Monday, March 8, 2010

Let us P U S H...

This well thought of and highly inspired call TO PRAY for our church was written by a TTG supporter. In line with what has just happened in Calvary Church i e, the removal of hundreds of names from the church membership roll, Calvary Today administrators are urging all our brothers and sisters in Christ to unite to pray for God's intervention and to bring His plan and purpose for Calvary Church to fulfillment.

Let us therefore, join our hearts together in prayer for Calvary Church and the hundreds of Calvarites removed from the church membership roll. We need our Almighty God's wisdom and intervention in the Calvary Saga. Let us Pray Until Something Happens (P U S H), starting today.

To read about the background to this call to Pray for Calvary Church, Kuala Lumpur, click here : PG Goes Berserk : Witch Hunt Part 2

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Dear Friends,


It is good that we encourage one another to pray and wait upon the Lord on pressing issues that we are facing right now.

This morning I was seeking the Lord and asking Him what would be relevant for us to pray about specifically for this time. I was led to read several passages from Habbakuk, Nahum and Ezekiel 34 and in so doing I am led to write to you on the following;-

1. Pray that we will stay close to God even when we face the toughest situation and opposition.
That we will draw strength and wisdom from His Word each day.

2. Pray for God's protection and covering upon all TTG supporters and families.

a) That we shall not be fearful but instead be courageous even in the midst of strong opposition, using His Word to guard our hearts and minds.

b) We will not allow the evil one to threaten or demoralise us, neither shall we yield to anger and resentment against our enemies and thus be embroiled in arguments or verbal attacks against anyone because it will cause bitterness in us.

c) We will submit to God's rule and reign in our hearts and pray for God's divine intervention in the situation.

d) We shall choose to respond and not react to the challenges at hand.


3. We shall ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance to take the right steps in the process. Proverbs 3:5-6.
Even though the way is unknown but God will lead us through the unknown because He holds us by His right hand.

a) We will ask God for His signs of goodness and favour upon us. Psalm 86:17.

b) We will not be anxious or worried but wait upon God worshipfully and trust Him unreservedly for God has an appointed time for everything.
Habbakuk 2:2-3, "But the revelation awaits an appointed time, it speaks of the end and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it; It will certainly come and will not delay."

c) Despite all the wrongs and injustice in our time, we will continue to praise and seek after God.


4. Keep our focus on God for He cares for us and He will bring deliverance for He will judge the peoples. Our God is a righteous and avenging God. Nahum 1:2-7,  "The Lord is a jealous and avenging God, the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath against His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished..." v7. "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."

5. We claim His promise that we being His sheep are very dear to Him and He will judge the shepherds for having failed to care for His sheep but instead have harmed them and deliberately abused their powers and scattered His sheep... Ezekiel 34:7-10 God will remove the ungodly shepherds from tending the flock and will hold them accountable for his flock. Again we shall look to God for His hand of deliverance for the sheep.

6. What next...? be open to the Lord's revelation to us that God will provide us a new shepherd and new beginning for us to serve Him in greater measure and boldness! Pray for a willing heart and open mind so He can pour out His vision and anointing to us. Maybe it can be a sign of God's goodness to us... it is all about God's timing and His plans for us. Pray that our hearts are always right and pure before Him.

As we seek God's face in this whole episode we shall not be troubled but instead rest upon His promises and strength for all of us. His peace shall be upon us all. Phil 4:6-7

May God Bless us all.

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This devotional reading was sent to us today (9 March 2010) and it is a timely reminder for us in this time of crisis in our church.

David Wilkerson Today
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2010

JESUS AND STORMS

Jesus ordered his disciples into a boat that was headed for a collision. The Bible says he “constrained [them] to get into a ship…” that was headed for troubled waters where it would be tossed about like a bobbing cork. The disciples would be thrust into a mini-Titanic experience—and Jesus knew it all the time.

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away” (Matthew 14:22).

Where was Jesus? He was up in the mountains overlooking that sea. He was there praying for them not to fail the test he knew they must go through. The boat trip, the storm, the tossing waves, the winds were all a part of a trial the Father had planned. They were about to learn the greatest lesson they would ever learn—how to recognize Jesus in the storm.

At this point, the disciples recognized him as the miracle worker, the Man who turned loaves and fishes into miracle food. They recognized him as the friends of sinners, the One who brought salvation to every kind of humanity. They knew him as the supplier of all their needs, even paying their taxes with money from a fish’s mouth.

They recognized Jesus as “the Christ, the very Son of God.” They knew he had the words of eternal life. They knew he had power over all the works of the devil. They knew him as a teacher, teaching them how to pray, to forgive, to bind and to loose. But they had never learned to recognize Jesus in the storm.

This is the root of much of our trouble today. We trust Jesus for miracles and healing. We believe him for our salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. We look to him as the supplier of all our needs and we trust him to bring us into glory one day. But when a sudden storm falls upon us and it seems like everything is falling apart, we find it difficult to see Jesus anywhere near.

We can’t believe he allows storms to teach us how to trust. We are never quite sure he is nearby when things get really rough.

There was only one lesson for the disciples to learn in this storm—only one!

A simple lesson—not some deep, mystical, earth-shattering one. Jesus simply wanted to be trusted as their Lord in every storm of life. He simply wanted the disciples to maintain their cheer and confidence even in the blackest hours of trial. That’s all!

Read this devotion online: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/7814

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I am a follower of Christ having first come to know my Saviour while living in Malaysia and now serving Him in Melbourne and take a special interest in the Malaysian church. What struck me in all the toings and froings is the absence of practical forgiveness. At a time when the church is under severe scrutiny from the muslim leaders of Malaysia the court proceedings must make the church a laughing stock. Can I urge all persons concerned to revisit 1 Corinthians 6:1-7.

Blessings,
Zyx Owen
Melbourne.

Anonymous said...

I attended an Independant Pentecostal church for 20 years.Initially it was such a blessing for me and my family and I would eagerly look foward to Sunday Church as that was the only time me,my wife and children were huddled together in church. We really loved the church teaching and atmosphere. But then lately the preaching changed.Suddenly it was all about $$$.One Sunday the preaching "give until it hurts" really disillusioned my whole family.I gave faithfully to the church and I am still driving the same car for 15 years.But the Pas. changed his car every 5 years. You see -I only saw Gods man up there but my teenage daughter and wife began to see something else.The final straw was on a Sunday- If you dont build Gods house - you are cursed! We are nobody's in the world- just country folk with humble jobs.Unable to meet the church demands of the Pas.we left but our family still yearned for the old days of anointed preaching. 2 years later I was stunned to hear that the Pastor was involved in a sex scandal with his own church secretary.When I heard that, I went into my room and sat down in a daze with a heavy heart. You see, my family really loved the man.It was under his ministry that we got saved.What happened? Still Weeping

Anonymous said...

Pastor Yonggi Cho, of world largest single site
pentecostsl church jailed for 3 years. latest news. refer also latest wikipedia entry on yonggi cho. sad bec it took so long to bring this con man to justice. his prosperity gospel and word of faith dovtrine had polluted churches atound the world. the church elders claim he stole 500 million usd from church...how it is possible that it has goes undetected gor so long! church decline because of its internal corruption. church grow when it is presecuted from outside. should be concern about corruption inside church..every day you read about abuse by churches leader in news..what about those cover up...which we do not hear.