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Thursday, 16 April 2009

why the big emphasis on prayer?

1. Our war is not against flesh..

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

2. Because workers are few isn't it funny that in the bible, it shows how workers are few, yet it doesn't say enlist yourself to be a worker.. but it calls us to prayer..

Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

3. Because angels and demons move at the sound of my/our voice..

Daniel 9:23 "At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I (angel Gabriel) have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:

4. if you were to ask the prince of persia (demonic stronghold) which would you rather have.. a million physical soilders coming against you, or one man (daniel) praying against you? Prince of persia would answer, MILLION ARMY PLEASE!!Daniel's prayers were so effective that angel gabriel, angel micheal, price of persia, and prince of greece were moved.. It was His prayer that sent back the exile back to the Lord.. I want to have a history in prayer that I would have that much anointing in my words.. (dan 6:10)

Daniel 10:12-13 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

5. It's far more powerful to have king move in our favor, then for us to work all our lives.. we can set our whole life to work for something... but sometime just one favor from God will do far more then our whole life time of work..

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

another biblical example would be queen esther.. Hamen came against the jewish people to commit genocide.. Esther could have worked all her life trying to stop that from happening.. yet it might have still happened.. even for a queen.. yet she sought the favor from the king.. and one favor of someone powerful was all she needed.. and hamen was hung on a tree... and jewish people were saved.. it's the same concept in prayer..

modern example.. Cambodia was known to be one of the biggest human trafficking nation.. they have many brothels in the nation.. when ihop has set themselves to pray atleast once a week for two hours for few month.. later one over 100 brothels got closed down by the government.. ihop and cambodian christians were praying together.. you might say this is just a coincident.. but few week later the general of cambodia, who was known to have deep relationship with the brother.. very wicked man.. on his hallicopter flight.. a lighting hit it, and the general died.. on their national newpaper head line goes "Christians kills general to death through prayer." we might not believe it but they obviously do..

Lastly.. I believe in prayer.. because we will see the greatest result from the least amount of work.. I can talk about revival all my life.. but we won't see anything.. unless I get people to start meeting together to cry out to the Lord.. I can set my self to be abolitionist, but if i were to pray tons of more work can be done..

quote from mike bickle.. in his pre-ihop days..
Mike: but God I don't even like to pray.. I'm more of an evangelist guy..
God: your evangelism will be far more effective if you add prayer and evangelism.

Monday, 08 December 2008

Dwelt among us

It had all started when Moses asks God to go to the promise land with His people. (Exodus 34:9) When Moses had finished the building the tabernacle (dwelling place) and the alter for the Lord, God’s glory had fully filled the temple. (Exodus 40:33-35) The glory of God was so thick that even Moses who had seen the glory of God at the Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:7-8) could not enter the tent of meeting. God had dwelt among the Israelites and had shown his glory to his people. We can see the example of his glory which was told in exodus 34:7-8 being displayed through out Moses’ generation.

Later on, we see King David desiring to build a house for God to dwell in.
2 Samuel 7:2 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains."

And God answers
2 Samuel 7:5-7 5 "Go and say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD, "Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? 6 "For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. 7 "Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'

It is written in Isaiah 66:1 that heaven is his throne and earth is his footstool. It says that God had not dwelt in a house since the day He brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt. He had left his glorious throne room, and dwelt among his people when Moses had asked God to dwell with them. God had so desired to be among His people that he had decided to leave his house and stay at a tent which men had made. Not only did he stay at the tent, for many generations from the time of Moses, even until Solomon, God had chosen not to complain to His people about his living conditions. He had chosen be to be long-suffering for us. Even before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, we see the heart of the father desiring to dwell among us.
We can see the same heart with Jesus.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word (Jesus) dwelt among us. Another translation for dwelt among us can be understood as “and he tabernacle among us.” God who had created the universe and all that is in it. God, who is holy, had chosen to humble himself and became flesh, so that he may dwell among his people. (Phi 2: 6-8)
We can see the same heart with the holy spirit
Acts 2:4 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

We see that the Holy Spirit had filled the body of the believers. God had desired to dwell with us as close as he can by dwelling inside of our body.
Did God really dwell among his people through the house?
We get a better understanding when we read the account of Solomon when he had finished building the house of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 6:18 18 "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.
2 Chronicles 6:40 40 "Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Yet God answers back concerning the house

2 Chronicles 7:15 15 "Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Isaiah 66:1-2 Thus says the LORD, "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? 2 "For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

We learn through Hebrew 8:5 that the temple in the earth was only a mere copy of the heavenly throne. God is unable to dwell in a house men build for him. Yet a man Christ Jesus will build for him a house to dwell on.
2 Samuel 7:12-13 12 "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

We know that this was a prophecy given to King David concerning his descendant. Yet we know that it wasn’t talking about King Solomon, because God did not establish his kingdom forever. We know the one who is called the son of David (Jesus) who will have his kingdom established forever. (LK 1:33, Isa 9:7)
Jesus builds for the Father a house he can dwell in on the earth. This happens when Jesus is ruling the earth in millennial kingdom. (rev 20:1-6) When Jesus finishes a house for God the father to live in, Father comes to new heaven and new earth. And it is recorded
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle (dwelling place) of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

One of the main themes we see in the Bible is that God’s desire to be with us. At first God leave his throne in heaven, yet knowing that he can not dwell with men, by things made by men, He send his one and only son to make the house for the father to dwell in. At the end of it all, we get to live with God and see the fullness of his glory, which was the cry of Jesus’ heart.
John 17:24 24 "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Saturday, 22 November 2008

weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
During my time here at IHOP I’ve been studying about voluntary weakness. How voluntary weakness is a way we strive our sanctification on earth. Did you ever realize that many of sanctification verses can be summed up in one word? And that word is weakness. When God tells us to take up the cross, live out the Sermon on the Mount, turn the other cheek, fast, humble yourself, and etc. These commands can be summed up as taking the meek road, not the strong road. Highway to spiritual maturity doesn’t come when we are filled with knowledge of the bible. It doesn’t come when we have taken classes on preaching, healing, systematic theology, personal spiritual formation, and etc. It doesn’t come when we’ve figured out how to pray correctly so that healing and signs and wonders are done in Jesus’ name. Though these are all noble things we should strive for, it does not lead to sanctification or maturity. We can have knowledge like Wayne Grudem, heal people like Todd Bentley, preach a sermon like Spurgeon, be a mystic like Thomas Merton; yet these things do not equal spiritual maturity.
Maturity comes when we are weak in God. When we do not rely on our own strength or gifting but when we rely on God for our daily provision that is when we are mature. Our Maturity comes when Phi 3:8 is lived out. Whatever was to our boast, we count them rubbish compared to knowing surpassing greatness of God. Maturity is not reserved for scholarly, pastorally, mystics, healers, but it’s something achievable even for an uneducated, not well informed, not well experienced everyday Joe. Because being weak is a matter of choice, which anyone who chooses to be weak is capable to do.
We can examine this from the life of Jesus. At the time of trial with Pilate though Jesus had the power to release thousands of angels at the wink of his eyes, he had chosen not to. It is written that in Jesus he hold all things together. With a mere word he could’ve crushed the rebellious children of Israel, yet he had chosen the path of weakness and suffering. He had chosen to be smitten, to be hated, to be spat on, to be mocked at, to be whipped at, and to be crucified. Jesus had all the power in the world to stop this from happening, yet he had chosen the way of meekness. Knowing that through his weakness it will save many.
2 Corinthians 13:4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power.
Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.
Christianity is an upside down kingdom, where the last become first, where the weak becomes strong. To live a life of maturity, to live a life of perfection of God’s power, God commands us to be weak to withhold our strength and talents but to fully depend on God for everything.

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Persecution of christians at San Fran Castro district...

Saturday, 27 September 2008

First miracle on first day

I'm kind of thinking about how honest i should be on my blog post. Where does the wisdom lie concerning what i want to share with people, to what is helpful to share with people. I will share what i want to share and see where it goes from there. (but there are so many i probably won't share. )
I was here at international house of prayer before from febuary until july. two months as a visitor status? and three months doing an internship called Fire In The Night. it's been a very encouraging time as I've wrote in my previous post. at the end of the track one in FITN, I had expereince few healings first hand through prayer.
while i was at nj, i had prayed for people to be healed yet didn't see much of healings being done.
when I came back the first offcial hour in to the prayer room, the prayer leader had asked anyone sick in the room to stand and get prayer for healing. I had went over to a guy who couldn't hear thorugh his left ear. While we were praying, we had seen improvement in his ear, and then few minutes later, he had stopped us from praying to tell us that he was totally 100% healed. he had started to cry, and I began to tear little bit. Since I've been contending for healing, yet had not seen much healing being done back home. It was really cool. It was as if, "Jay i've been hearing your prayers all along.. believe in me."
=)
nothing crazy.. but wanted to share.
J
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