A Place of Discovery

UBUNTU: JESUS’S INTENTION? 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 “Therefore I want you to know that no-one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no-one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:3, 7‬ ‭NIV The same Spirit who instills the faith in Jesus and enables us to confess with our hearts and our lips, also comes with Spiritual Gifts! These gifts enrich our life! Not just for personal benefit and enjoyment but for common good! So we can use our gifts to bless and enrich each other. . The Spirit of God will never limit us to think just “about me and myself”. Instead, the Spirit will enlarge our hearts and capacity to include and care for others. The more we use the richer the gifts will become. But if we only utilise the gifts for our own benefit, we are restricting God’s grace and belittling His power. God’s concern is for us living together as...

TENDING THE GARDEN OF YOUR SOUL . This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ( John   15 : 8  NIV) . Mango and banana are not native of the subtropical desert of Israel. But today they have become one of the main fruits from this land where Jesus had lived 2000 years ago. . Likewise, the fruits of life that Jesus mentioned here are also foreign to us. The climate, the soil, etc of our corrupted souls are not suitable for these divine fruits. . Only the Gardener will know how to cultivate the soil of our souls. The challenge for us 1) to remain in Christ, and remain in His love (v9)the Vine, 2) to be open for the Gardener works in us; to cleanse and to prune us (v2),  . The land in Israel needs certain technology to turn the desert into a tropical garden to produce mangoes and banana. Likewise, we'll need the Divine touch to change our hearts (the soil, the climate, the ecosystem) to be able to ...

FOLLOW THE DONKEY PATH? If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ( John   15 : 7  NIV) New information for me donkey is the smartest animal. They have the intelligent to make paths in the ancient civilization, it was called the "donkey path". Here how it works, the ancient Israel let the donkey lead the way and from their steps,  people made pathways for commuting from one place to the other place. What can be better than living in the centre of God's will?  In this verse, the word of God serves like the donkey path that helping us to trace the path to the Father's heart, to the centre of His will. So that whatever you 'wish' (or ask) it will be done for you.  Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. ( Psalm   119 : 105 NIV) ~plt200415. Repost plt051016 (Reflection from 2015 Israel's Study trip) #pltwrites #wmcjakarta #donkeypath #remaininHisword #ab...

The Spirit of Adoption ( Gal 4:6;Romans 8:15—by David Barwin) Paul used the letter Greek word huiothesia (huio fa seaia)- adoption  five times (Eph1:5, Gal 4:5, Rom 8:15, 8:23 and 9:4)in the term of Israelites and of believers as sons of God First we need to question how Paul got the term “adoption”?  Is it in line with all the bible term – John we are children of God / Paul influenced by the mythology of the Greece? Paul understand the doctrine of “adoption” from the Old Testament. Exo 4:22, Hosea11:1, Rom 9:4 and also from the Greece culture. Paul used the Greece word, “adoption” that reflects the true biblical meaning. When a person adopted a son – this child will carry his name and will share his inheritance. With these, Paul established and came to understand we enter into divine Sonship of God through the process called adoption (legal status). How we become the adopted son of God? The process …How the Spirit dwells in us? Romans 8:9 “You, however are not in t...

THREE AWARENESSES “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek their own good, but the good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 This passage is about living together. In chapter 3. It’s about living together in the community of believers. But this part is widen the circle to include living together  with people from other faith. The principles remain the same: whatever we do, do it for God’s glory and to build up other people—to lead them closer to God, both Christians and non-Christians. It’s not so much about sin or wrong-doing, or eating food sacrificed to idols in this case. But about being God’s people and leading others closer to God. As we mature in faith, as we grow to be more like Christ, we need to have these three awarenesses. Three awarenesses involved: God-awareness, self-awareness and other-awareness! Awareness of God help us to know God more deeply and intimatel...

LET’S COME FOR THIS COSTLY GRACE . “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it , in remembrance of me.’ . For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-25, 29‬ ‭NIV . What does the Lord’s Supper mean to you?   . It’s a new covenant between Jesus Christ and all who accept Him to be their Redeemer! So, it’s a celebration of the new life in Christ!   . For the Wesleyans, it’s also a means of grace, not merely a symbol or a reminder per se! Christ’ grace does not stop on the Cross but it becomes alive in the Resurrection and continue to overflow in the lives of the redeemed by the p...

HOLY SPIRIT, OUR INTERCESSOR (Romans 8:18-27—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) How is your prayer life? Is prayer hard for you? Do you sometimes feel you don’t know what to pray? And How to pray?  We need the Holy Spirit, our Advocate to pray alongside us—as our Intercessor! 1 .Holy Spirit restore “the hope” in us and give us courage to hope. Hope is believing in the beautiful future based on the promise of God. Standing on the presence reality sometimes we might feel hopeless and not knowing what and how to pray. The Holy Spirit will instill in us the faith and enable us to come to the Lord with ‘a childlike confidence’ dare to ask, trusting God has the power over our future and He will give when we ask. The Holy Spirit turns us from hopeless to hopeful , from prayer-less to prayerful. 2. Holy Spirit Teaches Us What to Pray The Holy Spirit gives us strength and endurance to bear the infirmity within us: physical pain, mental depression, spiritual conflict /pov...

LET’S SEEK TO COMPLEMENT 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 “ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman .”‭‭ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:11‬ ‭NIV I wonder if the Corinthians in fact was the reflection of our church today! Since the inception of the church, it seems that Christians like to quarrel on trivial issues. In this case, head-covering and hairstyle for women in worship. Which thankfully most churches believe this was an cultural issue and was not an issue for us anymore. After his missionary experience in Georgia amongst the red Indian, John Wesley realised he could not apply the liturgy and worship style of the church of England in to the Indian. In his sermon, The Catholic Spirit, he quoted St. Augustine, saying: “In essentials, unity. Non-essentials, liberty. In everything, charity.” Liturgy is important but isn’t the essential part compared to the heart of worship, that’s to lead people to encounter the Living God so we can give ou...

HOLY SPIRIT, THE GLORIFIER! ( John 16:14 - 15—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) The Holy Spirit helps us to identify a false or a godly teacher.  How do I know if a preacher is truly a God’s servant. The simple test is: when I close my eyes, do I hear the voice of Christ louder than the voice of the preacher? Do I rather quote our preachers than Christ’s? A preacher who is led by the Holy Spirit will bring people to Christ and give glory to Christ. Their preaching will help us to be more and more Christ-like. T he Holy Spirit will help us to give glory to God The Son will give glory to the Father (John 12:49, 7:16) and the Holy Spirit will give glory to Christ. They do not claim to be more important than the other Persons of the Trinity. Likewise, the Holy Spirit will enable us to glorify God. The Holy Spirit helps us to see ourselves and God clearer. Without my glasses, my house always look clean. Once I put my glasses, I can see clearly all the dirt...

HOPE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Romans 15:13-21, Preacher: Ps Paw Liang) The Power of The Holy Spirit in Our Conversion No matter how eloquent a speaker, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to convey the salvation grace into our hearts, our minds and especially our wills. The Holy Spirit continue to work in us and grow our faith. Faith and Hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit Why Paul needs to emphasis “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit? Many of us will put our faith in God with the hope God will take care of our family, our business our career. We put our hope in Christ for the future of our loved ones. As we mature in Christ, hope is not just about our personal and family life, but also the family of believers, the church, and the world. How much do we believe the church is the hope of the world? And how much do we ask for the Holy Spirit to help u...