We kicked off our worship with sharings by three members of the team that went on a mission trip to Samarinda, led by Ps Ben. It was heartwarming and uplifting to hear from Gladys, Zoe and Susan, of the things that Abba Father did on the trip. As His Word went forth, there were supernatural healings and deliverance, and casting out of unclean spirits in Jesus' name to set the people free. Their sharing was timely, as we have been reading about God's will to bring Heaven here on earth. We trust that our church family in Samarinda, as well as the team that went, has been greatly impacted by the trip.
Prof Robbie Goh's sermon on Saturday was titled “Getting Serious With God”. Indeed, nothing good happens without hard work and discipline. This is true for Olympic athletes whom Prof Robbie used to admire in his growing years; it is also true for good soldiers and farmers who want to enjoy a harvest.
2Tim 2: 4-6 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
Likewise, as Christians, there has to be hard work and discipline in our spiritual lives to bring about transformation, so that the power of Holy Spirit shines through. Every relationship requires commitment and effort; our relationship with God is no different. While God’s Grace (unmerited, unearned favour) is given freely to us by Jesus, it is still required of us to take the first step in building a relationship with God.
James 4:8a Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
As the verse goes, we have to initiate the first step. The more we draw near to God and invest in our relationship with him, the more He makes us aware that He too is drawing near to us.
To get serious with God is to put Him above all else -- above our interests, desires and distractions. Anything that we can’t let go of will impede our getting close to Him. Surrendering our lives and our desires, spending time in the Word, praying consistently for ourselves and others -- these are the choices we have to make deliberately in our journey of faith.
As the session drew to a close, Prof Robbie shared something that left a deep impression upon me: putting God first -- wanting His Kingdom will, not our own earthly will -- is hard. But when we can do that, it releases the blessing flow from heaven. God is just waiting for us to let Him rush in to fill in the gaps in our lives, once we pass the test of putting Him first.
Signing off,
Derek (on behalf of RT2)
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