Pastor Daniel Chua

1. We had one of the best prayer times ever at The City. Am encouraged that we had about 30 people at the pre-service prayer.The presence of God was strong and intercessions were spontaneous. Still wish that more Y-Zoners will join us.

2. The service looked unusually full. We had our highest attendance on a regular Sunday.

3. Preached on God is Holy. It is a subject that I handled with much fear and trembling. God must be clearly presented. Because He is holy we are to live radically different from the world. My proposition was – Christians don’t make a difference by being the same. They make a difference in this world by being different from the world.

4. Had dinner with Rev James Singh and Florin Dorobant, a friend from Romania. Still dreaming about a church planting alliance that crosses continental boundaries.

5. Praying about the next series.. should I attempt to do a book study or go with themes? Need wisdom and a clear leading of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel Chua Uncategorized

1. Met the youth leaders and the worship team after pre-service prayer. If we want prayer to be a priority, we will have to model it. We want to fill the church with praying Christians, creating a conducive environment for the Holy Spirit to move!
2. The ushers got to dispose the cordial, coffee and tea because the water used wasn’t clean. We had to use the bottled water instead. It is costlier but that reinforced our value on hospitality.
3. Felt that God wanted to give us the Kingdom, which is righteousness, peace or shalom, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Shalom is not just an absence of problem but it means a overall well-being of the believer – spirit, soul and body. Believe that miracles were happening as we prayed!
4. Enjoyed speaking on the Omniscience of God. Established 3 simple truths – that God’s knowledge is limitless, that He doesn’t have to learn and His knowledge is complete. God knows our SHAPE, our SECRETs, our STRUGGLES and our SERVICE!
5.As usual, loved the fellowship. Spoke to Nigel, a first time guest, who has the vision to write books for children. I am inspired. God has truly placed different gifts in His people. I am thankful that we have guests every week and encouraged to know that they really liked our gatherings!
6. Hosted dinner at my place. Good time getting to know Eugene, Edwina, Derrick and Sophia better. New friends that I am growing to love more and more!
7. Now, just finished teaching the kids. Can’t imagine that they are in primary school. Great kids. Make them more like You, Jesus!

Daniel Chua Uncategorized daniel chua, Sunday Night Reflections, the City Church

1. Pre service prayer was amazing. Sensed an expansion coming. Claimed Isaiah 54.

2. Started a new series at The City this morning entitled FACETS. Over the next few weeks we will study the attributes that are unique to God. Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 as knowing God. Paul had an insatiable hunger to know God. It is the greatest pursuit of every passionate Christ follower. Today we looked at the Omnipresence of God – the fact that God is present everywhere. That has 4 main implications: we are no alone, we do not have to fear, we should live with a new sense of accountability and we do not have to ‘find’ God. Never enjoyed preaching more.

3. Thank God for the 2 commitments to Christ – pray that they will grow from strength to strength and be planted in the house of God.

4. Encouraged by the growing sense of community. Loved the fellowship after service. ‘The City is not a service I attend but a community that I belong to.’ It’s my prayer that this will become a reality for everyone.

5.Heard that another couple is expecting a child. This is one of the things that the Lord promised me.. That we will experience supernatural fruitfulness.

6. Went to City Square Mall for the first time. It’s located in Little India. In spite of a good tenant mix, the traffic was quite sparse. We celebrated Norhaya, Chee Yuen and Melissa’s birthdays.

7. Andrew wrote a new song. Sounds great! I’m glad that he’s composing again.

Daniel Chua Uncategorized daniel chua, Sunday Night Reflections, the City Church

VISION SUNDAY 2010

Community

- The City is a community. We are not just a teaching center or a service to attend.
- We have been very intentional in building a sense of community since June 2009.
- I have emphasized to the leaders that we prioritized God before goals, people before projects and relationships before tasks.
- Community is a natural expression of our new life in Christ.
- Acts 2:44-47
- Eating together is one of the most common ways to building community.

o Stay back for coffee and cookies.
o Invite one another for lunch.
o Share a meal with another on a weekday.
o Be part of a cell.

- The Church is first and foremost a loving and caring family amongst whom the lonely and the broken find refuge, new hope and belonging.
- The fact is belonging precedes becoming.

I’ll like to present a vision statement that is still work in progress. We must understand that vision is progressive. It is dynamic and not statics. It evolves and expands. However vision sets the direction for our lives.

The City is becoming a God-loving, Spirit-empowered community that nourishes the whole family to live like Jesus IN the world, bringing social healing and cultural transformation through word and deed.

A God-loving Community

- The essence of our spirituality lies in our relationship with God.
- Jesus summed up the Old Testament in the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40)
- ‘ALL’ means ‘whatever it takes’, ‘whole, total and not withholding’, ‘completely taken up with, given to, and absorbed by’

o Loving God passionately (heart)
o Loving God personally (soul)
o Loving God purposefully (mind)
o Loving God practically (strength)

- My wife and I had the privilege of sharing a meal with Bob Sorge when we were pioneering the youth ministry in Cornerstone.
- Bob’s life has inspired me in many ways. I turned over to him and asked if he has any advice for a young pastor leading a youth ministry. He said ‘raise up lovers of God’
- That statement became a driving force in our lives for many years: the vision was to ‘Transform indifferent teenagers into passionate lovers of God.’
- Now that we have the honor of leading a church, that is still the passion!

I want to introduce a thought here: that is, we can’t love God unless we know God.

o Temporary infatuation is ‘loving God without knowing God.’
o Many of us admire God from afar. Some of us are flirting with God.
o True intimacy is ‘loving God through knowing God.’
o The more we know Him the more we love Him!

The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32

- That is our verse for 2010!
- We will be emphasizing on our personal time with God.

o Bible Reading.
o Bible Reading Plan: www.thecity.sg, iGoogle, YouVerson (iPhone App)
o Devotional Materials such as EDWJ, books that like Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, Experience God through Prayer by Madam Guyon or Enjoying Your Walk with God by Steve Douglass from Campus Crusade for Christ cultivate our hunger for God.

- Sermon Series: Facets – A Study on the Attributes of God
- Small Group Series: Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby

None of you can be strong in God unless you are diligently and constantly hearkening to what God has to say to you through His Word. Smith Wigglesworth

Demolition: The 1st step in spiritual awakening

- Anytime people get hungry to truly know the Lord, the Holy Spirit quickly puts a shovel and broom into their hands.
- We must first tear down the junk in our lives

A Spirit-empowered Community

- No one among us, no matter how gifted you are, can save a soul or heal a sick man.
- Luke 4:1,14, 16-18

o Jesus was filled with the Spirit
o Jesus was led by the Spirit
o Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit
o Jesus was anointed with the Spirit

- Acts 10:38
- Acts 1:4,8

o Instructions to the disciples: Wait until… You shall receive power!
o Remember Peter? Couldn’t keep watch in prayer for an hour, denied Jesus… Fearful to fearless, prayer-less to prayerful
o Remember Paul? He did not preach with wise and persuasive words but in demonstration of the Spirit’s power (1 Corinthians 2:4)
The key to Pentecostal POWER is Pentecostal PRAYER!

- The place of prayer is the place of power
- Acts 4:23-24a, 30-31

o What gains unbelievers’ attention and stirs the heart is seeing the gospel expressed in power.
o Correct doctrine alone isn’t enough
o The Gospel must be taught with the involvement of the Holy Spirit

- One of the earliest Christian books I read was Prayer the Key to Revival by Cho.

o It basically explained the reason behind the phenomenal growth of the church in Korea. It is prayer… All kinds of prayer: personal prayer, corporate prayer, prayer in the cell groups, prayer at the workplace, listening prayer etc.

There is no power like that of prevailing prayer, of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heartbroken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat of blood. Add to this list from the records of the church your personal observation and experience, and always there is the cost of passion unto blood. Such prayer prevails. It turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God. Samuel Chadwick

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

o When Jim Cymbala and his wife Carol took over Brooklyn Tabernacle in the 70s, the church was in bad shape.
o Spiritually, financially, emotionally – you name it – it was bad!
o After continued months of growing weary and tired … Jim found himself very sick – and took some time off to get better.
o It was in that short time that God clearly spoke to Jim & promised him that:

“If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach, I will supply all the money needed, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response.”

o As time passed, God has truly been at work in Brooklyn… the growth of the church and the Grammy award winning success of the choir was the overflow of God’s presence…
o When asked, Jim and Carol humbly respond that the formula is: prayer… that they wouldn’t be a new Testament church as stated in Acts 2 without prayer.

- Building ‘family altars’ once a week.
- Moving our prayer time on Sunday for more people to attend (8:30am)
- Furnace is our monthly church-wide prayer: 1st Friday
- Creating space for the Holy Spirit to move in our cells and services (gifts of the HS)
- Equipping our leaders and eventually the congregation to minister healing
- Home and hospital visitations
- Freedom and Wholeness Retreats
A Community that Nourishes the Whole Family

- I am absolutely convinced that when the family units are strong, the nation is strong.
- A nation is transformed when the families within the nation is transformed.

We are NOT a youth church. We are a Generations Church.

- We want to reach the young as well as the old.
- ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved.’ Acts 16:31
- The City will facilitate opportunities for our Chinese Speaking family members and friends to hear the Gospel and we will partner with Chinese speaking churches to receive them when they are saved.
- To the young: when the gospel changes our lives, and when we start honoring our parents, they will be drawn to Jesus!
- Reunion @ The City + Christmas Event
- We will have a Mandarin Service one day, trusting the Lord to raise a team for that.

THE NEXT GENERATION

- 2 Chronicles 34:1-3

o Josiah was 8 (while he was in KZONE) when he became king, chose the right path and followed the right role model.

• We want our children to understand their royalty, that they are a royal priesthood, a peculiar people.
• We want to help them choose the right role models.
• Luke 2:52 Zechariah 8:5

o Josiah was 16 (while he was in YZONE) when he began to seek the Lord.

• We want our youths to be God-chasers.
• A generation that will seek His face.

o Josiah was 22 (when he graduates to AZONE) when he started a reform and brought revival and transformation to Israel.

KZONE

- Curriculum: First Look and 252 (Parents involvement: Lynette to meet you in Feb)
- Moving to level 8 with a space for up to 100 children.
- Buying van to pick up un-churched children every Sunday.
- Partnering with Teck Ghee Youth Center: March, June and 1 October

YZONE

- Establishing 6 core values: Authentic friendships, Family relationships, Healthy habits, Christian Integrity, Feminine Modesty and Positive Music.
- Launching a weekly youth gathering on Saturday in April: it will provide an environment for them to experience God and discover their callings.
AZONE

- Marriages are under attacked:
- Understanding and functioning in our unique roles as husbands, wives and eventually fathers and mothers. Supporting and resourcing our adults to thrive in their roles.
- Regular Marriage Enrichment Groups. The first one: 30 January.
- Possible Retreat in November

A Community that lives like Jesus IN the world

Acts 4:13 ‘These men had been with Jesus’

We do not have to look cool to win the world but we must look like Jesus.

- We must become Jesus with skin on in our world: tangible expressions of Jesus Christ.
- We are called to Imitate Christ: He must increase.
- We are to grow into the stature of fullness of Christ.
- We are predestined to be conformed to Christ.
- As leaders, we have a call to present every man perfect in Christ.

A Community that Brings Social Healing and Cultural Transformation through Word and Deed

God’s people have been called to live in and love the city.

- Jeremiah 29:5-7
- When Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, he brought thousands of Jewish exiles to live in the pagan mega-city of Babylon.
- At first the exiles refused to move into the wicked city, settling outside in their own enclave, but God spoke to them through Jeremiah and gave them a startling mandate.

o First, he spoke to them of their actions toward the city. He told them to move in, settle down, raise their families there, and invest in the economy of the city (vv. 5-6).
o Second, he spoke to them of their attitude toward the city. He said, “Seek the shalom of the city.” (v.7)
o The word ‘shalom’ meant full flourishing-economically, culturally, spiritually.
o And most amazing of all, God said, “Pray to the Lord for it, for if it prospers, you prosper.” (v. 7)

- In short, God called his people to live in the unbelieving city and love it.
- They were to work for its health and prosperity even as they kept their own distinctive beliefs and practices.
- They were not to assimilate and lose their identity as followers of God’s word and law.
- But they were to use the resources of their faith to love their neighbor and love the city in which they lived.

We must be a community radically committed to the good of the city as a whole.

WORD (Ezra):
- Ezra recovered the Word for the people.
- Preaching, teaching and evangelizing in a way contextualized to the concerns and capacities of the people of the city.
DEED (Nehemiah):
- Nehemiah made the city safe and functional.
- Mercy and Justice! Holistic ministry.
- Safe streets, good jobs, decent housing, good schools.
Historian Rodney Stark says early Christianity spread so rapidly because the love and service of Christians amidst urban problems was so striking.

“To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as real hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachment. To cities filled with widows and orphans, Christianity offered a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity…I am not saying the misery of the ancient world caused the advent of Christianity…people had been enduring for centuries without the aid of Christian theology or social structures. I am arguing that once Christianity did appear, its superior capacity for meeting human problems soon became evident and played a major role in its ultimate triumph…for what Christianity brought was not simply an urban movement, but a new culture.

- Serve! Community Services: regardless of race, language or religion
- Adopting communities and seek to understand and serve the people in practical ways.
- Seeds of Love Projects
- Missions

How Can You Be A Part of the Vision?

1. Pray – the least you can do for us
2. Contribute – we need feedback and ideas
3. Give – the most practical way to help
4. Involve – be a part of the action

Daniel Chua Uncategorized

It has been a great start to a new year!

1. We hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner for our extended family. It has been a longtime since we really interacted with our cousins. Now I am the oldest and most of them were very young when I was growing up. But it was good fun playing Taboo together. Looking forward to Chinese New Year Reunion!

2. Joy and I went for the Watchnight Service at Cornerstone – our mother church. It was wonderful listening to Pastor Yang and spent the final moments of 2009 praying in the new decade. Cornerstone has been our spiritual family since 1995 and it will always be. It’s my prayer that The City will make the ‘parent church’ proud.

3. Slept in a little and woke up around 10am. Spent the early part of the day reading the Bible. I’ve decided to follow the McCheyne’s Reading Plan religiously this year. You can download it on www.thecity.sg.

4. Went to the public pool at Sengkang. Now, we didn’t really swim but it was still a fun time just getting wet with the children!

5. Went for Narmit and Eileen’s wedding dinner at Grand Shanghai. Had a pleasant time conversing with a new friend about technology and where it is going. Alvin Ng is senior management staff with CISCO systems. The plan to host a Church and Technology Conference is still in the pipeline. It seems like a possible reality now!

It’ll be a great year for the Church.. Isaiah 60:1

Daniel Chua Uncategorized

It’s been sometime since I update the blog! The last few months have been exciting for our family and the church:

1. The City Church were launched officially on 30 August and we saw 227 people turned up for service.

2. I was asked to be one of the team of 3 for Youth More Than Gold, a national initiative to serve our country and host the nations during the Youth Olympic Games in August 2010. We did a video promo for that which can be found on www.ymtg.sg.

3. We started a series on Proverbs at The City and the reviews have been encouraging!

4. I got to be a part of the Planetshakers Network meeting in Melbourne and that was amazing. I’m inspired just listening to what these movers and shakers are doing in their own nations.

5. We’re also in the midst of planning for Christmas and 2010. The City will be distributing 100 gift bags with daily necessities to 100 families in December.

6. At the home front, Megan is really growing up and she’s super cute. Her siblings loved her much. Joy and I have been enjoying family life a lot more!

Make sure you check out www.thecity.sg for our messages and sign up for the mailing list.

Daniel Chua Uncategorized family, News, the City Church, update

BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF FAITH
Mk 11:12-26

Common Sense Faith

The elementary fact is that faith is in-built. We are born believers.

- Try not believing in anything or anybody – your wife, husband, doctor, bank, boss, baker, or the hawkers.
- There are no guarantees, but we put our lives in the hands of surgeons and trust the bus drivers without thinking of faith. But that’s what it is.

Common Sense Faith is a kind of immune system filtering out fears that otherwise would paralyze all activity.

- When it fails we develop all kinds of phobias and compulsions.
- It is a nervous breakdown.
- Jesus said not to have phobia but faith (Luke 8:50).
- Stop using this faculty of faith and you would never get out of bed in the morning or step outside.

God Kind of Faith

Jesus and His disciples approached a fig tree to see if there were any figs but no figs hung on its branches.

- It was a fig tree without figs.
- And so in response to its barrenness, Jesus cursed the fig tree and said: “Let no man eat fruit from you ever again”

Now let me ask you a question: Why did Jesus do that?

- I mean did He not know that there were no figs on the tree before He even approached it?
- Of course! If He could see Nathaniel sit under the fig tree when Nathaniel was out of sight, surely He could see figs in the fig tree if it was within the sight!
- So Jesus knows there were no figs on the tree yet He proceeded to curse the tree.

I want you to understand that nothing that Jesus ever did was without a purpose.

- Every time Jesus did something, there was a divine motive.
- Every time Jesus said something, there was a purpose.
- I don’t think Jesus ever spoke frivolously.
- His words were spirit and life.
- So there had to be a reason why He cursed that fig tree.
- There was an object lesson that He wanted to teach His disciples.

What was Jesus trying to teach his disciples?

- Jesus went into the temple and out of the temple. He drove the merchandisers who were profaning the sanctuary with their commercialism and merchandizing!
- The following day as they were walking out of Jerusalem, along that same Bethany road, Peter saw the fig tree and he noticed that it was dead.
- It had dried up and withered from its roots.
- And Peter said:” Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered away (v21).
- And then Jesus spoke, not just to Peter alone but to all His disciples.

And here was the purpose of the lesson: Jesus said: “Have faith in God”.

- What Jesus actually said to them is: “Have the faith of God” or the “God kind of faith”.
- That is the actual word for word translation from the original.
- And then Jesus went on to tell them that if they had such faith
- Not only would a little fig tree dry up at the exercise of such faith
- But even mountains could be removed and be cast into the sea!

Have you ever felt that your faith has failed you?

- Our common sense faith is inadequate when we face the mountains of life
- Debt and bankruptcy, terminal illness and failed relationships.
- We need the God kind of faith
- Why mountains? Because if faith can remove a mountain, it can remove anything!

The disciples said to Jesus in Luke 17:5, “Increase our faith” and Christians have wanted that since – faith in bulk! But what was Jesus’ reply in Luke 17:6? Faith as small as a mustard seed!

- That must have puzzled the disciples.
- They wanted big faith but He spoke of the smallest thing they knew.
- By the way, He did not refer to the mustard seed because it was very small!
- He wanted to hammer home that faith is never a matter of size.
- SIZE is the wrong word. It is the KIND of faith that matters!

If we have the right kind of faith, just a little bit is more than enough!

The God Kind of Faith Sees the Unseen
Hebrews 11:1

Hope is the beginning of faith but faith is the assurance and the evidence of things unseen.

- People say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” No they won’t. They can’t.
- You can only believe or have faith in what you don’t see.
- What you see is fact and is not up for believing.
- Nobody believes two plus two equals four. They know so.
Not seeing is no reason for not believing

- Nobody sees radiation (sun tan) or gravity (bird poo) but we feel its effects
- Nobody sees God but millions find the effects in their lives.
- Even one prayer answered, one healing, one miracle, one deliverance from addiction is evidence of Him.
- But there isn’t just one – millions are healed, millions delivered, millions of prayers answered, millions have experiences that can only be attributed to Jesus Christ risen from the dead.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Faith Comes By Hearing

But faith isn’t just “believing” with nothing in mind.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17

- It is “believing UNTO something and FOR something.”
- The Word of God gives point, direction, and purpose.
- Without a word from the Lord, there can be no miracle.
- Without a word from the Lord, there can be no church.
- Because faith only comes when we hear the word of God.

Some people wrongly assumed that faith ignores the realities of life

o How can we rejoice and have the joy of the Lord when life is so hard and circumstances so horrible?
o Because God’s Word tells us to count it all joy in the midst of trials, we can do it.
o How can we expect healing when our bodies are in pain?
o Because the Bible says by His stripes we are healed, we can believe it.

Faith is not ostrich theology, sticking our head in the sands of spiritual fantasy and ignoring the facts of life.

God has given us ‘all things pertaining to life and godliness through His exceedingly great and precious promises’ 2 Peter 2:4.

We tackle problems with promises!

- Faith is not running from problems. No, faith recognizes problems, pressures and pains.
- Faith does not hide from reality.
- Rather faith addresses the reality of a problem with the higher reality of the Word!

We are those who directly face the realities of life in light of Scriptures.
HOW CAN WE BUILD A COMMUNITY OF FAITH

1. Childlike Innocence

Little children are the biggest believers.

- You throw them up and few ever screamed for fear of falling.
- Jesus Himself carried a child as an illustrated sermon. He said the child carried a passport to the Kingdom of God.
- I believe the childlike innocence is the ground for cultivating great faith in God.
- Innocence is a remarkable quality we tend to lose somewhere between childhood and adulthood. It is so easy for a child to believe.

Childlike traits that will generate a stronger faith:

a. Purity – which breeds a holy faith.

It is this uncontaminated purity of spirit that allows faith the environment in which to thrive.

b. Honesty – which produces a sincere faith.

A child is real and sincere. A person who is genuine and transparent will provide the richest soil for the seed of the Word of God to flourish. Hypocrisy and playacting kills the life of faith!

c. Simplicity – which creates a straightforward faith.

The Gospel message is simple and uncomplicated and is to be preached in a manner comprehensible to all, including the poor, the uneducated and the illiterate.

We must safeguard the sweet simplicity that is found in Jesus.

d. Expectation of Good – which releases positive faith.

Everything always works out in the mind of a child because Dad and Mum will somehow make it better. Similarly our heavenly Father make everything work together for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

This is divine optimism. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18 But some of us are way too negative and always expecting the worse.

e. Joyfulness – which grows a happy faith.

Children don’t spend a lot of time being sad. They rebound emotionally in no time. God wants His children to play more, enjoy His presence, and not get so overwhelmed by the cares and concerns of life. Most Christians are often too intense.
2. Radical Obedience

Believing is not just brain cells in motion. There should be a response.

- Do we do what we believe?
- If we believe in a seed, we plant it.
- A man who owns car but won’t risk driving it will get him nowhere.
- We may as well believe in Mickey Mouse as the Almighty if we don’t expect Him to do anything.
- Likewise if we believe in God’s Word we will do something!

There is an amazing correlation between the miraculous things God did in history and the unusual commands He gave those who obeyed Him:

- Over and over again He asked His servants to do ridiculous things in order to release His miraculous power
- The Old Testament is filled with unusual requests on God’s part as He involves His people in the miracles of the Old Covenant:

o Moses lifted his hands on the mountain so Joshua could win a battle in the valley.
o Elijah instructed the widow to borrow vessels and filled them with oil to receive her miraculous supply.
o Naaman was healed of leprosy by obeying the word of a prophet to go and dip in a dirty river seven times.
o Hosea married a prostitute to model God’s love for Israel.
o Ezekiel was commanded to walk naked for three years to make a statement to God’s people.

Jesus’ ministry was anything but predictable. Jesus modeled the unusual and asks of those who follow Him, the ridiculous.

- His first miracle, He commanded servants to fill water pots with water and serve it as wine.
- Later, He fed five thousand men with a little boy’s lunch only enough for himself.
- When confronted with a tax issue, He sent Peter to retrieve tax money from the mouth of the first fish he caught.

The major issue with God is obedience. Faith is being obedient when we don’t feel like it.

- Partial and Incomplete Obedience do not bring the blessing.
- Our life of faith starts at the cross – I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me, this life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me… Galatians 2:20
- To Y Zone – Let no one despised your youth but be an example in… FAITH! 1 Timothy 4:12

Daniel Chua Uncategorized

INTRODUCTION

Insurance policies / safety first – FSB, safety checks, regulations and procedures etc

- This Psalm shows us how to trust in God in dangerous circumstances.
- Not knowing where our safety comes from critically cripples the Christian life.
- How to know a safety and a security in God when nothing about the situation that we’re in is safe or secure.

THE PSALMIST HAS A TESTIMONY: ‘I HAVE FOUND THE SAFEST PLACE IN THE WORLD’

The first thing that we see in this passage is the TESTIMONY of the Psalmist.

He is not telling us something that he doesn’t know about. He has found a place of safety not because everything is going on right. In fact, there is danger on every side but he has learned the secret of God’s security in this insecure world. [Dramatized]

We are safe when we are at home with God.

In verse 1 the Psalmist is describing the sacred chamber called the holiest of holies.

- This is the secret place where God lives.
- As far as those ancient Israelites were concerned, they could sadly never go there
- Only the High priest went into this secret place once a year on the Day of Atonement.
- But now we have access into the very presence of God.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. Hebrews 10:19-20

The Psalmist says, he who dwells. It doesn’t say he that visits.

- Dwell in the Hebrew is the word for inhabit.
- It literally means to ‘make the secret place your home’.
- It describes the man who desires to be where God is;
- Where God becomes everything to them
- Where the desire is to feast in His presence, to enjoy His fellowship and to know Him intimately.
- This special intimacy brings with it special immunity.

Every child of God looks towards the Inner Sanctuary and the Mercy Seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence. Charles Spurgeon
We are safe when we know who our God is.

He piles up metaphors for security and names of God in order to drive this home.

- Notice how in the four names of God he presses you back into a realization
- A revelation that your safety doesn’t come from your circumstances
- It comes from who your God is!

a. HE IS MOST HIGH – EL ELYON

For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Psalm 97:9.

He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. Ephesians 1:20-21

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Philippians 2:9

- It stresses His sovereignty and supremacy.
- He is far above all powers and principalities.
- He is in a place beyond the reach of Satan and his demons
- Is there anything in this world higher than Him?

b. HE IS ALMIGHTY – EL SHADDAI

- The God who overpowers; the all powerful God; the many-breasted God indicating sufficiency and nourishment.
- He is omnipotent; all power resides in Him.
- Is there any danger that you can face that is greater than His power?

c. HE IS THE LORD – YAHWEH

- The name was held so sacred that it was never written or spoken
- Scholars are exactly sure how it should be pronounced.
- It means “I am that I am,” or “I am the one who is.”
- The compound names

d. HE IS GOD – ELOHIM

- In the beginning God. He is the Creator. Plural speaking of Trinity.
- But He is not just God He is MY God
- It is not enough just to say `the Lord is a refuge’. He must be my refuge!
- He’s no longer just the shepherd, He’s my shepherd.
- He’s no longer just the heavenly Father, He’s my heavenly Father.

Listen to the words that he uses in vv1-2: Secret place, shelter; shadow; shade; refuge; fortress.

a. Do you remember moments in your life when you have found shelter in some tangible danger and realize that God is your shelter in every danger?

b. Have you ever been out on a hot afternoon, longing to find a tree to be shadowed under? And you found it and got relief from the blazing rays of the sun. And the psalmist is saying God is your shadow.

c. Perhaps there had been times when you felt bullied by people or unfairly treated by situations and long for a hiding place. God is your refuge.

d. Maybe you’re here this morning thinking, ‘That’s what I need in my circumstance. With what I’m facing, I need a castle around me!’ And here the psalmist says God is your fortress.

There will be troubles and threats on every side

- Situations and circumstances that are unsafe and insecure
- But my home address is security! My home address is safety
- It’s because of who I know: the person of my God
- It’s because of where I live: I dwell with Him. I abide with Him

He refused to be silent.

- In verse 2 he said ‘I will say…’
- The Greek actually reads ‘DECLARE’ or ‘ANNOUNCE’.
- To publish… to broadcast!

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13

One of the most interesting things about this Psalm is that it’s the Psalm that Satan knew.

- He memorized it and no doubt he hated it, but he employed it in his devious way when he tempted Christ in the wilderness.
- You remember what he said to Jesus? ‘If You are the Son of God, throw yourself off the pinnacle of the temple, because You know what the Bible says: God will give His angels charge over you, and He will not allow your foot to be dashed against the rock.’
- And you know what Jesus says? “You will not test the Lord your God.”
- Get this: we don’t test God; we simply trust… Trust and obey!

So the psalmist is saying, ‘Before I tell you what I’m about to tell you in verses 3-13, I want you to know this: I’m not telling you about something that I haven’t experienced myself. I have experienced the safety and security of God in this unsafe and insecure world. I know that it’s real.’ [Dramatized]
WE HAVE A GUARANTEE: ‘YOU CAN BE SAFE AT ALL TIMES AND IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES’

Psalm 91 exposes a paralyzing fear—the fear of failing and falling under threats and oppositions. This fear keeps us from serving God and obeying His word.

- Abraham’s fear caused him to lie concerning the true identity of Sarah as his wife
- Moses was afraid to go to Egypt and lead Israel out of captivity
- The Israelites feared the “giants” in Canaan and did not possess the land God promised

God’s protection was intended to put away unhealthy fears.

Fear not because God’s protection is foolproof.

The dangers are likened to a fowler’s snare and a perilous pestilence.

- Fowler’s Snare: In days gone by, bird trapping was quite an art. There weren’t guns and you had to set traps for birds. The fowler’s snare is not seen until it is too late… an element of surprise.

- Perilous Pestilences: It literally means plagues of mischief. It is translated deadly in some Bible versions. It is fatal.

But whether the danger is invisible or seems incurable, God’s protection is comprehensive.

Fear not because God’s protection is tender and tough.

God’s keeping power is portrayed by the use of 2 images: a mother bird and metal armor

- The mother bird safely tucks her young under her wings. There they are secure. Here is the tenderness of God’s care and concern. But there is also toughness as is seen in the imagery of the metal armor.

From the perspective of the protected, God is warm and tender; from the vantage point of the attacker, God is as strong as steel.

Fear not because God’s protection is round-the-clock.

Verses 5 and 6 refer to night and day, the darkness of night and the light of day.

- The God of Israel neither sleeps nor slumbers.
- He watches over us even in our sleep.

There is no danger, whether seen or unseen, anticipated or unexpected, which can catch God unaware and unable to protect us.

Fear not because God’s protection singles us out.

Verse 7 says even when men are “falling about us like flies” around us God is able to keep us.

- In Exodus when God poured out ten plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians…
- In every case, the Egyptians suffered, but not the Israelites who trusted in God.

But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”… So the Lord did this thing on the morrow, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died Exodus 9:4-6

- Hail destroyed the crops, the cattle, and the servants of the unbelieving Egyptians, but the Israelites were not harmed (Exod. 9:18-26).
- The first-born of the unbelieving were all killed by the death angel, but those who believed God, applying the blood of a lamb to the doorposts and the lintel of their house, were not touched (Exod. 12).

And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes. Jude 24–25 (Message)

The protection of those who abide under the shadow of the Almighty should wipe away all unwarranted fear:

- With God as our shield, we need not dread human or demonic opposition.
- With God as our refuge, we should not fear and we cannot fall.

Notice the word SURELY

SURELY He will save you…
SURELY He will cover you…
SURELY you will not fear…
SURELY you will not fall…
SURELY you will see the punishment of the wicked…
SURELY He will command His angels to lift you up…
SURELY you will overcome Satan!

GOD HAS A PROMISE: ‘WE ARE NOT SAFE BECAUSE WE HOPE SO BUT BECAUSE GOD SAYS SO’

Our safety is only as certain as the guarantee of the God who promises it.

- Just as a buyer is assured by a written guarantee from the manufacturer
- So we are assured by God’s personal promise to protect us in verses 14-16

But the promise is not for everybody.

God is speaking to us about the requirements for those who would know this kind of safety and security in every unsafe and insecure circumstance of life.

- What is the requirement?
- How is the price?
- How much will it cost us?

It is love… a love set upon God which is the distinguishing mark of those whom the Lord secures from troubles.

- It is to love Him with ALL our heart: PASSIONATELY
- It is to love Him with ALL our soul: PERSONALLY
- It is to love Him with ALL our mind: PURPOSEFULLY
- It is to love Him with ALL our strength: PRACTICALLY

Can we even consider loving God a sacrifice? The Bible says those of us who have been forgiven much love much!

God promises 7 ‘I will’

1. I will deliver him
2. I will set him on high
3. I will answer him
4. I will be with him in trouble
5. I will honor him
6. I will satisfy him with long life
7. I will show him My Salvation

God promises not only His protection from disaster but also His presence in danger.

- The three young Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, were not alone in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Dan. 3:25), nor was Daniel alone in the lion’s den (Dan. 6:22).
- Jesus appeared to Paul during the night as he was imprisoned, threatened by an angry mob (Acts 23:11).

Daniel Chua Uncategorized Christianity, Cornerstone, daniel chua, faith, Protection, sermon, the City Church

LUKE 5:12 – 16

Introduction

In the last days there will be pestilences. We cannot live in fear. Instead we need to grow in faith so we can face the coming challenges!

Background

Luke uses a medical term noting that the man did not just have leprosy. But that he was full of leprosy. His entire body was affected. He was not only untouchable but he was incurable as well. Nothing could be done for him.

1. SEE

If You Want Healing, You Need to See Jesus

‘When he saw Jesus’

He had to look away from his condition, his decaying flesh and open sores, and look away from all of the past failures and unanswered prayers.

Receiving from God has everything to do with where we put our eyes. We must see Jesus.

Isaiah 53 is called the Great Redemptive Chapter of the Old Testament. Seven hundred years before the crucifixion of Christ, Isaiah, through the Holy Spirit, saw the crucifixion and the purpose for Christ’s sufferings. In the Hebrew language, the fourth verse reads, “Surely He has borne our sicknesses, and carried our pains …”

In v10 of Isaiah 53, the KJV reads, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; He has put him to GRIEF…”  The word grief comes from the Hebrew word for “sick.” In the Hebrew, this verse literally says, “He has made Him sick.”
Christians don’t have a problem believing Isaiah 53:6, “…the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” 

BUT many can’t believe the rest of the redemptive plan, which we saw in verse 4: “. . . he has borne our sicknesses, and carried our pains . . . .”

The purpose of Jesus bearing our sins was so we might be FREE FROM SPIRTUAL DEATH and ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD. The purpose of His bearing sickness and disease was so we might be FREE FROM INFIRMITIES.

Satan is the author of sickness.

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Acts 10:38

We must understand that Satan is the author of sickness, not God but he lies to people and makes them think that God has put sickness on them. Or he tries to make them think that God is using sickness to teach them something.

God is Jehovah Rapha – the God Who Heals

He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

- there were 9 incidents of healings in the Old Testament

Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy when He healed the sick in His earthly ministry

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Matthew 8:16–17

- There were 20 specific incidents of healing in the Gospels.

Peter was an eyewitness to what took place as described by Isaiah.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Peter was present when the Roman soldiers put those stripes on Jesus’ back and hung Him on the Cross at Golgotha’s hill.

Healing is one of the benefits of our redemption!

Jesus not only died and rose again for our sins, but He died and rose again for our sicknesses and diseases too. Healing belongs to us just as salvation belongs to us. Healing is part and parcel of our redemption!

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. PSALM 103:1–3

The Lord heals all of our diseases and not just our minor ailments. The word “all” means nothing left out.  In God’s plan of redemption, every sickness and disease has been dealt with!

There are just twelve short verses in that chapter, but in those twelve verses the phrase “He,” “Him,” or ‘His,” referring to Jesus, is used no less than 49 times.

The key to that great chapter of healing is to see Jesus. It talks about Him at least 49 times in twelve verses. The key to receiving God’s blessing, to receiving healing, is to put our eyes on Jesus.

You need to get your eyes off the preacher or the doctor. The doctor is just a vessel, and he will be the first one to acknowledge that doctors do not heal.

2. WORSHIP

Worship Prepares the Atmosphere for Healing

‘He fell with his face to the ground and begged him’

It is likely that there were a lot of people who went through what he had gone through but had taken a completely different posture: one of bitterness, anger and blaming God for their situation. God is not your problem. He is your answer.

Make a worship decision

Job made a worship decision

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:20-21

Jesus made a worship decision

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:10-11

- ‘Attended’ or ‘ministered’ in Greek means to take care of the poor, the sick and the necessities of life.

3. BELIEVE

You Have to Believe that God Is Willing and Able to Heal You.

“Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean’

There are two things that are the basis of faith.

Just knowing that God is able is not sufficient basis for faith. You have to believe that God is able and that He is willing.

Jesus had to fix the leper’s theology first.  As soon as Jesus had spoken, the power flowed into his body.

4. SHOW

Your Healing Can Be Confirmed

‘And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”’

Go show yourself to the priest and let it be documented. Any healing that Jesus performs will stand up to medical scrutiny.

The offering for the cleansing is found in Leviticus 14. When we are covered in His blood, we can be completely healed, and we get to go free.

5. HEAR

People Came to Hear and Be Healed

Jesus said, “Do not tell anyone,” but look what happened.

‘However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.’

The people came together for two reasons:

They came together to hear and to be healed, not just to be healed. Everywhere He went, He taught, He preached, and then He healed.

When the word dawns upon our heart, faith is as unconscious as breathing.

Faith is a natural by-product of hearing the gospel. Faith begins where the will of God is known.

Healing promises are found throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Following are a few scriptures to build your faith where healing is concerned:

No harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent Psalm 91:10 (NIV)

Christ hath redeemed me from the curse of the law Galatians 3:13 (KJV)

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings Malachi 4:2 (NIV)

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 (KJV)

Daniel Chua Uncategorized healing, Sermon Notes, the city singapore

I’ve really been enjoying Eugene Peterson’s interpretations of some of my favorite Bible passages. One of them is 1 Peter 5:1-7:

1-3 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it’s like to be a leader, in on Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. Here’s my concern: that you care for God’s flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way.
4-5When God, who is the best shepherd of all, comes out in the open with his rule, he’ll see that you’ve done it right and commend you lavishly. And you who are younger must follow your leaders. But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for—

God has had it with the proud,
But takes delight in just plain people.

6-7So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

Here are 7 thoughts for all those serving as leaders or are aspiring to be leaders:

1. There will be ups and downs in leadership – we will share in Christ’s sufferings as well as the coming glory. So persevere through the hard times and also enjoy the good ones!

2. The Christian leader’s job description is CARE – how much do we look out for others? We care when we encourage with words and deed, we care when we remember them in prayer, we care when we take responsibility for their struggle, we care when we rebuke in love…

3. Our motivation matters – we lead not because we have to but that we want to please God. We don’t lead to impress men. Our ultimate goal is the pleasure of God.

4. Christian leaders must not be calculative – leaders must be selfless. It’s not what we can get out of serving. There may be surprises and we will have to act spontaneously when the need arises.

5. Christian leaders must not be bossy – we have no business in making unreasonable demands on others but instead ‘tenderly showing them the way’.

6. Christian leaders must be down to earth – be content in who we are, don’t put on airs, God is the One who promotes and rewards us.

7. Christian leaders live carefree before God – our lives are marked with joy. We should learn to celebrate our wins and cast our cares on God.

It’s a high call to lead God’s people. Let’s do it well and do it right!

Daniel Chua Uncategorized leaders, Leadership, message