Thursday, January 26, 2017
TRUE REPENTANCE - Part 1
By TAN KOK KIM
( Matthew 4:17 )( Acts Chapter 2 )
There is no permanent or lasting change except through REPENTANCE. We must once and for all abolished any idea or any conception in our hearts that somehow, if we try our best, somehow if we give ourselves time, if we grow older, if we go to Church more often, if we sit down in Christian meetings, if we listened to Christian music, if we spent time just with Christians, if we going to listened to more messages, somehow in the future, somehow down the road, we are going to changed, somehow our lives are going to get better, because we are with Christian friends, we are coming to Church, we are reading the Bible. Now, whatever ideas that we have, WE MUST PUT IT ASIDE, because according to the Scriptures, according to God's revealed purpose, there is one basis, there is ONLY ONE VERY IMPORTANT REALITY, that will bring change in our lives, that is "TRUE REPENTANCE."
There is no change, there is no permanent and lasting change in our lives, OUTSIDE OF REPENTANCE. God has so arranged in our made up and in His redemption and in His working with our lives, God has reserved the whole reality of repentance to be the fundamental and the foundational basis for our well being, for our Spiritual well being, for our change. Now, please understand this beloved, there is no permanent, no lasting change outside repentance. Here, this will answer right at this point, that one of the reason why many of us are not seeing, and we are not experiencing permanent and lasting change is BECAUSE SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG IN THE AREA OF REPENTANCE, something is a missed, something is misunderstood, something has somehow missed our lives concerning repentance, because we going to come and see in Scriptures, that God has ordained repentance as the means, as the way to a LIFE OF CHANGE.
There is no change in us, and let's this be clear in all our hearts, is not because we sit in the Church or Christian meetings for many years, is because we have been exposed to Christian ministries, and preaching of the word, or because we have done this or that, or because we have been with Christian circles for a long long time, so therefore, that give us the license to believed that we will change somewhere down the road. Now, THAT IS WRONG, that is many times, in fact is a DECEPTION OF THE ENEMY, and I will show this to you in the Scriptures, that there is no permanent change or lasting change in your life and my life, only an EXCEPT through the reality and experience of repentance.
Here now, we do know that repentance in the Scripture is a very simple word, it means to turn around, it means a complete and a total change of our mindset, another words, repentance has to do with something inside us, inside our very nature, inside our thought, and our mind. It changes our nature, it alter our being, our inward being. Repentance touches something deep inside us, repentance don't deal with the surface, repentance don't deal with the outward, repentance deals with a man inner nature, it deals with his disposition, it deals with his mindset, his attitude, his heart condition, repentance means a changed in our mind, it turns around in the mindset that is in all of us, that's why REPENTANCE IS SO POWERFUL.
NOW, THERE ARE TWO VERY PIVOTAL EVENTS IN THE BIBLE, the first is none other than the birth of the LORD Jesus Christ. Here, we may remember that when Jesus waited for thirty years before the FATHER is going to launch Him into public ministry, by the time when Jesus came out of the river Jordan, and begin His first message in His public ministry, this is given to us in Matthew chapter 4. Now, Jesus is being launch out into this grand and tremendous purpose of the Father, that from this point is going to lead Him to this place called Calvary, where He will accomplished the purpose and the will of the Father.
Now as it is given to us here in Matthew 4:17. The moment when He came out in public ministry, this is the first thing that was on His lips, that was the first word, THE FIRST PIVOTAL EVENT of the New Testament, the very message from the Heart of God. And what was the first thing that came out from His mouth? He said, " REPENT: FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND." Folks, what does that means? IT MEANS THAT EVERYTIME WHEN WE REPENT, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AVAILABLE TO US. In another words, what it means is this: THE ENTIRE REALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. What is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is THE RULE OF GOD, THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD, all of the INHERITANCE OF GOD, all of the RICHES OF GOD, all this embodied in this very principle called the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is about to crush on us, is about to fall upon us, it going to invade into our lives. And how is it going to come into us? He said, "REPENT." The moment a man and a woman comes into repentance, God will throw him into ALL OF THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM.The moment a man and a woman comes into repentance, Jesus said, the Kingdom of God going to be near, it's for him, it's for her to experience, it's available, it's not far away, it's that close to us, IF WE ONLY REPENT. He said, the Kingdom of God is available to us now, that was the pronouncement, and that was an announcement, Jesus make it absolutely clear.
THE SECOND PIVOTAL EVENT is given to us in the Acts of Apostles, how repentance is so central in the New Testament. Acts Chapter 2. Here, THE SECOND PIVOTAL EVENT IS NONE OTHER THAN THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, the descend of God's Spirit upon all flesh, something in which God kept or promised Jesus after His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The coming of the Holy Spirit is absolutely important, which of course, you and I understand this to be the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2, Peter is preaching, we may know Holy Ghost fell on the 120 in the upper room, it all started in verse 1 of chapter 2. The account goes on and Peter stood up and began to to preached, because they were shout shocked as men and women saw what was happening to this 120, they didn't understand, because there was such an phenomenon that comes upon men and women, because it was a new day, it was the beginning of dispensation, it was a new work that God never done before, this was the first time that God is pouring His Holy Spirit upon men, pouring His Holy Spirit upon all flesh.
Right there and Peter under the influenced and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he stood up and he begins to preached and this whole message lead us into verse 37 and 38. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Now, showing to you and I HOW IMPORTANT IS REPENTANCE IN THE MIND AND IN THE HEART OF GOD. How does it works? How does repentance work in my life and your life? If God holds repentance as something which is so foundational for my entire life, how does it works in me? How does God plans to do this in me? What is the anatomy? what is the clinical examination? How does God brings repentance to my life? What is it all about? As it is so important because it is going to determine my permanent and my lasting change.
How many of us know today that one of the rarest thing to find is the lasting and permanent change in Christian, one of the rarest thing to find today, lives are at pain, lives are in crisis today, the Church is in such a stage today all over the nations of the world, is because so many of us are not in the place of transformation, so many of us are not living in a place, where our change is permanent, where our change is evident. Just as we think that we are growing, and before we know it, we start to regressed, just as we take two steps in front, we start to go back four steps, just as we pushed a little bit, we go backward far more, somehow change is not lasting in so many Christian lives, the illness, and the disease has to do with the lacked or even should said the whole forfeiture of repentance. Now, how does it all work? Jeremaiah Chapter 6 which believes is going to UNFOLD AND REVEAL TO US SOMETHING CONCERNING REPENTANCE THAT MANY OF US HAS SOMEHOW MISSED IN OUR LIVES...To be continue...Jeremaiah Chapter 6...
or further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
( Matthew 4:17 )( Acts Chapter 2 )
There is no permanent or lasting change except through REPENTANCE. We must once and for all abolished any idea or any conception in our hearts that somehow, if we try our best, somehow if we give ourselves time, if we grow older, if we go to Church more often, if we sit down in Christian meetings, if we listened to Christian music, if we spent time just with Christians, if we going to listened to more messages, somehow in the future, somehow down the road, we are going to changed, somehow our lives are going to get better, because we are with Christian friends, we are coming to Church, we are reading the Bible. Now, whatever ideas that we have, WE MUST PUT IT ASIDE, because according to the Scriptures, according to God's revealed purpose, there is one basis, there is ONLY ONE VERY IMPORTANT REALITY, that will bring change in our lives, that is "TRUE REPENTANCE."
There is no change, there is no permanent and lasting change in our lives, OUTSIDE OF REPENTANCE. God has so arranged in our made up and in His redemption and in His working with our lives, God has reserved the whole reality of repentance to be the fundamental and the foundational basis for our well being, for our Spiritual well being, for our change. Now, please understand this beloved, there is no permanent, no lasting change outside repentance. Here, this will answer right at this point, that one of the reason why many of us are not seeing, and we are not experiencing permanent and lasting change is BECAUSE SOMETHING HAS GONE WRONG IN THE AREA OF REPENTANCE, something is a missed, something is misunderstood, something has somehow missed our lives concerning repentance, because we going to come and see in Scriptures, that God has ordained repentance as the means, as the way to a LIFE OF CHANGE.
There is no change in us, and let's this be clear in all our hearts, is not because we sit in the Church or Christian meetings for many years, is because we have been exposed to Christian ministries, and preaching of the word, or because we have done this or that, or because we have been with Christian circles for a long long time, so therefore, that give us the license to believed that we will change somewhere down the road. Now, THAT IS WRONG, that is many times, in fact is a DECEPTION OF THE ENEMY, and I will show this to you in the Scriptures, that there is no permanent change or lasting change in your life and my life, only an EXCEPT through the reality and experience of repentance.
Here now, we do know that repentance in the Scripture is a very simple word, it means to turn around, it means a complete and a total change of our mindset, another words, repentance has to do with something inside us, inside our very nature, inside our thought, and our mind. It changes our nature, it alter our being, our inward being. Repentance touches something deep inside us, repentance don't deal with the surface, repentance don't deal with the outward, repentance deals with a man inner nature, it deals with his disposition, it deals with his mindset, his attitude, his heart condition, repentance means a changed in our mind, it turns around in the mindset that is in all of us, that's why REPENTANCE IS SO POWERFUL.
NOW, THERE ARE TWO VERY PIVOTAL EVENTS IN THE BIBLE, the first is none other than the birth of the LORD Jesus Christ. Here, we may remember that when Jesus waited for thirty years before the FATHER is going to launch Him into public ministry, by the time when Jesus came out of the river Jordan, and begin His first message in His public ministry, this is given to us in Matthew chapter 4. Now, Jesus is being launch out into this grand and tremendous purpose of the Father, that from this point is going to lead Him to this place called Calvary, where He will accomplished the purpose and the will of the Father.
Now as it is given to us here in Matthew 4:17. The moment when He came out in public ministry, this is the first thing that was on His lips, that was the first word, THE FIRST PIVOTAL EVENT of the New Testament, the very message from the Heart of God. And what was the first thing that came out from His mouth? He said, " REPENT: FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND." Folks, what does that means? IT MEANS THAT EVERYTIME WHEN WE REPENT, THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AVAILABLE TO US. In another words, what it means is this: THE ENTIRE REALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. What is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is THE RULE OF GOD, THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD, all of the INHERITANCE OF GOD, all of the RICHES OF GOD, all this embodied in this very principle called the Kingdom of God.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is about to crush on us, is about to fall upon us, it going to invade into our lives. And how is it going to come into us? He said, "REPENT." The moment a man and a woman comes into repentance, God will throw him into ALL OF THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM.The moment a man and a woman comes into repentance, Jesus said, the Kingdom of God going to be near, it's for him, it's for her to experience, it's available, it's not far away, it's that close to us, IF WE ONLY REPENT. He said, the Kingdom of God is available to us now, that was the pronouncement, and that was an announcement, Jesus make it absolutely clear.
THE SECOND PIVOTAL EVENT is given to us in the Acts of Apostles, how repentance is so central in the New Testament. Acts Chapter 2. Here, THE SECOND PIVOTAL EVENT IS NONE OTHER THAN THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, the descend of God's Spirit upon all flesh, something in which God kept or promised Jesus after His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The coming of the Holy Spirit is absolutely important, which of course, you and I understand this to be the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2, Peter is preaching, we may know Holy Ghost fell on the 120 in the upper room, it all started in verse 1 of chapter 2. The account goes on and Peter stood up and began to to preached, because they were shout shocked as men and women saw what was happening to this 120, they didn't understand, because there was such an phenomenon that comes upon men and women, because it was a new day, it was the beginning of dispensation, it was a new work that God never done before, this was the first time that God is pouring His Holy Spirit upon men, pouring His Holy Spirit upon all flesh.
Right there and Peter under the influenced and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he stood up and he begins to preached and this whole message lead us into verse 37 and 38. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Now, showing to you and I HOW IMPORTANT IS REPENTANCE IN THE MIND AND IN THE HEART OF GOD. How does it works? How does repentance work in my life and your life? If God holds repentance as something which is so foundational for my entire life, how does it works in me? How does God plans to do this in me? What is the anatomy? what is the clinical examination? How does God brings repentance to my life? What is it all about? As it is so important because it is going to determine my permanent and my lasting change.
How many of us know today that one of the rarest thing to find is the lasting and permanent change in Christian, one of the rarest thing to find today, lives are at pain, lives are in crisis today, the Church is in such a stage today all over the nations of the world, is because so many of us are not in the place of transformation, so many of us are not living in a place, where our change is permanent, where our change is evident. Just as we think that we are growing, and before we know it, we start to regressed, just as we take two steps in front, we start to go back four steps, just as we pushed a little bit, we go backward far more, somehow change is not lasting in so many Christian lives, the illness, and the disease has to do with the lacked or even should said the whole forfeiture of repentance. Now, how does it all work? Jeremaiah Chapter 6 which believes is going to UNFOLD AND REVEAL TO US SOMETHING CONCERNING REPENTANCE THAT MANY OF US HAS SOMEHOW MISSED IN OUR LIVES...To be continue...Jeremaiah Chapter 6...
or further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
TRUE REPENTANCE - Part 2
by TAN KOK KIM
( Jeremiah Chapter 6: 13-15 )
This is Jeremiah, weeping, crying over the nation of Israel, prophesying to a backslidden people, announcing to them the coming judgment. And if you all know by now, they didn't believe what Jeremiah was Prophesying, they didn't want to know the truth, they don't want to hear the truth. There were many false prophets, there were many false shepherds, and false pastors, there were many backslidden priests at that time, they didn't want to listened to the true word that is coming from the mouth and the lips of this Holy man called Jeremaiah, and they persecuted him. And Jeremaiah in the beginning here, begin to declared the conditions of the people, God begins to use Jeremaiah to pinpoint those areas in which God is beginning to hate and is beginning to detest in the children of Israel.
Now given to us here in Jeremaiah chapter 6, and we don't have time for lengthy reading, so, breaking in verse13. This is what God said: this is the prevailing conditions of the lives of the children of Israel now. "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely." Another words that's even from the smallest of them to the greatest, and of course those greatest are none other than the prophets, the priests, and the leaders at that time, and they are not truthful to one another, it's all a show, it's all surface, no one wants to deal from the heart, no one wants to speak the truth from the heart, it's all false in their dealings with one another.
And there it said in verse 14." They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Now it start to get clearer as we read, the hurt that is more than a physical hurt, it means Spiritual hurt, it means fractured or the breaking of the bone. How many of us know that when certain part of your body is fracture, your whole body is going to suffer, yes or no, you know how terrible fracture is? Any form of fracture in your body, we are going to suffer, because it's painful, because we can't live normal lives, we can't do things normal, we can't wake up everyday and do our normal duty, we can't go through our normal chore, because there is a fractured bone in your body and it has to be healed.
And this is what God saying to them, HE said you are all fractured, but HE is not talking about bone now, HE is talking about inward condition, HE is talking about their Spirit and their souls that had been broken, that had been fractured, that had been hurt. And HE said, verse 14a." THEY HAVE HEALED ALSO THE HURT OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE SLIGHTLY..." Here, it referring to who? To the prophets and the priests, and the Shepherds, and the Pastors in the days of Jeremaiah, another words, God was saying to Jeremaiah, HE said, all of MY servants who is supposed to delivered MY true word and MY pure word, they are not doing it, but they are saying what they want to say, they are preaching and prophesying, and doing all of these which is not from ME. And because of that, the Bible said, my people hurt, my people fractured, cannot completely healed, THEY ONLY HEALED SLIGHTLY.
There are many many "slightly christians" today all over the churches, there are many men and women who called themselves "christian," but they have never been healed totally and thoroughly and completely, there are many people today who live on a fractured, and live on a limped, that's the message: "THEY HAVE HEALED MY PEOPLE SLIGHTLY, BY SAYING PEACE, PEACE." That's what they want to said, when there is NO PEACE.
Verse 15." Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at that time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD." What happening here? What God is saying here is this, HE said, they refused to be healed thoroughly, they refused to be healed completely, they refused to let MY word come to Jeremaiah, they preferred to hear all these cheap word, and cheap gospel, and popular gospel of the day, THAT ALL THEY WANT IS PROSPERITY AND PEACE, they don't want to hear MY word. And God said, because of that, THEY HAVE NO SHAME.
The word "blush" there means they have no shame for what they have done, they have no shame in their hearts, AND GOD SAID, BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO SHAME, I CAN'T HEALED YOU COMPLETELY. And why is it that you have no shame? Because no one is coming to tell you the truth, except Jeremaiah. And now the truth has come, you don't want to hear it, why? Because you have been hearing so many half truth, you want to hear what you hear, and now, you have got no more shame in what you are doing. Because you have no shame, God said, that's why your healing is not complete, your fracture cannot healed, THAT'S WHY YOU CANNOT BE WELL THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY, because HE said, they have come to place where they don't even blush any more, they are not even SHAMEFUL.
There are only two times in the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, where God ever use the word "blush," where God had to tell a people in Israel, you don't even know how to blush any more, you don't even know what it means to be shameful in MY presence any more, two times. The first time is where we just read in Jeremaiah chapter 6, and the second in Jeremaiah chapter 8, which is the same context, only two times in all of the Old Testament, God had to publicly tell a people, YOU HAVE NO SHAME, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO BLUSH IN MY PRESENCE.
Now, you may be thinking, what does that have to do with REPENTANCE? Now, very important, just get this clear folks, God said to Israel, because you don't know how to blush, no wonder your wounds are not healed completely, no wonder you only healed slightly, no wonder your inward conditions cannot be completely delivered, no wonder that inward fracture in your life cannot heal up, and be cured.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, no permanent nor lasting change can come outside of repentance, and God's verdict is very clear here, HE said the reason why the healing cannot be thoroughly, and cannot be complete is because HE said something has gone wrong with our inside. We don't even know how to blush, we don't even know how to be shameful. Now, let the LORD by the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Why is it that God is so particular about shame? Why is it that God used that word over a people? Why is it that God was looking for a sign from the nation of Israel to show to HIM that at least they are shameful? Some people think that shame is very bad, a lots of parents today who have the idea that we are not supposed to cause shame to our children. This is from humanistic secular psychology today that is killing a whole generation of youths and sons and daughters of this generation, they seem to be some kind of today, that to see children to come into shame is a horrible thing, we must defence it. ( Will show it to you later )
But this is God speaking to a people," I AM looking at least, I can see shame," HE said. "But you have come to a point, where you don't even blush any more." Another words, you are not shameful, you don't know shame in MY presence. And because you don't know shame, and you wonder why you are not healed completely, now why? BECAUSE SHAME IS WHO WE ARE, NOT WHAT WE DO. Here, very important, Let's put it here to us: SHAME IS WHO WE ARE, NOT JUST WHAT WE DO. Now how to put this to be clear in our hearts? How many of us know that every time when we do something wrong, there are the three possible things we all go through, any one of us here, from the youngest and to the oldest in the Church of Jesus Christ, in any human being, these are three possible feelings and reactions to our lives wrongs, and these are the three possible scenarios.
No 1: we either feel sorry. No 2: we either get remorseful and No 3: we either become quite regretful. Yes or no? Every time when you get a person into a place, where he or she you know, said that: "Oh! I'm sorry, I have done wrong." "Oh! I have said wrong." Folks, the immediate reaction in all our lives is this: We get into a state of being sorry, of course we said sorry, we said many times. Have you ever said that? We said over again and again, we may know that, we have been saying over the same old thing for how many years, but yet, we come back to it again and again. The sorry that we gossip about someone, but when confronted, we'll said," Oh! Sorry, I gossip." But folks, what the use? Because when given times, we start to gossip again. We either get into a place, where we are sorry, and sorry...
The next possible scenario in which at our Churches today, are filled with men and women with these two states, and that is remorseful and regretful. Our altar calls today are filled with Christians that are remorseful, they regret they failed God, they regret that they didn't love God the way they should, they feel remorseful because they didn't do right, they didn't live a life to please God, where in the last few days, I lost my temper, I said something wrong, I turned to the Internet and sneaked into the pornography site, and we get into these whole scenario of regrets and remorseful, and we go through the whole circle and our emotions are all bottled-up and go into prayers, we ask people to pray for us, and so on and so forth.
Here, it is absolutely important, REPENTANCE IS NOT ABOUT FEELING SORRY OR REMORSEFUL OR REGRETFUL ABOUT WHAT WE DID. Folks, that is not REPENTANCE, that's why we must understand. What had been said here awhile ago is just clean, clear feelings that we all go through, we can be sorry, we can be remorseful, we can be regretful, but why do we have these feelings? Because in our built-in nature, we do that, there is a thing called CONSCIENCE in our lives, and we immediately see all these things that we have done, and we feel sorry or remorseful and regretful, but folks, WE CAN BE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT WE DID, BUT YET, WE ARE NOT SHAMEFUL FOR WHO WE ARE, why? Because it is when we are shameful for who we are, that we STOP SINNING. It is when a man is shameful for who he is, that he'll TAKES THE PATH DOWN THE ROAD TO REPENTANCE.
The message is called true repentance. WHY TRUE REPENTANCE? Because we can get into FALSE REPENTANCE. And what is false repentance? False repentance is when we can played-up all the emotions that looks real, we can cried and wailed and even beat our chests and cried to God." God, I'm so sorry, I did this." Folks listen, we only dealing with the acts, we only dealing with the actions, we only sorry, because we did wrong, we only remorseful, because we did wrong, we are regretful, because we are shameful for what we did.
And God said to Jeremaiah, "I want you to go beyond." What is the beyond? "I don't want you just to shameful for these things you did. I want you to come to a place, where you will be shameful for who you are, I want you to shameful like that, not shameful in the things you do, I want you to be shameful for who you are. Because repentance must go beyond, repentance must go into the very core of your being, repentance must touch the basement. The basement of your soul, it must go deep down." WHY? BECAUSE THAT WHERE CHANGE BECOMES PERMANENT.
That's why today, so many have never repented, that why so many men and women walking into Churches today, they have never gone to repentance. Oh! Yes, they have gone through sorry, they have gone through remorseful, they have gone through all the emotional and all of the sentimentality, and all of the these experiences, but yet, they have never gone beyond the surface, they have never come into a place of LASTING CHANGED.
There are so few today, truly, truly repents, so few truly today has lasting changes, no wonder we are like dogs that go back to our vomits, yes or no? No wonder so many in our Churches today, go back to our vomits, no wonder today so many of us has been "thorn" and unable to grow, and unable to matured, because we have never really gone on, because we are circling and circling with the same old patched, and with the same old ground...To be continue..
for further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
( Jeremiah Chapter 6: 13-15 )
This is Jeremiah, weeping, crying over the nation of Israel, prophesying to a backslidden people, announcing to them the coming judgment. And if you all know by now, they didn't believe what Jeremiah was Prophesying, they didn't want to know the truth, they don't want to hear the truth. There were many false prophets, there were many false shepherds, and false pastors, there were many backslidden priests at that time, they didn't want to listened to the true word that is coming from the mouth and the lips of this Holy man called Jeremaiah, and they persecuted him. And Jeremaiah in the beginning here, begin to declared the conditions of the people, God begins to use Jeremaiah to pinpoint those areas in which God is beginning to hate and is beginning to detest in the children of Israel.
Now given to us here in Jeremaiah chapter 6, and we don't have time for lengthy reading, so, breaking in verse13. This is what God said: this is the prevailing conditions of the lives of the children of Israel now. "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely." Another words that's even from the smallest of them to the greatest, and of course those greatest are none other than the prophets, the priests, and the leaders at that time, and they are not truthful to one another, it's all a show, it's all surface, no one wants to deal from the heart, no one wants to speak the truth from the heart, it's all false in their dealings with one another.
And there it said in verse 14." They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace." Now it start to get clearer as we read, the hurt that is more than a physical hurt, it means Spiritual hurt, it means fractured or the breaking of the bone. How many of us know that when certain part of your body is fracture, your whole body is going to suffer, yes or no, you know how terrible fracture is? Any form of fracture in your body, we are going to suffer, because it's painful, because we can't live normal lives, we can't do things normal, we can't wake up everyday and do our normal duty, we can't go through our normal chore, because there is a fractured bone in your body and it has to be healed.
And this is what God saying to them, HE said you are all fractured, but HE is not talking about bone now, HE is talking about inward condition, HE is talking about their Spirit and their souls that had been broken, that had been fractured, that had been hurt. And HE said, verse 14a." THEY HAVE HEALED ALSO THE HURT OF THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE SLIGHTLY..." Here, it referring to who? To the prophets and the priests, and the Shepherds, and the Pastors in the days of Jeremaiah, another words, God was saying to Jeremaiah, HE said, all of MY servants who is supposed to delivered MY true word and MY pure word, they are not doing it, but they are saying what they want to say, they are preaching and prophesying, and doing all of these which is not from ME. And because of that, the Bible said, my people hurt, my people fractured, cannot completely healed, THEY ONLY HEALED SLIGHTLY.
There are many many "slightly christians" today all over the churches, there are many men and women who called themselves "christian," but they have never been healed totally and thoroughly and completely, there are many people today who live on a fractured, and live on a limped, that's the message: "THEY HAVE HEALED MY PEOPLE SLIGHTLY, BY SAYING PEACE, PEACE." That's what they want to said, when there is NO PEACE.
Verse 15." Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at that time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD." What happening here? What God is saying here is this, HE said, they refused to be healed thoroughly, they refused to be healed completely, they refused to let MY word come to Jeremaiah, they preferred to hear all these cheap word, and cheap gospel, and popular gospel of the day, THAT ALL THEY WANT IS PROSPERITY AND PEACE, they don't want to hear MY word. And God said, because of that, THEY HAVE NO SHAME.
The word "blush" there means they have no shame for what they have done, they have no shame in their hearts, AND GOD SAID, BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO SHAME, I CAN'T HEALED YOU COMPLETELY. And why is it that you have no shame? Because no one is coming to tell you the truth, except Jeremaiah. And now the truth has come, you don't want to hear it, why? Because you have been hearing so many half truth, you want to hear what you hear, and now, you have got no more shame in what you are doing. Because you have no shame, God said, that's why your healing is not complete, your fracture cannot healed, THAT'S WHY YOU CANNOT BE WELL THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY, because HE said, they have come to place where they don't even blush any more, they are not even SHAMEFUL.
There are only two times in the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, where God ever use the word "blush," where God had to tell a people in Israel, you don't even know how to blush any more, you don't even know what it means to be shameful in MY presence any more, two times. The first time is where we just read in Jeremaiah chapter 6, and the second in Jeremaiah chapter 8, which is the same context, only two times in all of the Old Testament, God had to publicly tell a people, YOU HAVE NO SHAME, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO BLUSH IN MY PRESENCE.
Now, you may be thinking, what does that have to do with REPENTANCE? Now, very important, just get this clear folks, God said to Israel, because you don't know how to blush, no wonder your wounds are not healed completely, no wonder you only healed slightly, no wonder your inward conditions cannot be completely delivered, no wonder that inward fracture in your life cannot heal up, and be cured.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, no permanent nor lasting change can come outside of repentance, and God's verdict is very clear here, HE said the reason why the healing cannot be thoroughly, and cannot be complete is because HE said something has gone wrong with our inside. We don't even know how to blush, we don't even know how to be shameful. Now, let the LORD by the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Why is it that God is so particular about shame? Why is it that God used that word over a people? Why is it that God was looking for a sign from the nation of Israel to show to HIM that at least they are shameful? Some people think that shame is very bad, a lots of parents today who have the idea that we are not supposed to cause shame to our children. This is from humanistic secular psychology today that is killing a whole generation of youths and sons and daughters of this generation, they seem to be some kind of today, that to see children to come into shame is a horrible thing, we must defence it. ( Will show it to you later )
But this is God speaking to a people," I AM looking at least, I can see shame," HE said. "But you have come to a point, where you don't even blush any more." Another words, you are not shameful, you don't know shame in MY presence. And because you don't know shame, and you wonder why you are not healed completely, now why? BECAUSE SHAME IS WHO WE ARE, NOT WHAT WE DO. Here, very important, Let's put it here to us: SHAME IS WHO WE ARE, NOT JUST WHAT WE DO. Now how to put this to be clear in our hearts? How many of us know that every time when we do something wrong, there are the three possible things we all go through, any one of us here, from the youngest and to the oldest in the Church of Jesus Christ, in any human being, these are three possible feelings and reactions to our lives wrongs, and these are the three possible scenarios.
No 1: we either feel sorry. No 2: we either get remorseful and No 3: we either become quite regretful. Yes or no? Every time when you get a person into a place, where he or she you know, said that: "Oh! I'm sorry, I have done wrong." "Oh! I have said wrong." Folks, the immediate reaction in all our lives is this: We get into a state of being sorry, of course we said sorry, we said many times. Have you ever said that? We said over again and again, we may know that, we have been saying over the same old thing for how many years, but yet, we come back to it again and again. The sorry that we gossip about someone, but when confronted, we'll said," Oh! Sorry, I gossip." But folks, what the use? Because when given times, we start to gossip again. We either get into a place, where we are sorry, and sorry...
The next possible scenario in which at our Churches today, are filled with men and women with these two states, and that is remorseful and regretful. Our altar calls today are filled with Christians that are remorseful, they regret they failed God, they regret that they didn't love God the way they should, they feel remorseful because they didn't do right, they didn't live a life to please God, where in the last few days, I lost my temper, I said something wrong, I turned to the Internet and sneaked into the pornography site, and we get into these whole scenario of regrets and remorseful, and we go through the whole circle and our emotions are all bottled-up and go into prayers, we ask people to pray for us, and so on and so forth.
Here, it is absolutely important, REPENTANCE IS NOT ABOUT FEELING SORRY OR REMORSEFUL OR REGRETFUL ABOUT WHAT WE DID. Folks, that is not REPENTANCE, that's why we must understand. What had been said here awhile ago is just clean, clear feelings that we all go through, we can be sorry, we can be remorseful, we can be regretful, but why do we have these feelings? Because in our built-in nature, we do that, there is a thing called CONSCIENCE in our lives, and we immediately see all these things that we have done, and we feel sorry or remorseful and regretful, but folks, WE CAN BE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT WE DID, BUT YET, WE ARE NOT SHAMEFUL FOR WHO WE ARE, why? Because it is when we are shameful for who we are, that we STOP SINNING. It is when a man is shameful for who he is, that he'll TAKES THE PATH DOWN THE ROAD TO REPENTANCE.
The message is called true repentance. WHY TRUE REPENTANCE? Because we can get into FALSE REPENTANCE. And what is false repentance? False repentance is when we can played-up all the emotions that looks real, we can cried and wailed and even beat our chests and cried to God." God, I'm so sorry, I did this." Folks listen, we only dealing with the acts, we only dealing with the actions, we only sorry, because we did wrong, we only remorseful, because we did wrong, we are regretful, because we are shameful for what we did.
And God said to Jeremaiah, "I want you to go beyond." What is the beyond? "I don't want you just to shameful for these things you did. I want you to come to a place, where you will be shameful for who you are, I want you to shameful like that, not shameful in the things you do, I want you to be shameful for who you are. Because repentance must go beyond, repentance must go into the very core of your being, repentance must touch the basement. The basement of your soul, it must go deep down." WHY? BECAUSE THAT WHERE CHANGE BECOMES PERMANENT.
That's why today, so many have never repented, that why so many men and women walking into Churches today, they have never gone to repentance. Oh! Yes, they have gone through sorry, they have gone through remorseful, they have gone through all the emotional and all of the sentimentality, and all of the these experiences, but yet, they have never gone beyond the surface, they have never come into a place of LASTING CHANGED.
There are so few today, truly, truly repents, so few truly today has lasting changes, no wonder we are like dogs that go back to our vomits, yes or no? No wonder so many in our Churches today, go back to our vomits, no wonder today so many of us has been "thorn" and unable to grow, and unable to matured, because we have never really gone on, because we are circling and circling with the same old patched, and with the same old ground...To be continue..
for further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
TRUE REPENTANCE - Part 3
By TAN KOK KIM
( Jeremiah 6:13-15 )( John 16: 7-8 )(Acts 2:37 )
We have never repented, we are just patching up those old ground. "I'm sorry, LORD! I did this." "LORD I'm sorry, I feel this way." And we patching up all over, and we came to Church and consoled ourselves that God, you have accepted it, because I said, "I'm sorry," but why is it that we go back to the same old things again? We do those things again and again, why? Because repentance has never gone beyond the very surface of our skins and of our flesh. WE CAN BE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT WE DID, BUT YET, WE HAVE NEVER KNOW SHAME FOR WHO WE ARE. And God said to Jeremaiah, "I want the nation of Israel for who they are."
How can a man becomes shameful for who he is? How can a man can come to that place? How can a people called Israel? How can God makes such a demand? How does it happened? How does a man finally feel his feels some about himself? It not the acts, that's the reason why there is only one man in the Old Testament that has got a name and title given to him that he is called a man after God's own Heart, who is he? David isn't it? Do you know why he is a man after God's own Heart? BECAUSE HE IS ONE MAN WHO SAW SHAME IN HIMSELF, NOT THE SHAME THAT HE DID.
THAT'S WHY THE CHANGE IN DAVID WAS SO LASTING, THAT'S WHY HE BECAME THE CHIEF SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL, that's why out of his life, and the lineage of this man came Kings and Kingdoms. Because folks, you read your Bible, you cannot touch the Psalms and the writing of David, and yet have not discover how shameful he is about himself, not shameful for what he did, but shameful for who he was. Oh! yes what David did was absolutely shameful, what he did was absolutely against God, it's an abomination, God knows it, but he didn't want that, he knew it, because he knew that even evil men know that. Do you know that, there are men who are evil today, who do wrong things, and yet they are shameful for the wrongs they did, BUT YET THEY KEEP DOING IT.
There are many Christians today who feels sorry, but we all must see this, we need to clear this in our hearts, you see, once we understand this, we will understand why so many of us are not growing spiritually, I tell you why, IT IS BECAUSE REPENTANCE HAS NEVER BEEN OUR FOUNDATION, we have been "repented," but there have never been a FOUNDATION in our lives, that's why there is no basis for growth, that's why the Kingdom of God is not at hand. He promised, He promised that if we repent, He said, the Kingdom of God is at hand, it's available. Unless God is a liar, and I know, and we all know that, God is no liar, Amen.
HOW? How do I move from where I am into this place that shame is who I am? I feel shame for who I am not just what I did. Any man knows how to feel sorry for something that he has done, for something that is wrong and whatever, I don't want that? I want to come to a place where LORD, I want to stand on the grounds of repentance, I want to know shame for who I am, how does it come about? It comes about when God by the Holy Spirit and the work begin to work in us. The Scripture is very clear, John chapter 16. Jesus before His death on the cross, promised this reality, promised that this is what going to happened soon, when the Comforter comes, and the Comforter is none other than the Holy Spirit. He said, when the Holy Spirit is come Jesus said..
( I don't know how we missed this, we have gone on the road to gifts, to power, to anointing, to all kinds of comforting today from the Holy Spirit, BUT YET, WE WILL NEVER COME BACK AND READ THE MOST BASIS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL OF WHAT JESUS SAID, CONCERNING THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. )
John 16:7-8. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" REPROVE, another words, HE WILL CONVICT. Yes the Holy Spirit has come for many other wonderful works for Jesus, but foundationally and fundamentally, JESUS SAID WHEN HE IS COME, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING HE MUST DO IN ANY MAN AND ANY WOMAN, HE WILL REPROVE THAT PERSON SIN. He will show to us, who we are, HE will show to us by the light of the Spirit by the word of the living God.
THAT'S WHY WHEN WE COME TO A CHURCH, WE MUST LISTEN TO MESSAGES THAT MUST SEARCH OUR HEARTS AND SHOW TO US WHO WE ARE, that's why we must sit under the ministry, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, where the word search us, and when the light of God begins to PENETRATE AND CUT US. Not make us laugh, not make us become hollow and shallow, not make us become greedy, not make us become pampered and flamboyant, not make us concentrate in ourselves, and in all of our needs. JESUS SAID, WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES HE SAID, HE WILL REPROVE, THAT NUMBER ONE, HE WILL REPROVE OF THE WORLD OF SIN, THAT'S WHY HE COMES.
How does it works? How does God brings shame to me in the way that He wants me to know shame? Folks listen, He brings the Holy Spirit, that's what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit shows to us to ourselves that's why it's not because someone tell us, we are wrong, and that doesn't means we will change, just because someone tell us, someone shows to us how terrible we are, how selfish we are, and how insensitive we are, of course we will know, and we will go through all kinds of emotional displayed, but that doesn't means that we will change, no! we won't change, why? BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON THAT CAN SHOW US TO OURSELVES AND THAT IS IN THAT HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It is when the LORD takes the Holy Spirit and show us to ourselves, then we start to looked to ourselves the light of His word, and the light of the revelation of the Holy Spirit. IN THE LIGHT OF THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE START TO SEE OURSELVES ABSOLUTELY UGLY, WE SEE OURSELVES ABSOLUTELY UNWORTHY, WE SEE OURSELVES DESERVE TO GO TO HELL, that what we see, we see ourselves absolutely unworthy, we see ourselves in a place, where we know that we are not worthy, AND WE KNOW THAT HELL IS WHERE WE SUPPOSE TO GO.
And that's where Calvary becomes so real to us, and that's where the death of Jesus becomes so powerful, because that's when finally in our hearts be identified with Jesus, and that's when we finally said we have heard people said all our lives, it said, it is us who put Jesus on the cross, folks, we can hear this all our lives, but when the Holy Spirit shows this to us, we will know that it is what we are, that sent Jesus to the cross. Now that cannot be comforted, that we cannot escape, that we cannot run away, why? BECAUSE ONLY THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BRING THE GRACE OF GOD INTO OUR LIVES TO FORGIVE US, WE CAN'T FORGIVE OURSELVES, WE CAN'T CHANGE OURSELVES, we can't hide, we got to confront this issue until God bears upon us all of the powers of Heaven, until we finally agreed, and finally come to a place and begin to confess, "LORD I'm ugly, LORD I'm wretched." like Paul said, "O wretched man that I am! " yes or no? That's what he cried in the end in Romans chapter 7. Paul has to come to that, he has to see that in the end, he is so shameful for who he is, not just what he had done.
And let me said this here to you, if we don't come to this place: "There is no true Spiritual Life in you." I don't care if you sit in your church for the next fourty years, I don't care you can composed songs, I don't care even you can stand up and know this book( Bible )from page to page, BUT FOLKS, THERE IS NO SPIRITUAL LIFE IN A MAN, UNTIL HE COMES TO TRUE REPENTANCE. That's why in Acts chapter 2, we may remember in Acts 2, remember here when we read verse 37, the Bible said that when they heard this message, they were pricked, that's the word there, it means PIERCED, to pain the mind sharply that what it means, the word pricked there it is God it almost as if like God took this word, God took the ministry of the word, took the preaching of the Apostle Peter and penetrate into the mind of these men and women and begin to pierced it so sharply until these men begin to cried out, another words conviction, and that what it means, that's where the word conviction comes about. They were convicted, what were they convicted? They suddenly see in the light of the Holy Spirit working in them, they suddenly begin to see who they are, and that's why they cried out, they said, "what shall we do?" They were so desperate, "God what shall we do?"
Folks, it was obvious that the moment they came to that place of repentance, what does Jesus promised? Repent, what is going to be at hand? the Kingdom of God is going to be at hand, God is going to invade, God is going to meet that person, God is going to immediately rush in by the power with the power of mighty God, God is going to rush in and saved that man, and loved that man and filled the man and that woman.
Now, this where I believe the trouble is with most of our lives, I believe in this Bible, every man and woman upon the surface of this earth, I believe that God is faithful to His word and faithful to His character, I believe that at any point of all of our lives here, there is no one, no one will be able one day to stand before the throne, and say to God, "God alright, You tell me that, unless I start to feel shame in what I am, and is not what I do, but LORD, I have not felt that way, yes I have been shameful for the things that I had done, but LORD, I have not been shameful for who I am."
Folks, God will make sure that when one day, when we stand before the throne, none of us is going to point a finger at Him, and say that to Him, why? Because I believe that the Holy Spirit, I can't say for a lot of people, but I know, I can say it here at this very post, and in this sharing, I believe that everyone of us here, I believe that the Holy Spirit at some point in our lives has come to show us who we really are, unless we say God is a liar. I believe at some point, in fact He desires to keep coming to us, to keep showing to ourselves, in fact He wants to work in the fashion in us, in fact He wants to bring us into that place of conviction all the times, He wants us.. ( Will show you later on.)
WHY REPENTANCE IS NOT ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE? Why repentance must become a lifestyle? Why repentance must become a continuous experience? It has to be, because if not, why do you think that Jesus said in the Beatitude, " BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN: FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED." He is not talking about you and I, one day having loved ones to die? He is not talking about bereavement, why do you think He said, "Blessed is he who mourn." Another words HE WANTS US TO MOURN, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR LIFESTYLES, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR VERY LIFE, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR VERY NATURE. THAT'S WHY IS CALLED BEATITUDES, it is an attitude, why must we mourn? What is the basis of our mourning? Unless we start to discovered things in ourselves. How can we mourn, if God don't show us who we are, How can we live a life of mourning? Unless God comes and tell us and show us in the light of His word who are in the light of Him...To be continue...
For further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
( Jeremiah 6:13-15 )( John 16: 7-8 )(Acts 2:37 )
We have never repented, we are just patching up those old ground. "I'm sorry, LORD! I did this." "LORD I'm sorry, I feel this way." And we patching up all over, and we came to Church and consoled ourselves that God, you have accepted it, because I said, "I'm sorry," but why is it that we go back to the same old things again? We do those things again and again, why? Because repentance has never gone beyond the very surface of our skins and of our flesh. WE CAN BE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT WE DID, BUT YET, WE HAVE NEVER KNOW SHAME FOR WHO WE ARE. And God said to Jeremaiah, "I want the nation of Israel for who they are."
How can a man becomes shameful for who he is? How can a man can come to that place? How can a people called Israel? How can God makes such a demand? How does it happened? How does a man finally feel his feels some about himself? It not the acts, that's the reason why there is only one man in the Old Testament that has got a name and title given to him that he is called a man after God's own Heart, who is he? David isn't it? Do you know why he is a man after God's own Heart? BECAUSE HE IS ONE MAN WHO SAW SHAME IN HIMSELF, NOT THE SHAME THAT HE DID.
THAT'S WHY THE CHANGE IN DAVID WAS SO LASTING, THAT'S WHY HE BECAME THE CHIEF SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL, that's why out of his life, and the lineage of this man came Kings and Kingdoms. Because folks, you read your Bible, you cannot touch the Psalms and the writing of David, and yet have not discover how shameful he is about himself, not shameful for what he did, but shameful for who he was. Oh! yes what David did was absolutely shameful, what he did was absolutely against God, it's an abomination, God knows it, but he didn't want that, he knew it, because he knew that even evil men know that. Do you know that, there are men who are evil today, who do wrong things, and yet they are shameful for the wrongs they did, BUT YET THEY KEEP DOING IT.
There are many Christians today who feels sorry, but we all must see this, we need to clear this in our hearts, you see, once we understand this, we will understand why so many of us are not growing spiritually, I tell you why, IT IS BECAUSE REPENTANCE HAS NEVER BEEN OUR FOUNDATION, we have been "repented," but there have never been a FOUNDATION in our lives, that's why there is no basis for growth, that's why the Kingdom of God is not at hand. He promised, He promised that if we repent, He said, the Kingdom of God is at hand, it's available. Unless God is a liar, and I know, and we all know that, God is no liar, Amen.
HOW? How do I move from where I am into this place that shame is who I am? I feel shame for who I am not just what I did. Any man knows how to feel sorry for something that he has done, for something that is wrong and whatever, I don't want that? I want to come to a place where LORD, I want to stand on the grounds of repentance, I want to know shame for who I am, how does it come about? It comes about when God by the Holy Spirit and the work begin to work in us. The Scripture is very clear, John chapter 16. Jesus before His death on the cross, promised this reality, promised that this is what going to happened soon, when the Comforter comes, and the Comforter is none other than the Holy Spirit. He said, when the Holy Spirit is come Jesus said..
( I don't know how we missed this, we have gone on the road to gifts, to power, to anointing, to all kinds of comforting today from the Holy Spirit, BUT YET, WE WILL NEVER COME BACK AND READ THE MOST BASIS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL OF WHAT JESUS SAID, CONCERNING THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. )
John 16:7-8. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" REPROVE, another words, HE WILL CONVICT. Yes the Holy Spirit has come for many other wonderful works for Jesus, but foundationally and fundamentally, JESUS SAID WHEN HE IS COME, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING HE MUST DO IN ANY MAN AND ANY WOMAN, HE WILL REPROVE THAT PERSON SIN. He will show to us, who we are, HE will show to us by the light of the Spirit by the word of the living God.
THAT'S WHY WHEN WE COME TO A CHURCH, WE MUST LISTEN TO MESSAGES THAT MUST SEARCH OUR HEARTS AND SHOW TO US WHO WE ARE, that's why we must sit under the ministry, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, where the word search us, and when the light of God begins to PENETRATE AND CUT US. Not make us laugh, not make us become hollow and shallow, not make us become greedy, not make us become pampered and flamboyant, not make us concentrate in ourselves, and in all of our needs. JESUS SAID, WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES HE SAID, HE WILL REPROVE, THAT NUMBER ONE, HE WILL REPROVE OF THE WORLD OF SIN, THAT'S WHY HE COMES.
How does it works? How does God brings shame to me in the way that He wants me to know shame? Folks listen, He brings the Holy Spirit, that's what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit shows to us to ourselves that's why it's not because someone tell us, we are wrong, and that doesn't means we will change, just because someone tell us, someone shows to us how terrible we are, how selfish we are, and how insensitive we are, of course we will know, and we will go through all kinds of emotional displayed, but that doesn't means that we will change, no! we won't change, why? BECAUSE THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON THAT CAN SHOW US TO OURSELVES AND THAT IS IN THAT HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It is when the LORD takes the Holy Spirit and show us to ourselves, then we start to looked to ourselves the light of His word, and the light of the revelation of the Holy Spirit. IN THE LIGHT OF THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE START TO SEE OURSELVES ABSOLUTELY UGLY, WE SEE OURSELVES ABSOLUTELY UNWORTHY, WE SEE OURSELVES DESERVE TO GO TO HELL, that what we see, we see ourselves absolutely unworthy, we see ourselves in a place, where we know that we are not worthy, AND WE KNOW THAT HELL IS WHERE WE SUPPOSE TO GO.
And that's where Calvary becomes so real to us, and that's where the death of Jesus becomes so powerful, because that's when finally in our hearts be identified with Jesus, and that's when we finally said we have heard people said all our lives, it said, it is us who put Jesus on the cross, folks, we can hear this all our lives, but when the Holy Spirit shows this to us, we will know that it is what we are, that sent Jesus to the cross. Now that cannot be comforted, that we cannot escape, that we cannot run away, why? BECAUSE ONLY THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BRING THE GRACE OF GOD INTO OUR LIVES TO FORGIVE US, WE CAN'T FORGIVE OURSELVES, WE CAN'T CHANGE OURSELVES, we can't hide, we got to confront this issue until God bears upon us all of the powers of Heaven, until we finally agreed, and finally come to a place and begin to confess, "LORD I'm ugly, LORD I'm wretched." like Paul said, "O wretched man that I am! " yes or no? That's what he cried in the end in Romans chapter 7. Paul has to come to that, he has to see that in the end, he is so shameful for who he is, not just what he had done.
And let me said this here to you, if we don't come to this place: "There is no true Spiritual Life in you." I don't care if you sit in your church for the next fourty years, I don't care you can composed songs, I don't care even you can stand up and know this book( Bible )from page to page, BUT FOLKS, THERE IS NO SPIRITUAL LIFE IN A MAN, UNTIL HE COMES TO TRUE REPENTANCE. That's why in Acts chapter 2, we may remember in Acts 2, remember here when we read verse 37, the Bible said that when they heard this message, they were pricked, that's the word there, it means PIERCED, to pain the mind sharply that what it means, the word pricked there it is God it almost as if like God took this word, God took the ministry of the word, took the preaching of the Apostle Peter and penetrate into the mind of these men and women and begin to pierced it so sharply until these men begin to cried out, another words conviction, and that what it means, that's where the word conviction comes about. They were convicted, what were they convicted? They suddenly see in the light of the Holy Spirit working in them, they suddenly begin to see who they are, and that's why they cried out, they said, "what shall we do?" They were so desperate, "God what shall we do?"
Folks, it was obvious that the moment they came to that place of repentance, what does Jesus promised? Repent, what is going to be at hand? the Kingdom of God is going to be at hand, God is going to invade, God is going to meet that person, God is going to immediately rush in by the power with the power of mighty God, God is going to rush in and saved that man, and loved that man and filled the man and that woman.
Now, this where I believe the trouble is with most of our lives, I believe in this Bible, every man and woman upon the surface of this earth, I believe that God is faithful to His word and faithful to His character, I believe that at any point of all of our lives here, there is no one, no one will be able one day to stand before the throne, and say to God, "God alright, You tell me that, unless I start to feel shame in what I am, and is not what I do, but LORD, I have not felt that way, yes I have been shameful for the things that I had done, but LORD, I have not been shameful for who I am."
Folks, God will make sure that when one day, when we stand before the throne, none of us is going to point a finger at Him, and say that to Him, why? Because I believe that the Holy Spirit, I can't say for a lot of people, but I know, I can say it here at this very post, and in this sharing, I believe that everyone of us here, I believe that the Holy Spirit at some point in our lives has come to show us who we really are, unless we say God is a liar. I believe at some point, in fact He desires to keep coming to us, to keep showing to ourselves, in fact He wants to work in the fashion in us, in fact He wants to bring us into that place of conviction all the times, He wants us.. ( Will show you later on.)
WHY REPENTANCE IS NOT ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE? Why repentance must become a lifestyle? Why repentance must become a continuous experience? It has to be, because if not, why do you think that Jesus said in the Beatitude, " BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN: FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED." He is not talking about you and I, one day having loved ones to die? He is not talking about bereavement, why do you think He said, "Blessed is he who mourn." Another words HE WANTS US TO MOURN, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR LIFESTYLES, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR VERY LIFE, MOURNING MUST BECOME OUR VERY NATURE. THAT'S WHY IS CALLED BEATITUDES, it is an attitude, why must we mourn? What is the basis of our mourning? Unless we start to discovered things in ourselves. How can we mourn, if God don't show us who we are, How can we live a life of mourning? Unless God comes and tell us and show us in the light of His word who are in the light of Him...To be continue...
For further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
TRUE REPENTANCE - Part 4
by Tan Kok Kim
( Matthew 3: 8 )( Acts 11: 15 -18 )
Now I believe it could be true in our lives, because I believe each one of us had this experience of the Holy Spirit comes in to show us to ourselves and convict us and really begin, want to show us how shameful we must be for who we are, and what we really are in the light of Him. But you know what happen? I believe that in that decisive moment, when the Holy Spirit is working, it could be in a message like that, it could be in a Church service, it could be while you are reading your Bible, it could be while one day we did something wrong, we went to the backyard, we went to the kitchen, we went to the car or whatever, you start to cried out, " God! why is it that I feel so horrible about myself." Yes, we begin to confessed, "I am what I am, because I don't have it in me to live the way You want. God! I am sorry, not just what I did Lord, I am absolutely horrible, I am so selfish, I am so terribly greedy."
But instead of crying out to God, instead of coming to God, instead of confessing, instead of coming before the Lord, folks, this is what happened, I believe to most people, guess what happen? You see, how many of us know that, we don't like that? We don't like that kind of feeling, that's why it is later in the same book by Jeremiah 17:9, that Jeremiah begins to said: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately Wicked: Who can know it?" You know why? Because we don't want to put to that state, we don't want to feel shame for who we are. For some reasons, we become very clever, we become very trickery in our minds, we start to justify ourselves, in fact, we even tell ourselves, "You know, you really not that bad, you ok, it's just a bad mistake, it's one of those things come and go in life, it's ok."
Isn't it strange? Ourselves tell ourselves that? It's ok. Because why? Because given times, I'll be ok, I'm not that bad after all, because there is still some good in me, just last week, you know, I just went to the old folks home and blessed 100 old folks, I just took a Pastor out for a big huge five stars meal, I means there is still something good about me, l am OK." We do that, don't we? Because the flesh lied to us, the devil comes and deceived us.
1
Instead of stay on on course and go to God, "God! it's not because of what I have done, it's not the good deeds, it's not what I have." But you see folks, we want to be in control, do you know that? REPENTANCE IS GOD TAKING CONTROL OUT OF US, ANTI REPENTANCE IN US, SIMPLY MEANS WE WANT TO BE IN CONTROL, and God doesn't wants us to be in control, repentance simply means we totally removed our hands from the gear, God is the driver in the seat, we get out, we stay as a pillion rider, and God is going to take us through the journey of our lives.
But we want to be in control folks, you and I, we don't want to feel like that, you know why it is strange? It's not only adults, who don't want to feel like that, it's not only adults that had escape like this in a very subtle way and "very spiritual way," not only adults do that? Do you know that even children do that? That's why children never like to be confronted, children don't like to be told they are wrong, children don't like to be shamed. In fact now, we are living a culture where parents are defending children to a point, we don't want children to feel shameful, because it's negative feeling, we like our children to be feel confident 100%, full of self confident, we don't want to see children do something wrong and we point a finger at them, we shield them, we protect them.
BUT YOU SEE, THE SPIRIT OF GOD DON'T WANT TO SHIELD US, THE SPIRIT OF GOD PRESS THIS POINT HOME RIGHT UNTIL IT GOES INTO THE DEEPEST PART OF OUR BEINGS, THAT IS WHAT REPENTANCE. It press the point until we admit, until we stand up and we said, "God, I'm sorry I hurt your heart, I broke your commandments, I'm not worthy, I walked on your blood, God, I'm horrible, it's not just what I did, but inside me that something that is evil, I'm wrong about me, God have mercy on my soul." Folks, He is hearing crys from us, He wants to hear us praying like this, He wants us to come before Him and said that, "God, I'm so sorry, I'm not remorseful, I'm not even regretful, I'm past all of that, I'm telling You that God, I'm like this, I'm so terrible inside, if You don't change me, I'm finished." That's why John the Baptist said.. This is the statement..
Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist make some very profound statement concerning repentance, his message is on the promise if we repent like this, this is the promised. God promised all of our lives, His promised us: Verse 8. It was John, but it was as good as the entire New Testament principle is clearly revealed for us, he said, "BRINGS FORTH THEREFORE FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE:" The word fruits there was plural, which means more than one, many fruits. Now, what are the fruits of repentance? When a man truly come into that place of repentance, what are the fruits that follows our lives? When John the Baptist, when Scriptures make that statement. "There are fruits that are meet for repentance," I believe this is what John was referring to, I believe this is what Heaven is wanting to vindicate, and I believe that you will agree with this.
Do you know it's strange that once a man and a woman knows shame in himself or herself, not what he or she did, they will know shame in every other things? They will know shame in acts, in deeds, in words, in conduct, in behaviour, in lifestyle. Yes or no? Once a man truly has repented, and know who he really is in his heart, in the light of God, once he has really transected and come into that repentance, true repentance in before God, folks suddenly, from knowing shame in himself, isn't it strange immediately he starts to know shames in every other things, he will know that to say those things are shameful, to do that is shameful, to dress like that is shameful, to take that course of road is shameful, to behave like that is shameful, you know it's strange isn't it? Folks why? BECAUSE IT IS GOD DEFENCE FOR OUR LIVES SO THAT WE WILL NEVER COMMIT SINS IN LIFE. WHEN WILL YOU STOP DOING WRONG? WHEN YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE SHAMEFUL.
What's the problem today with our Churches? How many of us know that we have Christians sitting in our meeting, who don't even know they're shameful? To act, to do, to perform many other things? Yes or no? Christians, they don't even know they're shameful, they don't even shameful to talk like that, they don't even know it is shameful to act like that, they don't even know it is shameful to behave like that, they don't even know shameful to dress like that, no shame. We are living in a culture today, all over the nations of the world today, it is no shame. It's no shame to have no manners, it's no shame to live morally loose life, no shame, why? How can that be? It will be folks, BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER KNOW SHAME IN ANY OTHER AREA OF OUR LIVES UNTIL WE KNOW SHAME IN OURSELVES.
THE MOMENT WE KNOW SHAME, GOD BRINGS US FRUITS, we know shame in every area, and when that happened, when a man starts to know shame in every area of his life, folks, how many of us know that his heart will be fill with HUMILITY? Yes or no? HE WILL BE FILLED WITH HUMILITY. Will I be be right if I tell you, I think that person is going to live very softly and circumspectly in his life? He will be very considerateness, he will be very gentle, he will be very wise, he will be careful with his words and his conduct, IT'S CALLED HUMILITY.
Where does it comes from? It comes, because this man knows shame in himself. That's why there is a lot of people who said, "I'm sorry brother, I'm sorry sister, I have done this." And then. "You are forgiven brother, you are forgiven sister." Two weeks, two months down the road, they do the same old things again, why? BECAUSE THEY ARE SORRY FOR THE ACTS THEY DID, THEY ARE NOT SORRY FOR WHO THEY ARE, THEY WERE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT THEY DID, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN FOR WHO THEY WERE IN THE LIGHT OF GOD.
Finally The Acts, I believe it is one of the greatest promised given in Scripture CONCERNING A LIFE OF REPENTANCE. Acts 11:15-18, it was Apostle Peter. "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, "John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE."
What is the promise of repentance? What's the promised, when a man comes into repentance? It is so quick, it is almost like, it will comes to you in two seconds, the Bible said, and God said, if you truly repent, it comes straight into life, and the life there is NOT OUR NATURAL LIFE, IT IS THE LIFE OF GOD. It's once again corresponds to the statement that Jesus make. "Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Meaning, repent and the Kingdom of God is immediately, instantly, simultaneously, spontaneously available to us. REPENTANCE IS UNTO LIFE, IT'S COMING TO LIFE.
That's why in Acts chapter 2:37-38, where we read earlier concerning when they were pricked by the Holy Spirit, or pricked by the message that they heard from Peter, the Bible said: Then Peter immediately answered them, they said: "What shall we do?" "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost." Peter didn't say, receive the experiences of the Holy Spirit, he said, received the GIFT, WHICH IS SINGULAR, NOT GIFTS, BUT GIFT. Received the gift of the Holy Spirit, meaning he said, the moment you repent, you know what God promised?" I'll give to you the very person of the trinity, I'll give to you the very personhood of God, I'll give to you the personality of God in your life, I'll give to you the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit, I AM not going just to give you experiences, I AM going to give you the person of the Holy Spirit in your life, Amen.
That's what stabilized us, that's what confirmed us, that's what maintained us, that's what steadied us, that's what healed our minds, that's what brings broken, fractured back into normality, that's what finally delivered us from all hurts, and all of the emotional breakdown, that's what every area of our lives is all healed totally, completely and thoroughly.
God wants every man and woman to repent. "Repent, behold the Kingdom of God is at hand." REPENTANCE is one of the most glorious experience in our lives, it is a life that keep us in the place of VITALITY, it is repentance that keep us in that place of LIFE AND COMMUNION, it is repentance that cause us to DEPEND ON HIM AND TOTALLY RELY ON HIM, AND ABANDON OUR LIVES TO HIM, because once we live in the place of repentance, we will rely on Him, because we are not in control, GOD IS IN CONTROL, when God is in control, WE WILL TRUST HIM FOR EVERYTHING AND IN Everything. AMEN. SHALOM.
For further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
( Matthew 3: 8 )( Acts 11: 15 -18 )
Now I believe it could be true in our lives, because I believe each one of us had this experience of the Holy Spirit comes in to show us to ourselves and convict us and really begin, want to show us how shameful we must be for who we are, and what we really are in the light of Him. But you know what happen? I believe that in that decisive moment, when the Holy Spirit is working, it could be in a message like that, it could be in a Church service, it could be while you are reading your Bible, it could be while one day we did something wrong, we went to the backyard, we went to the kitchen, we went to the car or whatever, you start to cried out, " God! why is it that I feel so horrible about myself." Yes, we begin to confessed, "I am what I am, because I don't have it in me to live the way You want. God! I am sorry, not just what I did Lord, I am absolutely horrible, I am so selfish, I am so terribly greedy."
But instead of crying out to God, instead of coming to God, instead of confessing, instead of coming before the Lord, folks, this is what happened, I believe to most people, guess what happen? You see, how many of us know that, we don't like that? We don't like that kind of feeling, that's why it is later in the same book by Jeremiah 17:9, that Jeremiah begins to said: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately Wicked: Who can know it?" You know why? Because we don't want to put to that state, we don't want to feel shame for who we are. For some reasons, we become very clever, we become very trickery in our minds, we start to justify ourselves, in fact, we even tell ourselves, "You know, you really not that bad, you ok, it's just a bad mistake, it's one of those things come and go in life, it's ok."
Isn't it strange? Ourselves tell ourselves that? It's ok. Because why? Because given times, I'll be ok, I'm not that bad after all, because there is still some good in me, just last week, you know, I just went to the old folks home and blessed 100 old folks, I just took a Pastor out for a big huge five stars meal, I means there is still something good about me, l am OK." We do that, don't we? Because the flesh lied to us, the devil comes and deceived us.
1
Instead of stay on on course and go to God, "God! it's not because of what I have done, it's not the good deeds, it's not what I have." But you see folks, we want to be in control, do you know that? REPENTANCE IS GOD TAKING CONTROL OUT OF US, ANTI REPENTANCE IN US, SIMPLY MEANS WE WANT TO BE IN CONTROL, and God doesn't wants us to be in control, repentance simply means we totally removed our hands from the gear, God is the driver in the seat, we get out, we stay as a pillion rider, and God is going to take us through the journey of our lives.
But we want to be in control folks, you and I, we don't want to feel like that, you know why it is strange? It's not only adults, who don't want to feel like that, it's not only adults that had escape like this in a very subtle way and "very spiritual way," not only adults do that? Do you know that even children do that? That's why children never like to be confronted, children don't like to be told they are wrong, children don't like to be shamed. In fact now, we are living a culture where parents are defending children to a point, we don't want children to feel shameful, because it's negative feeling, we like our children to be feel confident 100%, full of self confident, we don't want to see children do something wrong and we point a finger at them, we shield them, we protect them.
BUT YOU SEE, THE SPIRIT OF GOD DON'T WANT TO SHIELD US, THE SPIRIT OF GOD PRESS THIS POINT HOME RIGHT UNTIL IT GOES INTO THE DEEPEST PART OF OUR BEINGS, THAT IS WHAT REPENTANCE. It press the point until we admit, until we stand up and we said, "God, I'm sorry I hurt your heart, I broke your commandments, I'm not worthy, I walked on your blood, God, I'm horrible, it's not just what I did, but inside me that something that is evil, I'm wrong about me, God have mercy on my soul." Folks, He is hearing crys from us, He wants to hear us praying like this, He wants us to come before Him and said that, "God, I'm so sorry, I'm not remorseful, I'm not even regretful, I'm past all of that, I'm telling You that God, I'm like this, I'm so terrible inside, if You don't change me, I'm finished." That's why John the Baptist said.. This is the statement..
Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist make some very profound statement concerning repentance, his message is on the promise if we repent like this, this is the promised. God promised all of our lives, His promised us: Verse 8. It was John, but it was as good as the entire New Testament principle is clearly revealed for us, he said, "BRINGS FORTH THEREFORE FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE:" The word fruits there was plural, which means more than one, many fruits. Now, what are the fruits of repentance? When a man truly come into that place of repentance, what are the fruits that follows our lives? When John the Baptist, when Scriptures make that statement. "There are fruits that are meet for repentance," I believe this is what John was referring to, I believe this is what Heaven is wanting to vindicate, and I believe that you will agree with this.
Do you know it's strange that once a man and a woman knows shame in himself or herself, not what he or she did, they will know shame in every other things? They will know shame in acts, in deeds, in words, in conduct, in behaviour, in lifestyle. Yes or no? Once a man truly has repented, and know who he really is in his heart, in the light of God, once he has really transected and come into that repentance, true repentance in before God, folks suddenly, from knowing shame in himself, isn't it strange immediately he starts to know shames in every other things, he will know that to say those things are shameful, to do that is shameful, to dress like that is shameful, to take that course of road is shameful, to behave like that is shameful, you know it's strange isn't it? Folks why? BECAUSE IT IS GOD DEFENCE FOR OUR LIVES SO THAT WE WILL NEVER COMMIT SINS IN LIFE. WHEN WILL YOU STOP DOING WRONG? WHEN YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE SHAMEFUL.
What's the problem today with our Churches? How many of us know that we have Christians sitting in our meeting, who don't even know they're shameful? To act, to do, to perform many other things? Yes or no? Christians, they don't even know they're shameful, they don't even shameful to talk like that, they don't even know it is shameful to act like that, they don't even know it is shameful to behave like that, they don't even know shameful to dress like that, no shame. We are living in a culture today, all over the nations of the world today, it is no shame. It's no shame to have no manners, it's no shame to live morally loose life, no shame, why? How can that be? It will be folks, BECAUSE WE WILL NEVER KNOW SHAME IN ANY OTHER AREA OF OUR LIVES UNTIL WE KNOW SHAME IN OURSELVES.
THE MOMENT WE KNOW SHAME, GOD BRINGS US FRUITS, we know shame in every area, and when that happened, when a man starts to know shame in every area of his life, folks, how many of us know that his heart will be fill with HUMILITY? Yes or no? HE WILL BE FILLED WITH HUMILITY. Will I be be right if I tell you, I think that person is going to live very softly and circumspectly in his life? He will be very considerateness, he will be very gentle, he will be very wise, he will be careful with his words and his conduct, IT'S CALLED HUMILITY.
Where does it comes from? It comes, because this man knows shame in himself. That's why there is a lot of people who said, "I'm sorry brother, I'm sorry sister, I have done this." And then. "You are forgiven brother, you are forgiven sister." Two weeks, two months down the road, they do the same old things again, why? BECAUSE THEY ARE SORRY FOR THE ACTS THEY DID, THEY ARE NOT SORRY FOR WHO THEY ARE, THEY WERE SHAMEFUL FOR WHAT THEY DID, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN FOR WHO THEY WERE IN THE LIGHT OF GOD.
Finally The Acts, I believe it is one of the greatest promised given in Scripture CONCERNING A LIFE OF REPENTANCE. Acts 11:15-18, it was Apostle Peter. "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, "John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost." Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE."
What is the promise of repentance? What's the promised, when a man comes into repentance? It is so quick, it is almost like, it will comes to you in two seconds, the Bible said, and God said, if you truly repent, it comes straight into life, and the life there is NOT OUR NATURAL LIFE, IT IS THE LIFE OF GOD. It's once again corresponds to the statement that Jesus make. "Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Meaning, repent and the Kingdom of God is immediately, instantly, simultaneously, spontaneously available to us. REPENTANCE IS UNTO LIFE, IT'S COMING TO LIFE.
That's why in Acts chapter 2:37-38, where we read earlier concerning when they were pricked by the Holy Spirit, or pricked by the message that they heard from Peter, the Bible said: Then Peter immediately answered them, they said: "What shall we do?" "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost." Peter didn't say, receive the experiences of the Holy Spirit, he said, received the GIFT, WHICH IS SINGULAR, NOT GIFTS, BUT GIFT. Received the gift of the Holy Spirit, meaning he said, the moment you repent, you know what God promised?" I'll give to you the very person of the trinity, I'll give to you the very personhood of God, I'll give to you the personality of God in your life, I'll give to you the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit, I AM not going just to give you experiences, I AM going to give you the person of the Holy Spirit in your life, Amen.
That's what stabilized us, that's what confirmed us, that's what maintained us, that's what steadied us, that's what healed our minds, that's what brings broken, fractured back into normality, that's what finally delivered us from all hurts, and all of the emotional breakdown, that's what every area of our lives is all healed totally, completely and thoroughly.
God wants every man and woman to repent. "Repent, behold the Kingdom of God is at hand." REPENTANCE is one of the most glorious experience in our lives, it is a life that keep us in the place of VITALITY, it is repentance that keep us in that place of LIFE AND COMMUNION, it is repentance that cause us to DEPEND ON HIM AND TOTALLY RELY ON HIM, AND ABANDON OUR LIVES TO HIM, because once we live in the place of repentance, we will rely on Him, because we are not in control, GOD IS IN CONTROL, when God is in control, WE WILL TRUST HIM FOR EVERYTHING AND IN Everything. AMEN. SHALOM.
For further reading please visit TAN KOK KIM
Monday, January 16, 2017
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
One of the greatest deterrents to revival and awakening by Henry Blackaby
"I talk with so many pastors and leaders who describe their churches as rebellious and apathetic toward God. A question I always ask them is this: 'How long have you been there?' Many reply, 'Ten, twenty, and thirty years.'
I reply, " Then the people in your church are the product of your walk with God. You ought not to have been with a people for so long and the holiness of God not absolutely come over the people. The holiness of God should be so real in your own heart that when you get up to speak, there is a sense of holy awe that you have been in the presence of God."
Do you hold yourself accountable as a servant of God? Do you minister week after week- yet none of God's people come under strong conviction leading to radical heart felt repentance? One of the greatest deterrents to revival and awakening is that pastors and leaders do not hold themselves accountable!"
-Henry Blackaby
Hong Kong Pop Star Vivian Chow Wai-Man Explains Meaning Of Christmas, Performs Publicly for First Time at Church Worship Service
By ERIC CHEN
Hong Kong Pop Star Vivian Chow Wai-Man Explains Meaning Of Christmas, Performs Publicly for First Time at Church Worship Service.
Hong Kong's queen of pop Vivian Chow Wai-Man performed publicly for the first time at a church worship service. Only after a year of coming to faith in Jesus Christ, the Chinese Christian pop star stepped out to share her reflection on the reason for the Christmas season and her faith.
In the past, Chow said that she would get excited because of the holy yet romantic feelings from Christmas, spurred on by the holiday breaks, Christmas lights, Christmas shopping, family gatherings, and gift exchanges. After becoming a Christian, she said all of that changed.
Last year, Chow posted her testimony of faith, explaining her conversion to Christianity, on her social media page. This year, she explained the core meaning of Christmas and urged her fans who are tired of shopping and partying to search for a different kind of activity - attend a church worship service and experience a different kind of Christmas.
"The word 'Christmas' is formed by the words 'Christ' and 'Mass,' meaning worship gathering. With these two words combined, Jesus Christ and worshiping Christ form the core of Christmas," said Chow. Although the Bible did not specifically state that Christ was born on December 25th, most churches celebrate the Savior's birth on this day, she said.
For Chow, the most significant meaning of Christmas is remembering Christ's love, "His coming gave us a grace that cannot be compared with any gifts from this world." She said this day reminds her to be thankful and of her responsibility to share the Gospel and love. "As I wish everyone a peaceful and joy Christmas, I hope everyone will not forget the meaning behind Christmas."
On Christmas Eve, Chow performed a song titled "A Love Like This," which she wrote about God's grace and love, and how God has changed her life. The church worship service was titled "Christmas Eve Celebration: Heaven and Nature Sings."
"I hope everyone can experience this love, hope and peace from this song," she wrote on Facebook. "I wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Jesus loves you!"
Here is the song's full lyrics:
《A Love Like This》
Composed by Vivian Chow
Lyrics by Krystal Diaz
In my open arms I feel you
My very soul in your eyes I see
And when I lose my way
You bring me back and say
I'm with you every step in every way
And in the darkest hours of my life
When faith in who I am starts to fade
The only one I call
My true heart's song
You would never let me fall
I never thought that a love like this
Would find a way to me
Oceans may rise and the mountains may fall, I don't mind
You're all that I'll ever need
I give my all for a love like this
Till the end of time
I know the miracle of your love set me free
For I have you on my side
(Bridge) When time stands still
And days turn to dust
your love will see me through
If the rivers all run dry
I know the answer's in you
Oceans may rise and the mountains may fall, I don't mind
As long as you're by my side
Hong Kong Pop Star Vivian Chow Wai-Man: 'Salvation Comes from Jesus, Not Self-Development'
Long-time Hong Kong pop star Vivian Chow Wai-Man released for the first time a touching letter witnessing her conversion experience from self-reliance to faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and savior. As a token of appreciation to her fans and friends' support and love, she wishes that her witness would become a blessing to them.
As a celebrity in Hong Kong entertainment industry for over 25 years, Chow is well-liked and known, which means her testimony would be a powerful tool to help educate and persuade those in Hong Kong and Asia to get to know the love and mercy of God; her words "salvation comes from Jesus and not self-development" captures the essence of the gospel. She has been an active World Vision ambassador to the third world countries.
As a celebrity in Hong Kong entertainment industry for over 25 years, Chow is well-liked and known, which means her testimony would be a powerful tool to help educate and persuade those in Hong Kong and Asia to get to know the love and mercy of God; her words "salvation comes from Jesus and not self-development" captures the essence of the gospel. She has been an active World Vision ambassador to the third world countries.
Jesus Speaks to Islamist Militants Hunting Down Christians: ‘Why Do You Persecute Me?’
By SUZETTE GUTIERREZ-CACHILA ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) Dec 23, 2016 12:37 PM ES
A group of Arab Muslims who were chasing after Christians said a dust storm suddenly formed on the road, forcing them to stop the chase, when Jesus appeared to them and spoke with a “mighty voice.”
Haroon (not his real name) said he and 19 other Islamist militants were informed that a group of Christians would be holding a baptism service. They boarded their vehicles and rushed to the site with the intention of killing everyone there.
Their purpose, said Haroon, was to instill fear among Christians around the world and to make them stop sharing the good news to the Muslims in their country, according to Bibles For Mideast.
However, when they arrived, they saw that the Christians were leaving. They were already on the bus and on their way back to the church.
Instead of giving up the pursuit, the militants chased after the bus and began shooting at it.
Rizwan, who was among those baptized that day at the Arabian Sea, recounted how everyone on the bus thought they would die that day.
“Maybe it was the militants plan to kill us in the sea during the baptism service. But somehow we finished our service earlier and tried to return back,” he said.
When their bus driver increased speed, the militants also drove faster and continued to shoot at them, Rizwan said.
Then, without warning, a dust storm formed “within seconds” and concealed the bus from the militants’ view.
Rizwan said they felt as if Jesus himself appeared in the dust storm to block the road and protect them from the militants, who eventually stopped chasing and shooting at them. They all praised God and made it back to the church safely.
What they didn’t know was that Jesus appeared to the militants.
Haroon said as the dust storm raged on, the militants had to stop their vehicles because they couldn’t see a thing.
“We were unable to move forward,” he said. “We all got down from our cars and continue shooting through the dust storm.”
Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the dust storm. Haroon said he looked “angry” and his eyes “were like blazing fire.”
“Why are you persecuting me; it’s hard for you to kick against the pricks,” Jesus said to them in a mighty voice.
His voice was so powerful that when he spoke, a strong wind literally swept the militants off their feet and blew their guns away. Haroon said the whole thing was a “terrible experience.”
As they struggled to get up, they realized they couldn’t talk. They felt afraid, yet they felt peace at the same time, an experience that was totally new to all of them.
Haroon said Jesus told them that he “came to the world not to destroy anyone; but to save,” and he told them to “Go in peace.” Then he disappeared, and the dust storm also disappeared.
All of them, save for two, praised God, but they argued among themselves about whether what they saw was from God or not.
After the incident, Haroon’s group was no longer assigned to “militant activities.”
Although the experience made him curious about Jesus, Haroon did not put his faith in Christ until a few days later when their family was around a bonfire in the desert. A deadly snake bit his sister Hajira. When she was rushed to the hospital, doctors said she would die.
While Hajira was asleep, an angel appeared to her and told her about Jesus, “the Savior and the Healer.” She shared the story to Haroon when she woke up, and they prayed and asked Jesus to save them.
They were both surprised when Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast, who was among the group of Christians Haroon and the other militants wanted to kill, walked into the room. He said an angel told him to visit them and even gave him their names.
Pastor Paul shared the gospel to them, and Haroon and his sister confessed their sins and gave their lives to Christ. Pastor Paul also prayed for Hajira, who was completely healed from the snake bite.
When their father learned about what happened to Hajira, he also surrendered his life to Jesus. Not only did Haroon’s entire family get saved; 17 of the militants in their group also got saved.
They are now praying for the other two to know Christ.
A group of Arab Muslims who were chasing after Christians said a dust storm suddenly formed on the road, forcing them to stop the chase, when Jesus appeared to them and spoke with a “mighty voice.”
Haroon (not his real name) said he and 19 other Islamist militants were informed that a group of Christians would be holding a baptism service. They boarded their vehicles and rushed to the site with the intention of killing everyone there.
Their purpose, said Haroon, was to instill fear among Christians around the world and to make them stop sharing the good news to the Muslims in their country, according to Bibles For Mideast.
However, when they arrived, they saw that the Christians were leaving. They were already on the bus and on their way back to the church.
Instead of giving up the pursuit, the militants chased after the bus and began shooting at it.
Rizwan, who was among those baptized that day at the Arabian Sea, recounted how everyone on the bus thought they would die that day.
“Maybe it was the militants plan to kill us in the sea during the baptism service. But somehow we finished our service earlier and tried to return back,” he said.
When their bus driver increased speed, the militants also drove faster and continued to shoot at them, Rizwan said.
Then, without warning, a dust storm formed “within seconds” and concealed the bus from the militants’ view.
Rizwan said they felt as if Jesus himself appeared in the dust storm to block the road and protect them from the militants, who eventually stopped chasing and shooting at them. They all praised God and made it back to the church safely.
What they didn’t know was that Jesus appeared to the militants.
Haroon said as the dust storm raged on, the militants had to stop their vehicles because they couldn’t see a thing.
“We were unable to move forward,” he said. “We all got down from our cars and continue shooting through the dust storm.”
Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the dust storm. Haroon said he looked “angry” and his eyes “were like blazing fire.”
“Why are you persecuting me; it’s hard for you to kick against the pricks,” Jesus said to them in a mighty voice.
His voice was so powerful that when he spoke, a strong wind literally swept the militants off their feet and blew their guns away. Haroon said the whole thing was a “terrible experience.”
As they struggled to get up, they realized they couldn’t talk. They felt afraid, yet they felt peace at the same time, an experience that was totally new to all of them.
Haroon said Jesus told them that he “came to the world not to destroy anyone; but to save,” and he told them to “Go in peace.” Then he disappeared, and the dust storm also disappeared.
All of them, save for two, praised God, but they argued among themselves about whether what they saw was from God or not.
After the incident, Haroon’s group was no longer assigned to “militant activities.”
Although the experience made him curious about Jesus, Haroon did not put his faith in Christ until a few days later when their family was around a bonfire in the desert. A deadly snake bit his sister Hajira. When she was rushed to the hospital, doctors said she would die.
While Hajira was asleep, an angel appeared to her and told her about Jesus, “the Savior and the Healer.” She shared the story to Haroon when she woke up, and they prayed and asked Jesus to save them.
They were both surprised when Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast, who was among the group of Christians Haroon and the other militants wanted to kill, walked into the room. He said an angel told him to visit them and even gave him their names.
Pastor Paul shared the gospel to them, and Haroon and his sister confessed their sins and gave their lives to Christ. Pastor Paul also prayed for Hajira, who was completely healed from the snake bite.
When their father learned about what happened to Hajira, he also surrendered his life to Jesus. Not only did Haroon’s entire family get saved; 17 of the militants in their group also got saved.
They are now praying for the other two to know Christ.
German Protestants Pass Resolution to Stop Converting Jews to Christianity: 'We Leave Up to God'
By SUZETTE GUTIERREZ-CACHILA ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) Nov 22, 2016 10:03 AM EST
Protestant churches in Germany have decided to stop any attempt to convert the Jews to the Christian faith and abandon their “Mission to the Jews.”
In a resolution passed Nov. 9, the synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany has formally renounced any effort to convert the Jews to Christianity, saying Christians “are not called to show Israel the path to God and his salvation,” Religion News Service reported.
The resolution stated that since God has not renounced his covenant with the Jews, the Jews don’t have to become Christians in order to be saved.
“All efforts to convert Jews contradict our commitment to the faithfulness of God and the election of Israel,” the resolution said. It adds that Christians seeing Jesus as their Savior and the Jews not sharing the same perspective is “a fact we leave up to God.”
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a group up of 20 Lutheran, United and Reformed churches and makes up about a third of the German population. Traditionally, the EKD has distanced itself from efforts to convert Jews to Christianity after the holocaust, but this is the first time it has done so officially.
“The historical argument that a Jewish mission is forbidden anyway after the Holocaust is addressed in one sentence: the confession of 'Christian responsibility' in the national socialist genocide and the associated rethinking also have consequences for a Christian testimony against Jews,” the EKD wrote.
Irmgard Schwaetzer, president of the EKD synod, said the decision is a “further step on the path of contemplation and reorientation in our relationship with Jews,” according to Fox News.
The EKD appears to be distancing itself from the anti-Semitic statements of Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Reformation, and announced its rejection of the “undisguised hatred to the Jews” last year. Luther wrote a treatise called ‘On the Jews and Their Lies’ and encouraged people to attack Jewish homes and synagogues.
However, the resolution brings to question some theological contradictions. Small evangelical groups have long opposed abandoning the Mission to the Jews. The Bible commands in the book of Matthew that believers should “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.”
The Central Council of Jews in Germany expressed approval over the new resolution.
“This clear renunciation of the Mission to the Jews means very much for the Jewish community. With it, the EKD recognizes the suffering that the forced conversion of many Jews over the centuries has caused,” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said.
Aside from the EKD, the Vatican has also renounced its anti-Semitic theology, announcing on December 2015 that it “neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.”
Protestant churches in Germany have decided to stop any attempt to convert the Jews to the Christian faith and abandon their “Mission to the Jews.”
In a resolution passed Nov. 9, the synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany has formally renounced any effort to convert the Jews to Christianity, saying Christians “are not called to show Israel the path to God and his salvation,” Religion News Service reported.
The resolution stated that since God has not renounced his covenant with the Jews, the Jews don’t have to become Christians in order to be saved.
“All efforts to convert Jews contradict our commitment to the faithfulness of God and the election of Israel,” the resolution said. It adds that Christians seeing Jesus as their Savior and the Jews not sharing the same perspective is “a fact we leave up to God.”
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a group up of 20 Lutheran, United and Reformed churches and makes up about a third of the German population. Traditionally, the EKD has distanced itself from efforts to convert Jews to Christianity after the holocaust, but this is the first time it has done so officially.
“The historical argument that a Jewish mission is forbidden anyway after the Holocaust is addressed in one sentence: the confession of 'Christian responsibility' in the national socialist genocide and the associated rethinking also have consequences for a Christian testimony against Jews,” the EKD wrote.
Irmgard Schwaetzer, president of the EKD synod, said the decision is a “further step on the path of contemplation and reorientation in our relationship with Jews,” according to Fox News.
The EKD appears to be distancing itself from the anti-Semitic statements of Martin Luther, who began the Protestant Reformation, and announced its rejection of the “undisguised hatred to the Jews” last year. Luther wrote a treatise called ‘On the Jews and Their Lies’ and encouraged people to attack Jewish homes and synagogues.
However, the resolution brings to question some theological contradictions. Small evangelical groups have long opposed abandoning the Mission to the Jews. The Bible commands in the book of Matthew that believers should “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.”
The Central Council of Jews in Germany expressed approval over the new resolution.
“This clear renunciation of the Mission to the Jews means very much for the Jewish community. With it, the EKD recognizes the suffering that the forced conversion of many Jews over the centuries has caused,” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said.
Aside from the EKD, the Vatican has also renounced its anti-Semitic theology, announcing on December 2015 that it “neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.”
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)