Communion: Hearing God

Communion: Hearing God

The first recorded communion between Man and God is in Gen 3:9-10 after Adam had sinned.

God said that in the day that Man ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, his spirit would first die, followed by his flesh. "Dying, you will die." (Gen 2:17; 1 Cor 15:45)

Before Adam sinned, there was no recorded communion between Man and God. What was recorded is God's spoken words towards Man, but not Man's spoken words towards God. If we look at the New Covenant principles, communion is from inside out. 

Where the spirit is alive, communion is internal.

Where the spirit is dead, the communion is external.

Adam's spirit was alive when God breathed into him at creation. His spirit was dead after he sinned. From his descendents onwards, communion with God had been external (read from Genesis to the Gospels).

Jesus came to demonstrate communion with God from the internal. 

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. - John 12:29-30

Those who heard it thundered are like the Israelites who had wrong view of God and they didn't dare to commune with Him (Exo 20:18-19). Those who said 'angels' are like the Old Covenant people (not born again) since they always communed with God in the external.

When Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit back to the disciples (John 20:22), it was the only time the word is used in the New Testament, and it is the same exact word (in Septuagint) that God breathed into Man at creation.

Redemption revives the spirit of mankind (who are born again) and restores the communion with God in the internal.

Now God speaks FROM and THROUGH your spirit into your mind (soul). So the more you renew your mind (soul) aka Romans 12:2, the more you hear Him for who He is, and not who you think He is.

P.S: Today, if you are excited because an angel speaks to you, you are still living in the Old Covenant and don't understand the works of Redemption.

Night Safari

After our first ever Night Safari visit (at a surprisingly great discount), J said, "Papa, you know... I feel like I can eat a Mac Donald's burger."

Papa: Thank God it's just a feeling.

Mama: (Kept laughing).

So we drove to Mac Donald's Drive-Thru at Yishun only to be told by the staff that it was just closed for cleaning.

Brought the boy to 7-eleven to get some snacks since he's hungry. I saw RIO on the shelf and decided to try it, since the main lead actress in the China drama (which my wife and I are watching) kept drinking it.

While making payment, the male cashier looked at me and asked, "Not underage right?" I pulled out my identity card to show him and said, "I'm 40, bro." He replied, 'Wah. Same as me?!"

If I'm below 18, I must have a shotgun marriage at 9 years old, since the little boy standing beside me (who called me Papa there) is 9.

I said to him, "One of you has right knee issue." The female staff said, "Yeah. Arthritic issue with my knee." So I ministered to her and she felt relief and the tension was gone. Then she asked, "Did you use Reiki healing?"

I replied, "Jesus' healing." And I proceeded to share my personal healing testimony and Jesus to them (who are both M).

It's easy to lead someone to pray the sinner/salvation's prayer without being born again, because the former does not require the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, while the latter requires the Kingdom message. This is why the Gospel of salvation is an incomplete Gospel that does not produce true believers.

Have been thinking alot about Jn 17:3 lately. We can plant seeds and water them everywhere we go. But we need to preach the Gospel of The Kingdom if we want someone to be born again.

P.S: RIO cocktail tastes pretty good with mild alcoholic content.

Maturity

If we have to take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ, it means that not every thought that comes your way is going to be godly or holy.

If we have to take the shield of faith to extinguish all the fiery darts of the enemy, it means that the enemy is going to attack you regardless of your spiritual maturity.

What's the point?

You cannot prevent any attack from the enemy. You cannot prevent any thought (from the enemy) from entering your mind.

But you are able to prevent it from hurting you. You are able to prevent it from dominating you.

Spiritual maturity, therefore, does not lie in the kind of thoughts that enter your mind. Neither does it lie in the kind of attacks that come against you. It lies in how you deal with the thoughts and the attacks.

Your response is your responsibility to God's given ability. And responsibility is the true sign of maturity.

The Theology On Healing

To convince unbelievers with your theology, perform your theology through signs and wonders.

To convince believers with your theology, just teach your theology through the Word.

To convince your spouse with your theology, LIVE your theology.

Over the years, the theology on healing has gone into my spouse and my son because I walk out my theology on healing. It has even convinced my spouse not to give my son any medication as the first sign of relief.

My son was healed from fever just recently. We have seen consistent breakthrough in fever and flu for him for the past few years. It didn't come by without continual and persistent crushing of flu when he was much younger. I had to take risks as a father. I had to go through disagreements and arguments with my wife. Yet truth is the highest form of love if it sets one free (John 8:32).

The fight we are to fight is the fight of faith. Why is it the fight of faith? Everything will try to keep you from keeping the faith in Him.

As the head of the household, we must stand firm and remain steadfast in the midst of battles. Our only fight is the fight of faith, even if it means that you are doing it alone. For Christ with you is the majority.

Yes, there will be disagreements. There will be challenges. But as long as we remain in Christ (who is Love), true Love will prevail.

The fight of faith, therefore, is a revelation of His love through us. If God is swayed by feelings, if God gives in and compromises in the name of human/sensual love, we are finished.

To our family, our theology is only as strong as our living.

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Growth

We were taught that spiritual growth comes from the Lord. Religion says that everyone grows at different speed, for God has a timing for everything, since He is the One who grows us.

Have you wondered why some can be believers for 40 years, but never really grow in the Lord?

Have you wondered why the 11 disciples and apostle Paul grew rapidly within a short few years?

Why do some grow so fast and why do some not grow? If God is truly the One growing people, He must be very selective and partial.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. - 1 Cor 3:16

We often look at the last phrase 'God gave the increase'. But that is only one third of the growth process. There is prerequisite for God to work on.

1) 'I planted'

2) 'Apollos watered'

There is the seed (planting) and the water (discipline) before growth takes place.

Romans 12:2 tells us that the renewing of our mind is our job/responsibility, not God's. Without doing our part, God cannot do His part (of transforming us).

Yes, we long for 'Holy Spirit' meetings where God touches us and goes 'BAM!' But that does not transform us. The Bible is clear that transformation comes by mind renewal aka beholding the Word (cross references: 2 Cor 3:18; James 1:22-25). Scriptures interpret Scriptures.

A touch from heaven (divine encounter) simply re-directs our focus and zeal. Paul had a touch from heaven and it re-directed his focus and zeal from persecuting Christians to going after Christ. A divine encounter is instantaneous, but transformation takes deliberate planting (seed) and discipline (water) ----- Paul went after Christ alone for mind renewal after he was 'Bam!' by heaven (Gal 1:17-18).

Unlike what some think, spiritual growth is not based on God's timing. It is based on yours. You are not waiting for God to grow you. God has already provided us with every tool for growth. He is waiting for you to be deliberate in growth. 

If you don't plant the seed of the Word into yourself and keep watering it with discipline, He cannot bring the increase. And you will not grow.

A humble and renowned prophet in Singapore, who probably has the highest accuracy in prophecy that I know of in Singapore, once said, "Sometimes, I fluctuate between these two zones (Spirit realm and soul realm) because of certain choices that I make."

The decision for spiritual growth lies with us. We are responsible for 2/3 of the growth process, without which, God doesn't bring the increase.

If we are not growing, it's not God's fault nor His timing. It is us who has placed our focus and zeal in somewhere else, instead of Him. Matthew 6:33 applies.

The Simplicity of The Church

If we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The flesh includes the body (five senses) and the soul (mind, emotions and will). Only the body and the soul can be subjected to sinful passions. The Spirit cannot be tempted.

To live in the Spirit is simply to live in the Word. To walk in faith is to walk according to the Word. In other words, walking in the Spirit is identical to walking in faith, which is walking according to the Word.

It is simple and not complicated. However, the modern churches and the charismatics have confused and made living in the Spirit complex and sometimes, vague for many. The concept of living in the Spirit remains a concept until it is made literal as what it is supposed to be.

I had to unlearn so many things that I had learnt from the past church institutions. The journey as a believer can be fast tracked if we did not learn religious sacred cows. The more we learn what is extra-biblical, the slower our journey becomes.

Thus, it is important to choose the kind of fellowship that you go to. Don't mistake attending church as growth. And don't think that people have 'back-slided' just because they are not there on Sundays and mid-weeks. People are the Church by the way.

Sometimes, it is better for a newly born-again person to go after the Word (Bible) alone, than being taught the Word by others. Sometimes, it is better to skip the church service so that you can grow in faith. 

Fellowships like DMM (Disciple Making Movement) which uses DBS (Discovery Bible Study) is often, more effective for your growth, because they do not teach you the Word. You study the Word on your own.

To be afraid of heresies is to think that the Holy Spirit (the Teacher and the Spirit of truth) is not big and powerful enough to guide a believer. We are not called to live in fear, but in faith, for we have received the Spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind.

Your Job's Responsibility

Our intellect, wisdom, wealth and ability cannot reveal the glory of God.

Only Power & Love do.

This is why Paul said that his gospel came in power, in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thes 1:5:). He said that his message was not with wise and persuasive words, but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Cor 2:4).

Whether we are in full-time Christian ministry or marketplace ministry, the same gospel applies. In other words, only raw Power and Love reveal Him to others, for the rest can be imitated by anybody and everybody.

In my 7 years with real estate industry, no one has ever said to me, "Wow your God is real and powerful" as a result of my property work. But in the midst of carrying out my work, I ministered healing and the prophetic to the buyers and sellers. Some got born again because they encountered the raw Power and Love; some were taken by surprise and went "Wow your God is powerful".

Recently, I helped a friend to conduct a viewing at a property. The buyers (family of 3) came. After presenting the place to them, I said, "How's your left knee? Is there an injury?"

He was astonished and looked at me, "How come you know? I just went for a MRI scan yesterday?" The whole family are believers.

While kneeling down and ministering to him, his wife said to her teenage daughter, "I'm going to stand close to him and see if he senses anything about me." I looked up and said, "The right side of your neck downwards, is there an issue?" 

Her eyes were wide open. She nodded, "Yes. For a long time. It's linked to the spine." Her daughter asked, "How did he know?"

Yes, they came to look for a property to buy, but they were also re-introduced to Jesus.

A second group of buyers came to view the property. They are Catholics. After viewing the place, I took the lift down with them. I asked, "How's your right knee?" The guy said, "Oh it's an old injury that has been there for many years." As I ministered to him, I said, "You have a very creative business mind. Are you running your own business that has to do with IT?" He was surprised and said that he ran his own tech business in Asia.

The next day, his wife texted me to thank God, saying that he could do some martial arts with his knee. Jesus!

Everybody is doing their work because it is their job's responsibility. Yes, you do it well but it doesn't separate you from others because others are also doing it well and sometimes even better than you. 

When you do your work well, people go, "Wow, you are awesome!" But when you bring in raw Power and Love, people go, "Wow, God is awesome!" For you to be exalted, just do your job properly. For God to be exalted, it has to be Power and Love. For spiritual things must be spiritually revealed.

Who says that we cannot mix the secular and the spiritual? Only religion does that. Daniel and Joseph (marketplace ministry in the Bible) brought in raw Power and Love through dream interpretations to reveal God in their lives. 

As believers, our first job's responsibility is the Gospel of the Kingdom, regardless of the work we do.

Whichever work you do, Matt 10:8 and Mark 16:15-18 do not change. It is still "heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons." For this is the way to demonstrate the Kingdom of God and reveal God in and through your lives.

The Bible Is Consistent

The Bible is consistent, yet it appears to be full of paradox if we don't continually learn to divide it.

You are clean (John 15):, yet you need to be cleansed (John 13).

You are filled and full (Col 2:9; 1 Cor 6:17; John 3:34), yet you need to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).

There is paradox for those who think paradoxical like the Hebrew mind. But we don't have a Hebrew mind and we don't have to try to become one. Neither do we have to have a Greek mind.

We are not called to think like the Hebrews or Greeks. We are called to think like Christ. For we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). The new covenant mind or the renewed mind (Romans 12) thinks like Christ thinks.

You are clean (in your spirit); yet you need to be cleansed (in your mind - 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 4:23). 

Only your body and your mind (the spirit of your mind) can be defiled and be unclean. Your spirit cannot be defiled or made unclean as it has been born again.

You are already filled and full (in your spirit); yet you need to be filled with the Spirit (in your mind) ---- aka be influenced by the Spirit.

Your spirit cannot be more filled and full than it already is. You are not trying to get God to touch you and fill you with more. When you are born again, He moves in completely ---- not in some or parts, but the fullness of the Spirit. Hence, for your mind to be filled with the Spirit, it is about letting the spirit flow from within to your mind. It's not outside in; it is not heaven's down. It is already within.

When we don't understand spirit, soul and body, we get confused with the terminology. Terminology is important, because it affects how you read terminology in the Word and interpret truth from the Word.

The Word is consistent, because God is. He just has no problem with us contradicting our own interpretation of the Word.

The Consistency of The Gospel

The Consistency of The Gospel

If the Gospel cannot be applied consistently across nations, cultures and people groups, it is a revelation that your gospel is not the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached.

For example, if your gospel requires you to have organic food, supplements and special dietary in order to walk in divine health and healing, then it is not the same Gospel that Jesus preached. Because certain tribes, developing nations and people groups have NO access to these kind of food and supplements. Those who live in poverty have NO access to these too.

Disclaimer: It is totally fine to have access to those stuff and use them, if you need to.

The Gospel either applies to all or none. There is no in between. We cannot simply think from the first world's perspective when it comes to the Gospel. We need to think from the Kingdom's perspective.

Often, we see that those who have NO access to nutritious dietaries, supplements and healthcare encounter drastic divine healing miracles. This is not because God is inconsistent or biased. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. If the Gospel applies to one, it applies to all.

It is us who have shortchanged His raw love and power with alternative because we have alternatives living in the first world. He is not the only One whom we are beholding. We behold Him AND alternatives.

The next time when you share the Gospel of the Kingdom with others, keep it pure and raw, because He is and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently.