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!

Love Gives Gifts

But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. - 1 Cor 12:31

The word 'excellent' means 'beyond measure, exceedingly, superior, surpassing." In other words, there is a way to manifest the gifts of the Spirit that is WAY MORE SUPERIOR.

And Paul spent the whole chapter on Love.

People have been wondering and trying to learn how they could move more effectively in the gifts of the Spirit. The simple and most effective way is Love.

Love is where all the gifts flow. "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving."

For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE... (John 3:16). 

God is both Love (1 John 4:8) and the Giver (James 1:17). Since we are created in His image, we can move in the same way as He does. How?

He dwells IN us. In other words, both Love & the Giver 'are' IN us. When we love on others, gifts flow. Because Love always desires to give. The Giver in us can't wait to give. When we love, we are not only manifesting Him, but also allowing Him to give the gifts to people through us.

Stop trying to think about the mechanics of how gifts work. Start loving and see how the gifts flow naturally through you.

The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

Few days ago, I read this verse and I 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

How do you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit? Paul was a very practical writer. He wasn't saying something that is vague or merely a concept. This verse is, in fact, extremely practical. To understand it, we first have to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit.

The phrase 'be led by the Spirit' has often been misunderstood, especially in the charismatic circles.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - Rom 8:14

Apparently, some think that being led by the Spirit means that you have to be flaky, spontaneous and unpredictable. "The Spirit told me to buy a candy to eat...."; "the Spirit told me not to reach out to this lady with spectacles", "the Spirit told me not to finish my food", etc. And there is a whole list of "the Spirit says..." 

Well, if the Spirit is unpredictable most of the time, then perhaps it is a different spirit from God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) in His nature and character.

Granted, there are occasions when the Spirit directs you to do something out of the norm but it is not the norm. Look at Jesus' life and tell me if He is flaky or naturally supernatural. Furthermore, I shared in the practicality of hearing His voice in the earlier post that the Spirit of Christ and us are ONE ---- that includes our desires, inclinations, etc. Don't try to live as though the Spirit is separated from who we are. That's when people fall into deception and stuff like "the Spirit tells me to divorce my spouse" can happen.

If we like to say "the Spirit tells me this and that...", then nobody can reason with you because God has been used as the 'ultimate authority' in whatever you say.

If we look at the life of Jesus and the life of apostle Paul, we will discover 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. Read the book of Acts and you will see that Paul was unstoppable and was continually on the move until the Spirit stopped him (Acts 16:6). Well, he is the same author who wrote 'be led by the Spirit.'

If you have to wait until the Spirit says this and that, then you are  probably not co-labouring with the One who loves you and lives in you. "Jesus takes the wheel" is not the New Covenant life by the way.

In the next post, we are going to see some passages that explain what being led by the Spirit means. Scriptures have to interpret Scriptures.

Holy Spirit - Alarm

I have been asking the Holy Spirit to wake me up according to my alarm clock. Recently, He has been waking me up 2-3 minutes before my alarm triggered off —— no matter what time I set the alarm at (and I tested by setting the alarm at different times). This happens consecutively for a few days including today. This is mind-blowing to me as He reveals how faithful and personal He is. Jesus!

There is none as faithful as He is.

The Practicality of Hearing His Voice

The Practicality of Hearing His Voice

We tend to think that it is easier to hear God's voice for others, than for ourselves. We prophesy on others; we release word of knowledge and word of wisdom. But when it comes to hearing God for ourselves, we have much trouble discerning whether it is the voice of God.

This is a wrong perception that we have held for a long time.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27

We memorized this verse. We recited it. We preached. We quoted it. But we find it challenging to live it out. Unless we bust the wrong belief, we will always have trouble listening to His voice.

Hearing His voice for ourselves should be easier than prophesying and releasing Word to others, because the latter is simply about hearing His voice for others. If we can hear Him for others, it doesn't make sense that it is more difficult to hear Him for ourselves.

The simple disparity between the two lies in this: Familiarity.

When we approach someone whom we are not familiar with, the voice of God (through impressions, visions, emotions, thoughts, etc.) appears to be 'louder' because what we receive from Him is unfamiliar ----- by that, I mean that when we compare the words we receive from Him with our own lives, we can immediately recognize the difference and we are confident that the words are for the person we are prophesying on.

Familiarity should not breed contempt. In fact, it should make it even easier and simpler to hear from the One who loves you. My son can recognize my voice (as his father) much easier, simpler and faster than he can recognize the voice of others.

Similarly, we should be able to recognize the Father's voice for ourselves much easier than recognizing His voice for others. Because it is the SAME VOICE.

Why does it often seem tougher to hear Him for ourselves?

We must first comprehend where He lives. He lives IN us. We are ONE in union and communion. He speaks from within most of the time, instead of from without.

Because we are one in the Spirit with Him, we must not try to hear Him as though He is separated from us ------ by that, I also mean desires, passion, thoughts, emotions, inclinations, etc.They are all NOT separated from who He is IN us and who we are IN Him.

Once we realize this, we will not need to fast and pray for 40 days to hear Him on one decision. We will not need to wait in patient endurance (that's for trials and persecutions by the way) to get one word from Him. If that is the case, my son will be one of the most pathetic beings on earth because he has to do so much and wait so long just to hear my voice as his father.

Christ IN you is the key for communion. Because we are in unbreakable co-union with Him, we have unceasing communion with Him. This is why apostle Paul said, "Pray unceasingly." (1 Thes 5:17) That doesn't mean that you lock yourself in a room and pray for 24 hours. If that is the case, you will never be His disciple because you can't do anything He commanded about the Great Commission.

And to pray unceasingly is the WILL OF GOD for us (1 Thes 5:18). Since it is the will of God, He must have provided the Way to pray unceasingly, which is through the mystery of the Gospel hidden from ages and now revealed ------ Christ IN you, the Hope of glory. Through this union and communion, we can't stop praying because to be thinking His thoughts and desiring His thoughts is already prayer.

For it is God who WORKS IN YOU, both TO WILL and TO WORK for His good pleasure. - Phil 2:13 (emphasis added)

The word 'will' is the exact word used in Matthew 8:3 where Jesus said to the leper, "I am WILLING; be cleansed." It doesn't just speak of a desire. More than that, the word refers to the nature and the will of God. HE WILL-ED it.

Putting the word back to Phil 2:13, when we are born again, God (who is in union with us) has put in us the nature and will to DO HIS WORK. In other words, it is in our natural inclination to move like Him, according to His voice.

Once we realize this privilege, we will realize that we HAVE BEEN hearing His voice throughout the day because He shares our desires; He shares our thoughts; He shares our emotions; He shares our actions, etc.

Don't try to hear His voice. Don't try to separate His voice from your voice. You are not separated from Him. You are joined to Him (1 Cor 6:17). And what God has joined together, let no man separates. #foundationtoHisvoice

Receiving A Prophet's Reward Part 2

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. - Matthew 10:41

As shared in Part 1, this is probably one of the most abused Scripture verses in the charismatic world. It has been used to justify the need to honour ($$$ or inflate the ego) the prophet or the man of God for a believer's own sake (so that the believer gets the reward - such as increased in anointing, operation of gifts, etc.). This subtly places the man of God on the pedestal and undermines a believer's identity.

We need to look at the context of this passage, especially in the light of the New Covenant that we are in.

In the Jewish culture of those days, Jewish families considered it a great privilege to be able to host a priest, a teacher, or a rabbi in their home. 'In the name of a prophet' simply means 'because he is a prophet'. 

By providing hospitality to the servants aka prophets of God, one could hope for some degree of blessings from God. This is not to say that hosting a prophet will earn a person the reward due to the prophet. Instead, it will earn the gratitude of the prophet, and the prophet will bestow a reward in the form of blessing. In the Old Testament, a prophet represented God to men because men under the Law didn't have access to God. An example will be 2 Kings 4:8-37 where the woman was blessed because she honoured Elisha.

In the New Testament, Christ came as the Prophet of God (Matt 13:57; Luke 7:16; Acts 3:22). He came to preach the Gospel of the kingdom (Matt 9:35). His life on earth represented God to men as a Prophet, bringing God's message of Good News. Only His death on the Cross represented men to God as a Priest. Those who received Him as God's Messenger received the blessings of God which included healing, providence, peace, etc.

At the closing chapter of Matthew 9, Jesus spoke about sending out the workers because the harvest is plentiful. And in Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the Gospel of the kingdom ------ the disciples represented God's messengers (aka prophets of God) to the people in Israel. Those who received them as God's prophets also received the Good News they brought ------- healing, deliverance, and raising of their dead (Matt 10:8). Not only that, they also received Shalom peace (Matt 10:13).

However, those who failed to receive them would receive nothing but judgment (Matt 10:13-15).

In the context of this, let's read the passage below.

“He who receives you RECEIVES ME, and he who receives Me RECEIVES HIM WHO SENT ME. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall RECEIVE A PROPHET'S REWARD. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall RECEIVE A RIGHTEOUS MAN'S REWARD. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” - Matt 10:40-42

Receiving a person is the same as receiving the message he carries (Matt 10:14). Thus, the whole context is very clear. Whoever receives the disciple's message (the Gospel of the kingdom) receives Jesus, which in turn, receives God the Father. In the light of this, Jesus simply reiterated what He meant with the following verses after the first verse in Matt 10:40.

Whoever receives God's prophet (aka messenger of the Good News) receives the effects of the Gospel that he preaches ----- healing, deliverance, raising of their dead, salvation of the spirit, etc. This is the REWARD for believing and receiving. God's reward (Hebrews 11:6) is simply the manifestation of His grace and goodness (which includes healing, providence, peace, etc.)

Whoever receives a righteous man (aka made right because of the Gospel of the kingdom) receives the reward ------ the effects of the Gospel too. Because the one who has been made right is able to bring the message of Righteousness (Rom 1:16-17).

And whoever receives the seemingly 'little ones' in the name of a disciple (because they are disciples of Christ) also receives the reward, because they are receiving Jesus Himself (cross-references: Matt 25:40; Matt 18:3-5; Mark 9:37; Mark 9:41). To receive Jesus is to have everything including anointing, gifts, etc. (Rom 8:32) So you don't need to 'suck' it from other men.

Note: It is possible to have other rewards from God (Hebrews 6:9-10), though it is not clear whether it is in this life or after. But I tend to believe that it is referring to the latter.

For Jesus to put the 'little ones' in the same light as 'a prophet' in Matt 10:40-42 unveils one thing: It's about the consistent message of the KINGDOM, which has nothing to do with the ministry office of a prophet, evangelist, apostle, pastor and teacher. 

In the New Covenant, every believer is a 'prophet' of God in being the messenger of the Kingdom. It is about honouring every single believer and receiving his message so that the kingdom of God is at hand (Matt 10:7), which accompanies with all the blessings (Eph 1:3). For God desires to bless every mankind on earth and give them the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

I am zealous for the believer's identity. Anything that compromises on identity is NOT the New Covenant. Every bible interpretation must not contradict the full counsel of God's Word in the light of the New Covenant. The explicit must interpret the implicit. It's time to stop abusing Matt 10:41. Stop exalting the man of God. Instead, exalt the God of man. Christ IN you is the Hope of glory.

Honor a prophet or a man of God to get his reward? Yes... but it's not for a special few. Instead, do it for every believer because every believer is a prophet of God and a man of God in the New Covenant. Enough said. Jesus! #identity

Receiving A Prophet's Reward Part 1

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. - Matthew 10:41

This is probably one of the most abused Scripture verses in the charismatic world. Last evening, I read a ministry article that says the following:

"I truly believe when you support a ministry like [ministry name removed for confidentiality], whose sole purpose is to have prophets speak to the Church, you are truly WELCOMING A PROPHET AS A PROPHET. This honestly puts you in a great place where God can REWARD YOU with a PROPHET'S REWARD. It was Jesus who promised this and He never lies. A prophet's reward is what you can ask God for. If you are being blessed by this ministry, would you stop right now and give your best gift to help us? We thank you in advance. Just hit the green donate button here. Monthly giving is also a huge help to us, as we can then budget better." - By a prophet in the States

It is commonly believed by the charismatics that if you honour a prophet or a man of God, you will receive his reward such as impartation, anointing, spiritual gifts, etc. You cannot find this in the Bible or in the words of Jesus. Some talked about their experiences after 'receiving the prophet's reward', noting an increase in anointing, operation of spiritual gifts, etc. However, if your experience cannot be aligned to the Word (which has ultimate authority), maybe your experience is not from the Word. 

I understand that God, in His sovereignty, can touch people and give them exponential increase in the operation of gifts. But that is not the norm and it has nothing to do with the prophet's reward.

Some of the most 'anointed' people I encountered have the most annoying (pun intended) attitude. They don't honour the least (Matt 10:42c) and other normal believers. If you talk about the reward in the context of Matt 10, they probably don't have (but that's not for me to judge). Yet they continue to move powerfully in gifts. Make no mistake ---- ministry gifts and ministry offices are totally independent from spiritual maturity.

Note: By using the phrase 'most anointed', I am referring to the perceived value by the general Body of Christ. There is no such thing as 'more anointed' or 'less anointed' in the Bible. Every believer is EQUALLY anointed (1 John 2:27) ----- often, they just don't realise how anointed they already are in Christ.

The passage in Matthew 10:41 has been used to justify the need to honour the prophet or the man of God for the believer's own sake (so that he gets the reward). This subtly places the man of God on the pedestal and undermines a believer's identity.

This kind of interpretation misses out the central message of the New Covenant that Christ has come to establish. It mixes the Old Covenant teaching with the New Covenant reality.

The Old Covenant pointed to the man of God whom God chose. The New Covenant points to the God of Man whom God revealed ---- Christ in you the Hope of glory.

People who still teach and model the Old Covenant in the name of empowerment are NOT empowering others.

The New Covenant is the 'covenant' of empowerment. It leads you to look away from the men of God so that you can fix your eyes on the God of Man, who is also the Author and the Finisher of your faith. #identity #trueempowerment

Christ IN You

Christ IN You

...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. - Col 1:26-27

Since Christ came to reveal the greatest mystery: Christ IN you, the Hope of Glory, then we need to spend every ounce of our being to know what it means; to know who Christ is, so that we know Christ in us.

Our co-union with Christ is the biggest mystery revealed among mankind. This is why Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom & His Righteousness...” because Jesus is the Righteousness of God revealed and the kingdom is Righteousness, Peace & Joy in the Spirit of Christ —— where Oneness is and where we are One with Him. That kingdom is WITHIN us (Luke 17:21).

To pray as if God is separated from us is to pray from earth to heaven. That’s missing the mystery. To pray as though God is one with us is to pray from heaven to heaven —— that’s communion because of co-union.

Until we realize the mystery of the union, we won’t walk in the power of communion.

The Death of the Law & The Life of Righteousness

Many believers are still interpreting Romans 7 as though it applies to them. Paul was talking about a life without abiding in Christ. Don't forget that he was writing this letter to the Roman Gentiles, as well as the Jews who had returned from exile. He had to end much 'debate' between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. - Romans 7:4

The death of Christ marked the death of the Law (the Old Covenant) while the resurrection of Christ marked the life of Righteousness (the New Covenant). The old 'husband' was dead so that we can be married to the new 'husband'.

The Law was given for the transgressions of men (Gal 3:19). Apart from the Law, sin is dead (Rom 7:8). This means that sin has NO power when there is no law (1 Cor 15:56). The more you want to follow the Law, the more you will sin, because Christianity is not living by your will power. It is living by His power.

Since the Law was fulfilled by Christ (Matt 5:17), He could end it on the Cross (Rom 10:4).

The Law revealed sin (Rom 7:7). But Christ removed sin (Heb 10:11-14) because He came to reveal sons. For sin's power to be removed, He also removed the Law (Heb 10:9).

Since both are removed, you are to become dead to both of them.

This is why the Bible says, "...you also have become dead to the LAW through the body of Christ..." - Rom 7:4 (emphasis added)

This is why the Bible says, "Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to SIN, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Rom 6:11 (emphasis added)

The only way to right living is first to be dead to the Law so that we are dead to sin. To live by the Law again is to revive sin, which leads to death (Rom 7:9-10).

We are now married to Christ. So we live by Christ. He is the Way to live right. When we abide in Him (John 15:5), we will bear much fruit. To abide is to 'trust, rest, remain, live, yield, stay, etc.' A branch does nothing to bear fruit except to receive from the vine. He is the vine and we are the branches. If we can receive well from Him, we will automatically bear fruit. 

This is why Christianity is by grace through faith ------ effortless and simple. Why is it so simple and effortless? It is meant to be supernatural. We are meant to live by His power.

This is why Paul ended Romans 7 with ---- "Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. - Rom 8:2

Since Christ has set us free from the Law, don't go back again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).