À Venir

À Venir wallpaper designed by Dawson Ngu

As Christmas draws nearer, I was reminded of some great happenings 3 years ago. Three years ago was a defining moment that set our church on course, scaling new heights and greater realms of revelation and faith. It was truly the beginning of "new things". We spent 2 months in preparations for our Christmas project, 'À Venir: Christmas Projekt 07'. We went to hospitals, orphanages, singing at BRJ, and many other outreach activities.

A year later it seemed like nothing really changed but now, 3 years later, it is obvious that the hard work, heart and passion put in 3 years ago has all been worthwhile and we are reaping the fruits now. Spiritually and naturally. Sometimes when we don't see things happen in the preferred time we want, we might feel discourage or think the good things we have done in the past were in vain.

The 2007 project was a breakthrough for me looking back now, as I was trapped in fear and failure in praying for the sick for them to be healed. 5 years before that in 2002, me and my friends were playing basketball and one of my friends, our teams center player, a big sized guy you can imagine, landed on someones foot while he was landing from a jump, twisting his ankle and fell, landing on his own arm. He was in great pain and was crying out in agony. He's a Christian by the way. I didn't really know much about healing as I do now, but as a 14 year old boy I went over to touch his hand wanting to pray for him as my other teammates were showing concern. He moved away is arm and screamed "DON'T TOUCH ME!". He obviously didn't know I was gonna pray for him or else he would've let me prayed for him and he would've been healed.

Little did I know this incident actually affected me for a long time. I never prayed for healing for anyone since then. I did pray for fellow brothers and sisters in church but not anyone outside the church or strangers on the street with obvious physical problems.

In 2007 I not only did the comfortable job of the skit director but I decided I would take the step of faith to be part of the hospital visitation team to pray for patients. We didn't know anyone there so it was a meeting random strangers sorta thing. I was nervous and all inside but needed to act normal and cool as I was appointed one of the team leader. I mean who would appoint a guy that has no experience whatsoever in hospital visitations and praying for sick people, no impressive track record and a Chinese guy that speaks extremely limited and lousy Chinese. (But I believe, broken Chinese can heal broken Chinese lives).

I remember the first day there I had Grace as my team assistant. She can speak Mandarin far better than me obviously. So I guess the leadership always thinks thoroughly before they put you as a leader ;)

We met a fairly elderly man maybe around his 60s. It was at the highest floor of the hospital and we met this guy on the bed in one of the wards. He looked fairly alright and after some minutes of talking we told him why were at the hospital. To bring the Christmas cheer and to pray for people to be healed. He then told us with a smiling face to pray for other people that needed it more than him. What kind of fake nobility is that. But anyway the point is that we got rejected............. courteously. Suddenly that same feeling of failure and stuff came again and I was like "Come on man. Every time I take a step of faith things like this always happen. What sup with that?!". We were sorta discourage about that and took us some time to get to the next patient but we finally met a few more people and managed to pray for them.

I remembered so clearly Lydia praying for a tattoo man and let me tell you it was a dramatic case of conversion! Yeah you got that right. That half body tattoo-ed gangster accepted Christ! We didn't manage to keep in contact with him because the following week he was transferred to another ward and we couldn't find him anymore.

Another guy was a 29 year old Kadazan man named Ronnie. He was frozen in a certain position on the wards bed, and I mean literally frozen by the way. He was having tuberculosis and HIV positive. Vighnath and Princeton were attended to him, fed him some food and prayed for him. Months later with frequent visits and prayer the specialist attending to Mr. Ronnie called us up and told us that the check up that day saw him HIV negative and no more trace of TB. We were obviously going nuts about it and praise God for his healing. With some failure to follow up and keep track of him, Ronnie ended back in the isolation room because his HIV and TB is back again. He passes away a few months later and that really took a hit in my heart. I was never the same again after this whole experience.

Back to 2005. The next hospital visitations during the project week, I prayed for an Indian man. Alone this time. I talked with him in our national language. I got to know him and found out that a heart attack was the reason he was admitted into the hospital. He also told me that he would probably have to be in the hospital for another few weeks maybe even a few months. He obviously looked like he wanted to go home. Before I left I asked him whether I could pray for him. He said ok and I prayed for him. I told him after I prayed that Jesus is powerful and loves him and wants him to be healed because He loves him. I then told him I would come back to see him the following week and if Jesus healed him, he would be out of the hospital next week. The following week I went to the hospital again looking forward to see him only to find the bed he was in empty. The sheets were all tidy and nicely folded. I was sort of disappointed coz I didn't get to see him and went on to meet some new people in that ward. He being healed didn't even cross my mind. As I was on my way out of that ward to go home, the Indian man walked in the ward towards his bed buttoning up his shirt. I asked him excitedly whether he was being discharged and he told me he was and that his family was already waiting downstairs for him. I told him, "Eh tengok, Jesus sudah sembuhkan kamu." He stopped for awhile had the look on his face like "Oh yeah man, I guess He did."

Brothers and sisters, sometimes discouragement might hit us as we push ourselves to be obedient to the will of God. We might be face with a situation and have no answers for it. We might wonder what it would've been if we handled those situations differently. Maybe if we were more aggressive and diligent the tattoo guy. Ronnie wouldn't have died. Maybe you aren't so on fire as before after some seemingly failed situations but let us come and receive a fresh new anointing from the Lord. A fire that will never die. "Come on you can do it again. You now have the experience needed and you can and will do better. My love never fails." That's was Jesus is saying to us now.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).

Let us keep moving despite our failures and shortcomings. Our inability to be a hero and look to Jesus the true Saviour and the one people need. Let not these failures and shortcomings cause others that are still alive and out there not have an opportunity to meet with Him. We are his chosen vessels to serve and be the light and salt to the world. The devil knows that we have the greatest authority and he wants to make sure we are discouraged enough that we won't use it. He doesn't wanna go to hell alone for eternity so he wants to bring as many humans as possible there with him. He knows that is the way to break the heart of God because we are his beloved children. He knows that we are the key and the link of people to God again. That's why he pulls you down and does everything in his power to make sure you are discouraged. Because, discourage you = people aren't gonna hear the gospel = people going to hell = the heart of God is broken.

Let us go with faith like never before. Defying the odds of popular suggestions and beliefs, taking our promise land. Let us save those tattoo guys and the other Ronnies in this world.

'GOOD WORDS'

Without a test there will be no testimony.

Kris Vallotton

The glory of a young man is their strength, of an old man their experience.

Anonymous

'WORDS OF FAITH'

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)

Why God Does Not Answer Our Prayers?

Many of us Christians would at some point come to this question "Why aren't my prayers answered?" or something along that line. You'd probably come to the conclusion that maybe God has a better thing installed for me that I do not know. While that answer has its place, that doesn't really answer our question. What about when I was sick and I prayed but I didn't get healed? The previous answer obviously does not apply to this question. So what is the answer then? Does God want me to be sick to teach me a lesson? Firstly you gotta know that God is always good. But that still does not answer our question. How about the million dollar question most would ask God, "What is your will for my life?". I'm sure you can identify with me that GOD NEVER ANSWERS YOU THIS QUESTION. Haha. So now the question turns to why not? In other words, why didn't God answer my prayer?

Lets check out the Scriptures to get our heads straight in this aspect.

Galatians 4:4-7 and Romans 8:15-17 says this,

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because we are His sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so now we can rightly speak of God as our dear Father. Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God. (Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV and TLB)

And so we should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, but we should behave like God's very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family, and calling to Him, "Father, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:15-17 TLB and NKJV)

We gotta understand that when we accepted Christ into our lives, we are adopted into God's family. God has become our Father and we have become His children. God will never treat us like a slave. When we pray these kind of prayers like, "God, what is your will for my life?", He often doesn't answer us this question because He wants us to make an independent choice on our own. Because if our actions are always dictated by God then He wouldn't have created us in the first place. He would've created and programmed robots to do His will. In other words, we participate to reach the will of God.

I'd also like to stress on the earlier statement I made about 'God wants us to make independent decisions on our own'. I'd like to propose that there are actually particular choices we make that actually makes God more happy than if we would to choose something else. This applies to minor decisions we make in everyday life as well as major crossroads in life. Whether it may be how we spend our time in a day to who should I marry or what job should I choose, what we choose will actually affect God. He always loves us and will probably bless us no matter what we choose but there is a one choice that will make Him smile.

So how have we been praying? or how have we been living?

Sometimes some people seem to be honoring their leaders with statements like, "Ps. M didn't say mah", "Ps. J say can mah". Before I go further, there is a place to listen to your leaders, I myself heavily emphasis on this aspect as well as practice it, but what I'm trying to say now is have you been having a mind of a slave behind these statements?

Having said that some people might say,

"But we are sheep what. We must listen to what our leaders say."

Wow very smart answer....... NOT!

I'd like to propose that identity wise, we are NOT sheep. Sheep are animals and one of the problems that sheep have is that they are almost blind and often go astray. So if you think your a sheep your probably often confuse (almost blind) and often go astray.

Let me bring in the story of the Israelites and their promise land in the Old Testament to push my point further.

We know that when they reached the promise land that there were giants in the land and 12 spies were sent to scout the land. 10 came back with negative reports and 2 (Joshua & Caleb) came back with a report of victory even before the battle was fought. Of coz' we all know that the story ended without a battle taking place rather a 40 years of wandering in the desert. This defeat was inevitable because these events all took place after the incident at Mount Sinai (Ten Commandments story). So it is obvious why the 10 of the 12 spies came back with negative reports. (read Exodus)

I'd like to propose that if we do not change our slavish attitude and mindset we will end up wandering in the desert. We will not be ready to conquer the giants in our promise land. And every promise land has giants in them. Are you gauging yourself for the battle that must and will take place?

Sometimes churches don't grow and souls are not saved not because people are not praying or going to church but because majority of people are having minds of slaves, defeated even before the fight.

So let us consider this when our prayers are not answered. I don't rule out the possibility that unanswered prayers are caused by other factors but let us consider this truth when our prayers are answered.

I hope this helps you to live a victorious Christian life. One that pleases the Lord and gaining the only applause that matters.

'FUN FACTS'

What happens when a prince is in prison? He makes the prison a palace.
Kris Vallotton