clumsy cow

1. Word of God

2. Abiding in Christ

Analogy of the branch and the vine. The branch may have luscious fruits, but it is not the branch that grew the fruits – instead, it's the vine. The job of the branch is to remain attached to the vine, and the vine's job is to impart life and fruitfulness. The vine is the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was at a wedding with His mother in John 2. When they ran out of wine and Mary went to Jesus, He said two things.

1. "Woman, why do you involve me?"

To Jesus, your situation may not be as important to Him as it is to you. But because you matter to Him, He will still do it for you. There is nothing such as an insignificant need.

2. "My hour has not yet come."

Jesus accelerated the schedule not because he was under pressure; Jesus operated under divine love. Sometimes he will shift the timetable back, sometimes earlier.

Wine = joy

Sometimes there are uninvited guests/ things that come into your life. If you think it from a wedding's POV, they may drink up the wine, zapping away your joy.

1. Mary turned to Jesus

a. Worldly joy comes from possession, position, entertainment and achievement

b. Jesus' joy

John 15:11 NKJV

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:5 NKJV

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:22 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

2. Mary had faith in Jesus

We need to walk away from our doubts, fears, worries and anxieties.

3. The servants obeyed Jesus

John 2:5-9

Obedience requires absolute submission.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

How does it show us how to live our lives?

We should want to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice – when we accept that we were saved by the mercies of God.

Sacrifice speaks of something of value. We may sacrifice something valuable to us, through our choices, to do something. Setting apart.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

What's in a person's heart will always show on the external.

Nehemiah built faith by encountering God

Nehemiah 1:3 NKJV

And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

All things that could go wrong have gone wrong

Nehemiah 1:4 NKJV

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

When we encounter depressing moments, alwaya go back to God and build our altar before God again, and allow God into our situation again and renew our minds.

Nehemiah 1:5 NKJV

And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,

Even during depressing moments, he took time to focus on God and re-adjust his lens to focus on who God really is.

Our God is faithful when we are faithless. God is fully of mercy before us.

Nehemiah 1:8‭-‬9 NKJV

Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘ If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’

He reminded God of His promises. Let's learn to confess the promises of God in our prayers.

2. Build faith by the Word of God

II Corinthians 4:8‭-‬10 NKJV

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

II Corinthians 4:13‭-‬14 NKJV

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

Paul guarded his attitude of faith by guarding his confessions. And he believed therefore he spoke.

3. Build faith by courageously stepping out to the unknown

Peter stepped into the waters from the boat.

Nehemiah 2:2‭-‬5 NKJV

Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Nehemiah sought God first before handling the difficult situation.

Proverbs 21:1 NKJV

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord , Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

God can turn people's hearts around.

Nehemiah 2:8 NKJV

and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah asked for protection and provision.

It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed and despised.

Tabernacle

- outer courts

- holy place

- golden lampstand

Numbers 8:1‭-‬4 NKJV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.’ ” And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

The lampstand had a function to provide light. But more than the function, it also had a form which conveyed a message. What then is the message?

1. Gold is the purest of metals – God never changes

2. Lampstand gives light – God wants to bring light into our situation, He is light

3. Seven lamps

Revelation 4:5 NKJV

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

4. Priests were dependent on the lampstand to do the work of God – live a life that is totally dependent on the Holy Spirit

Acts 10:38 NKJV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

We are not going through lives on our own, but we have a Helper who knows everything. Jesus was dependent and yielded to the Holy Spirit to lead Him and guide Him.

Are we willing to yield and obey?

We always say God we can handle, because it's just a small matter – but God is interested in every detail of our lives. He is always waiting for us to commune with Him. Submit to the Holy Spirit for Him to overcome our pride issue.

5. The lampstand has a continuous supply of fresh oil

Exodus 27:20 NKJV

“And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.

The oil on the lampstand never burns out. We will burn out if we are self-reliant, but we can rely on God for His strength.

Before Jesus was betrayed, He was in the garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane means pressed olives.

Matthew 26:37‭-‬38 NKJV

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

II Corinthians 4:7‭-‬8 NKJV

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

The life of an anointed leader often has tribulations and trials.

Prayer produces fresh oil in our lives. Prayer is not just hiding in the room, but a continuous conversation with God.

Luke 22:41 NKJV

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

Kneeling down – a posture of begging.

"HE that is down need fear no fall;  

He that is low, no pride;

He that is humble ever shall  

Have God to be his guide. 

I am content with what I have

Little be it or much

And, Lord, contentment still I crave,

Because thou savest such. 

Fulness to such a burden is  

That go on pilgrimage;

Here little, and hereafter bliss,  

Is best from age to age."

Luke 22:44 NKJV

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 4:18 NKJV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

“The seed that fell on the beaten path represents the heart of the one who hears the message of the kingdom realm but doesn’t understand it. The Adversary then comes and snatches away what was sown into his heart.

“The seed sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message, but his experience remains shallow.

Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away, for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.

“The seed sown among weeds represents the person who receives the message, but all of life’s busy distractions, his divided heart, and his ambition for wealth result in suffocating the kingdom message and prevent him from bearing spiritual fruit.

“As for the seed that fell upon good, rich soil, it represents the hearts of people who hear and fully embrace the message of heaven’s kingdom realm. Their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times as much as was sown.”

1 Corinthians 2:4 AMP

And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom [using clever rhetoric], but [they were delivered] in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit [operating through me] and of [His] power [stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them],

Ephesians 5:15‭-‬19 TPT

So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes. And don’t live foolishly for then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will. And don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord Jehovah. Keep speaking to each other with words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit!

To be continually filled with the Holy Spirit is the key to a victorious Christian life.

The promise of the Father is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which evidence is the speaking in tongues.

Acts 2:32‭-‬33 NKJV

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.

What is speaking in tongues?

Speaking in languages they had never learned. It is a language!! Language is for creative purposes.

The natural (material) is subordinate to the spiritual (immaterial). The spiritual realm is far more superior than the natural. God is not dependent on nature or circumstances – he has the ability to change everything.

Speak from your natural into the spiritual, to change the atmosphere around us.

1. Praying in tongues edifies your spirit man

I Corinthians 14:4 NKJV

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Praying in tongues recalibrates our mind.

2. Praying in tongues is speaking directly to God in mysteries

Revelation 8:3‭-‬4 NKJV

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.

When you pray, there is angelic activity.

If you don't pray in tongues, there is no power because words have power!! When you pray, angels move on your behalf.

3. Praying in tongues aids effective spiritual warfare

4. Praying in tongues produces an assurance that God is by our side

Romans 8:26 TPT

Vessel

Consecration

Urgency

The worst thing that can happen to a gift, is when it’s left unused.

Romans 11:29 NKJV

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Romans 11:29 MSG

God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded.

Romans 11:29 AMP

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for He does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call].

Use God’s gift to serve the generation. Everyone has a different gift, e.g. David and Solomon on building house. God told David that his gift is not to build a house for Him, but his son is.

Romans 12:6‭-‬8 NKJV

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Dont have to compare with others, for comparion is the thief of joy. The moment you start comparing, your joy will be taken away.

Let God open up your heart, and show you your gift

1. God's gifts are given to all who believe

If our earthly parents give us good gifts, what more our Heavenly Father.

Romans 5:8 NKJV

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We don't deserve salvation , yet God gives it to us. And His only criteria is for us to believe.

II Corinthians 1:20 NKJV

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

God has already given us His promises, but if we don't "cash it out", or live it out, we won't experience what God wants us to experience.

2. God's gifts will grow

Moses is only an ordinary shepherd, but with the staff in His hand, He led the whole nation.

Don't wait for the perfect moment, for everything to fall in place, but use every moment and make it perfect.

Never despise the days of small beginnings. You never know what you can accomplish today, but someday you will.

We all start somewhere and let the gift begin to grow. What we are today is God's gift to us, but what we become is our gift to God.

For example, CHC started with just 20 teenagers, with Pastor Kong as the only working adult.

Allow God to use the gift that is in you. You may not know how your gift may impact the world, but someday you will.

2 Timothy 1:6 AMP

That is why I remind you to fan into flame the gracious gift of God, [that inner fire—the special endowment] which is in you through the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].

Reminded of how i promised myself to go deep into the Bible and have a strong understanding two years ago. But two years later, i have yet to finish reading the whole bible once.

1. Peter grew and became a man of self control

He did things without much thought, and is a man with hastiness.

Proverbs 29:20

Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Dont let bitterness come into your heart.

1 Peter 2:21-23 (NLT)

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

Can we leave everything in the hands of God?

2. Peter grew and became a man of humility

I Peter 5:5‭-‬6

Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Throw our pride away to grow closer to God. Humble ourselves and be obedient.

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

God knows it all, and our goal is only to follow Him

3. Peter grew in loyalty

John 21:15‭-‬17 NKJV

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Peter was already broken at this point, and did not dare to tell Jesus he loves (agape) Him. Instead, he said he loves (phileo) Him.

So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

We are pilgrims for Christ – it's a journey to knowing the Lord. As pilgrims, having a relationship is important to sustain us for the journey.

Luke 9:3-6

“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

The disciples brought no possessions, and they had to building relationships people to receive food and not be hungry.

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

If you want to be sustained, maintain relationships with God and people.

Testimony

Doing things out of a pure heart in accordance to the Will of God. As long as we seek first His kingdom, everything we need shall be added unto us.

1. Doing only the Will of the Father

John 5:19

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

You are first a servant and son of the most-high God, then you are a communications professional.

Luke 22:42-44

2. Glory to God alone

Doing only the Will of the Father no matter what – make this your pursuit.

1 Corinthians 10:31

3. Do it unto God and not to man

Colossians 3:23-24

4. Pure heart

Guard your heart, with all diligence

Psalm 24:3-4

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Traits that Peter have

1. Inquisitive: always asking questions

Curiosity is key to growth. He was always asking Jesus questions – the questions that nobody else will ask.

Proverbs 2:1‭-‬5 MSG

Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That’s right—if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer, Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Believe me, before you know it Fear-of- God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.

2. Initiative

He is not afraid of being paiseh.

Matthew 16:13‭-‬16 NKJV

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

3. Involved