Before an athlete runs the race he has to prepare himself for the race.  It requires devoting a great amount of energy and time in conditioning and training his body for the physical task that is set before him.  Also he conditions his mind to focus on his goal, dream, and vision to produce will power and a burning desire to accomplish what he has set out to do – To finish victoriously!

I believe that this is what the Lord wants to say to us during this season of our ministries. God has ignited His fire in our hearts and fuelled us with passion for His Name, plan and purpose, which are greater than our own agendas, wishes and dreams!

The Lord is our consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29)!

Once again, the Lord is wanting to ignite our hearts with burning passion, burning vision, burning desire that will take us forward into the things of God – His agendas, His business, His priorities! A true encounter with God on daily basis and genuine experience of God’s presence will broaden our vision that will advance our churches to expand the Kingdom of God.  When the burning Presence is revealed, we are consumed by His passion and vision. We are no longer occupied nor consumed by our selfishness or self-centredness, but in awe of His love and sufficiency! And that is enough for us!  In addition, when we engage our hearts with His burning Presence, it will consume, destroy, expose, root up and burn whatever is NOT of God. We are becoming more and more like Christ in the process. His heart becomes our heart. His desire becomes our desire. His passion becomes our passion. His priorities become our priorities. We will no longer worry about our surroundings, situations and circumstances because we ‘know’ and trust that God is with us and for us. He will surely provide and take care of us & our needs as His children.

Let us run this race of faith as the Apostle Paul did! Paul lived a life that was constantly straining toward the things of God.  He had a burning torch to carry and no matter what he was determined to keep it burning!

Philippians 3:13 (NIV) – Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead!

In this passage of scripture, Paul is talking about a revelation, a burning vision filled with a burning passion, a burning desire that is fuelled by the Holy Sprit.  Paul had a revelation of Jesus to know Him, to know all of His fullness, no matter what it takes, to stay on course, to strain towards His God-given destiny, to finish it victoriously!

There are reasons why many Christians do not reach forward today. They have gotten too comfortable and complacent with their lives, and lost their focus on Christ and God-given purpose. They have become too much of themselves, their own things, agendas and priorities. They are swallowed up by their own pride, arrogance, self-centredness and worldly successes, desires & achievements. They have gotten to a place where they do not think that they would need God more than their intermediate or momentary needs and urgencies.  I believe that these are some things we need to watch out. We too can become content, complacent & satisfied to live without God, and have little or even no desire to pursue God, His Kingdom and righteousness.

Let’s take some time to allow God to search our hearts by considering the following questions with a humble heart.

+ Do we still have the fire of God burning deeply in our hearts & lives today?
+ Do we see the evidence of His Presence and Power in our everyday life?
+ Do we still have the sense of awe and wonder of reverential fear when we spend time with God in His presence?
+ Are there humility, brokenness and conviction in our hearts?
+ Are we totally committed to God and His church (our community at church service and Life Groups)?
+ Do we just come to church or Life Group when it’s only convenient or when we could fit it in?
+ Do we choose to let go of our pride, sceptics, preferential styles & customs, and let God and His Spirit teach and guide us to the way of truth (John 16:13)?

I pray that we will wholeheartedly seek God above all else and pursue Him until His Presence consumes us and transforms us for His Glory.  I also pray that we will not miss what God has in store for us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God is doing great and amazing things in these last days. He is rising up a generation of young men and women with His holy fire burning in their hearts to reach the world and to reap the harvest of souls for Christ.

Let’s be a part of that generation for Christ! God has a purpose for every generation!

+ For Martin Luther, God’s purpose for him was to turn the church from the false teachings generated by the corrupted Roman Catholic Church back to the true teachings of the bible. He started the reformation and fulfilled God’s purpose for His generation.

+ When England was going spiritual decay, John Wesley rose to the occasion and brought spiritual renewal through the Methodist movement. John Wesley fulfilled God’s purpose in his generation.

+ The Hebrides Islands are a small group of Islands off the coast of Scotland. In 1948, the churches in the Hebrides Islands were in a state of darkness. Young people were not interested in God. God uses 7 young deacons, to pray and intercede for revival to come upon the Island. For months they prayed in the barn. Even during winter they met in the barn, covered themselves in thick blanket and they prayed. At the same time God used two old ladies, Peggy and Christine Smith to pray for the revival to come. One was 84 and the other 82. Peggy was almost blind and Christine was bent over with arthritis.  God used them to fulfill his purpose, for through their persevering prayers a powerful revival hit the Hebrides islands.

God also has a purpose for our generation, and it is our duty to discover what God has called us to fulfill, and to serve God’s purpose for our generation. We are to be the torch of this generation.  We are to devote ourselves with great energy and time in conditioning the inner man for the spiritual tasks that is set before us.  Emptying our ‘cup of self’ and conditioning our hearts and minds with a burning passion, burning vision, burning desire that will produce the power of God to accomplish what He has set us out to do – To finish victoriously!

Love you guys very much and remember you all in prayers!

In Christ,

Torch

“When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.” – John Wesley

 

John 21:15-17 (NIV)

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

 

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:19-21 (NIV)

All prophecy also needs to be weighed, judged, prayed through and tested because many false prophets are in the world, trying to deceive and beguile who they can (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 1 John 4:1).

A prophecy can be from God, from the flesh or from the evil one (Job 26:4), or a combination, as some people can start in the Spirit, but wander into the flesh as they prophesy beyond their faith (Romans 12:6). But, by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be confirmed (2 Corinthians 13:1). Prophecy is often conditional and we have to fulfill our obligations in the eyes of a covenant keeping God.

We are concluding our current sermon series on ‘Gaining Heaven’s Perspectives: Explore the Prophetic’ this Friday and will be gaining some insights about the importance of prophecies and ministry of laying on of hands and how we should respond to the prophetic words upon receiving them.

See you there!

***THE CINEMA (N02), GRIFFITH UNI NATHAN CAMPUS***

+ Is it possible to explore prophecy?

+ Is it possible to explore something supernatural like hearing God’s voice and communicating it?

Since the time of Samuel, there have been schools of prophets and disciples that met together for instruction, prayed together, worshiped together and heard the word of the Lord together. Though all the prophets varied in the degrees of revelation and the ways they received insight from the Lord, it is clear from Scripture that there were many prophets co-existing at one time. A most notable school of prophets can be found during the time of Elisha as the Scriptures reveal he was training several novice prophets at the same time.

In the New Testament, since the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had been poured out on all flesh (Acts 1-2). The prophecy, visions, and dreams are clear evidence that Jesus’ promise was now being fulfilled. The gift of prophecy, the office of prophets and prophetic ministry are also mentioned and given with a purpose of edifying and maturing the Body of Christ and the believers in the life of local church.

The focus of this sermon series is to bring clarity and understanding to the prophetic office, the prophetic anointing, its ministry and the gift of prophecy. We also hope to help individuals recognise the operations of this anointing in their lives and in the lives of others. It is our desire that believers will develop a greater respect and appreciation for the prophetic office and gift.

This sermon series will surely bring a focus on the supernatural move of God and the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. We yearn to see all Christians filled with the presence of God, renewed in spirit to claim the authority God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ and empowered to mature in Christ!

In conjunction with this series, we will have guest international speakers and well-recognised prophets, John Jacks and John Tiplady come and share with us on the subject as well as minister to our congregation on Friday May 4, 2012.

This is not to be missed!

Gospel For Asia (GFA) is a Non Profit Christian Charity involved in reaching out to and supporting the Dalit people groups of Asia, “the untouchables” – providing aid, help and support to them and their children through different programs:- sponsorship of National Workers: providing animals and vocational training to families in dire poverty through the Critter Campaign; and  sponsorship of children through the Bridge of Hope program, who otherwise would never receive an education. Its primary mission is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never before heard His name.

Geoff will be sharing with us the vision of GFA and its diverse missions & ministries that are currently making a big difference in enabling many GFA missionaries to declare the Gospel to those millions of Dalits and the other backward cast! Together they make up three quarters of the population of India (700 million people). Last year, GFA saw 605,268 of these people saved, baptised and placed in discipleship courses!

This service is NOT to be missed! We are honoured to have Geoff share his personal experience in missions and passion towards the lost and God’s global mission.

We will be surely inspired and challenged to be involved in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to those around us, and further think about others in other lands who haven’t yet heard the Gospel!

For more information about Gospel For Asia, please visit http://www.gospelforasia.org.au/

As a youth ministry, we endeavour to help fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus by partnering with mission organisations and church planting agencies. It’s our heart desire to equip, train and mobilise young people to be a part of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Find out about our mission projects & initiatives, please visit www.ablaze.org.au/web/go/missions/missions-to-the-ends-of-the-earth

Moreover, before He returned to God, He charged them with the most important task, the Great Commission for every Christ-follower to live by. Many asked whether these words of Jesus are still relevant to us as the 21st century Christ-followers. Here in the 21st century, many still wonder what we are to do with this instruction of Jesus.

It’s a sad reality that people’s interest in spiritual things, which includes Jesus, seems not to be pursued in the life of the church. It’s even sadder to witness many Christians who profess their faith in Christ and His Lordship over their lives have become lukewarm in ‘carrying the cross’ after Christ.

Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34 (NIV)

Jesus clearly instructs us, if we want to be a follower, to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow. What does this mean? What does He expect of us, His 21st Century disciples?

This coming Friday, we are going to tackle one of the most important ‘Post-Easter’ questions, “After Easter, Then What?” After all the great celebration surrounding Easter and all the singing at the top of our lungs, “Jesus Christ is Risen ” … what then? Where do we go from here? Is the rest of the year just one big anti-climax?

Join us for the final installment for ‘Risen’ Series only at Ablaze Service.

Like the other gospels, Matthew says women were the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (hardly a fact anyone would invent in that male-dominated culture). He notes the plot to spread a false account of what happened to Jesus’ body. He ends with a grand summary of Jesus’ mission for, and promise to, all of His followers (the “Great Commission”).

• Christ the victor, risen from the dead, began his final commission with the words, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given tome” (Matthew28:18). What, or whom, did Jesus defeat through the cross and resurrection? What does His victory over evil, suffering and death mean in your daily life?

• Matthew’s description of the women’s reaction—“afraid yet filled with joy”—carries a ring of truth. It’s often the way we feel when something amazing happens that will bring about huge changes in our life. What is there about having God at work in your life that might make you afraid? What fills you with the greatest joy?

“Mary stood outside the tomb crying.” Sooner or later, we all meet times so painful, losses so devastating, that all we can do in the face of them is weep. However, Mary was not forsaken as she wept—and neither are we. Two angelic heralds, and then Jesus Himself, told Mary she did not need to weep any more. Hope lived—because Jesus lived!

John 18:1 says Jesus went to “a garden.”Many scholars believe John was comparing Jesus to Adam and Eve (Genesis 2-3), who chose their will over God’s in a garden. Mary first thought Jesus was “the gardener.” In what ways did the risen Jesus begin restoring this world as God’s “garden”? How has his restoring work shaped your life?

John also says Mary saw two angels, one each at the head and foot of where Jesus had been. This seems to refer to Exodus 25:19, 22, the place where God’s presence dwelt between two sculpted angels on the Ark of the Covenant. How did Jesus’ death and resurrection make real the divine mercy that the Ark symbolised for Israel?

In verse 28, John summed up Jesus’ state of mind by saying, “knowing that everything had now been finished.” Two verses later, Jesus told all who were listening, “It is finished.” The cross was not an accident, a situation in which Jesus found Himself trapped. It was the endpoint of His chosen mission. It fulfilled His purpose in coming to earth.

• What was “finished”? Though many scholars have offered answers to that question, one aspect of Jesus’ mission is to show how much God loves the human family. On the cross, Jesus had showed us that definitively.  How does the story of the cross touch you? How do you respond to God’s great love?

• Another part of Jesus’ saving work was that He faced evil and death at their very worst, and defeated them. Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus “set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” In what ways does fear of death affect your life choices? How can Jesus’ death help to free you from that fear?

Good Friday is the day that we take time to remember Jesus’ crucifixion and His love & sacrifice for mankind.

Join us for a time of commemoration of the Lord’s great sacrifice and celebration of His wonderful love at Ablaze Service this coming Friday as we will learn more about the final moment of Jesus on the cross and its significance for both Christ-followers and those yet to be saved!

We will continue with our current sermon series, RISEN: The Road to Victory with the 3rd Episode, “ON THE CROSS: Sacrifice to Save”.

In conjunction with this series, we’d like to encourage you to have a special daily devotion to prepare yourself to celebrate Easter next weekend as it should be. Visit http://ablaze.org.au/torchie for the devotions we have had so far this week.