Tuesday, 26 November 2019

#4 – The Power of the Kingdom.

#4 – The Power of the Kingdom.




























Scripture: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20)
The kingdom of God is powerful.  Jesus Himself declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). 
When Jesus preached on the kingdom, He demonstrated the power of the kingdom by healing the sick (Luke 9:11, 10:9) and casting out demons (Matthew 12:28; Luke 11:20).  There are diseases caused by demons.  When they are cast out, the sick are healed.
There are two aspects of the kingdom of God.  One aspect is in the here and now.  The kingdom is within you (Luke 17:21).  Whoever surrenders their life to Jesus and accepts His kingship, it is there that Jesus reigns.  This is not a natural or physical kingdom. That’s why Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). 
There is also another aspect where the kingdom of God is in the future.    One day Jesus will return to establish His reign on this earth forever.  His kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15).  
There are those who are waiting for His kingdom to come (Luke 23:51).  Jesus also teaches His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10).   This kingdom is a very powerful kingdom.  Although this powerful kingdom is in the future, we can have a foretaste of its power today.  The writer of the Book of Hebrews say that believers can taste the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age (Hebrews 6:5).  That power is available today.  There is much to look forward to.
Praise His name,
 Jesus reigns.
See His glory come down,
See His glory come down.
 - Sharon Daugherty

Prayer:  
1.     Pray for the demonstration of power to confirm the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom.

2.     Pray for the church to exercise the power of the kingdom to heal the sick and to cast out demons.

Saturday, 16 November 2019

Suggestions For Prospects


Many times the struggle faced by the EE semester/clinic coordinator is to get enough suitable prospects for the On-The-Job Training (OJT). EEM compiled some suggestions & tips from different EE active churches and we trust you will find them helpful.

» To always intentionally form relationships and cultivate friendship. We can organise gatherings and dinners and invite our pre believer friends for fellowship and discussions on topics of common interest. For example our cell group recently organised two dinners and had discussions on two topics which are education and investment. Cell Group members invited their pre believer friends. We can continue to keep in touch with them in future & identify them as OJT prospects later.

» To go out to visit the church neighbourhood and to tell them about the church and the activities/ programmes in the church. There is a small visitation team in our church which does that on Saturday afternoons. The team does not do it regularly and it is very flexible so it does not become a burden to the team members. Nevertheless it is an effort to establish contacts. From those who are open and receptive, the relationship can lead to the possibility of visiting them during OJTs.

» Community projects and activities will bring people into the church environment. For example our church runs an early intervention programme for children with learning disabilities. Ping pong games in the evenings four times a week attracted many people from the community. This is again another great way to establish contacts and if opportunity arises, we can even do OJTs within the church compound.

» Keep a contact book with phone numbers of potential contacts. The listing of these pre-believers can be endless, they can be your family, relatives, friends/ acquaintances, colleagues/ ex-colleagues, neighbours, barber/ hairdresser, mechanic, insurance agent, gardener, etc. Do not be shy to call those with potential. Be persistent & keep calling. Sometimes it takes a few phone calls before you get the response. Eventually some will respond positively to your invitation. This may sound old fashion but it works wonders.

» Do not be discouraged you get appointments cancelled at the last minute. It always happens. It is ok because the team without a fixed appointment can always do street evangelism. Expect the unexpected!

» Announce in the church the commencement date of the EE training programme. Encourage and request members to start providing details of friends or contacts that they would like the EE teams to visit during the OJTs. To benefit from the existing relationship, those providing the contact should go along with the EE teams.

» For churches with cell groups, contact from members of the same cell can be very handy. The cell member who provides contacts can also join the EE team for the OJTs. Existing relationship provides the bridge to build further friendship.

» We should never stop reminding ourselves that it is not our doing but God who provides the right prospects. We need to pray and the prayer partners are so vital in this ministry. We are always thankful for the prayer warriors who are behind us praying for us weeks before the semester/clinic and always encouraging us with their notes and gifts of encouragement.

» At all times, there should be a team of two or three persons to work together in this area of identifying and booking the contacts (prospects for OJTs) during the running of the EE training programme. A team is always better than someone working alone, not only it can avoid being stressful and overwhelming, a team of workers enable brainstorming where more creative ideas and action plans can be put in place.

» At times, the team may not be convenient to meet up with the prospect during the OJT. We can always arrange for another day/time. Go the extra mile of using another day/time to meet the prospect .

» In terms of logistic, it is not necessary to meet the prospect at home. We can meet for a drink or a meal in cafĂ©, “kopitiam”, mamak stall, etc.

» As part of the learning process, trainees students should be taught how to contribute personal friends, family, colleagues for prospects. In this way, EE is discipleship making as
trainees (students) become fishers-of-men. Otherwise, the trainee will not share the gospel on his/her own after the semester has been completed.

» It is always advisable to show courtesy by informing the prospect(s) that you are meeting the prospect(s) with 2 other friends. No need to specify what kind of friends. If the prospect should ask, be honest to say that they are church friends. It is alright if the prospect decides not to meet just because you are coming with church friends. Look out for opportunity to bring him/her to some church functions so that you get a chance to introduce other church friends to him/her. Hopefully he/she can be at ease if you suggest meeting (OJT) next time.

» Willingness to just walk into public places and talk to strangers during OJTs can be very fulfilling. Explore the possibility of old folks’ homes, hospitals, shopping malls, fast food outlets, cafeterias, etc.

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Some additional suggestions:

  • Do not trick your prospect into an appointment.  The gospel of truth cannot be preached in deception. Be open and exercise faith in God to give you an appointment with the person that you have been praying for.  
  • Do not focus on the person as a "target" but focus on you and your team "sharing" the good news of Jesus Christ with boldness and as an act of obedience to the Lord.  Do not place "emphasis" on that person, as if he/she was the target, e.g. "Could my friends and I visit YOU?"  But do it gently and the conversation may go like this:  
"Hi, my church friends and I visit members of our community every week just to know people and their needs so that we can pray for them.  We have a church prayer meeting every Friday night and we can then pray for these items.  You see, God has called us to impact our community with our prayers.  May we visit with you sometime?"
  • Create "fishing ponds" -- community spaces that are neutral (not religious) so that people can participate comfortably.  Some of these activities include sports, social events, exercise routines like line dancing, language-learning tuition classs, etc. Find out the needs in your community and try to meet those needs as a church.  Also, you might like to find out some of the talents and skills that your church members possess and ask them if they would be willing to use those skills to create "fishing ponds" so that EE teams can attend those activities as well and make friends to share.  Some "skills" might be, school teachers - retired and active who can teach tuition classes in the church for free or subsidised rates, musicians who can teach how to play musical instruments, IT guys who can teach computer knowledge, etc.  These can be taught at  basic levels so that high level skills are not necessary.  Also think of adults who may like to learn, not only young people.
  • Fish in other people's ponds -- You might find other committed Christian groups who do social work and do not share the gospel with those they are helping.  They want to share and reach out but many just don't do so either because they are too busy or too not know how to do it.  If you approach them to partner with them on this outreach effort, they are only too happy that they can minister to the whole person; body, soul and spirit!  They are many Christian groups involved in education, poverty eradication, feeding the hungry, drug rehabilitation, nursing care, etc.




A Time To Speak


"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
... a time to be silent and a time to speak ..."
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 &7

Most of us are aware that there are times when we are to be silent. Job’s friends sat down on the ground with Job for “seven days and seven nights” without speaking a word. This must have been difficult but the Bible explained that his friends saw that Job’s grief was “very great (Job 2:13).” In the time of grief, we often appreciate our friends staying with us without them having to say anything. In these situations, it is rather difficult to have to say something.

There are also many who lack the wisdom and keep saying the wrong things. We often describe them as having “foot in mouth” disease. The Foot in Mouth Award is awarded each year by the British Plain English Campaign for “a baffling comment by a public figure”. The 2006 award was won by supermodel Naomi Campbell who said, “I love England, especially the food. There’s nothing I like more than a lovely bowl of pasta.”

Sometimes we have to remain silent, but on other occasions we have to speak up. Wisdom is needed in order to know when to speak and when to remain silent. I have heard my secondary school principal, Mr David Boler, made the following quote several times throughout my sojourn through the mischief and school boys’ pranks of our teen years. Once after several obscene artworks were found in the boys’ toilets, he repeated this quote, “All that is needed for evil men to triumph is that good men say nothing.” Mr Boler had reasoned that these “great works” of art would have taken hours to paint and could not have been done without some of the students having seen the perpetrators. In our school assembly later, he cautioned the studentswho had seen the crime to speak up and not to remain silent. Those who remain silent are actually encouraging the committing of crimes. We must speak up in order to push back the forces of evil.

We must also speak up for social injustice, for civil liberties and so on. If we do not speak up, the evil goes on… and on… In recent times, many in our nation have been emboldened to speak up for such reasons. 

However, many of us are happy to speak within our private circle of friends when we are not held to account for what is said. In public or in front of our superiors, we take greater care in what we say. Often people who have a lot to say in private are speechless in public. The Apostle Paul refers to these as gossip and slander when people’s reputations are destroyed behind their backs. It was a person no less than the Lord Jesus Himself who said that all men will have to give account on the day judgment for every careless word they have spoken (Matthew 12:36-37).

When we come to the issue of sharing our faith, most believers have sudden attacks of the dreaded “deaf and dumb” disease - “deaf” as in the inability to spot a witnessing opportunity and “dumb” as in the inability to speak out the good news with our lips. If we do not find a cure for this “disease,” people will simply not be saved. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).

One of the reasons why people speak up is because they are passionate about something. The prophet Jeremiah declares, “… his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). This burning desire of the heart inflames every fibre of our being and our lips will quite often be the first to respond. David declared, “My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:” (Psalm 39:3 NIV). Jesus also said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt 12:34 NKJV).” 

People will not say anything about a subject if they have no feelings about it. I cannot imagine that someone, after listening to a subject of discussion, picking up a phone in anger and dialing and then shouting at the hearer on the other end saying, “I have no opinion on that issue.” People just won’t speak up on an issue that they are not passionate about. The crowds cheered, danced and marched on the streets in Madrid when Spain won the FIFA World Cup 2010. That’s what passion makes people do. There is a distinct lack of passion in the community of believers in sharing their faith. Without this passion, many would prefer to remain silent or transfer their passion to the football stadium. D.L. Moody possessed this passion when he said, “It is the only happy life to live for the salvation of souls.”

Passion comes from having a right perspective. Once several British clergymen approached Moody to find out why “this poorly educated American” was so effective in winning throngs of people to Christ. Moody took the men to the window of his hotel room and asked each in turn to tell him what they saw. One by one, the men described the people in the park down below. Then Moody looked out the window and tears began coursing through his cheeks. “What do you see, Mr. Moody?” one of the men asked. “I see countless thousands of souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find the Saviour.” Because he saw eternal souls where others only saw people strolling in a park, Moody approached life with a different agenda. He could see the untold millions perishing “untold” and he was passionate enough to do something about it.

The founder of EE International, Dr D James Kennedy, once said, “If God would dip all pastors in hell for a fraction of a second... and then yank them up by their shirttails - as they’re standing there smouldering and their clothes and skin are full of black soot, and their shoes have half melted off, I think their commitment to the Great Commission would substantially increase.” 

It is obvious that passion and a correct perspective alone won’t save people. We need to perform as well. It has been said that after all is said and done, more is said than done. Believers need to take responsibility and just do it! This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Jesus tells a story about a man who asked his two sons to go and work in the vineyard (Matthew 21:28-31). The first son initially replied in the negative but finally did what the father wanted. The second son however, replied that he will comply but ended up not doing the father’s will. Jesus’ hearers could see that it was the first son who performed and ultimately the one who pleased the father. We have been given the Great Commission, to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). 

One of the marks of integrity is that we speak the truth. Can someone who truly believe the word of God that says, “for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) and “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) not speak out to the lost? The promise to the believer who desires to “live on God’s holy hill” is to the one who speaks the truth from his heart (Psalm 15:2). In the end, the devil is defeated by the “word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11). Speak now, or forever hold your peace. Today is the time to speak.

"Lead me to some soul today,
O teach me, Lord,
just what to say;
Friends of mine are lost in sin,
And cannot find their way.
Few there are who seem
to care, And few there are
who pray; Melt my heart,
and fill my life,
Give me one soul today."

- Will H. Houghton, 1936.

#3 – Entering the Kingdom.

#3 – Entering the Kingdom.
Scripture: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22)
Not everyone can enter the kingdom of God.
Some refuse to surrender the kingship of their lives.  They continue to practise self-rule.  Entering the kingdom means turning from self-rule to the rule of Christ the King.  This is what repentance means.  At the start of his ministry, John the Baptist proclaims, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) Those who would enter the kingdom must give up control of their lives to the King.
Jesus adds that simple child-like faith is required because anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17).  He next says that those who love the attractions of this world will find it hard to enter the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:24)  
The believer enters the kingdom of God by being born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).  Water cleanses and the Spirit of God fills.  He needs to believe in his heart and confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). He then must live a life of obedience to the commands of the King.
Jesus commands that the good news of the kingdom be proclaimed everywhere.  However proclamation of the good news attracts persecution.  When the disciples faithfully obeyed this command, they were persecuted.  Although they were scattered from Jerusalem, they continued sharing the good news of the kingdom wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4).
Through their sufferings, they learned obedience (Heb 5:8).  They carried their cross and followed Christ  (Luke 9:23). 
In what ways are you suffering because you are obeying God’s commands?

Suffering produces perseverance.                                                - Romans 5:3

Prayer:  
1.     Pray for grace, the power that God gives to us to obey Him.

2.     Pray for a fresh vision of the joy set before us so that we, the church of Jesus Christ might learn to endure the cross, scorning its shame (Hebrews 12:2).

He who wins souls is wise!

The fruit of the righteous refers to the results of the actions of the righteous, i.e. those act appropriate to their faith in God. These wo...