Month: October 2020

The Lord God In Control

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (Josh-1Chr)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Return From Exile & Prophets

2 Chronicles spans four centuries of
Judah’s history from glory days of
Solomon to end of Babylonian Exile.
Moving to prophets, Isaiah’s ministry
spans reigns of four kings of Judah
(722-681BC) stressing holiness
of God and coming of the Messiah.
Then five minor prophets to Judah
including Obadiah (840BC) and
Joel (830) as well as Micah (735-10)
Zephaniah (630) & Habakkuk (607).
Then Jeremiah written 627 to urge
God’s people to turn from their sins
followed by Lamentations (586 BC);
Ezekiel written 571BC & Daniel (536)

Daniel presents a majestic sweep
of prophetic history. World powers
come and go, but God will establish
His people forever. Nowhere is this
theme more apparent than in the life
of Daniel, a young Jew transplanted
to Babylonia. His adventures in the
palace and the lions’ den show that
even in exile God has not forgotten
His chosen people. Daniel’s dreams
& interpretations of others’ dreams
convince Jew and Gentile alike that
wisdom and power belong to God
alone. God is in control, not only of
the present but of the future as well.

We will meditate Daniel over two
weekends over following 4 divisions:
Dan 1-3: Dream of the Statue
Dan 4-6: Daniel’s Faith in Lion’s Den
Dan 7-9: Visions of the Beasts
Dan 10-12: Visions of the Man
Lord, the book of Daniel shows
You are all knowing and in charge
of world events. And that You will
deliver the faithful who follow You.
Grant us grace Lord to submit
to Your reign in our life. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The purpose of Acts is to give an
accurate account of the birth and
growth of the Christian church.
This week we also understand
how God is at work in building His
kingdom so that we might be clear
about the ideals for which we should
work and pray, thus positioning
ourselves to encounter His presence.
On Mon we learn from Acts 1-2
to Be Empowered to Witness.
On Tues, we learn from Acts 6
to Be Devoted to Prayer.
On Wed, we learn from Acts 9
to Watch for Divine Encounter.
On Thurs, we learn from Acts 13
to Seek God in Fast and Prayer.
On Friday, we learn from Acts 16
to Praise God in Worship.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Praise God In Worship (Oct 23)

Paul’s second missionary journey
begins with a new companion
– Silas. The team soon doubles
in size as Timothy and Luke are
added. Initially given a warm
reception in Philippi, Paul & Silas
soon experience flogging and
Imprisonment for disrupting the
profitable soothsaying business.
But God uses even this to bring
a jailer and his family to salvation.

Lord, we Claim Power of Praise:
Around midnight, Paul and Silas
were praying and Singing Hymns
to God, and the other prisoners
were listening. Suddenly, there was
a great earthquake…All the doors
flew open and the chains of every
prisoner fell off. The jailer woke up
to see the prison doors wide open.
He assumed the prisoners had
escaped, so he drew his sword to
kill himself. But Paul shouted: Stop!
Don’t kill yourself! we are all here!..
And he brought them out and said:
Sirs what must I do to be saved?”
So they said: Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,
you & your household(Acts 16:25-31)

Lord, we thank and praise You
for grace in our lives. We magnify
Your Name for there is none like U!
When I face difficult circumstances
and may be tempted to give up,
remind me Lord of the example of
Paul & Silas and how U intervened
for them. Then put words of Praise
in my mouth. For You are my hope
in the midst of troubles. Amen.

Lord, the circumstances may not
be pretty and there are things
that I don’t quite understand.
What are You really doing in this
particular situation? What do
You want to do through me?
Although I may be hurting but
may Your sovereign will be done.
And I am open to whatever You
want to do & accomplish. Amen.

Lord, I purpose to praise and
worship You in every situation; for
they have to bow to Your Presence
when I bow to Your Presence.
Trust that You will respond to my
praise of You, sometimes visibly
in power and sometimes invisibly.
But either way, Your Presence
is real when my heart is in syn
with the truth of Your glory. Amen

Seek God in Fast & Prayer (Oct 22)

Just as Jerusalem has been the
center for Jewish evangelism,
so Syrian Antioch now becomes
the center for Gentile evangelism.
Peter who has played the leadership
role in the first 12 chapters, now
gives up the spotlight to Paul,
whose travels and trials dominate
the last 16 chapters of the book.
Acts 13 marks the beginning
of Paul’s missionary career.
Returning to Antioch at the end
of their first missionary journey,
Paul and his travelling companion
Barnabas report to their home
church and seek to resolve
the issue of including Gentiles in
the previously all-Jewish church.

Lord, we seek Your Will in Prayer:
As they ministered to the Lord
and fasted, the Holy Spirit said:
Now separate to Me Barnabas
and Saul for the work to which
I Have Called them. Then having
Fasted and Prayed and laid hands,
they sent them away (Acts 13:2-3)
They came to Antioch and went
into the synagogue on Sabbath…
On the next Sabbath almost the
Whole City came together to
hear the word of God (v14, 44).
(The Lord said): I have made you
a Light to the Gentiles, to bring
Salvation to the farthest corners
of the earth. When the Gentiles
heard this, they were very glad and
thanked the Lord for his message…
and became believers (v47-48).

Lord, I know my Calling & purpose
is revealed in prayer. I know it is
defined within a church body of
believers, for it’s almost impossible
to develop to our full potential
independently of other believers.
Grant us unity for it adds power
to our prayers and confidence
that God will answer in power.
And enable me to be set apart
for the work You’ve for me. Amen.

Lord, I ask You to bless all those
in full-time Christian ministry.
Bless all my pastors and family
in every way; and that they be
led by the Spirit to know not just
the general will of God but also
the specific will for every situation.
Bless all missionaries and staff
members that they be effective
in their respective ministries. And
Bless each church member so that
out of gratitude they worship You
& Introduce Gospel to others. Amen.

Lord, there are many people all
around us whom You are pursuing.
Show us those in our circle of
friends, loved ones as well as
neighbourhood that You want us
to pray for and build relationships.
For they may be the very people
You have appointed to eternal life.
Equip us Lord to be lights to those
who don’t know You and to love
them for Christ Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Watch for Divine Encounter(Oct21)

Two years after Commission, only
Jerusalem had heard the good news.
Then persecution hits, scattering
disciples into Judea and Samaria.
Phillip extends his witness to Africa
thro conversion of visiting dignitary.
And Saul encounters the risen
Lord on the road to Damascus,
transforming him from Saul the
Antagonist to Paul the Missionary.

Lord, we seek to Encounter You:
The Lord told (Ananias): Go to house
of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul
for he is Praying. And in a vision he
has seen you putting your hand on
him… Go for he is a chosen vessel
of Mine to bear My name before
Gentiles… Immediately he preached
Christ in the synagogues that He
is the Son of God (Acts 9:11-20).
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he
tried to meet with the believers, but
they were all afraid… Then Barnabas
brought him to the apostles & told
them how Saul had seen the Lord
on the way to Damascus (v26-27).
Then the Churches throughout
Judea, Galilee and Samaria…were
edified. And walking in the fear of
the Lord and in the comfort of the
Holy Spirit, they… multiplied (v34).

Lord, You gave Paul a dramatic
Encounter on the road to Damascus.
Throughout history many have told
of encounters and the fruit of their
lives validated their testimonies.
An Encounter with You can turn
anyone into a passionate believer
who will earnestly give You glory.
So step into our experiences in
powerful and life-altering ways
and show us Your glory. Amen.

Lord, You appeared to Saul, blinded
him to get his attention and then
turnaround his life. Likewise, You
may allow me to get to a dark place
where I can’t see without Your help.
At those times, help me to do as
Paul did and Pray fervently so that
my spiritual sight can be restored
and Your Will Be Done. Amen.

Lord, help me to see others with
Your eyes; and make me to be
an encourager like Barnabas.
Give me the vision to see the
potential U have deposited in them.
Fill me with courage to stand with
those in trouble and need my help.
Make me an encouragement from Your heart to the hearts of others.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Be Devoted to Prayer (Oct 20)

Visited by their resurrected Lord
and empowered by the promised
Comforter, the disciples fearlessly
follow their marching orders.
The advance of the gospel is
soon opposed by adversaries.
Attacks from without and within
threaten to fracture the body
of believers in Jerusalem. But
prompt discipline, wise leadership
and unflinching commitment
only serve to enlarge the church.

Lord, we offer ourselves to You:
But as the believers rapidly
multiplied, there were rumblings
of discontent. The Greek-speaking
believers complained about the
Hebrew-speaking believers saying
that their widows were being
discriminated in distribution of food…
Brothers, select seven men who
are well respected and are full of
the Spirit and wisdom. We will give
them this responsibility. Then we
apostles can spend our time in
prayer and teaching the word…
These seven were presented to
the apostles, who prayed for them
as they laid their hands on them.
So God’s message continued to
spread. The number of believers
greatly increased (Acts 6:1-7).

Lord, we realise each person has
a vital part to play in the life of
the church. For we are created
in Christ Jesus for good works;
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them. So,
prompt and lead each of us to offer
our God-given gifts and talents for
service in various church ministries
and so live a life of purpose. Amen.

Lord, grant me grace for continual
readiness and devotion to prayer.
Open my eyes & heart to understand
the great privilege You have given
me in allowing me free access into
Your throne room. Give me a heart
that’s hungry to spend time with You.
And as I do, prepare my mind and
heart for the work You have for me
to do for You & Your kingdom. Amen.

Lord, we ask You to bless all those
in full-time ministry. We pray first of
all for our pastors, that You would
bless them and their families in
every way. We pray also for the staff
at our church to be blessed by You
Lord and to be led by Your Spirit.
Keep them all safe and protect them
from any attack of the evil one.
And help them to stand strong
against every temptation. Amen.

Be Empowered to Witness (Oct 19)

With Jesus’ last instruction still
in their ears, the disciples go forth
speaking words of eternal life.
Visited by their resurrected Lord
and empowered by the promised
Comforter, they fearlessly follow
their marching orders in spite
of mocking, threats and abuse.
The advance of the gospel is
soon opposed by adversaries. But
prompt discipline, wise leadership
and unflinching commitment
only serve to enlarge the church.

Lord, we will Be Your Witnesses:
(Jesus) commanded them not
to depart from Jerusalem, but to
Wait for the Promised of the Father…
for… you shall be baptized with
the Holy Spirit… You Shall Receive
Power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you Shall
Be Witnesses to Me…(Acts 1:4-5,8)
Then they returned to Jerusalem
from Olivet & went into upper room…
These all continued with one accord
in prayer and supplication (v12-14).
When the Day of Pentecost had
come, they were all with one accord..
And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven… And they were filled
with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).
In the last days…I will Pour Out of
My Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17).

Lord, thanks for giving us Your
Holy Spirit when we accepted
You, to Be Empowered and Be
Your Witness. Give me ears to hear
and teach me how to listen to You.
Enable me to better understand
virtues like grace, forgiveness,
eternity; and most of all You.
Keep me from the distraction
of busyness and draw me closer
to You Lord more each day. Amen.

Lord, we note the early Christians praying together has mighty impact.
When we think our voices are small help us remember we are not alone.
Each voice may start out alone, but
by the time it reaches God’s throne
of grace, it becomes part of a huge
chorus asking for the same thing.
Use our prayers Lord rising from
all over and join them together
to fulfil Your purposes. Amen.

Spirit, I want to experience the reality
of Your Presence & see more of You.
Empower me in concrete ways that
I know I’ll never be the same again &
give me whatever gift You deem fit.
Reveal any obstacle between us or
any change of mind I need to make;
for I’m open & have Your way in me.
And Impart some of Your character
on me so that my heart can steadily
become more like Yours. Amen.

Abide In Christ to be Fruitful

The Upper Room Discourse
contains Jesus’ final words of
instruction and encouragement
to His disciples before His death.
Only John records these intimate
moments between Jesus & His men
as He models true humility (c13),
describes the Holy Spirit who will
comfort & empower them (c14-16)
and intercedes for protection and
unity of His disciples worldwide(c17)

Lord, we purpose to Remain in You:
I am the vine; you are the branches.
IF You REMAIN In Me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart
from Me you can do nothing…
If you remain in Me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever
you wish and it will be given you.
By this My Father is glorified that
you bear much fruit (Jn 15:5-8).
IF You KEEP my commandments,
you will abide in My love. This is My
commandment that you Love one
another as I have loved you (v10-12)
You are My friends IF You DO
what I command. I no longer call
you servants… Instead I have
called you friends (v14-15) Amen.

Lord, as I purpose to Remain in You,
help me to walk closely with You
each day and stay constantly in
communication with You – both by
talking with You and listening to You
speak to my heart. Help me Lord
to grow deep in Your Word, getting
to know You better. And help me
to increase in the knowledge of
Your ways and Your will. Amen.

Lord, we note Your command
to love one another as You have
loved us sacrificially. Help me
Follow Your command to love
others with Your kind of love.
And help me to do good works
and share the gospel so that
others will come to believe in You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord Jesus, I desire that you will
become my Best Friend & help me
Develop Deep Friendship with You.
Help me to understand the full implications of friendship with You.
Help me to be loyal, committed
and loving, walking with You daily.
Help me enjoy staying deeply in
Your Word, learning more about
Your nature, way and will. Amen.

Time for Revival of Worship(Oct18)

Prophet Ezekiel is given a preview
of the new temple, built upon the
site of the old one destroyed 14
years earlier. Ezekiel sees the glory
of the Lord returning to the new
Holy of Holies… Finally, Ezekiel
describes the boundaries of the
renewed nation, with divisions for
tribes, priests and the people of
Jerusalem. As a reminder of all
that has taken place, the new city
will be named “The Lord is there.”

The book of Ezekiel begins by
describing the holiness of God that
Israel had despised and ignored.
As a result, God’s presence departed
from the temple, city and the people.
The book ends with a detailed vision
of the new temple, the new city and
the new people – all demonstrating
God’s holiness. The pressures of life
may persuade us to focus on the
here and now and thus forget God.
That is why worship is so important;
for it takes our eyes off the current
worries, gives us a glimpse of God’s
holiness and allows us to look
toward His future kingdom. God’s
presence make everything glorious
& worship brings us into His presence
Lord, we seek Your Presence.
Lord, we seek Life-Giving Stream.
Lord, we seek to Worship You. Amen

Lord, we seek Your Presence:
The man took me back to the east
gate of the temple, where I saw
the… glory of Israel’s God coming
from the east… I immediately bowed
with my face to the ground and the
Lord’s glory came… into the temple…
Ezekiel, son of man, this temple is
my throne on earth. I will live here
among the people of Israel for ever.
They and their kings will never again
disgrace me by worshipping idols
at local shrines (Ezekiel 43:1-2, 7).
Lord, thank You for the picture
of God returning to dwell among
His people; and Your promises
of an eternal presence with them.
Later revelation of Immanuel through
the incarnation in Jesus and by
the gift of the Holy Spirit, we see
a much deeper fulfilment of that
promise that God dwells in us.
Help us Lord that knowing God
dwelling among us spur us to live in
a way that reflects His glory. Amen.

Lord, we seek Life-Giving Stream:
Then he led me back along the river
-bank. Suddenly to my surprise,
many trees were now growing on
both sides of the river! Then he said:
This river flows east thro the desert
into Jordan Valley, where it enters the
Dead Sea. The waters of this stream
will heal the salty waters of the Dead
Sea and make them fresh and pure.
Everything that touches the water
of this river will live. Fish will abound
in the Dead Sea, for its waters will
be healed. Wherever this water
flows, everything will live(Ez 47:6-9)
Lord, the depth of our need calls
to the depth of Your grace; for Your
grace is deeper than our need.
Draw us Lord to You and let rivers
of living waters flow from the heart.
Grant us to drink deeply each day
of the river of the water of life. And
Grant us to overflow in blessing
to the thirsty world around. Amen.

Lord,we seek to Worship & Outreach
The city of Jerusalem will have 12
gates, three on each of the four
sides of the city wall. These gates
will be named after the 12 tribes
of Israel… On the north side will
be gate of Reuben, Judah & Levi…
The distance around the entire city
will be six miles. And from that
day the name of the city will be:
“The Lord is There.”(Ezek48:30-35)
Lord, we are glad that You long for
a place to live among Your people.
We realise the vision also points
to a new heaven and a new earth
which gives hope in difficult times.
We realise the gates named after the
12 tribes symbolising all the people
of God, reaching out to the world.
Carry us in Your river and help us
bring healing to others in Your name.
And may the grace of Lord Jesus,
the love of God and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen

Revived to New Season (Oct 17)

In a vision retold with such vivid
details that you can almost see
the bones moving and can hear
them rattling, Ezekiel announces
Israel’s future rebirth. Reassembled
from afar and revived with God’s
own breath of life, the sun-bleached
bones become a new Israel, more
glorious & powerful than ever before.
Then in a second vision,Ezekiel sees
the revived nation utterly destroy
its last foe – the mysterious Magog
-after which God is acknowledged
by all nations as the mighty
conqueror and undisputed Victor !!

When the people stray far from God,
they suffer defeat; but when they
cling to God and rely on Him alone,
they are invincible. So we see
the golden principle in operation:
Closeness to God produces strength
and victory while distance from God
produces weaknesses and defeat.
Lord, we seek Your Revival of Life;
Lord, we seek Your Defence; and
Lord, we seek Your Restoration.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray.

Lord, we seek Your Revival of Life:
Again He said to me: Prophesy
to these bones and say to them:
O dry bones, hear the word of the
Lord. This is what the Sovereign
Lord says to these bones: I will
make breath enter you, and you
will come to life…Then u will know
that I am the Lord (Ezek 37:4-6).
Lord, there are areas of my life
that seems dead, that need new
infusion of Your life. There are
dreams I have had that seems
as if they have died because
it’s been a long time and still
they have not been realised.
I know if you can make dry bones
into a vast army, U can bring life to
anything worth praying about, no
matter how dead it seems. Amen.

Lord, we seek Your Defence:
This is what will happen in that day:
When Gog attacks the land of Israel,
my hot anger will be aroused,
declares the Sovereign Lord…
I will summon a sword against Gog…
I will execute judgment upon
him with plague and bloodshed;
I will pour down torrents of rain,
hailstones and burning sulphur on
his troops & many nations with him…
I will show my greatness & holiness,
and I will make myself known in the
sight of many nations. Then they will
know that I’m the Lord (Ez 38:18-23)
Lord, we live in a spiritual battlefield.
Behind human conflict lies a greater
battle: the spiritual struggle between
good and evil, God and the devil.
Gog is leading a massive alliance
alliance of nations to attack Israel.
God’s people live in quiet harmony,
apparently undefended. But in
fact God himself is their defence.
Lord, I put myself confidently into
Your hands. Pray that that all people
will know Your love in Christ. Amen.

Lord, we seek Your Restoration:
This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I will now bring Jacob back from
captivity and will have compassion
in all the people of Israel, and I will
be zealous for My holy name… I will
show myself holy through them in
the sight of many nations. Then they
will know that I am the Lord their
God… I will no longer hide My face
from them for I will pour out My Spirit
on the house of Israel, declares
the Sovereign Lord (Ezek39:25-29)
Lord, Thank You for the prophecy
that following the destruction of evil,
we can look forward to new season
with Your people filled with God’s
Spirit. We realise that this is a call to
repent of our spiritual carelessness
and a call to reach out to all people.
Help us to live in humble reverence
to holy God and may we reflect Your
grace & holiness to others. Amen.