What Is The Gospel? Part 3

In my previous two posts, I talked about the reason why most of us had been sharing an incomplete Gospel to non-believers in the streets. I also pointed out from the Scriptures on the Gospel that Jesus and His disciples preached.

You can read the earlier posts here:

Part 1: https://bit.ly/2sd1M9m

Part 2: https://bit.ly/39hsVZ9

Over so many years, the church at large seems to have watered down the Gospel into a quick fix for salvation, focusing on the numbers and born-again testimonies, rather than the complete truth (which is still the Gospel) that Jesus has laid for us. Yes, we love the lost ----- in a way, it's really about getting more saved. We want to get the lost saved. I'm passionate about it. I reach out as I go about my daily life. However, my zeal for the lost to be saved must not be at the expense of truth, because they are not separated. They are two sides of the same coin. Preaching an incomplete Gospel can get someone to say the sinner's prayer easily, but probably not really born again into the kingdom of God. Having been in street ministry for many years, we have encountered so many who said “Yes” to misrepresented Gospel.

In Part 2, I shared that Jesus preached the Gospel in Mark 1:14-15 - “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” He always preached the Gospel of the Kingdom with the demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders (Matt 4:23; 9:35). Healings confirmed the reality of another Kingdom ---- the One who reigns and rules, and we are to be submitted to Him as believers. All His disciples preached the same throughout the books of the Gospel (Matt 7:7-8; Luke 10:9). Having said that, as I mentioned in the previous post, it is still not quite fully complete. Because this message still lacks power for a non-believer, even though it is full of truth.

To repent is to change your mind. In the context of Mark 1:14-15, it required the Jews to change their mind concerning the kingdom. They were to live their lives changed, because Jesus did not come to restore the kingdom of Israel. He came to present the true Kingdom of His Father. To live under the Father's reign and Lordship is to align their lives to heaven's culture and values.

However, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to repent and live that way. There is none righteous (Romans 3:10). We have no capacity whatsoever to repent and live differently, because of a sinful nature (Romans 8:8). This is why Jesus came. He didn't come to change you. He came to kill you (Gal 2:20) so that you can live in a new nature (2 Cor 5:17; 2 Peter 1:3-4) with His righteousness in you (2 Cor 5:21) and thus, you can walk like Him.

The Gospel that Jesus preached did not include His death and resurrection. The Gospel that He commanded His disciples to preach after His resurrection included it.

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. - Luke 24:46-47 (emphasis added)

Note: Read also John 20:21-23. This passage can be further expounded, but there are other verses that I am going to share.

In Part 1, I shared a tad about the difference between the Old & the New Covenant. The New Covenant only began after Christ rose from the dead. In the Old Covenant, you repent to be forgiven. In the New, you repent because you are forgiven. What Christ did on the Cross is universal atonement (John 1:29; Luke 23:34; 2 Cor 5:18-19; 1 John 2:2, etc.). Universal atonement, however, does not mean that everyone is saved automatically. There are many Scriptures on this, but I have to move on to focus on the Gospel. If not, it will not be a post. It can become a book lol.

In Luke 24:46-47, the Gospel that Jesus commanded His disciples to preach after He rose from the dead included both REPENTANCE and REMISSION of sins.

1) The REMISSION of sins leads to faith in Christ (1 Cor 15:1-4; Eph 2:8; Acts 16:31).

...without shedding of blood there is no remission. - Hebrews 9:22

It is the blood of Christ that remitted our sins. It is not because of a sinner/salvation's prayer. It's not because you are sorry. You are not forgiven because you are sorry. You are forgiven because of the finished works of Christ on the Cross! To preach the remission of sins is part of the Good News. It is so good that it is sometimes hard to believe. We did nothing to deserve it. It's purely by the grace of God. The message is simple, “Christ, the Son of God died for your sins. He loves you. Put your faith in Him.”

However, this is yet to be complete. Because it seems unnecessary to change your life. “God loves me just the way I am. I don't need to change anything.” Yes, He does love you just the way you are. But He doesn't stop there. His love compels us to change.

2) REPENTANCE also needs to be preached as part of the Good News. If we don't understand the context of repentance, we will naturally associate it with a negative connotation. Repentance is simply a change of mind ------ returning to God our Creator and His kingdom. 

Note: You don't have to use the word 'repentance' to talk about repentance when reaching the lost. There are many ways to phrase a word. 

In the Old Covenant, there was no power for repentance. In the New, the power for repentance comes from accepting (and believing) the remission of sins. Jesus died for our sins, but He rose for our justification (Rom 4:25). Christ became our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30). We receive a new nature (2 Cor 5:17) and the power to walk in the Spirit and righteousness (Rom 8:1-10; Gal 5:24).

We now have the power to repent unto the Kingdom BECAUSE of the remission of sins. We have a new mind (1 Cor 2:16; Romans 12:2) to see and align our lives to His kingdom and His reign.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”  - John 3:5 (emphasis added)

If you are not born again, you cannot change your thinking. You still think like the old man (old nature). You can't help it. Your thinking affects your living. This is why we need to be born again. Then we can change our thinking and thus, change our living.

What do we repent of? We repent of our own 'kingdom' living so that we now live for His kingdom. Before Christ, we lived for us. Now we live through Him and for Him (Gal 2:20).

This is why the Gospel is not about uttering salvation or sinner's prayer. It's not in the Bible. It's about believing in Christ (remission of sins) and surrendering your life to Him (repentance) so that His kingdom reigns FIRST in your heart (Luke 17:20), and through you, to the world (Matt 6:10).

Note: For a believer, the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:20; Matt 12:28; Romans 14:17). For a non-believer, the kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15).

Apart from Luke 24:46-47, we can see in the consistency in the epistles (New Covenant) regarding the Gospel that the apostle Paul preached.

How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, TESTIFYING to JEWS, and also to GREEKS, REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD and FAITH TOWARD our Lord JESUS CHRIST. - Acts 20:20-21 (emphasis added)

This was Paul's departing message to the Church in Ephesus. What he said to them is of great importance. The Gospel that Paul preached to the Jews and the Greeks (Gentiles) included repentance (toward God) and remission of sins (faith toward Jesus; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Compare Acts 20:20-21 with Luke 24:46-47 again.

In Paul's perspective, testifying to the Gospel of the grace of God is the same as preaching the kingdom of God. They are not separated. Look at the following verses.

...so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to TESTIFY TO THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone PREACHING THE KINGDOM OF GOD, will see my face no more. - Acts 20:24b-25 (emphasis added)

Paul's ministry is to testify to (preach) the Gospel of the grace of God. When he said, “now I know that you all”, he was referring to the Ephesians (who were primarily Gentiles) ----- whom he had gone preaching the kingdom of God aka the Gospel of the grace of God.

Why is it sometimes called the 'Gospel of grace' in Paul's writings? Because Paul's primary ministry was to the Gentiles (Gal 2:7-8). It is the grace of God to include the Gentiles in His redemption plan (Eph 2:4-5; 11-13). As a former persecutor of Christians, he personally also encountered His grace. 

Because Paul preached the complete Gospel, he could say the following.

Therefore I testify to you this day that I AM INNOCENT of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD. - Acts 20:26-27

Hebrews also mention repentance and remission of sins as the foundational principles of Christ.

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of REPENTANCE from dead works and of FAITH TOWARD GOD. - Heb 6:1 (emphasis added)

Let's take a quick look at what the apostle Peter said in his first sermon when preaching the Gospel to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST.” - Acts 2:36 (emphasis added)

The word “Christ” in Greek means the “Anointed One” or the “Messiah”. Messiah refers to the Saviour. Jesus is not just our Saviour. He is BOTH Lord and Saviour. The Gospel is an incomplete Gospel if we don't complete the Gospel with the message of His Lordship and His Kingdom when preaching to a non-believer. 

If you confess with your mouth the LORD Jesus and believe in your heart that God has RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9 (emphasis added)

Notice in Romans 10, the salvation message (the Gospel) includes LORD and Saviour in this verse alone. It's not just 'Jesus died for your sins'. It is also, “Are you ready to live under His Lordship?”

Peter's second sermon (Acts 3:11-26) to the Jews included remission of sins (v26) and repentance (v19). The Jews understood that if Christ is the Messiah that Peter preached, they must be submitted to His Kingdom, because they understood discipleship.

This is the reason that in the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15), you see the word 'Gospel' in Mark (addressed to the Gentiles) but not in Matthew (addressed to the Jews).

“Go into all the world and PREACH THE GOSPEL to every creature. - Mark 16:15 (emphasis added)

Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations. - Matthew 28:19 (emphasis added) 

The Gospel and the Great Commission are the SAME.

Why is it that in the book of Matthew, it is recorded as “Go and make disciples”, instead of “Go and preach the Gospel”? Because there is no difference between preaching the Gospel and making disciples for the Jews. To believe in Christ as the Messiah sent by God is to live according to His teachings and His Kingdom. When a Jew follows a rabbi, he is to be submitted to the rabbi's teachings and be his disciple. Therefore, once a Jew believes that Jesus is the Saviour, and has repented of his thinking to return to God's Kingdom and God's reign, he knows that he has become the disciple of Christ and is to live according to the Kingdom culture.

The Great Commission = Preaching The Gospel = Making Disciples

The early disciples didn't separate evangelism and discipleship. It is us who do that in the modern church. They did not preach the incomplete Gospel (that we do) without the kingdom message. It is us who separates the two ----- one message for the lost and another message for discipleship after the lost is born again. The early disciples only preached ONE message ----- the complete Gospel.

Note: There was no such thing in the early church as presenting the Gospel of salvation to the lost first, followed by teaching them on discipleship where we talk about the Kingdom of God. It is NOT either-or. The Gospel is BOTH. It must be presented as a whole to the lost.

For Jesus didn't just come to show grace. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He came to present grace and truth.

...grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 

The Gospel is not just grace. It's grace and truth. Grace is not a Person. Grace and truth came through a Person. Jesus is not just the grace of God. He is the grace and the truth of God. This is why Jesus is not just our Saviour, He is also our Lord. He is BOTH LORD (repentance unto the kingdom) AND SAVIOUR (remission of sins). That's a complete Gospel!

Jesus died for your sins, but He rose to restore your identity and redeem your original purpose ------ to live under His reign and manifest His kingdom, taking dominion on earth (Genesis 1:26-28) over all kinds of chaos (sicknesses, strife, broken relationships, poverty, depression, etc.).

Eternity doesn't begin in heaven. It begins now. The Kingdom is first within you and then flows out of you to the earth. We must reign on earth now until Jesus comes. Jesus will return and reign with us to end all rules on earth and fully establish His Kingdom. Once it is fully established (when the last enemy, death is subdued), Jesus will hand the Kingdom to the Father. (1 Cor 15:23-25)

This is why the complete Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to all nations before the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The Gospel will prepare the Bride of Christ (the Church) to be GLORIOUS ------ by reigning on earth first with the Spirit of Christ and then together with the Person of Christ when He returns. The Gospel prepares the Bride to be READY for complete reign on earth.

This is not a “save me or help me” Gospel. That will be a pathetic church instead of a glorious church. The Gospel doesn't just save you. The Gospel is to save you so that the earth can be saved through you. The Gospel saves you for His Kingdom purpose ----- to rule and to reign. Jesus is coming back for a GLORIOUS BRIDE (Eph 5:27; Rev 19:7) Before the Kingdom of God can be established through us, the Kingdom of God must first be established in our hearts. We can reign and take dominion on the outside, when we realise that we can reign and take dominion on the inside (within us).

Your kingdom come...

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven... 

It begins with you and me. 

P.S: The Kingdom message took me many years to understand as my foundation was built wrongly when I was first born again. Therefore, as fellow believers, we must preach the complete Gospel to the lost (non-believers) so that they can have the right foundation to grow quickly and destroy hell for a living.

P.P.S: The simple summary of the Gospel can be shared with the lost as follows (as a guide only and not necessary have to be in order of sequence):

- We were created to have relationship with God & out of that relationship, to take dominion on earth and establish His reign/kingdom

- Man fell, our relationship with God was broken, and thus, we couldn’t help but sin

- God wants to restore us back to the original design/intent/purpose

- Jesus, the Son of God came down from heaven and lived as a perfect Man on earth without sin to redeem us back.

- Because He loves us, He died on the Cross to pay for our sins and reconcile our relationship with God.

- He rose from the dead to restore our identity (sons and daughters) and redeem us for the kingdom (the original purpose of dominion and reign)

- When we believe that Jesus is Christ and is the only Way to the Father, He comes in and lives in us so that we can have a brand new nature to live a brand new life.

- He gives us the authority and power to live like Him and take dominion on earth —- healing the sick (like what you just experienced, etc), bringing peace to the environment around us, building strong marriage, etc (list the effects of the kingdom and how it can look like).

- Would you return to Him and give your life to Him so that He can live through you?

- Take the person through Holy Spirit and water baptisms quickly

What Is The Gospel? Part 2

What Is The Gospel? Part 2

In the previous post, I shared that it's not about clocking salvation testimonies and numbers. People are not numbers. They are lives that Jesus died for. It is easy to 'win' someone to Christ if we simply share an incomplete Gospel.

For many years, I did the same thing. I thought I fully knew how to present the Gospel to the lost in the streets. Many evangelists I know (in my limited exposure) do the same. How else can the Gospel be different? It's the same old Good News, presented in various different approaches, but it's still the same message.

Recently, I was nudged by the Holy Spirit to study every passage on the Gospel in the New Testament. I discovered what is missing in the 'Gospel' that we share with the lost.

Many events marked the history of Israel and you have to read the Old Testament and some historical backgrounds to find out why and how Israel was divided into two kingdoms (Northern & Southern); being exiled and returned from the Babylonian captivity; fell under the reigns of Greeks, Egyptians and Syrians, and eventually ruled by the Romans. In the days of John the Baptist, King Herod (Antipas) was reigning (Matt 2:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 1:5). The Herodian kingdom was a client state of the Romans. In other words, the Roman empire was still in power over Israel (Luke 3:1). 

This background is important to set the context of the preaching of John and Jesus.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” - Matt 3:1-2

We must remember that John came to prepare the way for Jesus (Matt 3:3). John came preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4). In other words, you had to repent in order to be forgiven. Jesus came preaching the same message in Matt 4:17 after John was imprisoned.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matt 4:17

Note: This sequence changed after the finished works of Jesus. Now you repent BECAUSE you have been forgiven (Rom 2:3; Eph 4:32; 2 Cor 5:19; Heb 9:11-10:18). There's a difference between being forgiven and believing in Christ. But that's not the main point of this post. We must understand that while the books of the Gospel are classified as the New Testament, not every passage falls under the New Covenant. We need to divide the Word rightly between the New and the Old Covenant. In fact, there are a number of covenants in the Bible.

Going back to Matt 4:17, the word 'repent' in the Greek means 'to change one's mind'. Why did John and Jesus preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”?

The Jews were waiting for God to restore their kingdom (Luke 2:25; 17:20; Acts 1:6). The literal kingdom of Israel. They had been under the reigns of various kingdoms (and now under the Romans). They wanted the Messiah to come and restore Israel (you'll need to read the Old Testament so that you know the promises of God to Israel). However, their lives (especially the Pharisees and the Sadduccees) were living in contrary to the commandments of God given to them (Matt 3:7-10).

The message of John and Jesus was actually consistent with God's message to Israel through His prophets in the Old Testament. “RETURN TO ME...” (Joel 2:13; Hosea 14:1; Zech 1:3; Neh 1:9; Jer 3:12; 3:14; 3:22; 4:1; Isa 31:6; Mal 3:7). 

The entire Bible is extremely consistent, because every part is connected. God's original intent for mankind was to live in fellowship with Him and through that, to take dominion on earth under His reign. This has not changed.

Jesus, by calling the Jews to “repent (Matt 3:17) because the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, was preaching a completely different message than what they had expected. For Jesus came to reveal the Father's kingdom (Luke 4:43). In fact, He expounded what the Gospel is in Mark 1:14-15.

Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the GOSPEL of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the GOSPEL.” - Mark 1:14-15 (emphasis added)

The word 'Gospel' in the Greek literally means 'God's good news'. Remember, Christ had not died. Yet He preached the Gospel. He did not preach, “It's time for Me to die and save the world.” No. Instead, He preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” 

How did He challenge the people to respond? “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

In other words, He was calling the Jews, “Return to God! Change your mind about the restoration of Israel's kingdom. Return to God and His reign. His kingdom is here!”

If the kingdom of Israel were to be restored, it would not have an impact on the Jews' lives, because they didn't need to change their lives. But if Jesus came to present another Kingdom and the Jews were to return to God and be submitted to His reign and His kingdom, then their lives could not stay the same anymore. That requires repentance ------ a change of mind.

Throughout Jesus' ministry, He preached and demonstrated the Gospel. He was very consistent with His Good News about returning to the King and His kingdom.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and HEALING ALL kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. - Matt 4:23 (emphasis added)

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and HEALING every sickness and every disease among the people. - Matt 9:35 (emphasis added)

Healing, miracles, signs and wonders were always the validation of the Father's kingdom, revealing the reign and dominion of another world which belongs to the King. Because in the Father's world, there is no sickness and disease. There is no chaos. There is no dissension and strife. There is no lack, and the list goes on. Jesus' demonstration is the representation of the Father's kingdom. He did not come to restore Israel's kingdom. He came to present God's kingdom.

But if I CAST OUT DEMONS by the Spirit of God, surely the KINGDOM OF GOD has come upon you. - Matt 12:28 (emphasis added)

It is the consistent message that Jesus told His disciples to preach. 

And as you go, PREACH, saying, ‘The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.’ HEAL the sick, CLEANSE the lepers, RAISE the dead, CAST OUT demons. Freely you have received, freely give. - Matt 10:7-8 (emphasis added)

And HEAL the sick there, and say to them, ‘The KINGDOM OF GOD has come near to you.’ - Luke 10:9 (emphasis added)

Note: In the book of Mark, the 'kingdom of God' is used instead of the 'kingdom of heaven'. Some believe that there is a difference between the two, while most theologians believe that they are interchangeable. Again, that's not the main point of this topic. So we can put that aside for the purpose of the Gospel presentation to the lost.

The disciples did what Jesus did. They preached the Gospel with the validation of God's kingdom by signs and wonders. Jesus and His disciples were reaching out to the lost sheep of Israel to return to the true kingdom and the God who so loved them.

There are other verses about the Gospel in the four books of the Gospel as well as the reason why Jesus is only returning when the Bride is glorious (Matt 24:14). But the main point is this... to share the Gospel with the lost from Romans 3:23 only is to miss out the whole counsel of the Word on the Gospel. By the way, there is no salvation/sinner’s prayer in the Bible. You can’t say a prayer to enter the kingdom of God. There are many people who said the prayer and claim to be Christians, but I’m not sure (only God knows because He is the Judge) if they are really believers (and saved). Salvation is not proved by prayer. It is proved by mind renewal ------ the process of sanctification of our soul and body. A good tree will bear good fruit (Matt 7:17).

In fact, the word 'kingdom' in the Greek speaks of 'God's rule and divine administration in the world', as well as 'the rule of Christ in believers' hearts'. It is not about receiving Jesus into your life. Christianity is not about incorporating Christ into your life. None of the early disciples did that. It's about giving yours to Him. 

The Gospel is not just about forgiveness of sins. It's beyond that. To stop short at “Jesus loves you and He died for your sins. Do you want to receive Him into your life?” when sharing with the lost in the streets is an incomplete Gospel that has little power to transform the life of that individual and eventually, the society and the nation. I have heard people sharing, “Jesus just healed you. It proves that He loves you. Would you want to receive Him?” Of course, everybody will respond to this kind of incomplete message. I have experienced a certain race that will almost always accept Jesus until I decided to tweak the message one day. I simply added, “Jesus is the only true God. The rest are not. He is the only Way to the Father. There is no other way.” Immediately, I saw the responses of that particular race dropped significantly, because they do not accept Jesus as the one and only true God.

I learnt that it is better to minister signs and wonders and simply leave with “Jesus loves you”, than to minister signs and wonders and share an incomplete Gospel, leading the person to be 'born again' when he is ignorant of everything. It brings damage to Christianity to do the latter. So many people I encountered are bruised by Christianity because of how 'Christians' live according to an incomplete Gospel.

Note: I put 'born again' with inverted commas, because I do question if some are really saved after hearing an incomplete Gospel. In fact, they merely made a decision to know Jesus (but not yet believe in Him). We have encountered people who 'accepted' Christ, but realised that they were not ready during the follow-up sessions when they heard more about the Gospel, because it was presented haphazardly on the first time.

Some said that we can just leave it to the Holy Spirit to teach the complete Gospel. I beg to differ. If that is the case, no one needs discipleship. No one needs the Bible. We can leave everything to the Holy Spirit. Just because certain testimonies happened as a result of God's sovereignty does not mean that we don't have to be good stewards of His Word. I believe that we are responsible to deliver the Gospel message properly. It took me many years to understand the Gospel because my foundation was built wrongly. If we can share it fully with a non-believer and he gets born again, it can shorten his whole process of growth in the Lord. He becomes a powerful weapon that destroys hell for a living.

Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” While this seems to be the complete message that we should share with the lost, it is still not quite fully complete. This message is full of truth for a non-believer but it lacks power.

In Part 3, we will see the complete message of the Gospel (with power) from the Scriptures and how we should be presenting it to the lost in fullness.

What Is The Gospel? Part 1

What Is The Gospel? Part 1

Since I was born again, I had been taught what the Gospel is, and how I should share the Gospel with others.

Over the years, it has become such a strong foundation that I assume that I knew fully about the Gospel and how to share it with others.

I have been doing lifestyle evangelism for many years, reaching people in the streets, malls, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, flights, Grab cars, taxi, buses, toilets, and a whole list more. I call it 'lifestyle', because it's when I'm going about doing the daily stuff that I reach out to people whom I meet.

Recently, I was nudged deep within by the Holy Spirit to re-look into what the Gospel is about. I discovered that most of us (myself included) have been sharing an incomplete Gospel while reaching the lost in the streets. In fact, I haven't heard anyone (within my limited exposure in the people I know) sharing the full Gospel to the lost.

Note: In some cases of street ministry that I heard, I'm pretty appalled at how the Gospel was presented, i.e. "Do you want to walk in the same healing power as I do? Receive Jesus now." 

Oh yes, I do question if such so-called 'born again' person is really saved in the first place, when the Gospel is simply presented haphazardly. There are people who can’t wait to share another salvation testimony. Come on, salvation is not a number game. It doesn’t matter how many you have clocked if you don’t present the full Gospel. If I present an incomplete Gospel, I think almost 99% of people I reach will be “born again”.

Having zeal is good, but it must not come at the expense of knowledge (truth).

I deeply pondered if this is one of the reasons why we have a shallow Christianity in Singapore. Oh yes... you can walk in signs and wonders and still be extremely shallow in discipleship. Gifts do not equate to maturity because the former is given, while the latter requires surrendering.

People have classified the Gospel into so many types:

- Gospel of salvation

- Gospel of the kingdom

- Gospel of Grace 

- Gospel of Christ 

I took time to study every passage in the New Testament on the Gospel and I realised that I didn't know what I assume I knew in sharing the Gospel to the lost. It had become so natural to me that I didn't even think twice when sharing the Gospel with others. 

What we know can keep us from what we need to know.

There is only one Gospel in the Bible. The various types are simply man-made.

In the next part, we will look into the Scriptures and see the Gospel that was preached by Jesus and the command He gave concerning the Gospel.

P.S: The Gospel is not about you. Hence, the Gospel of Grace is only half complete.

Healing Flows Within

Healing Flows Within

I haven't been sharing healing testimonies for some time, after realising that those testimonies pointed people to me instead of Christ. That's the last thing I wanted. I had thought that testimonies would draw people to go after Him. But apparently, it didn't happen that way. My heart is to empower people to walk in this. That's the reason why I wrote the book on divine healing.

I'm sharing the following incident because I learnt a powerful principle when ministering healing today. In fact, I have been pondering deep about the Gospel and the kingdom of God recently. There seems to be something that I am missing about the Gospel which I thought I already knew on the inside out. This healing incident appears to be God teaching me further about the Gospel.

I went to the service centre to collect my coffee machine due to the same fault that happened last month. While waiting for the lady in charge of Breville to come out from her room (her colleague said that she's engaged on the phone), I had a word of knowledge for her healing.

She stepped out of her room with my coffee machine and I asked her, "Do you have any problem with your left foot?" She was taken aback, because I haven't even met her. But you don't need to see a person to have God speak to you about the person. For He is all-knowing and all-present.

She said, "Yes. How did you know? It has been there in recent months and it goes from my left thigh to my left foot. This is why I can't wear heels now."

I touched her finger and remained silent. You actually don't have to touch anyone or say any word to release healing. It's all about identity (I wrote this teaching in my book). I touched her finger to put her at ease, because she was already shocked.

To my surprise, she could pick up vibrations and told me how the vibrations traveled from me to various parts of her body. Personally, I don't go after manifestations. If there is, praise God. If there isn't, I walk by faith (truth). I have learnt to exalt truth (faith) above manifestations. Manifestations are shakable and uncertain. But truth (faith) always stands unshakable and unwavering.

Yet this particular manifestation has taught me a principle, which I'm searching through the Scriptures. I ignore spiritual experiences that are not grounded in the Word. Because I'm anal about the Word.

This lady said, "I can feel the vibrations coming from you." I asked, "You can feel?" She replied, "Yes. I'm very sensitive to this. In fact, when I walked out of the room to meet you, I felt that very positive energy flowing out of you and I can't explain it."

Note: This should encourage every believer. The Spirit of Christ within you is literally the hope of glory. The word 'glory' in the Greek also means 'divine quality' and 'unspoken manifestation of God'. In the Hebrew, 'kabod' means 'to be heavy or weighty'. It is a tangible manifestation of God. You may not feel it. But people can feel it.

She continued, "The vibrations enter my heart area now." Then she carried on describing the process of the flow. 

"It's now going down my body."

"It's going to my left leg and left foot. I now feel the tingling on my left foot."

Note: All these while... I was feeling NOTHING. I walked by faith, not by sight.

I learnt something... Many people say that our spirit rests in our belly (or near belly area). They quote from John 7:38, "He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his BELLY shall flow rivers of living water." (KJV, emphasis added)

I checked out various translations. NKJV, ESV and NASB use the word 'heart' and 'innermost being'. I checked out the Greek. In the context of John 7:38, it uses the word 'the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart, as the seat of thought, feeling, choice...'

In the Hebrew, it is the word בֶּטֶן. When translated to English, it uses the word 'belly'. But in the original word, it is the 'innermost part of a man.'

I believe that it is referring to our heart. The Old Testament and the New Testament have a parallel passage.

Keep your HEART with all vigilance, for from it FLOW the springs of LIFE. - Prov 4:23 (emphasis added)

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his HEART will FLOW rivers of LIVING water.'” - John 7:38 (emphasis added)

Even our seat of thought comes from our heart.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. - Prov 23:7

This is why when our heart is sick, our body gets sick (Prov 13:12; 3 John 2).

Could it be that our spirit (joined to His Spirit) rests in our heart? The kingdom of God flows from there. Healing flows from there. It always starts from within.

The ministry of healing for that Breville lady began from my spirit (heart) to her spirit (heart). The spirit man doesn't need a medium, which is why I don't have to touch or even say anything. The spirit travels in the Spirit. That explains why we see so many healings over a distance, over phone conversations, over the internet and over nations/continents without being physically present there to minister healing.

The lady felt the vibrations first in her heart (spirit). Healing always flows from our spirit, through our soul to our body. It works the same way when we minister to others. Because this energy/vibrations/power/healing/spirit travels in the Spirit.

When she described that the vibrations were moving down from her heart (spirit), she was in tears (soul) and she felt them reaching her foot (body).

The kingdom of God always starts from within (Luke 17:21). It flows from the spirit, through the soul, to the body, and into the atmosphere and culture around us. This is why our very seat of thought (in the heart) can take dominion on earth. 

Just a thought or an intent can heal the sick. Just a thought can cast out demons ---- you don't even need to speak or command the demons to leave, because dominion happens in the spirit and the demon is also in the spirit. Just a thought can raise the dead (like how God raised Jesus).

I'm seeing a whole world of possibilities (Eph 3:20) with the power of identity and the kingdom of God. When we learn to direct our innermost being, we will fulfill the Lord's prayer "Your kingdom and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Our Trust Must Be In Redemption

Our Trust Must Be In Redemption

Today, many people trust in organic, special diet and exercise. Those who are involved in such businesses earn a lucrative income, because these are more often driven by fears. One of the most powerful techniques in sales & marketing is to use fear. Induce fears and you will get the sales result.

As believers, our trust must not be in creation. Everything that has been created has fallen due to the Fall; that includes organic food. Research has shown that even the term 'organic' is subjective. Every source of organic food has different levels of 'organic'. In today's world where marketing is champion and $$$ is more important than integrity, no one knows which food is really organic or 100% organic. To trust in the labels of food products or companies is to trust in what is shakeable and uncertain.

The only unshakeable and unchanging truth is the Word of truth. Redemption must be what we trust in, as believers.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying that you should just eat junk. But if your conscience and faith allow you to do so, no junk will by any means harm you, because of divine protection. On the other hand, if your conscience doesn't allow you to do so, do not shipwreck your faith. The main issue is that we must not fall into the trap of trusting in creation.

Below is a short devotional by JP

"When Adam sinned and fell, everything about creation fell. Yet, people today are still putting their trust in creation. For example, they try to become healthy by eating what is called the “Eden diet”—vegetables and no meat. They are acting as if creation did not fall. They also forget that there are people who eat well and exercise regularly, and still drop dead in the prime of their lives!

Thank God that what creation cannot do, redemption can and did. Jesus demonstrated this when He spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and put it on a blind man’s eyes (see John 9:6–7). Now, it is certainly unusual to put clay on a blind man’s eyes because he would become doubly blind!

So why did Jesus do that?

He was demonstrating to us that all our body parts come from the ground and that because creation is fallen, the work of creation cannot open a blind man’s eyes. But the work of redemption can! That is why He sent the blind man to the pool of Siloam. The word “Siloam” means “Sent,” referring to the sent one, Jesus. When the blind man washed his eyes in the pool of the sent one, he received supernatural healing for his eyes.

Beloved, when we go to Jesus, the sent one who came to redeem us with the price of His blood, and we rest in His finished work, we will receive the miracle we need. If we believe that by His stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53:5), we will have greater health than those who trust in creation.

Jesus was sent to redeem us from every curse that came upon creation with the fall of Adam (see Galatians 3:13). He has redeemed us from sickness, pain, sorrow, depression, poverty and even death. The world may know Him as the Creator. But today, we know Him as our Redeemer. Where the work of creation cannot save us, His work of redemption can and has!" ------ Taken from JP Devotional

Discipleship Challenges What Love Is

In recent years, we have swung to the other side where we focus a lot more on miracles, signs and wonders. We say, “Let’s just love on people.”

Now that’s nothing wrong with that statement. But it’s only one part of love. After ministering for a number of years in the streets of Singapore in all kinds of situations/locations with signs and wonders, I come to the realisation that it is way easier to give people an encounter of Love, than to disciple/journey with them.

It is easy to love on people by releasing healing, word of knowledge and the prophetic. It is another thing to live in close proximity with them and journey with them.

Reaching the lost, in my humble opinion, is way easier than discipleship. In the former, you just give them an encounter. You demonstrate the Power of love. You give them a hug and say, “Jesus loves you and I love you.” Everybody can do that, because it’s just for a moment or a session. Yet most of us celebrate that platform because it’s usually in the public and it’s very tangible with all the manifestations, etc.

But in discipleship and follow-ups, you get to see the reality of your maturity. Your time is challenged. Your service is demanded. Your love is tested. This is why I really applaud all those leading home groups or small groups. Preachers, on the other hand, often just need to preach and minister but not live in close proximity with the rest where values are challenged and iron gets sharpened.

Jesus was both. He was a preacher. But He also lived with the Twelve. He discipled them. Those were extremely difficult bunch of uneducated fellows. But never once did He say, “Well, don’t waste My time. This is not my calling. I just need to reach the lost.” 

The Scriptures tell us that “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

That included Judas, who betrayed Him. That included Peter, who denied Him. That included John, who wanted to call down fire from heaven. That included James, who wanted to be the greatest. That included Thomas, who doubted Him. That included Andrew, who had no faith. That included Philip, who still didn’t see Jesus as God’s Son. But Jesus still loved them to the very end.

In evangelism, Jesus demonstrated His love publicly. In discipleship, Jesus revealed and demonstrated His love privately. You can do a hit-and-run kind of love in evangelism, but you need persevering love in discipleship. The latter reveals the kind of love we really have on the inside.

I have been corresponding with a brother and the messages are sent from him. He ministered to a guy in the streets and the guy encountered Jesus and gave his life to Him. During a follow-up, he realised that the guy actually didn’t quite understand (still identify himself as a free thinker). 

In reality, this is what happens in outreaches. We often get overwhelmed by zeal (I used to be like that too) and think that people are born again because we led them to the Lord (salvation prayer and whatever religious blah blah blah) after an encounter. But in actuality, they only made a decision to know Him more, because they didn’t really understand. Their minds were still in shock after the encounters, signs and wonders. Their emotions were still getting a hold on them. So they just said “Yes” to receive Jesus into their lives. How many of us are guilty of not following up with these people who probably are not really born again because they didn’t exactly know what they said Yes to?”

Anyway, this brother found out the truth —— the toughest and the challenging part is not evangelism, miracles, signs and wonders. It is discipleship and the process requires true love, faithfulness and commitment.

Don’t mistake zeal for truth and miracles for love. And don’t mistake evangelism for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

Disclaimer: I love evangelism and I still minister to people daily. So let’s keep doing that, without neglecting the true essence of love found in discipleship.

Truth Triumphs Over Experience

Truth Triumphs Over Experience

In the world, you speak because you have experiences.

In the kingdom, you speak because you have truth. 

This is why we are to preach the Gospel.

Somebody once said, “Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.” What the person meant is that you should just use your lifestyle to represent the Gospel.

That’s not complete. You need to use words to fully preach the Gospel. The early church all spoke the Gospel. Yes, the lifestyle is important, but you still need the words because you are not 100% perfect in your lifestyle.

Truth always triumphs over experiences. The enemy often uses experiences to silence truth. And this is why the world uses their vast experiences to deny the Gospel truth.

“Your life experience is not enough. Better be quiet and don’t talk about the Gospel.”

“Who are you to minister healing? You haven’t even received your own healing.”

We must understand that identity (truth) always supersedes experiences. The enemy exalts experiences. We as people of God must exalt truth.

The enemy: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” He wants Jesus to prove who He is by experiences.

Jesus: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “ Jesus responded and spoke truth. By the way, there is no difference between rhema and logos. It’s the WOF that separates them. Scriptures confirm that they are interchangeable.

The enemy: “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” Again, the enemy wants Jesus to prove who He is by experiences.

Jesus: “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ “

The enemy took Jesus up on an exceedingly high mountain to SEE all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, hoping that Jesus would want to EXPERIENCE them. “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

Jesus replied, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.”

Jesus always spoke and lived by the truth. That kept Him unchanging and unshakable in the face of temptations and challenges. In a world where everybody exalts experiences, we need to be people of truth.

I used to live and find value in experiences years ago even as a full-time minister. But when I began to live by truth, I found authority and kingdom reality beyond what I ever had.

The temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 is a warfare between experience (sight) and truth (faith).

We are called to live by faith, not by sight. Sight includes sensuality, the visible, the tangible and the experiences. 

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17). In other words, to live by faith is to live by the Word, which is Truth, so that my eyes are not set on what I see and experience, but my eyes are set on the unshakable, unchanging, unwavering, steadfast and immovable Word, which God exalts above His name (Ps 138:2).

When we keep establishing ourselves in His truth and live by His truth, even if our reality hasn’t aligned to His reality, the day will come when our world will supernaturally be conformed to His. Jesus!

Disclaimer: Experience is not necessarily bad, if it is established, aligned and derived from truth. Otherwise, it is just sight-experience. We all need truth-experience. But our focus must be truth instead of experiences. 

“If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Naturally Supernatural Part 1

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. - 1 Kings 19:11-12

Men look at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. The move of men focuses on the spectacular, but the move of God focuses on the inner and ordinary. The category of "revivals" in the past all began from the ordinary ------- a still, small voice.

But we men are still men. We tend to fix our eyes on the visible, extraordinary, radical, and the spectacular. We focus on powerful testimonies of healings but we forget about the process of life transformation and the tenacity required to pursue the identity of walking in divine health.

We focus on how a person is powerfully delivered in an inner healing session, but we miss out on how the same person is back in bondage a short while later. Because if you need ministry to set you free, then you'll need ministry to keep you free. But if you let truth set you free, then truth will keep you free. And truth may take time because it is in the ordinary.

The most powerful moments with God are usually not in the spectacular, but in the ordinary. A still, small voice can change everything. There are so many things I could share. But in Feb 2015, a still, small voice completely changed the course of my direction.

He said, "Your highest call is to be a father. For I am your Father." Short and sweet. But it broke deep into my innermost being. I couldn't stop weeping. I wasn't even thinking about anything related to this. He added, "Would you lay down your ministry and father your son in his foundation years?" 

I gave a 6-month's notice and left full-time church ministry. More than four years have passed and this decision has totally transformed my knowledge of who God is as a Father and the whole idea of the kingdom of God and ministry. The still, small voice did not transform me. It was the start of this transformation, which took four years.

We live in the microwave generation. We want everything instantly. That's why we look to the spectacular ------- we want it fast. Well, there is no shortcut. Until we fall in love with the ordinary, we will never truly grow in maturity.

I'm done with the sacred holly molly thingy about the perceived Christian ministry by many believers. I'm done with the usual calling thingy that people have been preaching about. Because I searched deep and realized that it is not in the Scriptures.

(I'm also done with the charismatic action-packed ministry. I'll share more in the next post.)

Don't separate the secular from the sacred. Don't separate the extraordinary from the ordinary. The kingdom of God is holistic and all-inclusive. Besides, there is only one main calling: to be conformed into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). If we miss this and think that full-time church ministry or whatever kind of sacred ministry is our calling, then we miss the entire point.

We are not called to just present the Word. We are called to represent the Word.

A stay-at-home-mum is as sacred as a full-time church minister because the calling is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Unfortunately, though unspoken, many (including ministers themselves) think that there is a separation between clergy and laity. They may preach that it's the same in terms of sonship. But they practise (secretly or openly) it differently.

Well, the Cross of Christ has put everyone on the same page. We have the same playing field to start with. And we have the same destination. The only thing we need to focus on is becoming like Christ and being good stewards of whatever we are tasked to do.

Stop losing yourself praying and fasting for which job to take. For goodness sake, just get a job and represent Christ. The secret to Christianity lies in the being. Who you are is more vital than what you do. 

Fulfill the Great Commission wherever you are. And don't quit your job to go full-time church ministry thinking that it is the best way to serve God. That is compartmentalizing God. That is no different from a Sunday Christian. You don't serve God with your vocation. You serve God with your LIFE.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. - Col 3:17

Disclaimer: If you are passionate about full-time ministry work, then go for it. However, as a wise pastor once shared, "Where two or three gather, politics take place." This is the same everywhere. Manage your expectations.

The God of Many Doors

The God of Many Doors

And a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit... - 2 Cor 2:12-13

God is not just the God who opens one door. He is the God who opens more than one. Having unrest (no peace within) in our spirit does not necessarily mean that it is not of God. For just as God speaks in so many ways, He works through many doors. 

Do not limit Him as though there is only one way. Yes. He is The Way, but through Him, there are many ways in the journey of faith. 

Stop fearing that your decision is not the best and allow it to cripple you from living. Start living by faith and cripple your fears.

"All roads lead to Rome" is true when all roads are traveled by faith in Him. While you are still waiting for God's best, God is waiting for you to trust Him with your best.

It Is Here

I have been procrastinating for a long time since God first spoke to me to write two books. I thought I could just brush them aside (Being busy is always the good excuse) but He kept reminding me over and over again. I kept postponing because writing a book requires much time and dedication.

Finally, this first book came to pass. It was supernatural because everything just flowed quickly when I began to write.

It has been on my heart to empower as many believers as possible on divine healing, especially in my own country.

I’m zealous to see the Body of Christ rising up as sons and daughters in their identity and walking in healing and health. For too long, every eye has been on the men of God on the pulpit instead of the God of men. Many have been waiting to be prayed for by an anointed preacher, running to the altar queue for healing ministry, attending conferences after conferences hoping to receive supernatural healing or whatever impartation, and the list keeps going on. I think it’s time for us to grow up in maturity.

It is time to behold the Man who died for us instead of the man who stands at the pulpit. 

It is time to know Christ deeper instead of knowing what this or that preacher/pastor says. 

It is time to get into the Word instead of getting into the next sermon, speaker or conference. Our diligence to hear what the Word says must supersede our allegiance to hear what the preacher says.

It is time to get hold of our identity and walk in healing and health and everything that Jesus had paid for.

This book is loaded with Scriptural truths so that you don’t see me as the author, but you will see Christ as the Author & Finisher of your faith journey.

This book will point you to the ministry of the Word instead of the ministry of men.

This book will point you to the God of men instead of the men of God.

This book will put every believer on the same page (and same playing field) and remove the so-called anointed preachers from the scene, so that the only Name you remember is Jesus Christ.

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with pulpit ministry and teachers. We just need more to lean on the Master Teacher the Holy Spirit, who teaches us into all things and guides us into all truths. We need more to focus on the Word and be grounded in it instead of being tossed by every wave of doctrine.

Honestly, I didn’t want to put my name at first. I wanted to be faceless (my first edition is without any name). But I thought that I should at least put my initials so that people will buy. For I’m selling to the West. But God spoke to me one day to put my name on the book. Until now, I don’t exactly know why. I just chose to obey.

Almost all books (including Christian books) out there in the market have foreword and endorsement written by renowned public figures. I initially thought of getting a few that I worked with to pen down their endorsement (to boost my sales). 

But I felt convicted to leave the endorsement to God Himself. So this is one book that comes with ZERO human foreword and endorsement on the pages of this book. By His grace, I received good feedback from the West. More importantly, they are empowered.

Warning: This book contains truths that may be offensive to some and challenge what we think we already know. But I encourage us to go back to the Word and let the Word teach us.

As mentioned, my heart is to equip our local believers. Hence, while I’m selling to the West, I’m giving away the digital edition for free to all local Singaporean believers. If you are a local Singaporean, please PM me and I will be more than happy to bless you with it. Otherwise, you can find it on Amazon online (https://amzn.to/2p9fUPh)

I want to thank Michael John Mercado Reyes for proofreading and editing my grammar as well as Goh Zhengqin for highlighting an important phrase that I needed to correct. You guys rock! Of course, I want to thank my lovely wife for her support in encouraging me to keep writing.

P.S: One: The intro/book description is written in such a way that it is neutral for the readers (whether believers or non-believers). Hence, it may seem inappropriate for some believers. Well, it’s not just for you. It’s to impart the same truth to the world who needs The Way.

P.S Two: Please share this with anyone whom you know who need healing and/or want to be equipped in divine healing and health.

Continual Breakthroughs With My Own Family

In recent times, I have seen many breakthroughs in healing for my own family. By that, I refer to my wife and my son, who are the closest to me.

For my son, I have seen pretty consistent healing for his flu, fever, cold and cough. Few days ago, he started to cough and had a runny nose. After ministering to him, he was completely healed within a day.

For my wife, healing is not as consistent as my son. But it is getting better. Few days ago, she was suddenly limping after school. There was a swell on her left knee. I ministered to her a couple of times with no result. So I prayed over a tissue and asked her to put it on her knee.

After a while, she stopped limping altogether. The pain and the swell left her. On the next day, she could walk for few hours in the mall! Come on Jesus!

Unity of THE Faith

...till we all come to the UNITY OF THE FAITH and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting... - Eph 4:13-14 (emphasis added)

If peace and unity are achieved at the expense of truth, that kind of peace and unity is sensual, earthly and demonic. 

The Bible encourages peace and unity, but not at the expense of truth. The purpose of the 4-fold (or some say 5-fold) ministries is to equip the believers not just to do the work of the ministry, but also that we will come to the unity of THE faith. This Faith is referring to the truth of who Christ is and what He did.

The following verse expounds why we need to have unity of the faith —— “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine...”

The next time if someone asks you to compromise on truth so that you can establish peace and unity, ask him to “get behind thee” because that thought is sensual, earthly and demonic.

P.S: The motivation for truth must be Love.

The Effect of Testimony

The Effect of Testimony

I haven’t been sharing testimonies on Lifestyle Evangelism for a period of time on social media platforms. While the intention of testimonies is to encourage others and spur them on to step out and see Christ doing the same thing (or greater) through them, it doesn’t always produce the result.

On the contrary, some began to ask me for impartation (I rejected immediately because I personally think that impartation destroys identity); others began to point people to me; some began to ask me to minister to the sick, etc.

To me, this has failed the empowerment test. Empowerment is to get others to see the God of men living in and through them. Empowerment is identity —— knowing who you are as sons. Empowerment is seeing others doing the work of Christ as they see you doing it.

It was this realization that I decided that I should stop posting testimonies. In the healing book, I tried not to include any testimony unless it was needed to teach a principle or truth.

Some believe that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ——- meaning that when someone testifies about a healing, we can expect God to do it again. This has been overused since a popular pastor in United States started preaching it many years ago. In fact, the whole context of Rev 19:10 isn’t even talking about testimonies of healing or miracles. A word without a context will always be a pretext for a prooftext.

Don’t make things complicated. When you share a testimony, it stirs up the faith of the listeners. Where there is faith, grace is appropriated, which includes healing. When someone is healed of a unique disease, the hearers will have the faith expectation to receive the same. When faith goes up, the manifestation of grace comes down.

Tonight in the streets of Singapore, we saw slipped disc healed, flu & sore throat disappeared, growth literally shrank, thyroid inflammation gone, eyesight correction (the guy tested without glasses), injuries healed, etc. We put them in the same testimony here because every healing is the same in God’s perspective. There is no big or small miracle/healing. Only men think that way. We are called to set our mind on above. How we share the testimony reveals what kind of mindset we have concerning sickness. Every sickness is on the same level in God’s eyes.

Out of a number of testimonies, we are sharing one here to point you to a principle at the end. A lady drew 3 spiritual cards but we didn’t use them. You don’t need to rely on any item. You just need the Spirit of Christ within you. We saw a tattoo (it’s a heart-shaped with some words but there isn’t a need to read any of those stuff) on her arm, so we decided to connect with her using that. We said, “We will interpret your tattoo.” We continued, “Before 20 years old, at around 17, you attempted suicide, because of brokenness. Your father was never present in your life, causing you to experience a lack of affirmation and affection, which you are going out after men to get it.” She nodded and was blown away, with tears in her eyes. We shared other details and ministered physical and emotional healing as the Holy Spirit (who is also in every believer) revealed. There is no need to share the details as that’s not the main point of this testimony. She used to be a believer, but left the faith. Now the One who gave her affirmation and affection is pursuing her back as she nodded in agreement to be back in communion with Him.

What’s the point? We are just normal believers walking out what the Word says. None of us is a pastor or an evangelist. We are the proof that anyone can do the same. In Singapore, you really don’t need to go for another seminar or course. Don’t be kiasu and kiasi. Eliminate FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) in your life. Stop behaving like the secular going after every teaching session, thinking that you must know everything. In fact, if you go for many, you probably have a rojak understanding of the Word in your life —— because you listen to every man of God (sharing different perspectives) on the pulpit, instead of the God of man (READ THE BIBLE) on the Cross.

Don’t wait to go after another minister of Christ. He didn’t die for you. Go after the Minister (The Christ) who died for you and is now living in and through you. There is really enough of listening and listening and listening at the pews. You won’t grow by simply listening to more teachings. You won’t get a special power by hoping that an anointed person lays his hand on your head.

You grow and increase in the supernatural by stewarding it. That is, get out and start doing it. Get out. The more you do, the more you will believe. The more you believe, the more you will do. It becomes a cycle where you grow into what you believe. It won’t happen by you having a buffet of seminars and teachings. It happens by you moving and doing. By the way, buffet can cause constipation if you don’t let it out.

Disclaimer: Is there a place to listen to teachings? Definitely. But first, read the Word so that you know how to discern each teaching, chew the meat and spit out the bones.

Christ IN you is the Hope of glory. The same Christ in whatever minister is the same Christ that is in you. Stop belittling yourself and think, “I cannot do like him or her.” Raise your bar to your true identity as sons and priests. Start thanking Christ for who He is and who you are because you and him are ONE. Until you realize who you are, you will always be chasing after every seminar and teacher.

By the way, it is also because of such wrong belief that we are unknowingly helping the enemy to destroy those platform ministers who started well but begin to fall in love with the favor of God and men... Yes. You exalted them. You lift them up on the pedestal. You separate them from the Christ in you. And now they really think they are the priests between you and God. We have to crush this mindset by realizing our identity. Those platforms are functions, not anointing or endorsement of God. Don’t get mixed up.

It’s time for our eyes to see where the kingdom really is. #identity #powerandlove #sonsanddaughters #nospecialperson #onlybelievers #normalbelievers

Eating In Faith

There is a difference between eating in faith, eating in fear, eating for fun and eating for indulgence.

When I was in YWAM 11 years ago, my buddy loved to eat chocolate bars. She’s a Caucasian. I asked, “Don’t you get sore throat eating them regularly?” She answered, “No. I don’t. You don’t get sore throat eating chocolates.” That was the first encounter that made me realise that we become what we believe ——- I was taught from young that chocolates cause sore throat. Therefore, I really experienced sore throat eating chocolates when I was growing up. 

What you believe is vital.

I used to eat potato chips only because I like them. But I learnt to eat them in communion when God gave me a new understanding in the Word.

This is where it gets really uncomfortable whenever I shared some crazy testimonies of healing that defy human wisdom and human logic. It’s also one of the reasons why I couldn’t write them in the book as they would create unnecessary offenses.

There is so much about Redemption that I read and mediate about from the Word and believe in. If the Word cannot be applied to poor countries where there is no access to “healthy” food, then the Word is no longer unchanging and immovable, but subjected to cultural and environmental differences. It is only in the developed nations where we have the time and money to think about getting good “organic” food.

If the Law of the Spirit of Life within us cannot crush the law of sin and death in our body, it is no longer divine and supernatural. It becomes a mere concept that feeds our mind, but doesn’t reach our heart.

The Law of the Spirit of Life is so formidable that it can destroy every form in death in the food that you eat.

Disclaimer one: I’m not against eating healthy. Neither am I against anyone on a food diet or health program. I’m just going after Redemption truth.

Disclaimer two: Don’t indulge in what you like. Because we should be masters over our bodies. By the way, I love coffee and chips but I do without them intentionally from time to time without any side effect. They are my slaves yay God 🤣🤣

P.S: This brand of chips is yummy!

Anchored In The Word

If we are anchored in the Word, we will remain steadfast and immovable, regardless of every wave of doctrines that come our way.

If we are anchored in the Word, we will be able to discern whether a speaker is speaking from his experience or from the Word of truth. It is impossible to agree with every popular speaker just because they have a good reputation. More often than not, what they teach sometimes contradicts each other, yet we do not perceive, because we are busy chasing after men of God, sermons, conferences, books, teachings, etc instead of going after the Word ----- the God of men.

It's time to get 'first-hand' communion with Him from the Word, instead of second-hand information from speakers. Don't forget that they too, had to go for 'first-hand communion'. You are not living in the Old Covenant where you need a prophet to speak God's Word to you. You are living in the New where no medium is needed. Many teach the priesthood of Christ but what they do disempowers believers from being priests.

Stop eating food that has been digested and spat out from someone's mouth. Start eating fresh food and digest it on your own.

Perhaps we need to remove the pulpit ministry temporarily in Singapore. We have too much rojak going on. And not many give themselves to study the Word with the Holy Spirit.

Maybe it's time to return to what Francis Chan is doing. When the Word is not taught from a top-down leadership, it opens up a whole dimension for healthy discussion and the top leadership is subjected to scrutiny and he has to be submitted to the authority of the Word instead of being the pope in his ministry.

This is why until today, we don't see the fruit that Smith Wigglesworth and John G Lake had. They fed on the Word directly.

Disclaimer: There is a place for teachers of the Word. But more importantly, we need to be taught by the Spirit of Truth, who teaches us all things.

Eating Healthy??

Eating healthy food & diet is good. But it won’t keep you healthy. Sickness is not in the natural. If it is, you are good with healthy diet.

Sickness is unnatural. It is spiritual. It was due to the Fall of creation where sin came in. If we don’t see this, we will continue to go after the latest trendy diet and those dietitians and nutritionists continue to earn big bucks without knowing that created food has also fallen.

How do you know that the organic food is really organic just because it’s written as ‘organic’? Organic food is food produced by methods that comply with the standards of organic farming. The standards are known to VARY worldwide. How do you know that the standards are 100% pure organic? What about the people and the environment in which these organic food are produced? They have all fallen and are not perfect.

You cannot eat your way to health. You can only believe the Way for health. If our trust in not in the perfect and complete works of Christ on the Cross, we will be in trouble.

His ‘stripe’ is the reason for healing. And His blood is the reason for divine health.

Redemption is the Way for health.

Credit & Responsibility

Credit & Responsibility

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” - Luke 10:17

The disciples had success in healing the sick and casting out demons. They were overjoyed. Then Jesus replied to them.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to YOU, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” - Luke 10:20 (emphasis added)

Jesus didn't say, "Hey, it's not about you. It's about Me. You know? It's Me! IT'S ME okay! Apart from ME, you can do nothing." 

Well, He's not into the credit game like many people do. People with false humility will often say, "It's not me. It's Jesus." (But they share the testimonies like it's them though)

I remember hearing a blunt preacher ever said to someone with false humility, "Yes. It's not you. You are just a piece of shit."

The truth is.... the credit is indeed with the disciples ("the spirits are subject to YOU") because of Christ's empowerment. In the New Covenant, we are one with Him. You can't separate the two.

Jesus didn't correct His disciples about whatever credit or that they were overjoyed at the miracles done through them. Because there is nothing wrong to rejoice. It is only wrong if you act humble, which is hypocrisy.

Yet Jesus directed their focus to this, "Rejoice because your names are written in heaven." In other words, "Rejoice because you are a son; you are a daughter. Rejoice in your identity."

It is because of sonship and identity that the miraculous flows. "These signs follow those who believe..." 

Pursuing the miraculous will result in pride. On the other hand, knowing your identity will put you in the right perspective before the Father. And you rejoice because you are a son and the kingdom is in you, where signs and wonders are the reality of your identity and the world you live in.

So when you see a miracle working through you, you rejoice, "Father, I thank You that I am Your son. What a privilege to manifest Your kingdom. You are in me and I in You. Thank You for loving me and making me Your son." 

I promise you. This will keep you in the healthiest place.

FAST FORWARD TO ANOTHER INCIDENT

The disciples failed to cast out a demon and they couldn't heal a boy. So they asked Jesus.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” - Matthew 17:20

Jesus didn't answer, "Hey, it's not about you. It's about Me. You know? It's Me! IT'S ME okay!"

This is the time when most people will be quick to run away from responsibility.

"I don't know."

"It's not my job to heal. My job is to pray."

"It's not God's time yet." (Probably the most spiritual answer)

Jesus said, "Because of YOUR unbelief." (Matthew 17:20 emphasis added)

If it wasn’t God's time, Jesus would be moving against the Father by setting the boy free (Matt 17:18). We have become so religious that we stop looking to the Word of truth.

It's time to go deeper into the Word, than to listen to every kind of teaching from the place of experiences.

Confronting Sickness Relentlessly

Recently, God has been speaking to me to confront sickness more aggressively than before, like a bull that is relentless.

On Wednesday, I received a call from the childcare that J was running a high fever. I dropped what I was doing and went straight to pick him home. When he saw me, he cried, because he wanted to go to Legoland on the following day. We had promised to bring him there. He knew that if he were sick, he would not be able to go.

I comforted him and said, "Don't worry. Jesus will heal you."

I took his temperature when we arrived home. It was 39.1 deg C. A thought immediately came into my mind, "If wifey were here, she would give him paracetamol. If I love wifey, I should do the same, because she would be concerned." 

Another thought surfaced, "This is my son. I should not take any risk. I can take the risk for my own life, but not his. He's my precious boy." Well, the thoughts always sounded like yours. 

At this point, I remembered my history with God. In the past one year plus, I had seen a lot of breakthroughs ministering to my own son ----- especially for fever and flu.

Hence, I ministered to him and I decided not to give him any medication for the high fever.

Disclaimer: Please don't take this as a method. I'm not discouraging anyone from taking medication. Don't risk your child's life unnecessarily. I have my own journey before I came to this place of conviction. It has been pretty challenging to walk this whole thing out, when few share the same belief. Some may say that I'm crazy. You can say that. I'm crazily zealous for divine healing, because I went through the experience caused by an incurable disease.

Wifey texted me and asked about his temperature. I just replied that I would take care of him and monitor his temperature.

Within a couple of minutes, it dropped to 38.2. In less than an hour, it dropped to 37.0 (and this falls within normal temperature for a young child).

On the next day, we went for our getaway as he was completely healed. And by the grace of God, he played happily at Legoland. My wife kept saying, "This is really a miracle." She said, "Finally, you are seeing breakthroughs for your son in this past year."

What's the point of this sharing? There is a place where we don't give up when we don't see the results. It is either the enemy wears us out, or we wear him out. I'm choosing the latter. I'm going to go after divine healing more than ever before. We need to walk out what we believe, not just say what we believe.

I'm still not seeing consistent breakthroughs for healing for my wife. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, it doesn't. And I'm not giving up. Let's not give up.

I want to see divine healing and health for our own family, as easy (and same) as for strangers and people in the streets/meetings. There should NOT be any difference. If John G Lake could see such consistent results for his own family, so can we in our generation. It doesn’t make sense to win the whole world but lose at the home ground.

Let's 'bull' our way through, because it will bless the lives of many. In John G Lake's time, he made Spokane the healthiest city. In our time, let's make Singapore the healthiest city because we stand for divine healing with no apology and no compromise. Jesus!

Google Trend

I did a Google trend search on the word "Jesus" and saw this result (for the past 5 years ----- worldwide).

The consistent spikes in the search were apparently in March-April, during the Easter period. The smaller spikes were during the Christmas period.

What does this reveal?

Resurrection Sunday (Easter) brings hope into the lives of many, who are searching for an answer to meet their needs. It also means that people are most open during that festive season.

Christ IN you is the Hope of glory. While everyday is the day to represent and manifest Him, Easter is a crucial time to GET OUT OF THE CHURCH buildings and let the Word become flesh. Jesus!

The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 2

Last week, I read this verse and suddenly had a fresh understanding. I had read it so many times through a period of saturated meditation but I didn't really think of this.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Rom 8:13

It was this verse that led me to write Part 1 of this post. In the first post, I highlighted that if we take a closer look at the life of Jesus and the life of apostle Paul, we will realize that they were rarely waiting for the Spirit to move them. Most of the time, it wasn't "the Spirit tells me to do this". On the contrary, they just went ahead to do what they were sent to do. They knew what it meant to live in Oneness with the Spirit of God.

Knowing what it means to be led by the Spirit, thus, is crucial to Christian living and it is a powerful key for walking out Romans 8:13.

Being led by the Spirit is not something flaky or necessarily spontaneous. I don't have to be waiting and walking in the streets aimlessly, or circling around a location, "depending" on the leading of the Spirit to direct every step I take. If that is the case, you may want to ask the Spirit if you should brush your teeth the next day, or if you should get out from bed when alarm triggers.

To be led by the Spirit has to do with the doing (behaviors and actions). With that, we can dig deeper.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Gal 5:25

There is a difference between living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. The former has to do with identity, while the latter has to flow out of identity into our doing (behaviors and actions).

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. - Rom 8:9

Because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are in the Spirit (aka "we live in the Spirit"). At the same time, we are justified by the Spirit (1 Cor 6:11).

The just shall live by faith. - Rom 1:17

Putting the verses together.... Since we live in the Spirit, we are to walk in the Spirit, which also refers to living by faith. Hence, to be led by the Spirit is simply to live by faith.

Check out the following passages:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are SONS OF GOD. - Rom 8:14 (emphasis added)

For you are all SONS OF GOD through FAITH in Christ Jesus. - Gal 3:26 (emphasis added)

Scriptures interpret Scriptures. Living by faith is equivalent to being led by the Spirit. When you do something through faith in Christ, you are led by the Spirit.

Not convinced? Read further.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. - Gal 5:18

...for you are not under law but under grace. - Rom 6:14

Putting the verses together. To be led by the Spirit is to be under grace. How do you appropriate His grace? It is always through faith (Eph 2:8). How do you live under grace? BY FAITH!

Living by faith also means obeying God's Word. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God (Rom 10:17). Thus, acting in faith has to do with acting on His Word.

The Word and the Spirit are synonymous. They are never separated. I can't remember if it was Lester Sumrall or Kenneth Hagin who said this, "If you want to know the will of God, read the Word. If you want to be led by the Spirit, DO THE WORD."

In a nutshell, being led by the Spirit = living under grace = walking by faith = doing His Word. It is built on a sure foundation, not something impromptu or flaky.

You don't have to be prompted by the Spirit if you are already prompted by the Word. The Great Commission, for example, is the Great Permission to minister to ANYONE at ANYTIME. You don't need the Spirit to "highlight" someone to you, in order to love and minister to that person. That's not being led by the Spirit, because the Spirit always confirms the Word.

When we understand this, we will be able to interpret the following.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Rom 8:13

Interpret: If by FAITH you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. How do you do that practically?

You simply believe, agree and act on the Word about who you are in Christ. "Father, I thank You that I am so pure, holy, blameless, above reproach and righteous. My body is subjected to me. I am the master. My body is the slave. It cannot sin without my permission. My body is an instrument of righteousness. I thank You it is used for Your glory." And you pray this BY FAITH, even if you just messed up. Because this is the only way to put to death the deeds of your body ------ by the Spirit. #beledbytheSpirit #undergrace #walkbyfaith #dotheWord

Meditate on the Word

How 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. - Acts 10:38

Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit didn’t move Dr Luke to write “Jesus, the Son of God” or “the Son of Man”, or “the Son of David”?

If it were the “Son of God”, then this verse would probably not be applicable to us. If it were the “Son of Man”, He would be seen as the Head of humanity and/or the Messiah.  If it were the Son of David”, He would be seen as the King of the Jews (or Messiah too).

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. Nazareth is a city that was despised, rejected and esteemed lowly by many. In fact, the Jews didn’t think that anything good could come out of the city (John 1:46).

Yet God anointed Jesus of Nazareth! God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit AND with power.

It is interesting that the Bible actually separates the two —— Holy Spirit and Power. In Acts 1:8, Luke wrote that “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you...” But in Acts 10:38, Luke separated the two. This tells us that the Holy Spirit is not power. Do you have power when He comes? Absolutely!

But the Holy Spirit came for a greater purpose. He came for our identity.

The Spirit in us is the confirmation that we are His sons and daughters (Rom 8:16). The Spirit is sent because we are anointed (Isaiah 61:1) as His sons and daughters (Gal 4:6). Therefore, to be anointed is simply about our identity as His sons and daughters.

The Holy Spirit cannot make you more anointed because He came to confirm your anointing (1 John 2:20-27). He came because you are anointed, not because He’s trying to make you anointed. (Sorry, charismatics...)

The despised, rejected and lowly One was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 61:1) and with power (Luke 4:14). That qualifies anyone of us who is despised, rejected and esteemed lowly by others, whether it’s in the world or in the church. Our identity is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, instead of the (haughty and critical) spirit of men.

Just when nobody thought any good could come out of Nazareth (John 1:46), Jesus went about doing good. The desire in you to do good reveals your identity, anointed as sons who are good and do good. Your behavior does not change your identity. It confirms it.

Jesus healed ALL who were oppressed by the devil. Since He healed the sick and cast out demons, it means that every sickness is an oppression from the devil. Nothing can be clearer here. It destroys every idea that sickness is part of God’s will, plan or discipline. We need to deal with sickness as though we are dealing with the enemy, because it is an oppression.

The last part of the verse says that “for God was with Him.” God was obviously with Jesus, because the Spirit rested upon Him and never left. Sometimes, I hear things like, “We invite the presence of God to come....” Since when did He ever leave? (Heb 13:5)

However, I believe that this verse is referring to the awareness that brings forth the fruit in 1 John 4:4. The awareness of the presence of God in the face of the sickness (the oppression of the devil) is the key for healing ALL who were oppressed. For greater is He that is in us.

Acts 10:38 is about walking in our identity as sons and daughters. This gives us the awareness of who our Father is and who we are in Him, so that we confront every sickness boldly and crush every oppression that comes our way. If goodness can come out of Nazareth, everyone of us is qualified to demonstrate what Jesus did.

The Groanings

The Groanings

The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Romans 8:26

The charismatics often say that these groanings have to do with praying in tongues. That is adding self-interpretation into the Scriptures.

Nowhere did the Scriptures say that groaning = tongues.

The word 'groaning' in Greek is the word 'sigh', which is a feeling that is internal and unexpressed. That is why it 'cannot be uttered.' If groaning is praying in tongues, then it can be uttered because tongues are also uttering.

The only time where the exact same Greek word appears in the New Testament is in Acts 7:34, which points to Exodus 2:23-24.

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. - Exodus 2:24

Applying the law of the first mention, this groaning is NOT tongues, because the Israelites did not have the Holy Spirit within them. They were groaning because they were crying out for help (Exo 2:23) due to slavery. Groaning reveals a desire or burden within them to be set free from the bondage of slavery.

The root word of groaning is "stenazo", which also appears in Mark 7:34.

And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”. - Mark 7:34

This is Jesus groaning (stenazo), aka sighing, before He ministered healing to the man. It is an inward feeling that isn't expressed in words, but it conveys the desire and burden. Jesus looked up to heaven and signed (groaned), revealing that the groaning is UPWARDS towards God the Father, just as the Israelites' groaning went up to the throne of God.

Have you had times when there were pressures from all sides but you didn't know how to pray for yourself, yet there was a desire and burden within? The Holy Spirit was interceding.

Have you had times when there was a desire and burden to pray for a person, but you didn't know what to pray? The Holy Spirit was interceding for that person through the 'sighing' in you.

The desire, burden and intention are sufficient for the groan to reach the throne. We are still thinking religion when God is thinking union and relationship. We are ONE with Him. This is why the feeling within you is the place where intercession by the Spirit takes place.

What a loving Father we have!