multiplication

The story of five loaves and two fish
in the gospels
demonstrates to us that
God multiplies what we have,
not what we don't have.

2 days in the life of Jesus

I was listening to an online message by a local pastor who highlighted 2 days in the life of Jesus as depicted in the Gospel of Matthew from chapters 5 to 9.

Matthew 4:23 shows us the ministry of Jesus from the very beginning.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

He taught on the mountain as seen in Matthew 5 - 7.

And after he came down from the mountain, he touched and healed a leper who was among the crowds that followed him. (Matthew 8:1-4)

He entered Capernaum, and a centurion approached him to heal his servant who was paralysed and suffering terribly. Jesus admired the centurion for his great faith and healed the servant from afar, the very same hour the centurion approached him. (Matthew 8:5-13)

Jesus proceeded to Peter's house and found Peter's mother-in-law having fever. He touched her and the fever left, and she got up to serve them. (Matthew 8:14-15)

Evening brought many who were ill and demon-possessed and Jesus healed them all! (Matthew 8:16) This was in fulfillment of a prophecy about Jesus by the prophet Isaiah (Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4)

Jesus was so tired he fell asleep on the boat as they were crossing to the other side. He was oblivious to the wind and rain till woken up by the disciples. He then commanded the winds and waves to stop, and they did.

When Jesus reached the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men approached causing a violent ruckus. Jesus delivered them. However, the town, instead of being grateful for the healing of these two, was upset that their pigs had been driven over the cliff by the spirits and pleaded with Jesus to leave. (Matthew 8:28-34)

Jesus left and crossed the river to go to his hometown. There the first thing He did was to heal a paralytic, brought by friends. (Matthew 9:1-4) Many were amazed at his authority, but there were some religious leaders who were unhappy as Jesus did not adhere to religious principles.

He then called Matthew the tax collector and taught (Matthew 9:5-17).

In the midst of his teaching, a ruler approached him to resurrect his daughter who had died. (Matthew 9:18)

On His way to a ruler's house, a woman with the issue of blood quietly approached Him, believing that she would be healed the moment she touched his cloak. However Jesus knew that power had flowed out of Him, turned around and saw her. She was healed instantly. (Matthew 9:19-22)

On reaching the ruler's house, He put out the funeral party and raised the little girl to life. (Matthew 9:23-25)

Jesus left and encountered 2 blind men, who followed Him till He went indoors. He restored their sight 'according to their faith' (Matthew 9:27-30).

On His way out, a demon-possessed man was brought to Him. He healed him and the man began to speak. (Matthew 9:32-33)

Again, Jesus' ministry was re-iterated in Matthew 9:35, echoing Matthew 4:23.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

He had compassion on the multitudes, and saw the need for more labourers. I believe He talked to Abba Father about this.

The next steps he took has implications for the church today. Matthew 10 delineates clearly the instructions for his disciples, and also for the church of today to take.

Matthew 10:1
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Each believer has the authority to do this today. When we go forth to show God's love and glory to the people, this is what Jesus instructs us to do, found in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-20. Power is given to us through the Holy Spirit as promised in Acts 1:8, and initially demonstrated in Acts 2:1-4, and of course throughout the whole book of Acts.

Praise God for His compassion for people in need, and His grace and wisdom for the church to meet those needs.

Jesus spend 3 years of His life demonstrating the power and glory as well as the love and compassion of God in teaching, preaching and healing every sickness and disease. You should do no less!!

rest and peace (adapted from a devotional by PT)

Mark 4:35-38

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them just as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arise, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still.” And the wind ceased.

Look at the word care, or you can replace it with one big word you all know worry. “Don’t you care that we are perishing? Do you not worry at all? Are you not concerned for us?” Jesus stood up and said, “Why are you so fearful?”

You can never calm the storm that rages against you until you have that calm in your own life. Unless that peace is in your own heart you cannot release it through your spoken word.

The Prince of Peace says peace.

Unless you are at rest you cannot bring others into rest.

Unless you are at peace you cannot bring others to peace.

Have you seen some one who is frustrated and tense trying to calm another guy? They will add to the problem.

Have you seen some one who is fearful trying to tell some one not to be fearful? You can’t give what you don’t have. Unless peace is in your heart you cannot release it out. Jesus was sleeping on a pillow. He was at rest. And He releases rest.

If you have a storm raging on your inside, how can you calm the storm raging on the outside? And yet so many Christians have storms raging on their inside. Outside they put on a plastic mask. But inside there are lightning bolts, thunder storms and all kinds of turmoil going on.

Hebrews 4:9-10

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from His.

We can rest and be at peace.

We can learn from Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

prayer school series 2010 - part 4 (praying for missionaries)

Let their way NOT be hidden! Let them NOT say they’re passed over by our God!

* Away from their families, away from friends & church, they may cry out, “Is there anyone who cares for me? Who knows my difficulties?

Isaiah 40:27-31 "Why do you say, O Jacob, .. “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God?..."

* We believe the Holy Spirit will speak to them; their families & church will start writing to them, saying “No, your way is not hidden, it has not been passed over by the Lord.”

* As we connect to The Source, as we pray, a supply of the Spirit will go out to them according to Philippians 1:19

prayer school series 2010 - part 3 (what God put in my heart)

“What you Begin, In the Spirit, You CONTINUE In the Spirit.”

The Lord calls you and shows you steps along the way. However when He has not shown you the steps ahead, you need to seek Him, pray and spend time with the Lord.

* Don’t continue in the “mind” nor in “self-efforts”. God showed you up to “that point”. Don't go beyond what the Lord has shown you; wait until He shows you the next step.

* Many of you start well in the spirit. Don’t stop halfway or whenever you face difficulties or encounter obstacles. No! you see it to the end! "He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion"

Colossians 2:6-9 “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him, rooted & built up in Him, & established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with Thanksgiving.”

* You can discern whether something is of Godly (or human) wisdom by being rooted & established In Him and In the Word of God.

* Those who continue in the spirit are the ones who will go a long way.

Galatians 5:16-25 “.. Walk in the Spirit, & you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, & the Spirit against the flesh; & these are Contrary to one another..”

* These are opposing forces. When you hear from the Spirit, it will Not be from the works of the flesh; it will bear fruit of the Spirit.

* Don’t slip into doing things from the flesh as it will sabotage the process. When you realise you’re going that way, come back to and choose to continue in the Spirit. There’s such a thing as a “U-turn”. Many many, second chances!

* It is a Supernatural journey we are on. Whatever good work He has begun in you, He will complete it as you remain in Him. We will end so well in the Spirit!

prayer school series 2010 - part 2 (molten lava - updated)

I was praying with friends when this phrase came up in my spirit: Molten Lava.

His power, His love, His compassion and His anointing flow like molten lava, liquid fire, burning and yet healing.

I then saw in my spirit red hot lava moving over the earth, slowly and surely.

I found out on wiki about the formation of lava:

"Lava is molten ROCK expelled by a volcano during an eruption. A lava flow is a moving outpouring of lava, which is created during a non-explosive effusive eruption. When it has stopped moving, lava SOLIDIFIES to form igneous ROCK.

Lava flows to the low places, covering all cracks, causing all that it touches to be fertile soil, bringing forth good fruit.

New formations are created with the volcanic eruptions - new lives, new ministries, even new life to that which is dead or dying.

Nothing can stop this flow from the Lord. It burns all that is oppression and darkness, bringing light and freedom.

quotable quote 6

The closer we stay with the Word of God,
the more correct we will be in whatever we do.

no testimony without a test (from an online devotional)

"I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony." - John 3:11

When is the last time God did something in your work life that can only be explained as God? Was it yesterday? Was it just last week? A month ago? A year ago? The answer to this question may mean several things. If it has been some time since you saw God's activity in such a way that you know it was His hand, you may not be trusting to a level that requires faith. You may not be risking enough for God to show Himself. The converts in the early Church changed the world they lived in because of what they saw and heard. It was the power of the gospel that changed lives, not what they learned from mere teaching. This power drew people to Christ. Things happened that could not be explained as anything other than the activity of God. Is that the kind of faith you are experiencing in your life? Many of us live a wholesome, moral life, but those we associate with do not see this activity as anything that cannot also be achieved by themselves. That is why many are not drawn to our lives. God's power is not evident. The Lord has been challenging me to trust Him at levels I have never trusted before. This level of trust has placed me in a vulnerable position. However, the blessing of this relationship is that I see the activity of God as never before, and those close to me see it as well. It builds their faith and draws others to investigate.

Sometimes the activity of God comes in unusual ways. God often sets up scenes that appear to be negative on the front end, but God has orchestrated these events for His glory.

-Without Pharaoh's pursuit of Israel at the Red Sea, there is no miraculous deliverance.

-Without Lazarus's death, there is no rising to life.

-Without Goliath, there is no underdog story.

-Without Peter stepping out of the boat, there is no miracle on the water.

-Without Judas' betrayal, there is no resurrection. type

God wants to show Himself in ways you and I cannot imagine. Let God demonstrate His power in your workplace today. Then, you will see "all men drawn unto Me."

Joel 3:10a (from an online devotional)

"Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears." - Joel 3:10a

In this third chapter of Joel, we hear the prophet describe a time yet to come. It will be a time of great harvest on the earth, and this verse describes the catalyst. A plowshare is an agricultural instrument used to till the soil. At this point in history, it was a tool that spoke of one's vocation. However, the prophet was speaking of a time yet to come. The prophet described the plowshare as an instrument that will be turned into a sword. The sword is often used in the Bible to describe God's Word. The only way a plowshare can be turned into a sword is for it to go through extreme heat, and then the blacksmith must beat that plowshare into shape. Heat and punishment of the metal turns that plowshare into an instrument of battle. God must do this in each of our lives in order for us to be useable as a worthy sword. We are all in a battle - a spiritual battle. Paul describes our battle as one against the principalities of the unseen world. I believe God is going to raise up many in the workplace to use their plowshare as a weapon of righteousness in these last days. That weapon won't be used for destruction, but as a weapon of love. That weapon of love will yield a great harvest in our lifetime. But this is only part of the story.

God is also going to turn our pruning hooks into spears. A pruning hook is used in two ways. First, it is used to prune a tree for greater growth and productivity. It is also used to cut the fruit from taller trees in which one cannot reach the fruit. This fruit from our vocation is going to be cast forth like a spear, but even more as seed planted to bring the harvest of which Joel speaks. Fruit from our work life is often the financial rewards generated. God wants to use our finances and everything else for His purposes. We must use our vocations and the fruit that comes from them as seed to bring the great harvest that God is planning.

How are you using your plowshare and your pruning hook for God's glory today? Ask God to show you how He wants to use your skills, resources, and relationships to prepare for the great harvest He has planned.

trip report (part 3 of 3 - the people of God)

We enjoyed precious conversations with the students during breaks and meals, and understood their backgrounds, culture and desires in a deeper way.

We spent time with some alumni who are now taking on leadership and teaching roles in the school, marvelling at the way they have matured spiritually and in terms of leadership qualities, in just 10 months.

We also had an opportunity to fellowship with a veteran of the faith, having served 20 years in the ministry. He spoke of sacrifice, tough times and God's grace and goodness, provision and protection, and shared his vision of seeing communities in the villages transformed by the Word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on this trip, in spite of the unexpected cold (as low as 5 degrees celsius) which penetrated through the layers of clothes and even into our bones. The passion, purpose and persevering spirit of the people we met warmed us up from the inside, and we rejoiced, amazed at the hand of the Lord upon His people all over the world.