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 favour 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

The Power of Endurance

The Power of Endurance

The opposite of fear is not faith. It's love. Perfect love casts out fear. You can't deal with fears in your life by commanding them to leave. You deal with fears by receiving the love of God in those areas.

The opposite of faith is not fear. It's sight. We walk by faith, not by sight. What's paradoxical is that faith is still a form of sight ----- you see the unseen, instead of seeing the seen.

By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. - Heb 11:27

How long do we have to walk by faith for a promise? As long as the unseen has not become seen. For when it has become seen, you no longer need faith.

Enduring through seeing the unseen is challenging. Because life in itself, in every way, will try to knock you off from the spiritual sight into physical sight. It wants you to see the reality.

This is when the Word of God is of priority. You can see prophetically into visions, dreams and use the power of your imagination to see into the unseen. But you can't endure through seeing this way for an extended period of time.

But you can see the Word and endure through. Since faith is the evidence of things unseen (Heb 11:1) and faith comes from the Word (Rom 10:17), when you see the Word, you are seeing the unseen.

When you see the Word, you are seeing Him who is invisible (Heb 11:27). The Word is the source of your strength and the power of your endurance.

When we train ourselves to stick to seeing the Word, we are training ourselves in endurance as seeing Him who is invisible.

Your Condition Is Not Your Position

Your Condition Is Not Your Position

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. - Heb 11:21

God in the Spirit recorded Jacob's faith in this manner.

Jacob was dying. Physically, he was not in the best condition. Yet he released blessings on his grandchildren, with his attention on God in worship.

God saw that as faith.

The enemy loves to point to your condition. When you look to your condition, faith is diminished. But when you give your attention to God in worship, what you see is your position ----- your identity in Christ.

When you look to your position, faith is there to move mountains.

"Who are you to minister to the sick, when you are struggling physically?"

"Who are you to bless others, when you are struggling financially?"

"Who are you to talk about the power of the Gospel, when you are struggling with sin?"

The devil points to your condition. But you must point to your position.

"The Christ in me will heal the sick."

"The Christ in me will bless others."

"The Christ in me will demonstrate the power of the Gospel."

When you look to your position, God sees that as faith.

The Kind Of Consistency

Jesus walked in such a consistent nature of the Father that healings and miracles took place regardless of location, race, nationality, settings and audience.

He didn't have to share some testimonies, preach a message, conduct a service or do a word of knowledge to boost the faith of the sick BEFORE healing them.

His result is not dependent on any variable. No inconsistency can affect His consistency.

He is the Faith. Hence all things are possible to Him who believes.

What kind of revelation of the Father does He have? I want to see what He sees.

The Person of Grace

The Person Of Grace

Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus. When you make demands of Him, you make demands of Grace.

Grace is unfair. It never is. You don't expect a level playing field. I always tell my son, "Life is not fair. But God is good." If we want life to be fair, we deserve hell.

Someone can be doing way less in life, but blessed way more than you. Because Grace is never fair. You can be working really hard but end up grumbling, comparing and competing, because you wonder why you get blessed way less than others. Because Grace is never fair.

We need to see the world through the lens of Grace. People will demand grace from you, but you can't demand grace from them. I have met so many people who don't do good unto you what you do good unto them. Because Grace is not fair.

If we think that we should respond to people without grace, because of how they respond to you without grace, you manifest the world. You cannot overcome the world with the world.

Since Grace is a Person and He lives in us, when people make demands of us, we still need to learn to let Grace flow out (instead of the flesh), regardless of whether they are gracious or not. Because we must live in response to Him instead of people.

People who make demands of us have either not met Grace, or have not allowed His Grace to penetrate their lives. So when we manifest Grace, they encounter Him.

I find joy in going after living in response to Him rather than the world around me. Because the world's demands will seek to remove joy from you but when we place our focus and attention on Him, He supplies Grace to meet the demands of the world. 

The Person of Grace lives inside every believer. Therefore, we can overcome the world by the Power of His Grace.

Where Is Your Proof?

Where Is Your Proof?

We are always looking for evidences and proofs in the wrong place. We look for manifestation, sight, visual, feelings, improvement, experiences, etc. But they are all not God's way.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. - Heb 11:1

The word 'assurance' in Greek means 'guarantee' or 'the title deed to a promise or property'.

The word 'conviction' is not a good English translation in this context. The Greek word means 'a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested.'

Faith is the guarantee to God's promise. Faith is the proof of things not seen.

Since we are called to walk by faith and not by sight, we are called to walk by 'the guarantee' and 'the proof'. If we want to walk by the guarantee and the proof, then we have to cast away sight, which even includes the trophy of your experiences.

Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17), hearing the Word must be the key to the guarantee and the proof.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). The Word was the Son.

Man does not live by bread alone, but on every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4). This means that we are to live by the Word, Who is the Son. For the Son is the guarantee and the proof.

In the temptation of Jesus by satan, the latter kept challenging Jesus for the proof of His identity. "If you are the Son of God..."

Jesus never answered him on His identity. Because the Son is The Proof. "I AM the proof!"

Jesus only answered him for the second part of his statements of challenge. Jesus replied with "It is written..." In other words, Jesus was saying, "I don't have to prove what God says. The Word is the proof!"

What is it that you need in your life right now? You cannot find it anywhere. It is found in the Proof.

We need to ask, "What does the Son say about my health? What does the Son say about my finances? What does the Son say about my life?"

Since the Word is the Son, what the Son says is the guarantee and the proof. The charismatics will say, "That's why you need to hear the present voice of God." If that is true, your proof is not 100% because you can't hear Him 100% accurately 100% of the time.

Your proof is found in what the Son already said in the Word. It is found in the written Word.

"I don't experience healing yet." Stop it. Change it to "The proof of my healing is 'By His stripes, I am healed.' "

"I don't have financial breakthroughs yet." Stop it. Change it to "The proof of my finances is 'He supplies everything I need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.' "

If we can stick to the proof, the guaranteed promise will be manifested.

Patient Endurance As The Will of God

Patient Endurance As The Will of God

The Jewish believers were going through severe persecution. In the context of that, the writer wrote this.

For you have need of 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, so that 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 you may receive what is promised. - Heb 10:36

The will of God in this context points to 'endurance'. They would have done the will of God by 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 to the very end (Heb 10:39).

The Bible consistently talks about patient endurance during trials and persecution. The whole book of Revelation builds it's central theme around it ---- patient endurance.

It is the will of God for believers to suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:17). Peter wrote the book during the times of persecution too.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝. - 2 Tim 3:12

The early church was consistently persecuted. Yet they remained steadfast, robust and persistent in their faith. 

Today, in our modern consumerist society, if you simply prohibit someone from going to the malls, he or she might just compromise on the faith. When convenience and comfort become the way of life, faith takes the backseat and becomes A way of life. It becomes an option.

Perhaps we need to experience a good degree of persecution before we appreciate His grace seriously.

Therefore let those who 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. - 1 Peter 4:19

There is a suffering according to God's will and there is a suffering NOT according to His will. If you suffer for what Christ dealt with on the Cross, you are NOT suffering according to His will.

Because we live in this comfortable side of the world where we don't experience biblical persecution (aka suffering according to God's will), we begin to classify our 'suffering' (not persecution) according to His will, when it is not.

We begin to teach that sickness is suffering according to God's will.

We begin to teach that depression is suffering according to God's will.

We begin to teach that lack is suffering according to God's will.

We begin to teach every challenge as suffering according to God's will because we don't get to experience true persecution.

There is only one suffering that is according to God's will... that is... to suffer for doing good. And this is persecution.

The rest are not and they are just suffering according to the world's will. People don't like to hear this, especially believers, because it kills the religious cows and makes their suffering seem unworthy.

I'm not minimising the 'suffering' that people go through. It's tough. It's hard. It's beyond comprehension. We need God's grace and power on that. But neither should we attribute it to God's will. It is not.

Let's not exalt what the enemy does as God's will and gives praises to the wrong side. If my son exalts and praises me for hurting him physically, emotionally or mentally, it would totally break my heart.

You don't endure what is not God. You don't tolerate it. The only thing we need patient endurance is when we suffer persecution.