Timely message for us all. Hope you are blessed by my notes.
Jesus died on the cross between two common criminal. One thief
mocked him, the other recognized His innocence. “We deserve this, but you don’t.
When you come into your kingdom, remember me. Jesus replied “Today, you will
be with me in Paradise.”
What really happens in the Marriage happens in the middle of
it.
It’s in the middle of it all you find out what you are made
of. We do not get ruptured up to heaven once
when we receive salvation. The reason why we are still here, it’s because we are
to bring heaven down into our situation. Of course, God can save you in a
moment, in a twinkling of an eye. Jesus said” Today, you will be with me in
Paradise. “Marriage is not just Be married and stay married, it is a process?
God is in the process. He can move in a moment, you do experience the word of
God breaks your every chain, demonic bondage, weight to be lifted, life to be
changed forever. It is today... He can save u in a moment, you die and you go
into paradise. We deserve the cross, but we dun go to paradise the moment when
we receive salvation and say the Lord’s Prayer, we are still on earth.
It’s all about the fight of faith in the middle of our life,
the process. Sometimes u got saved, u dun feel u are safe or saved at all. When
u are dead u go immediately to heaven, but u are alive, u got saved, u still
need the saving every single day of your life. U still need saving. It’s a journey;
the miracle is in the middle of your life journey.
Jesus showed up in the middle of the two disciples, Cleopas
and his wife. Right in the middle of their conversation. They are not expecting
the presence of Christ. He shows up in the midst of their disillusion, disappointment,
heartache of all that have been happening. God will show up in the middle of it
all. They walked 7 miles. They got to their destination, but Jesus continues on
as if he were going further.
Luke 24:28
Many times, we feel as if god is leaving us. God appear as
if he is walking away from u. he is creating a desire within u. when u draw
yourself to him he will draw himself closer to u. he wants to create the faith
in you, from feeling him to having him
As if..., devil trying to tell u. god have walked away, abandon.
left u. tell the devil, boldly, holding on to this promise “ as if… he will
leave me. In the scripture he says, he will never leave me, nor forsake me, no
let go of me. He will finish what he has
started in me. He is in the middle of doing it.
When u asks Jesus to come in. be careful. He wants to take
over. God is not settling for a shout out, not in the foyer, he is coming into
your kitchen.
Luke 24:30
He walks into Cleopas house, sit down at the table, reach
out to take cleopas bread and start breaking it. When god comes into your life,
He is taking over. Today is the day of salvation; He wants to take over your
desire, your imagination, and your thoughts. Salvation is Total surrender. God is
in the middle of your life, not part of your life. Jesus sits down, takes the
bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it. When he takes over your life, he
bless your life, the same hands tat bless your life, must be trusted to break your
life too. When life tears u apart, Be sure that you are still saved in every
situation, you still have your salvation. God is with you in the middle of it
all.
I was saving. It happened. I will be saved; I will be with
him forever. But I need him to be with me in the middle, in this life journey. His
grace saves u once upon a time ago, u are not in the middle in between of His
grace. The grace will get to where you need to be, it is with you right now. They
sat down to eat with Jesus. While he was breaking the bread, He reveals his presence.
God is in the process. “Today u will be with me in paradise”. The thief is
trying to slip in when the heaven’s door is closing. It’s his desperate cry out
what Jesus is really saying” He says to each one of us, not today u will be
with me in paradise, but today I will be with you in the process, in the middle
of it all. Even better, not I have his statement, I have his spirit, sealed
with a guarantee, we have his Holy Spirit, and he is with me. We are not waiting
for god to get us out of here. Christianity is not god’s cosmic evacuation
plan. Christianity is all about the process. Peter knows about being in the
middle. He was in the middles of the stormy sea. Here comes Jesus walking
towards him. Peter thought it might be Jesus. In the middle of the storm, peter
cried out. If its u, call me. He was walking on water, above what could have
killed him. Waves on right n left caused him to lose focus. U are so focus to what
behind u and so concern, anxious of what in front, u are missing Him, His
presence, Him, God. He is the great I am, his presence is not for heaven, it is
at hand, it is in the middle of your life, your storm. Peter wrote to the persecuted
church,
1 pet 1:9
U are receiving the end result
One day it will be complete? U dun need to wait one day or
when.
Children show us how. Adult are so goal focus. Things have
to be in a certain way in order to enjoy god’s presence? When I complete I will
enjoy, but it is in the middle, His grace is always available. I am riding a
bike on rainy day, but my child ride through the big muddy pool. EPIC!! Mud puddle
is the perfect thing riding in the rain. He is gg thru it, life is not abt…its
here and the now. It’s in the mud, dirtiest, god is a gardener, he likes to get
down on the ground, put His hands in the
mud, to kneel down in the dirt, He wants to be right in your disappointment,
your mess, your agony. God is not gg ard that mud in your life; He is getting thru
it together with you.
You are moving forward, you are right where u need to be. In
order to grow into whom god wants u to be. You have the grace you need, especially
in the middle of change, process, storm, fire. Stay blessed, stay in the storm,
I am with u in the fire. You need the gaps to be grateful and gap that makes u
grow. The grace that brought u out of darkness is with you.
He begins the good work in u will be faithful to complete
it. It is not the final stop. It is just the middle. U can be sure he wouldn’t give
up in the middle. Good stuff happens in the middle. Your dream is not over, we know
the grave is not the end, the cross is not the end, and it’s just the middle of
the gospel. The goal is in the middle. I press toward the mark, forgetting what
is in the past. I will not quit, I’m just in the middle. This is not the end. It
is significant, when they reach the Emmaus. Jesus reveals the scars, his
presence. They turn ard. They got to the place they tot they were gg.
Luke 24:32
Our hearts are burning. In the middle.
You get it, you grow, and he shows up in the middle. In the
middle of the night, jus u n pastor pillow. No one wants to text u, u will hear
his voice. Whatever u is in the middle of, look at the cross. What they tot is
the end, they just want to be disappointed and eat bread n sleep. They realize
when Jesus was with them. It was a 7th mile miracle? Salvation is
just not to get u out, it’s to get u ard, stop running from what god save u out
for. Run towards what god save u for. Cleopas got up at once, in a moment, and
return to Jerusalem.
It’s a strongest message of salvation. Look at the cross
which he died. He died on the hill of skull. Between two thieves, the cross of
salvation is in the middle. The way he died is symbolic the way we live now, I am
crucified with Christ, it is not who I live now, it is Christ live in me now. Grace
of god is not in your death bed, not in your pass, he is the great I am. He is
in the middle cross, between the two thieves in the middle of your pass n
future. Dun worry abt your future. He is with you in your middle. He is here
right now, right here, with u in the middle of it all. He is with u in the
middle. It’s not abt god getting u out, he wants to get in to your life, tats
why he died for u on the cross... your faith is hanging between two thief. What
it was, what is in the future is unknown. Glory of god is in the middle. God didn’t
get them out of the fire. 7times the furnace is burnt hotter. He got in the
middle with them; he is the fourth person in the fire. When they refuse to bow.
The same grace that gets u out from darkness is the same grace that leads u
onto everything god is preparing u for. See his power not in your strength in
the middle. I want god’s presence in the process. He took it, blesses it, and
broke it. The miracle is in the middle. Not when u gets out, but when u are in
the middle of everything. In the pig pen. Same grace tat stayed with u in the
pig pen is still with u, this is just the middle. God is with u. in the middle
of that fiery furnace. The reason u are so drain n strain, it’s because u are
at the centre, not Jesus. Peace n power, presence of god needs to be in the middle,
not you. U can’t stay there if u wan
Jesus to be there.
Before you want to form any judgement, i urge you, please please please find out all the facts first. This is a 7 years case, not just happened today or yesterday. If you really really want to dig out more news, please read from alternative sources too. eg City News. I really find Straits Times article are BIAS!!!! 😠Im just being honest, if you read the news as a neutral person you know what i mean.
Anyway, you words can make or break a person, dun think its not powerful. whatever you say, or comment, it is another human being you are talking about, they have family and feelings also. Please be kind. 💓Imagine one day if you are in deep trouble, 💩and those who do not know you keep saying nasty things to you or kept judging you, dun tell me you dun feel anything hor. 😶you know karma rite?..what you do unto others, it will come bck to you one day ok.
Seriously ah, how come Straits Times article can be so bias. This is not the first time i find that they are trying to portray a GUILTY image of the accused in City Harvest Church. Come on lar, as a paper that widely read by everyone is Singapore, please do not be bias and just report the facts instead of trying to influencing opinions. trying to cook up more juicy news? whats the real intention? these are lives of others ler..can simply just report and publish? wah seh...cannot take it man. 😡
Mitigating Factors Straits Times never publish!! I refer back to City News, which report the other side of the story where by mainstream newspaper NEVER REPORT. not bias then wat? forget to report these important statements? whole team of SPH people working also can missed out ah?
"In the High Court’s oral judgment, Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin stated
that although this had been a case without direct precedence, and that
although the appellants acted in what they believed was the best
interest of the church, and that none of them benefitted financially
from their offences, their fault lay in their adopting the wrong means. *(I wonder how come others kept saying they steal $$, lie or cheat...please read the full facts hor before forming your opinion. )
The judges, in their written judgment, noted several mitigating factors on the part of the six appellants.
“In our view, the present case should not be viewed as a sinister and
malicious attempt on the appellants’ part to strip the church of funds
for their own purposes. We accept that the appellants resorted to deceit
and lies in order to keep the use of the BF for the Crossover
confidential and because they feared that questions would be asked. This
included inflating Sun Ho’s success, keeping the true nature of the
various transactions from the auditors, lawyers, the CHC Board and CHC’s
members and presenting a misleading picture to CHC’s members even after
the CAD had commenced its investigations. Such prevarication is
undoubtedly an aggravating factor and should not be condoned, especially
since most of the funds in question were from the BF, which were funds
donated to CHC by its members for a specific and restricted purpose.”
“But, at the same time, the appellants’ various non-disclosures take
on a different character when underscored by the overarching theme that
they were acting in what they genuinely believed to be in CHC’s interests. Whether this may in fact be so is a matter open for debate, but what is crucial is that this was their belief.
“Thus, despite the fact that a large amount of funds from CHC was
misappropriated, which would ordinarily have attracted a sentence at the
higher end of the sentencing spectrum, we would allow for a significant
discount given the exceptional mitigating factors in the present case.
“None of the appellants, particularly Eng Han, Ye Peng, John Lam,
Serina and Sharon, could be said to have gained anything from what they
did other than pursuing the objects of CHC.
*(They gain nothing ler..zero..understand? zero $$$!! it mean they never pocket any $$ lar! )
Indeed, it is not the
Prosecution’s case that any of the appellants could be said to have
benefitted financially from their offences. Their fault lies in adopting
the wrong means.”
article taken from CityNews
https://www.citynews.sg/2017/04/city-harvest-trial-sentences-reduced-conviction-upheld/
Friday was the verdict. SATURDAY IS Church service. OMGosh, this is so stretching for us as a church.
I was in church for the Past two days, I was asking Ben, how r we going to praise God this time? the pain of separation from our love ones is actually the worst kind of pain, Pastor Kong and the other 6 accused are going to serve the sentence in 2weeks time.For this verdict, I was really believing for Pastor and the rest to be acquitted. My faith is lifted to new level of believing for miracles in desperate times like this.
I attended prayer meeting this morning. (Sunday) Pastor Ming started prayer meeting sharing this:
Mary and Martha told Jesus, Lazarus their beloved brother already dead for 4 days, the flesh is rotting and there was a bad odor. In such grim situation, what more can really be done? All hope is lost, hearts are aching, head start to analyze logically, their souls cry out " God, what more can you really do?"
BUT, Jesus said to her (Martha),
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus wept. John 11:25-26, 35 NIV
Whatever situation you are in, JESUS do care about your feelings, He do care about your well being, your welfare. Do you believe that God cares deeply for what is happening in City Harvest Church? God do care your every heartache, your every tear drop, your every cry.
Especially on Saturday, the whole atmosphere was really sombre (at the beginning), we didn't sing praise songs, instead we worship. SATURDAY service was packed.
GREATER ARE YOU, OVER THE WORST OF TIME, UNDER YOUR LOVING RAIN IM RESTORED.
IT is well with my soul, let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name...
Every song we sing, it's the cry from our hearts. Hot tears flow endlessly, our hearts are aching. It's our deepest pain, our desperate cry. Really there is no answers, we can only trust in Him. Our LOVING God.
Pastor Kong address us
"We serve a God that knows the end from the beginning.
we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose Romans 8:28 New King James Version
I am very proud of every one of you. Many of you came to a new depth of spiritual maturity. God will bring healing and closure. City Harvest Church, be united in your spirit. Love God whole heartedly, love people fervently. "
When Pastor Kong was addressing us, I was really sad, the fact that he is our spiritual father, He have done his best for us as a spiritual family and now He is being taken away by force from us for such a long time. It is the pain of knowing your father is suffering but you can only watch and do nothing, it is really helpless.
The most cruel part of this whole ordeal is when heartless and insensitive people around cast judgment as if they know everything, kept taunting and mercilessly hurting our spiritual family for the past 7 years. Honestly, if any of you who doesn't belong to the church have nothing better to say, can just shut up? whatever you say only reflects who you really are as a person
As a normal human being, I am really angry and bitter when it hurts, but more than that, pastors in church shared, instead of reacting, respond in love. It's not an easy decision to forgive, but I choose to love, not with my own human strength, but it's truly by God's grace.
Many members wipe their tears quietly at their own seats, Ben and I just can't stop tearing. Two packets of tissue used. At least I know, I'm not overly emotional, I'm surrounded by family members that feel the same way as I do.
Dear Lord, I pray that you come to fill up every of our hearts as a church with your unfailing love. ANCHOR OUR soul deep inside your love forever and ever.
