“How many of you want revival? How many of you here would some day want to own a BMW and drive a new BMW?” asked Pastor Paul Ang, first speaker of the First Borneo Revival Conference in Sandakan, Sabah on 28th of May.

“But my question tonight: are you willing to pay the price? There’s a price for Proton, Proton Saga, Toyota, BMW and Ferrari. Tonight, there’s a price to pay if you want to see revival.”

What price the church needs to pay to experience revival in Borneo?

About ten years ago, Pastor Paul came upon a book about the Azusa street revival in California. At a time when economic depression and an earthquake devastated the place, William J. Seymour, a humble but prayerful man, led a small group of people to cause revival. 

Ps. Paul Ang and his interpreter

“As I was reading the book, I asked God, ‘Will You send revival in Malaysia?’ Suddenly, I felt God’s manifested presence in the room.”

There are two kinds of God’s presence. The first kind is God’s omnipresence. The second kind is the tangible presence of God. Pastor Paul Ang felt the latter, bidding him to kneel down in tears, as God’s presence enveloped him.

“God said, ‘There is no hope for Malaysia unless there is a revival.’ And God said, ‘I will send revival to Malaysia!”

“I believe with all my heart that God will send revival Malaysia. He is looking for children who are willing to pay the price.”

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The key for revival is to seek God’s face, and not only His Hands for blessings and provision. 

“Seeking God will bring forth repentance.”

When revival happened in Bario, Sarawak, in 1973, the Spirit of the Lord was poured onto the school, that it had to be closed for prayer and revival meeting. 

“The more they prayed, the more God began to show the sin they committed.”

And in 1984 to 1985, there was a revival in Ba’Kelalan, Sarawak. 

He believes that revival will begin in Sarawak again, after seeing a the rare visitation of a hornbill perching on his coconut tree at his garden in Rawang, Peninsular Malaysia. 

“I asked God, ‘Why did you send that?’ God says that revival will start in Sarawak.”

It is God who is going to heal our land and not any human party. As long as Jesus is on the throne, there is revival and hope. 

In 1948, an American missionary, Robert Edward Miller, went to a town called Lavelle in Argentina. Trained to do conventional missionary work, he invited people from house to house to an evangelistic night meeting. But nobody came for two weeks. 

“The time, money, and effort spent did not bear any fruits. So, he began to seek God.”

“Tonight, if you have a problem, seek God. If you need a miracle, seek God. For every need, He has a provision. For every problem, He has a solution.”

One week passed, but nothing happened. Miller began to blame the people for not being ready to accept Jesus Christ. But the truth is that he is not anointed and did not have any results.

“Sometimes, we need to face the truth. Truth hurts but it will set us free. If we do not bear fruit, it means that we are not connected to the vine. If you are not connected to Jesus, there is no fruit.”

So, Miller spent eight hours every day seeking God. 

“I challenge your, pray and read everything you need to pray. Remember God asked what price you are willing to pay.”

Tired of seeking God, Miller challenged God to make Himself known to him by one Saturday. But nothing happened.

“God is God. Let God be God and man be man. The ways of God is not men’s way… All that is not perfect, God will make perfect and beautiful in His timing. You must believe and hold on to the Word of God.”

After about two months of praying, God finally told Miller to hold a four-hour prayer meeting. By this time, he was a pastor of a church with a handful of people. He obeyed God, even though it was during the winter of Argentina, at a time when people were poor without transportation. 

Five people turned up to the prayer meeting on that faithful Monday evening. As they held their prayer meeting on the first day, he asked if anyone had a Word from God. One of the ladies shared how she felt a desire to bang the table. But Miller dismissed it as coming from God.

But when they had the prayer meetings daily till Thursday, the lady still had the same impression. Hence, at 11 PM of the prayer meeting, Miller decided to give this prompting a go. Together with the small group, they marched around the table and banged the table.

And suddenly, they heard a rushing wind coming in. The Spirit of God broke out and they began to worship God in different tongues. More and more people started to come to the meeting with salvation, healing and deliverance! Revival started in Argentina because of five people, not 5000 people. 

“I felt two things from the Lord: Are we willing to pay the price of revival? And secondly, all of us individually and corporately need a fresh encounter with God, and impartation and anointing from Him.”

“We need to be like Jacob who wrestled with an angel the whole night until he is changed. Many Christians have lost the desire to pray.”

Pastor Paul answered God’s calling for full-time ministry in 1987, where he quit his full-time job as a lecturer to enrol into a Bible school in Brisbane, Australia.

A scenic view of Sandakan

“So, I went to study the Bible and to seek the Face of God. I know that God has a ministry for me.”

Every day in Brisbane, he would spend one and a half hour seeking God’s face. It was just seeking God, with no angel visitation or an audible voice from Him. 

He continued seeking God. And when the end of the year approached, he took a bus to visit his friend in Sydney. Alone and feeling lonely in the bus, he began to complain to God. 

“I said, ‘God, today is my birthday and nobody knows or cares. I don’t know if I am wise or foolish to choose this road to serve you.”

“But suddenly, I felt a manifest Presence of God, His visitation. He came into the bus. And he gave me the best birthday present I can ever have. He began to speak about my future. In the bus, He commissioned me in my ministry. I was weeping all the way in the journey. I had a fresh encounter with Him that changed my life.”

God opened the door for him to go to 49 countries, having guided him in writing 12 books with the 13th book in the process of printing now. Many of his books are translated and sold in Indonesia as well.

“To God be the glory! He is the rewarded of all those who seek His Face!”

NOTE | The First Borneo Revival Convention is held currently every night till 2nd of May, at Sandakan Sports Complex Stadium in Jalan Sibuga, Sandakan, Sabah from 7 – 10 PM.

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Rev Nathan Morris is well-known today as a powerfully-anointed minister from God, given the gift of healing and reviving nations for the Lord. But on the night of the 23^rd at the Calvary Convention Center, Rev Morris gave credit as it should to the One with the true Power and Glory. An overflowing 5,000 people gathered that night, truly a night of miracle.

Rev Morris was down here in Kuala Lumpur for 4 days of healing and revival, from the 21^st to the 24^th of April 2016. Before healing the sick, Rev Nathan also shared the Word which was very insightful.

‘Many of you have come with need for healing and revival, but I tell you, the one you have come here to encounter is not myself or any man or any preacher, but the Almighty God Himself. You do not even need to come to the altar or for me to touch you for the true Healer can touch you and heal you where you are,’ he communicated.

‘The devil wants to you to think you are broken and sick and nothing can be done for you but again I tell you that is a lie from the devil. Tonight is going to be your night of miracle. Because the One who is going to do the miracle is among us. How do I know this? Through the Word that God has given to us. I am going to reveal to you some secrets that the devil do not want you to know about,’ he said.

First of all, he imparted, the Scripture has already comforted us in Romans 8:31:

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Rev Morris related that when Christ came for the first time that night more than 2000 years ago, the devil tried to destroy Him. But that wasn’t the first time the devil were up to such wickedness. Years before the First Coming of Christ, the devil had tried to do the same thing to a young Hebrew boy named Moses.

The first secret that the devil does not want us to know is that when God is with us, nothing can stand against us. Though the devil may try to attack us, God can turn things around and His plan will bless us.

Taking the example of Moses, the devil had tried to kill Moses even when he was a baby boy. ‘Do you know the miracle that God accomplished? Who was the one who tried to kill the boy? And who was the one who raised him up? The devil had tried to use the Pharoah to kill Moses, but God miraculously delivered the baby into the arms of the Pharoah’s daughter.

‘The daughter of the man who tried to kill him raised him up as a prince. More than that, he was being prepared with the skills that would bring him into God’s purposes many years later. God hid Moses under the very nose of his enemy and no matter how he searched the devil couldn’t find him in plain sight!’

Herein is the second secret. The power of the devil is limited. God is Creator and devil is creation. When God “hides” us for His purpose, the evil one will not be able to find us. Even before Moses, the devil had tried to destroy the young Joseph but God had turned the devil’s attacks around to accomplish a miracle in Joseph’s life. Over and over again, throughout the Bible, we read such stories of God’s people.

The biggest difference between the devil and God is that the devil always makes mistakes. God never makes mistakes. The most potent testimony we can find of these surrounds the Resurrection of Christ.

‘Do you know that the devil thought the crucifixion of Christ was his idea? The devil thought he had triumphed. 1 Corinthians 2:7 states that had the rulers of this age (who were the principalities and satan’s demons in this world)  knew, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. The devil thought he was so smart and that he had defeated and destroyed Christ.’

The next thing, Christ came knocking at the doors of hell in His full glory. Even before the devil’s demons could answer the door, Christ breaks it down and delivers the captives that were held in the world of the dead. This is the sovereignty of our Almighty God!

‘Can you imagine the look on the devil’s face when he discovered that he had been played like a puppet by God all the time? You see, God was in perfect control throughout the time!’ The devil had intended to destroy Christ but what the devil intended for harm was contained within the will of God for good. What the devil intended for destruction instead became the catalyst for Christ’s glory and the Salvation of Mankind.

What does all this tell us? It tells us that if we are within the covering of God, the devil cannot touch us. Whatever the devil may try to do, he cannot defeat God because he is an inferior being. And not only that, God has a knack of turning the devil’s own tricks against him and altering them into hopeful miracles. We need to stay in a close relationship to God.

Scripture also tells us that the Spiritual Wisdom of God is unlike that of men. It is a mystery to many but to those that God loves, it is the glory of God. As it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have it entered into the hearts of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.

How do we know these things? Because the Spirit of God Himself revealed them to us. No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. When we become children of God, we receive not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know these things that were given to us freely by God. It is these things of God that the Spirit has revealed to us that we now speak to God’s eternal glory.

Rev Nathan conveyed that when he encountered God for the first time, the thing he asked desperately from God was not for riches or power but for the constant presence of the Holy Spirit. As Rev Nathan prayed for those on wheelchairs, many began to walk and many of the sick received healing. Throughout the four nights, there were many testimonies.

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Jason Law

NOTE: Many of the testimonies and details of the healing that took place during the event can be found on the Facebook page /NathanMorrisKLmalaysia/

Not too long ago, many Yehudim as well as many Christians would have commemorated a significant event that took place in ancient Israel. That event is the Passover.

This was at a time just before Moses delivered the Israelites out of the Egyptian bondage of slavery. The very night when judgement would fall on Pharaoh and his people, God had warned the Israelites to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and use the blood on their mantelpiece.

This was to be a mark to identify themselves as God’s covenant people. As the Angel of Death swept over Pharaoh’s kingdom, he recognized that mark and so his judgement passed over those houses. Every year, the Yehudim would remember this important event in their calendar.

For believers of Christ, the Passover would take on an even more momentous meaning through the Messiah. Recently, Rev Joseph Steinberg of CWI had a series of seminars to explain how the Passover points to the Gospel, giving insights into both its spiritual as well as cultural aspects.

Rev Steinberg explaining the afikoman, a noteworthy element of the Passover meal.

The way the Yehudim prepare for the Passover is much more elaborate than for many of us. Many of them would prepare the house 6 weeks in advance, spring-cleaning it, before culminating in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (matzah; the Bread of Affliction) that last for 7 days after the Passover.

‘When a leaven enters bread, it gets puffed up and that’s what happens when sin enters into our lives; we get puffed up with pride and rebellion against God,’ Rev Steinberg illustrated. For 7 days, the Israelites would eat only unleavened bread, remembering also how speedily God had brought them out of bondage. God had told them then to immediately pack their belongings and leave the moment God opened the way through the Pharaoh’s stubbornness.

This cleansing process so that the house would be pure on the actual day of celebration is known by the Yehudim as the Bedikat Chametz. On the day of the celebration, the women would hide a pile of crumbs in the house, and the men would search for it armed with a spoon, a feather, and a linen cloth. The men would sweep the crumbs (a symbol of sin) with the feather into the spoon, being careful not to touch it, take it to the synagogue and then cast it into the fire. 

The actual Passover celebration would be done in the house. The story of God’s deliverance would then be told through the Haggadah (the telling). Rev Steinberg communicated that for those who partake of the Passover meal, it is really a liturgy that the partakers eat their way through.

The Haggadah (lower left corner) sets forth the order of the Passover seder.

God commanded the Israelites that this episode should be told and remembered for all generations. ‘God never wants us to forget that He is a God who saves. The Passover is an object lesson and everything on the table is a symbol to remind us of a part of the wonderful story of God.’ In Hebrew, the Passover feast is known as the seder which means ‘order’ denoting that there is an order in which it is performed.

The very first thing in a seder must be performed by a woman. The lady of the house lights the candles at the tables and recites a prayer of thanksgiving. ‘So it is through the prayers of a woman that light is brought into the service which speaks clearly of Jesus and it is through the seed of a woman and the will of God that the Light came into the world. Jesus was the only Man not born of the seed of man, thus He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14)’.This very first step already echoes the coming of the Light into the world.  

Demonstrating the lighting of the candles that opens the seder meal.

On the table there will be four cups, each of which has a special name and significance. The first is known as the Cup of Sanctification. The seder is a meal that is set apart (sanctified), and it is now that the man of the family takes over, raises the Cup of Sanctification, and delivers another prayer of thanksgiving. With the participation of both the women and men, the meal then begins proper.

Each element of the seder(order)plate tells a story. The first thing that is partaken is called the karpas (a vegetable, usually parsley or celery, which is dipped in liquid (usually salt water) and eaten).The karpas is a symbol of life, eaten at the beginning of the meal by the Israelites to remember and celebrate God as the source of life, the Creator who has the power to bring something out of nothing.

The seder plate.

The karpas is first dipped into salt water to symbolize the tears of life. The Israelites were supposed to be the light to the world but they were held under bondage. It is also a reminder that a life without the promise of God’s redemption is a life immersed in tears.

Rev Steinberg showing the karpas.

The next element is known as the maror (normally freshly-ground horse radish, a bitter herb of a family of plants that include the mustard and wasabi), eaten as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. There is a story to tell in the maror, explained Rev Steinberg. Like sin, the maror smells sweet and tempting to the senses but as we eat, the bitterness (the pain of sin) becomes very real. Like the karpas it is a reminder of a life without a Redeemer.

The maror is followed by the Charoset (a sweet mixture of cinnamon, apples, walnut, and raisins). But the Charoset in fact symbolizes the mortars that the Israelites used to build the storehouses of Egypt while under slavery. The rabbi would ask the question, ‘Why should such a sweet mixture represent such a hard labour?’ And the answer is because even the harshest labour is sweetened by God’s redemption.

This is the Christian hope, Rev Steinberg expressed. As we work and as we labour through our lives and as hardship come, our lives should be sweetened by the promise of Christ’s imminent redemption for us.

Next is the Hagigah/Beitzah(representing the burnt offerings/sacrifices from the Temple, dipped into the salt water before eaten). To the Israelites, this was a symbol of grief. It reminded the Israelites that after the Temple was destroyed, they lost the sacrifices that brought them peace with God. They lost the ability to have atonement for their sins. Rev Steinberg expressed that many Yehudim work hard to live a life thathonour God, but they do not have the assurance that they’ve been really forgotten and accepted by God. ‘The Passover Lamb is missing and so there is this hagigah but we see the great mystery of God. Jesus was our once and for all time sacrifice.’

Another bitter root, the chazeret, is a reminder that our lives have a bitter root to them. It reminded the people that in Goshen they had a bitter life. For Christians, it reminds us that we’re all wired to a nature that is very quick to do wrong and yet God’s redemption has the power to transform the bitterest life into one that is filled with His sweetness and His peace.

The last thing on the seder plate is the zeroah (the shank bone of a lamb). The shank bone reminds us of the lamb that was slain at the Passover. ‘You and I know that God was not caught off-guard when the Temple was destroyed. We know God’s great mystery that the Lamb of God, Jesus, came and that at Passover He sacrificed for us once and for all time, even 40 years before the Temple was destroyed.’

Each element of the seder meal brings the Gospel story to the forefront.

‘As I have been explaining Passover for many years, there is something that has become clear to me over these years. The way the elements of the Passover tell everyone a story, everyone who has the Lord Jesus in their life story,’ Rev Steinberg said.

‘Because like the karpas (symbol of life) we’re born into this world with lives and yet our lives from the beginning, even before we came out of our mother’s womb, are immersed in tears. Because of sin in our lives that separated us from God (maror; symbol of the bondage of sin) and so the Lord God comes to us to reconcile us to Himself.

‘He does it through the sweet Saviour (charoset; the light in the bitterest of hardship), the One who gave His life as a sacrifice (hagigah; symbol of sacrifice), in order to take the bitter root from our lives (chazeret) and make us one with the Lord. Because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (zeroah; the Passover Lamb).’ In one seder plate, the whole story of the Gospel is encapsulated. 

But the Gospel in the Passover goes deeper than even the elements of the seder plate. There is the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the lintel and door posts (forming a cross) during the First Passover for example.

Although a night of salvation, the second of the four cups (the Cup of Affliction) reminds the Israelites and us that one cannot be completely joyous when some of God’s creatures had to suffer. With the recital of the Ten Plagues, each participant removes a drop of wine or curse from his or her cup using a fingertip.

The 4 cups are an important element of the Passover rememberance.

Rev Steinberg imparted that while many people have accused God of favouritism, it was not an issue of Hebrew versus Egyptians. It was a matter of the obedience of the heart. God had to bring ten plagues to Egypt before the Pharaoh would listen. Moses had warned the Pharaoh of what would happen at the tenth plague. Everyone in the kingdom would have known what was coming.

God had given the command to sacrifice an unblemished lamb, and to use its blood as a mark against the mantels of the house, and then to bring the sacrificial lamb into the house and inside them. Everyone who obeyed were spared and the Bible records that there were some Egyptians who followed the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 12:48).

In the New Covenant, a Christian is someone who decides to follow Jesus and allows Him to change their hearts. Like the Israelites in this story, a Christian is someone who lives by faith; someone who has applied the Blood of Jesus to the doorposts of their heart and asks Jesus to come in to become Lord and Saviour of their lives. So that when we stand before God at the end of time and His judgement comes before us because all have sinned, if we have the Lamb’s blood cross, the judgement would pass over us.

Rev Steinberg imparted that this must be a reminder to all of us that we must trust in the Lord Jesus; that all people must trust in the Lord Jesus. Jesus paid a sacrificial price for each one of us, but we must apply Him into our hearts and our lives. Other aspects of the Passover meal including the eating of the afikoman, and the remaining cups (The Cup of Redemption, The Cup of Praise, Elijah’s Cup) encapsulates the Gospel story in its totality.

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Jason Law

NOTE: All pictures kindly contributed by the organiser.

On May 8th, which was Mother’s Day, Ps. John Kok began his sermon by saying this: “I’m gonna ask you to do something really difficult.” He didn’t ask the congregation to make any grand gestures, but asked them to say to their mothers, face-to face, “Mom, I love you.”

“Perhaps if you are young, or not Chinese, it’s an easy thing to do,” he said. “In the Chinese culture, to say, “I love you” to an elderly parent is so embarrassing! We don’t need to say that they already know that we love them, or that actions speak louder than words, but all women love to hear these three simple words: I love you.”

Ps. John then went on to tell a story of a woman he once knew. Her husband had passed away many years ago and left her and her son a huge fortune. But in her old age, her son never had any time for her. When she was sick or needed to go to the bank, she had to depend on other people. When she fell down and hurt herself, he could not be bothered. All he knew was to spend the money that his father had left behind.

Praise and Worship @ Kuala Lumpur Baptist Church

To him, his mother was as good as dead. This was what his mother told Ps. John before she went to be with the Lord. Every time she talked about her son, she would pour out her heart and cry. When she eventually passed away, her son cried and cried and cried, and bought lots of flowers for the funeral. While she was alive, he acted as if she was non-existent. After she had gone, he acted as if she was everything to him.

Ps. John then related another experience he had with an elderly lady who called him up late one night, worried that she was having a heart attack, as she was having chest pains. He asked her where her children were, and she said, “My children don’t care for me anymore.” Ps. John and his wife went to her house and brought her to the hospital, and while they were there, the nurses and doctors thought that they were her children.

If anyone doesn’t take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the Christian faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

(1 Timothy 5:8)

While our parents are alive, we need to tell them that we love them, and show them our love now— not when they are already buried in the ground. Then, it will be too late to cry and buy lots and lots of expensive and beautiful flowers.

A special presentation by the children for their mothers

So how to do we love our mothers, and not deny our faith? Here are some biblical instructions:

1. Do not grieve our mothers.

A wise son brings joy to his father,

   but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

(Prov 10:1)

To bring grief is to cause pain. Often time, grief is used for the loss of a loved one. Here, it can be understood as the pain and hurt of having a son or daughter who is as good as dead—not there. Not there to bring joy, or to keep her company when she is lonely. Children, we are to gladden the hearts of our mothers. If the father is the head of the home, the mother is the heart. Don’t grieve her heart.

2. Do not despise our mothers.

Listen to your father, who gave you life,

   and do not despise your mother when she is old.

(Prov 23:22)

To despise our mothers is to regard them as inferior—to look down on them, thinking that we now know more than them. As our mothers start to get old and lose their memory, we begin to think that she knows nothing or that anything she knows is only applicable to the dinosaur period.

A special presentation by “The Singing Ambassadors” in honor of all mothers

3. Do not disgrace our mothers.

A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,

   but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

(Prov 29:15)

We disgrace our mothers by bringing shame to them. Every mother wants to be proud of her children. If people were to tell your mother, “Your son/daughter is good for nothing, always asking for money, is lazy, etc.,” it would break her heart.

4. Do not rise up against our mothers.

For a son dishonors his father,

   a daughter rises up against her mother,

a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

   a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

(Micah 7:6)

To rise up against our mother is to become an enemy in our own household. Women—whether daughter, or daughter-in-law; mother, or mother-in-law—are naturally more inclined to be gentle and affectionate. Rising up against one another and opposing one another creates a hostile environment in the home.

“Today is mother’s day,” Ps. John said. “Are our mothers proud of us? Are they happy when they talk about us? Let us not grieve our mothers, disgrace them, despise them, or rise up against them. Instead, do this: Honor them.”

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

(Exodus 20:12)

This is binding, whether or not you are a believer in Christ—whether or not you are married—whether or not you still live with your parents. It is binding even if you no longer live in the same country as your parents. It does not matter if your mother is a good person or not. The Bible says nothing about her qualifications. The only question to ask is, “Is she your mother?”

The service closed with a song dedicated to all mothers

Therefore, on this special day, go to your mother and say to her, “I love you,” and continue to love and honor her for as long as she is alive!

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Esperanza Ng

On 24^th of April, Pastor Ross from Australia came to preach a sermon in Potter’s House, Kota Kinabalu. He shared how we need no pretense before a God who loves us.

“We may feel that we are very small… yet the things that we think are not important to God, are actually important to Him”.

We have a God who feeds the birds of the air who do not sow or reap or store away in barns (Matthew 6:26); indeed, Jesus Christ cared enough to turn water into wine when a wedding ran out of wine (John 2:1-11).

Ref: needencouragement

‘As a father has compassion on His children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him (Psalm 103:13)’. We can cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

But many of us do not understand God’s love…

That is why Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17-19)”.

Ref: godisreal

Do we grasp and know this love of God that surpasses knowledge? ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). And if God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things (Romans 8:32)?

“What is your need in life? What do you believe God for? Jesus wants to do something in our lives. But it is important that we don’t pretend but bring to Jesus what we need.”

Ref: forgodslove52

Some of us cease to ask from God because of the discouragements and disappointments we faced. But the truth is that God ‘is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us’ (Ephesians 3:20)!

What is this power that lies in us? This power is ‘the same as the mighty strength He (God) exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms’ (Ephesians 1:19b-20). That means we have the resurrected power of Jesus Christ in us! We can overcome all difficulties in our life not by our might and power, but by the power of the Spirit of the LORD Almighty (Zechariah 4:6).

Ref: pinimg

Do you know that we have a God who can do all impossibilities? He is a miracle-working God! He multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5000 men. He healed the sick and raised the dead. If God did these miracles in the past, He can certainly do these miracles today. We know this is true because ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8). Like the psalmists, we can say, “Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8)!

But before we come to God with our need, we must first believe that He is able to meet our needs, even in our impossible situations. Two blind men came to Jesus for healing. But before Jesus healed them, He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said yes! And Jesus said to them, “According to your faith, let it be done to you (Matthew 9:29b).”

Ref: blogspot

Do you believe that Jesus is able to do this for you? According to your faith, it shall be done to you!

“Say, ‘Yes God, we are not pretending anymore. I need you to do this and change me for what I cannot change.’ Say to God, ‘This is what I am and who I am now. God, do something real, change me according to Your Will.’”

‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God’ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Let our hearts be real with God now. Come as you are. We need no pretense before a God who loves us.

Ref: kksblog

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Note | This article is written according to the sharing of Pastor Ross, with further elaboration by the writer. Although this article has not been vetted by the church, it has been written according to the sound doctrine of the Bible.

There is a well-known song, made even more famous recently by Jordan Smith in The Voice. The song is a poignant look at Mary as the surrogate mother of Jesus. Did Mary know for instance that her Son would walk on water, raise the dead, be able to calm the storm with just a wave of His hand, give sight to the blind and bring salvation to countless people?

Ref: ytimg

The fact is that Scripture recorded that Mary did know; that the archangel Gabriel had already told her of the identity of the Baby she was about to conceive and that He would be the Messiah of the world. What must have it been for Mary to know; to see Him grow and know that He is far more significant than just her baby boy and of the purposes He would accomplish? Recently, Rev Chu Ooi Lin shared a moving message about what Mary’s faith and obedience as a mother teaches the rest of us about these aspects of the Christian life.

Rev Ooi Lin is a lady that has a mother’s heart, extending a mother’s love unto a ministry that is in daily relationship with children of learning disabilities (ADD, Autism, Dyslexia, etc).She shared that the song, ‘Mary Did You Know?’,  was actually written many years ago by Mark Lowry. He did not managed to bring it out at that time but especially with so many people singing this song from the depth of their hearts now, this song has become so truthful.

Rev Ooi Lin.

‘As a mother, did Mary know the plan God had for her Child? As a mother spending all those time with her Child, taking care of Him and watching Him grow up, did she know? As a mother helping your child with their homework every day, do we know that God have a plan for our sons and daughters?

‘I want to address this issue whether Mary through her life knew about this Saviour. The fact is she did know though she may not know at that time of the extent of His ministry or understand the extent of His suffering.

‘From the time she conceived she had known because God had already told her through the archangel Gabriel that this child by His name means ‘He saves’. And Mary took this on, to help this Child as He grew so that when the time had come of the role He would have to play.’

Ref: wordpress

Rev Ooi Lin shared that in many ways, we tend to look at Mary as the Perfect Mother, yet most mothers would be able to recognize that the responsibility of motherhood is not an easy one. ‘Many times as mothers we feel that we cannot manage our households according to our best hopes. Sometimes we struggle. But Mary wants to let us know through her life story she struggled too. It was not easy at all.’

When it was time for Jesus to do His ministry, the rest of His siblings were against it. They did not understand at that time who He was and what He was doing. ‘I imagine what Mary would have gone through and what she would tell us. She would have told us that everyday her children were at each other. There is one incident the Bible shows us in Mark 3:31-35.’

Mark 3:31-35

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

‘Imagine how Mary could have felt. “Every day I take care of you but now you say ‘these are my mother and brothers?’” This is not a story; it’s a real event. And these kinds of things make the other siblings offended and strained their relationship with Jesus.

Ref: fineartamerica.com

‘In Mark 6:1-5, there is another recorded event in Jesus’ life. Jesus was rejected in His own hometown. A majority of the people at that time when they were gathered to hear God’s word and Jesus brought the teaching they did not believe. And His own brothers were not interested to know more.

‘Jesus only brought to them embarrassment because the religious leaders were there and they were getting annoyed and very angry with Jesus because they thought He was blaspheming. They could not see who Jesus was; to them He was just a carpenter’s son and now He is claiming to be the Son of God.’

The fundamental thing about what was happening in Mary’s household was that her children had a central misunderstanding of who Jesus is. To them, He was just a sibling they had grown up with and now He seemed to have forsaken the family. They did not know, but Mary knew. And so through all this, through even the pain and loneliness, we can see that Mary stepped out in faith. Even though her children may not want to have followed, she was there at the very end at the cross where Jesus was crucified.    

‘Mary would have felt lost in her heart because her children were against her believing and trusting that Jesus is Her Saviour. But she stepped out in faith. She did not wait. She went to Jerusalem, on her own, to witness Jesus walk to Calvary. She was one step different from you and I in that she conceived and raised Jesus but just like you and I, she was an individual. She knew it was time and like any mother as well as any individual, she would have felt pain in her heart watching…

‘At the cross, she saw: “I see my Saviour bear all my suffering. He was willing to take my sin and go on this road, take all the torture, the suffering, so that Men can receive salvation. Jesus care for everybody” and Mary did just one thing; “Jesus, I know I trust in you.” Mary trusted in God all the way. Mary had a personal commitment and that took courage; courage to say through all her life; “I believe. I trust in Him.”’

Through her life, Mary gave us an immense example. What does it take to trust in God and how much do we mean it when we say we trust in God; that He is more than enough for us? It is natural for many of us to want to be successful, to strive for things. But what would it take if God were to tell us “I have a different path for you. Trust in Me to carry you.”

Mary did not have great success. She did not have lots of riches. She was just a simple mother, wife of a carpenter and mother to her children. But Mary knew very well who she trusted.  In the midst of the cares of life, we sometimes forget about God but we need to remember who we trust.

Mary from the very beginning had this trust; even before God had chosen her to bear His Son, Mary had always kept herself pure, even during a time when God had been silent for 400 years and during a time when many people had lost belief or trust in God. ‘We seem to be living in times something like this today. Can we trust God even at this time?’

Ref: static1.squarespace.com

Rev Ooi Lin shared that Mary set the example and she taught each one of us; “It is not easy to see your loved ones heading for trouble, when your loved ones doesn’t seem to understand, but she remembered that God is in control.” And after Jesus died, the Bible tells us Mary saw her children one by one starting to believe in the Lord and they became elders of the church!

In the same way, each one of us can do that. We have our difficult times but God is good and like Mary, if we trust in God we will see His hand. Don’t give up. Don’t continue to live as if no one can see that your faith is in God. Through all the challenges, through her aloneness, through the intense grief in her heart, Mary had the courage to trust in God and live a life that showed everyone her faith. This is Mary’s greatest lesson to every one of us.

Ref: pinimg

There is a part of the song that states;

Did You Know That Your Baby Boy Is Heaven’s Perfect Plan?

Mary did know and she hung onto that perfect plan. And as her joy, she saw the ascension of Christ. God had given us His word so that we can see and know His perfect plan if we hang on in courage. But courage does not come overnight. We need to grow in our courage to stand out for the Lord. Courage to show that we love our country, that we are continuing to pray for our nation and to live our lives right so that we can be a blessing to the people around us.

|Share The Good News|

Jason Law

On 2^nd of May, Pastor Callie Liew from Worldwide Transformation Ltd came to the First Borneo Revival Conference in Sandakan, to share a word from God with the attendees, as well as every believer in Borneo.

Sandakan has the destiny to set the whole Borneo on fire for Jesus Christ!

Ref: bteachings

In a vision, she saw many young people stooping low to the ground, ready to charge forward for Jesus. Yet, they were unable to run because their foot was tied to a weight – called fear. They were immobilized by the fear of the unknown and fear of failure.

But the LORD has not left His children alone. God directed her to Psalm 27, to break the fear in them. She prayed them to break this fear in the people of Sandakan, as they represent the Body of Christ in Sandakan, Sabah, Borneo and Malaysia.

Ref: smileballard

The first step to break fear is to put our confidence in God (Psalm 27:1-3).

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

    whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

    of whom shall I be afraid?

 

When the wicked advance against me

    to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

    who will stumble and fall.

 

Though an army besiege me,

    my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

    even then I will be confident.

 

(Psalms 27:1-3)

The Lord says to us, “Be confident of yourself”, because it is not what you can do, but what God can do through you when you avail yourself to Him (Zechariah 4:6). Not by might or power, but only by the Spirit of God.

Pastor Callie Liew praying for God to heal a man who came in a wheelchair

Know that God also is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Because He is the one who placed us at the starting line of our destiny, He will also see us to the finishing line as well (Philippians 1:6).

Therefore, let God renew our carnal mind into the mind of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2). ‘Let us strip off every weight (of fear) that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us, and run with endurance the race God has set before us’ (Hebrews 12:1b-c). Our mind needs to be freed from all lies, deceptions, and control by the enemy.

Ref: anapplemag

The second step to break fear is to fix our eyes on God (Psalm 27:4-6).

One thing I ask from the Lord,

    this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

    and to seek him in his temple.

 

For in the day of trouble

    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

    and set me high upon a rock.

 

Then my head will be exalted

    above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

 

(Psalm 27:4-6)

Like David, we need to have an overwhelming desire to be with God, all the days of our life.

David longed to ‘gaze on the beauty of the Lord’. We also need to fix our eyes on God, and remember the good things He had done for us, especially during times of difficulties and challenges. Sing praises to Him! It is through worship and the beating of the drums (which burst our enemies’ bonds with every beat), that cause revival to happen.

When our eyes are fixed on God, what will happen? God will protect us and ‘set us high upon a rock’ (Psalm 27:5). We will have no fear over our enemies. God will exalt us above them. Hallelujah!

Ref: b2p

The third step to break fear is to repent from our wicked ways (Psalm 27:7-12).

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

    be merciful to me and answer me.

 

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

    Your face, Lord, I will seek.

 

Do not hide your face from me,

    do not turn your servant away in anger;

    you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

    God my Savior.

 

Though my father and mother forsake me,

    the Lord will receive me.

 

Teach me your way, Lord;

    lead me in a straight path

    because of my oppressors.

 

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

    for false witnesses rise up against me,

    spouting malicious accusations.

 

I remain confident of this:

    I will see the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living.

 

Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart

    and wait for the Lord.

 

(Psalm 27:7-14)

David came to God with a humble heart to seek His face (Psalm 27:8). He turned from his wicked ways to God’s teachings. (2 Chronicles 7:14). Because he did what he did, he was confident to ‘wait for the Lord’ (Psalm 27:14). That is why David was called ‘a man after God’s heart’; ‘he did everything God wanted him to’ (Acts 13:22).

God says to us, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). God is not pleased when our heart is divided between the world and Him. In the book of Judges, a Levite priest served a house of idols for money. This is a warning to the church especially leaders. God wants our whole heart.

Ref: cdn

Hence, the people of Sandakan and Borneo must intercede for their land. Only God can pull down the idolatry for money, unrighteousness and injustice from this land. God is looking for wholehearted worshipers! ‘For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him’ (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Pastor Callie Liew prayed that the Spirit of Isaachar will come upon every believer in Sandakan and Borneo (Genesis 49:14).

May the Spirit of the LORD anoint the people of Sandakan and Borneo to be willing to bend their shoulder to this burden and submit to labor. May their eyes be opened to see how good their resting place is and how pleasant is their land. Let us throw away then every weight and every sin from us, and run this race set before us. Together, we run wholeheartedly in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Ref: calisthenicsguide

And so, ‘the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14).

Hence, people of God in Sandakan and Borneo, fulfill this destiny that the LORD has called you to!

On a personal note, revival only happens when every tribe and tongue of this nation know Malaysia. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). The world involves all people in Malaysia. So, revival comes when God’s love touches every soul.

Jesus says, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

“Here I am. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).

Pastor Callie Liew (right) with the organising chairman of First Borneo Revival Conference in Sandakan, Reverend Augustine Saang

| Share the Good News |

Just slightly over a week ago, many Christians celebrated Pentecost Sunday. The First Pentecost was a landmark occurrence within the Christian calendar. It was the day that the Holy Spirit fell with power upon the apostles and other followers of Christ.

This explosion of the Holy Spirit changed the world. From a handful of people, the faith grew to encompass much of the most powerful empire at that time, despite the huge challenges. Today there are 2.4 billion believers of Christ.

Ref: overflowdfw.com

This baptism of the Holy Spirit came in three stages. During the Pentecost Sunday service at JCM Agape Network at Mont Kiara, Pr Mayumi Yamazaki shared a message that comprised of these three aspects of Promise, Baptism, and Infilling or Indwelling.

Firstly, the baptism of the Holy Spirit had already been a promise even before the Day of Pentecost. Just before Christ ascended to be with the Father in Heaven, He had promised the apostles and His disciples that He would ask the Father to send a Comforter and a Helper to equip them for the challenging days ahead.

Ref: wordpress

It will be a sign that Christ and the Father had not left the disciples behind. Indeed, this Comforter would be with the disciples at all times. He would advocate for them, teach them the things of God, empower them to obey the commandments of God, and fill them with a peace that is not of this world.

Even before this, through the Passion and the Resurrection, Christ had already shown vividly to the world the salvation work of God. The Passion of Christ was not hidden. Every stroke of the torture He underwent was in the full view of everyone for the salvation work He was undertaking was not just for a few select Jews but for every people, Jew and Gentile alike.

It was the same with the Resurrection. Christ did not just appear to a few of those who were closest to Him. It was recorded that more than 500 people saw the resurrected Christ. This is further given emphasis through the way the Holy Spirit filled the upper room on that First Pentecost.

The disciples were probably expecting some kind of solemn, quiet event, the kind of hush that would come when reverence fell upon a service at the temple. Instead the Holy Spirit came in a wholly unexpected way. The coming of the Holy Spirit was with such force that even the people outside the room felt and heard Him.

Ref: wordpress

This was an event that was beyond the expression of human vocabulary. As the anointing of the Spirit fell upon the disciples, they began to speak in new tongues. But the thing about this new language was that the people who had never heard of the Gospel message were hearing them for the first time, and in their own languages.

The first purpose of this baptism was so that the nonbelievers could hear (Acts 2:1-13). God wanted the message of salvation to be very clear to everyone. Pr Mayumi shared that we have no excuse to say that there is no evidence of God’s salvation work at Calvary.

Beyond that, the purpose of the Holy Spirit was to empower the disciples so that they could do the foundational work of the Body of Christ. When we chose to believe in Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, God sends the Holy Spirit as a helper so that we can grow in our new life. The Holy Spirit dwells in us the day we chose to follow Christ.

Why does God sent the Holy Spirit? Many people struggle with sin even after they have accepted Christ. Despite the misconception that once you believe in Christ, you will be able to overcome your old habits, this is actually not the reality. Why is this? The fact is humans are imperfect and creatures of old habits.

In order to live a Christian life, we need God to help us. A Christian life cannot be lived without the Holy Spirit. The decision to be Christ-centered is therefore of necessity a conscious one; made in obedience to the guidance of God’s word and to the voice of the Holy Spirit’s counsel.

Ref: wordpress

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit about? It is primarily an immersion of the believer within the Spirit of God.  Immersion implies a constant infilling; we need to seek God and ask Him to fill us with His presence day by day. When a believer is immersed in the Holy Spirit, they will start to produce the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are not possible when we are not connected to the Vine.

As God fills us with His Spirit day by day, we start to grow. This is another primary work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. He empowers us to extend our spiritual capacity under God and to start expanding in our ministry and discipleship journey with Him.

After the First Pentecost, miracles started happening under challenging circumstances. The disciples were given power by the Spirit to heal and deliver countless people. Many times when they were imprisoned for their faith, they would be miraculously delivered. Despite extreme persecution, the faith grew exponentially. 

Pr Mayumi shared that what happened after the original Pentecost was not confined just for the original Disciples of Christ. We know this through and by the way Christ suffered for the world, and for the way that God delivered the Gospel message in such an unmistakable way.

Ref: sharefaith

We need to seek the voice of God and His Spirit every day. But we also need to be mindful of the reason God is giving us these gifts of the Spirit. It is so that the Gospel message can be preached to the ends of the world. God is unchanging and He is the same Almighty God through all time. What God did 2000 years ago He can do again. Ultimately the meaning of Pentecost is intrinsically tied with the Gospel message of salvation for people in all parts of the world.     

NOTE: In compassion for the people in Kumamoto Japan who have been affected by the recent earthquake,  JCM Agape Network will be having a Relief Funds Charity Concert to be held at Menara 1MontKiara on the 2nd of July. To find out more, log on to JCM Agape Network’s website or visit their Facebook page at JCM Agape, Japanese Church in Malaysia

|Share The Good News|

Jason Law

The class bustled with excitement, as over 60 students ranging from 9-year olds to 75-year-olds learned to play piano together. Amidst its diversity, the majority had one thing in common – none had any background in music – yet all could play their self-composed piano song in only one and a half year!

Students who have completed and graduated from the PMI course

Such were the students produced by the Praise Music International (PMI) piano course, downloaded by God to Pastor Irene in 1990. At a junction of giving up her music career, the Lord suddenly came upon her with a powerful anointing.

Without thinking, she began to write down for four hours an unheard concept of teaching music. During then, her baby uncannily also slept through the hours without crying, allowing her to pen down God’s thoughts on paper.

Thus, PMI was born, teaching a new generation of worshippers on how to flow with the Holy Spirit in playing the piano. Instead of only learning to play by notes, which allow no room for improvisation, the course focused on a “touch system” consisting of chords, sol-fa, play-by-ear and notes.

“Chords allow different students to play the same song in different tunes, reflecting their own personalities and also the flow of the Holy Spirit.”

“So for example, if the Holy Spirit wants to lead us into seeking God, then a slower melody would prompt people to flow with the Spirit and enter into the Presence of God.”

Pastor Irene Choon (middle) with her students who have completed and graduated from the PMI course

Built on the basis of continual fellowship with one another, the course is designed to maximize group interaction. Hence, by learning in a group, students can spur each other into improvement and encouragement.

Like a mathematical formula, the Lord has given Pastor Irene this unheard formula to learn piano in the easiest way. Because of this formula, a student mastering one song can play many other songs as well.

Hence, students without background in music can be trained to be a pianist in church or home groups in merely one and a half year! This is a much shorter than the time taken to learn the conventional method of learning notes. For example, an average student who complete ABRSM grade eight will take about eight to 10 years to complete a course. From calculation, a student will need 30 to 40 years to complete all four courses, a much longer period than what PMI offers.

“The Lord gave me the PMI language instead of reading notes. This language helps our students to respond faster from reading the music sheet. Students no longer need to learn to master notes before playing piano, which causes a slower response.”

Pastor Irene believes that the piano, due to its full chord and flexibility in offering varying beats, greatly enhances worship.

“As we play the piano, the melody inspires us to sing more. We get to worship God longer, because even when we lack words, we can still play a melody. We can go deeper with God.”

“Also, because my heart is to train people for worship, we encourage our students to play the piano and sing at the same time.”

Pastor Irene Choon (5th from the right) and her husband, Pastor Steven Choon (6th from right) with the students who have completed and graduated from the PMI course

Through the PMI as well, worshippers without any background of music are encouraged to attend, so that they would understand the timing and feeling of music. Through more than 30 years of teaching, she could see how her students master the style of playing within three months, regardless of background.

“In church, music is part of worship. But if we have no idea for music at all, it is harder to worship. This course helps student to worship more. And at the end of the course, each student would learn to compose a song.”

The course includes attending a once-in-three months (three consecutive evenings) piano seminar and committing to a daily practice of half an hour, with a comprehensive practice guidance.

The PMI schools can now be found in Petaling Jaya, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, and Sibu. They are also running the PMI course in Perth, Australia.

Pastor Irene Choon (Back row) and her husband, Pastor Steven Choon (Back row) with her younger students who have completed and graduated from the PMI course

“We also hope to train more piano teachers to teach this course, to continue this legacy. Because God gave me this twenty-six years ago, I hope to pass this revelation on to more people, so that more worshippers can be raised.”

From a five-year course now, one can become certified in a total of three years, as a fully qualified pianist after completing all 12 modules. Because of its uniqueness, students had been flying in from Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, England, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, to take the few day PMI course throughout the year.

Would you be interested to learn piano with PMI?

Join a preview session of a PMI lesson by Pastor Irene.

Date | 19 June 2016 | Sunday

Time | 3 PM – 5 PM

Venue | CCM, Ground Floor, No 26, Jalan University

Call to Register | 0168308785 | 0168337631

Join the PMI student’s graduation piano concert to see how they played the piano after one-and-a-half year.

Date | 18 June 2016 | Saturday

Time | 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Venue | CCM, Ground Floor, No 26, Jalan University

Call to Register | 0168308785 | 0168337631

Pastor Irene Choon (1st from left) with her husband, Pastor Steven Choon (2nd from left) and their two sons

Testimonies by PMI Students |

“This 18 months course is simple yet comprehensive enough for me to pick up the skills of playing piano. By the first three months, I am surprised to find myself able to play the melody and chords for some simple songs already.”

Sze Yein, Klang Valley

“I thank God for fulfilling my childhood dream of playing the piano. The first thing I wanted to do in the morning was to play the piano and praise God. I never thought I could learn the piano due to my age and its high fees. But PMI offered me an intensive and affordable course. It only took me one and a half year, and now I can start playing in my church.”

Christine Yeow, Ipoh

“Pastor Irene is a highly experienced and professional teacher. I would recommend this course to anyone seeking achievement and enjoyment in playing the piano.”

Yu Ching, Klang Valley

“I have always wanted to play the piano but never had time. But when I retired, I thought I was too old to learn the piano, as I felt my brain is ‘slow’ and my fingers are rusty. Bu after completing PMI, I am amazed with how I can play many different types of songs – both Christian and pop! I would recommend this to anyone, irrespective of age.”

Dennis Wong, Klang Valley

“I feel so proud and accomplished when I can sing and play chords concurrently with PMI.”

Julianer, Klang Valley

| Share the Good News |

“The Holy Spirit is looking for a friend,” said Pastor Philip Mantofa from Mawar Sharon Church in Indonesia, on 21^st of May in Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre to more than 2100 attendees from 61 churches, of which 90 pastors across denominations also attended.

Called Jesus Festival Malaysia, this annual conference began in 2014 when God gave a vision to Pastor Albert Isaac, Senior Pastor of World Harvest Church in Bandar Sunway, to bring Jesus back as the central focus of His Church in Malaysia. Jesus Festival Malaysia 2017 will be held next year on Saturday, 20^th May 2017.

“The Holy Spirit is not a lonely Spirit. He does not need us because He is with the Father and the Son. But we need God. In fact, we are a losing business. We only take, take, and take. What have we done to deserve God?”

The attendees of Jesus Festival worshipping God

When Pastor Philip knew Jesus in 1993, he began building his personal life by spending time in the morning and evening with God. The appointed evening time was 7 P. M.

“Why is 7 P. M. the best time? If you put an advertisement at 7 P. M., it will cost you millions of dollars. So, I gave Jesus my ‘prime time.’

“And ‘Cinderella’ always need to go home at a certain time. So, I would return home before 7 P. M. and prepare myself to be in the Presence of God. It was a time to hang out together.”

At one time, he forgot his appointment with God. While playing board games with his friends, he felt the Holy Spirit caressing his head, three minutes behind 7 P. M.

“I was a ‘baby Christian’ then but I could feel the Holy Spirit. I wanted to spend time with Him. I could recognize the Shepherd’s voice.

Ref: cutestpaw

“So, He said to me, ‘Go out in the backyard, I want to spend time with you.’ I told my friends I needed fresh air cause I didn’t want them to think that I was weird.

“But when I went out, I literally melted on the grass. In the darkness, only shed by the dimming light of the furthest stars, tears came down my cheeks. I felt his manifested Presence – His Shekinah glory.

“But after ten minutes, the Presence left. I said, ‘No! Don’t take this Presence from me.’ And the Spirit asked me to stand up. The moment I did, my friend came.

“But the moment he left, God’s Presence came back! Aha! I got it! There is no third person in intimacy. I sang in awe, ‘Kujatuh tersungkur di bawah kaki-Mu; Ku sembah Kau, Tuhan; Ku sembah Kau.’”

“Then God said, ‘Look up to the sky. As many as the stars, so will be your children.’ Innocently, I thought, ‘Pity anyone who marries me.’ I was a ‘baby’ Christian then. But I just accept and say ‘Yes, amen.’”

Ref: tumblr

So, the Holy Spirit is looking for a friend. And like what we are looking for in a friend, the Holy Spirit desires for intimacy and faithfulness. It goes both ways. The good news is that all of us can be close to the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Philip shared that the Holy Spirit is often the most misunderstood, under-treated, and under-appreciated person. But do you know that Jesus takes Him seriously? Jesus said, “I need to leave you for you to get the Holy Spirit” (John 16:7), and “You can blaspheme me but not the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 12:31).

“If you don’t understand the Holy Spirit, you will not understand the Father’s heart and the Son’s heart.”

Pastor Philip shared how he had to move around in a wheelchair, due to the tumors on his right knee. He would need to lean on a high chair while preaching onstage.

“The Holy Spirit said to me, ‘Why are you worried? If you stick close to Me, the devil cannot touch you. As long as you are with Me, you got Me, just ask.’”

Ref: tumblr

In that preaching, he casually swept his finger across the front row, intending to point at a certain person. But to his surprise, the whole front row got slain inadvertently in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit said to Pastor Philip, “You just sit there and tell Me where you go.”

“I tell you: ‘you can take anything from me except my friendship with God!’ Have you treated the Holy Spirit like a special person in your life?”

Pastor Philip shared how he prayed and fasted for her daughter’s husband while she was still in her mother’s womb. He dreaded the time of handing her daughter to her husband. To him, as a father, she is a gift to her husband.

On one occasion, while he (Jesus Christ) was still eating with them (His disciples), he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4)

“It’s a daddy’s nightmare to see his daughter abused by her husband. And that is how much God loves us – He is willing to separate from His Spirit for us! The Holy Spirit is a gift to us.

Jesus is now at the throne in Heaven, praying for us (Romans 8:34). But the Holy Spirit is in us now (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

“So, have you fellowshipped with the Holy Spirit like He is so precious?”

Ref: whicdn

A young man once asked Pastor Philip for the same anointing he has. But the young man did not understand what he was asking. Pastor Philip’s anointing came from a place of brokenness and constant friendship with the Holy Spirit. But the sad thing is that people want the gift, but they do not want the Giver, the Holy Spirit. 

How was Pastor Philip’s friendship with the Holy Spirit? From 1992 till 2004, the Holy Spirit emptied Pastor Philip of his gift in healing, following a vision from God. So, for 12 years, even though he vigorously prayed, he saw no healing miracle. 

“But when God knew that He was my all in all, He returned the healing anointing with interest.”

Pastor Philip Mantofa (3rd from right)

In a 2004 healing rally at a mall, even the people on the streets got healed, because of the strong manifested presence of God within its walls.

People are usually drawn to with signs and wonders. But they have no interest to know the invisible Person behind these visible miracles.

After He (Jesus) said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, a cloud hid Him from their sight. (Act 1:9).

Ref: tumblr

And till today, a cloud is still hiding Jesus Christ! The world does not see Him or know Him. But the Holy Spirit from Him sees Him, knows Him, and hears from Him. It is only through the Holy Spirit, we will know God’s Will and please God.

“That is why religion doesn’t work in the Kingdom of God. Some people are zealous for God, just like Paul. But when the light of God struck Paul, a voice asked, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’

“You will not have a clue on how to please God, if you don’t fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It’s interesting that the disciples of Jesus were slow learners. Day and night, they were physically with Jesus – for three and a half year!

“Yet they did not get Jesus because they were carnal – the Holy Spirit was not given to them yet. They had a physical relationship, but they did not build a spiritual relationship with Jesus.

“So, they were always one step late, from Jesus. When Jesus talked about the yeast of the Pharisees, they thought it was the bread He was talking about (Matthew 16:6-7).

The volunteers for the Jesus Festival

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus , who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Pastor Philip shared how the angels were perplexed seeing Jesus’ disciples intently watching Him going up to the sky (Acts 1:11). This is because while they were still looking, Jesus was already ahead of them – He was already after the 3000 people in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41-42).

“Why were the disciples always one step late? This is because they operated from the position of sonship. But we need to learn to operate in the position of the bridehood of Jesus, which is better.

Ref: pinger

“For example, if you have children, you will realize that they don’t learn very fast and they won’t be able to get to where you are. But my wife is always in step with me.”

Like preparing for a trip, a wife gets up the same time as her husband to pack for supplies. Only after the preparation, the children are awakened and prepared to join the trip. The wife moves with the husband.

“How do you know a man better? Know him through his wife. A man has ego, hidden by a cloud. But when you talk to his wife, she will tell you everything about him.”

Hence, because Jesus is also hidden by the clouds, only the Holy Spirit can help us know Jesus as our Groom. Only through the Holy Spirit, we can become His Bride.

“When you operate in the spirit of bridehood, you will not be one step late. We must not be late with what God does in our life. God is on time. I love my children, but though they can work for me, they cannot do my work.

“But with my wife, when I just look at her, she knows what I want. I can trust my life with my wife completely because she knows me inside out.”

Ref: favim

Pastor Philip also shared how although he was the legal spiritual authority at home, his wife could direct him to any shops in a mall. In other words, although he is the spiritual head, his wife is the legs. She can turn him wherever she wants. A bride can turn her groom wherever she wants, in an interlocking arm-to-arm relationship with him. 

“Moses was so powerful in his partnership with God, that even though he disobeyed God, the rock obeyed his command. But he had to pay the price (Numbers 20:11-12). It is better to know God first than to steer Him. But if we know Him, He will allow us to steer Him.”

Pastor Phiilp also shared about his heart to see revival in Malaysia. Although he loves Malaysia, revival will come from the hands of a Malaysian.

As Malaysians, we are responsible to God for the blood of our people! God loves every person in Malaysia.

Ref: playbuzz

“Malaysia, your flight has been delayed. You should start running now because the gates for Malaysia are closing. Otherwise, Indonesia and Malaysia will have a big gap. Don’t be surprise one day, if there are more Indonesians than Malaysians in Heaven.

“This is not the time to encourage you. You should be sharing the gospel already, it should be old-fashioned. ‘Let’s fill the stadium up to one hundred thousand people?’ Who needs faith for something like that?”

With exhortation and encouragement, revival in Malaysia will only come when the Bride of Christ is ready for the Groom. We can only be the Bride of Jesus Christ, when we walk intimately and closely with the Holy Spirit.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)

Ref: hdimagesnew

ABOUT JESUS FESTIVAL | Jesus Festival is a celebration of who Jesus is, what He has done and who we are in Him. As the name of Jesus is lifted up, all are drawn to Him through encounters and experiences coming from His presence. In His presence and through the Word revealed, lives are changed, transformed and restored, and we become reflectors of His glory. It’s all about Jesus. 

Jesus Festival began in 2012 in Manila, Philippines. Since then, it is being held once a year in various parts of the world. Three conferences are held yearly in the Philippines in three cities: Manila, Baguio City and Tacloban City. One conference is held yearly in Malaysia and in Hong Kong.

Jesus Festival Malaysia began in 2014 as God spoke to Pastor Albert Isaac, Senior Pastor of World Harvest Church  Malaysia to bring the body of Christ together to celebrate and lift up none other than Jesus alone. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.”

People responded to the preaching of the Word; healings and salvations took place and God’s glory filled the atmosphere. Jesus Festival is all about Jesus and our desire is for the lives of people to be forever changed by the Gospel and that we become the living demonstration of Jesus in all spheres of society. 

JESUS FESTIVAL SPEAKERS | Jesus Festival speakers are a diverse group of personalities from all over the world with backgrounds touching different aspects of the 5-fold ministry. What they share in common though is a passion to make known the beauty of Jesus Christ and the impact of His presence in people’s lives.

This year we were honoured to have Pastor Paul Chase (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Jocel Evangelista (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Mylene Evangelista (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Lawrence Lim (New Creation Church, Singapore), Pastor Stephanie Isaac (World Harvest Church, Malaysia), Pastor Alvin Dela Pena (New Life, The Fort, Philippines) and Pastor Philip Mantofa (Mawar Sharon Church, Indonesia).

JESUS FESTIVAL MALAYSIA 2017 | Jesus Festival Malaysia 2017 will be held on Saturday, 20th May 2017 | www.jesus-festival.com

Jesus Festival 2016 at Sunway Convention Centre

| Share the Good News |

Prayer is vital and good for the Body of Christ but it can also be a hindrance to the advancement of the Kingdom, shared Pastor Mantofa two weeks ago at SIB Kuala Lumpur. This is not something we usually hear in churches, but as Pr Mantofa shared his message a powerfully lucid vision for the Church of Christ came into full view.

‘We do not want to walk any more in circles,’ he conveyed, ‘we want to walk into our Promised Land. Malaysia is indeed a chosen nation in the Kingdom of God. God’s ways are not mysterious. It has never been and will never be. Eventhough we cannot understand everything, His will is pretty clear for us to know. We must find out, and united, we must walk into the vision of the Church that God wants. Malaysia should not be behind; it should be in the forefront of God’s chosen nation’

The passage that was used to illustrate Pr Philip’s message was taken from Acts 12.  This was the passage about Peter’s miraculous escape from the prison but it came within a challenging set of circumstances.

Pr Philip Mantofa (Credit: SIB KL)

Just before the events of this passage, the evil king Herod had arrested leaders of the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, one of the top leaders of the church, put to the death with the sword. James was a great apostle of Christ, very outspoken, in fact more courageous than even Peter. This made him very dangerous to Herod and the system of the day. It was the reason why Herod laid his hands on James first and now he was intending to do the same with Peter.

Pr Mantofa put this into context; the church needed James’ leadership and anointing so badly and now he was gone. The church had faced a huge loss and the worse thing was that before they could even mourn for James, Peter, their second best leader was arrested, and he was now next in line. And the people prayed desperately.

‘Can you imagine that? Would we even pray in that situation? When our first prayers seem to be unanswered? The church at that time seem to be in a situation of defeat. Would we pray hardly or would we hardly pray? More likely the latter right? See what God is telling us.’

 ‘Looking at this passage of Acts 12, I believe that if I were there I would have been discouraged. I am convinced that they prayed to the depths of their souls for their leaders to be released and yet God seem to be silent. Do you know that if we want to grasp our miracle in a tangible way we have to go beyond praying? Praying alone is not enough.’

Ref: hudsonfla.com

Pr Mantofa shared that this does not mean he does not believe in prayer. For most of his 24 years in the Christian faith, he had made prayer a vital part of his life. The first two months of his life in the faith was spent in deep fasting and prayer. But the problem comes when Christians made prayer into their hiding caves.

‘We all have our setbacks in life but what happens in the past should not stop, dictate, or weaken us to believe in what God can do in the future. God is not done. If we have unanswered prayers in our life, we are going to have questions. I have questions but we should put aside those questions for the moment and believe in what God has in store for us.’ Never let the questions hold us back from believing in God. A defeat only truly becomes a defeat when we acknowledge that we’re defeated.

Pr Philip shared that in his healing rallies not everyone who comes for healing gets healed. ‘I don’t know why some people, when I pray for them, they do not get healed but I thank God that does not stop me. And as a result the next person gets healed you see? You see, a person can easily give up or become half-hearted when they have faced failure. I have questions and I will ask Jesus personally when I get to Heaven but now I am on Earth, let God’s Heaven come!’

Ref: wordpress

He imparted; ‘When we look at the Scriptures and read about the people praying earnestly, this seem good on the surface but actually if you look deeper it is not. The word earnest here smacks of desperation and not faith. We can see this from the way they reacted to Peter’s miraculous escape from prison. And even Peter himself throughout the time the angel led him out of prison thought he was dreaming.’ Prayer can become the hiding cave of Christians in desperate situations.

What this also means is that prayer can be an excuse for us not to move. Prayer can give us a false sense of piety. ‘Do you know that prayer is supposed to be vice versa and two-directional? Prayer is a form of communication. So as much as we need to pray we also need to learn to listen in our prayer. The church has been in the closet for too long. It’s time for us to get out.

‘Prayer should have a time limit. A prayer that does not have an expiry date, no action-packed goal, is a meaningless prayer. You and I should not pray unless we are prepared to complete our own prayers. When we pray for blessings on our families without ourselves making a commitment to be a blessing to our families, it is meaningless. Prayer should hit the one who is making the prayer first.

‘Prayer is like a detonation in reversed principle. When we pray we become our prayer and our prayer becomes us. If not, then that prayer is superficial. So in order for prayer to be real, we need to act upon our prayer.’

Ref: wordpress

Pr Mantofa expressed from this that he has always found God’s math to be weird. 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes is not 5 and 2 to God but 5000 and 12. When we take the first step of obedience the rest will follow. God will take us to places we would never expect in our wildest dreams. All we need to do is to obey and God will open nations to us with His glory.

We need to move with God. We need to make a commitment that on this certain day we are going to act on our prayers. And we should never be taken by surprise by God, praying from the present and looking at the future, but from the future and pulling it to the present. When God answers our prayers, we should be already preparing ourselves to move with Him into the greater things.

When Peter knocked on the door of Mary’s house in Acts 12:12-17, the people in the house who had been praying did not believe it. They were trained to pray but they had not believed in God’s answer to their prayers. Many of us are like that today. We are trained to pray but we’re not so well-trained in receiving. We’re good at spirituality but when the answer comes we’re ill-equipped.

Pr Mantofa shared that the outcome of prayer is certain. God always listens to our prayer but very often God is also interested in moving from His promises to fulfilment of those promises. Sometimes God needs us to stop praying and start moving.

In Acts 12:17, we find that Peter got it. He realized the miraculous nature of what he had just went through and after describing everything to the people in Mary’s house, told them to share the news with Jesus’ siblings, and then he left for another place.

Ref: wordpress

In 1998, when Indonesia went through one of the worse crisis in its history, when the Chinese women there were raped in the streets and the churches destroyed and pastors burned alive, Pr Philip made the decision to sell everything he had and return to Indonesia after 8 years in Canada.

His friends protested that it was a crazy thing to do, but Pr Philip reasoned, “The people are all praying in Canada. Who then is going to meet the actual needs of the people back in Indonesia?” If everyone is praying but no one is going, all of the anointing would be with him as he returned to Indonesia. ‘It was not because there was something special about me,’ he shared, ‘but God did not have many channels.’

He shared that the first few days in Indonesia he prayed for 6 hours daily and he cried and cried before the Lord. But one day the Lord told him to stop praying. At first he couldn’t believe the voice. He thought it was the devil because it never occurred to him that God would ask him to stop praying. Finally the Lord had to reprimand him before he finally recognized the voice as the Lord’s.

The Lord told him; ‘If you stay here in your closet praying, how are you going to answer the needs of the people out there?’ The very moment Pr Philip stepped out of his closet, God took him through his first miraculous salvation and healing of a person. That was the start of his ministry and God would sometimes bring salvation to even the staunchest enemies of the church through this ministry.

Pr Philip Mantofa at SIB KL (Credit: SIB KL)

Through all his experiences, Pr Philip learned one thing; ‘Obedience matters more to God than sacrifices. We will never know the power of God until we give it to those who need it most. We must catch this promise. Don’t just pray for the sake of praying.’

‘God loves the people of Malaysia,’ he conveyed. ‘We should not keep the best and most important message in all existence to ourselves. People out there need to hear of this best message. The church needs to step up to its roles as receivers and bringers of God’s promise for the nation.’ As Malaysian Christians, this is our responsibility.   

NOTE: All pictures of SIB KL credited to SIB KL. This article has not been vetted by Pr Philip Mantofa or SIB KL.

|Share The Good News|

Jason Law

On 21^st of May, Pastor Philip Mantofa from Mawar Sharon Church in Indonesia came to share about Jesus Christ to more than 2100 people at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre from 61 churches across denominations. 

Called Jesus Festival Malaysia, this event was held by the World Harvest Church in Bandar Sunway, to bring Jesus back as the central focus for His Church in Malaysia. It all began when Pastor Albert Isaac, Senior Pastor of World Harvest Church received a vision by God in year 2014 to hold Jesus Festival in Malaysia. The next Jesus Festival Malaysia will be held next year on Saturday, 20^th May 2017.

Pastor Philip Mantofa praying for the attendees

“Whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, He’s alive and He loves you. I don’t own this bread, who is Jesus Christ. But I am only a consumer of the bread. And I’m telling you that this bread is available. If you open your heart, your life will never the same,” said Pastor Philip Mantofa.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Ref: faithmagazine

“I hate public speaking but I did it. Seriously, if you asked my mum and dad, they know me best. I dread speaking to five people, what more one hundred thousand people?

“But I got to speak up; I cannot be selfish. I have to tell people how to find the way to Heaven. Jesus is the way to Heaven.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

“If you are looking for religion, then stay in your religion. But a relationship with God the Father is only possible through the sinless lamb, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is my best friend.”

Jesus Festival 2016

Many people believe that Jesus is only a prophet. Some even throw insults and mock Jesus for dying on the cross. Stripped naked and hung on the cross, Jesus is considered too weak to be a God. Even the criminal hung beside Him, mocked Him during His time of crucifixion.

“Come on people, you need to change. But still, people have not changed. They still mock Jesus. ‘Jesus, if You are so strong, why don’t you come down from the cross and save us? (Matthew 27:40)’

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do you say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he (Jesus) asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh or blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 16:13-17)

Philip Mantofa at Jesus Festival 2016

“Do you know why Jesus had to come? That’s because humans cannot save other humans. You try to save someone? It will be the blind leading the blind, both will fall (Matthew 15:14).

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

“What are you saying? Christian God is weak? So, you want a mighty God? If you meet His Holiness and Majesty, you are going to drop dead in a millionth of a second and be thrown alive into the hell of fire. If a mighty God is all you want, then prepare for hell.

the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:5) | Ref: jrforasteros

“But God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). How can God have a son? In our carnal minds, we perceive that sons can only come from sex and procreation.

“When God says that He has a Son, He is talking about a realm that you and I do not know – the fullness of one God that no philosophy and tradition can contain. If you have not given your life to Christ, even if you claim to be a Christian, your life is like a zombie.”

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness (John 10:10)

Jesus says, “I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)

Would you like to call upon the name of the LORD Jesus Christ today, to have a relationship with God the Father, and eternal life with God in Heaven? 

Jesus Christ, I believe that You have died on the cross for me, so that I will not perish but have eternal life in You. Jesus Christ, I believe that on the third day after You died on the cross, you rose again and is now seated at the right hand side of the Father in Heaven. I ask You to come into my life now and be the Lord over my life. I ask that the Holy Spirit will give me understanding in all things from this day forward. I pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.

The speakers and volunteers for the Jesus Festival 2016

ABOUT JESUS FESTIVAL | Jesus Festival is a celebration of who Jesus is, what He has done and who we are in Him. As the name of Jesus is lifted up, all are drawn to Him through encounters and experiences coming from His presence. In His presence and through the Word revealed, lives are changed, transformed and restored, and we become reflectors of His glory. It’s all about Jesus. 

Jesus Festival began in 2012 in Manila, Philippines. Since then, it is being held once a year in various parts of the world. Three conferences are held yearly in the Philippines in three cities: Manila, Baguio City and Tacloban City. One conference is held yearly in Malaysia and in Hong Kong.

Jesus Festival Malaysia began in 2014 as God spoke to Pastor Albert Isaac, Senior Pastor of World Harvest Church  Malaysia to bring the body of Christ together to celebrate and lift up none other than Jesus alone. Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.”

People responded to the preaching of the Word; healings and salvations took place and God’s glory filled the atmosphere. Jesus Festival is all about Jesus and our desire is for the lives of people to be forever changed by the Gospel and that we become the living demonstration of Jesus in all spheres of society. 

JESUS FESTIVAL SPEAKERS | Jesus Festival speakers are a diverse group of personalities from all over the world with backgrounds touching different aspects of the 5-fold ministry. What they share in common though is a passion to make known the beauty of Jesus Christ and the impact of His presence in people’s lives.

This year we were honoured to have Pastor Paul Chase (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Jocel Evangelista (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Mylene Evangelista (New Life, Alabang, Philippines), Pastor Lawrence Lim (New Creation Church, Singapore), Pastor Stephanie Isaac (World Harvest Church, Malaysia), Pastor Alvin Dela Pena (New Life, The Fort, Philippines) and Pastor Philip Mantofa (Mawar Sharon Church, Indonesia).

JESUS FESTIVAL MALAYSIA 2017 | Jesus Festival Malaysia 2017 will be held on Saturday, 20th May 2017 | www.jesus-festival.com

| Share the Good News |

“I believe many of you are here because you want to see revival! We are not satisfied of the church just growing and maintaining, merely defending ourselves.

“You want something from God. What do you want? You want to catch something from the Holy Spirit! The revival season is here, not tomorrow. But now is the time,” said Pastor Steven Choon, on 30^th April at the First Borneo Revival Convention held in Sandakan, Sabah.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4)

Pastor Steven Choon (right) in the First Borneo Revival Convention in Sandakan, Sabah

Everything on earth happens in the fullness of time. And Jesus was born in the fullness of time, even at a time when the Roman empire was established and the people of God were persecuted.

“Even in the time of persecution, God says this is the fullness of time.”

When problems surround us, we may think we are not in God’s Will. Pastor Steven shared how he quit being a quantity surveyor to be a full-time pastor.

“Everyone said to me, ‘This is a bad time for you to quit.’

“In my family’s eyes, it’s a bad time to quit. But in God’s eyes, it’s the fullness of time! Since that day, I never look back. It’s the best time, just like when Jesus was born in the fullness of time.”

Pastor Steven Choon

The worshipers of the First Borneo Revival Convention

After Jesus ascended, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. There are three things that prevail.

Firstly, it was a time of persecution – the disciples gathered behind locked doors, for fear of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19). The people of God were persecuted.

Secondly, it was a time when ‘they all joined together’ (Acts 1:14). A group of 120 people ‘were all together in one place’. The people of God were united.

Thirdly, it was a time when they were ‘constantly in prayer’ (Acts 1:14). The people of God were constantly praying.

It was during the time when the people of God were persecuted, united and constantly praying, that there was a fullness of time – for the Spirit of God to come!

And like never before, we see it is now, the people of God in this country are persecuted, united and praying. Hallelujah! It is time that the Holy Spirit comes visit the Church of Malaysia. Revival is here! It is the fullness of time!

The worshipers of God dancing unto the LORD at the night healing rally of the First Borneo Revival Convention in Sandakan, Sabah

The dancers congregating in the field, lifting their flags and banner up to praise and worship Yahweh

“When it’s time for revival, even though a church and her people are not ready, God will make other churches and people ready.

“If God ask you to move into revival and you say ‘No’ – God will make the next person to you ready. So, choose what you want! Avail yourself to God! Prepare yourself!

“Let me say this to you: when the season is up in Malaysia, even though you are not ready, God will do it anyway. This is because it’s God’s timing and it is the season for revival.

“Jesus was born when the Pharisees were not ready. Though they are supposed to be the most religious people and know the Word of God, they were not ready. So, God made the shepherds ready. I pray that you are not the Pharisees, but you are the shepherds in the field.

“It is God who holds the time of revival. We cannot force God; no amount of prayer can force God for revival – because God knows His time!

“I think God will surprise us. Many people will drop their glasses. Some people say revival will happen here or there. But if you study its history, revival happens at a place where we would not expect! God knows! God has a plan! God is in control! Hallelujah!”

The healing night rally of the First Borneo Revival Convention

Attendees who came to the First Borneo Revival Convention

Jesus says watch the sign of time (Matthew 24). God always tells His Bride before He plans to do something. That is why we are called to watch for His sign. Oh Church, arise, it is time!

Pastor Steven shared how God asked him to leave his established church in Tawau, to rally for revival. But he was not convinced.

“I was preaching about the second coming of Jesus. Suddenly, I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Yes, I am coming!’ I was so afraid. I was preaching but God was preaching to me.”

He obeyed to move at time of stability and comfort. And while he thought he would return to Kuala Lumpur, God directed him to Kota Kinabalu instead, to be in the midst of a coming revival.

A man aided to walk while being prayed over for healing in Jesus name

So, without any relatives or friends in Kota Kinabalu, Pastor Steven spent the first six months visiting the pastors and churches there every Sunday. And he started a prayer group with a few pastors.

“After seventeen years, I am still praying. But as I read the newspaper, the more I pray, the more problems I see. One day, someone told me, ‘Pastor, we have not prayed enough, that’s why so many problems.’

“Initially, I thought that was true. Then God spoke to me one day; that when we pray, more ugly things will be revealed.”

Pastor Steven Choon sharing a message at the night rally of the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

(Ephesians 5:11-14)

“Many of you are waiting for tomorrow but revival is here now.”

Like never before, we see churches rising together to pray as one body. In 2012, the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) and the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), with the prayer networks of East Malaysia came together forming Prayer United (this is an unprecedented alliance for the church history in Malaysia) to pray for our nation. These are the two signs of the fullness of time: unity and prayer.

Worshipers bowing down before the LORD

Flags lifted high to worship Yahwah at the night healing rally in Sandakan, Sabah

The third sign is the unheard of persecution against churches in Malaysia. Most people had turned to politicians to save this nation. But no human institution can save Malaysia. Only God can.

“As we look at these signs, I am convinced that we have spent so much time praying. God does not ignore our prayer. He hears our heart cry. The season of revival is here, Now is the time.

“But do we want revival because we think that God will deliver us from persecution? The answer is no. Jesus says persecution will continue. I am sorry, this Is bad new for you.”

Worshipers singing unto the LORD in their traditional costumes

The apostles of Jesus Christ were jailed and killed in the season of revival. But in a time of persecution, 3000 people were added to their number in just one day (Acts 2:41, Acts 4:3; Acts 5:18; Acts 7:57-60).

“I believe when revival comes, we will experience God’s glory and presence poured into individuals and churches. Thousands upon thousands of souls will come to know Jesus Christ.

“The fear of God will fill this land; especially for Christians, we will fear the LORD. And God’s Word will be loved. God will influence the spheres of the society through us. The day is coming when the world will be influenced by Christians.”

Pastor Shahzad praying for a lady in a wheelchair

After praying for 17 years for revival, Pastor Steven Choon believes that now is the time for revival. So, what are things we can do now to embrace this revival?

Firstly, we need to embrace the move of God. We must not doubt God anymore and we are in the position to cause a revival. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’ will the revival come (Zechariah 4:6).

Secondly, we need to flow with God. Many of us do not know what to do and how to do. But God knows. The more you cannot, the more God can. God confounds the wise with the fools.

“Let me tell you, when revival comes, God will use the simplest people like me and you – we who do not have much education, we who do not have titles after our names – God says, ‘I want to use you!’”

Thirdly, we need to change the way we speak about God’s plan. We need to say to each other, “Now is the time! The season is here! Malaysia boleh! God loves the people of Malaysia! The church will rise up and take down darkness!”

Everyone praying over our beloved country, Malaysia

“If we don’t do it for this nation, who will? If you don’t take down darkness, who will? Say, ‘I will, God.’”

Lastly, we need to look beyond our circumstances during revival. Persecution may escalate. But we will triumph over persecution. Yes, the gates of hell shall not prevail.

“God is talking to you now because you carry this Spirit of revival. Now is the time! The season of revival is here! National transformation is here! Permanent transformation is here!”

Bride of Christ, rise to take your place. Waste no time anymore. The season of revival is now!

Are you ready?

Open your eyes and you shall see.

Open you ears and you shall hear.

Open your mouth and nations will be given unto you.

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Note: Special thanks to Pastor Sebastian Cheng for the pictures published above.

In an increasingly disconnected world, there is great need for families to come together again in tighter and more interpersonal bond. For Christians, especially, this familial bond is reflected in the very nature of God Himself as a triune Godhead of Father, Son, and Spirit. Throughout Scripture and through our relationship with God, we know Him as the Abba. 

Partners of Family First at the ‘Be a Better Dad Today!’ book launch

Professor Gregory Slayton (center) at the Family First Malaysia Movement Launch.

Recognizing the importance of this area in the Christian life, Family First recently launched its Malaysian initiative at an event held at UCSI’s Le Quadri Hotel. Taking on a mission for building a legacy and a strong family as well as making homes an oasis through strengthening marriages and enhancing parenting skills, the Malaysian chapter of Family First is headed by bro Tan Tek Seng who is also the Deputy Chairman of Family First Asia.

Family First Malaysia was in effect already conceived two years ago, and in April this year, it was officially established after finding the right partners. The event was also graced by representatives from the universal community of Family First, from Indonesia as well as China along with well-wishes from Family First Partners from the USA, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia & the Philippines.

Bro Tan Tek Seng, chairman of Family First Malaysia sharing his message.

Bro Tek Seng with Professor Slayton

In his address bro Tek Seng shared that a family is like a tree whose branches may grow in different directions yet it is rooted to a core root or foundation. One such root is the families that God has given to us. Family First Malaysia was thus founded on a shared vision as a community-focused organisation and is committed to serving the larger community, regardless of ethnicity or religious background or social status. The organisation is built on a goal of supporting parenting led by the fathers and supported by the mums as locomotives to reach the community to build the society towards a strong nation.

A platform that Family First Malaysia is embarking on this year towards that goal is through a fatherhood course guided by Professor Gregory W Slayton’s book, Be a Better Dad Today! 

Professor Slayton has a record of distinguished service in the academic, business and governmental fields. He was the US Ambassador to Bermuda under Presidents Bush and Obama, and he was honoured for his diplomatic work there with a Distinguished Foreign Service Award by the Congressional Black Caucus, the first Republican to receive such an honour.

The launch of the book was graced by Pr Daniel Ho, also an advisor of Family First Malaysia.

Launching of the book.

Professor Slayton has also been on the cover of TIME Magazine and on the board of Google and salesforce.com. He is the successful CEO of four Silicone Valley companies and has served as an executive in McKinsey & Company and Paramount Studios. He graduated with Honours from Dartmouth College and the Harvard Business School and he also earned a Masters in Asian Studies as a Fulbright Scholar. Today Professor Slayton is a distinguished visiting lecturer at Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, as well as Beida University in Beijing.

When it all comes down to the core though, the subject matter that is closest to Dr Slayton’s heart is on strong and wholesome fatherhood. Chairman of the Fellowship of Fathers Foundation, he lives to strengthen fathers, family and faith throughout the world.

Datuk Chua Jui Meng is another advisor to Family First Malaysia.

Worship during the Family First Malaysia Movement.

The Honorable Gregory Slayton did not come from a privileged familial background. When he was a young teenager, his father abandoned the family and threatened them never to come and look for him. He knows what it is to grow up with an absent father and what it can do to a child’s life. He shared that the scar is still with him and that in those difficult years it was a neighbour Christian Chinese family that gave him the experience of growing up in a loving family.

‘At first I thought it was because they were Chinese but I grew to learn that there was something more; that they were Christians and knew a God who loved them and was paying forward that love in return,’ he expressed. Growing up in two different family backgrounds, Dr Slayton learned an important fact of life. In the introduction to his book, he wrote that fatherhood is the most important job a man will ever have.

Through the more than 30 years he had spent studying fathers and fatherhood in widely different societies and cultures around the world he has learned of the impact good or bad fatherhood can do to societies. ‘Being a good father isn’t easy, and there is no instruction manual. It’s pretty much a 24/7 labor of love. Not only does the future of civilization depend on how we collectively do our jobs (as fathers) but also our children’s future and our own future depend on it as well.’

Cover of the Be a Better Dad Today! book.

Professor Slayton’s book Be a Better Dad Today! is very much a joint effort with his wife and it is founded on what the Slaytons call the Noble Family Vision. The Noble Family Vision is a map of the future to which dads and mums are trying to lead their loved ones. It will help fathers to learn and envision the type of father and families they want to become. It will also be especially helpful when the storms of life set in.

The book is not just a collection of advice but is supplemented by 10 tools of fatherhood, each of which are rooted in faith, hope and love, and all of which are timeless and have worked both in the Slaytons’ own personal lives as well as in many of the lives he has observed all over the world. Many of these real-life encouraging stories of hope are shared throughout the book with empathy and in a down-to-earth manner. 

An overview is given for the 10 tools and then each of them is covered in detail in their own chapters. The ten tools are Family First/Family Fun, All-In Marriage, True Moral Compass and True Humility, Heartfelt Love, Empowering Servant Leadership, Relationship Tools That Work, Heaven’s Help, Other Good Dads, Optimistic Never-Surrender Attitude, and Dynamic Whole-Person Support.  Each chapter is closed with questions for reflection and a complete guide on actually putting them to work.       

The book has already sold more than 250,000 copies, every cent of royalty of which go towards family foundations that the Slaytons support, and there are many testimonials about the book’s practicality and helpfulness by many influential and successful fathers.

Family First Malaysia is committed towards helping dads make full use of the material within the book. A course, consisting of guided studies of the book’s chapters as well as interactive activities is being held at the CCM building at Jalan Universiti on the 25^th of June and 2^nd of July 2016 from 9am-5pm. It is being conducted by Yoong Fan-Ngian and Sian-Li who have been married for 44 years and involved in family therapy, mentoring and training students, individuals, couples and groups in marriage and parenting courses nationwide, including 4 years as Family Development Managers of Alpha Malaysia.

Yoong Fan-Ngian (right) and Sian-Li sharing about the course.

Sharing about why they have taken the effort and hours to prepare the course materials, Sian-Li expressed good-humouredly that they didn’t want the book to be bought and left on the shelves, as is typical with most Malaysians. ‘Families really do matter and this program will hopefully produce good seed. We want people to gain value from the effort and heart that Dr Slayton has poured into his book,’ she conveyed.

NOTE: All pictures kindly contributed by Family First and Luxeray Visual. The book ‘Be a Better Dad Today!’ can be found at Canaanland. For Enquiries to the course you can contact Family First at familyfirst.my@gmail.com or call 019-2263824.

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Jason Law

On 26^th of May, the All Malaysian-Golden Gate Revival Convocation (AMGGRC) opened gloriously, painting a vivid picture of how the Bride of Christ would prepare herself before YHWH returns to claim His Bride.

Two people blowing the silver trumpets together to call the assembly together at the opening of AMGGRC

Rehearsal of 24 Shofarims who were divided into four corners and blew the shofar for seven times followed by a march and a shout of victory ‘Hallelujah!’

Philip Marc sharing about the revival of God’s fire of love spreading over Malaysia

As the first ever historic regional convocation in Malaysia, this year saw many international delegates from the Golden Gate region, contending together with Malaysia for this region’s destiny to align and to prepare the way for the King of Glory, Jesus Christ. 

Strategically located at the centre of the world, Jerusalem in its ancient structure has 12 gates. Each gate corresponds to and covers a particular region in the world according to Revelation 21:12-14 and Ezekiel 48:30-35. Philip Marc, co-founder and overseer of the AMGGRC, shared about the heavy destiny of Malaysia to be the revival catalyst of the Golden Gate nations. Like a wild fire, God has purposed Malaysia to spark revival and spread this fire to the rest of the Golden Gate nations.

Jesus says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). From this verse, we know that the gospel comes from Jerusalem first.

24 Shofarims sounded the shofar while the dancers came onstage behind them

But where is the ‘end of the earth’? If we were to lay the world map across a table, Jerusalem would be smacked at the centre of the world map and this is verified by Ezekiel 5:5. Jerusalem is called the Throne of the LORD or YHWH (Jeremiah 3:17).

Thus says the Lord God: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her”. (Ezekiel 5:5)

At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of YHWH, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. (Jeremiah 3:17)

Now, taking Jerusalem as the center, if we were to stick a pencil through a globe at the point of Jerusalem, the tip would appear on the other end at French Polynesia. Hence, the ‘end of the earth’ from Jerusalem would be French Polynesia, in the Pacific Islands. The last island in the Pacific Islands to receive the Gospel was the Solomon Island in the 1890’s. And since that time, the Gospel of the Kingdom has been making its way from the ends of the earth back to Jerusalem!

Located in the northeast of Australia – French Polynesia, Solomon Island and the rest of the Pacific Islands – are located at the Golden Gate region of the world. In other words, the Golden Gate region is considered as ‘the ends of the earth from Jerusalem.

The Golden Gate nations belong to the Eastern Gates region which includes the Lion’s Gate and Bethany Gate Nations. And as Malaysians residing in this exciting region, we can take comfort and pride when the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth (that means us): “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Salvation has come; see, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him’” (Isaiah 62:11).

Pastor Jean Lim proclaiming the Scriptures (Rev 5:8, Rev 14:2, Rev 15:2, Rev 5:13, Rev 4:10, 11 and Rev 5:10)

It is also interesting to observe as well that a revival wave is actively spreading in the Eastern Gate region, namely across China, India, Indonesia and Nepal. A reflection of a vision by Ezekiel, he too saw ‘the glory of the LORD came… by the way of the gate facing towards the east’ (Ezekiel 43:1-4). In fact, the Bible points out that Jesus will come back from the east; “for just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27). And Jesus ‘will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem’ (Zechariah 14:4). Could this region be the final lap of revival before Jesus Christ returns from the East?

Crowns were cast to the ground to mirror the book of Revelation (Chapter 4)

When Jesus returns, He shall take his throne in Jerusalem and establish His Kingdom (Zechariah 14). Through Him, one new humanity will be created from the Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:15). Indeed, ‘there is neither Jew nor Gentile… for you are all one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:28). In fact, as Gentiles, we need to thank the Jewish people, because it is their transgression that causes salvation to the Gentiles (Romans 11:11).

Yet, God has purposed us, the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the Jews by arousing them to jealousy (Romans 11:11 – 15) and having the full number enter the Kingdom (Romans 11:25). God has purposed this so that neither Jews nor Gentiles can boast of their heritage or spiritual prowess, but solely on the mercy of God for their salvation (Romans 11:32).

Dancers from Throneroom Wings Worship International led by Pastor Rowena Pang and Iis Parang

Dancers from Throneroom Wings Worship International led by Pastor Rowena Pang and Iis Parang

Dancers bowing down to the Lord of lords and King of kings, Jesus Christ

Hence, holding the baton of revival, AMGGRC hopes to ‘light’ the Bride of Messiah in Malaysia with the holy fire of purity, passion, and power. May all churches rise together as one Bride of Christ to contend together for Malaysia to be the revival catalyst of the Golden Gate nations.

The destiny of other nations depends on Malaysia rising up to take her place. And so, let us arise and fan the flame of God until ‘the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14). “As surely as I live,” YHWH says, “Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God” (Romans 14:11).

Dancers from Throneroom Wings Worship International led by Pastor Rowena Pang and Iis Parang

The invited speakers for this convocation were Tom and Kate Hess, founder of Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations (JHOPFAN), president of All Nations Convocation Jerusalem (ANCJ), and convening elder of International Council for Elders (ICE); Afeef Halasah, founder of Arabs for the Arabs and core elder of International Council of Elders (ICE) of ANCJ; Suleman Manzoor, founder of Rapha Missions International and ICE elder of ANCJ; Brigitta Grace, prophetic team member of Bethel Church Indonesia Gatot Subroto, Jakarta, advisor of Jakarta City Shakers Community, co-chair of prayer and strategic intercession track of AsiaEmpowered21, and representative of DR Niko Njotorahardjo in ICE, ANCJ; Henry Pillai, senior pastor of Grace Convention Centre and founder of Grace Ministries Malaysia; Reggie Lee, founder of Pot Bless Ministries and producer of the “Elephant in the Church” and award-winning “Who are the Chinese?” and Philip Marc Lee, co-founder and overseer of Elim Freedom, YHWH’s Asia House of Prayer for All Nations Prayer Mountain (YAHOPFAN) & All Malaysian-Golden Gate Revival Convocation, and ICE Elder of ANCJ.

Pastor Henry giving a welcome message at the opening of AMGGRC

Introduction and prayer for the speakers of AMGGRC

Pastor Renuka Hegde from India closing the opening night with a powerful prayer while Philip Marc blew the shofar

In conjunction with the biblical calendar, YHWH’s Asia House of Prayer for All Nations (YAHOPFAN) is organizing a Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost Celebration with teachings on this celebration by Philip Marc.

Venue | YAHOPFAN Prayer Mountain, GCC Bentong

Date | 11 June – 12 June, 2016 | SAT – SUN  

Register & Questions |

Deborah Anita | +60133907357

VinSie | +60123087731 (Whassap only)

Info |

• RM 55 for accommodation in GCC dormitories, 3 meals and refreshments after night session including drinking water
• Exclude transport but car-pooling can be arranged (GCC Bentong is about one hour drive away from KL)
• Limited spaces in dormitories
• Limited spaces in chalets (normally reserved for pastors or married couples)

Itinerary |

SAT | 11 June 2016

3:00 – 5:30 PM     | Session 1
5:30 – 6:30 PM     | Rest and check in
6:30 – 7:30 PM     | Dinner 
7:45 – 11:30 PM   | Session 2 | Pentecost/Shavuot Welcoming
11:30 – 12:00 AM | Refreshments
12:00 – 3:00 am   | Harp and Bowl Session

SUN | 12 June 2016

9:00 – 10:00 AM  | Breakfast
10:30 – 2:00 PM  | Session 3
2:00 – 3:00 PM    | Lunch  

| Share the Good News |

“The bride prepares herself before she gets marry. She cleanses herself for the groom,” says Pastor Suleman Manzoor in the First Borneo Revival Convention in Sandakan.

…as Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

“We make many preparations in our life. But our main priority is to prepare the way for the King of Glory.”

Life on earth is short (Psalm 144:4). But the life we will live for, is in eternity. So, it’s very important that we prepare for eternity.

Pastor Suleman Manzoor praying for the attendees for the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is no other way to life. But one way – His name is Jesus Christ.

“It is time for the Bride of Christ to prepare herself.”

The days of preparation began from John the Baptist. Like John, we need to prepare the way for our King. Because without the way, we cannot reach our destiny.

“Prepare your mind and your heart for the King of Glory. How many of you want to see Him? We talk about revival. But until King Jesus comes into your life, there is no revival.”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor praying for the attendees of the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

(Revelation 3:20-21)

“The King is ready to intervene in your life. He is ready to manifest Himself because you are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

“Without preparation, there will be no revival. The Bride has to prepare herself or the Groom will not come.”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor at the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

Pastor Suleman Manzoor praying for one of the attendees of the First Borneo Healing Convention in Sandakan, Sabah

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)

“You know, sometimes, we can be in a spiritual desert. We look nice. We preach well. We sing good. We earn lots. We’ve nice styles. We do lots of things. But still, we can be in a spiritual desert.”

But God works miracles. He can make rivers in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19) and turn deserts into pools of water (Isaiah 41:18).

“Stop playing ‘religious’ – We want to prepare for God but we don’t prepare ourselves.”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor speaking to the crowd in the night rally of the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

Like Martha, we busily prepare to ‘serve’ God with activities. But Mary chose to sit with King Jesus instead.

“We are so ‘busy’ preparing for so many things. But the King just want to be with us. He wants to seek fellowship.”

“It’s time to get straight! We talk about revival. But are we ready? Have we straighten our lives? Every mountain should be made low, for the LORD to come in.”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor kneeling in honor of Yeshua Hamashiach

Before crossing the river, Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God” (Joshua 3:9). Joshua was speaking to the people of God.

“I am talking now to the people of God. The Word changes everything. Through the Word, God made all things. Jesus is the Word. Listen to the Word. Listen to God.”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

(John 1:1-4)

Joshua continued saying to the Israelites, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites (Joshua 3:10).”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor praying for an attendee of the First Borneo Revival Convention

Although there were obstacles, God went before them (John 3:11). It is God who removed all the kings of darkness from the land. So, God will too remove every king of darkness before us.

“Even though there is no way, God will make a way for you!”

“He says, ‘Take My Presence in every situation, and I will make a way for you!’”

God conquered the king of Canaanites. The Canaanites represent the Spirit of materialism.

“Before we enter the Promised Land, we need to tear down the King of Materialism.”

Pastor Shahzad Saddique, another speaker of the First Borneo Revival Convention, speaking healing into a man at the night healing rally of the Convention

When a rich ruler came to see Jesus, Jesus asked him to sell everything he had and follow Him. He was religious and trained. Yet, Jesus saw his heart. It was controlled by the spirit of materialism.

“Revival is fire and fire purifies you and me.”

The ruler could be doing all kinds of Bible-reading and fasting. But his heart was not with the Kingdom of God.

“I believe God is preparing the body of Christ when we believe Him. God is raising the Joshua generation who will believe in the Word of God.

“You are the temple of the Holy Spirit! You are the carrier of God’s Glory. Wherever you go, He goes with you. Though you go through the valley of death, you will fear no evil.”

Pastor Suleman Manzoor speaking to the crowd that came to the night rally of the First Borneo Revival Convention

The Church is shrinking nowadays, because she is looking inwardly instead of outwardly. Did Christ come to save the righteous? No. Christ came for the sick and the sinners (Mark 2:17).

Pastor Suleman also shared what the other kings represent: Hittites represent the spirit of fear, Hivites represent the spirit of self-sufficiency, Perrizites represent the spirit of witchcraft, Girgashites represent the spirit of confusion, and Amorites represent the spirit of pride.

Church of Malaysia – Bride of Christ – let us all come together and repent before our God today: every single one of us.

Pastor Suleman Manzoor kneeling before God

Is there any spirits you have kept and lifted higher than God?

If yes, now is the time to capture, tear down, and uproot all these in Jesus name. ‘We (now) take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Let us confess our sin to each other, because ‘if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9).

To prepare for Jesus to come, is to first prepare ourselves.

Pastor Suleman Manzoor (most right) with Pastor Augustine Saang (middle) in the First Borneo Revival Convention, Sandakan, Sabah

| Share the Good News |

Note: Special thanks to Pastor Sebastian Cheng, Sarah-Jane and Pastor Suleman Manzoor for the pictures published above.

Many of us grew up simply accepting the things we were taught in Sunday School. After all, what did we know about critical thinking and logically analyzing the information we were given?

So we learned that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day, and we didn’t question it. We learned that God sent a great big flood to wipe out humanity. We learned that God told Noah to build a very large boat. We learned that Noah took two of every kind of land animal (and seven pairs of clean animals) on board with him. And we didn’t question it.

But then we grew up. And we began to second-guess the Bible. We found ourselves at a loss when other people questioned us about this grand story of creation and a worldwide flood. With our increased exposure to all sorts of skepticism, we begin to consider going along with everyone else who didn’t grow up in Sunday School and think of the Genesis account as totally absurd.

Ref: thechurchninja

Somehow, the idea that God would instruct a man to build a floating zoo just seems too far-fetched to the minds we like to pride as logical. Thanks to years of research in science and theology, Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org) is an apologetics ministry made up of experts in the relevant scientific and biblical fields, and is able to present us with… well, answers.

On June 1st, Bro. Steve Ham, Senior Director of Outreach for Answers in Genesis, gave a talk at Grace Community Center here in Kuala Lumpur that provided solid scientific evidence for the seemingly unfathomable worldwide flood that Noah and his family survived.

Bro. Steve began by introducing a live sized replica of the ark that is currently being built in Kentucky. The theme park, called Ark Encounter (www.arkencounter.com), will be opening next month, and its purpose is to show people the plausibility of the ark and the flood, and to counter the assumption that the story of Noah is no more than another myth.

Construction of the life-sized replica of the ark
Ref: arkencounter

Just by studying the dimensions of the ark, we are able to see the scientific credibility of Scripture. Unlike other ancient documents that speak of flood accounts, the Bible is the only one that provides the exact specifications for a vessel of maximum stability, strength, and comfort that would be able to house and preserve mankind and land animals in tumultuous waters over a length of time.

One of the most commonly raised questions regarding the ark is how Noah fit all the animals onto the ark. Based on all the different kinds of animals we have today and their variations, scientists have calculated that only about 7000 kinds of animals had to be on board that ark—animals with all the necessary genetic information that would give us the numerous species/breeds we have today—and the average size of these animals were that of a sheep.

The ark was 510 ft. long, and 85 ft. wide. That is the size of about 1½ (American) football fields. So if you do the math, 7000 kinds of animals the size of sheep in a boat that is the size of one and a half football fields and four storeys high would give them plenty of room to pen the animals in and store food.

But what about dinosaurs? And elephants and giraffes? The answer is quite simple, really. All of these animals may grow up to be really huge, but they had to be little at some point. Even a giant T-Rex had to hatch out of an egg. Therefore it is unlikely that Noah took old, fully grown animals that were close to death with him. Instead, he took young, smaller animals that would be able to repopulate the earth!

Not exactly how it was on the ark
Ref: wp.production.patheos

So why is the story of Noah and the flood so vital to our Christian faith? Based on the Biblical genealogical record, Noah’s flood took place about 4,400 years ago and this goes head on against the general assumption that the earth is billions of years old. If the rock layers (which are filled with fossils depicting death and disease) are millions of years old, then there is death before sin in the Garden of Eden. This is not theologically acceptable. More about this later.

Understanding the flood and six days of creation validates the historical reliability of the Bible, and therefore, the Gospel as well. However, if we are not able to even believe the first few chapters of the book we claim to be God’s infallible Word, we may find ourselves going down a slippery slope where we pick and choose what constitutes truth in the Bible.

Some things the Bible says about the flood:

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:26-27)

“…if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others…” (2 Peter 2:5)

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

Jesus, Peter, and the author of Hebrews all made direct references to the flood as an actual historical event that took place.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.

18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits. (Genesis 7:11-12, 18-20)

So here’s the deal. Scientists have found “billions of dead things buried in rock layers laid down by water all over the earth.” That is the physical evidence the earth has shown us.

Yet, evolutionists explain these rock layers and fossil records to be a result of millions of years of layering because of the assumption of uniformitarianism – where there is no allowance for a catastrophic event (like the global flood). “This is the crux of where the Christian worldview meets the evolutionary worldview,” Bro. Steve said.

We need to understand the effects of a worldwide, catastrophic flood and what it means for us as Christians because if we were to try to reconcile the evolutionary theory with the creation account in Genesis, or if we try to read the verses of Genesis as metaphorical rather than literal, we would come up against several roadblocks:

1. Local vs. Global flood

Think of what happens when you cover something with water. When it gets to the top, it overflows. Can you imagine a local flood that covers the mountains to a depth of 15 cubits above the highest mountain and not flooding over? It would look like this:

Ref: cdn-assets.answersingenesis

2. “Millions of years” do not fit into the genealogy.

If we add up the numbers between Jesus and Adam, it is about 4000 years. We know that it has been 2000 years since Jesus walked the earth, so 2000 years + 4000 years = 6000 years, and we have the beginning of creation.

So where will we insert these fossil records if it is not by a global flood? If we’re talking about millions of years, the only place that we can try to fit it in, is into the pages of Genesis 1.

What we would have to do is to redefine a day as a long period of time and not a normal 24-hour day. But the Hebrew usage of the word “day” in Genesis is a normal day. And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day…

On the seventh day, God rested, and the Jews understood God’s law to rest on the Sabbath according to the creation week. We get all the indications from Scripture that these are normal days (Exodus 20:11).

Well, say we choose to ignore that, and go ahead with the notion that the six days of creation spanned over millions of years. If Adam, the first man, was not created until 6000 years ago, the millions of years would have to fit into the ‘first five days’ of creation. But here’s the thing to consider: If “millions of years” are based on the fossil record, we need to think about what the fossil record actually is: Dead stuff.

In those layers, there are fossilized evidence of brain tumors, cancer, and arthritis. In those layers, there are fossilized thorns and thistles. In those layers, there are fossilized carnivorous activity—of animal bones inside other animals. In those layers are evidences of the consequences of sin—of a cursed world, filled with pain, suffering, and death.

Then came ‘day’ six, and God created man… “And saw that it was very good”? What? How is that possible? By putting thorns and thistles, carnivorous activity, pain, suffering, and death before sin entered into the world, we are putting the consequences before the cause. We cannot have two opposing views at the same time.

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22)

“Jesus had to come and die a physical death and rise again to conquer death,” Bro. Steve said. “Death is a result of sin. And if God said that it was very good, and there had been millions of years of death before that, I’ve got a problem with that. God’s character is perfect. When He said ‘very good,’ He was talking about a reflection of His character.”

Ref: cdn-assets.answersingenesis

As we look at the rocks and fossils, we need to understand that this is the complete opposite of the worldview we have been given by secular scientists who tell us that this earth is billions of years old. Noah’s flood happened about 4400 years ago. When we look at most of the fossil records around the world, we’re really looking at things that formed around that time. Not millions of years.

5 things we can see around the world that can help us to understand the global catastrophic flood:

1. Wide scale deposition.  

Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:23-24)

When the entire earth is covered with water that recedes after 150 days, we should see wide scale deposition of sediments that have continental scope. And we do!

Bro. Steve used the Grand Canyon as an example, as the layers can be seen very clearly. “We will be looking at the lower layers of the Grand Canyon, which are still thousands of feet above sea level,” he said. “Many who believe in an old earth ignore the huge geographical extent of most of the marine fossil-bearing sedimentary layers that require flooding of continents by ocean waters on a massive scale.”

Thousands of feet above sea level, in the middle of Arizona, marine fossils can be found in the sediments. And on the same level across the countries of the world, the same types of layers, made up of the same kinds of sediments can be found. The deposition of fossils and the levels of layering are wide scale.

Ref: travelwest

2. Rapid burial of creatures and plants.

Many fossils are broken and jumbled, indicative of catastrophic burial as a fossil graveyard. 500-800 ft. thick, these fossilized creatures are thrown together in immense layers. Bro. Steve proceeded to show fossils of sea creatures buried next to land plants, of a blossom next to a wasp, and of a toothed whale next to a possum.

All over the world, creatures and plant life that do not normally live in the same habitats are found buried together—insects, fresh water mollusks, fish, birds, and several hundred plant species including nuts and blossoms—all beautifully preserved, showing mass destruction that happened very quickly.

Other fossils that show the rapidity of the burial include big fish in the process of eating smaller fish, and an Ichthyosaurus (marine reptile) giving birth to a live young, and the intricate preservation of a jellyfish (soft tissue)!

A fossil of an ichthyosaurus giving birth
Ref: everythingdinosaur

3. Strata and erosion.

We see evidence of flood in the layers and strata, and aspects of erosion. When we look at the sand stones, the layers are often straight, clear cuts. If there were millions of years between the layers, they wouldn’t be straight lines, and they would be much thicker. The thin, straight layers are evidence of rapid sedimentation. There are also signs of rapid erosion—of water cutting through the rocks very quickly.

If you take a wide view of the Grand Canyon, you can see that the horizontal layers are very straight. If there were millions of years in between them, you would expect to see millions of years of erosion all through it. They wouldn’t be straight.

But what we see are straight segments, in layers, with continental depositions all over the world. Evolutionists have tried to explain this as lots of local floods around the world, around the same time. Why not just believe the Bible that there was a global flood?

We don’t see evidence of long-term erosion (wavy lines), which means that there is no evidence for millions of years. Additionally, some rocks are bent. There are only two ways a rock can be bent without breaking: It was still wet (mud), or if it was under intense heat and pressure. However, heat and pressure that is intense enough to bend the rock would change the composition of the rock, which is not the case.

Studies have claimed that each layer of rock took millions of years to form, over the course of 300 million years. The first layer was formed about 520 million years ago. These studies also claim that the folding only happened about 70 million years ago, 450 million years after the first layer was deposited. But the folding of multiple layers without cracking is impossible, as they would have hardened by then.

Ref: creationscience

4. Evidence exposing faulty dating

While inserting a vent underground in a coalmine in Australia, workers came across a once molten volcanic rock layer that was believed to be millions of years old. Entombed in this layer, they found preserved wood—the remains of a tree.

Scientists used two different methods to calculate the age of the rock and the wood. Through radiometric dating, they measured that the rock was 45 million years old. But the wood, measured through radiocarbon dating was 45 thousand years. So we have 45 thousand year old wood buried under 45 million year old rock. How is that possible?

5. Modern catastrophic examples

There are modern catastrophic examples that show the same sort of things that we see from the flood. Mt St Helens erupted in 1980. It was an explosion of magnificent proportions. The original blast was followed by landslides, volcanic ash, mudflows, steam water… it produced complex sedimentary layers up to 600 ft thick.

In just hours, thousands of individual, varied layers were laid down. In the Yellowstone national park, there are petrified forests that are believed to have formed over millions of years. When Mt St Helens erupted however, the trees that were ripped apart from the explosion sunk to the bottom, upright. Layers of sedimentation settled and petrified these trees, showing that that petrified forests are a result of rapid burial.

The eruption of Mount St. Helens
Ref: oregonlive

All of these things point to a global, catastrophic flood, and we have a historical document that tells us about a global, catastrophic flood. We don’t have to be intimidated by science. We can hold fast to the Word of God. We can believe the history in God’s Word.

We have answers in the history of the Word of God for the physical world in which we live. The history actually corresponds to the physical world. And it tells us something. That we’re a mess. Living in a corrupt world because of our sin. A cursed world. And God judges sin. And is going to judge again. Next time not by flood, but by fire.

All the history of the physical world point to the history of the Gospel in the New Testament! God, because of His great love, came to die on the cross in our place, rise from the dead, conquering death and sin, so that If we repent and believe in Him, we can be saved from the coming judgment. The message of the Gospel is true because the history of Scripture is also true – beginning from the very first verse.

Footnote:

If you require more information on the ministry of Answers in Genesis, you can contact their local representative here in Malaysia – Joseph Tan from Answers Academy. He can be reached at joseph@answersacademy.info. Website: www.answersacademy.info

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Esperanza Ng

On 20^th of May, more than 30 churches from various denominations in Malaysia – Grace Assembly, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic and Anglican – came to lead worship in the 24-hour A Day of Praise and Worship (ADOP) at Grace Convention Centre (GCC) in Plaza Mayang, Petaling Jaya.

People were seen in the hall for 24 hours, praising and worshipping God with singing, dancing, waving flags, blowing the shofar, and painting unto the LORD as well.

“Worship is an act to honor God, giving Him thanksgiving and praise for His greatness and holiness,” said Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng, Chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia, opening speaker of ADOP. “But I see corruption of worship creeping into the church.”

Opening of ADOP 2016 with eight drummers

Shofar blowers at the opening session of the ADOP2016

Instead of revering God, Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng witnessed a number of people coming late to worship. Convicted by God himself, he recalled complaining to God about a worship song. But the LORD said to him, “They are singing to Me, not you.”

“Worship is not about you or me, but it is about God,” Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng emphasized. “But we have subtly defined worship. There was a time we would ask after a successful concert, ‘How many souls are saved?’ But now, we ask, ‘How is the sales?’ We want shorter services and shorter sermons.’”

What have we become? Let us not be those who come near to God with our mouths and honor Him with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13a).

Worshipers at ADOP

Opening by dancers of CDFM

Grace Assembly Petaling Jaya echoed how God looks at the heart by presenting a skit – an angel came to enlighten God’s heart for a frustrated church choir director. The take-home message was how ‘man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7). We are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Luke 10:27). Without love, we are ‘only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal’ (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Pastor Sean Prasad, ADOP’s Pastoral Advisor, also shared about seven expressions of wholehearted worship to God.

Left to right – Shamini Ruth (ADOP Organizing Chairperson), Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng (Chairman, Christian Federation of Malaysia) and Rev Sean Prasad (ADOP Pastoral Advisor)

Patrick Leong from Grace Assembly leading in worship.

Firstly, we can lift our hands in adoration to the heavens, where God’s heavenly throne is at (Matthew 5:34), also called ‘Yadah’.

Secondly, we can extend our right hand with confession and repentance for our sins, called ‘Towdah’. Like David, we can ask God to ‘search’ and ‘know’ our hearts (Psalm 139:23), for only those who are pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8).

Thirdly, we can kneel down to God, as an act of full surrender, called ‘Barak’. Paul urged all of us ‘to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship’ (Romans 12:1).

KidsADOP in action

Fourth, we can sing like the Psalmist and proclaim His goodness day to day (Psalm 96:2), also called ‘Tehillah’.

Fifth, we can play musical instruments to the Lord, also called ‘Zamar’.

And sixth, we can dance with abandonment and without dignity like David to our God, called ‘Halal’.

Prepare ye the way, choreographed by CDFM

Global Worship Malaysia, the team that spearheads ADOP and Global Worship Day

Lastly, we can make a loud noise unto the LORD, also called as ‘Shabach’. Do you know that the whole universe worships the LORD day by day (Psalm 19:1-4a)? The heavens and skies proclaim His Majesty!

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

(Psalm 19:1-4a)

Reverend Andy Chi, Acting Secretary General of NECF, shared that God wants us to establish our personal tabernacle of David through worship.

Rev Andy Chi, Acting Secretary General of NECF sharing a message

While the tabernacle of Moses focuses on atonement of sin through animal sacrifices, the tabernacle of David introduces sacrifices of praise and worship (Psalm 27:6). Like Abraham who raised altars wherever he went, we too need to raise our personal altars wherever we go.

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

“God is enthroned in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). So, the let God arise and let His enemies scatter. When the tabernacle of David is restored, the nations will also be restored,” Reverend Andy Chi exclaimed.

Praise City Church worship team

“Tonight, we are gathered with churches in this nation, to proclaim that there is a God in Malaysia who will save this nation,” added Shamini Ruth, founder and organizer of ADOP.

The LORD is looking for an unblemished Bride, ‘without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless’ (Ephesians 5:27b).

How does the Church becomes the radiant Bride? It is only by ‘washing with water through the word’ (Ephesians 5:26) and also ‘humbly accept the Word planted in you, which can save you’ (James 1:21). ‘Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’ (James 1:21-22).

Rev Dr Henry Pillai, Senior Pastor of Grace Assembly giving a message

Trinity Methodist Church worship team

A phenomenal event, we see God preparing His Bride to be pure and holy unto the Groom – Jesus Christ. 

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Note: All pictures are credited to the organizer of A Day of Praise and Worship (ADOP).

“The beauty of your voice comes not from your tummy, but from your heart. If you worship from the heart, God’s Presence will come,” said Eric Ebil from River of Grace Fellowship on 29^th of April at the First Borneo Revival Convention in Sandakan, Sabah.

It’s only in His Presence that we will experience His full freedom, peace, and strength. That is why Eric always yearn for the Presence of God.

When Adam and Eve partook from the tree of good and evil, it was God who took the first step to seek them. He asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you (Genesis 3:9)?”

Ref: champyungan

But instead of confessing their sin, Adam and Eve hid from Him (Genesis 3:10). Had they seek for forgiveness from God, mankind might not have fallen into eternal damnation of sin.

“God says, ‘I am after your heart.’”

The only man God called as ‘a man after My own heart’ is David (Acts 13:22). David’s heart and God’s heart are one.

Ref: thegospelcoalition

God chose David as a king of Israel not because of his might over his enemies, but because He saw his heart when he was only a shepherd boy. David gave his whole heart to God. And that is what God was looking for in a king of His people. 

“God sees everything we do, whether big or small. He sees the good things we do, even when nobody sees, He please with it”.

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9a)

Ref: ziranzhi

What is God looking for? He is looking for someone whose heart is fully given to Him. In a letter to the church of Ephesus, God was pleased with the church’s righteous acts and deeds (Revelation 2:2). Yet He was against the church because she has left their first love (Revelation 2:4).

Who is this first love? When Adam was made, who did Adam first know? Adam knew God right when God breathed His own breath into him. That is God’s first love for us. When Adam opened his eyes, it was God whom he saw first. At that time, he only knew God.

But having fallen from their first love, God continued saying to the Ephesian church, “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Revelation 2:5a).

We need to turn away from anything or anyone that takes our heart away from God.

“If you say ‘I love you’ to your partner, do you say it without feelings?

“Likewise, can we say ‘I love you, God’, when you do not actually love Him with your heart?”

Ref: koinonia

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)

Eric shared how worshiping God is like presenting a flower to Him.

“We say we worship God. But why do we casually toss it to God? Worship is lifting this flower up from our heart to Him. That is worship.”

“It is not just standing there and singing to Him at a church service. Worship is giving everything we have to God. In other words, it is our life style. It is giving our whole heart. That is worship”.

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;

your right hand upholds me.

(Psalm 63:1-8)

Eric Ebil

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Note: Special thanks to Sarah-Jane for the pictures published above.

On 29^th of May, Hillsong Young & Free came to a fully-packed auditorium at Mega Star Arena, Jalan Kuchai Lama.

The band members who came included Aodhan King, Alexander Pappas, Melodie Wagner, Renee Sieff, Ben Tan, Brendan Tan, Tom Furby, and Jack McGrath.

The crowd – young and old – worshipped God with electrifying energy as Hillsong Young & Free broke into songs including This is Living, Wake, Only Wanna Sing, Falling Into You, Face to Face, When The Fight Calls, To My Knees, Trust, Pursue, Love Goes On, In Your Eyes, Passion, End of Days, Never Alone, Sinking Deep, Real Love, Where You Are, Brighter, and Alive.

The crowd who came to the Hillsong Young & Free concert in Mega Star Arena, Kuchai Lama

Pastor Peter Toganivalu, youth pastor of Hillsong Church in Australia, shared a message of the worst break-up in human history. That is between men and God. 

And unlike the typical reason for break-up, this was not mutual. In fact, men and God did not want to separate. But sin came in and caused an eternal chasm (Isaiah 59:2).

But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

And your sins have hidden His face from you,

So that He will not hear.

(Isaiah 59:2)

Aodhan King

Hence, since the first Adam, death reigned to the whole mankind (Romans 5:14-15). Yet, God did not leave us alone but prepared a way for humankind to return to Him.

Therefore, as through one man’s (Adam) offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s (Jesus) righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. (Romans 5:18) 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

From left to right: Melodie Wagner, Alexander Pappas, Aodhan King, Renee Sieff

“Many people paint the picture of us needing to fix ourselves before getting to God. But it is when we mess up, His Grace moves and calls out to us,” he said. Despite knowing that Adam sinned, God walked towards the mess (Genesis 3:8).

Melodie Wagner

He continued emphasizing how God created all humans in His image (Genesis 1:27). This explains why we are called to reflect His goodness!

“God gave us this mirror (to reflect Him). But we dropped and shattered it into a million pieces! Ever since then, humans have been trying to pick up these pieces and reflect who they are meant to be,” he added.

We picked up these pieces from what the media says, what our friends think or what religion seems to tell us. But the only person qualified to tell us our identity is our Creator, our God the Father who created us. 

Alexander Pappas

And God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ (John 14:6-7).

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you now Him and have seen Him” (John 14:6-7).

Jesus Christ is the exact mirror representation of God, the Father, in Heaven! To know who God intended us to be is to look at Jesus Christ.

From left to right: Alexander Pappas, Melodie Wagner, Aodhan King

Pastor Peter Toganivalu ended by sharing how the enemy is isolating the young people, through the pressure of wanting to look ‘perfect’.

“But we have a God who doesn’t just heal you emotionally and physically. He restores you back to a community, a place of belonging,” he said.

The night concluded with a powerful prayer of salvation, as the crowd lifted their hands unto Jesus Christ. 

An Australian Christian music and praise worship group from Sydney, we look forward to Hillsong Young & Free’s next tour to Malaysia!

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Note | All pictures are credited to Hillsong Young & Free Facebook. This article has not been vetted by Hillsong Young & Free.