Pastor Daniel Chua

I shared my first Father’s Day Message to the crowd at The City yesterday. We had an encouraging turn out and about 8 fathers in the service. Enjoyed telling stories about my kids and the mistakes I have made as a rookie-dad.

Here’s an excerpt of the message. Ask ourselves then: are we provoking our children? 

Ephesians 6:1 – 4

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (NASB)

Colossians 3:20 –21

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (NKJV)

In both passages Paul said “Children, obey your parents.”

This clearly teaches that mothers as well as fathers are to be obeyed. Mothers and fathers have a shared authority over the children. Children are to do what parents say.

But there is a peculiar role that the Scripture gives to husbands and fathers. The father is the spiritual leader in the family. We are called to reflect divine values to our children. We are the symbol and representative of God’s authority to our children.

“Do not provoke your children”

However Paul cautions the fathers against the misuse of their God-given authority. Paul calls this misuse “provoking” them. In both letters he commanded the fathers” “Do not provoke your children.”

Fathers might treat their children in such a way that “they become discouraged”. The word implies losing heart, being listless, spiritless, disinterested, moody and with a kind of blank resignation toward life.

Paul used a stronger word in Ephesians 6:4 – ANGER!

EMO Kids

These words aptly described a good number of teenagers. We are seeing a rise of the EMO kids:

- Stereotype for a kid (13-19) who has a lower tolerance for sad emotions
- Feels inadequate of their own personal worth (feels like they aren’t good enough).
- Many EMOS feel so depressed that they resort to cutting to themselves.
- It is known that EMOS have a kind of rule that 2/5 of their face must be covered by hair, although it is actually a subconscious feeling of wanting to cover up their sadness (eyes).
- “What is the point of my life?” and “I hate everything.”

So let’s ask, then, what do fathers do that provoke children to long-term discouragement and hopelessness?

There are at least 8 ways we may consciously or unconsciously provoke our children:

i. When we do not love their mothers.
ii. When we say one thing and do another.
iii. When we are always blaming and never praising.
iv. When we show favoritism in the home (Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and Joseph).
v. When we make promises and not keeping them.
vi. When we heap unrealistic expectations on them.
vii. When we compare them unreasonably to others.
viii. When we are consistent and unfair in discipline.

There are many instructors but very few true fathers. Let’s strive to become fathers that are like the Heavenly Father!

Daniel Chua Uncategorized fathers day, sermon

Obedience is a proof of Lordship. ‘Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord and do not do what I say’ (Matthew 7:21)… And it is an interesting thought that the goal of teaching is obedience! Matthew 28:19.

KINGDOM MANIFESTO

The Sermon on the Mount is sometimes thought of as Jesus’ “Kingdom Manifesto.” It expresses the spiritual implications of the rule of Jesus in our lives and shows us how we will live when Jesus is our Lord. God’s kingdom is countercultural and Christian spirituality is totally upside down!

We lose our life to find it. (Matthew 10:39)
Slavery leads to freedom. (Romans 6:18; 1 Corinthians 7:22)
The foolish are wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18; cf. 4:10)
The poor are rich. (James 2:5)
The weak are strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
We die to live. (2 Corinthians 4:10)
We give to receive. (Acts 20:35)
The first are last and the last are first. (Mark 9:35)
Turning the other cheek, going the second mile, giving the spare coat, washing feet, heap blessings on those who curse you, living without anger, laying down your life!

THE PATHWAY TO THE BLESSED LIFE IS PARADOXICAL!

The last word of the OT is the word ‘CURSED’ and Jesus began His sermon with an announcement of blessings. Jesus is saying here that living this paradoxical lifestyle is our pathway to a joy that is self contained – a truly blessed life.

HUMILITY
We can sum up the first three beatitudes in one word ‘Humility.’ And Humility is essential for our spiritual growth. There is no progress in the Christian life without humility. We just stagnate in God.

DOWN AND UP

1) Down

‘Down’ is not a good word in our fast-paced society. Words that are related to it are not the kind of words that we like to hear: Down and out; downfall; down-hill; down-hearted; downcast; down syndrome; downgrade; downtrodden, down payment; and worse of all, down under.

Down is a word that’s reserved for the weak; for the poor; for the unfortunate and losers.

2) Up

‘Up’ is a word we all loved. It is a word to be admired, to be pursued after. And words associated with it are words that people like hear: Upscale, up-market, upwardly mobile, upper class, up and coming, upbeat, upgrade, uptake, up town, etc. Why do you think they call the soft drink label 7- up; not 7- down?

You have to climb the corporate ladder. Up, as far as this world is concern is the direction of greatness. There is no other way. You ascend to fame, to money, to power, to comfort, and to pleasure.

TRUE GREATNESS

What does God have to say about greatness? Phil 2: 5- 8 Christ does not discourage the pursuit of greatness; he just radically realigns it. Paul’s message in Phil 2 is simply this: If you want to be truly great, then the direction you must go is down.  In other words, you must descend into greatness.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HUMILITY

James 4:10 Notice it says, “Humble your-self.” In other words, you do it!  God’s not going to do it for you. You are the one that needs to be humbled.

1 Peter 5:5

The word translated “clothe” in the NKJV is actually to put on precisely a certain type of apron. It was an apron that was only worn by slaves. Let it be apparent that you are a servant. Wear the clothing that marks you out as a servant.

Then the rest of verse 5 says: “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Pride is the desire for attention and praise from others. It means being at the center of the world and having everyone look to us, and acknowledge us as superior. It means raising a finger in the air and saying, “I’m number 1″ and “I’m the greatest.” God says repeatedly that he detests this pride. “I abhor the pride of Jacob” (Amos 6:8).

1 Peter 5:6

It is God who determines the time when you are lifted up, not you. Jesus didn’t raise Himself from the tomb. He waited for His Father to do it! One of the biggest tests in our life is to humble ourselves and wait for God to respond. And sometimes He takes longer than we think He should.

EXAMPLES OF THE HUMBLE IN THE BIBLE

1. Abraham and Lot (Gen 13:14-18)

Abram could never have seen his inheritance until he had made that decision. When you humble yourself, God will take care of the consequences!

2. Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-29)

Because Ahab humbled himself before the Almighty and this is a law that works all the time: God gives grace to the humble but He resists the proud all the time.

3. Naaman (2 Kings 5)

Naaman thought that he could come to God in a big way on riding on his chariot! But he learnt that the way to approach God is to humble yourself.

4. James and John – The Two Sons of Thunder (Matthew 20:20-28)

The 10 were greatly displeased because they all wanted the job. There was nobody amongst the 12 that had pure motives. Jesus explained how the kingdom operates.

THREE WAYS TO WEAKEN PRIDE AND CULTIVATE HUMILITY

The first three beatitudes show us three ways we can weaken pride and cultivate humility:

1. Begin the day acknowledging your complete dependence on God. The word translated “poor” in Matthew 5:3 speaks of “cowering like a beggar.” The poor in spirit recognize that they have no spiritual “assets.” They know they are spiritually bankrupt.
2. Remember the cross. Jesus used the strongest word for mourning. It is defined as the kind of grief that cannot be hidden. One of the great functions of the cross is to open the eyes of men and women to the horror of sin. And when we see sin in all its horror, we cannot do anything else but to experience intense sorrows for our sin.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride. Isaac Watts

3. Willingly accepts and submits to the will of God without resistance.  Meek is a regular word for an animal which has been domesticated. It is the word for an animal which has learned to accept control. The strongest man to ever walk the earth said ‘Not My will but Your Will be done’. That means betrayal, pain and separation from His father, shame, humiliation and ultimately death. Yet He opened not His mouth like a lamb led to the slaughter.

PROMISES FOR THE HUMBLE

God Will Not Despise the Worship of the Humble. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken spirit and a contrite heart, o God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

God Makes His Presence Known to the Humble. “For this is what the high and lofty one says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

The Humble Gets God’s attention. It draws the gaze of our sovereign God (Isaiah 66:2). The trappings of religion do not attract God’s gracious gaze. Humility does.

The Humble Pleases God. He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God! Micah 6:8

Daniel Chua Uncategorized humility, Outline, sermon, singapore, The City

I love quotes! One of the ways I study a subject is to read what others have to say about that particular subject. In preparing for my sermon on Humility I have been tremendously blessed by these sayings – classic and contemporary. I believe you will also be blessed! Enjoy…

Humility Quotes

Two things are needed to humble us. First let us consider God in his greatness, glory, holiness, power, majesty, and authority. Second, let us consider ourselves in our mean, abject, and sinful condition. John Owen

Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil.  Andrew Murray

I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above another and the taller we grow, the easier we can reach them. Now, I find, that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath another and the lower we stoop, the more we get.  F. B. Meyer

A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility. D. L. Moody

I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but my chief duty is to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble. Helen Keller

The smallest things become great when God requires them of us; they are small only in themselves; they are always great when they are done for God. Francois Fenelon

Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The meek man will attain a place of soul rest. As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings. A.W. Tozer

A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle. Fr. James Keller

Whatever makes us feel superior to other people, whatever tempts us to convey a sense of superiority, that is the gravity of our sinful nature, not grace.  Phillip Yancey

Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but it screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition. Richard Foster

If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love. Amy Carmichael

Blessed the man and woman who is able to serve cheerfully in the second rank — a big test. Mary Slessor

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. Saint Augustine

Do you wish people to think well of you? Don’t speak well of yourself. Blaise Pascal

Humility is nothing else but a right judgment of ourselves. William Law

Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. C.S. Lewis

There is no room for God in him who is full of himself. Martin Buber

We’d like to be humble…but what if no one notices? John Ortberg

We must make humility the chief thing we admire in Him. Andrew Murray

A humble knowledge of ourselves is a surer way to God than is the search for depth of learning. Thomas a’Kempis

Without humility of heart all the other virtues by which one runs toward God seem — and are — absolutely worthless.  Angela of Foligno

Let’s put on the cloak of humility. This is Christlikeness!

Daniel Chua Uncategorized Bible, christian, humility, quotes, sermon

I am writing this entry in my hotel room at Cornerstone Annual Family Camp in Melaka, Malaysia. It is interesting that one of the speakers at the camp, Dr Tamara Winslow, taught on the importance of foundations tonight because that was exactly what I spoke on in our first service at The City last Sunday! Thought I could have done better preaching but believed that God moved in hearts anyhow.

Here are the key points from my message ‘Builders Wanted’:

1. All of us are building something – our spiritual life, relationships, career and ministry.

2. Anything built without the right foundation is merely a tourist attraction.

3. Only storms reveal the nature of your foundation. Our foundation must be formed before the storms come.

4. One important fact about the foundation: it is hidden, underground and usually unsightly. It represents the unseen areas of our lives.

‘So we fix out eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal 2 Corinthians 4:18

• And the unseen areas in out lives are more important than the seen!
• All the vital organs in our bodies are hidden. We can survive without a hand, an eye, with 2 fingers missing etc… but we need the heart to live, the lungs to go on breathing.
• Yet we pay so much more attention on the seen and neglect the unseen! We spend hundreds of dollars on health clubs, gyms, cosmetic surgery, regular facials etc.

What are some of the unseen areas of our lives?

a. Our Character – it is who we are when no one is looking

b. Good works that are done in secret

c. Our Family Life – the way we treat our parents and siblings at home

d. Our Devotional Life – Prayer and Fasting

5. The church is a building, but the fabric of the building is made up people, and the foundation of the building is Jesus.

6. The church is not so much something we do but something we are.

7. Why are we building The City Church? We build because our motivation for the work is that God may be glorified. We’re not like the people who built the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:4. Those people said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.”

8. In Nehemiah 3 we see every man committed to the work. Don’t be like the Tekoite Nobles that wouldn’t stoop to serve their Lord. To stoop is the posture of humility. These nobles were just too proud.

We can all play a part in building the church by:

a. Loving everyone who walks through our doors every week.

b. Serving in a ministry that may seem mundane and hidden.

c. Encouraging members and leaders through FB Wall Posts, notes and cards.

How can you serve the vision of your church?

Daniel Chua Uncategorized Building, Foundations, Nehemiah, sermon, The City Church Singapore

I have been thinking and praying about the series and brainstormed a list of possible messages. These are values that matter to me and what I believe are the necessary building blocks for The City Church:

1. Zion – The City of God
2. Glory – for through Him, and to Him and for Him are all things
3. Grace – Unmerited favor and divinely enabled
4. Gospel -A Missional Lifestyle
5. Generosity -Blessed to Give
6. Humility – Meekness and Service
7. Holiness – A Walk that is Worthy
8. Hunger – Passion for God
9. Honesty – Authenticity
10. Honor – The key to miracles
11. Fellowship – Community of the Spirit
12. Family – An Expression of God
13. Fear of the Lord – Intimacy breeds reverance
14. Compassion -The Heart of God
15. Creativity – A Beautiful World
16. Childlikeness – Simply Trust
17. Corporate Anointing – Unity in Diversity

The series will probably run till our official launch on 6 September. It is important for all at The City to share in these values and commit to living them out 24/7. They are the unseen foundation that holds up the structure. We may tweak and reword a few of them as we go along.

Let me know your thoughts.

Daniel Chua Uncategorized church, Leadership, Sermons, The City, Values

We live in a world of words! Words are everywhere… there are at least 10000 words in an average newspaper and millions of words in the worldwide web.

The New Kings James Bible has 790,930 words.  Jesus said that we ‘do not live by bread along but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God’.  These words are our daily diet that gives nutrition to our spiritual men. However throughout history we had false teachers and prophets that have twisting these words, either for their own self engrandizement or they are truly deceived. Satan quoted Scriptures out of context when he was tempting Christ in the wilderness. 

We need to discern the voice behind the words. ’His sheep hear His voice.’  The more intimate you are with a person the more you can tell his/her voice apart. My wife sounds different and unique to me, and I can tell instantly if someone pretends to talk like her!

One of the signs that God truly owns us is the ability to hear.

 ³ The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
      The God of glory thunders.
      The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
 ⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
      the voice of the Lord is majestic.
 ⁵ The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
      the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
 ⁶ He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
      he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
 ⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
      with bolts of lightning.
 ⁸ The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
      the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
 ⁹ The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
      and strips the forests bare.
   In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” Psalm 29:3-8

The ability to hear God’s voice is absolutely essential in leadership. A good ear is more important than good head. Perry Noble, the Senior Pastor of New Spring Church, said that leadership is as easy as listening. Yonggi Cho built Yoido Full Gospel in Korea to a million members by listening and obeying.

What is God saying to you?

Daniel Chua Leadership hearing God, Leadership, voice

An Inside Look @ The City Church

We just had ‘An Inside Look @ The City’, an information meeting about The City Church. The turn out was very encouraging – about 130 people including children. We ordered only 100 bento sets and they were consumed in minutes.

I have been asked the question, ’so what is the vision of The City Church’ many times. Initially I found myself trying to make up some cool sounding slogans but felt really convicted about my lack of authenticity. To be really honest, we do not have all the systems in place. We do not have a vision and/or a mission statements. All God had said was ‘Transforming families’ and that will be our focus for now.

Now that is the mandate but the vision is Jesus!

It’s All About Jesus

The church must be built by Jesus, be built on Jesus and be built for Jesus. Systems and processes do not and cannot transform communities and people, only Jesus can. A Christian does not change the world by looking cool but by looking like Jesus, living for Jesus and co-laboring with Jesus. It is all about Jesus!

Mark Driscoll wrote in his book ‘The Vintage Church’:

‘Jesus died and rose to reconcile sinners back to God as Christians and to one another as the Church. Jesus is the head or preeminent authority over the Church. Jesus is the apostle who plants a church. Jesus is the leader who builds the Church. Jesus is the senior pastor and Chief Shepherd who rules the Church. It is ultimately Jesus who closes churches down when they have become faithless or fruitless.’

During His earthly ministry, Jesus ministered as prophet, priest and king. Following His ascension back to heaven after His death and resurrection, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to enable and empower Christians to continue His ministry on the earth. However a church becomes imbalance and unhealthy when any one of these aspects of the church is either neglected or over emphasized at the expense of the others.

Jesus the Prophet

As Prophet, Jesus preached and taught Scripture with authority and has now commissioned preachers filled with His Spirit to proclaim His Word. The prophetic nature of the church requires that the essential truths and demands of biblical Christian faith be declared, defined and defended. The result will be a church that is biblically rooted. This aspect of the church will resonate with Christians who are deeply committed to the study of the Scriptures and the conformity of our lifestyle to the standards presented in the Bible. But when her prophetic nature is inordinately emphasized a church becomes cruelly fundamental, religious and legalistic.

Jesus the Priest

As Priest, Jesus cares for people and deals with their sin compassionately and calls His people to join Him in these ministries of mercy. The priestly nature of the church requires that the new life that Jesus gives to His people be visible when the church both gathers and scatters with Jesus. The result will be a church that is grace centered. This aspect of the church will resonate with Christians who are deeply committed to such things as loving community, living worship and practical ministry for the well being of the church. But when her priestly nature is inordinately emphasized a church becomes compromising and liberal.

Jesus the King

As King, Jesus demonstrated His rule over creation through miracles while on the earth and today leads His people into all nations and cultures as missionaries, demonstrating the power of the Gospel in both words and deeds. The body of Christ continues the mission of Jesus as an outpost of His soon coming Kingdom. The result will be a church that is culturally connected. This aspect of the church will resonate with Christians who are deeply committed to such things as evangelism, church planting and overseas missions. But when her kingly nature is inordinately emphasized a church becomes cowardly, non-confrontational and seeker friendly.

The City Church – An Extension of Jesus

At The City Church we hope to be an extension of Jesus in His fullness to the world…

As prophets, we will declare the whole counsel of God in Scriptures (Acts 20:27), that we may all be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, as workers who do not need to need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truths (2 Timothy 2:15). We will preach Christ, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ (Colossians 1:28).

As priests, we will sympathize with the weaknesses of our fellow men, extending mercy and grace to help in their time of need (Hebrews 4:15). We will present the good news to the poor, heal the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18). We will stop for the Zacchaeuses, hear the shouts of the Bartimaeuses and reach out to touch the lepers in our society. We see a Christ-centered, grace-filled community where people of diverse backgrounds are accepted, living lives that are free and whole.

As kings, we will be missionaries first in our culture and eventually to the uttermost parts of the world. We will be culturally relevant but not culture-led. In fact we seek to be counter-culture, providing lost people an alternative and attractive way of life with Jesus and His people. We do not need to be like the world to win the world. On the other hand, we will be against the world for the sake of the world. We are not subjected to the rulers of the world’s system. We are a people who served another King and His name is Jesus (Acts 17:4)!

Daniel Chua Leadership, Uncategorized, church church, Jesus, Mandate, Model, Vision

I love the Church. I read almost every book there is on the Church. I am passionate about the Lord of the Church. I choose to do life together with the people that made up the Church. The Church is a visible expression of God on earth. The Church is pulsating with life. The Church is growing by tens of thousands daily. Jesus said He will build a trimphant church and nothing can stand against her. I am just humbled by the fact that Jesus has chosen me to lead one of the local congregations.

I read a poem recently by Robert, one of the pastors in Hillsong Church. Loved it so thought I’ll share it! Here it is:

The church is the plan of God on earth, always in Her Father’s eyes cherished, mysterious, beautiful and potent beyond measure. She emerges triumphant, limitless with potential. A harbor for the hopeless and an answer for the ages. The church is splendid, a bride for His Son. She grows in wisdom and stature, with victory on her lips and freedom in her hands. Hers is an upstoppable course. She embraces the world with dignity, honor and compassion, Gives vision to the sightless and life to the dying. The church is the family of God on earth. Within her compass the hungry find sustenance and the weary resume strength. She is a haven for recovering humanity enthralled by grace. She invites the broke, the vulnerable, and the outcasts to be immersed in love. The church is the house of heaven on earth, called out to serve the world, calling out to welcome in. Like her master the church is pursued and persecuted, yet she rises with strength in her heart and fire in her soul. She is the bride of Christ on earth, prepared and presented before the Lord, the Lamb for whom the world waits, who comes like the rising sun, majestic and magnificent beyond description, while she dazzles with reflective glory spotless, perfect, and mature, she bows low to cast her crown and passionately worship Him. She is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

-Poem by Robert, Teaching Pastor at Hillsong Church

 

Daniel Chua church church, Poem

We are living in a society where success is determined by our positions and monetary bottomlines – how many people do we have under us, how much money do we have in the bank and how many cars? We find ourselves categorizing people based on their type of work, the place they stay and their hobbies.

Sadly, many young Christian leaders have also used the same benchmark to measure the impact of their ministries. Huge budgets and big numbers are celebrated. While God wants us to be fruitful and healthy churches do grow, an unhealthy fascination about size and numbers may be a symptom that ministry has become an idol in our lives. Many leaders hide behind outward successes, refusing to yield ourselves to a deeper work of God in our hearts.

Revival of Biblical proportion always begins with a pulling down of man-made idols in a nation. Likewise personal revival begins when leaders allow God to destroy the graven images of the exalted self in our lives.

What safeguards should 20-something pastors have in place to avoid the idolatry of ministry fame and the attitude of big numbers equals success?

Tim Keller gave an amazing answer to the above question. This is what he said:

If you know it is a danger, that is a very important start. Additionally, when you find yourself unusually discouraged because things aren’t growing or people aren’t listening to you — you have to catch yourself. You have to realize “This is an inordinate amount of discouragement, which reveals the idolatry of justification by ministry.” Meaning, you say you believe in justification by grace, but you feel like and are acting like you believe in justification by ministry. You have to recognize you are making something of an idol out of ministry. When you do experience inordinate discouragement because things aren’t going well, you need to say, “It’s okay to be discouraged but not to be this discouraged. This is discouragement that leads to idolatry,” and you repent.

Additionally, idols create a fantasy world. You may think that you are just thinking about ministry strategy, but it could be you’re fantasizing about success. So be careful about doing too much daydreaming about success, what you would like to see happen. Because it’s really a kind of pornography. You’re actually thinking about a beautiful church and people acclaiming you: be careful about fantasizing too much about ministry success and dreaming about it and thinking about what it’s going to look like.

God’s word exposes our real motivation in serving. Let us not forget the high call of God in our lives to lead His people and forfeit that for a form of success and the applause of men!

What do you think?

Daniel Chua Leadership idolatry, interview, Leadership, ministry, thougths, young pastors

• 11:15 PM: danielchua The text is 1 Kings 3:5-10
• 11:15 PM: danielchua One of the privileges we have is to hear and discern the voice of God.
• 11:18 PM: danielchua Our right choices will lead to the right outcome.
• 11:18 PM: danielchua The God that we serve is a speaking God.
• 11:18 PM: danielchua But the majority of God’s people do not know how to hear the voice of God.
• 11:18 PM: danielchua A good outcome is better than a good income.
• 11:21 PM: danielchua It took Samuel 4 times to discern God’s voice.
• 11:22 PM: danielchua The devil can counterfeit the word of God but he cannot counterfeit His voice. God’s sheep hear His voice.
• 11:23 PM: danielchua King Solomon is an enigma.
• 11:27 PM: danielchua Spiritual hearing is higher than physical hearing.
• 11:27 PM: danielchua When asked by God, Solomon wanted a hearing heart.
• 11:31 PM: danielchua Jesus spoke in parables because parables reveal truth but they also hide truth.
• 11:33 PM: danielchua Jeremiah 6:10 ‘to whom do God speak’
• 11:38 PM: danielchua If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time it will cost you your life!
• 11:39 PM: danielchua Proverbs 1:23 When God rebukes TURN! And God will pour out His Spirit upon you.
• 11:39 PM: danielchua 4Proverbs 1:23 When God rebukes TURN! And God will pour out His Spirit upon you.
• 11:42 PM: danielchua The best time to hear from God is early in the morning.
• 11:42 PM: danielchua Can God stop speaking to us? Remember Saul.
• 11:42 PM: danielchua God deals with us according to what we want to be not where we are.
• 11:44 PM: danielchua If you are not hearing from God maybe your ears need to be circumcised.
• 11:46 PM: danielchua Isaiah 50:4 the tongue of the learned is not a trained response, it’s a gift from God.
• 11:46 PM: danielchua Before God deals with the mouth of the prophet, He deals with the ears of the prophet.

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Daniel Chua Live Blogging, Message Outline Cornerstone, Pastor Yang, Sermons