) Went for a medical test; the medical report was out and they were waiting for the surgery

This is when it gets tricky.

You went to minister healing for those in 1) and those in 2)

For 1), when the medical report is out, it will usually match the medical test which they did before they were ministered healing. Even when they were healed, the medical report would still show otherwise. When they heard the medical report, they immediately "dropped" the healing because the doctor's report appeared BIGGER than God's report.

For 2), as the doctor usually doesn't do another round of medical test right before the surgery, they go straight for surgery after being ministered healing. They "dropped" the healing because it needs faith, while going for surgery enables them to see the result immediately.

We should not be confused with the sequence if we want to see and experience healing. The difference lies in the report we believe in ---- the one written by God or the one written by the doctor.

Today is Good Friday. Jesus was nailed to the Cross so that we can be free from sin and sickness. This is the Good Report that we must hold firmly and dearly to.

Don't let the doctor's report be bigger than the report on Good Friday.

Judging God

The presence of sin and the reality of sin do not change the nature of God as the Righteous One.

The presence of sickness and the reality of sickness do not change the nature of God as the Healer.

God doesn't choose who to be righteous to because Righteousness is His nature. In the same way, He doesn't choose who to heal because Healing is His nature.

Whenever someone says "if God wills, He will heal", he worships a different god whose nature is not Righteousness and Healing. He judges who God is based on the presence & reality of sin and sickness, instead of judging the presence & reality of sin and sickness based on who God is.

Sarah should have judged God unfaithful because of her barrenness. She had past her age. But she chose to judge God faithful despite the reality of barrenness. She received what she judged Him for.

It is easy for you to judge God for whatever you are experiencing. But until you learn to judge Him for who He is regardless of what you are experiencing, you won't receive what He has prepared for you.

The Law and Grace

The Law exposes our sin, but Grace removes us from sin.

If there is Law without Grace, it will be condemnation (John 8:4-5).

If there is Grace without Law, it will bend the Truth and allow sin (John 8:6).

Jesus wrote with His finger on the ground (John 8:6), just as God wrote the commandments with His finger (Exo 31:18). He is the Law and He came to fulfill the Law (Matt 5:17). Yet He is also Grace (Titus 2:11) and He came to 'sozo' us (John 3:17).

The Law reveals sin (Rom 7:7), for apart from the Law, sin is dead (Rom 7:8). The Pharisees had their sins revealed, when Jesus wrote the Law on the ground. None of them dared to cast a stone on the woman.

Jesus was the only Man standing in front of the woman when all others had left, because He was without sin. The Law is perfect (ps 19:7). Yet He said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Grace is more than enough (2 Cor 12:9).

Wisdom has the ability to marry Law and Grace. And Jesus is the Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24).

Jesus is both Law and Grace (John 8). He was the first husband who died, so that we could be married to the second husband (Romans 7). Jesus is both the first and the second Husband.

We died to the Law so that we could be married to Grace. Since Christ has become for us Wisdom (1 Cor 1:30), we have the ability to understand the Law and Grace. We have gotten the power to expose sin and be free from it.

Wrong Gospel, Wrong jesus

Wrong Gospel, Wrong jesus

We have probably read this passage so many times. Perhaps we've overlooked it. Maybe we didn't realise the contradiction in this passage. But it contains an important truth for us who share the Gospel in the streets.

Yet 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐦. They said, “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, will He do 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 than this man has done?” - John 7:31

The people who believed in Jesus said these words, "When the Christ appears..."

This is ridiculous when you would have expected them to believe that Jesus is the Christ. Apparently, they believed in Jesus, but didn't believe that He is the Christ.

Signs and wonders led these people to believe in Jesus, without believing that He is the Christ. 

Similarly, if you think that ministering healing, signs and wonders in the streets, and leading people to pray the sinner's prayer gets them born again, you are naive.

If you don't share the clear Gospel of The Kingdom, they will not have a clear knowledge of who Christ is. Without clarity, they WILL believe in the jesus you preach, but they are not believing in the true God Jesus Christ.

They will be like these people, "Yes, I believe in jesus! Oh but when the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these?"

Wrong Gospel, wrong jesus. Period.

Why Christians SHOULD Judge

Why Christians SHOULD Judge

1) Jesus is the Judge (2 Tim 4:1)

- Since we are to follow Jesus (Matt 16:24; 1 Peter 2:21) and manifest Him (Col 1:27), we should judge.

2) Jesus judges

- As I hear, 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. - Jn 5:30

- We judge, because He does

3) We judge NOT according to the flesh/human standards

- No longer, then, 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬. - 2 Cor 5:16 GNT

- If we don't judge by human standards, then 𝐰𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭/𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝

4) We judge by people's fruits

- Therefore 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 you will know them. - Matt 7:20

5) Jesus told us to judge with right judgment

- Do not judge by appearances, but 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. - Jn 7:24

- This corresponds to 1 Samuel 16:7. We don't judge by outward appearance. 𝐖𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ---- 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 (𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝); 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭; 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭.

6) Jesus told us to judge our own issue, before we judge others with regards to the SAME issue. He did NOT say that you should not judge

- Judge not, that you be not judged... first take the log out of your own eye, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞. - Matt 7:1-5

7) We will judge the new world

- Or do you not know that 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝? - 1 Cor 6:2

- We will judge angels (1 Cor 6:3) and the new world. What happens now is the practice period. We start judging on this present world.

The next time when you hear a Christian or preacher says, "We should not judge anyone", please correct him/her because it's not true according to the Word of God.

Changing The Approach for Young People

When one guy got his lower spine straightened and healed, his friend requested for his knee to be healed. But he couldn't test it as he would need to be sprinting up and down for a distance. It might not be appropriate as he was wearing jeans and people were walking up and down the bridge.

We did readings on him. Sometimes we get the name of the person. Sometimes it's vague. So we said that we saw the name with the letter 'R', he said, "Yes that's my name!" After the readings, he went to pull two more friends over for readings.

One of his friends came with fresh blisters at the back of both her heel areas. She wore a new pair of shoes. She got healed and exclaimed, "What the hell! What the hell! I didn't even expect it. I'm not even kidding. What the hell!"

On hearing that, the male friend whose knee was prayed for ignored the flow of people and disregarded the fact that he was wearing jeans. He started to sprint up and down the Clarke Quay area to test his healing. He was overjoyed.

A lady came with her family and she said, "I would like to ask questions about my career." We replied, "Don't tell us anything. You just take a seat."

After reading her, her SIL was exhilarated. She was read. Her husband, who insisted that he didn't want to be read, came back to be read.

One by one, those who initially appeared to be resistant and reluctant to be read surrendered to the goodness and grace of God, and took the step of faith to be read.

We had a lady who had her mail read. She was so excited that she became our saleswoman. She started to call out to the people around, "Guys, you should come and try this!"

Soon there was a queue.

People are hungry for spiritual things. Especially the younger generation. Maybe we should change the way we preach to them because preaching is not always about using the traditional pulpit. In fact, they might switch off when it's a one-way top down approach.

The world is changing. If we still stick to the old approach, we will lose the young people.

Gather OR Scatter?

Every year, by His grace, I get a better understanding of His Kingdom. I hope I did.

There is ONE important aspect that I discovered.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.

𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓.

Regardless of our differences, opinions, perspectives, etc, the moment when anyone chooses to walk away from true Kingdom-minded people, he has chosen to scatter and he does not understand the Kingdom.

Over the past decade, I have encountered pastors, leaders, friends, etc. who talk/preach about the Kingdom, but do not understand the Kingdom.

It doesn't matter how much you think you know or how much you preach about the Kingdom. The moment you separate is the revelation that you don't comprehend the Kingdom.

Double Shalom

Shalom Shalom

I shared in a blog post about how resting destroys satan's works.

https://wilsonbarnabashealingmiracles.blogspot.com/2024/06/resting-destroys-satans-works-part-one.html

When you have peace, you rest. Jesus rested in the boat while the disciples wrestled in the storm. The reason Jesus had to wake up and rebuke the storm is for the sake of His disciples who were crumbling in fear.

I can comprehend that Jesus got up and rebuked the storm. I can imagine myself doing that. It's possible. Afterall, being awake and taking authority over something is not that difficult.

But what is beyond my comprehension is Him sleeping in the boat, while a perfect storm was present. Yes, we can talk about it. We can preach about it. But the heart of the matter is, "Can we DO it?"

Mark 4:37 says that the waves rushed into the boat and the water was filling the boat.

Yet the peace within Jesus is untouchable. The waves could not touch Him. He didn't need to wake up from His sleep to release that peace into the atmosphere. There was NO NEED to calm the storm and waves.

I can imagine the water and the waves surrounding Him, moving along the perimeter of His body as He was sleeping, BUT they could not touch Him. That's the kind of peace that surpasses ALL understanding.

I have been meditating on this for the past few days. It's still beyond comprehension. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

If I were Him, I could hear the waves, the storm and perhaps the lightning. By the way, I'm a light sleeper. I could feel the whole boat in turbulence. How could I still sleep?

Mark 4:38 says that He was sleeping in the stern of the boat. The stern is meant for steering the boat, for stability and for navigation. For Jesus to sleep there, it speaks of His complete dominance, because the King of peace reigns over all.

But what kind of peace is that? It is beyond the shalom we say and know.

Isaiah 26:3 - You keep Him in (shalom) (shalom) 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, because He trusts in you.

This is a double shalom. He was sleeping there with His mind stayed on God. The word 'stayed' means 'to rest' in Hebrew. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩.

As a father, I can recall times when baby J rested on my chest (bosom) to sleep. The world around him didn't matter. It's a kind of rest that trusts in the father's love. This produces double shalom.

Yes. I can talk about this. I can preach about this. But as I'm meditating on it, I wonder how to live this out. Because I'm jealous or rather, zealous for such Word-reality.

Part 2 - Sinner's Prayer Or Born Again

Part 2 - Sinner's Prayer Or Born Again

In Part 1, I shared that if we lead people to say/pray the sinner's prayer after the benefits (miracles/healing), they would perish without knowing Jesus, but if we share the Gospel of the Kingdom, they will get born again and receive eternal life.

Jesus said it to the Jews in John 6.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. - John 6:27

He further explained and drew the parallelism of this context with the patriarchs. They saw and experienced the miracle. They ate the supernatural gift of manna in the wilderness. Yet they died.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. - John 6:48-50

This is why Jesus talked about working for the food that endures to eternal life (Jn 6:27) --- through believing (v29).

Don't confuse getting people to say/pray the sinner's prayer with getting them to be born again. They are not the same, unless you preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, so that they work for the food that endures to eternal life.

Sinner's Prayer OR Born Again?

Sinner's Prayer OR Born Again?

Do not confuse getting people to say/pray the sinner's prayer with getting people to be born again. They are not the same if we don't understand the Gospel of the Kingdom.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking Me, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. - John 6:26-27

The people desired Jesus, NOT because they saw the 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦, but because they were 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. In other words, they purely wanted the temporal satisfaction/benefits WITHOUT submitting to His Kingdom.

Jesus told them not to go after the benefits as they would perish, but to go after Him (true food) who gives eternal life.

When we get people to say/pray the sinner's prayer after healing/miracles, we are getting them to go after the food that perishes instead of the food that endures to eternal life. That is not Christianity, but sensuality. Most believers are still doing that, because they follow man's tradition instead of Jesus' approach.

On the other hand, when we preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and His Kingship, when people respond and give their lives to the King, they are truly born again and receive the food that endures to eternal life.

Don't confuse the name of professed Christians with Christianity. They are not the same. Don't confuse sinner's prayer with being born again. They are not the same either.

Holy Communion

Holy Communion

The evangelicals view Holy Communion as a symbolic act. It's for remembrance (1 Cor 11:24-26).

The Lutherans and Methodists view Holy Communion as a spiritual act with the real presence of Christ. It's a sacrament (Matt 16:26-29; 1 Cor 11:27-32). The Lutherans believe in sacramental union where Christ is present with the elements.

The Catholics view Holy Communion as both spiritual and physical acts. We call it transubstantiation, where the bread and wine become the literal body and blood of Christ (John 6:51-56).

Personally, I believe in all of them. All are correct in their beliefs. All can be found in Scriptures.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh... Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. -John 6:51-56

What is important is what we do during the Holy Communion. In a church service setting, Holy Communion is often rushed through without much consideration.

In the early Church, Eucharist (aka Holy Communion) was the central act of worship. The breaking of bread and the sharing of wine was central. Not your songs of worship, not your pulpit preaching.

It has since evolved to our modern church service setting.

Therefore, we need to do Holy Communion outside of the church service setting. Among a community or home group. Because it has been watered down so much into a small segment of a service.

In Communion, we must both celebrate and appropriate what Christ did with His body and blood, without which, we cannot receive the full benefits of the Cross. The 'zoe' life of God is in His body and the redemptive power of God is through His blood.

The true fellowship (koinonia - shared participation) of Christ with fellow believers doesn't happen at a coffee session or makan places. It happens through Communion.

At Communion, we individually and corporately participate in the life, sacrifice, death, resurrection and hope of Christ. It is not a 5 or 10 minutes' Scripture reading and eating/drinking. If we include prayer and meditation of the Body and Blood, it can take a long time.

Because we do not want to go through the motions. We want to release faith and appropriate what He has done. This is the moment where healing and health are released, providence, peace and goodness are released, and power over sins and divine protection are released.

While it is not the same as the Passover meal, parallelism can be drawn from it. The Israelites experienced amazing benefits of the Passover as they put their faith in God.

Let's take Holy Communion more seriously and restore it to its place.