A Place of Discovery

HOLY SPIRIT, OUR ADVOCATE! (John 14:16-17; 1 Cor 2:9-11—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) The Church started by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day. The disciples were faithfully praying for the coming of the Holy spirit, observing Jesus promised in John 14 and Acts 1:8, “ you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses . . . ”  Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and as a human being, He depended on the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18-10). The  Greatest Covenant Gift: Holy Spirit be with us and lives in us (John 14:16) Our first encounter with the Holy Spirit was, He enabled us to receive the saving grace of Christ and to move us from the death to the life of righteousness. The Presence of the Holy Spirit is the greatest covenant gift from God. He will be with us and in us forever. Individually and together as a church we become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16; 6:1). He is not just an object of our worship and adoration....

WHAT DO YOU PREFER? WHIP OR GENTLE SPIRIT 1 Corinthians 4 . “ What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?”  ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:21‬ ‭NIV Reading this chapter, reminds me of my first year high school. Students were happy when a teacher was absent! The session soon turned into a jamming and singing time! Some would prefer sleeping, chatting, and only one or two would use the time for self-study! Sometimes the boys would get too excited and with no clear reasons ended up in fighting! Surely the Discipline Master would shown up to put the class in control again! . Those were juveniles who were not yet able to control their energy, emotions, hormonal changes and actions! . Likewise, the Corinthians failed to live a Christian life while the Apostle Paul was away! Worse than the restless juveniles, they were haughty, pompous, judging everyone incl. the apostles, wise in their own eyes and clever in thei...

YOU TOGETHER ARE GOD’S TEMPLE “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”  ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NIV In this letter, two times Paul mentioned the body as the Temple where God’s Spirit lives: 1 Cor 3:16, the body of believers (the church) and our physical body in 6:19. The church, the body of Christ, the Temple of God is precious to God. It’s God’s dwelling place! Paul was referring to the people who have been redeemed by Jesus, and are called to follow Him, to be His people, His disciples and not the physical building. Since Constantine, in the 4th century, until now, or even since King David time (1 Chro 22:1-5,14) people spent lots of fortune to care for the physical building! But how much resources (time, energy, thoughts, and wealth) have been used to nurture the people who together become...

ONLY GOD WHO MAKE S YOU GROW “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:6-8‬ ‭NIV God uses different people and ways to help us to grow in Him. Paul did the job of sowing and Apollos watering! They work fo r God, helping believers to know God and to have a personal relationship with Him, to grow in Him! Paul and the other apostles had proven themselves as loyal workers! They did not desire for personal glory (Gal 5:26) although the Corinthians idolised them. Neither they took any advantages from these weaklings! So how can we grow? Paul faithfully referred them back to God. Grow starts when we begin to be fed directly by God’s grace! Jesus said, “‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain...

LET’S GROW IN THESE THREE “As a matter of fact, my brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith. I had to feed you with milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it, because you still live as the people of this wo rld live. When there is jealousy among you and you quarrel with one another, doesn't this prove that you belong to this world, living by its standards?” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭GNB‬‬ How do we know that we’re mature: spiritually, emotionally, socially? Paul considered the Corinthians believers as immature, infants, and worldly! Why...? Their lives were colored with jealousy and quarrel. They were divisive. They failed to understand and to live out the Kingdom’s value: love God and love each other! In contrast, the Thessalonians were showing signs of spiritual maturity and becom...

VENTURING INTO THE MYSTERY OF GLORY “No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:7-10‬ ‭NIV “...a mystery God has destined for our glory before time began?” When sin has damaged our contact with God, Jesus came to renew God’s offer, “I have come to give you life...abundant life.” (John 10:10b) But many are still searching and looking... how to find this “mystery of glory”? First, ethnocentrism—viewing and perceiving the wisdom of God solely by the values and standard of the world...

WISDOM OF GOD AND THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭NIV Do I have the habit to wait and seek for the Spirit to reveal God’s wisdom and to work in me? John Wesley was an omnivorous reader yet he often called himself “homo unius libri” (a man of one book). Meaning, the word of God has the first and final says and the ultimate wisdom for our life! Surely being eloquent, communicative and well-read will be very much helpful to bridge the two worlds, the world of the Bible and our world! But human wisdom is only a mean not the end! We need to heed Paul’s reminder: count on God’s wisdom and the power of the Spirit! They work in a pair! The Spirit of God will reveal to us the wisdom of God, and if you are a preacher—to your hearers as well. The Spirit will speak to our spirit...

Igniting the Spirit (Ezekiel 37:1-14—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) The Valley of Dry Bones: Without Identity and Hope Ezekiel was sent to prophesy and gave the message of hope to the people of Israel. They were the captives from Judah when Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 587 BC. Jerusalem as the symbol of pride and the Temple the symbol of God’s presence were in ruins. Will glory return to Jerusalem? The captives might had long given up the possibility to return to the Promised Land. And in doing, might had given up their identity, as God’s people, they said “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” “Can these dry bones live?” Structure with flesh and skin but no breath (7,8) How is your church? Sometimes life can become too mechanical. People are good at performing religious duties yet there isn’t any spirit or passion in it. There is no breath, no life! It’s robotic or it may like a just recently died body—it looks good but it feels cold and...

Go Forth and Shine Anew (Luke 2:22-40—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) What’s next after Christmas? Do we encounter the living Christ during in our celebrations? What will that mean to us? Luke highlighted to witnesses who have met the living Christ, Anna and Simeon. Anna has devoted herself to the life of prayer and fasting. As for Simeon, the Bible gives us a bit of his resume. Simeon was a just (righteous) and devout believer. Just means he related well with his neighbors, living a just and righteous life. Luke didn’t say he is a religious man, rathe a devout which focused more on the quality of his inner life and spiritual grace he possess. He was devoted to God and the Holy Spirit was with Him. He had been given the privilege to see the Saviour before he died. Like other Jews in his time, they had been expecting the coming of the Messiah from the seed of David—the consolation and glory for Israel, the blessing for all nation. Yet, Simoen was given the grace to see Jesus, as the...